Job system

While each game in the Final Fantasy series features their own ability systems, such as the Materia or the Junction System, one that has recurred most often in the series has been the Job System, also known as the Class System or the Job Class System. The basic concept of the system is that each player character starts as a blank slate on which to choose character classes, much like in computer RPGs, and has development directly controlled by the player's decisions.

While this system was a fundamental element of Final Fantasy initially, today it finds much more use in the Final Fantasy Tactics sub-series, as the Job System puts heavy focus on complex statistical decisions, which suits a tactical game, over the plot-related character development that modern Final Fantasy games have become more involved in.

Each game that has featured the Job System has expanded on it and changed it in their own ways.

Final Fantasy


The Job System in the original Final Fantasy, much like the rest of the game, is somewhat simple in comparison to its incarnations today. At the start of a new game the player picks one of six available classes for four different characters, similar to the popular computer RPGs of the time such as Ultima (whose influence on the series has been noted often, most especially in the older games).

Each class features its own unique ability, such as the Thief's enhanced ability to Flee or the Black Mage's ability to use Black Magic spells, save the Red Mage which simply combines features of the Fighter, White Mage and Black Mage. Upon reaching a certain point in the game, the four classes the player chose for the characters upgrade into a masterful version related to their basic starting class (e.g. a Thief becomes a Ninja). While basic, this was the starting point for the Job System to gradually progress from.

Final Fantasy III
In Final Fantasy III the system was somewhat similar in progression compared to the first Final Fantasy, but had a good deal of changes and improvements to it. One major change in particular is, instead of picking a class at the start of a new game and being locked into it, all the characters started as a basic "beginning" class (The Onion Knight/Onion Kid in the Famicom version, Freelancer in the 3D remakes).

Eventually, after making some progress, basic jobs such as the Thief and White Mage make themselves available for the player, but in addition, the player is allowed to freely change between jobs and make accumulating progress in each. The individual job abilities are also expanded, with advanced ones such as the Scan for the Scholar and Steal for the Thief.

Like the first Final Fantasy, reaching a point in the plot bestows the player with new "advanced" or "master" versions of classes – except in Final Fantasy III this occurs up to four times (including the first encounter yielding the basic jobs) and the player does not need to make progress in a "basic" class to use the "master" one (the master classes make themselves available depending on their power – i.e. the most powerful classes will be available last).

Despite that, having the characters undergo progression through drastically different branches of jobs can be both a blessing and a curse, as HP increases gained through leveling up accumulate into the permanent abilities of the character – a Black Mage will not gain HP as fast as a Knight or a Warrior would, so a Knight who had been previously trained as a Black Mage will have lower HP than a Knight trained as a Warrior. HP is the only affected stat, but a similar system was used with all major stats in Final Fantasy Tactics.

It should also be noted that lower level jobs, such as Monks and Thieves, grow faster than high level jobs.

Final Fantasy V


Final Fantasy V retains the concept of having a basic starting job which to make progress with and the ability to freely switch between classes while retaining progress in each. New to the Job System, though, is the concept of Ability Points and multiple skills per job.

After a successful battle, AP is earned along with Exp and the player can use the AP to gain one of many skills available to the chosen job in a way similar to gaining levels for a specific character, as jobs now use multiple abilities instead of just one. This became another major part of the Job System and contributed to more flexibility and diversity available to the player.

In addition, the concept of having a "basic" class, such a Warrior, and an "advanced" class such as a Knight, became less prominent. Instead the game offers a variety of different classes to the player, which bear little relation to each other. The classes present in Final Fantasy V include past staples such as the White Mage and Thief, but also include new ones such as the Blue Mage and Samurai which went on to become staples within their own abilities and stat in the series.

Final Fantasy X-2


As the Tactics series had been introduced to the Final Fantasy family to facilitate the Job System, the primary Final Fantasy games began to gravitate towards intricate plots over intricate statistics. The system in Final Fantasy X-2 is a compromise between the two polarities. More acute details of the Job System were shred in favor of putting production values to other things, but it still manifests in its own way.

