Final Fantasy character classes
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The Final Fantasy series by Square Enix features a variety of classes (or jobs) that are assigned or assignable to each character in your active party. While many early games in the series have featured individual character classes, they did not appear, as such, in Final Fantasy VII through Final Fantasy X. Recent Final Fantasy titles, however, such as Final Fantasy X-2 and Final Fantasy XI, have seen a return of specialized classes. The following list summarizes the most common character classes: many games in the series have featured unique classes that have not reappeared in subsequent games. For information on those classes, please see the article regarding the specific game in which the class
appeared.
The classes that appear in Final Fantasy XI, the first online-only title, have certain unique implementations that more closely follow MMORPG convention. For information specific to this title, please see Final Fantasy XI character classes.
Physical classes
Physical classes fight using a variety of weapons, including their bare hands. Many of them specialize in specific techniques, although generally these attacks are not based in magic.
Warrior/Fighter/Knight
The
Warrior, formerly translated as the
Fighter, is portrayed as a skilled
swordsman who can make use of some of the most powerful heavy armors and weaponry in the game. As such, it is a well-rounded physical combatant with both high attack and defense statistics. Initially, the
Knight was treated as an upgraded form of the Warrior class, but later games in the series began to use the two terms interchangeably. The Warrior/Knight can be reasonably described as one of the most basic character archetypes in the
Final Fantasy series. The Warrior has appeared in
Final Fantasy,
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy X-2,
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and
Final Fantasy XI while the Knight has appeared in
Final Fantasy,
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V and
Final Fantasy Tactics. The class
Squire (
Final Fantasy Tactics) bears some similarity to the Warrior class, and it is referred to as the
Apprentice Warrior in the Japanese version of the game. As many of the main characters from the
Final Fantasy series are sword fighters, many of them can be said to be roughly analogous to the Warrior or Knight class, including
Cecil Harvey (
Final Fantasy IV),
Cloud Strife (
Final Fantasy VII),
Squall Leonhart (
Final Fantasy VIII),
Adelbert Steiner (
Final Fantasy IX) and
Tidus (
Final Fantasy X) Tidus is more like a hybrid of a Thief and a Warrior, since he doesn't take as much damage as some other characters (a common and usually needed trait for the average Final Fantasy Warrior character). Many games in the series also feature a variety of specialized sword-wielding classes, such as
Dark Knight,
Paladin, or
Holy Knight. While these classes use the same basic type of equipment as the Warrior/Knight, they usually feature unique specialized skills and attacks.
Monk
The
Monk is a master of martial arts (especially karate) who shuns heavy weapons or armor in favor of barehanded fighting. In the later games, it has also shown a proclivity towards certain meditative techniques which can improve its attack power, or heal its battle wounds. Frequently it has the ability to immediately counterattack against physical attacks directed at its person. In early English localizations of the series, the Monk was known as the
Black Belt. The Monk has appeared as a class in
Final Fantasy,
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy XI,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The characters
Yang Fang Leiden (
Final Fantasy IV),
Sabin René Figaro (
Final Fantasy VI),
Tifa Lockhart (
Final Fantasy VII) and
Zell Dincht (
Final Fantasy VIII)) can be roughly categorized as Monk-type characters.
Amarant Coral (
Final Fantasy IX) incorporates a number of characteristics of both the Monk class and the
Ninja character class.
Berserker
A
Berserker is a warrior who fights battles in an unbridled rage, and is thus vicious but uncontrollable. Berserkers characteristically dress in animal skins, much like the classic
Norse Berserkers. In most games, the
Berserker has access only to physical attacks is not directly controlled by the player, simply attacking enemies automatically on each battle turn. The character
Umaro from
Final Fantasy VI (whose class is given as
Sasquatch in the
Japanese language version and as
Yeti in the
North American version) is analogous to the Berserker class. Vincent Valentine's Limit Break Ability in Final Fantasy VII gives him berserker traits. Berserker is present as a class in
Final Fantasy V and
Final Fantasy X-2.
