Esper (Final Fantasy XII)



The Espers in Final Fantasy XII are powerful beings created by the Occuria. The Espers that join the player's side are those spurned by their creators; twelve for having rebelled, and a thirteenth for being too powerful. Most of the Espers are based on the Lucavi in Final Fantasy Tactics or other past bosses of previous Final Fantasy games.

Five Espers first appeared as Totema in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and all but two reappear in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings as Yarhi. Lastly, all Espers return in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift as Scions. Recruiting every Esper in the game adds Belias's sprite on the Sky Pirate's Den and awards the player with the rank of High Summoner.

Story


The scions that would become the Espers were created by the Occuria for varied purposes. While the exact number is never revealed, there are at least 24 scions, with each zodiac sign having a light and dark representative.

Proud of her power and status and believing herself superior to her creators the highest ranking Esper, Ultima, rose up against the gods. Rallying the scions of darkness, they attacked their creators, but even with the combined force of twelve Espers they were defeated, and banished to the darkest reaches of Ivalice. Sealed in the Mist, they could only walk among mortals if called by a summoner via their glyphs.

A thirteenth scion, Zodiark, was bound by the gods for fear of his power. Unlike the rest of his brethren he is not known to have harbored rebellious desire. It is unknown how long the Espers have been sealed away, but since Dynast-King Raithwall possessed the glyph of Belias it is thought they have been sealed away at least since the era of the Dynast King.

Ashe's party comes to the Tomb of Raithwall seeking the Dawn Shard to prove Ashe's royal lineage. She enlists the help of sky pirate Balthier with promises of the Dynast-King's treasure. Before the party reaches Dawn Shard's chamber they enter an area thick in Mist and Belias attacks the party. Defeated, the Esper yields and lends its power to the party, but Balthier is disappointed in learning Raithwall's treasure was an Esper rather than something of monetary value.

The party find more Espers in places thick in Mist, such as the Zertinan Caverns, Garamsythe Waterway and Necrohol of Nabudis. Many Espers are guarding locations associated with the Occuria, such as Mateus in Stilshrine of Miriam where the Occurian-forged Sword of Kings is hidden away, Shemhazai guarding the area within the Great Crystal where a waystone to the Occurian realm lies, and Hashmal in the Pharos at Ridorana, built by the Occuria to house the Sun-Cryst. On the party's way to the Ancient City of Giruvegan they must summon Belias to open the gate to the Occurian city.

Obtaining Espers
Espers must be defeated in battle to obtain them. Espers attack as soon as the party arrives in the area they reside in, and often players cannot leave until they defeat the Esper. Once an Esper has been defeated, it appears on the License Board and any character can purchase its license. Espers are assigned to a specific character and once a character has bought the Esper's license, said license disappears from everybody else's boards. In Final Fantasy XII International Esper licenses can be used to reach locked abilities on jobs' License Boards, thus giving more of an element of strategy whom to assign the Esper.

Esper battles are some of the toughest bosses in the game, and some of the battles have handicaps that seal some of the party's abilities. As all Espers in the game are of the Dark scion, some are flanked by undead.

List of Espers
In Final Fantasy XII, there are thirteen available Espers. Only five are obtained in the main story; the other eight, represented in italics, are found through sidequests. Espers require Mist Charges equal to their level to summon.

Scions of Light and Darkness
The following is a list of all the scions mentioned, their associated zodiac signs, and element. It is never stated if Ultima and Zodiark are the Scions of Darkness or Light, but we never see the mentioned Scions of Light regardless.

Level One Espers
Level 1 Espers take a single Mist Gauge to summon.

Belias, the Gigas


Belias is a bestial Fire Esper who guards the Dawn Shard in the Tomb of Raithwall, and is likely the party's first Esper. He fries enemies with its Painflare attack unless the foes absorb Fire. His ultimate attack is Hellfire. In Final Fantasy XII International Painflare's power was boosted and Belias can also cast Fira and Cura and has the Piercing Magic augment. Belias is the only Esper that must be summoned during the main storyline, to open the gate to the Ancient City of Giruvegan.

Mateus, the Corrupt


Mateus is found in the Stilshrine of Miriam, guarding the Sword of Kings. Mateus is an aquatic creature with multiple limbs wielding a trident with a goddess chained to his chest he uses as a living shield. He freezes enemies with Flash-Freeze unless they absorb ice and his special attack is Frostwave. He uses Bio against foes that absorb Lightning and heals his summoner when they are low on health. In the Final Fantasy XII International Flash-Freeze's power has been boosted, Mateus can cast Blizzara and has gained the Null Vitality augment.

Adrammelech, the Wroth


Adrammelech is an optional Esper found in the depths of Zertinan Caverns, in Athroza Quicksands, closest from Ozmone Plain. It is a winged Lightning monster that resembles a goat with hooves and a goat's head. Adrammelech shocks his foes with Flash Arc unless they absorb Lightning, and his ultimate attack is Judgment Bolt. In Final Fantasy XII International Flash Arc's power has been boosted, Adrammelech casts Cura instead of Curaga and has gained the Null Vitality augment.