Referred to as Dresspheres, the Job System in Final Fantasy X-2 operates more or less like Final Fantasy V, with new jobs making themselves available as the player progresses through the game. The major change is that Yuna and her companions can now change jobs during battle, referred to as a "Spherechange". Changing jobs during battle can grant access to certain bonuses, such as stat boosts or the chance to use certain abilities, which are in some cases only made available via this method.

Final Fantasy XI


The presentation of the Job system in Final Fantasy XI included many classic job types, as well as a few that are unique to the eleventh installment. Some mechanics of the system were changed to be more in line with computer MMORPGs, which in a way is a modern version of what occurred with the first Final Fantasy. Most jobs retain their archetypal expertise and many abilities commonly associated with the jobs from previous installments.

Other aspects of the system do remain such as the player picking from one of six basic jobs to start with, the same six original jobs from the original Final Fantasy. Players have the option to change job it at will, similar to Final Fantasy V or Final Fantasy Tactics. This is unique to Final Fantasy XI among MMORPGs. Once progress has been made on a character to level 30, more advanced job types make themselves available to be pursued via specific quests made available at that point.

The unique aspect of the Job system of Final Fantasy XI is the "Support Job". This system allows a player to augment their character with Abilities, Traits and Spells from another chosen job at half the level of their current job. For instance a level 20 Warrior could set Ninja as their support job. This allows them to use all Ninja Abilities, Traits and Spells up to that of a level 10 Ninja while still primarily being a level 20 Warrior. The support job system allows for job merges never before seen in the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy XII: International Zodiac Job System
The original version of Final Fantasy XII had no clearly defined Job System, but the Final Fantasy XII International version (only released in Japan) features a new version of the Job System, called the Zodiac Job System. Characters are given twelve special License Boards to choose from, each one corresponding to one of twelve jobs and a Zodiac Sign. Each board has special licenses which give each job its special equipment and abilities. Once a character chooses a job, they can never be switched out. Characters who do not choose a job cannot receive LP.

Though most of the classes represented in the Zodiac Job System are purely traditional, such as Black Mage, White Mage, and Knight, several were renamed just for this game. For example, the class usually called "Dragoon" has been named "Uhlan".

Final Fantasy XIII
There are six job classes called roles available in Final Fantasy XIII through a system called Paradigm Deck. Each of the six party members start out with a limited access to different roles but gradually gain access to all of them. Since all roles are heavily focused on the few tasks they can perform during battle, the battle system focuses greatly on switching the roles on the fly.

Unlike other games with Job Systems, in Final Fantasy XIII all six characters have personalized skillsets, and even if all characters can eventually learn all the roles, not everyone will learn the same abilities.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
The Paradigm system returns in the game, but includes new features and limitations. Noel Kreiss and Serah Farron can learn all roles, but in some cases learn different abilities from each other and Noel's skills are weighted towards strength and physical attacks, while Serah is weighted towards magic. Certain abilities, such as Bravery can never be learned by the player characters, but can be used by certain recruitable monsters, each of which can use one specific role and no other.

A new feature called Paradigm Tuning is introduced that allows to customize whether actions target a single opponent, multiple opponents, or the choice is made by the computer. Rather than new roles being granted automatically as the story progresses, roles can be chosen as a bonus at times when leveling in the Crystarium.

Final Fantasy XIV


The MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV uses an Armory System, where classes, referred to as Disciplines, are tied to the weapons and tools that the player character equips, and changing jobs is as simple as changing equipment. Disciplines and their disciples are divided into four categories: War, Magic, Hand and Land.

Aside from the simplicity of switching jobs, disciples can also equip several mastered cross-class abilities between disciplines, though there are several abilities restricted to certain disciplines.

In Patch 1.21, the Job System was released, and introduced traditional Final Fantasy jobs as specializations for disciples of War and Magic. These jobs, unlocked through Soul Crystals, have access to several powerful abilities but greatly reduces access to abilities from only two other disciplines (i.e. when upgrading Marauder into Warrior, the character loses access to all abilities from other disciplines but Gladiator and Pugilist). Thus, the choice of a job will trade the versatility of a character for a certain focus in battle.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Being in a game genre which focuses heavily on number crunching and player decisions, the Job System expanded intensely in Final Fantasy Tactics.