Many Final Fantasy games include the spell "Berserk", or some other equivalent ability, which can be used to mimic the characteristics of the berserker class (that is, the target gains increased physical strength and sometimes speed, but becomes uncontrollable and can use only physical attacks).
Samurai
Samurai are
Japanese fighters whose weapon of choice is the katana. They hold their blades with both hands for increased damage, and are often associated with the "Coin Toss" (or "Gil Toss" or "GP Rain") special attack. In the original Japanese version of
Final Fantasy VI, the character of
Cyan Garamonde is identified as a Samurai. Samurai are featured as classes in
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy X-2,
Final Fantasy XI and
Final Fantasy Tactics. In
Final Fantasy Tactics, Samurai can unleash the "spirit" of certain katanas with their "Draw Out" skill.
Auron, from Final Fantasy X can be seen as a Samurai. Many of his special moves use Samurai terminology such as
Bushido and Auron himself is somewhat of a
Ronin.
Dragon Knight/Dragoon
The
Dragon Knight uses spears to
Jump onto enemies. Jump typically does double damage when the user is wielding a spear, and removes the Dragon Knight from combat for a number of rounds.
Kain Highwind of
Final Fantasy IV, and
Freya Crescent of
Final Fantasy IX were Dragoons.
Cid Highwind (
Final Fantasy VII) and Ward Zabac (
Final Fantasy VIII) are similar to Dragon Knights in that they both fight using
harpoon-style weapons and both characters' limit breaks are aerial attacks (jump attack).
Kimahri Ronso (
Final Fantasy X) has abilities from both the Dragon Knight class and the Blue Mage class. Richard Highwind of
Final Fantasy II is referred to as a Dragon Knight, but does not have class's trademark aerial attack. Dragon Knights are available as part of the job system in
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy XI,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The English
software localization of
Final Fantasy IV,
Final Fantasy XI and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance incorrectly refers to Dragon Knights as
Dragoons(due to the word sounding similar to dragon, which the dragon knight is often closely allied with), and the English localization of
Final Fantasy Tactics refers to them as
Lancers.
Thief
The
Thief is generally a slightly weaker physical combatant, but with an unusually high skill at evasion, speed and often luck due to their natural dexterity. They can steal items from their foes, disarm various traps, and sneak up on their opponents unawares. The Thief has appeared as a class in
Final Fantasy,
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy X-2,
Final Fantasy XI,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The characters
Locke Cole (
Final Fantasy VI),
Zidane Tribal (
Final Fantasy IX), and
Rikku (
Final Fantasy X) are characterized as thieves.
Ninja
The Ninja, is generally both fast and powerful, combining the agility of a Thief and strength of a Fighter. However, in order to achieve this level of dexterity, Ninja are limited in defense, unable to wear heavy armor. Ninja usually possess the Throw ability, which allows them to throw powerful, damage-dealing items like shuriken and items from the inventory such as weapons at the enemy. In many games, they possess the ability to hold a weapon in each hand, sometimes known as Doublehand. Specific to Final Fantasy XI, Ninja shares more in common with a spellcaster than a physical job with the line of Ninjutsu spells. In the original Final Fantasy, the Ninja class is an class change of the Thief. They also appear in Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The characters Edge (Final Fantasy IV) and Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy VII) are characterized as Ninjas. Furthermore, the characters of Shadow (Final Fantasy VI), Amarant Coral (Final Fantasy IX) and Rikku (Final Fantasy X) incorporate some of the elements the Ninja class, altough they are not necessarily classified as such.
Hunter
The Hunter is a physical class that specializes in ranged weapons, which do less damage, but allow them to attack from a distance. Hunters traditonally use
bows and
crossbows for damage. Aside from their bow attacks, many Hunters have
buff abilities that temporarily raise their stats, such as Aim, which raises accuracy, or Charge, which increases the damage their arrows inflict. They can also inflict status-effects with their arrows, and sometimes have
forestry related abilities such as detecting, capturing, or hiding from mosters. They have also been referred to as "Rangers" or "Archers". Fran from
Final Fantasy XII could be considered a Hunter. Most characters in
FFIV could wield a bow, and Rosa was able to use the Aim command. They have appeared as a class (in some form) in
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy XI,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
Magical classes
Magical classes specialize in casting
magic in all its forms. This includes both traditional white and black magic, as well as more esoteric forms of magic, such as
geomancy.
