Final Fantasy magic

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Edea using an Ice-based limit break, Ice Strike in Final Fantasy VIII

Magic^[1] 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.

[edit] Magic classifications

Magic spells are divided into offensive and defensive categories, which usually affect the HP and/or MP of the target based on their magic resistance, and possibly their resistance to a given element. 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

Spells can also be divided into elemental spells and non-elemental spells. Elemental magic is associated with a particular element of nature, such as Fire, Ice, Lightning, Water, Wind, and Earth. The number and names of the elemental spells vary from game to game.^[4] Sometimes two other elements, Holy (aka Light) and Dark (aka Shadow) are added. Non-elemental spells are not associated with an element. Examples include spells that affect the status of the target (e.g., sleep, haste, etc.)

Each magic caster possess magic power, which affects the damage of a given spell. Characters with higher magic power will deal more damage than the same spell cast by someone with a lower magic power. Certain characters can have affinities to an element: for example, a Fire magic spell from a fire-based character will cause more damage than a wind-based character casting it. Each target possesses magic resistance, which lessens the affect of magic spells.

In addition to the magic resistance of the target, certain targets have a different resistance (positive or negative) to certain elementals:

Weak — receive much more damage than usual from spells associated with that elemental
Strong — receive less damage
Immune — completely nullifies the damage
Absorb — will heal the target.

Non-elemental magic damage depends only on magic resistance. Certain items and spells can affect the magic power and/or resistance of a character.

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, Stop was classified as Black Magic and Haste was classified as White Magic^[5] while Slow has appeared inconsistently under either category, depending on the game. Some subsequent titles retained the Time/Space Magic category, while others did not.

In many games, only certain job categories can cast certain spells. For example, a White Mage can cast white spells, while a Black Mage can cast black spells. In some games, there is also a Red Mage that can cast spells from the Black and White magic. Usually a Red Mage cannot learn the highest spells, and usually is not especially powerful at casting either.

In Final Fantasy XI, spells are also divided by "magic skills". As a character uses spells from a certain magic skill, their skill in that category increases, affecting those spells in some way.

In Final Fantasy XII, the new Green Magick and Arcane Magick appears. Green Magick focuses on some of the major status effects such as Protect, Shell, Blind, and Silence. Arcane Magick contains obscure yet effective ones such as Gravity, Drain, Berserk, and the Bubble spell, which temporarily doubles the target's HP. Final Fantasy XII is also the first to actually have a full arsenal of Dark-elemental magics (Dark, Darkra, Darkga), but Earth-elemental magics are missing.

In some games the non-elemental spells Flare and Meteor are among the strongest spells available. Another major non-elemental spell is Ultima, a spell that first appeared in Final Fantasy II and in various capacities throughout the series. Typically, Ultima is the most powerful non-summon spell that can be learned if it appears in the game.

[edit] 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: -ga/"ga"
Fourth level: -ja/"ja"

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, and Blizzard becomes Blizzara and Blizzaga.

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.^[6]^[7]^[8]

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. For example, if the spell Thunder were leveled up to level 16, it would be called Thunder 16. Enemy spells, however, used Latin number suffixes, such as 'XVI' for level 16.

In early English language localizations of the Final Fantasy series, those prior to Final Fantasy VIII, translators decided not to use the above suffixes, using a simple numerical modifier instead. In other words, Firaga would become Fire 3. Thunder was shortened to Lit or Bolt, and Thundara would be denoted as Lit2 or Bolt2.^[9]

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 XI, spells tiers are distinguished from each other by Roman numerals (e.g., Thunder, Thunder II, Cure, Cure II) and there are three suffixes:

group/party effect enhancing spells: -ra (e.g., Barstonra, Barsleepra, 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)

Fourth level spells (such as Cure IV and Thunder IV) are equivalent to the -ja suffix found in previous Final Fantasy games. (Curaja, and Thundaja, respectively)

[edit] 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(strong); for the second, the armor will eliminate the effect of the attack(immune); 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 (such as the Judgment Staff casting Flare in Final Fantasy I). Certain weapons (e.g. Healing Rod) can have restorative powers, although these same weapons would inflict damage on undead targets.

