The Dark Knight class first appeared for playable characters to use in Final Fantasy III. Dark Knights wear heavy, usually black armor, wield large swords, are oriented toward doing a lot of damage, and can sometimes use dark magic. The class has appeared in almost every Final Fantasy game with a Job System and is considered a mainstay of the franchise.
While the player character in some games can choose to become a Dark Knight, Final Fantasy is full of party members, NPCs, or even enemies that fit the Dark Knight archetype. They can be explicitly Dark Knights like Final Fantasy XIV's Sidurgu Orl, or warriors who simply check enough boxes like Final Fantasy XVI's Barnabas Tharmr. However they fit into the archetype, a few Dark Knights stand out among the rest.
10 Golbez (Final Fantasy IV)
When people hear the term "Dark Knight," they will probably first imagine Batman, and then someone who looks a lot like Golbez. The most popular villain of Final Fantasy IV, Golbez meets a lot of the Dark Knight's criteria from a visual standpoint. While he is primarily a spellcaster in the first game, he does use a large sword in the sequel, The After Years.
Despite his focus on magic, his thick armor, and use of the dark element make him a good fit for the Dark Knight archetype. His awesome appearance and cool personality have won him many fans, making him one of Final Fantasy's best Dark Knights.
9 Exdeath (Final Fantasy V)
The main villain of Final Fantasy V, Exdeath is a tree possessed by an amalgamation of evil souls that has taken the form of an armor-clad knight. Though his armor is a much lighter shade than what most Dark Knights wear, his impressive-looking sword and power over what he calls "The Void" help him squeeze into the archetype.
Dark Knights can range from being anti-heroes or villains, and Exdeath fits comfortably into the latter. Tied with Kefka in terms of over-the-top villainy, Exdeath wants to use the power of the Void to wipe out all existence. Until then, he's content to cause as much pain and suffering as he can along the way.
8 Black Knight (Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles)
As his name implies, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles' Black Knight fits nicely into the Dark Knight archetype. Despite his diminutive size, the Black Knight wears pitch-black armor, wields a sword as big as he is—and fights aggressively. The player encounters several characters who fought the Black Knight and were beaten savagely.
The player later learns that the Black Knight is an amnesiac whose memories were stolen by a creature named Raem. Desperate to recover his memories, the Black Knight wanders the land in search of the creature so he can slay it. With his aggressive fighting, dark armor, and mysterious persona, the Black Knight makes for an excellent Dark Knight.
7 Garland (Final Fantasy)
The iconic villain of the original Final Fantasy, Garland meets almost all the criteria of being a Dark Knight except for the color of his silver armor. He wields a massive sword, is geared toward physical damage, and becomes the dark God Chaos. While the dark magic is limited to his Chaos form, that still makes it one of Garland's abilities.
Even though Garland is never explicitly called a Dark Knight, it feels like the class most appropriate to him. Despite him being the first boss of the game, his design and the twist that he's actually the final boss have made him very popular. He has appeared liberally in other Final Fantasy spinoffs, including Dissidia Final Fantasy.
6 Leon (Final Fantasy II)
Leon was an orphan captured by the Empire at the beginning of Final Fantasy II and brainwashed into becoming the villainous Dark Knight. Despite sharing the name with the iconic class, Leon lacks many of the class' trademark abilities due to it not being an established class yet. However, he makes up for this with his other qualities.
Aside from looking the part, Leon has a high potential for using magic like some Dark Knights. He also has a complicated relationship with good and evil even after returning to normal. As the first character to be called a "Dark Knight," Leon is a worthy member of their ranks despite lacking their powers.
5 Odin
While Odin is less of a character and more of a recurring summon, he would almost certainly choose the Dark Knight class if he were human. With his thick armor, intimidating appearance, huge sword, and propensity for dealing damage, he checks a lot of the class' boxes. Some games like Final Fantasy XVI have even given him a connection with the darkness element and with Dark Knights in general.
As a mysterious, intimidating figure who rides into battle, instantly kills most enemies, and leaves, Odin is equal parts awe-inspiring and terrifying—but the fact that he mostly works with the heroes makes him feel like an anti-hero. This all combines to make Odin an exemplary Dark Knight, despite being a summon.
4 Barnabas Tharmr (Final Fantasy XVI)
Though Barnabas Tharmr of Final Fantasy XVI is not explicitly referred to as a Dark Knight, an IGN interview with the game's developers revealed that he was designed to evoke that class. His armor, sword, love of battle, use of darkness magic, and connection to Odin all solidify this claim.
As the warrior King of Waloed, Barnabas wants to unite the world in order to end suffering in Valisthea. While this sounds like a noble goal, Barnabas uses violent and manipulative methods to achieve his dream world. There's also whether his dream world is right for everyone. His dark methods pair perfectly with his dark powers to make him an iconic example of a Dark Knight.
3 Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy IV)
Though protagonist Cecil Harvey takes on a new appearance and skill set partway through Final Fantasy IV, he begins the game as a Dark Knight. Clad in pitch-black armor, Cecil can attack his foes with darkness-based attacks that use his own HP as a resource. Wielding this dark power, Cecil serves the twisted will of the King of Baron.
Despite his dark appearance and powers, Cecil is as kind and noble as protagonists come. He struggles with the darker actions his duties require and strives to become better. Cecil is a highly popular character and is notable for being the only protagonist to canonically be a Dark Knight—for the meantime, anyway.
2 Sidurgu Orl (Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward)
Sidurgu Orl is the posterchild for Dark Knights in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. Assisting the player character in the Dark Knight questline, Sidurgu protects a young girl named Rielle from the Ishgardian Temple Knights. However, the question is raised about whether he is using protecting Rielle as an excuse to fight the knights.
This raises fascinating questions about the heroism of Dark Knights and anti-heroes in general. Aside from his excellent writing, fans love Sidurgu for his awesome design and snarky attitude. With many Dark Knights being villains or player avatars, Sidurgu is beloved for being both a modern and heroic example who is an actual character.
1 Fray Myste (Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward)
While Sidurgu was used the most often in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward's marketing, Fray Myste is many players' favorite Dark Knight NPC from that expansion. An embodiment of the word "anti-hero," Fray constantly encourages the player to do whatever it takes to protect the innocent even if it means going outside the law.
Fray is later revealed to actually be a being called Esteem, an embodiment of the player's desire to be completely unfettered and selfishly fight for themselves. This makes Fray a fascinating character study of the player character, who was previously believed to be a blank slate. Aside from this excellent writing, Fray is loved for their awesome design and ruthless-yet-heroic personality.