Dragoon (job)

The Dragoon (竜騎士 Ryuukishi lit. Dragon Knight), also known as Dragon Knight or Lancer, is a Job that has appeared in almost every Final Fantasy title to date.

Profile
Dragoons are special knights that only equip spears and some kinds of swords to attack. Their stats are weighted physically, and they can equip heavy armor that is modified to look like a dragon. Their special ability is to Jump, which allows them to do an aerial attack which does more damage than a normal attack. The drawback to this attack is that it takes longer due to the Dragoon having to Jump and then fall on his or her opponent. The advantage to this, however, is that Dragoons do not take damage while airborne (at the expense of not being able to be healed). Some dragoons can have the Jump ability upgraded to Double Jump, which allows them to strike for double damage without any extra time in the air. Another ability, called Lancet, sometimes called Lance or DragonSword, allows Dragoons to absorb HP and MP from their opponents.

Many dragoons in the series possess the surname "Highwind", though it is not universal. To date, Alexander Highwind Tycoon has been the only "Highwind" to have not been a Dragoon, though he is still associated with Dragons.

Final Fantasy II
In their first appearance, Dragoons are not a Job but a group of spear-wielding riders of dragons known as wyverns. The Emperor killed off most of the race out of fear, leaving only Ricard Highwind and his adopted son, Kain.

Final Fantasy III
This is the first time Dragoons were a Job class, and the first time they can use their Jump attack. The class is gained from the Water Crystal.

Final Fantasy IV
Kain Highwind is a Dragoon, as was his father. Baron is also mentioned to have a company of Dragoons in their army, which Kain leads.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Kain's dark side has the Dragoon Job in this game, while Kain, under the alias "Hooded Man" is not specified as having a Job. After Kain defeats his dark side, he becomes a Holy Dragoon, a Paladin-like variation of the normal Dragoon that can use White Magic.

Final Fantasy V
Dragoons are a Job obtained when the Earth Crystal shatters. This is the first time Lancet is a skill used by Dragoons, though its known as Lance in this game.

Final Fantasy VI
Edgar Roni Figaro and Mog are classified as a Machinist and a Dancer respectively. However, both can equip Lances, and via the Dragoon Boots Relic can Jump, though any character can equip the Dragoon Boots.

Final Fantasy VII
Cid Highwind, as with all characters in the game, is not given an official Job. However, he equips spears and has several Jump attacks as Limit Breaks, and also has a Limit Break called Dragon that drains HP and MP from enemies. In earlier development stages, his Job was listed as "Pilot (Dragoon)".

Final Fantasy VIII
Ward Zabac uses a Harpoon as a weapon and is able to use a Jump attack as his Limit Break.

Final Fantasy IX
The Dragoon job appears in Final Fantasy IX as one of the main character's class. Freya Crescent is identified as a Dragon Knight and so she is recognized for being able to leap great distances with Jump. She is able to equip Spears and specific armor. Sir Fratley, Freya's lost love is also identified as a legendary Burmecian Dragon Knight, always carrying his spear and demonstrating great fighting abilities.

Final Fantasy X
Though the game has no official Job system, Kimahri acts as a Dragoon in several ways: he uses Lancet as his special ability, equips spears, and has Jump as his initial Ronso Rage.

Final Fantasy XI
Dragoons are an advanced Job class which can summon wyverns. They have very high Accuracy, but a poor armor selection.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Llyud serves the party much like a Dragoon, wielding spears and using aerial attacks. Curiously, he also functions a little like a Paladin, with some healing abilities, but these abilities are powered with HP, much like a Dark Knight. Some enemy Aegyl are Dragon Knights. They can Jump and use several ranged Breath attacks.

Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII does not have a Job system. However, Oerba Yun Fang uses several trademark Dragoon spears, can summon Bahamut as her Eidolon, and her full-ATB skill, named Highwind after numberous playable Dragoons from earlier titles, allows her to perform a powerful jump attack. There is also an enemy solder called the PSICOM Dragoon who is equipped with a jet pack.

Final Fantasy XIV
The Lancer is a Discipline of War in Final Fantasy XIV, specializing in the use of polearms and javelins, although it remains to be seen if they bear any of the Dragoon's signature abilities.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Dragoons are physical Job that are unlocked by getting a Level 3 or 4 Thief, depending on which version you have. They have a high Jump stat boosted by the Ignore Elevation ability.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
This Job is available to Bangaa after mastering two Warrior skills. Along with Jump and Lancet they have Breath attacks.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Only again a Bangaa exclusive Job, Dragoons are unlocked by completing Kyrra, Dragoon and then can only be used after mastering two Warrior A-Abilities. They are especially effective against Dragonkind.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
The Dragoon Job Card discards all cards from the selection area for a new set. The first card drawn in the new hand is also a Dragoon, allowing the player to freely cycle their hand as long as they wish. However, boss and Chaos cards cannot be discarded as usual, and the Red Mage card does not allow discarding either.

Nightblade
An enemy Job class in Final Fantasy Tactics used solely by Isilud Tengille of the Knights Templar. It combines attributes of both the Knight and Dragoon Jobs.

Uhlan
In Final Fantasy XII International, Uhlans are heavy physical attackers represented by the Zodiac sign Taurus. They are differentiated from Dragoons in that they are unable to use the Jump command, but otherwise share their affinities for lances and heavy equipment.

Holy Dragoon
In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Kain eventually defeats his dark side and transforms into a Holy Dragoon (聖竜騎士 Seiryuukishi lit. Holy Dragon Knight). This variation of the typical Dragoon is similar to the Paladin class: Kain's armor becomes a lighter blue variation of his normal Dragoon armor, and he gains the ability to cast White Magic.

Bahamut Dragoon and Leviathan Dragoon
These two Jobs appear in unused concept artwork for Final Fantasy IX, in which the male protagonist is listed as, "BAHAMUT Dragoon (male)" and the female protagonist as, "LIVIATHAN [sic] Dragoon (female)".

Etymology
"Dragoon" is the traditional name for a special soldier type in classical European warfare. Unlike Final Fantasy, the original Dragoons did not fight with lances, that being the job of "Lancers" - a completely different soldier class. Dragoons were infantry that rode on horseback, but fought on foot. Originally they fought with a musket called the "Dragon", giving them the name "Dragoon". The Dragoons' arsenal expanded to include guns, sabres, and axes. During the Napoleonic Wars they became medium cavalry and reached the height of their popularity. After the Napoleonic Wars,in order to make better use of the number of men the European military had, the Dragoons were trained to use lances and Lancers ceased to exist. However, thanks to the advances of modern warfare, Dragoons eventually lost their niche on the battlefield, and modern Dragoon units exist only in ceremonial purposes.