Berserker (job)



The Berserker is a reoccuring job. It makes its first appearance in Final Fantasy V, and it later appears as a dress sphere in Final Fantasy X-2. In both these games, they wear animal furs, and tend to be more revealing on the female characters. Berserkers typically cannot be controlled by the player as they are always in Berserk, however, their statistics, particularly their physical ones, are usually much higher than those of other jobs.

The only notable character in any Final Fantasy who can be considered a berserker is Umaro from Final Fantasy VI.

Etymology
Berserker was originally a term for Norse warriors who fought with uncontrollable rage and reckless disregard for their own lives. The term itself is typically translated as "bear's skin" in reference to the animal skins Vikings would wear into battle. Theories about what causes berserkergang, the fury berserkers go into, include possession by an animal spirit, drunken rage, and ritualistic dancing. Berserkers are often depicted in art as men with crazed eyes biting their shields in anticipation of battle.