Holy (ability)



Holy (ホーリー), also known as Fade, White, or Pearl, is usually a very powerful spell made up of pure holy energy and as such deals holy-elemental damage. Despite it being one of the most powerful offensive spells, it is classified as White Magic and can often only be cast by White Mages.

It is a counterpart to the Black Magic Flare/Ultima, and the two often have similar graphics. Undead are usually weak to holy magic. In some games, characters or enemies may have access to an upgraded version, Holyja.

Final Fantasy
Holy, also known as FADE in the NES release due to censorship issues, is a level 8 White Magic spell which inflicts a large amount of damage against all enemies. The total damage dealt depends on the caster's Spirit. It is one of the most powerful offensive spells in the game, second only to Flare.

The spell can be bought at Gaia and can only be learned by the White Wizard job class. In the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary Edition releases it costs 50 MP to cast.

Final Fantasy II
Holy is a non-elemental White Magic spell. It can be learned from its respective scroll/tome, as with all other spells. It can be bought at Mysidia and in the secret merchant underneath the waterfall in the Unknown Cave. Holy XVI can be used exclusively by Deumion and the Light Emperor.

Final Fantasy III
Holy is a level 8 White Magic spell bought for 60,000 gil in Eureka. It deals holy-elemental damage, and can only be used by the Devout or Sage. Unei can also cast Holy when she joins the party as a guest in the DS version, and the spell can be used through the item White Musk. It has a base power of 160.

Final Fantasy IV
Rosa learns Holy, translated as White in the SNES version due to censorship rules, at level 55 (level 60 in the DS version). Porom learns it at level 52, while Fusoya knows the spell when he joins the party. The weapons Holy Lance and Asura's Rod have the ability to cast Holy when used as an item, while the Lightbringer randomly casts it after attacking (though the latter two are only available in the GBA remake).

It costs 50 MP in the DS version and 46 in all other versions to cast. It has a spell power of 140 (340 in non-DS versions) and a 100% accuracy (75% in non-DS versions). Oddly enough, in non-DS versions, Holy can inflict HP Leak if the target is weak against Holy. Deathmask is the only enemy capable of casting this spell.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Holy is virtually the same as it was from Final Fantasy IV. It can be used by Porom, Leonora, Rosa, and Fusoya. There are also some Band abilities that seem to use Holy. These include Holy Burst and Holy Ray.

Final Fantasy V
Holy is a Level 6 White Magic spell, costs 20 MP to cast, and it is obtained in the physical side of the Fork Tower after defeating Minotaur. When Minotaur is defeated, he attempts to use the spell, but fails due to having no MP. Holy can be properly cast by Barrier, Enuo, Exdeath in the final battle, Famed Mimic Gogo, Halicarnassus, and Neo Exdeath.

The player may utilize this ability by catching and releasing a Mini Dragon.

Final Fantasy VI
Terra and Celes both learn Holy through Leveling up, Terra at level 57 and Celes at level 72. For other characters, Alexander teaches the spell at a rate of x2. Holy is classified as offensive magic in regards to the magic classification of Offensive, Healing, and Support magic in Final Fantasy VI. It costs 40 MP to cast. Holy may be randomly cast when attacking with the Holy Rod, Holy Lance, or Lightbringer. It has a power of 108, a hit rate of 150, and is vulnerable to Runic.

Holy can be cast by Dullahan, Holy Dragon, Level 60 Magic, Level 80 Magic, Cherry, Magic, Master Tonberry, Behemoth King (Living), Warlock, Kaiser Dragon, and Tonberries.

In the SNES/PlayStation version, Holy was translated as "Pearl", but this may have had more to do with Ted Woolsey's creative translations than censorship, as the spell White Wind was translated as "Pearl Wind".

Final Fantasy VII
In Final Fantasy VII, Holy serves as a plot device, and as such, it cannot be used by the player in battle. Known as the "Ultimate White Magic" and summoned through the White Materia held by Aeris Gainsborough, it is the only magic spell capable of stopping Meteor, the "Ultimate Black Magic", summoned through the Black Materia, that would destroy the world. Thus, it is actually more of a defensive spell than its other incarnations.

Alexander's summon is the only holy-based attack in the game, and summoning him or connecting his Materia to an Elemental Materia is the only other way to inflict holy-elemental damage.

Final Fantasy VIII
Holy returns as a usable spell which inflicts heavy holy-elemental damage on one opponent. It is a rare spell that can only be drawn from bosses with the exception of Elnoyle. It is one of the best spells to junction onto HP and Magic. It can also be junctioned onto Elem-Atk-J and Elem-Def-J and can also protect the player from certain Status Effects when junctioned onto ST-Def-J. The spell can also be used through the Holy Stone item.

