Guest



Guests (ゲスト) or Temporary Playable Characters are a recurring system of temporary party members in the Final Fantasy series. They typically join the party during set points in the game's plot, and then leave shortly afterward in another point in the plot.

Guest characters do not always take up space in the player's party, though they might appear in the menus. So if the game only allows for three party members in battle, a Guest can be a fourth fighter outside of the player's control. Their abilities and equipment usually cannot be customized either.

Final Fantasy II
Minwu, Josef, Ricard, Leila and Gordon all join the party for a short period of time, before leaving for a variety of reasons. In the "Soul of Rebirth" side story in the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary versions of the game, Minwu, Josef, and Ricard are normal playable characters. The player may freely change the equipment and spells of these character as they wish, but they join the party with preset abilities and spells in a few key areas.

Final Fantasy III
Guests will join the party but are not treated as regular characters. In battle, exclusively in the Nintendo DS version, they appear at random intervals firing off a random attack from their set list of moves. The rest of the time, they will not appear and do not have HP or other stats that enemies can attack.

If the party is defeated, it is still GAME OVER with or without the Guests. Outside of battle, they can be spoken to with, the only method the player has to interact with them.

Guest characters in Final Fantasy III include:
 * Sara
 * Cid
 * Desch
 * Aria
 * Alus
 * Doga
 * Unei

Final Fantasy IV
During the course of the game, Edward, Palom, Porom, Tellah, Cid, Yang, and Fusoya all join the party for a short time. However in the Advance and The Complete Collection versions of the game, the player may switch these characters in and out of the party as he or she wishes, excluding Tellah and Fusoya. All of these characters can have their equipment changed freely, and Palom and Porom can continue learning the rest of their magic spells.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
In The After Years, the following characters appear as Guest characters. They usually have very few Band abilities, and those who know magic usually join knowing all the spells they will ever learn.


 * Biggs
 * Wedge
 * Black Mage
 * White Mage
 * Monk
 * Elder of Mysidia
 * Guard
 * Fusoya
 * Kain?

Final Fantasy VI
Following the absence of Guest characters in Final Fantasy V, the following appeared in the sixth installment. In this game, the equipment of Guests is set and cannot be changed; they have no Desperation Attack; they cannot equip Magicite; and they also do not have any chocobo riding sprites. Therefore, Final Fantasy VI was the first game to truly define a "guest character."

In addition to the following, Maduin is controllable by the player during a flashback sequence, but there are no battles at this time, and the player cannot open the menu to check equipment or spells. In essence, all they may do while in control of Maduin is walk about and talk to other characters.

Final Fantasy VII
For a short while in Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth joins the player's party. However his equipment is not changeable; he has no Limit Break; and in battle, he acts on his own and cannot be given commands by the player.

Aeris is only in the game through Disc 1, but she is not considered a guest. She could, however, be considered temporarily playable.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
Cait Sith makes an appearance to assist Vincent in Mako Reactor 0.

Final Fantasy VIII
Several characters make an appearance at different points in the story to assist the party, for a variety of reasons and in a variety of ways. Their junctions and spell lists may be changed as the player wishes, and they all have Limit Breaks of their own.


 * Seifer
 * Edea
 * Laguna
 * Ward
 * Kiros

Final Fantasy IX
The following characters join the party at different points in the game and leave soon after. Their equipment can be changed, but they cannot learn Abilities and cannot enter Trance.


 * Beatrix
 * Marcus
 * Blank
 * Cinna

Regent Cid briefly becomes the player character during the events at Desert Palace. However, much like Maduin in Final Fantasy VI, he does not participate in any battles.

Final Fantasy X
Seymour participates in the second battle against Sinspawn Gui only and then leaves the party immediately afterwards. The player cannot view his equipment and cannot change it in battle, but he is directly controllable and is able to use an Overdrive. Seymour will earn AP and gain Sphere Levels, but as he is never controllable again, the player never gets the chance to spend them, and he never appears on the Sphere Grid.

