Manipulates the flow of ki energy to draw HP and MP from a single enemy.
Description
Dragon, also known as Empowerer,[1][2] is Cyan's level 24 Bushido technique in Final Fantasy VI. It requires five charges and hits one enemy with non-elemental magic damage, absorbing their HP and MP.
Obtained[]
Cyan learns Dragon at level 34.
Gogo can also use any Bushido techniques that Cyan has learned by equipping Bushido in Gogo's ability menu. This allows Gogo to use Sky.
Mechanics[]
Dragon deals magic damage to HP with a spell power of 49; as such it deals damage with the following formula:
where "Level" refers to the user's level, and Magic refers to the user's Magic stat.
It also deals magic damage to MP with a spell power of 12, in the following formula:
Dragon's damage is non-elemental, meaning its damage is the same regardless of the enemy's elemental affinity. It will heal undead enemies.
Use[]
Dragon can be a somewhat useful heal to Cyan. If Cyan has curative magic, he can benefit from restoring his MP to also heal the rest of the party after using the attack. The biggest drawback to Dragon is that it requires five ATB charges to use. As such, not only is it less turn-efficient than simply using Curaga or Reraise on Cyan (or Osmose to restore his MP), it is a dangerous way to heal Cyan because he may be KO'd first. In some cases, when short on MP, Dragon may still be worthwhile.
Dragon is a niche ability for Cyan, as it is the only Bushido that can cure him. Though there are instances where he may wish to use this particularly to heal his MP, for the most part, Cyan is better off using techniques such as Flurry to deal more damage. If he must use a magic damage attack, Eclipse deals more damage and hits all enemies at once, for only one more ATB charge.
Because most of Cyan's damage is physical, players should focus on boosting his Strength stat by leveling him up with magicite equipped to boost his Strength stat instead of his Magic stat. As a consequence, Dragon will mostly fall off in damage.
Due to Gogo's naturally higher Magic stat, Gogo benefits much more from Dragon as a way to cure MP. However, as with Cyan, using Curaga and Osmose is more turn-efficient.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
In East Asian cultures, the dragon and the tiger are considered eternal rivals. Various artworks depict the two fighting an epic battle, the dragon representative of things of Yang polarity and spirit, with the tiger representative of things of Yin polarity and matter. Ultimately, they represent the inevitable reconciliation of opposing but equal forces. The dragon is a creature of the skies, whereas the tiger is considered the king of all terrestrial beasts, and their bouts always end in a draw.
In the context of Eastern and Asian martial arts, the dragon represents the aspects of soft style and internal martial arts, focusing on accuracy, mental alertness, and fluid reactivity. The tiger represents the aspects of hard style and external martial arts, focusing on explosive speed, raw strength, and countering an opposing force with one's own. In martial arts fiction and fantasy, internal based martial arts are often seen with abilities centered on chi energy and spiritual powers, while external martial arts are depicted with unparalleled physical proportions, with the most reputable martial arts being able to harmonize and utilize both aspects as one force.
Cyan also has another Bushido technique called Tiger.
Citations[]