Black Mage
A
'Black Mage' is a magic-user that specializes in attack magic. Many of their spells utilize the elements to attack their enemies (fire, ice, thunder, water). The Black Mage is available as a class in
Final Fantasy,
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy X-2,
Final Fantasy XI,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. In the English localization of
Final Fantasy Tactics, Black Mages were called
Wizards. Other black mages throughout the series are
Rydia (who is also a Summoner and loses the ability to cast white Magic halfway through the game)
Palom of
Final Fantasy IV and
Vivi Ornitier from
Final Fantasy IX. On her default sphere path,
Lulu of
Final Fantasy X is roughly analogous to a Black Mage. As the series has grown, Black Mages have gained the ability to not only inflict elemental damage, but also to cause certain status ailments such as Blind.
White Mage
A
White Mage uses magic to replenish party members's
hit points, revive the wounded, cure status conditions, and deal holy damage to the enemy. White Mages have appeared as a class in
Final Fantasy,
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy X-2,
Final Fantasy XI,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Minwu of
Final Fantasy II,
Rosa Farrell and
Porom of
Final Fantasy IV are all White Mages.
Aerith Gainsborough of
Final Fantasy VII can be classified as a White Mage as her limit breaks mostly involve healing, curing and reviving party members.
Yuna of
Final Fantasy X,
Garnet Til Alexandros XVII and
Eiko Carol of
Final Fantasy IX are all a mix of a white mage and summoner. In the English localization of
Final Fantasy Tactics, White Mages were referred to as
Priests.
Time Mage
The
Time Mage is a specialized wizard with the ability to manipulate the
space-time continuum to speed up, slow down, or completely halt the passage of time, to increase or decrease the pull of gravity, or even to open up rifts to another dimension. While it is referred to as
Time Mage in English localizations of the series, some know this as the Time/Space Mage. In actuality, the Japanese version specifically calls these mages "Time Mages" (時魔道士,
tokimadoushi). Time Mages have appeared as classes in
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, commonly depicted wearing tall, pointed wizard hats adorned with star and moon decorations.
In most games, Time mages' magic appropriately use time magic. In
Final Fantasy V, however, Time Mages used time/space magically (literally 時空
jikuu, or time/space).
Tidus from
Final Fantasy X, counts as one, since some of his default skills consist of spells such as Haste and Slow. And in
Final Fantasy XI, Time magic is divided amongst White, Red, and Black mages (with White Mages receiving teleport spells and some enhancing and enfeebling spells (
Haste,
Slow), Black Mages receiving utility spells to
Warp someone to their binding point or
Tractor a party-member's corpse, and Red Mages receiving the same enhancing and enfeebling time/space magic as White Mage as well as an exclusive enfeeble,
Gravity).
Blue Mage
The
Blue Mage is a practitioner of blue magic, a specialized school of magic which replicates the special attacks of various monsters, usually through observation: in most games, the only way to learn blue magic spells is to survive being targeted by them. Blue Mages have appeared as classes in
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance,
Final Fantasy X-2 (as
Gun Mages), and the ' expansion pack. Additionally, various characters in other games have been identified as Blue Mages, including
Strago Magus (
Final Fantasy VI, pictured at left), Quistis Trepe (Final Fantasy VIII), Quina Quen (Final Fantasy IX), and Kimahri Ronso (Final Fantasy X). In Final Fantasy VII'', the "Enemy Skills"
materia allows a character to cast blue magic.
Summoner
Summoners call upon entities of great power (whose name and source varies from game to game) to attack their enemies, protect their party or render other forms of aid. This type of magic is known within the franchise as
summon magic. Summoners have appeared as optional classes in
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy XI,
Final Fantasy Tactics, and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
Rydia of
Final Fantasy IV,
Garnet Til Alexandros XVII and
Eiko Carol of
Final Fantasy IX, and
Yuna of
Final Fantasy X are identified as summoners. In the English localization of
Final Fantasy IV, Summoners were referred to as
Callers.
