Permanently missable content

Permanently Missable means that an item, character, sidequest, ability, or spell, can be obtained at one point of the game, but can be missed permanently if the player does not acquire it before reaching a certain part of the game or before its location becomes unrevisitable.

Final Fantasy

 * Although nothing in the game ever becomes inaccessible, it's worth noting that the limited inventory system featured in the NES version requires the player to discard or sell some rare equipment along the way. Alternatively, the player can knowingly leave certain treasure chests unopened so that all unique items remain available.

Final Fantasy II

 * Any treasure chests found inside the Dreadnought. After exiting the Dreadnought, the party will never be able to enter it again.
 * Any treasure chests found inside the Cyclone. Again, the dungeon becomes inaccessible after completing it and advancing the story.
 * Some bosses have a random chance of dropping rare equipment of which there is a limited quantity available, such as the White Robe (dropped by Astaroth).
 * The Blood Sword from Paul's house can be permanently missed if the player doesn't go there after learning the key term 'Cyclone' from Princess Hilda.
 * In the Dawn of Souls release, Minwu, Gordon, Josef and Ricard retain whatever spells and equipment they possessed when they left the party. It's advisable to give them rare items such as Genji equipment and a Masamune, as these items can't be found during the Dawn of Souls sequence. Some spells also can't be found, such as Teleport and Osmose.

Final Fantasy III

 * Phoenix Downs cannot be purchased from any shops in the Famicom version of the game. Any that are used by the party are gone forever and can never be replenished. In the DS and iOS versions this is no longer the case, as Phoenix Downs are now dropped by or stolen from Rust Birds, which can be accessed any time before the Point of No Return.

Final Fantasy IV

 * Because characters frequently leave and join the party, it's suggested that these characters be unequipped shortly before certain story events are triggered, otherwise they may run off with rare items never to be seen again.
 * Treasure chests found in the Tower of Zot, the Tower of Babil (both visits), and Giant of Babil can be missed, as these areas can't be revisited later on.
 * The Alert item can be stolen from Security Eyes which stop appearing after the Giant of Babil sequence. There is no other way to get this item, so it's suggested that players stock up on them when while they're available. The item is most notably used to draw the party into battle with Flan Princesses in the Lunar Subterrane, which can drop the rare Pink Tail item.
 * The Spoon/Knife sidequest must be completed before the party travels to the Moon for the first time, otherwise the party will never receive the Knife.
 * There are several bugged treasures hidden in completely mundane places. Whether or not collecting these items is considered necessary for 100% completion is debatable, but some of these treasures are hidden in areas that can't be revisited later in the game.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-

 * If the player does not pick up both Twin Stars inside the Cave of Eblan during Edge's portion of the story, a location only visited by Edge, it will completely be missed.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

 * The Kingsword can be permanently missed if its not unequipped from Cecil during the invasion of Baron (Ceodore's Tale).
 * In the flashback sequence of Golbez, if the player does not unequipped the Ebony Blade during the Lunarian's Tale. It'll be completely missed.
 * The Eidolon Chocobo can be permanently miss if the player does not pick it up inside the Chocobo Forest during the Gathering's Tale: The Moon's Gravity. It is located on the island in the middle of the ocean between the Troia and Kaipo.
 * Near the end of the game, Golbez can be permanently recruited or missed depending on the player's action. If the player brings Golbez, Cecil, Ceodore, and Rosa in their party when they fighting against the Dark Knight, then Golbez will be playable permanently. Otherwise, he'll be removed from the party permanently.
 * Many eidolons can be permanently missed if killed during battle.
 * If Rydia has recovered 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 and will not be available to be summoned.
 * Several items are only obtainable in Challenge Dungeons; once the final section of the game is started, anything that isn't imported from those is permanently lost.