[edit] 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.^[10]

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.

[edit] White Magic

Among the basic White Magic spells is the healing aid Cure and its enhancements, Cura, Curaga, and Curaja (Renamed in later games as Full-Cure). Together with the spells Life,^[11] Protect,^[12] Shell^[13] and Esuna,^[14] 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,^[15] Scan,^[16] and Holy.^[17]

[edit] 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/Blizzard, Thunder, Water, Aero,^[18] and Quake. The Black Magic category is also frequently associated with various spells that inflict status-altering abnormalities, such as Poison,^[19] Toad,^[20] Zombie,^[21] and Stone.^[22]

This magic class also often — but not consistently — includes three of the most powerful offensive spells featured in the series: Flare,^[23] Meteor,^[24] and Ultima.^[25]

[edit] 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. In Final Fantasy VI, it is grouped under the alignment of "gray" along with what would become green magic, but in Final Fantasy VIII it is implied to be of infernal origin (the unholy Guardian Force Diablos uses it exclusively when fought, and when summoned uses a variant of the "Demi" spell.) Spells implemented to affect the rate of activity for the playable characters and their opponents include Haste,^[26] Stop,^[27] and Quick^[28] while those that affect their targets' spatial status include such spells as Teleport,^[29] and Degeon.^[30] Other spells that occasionally fall under the Time/Space Magic classification are Gravity-based spells such as Demi^[31], as well as Meteor.^[32]

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.

[edit] 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").

Blue Magic can provide a variety of abilities not accessible to other characters, but acquiring them can be difficult; the player often must be strong enough be hit and survive the attack to use it, must control an enemy (or cast reflect) to get an ability never cast on an opponent, and is usually not told in the game which abilities can be learnt. Depending on the rarity of the enemy and the frequency the desired spell is cast, it can take a considerable amount of time to learn a given spell. Typical Blue Magics include "White Wind" (Heals HP of the Party), Wall (Casts Shell and Protect on the Party) and Blaster (Petrify target).

Blue Magic appears as a playable job class in Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy X-2 as a Gun Mage and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Strago Magus from Final Fantasy VI and Quina Quen from Final Fantasy IX use Blue Magic as their unique character abilities, though Strago's Blue Magic is renamed Lores. Quistis Trepe from Final Fantasy VIII' and Kimahri Ronso from Final Fantasy X use Blue Magic for their Limit Breaks. Blue Magic, renamed Enemy Skills, can be used in Final Fantasy VII by equipping the Enemy Skill Materia. Several high-level magic spells in Final Fantasy Tactics, including Ultima, Zodiac, Cure-4 and the level 4 elemental spells, can be learned in a way similar to Blue Magic.

[edit] Summoning Magic

Summoning Magic calls forth magical creatures to attack enemies and/or heal or protect 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 most Final Fantasy titles in the main numbered series, as well as spin-off titles.^[33]

Bahamut, as featured in Final Fantasy IX

In several of the Final Fantasy titles,^[34] 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.^[35]

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 King Leviathan and Queen Asura, and make allies of them. The missing God of summoned monsters named Bahamut resides on the Moon in a secret cavern watching over his people.

In Final Fantasy VI, summoned monsters^[36] 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. With some notable exceptions, the remains of fallen Espers, Magicite, provided the means for characters to learn spells.

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^[37] (GFs) are dangerous to the human psyche, and that regular usage of such magic results in amnesia. Due to this, the game's main characters have forgotten a significant portion of their early lives. Characters must 'junction' a GF to themselves before they can summon it, at which point the GF will give the character all of their power. Without the ability to summon the GFs, the characters would only be able to use their standard attack and limit breaks.

Final Fantasy IX was similar to Final Fantasy IV in that only two party members^[38] 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.^[39]

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.)

