Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy has wrapped up its global Closed Beta test after a full week of gameplay and feedback, offering players a chance to try ten reimagined heroes from across the mainline Final Fantasy series. These characters were redesigned into modern day versions of themselves while keeping their core traits intact. With the test period ending, Square Enix has released interesting statistics showing which characters players gravitated toward the most during the event.

From the survey collected between 7 and 11 November, Lightning emerged as the most used character with 21.22 percent of players selecting her or including her in their party. Cloud followed in second place with 16.35 percent, while Terra took the third slot with 13.53 percent thanks to her consistently strong fanbase. Just behind them were Warrior of Light and Gaia. The top three characters reflect long standing fan popularity that has carried through many polls over the years. Terra may not always rank as high as Lightning or Cloud, but her original appearance in Final Fantasy VI remains widely praised for its emotional story and its place in the final era before the series moved into full 3D graphics.

Cloud and Lightning in particular have dominated multiple Japanese popularity polls including rankings from NHK and Everyone’s Ranking. Both consistently appear in the top ten list, with Cloud maintaining the top position for years and only briefly dropping to lower ranks during the thirty fifth anniversary poll by Square Enix. Even then he never fell far beyond the third spot, highlighting his enduring influence within the Final Fantasy community.

Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy introduces a fresh take on the franchise with an urban setting in modern Tokyo, where mysterious crystals appear in the sky and monsters begin attacking civilians. Heroes who were born and raised in this world suddenly regain their powers and take up the role of warriors once more. The game features 3v3 online battles where teams fight enemies and bosses to earn points. Lightning, originally from the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy, returns as a fast paced disruptor character who boosts her team’s effectiveness against smaller enemies. Voiced by Maaya Sakamoto, her enduring appeal across fans of all genders makes her popularity in the CBT unsurprising and well aligned with her gameplay strengths.

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Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy is proving that fan favourites never lose their spark and Lightning’s performance in the CBT signals a strong start for a crossover project that blends nostalgia with a bold modern twist.