Indeed.

well still better main character than some western macho marine or some tolkien bad ripoffs.
and SE was so cool back then. they took so many risks.What? do you want ff 7 2? haha
"we are going to change everything"
now they try to be "western friendly" and they suck

I was actually waiting for this to pop up.  It was only a matter of time.

Agree. I don't remember Squall being as "emo" as the FF7 lovers make him to be. Reality is SEPHIROTH is what made FF7, not Cloud. Yes Cloud was a good character but people are lying to themselves (for the most part, as there are true Cloud understanders and fans out there) thinking Cloud made FF7 what it is. Some could argue that Vincent was the cooler character moreso than Cloud. I mean c'mon, he's like a shapeshifting Vampire with a tragic love story with Lucrecia, what's not to like about him. Cloud became a likeable character the moment he told Sephiroth in AC "you're wrong, there isn't a thing I don't cherish" (something along those lines). AC complete was my favorite version especially because of Zack's appearances and flashbacks.

Anyways back on topic, aside from Squall's hard life and being somewhat withdrawn, he's a character that gradually developed throughout the story without losing his badassness. He kept denying to himself his feelings for Rinoa, but came into terms with it when he decided that she shouldn't be imprisoned. He stepped up to the plate without being some genetic alteration or anything. What made Squall an interesting character is the fact that he gradually grows throughout the WHOLE story. He is somewhat overwhelmed the moment he first meets Rinoa but if you pay attention, little by little he transforms himself into someone that lets go of his anti-social nature without losing his badassness. He is more tangible to a human being and is easy to identify with (he's 17 or 18 and most of us were that age once, as I assume there may be a 16 yr old here and there). Remember, Squall is not a 28 yr old war veteran, he's a very young adult Orphan  in a military-like academy who all too soon takes the burden of leadership in a conflict that has odds against his crew (make-shift resistance group, 2 other new SeeD members vs an entire military regime lead by a known powerful Sorceress). I guarantee most of us would most likely break under all that pressure, but he maintains his cool while developing his character and sense of self, finally coming into terms that he actually cares for another human being and is willing to take on the burden that comes with his leadership role. I hope this has shed some light to those that are still open minded about understanding such an excellent character.

Squall would kick your sorry little girly ass any day of the week.

Squall ain't emo, he;s just an emotional trainwreck and can't relate to people that well. I've never in my life related more to a character than him.

This is the thing. Your guys main rebuttal is "hur hur FF 7 fans always say that !1!".

Yeah, but I'm not a Final Fantasy 7 fan. I like IV, VI, IX, X, and XII all quite a bit more than VII. Squall is clearly derivative of Cloud; the whole game reeks of trying to be what FF VII was. I mean look at their damned names.

Then you need to read more books or watch better movies, because in all honesty a 14 year old boy could have come up with Squall's character and written his backstory and script.

I'm not insulting you, just saying that if you relate to Squall that deeply, there are literally hundreds example of more masterfully done equivalents.

You need to go back and read my main post.  I'm not a FF7 fan either (whatever that has to do with liking Squall) and I made an entire argument based around why Squall is a solid character.  Your argument since you came in here has basically boiled down to 'Don't discriminate against me cuz I like Final Fantasy, but Squall is the absolute worst, pathetic, horrible, vile, detestable, awful, STUPIDEST character EVER from the worst Final Fantasy game ever!  By the way, my view isn't bias'.

Frankly, you haven't brought anything new to the table a standard Squall hater does.

Frankly, I don't have the time to write a thesis paper on why Squall is an inelegantly written and clumsily executed character. When a character has a clearly intentionally planned trademark phrase and that phrase is 'whatever', theres not much more that has to be said.

Everything is forgiven by the fucking awesome intro.