Crystal (term)



Crystals (クリスタル, Kurisutaru), also known as Orbs, are legendary elemental stones that have appeared in almost every game in the main Final Fantasy series. Even in games where they are not a central plot point, there has been at least some reference to them. They are said to be the gems that control natural phenomena, and by controlling the Crystals, one can control the fate of the world. As such, seizing controlling the Crystals is usually the main focus of the antagonist.

There are usually four Crystals: a Water Crystal, a Fire Crystal, a Wind Crystal, and an Earth Crystal, and sometimes, Crystals may be aligned with Darkness. In early installments of the series, Crystals were only found enshrined in temples or castles, and rested inside Crystal Rooms. The Crystals are often revered and worshipped, and a great deal of lore and myth surrounds them. Uncovering the truth of these myths and their meaning is a typical part of any Final Fantasy game.

Final Fantasy
Crystals, called Orbs in the original North American location, appear in the game that started it all. The Warriors of Light already possess the four elemental crystals, but must journey through the world and defeat the fiend of each corresponding element in order to restore their power. Garland possesses a fifth "Dark Crystal" as well, though its significance is not elaborated upon. When the Warriors of Light restore the light to all four of their crystals, they channel their energy into the fifth crystal, allowing them able to travel to the past in order to stop the time loop.

Final Fantasy II
A Crystal Rod acts as the key item for obtaining the ultimate spell in the story. In the Dawn of Souls remake's Soul of Rebirth part, the Crystals granted Minwu access to the Ultima Tome.

Final Fantasy III
There are eight Crystals in this game. Xande is trying to drain the Crystals of their power in order to create an imbalance between light and darkness. He manages to drain the crystals on the ground continent, causing it to be covered in darkness. This freezes time there, but he is unable to drain the ones on the floating continent. Eventually, the forces of darkness manage to drain the other two crystals, creating an imbalance that summons the Cloud of Darkness. The Wind Crystal chooses four children to go out and restore the balance, and give the crystals back their power. After the four youths find each Crystal, they are given new Job Classes. Once the youths are given the powers of the four crystals of light they enter another realm and must defeat the four warriors of darkness to obtain their aid. They then use the four crystals of darkness to make it so the final boss of the game is not invincible.

Final Fantasy IV
There are eight Crystals in this game. The four elemental Crystals form the "Light Crystals," and are kept in the Overworld. The Crystal of Water is in Mysidia, the Crystal of Fire is in Damcyan, the Crystal of Air is in Fabul, and the Crystal of Earth is in Troia. However, there are also four "Dark Crystals" that are kept in the Underworld. The location of two of these Crystals is never revealed, but one is kept by the Dwarves in their castle, and one is found in the Sealed Cavern. If all eight Crystals are gathered in the Tower of Babil, it has been told that the "way to The Moon" would open. However, gathering the Crystals there would actually summon the Giant of Babil, a wish granting giant. The Lunarian Zemus wanted to have the Giant destroy the Earth so that the Lunarians could settle there, and he used Golbez to do so.

There are more crystals, the eight Crystals of the Moon and a Crystal that appears in the battle with Zeromus. The Crystals of the Moon are sentient and are responsible for sealing Zemus' power for the time being. The Crystal that appears in the battle against Zemus is an item that is said to make Zeromus vulnerable. Golbez tried to use it on Zeromus; however, only those born out of the Light can use the Crystal. When Cecil Harvey used it, Zeromus became vulnerable, and Cecil and his friends defeated Zeromus.

There is also the Crystal of Flight, which rests within the Lunar Whale, and is used to transport the heroes to the Moon and back. The Elder of Mysidia also implies that more Crystals power the Lunar Whale, and several can be seen embedded in parts of the Lunar Whale.

In the DS release of the game, each of the eight Crystals is colored differently. In the Super NES and Game Boy Advance releases, the Crystals were colored light blue or dark red/black, depending on their alignment to Light or Darkness.

Final Fantasy V
There are four Crystals in this game. They control the elements in the First World, and without them, the wind would not blow, the oceans would dry, the fire would burn out, and the life of the earth would be destroyed. The Wind Crystal was kept in the Wind Shrine which was maintained by Tycoon, the Water Crystal was kept in the Walse Tower and maintained by Walse, the Fire Crystal was kept in Karnak, and the Earth Crystal was located in the Ronka Ruins. Long ago, the Warriors of Dawn used the power of the Crystals to seal Exdeath within the Earth.