In games that lacked Summoners, various means of equipping the summon ability (Summon materia, magicite, GF, etc.) are provided.
Geomancer
Geomancers channel the powers of the environment around them. Therefore, their abilities differ depending on where they currently are. If in a forest, they will attack with vines and forest animals, if in a cave with rockslides, if in a desert with quicksand, etc.Geomancers are featured in a few Final Fantasy games, either as a class or in loose association with a characters powers. They first appear in
Final Fantasy III, and they reappear in
Final Fantasy V and
Final Fantasy Tactics.
Mog the moogle (Final Fantasy VI) is considered a member of the Dancer class, however, his dances are elemental in nature and change depending on his environment, therefore making his abilities much closer to a Geomancer's than a Dancer's. In the Japanese versions, Geomancers are "風水士 (
fuusuishi)," which specifically refers to Chinese geomancy or
feng shui.
Sage
Sages are powerful magic users who can learn nearly every single Black and White Magic spell. The Sage class first appeared in
Final Fantasy III which was located in Eureka. This class can also learn summons.
Tellah and
Fusoya appeared as Sages in
Final Fantasy IV but unlike the Sages in
Final Fantasy III, they didn't learn any summons. The Sage class also appeared in
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, but as a Mage who can learn destructive magic. In
Final Fantasy Tactics, a class called Calculator is similar to a Sage, in that it can learn and use all spells of all types and cast them on enemies and allies alike, depending on the calculated values of their stats.
Mixed classes
These classes are capable of both adequate physical attacks and the use of magic or magic-related attacks.
Red Mage
Red Mages use the abilities of both Black Mages and White Mages and have the combat abilities of a Fighter, but are dilettantes and are not as good at any one ability as are any of the other classes. In general, they are only able to cast lower-level spells, and even then, not necessarily every one of those. In their later appearances, they were associated with the ability to cast two spells in one combat round.
Terra Branford and
Celes Chère of
Final Fantasy VI can be roughly classified as Red Mages, as they both wield swords as their primary weapons and automatically learn both black and white magic. Red Mages have also appeared as classes in
Final Fantasy,
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V,
Final Fantasy XI and
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Later in the series, such as
Final Fantasy XI, the Red Mage began to gain specialized magic (such as Refresh, which slowly restores your MP over time, and the ability Convert, which uses HP to replenish spent MP) that the other mages are not able to. Additionally in
Final Fantasy XI, Red Mages have become superior to other mage classes in casting enfeebling magic (status ailments and enfeebling time/space magic such as Gravity and Slow) and enhancing magic (such as Protect), and receives the ability 'Fast Cast' which enables them to cast spells slightly faster than other mages (similar to the double-cast effects in earlier games).
Bard
Bards in the Final Fantasy series use songs to cause effects, often strengthening the party or weakening the opposition through temporary stat reduction. They generally equip harps as weapons, which vary in strength from game to game. Many Bards have summoning abilities, as well. Moreover, some Bard incarnations, including
Edward Chris von Muir from
Final Fantasy IV, have the ability to hide from the enemy. This command is mainly inserted due to the Bard's low physical abilities. The attempted insult "You spoony bard!" from Final Fantasy IV is often parodied in Internet Culture, particularly among Final Fantasy fans. A variation of the class, the
Dancer uses special dances to cause status effects or damage to all enemies on a battle field. Unlike songs, the result of a dance is usually random. Other variations include types of Moogles, Songstresses, and various members of royalty. Bards are the most desirable class for experience parties in
Final Fantasy XI because of their MP regeneration songs as well as their stat boosting songs. The Bard class is seen in
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy V along with Dancer,
Final Fantasy XI, and
Final Fantasy X-2 as the Songstress. In
Final Fantasy Tactics Bard and Dancer are the only male and female (respectively) unique classes. Edward from
Final Fantasy IV is characterized as a Bard, while
Mog from
Final Fantasy VI has the Dance ability.
