Ever since Final Fantasy 3 introduced Summons, they’ve been a mainstay in the franchise. Summons have given rise to a whole concept of calling upon powerful deities to unleash wrath upon foes. Despite being emulated by many other franchises, the Summons in Final Fantasy remain the most recognizable in RPG history.
While each Final Fantasy game handles Summons slightly differently, favorites like Bahamut, Alexander, Shiva, Ifrit, and so on appear in nearly every mainline entry. By contrast, the most powerful Summon in any given FF game is often a Summon that is exclusive to that entry. Here we rank the most powerful of them all.
12 Ark - FF9
Ark is an optional air-ship like eidolon found towards the end of FF9. You can increase Ark’s damage by having more Lapis Lazuli in your inventory.
Dual Potential
Summoning Ark costs a whopping 80 MP, and the Summon animation lasts for almost two minutes. In normal encounters, this disgustingly long wait time makes Ark more annoying than practical.
However, If you take heavy damage and have the auto-regen ability equipped, the two-minute animation time gives the party a chance to fully recover. Ark essentially brings max damage and a fully recovered party, making him near-essential for some boss fights such as Ozma.
11 Anima - FF10
FF10 has the most powerful Summons in the franchise’s history by raw damage points. Anima is an optional Aeon who was originally wielded by Seymour but changes affiliations if you choose to acquire her.
Remaking Oblivion
In the remastered version of FF10, Anima’s key ability, Oblivion, can hit for far more damage than in the original game. Oblivion allows Anima to unleash 16 powerful blows on a foe, each of which can hit for a max of 99,999 damage. If all of these attacks connect perfectly, Anima would hit for well over a million damage.
10 Eden - FF8
In FF8 you can use timed button presses during the animation to increase damage (with the boost skill). Since the animation is around 72 seconds, there is ample time to jack up Eden’s attack.
Boost Away
By combining the boost skill with high weapon and player stats, Eden can easily break the damage limit. Theoretically, Eden could do 99,999 damage, but realistically, Eden can hit for between 10,000-50,000 damage.
9 Alexander
While you can’t actually Summon Alexander in-game, it’s still one of the most powerful beings in the Final Fantasy universe and has played a major role in multiple games.
A Benevolent God
In Final Fantasy Type-0, around 15 mages sacrifice their lives to summon it. In Final Fantasy 9, Alexander manages to defend the entire city of Alexandria against the assault of Kuja and Bahamut.
Lastly, in FF14, it is portrayed as a benevolent god who could literally destroy the world if it desired. It is odd that Alexander is so average in games where the player can summon it, but it’s clear it is one of the most powerful presences in the Final Fantasy universe.
8 Knights Of The Round - FF7
Knights of the Round is the most powerful Summon in FF7. It calls upon 13 Arthurian Knights from the round table. Many players deem it essential to beating super bosses like Ruby and Emerald Weapon.
The Wait Is Worth It
Knights of the Round was the first summon to break the damage cap. It costs a colossal 250 MP, but with the right stats and Materia, Knights of the Round can hit for 9,999 each hit, equating to over 100,000 damage points. Knights of the Round’s animation will take up an entire bathroom break, but most bosses will even succumb to Knights of the Round.
7 Lich - FF Tactics
Usually, the Lich is an enemy, but in Final Fantasy Tactics, it is one of the best Summons.
Half Full, Half Empty, Same Difference
Lich deals damage equal to half of the target’s health. There are no other gimmicks or tricks here like Atomos (who can’t hit bosses).
What makes Lich so strong is its effectiveness against the Lucavi demons. Since they have a lot of HP, you can reach max damage by using this Summon.
6 The Magus Sisters FF10
The Magus Sisters are another optional aeon in FF10. They are arguably the most powerful Aeon in the game. Unlike the other Aeons, The Magus Sisters control their own actions without the player’s input.
Watch And Learn
Though unpredictable, The Magus Sisters can generally take care of themselves. They have the ability to deal massive damage, heal, and one sister can even revive a fallen sister. On top of this, all three sisters need to be felled to be defeated.
Mindy has an attack called Passado, which is the most powerful attack in the game (in terms of damage points). Mindy will hit the foe 15 times, and each strike can easily break the level cap. The Magus Sisters might not be controllable, but between breaking the level cap immediately and their staying power in battle, they generally make for a more powerful ally than Anima.
5 Odin FF9
Though Odin is a strong ally in most Final Fantasy games, he is probably the most powerful in FF9. Dagger can learn Odin from dark matter, and summoning Odin costs a mere 28 MP.
What Makes Odin So Powerful?
Odin becomes God-tier when the player meets certain item requirements. If the player has 99 ore, Odin has a 50 percent chance of killing any enemy outright with Zantetsuken. This even includes deadly foes like Yans and Grand Dragons.
Conversely, if the player has zero ore and Odin’s Sword, he will do extra damage to foes who survive his Zantetsuken. With a pumice piece and the boost ability added to the mix, Odin will hit for max damage with each strike (if he doesn’t instantly kill the enemies first).
4 Shemhazai - FF Tactics A2: Grimoire Of The Rift
Shemhazai is a powerful archer Esper from the world of Ivalice. She’s made an appearance in a handful of Final Fantasy games, but she is most powerful in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoir of the Rift.
Experience Matters
Shemhazai’s damage is based on how much damage the character summoning her has done throughout the game. If a player gives Shemhazai to one of the characters they’ve been using since the beginning of the game, she can one-shot kill just about any enemy in the game. Combine this with the fact that her attack connection rate is 100 percent and you have one uber-powerful Esper.
3 Bahamut ZERO - FF Type-0
Bahamut needs no introduction (though he still holds a lot of intrigue). The king of dragons is often the most powerful summon found in the main story of any Final Fantasy game. Then there is Bahamut Zero in FF Type-0, who takes things to the next level.
The More The Merrier
When Bahamut Zero’s Gigaflare is fully charged, it becomes Teraflare. Teraflare summons a congregation of Bahamuts. Each of these Bahamuts takes a turn at blasting the poor baddie in their line of fire into smithereens. In the original game, these attacks were capped at 9,999 damage, but in the HD remake, each attack can break the damage cap. This results in hundreds of thousands of potential damage points.
2 Phoenix - FF7
This flaming bird of rebirth typically revives the party and sometimes deals damage at the same time. Pheonix’s most powerful iteration is the version found in FF7.
Quadruple That Order, Please
The Materia called “final attack” allows the character another action if they fall in battle. By combining Phoenix with the final attack Materia, Phoenix will revive all fallen party members and cast Phoenix Flame. Furthermore, by adding the Quadra Materia to the combo, Phoenix Flame will be cast four times when the party is wiped out.
1 Yojimbo - FF10
Yojimbo is a colorful samurai who is all about the loot. He is optional, requiring you to pay him a large sum of money to gain his services.
The Price Needs To Be Right
Yojimbo’s battle mechanics are unique. If paid, Yojimbo will do one of many different attacks with varying strength levels. Yojimbo has one attack called Zanmato, which is the most powerful attack in FF history, bar none. It kills any enemy, including super bosses in one hit. Yojimbo will do this attack more often based on a few different factors including how much you pay him, his compatibility with Yuna, and not allowing Yojimbo to be KO’d by enemies.
Some players consider Yojimbo to be a game-breaker, but it does take quite a bit of effort (and a lot of money) to have Yojimbo regularly use Zanmato.
