Diabolos


 * See Diablos' Summon sequences here.

Diabolos, also known as Diablos, is a recurring creature in the series that has most often appeared as a summoned monster. He first appeared in Final Fantasy VIII and his trademark ability is Dark Messenger, which usually deals fractional damage based on the target's HP. Even though his nature and backstory change, Diabolos's appearance throughout the series is consistent.

Final Fantasy VI
Diabolos appears in the Game Boy Advance remake. He is obtained by defeating the Kaiser Dragon in the Dragons' Den.

Dark Messenger deals non-elemental fractional damage reducing opponents' HP to 1/16, ignoring protection to Instant Death, and also inflicts Sap. He costs 100 MP to summon.

Diabolos teaches the following:
 * Graviga X5
 * Gravija X3

At level up, Diabolos provides a +100% boost to HP.

Due to a glitch, it is possible to obtain the Diabolos magicite without fighting the Kaiser Dragon.

Final Fantasy VIII
Diablos first appeared in Final Fantasy VIII as an optional boss who becomes a Guardian Force upon defeat. He can be obtained when the party receives the Magical Lamp from Headmaster Cid. Upon using the lamp in the menu the screen will dissolve and the player will immediately fight Diablos. Should the player lose, the game ends in a Game Over. Diablos will become stronger as the party does; thus, it is advisable to defeat him just after receiving the lamp.

Diablos's summon attack is called Dark Messenger and it deals damage in relation to the enemies' maximum HP count via a percentage equal to Diablos's level range {e.g. 10-19, 30-39} (with a set damage limit at 9,999).


 * $$Damage = TargetMaxHP * Level / 100$$

Diablos can kill the opponent, in contrast with other gravity-based attacks, meaning, at level 100, he will kill any foe with less than 9,999 Max HP. If Diablos is below level 10, his attack will deal 9% of enemies' maximum health in damage. Diablos won't work on most bosses, as most bosses are immune to gravity. Because Diablos's damage is calculated differently from all other Guardian Forces he cannot be boosted, and though he can learn SumMag+% abilities via items, they have no effect on his attack power.

Abilities
Abilities learned naturally by Diablos are listed below: Diablos's ST Mag-RF skill is an integral part of the more casual of low level Challenges for Final Fantasy VIII, as it is the earliest possible source of the Break magic that allows GFs to gain AP while keeping characters low level.

Final Fantasy XI
Diabolos appears in Final Fantasy XI as one of the five terrestrial avatars, alongside Carbuncle, Fenrir, Phoenix, and Bahamut. He is the ruler and creator of the dreamworld known as Dynamis, and appears as a character and boss in the Chains of Promathia storyline.

Players who have defeated Diabolos as part of the storyline can optionally face a far more powerful version of him in the quest "Waking Dreams" to forge a pact with Diabolos, gaining the ability to summon him. As a summon associated with dreams and sleep, many of Diabolos's moves are magic-based and some of them gain bonuses from being used when it is nighttime or when the enemy is asleep.

Diabolos also names a server in this game.

Final Fantasy XII


Diabolos is a Mark and an otherworldly demonic gargoyle with a spear and fiery wings. It is fought at the Lhusu Mines.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings


Diabolos appears as a rank 2 Non-Elemental Aerial summon. His regular attack is called Nightmare, while his special attack, Gravity, causes the Sap status.

Final Fantasy XIII
Concept art for a Diabolos fal'Cie exists for Final Fantasy XIII, but it never appears in the game. Many different forms and styles were considered from an organic-looking creature to a mechanical one.

Final Fantasy Type-0
Diabolos appears in Final Fantasy Type-0 as a Suzaku Eidolon. He is obtained by completing the Chapter 7 combat exercise "Operation Dragon Slayer". His attacks are drain-based as his movement involves him dispersing into a cloud of bats and striking anything that he passes through while healing him. One of Diabolos's attacks is a combo ending with him dispersing into a mass of bats which regenerate his health upon hitting Dark Strike.

His signature technique is Gravitation Ball (Graviton in his Astaroth variation) where Diabolos drains the health of anything within the area into a large sphere which, upon release, drifts towards its target and explodes on contact. He comes in three variations; Diabolos, Baalberith and Astaroth.

Final Fantasy Dimensions
Diabolos is gained during Chapter 4: The Darkness section, when the Warriors of Darkness traverse through the Lufenian Ruins. A dark orb is floating in the Demon Corridor of the ruins. After touching the orb, Diabolos appears and engages the party in battle. upon defeat, Diabolos allows the Warriors of Darkness to summon him. Diabolos costs 64 MP to summon. Diabolos's attack is called "Dark Messenger". It hits all enemies and deals Darkness-element damage.

Diabolos and the Monk ability Vacuum Wave are the necessary components to unlock the Dark Judgement Fusion Ability. Dark Judgement removes 1/4 of all enemies' HP, reducing them to 3/4 of their current HP.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Diabolos appears in the series' trading card game and is represented by a card of the Aqua element portraying his appearance in Final Fantasy Type-0. Another card depicts Diabolos from Final Fantasy XI.

Etymology
Diabolos is the Greek word for "devil". It has entered many languages to mean devil, such as Diablo (Spanish). Diabolos actually means "accuser" or "slanderer" and could also be connected to the Greek word diabolous, which means "divider" (which fits given his affinity with gravity element), but eventually the general word Diabolos became the specific name of the entity. In the original Greek rendering, it was used to refer to the Christian Devil (The New Testament was written in Greek). Devil is the English translation of Diabolos and in Christian belief, this being is the embodiment of evil.

The concept of the Devil is believed to originate in Zoroastrianism with Angra Mainyu (also known as Ahriman) as well as from the Judaic Satan in the Book of Job in the Old Testament. However, their Satan was merely the "devil's advocate", an angel who acted as a skeptic and whom God allowed to afflict Job with suffering. Satan is Hebrew for "prosecutor/accuser" or "adversary".

The concept of the summon Diabolos may be connected to the Djinn in Islamic mythology, similar to Ifrit. The djinn were the origins of genie myths and were spirits or ghosts made of fire or smoke. They were said to grant wishes. The fact that Diablos comes from a magic lamp in Final Fantasy VIII may be a reference to the djinn.

The French localization of Final Fantasy VIII renamed Diabolos to "Nosferatu", a Romanian term meaning "Unclean One" that is sometimes synonymous with the Devil or vampires. In the Spanish localization it is called Diablo.

Trivia

 * The recurring summon from Ivalice, Adrammelech, bears a resemblance to Diabolos, even having a promotional image with a similar pose to Diabolos's Final Fantasy VIII appearance.