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Magic is one of the two principal forms of attack in Square Enix's (formerly Square Co., Ltd.) Final Fantasy series of computer role-playing games. Although the specific features of the magic system vary significantly from game to game, many concepts have remained consistent throughout the course of the series. This article is meant to serve as a basic overview of Final Fantasy magic and the most commonly recurring Final Fantasy magic spells. For specific details about the magic system of a particular Final Fantasy title, please see the article on that particular game.
Magic classifications
Magic spells are divided into offensive and defensive categories, which usually affect the HP and/or MP of the target. By default, offensive spells are cast against enemies, and defensive against party members, although in some games, it is possible to cast defensive spells against the enemy, or cast offensive spells against a party member. Another category includes spells that alter the status of the target rather than affecting HP and/or MP (e.g. Confuse, Slow, Berserk, etc.) Within the boundaries of the series, offensive spells are generally classified as Black Magic, and defensive spells are generally classified as White Magic. Spells can also be divided into elemental spells and non-elemental spells. Elemental magic is associated with a particular element of nature, such as Water, Ice, Fire, Thunder, Wind, and Earth. Non-elemental magic is not associated with any particular element.
In addition to the above categories of magic, where the character casts the spell directly, some titles include Summon Magic, where the character calls another entity to perform the actual magic. Summon Magic can serve in either offensive or defensive capacity.
Starting with Final Fantasy V, two new categories of magic (Blue Magic and Time/Space Magic) were introduced. Blue Magic is a special class of magic, since its spells are normally learned when receiving certain attacks from enemy monsters. The Time/Space Magic category incorporates a number of status-inducing spells that were previously classified as offensive or defensive, such as Slow, Haste, and Stop. Prior to this, Slow and Stop were classified as Black Magic, while Haste was classified as White Magic. Some subsequent titles retained the Time/Space Magic category, while others did not. Monsters and characters may have resistance and/or a vulnerability to certain elements, which can result in extra damage, reduced damage, no effect, or absorption of the damage, which causes a negative effect. The magic resistance of the target tends to reduce the effect of all magic spells, while the magic power of the caster tends to increase the effect. Certain characters can have an affinity to casting certain elemental spells, such that a Fire-based character can cast a stronger Fire-based attack than an Ice-based character of the same magic level.
The offensive / defensive distinctions between Black and White Magic are not always clear. For example, the White Magic spell Holy deals a large amount of Holy elemental damage to a target, and the White Magic spell Cure (which is normally a restorative spell) will inflict damage on an undead target. Furthermore, as mentioned above, an elemental spell cast against an enemy that absorbs that element will actually cure the target rather than harm it.
Spell levels
In most Final Fantasy games, certain types of magic are divided into various power levels. As the player progresses through the game, successively more powerful versions of basic spells become available. The series has developed a naming convention to identify second, third, and fourth level magic spells, which appends a specific suffix to the name of the first level spell, with possible minor variations in the root word.
The three suffixes are as follows: (Eng/Jpn)
- Second level: -ra/"ra"
- Third level: -aga/"da"
- Fourth level: -ja/"ga"
For example, the name of the second level version of Thunder is named Thundara and the third is Thundaga. Likewise, the second and third levels of Fire become Fira and Firaga, respectively. The fourth level suffix (-ja) is infrequently used; few games in the series feature magic spells with four power levels, the Cure spell being the only example in more recent titles. Other examples are the Dia and Heal spells. In the few times they are used, elemental spells such as Thundaja are extremely powerful.
The one exception to this rule is Final Fantasy II, which used a vastly different magic system from other games in the series. Spell names in Final Fantasy II were given in katakana, and rather than appending one of the above suffixes to signify a more powerful version of a spell, a simple numerical modifier was added to the end of the name. Each spell in Final Fantasy II could be raised to level 16.
In early English language localizations of the Final Fantasy series, translators decided not to use the above suffixes, using a simple numerical modifier instead. In other words, Firaga would become Fire 3. Starting with Final Fantasy VIII, however, this practice was dropped.
Spells can target individuals or groups. In some cases, targeting a group requires a higher level of a spell; in other cases, the target can be for an individual or an entire group. However, when targeting a group, the strength and/or duration of the spell is often less than when targeting an individual.
In Final Fantasy X, the (-ja) spells are only used by the "Dark Aeons", optional bosses that are highly overpowered versions of the common Aeons.
