Armored glove from a foreign land. Allows the wearer to equip a weapon in each hand.
Description
Genji Glove is a relic in Final Fantasy VI. It allows the user to wield two weapons, one in each hand, meaning an attack will hit twice, once with each weapon. Genji Glove thus makes the wearer supremely powerful. The relic also provides a +5 Defense increase.
Genji Glove notably makes for a great combination with the Master's Scroll, as the two relics allow a party member to attack eight times in one turn.
Betting a Genji Glove at the Dragon's Neck Coliseum pits the player against a Demon Knight for the reward of a Thunder Shield.
Obtained[]
The Genji Glove can first be obtained in the Returner Hideout during a quest, when Banon asks Terra if she wishes to join the Returners. Either rejecting him three times, or rejecting him once and speaking to a Returner in the storage room, will award the Genji Glove. This is the earliest the glove can be obtained, making it a great opportunity to do so for a beneficial item. The Genji Glove is one of two items the player can receive in this sequence, the other being the Gauntlet, which is received by accepting Banon's offer without receiving the Genji Glove from the Returner in the storage room. While the Gauntlet comes in limited quantities and cannot be farmed like the Genji Glove, the Genji Glove is generally a more useful relic than the Gauntlet.
Genji Glove can later be found in a treasure chest in the Cave to the Sealed Gate in the World of Balance. The Dragon, fought on the Floating Continent, then provides a great opportunity to steal the relic numerous times. In the World of Ruin, a Genji Glove can be found in a chest in Cyan's Dream, and summoning Ragnarok to use Metamorphose on Samurai and Yojimbo can also obtain the relic.
In versions where Gilgamesh can be fought as a boss, the relic (along with other Genji equipment) can be stolen from him.
Mechanics[]
Due to a bug, damage is reduced by 25% whenever a character equips a Genji Glove, but only one weapon; the damage algorithm was supposed to give this reduction when two weapons are equipped. This was corrected in Pixel Remaster, with the 25% damage penalty occurring when dual-wielding as intended.
Use[]
Genji Glove is one of the most useful relics in the game, with the caveat that it requires investment to reach its peak. Although physical attacks in Final Fantasy VI are generally weaker than spellcasting or some party members' unique abilities, Genji Glove makes physical attacks much more formidable. Especially when combined with the right relics and weapons, such as relics that boost Strength or damage output, or weapons that consume MP for critical hits, or weapons with a chance to cast spells after hitting, it can be deadly. Use of Genji Glove benefits characters with high Strength, and in turn, characters built toward Genji Glove should level up with magicite that provide Strength boosts.
Genji Glove combines particularly well with the Master's Scroll, as the two relics allow a party member to hit eight times (across random enemies in the formation). When combined with higher-tier weapons, such as the Ragnarok, Lightbringer, and especially the Ultima Weapon, this can allow a party member to perform eight powerful hits, up to as much as eight hits of 9999 damage each. This is the greatest single turn damage output possible in the game, but likely requires two Ultima Weapons, which are extremely rare. Earlier on, Genji Glove is a great combination with Black Belt as a means of boosting physical damage output. Genji Glove can also be combined with Dragoon Boots, but Dragon Horn has a greater damage output boost and only requires one weapon to be equipped.
The best party members to use Genji Glove are those with access to a variety of weapons, and those focused on physical damage. Locke is a clear choice due to his stats, weapon selection, and his Steal command meaning his damage will mostly be from his equipped weapon anyway. He can also combine the relic with Brigand's Glove to allow Mug to hit twice. Aside from Locke, Terra, Edgar, and Celes each have a similarly wide weapon selection making them equally strong candidates for a Genji Glove + Master's Scroll + Ultima Weapon combo, with Terra's Trance meaning she can double damage output further and easily hit eight 9999 hits; however, each of these can fill roles Locke cannot. Cyan and Shadow are also physical-focused party members, but their lower weapon selection and alternate sources of damage make Locke, Terra, Edgar, and Celes better choices if limited Genji Gloves are available. If Gau is equipped with a Genji Glove, Cat Scratch from the Stray Cat rage will attack twice.
Etymology[]
Genji is a recurring type of equipment in the Final Fantasy series, usually associated with Gilgamesh. The surname of Genji refers to the onyomi reading of the Minamoto Clan. Minamoto was a surname commonly bestowed on the children of the Emperor who were not eligible for the throne. According to history and legend, they were most active in the days of the late Heian era, and were samurai who became known as the fighters of evil and keepers of peace. The time was said to have been fraught with disorder and anarchy. Many future samurai claim lineage from the clan, including Miyamoto Musashi and Tokugawa Ieyasu who were subject of literary discourse from The Tale of Genji, which follows royal figures, to The Tale of the Heike, focusing on the major figures and the events of the Genpei War.
Genji is also a short period in Japanese history, lasting only a single year from 1864–1865.