Explorers
The Explorer
- An Adventurer Is You: Each Job fulfills one or more archetypes.
- The Tank: Tank classes.
- The DPS: Damager classes.
- The Healer: Healer classes.
- The Status Effect Guy: Booster classes.
- Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: In their default "Novice" outfit, only female Explorers bare their midriff.
- The Beast Master: In addition to the specific job of Beastmaster, they can use atmaliths from enemies to create monsters to fight alongside them.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Most voiced characters will call him/her "Explorer."
- Evolving Attack: Uses ability mutations to enhance and customize abilities.
- Job System: They can switch jobs whenever they're in the hub, usually getting access to new ones via aptitude exams or fulfilling other criteria.
- Silent Protagonist: They don't say a word, leaving their personality unknown.
Jobs
Freelancer
Freelancers are not particularly gifted in one field, but have great freedom in abilities and gear they can equip.- Master of None: They can use any equipment, abilities or magic that isn't exclusive to a particular class, but they can't use them to their full potential.
Knight
In addition to attacks, Knights boast numerous defensive abilities.
- Practical Taunt: The Provoke ability draws enemy attention to keep them away from other party members.
- Stone Wall: Their moves list is geared around this, allowing them to withstand or even No-Sell attacks.
Monk
While Monks have low defense, they overwhelm their foes with ferocious physical blows.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Monks can fight with their bare hands or claw/knuckle weapons.
- Glass Cannon: Though Monks can deal lots of damage, their defenses are rather weak.
- Supernatural Martial Arts: Their martial art abilities can grant them amazing strength, speed, and Ki Attacks.
- Counter-Attack: The Counter ability assumes a defensive stance. If an enemy hits the Monk during that time, he/she blocks the attack and strikes the foe.
- Flash Step: The Vacuum Wave ability involves movement almost too fast to see.
- Incendiary Exponent: The Tiger Rush ability results in an explosion.
- Kamehame Hadoken: The Aura Cannon ability fires a wave of energy from the Monk's palms.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: The Explosive Fists ability has the Monk striking their enemy many times.
- Wolverine Claws: Some weapon options for Knuckles resemble this, and they change your punching damage from Striking to Slashing.
Ranger
Rangers specialize in long-distance physical attacks, with a multitude of abilities that inflict status ailments on their foes.
- Long-Range Fighter: They are mostly known for using bows and fighting at a long range, but they can equip axes and later clubs as well.
- Status Effects: The Ranger's main purpose is to inflict negative status effects such as Poison or Blind along with ranged damage.
White Mage
White Mages specialize in healing and support to aid their comrades in a tight spot.
- White Mage: The franchise trope namer returns, as always, with a focus on healing and supportive magic.
Black Mage
Black mages are experts of offensive magic, raining damage on their foes from afar.
- Barrier Warrior: Though their defenses are low, they can cast a barrier to mitigate and avoid damage.
- Squishy Wizard: Black Mages are squishier than White Mages, with lower defenses and HP. However, they do have a barrier spell for defensive purposes.
Thief
Thieves possess the unique ability to steal items from enemies, allowing the player to pilfer a variety of materials.
- Fragile Speedster: Similar to their common appearance throughout the series, they are fast but rather fragile.
- Video Game Stealing: Thieves can steal from enemies and increase item drop rates, making early game farming easier.
Time Mage
Time Mages aid their comrades with a plethora of time manipulation spells, such as Haste and Slow, and offensive magic, such as Gravity and Meteor.
- Gravity Master: Time Magic includes spells such as "Gravity" and "Meteor."
- Time Master: As always, Time Mages can wield Time Magic such as Haste or Slow to buff allies or enfeeble foes.
Red Mage
Red Mages are skilled equally in magic and swordsmanship, using their Chainspell ability to create powerful spell combinations.
- Magic Knight: As usual, they can wield both swords and magic in tandem. Unusually, this game places more of an emphasis on the physical side than their usual depiction, allowing them to function as decent tanks.
- The Red Mage: They can wield low level Black Magic, White Magic, and even Time Magic.
Ninja
Ninjas use their vast number of combat-enhancing skills, high speed, and high evasion to confound the enemy.
- Dual Wielding: Can naturally equip two ninjato at once.
Paladin
Paladins may move slowly, but are ideal in creating an impenetrable barrier with their physical and magical and defense power.
- The Paladin: As their name implies, they are holy knights capable of strong defensive abilities.
- Stone Wall: They are the tankiest class in the game, capable of buffing their defenses to nullify damage.
Dark Knight
Dark Knights use powerful scythes to cause tremendous damage, making for a perfect heavy-hitting character.
