Art of War is an ability for Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth , and is one of her two default abilities along with Brumal Form. It is a melee-range multi-hitting physical attack that primarily deals single-target damage to an enemy, changes her stance the same as if Yuffie had used Throw/Retrieve, and causes subsequent basic combo attacks to deal increased damage (but will not strengthen following command abilities, synergy, or limit breaks). It can be used while airborne.
When used within the "boosted attack" window, it becomes Supreme Art of War, which deals more damage with more slashes. This will likely be a frequently used ability since it comes out quick, and has some good tracking. Usable while airborne.
The ability returns from Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, where it was unremarkable on its own, but could be synergized. As this mechanic does not return in Rebirth, Art of War has a different role.
Mechanics[]
When Yuffie uses Art of War her shuriken ends in the target and she is in the ninjutsu stance. Immediately following up with a ninjutsu attack combo, the entire attack string gains 30% bonus damage (same attack boost as 
Berserk without the downside of also taking more damage). Within that time window, using Art of War again makes it Supreme Art of War, which a stronger version of the attack and will return the shuriken to Yuffie, and she will be in her melee stance again. If she then immediately does a melee combo, it will also be 30% stronger and performing Art of War again within this window will perform the Supreme version again.
Use[]
Art of War should be used against larger, more durable targets, or used to precede a stronger attack from Yuffie. It deals good physical damage, which relies on Yuffie's 
Attack Power. The ability is primarily single-target, and as such is limited against groups of enemies, but can still damage foes clustered nearby.
Because of Yuffie's balanced attributes, Yuffie can be built either toward physical damage or magic damage. If she is built toward magic damage, Art of War should be used exclusively to boost the damage of follow-up ninjutsu attacks. For physical damage, it should follow-up itself with Supreme Art of War.
As with all her abilities, when Yuffie has Doppelgänger, she can use it to deal Art of War attacks twice.
Etymology and allusion[]
Its Japanese name is Fūrinkazan, a popularized version of the battle standard used by the Sengoku period daimyō Takeda Shingen. The banner quoted four phrases from Sun Tzu's The Art of War: "as swift as wind, as gentle as forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakable as mountain." The English name is thus also derived from this source, and is especially fitting for Yuffie who can change between elements on-the-fly with her Elemental Ninjutsu (though the element from Elemental Ninjutsu does not carry over to her Art of War).
Yuffie's line when using Art of War may be a nod to the late boxer Muhammad Ali (d. 2016), who was notorious for trash-talking his opponents. In one particular pre-fight interview, he was quoted as saying, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee; the hands can't hit what the eyes can't see."
Notes[]
- ↑ The kanjis translate as "Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain", which refer to the battle standards that originate from Sun Tzu's The Art of War.