Two years ago, Dissidia: Final Fantasy was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ongoing series. Fans were treated to a truly unique fighting game that was both complex and visually interesting. Some fights looked as if they had been pulled directly from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children even though it was all gameplay. But by far, the best part of the game for fans was seeing all the main heroes and villains, along with two secret characters, interacting with one another. It led to scenarios that no one thought they'd ever see outside of fan fiction.

With the announcement of Dissidia 012 [Duodecim]: Final Fantasy, Square Enix promises to bring back everything that made the first game great along with new enhancements and new characters. Kain from Final Fantasy IV, Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII, Tifa from Final Fantasy VII, Vaan from Final Fantasy XII, and most recently Laguna Loire from Final Fantasy VIII have already been announced with the promise of more being unveiled as the game nears its release in Japan early next year. With that in mind, I thought it'd be interesting to look over all of the characters to ever appear in a Final Fantasy and choose the 46 that have the best shot at being a part of the sequel. Every weekday in December will highlight two potential fighters and give details on their history, their place in Duodecim's story (which is actually a prequel to the original), and their fighting potential.

Welcome to Dissidia December.

Emperor Gestahl (Final Fantasy VI)

In Final Fantasy VI, there are few villains that compare to Kefka with the exception of Emperor Gestahl. Though Gestahl is ultimately dispatched by Kefka, it is his actions that drive forward the first half of the overarching plot. Gestahl was the one who led the research into ancient magic. He was also the one to attempt entering the Land of Espers which led to the birth of Terra. His experiments gave Celes and Kefka their powers with the latter being driven insane by the process. Finally, it was his actions that rose the Floating Continent which in turn gave Kefka access to the means to trigger the Apocalypse. Gestahl is a master tactician and is obsessed with magic which could easily be carried over to Duodecim. Seeing so many beings cast magic so easily is likely to feed into his greed as he teams with the Emperor to rule over all. Ultimately, it's easy to see Gestahl being killed in a similar way to how he was in VI.

The tricky thing about Gestahl is that he is never fought once during the course of Final Fantasy VI. That makes him an odd choice, but it doesn't mean that he's completely incapable. He showed plenty of magical ability during his fight with Kefka and while he lost, he could parlay that into something more powerful in Duodecim. Gestahl would ultimately be a character utterly dependent on magic with low stats in everything else. His attacks would be pulled from some of the strongest spells in Final Fantasy though he takes longer to cast them than other magic users. Essentially Gestahl is the magical version of power over everything else. His EX Mode would increase the speed of casting these spells while his EX Burst would be Magitek Army, where he would open a portal allowing his army to cast a barrage of spells at his opponent while he charges his Ultima attack. Gestahl would be ideal for players who want a strong magic user above all else.

Cid Highwind (Final Fantasy VII)

Every Final Fantasy needs a Cid and while Cid of the Lufaine fulfilled that role in the original Dissidia as the narrator, I feel like it's time for one with a more active role. Enter Cid Highwind, arguably the most popular Cid in the franchise. In Final Fantasy VII, he dreams of building a rocket that will allow him to enter space. His best hope of doing this is by receiving funding from Shinra Inc. With their money and his knowledge, Cid is able to build the rocket but on the day of the planned launch, he is forced to cut the launch sequence in order to save his assistant, Shera. The incident leaves the rocket unable to launch a second time and Shinra immediately cuts funding. Any hope of achieving his dream vanished in an instant. Cid was always a gruff man, but he became even more bitter in the years after as it sunk in that his goal was unreachable. Yet deep down he has a good heart and though he may berate Shera, he doesn't regret his decision to save her. He eventually joins the quest to stop Shinra and Sephiroth because of all their past abuses. For Duodecim, Cid's dream could play a major role in his story. Just before he was set to launch, Cosmos called out to him and brought him to the war, indefinitely delaying it. He would have to balance his anger at being delayed with the knowledge of the obvious threat that Chaos's forces pose.

Cid's main weapon is the lance and he naturally comes equipped with good strength and great defense. The other advantage is that he can use the lance to have even greater reach when fighting his opponents. His fighting techniques would be derived from his Limit Breaks much like Cloud in Dissidia. Boost Jump would be a lunging dive at the enemy, Dynamite would be a great long range option if a little slow, and Big Brawl would have him unleash a devastating slashing combo. When entering EX Mode, Cid's lance would be lengthened as well as upgrade his Boost Jump to the Dragon Dive. His EX Burst, the Highwind, calls in his ship to rain rockets on his enemy before finishing them off with a leaping strike. Cid would be great for players who prefer direct combat but like the increased range his lance provides.

These are only my choices. What do you think? Would Emperor Gestahl and Cid Highwind make great characters in Dissidia 012 [Duodecim]? Who would you like to see in the sequel? Let us know in the comments!