Castle

Castles are a recurring type of locations found throughout the Final Fantasy series. Castles are very versatile in their appearances, and can be both hostile and abandonend or of friendly alignment. They are usually accessed via World Map, and in case of being friendly, are usually located near Towns, or may be even Citadels.

It is noteworthy that, starting with Final Fantasy VII the appearance of castles in the series has become scarcer.

Final Fantasy
In the original Final Fantasy Castle Cornelia is home to the first cutscene of the game, but other than it, there aren't many castles appearing.

List of Castles:
 * Castle Cornelia is the starting point of the game and home to Princess Sarah. It holds many treasure in its locked treasure room.
 * Elven Castle is home to the royal family of Elfheim, and thus, the Prince of Elfheim. Its locked treasure can only be obtained with the Mystic Key.
 * The Western Keep is an abandoned monster-ridden castle located northwest of Elfheim and chosen by Astos in his plan to obtain the Crown and destroy the Warriors of Light.
 * The Citadel of Trials is an abandoned monster-filled castle used by Bahamut in order to test the worth of warriors that come to him.
 * The Flying Fortress is the ancient home of the Lufenian, and conquered by the Wind Fiend Tiamat 400 years in the past. It houses the Wind Crystal and must be accessed from the Mirage Tower.

Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy II features several nations, and for each a castle. A curious trait of Final Fantasy II's castles is the fact that only one castle does not have any enemy encounters.

List of Castles:
 * Kashuan Keep is the capital of the ancient Kashuan Kingdom, ruled by Scott and Gordon, and houses the Sunfire.
 * Castle Deist is the headquarters of the Dragoons and their Wyvern. It is home to many treasure and the last Wyvern.
 * Castle Fynn is the first castle sighted in the game, but not the first to be visited. It is reconquered by the Wild Rose Rebellion halfway through the game, and from then on, it becomes the center of command for the party's operations. Its locked sewers are very expansive as well.
 * Palamecia Castle is the capital of the Palamecian Empire and home to its Emperor. It must be accessed by Airship.
 * Pandaemonium is the palace of hell. It is the final dungeon of the game.
 * Arubboth is Pandaemonium's polar opposite, the palace of heaven. It is the final dungeon of the Soul of Rebirth.

Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy III is much similar to Final Fantasy II in terms of castles. However, only one works as a Dungeon. All castles hold an extensive amount of treasure, both hidden and in treasure vaults.

List of Castles:
 * Sasune is a citadel visited in the beginning of the game, stuck by the Djinn's curse. Its left tower is filled with monsters.
 * Castle Argus is abandoned at first, but later in the game it is retaken by its army.
 * Castle Hein is a floating fortress above the desert near Tokkul. It is in fact the world tree from the Living Woods, transformed into Hein's personal stronghold by his magic, but after he perishes, it returns to its original resting ground.
 * Castle Saronia is the center of the metropolis and home to its royal family. After the civil war its throne is taken by prince Alus Restor.

Final Fantasy IV
Several castles appear in Final Fantasy IV. Also, enemies are fought on every of them, with exception of Troia.

List of Castles:
 * Baron has one of the most iconic castles of the series, featured in the DS remake's opening. It is Cecil Harvey's home.
 * Damcyan is a desert citadel located north of Kaipo, and holds within the Fire Crystal.
 * Fabul is an eastern kingdom that holds the Wind Crystal. It is home to Yang and his Monk comrades.
 * Troia is located in the middle of the lush forests to the west and holds the Earth Crystal.
 * The Dwarven Castle is located underground and is the first location found there. It holds a Dark Crystal and wars against Golbez and his Red Wings.
 * The Eblan castle is razed by Golbez's forces due to its distance to his headquarters. It is home to the Ninja.