Various Materia in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Materia (マテリア, Materia?) is a recurring term and set of items in the Final Fantasy series that is typically associated with stat boosts and abilities, or in some cases, is used as a plot device. Materia is typically crafted into the equipment of the users, and used for boosting their performance. It originates from Final Fantasy VII.
Appearances[]
Final Fantasy VII[]
Materia menu.
Materia is both a major plot device and the basis for the game's skill system. Divided into several sets—Magic, Command, Summon, Support and Independent Materia—the Materia equipped to party members allows them to use new command or support abilities, and also affects stats. Either the Materia provides percentage-based stat boosts, or it can lower some stats while boosting others in the case of Magic and Summon Materia. Materia can be swapped between party members. Materia placed in linked slots in equipment with a Support Materia grants additional effects to the skills in the paired Materia. Materia grows by gaining AP from battle.
Materia would go on to be a key recurring feature in the Final Fantasy VII series.
Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-[]
Materia is obtained by taking photos with the cellphone and converting the images into Materia. The color of the photo in question determines the type of Materia obtained.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]
The sole playable character, Zack, has limited Materia slots and Summon Materia can only be used via the Digital Mind Wave system. As a SOLDIER, Zack can make use of the Materia Fusion system provided by his employer, the Shinra Electric Power Company, to create unique materia and grant stat boosts to them. Zack also fights four materia crystals in Nibel Reactor, and needs to collect seven red materia to place on the pedestal of Minerva to unlock the final door in the final dungeon.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children[]
People have stopped using Materia, but Cloud Strife keeps a chest of Materia at the Sector 5 slums church until they are stolen by the Remnants of Sephiroth, who implant the Materia into their bodies to boost their battle capabilities. Kadaj also uses a Materia to summon Bahamut SIN.
The color of Materia do not correspond to the colors seen in the Final Fantasy VII related games, indicating the coloring system in the games is mainly for gameplay purposes.
Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-[]
Vincent can use spells by equipping his firearms with Magic Materia, and the spells can be powered up by using Materia Boosters.
The Protomateria lets the holder tap into the power of Chaos and Omega and is an important item for Vincent, Lucrecia, and the Tsviets.
Final Fantasy VII G-Bike[]
This section in Final Fantasy VII G-Bike is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis[]
Materia is a central part of the gameplay in Ever Crisis. There are both Physical and Magic Materia, which correspond to the six elements, as well as sigils, which are used during boss fights. Healing materia is also present but there is one for individual status ailments instead of a spell that cures most of them. Each character can equip three at a time some of which gain benefits depending on the weapon equipped by the character.
Final Fantasy VII remake project[]
Materia is slotted into equipment to make use of during battles. Chadley is a Shinra researcher who is coming up with new materia based on Cloud and the party's help. The elemental magic has been simplified for the sake of the new combat system, having only four elements instead of the original's nine: 
Fire, 
Ice, and 
Lightning along with 
Wind, which did not have a dedicated materia in the original. The 
Poison Materia makes an appearance in Remake and later the Petrify Materia (which is an equivalent of the Earth Materia) is added to Rebirth, but both do non-elemental damage. Unlike in the original game, summon materia cannot be slotted into weapons or armor, instead having a unique slot, and every character can equip one. Summons like Leviathan, Titan, and Alexander, which are associated with Water, Earth, and Holy, respectively, also now do non-elemental damage.
"Huge Materia" is now called Magnus Materia. The "special" materia, white and black materia, appear to have metaphysical properties, seemingly able to exist in multiple places at once despite being the same materia (white materia) and both appear able to be transported between realms to some extent.
Final Fantasy XIV[]
Materia stages.
Materia was a crafting system introduced in the original Final Fantasy XIV early, but made a bigger return with an overhaul in A Realm Reborn. It functions very differently from Materia in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, as it does not provide any command abilities and is strictly stat boosts, in addition to being acquired differently. It allows the players to upgrade equipment by converting undesired equipment into Materia. The user must have achieved a full spiritbond with the equipment before. Any crafting class can then meld the Materia with another piece of equipment to boost its stats.
Final Fantasy Tactics[]
The Materia Blade is a weapon usable by Cloud Strife required for him to use his "Limit" attacks based on his limit breaks, as well as the Cherry Blossom attack. Some Materia are also found as artefacts. Both instances are allusions to Final Fantasy VII.
Dissidia Final Fantasy[]
Cloud's Crystal is a Materia orb.
Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia[]
Yuffie stole a Materia on Tifa's glove in Chapter 1. According to Tifa, the Materia are not functioning in the world of Opera Omnia.
Pictlogica Final Fantasy[]
This section about equipment in Pictlogica Final Fantasy is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances[]
Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring[]
Materia appears as equippable items which serves as magic within the Forsaken Dungeon. There are ten materia in total; Fire, Ice, Thunder, Flare, Freeze, Trine, Quake, Meteor, Ultima, and Holy. Materia can be equipped as Basic Magic or Ultra Magic, Basic Magic attacks are different from the Ultra Magic attacks, Basic Magic is single target while Ultra Magic targets all enemies. Basic Magic consume one Magic Stone to use while Ultra Magic consume three Magic Stones. If the user is equip a rod or staff weapon type, the time is reduce for using an Ultra Magic spell and these spells will only consume two Magic Stones instead of three.
Other media[]
Dead Fantasy[]
Hitomi lands a powerful blow on Tifa as she expels most of her Materia on her body in Dead Fantasy III.
Tifa Lockhart carries several different colored glowing Materia within her arms and legs, including the White Materia. She casts offensive spells from them, such as Fire, Gravity, Quake, Ultima, Thunder, and Blizzard, and supporting spells, such as Protect, Haste, Stop, and Poison. Tifa also wields stat-boosting Materia, potentially HP+, MP+, Luck, Magic+ and a boost in speed with the Speed+ Materia. In Dead Fantasy III, Hitomi steals all of Tifa's Materia, from then on carrying six Materia orbs. Later, she shows the glowing White Materia to Helena Douglas.
In the remake version, all of Tifa's Materia are translucent.
Etymology[]
Materia means "matter" or "substance" in Latin, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian; it also means "subject" in Italian, Spanish, and Romanian and is the root of Catalan "Matèria" and Portuguese "Matéria".