Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Final Fantasy 16. Proceed at your own risk.
Final Fantasy 16 breaks new ground for the series' summons, as the title features climatic battles between the Final Fantasy franchise's mightiest entities. Final Fantasy 16's Eikons are controlled by unique individuals called Dominants, whose nations utilize their abilities to bolster or deter conflict over resources. Since the title's earliest marketing, Shiva, the Eikon of Ice, has been placed in the spotlight, leading many to believe that the Eikon would play a pivotal role in Final Fantasy 16's narrative. But while the Eikon's Dominant, Jill, is among the title's most important characters, Final Fantasy 16's Shiva ironically doesn't get her moment in the sun.
Final Fantasy 16 follows protagonist Clive Rosfield across three distinct periods in his life. Across all three, Clive is joined by his childhood best friend Jill, who is Dominant to her homeland's Eikon, Shiva. Clive eventually inherits a mysterious Dark Eikon called Ifrit, whose abilities he utilizes in an effort to free humanity from the Mothercrystals. While Clive and Jill face many of Final Fantasy 16's greatest hardships together, the latter rarely sees fit to tap into Shiva's Eikonic abilities, let alone Prime, the term for summoning an Eikon's full strength.
Final Fantasy 16's Earliest Chapters Reveal Shiva's Immense Strength
Shiva is introduced in Final Fantasy 16's Prologue, as the Northern Territories clash with the Dhalmekian Republic. Facing off against the Dhalmekian Eikon, Titan, Shiva holds her own. Their conflict decimates the battlefield, which Clive and a small unit of Imperials are attempting to sneak through. Following the Prologue's conclusion, Clive and the Imperials encounter a group of Northern Territory Soldiers, who are leading Shiva's Dominant away from the battlefield. However, they treat the Dominant like a slave, ordering her to dispense with Clive's unit.
Shiva's Dominant is Final Fantasy 16's first proper boss fight. Rather, she does not unleash her full power, instead entering a state called Semi-Prime, which sees Dominants take on some of their Eikons attributes while maintaining their human form. Clive defeats the Dominant, but prior to landing the killing blow recognizes her as his childhood friend Jill.
Clive's reluctance to strike the killing blow leads him to dissert the Imperials, before joining Cidolfus Telamon's band of outlaws. Cid rescues both Clive and Jill from the war-torn battlefield, allowing both to heal in his hidden sanctuary, The Hideaway. Once recovered, Clive and Jill join forces for the remainder of Final Fantasy 16's narrative.
Final Fantasy 16's Shiva Never Truly Shines
Despite wielding immense power, Final Fantasy 16's Shiva appears a total of four times across the title's core narrative, with each seeing her Eikonic abilities used as a plot device. A Semi-Primed Jill uses Shiva's powers to help Clive cross a bridge at Drake's Head. Later, a fully Primed Shiva creates an underwater path, allowing the party to escape from a Semi-Primed Barnabas. Shiva's final appearance also sees her provide Clive with a means of escaping Barnabas. But the Eikon goes a step further, attacking Barnabas directly before the screen cuts to black.
Shiva's most meaningful moment arrives when Clive's party journeys to the Sanctuary at Drake’s Breath, where Jill comes face-to-face with the leader and high priest of the Iron Kingdom, her father Imreann. Jill's father is responsible for her deepest traumas, which saw her forced to utilize Shiva in horrific acts of war. A Semi-Primed Jill defeats Imreann's guards before an enormous monster, the Liquid Flame, takes the stage.
Jill primes Shiva, unleashing an onslaught of attacks, while Clive attempts to Semi-Prime Ifrit. When lava begins to engulf the Sanctuary, Shiva's Diamond Dust creates a stage on which the battle with Liquid Flame can take place. Finally, with Liquid Flame defeated, Shiva's magic is used to help Clive cut through the Mothercrystal, eradicating the source of her nation's religious fanaticism. A shaken Imreann calls Jill a monster, after which she impales her father, before stating, "I have killed the monster", forever freeing herself from the past.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now for PS5.