Final Fantasy V

 * The elemental rods that can be bought on Bartz's World can be lost if the player does not buy them before moving onto Galuf's World. The other items that can be bought only on Bartz's world is the Iron Shield and Kenpo-Gi in the town of Walse.
 * The ice summon Shiva must be fought and defeated to become usable before the mid-game plot twist, or she becomes unavailable. She is located in the water tower in the back of Walse Castle.
 * The song Romeo's Ballad and Alluring Air can be learned in Istory and Lix on Bartz's World only.
 * All the Genji Equipment can be stolen from Gilgamesh each time the players encounter him.
 * The summon Catoblepas must be defeated before moving to the Merged World.
 * The Power Staff can be earned from the Black Warlock in Castle Exdeath only.
 * The summon Carbuncle in Castle Exdeath must be defeated before moving to the Merged World.
 * Excalipoor sword will be missed if the players ignore a treasure chest in Castle Exdeath or the players kill Gilgamesh before he transforms into his six arms form.
 * The song Mana's Paean must be learned from the Library of the Ancients's terrace in the Merged World before the battle against Melusine in the Guardian Tree.
 * The Thief's Gloves can be stolen from Sekhmet in the Pyramid of Moore or Necrophobe in the Interdimensional Rift. If the players kill Sekhmet, he'll never appear again.
 * Either Brave Blade and Chicken Knife will be missed by choosing the other choice.
 * The accessory Kornago Gourd is a reward for the sidequest in Quelb and can be stolen from Omniscient in the Fork Tower.
 * Gold Hairpin can be stolen from Famed Mimic Gogo in the Sunken Walse Tower.
 * The Titan's Gloves can be stolen from Azulmagia in the Interdimensional Rift.
 * The Titan's Axe can be stolen from Twintania in the Castle in the Interdimensional Rift. The Tinklebell also earned from Twintania.

Final Fantasy VI

 * Bandana can be bought in various towns of the World of Balance only. It also can be stolen from Zaghrems, which also can be found in the World of Balance. This is only in the North American and European version, because the Japanese version has Setzer joining the party with a Bandana equipped.
 * The Esper Ifrit can be missed if the player doesn't pick up its magicite after the battle, the player will also lose the ability to learn Drain.
 * The Ultima Weapon can be found in the Cave to the Sealed Gate, It will become missable after the Floating Continent appeared (SNES only). Ultima Weapon can be stolen from Rest in both versions, but can be permanently kept after the completion of the game (GBA only).
 * If the player doesn't wait for Shadow at the end of the Floating Continent, he'll die in that event and cannot be recruited in the World of Ruin.
 * If the player doesn't save Cid, there's no way the player can make the fish reset because they need to talk to Cid in order to do that. So the player will not be able to collect all four fish under the Rare Items inside the Items menu.
 * Either Ragnarok (sword) and Ragnarok (esper) can be missed by choosing the other choice when the old man in Narshe offers them to the player. The sword Lightbringer will be missed if the player choose the esper Ragnarok (SNES only). Ragnarok (sword) can be stolen from Lady in both versions, but can be permanently kept after the completion of the game (GBA only).
 * The Water Harmony dance can be permanently missed in the versions prior to the Gameboy Advance release. This was change, and a new battle taking place in the World of Ruin was added. If the player missed this battle too, than there's no way of obtaining it afterwards as this battle is a one time battle.
 * Thanks to the Vanish-Doom Bug, the magicite Bahamut can be lost if Deathgaze is defeated with the combination of the Vanish and Banish spell. Not only will the player lose the summon Bahamut, they'll also lose the ability to learn Flare. This only affects the versions prior to the Gameboy Advance release.

