Bahamut



Bahamut (バハムート), 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 an enemy in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars with the name of Bahamutt, in addition to being the namesake for the Sky Fortress Bahamut in Final Fantasy XII.

In the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, there are several species of Bahamut. His attack, Mega Flare, sometimes translated as Sun Flare, deals non-elemental magic damage which ignores defense and evasion. There are, however, other variations to Mega Flare corresponding to different appearances of Bahamut, including Tera Flare, Giga Flare and Exa Flare to name but a few. He is typically considered the strongest among storyline summons and more often than not, the player must prove his/her worth by winning a battle against Bahamut himself, or, rarely, another storyline boss.

Final Fantasy
Bahamut plays a major role in the original game, promoting the player's characters into a newer, more powerful upgrade, after they have acquired a Rat's Tail from the Citadel of Trials. The new classes are not only stronger, but all except the Master can learn additional magic. Most, if not all, will be able to equip more types of equipment. The class upgrades are:


 * Warrior to Knight
 * Black Mage to Black Wizard
 * Thief to Ninja
 * Red Mage to Red Wizard
 * White Mage to White Wizard
 * Monk to Master

Final Fantasy III
The Warriors of Light travel to Canaan where they find a girl waiting for her love's return. The heroes must find him on Dragon's Peak. When reaching the top, they enter into battle with Bahamut. This first battle 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 Bahamur 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.


 * White summoning: Aura: casts Aura on the party.
 * Black summoning: Rend: Instant KO to one enemy if successful.
 * High summoning: Mega Flare: deals non-elemental damage to all enemies.

Final Fantasy IV


Bahamut is the "God of Eidolons," and lives on the Red Moon in the Lair of the Father awaiting Rydia to come and challenge him so she would be able to summon him. In order to be given this challenge, Rydia must already be in possession of the Leviathan summon. Bahamut has two guards who take the form of children, and he has admitted that Rydia was the first he ever accepted. It takes 60 MP to summon.

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

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years


The Mysterious Girl, one of the antagonists of Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, summons Bahamut to fight Cecil in the beginning of the game, defeating him and allowing her to seize control of Baron Castle. Bahamut is fought in the final chapter alongside the Mysterious Girl, and is the last boss of the game before the Creator. If Rydia has been able to recover Leviathan and Asura as summons, Bahamut will turn on the Mysterious Girl and destroy her before returning to Rydia, but if not then Bahamut must be slain by the party and will not be available to summon.

Final Fantasy V
Bahamut is released in the Merged World, after the Tablet from the Pyramid of Moore is obtained. He moves to the North Mountain. The party must climb the mountain and fight him at the top. He is a Level 5 Summon which deals non-elemental damage to all enemies and is obtained after the fight. Bahamut takes 66 MP to summon.

Final Fantasy VI

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut is an Esper acquired after defeating Deathgaze on the Falcon. However, if Deathgaze is killed using an attack that delays its Final Attack for one turn (such as Banish), the party will not receive Bahamut's Magicite. Mega Flare (Sun Flare in the SNES Version) deals non-elemental magic damage to all opponents. Its Spell Power is 86, 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 the wearer's HP by 50%.

Bahamut can also be summoned by using Setzer's Slots ability by getting three dragon symbols in a row.

Bahamut

 * See the Summon sequence here.

The Bahamut Summon Materia is found in the Temple of the Ancients after defeating the Red Dragon. It costs 100 MP to summon and unleashes a magical piercing attack, Mega Flare. Bahamut's spell power is equal to 4.0625x the base magic damage.

Neo Bahamut

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Neo Bahamut (バハムート改) is another version of Bahamut. Neo Bahamut's animation is to lift the enemy party on a piece of earth into the sky, then fire a large beam that shatters the earth and leaves the enemy party to fall back to earth. This attack is called Giga Flare and deals piercing non-elemental damage to all the enemy party members. The Neo Bahamut Materia can be found in the party's trip to Whirlwind Maze, lying on the ground, and costs 140 MP to summon. Neo Bahamut's spell power is equal to 5x the base magic damage.