- Cast from Hit Points: The job's signature trait, they can use use the Darkness ability to steal physical attack and defense from enemies at the cost of their health.
- Composite Character: While retaining the usual gimmicks of the Dark Knight job, they also have elements of the Spellblade Job.
- Spell Blade: Their standard ability allows them to boost the effects of weapons and abilities.
Machinist
- BFG: Machinists can wield quite large artillery weapons.
- Guns Akimbo: Once the Job is mastered, Machinists can equip two guns at a time.
- Gun Kata: Unlike the static Attack! Attack! Attack! of using a single gun, a Machinist going Guns Akimbo adopts Sazh's dramatic poses while firing.
- The Gunslinger: They utilize their guns in a variety of different ways for their abilities.
- Boom Head Shot: The Head Shot ability has a chance for a One-Hit Kill before mutations.
- Colony Drop: The Gamma Ray ability for guns and Stardust ability for artillery.
- Energy Weapon: The Magitek Laser ability for guns and Wave Laser for artillery.
- Unrealistic Black Hole: The Black Hole ability conjures a black hole to suck up their enemies.
Geomancer
The Rune Strike, a special ability of Geomancers, takes time to charge, but raises their magic power with each hit.
- Improbable Weapon User: Geomancers can equip bells as their primary weapon/casting focus.
- Geo Effects: Terrain Bonus gives various buffs based on the terrain they're standing on.
- Trap Master: The unique skill Trap sets up a trap that when sprung deals huge damage and can even inflict Stop.
Dragoon
- Coup de Grâce: The ability of the same name restores your HP and AP if you can finish an enemy with it.
- In a Single Bound: The Dragoon's exclusive Jump ability allows them to leap high into the air and come crashing down on enemies, as always.
- Jousting Lance: A few weapons qualify as they resemble large jousting lances. Additionally, the Puncture move resembles the charging lance attack from Monster Hunter.
- Spam Attack: The Puncture and Mercurial Thrust abilities strike foes multiple times.
- Throwing Your Spear Always Works: The Areadbhar ability involves the Dragoon throwing their lance to impale their foes from afar.
Alchemist
Alchemists are experts when it comes to using items, combining attacks with alchemy to react to a variety of different situations.
- Composite Character: Alchemists in this game share some traits with the series' regular Scholar, mostly in the gear design.
- Item Caddy: Alchemists mainly use their Item stock to make the most of their abilities.
Beastmaster
Despite a slower attack speed, Beastmasters use their powerful axe to pack a real punch.
- The Beast Master Specializes around having monster allies. Their Tame attack lets them get atmaliths far easier than normal.
- Mighty Glacier: Beastmasters have a slower attack speed, but their attacks are strong with their great axes.
- Whip of Dominance: Played With. While Beastmaster job can only equip axe weapons, the animation of their "Tame" ability has them wielding a magical whip.
Blue Mage
Blue Mages have a unique ability to learn and master techniques used by the enemy, allowing them to fulfill many different roles.
- Power Copying: As per usual for the Blue Mage. Unlike most games, however, the Blue Mage only needs to witness the enemy ability and defeat the enemy to learn the skill - they don't need to get hit by the skill.
Bard
Bards enhance their comrades' abilities from the rear by playing special songs using their instruments as weapons.
- Charged Attack: Their songs increase in potency and duration the longer the player holds down the button and performs.
- Magic Music: As always, Bards cast their magic through the use of their instruments and song to buff and enhance allies. They can wield harps, and with mastery also get the ability to wield bells.
- Support Party Member: Bards have little in the way of offensive abilities and typically support or heal their parties, especially in online play.
Samurai
As an all-range attacker, Samurai wield katana and have exceptionally high damage output.- Cooldown Manipulation: Their ability "Zanshin" reduces cooldowns for all abilities.
- Elemental Powers: Their Iai ability is capable of using all kinds of elemental attacks.
- Iaijutsu Practitioner: A few of their attacks involve them using iaijutsu, unleashing them with a strike faster than the eye can see, then sheathing their katanas again.
Sage
Sages have the highest magical attack and healing power, and can use their Concentrate ability to enhance their own skills.
- The Archmage: Sages are proficient in all high level ultimate magic.
- Spell Book: The Sage's initial weapon is a grimoire before they can later get the ability to wield rods and staves.
NPCs
Surama
A mysterious visitor in red who observes the Explorers carry out their work, and who seems to bear more knowledge than most about the Eidolons.
- Ambiguous Gender: Surama's appearance and voice don't make it clear what gender they are. Lampshaded by Sophia who initially calls Surama "her" before wondering which pronoun to use. As Surama is Amaterasu, they're likely female.
