So is everyone. However, based on raw abilities, their Berserker nature and limited movepool in their Berserker state once you use them cannot compare to other characters like Sabin, Edgar, etc.

With all due respect, Gau's movepool is pretty far from limited. His rages allow him access to:

• instant death attacks (long before anyone else gets them)
• 4x damage physicals
• Other enemy skills, including Wind Slash (a powerful multi-target wind spell), Giga volt (stronger than Bolt2), and Blaze (Stronger that Fire2) that wreck most random encounters.
• free usage of many powerful spells (Fire2, Bolt2, Ice2, Cure2, Bio, Life 3, Quake, and the blue magic spell Aqua Rake) that you really shouldn't have until far later in the game.

On top of that, certain rages have defensive uses— a handful of rages grant him immunity to various status effects and allow him to absorb a many types of elemental damage (The Magic Urn rage for example, absorbs ALL elemental damage and nulifies every status effect. Oh, and Gau spams Cure3.) And that's not even getting into the Nightshade/Rafflesia rage, which inflicts an unblockable confusion-like status effect that causes enemies to go berserk and beat themselves to death that works on everything, even the final boss. Nobody else has access to this move. (Please excuse the wall of text. Gau is a very complicated character >__>)

In the case of Mog, his dances also allow him free access to absurdly powerful attacks, healing spells, and instant kill techniques, and he makes a fine dragoon later on in the game to boot. And last but not least, Both characters have fairly solid stats all-around, so they can function as mages when their berserker tactics really aren't a good idea.

As far as the "so is everyone" comment is concerned, the general consensus as far as Character Tiers are concerned goes as such:

Terra > Celes > Everyone else > Cyan > Umaro.

I think this guide can help to further explain what I'm talking about here (PLEASE NOTE THAT I DID NOT WRITE THIS.): http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/554041-final-fantasy-iii/faqs/33792

Yes, Gau's movepool is very limited once he actually uses a Rage, then you either get a normal attack or a special attack you might not want anymore. Oh no, the party is dead and Gau is stuck in Rage, you're dead. It's not like you can just cancel Rage and use a different one, if you could Gau would be useful beyond Zozo, because said special attacks do little that normal magic can't, aside from elemental resistances and status protection as you say, which and a Ribbon takes care of the statuses. I like Mog and like his Dances, but his niche in the later game is only to be a dragoon, which Edgar does just as well and gets Tools to boot, the random nature of Mog's Dances is too unreliable and like Gau you might need him for a pinch situation and he won't be there.

As for character tiers, lol, what a joke. Not clicking that FAQ, I know the game perfectly well. Once you acquire Ragnarok and Phoenix and get Ultima, Curaga and Reraise, every other Esper is only good for stat boosts because those are the only three spells you need to steamroll the game.

It's not like you can just cancel Rage and use a different one, if you could Gau would be useful beyond Zozo, because said special attacks do little that normal magic can't

I think I should re-iterate: Gau use tier 2 spells long before most of your crew has any magic whatsoever. For free. Though admittedly not 100 percent reliable (His and Mog's uncontrollable natures when using these attacks is the ONLY thing keeping them from being complete Game Breaker characters), that's a pretty big deal— a well-played Gau will have already butchered everything before there's any need to switch his rage. If he's already hitting the enemy's weaknesses For Massive Damage or hypnotizing the final boss into offing himself, why bother switching? I'd say that's far more of a boon to the overall team than, say, slowing down the entire party to get a high-level bushido in, especially when other characters boast equal, if not superior skills that come out right away. On top of that, both Gau and Mog are actually competent magic users (they actually start with higher magic stats than Edgar, Sabin, Shadow, and Setzer), which is especially helpful considering that this if FFVI and magic is broken and pwns everything in this game. Gau has all-around high stats in general, and Mog's magic stats are also quite respectable.

aside from elemental resistances and status protection as you say, which and a Ribbon takes care of the statuses.

...And a ribbon takes up a relic slot that could be used for an accessory such as White Cape or something else that raises Mblock (which controls both evasion stats in the SNES version), or can apply other valuable stat buffs.

And that's not even getting into Wind God Gau, which was specifically removed for later versions.

I like Mog and like his Dances, but his niche in the later game is only to be a dragoon, which Edgar does just as well and gets Tools to boot, the random nature of Mog's Dances is too unreliable and like Gau you might need him for a pinch situation and he won't be there.

This part is actually accurate. Mog serves mainly as an unkillable Stone Wall in the Wo R. One important thing to note however is that Edgar's Tool command is a [1]crutch skill, which is far more effective early on than it is in the endgame. Not saying that to knock Edgar— he really is one of the best characters in the game. (as for Sabin, his armor selection can leave something to be desired. His blitzes are still awesome though.)

"I think I should re-iterate: Gau use tier 2 spells long before most of your crew has any magic whatsoever." - And I'll reiterate, he's useful up to Zozo. And after that point if you're just going to use him to cast magic, then again, he's no more useful than any other party member because they can all use magic, but if you want to use their secondary skills for whatever circumstance has come up, you can. Gau, using one Rage puts you down a spellcaster for the rest of the fight.

"a well-played Gau will have already butchered everything before there's any need to switch his rage" - If you want to pull "well-played", then that statement can apply to any character since they can all use the Genji Glove and Offering, the Quick-Ultima-Soul of Thamasa-Celestriad.

