All eight permanent party members
| Character | Joins through the story | Personal substory |
|---|---|---|
| Rain | Chapter 1, opening | A New Leaf — Chapter 8, airship deck |
| Lasswell | Chapter 1, opening | The Twin Titleholders — Chapter 7, Gaberada |
| Fina | Chapter 1 | Shimmering Reflections — Chapter 6, Mysidia |
| Lid | Chapter 2 | Beyond the Blue — Chapter 5, Dilmagia |
| Nichol | Chapter 3 | Nichol’s Duty — after obtaining the airship, Olderion |
| Jake | Chapter 4 | Token Legacy — a midgame inn event, followed by Zoldaad |
| Sakura | Chapter 5 | Mysidia Ever Blooming — Chapter 6, Mysidia |
| Archwitch Fina | Chapter 5 | Last Respite — Chapter 5, Grandshelt |
The eighth permanent member joins during Chapter 5. You do not need to complete a character’s personal substory to recruit them through the main story.
Party members, guests and Visions
Cloud and Sephiroth are Visions equipped by your characters, not extra members of the four-person battle party. Charlotte’s early guest appearance does not make her one of the eight permanent members.
Chapter 1 has only Rain, Lasswell and Fina as permanent members. A four-person Demo team is therefore not a valid starting build.
Why complete the substories?
The eight personal substories provide permanent stat rewards and count toward Conscience Renewed. Look for blue side-quest markers and return after advancing the story if the relevant event has not appeared.
For Jake’s Token Legacy, sleep at a normal inn rather than the airship inn to trigger the event. Guides divide this midgame section between Chapters 5 and 6, so follow the event and quest log rather than relying on a chapter label alone.
Use the team guide for stage-based parties and Vision pairings for each character’s role.