Prison

Prison is a recurring type of location in the Final Fantasy series where criminals are held. Castles with an area designated for cells was a staple of main series games in the SNES era. Many games often use prisons as a plot point after the party get caught. They are often escaped by overpowering their captors or through a secret exit found inside.

Final Fantasy IV
The prison of Baron Castle, called Baron Dungeons, is located on the west side of the castle, and it consists of only three cells. After Cecil return from Mysidia, he can speak to the prisoners over the bars. The prison holds three Mysidian mage's prisoners; two Black Mages and one White Mage. It is unknown what happens to them when Cecil returns to the castle from the underground waterway as the cells are empty.

The Prison Garb is a piece of armor found on characters that have been imprisoned.

Final Fantasy V
Walse Castle's prison holds Lone Wolf imprisoned within. The party has a choice of freeing him or leave him imprisoned.

Bartz, Lenna, and Faris get caught by Exdeath's minion when they arrive in Galuf's World before Galuf comes to rescue them from a jail in Castle Exdeath.

Final Fantasy VI


A series of four cells form the prison of Figaro Castle. Lone Wolf the Pickpocket is jailed here early in the game, but later escapes. In the World of Ruin, a passage from the Figaro Cave connects to the prison, and later in the game the prison offers access to the cave leading to the Ancient Castle.

There are unoccupied prison cells in the basement of the mansion in South Figaro. Celes is imprisoned nearby during the Imperial occupation of the city.

Vector houses three prison cells, in one of which they imprison Kefka Palazzo for war crimes, namely the poisoning of Doma Castle, during a short time the Empire feigns a ceasefire. In the World of Ruin the prison remains intact within Kefka's Tower, the party enters through a new door in the right cell, and the left cell which housed Kefka before now holds the Ultima Buster. The former entrance door now looks over a drops onto a catwalk.

Final Fantasy VII


Corel Prison is a prison in the desert. Corel was once a prosperous mining city, but was the site where the Shinra Electric Power Company first discovered the secret of Mako. To keep the secret of Mako theirs, Corel was destroyed and the reactor blown up. The ruins were turned into a prison in the shadow of the Gold Saucer amusement park rising overhead, and people who break the saucer's rules are tossed in the prison. The prison came under the control of Mr. Coates and Dyne, a survivor of Corel. When the party is trapped in the prison, Barret fights Dyne, who wants Barret to kill him so his daughter Marlene, now under Barret's care, doesn't have to see him in his current hateful state. With Dyne's pendant as a sign of authority, Cloud is able to have Mr. Coates allow him to return to the Gold Saucer and participate in a Chocobo race to win the party's freedom.

Shinra also maintains prisons at Shinra Headquarters in Midgar and in Junon, and the party is imprisoned in both over the course of the game and escapes.

Final Fantasy VIII


The D-District Prison is the Galbadian prison used to imprisoned political enemies of Galbadia.

Squall, Quistis, Selphie, Zell, Rinoa, and Irvine are thrown into D-District Prison after failed assassination of Sorceress Edea during the parade at Deling City.

Final Fantasy IX
In Disc 2, upon arriving at Alexandria via the Gargan Roo, Princess Garnet, Steiner and Marcus are imprisioned by Zorn and Thorn. While Garnet is later taken to her room, Steiner and Marcus are put in a cell hanging from the dungeon's ceiling. They eventually manage to escape the cell and proceed to fight Alexandrian soldiers (this is the best place to exploit the Marcus/Eiko Stat Bug).

Final Fantasy X


Although not really a prison, but a system of labyrinths and drainage pipes, Via Purifico is a place where the Yevon priesthood throws people who oppose Yevon as well as can reveal the truth about it.
 * Yuna, Auron, Kimahri, and Lulu are thrown into the maze part of Via Purifico where Yuna must defeat summoner Isaaru in an aeon fight for her party to leave the place.
 * Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku are thrown into the submerged area where they can either battle Evrae's undead form, Evrae Altana, or escape picking the locks on the gates with Rikku.

Final Fantasy X-2
Shuyin was imprisoned in a machina complex called Gaol due to trying to hijack Bevelle's weapon to "save the summoner".

Final Fantasy XI
Mordion Gaol is an unique area normally inacessible to players, who can only enter there if a GM teleports him/her, generally as a punishment for in-game infractions. It is comprised of 32 small rooms where all means of communication with other players are disabled.

Final Fantasy XII
Nalbina Dungeons are a part of the Nalbina Fortress which Archadians sealed off from the Fortress. People who fought in invasion of Dalmasca and Nabradia two years prior to the game events and those oppose Archadia. Vaan, Balthier, and Fran are thrown here after the events in Rabanastre at the beginning of the game.

Final Fantasy XIII
Vanille and Sazh are captured by Nabaat and her PSICOM platoon in Nautilus, and locked in a jail cell in the Palamecia airship.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
In the Bresha Ruins at 5 AF, Serah and Noel are thrown into a jail by the Academy after the battle against Paradox Alpha due to being in a restricted area.

Final Fantasy XIV
The Coral Tower in Limsa Lominsa has an inacessible area that serves as a prison for players similar to the Mordion Gaol from Final Fantasy XI, comprised of several rooms that completely seal all methods of communication with other players.

During a brief period of time as part of the Seventh Umbral Era event, players could talk with an NPC at the Red Rooster's Stead to get teleported inside the prison, where they could speak with the Wandering Ministrel.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
The Prison is located at Sprohm and holds units who have been removed from battle by a Judge. Players can release their units early by paying a fee and can pardon units and remove cards from them for a price here. Units who have served their time can also be retrieved here.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
The Aerial Prison is located in the Prison Sands, and all high-security prisoners are taken there. It is actually a cover for a top-secret weapons operation by the Lilty army, led by Jegran, using crystallized humans as fuel for huge airships.