Enemy Skill Materia

Enemy Skill is a Command Materia from Final Fantasy VII that works in the same manner as Blue Magic. It enables the use of E.Skill command in battle.

The Enemy Skill Materia can be used to learn certain specific enemy spells when a character equipped with the Materia is successfully targeted by that spell. The character permanently learns the spell regardless of whether he or she survives the attack. If the party escapes from the battle the learned skill will be nulled, and if the battle ends due to the characters being ejected out of the battle, such as in the battle against Midgar Zolom, it counts as if having escaped and the skill won't be learned. Also, Enemy Skills cannot be permanently learned from the Gold Saucer Battle Square. If a character has equipped two Enemy Skill Materia, they can only learn a new Enemy Skill if both Materia do not have that skill.

Some enemies have to be Manipulated to learn the Enemy Skill because they will never use it under normal conditions. Some enemies may also be inflicted with Confuse to have them the use the ability on the player party.

Many of the enemy abilities are not specific skills and use unique formulas. Despite this they must still have a classification of Physical or Magical even if the ability does not take into account the target's Defense or Magic Defense stats. Its role does effect the attack however, with Magical abilities being reflectable unless stated otherwise, and Physical abilities being able to remove Confusion and Sleep statuses.

There are four Enemy Skill Materia in the game:
 * 1) In the sample tank in Professor Hojo's lab in the Shinra Headquarters after Red XIII joins the party.
 * 2) In the Respectable Inn in Junon.
 * 3) In one of the houses in the Forgotten Capital.
 * 4) Received from the Chocobo Sage's mountain chocobo.

Support skills
Enemy skills that target the allies. They can only be learned by using Manipulation.


 *  - Can only be learned by using Manip.

Debuff skills
Enemy skills that target the enemies, but cause special effects instead of dealing damage.

Not to be confused with support effects, that target the allies instead of the enemies.

Attack skills
Enemy skills that deal damage to the opponents. "Trine" and "Pandora's Box" can be missed permanently.

Non-elemental

 *  - Can be missed permanently.

Obtaining rare Enemy Skills
Most of the rarer Enemy Skills can be obtained in the Northern Cave at the end of the game:
 * Parasite uses L5 Death and Magic Breath.
 * Dark Dragon uses Dragon Force and Laser.
 * Malboro uses Bad Breath.
 * Dragon Zombie uses Shadow Flare and Pandora's Box.
 * Pollensalta uses Angel Whisper.
 * Death Dealer use Roulette.

All four materia can simultaneously learn a skill when all four are equipped on one character, easing the task of learning many of the Enemy Skills, including Roulette and Shadow Flare. All four must also be equipped on the party while learning Pandora's Box, for reasons listed below. However, if an Enemy Skill is used on a character who has an Enemy Skill materia equipped that already has that skill, the other Enemy Skill materia on that character will not learn the skill.

To learn Roulette and L5 Death, consider casting the Death Force enemy skill on any potential target of Roulette or L5 Death. This way, no enemies nor allies (in Roulette's case) will be instantly killed due to Death Force's protection.

Trine can only be learned from three enemies: Materia Keeper, Godo and Stilva. Since the first two are bosses and the latter is found only at Gaea's Cliff (which is a one-visit area), Trine can be missed permanently. The Stilva later appears in the Battle Square, but the player cannot learn Enemy Skills in the Battle Square. If the player wishes to learn Trine on all four Enemy Skill materia, they must refrain from fighting Godo until after all four materia are in their possession.

Due to the game's programming, the Dragon Zombie only uses the Pandora's Box skill once per save file, and will never use it again. Even if the Dragon Zombie failed to cast it due to not having enough MP, none of the others will cast it ever again. If the player misses Pandora's Box the first time it is used, they can never obtain it.

Trivia

 * Magic Breath is one of three spells in Final Fantasy VII with a multi-elemental attack, the others being the Kujata and Typhon summons.