In this game, the ability to freely change jobs at will was more heavily structured. Instead of swapping in and out, the character had to make a planned progression of their character abilities to reach the destination they wished, such as to be a Ninja, a character must have the prowess of an Archer, the agility of a Thief and the knowledge of a Geomancer - all of which find a distant root in the basic Squire job.

Starting off the player is again given a base job as a starting point, but there are now two: the Squire (combat focused) and the Chemist (support focused). After choosing which their characters will be, progress is made much similar to the method in Final Fantasy V of accumulating AP and spending it on skills – which have further increased in number per Job and have multiple categories such as movement abilities and reaction abilities.

As the character develops in their job further, new jobs make themselves available, and as the player changes between the jobs, skills will be able to be transported over to the next (unlike in Final Fantasy V, where skills were restricted to the individual jobs). This addition of mixing skills (along with the jobs themselves) and the statistics gained from them, further developed the Job System and also became integral parts of the Tactics series.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance resumes the progress of the Job System where the original Final Fantasy Tactics left off, again providing the same structured character progression and blending of skills. Changed, though, is how the skills are obtained and how to access particular jobs.

While Final Fantasy Tactics used the Final Fantasy V system of accumulating AP and spending it on a list of possible skills, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has the character learn their skills from the equipment they are wearing (much like Final Fantasy IX, which in turn was similar to the Esper system from Final Fantasy VI).

While worn, the skill present on the specific item is ready to be used, but once unequipped it is no longer available. To make the skill a permanent part of the character, the player must build up a specific amount of AP while the item is equipped in battle. As the availability of equipment is limited to the player's progression, this makes the development process somewhat more linear in regards to skills.

Despite that, the character options available to the player are expanded further by the introduction character races such as moogles and nu mou, who all have different varieties of jobs and progression paths available to them. With that, many new classes are introduced in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and many long unused classes found a revival, without seeming out of place (as the classes fit the racial personalities) or overwhelming (as each race has their own limited and mostly unique sets of jobs). This allowed players to add in more decisions on how they will structure their parties.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Final Fantasy Tactics A2, being a direct sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, is for the most part the same in regards to the Job System. Many smaller mechanics are heavily tweaked to the players' wishes and it is sort of a refined version of what was present in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. New races and many new jobs are added to the game, furthering complexity in regards to those aspects. It features the most jobs in a Final Fantasy game that uses the system.

Final Fantasy Legend III
The Transformation System in Final Fantasy Legend III allows the four main characters to change into four classes; Beast, Monster, Cyborg, and Robot. The basic starting class is Human and Mutant. To trigger a transformation, a character must eat Meat or installing Parts left from a defeated enemy.

Crystal Defenders
Units can be purchased and sent into battle like in the Tactics games, but their jobs cannot be changed after being placed on the field. Available jobs include Soldiers, Archers, Black Mages, White Monks, Time Mages, and Thieves, though only the first three are available in the demo. More jobs become available in later rounds. Units can be upgraded multiple times to increase their range and power, but their classes and abilities remain the same.

Crystal Defenders: Vanguard Storm
There are eight different job classes: Soldier, Paladin, Archer, Dragoon, Black Mage, Bishop, Flintlock, and White Mage.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Like in the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance games, the Job System is based upon tribes, with certain tribes being limited to certain classes. The Clavats, however, can use all four jobs. There are only four basic classes: Black Mage, White Mage, Thief, and Warrior.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light


The Job System returns in Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light as the "Crown System". Like Final Fantasy III and V, Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light retains the basic beginning class for the heroes to start out with. A new feature the Crown System introduces is the concept of adorning crowns with gems to upgrade the job. After defeating all enemies in battles, enemies drop gems and the player can place gems inside the correct shape slots make the crown learn new abilities.

Crowns can learn many different abilities to deal damage to the enemies or support the party in battle. When changing into a certain crown in the game, only the character’s headgear changes. In addition, the crowns in this game are not forced to be equipped with a certain type of weapon and magic. Jobs in the game can equip any type of weapon and magic, although certain jobs have a higher proficiency with certain of types of weapon and jobs with higher magic type stats are better suited for magic based abilities.