Casting Holy in battle increases compatibility with Alexander by 2, with Carbuncle and Leviathan by 1, with Eden by 0.4 and with Bahamut by 0.2, but lowers compatibility with Doomtrain by 2.

Final Fantasy IX
Holy is a White Magic spell for Eiko, and can be learned through the White Robe or the Angel Flute, Eiko's ultimate weapon. Beatrix is also able to cast the spell during the short time she is a playable character. Quina is also able to learn Lv. 4 Holy as Blue Magic, which deals Holy damage only to enemies whose levels are multiples of four. Holy costs 36 MP to cast and has a power of 113.

The formula for Holy is as follows:
 * $$Base  = Spell Power - Targets Magic Defense$$
 * $$Bonus = Mag ... [(Lv + Mag) / 8] + Mag$$
 * $$Damage = Base * Bonus$$

The bosses Trance Kuja, Ozma, and Necron can all use the spell.

Tetra Master

 * Card 057
 * Location: Treno, Card Stadium Lindblum, Freak/Boy

Final Fantasy X
Holy is the final ability in Yuna's section of the basic Sphere Grid. It costs 85 MP to cast. Holy can be cast by Cindy and Ultima Weapon.

Final Fantasy X-2
Holy can only be obtained by equipping the Supreme Light or Sacred Beast Garment Grids and spherechanging through the colored gates. Unlike its previous incarnation in Final Fantasy X, Holy scores eight hits, though each causes less damage than the original. It costs 85 MP to cast. Holy can be cast by Haizhe (Oversoul - Coliseum), King VERMIN! (Oversoul), Paragon (Oversoul) and Stalwart (Oversoul).

Final Fantasy XI
Holy is a form of White Magic, in the Divine Magic category. It is usable by both White Mages and Paladins. Unfortunately, the Holy spell in Final Fantasy XI is not very strong. At a cost of 100 MP, the spell will often deal only about 300 damage, even to the weakest foes, unless a White Mage exploits Afflatus Misery.

There also exists a spell named Holy II, which can only be cast by Proto-Ultima and Alexander (high-level Notorious Monsters), the latter of which also has an attack called Mega Holy; these spells are rather powerful.

Final Fantasy XII
Holy is a Level 7 White Magick spell on the License Board and requires 55 LP to unlock. It deals Holy-elemental damage against a single target and has the maximum Effect Capacity, which means no other spell or Technick can be performed simultaneously.

Holy can be purchased at the Port at Balfonheim after the events at the Pharos at Ridorana for 11,200 gil. In the International Zodiac Job System version, Holy is a White Magick 11 License. It can only be obtained from a chest at the Pharos at Ridorana's First Ascent/Wellspring Ravel. It is a spell for both White Mage and Monk job classes, though Monks can only learn it after getting the Esper Chaos license. Reddas has learned Holy in this version when joining as a guest.

Holyja is a spell that the Esper Ultima uses in the boss fight against her. The spell does intense Holy-elemental damage and causes the Reverse status. A Quickening concurrence ability, Luminescence, looks similar to this spell.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Holy is a spell that Penelo, the Esper Zalera, the Judge of Wings, White Mages, and Feolthanos can use. The spell deals damage to one foe. Zalera also uses Holyja as its special attack.

The Esper Zalera is the only playable entity who can cast Holyja while the Judge of Wings uses it in two boss battles. It does heavy damage to all enemies in range.

Final Fantasy XIII
Though not actually in the game, Hope Estheim's Full ATB Skill, Last Resort, looks identical to the spell seen in Final Fantasy X and deals non-elemental damage.

Final Fantasy XIV
Holy is a white mage ability learned by completing the quest "The Wheel of Disaster". It deals very high damage around the user and can bind enemies hit by it, however it uses up all of the caster's MP, turning it into a very situational spell.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Learned by the White Mage, Holy is White Magic that costs 600 JP to learn. It costs 56 MP to use and has a speed of 17. Unlike many offensive spells in the game which can be learned by the player, Holy ignores all of the target's magic evasion, unless the target has immunity against holy-elemental. Holy is also considered to be the best attack spell to be calculated.

Unholy Darkness, also known as Dark Holy, is a Dark-elemental based version of the Holy spell. It targets a single square, with no extended range and ignores magickal evasions. The animation sequence is the same as Holy but in black and violet tone, accompanied by deeper sound effect and a crow's caw. The spell is not available to any playable character, but is instead accessible to Archaeodaemons and Ultima Demons, minions of the Lucavi. Knight Templar Sorcerer Cletienne Duroi can also use Unholy Darkness.