Beast Master/Tamer/Trainer
Beast Master/Tamer/Trainer appeared in Final Fantasy V, VI, X-2, XI and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance in which they are able to control or even capture and train. In Final Fantasy Tactics, the ability is adjusted for the job Mediator as learning an ability to communicate with monsters.
Dark Knight
Dark Knights are the embodiment of sorrow, regret, and mourning. They wield dark magic dedicated to stealing the health of an enemy. Their special attacks usually involve draining their own health or in some cases, sacrificing themselves, in order to inflict heavy damage on the enemy. They use very heavy armor and weaponry to augment their skills. Some of the most notable dark knights in the series include Leonhart (
Final Fantasy II),
Cecil Harvey (
Final Fantasy IV), and Gaff Gafgarion (
Final Fantasy Tactics). They are also found in
Final Fantasy III,
Final Fantasy X-2 and
Final Fantasy XI. In
Final Fantasy XI they are a damage dealing class but have relatively weak armor and spells. In
Final Fantasy VIII and
Final Fantasy IX, they don't appear, but their trademark
Darkside ability is learnable.
Paladin
Paladins are virtuous knights devoted to the good of the people; these "knights in shining armor" wield white magic to aid the people. A possible precursor to the class existed in
Final Fantasy III with the Mystic Knight job, which was a dark sword wielding knight capable of using lower level white magic. Important paladins in the series include
Cecil Harvey (
Final Fantasy IV), Beatrix (
Final Fantasy IX), Agrias Oakes, and
Delita Samuel Hyral (both of which are called
Holy Knights in
Final Fantasy Tactics). In
Final Fantasy XI, they are considered a "tanking" job and rely on curative magic and high defense bonuses to aid their parties in battle. Beatrix from Final Fantasy IX may be considered as a paladin in terms of her abilities and equipment descriptions. Paladins also appear in
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
Magic Knight
Magic Knights are knights that can cast magic on their swords to perform attacks with the power of the spell for several rounds. They have also been called Mageknights or Biskmatars. (In the English localization of FFV they are called Sorcerers.) In
Final Fantasy V the magic knight can use any magic previously learned on their sword. In
Final Fantasy Tactics it is called
Temple knight and is a special character class. The skill itself is called
Magic sword. Their magic power might not be as powerful as the mages' but since each cast can last for more attacks, they use less MP as compared to the mages. Note that the magic effects will affect the target when hit, therefore they are very useful when used to poison, stone, etc. enemies. In
Final Fantasy V when equipped with the sword
Excalipur (the fake version of Excalibur), due to the nature of the sword that will always deal 1 point of damage on the target and never misses, they can stone all enemies that are not immune to the stone effect in 2 turns. In Final Fantasy VII using a combination of the add affect materia and the Hades summon materia one can enchant a weapon to inflict status ailments in a way similar to that of a magic knight. In
Final Fantasy IX, Vivi is able to cast magical effects on Steiner's sword, which resembles the ability of a magic knight.
Chemist
Highly proficient in the use of items, Chemists are generally rather weak attackers with below-average defense; as such, they function best as support units, using special abilities such as "Mix" to cure party members and relieve status ailments. When using the Mix command, Chemists combine two items from the player's inventory to produce a certain effect, be it an elementally-based attack on the enemy party or powerful restorative magic designed to help allies.
The Chemist has appeared as a class in Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and Final Fantasy X-2 (as Alchemist in the latter two). Rikku of Final Fantasy X could be considered a Chemist of sorts as her overdrive is the Mix command.
Mime
Mimes can mimic the previous action of another party member with the "Mimic" command. In
Final Fantasy V, Mimes can be given other previously-learned abilities and commands. In
Final Fantasy VI Gogo can be given up to three special commands that the other characters have. In
Final Fantasy VII, the characters equipped with the "Mime"
Materia can mimic the most recent action performed by another party member. The class does not appear in
Final Fantasy X but a move called "Copycat", which allows you to perform any previous action of an ally, is learnable.
See also
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