I've gotten a thousand answers, none of which I'm going to directly respond to, but I think I was right all along. There is not enough carried on from one Final Fantasy to the next to actually warrant each to hold down the name. Xenogears could have been a numbered Final Fantasy. Just add in some chocobos and a Cid. Same with Chrono Trigger. What defines these games is nothing more than a few passing resemblances to previous iterations. After each game is completed, everything is thrown out, even gameplay-wise, and development starts from scratch. Is there another series in the world that actually throws out what works and what doesn't work? This is probably why there was hardly a person in this post that could say they've enjoyed them all.
Tag: Became a freaking mod and a complete douche, coincidentally, at the same time.