The Aeon Shiva as she appears in Final Fantasy X

In Final Fantasy XI, avatars (part of the game's summoning magic) are controlled by people with the main or support job of summoner. They learn new magic and physical attacks as the summoner progresses in level. The majority of them are obtained by fighting them either solo or in a group in their domain (Protocrystals in the case of the sleeping gods). Their special abilities are unlocked when the summoner activates the ability Astral Flow. At the cost of the Summoner's remaining MP, the avatars can use the special ability unlocked by Astral Flow. The avatars themselves are a major part of the Vana'diel storyline. The protocrystal avatars are of the original gods and each have a myth surrounding them. Then there are five terrestrial avatars born of Vana'diel to protect the five mothercrystals. The Federation of Windurst's storyline deals with the banned magic of summoning and the death of its greatest hero, Karaha-Baruha, a summoner who sacrificed himself to call forth Fenrir and destroy the Yagudo forces invading Windurst. The two most recent expansions have dealt heavily with avatars, Chains of Promathia with the terrestrial avatars (Phoenix, Diabolos, Fenrir, Carbuncle, and Bahamut), and Aht Urghan with the celestial Alexander and Odin. Summoners can also form pacts with elementals that rely more on magic and behave more on their own. It is explained that summoned avatars are only a portion of the avatar, with the exception of elemental summonings.

In Final Fantasy XII, Summon Magic appears once more with creatures known as Espers, as in Final Fantasy VI.^[40] In this game, they are scions created by the gods. The female esper, Ultima, convinced the other espers to rebel against the gods (except Zodiark). The espers lost this war and their fate can be known as players acquire them. Characteristics of these espers are based on the Western astrology star sign, evident from the gems players can steal from them during their respective battles (e.g. Belias is characteristic of Aries, players can steal an Aries gem from him). 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.

In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, "Summon Magic" was used by one class, the Summoner, but the game never explained exactly what the things being summoned were. Also, after the player defeats and obtains the first Totema, the Totema command becomes available to the characters whose race is eligible for the Totema (ex. A Viera-class character cannot use the Totema for the Humans, and vice versa).

Summon Magic also appears in the anime series, Final Fantasy: Unlimited. It is the central means of combat for two of the main characters, Kaze and Makenshi. Kaze's Summon Magic functions through his MaGun ("Magic Gun") by mixing three types of bullet that each contain a sandy material created from the lives of those who fought Chaos in vain (called "Soil") that represent qualities of the summon. When he then fires the MaGun, the summon associated with that Soil is called into action. Makenshi's own summon power comes from the Mist bottles he carries and unleashes their power by linear cuts from his MaSword. Another character, Lisa, can use her Kigen Arts for a summon, but the strain of the life energy needed could weaken her severely or kill her.

Among the more prominent summon spells featured in the series are Bahamut;^[41] Shiva;^[42] Ifrit;^[43] Ramuh;^[44] Odin;^[45] Leviathan;^[46] Carbuncle;^[47] and Phoenix.^[48]

[edit] Table of appearances

This table displays the most common summoned creatures and their appearances within the major incarnations of the Final Fantasy franchise.

Note: The first two Final Fantasy games and Final Fantasy X-2 don't feature summoning magic.

Summon	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	T	TA	U
Alexander	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Ship	No	No	Yes
Bahamut	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Ship	Yes	No	No
Carbuncle	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Ship	Yes	Yes	No
Chocobo	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Diabolos	No	No	No	Yes (GBA)	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Fenrir	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Golem	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Ifrit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Ship	Yes	Yes	Yes
Leviathan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (GBA)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Ship	Yes	No	No
Odin	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Ship	Yes	No	Yes
Phoenix	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Ramuh	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Shiva	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Ship	Yes	Yes	Yes
Titan	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes

T = Final Fantasy Tactics
TA = Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
U = Final Fantasy: Unlimited anime, radio drama and novels
White boxes mean the creature made an appearance as a summoned creature, but could not be used by the party

[edit] Magic-like Abilities

Through the course of the series, there has been a variety of abilities and skills similar to magic but are not necessarily magic. They usually do not require MP to use.

[edit] Songs

Songs are classified as magic in Final Fantasy V. Bards use magic generally as support, but Alluring Air and Romeo's Ballad inflict the status ailment confuse and stop on enemies, respectively, and Requiem deals damage to undead foes.