Final Fantasy XII
In Final Fantasy XII, Guests are controlled by the computer. Their equipment, Licenses, and Gambits are outside the player's control. Ally-oriented Gambits will apply to them when available. They do not have Quickenings and are completely ignored during Quickening chains.

In the original Final Fantasy XII, items used by Guests are infinite and do not affect the player's own inventory. Guests typically have weapons that are completely unique to them and can never be found by the player for their own use.

Guest characters in Final Fantasy XII include:
 * Amalia (later joins as Ashe, a full party member)
 * Basch (later joins as a full party member)
 * Lamont (Returns later as guest under real name, Larsa)
 * Vossler
 * Larsa
 * Reddas

While Reks is only controllable by the player during the prologue, he will not be available again once the prologue ends, and the story begins with Vaan. This classes him as a temporary playable character but not in the same way the other Guests of the game are Guest characters.

There are other characters in the game that will fight on the player's side, but these do not appear in the Party Menu and act completely independently of the player's forces. For example, Basch, along with other ally soldiers, fight alongside Reks in the prologue, and Garif Adventurers that appear in the field will fight monsters alongside the party and will not harm them as long as the player does not provoke them, as well as the Rabanastre Watch (in the Estersand and Westersand). Additionally, members of Clan Centurio that join the party to fight a Mark behave in this manner.

International Zodiac Job System
Several changes were made in International version:
 * The player can directly control the Guest, even assigning them the leader role (Gambit related).
 * The player can customize the Guest's Gambits.
 * Items used by the Guest come from the player's inventory.
 * The Guest's skill set is modified from the original Final Fantasy XII. For example, Larsa has learned Cura to restore allies' HP so he won't deplete the player's inventory by using Potions incontinently.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Guest characters are designated by a gold HP bar. They may fight on the party's side but never have access to Summoning Gates and Esper Troupes. Many missions involve defending a guest character in order to succeed.

Guest characters in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings include:
 * Giza Rabbits in Mission 04: The Coveted Derelict.
 * Llyud (later joins the party as a player character) and Ansei in Mission 07: The Winged.
 * Aegyl in Mission 11: Savagery.
 * Rikken, Elza, and Raz in Mission 16: Pirates in Peril!, Mission 17: Pirates and Parrot in Peril!, Mission 18: Unrelenting Nemesis, and Mission 19: Filo in a Bind.
 * Velis in Mission 21: The Man in the Jungle and Mission 23: Object of Desire.
 * Penelo (who later returns as a player character) in Mission 24: The Dance.
 * Fran (who later returns as a player character) in Mission 27:At Fran's Side.
 * Dalmascan Soldiers and White Hares in Mission 35: The Secluded.
 * Ba'Gamnan (as a temporarily playable character from the end of Mission 09: Reinforcements to when the party arrives at the Muruc Cahuac Skysea in Chapter 4).

Final Fantasy XIII
In Final Fantasy XIII, two members of NORA assist Snow Villiers during the game's first chapter in the Hanging Edge.
 * Gadot
 * Lebreau - she has the notable ability to use potions.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Lightning is temporarily playable at the start of the game as she fights Caius Ballad in his Chaos Bahamut form, atop Odin and then Bahamut.

Snow Villiers accompanies Serah Farron and Noel Kreiss in the Sunleth Waterscape 300 AF after he saves them from mass-merging of flan. He acts of his own accord and is not controllable, but he also has no health bar, meaning he cannot be knocked out.

Final Fantasy Type-0
In Final Fantasy Type-0, characters of higher level can be called in to assist in battle.
 * Kurasame
 * Tonberry
 * Joker

Final Fantasy XIV
During certain quests, NPCs may join the player's party for small periods. These characters work exactly like having another player in the party (even counting towards light and full party stat bonuses and max party size), but their current HP number is displayed as "???" and can only be guessed by looking at their life bar, their actions are based on specific behaviors depending on the quest and they cannot be ousted from the party, neither can it be disbanded. They can be targeted normally by any ability that can be used on other players.

Often, if a guest character is KO'd in battle, the related quest battle is failed and must be repeated, but some exceptions exist.

