Jackanapes (Final Fantasy V)

The Jackanapes is an enemy in Final Fantasy V. It is initially found in the basement of Walse Castle, and is an extremely tough opponent for that part of the game, especially because it always back attacks the party. Due to its high Attack, Speed, Evasion and Defense, defeating it the traditional way is nigh impossible at low levels. However, it can be easily killed by the Blue Magic spell Level 5 Death or Bio. The Jackanapes will drop only 1 gil and provide no experience or ability points, so killing it is recommended only for bestiary completion.

If the party does not have Lv. 5 Death, there is an alternative strategy, though it is tougher. First, the entire party should change into Monks and wait until the Jackanapes casts Moon Flute. When berserked the party will have a higher hit rate, and will only need to survive three or four rounds to kill the Jackanapes. This strategy works better the higher level the party is. Another strategy is to use Berserkers wielding axes, which is effective because the axe damage calculation only uses 1/4 of the target's defense.

Another way is to use a shuriken with the Ninja's Throw command. One shuriken will kill a Jackanape.

It also can be found in the third world's Walse Tower, underwater.

Final Fantasy All the Bravest
Jackanapes is fought on Bridge of Moore. It uses Critical to attack the player and drops the Mage Masher. Its description is: There is no reason to kill this monster other than for the sense of accomplishment, referencing its appearance in Final Fantasy V.

Etymology
Jackanapes ("jack-a-napes") is an insult made to, whose family coat of arms used collar and chains, which were associated to monkey leashes, and ultimately monkeys, during the 15th century. Monkeys were some of Britain's many exotic goods in Britain, often imported from Naples, while "jack" is an archaic term for "man", "soldier" or "servant", thus the bastardization of "Jack of Naples".

Related enemies

 * Oiseaurare
 * Mini Satana
 * Imp

Jackanapes