Final Fantasy is one of the most decorated video game franchises of all time. The first game was released all the way back in 1989 and was nothing short of a smash hit, prompting Square to go all out on this series and turn it into their flagship franchise. After experiencing massive heights of popularity, the recent trajectory of Final Fantasy has been all over the place. While there's no denying that Final Fantasy 14 has gone a long way in making people appreciate the brilliance of the series once again, the single-player entries can still benefit from a boost in quality.
One of the most iconic parts of Final Fantasy has obviously been the job system, with characters being able to occupy a bevy of roles that have their own unique abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Here are some of the most overpowered and broken jobs in the series that can trivialize all combat in their respective games.
8 Mime
At a glance, the Mime doesn't seem like a special job. Most of its appearances force people into just using the Mime command, with players even being restricted from performing basic attacks or using items.
However, the true strength of the Mime comes when players realize just how many incredible attacks can be copied by this Job. It lets players do everything from using Limit Breaks again to summoning otherworldly threats in rapid succession without breaking a sweat. Once players understand the nuances of this job, the possibilities are endless.
7 Dragoon
The Dragoon is one of the most iconic jobs in Final Fantasy. Players using this job wear iconic heavy armor and wield spears to pierce and impale foes. This, coupled with their high speed, makes them one of the best melee fighters in the game by a country mile.
One extremely powerful and important move that Dragoons have is Jump, which lets them shoot up and disappear from the battle for a while before landing and hitting enemies for major damage. It might take a while to execute, but Jump is a great way to dish out astronomical damage while also avoiding any tough moves that enemies might unleash on the player's party.
6 Freelancer
Final Fantasy 5's Freelancer job seems like nothing more than a basic placeholder Job that everyone has early on. However, the true strength of this job is revealed once players have mastered most of the jobs that come to them in the game.
The Freelancer can use the abilities of all jobs while enjoying their stat boosts as well. This turns the Freelancer into one of the toughest and most flexible party members that can be molded in whatever shape the player sees fit.
5 Monk
The Monk is one of the hardest-hitting jobs in the game. Most of their attacks are purely physical, and a relatively high defense stat means that they can function as a backup tank of sorts as well. All this might lead players to think that they'll have to spend a bomb on their equipment...but that's nowhere near the case.
Most Monks in the Final Fantasy series fight completely barehanded and don't wear armor that's too heavy or expensive. All of their stat boosts are innate, making a Monk one of the best jobs from an economical standpoint. Players who use this job early on in their games will benefit from a massive increase in attack without having to invest too much Gil into equipment.
4 Ninja
The Ninja job is another role that is pretty decent when used superficially but really shines when players start using the Throw Command. It can be rather intimidating to use this command, especially for players who like hoarding items and don't want to waste them all at a moment's notice.
However, players will soon realize that they'll have enough disposable equipment to get rid of a few weapons. Throwing these in battle leads to massive damage output and can turn several tough boss fights into a piece of cake, with the Ninja throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them.
3 Samurai
Most people consider the Samurai to be an upgrade over the Ninja. This is mainly due to a new ability they have that is insanely powerful...and slightly expensive too.
Most Samurai in Final Fantasy have a move called Gil Toss, which deals damage based on the amount of Gil thrown. Players who have enough money to use this move will see the number 9999 flash on the screen over and over again once they throw a sufficient amount of Gil, although players need to farm enough money to really make the most of this powerful move.
2 Time Mage
Messing around with speed and turn order in Final Fantasy games is a great way to completely break the game and turn enemies into over-stylized punching bags. After all, systems like ATB and CTB are very much dependent on speed for players to get in more turns to attack before their enemies.
Magic like Hastega can turn the entire party into rapid dealers of death while using Slow is a great way to nullify a boss' threat and make them take eons before they can use their moves. Of course, the latter strategy doesn't work against most major bosses since even Square realized that Time Magic can turn the toughest enemies into mincemeat if they aren't protected against the same.
1 Onion Knight
The Onion Knight is a special job in Final Fantasy 3, the first game in the series to give players free rein over the job system. Out of all the jobs that players can select, the Onion Knight feels like a cruel joke with its low stats and ineffectiveness in combat.
However, to really get the most out of this job, players need to grind quite a bit. After reaching Level 90, the stat growth of this job reaches such a ridiculously high level that most characters will have their stats completely maxed out by Level 99. This immense growth spurt turns the Onion Knight into the best job in the game...provided that players are willing to grind to get the most of these enemies.