While fans may have differing opinions on Final Fantasy 16, one thing that everyone can agree on is that it's a bold venture into a wildly different direction. Replacing the series' traditional RPG roots with what is essentially an action game, Final Fantasy 16 pushes the boundaries of the franchise further than ever before. Among the many new mechanics and themes though, players can find familiar Final Fantasy tropes, such as the game's Eikons, with names like Shiva and Bahamut among those well-known to fans. Some of these Eikons significantly deviate from their previous incarnations, none more so than Ifrit, who takes on a much more important role than ever before.
Final Fantasy 16's Eikons are extremely important in the context of the game's narrative. There are initially eight, with each having a different elemental affiliation, although Leviathan, the Eikon of Water, is only mentioned in passing and is never seen during the game. Although the powerful element of fire is already represented by the Phoenix Eikon, events during the game's prologue introduce Ifrit, a second Eikon of Fire, which somewhat muddies the waters. As the game continues, protagonist Clive Rosfield discovers his fate is seemingly intertwined with that of Ifrit. As a result, Ifrit is extremely powerful, and future games should honor Ifrit's new reputation.
Final Fantasy 16 Significantly Boosts Ifrit's Importance
Over the years, Ifrit has been a frequent recurring summon in mainline Final Fantasy games. In fact, no summon has appeared more times than the fiery beast, who has racked up 13 appearances across the sixteen mainline entries. While not always acquirable, his appearance has only slightly changed in each installment, with his hulking frame and huge horns making him instantly recognizable. His signature move, Hellfire, usually causes fiery destruction to anything in its path. Despite being such an imposing beast though, Ifrit is usually acquired early during the game, and has often been overshadowed by more dominant summons, such as Bahamut and Odin. Interestingly, Final Fantasy 16 flips this script on its head.
From the moment Ifrit is introduced in FF16, he is shown to be incredibly powerful, besting Phoenix in a brutal encounter before seemingly beating the Eikon to death. Over the course of the game's 40-hour campaign, Ifrit goes on to defeat every Eikon he encounters, including the likes of Garuda, the wind-based Eikon, Titan, the powerful earth-based Eikon, and Bahamut and Odin, the Eikons of light and dark respectively. While these brutal encounters range in difficulty, each one sees Ifrit as the victor, proving his superiority.
If history is anything to go by, it is highly likely that Ifrit will feature in Final Fantasy 17. However, having the menacing beast revert to his usual role of early-to-mid-game encounter, dwarfed by the power of other summons, could be a tricky 180-degree turn for developer Square Enix to pull off. Events in Final Fantasy 16 place Ifrit on another level almost entirely to the other Eikons, and he is even able to beat the game's main villain, the God known as Ultima. It would be a bitter pill to swallow for fans if FF17 abandons the notion that Ifrit is one of the most powerful summons.
It's far too early to try and predict what direction the next mainline Final Fantasy game could go in, but it seems pretty likely that this new action-focused style will remain in future games. Summons have fluctuated in terms of their importance to each game's story, but they have remained a part of the franchise since their introduction in Final Fantasy 3. Time will tell if Ifrit is able to repeat his incredible Final Fantasy 16 performance in future games.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now on PS5.