In the PS version, there is also a chance that the caster will chant, "Bright light, shine down on bloody impurity! Holy!", and "Aurora, exhale bloody air! Dark Holy!", for Dark Holy.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Holy can be learned by Bishops through the Nirvana Staff. As such, the spell is only usable by bangaa, however hume Paladins can learn a weapon ranged skill born of the spell called Holy Blade that allows the player to attack with a double damage holy-elemental weapon attack. Also a monster called Titania can use a form of Holy magic called LV?D Holy that deals harsh holy damage to all units with a level equal to the current day.

Holy costs 32 MP to cast, has a Magic Power of 50, and has a range of 3. It can be retargetted back at the user through Return Magic and is stealable through the ability Steal: Ability. Holy cannot be reflected, but MP can be absorbed whenever it is cast.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Holy can again only be learned by Bishops through the Nirvana. It deals holy damage and needs 400 AP points to be mastered.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Holy could be cast by combining any Fire, Blizzard, or Thunder Magicite with one Life Magicite, the latter being in the second command slot. It causes base magic damage to every monster, aside from Raem, and makes ghost monsters more susceptible to physical attacks. Adding a second life spell to the combination will create a stronger version of the spell called Holyra.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
Holy is cast by piling Cure, Clear, and Raise.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Holy is the only holy spell ability, exclusive to the White Mage class, and caps at level 100. It deals holy-elemental damage to one enemy, can be used once per battle, and up to five times a day.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Holy is cast by stacking Cure and Raise target rings. It also makes traversing the library easier as it can destroy white orbs.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Holy is known as White and is a powerful Wizard Magic spell that can destroy all enemies quickly. Phoebe, Reuben, and Benjamin can use this spell, and it is non-elemental (there is no holy element in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest). It is second only to Flare. The Dark King can also use an another version called Mega White (Dark Holy or Unholy Darkness in the Japanese version) that has an attack power of 88.

Final Fantasy Legend III
Holy is known as White and is a White Magic spell. It cost 36 MP to use, and it can be bought for 25000 GP in Dwelg Town (Underworld). It is much less powerful than Nuke and several Lost spells, but has a hidden strength: as the game lacks a Holy element, White lacks an element entirely, a loophole which allows it to circumvent resistances. This loophole was turned against the party by Agron after the death of Dion. It is Borgin's most powerful spell and a useful choice for him against the final boss, Xagor, who resists all elemental damage.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Holy is a Bravery attack for Bartz and Terra, which they shoot five orbs of light that track opponents and begin a Chase Sequence. Terra's Holy costs 20 CP to equip and 140 AP to master, while Bartz's Holy costs 25 CP and 120 AP. Terra has a variation of Holy called Holy Combo, where she casts Holy and follows up by firing several Flare fireballs if it connects. Holy Combo costs 30 CP to equip and 300 AP to master.

Bartz's Holy can chain into Flare, while Terra's Holy Combo can chain into Ultima. Bartz knows Holy initially, while Terra learns Holy at Level 10 and Holy Combo at Level 19. Kuja has a variation of Holy called Ring Holy, where he fires three slow-moving rings of energy that track opponents. It costs 20 CP to equip and 120 AP to master. Kuja is able to use Ring Holy in the air initially and learns to use it on the ground at Level 33.

Onion Knight casts Holy in his EX Burst as a Sage, where he summons a burst of light around his opponent. Kuja's HP attack Seraphic Star is based on the Holy spell's appearance in Final Fantasy IX, and is named "Holy Star" in the Japanese version of the game. The attack throws a sphere of light forward to trap and stun opponents before exploding. Kuja is able to cast it on the ground initially and learns to use it in the air at Level 9. It costs 40 CP to equip and 180 AP to master.

See also: Holy Glitch.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
In addition to the Holy spells present in Dissidia, there are two new variants used by new characters in Dissidia 012. One is a Bravery attack usable by Prishe, and the other is an HP attack usable by the Assist-exclusive Aerith.

Prishe's Holy fires an orb of white light that tracks the opponent. Prishe learns the attack at Level 15, and it costs 30 CP to use and 150 AP to master. Aerith's Holy is her HP attack when called as an Assist in the air. She charges energy for a period of time, then consumes the opponent in a blast of light. The attack has a long charge time, but is entirely unavoidable upon execution, striking directly around the opponent wherever they are.

Kingdom Hearts


Holy, also called Faith and Pearl, appears as a recurring light-based attack and is often one of the strongest attacks available. It calls on one or more pillars of light to damage enemies. It is mostly used by King Mickey.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
White Mage's dunk shot is called the Holy Shot.

Mario Sports Mix
In Mario Sports Mix, White Mage's Special Shot consists of her yelling Holy and then using it to shoot the item she has at the other team rapidly.

Names in Other Languages

 * Italian: Sancta - Latin word for "holy"
 * Spanish: Sanctus
 * French: Sidéral (meaning "Sidereal"), Sacre (meaning "Coronation"), or Lumière (meaning "Light")
 * German: Sanctus

Gallery
Sanctus