Bahamut

Bahamut (バハムート Bahamūto), sometimes known by his epithet "The Dragon King", is one of the most popular summons in the Final Fantasy series. He has appeared in several installments, as well as his own game, Bahamut Lagoon. He also appeared as a boss in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. His attack, Mega Flare, sometimes translated as Sun Flare, deals non-elemental magic damage which ignores defense and evasion. He is typically considered the strongest among storyline summons and more often than not, the player must prove his/her worth by winning either against Bahamut himself, or, rarely, another storyline boss.

Final Fantasy
. Bahamut played a major role in the original game, promoting the character's class into a newer, more powerful upgrade-- e.g., fighter to a knight, thief to ninja, etc.

Final Fantasy III

 * For the enemy page, see Bahamut (Final Fantasy III).

The Heroes of Light travel to Canaan where they find a girl waiting for her love to come back. The heroes must find him on Dragon's Peak. When reaching the top, they enter into battle with Bahamut. This first battle with him cannot be won and the heroes must flee. Later in the game, the heroes may visit Bahamut's Lair to battle him. When defeated, the heroes are rewarded with the Level 8 Summon Magic spell Bahamut in order to summon him. This is the first time Bahamut can be used as a summon and the first time he is a boss in a Final Fantasy game.
 * Aura: casts Aura on the party
 * Rend: Instant KO to one enemy if successful
 * Mega Flare: deals non-elemental damage to all enemies

Final Fantasy IV

 * For the enemy page, see Bahamut (Final Fantasy IV)''

Bahamut was "The God of Summoned Monsters," and lived on Red Moon in Bahamut's Cave awaiting Rydia to come and challenge him so she could be able to Summon him; in order to be given this challenge, Rydia must already be in possession of Leviathan's summon. He has two guards who take the form of children, and he has admitted that Rydia was the first he ever accepted.

Lunar Bahamut challenges Kain Highwind during his trial in the Lunar Ruins in Final Fantasy IV Advance. Dark Bahamut is an optional boss in the Lunar Subterrane.

Final Fantasy V

 * For the enemy page, see Bahamut (Final Fantasy V).

Bahamut lives atop the Northern Mountain in the Third World. The party must climb the mountain and fight him at the top. He is a Level 5 Summon which is obtained after the fight.

Final Fantasy VI

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut is an Esper in this game. He is acquired after defeating Deathgaze on the Falcon. However, if Doom Gaze is killed using an attack that delays its final attack for one turn (such as X-Zone), the party will not receive Bahamut. Mega Flare (Sun Flare in the SNES Version) deals non-elemental magic damage to all opponents. Its Spell Power is 92, it is unblockable, and it ignores defense. It costs 86 MP to cast. It teaches Flare at a rate of X2.

Bahamut's Level Up bonus is to increase HP by 50%.

Bahamut

 * See the Summon sequence here.

The Bahamut materia is found in the Temple of the Ancients after defeating the Red Dragon. Both Bahamut and Neo Bahamut are required to unlock Bahamut ZERO.

It costs 100 mp and casts "Mega Flare". Level -- AP Needed
 * Level 1    --  0
 * Level 2   --   20000
 * Level 3    --  50000
 * Level 4   --   80000
 * Level 5   --   120000

Stat Changes
 * Magic +1
 * Magic Defense +1
 * Maximum HP -5%
 * Maximum MP +5%

Neo Bahamut

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Neo Bahamut (バハムート改 Bahamūto Kai lit. Revised Bahamut) is another version of Bahamut. The animation of Neo Bahamut is the enemy/enemies being sent into the sky on a piece of earth. Neo Bahamut then uses a beam to destroy the piece of earth and damage the enemy/enemies. This attack is called "Giga Flare" and deals non elemental damage to all the enemy party members. The Neo Bahamut materia can be found in your first trip to Northern Crater, laying on the ground.

Neo Bahamut costs 140 mp and casts "Giga Flare".

Level -- AP Needed
 * Level 1 --   0
 * Level 2 -- 30000
 * Level 3 -- 80000
 * Level 4 -- 140000
 * Level 5 -- 200000

Stat Change
 * Magic +1
 * Magic Defense +1
 * Maximum HP -5%
 * Maximum MP +5%

Bahamut ZERO

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut ZERO (バハムート零式 Bahamūto Reishiki lit. Bahamut Zero Style), among the stars, launches a massive beam of holy elemental energy at the enemies. This attack is called "Tera Flare". The Bahamut ZERO materia can be found at the planetarium in Cosmo Canyon when you touch the Huge Materia, however you must already have obtained both Bahamut and Neo Bahamut to acquire it.

Bahamut ZERO costs 180 mp and casts "Tera Flare".

Level -- AP needed
 * Level 1 --     0
 * Level 2 -- 35000
 * Level 3 -- 120000
 * Level 4 -- 150000
 * MASTER -- 250000

Stat Changes
 * Magic +4
 * Magic Defense +4
 * Maximum HP -10%
 * Maximum MP +15%

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Bahamut SIN (バハムート震 Bahamūto Shin lit. Bahamut Tremor) is a form of Bahamut, a monstrous dragon, that only appears in the CGI movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It is Summoned by the movie's antagonist Kadaj in order to wreak havoc on the people of Edge, a town built near the broken ruins of the former metropolis Midgar. It is defeated by Cloud Strife with the help of his companions from Final Fantasy VII. It was given the name "Bahamut SIN" in the English version due to a translation error, its real name being "Bahamut TREMOR" (Bahamut SHIN in the Japanese audio version). It is notable for appearing as a twisted, demonic version of Bahamut, its eyes sunken, red, and bug-like, its skull featuring a series of demonic, ram-like horns, and its wings supported by a series of fly's wings, lending some credence to the English mistranslation "Bahamut SIN." It otherwise bears stronger resemblance to the Bahamut from Final Fantasy X than it does to Final Fantasy VII's Bahamut, although it is even more in line with the revised Crisis Core version of Bahamut. Its power and scale are equal to those of the original Final Fantasy VII Bahamut.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
Bahamut can be summoned in battle using the appropriate materia in this game.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

 * See the summon sequences here.

Two versions of Bahamut appear, each as a boss in the game. The original version of Bahamut from Final Fantasy VII uses the original Mega Flare.

Bahamut Fury (バハムート烈 Bahamūto Retsu lit. Bahamut Fury) is a much larger golden version of Bahamut. Bahamut Fury uses a new attack called Exa Flare, comprised of a blast from the planet's moon that's triggered by Bahamut Fury's own energy blast. Both can be added to the DMW by obtaining the appropriate materia. Bahamut Fury is often mistaken for an updated Bahamut ZERO due to the cosmic scale of its attack and similarities in the execution of both Exa Flare and Tera Flare, but the similarities end there, and they are two very different incarnations of Bahamut--with Bahamut Fury being a great deal smaller and weaker despite the fact that its attacks qualifier, "Exa-" is orders of magnitude higher than "Tera-." Zack was able to fight and defeat Bahamut Fury on foot, whereas Bahamut ZERO was of such scale that for any character to face it in single combat would be unimaginable. Meanwhile, though Exa Flare is extremely impressive, depicted as a much larger beam of energy than Tera Flare, it accomplishes only roughly the same scale of damage that Tera Flare does and doesn't deal as much actual damage to enemies and is very survivable, particularly by Zack, who will almost certainly have to withstand one during his fight with Bahamut Fury. Where Exa Flare will deal damage in the thousands, Tera Flare always dealt 9999 damage, by breaking the damage cap Tera Flare is easily capable of dealing 99,999 damage.

Final Fantasy VIII

 * For the enemy page, see Bahamut (Final Fantasy VIII).
 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut is a Guardian Force in this game. He is acquired after defeating him in the Deep Sea Research Center. It is uncertain how he actually got there, but he does make an obscure reference to this immediately prior to the battle:


 * Squall: "The Great GF...Bahamut"
 * Bahamut: "GF? I..."
 * Bahamut: "Using my powers...it is you humans I fear"

This may indicate that Bahamut was created or captured at the Research Center and experimented on, which would explain his intense dislike of humans, or he could also mean that his powers could fall into the wrong hands.

Abilities learned from Bahamut are listed below:

Final Fantasy IX

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut is an Eidolon in this game, and he plays a major role in the story. He was one of Princess Garnet's original Eidolons, but was extracted by Zorn & Thorn for Queen Brahne to use. However, she did not summon him until the battle at the Iifa Tree against Kuja. There, Kuja used the Invincible to enslave it. Kuja then controlled Bahamut. He used Bahamut to attack Alexandria, however, Garnet and Eiko Carol defeated it by Summoning Alexander together. After obtaining the Hilda Garde III, Beatrix gives the Garnet to Zidane, which Princess Garnet can use to Summon Bahamut.

Tetra Master

 * Card 066
 * Location: Treno, Card Stadium

Final Fantasy X

 * See the Summon and Overdrive sequence here.

Bahamut is an Aeon in this game, and once again, he plays a major role in the story. He sleeps in Bevelle Temple where Summoners can obtain him on their Pilgrimage. His special attack is Impulse and his overdrive is Mega Flare. In his Fayth form of a young boy, he is Tidus's guide in Spira and reveals the truth that Tidus is a dream of the Fayth, and was brought to Spira to defeat Sin for good. Only Tidus and Yuna can see him. In the International and PAL versions of the game, Dark Bahamut will be waiting patiently to offer Tidus and co. a quick end to their lives if the party decides to revisit the scene of their glorious victory over Yunalesca at Zanarkand.

