Samurai (Tactics)

Following a warrior ethic from a foreign land, the samurai uses Iaido techniques to attack with his or her katana.

Description

Samurai is a job in Final Fantasy Tactics. It can employ sword techniques known as Iaido, which draws spirits out of the katana to produce effects around the user. Not only can the Iaido abilities deal damage to foes, they can also recover allies' HP or bestow various status enhancements, and differentiate friend and foe like summon abilities. In the original version, it costs 7,100 JP to master. In The War of the Lions, it requires 8,000 JP.

Leveling this job to level 8, along with Dragoon, Ninja, and Geomancer, along with having 20 kills with the unit (the defeated units must turn into crystals or chests to count) and mastering Knight and Black Mage, will unlock the Dark Knight in the War of the Lions.

Stats[]

Prerequisite	Weapons	Helmet	Armor	Equip Shields?
WotL(War of the Lions): Lv. 4 Knight, Lv. 5 Monk, Lv. 2 Dragoon PlayStation: Lv. 3 Knight, Lv. 4 Monk, Lv. 2 Lancer	Katanas	Helmets	Armor, Robes	No

Move Rate	Jump Rate	Speed	Physical Evasion Rate	Base Attack	Base Magic	Base HP	Base MP
3	3	8	20%	High	Average	Low	High

Abilities[]

Iaido[]

Samurai job command. Unleashes the mystical powers contained within katana.

Description

The Iaido abilities damage foes while also recovering allies' HP or bestowing various status enhancements, and differentiate friend and foe like summon abilities.

There is 1/8 chance that using an Iaido ability will break the drawn katana. The player only needs the katana in their inventory, not equipped, to use the ability. Iaido abilities are katana-specific, and since their power is determined by the user's Magick power rather than physical power, equipping the support ability Arcane Strength learned from the Black Mage can boost their power.

Name	Range	Effect	Speed	JP Needed
Ashura (Asura Knife)	1	3	Now	100
Ashura (Asura Knife)	Spirit Blade. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, causing an unseen specter-sword to slash at the target. Damage: 8 x Magic Attack Quote: "Legendary sword that kills freely! Asura!"
Kotetsu (Koutetsu)	1	3	Now	180/200
Kotetsu (Koutetsu)	Binding Darkness. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, loosing a wave of howling dark spirits. Damage: 12 x Magic Attack Quote: "Evil souls of the dark, gather here... Koutetsu!"
Osafune (Bizen Boat)	1	3	Now	260/300
Osafune (Bizen Boat)	Verse of Oblivion. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, sending the whispering dead to feed on the target's MP. Lower MP: 4 x Magic Attack Quote: "Nihilistic sky, inhale magic power... Bizen Boat!"
Murasame	1	3	Now	340/400
Murasame	Rain of Wisdom. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, raining tears of an enlightened soul to restore HP. Healing: 12 x Magic Attack Quote: "No more loss of precious life... Murasame!"
Ame-no-Murakumo (Heaven's Cloud)	1	3	Now	420/500
Ame-no-Murakumo (Heaven's Cloud)	Cloudsea Curse. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, releasing a phantom of pure mist to attack the target. Effect: Slow. Damage: 14 x Magic Attack Quote: "Yagumo rising, all who know god! Heaven's Cloud!"
Kiyomori	1	3	Now	500/600
Kiyomori	Purifying Breeze. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, bestowing the protection of its effervescent life force. Effect: Protect, Shell. Quote: "Innocent sword, slash evils and protect! Kiyomori!".
Muramasa	1	3	Now	580/700
Muramasa	Doomed Aspirations. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana. Only a living soul will quell its tumult. Effect: Confuse, Doom. Damage: 18 x Magic Attack Quote: "Summon all ghosts of the sword! Attack! Muramasa!"
Kiku-ichimonji (Kikuichimoji)	4	8	Now	660/800
Kiku-ichimonji (Kikuichimoji)	Sanguine Blossom. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, wreaking havoc with its all-consuming hatred. Damage: 16 x Magic Attack Quote: "Brave weapon, turn to a deadly blaze! Kikuichimoji!"
Masamune	1	3	Now	740/900
Masamune	Ethereal Embrace. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, bestowing physical healing and increased speed. Effect: Regen, Haste. Quote: "Sword of fury, inject power! Masamune!"
Chirijiraden	1	3	Now	820/1000
Chirijiraden	Raging Inferno. A technique that releases the spirit in the user's katana, which pursues the living as a band of blue flame. Damage: 30 x Magic Attack Quote: "Flame-eating sword, swipe away the evils! Chirijiraden!"

Reaction abilities[]

Name	Description	Trigger	JP Needed
Bonecrusher (Meatbone Slash)	Deal damage equal to own maximum HP when critically wounded.	Critical	200
Shirahadori (Blade Grasp)	Evade non-ranged physical attacks.	Physical Attack, despite in-game description, it does work against bows/crossbows, guns, and monster attacks.	700

Support abilities[]

Name	Description	JP Needed
Equip Katana (Equip Knife)	Equip katana, regardless of job.	400
Doublehand (Two Hands)	Wield a weapon with both hands, increasing its destructive power.	900

Movement abilities[]

Name	Description	JP Needed
Swim (Move in Water)	Swim through and even act in deep water.	300

Gameplay[]

The Samurai is a hybrid warrior capable of dealing both physical and magickal damage. It has decent stats all round, although its physical attack is lower than the Knight's. While the Samurai cannot equip shields, it has one of the highest physical evasion attributes. While the job is powerful on its own, most katana are inferior to normal swords, and especially knight swords. This means the Samurai's damage tends to fall behind Knights' in terms of pure physical power.

While Iaido is a versatile job command, it risks permanently losing katanas, especially hazardous when using rare katanas. Katanas start to become available for using Iaido (Samurais must wait until acquiring both the proper katana and Iaido ability) in Chapter 2. Iaido's damage is determined by the unit's magick attack, which makes it more powerful when used by mage classes, such as the Black Mage. Teleport will easily allow them to breach enemy lines.

Shirahadori is one of the most powerful support abilities in the game, making the player dodge virtually any physical attack, and benefits pretty much any job. Its success rate is equal to the amount of Bravery a character has.

Bonecrusher with 2 tile ranged spear.

The Samurai's Bonecrusher reaction ability is a more powerful version of the Monk's Counter, hitting from weapon range regardless the damage type, although it only triggers once the unit is at Critical HP. Life gain can allow this to reactivate, but the unit must first survive and have high Bravery to reliably use, due to limited activation opportunities.

The Samurai's Doublehand ability is potent for Dragoons, although other jobs, such as Knights, can also benefit from it.

Other appearances[]

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT[]

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Pictlogica Final Fantasy[]

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Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]

This section about an ability in Final Fantasy Record Keeper is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game[]

Samurai appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as Fire-elemental Forward cards.

Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances[]

Knights of the Crystals[]

Samurai appears as a card in the Ivalice Special Arena has a limited-time special arena with eighteen floors.

Gallery[]

Etymology[]

[view · edit · purge]Samurai were the military nobility of medieval and early-modern Japan. They were not just great swordsmen, but also powerful horse archers and martial artists of other fields. Though their status was that above commoners, samurai were bound to forms of etiquette and a way of life known as Bushido, stressing honor to one's devoted and preparing oneself in the face of death.