It is downright impossible to talk about some of the greatest video game franchises of all time without mentioning the epitome of JRPG greatness that is Final Fantasy. Born from the dying embers of a company that was on its last legs, the first Final Fantasy game turned out to be a rousing success for Square, pulling them from the brink of destruction and irrelevancy and paving the way for the studio's runaway success from this moment forth.
Ever since this legendary moment, the series has consistently delivered fresh narratives while keeping a number of common elements across all the games. One such aspect that needs to be talked about is the enemies, with familiar faces featured across pretty much all the games.
One such enemy in Final Fantasy that has become iconic amongst fans of the franchise is the Bomb — fire-elemental enemies with a penchant to self-destruct and cause massive damage. These enemies are truly iconic in Final Fantasy history, and this list will take a look at ten of the best and most mind-blowing things about these Bombs that fans had no idea about.
10 They Propel Themselves With Gas To Attack
Bombs float around and propel themselves at high speeds to physically attack their enemies. Has anyone really wondered as to how they manage to keep themselves afloat in the first place?
Well, the answer to this is simple — Bombs are filled with gas, and they can generate this gas to keep themselves afloat, push themselves to help bodyslam their enemies... or cause themselves to swell up and explode.
9 One Of The Rare Enemies That Can Also Be Summoned
Only some of the classic enemies in Final Fantasy have become so legendary that they've ventured into summon territory. The Bomb is one such enemy that has this distinct honor.
While summoning them might not exactly be all that effective in Final Fantasy IV, it's still pretty neat that this can be accomplished regardless.
8 In Their First Ever Appearance, They Were Actually Weak To Fire
If someone reading this list is wondering why Bombs are strong against fire if they're full of gas. Well, this question was actually logically answered when the enemy was introduced for the first time in Final Fantasy II.
In this game, Bombs were actually weak to fire, with the explanation for this being that their gaseous nature caused them to be highly flammable. The sequels discarded this notion and made Bombs strong against fire, sometimes even absorbing them in certain instances.
7 Can Come In Different Non-Flame Variants
If players thought that Bombs could only come as fire elementals, then the series has a massive curveball for you — Bombs of different elements are also present throughout the games.
Final Fantasy XI is a great example of this, with ice-elemental Bombs — Snolls — and dark-elemental Bombs — Djinns — also thrown into the mix to spice things up.
6 The Names Of These Sub-Species Are Similar To Things That Blow Up
As is the case with most JRPGs, the Bomb has been witness to a number of palette swaps in order to strengthen them and make them more challenging for players progressing through the game.
The names of these sub-types are certainly something of note, with thematic names such as Balloon, Grenade, and Mine — basically, things that can blow up.
5 Has Stronger Boss Variants As Well
The Bomb gets a ton of special treatment across the Final Fantasy games, with these titles using these Bomb designs in new and unique ways to challenge the player.
The most notable example of this would be a bigger and badder version of Bombs that serve as minibosses, if not fully-fledged bosses outright. Notable examples include the Mom Bomb from Final Fantasy IV and the Bomb King from Final Fantasy XII.
4 The Final Fantasy XIII Version Of Bombs Is Truly Hideous
While Square Enix has been pretty consistent when it comes to the design of the Bombs in their games, the same can't be said for the game that is unanimously considered to be the problem child of the franchise — Final Fantasy XIII. The Bombs in Final Fantasy XIII look like they've been dragged through the deepest recesses of Hell and torn apart, before being rejoined in the unholiest fashion possible.
In a way, the reworked design of the Bombs can be used as an allegory for the entire Final Fantasy XIII trilogy — unpleasant to watch, stupidly complex, and completely unnecessary.
3 Most Advanced Versions Of Bombs Don't Explode
Speaking of the boss and miniboss version of Bombs, one thing of note is that these Bombs rarely explode, and most of them never do.
While this is understandable since these enemy types needed to last longer to pose a challenge, there's no reason as to why they could explode upon reaching a very low level of health, prompting players to switch up their strategies and either go all-out with their offense or set up defensive countermeasures.
2 When They Explode, They Can Sometimes Not Drop Items, Gil, And Experience Points Too
Bombs can be a huge pain to fight if the player doesn't manage to finish them off before they explode — a task on lower levels. The worst part about the Bomb's self-destruct technique is that the player will receive heavy damage... and not even get any experience points, gil, or items for their trouble!
It doesn't take an expert to say that this experience would certainly be quite frustrating... and that's putting it mildly.
1 Square Enix's Eorzea Cafe Serves Up A Bomb-Themed Dish
Final Fantasy is incredibly popular in Japan — a statement that should be pretty obvious — so it was a given that a Final Fantasy-themed cafe would also open up at some point or the other.
This is where Eorzea Cafe comes into the picture — a Final Fantasy XIV-themed cafe that serves up a ton of goodies related to the franchise. It was a given that this place would serve a Bomb-themed dish called "croquette of Bomb style," which can be quite a fiery affair indeed.