An aggregate of ghosts. The large amounts of baleful energy that result from this aggregation allow it to use telekinesis.
Enemy Intel
Ghoul is a boss in Final Fantasy VII Remake, fought by Cloud, Aerith and Tifa in the Train Graveyard in Chapter 11, "Haunted", during the "Shadow in the Control Room" mission.
Like regular Ghosts, the Ghoul is weak to 
Fire, and takes damage from healing items and spells. It and can turn incorporeal, becoming immune to physical attacks; in this form, only magic can damage it.
Stats[]
Attacks[]
After losing enough health, the Ghoul enters a new battle phase and begins using some new and more devastating attacks.
= Physical damage- = Magical damage
| Attack | Pic | Phase | Description | Block | KBKnockback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Orb
|
All | Deploys homing floating orbs that deal damage on contact. | |||
 Shock Wave
|
All | Swings its right claw creating a trail that explodes. | |||
| Telekinesis
|
|
All | When in physical form, hurls objects all around at three variations:
|
||
| Claw Swipe
|
All | Swipes at a target, inflicting damage and  Silence for 15 seconds.
|
|||
| Piercing Scream
|
|
All | Stuns anyone nearby unless they hide behind debris. | ||
| Phantasmic Flurry |  
|
All | When in ghostly form, creates red lights from where arms emerge when approached to bind a target for up to 20 seconds. | ||
| Incorporeality | All | Changes into ghostly form. | - | - | |
| Balefire
|
|
2 | Blue flames erupt around the boss that explode when touched and persist for 12 seconds. | ||
| Etheric Drain
|
|
2 | Binds a target and absorbs their MP for 5 seconds. | ||
| Etheric Burst
|
2 | Charges energy and releases it in a wide area. Damage can be avoided by hiding behind debris, or by canceling the attack by hitting the Ghoul it with magic during the charge. |
Battle[]
Telekinesis.
The fight against the Ghoul takes place inside the control panel room of the train graveyard, which is filled with desks, chairs and computers, which can be used as protection from some of the Ghoul's attacks.
The Ghoul is an elusive opponent that has the ability to alternate between a physical form (blue) and a ghostly form (red). Neither magic attacks against the physical form, nor physical attacks against the ghostly form, have any effect on its stagger gauge. In each form the Ghoul has a different set of abilities, and is mostly stationary while in physical form, but moves through the room while in ghostly form. When the the Ghoul uses Incorporeality, it'll temporarily phase out of combat and becoming untargetable, and reappearing seconds later in its ghostly. This ability is only used when in the physical form.
When in physical form, Ghoul will use two attacks. Telekinesis has the Ghoul pulling objects from the room, which will hover over its head and be periodically tossed against the party (prioritizing the player-controlled character). Shockwave is an overhead claw attack enveloped in blue flames, that deals direct damage to characters and launching them high in the air, while creating a trail of spectral flames on the floor that explode a second later, dealing massive damage (on Hard Mode this can deal over 3000 damage); it can be lethal if used in conjunction with Telekinesis.
When in ghostly form, it will use Phantasmic Flurry in an attempt to grab the player and frequently move towards the player-controlled character.
In both forms, the Ghoul will periodically use two abilities. Piercing Scream, where it builds-up and release a scream that stuns characters caught within its radius. Claw Swipe is a quick two-hit attack that inflicts Silence, and is only used against characters in close range.
After losing around half its health, the Ghoul enters its second phase, where its "head" pops out of the hood. It'll then periodically use Balefire, which floods the battle arena with exploding ghostly flames, which can deal severe damage if directly stepped on.
The Ghoul weak to Fire, but much like other undead type enemies, it takes damage from healing spells and items, although not all will build-up stagger.
Strategy[]
This battle can be problematic as the player has little space to maneuver, and many of the Ghoul's attacks cover the entire length of the room. The core strategy of this fight is to build-up the Ghoul's stagger gauge as quick as possible while the Ghoul is in its ghostly form. The fight will always start with the Ghoul in its physical form, at the back of the room.
The player should switch between Tifa and Cloud for the Ghoul's physical form, and use Aerith for its ghostly form, casting spells when it is in ghostly form to build its stagger gauge, and using character abilities when the boss is in physical form. Paying attention to the Ghoul's form is key. Attacks from Aerith can be used to ascertain its form; if it takes damage from her, it is in ghostly form and vulnerable to magic spells, whereas if it is immune, Tifa or Cloud should lay into it with character abilities. When it is ghostly it is best to attack it fast with magic.