There are a total of twenty-eight crowns, including the Freelancer. Though most of the classes in the game include traditional jobs such as Black Mage, White Mage, and Ranger, some of the jobs were renamed. For example, the class usually called "Thief" was renamed "Bandit". The game also includes new jobs such as the Wayfarer, the Seamstress, and the Party Host.

Bravely Default


The job system reappears in Bravely Default, and features a total of 24 potential jobs to choose from including includes several popular jobs from the series, as well as completely new additions such as the Valkyrie, Swordmaster and the Pirate. Each job has its own unique set of abilities and equipment proficiencies, which are ranked from E up to S. Higher rankings grant additional statistical benefits on top of a piece of equipment's normal boost. For example if a job has a D ranking in shields, then equipped shields will recieve a 20% to its Physical Defense stat; an S ranking would effectively double the defensive ability of a shield.

The default job of the heroes is the Freelancer. Other jobs are granted via objects known as asterisks. Asterisks are held by certain enemies, and can be obtained by defeating the holder. The heroes can switch to another job at any time, so long as the appropriate asterisk is obtained. Jobs will start out with a Job level of 1 and can be increased to a maximum of 14. However, Job levels do not carry over between Jobs. However, the Abilink ability allows a player to take advantage of the job levels of players on their friends list. Abilinking allows a person to utilize job abilities even if they haven't yet reached that level.

Increasing Job Levels require Job points, which function similarly to experience points. Job points are granted after defeating enemies, and the currently active Job will level up once the necessary job points are obtained. As the hero gains Job levels, they will gain new active abilities, which can be used in battle, or passive abilities, which can be placed in Passive Slots.

In battle, the heroes can use abilities from their primary job, which determines their stats and equipment. However, each hero can also use the abilities of another job as a secondary job, up to the level they have mastered that job. For example, a White Mage who has three levels in the Black Mage job could use the powers of a Level 3 Black Mage alongside their White Mage abilities. In this way, Job abilities can be mixed and matched to increase battle capability.

Final Fantasy Dimensions


The episodic game for mobile devices includes a job system that is very similar to that of Final Fantasy V. It includes a set of common or shared jobs plus two sub sets exclusive to either the Light Warriors or the Dark Warriors.

Initially, all available jobs start out with a maximum level of 3, and can be increased up to a maximum of 20 by use of Job Points, which are obtained throughout the game and with Moogle Coins. Job Points increase the maximum level of a single Job Level and can be applied to any Job except Jobless.

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade


The job system in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade resembles to an extent the systems of Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy Tactics, in which the player can change its job at any time, but must unlock classes through exploration and leveling other classes.

The game distinguishes all jobs in three ways:
 * Basic Jobs: these include all the classes that are available from the start. These are comprised of the six original classes from the first Final Fantasy: Warrior, Thief, Monk, White Mage, Black Mage and Red Mage.
 * Advanced Jobs: these jobs require the player to complete certain regions in order to access them. One of these, the Geomancer, is acquired simply through successive log-ins; the others are gained by completing the game's regions. More Advanced Jobs appear as new regions are unlocked. Some of these Advanced Jobs are Ranger, Mystic Knight, Berserker and Machinist.
 * Special Jobs: these jobs require gaining levels in two classes. For example: the Paladin is acquired by getting 5 levels in the Monk class and 10 levels in the White Mage class. Some Special Jobs require mastering Basic and Advanced Jobs, and some require leveling other Special Jobs. So far, only the Geomancer does not unlock a Special Job. Other Special Jobs are the Dancer, the Samurai and the Ninja.

The choice of job in the game influences the power of the character when using certain weapons and abilities. For example, a Warrior is proficient with Greatswords and STR-based abilities: whenever the Warrior is equipped with one of these weapons or abilities, the character gains an increase to their ATK and DEF values. These bonuses start at level 1, and increase at every five levels (level 2 at 5th level, level 3 at 10th job level, up to level 5 at 20th level). Some classes have multiple affinities: for example, the Paladin is proficient with both STR and INT abilities. Since mostly Special Jobs contain these properties, it's often desirable to change into one of these.

A Job is considered "mastered" at level 20. Mastered jobs appear on the Collections section of the Menu, and grant the Player bonuses such as Platinum Chests, which grant new weapons of higher rarity.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Some recurring and iconic jobs in the series appear as job cards in the Duel Colosseum, each having their own effect.

Furthermore, although they aren't the traditional job classes, each character has a unique fighting style that is described by a "class" of sorts. Kefka uses "Mad Mage", Sephiroth uses "Focused Blade", Firion uses "Weapons Specialist", etc.

The Warrior of Light and The Onion Knight's EX Modes consist of changing into more more powerful job classes.

Bartz himself is a direct reference to the job system of Final Fantasy V. His fighting style is based on the traditional Mime, and his EX Mode consists of Job Mastery, where three golden stars hover his head.

When playing as Cecil, the player can shift from a Dark Knight into a Paladin by using certain HP attacks. When Cecil uses an aerial HP attack it causes him to job shift into a Paladin, whereas using a Ground HP Attack will cause him to job shift into a Dark Knight. Each class has different Bravery Attacks and appearances.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Lightning's gameplay revolves around the changing of Paradigm roles.

The Job System also plays an important part in Party battles for Quick Battle, Friend Cards, or wireless matches. When forming a party, the player can assign each member a job that grants them certain innate abilities, such as the Warrior granting +3 ATK.

When a party member with a job wins a battle, once they lose their job is passed to the next party member. If that party member then wins their battle, the passed power of their job and the prior party member's job can combine to unlock an advanced job for the current party member. For example, if a Monk wins a battle and then loses, and a party member with the Dark Knight job fights next and wins, the Monk and Dark Knight powers will create the Berserker, giving the party member a new effect. Only certain combinations of jobs combined this way produce advanced jobs.

Knights of the Crystals
Players select Classes that will provide ATK and DEF points to their player character, as well as extra class bonuses. Knights of the Crystals fashions a slightly different job system than other Final Fantasy games, named as 'Ultimate Job System'. This system uses cards as jobs, and there are 5 types of jobs; normal, bronze, silver, gold and ultimate, name signifying the quality of the cards. The jobs can be changed at any time for any number as the player decides, and the player can recieve a free normal ticket (ticket to getting a chance for normal, bronze or silver cards) once a day.

Also, completing quests may give you free cards or tickets. Lastly, the cards can gain levels. As it merges with other cards, it 'consumes' them, the second card disappearing and the original card gaining experience depending on the quality of the card consumed. Better cards need more cards to gain level. Higher level results in more stat bonuses and better abilities to use at arena challenges.

Allusions
Several Final Fantasy games that do not feature the Job System often apply specific job archetypes to some characters. Though they cannot change jobs, their roles are often direct references to classes from the Job System.

Final Fantasy IV
Playable characters in Final Fantasy IV are all listed as having a particular job, but with the exception of Cecil, none of the characters may change their job assignments during the game. Each character has several static abilities that are usually the same the job they represent. In the world of Final Fantasy IV, many NPCs can be seen to hold certain classes.

Classes are usually cultural groups; the kingdom of Eblan is ruled by Ninjas, Mysidia is home to White and Black Mages, Fabul is ruled by Monks, and the army of Baron consists of Dragoons, Dark Knights, and Black and White Mages.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-
Many job classes from the previous game returns in the sequel to the original Final Fantasy IV, and they all function the same way as they did in its predecessor.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years uses menus styled similarly to Final Fantasy IV. Each character is assigned a job class that is displayed beside their name. A few characters change jobs Ceodore goes from Prince to Red Wings, and Ursula goes from Princess to Monk, and Kain becomes a Holy Dragoon.

Upon doing so Ceodore gains the ability Awaken, Ursula gains the Tenketsu ability and Kain gains the ability to use White Magic. Kain is the only character whose sprite or menu portrait changes upon this class change.

Final Fantasy VI
The game menu of Final Fantasy VI lists every playable character as having a job, though usually not the same as the traditional Final Fantasy ones. Every character has set abilities similar to Final Fantasy IV; for example, Locke Cole, who is similar to the Thief Class, is not listed as such; rather, he is called an "Adventurer".

Final Fantasy VII
The characters of Final Fantasy VII were originally to have job classes. However, this idea was dropped during development. It is unknown if this would have actually affected gameplay. Cloud was intended as a Mystic Knight, Barret a Gunner, Tifa was a "Shooter" (a Monk based on ), Aerith was a Geomancer, Red XIII was a "Beast", Cid was a "Pilot" or Dragoon, Vincent was a "Horror-Terror (Horror Researcher)", Yuffie was to be Ninja or Assassin, and Cait Sith was a "Toysaurus", a type of Beastmaster. Even if the jobs were removed from the final product, some of the characters still retain traits of their intended classes.

Final Fantasy VIII
In  Final Fantasy VIII  the characters do not have an apparent job but their Limit Breaks mimic the abilities of traditional jobs. For example, Selphie is a Gambler, Irvine is a Gunner, Zell is a Monk, Quistis is a Blue Mage, etc.

Final Fantasy IX
Most playable characters in Final Fantasy IX are references to past jobs in the series. Characters often dress in manners similar to the classes they represent: Vivi looks exactly like a traditional Black Mage, Princess Garnet is seen in a White Mage's garb towards the beginning of the game and the summoners' tribe have the traditional summoner's horn.

And, like in Final Fantasy IV, NPCs also have jobs. The Black Mages are a race of manufactured weapons. Some visible NPC jobs, like the traveling Red Mages, cannot even be used by the player. Still, it would seem that most of members of the primary cast exhibit the characteristics of at least two jobs, with one taking precedence over the other(s) (akin to the "Main" and "Support" jobs present in Final Fantasy XI):


 * Zidane: Thief – Zidane is presented as a typical Thief: His primary weapon is the dagger, and possesses many Thief abilities such as Flee and Steal, access to Thief-specific techniques such as Master Thief and Bandit. However, he holds Ninja traits, such as his Dual Wield of Daggers and the resemblance of his Dyne abilities to Ninjutsu.
 * Garnet: Summoner / White Mage – Summoner takes precedence since her spell catalog favors Eidolons over White Magic spells, and her Trance caters to the summons exclusively.
 * Steiner: Knight – Capabilities include the wielding of two-handed greatswords, access to defensive abilities such as Cover and the best heavy armors of the game. Steiner is also alludes the Mystic Knight class from Final Fantasy V with his Magic Sword skill, and can use the typical Dark Knight skill, Darkness.
 * Vivi: Black Mage – Vivi is a traditional Black Mage, using elemental and damaging magic, enfeebling spells such as Sleep or Poison, and the famous Drain and Osmose.
 * Freya: Dragoon – Deadly with spears and polearms, possesses a number of character-specific abilities involving dragons, as well as the signature Jump present in all practitioners of the Dragoon arts.
 * Quina: Blue Mage – Ever the enigma, Quina has characteristics and weapons specific to him/her in the entirety of Final Fantasy. It would appear that Quina is a Blue Mage through and through, gaining access to enemy skills by devouring them alive.
 * Eiko: White Mage / Summoner – The inverse of Garnet, Eiko's White Magic spell list far exceeds that of her paltry four Eidolons, and takes precedence in her Trance which caters exclusively to White Magic. As a White Mage, Eiko trumps Garnet, with access to unique and powerful spells such as Might, Haste, Holy, and Full-Life.
 * Amarant: Monk / Samurai/Ninja – Uses knuckle weaponry for hand-to-hand combat like other canon Final Fantasy Monks, and has access to other unique Monk abilities such as Chakra, and his weapons carry the Counter ability. In the meanwhile, he also possesses Throw, the Ninja's trademark ability. Furthermore, not only does he scour the land as a wanted, ronin "sword-for-hire", but he can use Spare Change and learn Flee-Gil, signatures of the Samurai job. Being a traditional Monk, it would seem that Amarant has two support jobs.
 * Beatrix: Paladin – While possessing access to heavy armors such as Freya and Steiner, and sharing many Sword Arts with Steiner, Beatrix excels in the healing arts, and even has access to the Holy spell. In the storyline of the game, she even possesses the ability to reverse a powerful curse on Garnet using an unnamed and furthermore unaddressed dispelling technique.
 * Marcus & Blank: Warrior / Thief – One-handed swords and scimitars are their primary weapons and means of damage, but also have the ability to steal from targets. Tantalus being what it is, the aspect of Thief goes without saying.
 * Cinna: Machinist / Thief – Uses an infamous Hammer, possesses almost zero fighting capabilities, and is more accustomed to tinkering the mist engine of the Prima Vista than a battlefield. He can steal like the others in Tantalus, making him a Thief. Still, when something needs fixing, he's the go-to guy of the troupe, and possesses a knack for creating and collecting models, dolls, and trinkets (such as the Mini-Set collectible Key Items).