In Final Fantasy XI, spells are numbered (e.g., Thunder, Thunder II, Cure, Cure II) and there are three suffixes:
- group/party effect enhancing spells: -ra (e.g., Barstonra, Barpetra, Protectra, Shellra)
- White Magic status ailment cures: -na (e.g., Stona, Poisona)
- Group effect (AoE, Area of Effect) spells of various types: -ga or -aga or "-ega" (e.g., Curaga, Thundaga, Poisonga)
Items, armor, and weapons
In most Final Fantasy games, a collection of items have effects similar to various magic spells. In some cases, items can have different levels that correspond to the level of the spell. For example, the item Bolt Plume in Final Fantasy VII casts Bolt 2 against all enemies, while Swift Bolt casts Bolt 3 against all enemies. These items can be useful for those characters who are incapable of casting a given spell, as well as when a character is temporarily unable to cast spells, such as when afflicted with the Silence status or a lack of Magic Points. Most items may only be used once, and some may only be used in battle, while others can only be used from the field menu. Menu-restricted items often cast spells such as Warp, which teleports the player's party out of a dungeon or region.
Armor can have elemental properties, generally protecting the wearer from certain elemental attacks. Armor also may have three levels, with varying effects: for the first level, the armor will lessen the effect of an elemental attack; for the second, the armor will eliminate the effect of the attack; for the third, the armor will absorb the attack, healing the wearer. Also, a character can wear a mixture of elemental armor, such as body armor that absorbs Fire, and a helmet that absorbs Thunder.
Some weapons can deal elemental attacks a certain percentage of the time, and/or inflict status effects. In early games in the series, weapons with elemental attack attributes could be accessed from the item list in battle and used to cast certain magic spells. Certain weapons (e.g. Healing Rod) can have restorative powers, although these same weapons would inflict damage on undead targets.
Types of magic
Generally speaking, magic in the Final Fantasy series can be divided into distinct types: White Magic, used by White Mages, which heals or otherwise supports party members; Black Magic, used by Black Mages, which is used to attack enemies; Time/Space magic, used by Time Mages, which affects the flow of time (such as slowing down or speeding up a target's actions) or warps matter (Gravity spells, for example); Blue Magic, used by Blue Mages, which incorporates a variety of special attacks used by monsters; and Summon Magic, used by Summoners, in which spells are cast that call forth magical creatures who attack enemies or offer support to party members. Not every game necessarily classifies spells in this manner, and the specific classification of a spell can vary from game to game. Final Fantasy Tactics, for instance, introduced a new subdivision of magic (Yin-Yang Magic) utilized by the Oracle job class, consisting of status-altering spells such as Poison or Sleep. This category has not subsequently appeared in any other Final Fantasy title, but is to be classified as Green Magic in the upcoming Final Fantasy XII, and is clasified as Arcane Magic in Final Fantasy X-2 and is used primarily by the Dark Knight job class. Furthermore, status- and time-altering spells in Final Fantasy VI were given a "Gray" alignment to indicate that they were neither Black nor White.
The following sections serve as a rough guide of the more prominent spells in the Final Fantasy series. Not every spell from the series is included. For more detailed information on the various spells in the Final Fantasy series, see the magic and summon magic lists at the Final Fantasy Wiki.
White Magic
Among the basic White Magic spells is the healing aid Cure and its enhancements, Cura, Curaga, Curaja, and Full Cure. Together with the spells Life (a spell that awakens a fallen party member), Protect (a defensive aid that reduces the damage received from physical attacks), Shell (a spell similar to Protect that reduces damage received from magical attacks) and Esuna (a spell that nullifies negative status ailments), it comprises the core group of White Magic spells for which the White Mage job class has gained its defensive-based connotation.Other notable spells from this category include Reflect (a spell that — when used on a target — will redirect most subsequent spells to their caster), Scan (a spell that offers various statistic- and schematic-related information about a target, including weaknesses) and Holy (one of the few offensive spells in this category, and one of the more powerful offensive spells in the Final Fantasy series; in English localizations of Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI, it was called "Fade," "White" and "Pearl," respectively).
Black Magic
As with White Magic, Black Magic has a group of commonly associated spells, among which a set of element-based offensive spells — and their respective enhancements — figure prominently. These include Fire, Ice, Thunder, Water, Aero and Quake. The Black Magic category is also frequently associated with various spells that inflict status-altering abnormalities, such as Poison (a spell that causes HP to drop at a set rate; it is sometimes grouped with or replaced by Bio, which usually does much more damage), Toad (a spell that changes its target into a frog), Zombie (a spell usually utilized to render a target susceptible to damage from curative spells) and Stone (often renamed "Petrify," this spell turns a target to stone).