At the dawn of the adventure, a man named Cid Previa invented a machine with the power to amplify the output of the Crystals. However, if the Crystals were allowed to operate at this capacity, they would shatter. Cid deeply regretted creating the machine. At the same time, Exdeath was trying to shatter the Crystals himself so he could become free. However, the Crystals all eventually shattered, and each shard became the source for a new Job Class for the characters.

In the Second World, the Crystals are replaced by the Crystals who guard the Great Forest of Moore.

In the Third World, the party battles Exdeath inside the Void. After this, they are able to recreate the crystals with the power of the two generations of Warriors of Dawn, thus regenerating the world.

Final Fantasy VI
When an Esper dies, their remains crystalize into Magicite, which appear as glowing shards of green crystal. In contrast to magic extracted from live Espers via Magitek, magic can be taught naturally and at a much higher potency using Magicite.

Final Fantasy VII
The crystallized form of Mako is known as Materia, and a subtle nod to the crystals of past. The materia allows the user to control magic spells, summons, gives boosts to statistics and adds extra commands. There are also four extremely rare Materia found in caves: Knights of the Round, Mimic, HP - MP, and Quadra Magic.

In addition, there are the four Huge Materia, colors red, blue, yellow, and green. Three of the four Huge Materia also correspond to matching color Materia: Master Summon, Master Command, and Master Magic can be acquired from the red, yellow, and green Huge Materia if the player has mastered all Materia shards of that type.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
During the first battle with him at the Nibelheim Mako Reactor, Sephiroth can summon four colored crystals to assist him in the battle.

Also, at the end of the game, you can fight four materia that resemble the four crystals from Final Fantasy in the laboratory room in the Cage of Binding area. To do this, open Cell #16, and go through the hole to Cell #15. The laboratory keys are in there. Find the laboratory and unlock it.

Final Fantasy VIII
A prominent Crystal that exists is the Crystal Pillar, a gigantic crystal believed to have originated from the Moon. The monsters in this world come from the moon, and this crystal is responsible for summoning them to the planet by creating a strong energy field. It reacts to a certain location on the planet, and this reaction creates a signal that directs the Lunar Cry towards that location. Thus, in this title, the Crystal acts as a malevolent force.

Final Fantasy IX
There are four "jewels" which were being sought by Queen Brahne of Alexandria. These Jewels comprised a Crystal which was broken apart 500 years prior to the game. Princess Garnet ran away with Alexandria's own jewel, and Lindblum, Cleyra, and Madain Sari each owned a jewel. If all four jewels came together at Alexandria, the Eidolon Alexander would be summoned. Brahne eventually gathered all the crystal shards, but she died shortly afterward. When Kuja attacked Alexandria using Bahamut, Garnet and Eiko Carol used the jewels to summon Alexander. This echoes Final Fantasy IV, as Alexander heavily resembles the Giant of Babil, which was also summoned by a gathering of crystals.

Also, crystals can be equipped by characters as Add-ons, which grant the user special abilities, particularly for Dagger and Eiko, who can learn Summon monsters from them. Most are given to the player as the story progresses, but the most powerful summon, Ark, requires an item that can only be found through a sidequest, and Odin needs to be purchased. Eiko, however, can alter her summon magic according to the gemstone she has equipped; for instance, summoning Fenrir while holding an Emerald will change Fenrir's attack, increasing her versatility.

As well, a Crystal revealed at the end of the game is said by Kuja to be the source of all life. It is revealed in the Final Fantasy IX Ultimania Guide, that all worlds have a Crystal, which feeds that world with souls, which flow back to the Crystal when the body is killed. The memories from the living creature increase the Crystal's power, allowing it to create more rich and complex creatures from the souls. The people of Terra had mastered the art of fusing their Crystal with others, allowing them to assimilate other worlds and keep their race thriving even when their current Crystal weakened.

Final Fantasy X
Spheres are round crystalline objects used for various purposes in the world of Spira. While they are not like Materia, they contain various magical energies possibly by the pyreflies embedded into them, allowing them to act as keys, contain memories, and even record events that can be viewed like film.