Guest characters in Final Fantasy XIV include:
 * Yda
 * Papalymo
 * Thancred
 * Y'shtola
 * The player's Path Companion

Final Fantasy Adventure
There are a total of eight guest characters who helps Sumo on his quest, some of them are more useful than others, and they are uncontrollable by the player. If you asked a guest character for help, they will preform their ask ability. Each guest has their very own special ability. Also note that if a guest character defeats a monster, its experience points will be given to Sumo.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Guests act in menus exactly the same as any other non-generic character except that they do not take up the roster space. The player can customize them as much as normal characters, like with Job Class, ability set and equipment. However, the player cannot decide when to use Guests or not. It is mandatory to use them in certain battles.

Guests will only fight in the Story Battles, they will not appear in random ones. They also run completely on computer control. During the battle, guest will not be crystallized or turn into a treasure box after being K.O.ed for 3 turns. However, if the battle objective requires player to protect or rescue the particular guest, their K.O. will grant an instant Game Over, not waiting their death count. Most Non-Generic characters fight in battles first as a Guest, then as a full party member.

In rare cases during random encounters, a guest may replace an enemy unit and fights alongside the player party. These guests are usually generic monsters, and do not join the party after the battle has ended.

Guest characters in Final Fantasy Tactics include:
 * Agrias (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Goffard
 * Ladd (later joins as a Generic Party Member)
 * Alicia (later joins as a Generic Party Member)
 * Lavian (later joins as a Generic Party Member)
 * Delita
 * Argath
 * Boco (later joins as a Monster Party Member)
 * Ovelia
 * Mustadio (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Orran
 * Alma
 * Luso (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Rapha (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Meliadoul (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Zalbaag
 * Balthier (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Beowulf (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Reis (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Cloud (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Byblos (later joins as a Monster Party Member)

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
In this PSP port, some plot-related character who has joined as a full party member will become Guest again during the PSP-extra event battles (their presence in the player's party is also the prerequisite to trigger these events).

Usually after the fight (or scenario) has been completed, the player will be given the option to recruit him/her again.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Guest characters in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance include:
 * Montblanc (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Ritz (later joins as a full Party Member after the main story)
 * Shara (later joins as a full Party Member after the main story)
 * Ezel (later joins as a full Party Member after the main story)
 * Babus (later joins as a full Party Member after the main story)
 * Auggie

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Guest characters in Final Fantasy Tactics A2 include:
 * Cid (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Adelle (later joins as a full Party Member)
 * Popocho
 * Dayvis
 * Komodo Trader

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Kaeli, Tristam, Phoebe and Reuben all join Benjamin twice during the course of the game and join and leave at set points in the story. With the exception of Phoebe, who gives the player her original weapon at a point and then uses a different one, guests in this game have set spells and equipment and cannot gain levels.

However, between the time they leave and join later in the game, their spells, equipment and level will grow stronger.

Final Fantasy Legend II
Mr. S, Ki, "Mask", Lynn, Hana, Taro, the lead character's Dad and the goddess Isis all join the party at various points in the game, with Lynn and Dad joining twice. With the exception of Mr. S, who is a Slime-type Monster, and Isis herself, all the guest party members are Human. This includes Ki, whose magical powers are a result of MAGI, not Mutant origin.

To offset the game's item durability system, the player may give equipment to the character, though may not retrieve it once it has been given, nor may they take any of the characters' initial equipment. The player may also not give meat to Mr. S during his short Guest tenure, and thus cannot cause him to transform. Guest party members will not gain statistics in any fashion during their tenure.

Final Fantasy Legend III
At certain points in the game, a 5th character joins or leaves the party. These characters are at a sufficiently high level to make them powerful against the monsters and bosses you'll be facing. They do not gain exp or level up, and they cannot undergo class changes. It is possible to give them equipment to fill out the empty slots, but you can't change or remove equipment once placed. You cannot add or remove their magic spells either. The stats given are base stats, before equipment effects.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Krinjh, Torte, Rekoteh and Rolan are temporary characters who join the party for a time, before departing. Their equipment and items can be customized, but they will take everything they have with them when they leave the party.

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