- Big Damn Heroes: Right at the beginning of the game when the Explorer crash lands on the island, they are under attack by Bahamut. It is Surama who calls out to them, helps them flee, and escorts them back to Libertas.
- King Incognito: More like Eidolon incognito. Surama is Amaterasu in human form.
- Put on a Bus: A variation: Surama stops appearing around town after the Explorer defeats Amaterasu. They do make a cameo in The Stinger, however.
- Ship Tease: Some of the NPCs such as Beatrice notice that you and Surama have private talks every now and then.
Cid
The mayor of Libertas.- Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrifices his Crystal capacitor so you can get to Therion. Fortunately, this does not kill him. It simply means he can no longer be an Explorer, but he was retired anyway.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He oversees the Explorer's progress and is usually the one who encourages them to take the various exams to get further clearance.
Ludio
An explorer found just before the gates out of town. He teaches explorers the basics.- He Knows About Timed Hits:
- Mr. Exposition: He primarily serves as a refresher on the various mechanics of the game.
Cecil
- Yin-Yang Bomb: Soul Shift.
Bartz
Terra
- Black Magician Girl: As in Final Fantasy VI, Terra is skilled with magic.
Aerith
Cloud
- BFS: Cloud brings the Buster Sword, which provides the page image for this trope.
Tifa
Squall
Tidus
Yuna
- Era-Specific Personality: Appears in her Final Fantasy X-2 form.
- Mage Marksman
Vaan
Lightning
All provide example of:
- Adaptational Villainy: With the exception of the Canon Foreigners, the Eidolons are comprised of recurring summons who aid the heroes in prior Final Fantasy games. Subverted when the Awful Truth comes out that they've been fighting you in order to protect the planet from humanity's abuse of Crystal Energy.
- Battle Theme Music: Each Eidolon has its own unique theme song that plays when you fight them.
- Boss Battle: They're the primary bosses of the game.
- Fighting a Shadow: No matter how many times you destroy or Encase an Eidolon, it'll just keep coming back.
- Gotta Catch Them All: When an Eidolon is near defeat, the "Encase" Crystal Surge becomes active, allowing you to capture them and giving you their magicite to invoke their abilities.
- Nature Spirit: The majority of Eidolons represent an element of nature and can be found in a thematically appropriate setting.
Dryad
The flower-like eidolon's attacks inflict a cornucopia of status ailments.
- Canon Foreigner: While Dryads appeared in earlier Final Fantasy as general enemies, Explorers is the first time one plays the role of a Eidolon.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Her "Upheaval" attack causes earthquakes.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: She will periodically burrow below the ground and rise up somewhere else around the arena.
- Plant Person: She's modeled after a giant plant.
- Status Effects: Her specialty. Not only can she summon Malbroro's, but she has her own variation of their signature "Bad Breath" ability.
Phoenix
Spreading its mighty wings, Phoenix unleashes a storm of fireballs to destroy explorers.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: Phoenix's unique skill, "Flames of Rebirth", allows it to completely heal its HP when brought down to the last of its HP. It takes several moments to execute, though, so fast-acting Explorers can down it before it can recover.
- Kill It with Fire: It resides in a volcano and naturally uses fire in its attacks.
Bahamut
Bahamut, the King of Dragons, is the only eidolon to appear in every game in the series.—-
- Elemental Powers: Bahamut has four breath attacks based on Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Wind.
- Fantastic Nuke: Megaflare; When Bahamut uses it, not only does it create an explosion, but the explosion pulls everyone towards it.
- Final Boss Preview: While not the final boss, Bahamut is the first monster you encounter after it takes down the airship you ride in on.
- Hailfire Peaks: The peak of Mount Chaminil where you first fight it is caught in an intense snowstorm. Clearing it with a cataclysm drastically changes the battlefield to a volcanic lavascape.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: The very first fight in the game is against Bahamut after it shoots down your airship. Naturally, it's less of a "fight" so as much as an escape sequence.
- Red Baron: It's known as the King of Dragons, and facing it in battle will quickly make it apparent that it lives up to that title.
- Stuff Blowing Up: In addition to Megaflare, Bahamut carries Ultima. Anyone familiar with the spell from other Final Fantasy games can probably guess how hard it hits.
Diabolos
Diabolos uses many attacks that manipulate space and time, especially those that control gravity.
- Bat Out of Hell: Its intro invokes the imagery of bats and bats accompany its Dark Messenger attack.
- Big Red Devil: And whatever parts aren't red are black.