Final Fantasy VII

 * The items obtained as part of Cloud's crossdressing sidequest will be missed if the player does not obtain them during the quest. As there are different versions of each piece of apparel, and the player can only get one item, all items can never be retrieved in a single playthrough. The Silk Dress, Blonde Wig, Sexy Cologne, and Diamond Tiara is the best combination and therefore seen as the required combination for a perfect game. The optional Lingerie and Bikini Brief items obtained from the Honey Bee Inn can also be missed if the player didn't acquire any of them.
 * There's a young boy in the Sector 5 slums who hides a small amount of gil in his dresser. If the dresser is examined by the player and the gil stash revealed, the player can steal it. If the player decides not to take the gil, they may return later to acquire a Turbo Ether from the boy. If the player decides to steal the gil, they will miss out on the Turbo Ether. The player must have examined the dresser to get the Turbo Ether.
 * The Turtle Paradise flyer in Shinra Headquarters can be missed as the player can't return there after certain story events have transpired.
 * Some items can only be obtained from one enemy in the game, and once that enemy becomes unavailable to fight, the items can never be retrieved. The Ghost Hand is obtained only from the Ghosts in Train Graveyard. The Vagyrisk Claw can only be stolen from the Bagrisk but due to the way the game's steal mechanism works, it will eventually become impossible to steal the Vagyrisk Claw if the player advances too far in character levels. The Earth Mallet can be missed, as the only opponent holding it is the Gigas in the Whirlwind Maze. The Gigas appears later in the Battle Square, but items cannot be won from monsters there.
 * Some armor can only be obtained one way, and if missed, can never be obtained after. The Aegis Armlet can only be obtained from the Midgar underground in disc 2. The Iron Bangle can only be bought in Sector 7. The Shinra Alpha and Shinra Beta can only be stolen from certain Shinra troops that are not recurring random encounters. The Warrior Bangle can only be stolen from Eagle Gun. The Ziedrich can only be stolen from Turks:Rude.
 * Some weapons can be missed. The Enhance Sword can only be found in Gaea's Cliff. The Yoshiyuki can only be obtained before Shinra No. 26 takes off in Rocket Town. The Pile Banger, the HP Shout, Master Fist, Grow Lance and Behemoth Horn can only be found in Shinra Headquarters in disc 2. The Max Ray and Missing Score can only be found in Midgar in disc 2 (Missing Score only when Barret is in the party). The Umbrella can only be obtained from the rollercoaster game in Gold Saucer in disc 1. The Princess Guard can only be found in the Temple of the Ancients. The Rising Sun can only be stolen from the Diamond Weapon. The Battle Trumpet and Scimitar can only be found in the Junon submarine docks. The Starlight M-Phone can only be found in Midgar Underground. The Javelin can only be found in Gaea's Cliff.
 * Some items found only in unrevisitable locations can never be obtained if missed, such as the Leviathan Scales. Without the Leviathan Scales it is impossible to obtain the Oritsuru.
 * The Huge Materia can be missed if the player fails the quests on which to retrieve them. If the player loses the Fort Condor quest for Huge Materia by losing the boss fight, they lose both the Huge Materia and the Phoenix Materia, although Phoenix can be dug up from Bone Village if missed, so it is not permanently missable. If the player fails to catch up with the train in Mt. Corel they lose the Huge Materia, and if they fail to destroy the red submarine during the submarine minigame, this Huge Materia is lost as well. If the player fails to solve the password in the Shinra No. 26 rocket, they cannot retrieve the Huge Materia. Even if the Huge Materia were lost, Bahamut ZERO can still be obtained by digging at Bone Village.