Zalera, the Death Seraph


Zalera is an optional Esper that resides in the deepest reaches of the Barheim Passage. The party must obtain the Barheim Key in the Dalmasca Estersand to find him. Zalera destroys his foes with the Kill ability, and casts Holy and Shock. His ultimate attack is Condemnation that instantly kills all enemies with less than 9,999 max HP (6,999 HP for those with the Damage Resist augment), and those with more are hit with non-elemental damage that can break the damage limit. In Final Fantasy XII International Zalera no longer casts Holy or Shock. Instead he has Cura, Warp, and Death. He no longer absorbs Holy-elemental attacks and Condemnation's damage is randomly generated.

Level Two Espers
Level 2 Espers take two Mist Gauges to summon.

Shemhazai, the Whisperer


Shemhazai is found in the depths of the Ancient City of Giruvegan in the Gate of Fire area. She attacks foes with Devour Soul, a non-elemental attack whose damage is calculated the same as the item Knot of Rust. Shemhazai's ultimate attack is the Soul Purge that deals damage by the same calculation as the item List of Final Fantasy XII Items, meaning its damage cap is 60,000, making it the second most powerful single attack in Final Fantasy XII, only bested by Zeromus's Big Bang. In Final Fantasy XII International, Shemhazai can cast Shock and Curaja and has gained the Null Vitality and Piercing Magick augments.

Hashmal, Bringer of Order


Hashmal is a leonine Earth Esper found in Pharos at Ridorana. He shakes his enemies up with Roxxor unless his enemies absorb Earth damage and his ultimate attack is Gaia's Wrath. In Final Fantasy XII International Hashmal can cast Curaja and Graviga, and has gained the Null Vitality and Piercing Magick augments.

Cúchulainn, the Impure


Cúchulainn is an optional Esper residing in the central area of Garamsythe Waterway. He is a venomous and grotesque monster with an en engorged body. Cúchulainn drains the HP of his enemies with Malaise unless they are undead, and his ultimate attack is Blight. If there are no enemies around when he is summoned Cúchulainn uses Curaja that ignores the party's Reflect status. When attacked Cúchulainn counterattacks. In Final Fantasy XII International Cúchulainn gains Bio and the Null Vitality augment.

Zeromus, the Condemner


Zeromus is an optional Esper hiding away in a secret area of the Stilshrine of Miriam. He wields the power of gravity and is the second largest Esper in Final Fantasy XII after a winged Zodiark, as his length is measured by his long tail. Zeromus attacks his foes with Gravity Well and his ultimate attack is Big Bang; both attacks' damage depends on Zeromus's HP, Big Bang having the potential to deal tens of thousands of damage. In Final Fantasy XII International, Zeromus can cast Scourge and Curaja and has gained the Piercing Magick augment.

Exodus, the Judge-Sal


Exodus is an optional Esper making his abode at the highest reaches of the Mosphoran Highwaste. Exodus commands celestial bodies, attacking his foes with Comet and his ultimate attack Meteor. Both deal random non-elemental damage. In Final Fantasy XII International Exodus can cast Curaja and Ardor, and has gained Null Vitality and Piercing Magick augments.

Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud


Famfrit is a Water Esper summoned by Dr. Cid at the summit of Pharos at Ridorana. Famfrit carries an ewer of water which he utilizes in his ultimate attack, Tsunami. Famfrit splashes his enemies with Briny Cannonade unless they absorb Water. In Final Fantasy XII International Famfrit can cast Renew and has Null Vitality and Piercing Magick augments.

Chaos, Walker of the Wheel


Chaos is an optional Wind Esper sealed in the center of Necrohol of Nabudis, in the Cloister of the Highborn. Chaos halves the highest HP enemy's HP with Whirlwind and attacks foes with elemental weaknesses with elemental magick that ignore enemies Reflect status. His ultimate attack is Tornado, damaging his foes 90% of their max HP. Both attacks are capped at 9999 damage. In ''Final Fantasy XII International##, Chaos only retains Aeroga from his previous abilities, but can now cast Renew; Whirlwind and Tornado no longer do percentage damage.

Ultima, the High Seraph


Ultima is an optional Holy Esper who makes her abode at the peak of the Great Crystal. Her basic attack is Redemption, a powerful Holy-elemental attack. If a foe absorbs Holy, she will use Flare that ignores enemies' Reflect status. Her ultimate attack is Eschaton that blasts all enemies with a ray of Holy-elemental light. In Final Fantasy XII International, Ultima can cast Holy and Renew and gains Null Vitality and Null Weather & Terrain Effects. Her damage is also no longer capped at 9,999.

Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts


Zodiark is an optional Dark Esper sealed in the deepest reaches of the Henne Mines. He is the strongest of Espers and is a serpentine monster able to sprout wings. Zodiark punishes his foes with the Dark-elemental Banish Ray, and if his enemies absorb Dark he uses Flare, and if there are multiple enemies he uses Scathe. His spells ignore enemies' Reflect status and take no Charge Time to execute. His ultimate attack is Final Eclipse that ends in a catastrophic explosion that deals fixed 50,000 damage and unlike most other Esper attacks, Final Eclipse is unaffected by Reverse. In Final Fantasy XII International Zodiark can no longer cast Flare, but can cast Renew and Hastega. Final Eclipse's damage has been boosted to 60,000 and he gains the Null Vitality augment.

Summoning Espers
The character who has an Esper's license can summon the Esper by expending a number of Mist Gauges. Summoning an Esper is similar to using a Quickening; the Lv1 Espers take one gauge to summon, whereas the Lv3 Espers take all three.

Summoning an Esper is instantaneous and takes no charge time. When an Esper is summoned the two other party members disappear, and only the Esper and its summoner appear on the field. The normal music is replaced by the Esper's battle music as long as the Esper is present. An Esper's level is identical to its summoner's, yet, Espers have fixed Attack, Defense and Magic Defense (like wearing the same "equipment"). Espers cannot trigger traps even if they are ground-based, like Belias, Cúchulainn, Shemhazai and Hashmal.

Each summon lasts maximum of one minute and thirty seconds and ends when either the summoner or the Esper dies, or the Esper uses its ultimate move. The ultimate attacks are area-effect attacks and target the enemy with the highest max HP. In battle, the Esper follows its own gambits, which the player can't set. In this sense, Espers work much like guests. Espers' attacks never deal hit combos or critical hits.

Espers can cast magicks even if they have no MP. This means the player can Syphon their MP freely. Espers are immune to almost all status ailments, which can give a strategic advantage against enemies like Carrot, because whenever an Esper is on the battlefield, the enemies tend to focus their attacks on it.

The Dead Character Glitch can be triggered if a character dies during an Esper's dismiss animation.

In the International Zodiac Job System version, summoning Espers no longer takes up MP, using a specific charge meter instead that is also used for Quickenings, and the player can set the Espers' gambits.

Stats
Because the Espers level up along with their summoner, their stats grow.


 * Base + (Level x Modifier)/128


 * Base = Base value. Different Esper has different values.
 * Level = The current level
 * Modifier = Different Espers have different modifiers (growth rate)

The stat growth is fixed, as there are no random elements involved.

Musical Themes
Battles against Espers are accompanied with "Esper Battle", composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. It is the second track in Disc 3 of the original soundtrack. It plays immediately after the Esper begins its move towards the party. The intro starts with a series of militaristic beats, accompanied by wind instruments, and later joined with a female choir. Intermittently, the choir goes louder, joined with voices of the male choir. The choir is then switched occasionally with loud brass and strings, and reaches climax with all instruments beating together to the martial tune.

When summoning an Esper into battle, the track "Esper" plays. Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, it is the second track in Disc 4 of the original soundtrack. It is a variation of the "Esper Battle", with a higher tempo making it fast-paced and a bit chaotic. The choir also joins in with a higher note.

Development
The Espers are not controllable by the player in the original version, but this has been changed in the Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System version.

Final Fantasy XII Manga
In the manga version of Final Fantasy XII the Esper's glyph marks itself on the summoner's body as a sign of its servitude to him/her. Ashe's group enters the Tomb of Raithwall and to Belias's chamber and Basch, Vossler, Fran and Balthier battle Belias while Ashe, Vaan and Penelo try to enter the door the Esper was guarding to get the Dawn Shard.

Vaan wishes to assist in fighting Belias, but Ashe tells him their mission to retrieve the Dawn Shard takes priority. Vaan is displeased with Ashe's attitude towards power and her friends, and leaves her to retrieve the nethicite herself. Ashe returns to protect Vaan before Belias can strike him down, and the group defeats it, Belias's glyph marking the back of Ashe's hand.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
The Espers from Final Fantasy XII appear in this Japanese trading card game.

Etymology
Most of the names of the scions have something to do with angels, in both Judaism and Christianity. For the Etymology of the Scions of Darkness, see their corresponding articles.


 * A name with a hidden meaning is Emet-Selch, the scion of light. His title is "The Angel of Truth". "Emet-Selch" in Hebrew means "Your Truth".
 * Nabriales, another Scion of Light, is a name of an angel in Jewish mythology. It is pronounced in Hebrew as "Nabriel".
 * Fandaniel matches the basic template of angel names in Judaism, as the "-el" suffix in hebrew means "god" and is usually at the end of many angel names, to mark their superior connection to God.

Some of the Espers take their name after a main antagonist from the first five games in the series:
 * Chaos - Chaos
 * Mateus - Emperor Mateus
 * Famfrit - Cloud of Darkness
 * Zeromus - Zeromus
 * Exodus - Exdeath

Trivia

 * Mateus and Shemhazai battles are the only Esper fights where it's impossible to fight with a guest.
 * Zeromus and Adrammelech are the only Espers that don't return in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.
 * Members of the Ascians in Final Fantasy XIV, who worship Zodiark, are named after the Scions of Light mentioned in the Espers' profiles.