Bahamut ZERO

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut ZERO (バハムート零式) is the third and strongest form of Bahamut in the game. Its summon sequence has it flying through space and launching a beam of energy through the atmosphere. This attack is called Tera Flare and it deals piercing magical damage. The Bahamut ZERO Materia can be found at the planetarium in Cosmo Canyon when the player touches the Blue Huge Materia, however, the player must already have obtained both Bahamut and Neo Bahamut to acquire it, and the Huge Materia 'says' the names of the two summons, before relinquishing Bahamut ZERO. Bahamut ZERO costs 180 MP to summon, and its spell power is equal to 7.5x the base magic damage.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Bahamut SIN (バハムート震) is a new form of Bahamut summoned by the antagonist of the film Kadaj in order to destroy the Meteorfall monument in Edge, as well as wreak havoc on the populace. The dragon was given the name "Bahamut SIN" in the English version, though its name is more analogous to "Bahamut TREMOR" ("Bahamut SHIN" in the Japanese audio version). Its attack is not named in the film, but is called "Tremor Flare" in the 10th Anniversary Ultimania. The party members of Final Fantasy VII engage it in battle and it is ultimately destroyed by Cloud's Climhazzard Limit Break.

Bahamut SIN is notable for appearing as a twisted, demonic version of Bahamut, its eyes sunken, red, and bug-like, its skull featuring a series of ram-like horns, and its wings supported by a series of insectoid 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 the version in Final Fantasy VII, although it is even more in line with the revised Crisis Core version. The designer of Bahamut SIN, Takeya, has stated its appearance was inspired by the culture of the in Japanese history.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
Bahamut can be summoned in battle using the appropriate Materia, and deals heavy non-elemental damage to all enemies. Bahamut Zero also appears in the game.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

 * See the summon sequences here.

Two versions of Bahamut appear, each as a boss. The original version of Bahamut from Final Fantasy VII uses the original Mega Flare, while Bahamut Fury (バハムート烈 Bahamūto Retsu lit. Bahamut Fury) is a much larger golden version of Bahamut that 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.

In battle, along with the standard magic attacks and claw swipes, Bahamut Fury is able to jettison the six spikes on its wings at enemies in a powerful attack known as Hexafang. The same jettison is used in the animation for Exa Flare. The power of Mega Flare and Exa Flare is as follows:

Final Fantasy VIII

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut is a Guardian Force 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:


 * Bahamut: "I am...Bahamut"
 * 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.

Bahamut's attack, Mega Flare, is a non-elemental attack that damages all enemies and ignores target's Spirit stat. Bahamut's summon time is 22.1s, which, according to the Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania, allows the player to boost its damage to around 230% of normal damage using a regular PlayStation controller. Its damage is calculated as follows:


 * $$Damage = 70 * Level / 10 + 55 + 30$$
 * $$Damage = Damage * (265) / 8 $$
 * $$Damage = Damage * 55 / 256 $$
 * $$Damage = Damage * Boost / 100 $$
 * $$Damage = Damage * (100 + SummonMagBonus) / 100 $$

Abilities
Abilities learned naturally by Bahamut are listed below:

Final Fantasy IX

 * See the Summon sequence here.

Bahamut is an Eidolon who plays a major role in the story. He is one of Princess Garnet's original Eidolons, but is extracted by Zorn and Thorn for Queen Brahne to use.

However, she does not summon him until the Battle of the Iifa Tree against Kuja. There, Kuja uses the Invincible to enslave it and kill the Queen. Kuja then controls Bahamut and uses it to attack Alexandria, however, Garnet and Eiko defeat it by summoning Alexander. After obtaining the Hilda Garde III, Beatrix gives the Garnet to Zidane, which Princess Garnet can use to summon Bahamut. Bahamut's spell power is equal to 88 plus the total number of Garnet in the party's inventory.

Bahamut's attack is Mega Flare, which inflicts massive non-elemental damage to all enemies. It is learned through the Garnet item and takes 56 MP to summon.

Tetra Master

 * Card 066
 * Location: Treno, Card Stadium

Final Fantasy X

 * See the Summon and Overdrive sequence here.

Bahamut appears as an Aeon in Final Fantasy X, 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, a non-elemental attack which causes moderate damage to all enemies, and his Overdrive is Mega Flare.