Just prior to the series of final boss fights, Tidus and co. are warped to a bizarre spinning room called "Sin - The Nucleus." Within the Nucleus, Tidus must avoid crystal spikes while grabbing ten glowing, teleporting crystals, each of which bestows either powerful Spheres or weapons. Once all ten items are acquired, the player is teleported to Dream's End.

A larger crystal also makes a cameo in Luca. There is a statue in the round square where a huge clear crystal is sitting. As the player walks closer, the camera focuses on the crystal.

Final Fantasy X-2
In Final Fantasy X-2, Dresspheres allow one to use the memories within the sphere to unleash associated powers.

Final Fantasy XI
Crystals are very common and are used in item synthesis. There are many other types of crystals in the game, as well, a few of which being associated with teleportation (known as "Telepoint Crystals") and Save Points. There are also six "Protocrystals" that serve as a gateway to combat the elemental prime avatars. Another type is Magicite, unusual crystal deposits found in beastmen strongholds near destroyed potions of the Crystal Lines, large conduits that connect the three main teleportation crystals of Holla, Mea, and Dem. Yet another type of crystal are the Mothercrystals; five shards of the original that is said to have created the gods, which was shattered into the five pieces to fend away the Emptiness.

Orbs also make an appearance in Final Fantasy XI, generally as rare, exotic items that grant access to particular battlefields associated with Burning Circle Notorious Monster fights.

Final Fantasy XII
Crystals are commonly found in the form of magicite. One of their many functions is as a Save Point. These Crystals are divided into Save Crystals, which let you save the game, and Gate Crystals, which also allow teleportation to other Gate Crystals. Many enemies later in the game also drop various elemental crystals, used for items in the Bazaar. Espers are also bound to Crystals before defeating them.

There is also an enemy that takes the form of a crystal, called a Crystalbug.

The game also focuses on Nethicite, both manufactured and deifactured. Items such as the Dawn Shard are revealed to be related to the Sun-Cryst, which is essentially a crystal on its own. There is a location in the game that is a giant crystal known as the Great Crystal.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Crystals in this game come in the form of Auracite, which people can use to summon Yarhi (this game's version of Espers). However, using the Auracite comes with the price: Each time someone uses it, their anima slowly drains away. This is the reason the Aegyl have been reduced to emotionless shells in the beginning of the game. There are also larger pieces of crystals called Auraliths from which all Auracite comes. Destroying the Auraliths releases the trapped anima that they have absorbed. In addition, there is the Soul Crystal gameplay element that appears in certain battles and reincarnates its team's KO'ed members periodically.

Final Fantasy XIII
Crystals seem to be central to the plot of Final Fantasy XIII, having an unknown connection to the diety-like creatures known as fal'Cie. The two may be one and the same, as both have been called the builders of the city of Cocoon.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Several kingdoms in Final Fantasy Versus XIII used to have their own Crystals, but they lost them to warfare. One Crystal remains in one kingdom, however, and Noctis is sent to protect it from other kingdoms' forces trying to obtain it.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Crystals may appear when a defeated unit remains unconscious for three rounds (300CT). They represent the condensed soul energy of the defeated unit. Living units may pick up these crystals to fully restore their HP and MP. If a human unit picks up the crystal formed from another human's soul, the living unit may choose instead to learn the abilities that the defeated unit had learned, at no JP cost. Once a unit's soul condenses into a crystal, its body disappears, and it cannot be revived by any means.

Additionally, the 12 Zodiac Stones are crystalline stones of great power, fulfilling this game's role of Crystals.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
The five crystals in this game are the threads that bind together the dream Ivalice, and each one represents one of the races of Ivalice. Crystals exists in special folds in space, called "seams". As the crystal's magic is beneficial to all Ivalice, special means are being employed to protect them.

