One of the thingsFinal Fantasyhas become best known for is its summons. Whether they’re called Aeons, Eidolons, Guardian Forces, or just summons, these larger-than-life entities are available for you to call upon in battle for a helping hand and some of the best animations in the games.
Everyone has their favourite. The fiery Ifrit, icy Shiva, or thunderous Ramuh appear in almost every game in the series, but what about the one-hit wonders? Some summons have only appeared in a single mainline entry in the series, even if they turn up in others as bosses. Read below to find a few of them, and consider calling on them in your next playthrough.
10Asura - Final Fantasy 4
The Queen Of Eidolons
Asura was the Queen of Eidolons in Final Fantasy 4, making it a little sad she never appeared in other games, based on the mythical Asura from the Buddhist and Hindu religions. She’s a little unusual in that what exactly she does when summoned depends on which of her three faces is showing.
She can heal, revive downed party members, or cast protective magic. Whichever face is showing, she’s useful to call upon when your party is in a tough spot, since any of the options will help you out once you’re backed into a corner.
9Mindflayer - Final Fantasy 4
Don’t Tell D&D
Legally distinct from theDungeons & Dragonscreatures of thesame namedespite clearly being exactly the same thing, the Mindflayer has been an enemy monster in a whole host of Final Fantasy games. Including the same game in which it’s a summon.
The way to obtain this rare, squid-faced ally is to defeat the enemy versions until one of them drops the item that allows Rydia to call on them. It’s not the most obscure method of nabbing yourself a new summon in a Final Fantasy game, but it’s entirely possible to play through Final Fantasy 4 without even knowing about it.
8Kirin - Final Fantasy 6
Mounts Don’t Count
Kirin is one of the better fantasy horse designs you’re likely to see. A silver body, including scales. Green hair, golden hooves, and two golden horns? It looks fantastic, which makes it a real shame Kirin has only appeared as a summon once, in Final Fantasy 6.
Technically Kirin is available inFinal Fantasy 14as well, but as a mount. That doesn’t quite fall into the same category as a summon, even though it does look stunning. It’s not easy to get either, but isn’t so hard onceyou know how.
7Kujata - Final Fantasy 7
Tetra-Disaster
Kujata, called Kjata in the original PlayStation release, was an easily missed summon inFinal Fantasy 7. Appearing in the Sleeping Forest, Kujata’s multi-element hit can mean that an enemy will often nullify or even absorb damage from this summon. The trick is to attach it to support materia, turning Kujata into a useful passive materia.
The behemoth of a bull has appeared in other mainline entries, but not as a summon. Typically as a boss fight of some kind, like inFinal Fantasy 14orFinal Fantasy 15, Kujata still stampedes across the Final Fantasy mythos.
6Neo Bahamut - Final Fantasy 7
Bahamut 2 Electric Boogaloo
Bahamut is a fan favourite among Final Fantasy summons, appearing in almost every game. Final Fantasy 7 decided that wasn’t enough though and provided you with a second, fancier Bahamut. And yet Neo Bahamut doesn’t appear in any other mainline game.
Neo Bahamut is a missable materia. It can be obtained in the Whirlwind Maze, and nowhere else. Moreover, missing out on Neo Bahamut also locks you out of another summon, Bahamut ZERO.
5Bahamut ZERO - Final Fantasy 7
The Ultimate Bahamut
Bahamut ZERO, the strongest version of Bahamut in FF7, is a summon so missable that you have to get other missable materia first for it to even be available to you. Believe it or not, this is the last summon materia available, since it can only be obtained after it’s possible to get every other one. That includes Knights of Round, which requires serious effort to get.
This version of Bahamut is in some spinoff games, but no other mainline entry. It does turn up in a completely separate game series, swooping into the Midgar stage inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateto great effect.
4Brothers - Final Fantasy 8
Brotherly Love
These two minotaur brothers are only available as summons inFinal Fantasy 8but actually appeared for the first time several games earlier, in Final Fantasy V. However, they weren’ta summon option in that game, serving as enemies instead.
The role of minor bosses is one they’ve filled again, although only in the Final Fantasy MMOs specifically. Featuring in bothFinal Fantasy 11and Final Fantasy 14 they don’t resemble the two cool dudes they are in Final Fantasy 8, but it’s nice to see they still have a place in the series regardless.
3Atomos - Final Fantasy 9
The Amethyst Eidolon
One of the Eidolons available to Dagger inFinal Fantasy 9, Atomos has the distinction of featuring in the very first Final Fantasy game in 1987 as an optional boss. That means there was an astounding 13 years between the first instance of Atomos in the series and it becoming a summon when Final Fantasy 9 was launched in 2000.
It has a fantastic design, whether for a boss or a summon, standing tall as an all-consuming maw. Atomizing anything in front of it before inhaling the particles, the first appearance of Atomos in its Final Fantasy 9 cutscene is unforgettable.
2Anima - Final Fantasy 10
Feed Me Seymour
It might surprise you to learn that not only wasFinal Fantasy 10the first time Anima appeared in the series as a summon, it was the first time Anima appeared in the series at all. It doesn’t feel right, Anima seems like an iconic creature pulled from the early years of the series, but it’s true.
Everyone who played Final Fantasy 10 remembers the first time they saw Anima, this dark and chained summon feels like a tonal shift from the bright colours and elemental nature of the previous ones seen. Many people completed the game without even realizing you could get Anima for yourself since the requirements are far from obvious.
1Brynhildr - Final Fantasy 13
Get Outta My Dreams
It wasn’t enough forFinal Fantasy 13to have summons, it had summons which were alsoTransformers. Odin could transform into his own horse, Shiva was inexplicably a pair of sisters who became a motorcycle, and Sazh had Brynhildr, an armoured knight capable of turning into a race car.
Many people found the plot of Final Fantasy 13 almost indecipherable, and the transforming summons who appeared as boss fights to represent a character’s internal struggles didn’t exactly help with that. Still, at least the characters got sick rides out of it. Except Hope. Hope got a wall.