Bahamut is the most powerful storyline Aeon, as well as one of the few that can exceed the 9,999 damage limit from the start. In his Fayth form of a young boy, he acts as Tidus's guide in Spira. He is also the one who 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.

Bahamut can be fought several times in the game. Isaaru's Bahamut, titled Spathi, is fought in the Via Purifico. Belgemine's Bahamut can be fought in Remiem Temple, where he can be fought repeatedly. He is also fought during the game's final battle against Yu Yevon.

In the International and PAL versions of the game, the Dark Bahamut will be fought if the party revisits the Chamber of the Fayth where Yunalesca was found 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. His Fayth appeared in the Farplane Abyss after the Gullwings defeat Dark Anima and tells Yuna why he and the other Fayth did it. They weren't strong enough to overcome the darkness. After Vegnagun and Shuyin's defeat, Bahamut appears before Yuna in his Fayth form in the Farplane Glen. During this meeting, Bahamut gives Yuna the option to resurrect Tidus. If the player has completed certain tasks in the game, and chooses Yes, then Bahamut and the other Fayth will grant Yuna's wish.

Final Fantasy XI
Bahamut is present in Final Fantasy XI as a plot-based avatar. He is a prominent figure in the Chains of Promathia storyline, but is unavailable to players as a summon.

Bahamut first makes an appearance in the opening cutscene of Chains of Promathia. After Emptiness disrupts the crystal line, he appears to issue a warning unto the people of Vana'diel that the Keeper of the Apocalypse's arrival is near. As the Wyrmking, he commands his minions to "let the blood of the gods spill forth on the soil of their creation". Later, having been sent to Cape Riverne to investigate the sudden uplifting of the area, the player, along with Prishe and Ulmia, arrive at the Monarch Linn and encounter Nag'molada chanting the Memoria de la Stôna. Bahamut appears, identifies Nag'molada as a Kuluu, and discusses with him the oncoming flood of Emptiness, believed to be unleashed by man.

After a short battle against guards, Prishe interrupts their conversation. Not long after, Selh'teus appears, urging that Bahamut's predictions of the end of mankind are mistaken. Bahamut exits. Much later, the player, along with Ulmia and Tenzen, return to the Monarch Linn in order to learn the truth of the recent happenings from Bahamut. Bahamut scoffs at their determination, mocking their "incompleteness" as the dream-keeper Diabolos had, and directs the wyrm Ouryu to attack the party.

The group forces Ouryu to retreat, however Bahamut still refuses to heed the party's request. He reveals that, long before, he had made a pact with a young boy should the day when the Keeper of the Apocalypse would return. Acknowledging that the time has come, he commands his army of wyrms to gather in preparation for the coming salvation of the land, and leaves the group with a grim message; "Children of the dawn, your end is near!"

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, the number of groups that have defeated his second form have dwindled significantly.

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

Final Fantasy XII


Though not a summon, Bahamut is referenced in one of the airships in the game, the Sky Fortress Bahamut, which serves as the Final Dungeon in Final Fantasy XII. The final boss, The Undying, however, takes on an appearance similar to Bahamut, and is even able to use Bahamut's signature attacks, Megaflare and Teraflare, as well as an attack called Gigaflare Sword.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
.

Bahamut, again, appears as a plot device. Judge of Wings summons him to destroy part of the Muruc Cashuac Skysea. Bahamut later appears as a boss and an actual summon. 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.

Bahamut can be fought again at the Well of Whispered Oaths in the Keep of Forgotten Time in order to be unlocked.

Final Fantasy XIII



 * See the Gestalt Mode And Summoning sequence here.

Bahamut is Fang's Eidolon, whom she can summon from her crystal shard. Bahamut's summon intro is similar to its Final Fantasy X summoning intro, being shown diving through a series of magic emblems from the sky. His regular attack in normal form resembles a less powerful version of Mega Flare. Fang, Lightning, and Vanille will first face Bahamut as a boss in the Fifth Ark, as a test to prove Fang's strength to him.

Bahamut utilizes powerful non-elemental attacks, making him the Eidolon with the highest damage-dealing potential. Fang's Gestalt Gauge increases by driving up enemy chain gauges, defending against attacks and inflicting status ailments upon enemies. As Bahamut's SP is rather low compared to other Eidolons', it may be a good idea for Fang to assume the role of Sentinel to increase the summoning time as well as to boost Bahamut's Gestalt Gauge whenever Fang is attacked while blocking. The more Gestalt Gauge the player can build before going into Gestalt Mode, the more attacks they can get while in Gestalt, and the more powerful Mega Flare will be.