- Blackout Basement: It can invoke this at will by summoning crystals that cause the arena to go dark.
- Gravity Master: Diabolos uses gravity-based attacks, particularly black holes to suck the Explorer in. Explorers lacking mobility options and/or haste will be facing an uphill battle.
- HP to One: Its Dark Messenger attack can inflict this.
- Interface Screw: Can make the area go dark, which in addition to making Diabolos harder to find prevents the Explorer from locking onto it.
- Me's a Crowd: It possesses the ability to clone itself. And if the clone decides to attack while Dark Messenger is active,...
Shiva
Shiva is the classic ice-based eidolon. Those close by risk being frozen by her aura.
- An Ice Person: As per usual for Shiva.
- Cute Monster Girl: The Eidolon who most resembles a human.
- Dual Boss: Her aberrant mission. Unique because it's the first time you fight two of the same eidolon at once.
- Harmless Freezing: Many of her attacks freeze Explorers without dealing any additional damage.
- Kamehame Hadouken: Her Diamond Dust ability.
Ifrit
Ifrit, the fire-based eidolon, powers into his opponents, unleashing his ultimate attack "Hellfire" on his enemies.
- Elemental Punch: Has one for close range and a dashing punch for mid-range.
- Hellfire: It's the name of his signature move.
- Kill It with Fire: Ifirit retains it's usual element, which is fire.
- Rolling Attack: One of Ifirit's attacks has it roll forward and attempt to run over the Explorer.
- Warm-Up Boss: Ifirit is one of the simpler Eidolons to be faced, lacking significant gimmicks compared to the later ones and being more of a straightforward fight. Naturally, it's the first one you encounter.
Odin
Odin rides into battle on his trusty steed Sleipnir, and cleaves enemies in half with his lethal "Zantetsuken" ability.
- Autobots, Rock Out!: While a number of the battle themes in Explorers are rock-based, Odin's leans into it the heaviest.
- BFS: His Zantetsuken.
- Climax Boss: He's the last eidolon faced before entering the endgame chapters. Tellingly, Odin's initial fight location is right next to where the Grand Crystal is.
- Dramatic Thunder: That you can weaponize: In the Porjio Woods fight, triggering a Cataclysm causes a thunderstorm to trigger. This results in Odin briefly becoming stunned periodically due to attracting so much lightning.
- Flunky Boss: His aberrant counterpart summons skeletons to fight alongside him.
- Power Glows: The blade has a blue aura.
- Sinister Scimitar: The curve of the blade almost resembles an axe head on a sword hilt.
- Cool Horse: Sleipnir, his six legged steed, accompanies him in battle.
- Hellish Horse: Sleipnir has 6 legs and has an unnerving look.
- Norse Mythology
- One-Hit Kill: His Zantetsuken and Shin-Zantetsuken attacks are instantly fatal.
- Stance System: His moveset varies somewhat depending on which weapon he has out: Zantetsuken gives him the two insta-kill moves while Gungnir gives him hard-hitting projectile attacks.
Leviathan
Leviathan, the ruler of the sea, is fought in the ocean, emerging from the waves in ambush.
- Flunky Boss: It's aberrant counterpart summons Jellies to heal it throughout the fight.
- Kill It with Water: Leviathan retains its water leanings.
- Mook Bouncer: One of Leviathan's gimmicks is to use Tsumani. Unless the explorers move to one of the higher side areas, they'll be forced back to the beginning of Leviathan's already large room and must make their way back again. It's aberrant version loses this capability in favor of a One-Hit Kill.
- Stock Ness Monster: It's a serpent-like water beast.
Amaterasu
An entity shrouded in mystery, seven magical swords float ready for battle on its back.
- Boss Banter: Unlike every other Eidolon up to that point, Amatarasu speaks to you throughout the battle. That's because it's actually Surama
- Barrier Maiden: Defeating her looses the crystal's power, allowing explorers to trigger "cataclysms" via Crystal Surges.
- Canon Foreigner: Has not appeared in a previous Final Fantasy game.
- Climax Boss: Her fight comes right after Surama tells you the truth regarding the crystals, the eidolons and their connections to the planet and beating her allows the Explorer to trigger "Cataclysms", unlocking new paths. Additionally, because Amatarasu is Surama, the ensuring fight takes a more personal vibe than the fights prior.
- Disc-One Final Boss: She's built up as a significant storyline boss, but the game continues after her defeat.
- Deity of Human Origin: Claims to be the "guardian of humanity".
- Fighting Your Friend: Amatarasu is actually Surama, meaning this trope is in play. Notably, the NPCs around town notice that the explorer seems sad and not there after the battle.