This magic class also often — but not consistently — includes three of the most powerful offensive spells featured in the series: Flare (a typically non-elemental spell, though it appeared as Fire-based in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy XI), Meteor (a spell in which a single large meteor or a cluster of smaller meteors are hurled at a target) and Ultima (a non-elemental spell that — in most of its appearances — appears as the most powerful offensive spell accessible to the player). Flare was translated as Nuke in the initial US releases of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy IV, along with a corresponding change to Bahamut's summon ability in the latter game.
Time/Space Magic
The Time/Space Magic category of magic broadly encompasses those spells which relate to spatial status (including outer space and the concept of teleportation) and the flow of time. Spells implemented to affect the rate of activity for the playable characters and their opponents include Haste (a spell that increases how frequently a target takes turns), Slow (the opposite of Haste), Stop (a spell that immobilizes its targets), and Quick (a rare spell that gives its target one or two turns instantly), while those that affect their targets' spatial status include such spells as Teleport (also known as "Warp," which usually appears as a spell that allows the playable characters to escape from battle or a dungeon) and Degeon (a spell that removes an enemy by banishing it to an alternate plane of space/time; equivalent to Black Magic's Death or Doom). Other spells that occasionally fall under the Time/Space Magic classification are Gravity-based spells (such as Demi) which reduce their target's HP based on fractions, and Meteor, a powerful attack spell commonly classified under Black Magic.Time/Space Magic was not identified as a separate classification until Final Fantasy V, and has appeared only semi-regularly since then. Because of this, many spells associated with the classification are also associated with either White or Black Magic. As with White Magic and Black Magic, various Time/Space Magic spells have enhanced levels, to which may be applied the "-ra," "-ga" and "-ja" suffixes.
Blue Magic
Blue magic was introduced in Final Fantasy V, and operates slightly differently from other forms of magic. Blue magic spells are special attacks used by monsters, which are typically learned by Blue Mage characters through some form of observation, though the mechanics vary somewhat from game to game. They are not divided into levels like many other schools of magic, and several games in the series have referred to Blue Magic by some other name, most notably Final Fantasy VI ("Lores") and Final Fantasy VII ("Enemy Skills").- Final Fantasy V: Characters who have equipped the command !Blue can cast Blue Magic, while those with the skill Learning will learn the spell if they were hit with it. Both skills are obtainable from the Blue Mage job class.
- Final Fantasy VI: Strago Magus can learn Blue Magic spells known as "Lores" by simply having enemies or Gau use them (unlike other games, the spell doesn't have to actually affect him for it to be learned). Gau's Rage ability—which causes him to become uncontrollable and mimic the attacks of a monster that he has previously Leaped—is not actually a form of Blue Magic.
- Final Fantasy VII: The Enemy Skill materia acquires the spells used on the characters who were equipping them at the time. Note that stacking Enemy Skill materia (having more than one Enemy Skill materia equipped on the same character) allows for more than one materia to gain the skills, so long as none of the equipped materia already have the skill.
- Final Fantasy VIII: Blue Magic is Quistis Trepe's Limit Break. New spells are learned by acquiring Blue Magic items and using them on her from the main menu's item screen.
- Final Fantasy IX: Quina Quen learns enemies' Blue Magic by using Eat and Cook on them when they're weakened.
- Final Fantasy X: Kimahri can absorb certain enemies' skills through the use of the Lancet ability, and later use the acquired skills as an Overdrive called Ronso Rage.
- Final Fantasy X-2: The Gun Mage job class acts as this game's form of the Blue Mage. A character will learn any Blue Magic used on her while she is wearing the Gun Mage dresssphere.
- Final Fantasy XI: Added in the game's third expansion, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, Blue Mages are able to acquire monster's abilities once the monster is killed under certain conditions. Once acquired, the abilities have to be set in order to be used in battle.
- Final Fantasy Tactics: Two of the most powerful spells in the game, Ultima and Zodiac, are learned in a way similar to Blue Magic. Ramza can learn Ultima by having it cast on him while a Squire, and any Summoner can learn Zodiac in the same way.
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: A human character who has equipped the support skill Learning — acquired as a Blue Mage ability — learns spells when a monster or another Blue Mage hits him/her with them.