Bahamut's Gestalt Mode sees him transform into a flying mechanical wyvern, which Fang can ride. His attacks involve quick dives, lasers and explosion, culminating in his finisher, the Mega Flare.

Final Fantasy XIII-2
An incarnation called Chaos Bahamut (Bahamut Chaos in the original Japanese version) has been shown in trailers and screenshots. Lightning fights him atop Odin. Chaos Bahamut is able to use the Inferno ability, one of Bahamut's skills in the original game. A promotional poster for the game shows Lightning's rival, Caius, atop Chaos Bahamut in Gestalt Mode, implying he is the Eidolon's master.

Final Fantasy Type-0
In the trailer for Final Fantasy Type-0, Bahamut was seen fighting against opposing forces before being brutally shot down and killed.

In the Demo, Bahamut reappears, in one of the missions. However, not only it is alive, but also there seems to be many other Bahamuts flying above the battlefield.

There also seem to exist another version of Bahamut, called Bahamut 0, though the difference between the two remains unknown.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Bahamut appears as a powerful summon learned for the Summoner by using 1200 JP. It costs 60 MP, has a speed of 10, and has an area of effect of 4 vertical 3. In the PlayStation version, when summoned, the summoner will sometimes say, ''Scorch with dragon flame! Bahamut!''

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Bahamut appears as a summon that casts Aura on the user, which repeatedly increases their Bravery points over a certain period of time.

Bahamut can be summoned by two distinct ways: automatically, which summons it immediately when the summoner's Brave becomes lower than half of their original Bravery base, increasing their BP by periods of 20 and showing its Final Fantasy X artwork, and manually, where the summoner's BP is increased by periods of 40 and its Final Fantasy III artwork appears. Bahamut's auto version is obtained in the third stage of the Destiny Odyssey VIII storyline and its manual version is obtained in the same odyssey's second stage. The dialogue Bahamut says to the player is based on what he says to the party in Final Fantasy IV when he is beaten.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Yuna can summon the Final Fantasy X incarnation of Bahamut to perform either Impulse or Mega Flare.

Bahamut also returns as a summonstone, with the same function as in Dissidia. However, the manual version grants Bravery increases in increments of 99, while the automatic version raises it in increments of 75. His auto version is now found in Chapter Ten: Champions of her Will of Scenario 013, and speaks the same dialogue as he did to the Warriors of Light when he granted them new classes. The manual version can be purchased from certain Moogle Shops for 60 KP.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Bahamut is fought as an optional boss on the 80th level of the Moonsand Ruins. Unlike other games in the series, Bahamut is a light-elemental dragon and does not have access to his signature ability, Mega Flare. After the player defeats him, they will obtain the rare Orihalcon item.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
When wearing the Mythic Beast Sallet and Mythic Beast Plate, a male Yuke resembles Bahamut.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
For the battle information, see Bahamut (The Crystal Bearers). Bahamut appears as a boss in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers summoned by Amidatelion. The Yuke summons Bahamut to keep Layle and Keiss from pursuing her. Bahamut itself holds no major importance in the story beyond showing the full extent of Amidatelion's power.

After the dragon is defeated, no further mention is made of it and the heroes continue on their chase. Although Bahamut is never mentioned again, the dragon appears as an emblem for Layle's jacket. This marks the first time that Bahamut appears in a Crystal Chronicles game.

Chocobo series
. Bahamut is a recurring non-playable character in the Chocobo game series. In Chocobo's Dungeon 2, however, by breaking a high level claw it is possible to receive Bahamut as a playable character. The player must give up a lot of Energy to call him though.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited
In the anime, Final Fantasy: Unlimited, a Bahamut-like summon named Gun Dragon makes an appearance as Kaze's ultimate summon. It comes 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 Final Fantasy Unlimited: 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:


 * 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 Unlimited 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!

Knights of the Crystals
The Dragon King Bahamut is one of the boss battles in this Facebook game. Defeating it rewards the player with the Achievement "Dragon Slayer".

