Dog (animal)



Dogs are recurring animals and pets in the Final Fantasy series. Sometimes canine beings appear as monsters or otherwise magical beings, like summons, such as Fenrir and Cerberus. However, this article focuses on dogs as pets and regular animals in the Final Fantasy series, although if they aid the party in battle as faithful companions, they are often seen performing lavish attacks no real world dog could do. Dogs are more common in the games that take place in more modern worlds

Final Fantasy VI
Interceptor is Shadow's loyal dog, and does not leave his side. He resembles a Doberman Pinscher, Beauceron, or a mix of the two. Shadow likes to claim that Interceptor eats strangers, and he can be ruthless at times, especially when Shadow is in danger, but he is friendly to Relm Arrowny.

Interceptor can help out in battle if Shadow is in the party. If Shadow is attacked physically, there is a chance Interceptor will take the hit. If this happens, there is a small chance Interceptor will counterattack with Takedown or Wild Fang that deal defense-penetrating magic damage to one enemy. These counterattacks will miss on floating targets. If the party abandons Shadow on the Floating Continent, Relm will "gain" Interceptor from Shadow.

The Vector Hound is an enemy the player can encounter. Unlike most canine enemies in the series that appear more like monsters with dog-like traits, the Vector Hound appears to be a normal dog.

Final Fantasy VII
There is a dog in the Junon Underwater Reactor that blocks a doorway. The dog will only move if the player loses the submarine minigame (their sub will sink). In this case the can return to the Underwater Reactor and find the dog has moved. The door the dog was guarding leads to another submarine dock from where the player can get another submarine: a red one.

Final Fantasy VIII
The main dog in the game is Angelo, Rinoa Heartilly's pet dog. She resembles an Australian Shepard, and is two years old. Angelo accompanies Rinoa for most of her journey, helping her and the others in battle when the need arises. Rinoa can teach Angelo new tricks by reading the Pet Pals magazines. She functions primarily as Rinoa's Limit Break. When Rinoa's Limit activates, the player may select "Combine" to summon Angelo who performs one of four aggressive tricks, then flees. The trick performed depends upon the party's current Crisis Level.

Angelo's passive tricks may activate during battle without player input: one as a counterattack against an enemy that has inflicted direct damage to Rinoa; two as recovery countermeasures of any party member in HP Critical or KO status if Rinoa is present; and, one to search the battlefield for random items.

Other dogs include a dog in Dollet that bothers Seifer during the party's wait on the town square. The player can save the dog from X-ATM092 by interacting with it during their escape from the mech. Failing to save the dog deducts points from the SeeD exam score. The dog is later part of a sidequest in Dollet where a boy at the local artist's studio paints a bone into the artist's paintings indicating the dog's location. If the player finds the dog after this, he gets an item. If the player waits till after the Battle of the Gardens with the quest, they get better items as rewards.

There is also a black and white dog near the Timber pet shop. The first time there the player can spot a boy mourning outside the shop as his dog is inside and the shop is closed, but later the two can be seen playing outside the shop. During the time Balamb Town is occupied by Galbadia, the player can use the soldiers' dog to sniff out their captain.

Final Fantasy X
There is a dog in Besaid Village that can yield a second Overdrive for the aeon Valefor. After the party first leaves Besaid Village and Wakka gives Tidus the Brotherhood sword, the player can return to the town and talk to the girl behind the counter at the shop. The player should then go to the furthest house on the right side to spot the dog that will yield Valefor's second Overdrive. This is best done as soon as possible, as later when the party has an airship, the town will be guarded by Dark Valefor.

The aeon Yojimbo also has a dog called Daigoro, but it is more of a supernatural variety than a regular dog. A dog based on it makes a return as Yuna's dog in the sequel, however (see below).

Final Fantasy X-2


Kogoro is Yuna's dog while she uses the Trainer dressphere. Kogoro is an orange dog with purple tufts of fur and gold markings on his head, shoulders and tail. Kogoro is a male dog resembling Yojimbo's pet Daigoro. This is play on words, as dai means "big" and ko means "little" in Japanese. Trainer is one of the few dresspheres that has a unique skillset and stats for each girl, because they each have a different pet.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Dogs were part of society in Cocoon where they were kept as pets, and even if the world has greatly changed since then, some dogs are still around. "Dog, Doctor and Assistant" is a quest on the Wildlands that involves a dog. At the Research Camp Lightning meets Thirteen, Dr. Gysahl's assistant, tending to an injured dog. Thirteen and a woman named Tilda need Lightning to gather ingredients for a medicine. After gathering the ingredients Tilda gives Lightning an Animal Potion. The dog again becomes relevant in the quest "Mother and Daughter". Brella is a woman outside the Wildlands monorail station and tell her of the healed dog to reunite owner and her pet.

The dog is a recycled model from a dog in Final Fantasy XIII that appeared on a beach in Bodhum.

Final Fantasy XV
Lunafreya Nox Fleuret has two dogs: the white Pryna and the black Umbra. They act as her messengers. She has had them since they were puppies. As depicted in Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV a young Pryna was once found and cared for by Prompto Argentum, who later became Prince Noctis's friend.

Trivia

 * Though the world of Final Fantasy XII doesn't appear to have dogs, there is a domesticated wolf in the Dalmasca Estersand village on the banks of Nebra. As part of the "great cockatrice escape sidequest", at the South Bank a cockatrice named Sassan has been pining to see his friend Torrie on the North Bank. She is frightened of the tame wolf, Nathyl. The player must solve an easy puzzle to bring Sassan across the river without being scared of the wolf.