Marche's quest in the game is to shatter the five crystals in order to return home. In order to do this, he must defeat the Totema that guards each crystal. A sixth crystal is actually Queen Remedi, the Li-Grim in her true form, and even when they are all destroyed it takes the will of all of those from the old world to allow them to return.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Crystals appear in certain quests/battles. When touched, the crystals allow the character to be transported to a different battle field. Touching the crystals is required to complete the quest.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Large Crystals can be found in every town and village in the Crystal Chronicles world. They protect people from the poisonous mist known as Miasma, that plagues the entire world. The effect is only temporary, and after a year each town and village must send out Crystal Caravans to collect three drops of Myrrh. To collect the Myrrh, the Caravanners use a Crystal Chalice, which not only can hold the Myrrh but can protect the travelers from Miasma with its crystal for a short range. A Carbuncle in Mag Mell reveals that all the crystals protecting each village and city were originally part of a once Great Crystal that was shattered after being struck by a meteor that brought with it the Meteor Parasite which spread the Miasma.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
Crystals in Ring of Fates are an item for everyday life. Chelinka was born with a special crystal in her hand that she can only use when her twin brother Yuri is around. The Great Crystal is also seen, and it holds the memories of the world. It is later revealed that use of the crystals alter the path of reality and destiny. When the crystals are used by the moontouched they turn crimson, whereas the crystals are normally blue.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
In Padarak, a Crystal that appears within the Kingdom, grants King Leo the power of Architek that allows him to rebuild his fathers Kingdom. To build new buildings, a type of crystals known as elementites must be collected by Adventures in dungeons. These elementite were once part of the main antagonist, the Dark Lord.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Crystals in Echoes of Time are artifacts from the past and no longer exist outside the little village the heroes emerge from.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
There are five Crystals in this game, each having their power drained by one of the Vile Four. Flamerus Rex drains the Earth Crystal's power, rendering Level Forest and Foresta a decaying wasteland and turning most of the residents, including children, into old men and women. The Ice Golem's influence throws the Aquaria area into a permanent winter, the Dualhead Hydra causes earthquakes to become rampant around Fireburg using the Fire Crystal, and Pazuzu causes violent windstorms using the Wind Crystal.

In addition to these four crystals, the Crystal of Light appears to Benjamin as an old man offering cryptic advice. The Crystal of Light in turn may have been under the dark influences of the Dark King, as it later shines at his throne when he is killed.

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Five Crystals appear in this game, connected to different elements and guarded by different Summon Creatures. The Red Crystal sitting atop the volcano Mt. Magma has power over Fire, and is protected by Phoenix. The Green Crystal of Earth rests in the forest, under Unicorn's watchful eye. The Blue Crystal hidden in the underwater shrine controls Water, and has Leviathan as its guardian. The Yellow Crystal stationed at the highest floor of the Technolith is aligned with the power of Light, and is under Ramuh's care. The final crystal, the Black Crystal, was created by Bebuzzu to bolster the powers of darkness and chaos by feeding off of the negativity within the hearts of living creatures. Irma uses this crystal to drain the others and then feeds the energy to Bebuzzu, who in turn is transformed by each power. At the end of the game, he uses the fully powered Black Crystal to travel to the world of darkness as he tries to revert the universe to its original form - The Void. A backstory for the Crystals is given in the story Legend of the Crystals.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
There are ten Crystals, each one representing one of the first ten games of the series. While the first five games are each represented by generic Crystals, Final Fantasy VI is represented by a Magicite shard, Final Fantasy VII is represented by Materia, Final Fantasy VIII by a gunblade-shaped crystal, Final Fantasy IX by the crystal from the logo and endgame, and Final Fantasy X by a sphere. The Warriors of Chaos have each stolen their world's representative Crystal, allowing them to conquer those worlds. The Warriors of Cosmos each confront their corresponding antagonist and recover their Crystal in their storyline. When all ten Crystals have been recovered, the player can access the final stage and confront the final boss, Chaos. After he is defeated, the Warriors of Cosmos each depart back to their own world, taking their Crystal with them.

Also, the Crystal from Final Fantasy V makes a cameo as a tutor from the in-game manuals.

Crystal Defenders
In Crystal Defenders, the player defends crystals from numerous waves of enemies. In addition, there are Power Crystals, which raise the abilities of nearby units.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
The four Crystals make a cameo in this game as guardians of Culex. Each one knows high-powered elemental spells corresponding with their element - the Fire Crystal uses fire attacks, the Water crystal uses water and ice attacks, the Earth crystal uses ground attacks, and the Wind crystal uses air and electrical attacks. Culex is actually believed to have been based on bosses in the Final Fantasy series.

Cristal