The root of the franchise’s identity

FF4, it’s the game that set the standard of storytelling through the trauma of loss that is a theme of the series; it’s the game where Final Fantasy found its voice. – Justinmage

FF4 is a great one to start with. Not as good as 6, 7, 8, or 10, but not as generic as the ones before. FF4 will give the newcomer a great story and characters to care about, while letting them build into the better games of the series, FF6 being the best! – SeoulGlo

FF4 is my favorite game in the series, and it’s got a lot going for it as an entry point. It’s classic turn based, it’s not difficult at all, it doesn’t overwhelm the player with characters and party options, and maybe most importantly it doesn’t overstay its welcome. A casual 20 hour playthrough is definitely possible whereas later entries will be pushing 35-40+ hours across the board. – Evil Bilbo

FF4. It’s got all the themes that will carry on in future installments and isn’t complicated at all. Each version has its pros and cons but none of them are unplayable. – Specknose