Defend (ability)

Defend (ぼうぎょ), also known as Guard (まもる) and Parry, is a recurring ability in the Final Fantasy series. When used, the character will take a defensive stance and reduce the damage they take. Depending on the game, sometimes a status of the same name is applied when using the ability.

Final Fantasy III
Defend is a command ability for the Knight class, which reduces damage done to the user after covering for a weakened ally. The damage taken is equal to the following in the DS version:


 * Damage Received = Original Damage x (100 - (40 + JobLv / 5))%

If the user's Job Level is 99, the damage is reduced by around 60%.

The formula is different in the NES version, which is as follows:


 * Defense = Defense * 4

This bonus only lasts until the end of the round. Note that unlike in the DS version, all classes are capable of using the command in the NES version.

Final Fantasy IV
Originally called Parry in the early English version of the game. Whenever a character uses the Defend command, they gain the Defend status, which lasts until the character's input window is displayed. While in this status, the character's Defense is doubled.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-
Defend returns as a command in the sequel of Final Fantasy IV, and it functions the same way as its predecessor.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Defend is a command that doubles the character's defense until the character's input window is displayed again.

Final Fantasy V
Guard is a command ability, learned by the Knight class at level 2 for 30 ABP. It reduces all physical damage done to the user to 0, and is useful in conjunction with the Cover ability. Defend is also a regular command everybody can access by pressing the cursor to the right while in battle, in which the character takes a defensive position that lasts until their next move, taking less damage for its duration.

Final Fantasy VI
Every character except Umaro has access to the Defend command by pressing right in that character's command window. Defending halves damage from physical attacks.

Final Fantasy VII
Every character has a Defend command accessed by pressing right of the character's battle menu. The character takes a defensive stance and takes half damage from physical attacks until their next turn.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Zack can guard with the button. If timed right, Zack will take much less damage from attacks, and, different from most other games, Zack can also defend against magical attacks in this manner.

Final Fantasy VIII
The Guardian Forces Brothers and Cactuar can learn Defend as a command for 100 AP. It grants the character immunity to physical attacks and halves magical damage. If the user is attacked by a physical attack that would cause a status effect, the status effect will never be applied. The status lasts until the character picks their next move. This way, it is especially useful for Selphie when fighting enemies that only use physical attacks, such as T-Rexaur: a critical health Selphie can put up the Defend command and on her next move safely shuffle through her Slots Limit Break menu while being immune to damage.

Final Fantasy IX
Once again, every character has access to the Defend command, by holding right in the command window. Any physical attack on the defending character will be reduced by 50%, and can also stack together with the ability Distract or by having the attacker under the Confusion or Darkness status effects.

Final Fantasy X
A character will automatically defend against physical attacks when their turn is skipped through. When defending, damage from physical attacks is halved. It is a Rank 2 ability, which means it takes less time to recover than from a regular Attack.

Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII has numerous defend abilities all available to the Sentinel role and not all characters can learn all abilities. Lightning, who is an agile and fast character, learns the evasive defend commands that have her take a defensive stance and then evade when an enemy attacks. Snow, who has Sentinel as a primary role, learns Steelguard that is the strongest defensive stance in the game, which reduces damage the more the character is hit while defending. The Mediguard skill lets the player take a defensive stance while regenerating HP, akin to the Regen status.

The more traditional ability, Guard is an enemy ability used by Cid Raines, PSICOM Raider, and Sanctum Archangel. This support ability reduces the damage taken while guarding.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
The defend abilities return in Final Fantasy XIII-2, again attributed to the Sentinel role. This time, the player can also recruit monsters who act as Sentinels in battle.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Defend is a support ability that the Squire class learns for 50 JP. Equipping Defend in the support ability slot will add a Defend command in the unit menu. This ability doubles the character's chance of evading an attack until his next turn and starts the character CT from 20 rather than 0, meaning earlier action in the next turn. Thief's reaction ability, Vigilance, can trigger the defending stance when the user is being attacked.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Defend is the Action command of the Defender, a Bangaa job class. It concentrates on making the user nearly impervious to enemy attacks, especially physical strikes, and includes moves like Expert Guard, which neutralizes all damage done for one turn, and Tremor, which pushes away all nearby units while dealing damage. The Paladin, a Hume job class can also use the ability Defense, which increases the units' weapon and magic resistance until the unit next moves.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Defend is now an ability of hume Paladins and bangaa Defenders. It increases the unit's Defense and Resistance until the next turn. The Moogle Knight class has an ability with the same effect called Moogle Guard. There is also a stronger version of it, called Bulwark, available to bangaa Defenders and Gria Raptors, which nullifies all damage dealt to the unit by one turn. Defend can be learned from the Lion Heart for 200 AP.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
The command is called Defense in the game, it guards from an enemy's attack and reduces some of the damage taken. By defending an ally, the character will do nothing for one turn while waiting for an attack.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
The Boost command is equipped to every playable character by default, and lets the user conserve their Action Points without taking a turn. They take less damage from enemy attacks on their Boost turn, making the Boost command comparable to the Defend command in other Final Fantasy titles.

Final Fantasy Legend II
Defense only has 30 uses, and increases a Robot's HP by 9 when equipped on them. It blocks melee attacks with a 50% chance of success and taking no damage if successful.

Final Fantasy Legend III
Parry halves all damage for one round, allies and monsters alike can use this command.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
Guard is a Warrior Battle Skill ability, which starts at level 1 and can be leveled up to 100. It has a chance of reducing physical damage by half, and the chances of this happening increases the higher the ability's level is.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Characters can guard against attacks with the Ground Block and Midair Block abilities, which all characters know innately. Depending on the Damage Priority of attacks, the character can block the attack successfully and stagger their opponent, leaving them open to counterattack, they may fail to block and stagger themselves, or their block may be pierced and the attack do full damage. Some attacks have built-in Block effects, such as Firion's Shield Bash or Sephiroth's Scintilla.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
The Block command returns with the same function as in Dissidia, though various moves have different damage priorities determining if they can be blocked or not. The new Precision Block ability allows a character to block all blockable attacks regardless of damage priority, but they will stagger if they block an attack that would normally stagger or pierce a normal block.