Odin is an optional level 4 summon in Final Fantasy V. It is capable of using two attacks: Zantetsuken, which attempts to inflict instant death on normal enemies, or Gungnir, which inflicts heavy major non-elemental damage on a single heavy-type enemy. Odin is one of the common summoned monsters found in Final Fantasy.
Odin can be used via Summon and Call once obtained, and also via Magic Lamp. With the latter two, the summoner uses no MP. When called forth from the Magic Lamp, Odin will never use Gungnir; however, if he uses Zantetsuken against heavy targets, it will miss.
Obtained[]
Odin is found in the basement of Castle of Bal in the merged world. The basement is accessible through the Jachol Cave and the party has to defeat him in under one minute or he will use Zantetsuken to finish them off.
Stats[]
| Ability | MP cost | Power | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zantetsuken | 48 | N/A | Inflict instant death on all enemies. |
| Gungnir | 48 | 255 | Non-elemental damage to one enemy. |
Gungnir's damage is calculated as follows:
Odin will use Gungnir if any of the enemies is a heavy-type enemy. The Pixel Remaster version breaks this logic, however, giving Odin a small chance to attempt one or the other if it is not appropriate. Neither Gungnir nor Zantetsuken are affected by reflect.
Zantetsuken will ignore the enemies' death resistance and works on undead enemies, but fails on heavy-type enemies (only possible to see when summoned via Magic Lamp). It always hits.
Use[]
Zantetsuken (top) and Gungnir (bottom).
Odin either performs Zantetsuken or Gungnir when summoned. Zantetsuken, if successful, slices enemies in half, instantly killing them. This makes it stronger than the Samurai ability Iainuki, as Iainuki costs no MP but takes a turn to charge before use and has a chance of missing. Zantetsuken can be a useful method of level grinding.
Gungnir is used if any of the enemies is a heavy-type, and as such, would be immune to Zantetsuken. Gungnir is a powerful single-target attack that is slightly stronger than summoning Bahamut against one target, but for a lower MP cost. Its damage is comparable to Flare, although Flare's MP cost is lower. This means that Flare is a more MP-efficient means of dealing immense damage to one target, and as such, Odin should not be used for this purpose if Flare is available.
Summoning Odin is an easy way to end the battle against Triton, Nereid, and Phobos. Odin also kills Twintania during the time it charges for its special attack.
Odin's Zantetsuken attack can, in fact, one-shot the final boss's back portion if used through the Magic Lamp; otherwise Odin will use Gungnir.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
In Germanic mythology, Odin (from Old Norse Óðinn) is a widely revered god. In Norse mythology, from which stems most of our information about the god, Odin is associated with healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and is the husband of the goddess Frigg.
Zantetsuken (斬鉄剣?) is Japanese for "iron-cutting/slashing iron sword". It normally refers to a blade formed out of exotic materials rumored to be able to cut through steel and/or iron. The term was often associated with blades created by the feudal swordsmith known as Kobayashi Yasuhiro.
In Norse mythology, Gungnir is a javelin forged and crafted by dwarves, known as the Sons of Ivaldi, on Loki's request as part of his apology for cutting off the hair of Sif. It was given to Odin and had the uncanny ability of always hitting the target it was thrown at.