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Bahamut makes an appearance in Bowser's Keep as "Bahamutt". In keeping with the series tradition, it is summoned into battle by Magikoopa and must be slain before Magikoopa can be attacked again.

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, adding the option to summon Bahamut in the summon menu. However, attempting to summon Bahamut will cause the game to crash.

Bahamut's signature move, Mega Flare, is usable by the guardian dragon Mushu, in certain games, and also as a powerful command in Birth By Sleep.

Bahamut is also the name of an Arrowgun wielded by Xigbar, a member of Organization XIII, in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. In the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, the upgrades to the Metal Chocobo Keyblade, which is associated with Cloud Strife, are named after Bahamut and the four variations of it that appear in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

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. Its ability deals Fire damage to all enemies in range.

Bahamut reappears in the sequel Lord of Vermilion II.

Lord of Arcana
Bahamut is featured as a boss and summon that players can obtain after collecting the correct materials.

The World Ends With You


Bahamut appears as a pin called Tin Pin Bahamut in . His psych blasts a huge burst of energy at the opponent, dealing massive damage on contact. Tin Pin Bahamut can only be obtained after defeating the Wizard of Slam in a bout of Tin Pin Slammer.

Tin Pin Bahamut's energy beam bears a slight resemblance to the Hadoken often seen in other media.

The 3rd Birthday
In Square Enix's 2010 game The 3rd Birthday, Bahamut appears Chapter 04's mission, Blue Hail. In the mission, Bahamut 524 is the name of the helicopter Aya procures to escape the tower and combat the Twisted.

8-Bit Theater
Bahamut is a minor character in the webcomic 8-Bit Theater. The Light Warriors journey to find the rat tail (which is supposedly a cure for his impotence) and are granted a class change, as in the original game. He is also apparently dating Matoya.

Dead Fantasy
Bahamut and other summons were summoned by Yuna to defeat the Kasumi Clones in Dead Fantasy IV, but were defeated.

Merchandise
Bahamut has been a popular figure for Final Fantasy merchandise, mainly in the form of displayable figurines.

Bahamut Zero and Neo Bahamut have been released as small trade figurines in Japan as part of Final Fantasy Creatures collections. The Bahamut SIN figurine, part of the Advent Children "Monster Deluxe" collection, measures approximately 7" tall with a display base, and is sculpted for Kotobukiya by Takayuki Takeya. Bahamut SIN is also part of the Creatures Kai Vol.1 collection.

Bahamut from Final Fantasy VIII has been released as an action figure that was sold in two colors: fully painted, and in transparent version. In the Japanese version, all Guardian Force figurines contained parts to assemble a Ragnarok figure. Final Fantasy VIII Bahamut has also appeared as part of the first Final Fantasy Master Creatures series and is available in two colors: normal and Tiamat. The Creatures Kai Vol.2 series includes figurine of the Final Fantasy IX Bahamut.

Made by Kotobukiya, the Final Fantasy X Bahamut figurine depicts the Aeon in detail, with a paint job that has a metallic sheen and comes with a display stand.

Perhaps the rarest Bahamut merchandise is the Squall and Bahamut limited hand-crafted coldcast statue, made by Kotobukiya in 1999. Each statue comes with a serial number. The size stands at approximately 400mm.

Etymology
Bahamut (Arabic بهموت Bahamūt) originated as an enormous fish in ancient pre-Islamic 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.

Another version of the Arabic story is that Bahamut is indeed a dragon and he stands on a whale called Liwash.

In modern times, the game Dungeons &amp; Dragons is responsible for re-imagining Bahamut as the king of dragons, a benevolent Platinum Dragon; the opposite of the malevolent Tiamat, the five-headed Chromatic Queen of Dragons.

Trivia

 * Bahamut was going to be the ultimate summon for Kingdom Hearts but was scrapped.
 * Bahamut is the only summon in all its premier Final Fantasy games not to have an element.
 * The only game of the main series in which Bahamut has not appeared is Final Fantasy II.
 * According to the Dissidia Final Fantasy museum, Bahamut's evolution throughout the series means he cannot be classified as just a dragon.
 * Bahamut was originally set to appear in a unused stage in the game also developed by Square Enix: Mario sports mix.