Final Fantasy 16 features some of the most epic battles in the series' long history. The title breaks new ground in a variety of areas, including in its implementation of the series' classic summons. Rather than provide a single powerful attack, Final Fantasy 16's Eikons face off in climactic large-scale battles, with each being controlled by a Dominant. Protagonist Clive Rosfield is the Dominant of Ifrit, and Final Fantasy 16's narrative sees him do battle with a host of other Eikons, pulling off a stunt previously thought to be impossible in one of them.
MASSIVE FINAL FANTASY 16 SPOILERS AHEADFinal Fantasy 16 follows Clive, as he seeks to set humanity free from the influence of the Mothercrystals. The crystals are believed to be responsible for the world of Valisthea's magic and are thought to gift certain groups of individuals with unique abilities. One group, the Dominants, wield the power to control Eikons and can use their elemental abilities at will. Clive's birthright was to become the Dominant to the Eikon of Fire, Phoenix. However, it manifested in his brother Joshua instead. Following a traumatic event, Clive inherits a mysterious second Eikon of Fire, Ifrit, whom he utilizes to fulfill his mission of destroying the Mothercrystals. This mission leads Ifrit to clash with each Eikon and Dominant in the game, including the powerful dragon Bahamut.
Final Fantasy 16's Bahamut Wields The Most Powerful Spell in Final Fantasy's Universe
Clive's mission to destroy the Crystalline Dominion's Mothercrystal takes him to the city of Twinside, where he must face off against Prince Dion's Eikon, Final Fantasy's Bahamut. Within the Final Fantasy series, there are few creatures more formidable than Bahamut, as the dragon is often featured as an immensely powerful summon and/or major plot device. However, Final Fantasy 16's Bahamut stands apart, as the Eikon is capable of casting the most powerful spell in Square Enix history: Zettaflare.
During the battle with Ifrit and Phoenix, Bahamut unleashes the Zettaflare. The spell is a variant of Flare, one of Final Fantasy's three strongest spells, alongside Holy and Ultima. However, Flare's strength can be multiplied, depending on the strength of the user, resulting in attacks like Gigaflare, equivalent to one billion Flares. In casting Zettaflare, Bahamut unleashes an attack canonically equal to one thousand million Gigaflares. Previously, only three spellcasters have ever used Zettaflare across all of Square Enix's games. Donald Duck casts it to save his friends from Terranort in Kingdom Hearts 3, Airy will use it in Bravely Default (2012) and absolutely decimate players with it, and Bahamut will use it in Final Fantasy 14. It should be noted that a Terraflare, which is weaker, was enough to "reboot" Final Fantasy 14, putting the sheer scale and power of Zettaflare into perspective.
Final Fantasy 16's Ifrit Does the Impossible
Over the course of their battle with Final Fantasy 16's Bahamut, Ifrit and Phoenix are able to withstand both Gigaflare and its more powerful iteration, Terraflare, gaining the upper hand. Bahamut's desperation sees the Eikon drink from the Mothercrystal's aether, magnifying its power exponentially, before preparing to unleash Zettaflare. Bahamut's newfound power leaves both Clive and Joshua visibly shaken, as Zettaflare's destructive power is capable of destroying all of Valisthea. Joshua and Clive are able to completely resist Zettaflare thanks to their combined power in Ifrit Risen, igniting a Dragon Ball Z-like struggle where Ifrit manages to resist and break through Zettaflare.
The Eikon charges toward the Zettaflare before stopping the massive blast of energy with his bare hands. Following an immense struggle, during which Ifrit Risen summons all of his Eikonic strength, the Eikon goes a step further, making history yet again. Rocketing both himself and the Zettaflare back towards Bahamut, Ifrit Risen strikes Bahamut with his own attack, defeating him and saving all of Valisthea. Ifrit Risen's resistance and utilization of the Zettaflare marks multiple series' firsts. However, fans who reach Final Fantasy 16's endgame will find that Ifrit Risen still has more to reveal and far greater foes await him following the Crystals' destruction.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now for PS5.