Summon Magic
Summon Magic features spells in which a multitude of magical creatures are called forth to aid the party in battle, either through attacking enemies or offering healing and/or protection to party members. The mechanics of Summon Magic vary from game to game, including which characters are capable of using it, how it is utilized, and how new summon spells are acquired. Despite the significant differences in Summon Magic across the series, it has appeared in one form or another in all Final Fantasy titles in the main numbered series since Final Fantasy III—as well as Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Unlimited. Although Summon Magic is not used in Final Fantasy X-2 (due to the ending of Final Fantasy X), it is referenced throughout the game, referring back to the previous game.In several of the Final Fantasy titles (namely Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance), Summon Magic has little to no role in the storylines, appearing only in the command list for the Summoner job class or as attacks provided by various Summon materia. However, summons have served as a key plot element in the rest of the series.
Summon Magic took on a more central role in the plot of Final Fantasy IV, where one of the main characters, Rydia, was the last surviving child of Mist, an isolated mountain village of Summoners. Later, she would discover an underground kingdom of summon monsters presided over by Leviathan and Queen Asura, and make allies of them. The missing King of summoned monsters named Bahamut resides on the Moon in a secret cavern watching over his people.
In Final Fantasy VI, summoned monsters (called "Espers" in the North American localization) play an even larger role in the storyline. They are described as humans that were transformed in the magical crossfire between three goddesses, and who then created their own world, sealing the gate between it and the human world. One of the game's main characters, Terra Branford, is the daughter of an Esper and a human woman. As a result, Terra has various magical powers and can transform into an Esper-like form. Also, with some notable exceptions, they are how spells are learned.
In Final Fantasy VIII, Summon Magic is not featured as prominently in the main story, but has a significant impact on one of the story's major subplots. During the game, it is revealed that the powers of Guardian Forces (Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX was similar to Final Fantasy IV in that only two party members (Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII and Eiko Carol) — the sole survivors of a village of Summoners — were capable of using Summon Magic. Here called "Eidolons," summons are featured quite prominently, being utilized by the game's villains to render destruction around the world. Because of the importance of Eidolons to the game's story, Final Fantasy IX also featured several of its summoned creatures in pre-rendered CGI sequences.
In Final Fantasy X, Aeons (summons) and their use play a key role in the workings of the planet Spira, specifically in regard to the Yevon religion, which psychologically controls the world. (For more information, please see Spira.)
In Final Fantasy XI, Avatars (Summons) are controlled by people with the main or subjob of summoner. They learn new magic and physical attacks as the summoner progresses in level. They are obtained by fighting them either solo or in a group in their Protocrystal. Their Overdrive is achieved by the summoner activating the ability Astral Flow, and at the cost of the Summoner's FULL mp gauge, (Granted they have at least 2x their lvl in mp), the avatars can access their full power.
In Final Fantasy XII, Summon Magic appears once more with creatures known as Espers, as in Final Fantasy VI. Espers must be defeated in order to acquire them, and once defeated, one character will be selected to perform a pact with the said Esper, thus becoming the only character to use it. Espers are controlled by A.I. and cannot be controlled by the player.
Summon Magic also appears in the anime series, Unlimited. It is the central means of combat for one of the main characters, Kaze, who makes use of Summon Magic through his Magun ("Magic Gun") by mixing three types of sandy material (called "Soil") that represent qualities of the summon. When he then fires the Magun, the summon associated with that Soil is called into action.
Among the more prominent summon spells featured in the series are Bahamut (a dragon that is typically the penultimate summon in his controllable appearances); Shiva (a blue-skinned woman who casts Ice spells); Ifrit (a demonic Fire elemental); Ramuh (an elderly man who casts Thunder spells); Odin (an armored, horse-mounted warrior modeled after the Odin of Norse mythology); Leviathan (a serpentine Water elemental); Carbuncle (a reptilian or squirrel like creature bearing a ruby on its forehead, and who casts Reflect on the entire party); and Phoenix (a Fire elemental represented by a bird with crimson feathers, modeled after the legendary phoenix).
See also
External links
- Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Plot Analysis; essay entitled "Spirit Energy and Memories: The Magic of Final Fantasy" In-depth analysis of magic in the various Final Fantasy titles
- Final Fantasy Compendium's full list of summons
- Shoukan Kedamono - Covers all of Shiva's Final Fantasy incarnations
Final Fantasy magic | Magia en Final Fantasy | ファイナルファンタジーの魔法形態
"Final Fantasy magic"