Final Fantasy VIII

 * Only two Pet Name Tags are available in the game, from D-District Prison and from a person in Timber (only if the player encourages the man outside Timber Maniacs building). If these two chances are missed, Pet Name Tag cannot be obtained.
 * The Battle Meter that keeps track of the number of battles the player has fought is missed if the player does not talk to Cid right after graduating into a SeeD. The Character Report, which keeps track of characters' individual battle statistics, is missed if the player does not have Battle Meter first, and if they miss it in D-District Prison. Lastly, the GF Report is missed if the player missed out on the Battle Meter, and fails to obtain it from CC Joker in Balamb Garden training center before disc 3 end.
 * The Occult Fan volumes III and IV never appear in shops even late in game, so if the player misses the chances of getting them, they will be missed forever.
 * Balamb Town has two Timber Maniacs issues, but only one of then can be picked up, as the other vanishes once one of them has been taken. One magazine is found in Balamb hotel, and another at the train station. If the player picks up the magazine at the train station before the first Laguna Loire dream sequence, the event is altered and Laguna will fall asleep in Julia's room.
 * The items available in Lunatic Pandora in disc 3 depend on the actions the player took as Laguna in Centra Excavation Site. If the player fails to trigger all the events in Centra Excavation Site some of the items and draw points will not appear later.
 * If the player has the Chocobo World minigame, no items are technically missable, as any items can be obtained from the Chocobo World, even items that are normally one-time-only items, like the Magic Lamp. Some items are Chocobo World exclusive, namely the Chocobo Tag, Friendship, Ribbon and Moogle Amulet.
 * The Gilgamesh Guardian Force is missable if the player has not obtained Odin by the final boss battle against Seifer at the end of disc 3.
 * In the original Japanese versions Guardian Forces drawable from bosses and Cerberus could be missed permanently. Thus Doomtrain was also missable, if the player failed to draw Alexander from Edea in G-Garden, as its Med Level Plus ability is needed to make the items for obtaining Doomtrain. In subsequent releases missed Guardian Forces can be drawn from the bosses in Ultimecia Castle.
 * Towns become permanently inaccessible in disc 4, and thus many side quests must be completed on disc 3 or before to not miss them. Even if Obel Lake is on the world map, the shadow that commissions it does not appear in disc 4.
 * PuPu card is the only permanently missable Triple Triad card in the game. The player must give PuPu five Elixirs to obtain it.
 * Many Triple Triad cards that may seem missable, actually aren't. If the player loses a rare card in Galbadia Garden during the visit there on the first disc, Martine will have them and he can be played in Fishermans Horizon. If the player lets the boy in a blue shirt be killed by a T-Rexaur during the Garden Riot without having won the MiniMog card off him, a little girl in a red shirt will inherit the boy's deck and play it instead. The cards requested by Queen of Cards, and thus lost to her, can be won back from the boy in the artist's house in Dollet. Any rare cards lost in Lunar Base are played by Piet in the secret escape pod crash site. All LV9 or LV10 cards, even modified cards, can be won back from Card Club members and Queen of Cards on disk 4.

Final Fantasy IX

 * Hippaul can be raced in Alexandria at the beginning of disc 3 for a rather short time only; after the player agrees to see Ruby's play the chance to play the racing minigame ends, meaning the player misses out on the Athlete Queen Key Item.
 * The Namingway card can be missed. One is in Kuja's room in the Desert Palace (near the teleporter, only after Eiko has been kidnapped). The other is in Treno, during the card tournament. When the player is in control of Vivi, they are given the option of "going home", or staying in Treno. Choosing the latter will give Zidane a different opponent in the card tournament's second round, who holds the Namingway card.
 * Leaving Treno during the card tournament and traveling to Dali is the only time the player can get the Mayor's Key, the Burman Coffee and the Mini-Brahne items. Completing the Morrid's Coffee sidequest lets the player get the mini Prima Vista in the Tantalus hideout in Lindblum, which can likewise be missed if the player fails to get all the different coffee beans.
 * Excalibur II, Steiner's ultimate weapon, can only be obtained if the player reaches an area in Memoria in under 12 hours playtime. This item is usually always missed, unless the player specifically attempts a speed playthrough of the game. However, since the PAL version runs slightly slower than the NTSC version, it is generally considered impossible to get. It is also considered impossible in the PSN version as the player cannot skip cutscenes by opening the disk tray. The player has more than one opportunity if they let the game clock overflow. However this requires over two years of game time.
 * Some items may look missable but are not. If the player finds cards from the world map treasure chests with Choco while their card quota is full, the cards are discarded. However, these cards can still be obtained from Fat Chocobo in Chocobo's Paradise at the end of the quest.
 * If the player carries out the Gold Chocobo Bug they miss out on the items in the locations they didn't get to visit.
 * The Lost Family Sidequest can be permanently missed which results in the lost of a Protect Ring.
 * Rune Blade can be bought at Daguerreo, but if the weapon is not purchased before the player goes to Terra. It cannot be acquired and Steiner can never learn Iai Strike.
 * Hamelin can be bought in both Daguerreo or Esto Gaza during Disc 3, if the player went on to Terra then the weapon is permanently missed. And as such, Eiko will never learn Jewel since its the only item in the game where she can learn it from.
 * Scissor Fangs and Obelisk are two other weapons can can be permanently missed during Disc 3 if the player went to Terra before buying them.
 * Both the key items Autograph and Moogle Suit can be missed. These key items cannot be gotten after leaving Lindblum for the first time.