- Public Domain Artifact: Wields the Japanese Imperial Regalia.
- Graceful Loser: After beating her, Amateratsu says that she trusts whatever decision you make, with regards to the crystal.
- Japanese Mythology: Named after the Japanese deity Amaterasu.
- It Can Think: The first Eidolon in the game that talks to the player.
- God in Human Form: Spends the early game masquerading as a human.
- One-Winged Angel: Amaterasu is Surama's true form. The boss intro for their fight on the Wreck of the Donnyglen even begins with Surama transforming into the Eidolon.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Her fight is much more complex than any of the preceding battles.
- Walking Spoiler: Her alter-ego's identity pushes her into this territory.
Fenrir
This bestial eidolon uses vicious melee attacks, running down its prey with charges from all directions.
- Life Drain: Its "Swallow" ability lets it drain HP and AP from Explorers unfortunate enough to be standing in front of it, before shooting out energy balls.
- Lightning Bruiser: The Explorer is told ahead of time that Fenrir is fast and it lives up to that warning.
- Me's a Crowd: It possesses the ability to clone itself and does so whenever it Turns Red. Given that it's a Lightning Bruiser as is, things can get pretty dicey pretty quickly.
- Turn Red: A more literal case than usual, but Fenrir will occasionally go into a rage and become far more aggressive.
- Norse Mythology
Alexander
Alexander resembles a giant fortress, using its massive body to create earth shaking tremors.
- Big Fancy Castle: A mecha shaped like one.
- Foreshadowing: If you're paying attention, you may notice that the person who assigns you the quest to fight Alexander claims that it was built to protect a tree, while the description claims it protects all of the environment. The second description is correct, as using the crystals will eventually kill the planet.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: It's aberrant is fought in the huge Leggi Steppe, and its new bound ability lets it leap across the map.
- Holy Hand Grenade: It retains its Signature Move, Divine Judgement, which manifests here as beams that travel along the ground.
- Living Structure Monster: Despite being modeled after a robot-castle, it's still an eidolon.
- Macross Missile Massacre: One of the attacks it can use is firing a bevy of missiles around wherever the Explorer is standing.
- Stationary Boss: Unlike every other boss, Alexander doesn't move. The first time you fight it at least.
Ramuh
Ramuh, the thunder and lightning based eidolon, uses a variety of attack patterns to confound players.
- Beast Men: Unlike most other depictions in the series that make him more human, Ramuh has bestial traits here such as a lion's head or clawed hands and feet.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: Ramuh can teleport thanks to the crystals dotting his arena. It is possible to destroy the crystals though, robbing him of his ability to do this.
- Shock and Awe: As par the course for Ramuh, he is lightning-based.
- Teleport Spam: Ramuh uses the crystals around his arena to not only launch attacks, but to teleport around as well.
- Wizard Beard: Even this more beastly Ramuh rocks a beard.
Therion
A being begotten by the planet to defend the flow of crystal energy and purge all who violate it.
- Amazing Technicolor Battlefield: Its arena, "World's End" is even trippier than the already trippy Grand Crystal interior.
- Boss Remix: Its battle theme is based on the main theme of the game.
- Final Boss: Of the main storyline: It is encountered at the heart of the Grand Crystal and the credits roll upon completing the quest which has you first fight it.
- The Runt at the End: Unlike the other Eidolons, it cannot be encased, and thus you cannot use it.
Gilgamesh
A veteran of many fights in many worlds who utilizes a grand array of weapons. Also runs away a lot.
- Beware the Silly Ones: This being Gilgamesh, he's a very silly character but he's also a post-game boss for a reason. Even when he's tricked by what seems to be excalipur, his attacks are still extremely damaging.
- Boss Banter: He's the second boss to speak to the player directly and, unlike Amatarasu, he's constantly talking. This is par for the course for Gilgamesh.
- Dirty Coward: If he's on the verge of defeat, he'll try to run away.
- In a Single Bound: As is usual for Gilgamesh, he occasionally attacks by leaping into the air and landing on his opponent. "Ultimate Illusion" also begins with him leaping into the air.
- Leitmotif: Battle on the Big Bridge
- Multi-Melee Master: Uses swords, axes, and spears
- Shockwave Stomp: His "Ultimate Illusion" attack is a devastating leap that creates a series of explosions targeting pretty much everywhere in the arena.
Omega
A doomsday weapon from a distant world that destroyed the ancient civilization that made it.
- Doomsday Device: Described as such in its description.
- Humongous Mecha
- Wave-Motion Gun: Its Wave Cannon is devastating. Its Wave Cannon+, even more so.