Additionally, early concept artworks show the game going in a very different direction, with characters able to change between jobs like older games in the series.

Final Fantasy X
In the Japanese and American versions, while all of the characters can eventually acquire all of the abilities and maximize their stats, for a significant portion of the game, they all have different abilities.

Each character's individual starting section of the Sphere Grid contains different nodes corresponding with the character's predetermined strengths and weaknesses: Tidus is a cross between a Warrior and a Time Mage, Auron is something akin to a Spellblade or a Samurai, Yuna is a White Mage and a Summoner (as the only playable character who can summon), Kimahri is a Blue Mage who can lean towards any of these (although he is aesthetically reminiscent of Dragoon and even can use the Jump command), Lulu is a Black Mage (and referred to as such early on, by Wakka), Rikku is a Thief, with shades of Monk, Ninja, Machinist, and Chemist, and Wakka's accuracy and long-range weapon lend him best as a Ranger (with a hint of Gambler in his Overdrives). Seymour Guado, playable for a single battle, is often said to be a Sage, because of his variety of spells in his arsenal and average attack power.

In the European and Final Fantasy X International versions of the game, all the characters can have access to all the abilities throughout the game and are not constrained to predetermined nodes on the Sphere Grid.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Unlike the original Final Fantasy XII or the Zodiac Job System version, the playable characters in Revenant Wings all have set Job Classes. For example, Penelo is a Dancer. The classes cannot be changed during the game.

Also, Sky Pirate enemies in the game have Job Classes, often ones that the player does not have access to. These enemies all have special skills similar to those that the playable characters learn during the course of the game.

Final Fantasy Type-0
In the magical academy of Peristylium Suzaku, various student classes are given specific roles to study and train in, and are named after various job classes that correspond to their responsibility.

They are:
 * Class First - Knight Class, considered elites, but somewhat paling in comparison with Class Zero. They wear Light/Bright Blue mantles.
 * Class Second - Dragoon Job Class, specializing on frontline defense and summoning Bahamut. They wear Blue mantles.
 * Class Third - Black Mage Job Class, specializing on the use of black magic. They wear Purple mantles.
 * Class Fourth - Devout Job Class, specializing in recovery magic and frontline medics. They wear Orange mantles.
 * Class Fifth - Monk Job Class, specializing in offensive and defensive aspects for martial adaptability. They wear Olive mantles.
 * Class Sixth - Time Mage Job Class, specializing in black magic for support from the sidelines. They wear Green mantles.
 * Class Seventh - White Mage Job Class, specializing in white magic for support from the sidelines. They wear Pink mantles.
 * Class Eighth - Thief Job Class, specializing in the procurement of Knowing Tags. They wear Yellow mantles.
 * Class Ninth - Ninja Job Class, considered a class with the most luck and special reservation, but is a front for intelligence gathering and espionage. They wear Brown mantles.
 * Class Tenth - Scholar Job Class, focusing on offensive and defensive aspects. They wear Black mantles.
 * Class Eleventh - Professor Job Class, specializing in research, and particularly in the research of magic. They wear White mantles.
 * Class Twelfth - Blue Mage Job Class, with students considered eccentric who don't fit with other classes' criteria. They wear Turquoise mantles.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
Some armor characters can equip are named for certain job classes, with some abilities based on that class. For example magic type armor, like the Black Mage armor can give AI characters the Black Mage's Eye which automatically make them cast magic during battle. These abilities depended on the armor crafted and what bonus material is used when making them.

Final Fantasy Legend II
The menu of Final Fantasy Legend II lists the guest characters as having a job, but not like the usually traditional job system of the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy All the Bravest
Character with specific job makes up the party, these jobs are the same that appeared in previous installment of the Final Fantasy series. These jobs uses an ability related to the job.

Vagrant Story
Job Classes are referenced through the Ranking and Titles system.

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