Final Fantasy X

 * The only permanently missable items in Final Fantasy X are a few pieces of equipment with abilities that cannot be found on (or customized to) equipment of that type:
 * Magic Counter armor for Tidus: Rin appears on his hovercraft during the player's first visit to the Calm Lands. He sells a special Buckler for Tidus that has Magic Counter - an ability that is otherwise exclusive to weapons. Rin will leave the area after the party moves on, making the Buckler unobtainable after that.
 * No Encounters weapon: Geosgaeno has a 50% chance to drop a weapon with the No Encounters ability, which is otherwise exclusive to armor.
 * Weapon with +10% Critical Bonus (PAL and International version only): In addition to Break Damage Limit, weapons dropped by Penance have a bonus chance to critically hit. This ability cannot be found on or customized to any equipment. As with Geosgaeno, Penance is a one-time-only boss who has a 50% chance to drop the weapon.

Final Fantasy XII

 * The Genji Equipment from the elite mark Gilgamesh can be missed if the player did not steal them during both battles with him.
 * The Zodiac Spear can be missed if the player opens any of the four forbidden treasure chests, or opens the chest that holds the Zodiac Spear while equipped with the Diamond Armlet. However, a Zodiac Spear can be obtained in the Henne Mines secret area, but the chances of finding it are incredibly slim (0.01%).

Final Fantasy XIII

 * Spark Rings can be found in Chapters 3 and 4, but can be missed due to the storyline advancing once the player defeats Odin, as trying to backtrack initiates the end of Chapter 4.
 * One Doctor's Codes can be missed in the Sunleth Waterscape in Chapter 6.
 * One Elixir can be missed from not backtracking after the second preliminary boss fight of Orphan's Cradle in Chapter 13.
 * The upgraded versions of many accessories are permanently missable if the player sells the base versions. For example, there are a limited number of Clay Rings in the game; if the player sells them all, the Siltstone Ring and Gaian Ring can never be obtained.

Final Fantasy XIII-2

 * There is a bug concerning the Live Trigger events in the Archylte Steppe in the Year Unknown. If the player doesn't select the comedic responses for both Live Trigger scenes in their first playthrough, the Dragon Hide Backpack adornment cannot be obtained, even if the player repeats the events at the Archylte Steppe through Gate Seal mechanism. Although there were emails to Square Enix regarding it, the bug was not fixed.