"...And a ribbon takes up a relic slot that could be used for an accessory such as White Cape or something else that raises Mblock (which controls both evasion stats in the SNES version), or can apply other valuable stat buffs. And that's not even getting into Wind God Gau, which was specifically removed for later versions." - Yes, the GBA version fixed the M Block glitch, which was always a glitch and its lame to rely on a glitch to win. I used the Sketch Bug to get 255 Lightbringers and 40 Soul of Thamasas for fun, but I've never needed to do it to win the game. As for Wind God Gau, Quick-Ultima-Soul of Thamasa-Celestriad, which everyone can do without having to go into a Berserker state.

That's my point - all the party members are overpowered in VI because the game loads you up with overpowered spells, abilities and equipment. What limits Gau is the fact that he's a Berserker and therefore unreliable in the end game the other characters will be doing just as much damage as he can, more effectively since you don't have to give up control of them. And if you only use him for spellcasting, then why bother using him over anyone else? So he has high magic, give anyone a few levels with Valigarmanda and they'll be just as effective.

And I'll reiterate, he's useful up to Zozo.

I can't agree with the notion that Gau becomes useless after Zozo at all— even in the very next dungeon for example, (the Magitek Research Facility) Giga Volt and Aqua Rake completely and effortlessly wreck every random encounter you'll come across. Aqua Rake also rips apart pretty much everything in the Sealed Cave, works wonders against the Air Force Boss, not to mention that his lightning rages, which hit several enemy weaknesses in the area, coupled with the ability to use Gaia Gear, therefore absorbing the Ing's dreaded Lifeshaver attack and AtmaWeapon's quake spell make him a great choice for the Floating Continent. (Did I mention that he can also absorb nearly all of Atma Weapon's most devestating attacks via proper rage usage?)

And after that point if you're just going to use him to cast magic, then again, he's no more useful than any other party member because they can all use magic, but if you want to use their secondary skills for whatever circumstance has come up, you can. Gau, using one Rage puts you down a spellcaster for the rest of the fight.

It's a good thing spellcasters are ridiculously powerful in this game. Also, I never said he was only useful for spellcasting normally as the other characters do, let alone in the World of Balance— I should clarify that point. He can be useful as a mage in addition to having access to a number of skills that allow him to function as either a healer, a physical attacker, or a mage (loaded with plenty of spells the rest of the group doesn't know yet). He can fill a number of versatile roles, as opposed to someone like Strago, who might be a decent mage but a sub-par attacker, or someone like Locke, who may have powerful weapons but middle-of-the road spellcasting abilities. It takes time to build his abilities, but if trained properly, he can fill any role you need him to.

If you want to pull "well-played", then that statement can apply to any character since they can all use the Genji Glove and Offering, the Quick-Ultima-Soul of Thamasa-Celestriad.

The Genji Glove + Offering combo is overrated. Most characters have special skills and spellcasting abilities that far exceed the "fight" command in usefulness, and this combo leaves one completely open to all status effects (as well as instant death). On top of that, using this combo also means that you can't equip a shield, which severely gimps your defenses, as well as your options as far as elemental protection goes. If you can't use either:

• The Lightbringer (significantly boosts all stats, autocriticals, and randomly casts holy)
• the Fixed Dice (Does damage based on an in-game algorithm which involves Setzer's level as well. Hits the damage cap more often than one would expect.)
• ...or the Valiantknife (Which is not only very powerful— it COMPLETELY ignores defense and does more damage as user's HP dwindles)

...then there's really little reason to be using the fight command at all by the endgame. Locke is probably the only character worth using this combo with, seeing as he can use two of the three aforementioned weapons. This combo, for better or worse, also makes Locke a complete Glass Cannon. Everyone else is better off with a shield and some other good relics so that they can actually stay alive and resist statuses/elements.

If we're talking Ultima, Quick, Celestriads, Soul of Thamasa,etc, then Umaro's the only real useless character, considering that he can't make use of any of those. (Cyan is noticeably less effective than the rest of the group until Quick comes into the picture, but he's still usable.)

That's my point - all the party members are overpowered in VI because the game loads you up with overpowered spells, abilities and equipment. What limits Gau is the fact that he's a Berserker and therefore unreliable in the end game the other characters will be doing just as much damage as he can, more effectively since you don't have to give up control of them.

I don't see how this is much of a limitation— He's perfectly controllable until he uses a rage, and he can use magic and items normally just like everyone else. The only thing he's missing is a "Fight" command, which really isn't a big deal in a game where magic is broken and owns everything. What makes Gau useful is that he'll be using the game's advanced skills and attacks long before the rest of the cast can, not to mention that he is the ONLY character who has access to ridiculously overpowered skills such as Rafflesia, Doom Dragon, and Ahirman. His uncontrollable nature is, as mentioned earlier, the ONLY thing keeping him from breaking the game in that sense.

''And if you only use him for spellcasting, then why bother using him over anyone else? So he has high magic, give anyone a few levels with Valigarmanda and they'll be just as effective.''

Assuming that one doesn't take the time to hunt out his better rages, then yes, there's little reason to use him over anyone else. However, if you train him and spend time teaching him more abilities on the veldt (giving him options, versatility, etc.), then he becomes an exceedingly useful Stone Wall with several useful niches— which leads me to my point exactly. Gau is a Difficult But Awesome Lethal Joke Character. He takes a lot of time and grinding to build up, but is nigh unstoppable once trained sufficiently.