Scimitar (sword)

The Scimitar is a weapon that appears in various games in the series.

Background
The word scimitar does not refer to a single weapon but rather a set of swords that are all refered to as scimitars. Most of these weapons originated in the Middle East and all share some common characteristics.

The blade is curved and sharp primarily for slashing attacks rather than stabbing. The blades all tend to be thicker near the hilt of the weapon thus allowing more speed during a slash and control although the blade itself is not particularly heavy.

The first historical references to a weapon similar to a scimitar occur in 1800 BC as the Khopesh "sickle-sword" appeared to be a weapon used to fight against the Egyptians. The Khopesh was used heavily during the time period in Egypt known as the new kingdom.

In Medieval times, scimitars (in the form of Saifs and Kilij) were heavily used in warfare in the Turkish and Arabian lands.

Final Fantasy I
In the first Final Fantasy, the Scimtar can only be purchased in Pravoka and be used by most of the fighting characters in the game. When it becomes available it will be the best weapon choice for Thief and will remain his best weapon until the Dragon Sword or Coral Sword become available. Note that in Dawn of Souls, the weapon is cheaper than the original game.

Final Fantasy III
The Djinn is an early boss in Final Fantasy III who uses what appears to be a scimitar type weapon.

Final Fantasy VI
In Final Fantasy VI, the Scimitar is one of the most powerful weapons in the game. It was renamed Zantetsuken for Final Fantasy VI Advance]]. It has 208 attack power and has a random chance of inflicting instant death (even against undead foes). When combined with Relics that allow for multiple attacks, the Scimitar is a weapon of mass destruction against most random encounters.

In Final Fantasy VI, the Scimitar can be won from the Blue Dragon or from the Collesium by betting the Illumina. The sword can be used by Terra, Cyan, Edgar, and Celes.

Final Fantasy VII
In Final Fantasy VII the scimitar appears as one of the lance type weapons used by Cid. The weapon can only be found in a chest at the Submarine Docks at the Underwater Reactor. It is a very useful weapon in the game as it offers Triple materia growth.

Stats: Attack - 86 Atk % - 102 Magic - 20 Materia Slots - 2 (1 Linked pair) Materia Growth - Triple

Final Fantasy XI
The Bloody Blade in Final Fantasy XI appears to be a one handed scimitar.

Odin
When Odin appears in various games in the series he carries a number of different weapons. In many of these instances one of the weapons is a Scimitar.