Final Fantasy Tactics

 * Ladd and Boco are semi-unique characters who are lost forever if they're allowed to crystallize or be dismissed from the character roster. Ladd is one of the default characters who is present in Ramza's party after progressing to a certain chapter, and Boco is a chocobo who can be rescued during a mission. Although Boco doesn't have any special abilities, he produces a unique dialog when examined in the menu screen.
 * If the player refused the unique characters when they're asking to join the party, they'll be missed.
 * Dismissed characters will be permanently lost as well.
 * Characters that became a crystal in battle will be gone forever.
 * Cloud and Worker 8 can be missed if the player doesn't have Mustadio in his/her party (Including the case that Mustadio has been dismissed or became a crystal in battle before getting both characters).
 * If the player doesn't purchase a flower from Aerith in Sal Ghidos, Cloud will be missed as well.
 * The Ultima ability can be missed if Ramza, Alma, and Luso didn't learned it from Celia, Lettie, or Ultima Demons in specific battles.
 * The summon Zodiark can be missed if the player doesn't learn it from Elidibus before killing him.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

 * The Heal spell located in Falls Basin becomes missable once the Crystal of Water is restored, making the location inaccessible.

Final Fantasy Adventure
If the player completes the Dime Tower, all items, weapons, and armor up to this point will become missable. The second Point of No Return makes all the items and armor inside the Temple of Mana missable when the player completes the temple.

The Final Fantasy Legend

 * During the jailbreak sequence in World of Sky, the Revenge sword can be found by searching behind the bars of one of the empty cells. The sword can't be found nor purchased anywhere else, and this area becomes inaccessible once the party leaves.
 * Before completing the Atomic Power Plant in World of Ruins, So-Cho will give the party a Band helmet, but this item can be missed if the player doesn't manually speak to him before leaving the area. This is a unique piece of armor that can't be found nor purchased anywhere else, so it shouldn't be sold.

Final Fantasy Legend III

 * A leather glove can be found in an early treasure chest before the player gains the ability to travel to other time periods. Since the item can't be purchased anywhere, tossing it means it's gone permanently.
 * The SandMan helmet is among the treasures found in one of the shipwrecks on the seafloor. It can't be purchased anywhere, and the player can't return to this area after going to Pureland.
 * Most low-level spells cannot be purchased after going to Pureland. Magic shops found in later areas sell only higher-level spells, such as Cure3. If the player didn't stock each character's inventories with low level spells such as Cure1 and Fire1 when they had the chance, they'll never have access to them again.
 * There's a few elemental stones that can be found within the Shipwrecks that can be permanently missed before the player warps to Pureland. These stones are needed in creating Lost Magic, missing these stones will mean to the player having a couple of missing Lost Magic spells.

Vagrant Story

 * The leather Jerkin armor and the Rood Necklace that Ashley begins the game with can't be recovered if they're discarded. Even if the player begins a New Game+ playthrough later on, the items won't reappear on Ashley's body. Nothing else is missable since any other item in the game can be created through the combination system; and any Grimoires that teach Ashley rare spells can be dropped by random encounters.

Chocobo's Dungeon 2

 * Many level 1 and 2 enemies won't always appear during the early dungeon floors, and the player can't return to these floors later in the story. This may cause the player to miss some of the enemy statues found in the laboratory basement. Technically, any of these enemies can be encountered by kicking Polish and Rust cards at enemies found later in the game, but this process can be quite grueling.
 * Oddly, there will always be an empty statue basin in the last room of the basement. This is commonly believed to be reserved for a dummied Phoenix statue that never appears since there's no feather corresponding to the Phoenix summon.
 * The game keeps track of how many times Chocobo has died, how much the player has stolen, and various other statistics. It's never necessary to die, so some players may consider this a negative mark on their save file.
 * Contrary to misconception, it is not necessary for Chocobo to die at least once in order to get the Sylph feather from the beach. After finishing the main quest, Chocobo can venture into an optional dungeon; completing it rewards him with a completely random feather. Sylph — or any other summon, for that matter — can be obtained this way.
 * If the player wants to obtain all the statues in the laboratory basement, it is necessary to steal at least once in order to prompt the Doom Keeper / Life Keeper to appear and attack Chocobo. The bosses have ridiculously high HP, but they can be defeated with any claw that bears the Blood Suck ability, which reduces any enemy to 1 HP.