Whenever the Ghoul starts channeling Piercing Scream, it's important to quickly run away from it or hide behind debris. Getting hit by it is lethal as the Ghoul will instantly follow it up with other more powerful abilities; in case the player-controlled character gets afflicted, swapping to another character will reduce the chances of the Ghoul attacking its stunned victim.
The Ghoul becomes pressured when it takes enough damage in ghostly form, though when it has less health left, pressuring it requires slightly less damage. Another way to pressure it is by hitting it with magic while it is charging Etheric Burst, canceling the attack.
Casting Fire spells while the Ghoul is in its ghostly form will instantly put it on a pressured stated. The following healing spells deal both damage and build stagger on the Ghoul when it is vulnerable to magic (higher tier spells have a greater effect on both, and the effects are further amplified if the Ghoul is pressured when the spells hit): 
Cure, Cura, Curaga. The following spells do damage, but do not build stagger: Regen, Raise, Arise. Curative items work similarly to the cure spells, building stagger and dealing damage; elixirs have the greatest effect. Using a phoenix down makes it revert to physical form instantly.
When it charges Piercing Scream or Balefire, everyone should remain at a distance; using 
Parry Materia can make fleeing easier. When Ghoul hovers objects over its head, it is best hiding behind debris. If Tifa or Cloud can avoid the Ghoul throwing the objects, and reach it in melee range, they can lay into it with character abilities and attacks.
To exploit the Ghoul's elemental weakness, someone can equip 
Fire Materia with 
Elemental Materia. Ghoul is not immune to 
Poison or 
Regen, both dealing damage over time in its ghost form. It is also susceptible to 
Sleep, which can be used to ensure that tier 3 spells that take a moment to cast will not miss.
Hard Mode[]
It's recommended to not burn all the MP pool of the party in this fight, since there's another boss at the end of the chapter.
The Ghoul needs to lose more HP to become pressured in hard mode, and attacks harder and more frequently. It is advised to have one character on physical damage, one on magic damage, and one as a mix, to optimize damage against both forms. Aerith can't deal physical damage, while either Cloud or Tifa can be put towards physical damage or a mixed role. Tifa is better suited to physical damage with her movement speed, combos, and weapons giving her higher 
Attack Power, while Cloud has more MP. Equipped weapons should reflect the character's chosen role.
Fire materia should be paired with elemental on a physical attacker. Spellcasters can pair it with MP Absorption Materia or HP Absorption Materia, though because Ghoul is actually vulnerable to healing spells, this is not always necessary. Complete Materia should be equipped, including Magic Up Materia and MP Up Materia for spellcasters, while physical attackers equip Luck Up Materia. Deadly Dodge Materia is especially useful on Tifa, Steadfast Block Materia on Cloud, and Parry materia on both. Refocus Materia can be given to Aerith to allow her to use abilities more often, and 
ATB Boost Materia is also great for any character.
As the battle begins, the party can buff up with Regen and Haste, on everyone if possible. When Ghoul uses Incorporeality, Aerith and a spellcaster can cast Curaga or Firaga offensively, from within Aerith's Arcane Ward if possible, instantly pressuring the boss. The player can then immediately switch to Tifa or Cloud to rush in with follow-up damage, from Tifa's Starshower and Cloud's Triple Slash.
In the first phase the only safe window of opportunity to attack is while the Ghoul is pressured from a spell. At any other point, it is best to stay behind debris and dodge. Aerith's Lustrous Shield can also help. Otherwise, one should wait until it disappears and cast another spell. Buffing the party with 
Manaward may help against the Ghoul's strong second-phase attacks. Pairing Barrier Materia with Magnify Materia lets the party buff everyone at once.
Defeating Ghoul will grant Aerith the Telluric Scriptures Vol. X.
Musical themes[]
The boss theme for the battle is simply called "Ghoul" on the soundtrack. A slightly-extended version (which includes the intro) called "Ghoulish Symphony" also exists on the Plus version of the soundtrack.
Both were composed by Yasunori Nishiki, who is well-known for his work with the OCTOPATH TRAVELER franchise also by Square Enix.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]
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Gallery[]
Etymology[]
A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead.