Dragoon (job)

The Dragoon (竜騎士 Ryuukishi lit. Dragon Knight), also known as Dragon Knight or Lancer, is a Job that has appeared in almost every Final Fantasy title to date.

Profile
Dragoons are special knights that equip spears to attack. Their stats are weighted physically, and they can equip heavy armor that is modified to look like a dragon. Their special ability is to Jump, which allows them to do an aerial attack which does more damage than a normal attack. The drawback to this attack is that it takes longer due to the Dragoon having to Jump and then fall on his or her opponent. The advantage to this, however, is that Dragoons do not take damage while airborne. Some dragoons can have the Jump ability upgraded to 'Double Jump', which allows them to strike for double damage without any extra time int he air. Another ability, called Lancet, sometimes called Lance or DragonSword, allows Dragoons to absorb HP and MP from their opponents.

Notable Dragoons include Ricard Highwind of Final Fantasy II, Kain Highwind of Final Fantasy IV, Freya Crescent of Final Fantasy IX, and Llyud of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. While not specifically called Dragoons, Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII, Ward Zabac from Final Fantasy VIII, and Kimahri Ronso from Final Fantasy X display attributes common to the job. With the use of certain equipment, it is also possible for both Edgar Roni Figaro and Mog in Final Fantasy VI to accurately emulate the job.

Final Fantasy II
In their first appearance, Dragoons are not a Job but a group of spear-wielding riders of dragons known as wyverns. The Emperor killed off most of the race out of fear, leaving only Ricard and his adopted son Kain.

Final Fantasy III
This is the first time Dragoons were a Job Class, and the first time they can use their Jump attack. The class is gained from the Water Crystal.

Final Fantasy V
Dragoons are a Job obtained when the Earth Crystal shatters. This is the first time Lancet is a skill used by Dragoons, though its known as "Lance" in this game.

Final Fantasy XI
Dragoons are an advanced Job Class which can summon wyverns. They have very high accuracy but have a poor armor selection.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
This is an enemy Aegyl Job and a Flying unit. They can Jump and use several ranged Breath attacks.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Dragoons are physical Job that are unlocked by getting a Level 4 Thief. They have a high Jump stat boosted by the Ignore Elevation ability.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
This Job is available to Bangaa after mastering two Warrior skills. Along with Jump and Lancet they have Breath attacks.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Only again a Bangaa exclusive Job, Dragoons are unlocked by completing "Kyrra, Dragoon" and then can only be used after mastering two Warrior A-Abilities. They are especially effective against Dragonkind.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
The Dragoon job card discards a card from the selection area and replaces it for another Dragoon job card.

Nightblade
An enemy job class in Final Fantasy Tactics used solely by Isilud Tengille of the Knights Templar. It combines attributes of both the Knight and Dragoon jobs.

Uhlan
In Final Fantasy XII International, Uhlans are heavy physical attackers represented by Taurus. They are differentiated from Dragoons in that they are unable to use the Jump command.

Holy Dragoon
In Final Fantasy IV the After: Tsuki no Kikan, Kain eventually defeats his dark side and transforms into a Holy Dragoon (聖竜騎士 Seiryuukishi lit. Holy Dragon Knight), gaining the ability to cast various White Magic spells.

Bahamut Dragoon & Leviathan Dragoon
These two jobs appear in unused concept artwork for Final Fantasy IX, in which the male protagonist is listed as, "BAHAMUT Dragoon (male)" and the female protagonist as, "LIVIATHAN [sic] Dragoon (female)".

Etymology
"Dragoon" is the traditional name for a special soldier type in classical European warfare. Unlike Final Fantasy, Dragoons did not fight with lances, that being the job of "Lancers" - a completely different soldier class. Dragoons were infantry that rode on horseback, but fought on foot. Originally they fought with a musket called the "Dragon", giving them the name "Dragoon". The Dragoons' arsenal expanded to include guns, sabres, and axes. During the Napoleonic Wars they became medium cavalry and reached the height of their popularity. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Dragoons were trained to use lances, thus making them Lancers. However, thanks the advances of modern warfare, Dragoons eventually lost their niche on the battlefield, and modern Dragoon units exist only in ceremonial purposes.