Summary
In the eyes of a lawful good character, the law was created to serve a common good, and no one should be exempt from justice. Besides the fact that each world is created or at least ruled over by an evil god (which must be slain before the credits roll), kingdoms and regions inFinal Fantasygenerally tend to be ruled by benevolent administrators.
This makes it easy to root for characters who want to see the most people benefit by the most legitimate means possible, as these figures tend to be likable in a world where order is directed for the public good. However,being that feudal power tends to corrupt, and seeing lawful good characters under pressure to make choices in a world where their higher-ups have turned to evil always makes for compelling character arcs. Speaking of character arcs, beware spoilers ahead!
This brick-chinned knight of the realm will stop at nothing to uphold his honor, the honor of Alexandria, and the safety of the royal line. He comes off as obnoxious, naive, and something of a boob, especially in the opening chapters ofFinal Fantasy 9, thanks to hisalmost-zealous dedication to his station, duties, and the upper class.
This rigidity contrasts with Zidane’s playful irreverence for the law and the ruling order. As the story unfolds, Steiner loosens up, but it is only until the Queen sentences Princess Garnet to death that he acts on the “good” side of lawful good by mounting a rescue mission along with the rest of the party.
Lawful good might be considered one of the most optimistic of the moral alignments, and not every lawful good character can parse “lawful” from good and evil, as exemplified inFinal Fantasy 4by Cecil Harvey. After realizing that his following orders created horrific outcomes, especially for a young girl in Mysidia, Cecil discards his past and present as a dark knight for the empire to embrace his new role as a paladin.
After landing in the same town he unknowingly torched from the start of the game, Cecil is convinced to take on the path of good by completing trails at the summit of (the fittingly named) Mount Ordeals. Whilepaladins dramatically fall from gracein many fantasy tales, the opposite is true for Cecil. After allowing himself to be defeated by his past evil, he devotes himself to goodness and gains the power of white magic.
Cyan takes on Bushido, the way of a samurai, not merely as a fighting style but a code to live by. He maintains a fierce loyalty to his king. He draws his strength from his honor and the love of his family. When they are lost after the World of Balance is tipped over into thehellish landscape of the World of Ruin, he loses all strength and falls victim to negative-emotion-feeding monsters.
In every translation ofFinal Fantasy 6, Cyan’s mannerisms match his idealistic way of living. He upholds the traditions of the past by using archaic languages and extreme politeness, especially in the presence of ladies. He is unstoppable in battle but only fights on the side of righteousness.
The stoic Basch fon Ronsenburg fought all his life for the betterment of his homeland. Despite being pinned for the murder of the prince and having his reputation torn into shreds, his loyalty never wavered. After his escape, and after he redeems himself before (the former) Princess Ashe, Basch continues to demonstrate his heroism and loyalty to Dalmasca by protecting her on her return to the throne and by furthering the cause of the resistance.
Even after he wasbetrayed by his twin brotherand faced with a death sentence duringFinal Fantasy 12’s prologue, Basch used his honor as a crutch to help him through. During the confrontation with his evil twin, he states that his renewed purpose returned his strength even after such punishments at the darkest depths of Nalbina Dungeon.
AsFinal Fantasy 7follows the story of a group of eco-terrorists looking to take any means necessary to overthrow the local authorities, Red XIII (Nanaki, to give him his real name) didn’t have an easy time mixing with the group, given his penchant for holding all life as sacred and revering authority (at least the authority of his ancestors and the elders of his tribe).
He is often at odds with Barret, who isknown for his chaotic-good nature, and joins the party as a way to reach Cosmo Canyon, his home. Although Nanaki shared Avalanche’s goal of saving the planet, he found their methods to be unsavory. However, at the request of Bugenhagen, his adoptive grandfather, he joined them in their mission to stop Sephiroth and Jevova.
While other lawful good types can be pushy, zealous, and fierce, Yuna fromFinal Fantasy 10is anything but, although she demonstrates great courage when her friends are in danger. Yuna spent all of her life following the commandments of Yevon and believed the narrative that Sin would only truly be defeated once Spira’s people became pure of heart.
In service to her faith and the people of Spira, she was willing to sacrifice her own life if only to bring about a temporary calm. However, after revelations about the structure of Yeven’s religious order, Yuna decides to break the cycle maintained by the Yunalesca,a lawful upholder of the evil lieand daughter of Sin’s keeper, Yu Yevon, so that the people of the world can truly be free of the spiral of despair and pain brought about by Sin.
