If you could kill off one of the scions...

[JeniLinsky]

Is it too late to say Alphinaud? 'cause I'd gleefully slit his throat with a broken bottle in a back alley, and make it look like a prostitution deal gone bad.

[Belhi]

I wouldn't say Minfilia gets kidnapped all the time, but she never lifts a finger in a combat situation despite being armed to do so. One of the first things we do for her is go get her knife inlaid with materia as an intro to the system, and she carries it with her on her right hip at all times. Despite this, she... never once uses it, even when she has every reason to do so.

Maybe it's for cheese?

Anyway, on paper her job is to manage the Scions, and before Alphinaud comes into the story she's the diplomat. But Alphinaud supplants her in that role, and even as a manager she utterly fails given Thancred overworked himself to the point he became vulnerable and got possessed by Lahabrea. In the end Minfilia's really just there to give you orders and for fanservice (have you seen the size of her knockers and the butt cleavage window?), and with someone else giving you orders in 3.0 (Alphinaud) she really feels superfluous at this point.

Now, could they bring her back and reenergize her character? Absolutely. But when freakin' Tataru is being more proactive in improving herself, you really have to wonder...

The knife I suspect was the knife Thancred gave her for her 18th birthday. It would fit. Regardless, she isn't a combatant. She hasn't been trained for that. In most combat situation she probably wouldn't be much more help than Tataru. Frankly people unskilled at combat are more likely go get in the way in tense melees.

I wouldn't call Thancred's possession her fault as manager. We see her trying to talk him round. He got so caught up himself that he left himself open. It was all his own fault, which he readily admits. However as manager she organises and plans most of the scions actions and in that the scions have operated admirably. Flow of information is co ordinated and quick, non-combatant personnel assigned guards, and personnel are sent quickly to respond to situations. Remember the Archons aren't the only Scions a lot of the time and there are non scion specialist performing research for the Scions. Who do you think organised all of that? Its not glamorous but its useful. People who underestimate the value of a good manager have never had a really bad one.

Ignoring that there has still been contributions by her. It was Minfilia in 2.2 that figured out the nature of the echo and its from that information that the method of destroying Ascians was inspired later after the observations of Ramuh's battle. She also assisted in the research on Shiva.

I suspect one of the reasons the Scions scattered in 2.55 was to facilitate character development by breaking them out of the set roles they had. We saw this in Alphinaud and Y'shtola. I expect we will see it for the rest. For Minfilia this holds a lot of potential. After all, out of all the Scions Minfilia has a lot of established back story and there is a lot not fleshed out there or left as plot threads unresolved. Consider the fact that Minfilia is a false identity, that she was hunted since the age of twelve by Garlean agents, that she survived to the age of 18 without leading anything.

How cool would it be of she's been getting her own crystals of light while she was MIA?

This is something I though was pretty major and could have implications. We know know that our crystal of light isn't the only one. So what does this mean? I think its interesting that

Elidibus says its time for 'you and yours to join the fray' to the Warrior of Darkness

Perhaps this could indicate that champions have 'satellite' allies. Where the champion has all the crystals and the blessing, others marked by Hydaelyn only have one. Perhaps we will see Minfilia/Ascilia get crystal.

[Fenral]

I wouldn't say Minfilia gets kidnapped all the time, but she never lifts a finger in a combat situation despite being armed to do so. One of the first things we do for her is go get her knife inlaid with materia as an intro to the system, and she carries it with her on her right hip at all times. Despite this, she... never once uses it, even when she has every reason to do so.

You've seemed content in the past to argue against other items having any relevance as plants for future payoff. It was just a side trip to introduce the materia system, and it's done now. Does it need any other significance?

[Cilia]

snip

I understand that Minfilia isn't a fighter, but what does she do? (And what is that knife for?)

Manage the Scions? We already have Tataru as secretary, and Minfilia's "management" usually boils down to "dispatch the local Scion and the Warrior of Light to resolve a crisis."
Yes, you could argue that Thancred's possession was his own fault, but if Minfilia really was a proper manager, she'd know how to balance the needs of others against the needs of her people. Thancred overworked himself to help fill Louisoix's shoes, but as the manager Minfilia is responsible for looking after everyone and ensuring they're fit to go on missions. If they're overworked to exhaustion, they're liable to half-ass it or be killed in action, and then nobody else can be saved. Being a hero isn't all sugar and rainbows. Even if it's not a pleasant part of the job, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. You can't save everyone.

We didn't really need Minfilia to figure out how the Echo works, and to be honest we still understand only the barest of details about it. The Ascians do all kinds of things with the Echo we never dreamed possible (they're able to essentially break the rules of reality with it), so to say she "figured out the nature of the Echo" is giving her way too much credit.

