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As its name suggests, a powerful foe. Reduces HP to 1 with Fallen One, or attacks with S. Cross, then vanishes with Melt. Just hope 2 don't appear at once.
Bestiary entry (PlayStation)
The Fiend Dragon, also called Doom Drgn, is an enemy in Final Fantasy VI.
They only appear in a single hallway near the end of the tower before the party confronts Demon, as well as in a small "U-Turn" shaped cave area taken only by the 1st Party that links a laboratory and exterior area. Thus, since it's not unlikely the player will wander through both areas without a random encounter, the player may quite easily miss it.
Stats
Battle
Fiend Dragon is one of the most dangerous enemies in Kefka's Tower, mainly because it counterattacks with Heartless Angel frequently, which is unblockable and reduces the HP of the entire party to 1. If this happens, it can mean an instant Game Over if no one is immune to or absorbs Fire, because it can then use Southern Cross to attack the entire party for Fire-elemental damage. The Fiend Dragon also uses Northern Cross to freeze characters (although its own Southern Cross can remove the status), and Dissolve to give itself the Vanish status. They sometimes appear in groups of two, making them all the more dangerous.
Strategy
The player can take advantage of Heartless Angel by using the Blood Sword to absorb Fiend Dragon's HP, reducing the chance of characters being instantly knocked out by a physical attack. Equipping Hermes Sandals or Marvel Shoes increases the rate at which the player character attacks, and optionally Ribbon can be used to prevent Freeze status. Celes equipped with Minerva Bustier and Aegis Shield is effective in this battle due to to her equipment nullifying fire and potentially evading Northern Cross.
Coliseum setup
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One strategy is to put Mog in the back row and equip the Paladin's Shield/Flame Shield, and Snow Scarf along with the best available helmet. Paladin Shield/Flame Shield takes care of Southern Cross. Snow Scarf, along with an appropriate helmet, will bring Mog's Defense to 255 which, along with his position, ensures he survives any physical attacks following the use of Heartless Angel. Northern Cross only delays Mog, since the Frozen status will either be removed by Southern Cross or will simply wear off.
Valiant Knife with Merit Award is a good offensive option depending on Mog's level and HP, since Fiend Dragon will most likely use Heartless Angel sooner or later, after which Valiant Knife will get a boost in damage due to Mog's low HP.
Another strategy is to deploy Gogo with the Paladin shield with Blitz and Sketch. Sketch could get lucky and use Heartless Angel, effectively ending the battle on the next turn.
One of the most effective ways of defeating a Fiend Dragon at lower levels is by using Umaro combined with an Angel Ring and the Berserker Ring. With a little bit of luck, the Fire and Ice absorption (combined with the Angel Ring) should be enough to prevent the Fiend Dragon from killing Umaro as low as level 35 (obviously, once the first victory is secured, the player should repeat the process, but replacing the Angel Ring with Miracle Shoes).
The player can also steal useful Guard Bracelets from them; though the Guard Bracelet is not as useful as the aforementioned Miracle Shoes, it can be bet in the Coliseum to win a Hero's Ring, a relatively rare relic that acquiring in quantities otherwise requires a lot of time and gil invested at the auction.
Formations
| Number | Enemies | Encounter flags | Introduction flag | Musical theme | Magic AP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norm.Normal | Back | Surr.Surrounded | Side | |||||
| 226 | Fiend Dragon x2 | Sides, individual | Battle | 6 | ||||
| 300 | Fiend Dragon | Sides, individual | Battle | 5 | ||||
| 544 | Fiend Dragon x2 | Sides, individual | Battle | — | ||||
| 548 | Fiend Dragon | Sides, individual | Battle | — | ||||
AI scripts
Normal script
Attack Turns:
- 1st Turn: Southern Cross (33%) or Attack (66%)
- 2nd Turn: Southern Cross (33%) or Attack (66%)
- 3rd Turn: Southern Cross (33%) or Attack (66%)
- 4th Turn: Southern Cross (33%) or Attack (66%)
- 5th Turn: Northern Cross (33%) or Flare Star (33%) or Attack (33%)
- 6th Turn:
- Target: Self
- Dissolve (66%)
If attacked by anything:
- Target: All Characters
- Heartless Angel (33%)
Coliseum script
Attack Turns:
- 1st Turn: Attack (25%) or Heartless Angel (25%) or Northern Cross (25%) or Southern Cross (25%)
If attacked by anything:
- Target: All Characters
- Heartless Angel (33%)
Other appearances
Pictlogica Final Fantasy
Fiend Dragon appears as an enemy.
Etymology
A fiend is an evil spirit or a demon in mythology.
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, which is featured in the myths of many cultures.
The variation in English names is a result of mild ambiguity in the Japanese name; specifically, まじん, majin, or 魔神. It literally it means "evil god," with a note that 神 (shin or kami) covers a wider variety of deific or supernatural entities than the word "god" may denote in English. Majin are nearly always malevolent, or at least "ill-omened," with the possibility for disaster laced in mortal interactions with them.
Because of the varied nature of such beings in Japanese mythology and culture there has historically been disagreement over the best single term to use as a translation. "Devil" is sometimes used (although classical western devils of Hell are referred to as 悪魔, akuma), as is "genie" or simply "evil spirit." "Doom" seems to have been an attempt by translator Ted Woolsey to capture the idea of 魔, specifically, with a little additional flair; "Fiend" is another general term for evil beings but without some of the specific imagery attached to "devil" or "demon," and is generally a good match for majin in terms of imagery invoked.