Final Fantasy, as a series, began in 1987 in Japan. It has been going strong since with up to fifteen main releases, sequels to those games, and many, video game many spinoffs. Some spinoffs are not what one would expect. That is to say some of these have taken the form of other media like in anime, films, comics, and so forth.

The very first game to film adaption was the OVA, Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, which first launched in 1994. Since then there have been nine total adaptations. So in honor of Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s release, and the resurgence of fans rewatching Advent Children because of that game, let’s go back and rank them all.

Updated July 11, 2021 by Tristan Jurkovich: Fans of the Final Fantasy movie and various anime shows over the years received a big surprise in 2021. Square Enix announced they are going to be making an animated series based on Final Fantasy 9. Of all the entries to pick that is a fascinating one as the fan base is pretty split on it.

Regardless of how you feel, this show is supposed to begin production by early 2022 at the latest which means it could hit digital platforms by the end of 2022. It is being developed by a French animation studio, Cyber Group Studios, so it won’t exactly be an anime. This is exciting news even though there isn’t much to go on other than that for now.

While we wait there are still plenty of Final Fantasy animes and movies to watch. Read on to find out how they compare in our ranking.

9 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

The Spirits Within had almost nothing to give fans when it debuted on July 2, 2001. The standouts were that it had were the cast and visual effects. Unfortunately said graphics don’t hold up as well now thanks to video game technology surpassing them.

Even though it had the stars, they had very little to work with in terms of content. It’s as bland as you can get from both a story standpoint and an overall art design. This cements its place at the bottom of this list.

8 On The Way To A Smile: Episode - Denzel

On the Way to a Smile is a series of novels, or more like short stories within a novel, that discuss what everyone was doing in-between the end of of Final Fantasy 7 and the beginning of Advent Children.

Of all the stories Denzel’s was the only one to get a short animated feature conversion. It debuted on June 2, 2009 in North America and came with certain versions of the movie at retail. It isn’t bad as such but not much happens to this not so well liked character in the universe, which is why it ranks so low.

7 Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn - Prologue

This was released as sort of a preview, or as the title suggests, a prologue, to Ardyn’s DLC episode in Final Fantasy 15. This was sometime in 2019.

It, and the DLC, try to give some context to his motivations, which were ill-defined in the game. This short is, well, short, but it does provide a few answers to questions fans had over the original character. Sadly the same can’t be said for the DLC.

6 Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy 15 released on July 9, 2016. It suffers from some of the same issues as The Spirits Within. It boasts a lot of Hollywood talent, but said actors aren’t given much to do. It looks good now, but it too will probably diminish in its technical allure over time.

Although it isn’t as boring as The Spirits Within, it’s hard to grasp what exactly is going on which is its own set of issues. However, the convoluted plot lines can make for some killer action scenes at least.

5 Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals

As mentioned in the intro, this was the first adaption. Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals premiered in Japan on March 21, 1994. It released in four episodes throughout the year and wouldn’tget a North American release until November 17, 1998 as one full package. It was a sequel to Final Fantasy 5.

Because it was released as an OVA, it has some high production values. The VHS conversion may not have high screen options, but the animation itself still looks great. It sort of ties into the game, but not really. Still, it at least feels like a Final Fantasy adventure in both the look and with its many references. It teeters on the generic side of ’90s anime, but overall it isn’t that bad.

4 Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV

Along with Kingsglaive, this was released as a free preview to the main game. The first episode premiered on March 30, 2016 and it ended that September, just before Final Fantasy 15 launched. Each of the five episodes dive into one of the brothers, with the final episode combining all four tales for one epic battle.

Later on there was also an exclusive episode about Lunafreya, which came with one of the higher collector versions of the game. These are short, but do a nice job giving players some context to the characters. They are charming and even funny at times.

3 Last Order: Final Fantasy VII

Before Crisis Core, the PSP prequel starring Zack, this was the best way to see the confrontation between Sephiroth, Cloud, Tifa and Zack on Mt. Nibel. Last Order: Final Fantasy 7 released first on September 14, 2005 in Japan, although North America would not get it until February 20, 2007

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The entirety of the story takes place when Sephiroth goes crazy and burns down Nibelheim. It ends with Zack and Cloud escaping on the truck to Midgar. Even though the animation still looks slick, this climactic moment is better in the aforementioned game. It should hit even harder whenever Final Fantasy 7 Remake gets to it.

2 Final Fantasy: Unlimited

Final Fantasy: Unlimited is not much of a Final Fantasy spin-off. That is to say it has very little to do with the games, even though one could presumably tie some things into the various universes. The first epsiode released in Japan on October 2, 2001. It ended the following March. It would release in North America through DVD sets between 2003 and 2004.

It also has qualities like Cid and Chocobos present that are iconic. That said, again, it doesn’t follow a traditional plot is the point here. It meanders toward the later half, but even though it strides away from Final Fantasy, it is a decent, B-tier anime with some genuine laughs. Chobi is the standout star.

1 Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Even though some things have not held up as much, like the graphics - which like The Spirits Within were outstanding at the time - Advent Children is still the best video game to film adaption. It premiered on September 14, 2005 in Japan and April 25, 2006 in North America.

The first hour is slow and the overall tone is morose, but that last hour is adrenaline-fueled chaos. The action choreography is still top-notch. It’s like Dragon Ball Z had a baby with Final Fantasy 7. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but at least it is enjoyable to watch.

NEXT: Final Fantasy 7 Remake: The Wildest Fan Theories That Could Actually Be True