Research? Ehh, I guess. Still, I thought that was more Urianger's job (and he's no slouch in combat, either). R&D is mostly Urianger and Moenbryda, respectively. Or was.

Are her managerial skills useful? Fo 'sho. ... but we never see her do any actual managing. Every time we go talk to her she's just standing behind her desk in the Solar. If she were really out there supervising research and such, she should be... you know... outside her room.

Not saying she should die or that I want to kill her, but I do not see the point in having 2.x Minfilia around (except for fanservice, but that's not a valid reason to me). I'd save her given the chance, and would be very happy if she came back in a more useful fashion at some point, but aside from exposition and as a figurehead I never felt 2.x Minfilia was all that important.

You've seemed content in the past to argue against other items having any relevance as plants for future payoff. It was just a side trip to introduce the materia system, and it's done now. Does it need any other significance?

It strictly doesn't, but the thing with the knife is that it's a Main Scenario Quest. Everyone has to do it at some point, so it is a 100% undeniable canon fact that Minfilia is armed, yet she does nothing to save her own damn self.

... rankles just a bit.

[Cooperal]

If there had to be one, I'd like to see it be either Papalymo or Yda, with the survivor of the two becoming very altered, stoic and unpredictable as a result of the experience. Interesting idea but I've felt that these two have never stood out and aren't about to start now. Thancred and Y'shtola have always seemed a few steps above them in terms of limelight and plot importance. Even Urianger had more audience prior to 3.0 despite not guiding anyone during any of the starting-city prologues. I feel fairly confident in saying that either one of those two would be a stronger character without the other.

It's a jarring set up anyway. The Scions operate as a tight-knit group, like the protagonists guaranteed family. And then these two seem to skirt on the edge with an exclusive bond of their own. I felt like a colleague with everyone else. But as the game kept forcing the point of how Yda and Papalymo make a good team, I just feel myself third-wheeling it in their presence.

Thancred's circumstance seems a bit tough to decode. To my knowledge, Y'shtola used similar magic to Louisoix during her escape from Ul'dah. For this reason I assume that Thancred escaped from Ul'dah in a similar way to how the player escaped from Carteneau, not to reappear for some years. Though to him it might seem like a mere moment, if he's not lost his memory entirely. If that's the case he will probably come back fine way further down once he reappears in the world and someone recognises him. Though on the other hand, maybe he will emerge not only without memory, but is also reincarnated with a changed appearance to emulate the way people couldn't remember what the WoL looked like either.

But now I know I'm blurring lines. Nobody said the WoL teleportation was made possible just because he/she was a WoL, but people do say the WoL was labelled as such because it's all they see when trying to recall their appearance (but if that was the case it would seem like a coincidence that Hydaelyn too uses this term).

Sorry for going so far off track. I'm mixing "who I want dead" with "what would be interesting for all the Scions we haven't found yet".

[BroodingFicus]

Tataru with Minfin as a close second.

Tataru ended up on my list when she kept sending me on stupid quests that pretty much amount to a pity party where she then tries to be useful by...what? Not doing the one job she has as secretary and forcing the WoL to stop what he/she is doing to go find her or pick up her freakin mining tools from halfway across Eorzea? Yeah. She can go. As for Minfin, she is useless but at least she generally stays out of your way and doesn't make me go get tea leaves in Dragonhead. When she isn't getting captured or calling you on the link shell to tell you to come ALL THE WAY TO VESPER BAY so she can have a five second conversation, that is. So ideally, an explosion would take them both out and I could have a party with the Scions that actually matter.

[Amiaze]

Tataru with Minfin as a close second.

This. I don't hate any of the Scions, but for the sake of the story alone, it would make more sense for Minfillia to die. She leads the Scions, but is a great liability once the Ascians appear. We arguably accomplished more in Heavensward, having put an "end" to a thousand year-long war without a single patch, and having slain Niddhog, with our ragtag team than we ever did with our friends, the Scions.
Granted, Heavensward had a lot of build-up to it whereas A Realm Reborn had to set the foundation for everything, so the comparison isn't quite fair, but that's how I feel about it.

Given the way the story is headed, I wouldn't be surprised if Thancred came back as a teaser for Samurai given that he took an arrow to the knee, so we would have to use a job that didn't require dexterity, and Minfilia returned with some lore. Given how much Alphinaud has grown, I actually wouldn't mind if he took over as leader of the Scions. Or the Warrior of Light. Just not Minfillia.

Now, if the death were just for dramatic effect...then I'd choose Tataru. I cannot stand her.

[Tenkuu]

I think from a pure narrative point of view Minfilia dying would be a major waste of some really interesting narrative plot threads. I do think she has been stuck behind a desk for too long though. This is a girl who grew up hunted by Garlean agents and who learned to survive under the tutelage of the Songstress of Ul'dah. She never lead anyone till she hit the age of 18. She has a skill set we really have never seen her use. That's ignoring that we still have no idea what happened to the body of her father.

I've personally always found Minfilia to be quite charming, not to mention the only truly relatable character for our character. No one else has the Echo that we know of until Ysayle, after all, and as much is expected from her as it is from us. However, it's plain that she has her awkward moments like every other character. The inflection of her voice makes her insecurities much more clear in japanese, on that note. I've heard the english voices first, and they made me wince to the extent that I looked for a japanese voiceover before even being sure that one even existed, and Minfilia is probably one of the worst voices. I think most people who strongly hate Minfilia have likely played with only the english voices. When characters don't sound wooden (like Y'shtola), they sound melodramatic in the english version. English voice actors are simply not very good at infusing exactly the right level of emotion into their characters. Even Igeyorhm's english voice actress was bad at sounding evil. They try too hard, and it shows.

Minfilia however hasn't been incompetent. She does turn to the WoL as someone to lean on but she is the one all the other Scion lean on. We see this several times. Further she is very capable at her job. People who complain managers are useless have never dealt with bad managers. She makes sure the Scions are where they are most needed. She makes sure we always have the resources we need. She arranges the gathering and analysis of information that allows us to know when and where primals are summoned and she is the one who has organised researchers who provided us with the knowledge of the declining Aetheric levels in Eorzea.

Exactly. I'm sure Minfilia would love to be able to do more in terms of physical fighting, but it simply isn't in her skill set. But to be fair, the Scions are where they need to be mostly because they've been there since 1.0 and it's where they're known to be most useful. For instance, Thancred is overseeing matters in Ul'dah so it makes sense for him to be the one to gather intelligence and report on events that happen there, such as information about the Amalj'aa leading up to Ifrit's appearance, and then accompany you during those quests. Not to say that Minfilia's leadership isn't part of why they're each still overseeing matters in their respective nations, but that is actually more evidence of her adequacy as a leader since she knows how to properly utilize her resources. Also take into account that Minfilia has a much more cordial relationship with everyone than Alphinaud, who admittedly gets heard more because he is Louisoix's grandson than because any of the Scions particularly respect him, and that includes the nations' leaders as well as Minfilia's various other contacts.

Minfilia isn't a fighter. I do think though that she hasn't had a chance to shine yet. I'm hoping we get to see that next time we see her. Then again depending on how they develop her she might even go back to using her true name.

Minfilia had a slightly more important role in 1.0. It is true though that she hasn't had a chance to show more than just her leadership capabilities, probably mostly because we can't have two of us, ie two Echo-wielding heroes. Minfilia takes the backseat mostly so that we can shine, when you think about it.

Most of the Scions have had very little development. 2.X was mostly about re establishing the world. In 3.0 we have seen them expand and flesh out the Scions present a lot. I don't think I'd want any of the Scions to die but if one was to die it certainly wouldn't be one of the ones who's development we still haven't seen.

I did enjoy what little development we got, especially for Thancred. It was interesting to see him both as Lahabrea and when he was all flustered around Yugiri. There's also the little interesting bits in japanese such as how he normally uses "ore" but sometimes sort of automatically starts off in polite mode with "watashi" (mostly a thing during his introduction, ie his first few cutscenes). For those who haven't read the Tales from the Calamity (as well as the new Tales from the Dragonsong War for 3.0), I highly recommend them. They provide a lot of interesting information that can sometimes fill in a few blanks.

As far as actually killing off any Scions goes, I would definitely go with none. The only character I want to see dead right now is the obnoxious little snot who gives the new 52+ WHM quests. I think each of the Scions has their own charm and is quite multi-faceted, especially Thancred, and even Alphinaud can grow on you when you realize he's really doing very well given his age, and is still growing and learning.

[JeniLinsky]

even Alphinaud can grow on you when you realize he's really doing very well given his age, and is still growing and learning.

I've actually be redoing the 2.* quests on an alternate character, and I must respectfully disagree. Alphinaud must die. From the moment he comes into the Scions, he's edging out Minfilia and using the WoL as his own personal errand girl and weapon. I stand by my earlier offer to slit his throat with a broken beer bottle and leave him in an alley with disarranged clothing.

[Daralii]

I've actually be redoing the 2.* quests on an alternate character, and I must respectfully disagree. Alphinaud must die. From the moment he comes into the Scions, he's edging out Minfilia and using the WoL as his own personal errand girl and weapon. I stand by my earlier offer to slit his throat with a broken beer bottle and leave him in an alley with disarranged clothing.

And that attitude dies with Raubahn's dreams of dual wielding.