[edit] Ninjutsu

Shown in both Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy XI, Ninjutsu deals with ninja related abilities. It is used by the character "Edge" in Final Fantasy IV and by adventurers sporting the Ninja class in Final Fantasy XI. It deals with both supportive and offensive magic, to assist the character in battle. Some of these abilities happen to be special abilities that are in the form of a spell. Ninjutsu has been seen in other games in the series, however in these cases it has usually referred to physical abilities rather than magic. This classification is also found in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance under the job class Ninja, although in the game itself, the naming is Ninja Skill.

[edit] Geomancy

The Character Class geomancer uses very different spells compared to the other classes. They can control the environment around them. Geomancers were first introduced in Final Fantasy III. In most of the games they appear in, the magic manifests itself as a single command (in Final Fantasy III the command was called Terrain) that uses the spell for the terrain the character is currently fighting in. In Final Fantasy III, there was also a chance that a very powerful shadow-based spell would be cast.

Final Fantasy VI had a slightly different form of Geomancy with Mog's Dance command. Mog learned a dance for every terrain he fought in, and by performing that dance he could use the spells of that terrain.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Other minor para-magics have appeared several times throughout the series.

Final Fantasy III: Many classes have a spell-like ability unique to that class. For example, Dark Knights can use Souleater to attack all enemies at once at the cost of their own HP, and Warriors can Advance to increase their attack power while sacrificing defense.
Final Fantasy VII: Some characters have magic-like limit breaks.
Final Fantasy VIII: Rinoa's dog can perform tricks that most dogs can't, such as bringing people back from the dead and making them invincible; normal spells are considered para-magic that are only available by junctioning with Guardian Forces. Also, Seifer can seemingly shoot fireballs in his limit breaks, and Selphie's Limit Break consists of using random amounts of spells.

[edit] Other Magic

[edit] Green Magic

This classification was introduced in Final Fantasy XII, and was formerly known as Yin-Yang magic in Final Fantasy Tactics. Green magic consists of spells that affect a character's status, with positive or negative effects. Green magic includes spells such as Protect, Shell, Blind, Silence, and Poison.

[edit] Arcane Magic

The Arcane magic class was first introduced in Final Fantasy X-2 as the magic used by the Dark Knight dress sphere. It is also one of the five magic classes in Final Fantasy XII. This class of magic features spells like Death, Dark, Gravity, and Berserk.

[edit] Spellblade

Mystic Knights in Final Fantasy V use the ability Spellblade to endow an equipped sword with an offensive magic spell (as such both Flare and Holy can be used, even though they are from different magic classes), or with status-harmful spells (such as Poison or Sleep). When they strike the enemy with the enchanted blade it engulfs the enemy with the selected spell as well as slicing them. Spellblade is classified as a type of magic in Final Fantasy V, however, in another game featuring it, Final Fantasy IX, the spell is actually cast by a magician onto another character's sword (Vivi casts spells onto Steiner's blades). In Final Fantasy XI Red Mages can cast En-spells (examples: Enfire, Enwater, etc.) onto their own weapons. In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the Gladiator class has the Spellblade ability. Spellblade has classically been translated as Magic Sword for the original North American PSX releases of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy IX.

[edit] Dark Arts

Appearing only in Final Fantasy V Advance, this is magic utilized by the Necromancer job class. To learn this magic, a Necromancer must defeat an enemy that knows the spell. The Dark Arts are oft expensive to use, but they are among the strongest spells within the game.