Final Fantasy X-2
Due to Shuyin's grief and hatred for Spira, Dark Bahamut is brought to life and attacks the Gullwings when they discover the empty chamber that used to house Vegnagun. His appearance comes as quite a shock to Yuna, as she is faced with one of her beloved Aeons that helped defeat Sin. She even attempts to talk to Bahamut before being forced to fight for her life.

Bahamut was not truly destroyed however. After the defeat of Vegnagun and Shuyin, the real Bahamut appears before Yuna (albeit in his Fayth form). During this meeting, Bahamut gives Yuna the option to resurrect Tidus. If the player has completed a certain percentage of the game, and Yuna choses yes, then Bahamut and the other Fayths will grant Yuna's wish.

Final Fantasy XI
Bahamut is present in Final Fantasy XI as a plot-based summon. His story is intertwined with the Chains of Promathia storyline. He is not summonable by player characters, and probably will never be due to his size and power. Since he also is a prominent figure in the Chains of Promathia storyline, making him a player-available avatar would most likely unbalance the game.

A storyline mission available after finishing the first two expansions features Bahamut as a boss. Those who complete this mission can take part in an optional battle with Bahamut that ranks amongst the most difficult in the game, not in the least because he summons most of the game's other wyrms to help him. Ever since a recent update in which Bahamut gradually builds up resistance to certain types of magic, it is believed that no one has defeated him in his second form.

Bahamut is also the name of a server for Final Fantasy XI.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
.

Bahamut appears as a boss and an actual summon in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. He is a rank 3 Non-Elemental Aerial summon. His regular attack is Bahamut Claw, while his special attack, Mega Flare, causes massive non-elemental damage to all targets in range, and inflicts Disable.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Bahamut appears as a powerful summon in this game, and you can summon him by using Summon Magic. You can learn to summon Bahamut by using 1500 JP.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited
In the anime, Final Fantasy: Unlimited, a Bahamut-like summon named Gun Dragon makes an appearance as the ultimate summon at Kaze's disposal. It came in two forms: the "Chaos" reddish form seen in the first episode and the rarely seen silver true form seen on the finale and the FFU: Before CD. The Soil Charge Triad (Soil is like the colored bullet of a Magun, used to summon creatures) needed to summon Gun Dragon is:


 * With the rays of light brimming in thine eyes! Tear Rainbow!
 * The ultimate soul is born! Soul Gun Metal!
 * Our circle of life! Endless White!

In the English audio version, the Soil Charge Triad was changed to:
 * The light that fills up your eyes! Tears of the Rainbow!
 * The ultimate spirit! Soul Gun Metal!
 * The helix of my life! Endless White!

However, in both occurrences, Kaze must turn himself into Endless White, leaving Makenshi to fire the MaGun in "FFU: Before" and Lisa in the anime series finale.

The villain Pist steals the Magun at one point, and creates the "Ultimate Summon" with it - however, he is unable to handle the energies involved, and it blows up in his face. Pist's Soil Charge Triad is:


 * The glare of obvious intelligence! Marvelous Orange!
 * The desire for an endless quest! Maniac Purple!
 * The promise of a perfect victory! Char-Coral Pink!

Chocobo series
. Bahamut is a recurring non-playable character in the Chocobo game series.

Kingdom Hearts
Bahamut was originally planned to be a summon for Kingdom Hearts, but was removed before the game was released, all that was left was a small data code in the game that could be accessed with cheat devices. However, summoning Bahamut would cause the game to crash.

Itadaki Street Special
Bahamut appears in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special.

Itadaki Street Portable
Bahamut appears in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable.

Lord of Vermilion
Bahamut is one of the summoned characters in this arcade-based card game.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bahamut makes an appearance as a boss in Bowser's Keep as "Bahamutt".

8-Bit Theater
. Bahamut is a minor character in the webcomic 8-Bit Theater. The Light Warriors journey to find the rat tail and are granted a class change, as in the original game.

Etymology
Bahamut originated as an enormous fish in ancient Arabian mythology. Upon Bahamut's back stands a bull with four thousand eyes, ears, noses, mouths, tongues and feet called Kujuta (also spelled "Kuyutha"). Between each of these is a distance of a 500-year journey. On the back of Kujuta is a mountain of ruby. Atop this mountain is an angel who carries six hells, earth, and seven heavens on its shoulders. In modern times the game Dungeons & Dragons is responsible for reimagining Bahamut as the king of dragons, a benevolent Platinum Dragon; the opposite of the malevolent Tiamat the five headed Chromatic Queen of Dragons.

Bahamut