[edit] Notes and references

^ In Final Fantasy XII, magic is spelt as "Magick".
^ There are a number of reasons for casting spells against the default group. For example, casting cure (or life) on an undead enemy causes damage. Also, by casting an offensive spell against an ally with the reflect status, the spell bounces off the ally onto an enemy.
^ 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.
^ For example, Lightning is sometimes referred to as Thunder.
^ except in the original Final Fantasy, where it appeared as a Black Magic spell)
^ In Kingdom Hearts II, acessories use the fourth level of Fire, Thunder and Blizzard with the suffix "ragun" (Firagun, Thundragun, Blizzagun, respectivelly).
^ 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. Also, one major attack of "Sin", final boss in Final Fantasy X, is Gravija, the fourth level of the gravity element. However, other gravity-magics are not named 'Gravity', to support Gravija. Also in Final Fantasy XII, the Espers use the -ja spells, which are renamed Concurrences.
^ In Final Fantasy Tactics, the fourth level Black and White Magic spells cover a considerably larger area where massive amounts of damage is dealt or large amounts of healing. Like the lower levels, fourth level magic is indiscriminate of who is in the target radius. Damage or healing can be accidentally or forcefully done to friends or foes respectively. Fourth level Black and White Magic cannot be Calculated.
^ This was changed to Bolt upon the release of Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII.
^ 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 Confusion 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 classified 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 called "effect magic" and given a "Gray" alignment to indicate that they were neither Black nor White.
^ a spell that awakens a fallen party member much like a Phoenix Down)
^ a defensive aid that reduces the damage received from physical attacks)
^ a spell similar to Protect that reduces damage received from magical attacks
^ a spell that nullifies negative status ailments
^ a spell that — when used on a target — will redirect most subsequent spells to their caster
^ a spell that offers various statistic- and schematic-related information about a target, including weaknesses
^ 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.
^ Aero was considered white magic in Final Fantasy III and was considered Blue Magic in Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI
^ Poison is 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 is a spell that changes its target into a frog
^ Zombie is a spell usually utilized to render a target susceptible to damage from curative spells
^ Stone is often renamed "Petrify," this spell turns a target to stone. In Final Fantasy VIII Stone was renamed Break
^ an elemental or non-elemental spell, depending the game). Flare appeared as Fire-based in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy XI. 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.
^ a spell in which a single large meteor or a cluster of smaller meteors are hurled at a target. In Final Fantasy VII, the spell was renamed Comet because Meteor is the name of a doomsday spell in the game's plot.
^ a non-elemental spell that — in most of its appearances — appears as the most powerful offensive spell accessible to the player.
^ a spell that increases how frequently a target takes turns), Slow (the opposite of Haste
^ a spell that immobilizes its targets
^ a rare spell that gives its target one or two turns instantly
^ also known as "Warp, which usually appears as a spell that allows the playable characters to escape from battle or a dungeon
^ a spell that removes an enemy by banishing it to an alternate plane of space/time; equivalent to Black Magic's Death or Doom. Sometimes translated as X-Zone or XZone. In the translation for Final Fantasy I it was dubbed ZAP!.
^ A spell which reduces its target's HP by 1/4 of its current HP
^ a powerful attack spell commonly classified under Black Magic that will usually hit multiple times for medium damage.
^ Summons magic has appeared in the main titles since Final Fantasy III, as well as Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Final Fantasy: 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.
^ Namely Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VII,Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
^ Notably VIII and IX, where they play a large plot to the story, and X, where they are part of the main story.
^ called "Espers" in the North American localization
^ Final Fantasy VIII's title for summoned monsters
^ Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII and Eiko Carol — the sole survivors of a village of Summoners
^ Final Fantasy IX also featured several of its summoned creatures in pre-rendered CGI sequences.
^ Many of these espers are Lucavi monsters from Final Fantasy Tactics, Totemas from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and final bosses from earlier Final Fantasy games.
^ a dragon that is typically the ultimate summon in his controllable appearances)
^ a blue-skinned woman who casts Blizzard/Ice spells
^ (a demonic Fire elemental)
^ an elderly man who casts Thunder spells
^ an armored, horse-mounted warrior modeled after the Odin of Norse mythology)
^ a serpentine Water elemental
^ a reptilian or squirrel-like creature bearing a ruby on its forehead, and who casts Reflect and other good status effects like "invisible" depending on what gemstone is equipped on the entire party
^ a Fire elemental that typically does some combination of casting Life on the whole party and dealing large fire damage to the enemy. It is represented by a bird with crimson feathers, modeled after the legendary phoenix.