Flare ( ability ) Flare , also known as Nuke , is a recurring spell throughout the " Final Fantasy " series . It first appeared in the original " Final Fantasy " game . Though its name implies fire - elemental properties , rarely is this the case as it is usually non - elemental Black Magic . Flare is considered an " Ultimate " spell , along with Ultima , Meteor , Holy , Burst , Freeze , and Tornado . Flare is often the Black Magic equivalent and opposite of the spell Holy when the spell Meteor is not . There are many versions of Flare . Bahamut ' s signature attack is Megaflare , with variations being Gigaflare and Teraflare . Flare Star is enemy - exclusive and Shadow Flare is a dark - elemental version of the spell . Appearances . " Final Fantasy " . Flare , also known as NUKE in the NES release , is a level 8 Black Magic spell which inflicts large non - elemental damage to all enemies . Offensively , it is the most powerful spell in the game . Flare can be cast by Chronodia , Shinryu , Death Knight , Lich , and Chaos . The spell can be bought at Lufenia and can only be learned by the Black Wizard job class . In the " " and " 20th Anniversary Edition " releases it costs 50 MP to cast . " Final Fantasy II " . Flare is a Black Magic spell which inflicts a heavy amount of non - elemental damage to one or all enemies . Offensively , it is one of the most powerful spells in the game , second to Ultima . As the spell ' s level grows , so too does its potency . Any character can learn Flare by having them use the Flare Tome ( called the Flare Scroll in the " Origins " release ) . Flare X is used exclusively by Wizard , while Flare XVI is used by Beelzebub , Emperor in the final battle , Zombie Borghen , Light Emperor , and Ultima Weapon . According to the cutscene immediately prior to the Light Emperor battle , the Emperor utilized Flare XVI on Maria during their fight , in retaliation for her casting Holy Lv . 16 on him . " Final Fantasy III " . Flare is a level 8 Black Magic , which can only be cast by the Magus and Sage . It can be bought in Eureka , and it costs 60 , 000 gil to buy . Doga can cast Flare when he joins the party as a guest in the game ' s 3D version , and the player can also use Flare through the Chocobo ' s Wrath item . It has a base power of 200 . The enemies Titan , Scylla , and Echidna can use Flare against the party . " Final Fantasy IV " . It is known as Nuke in the SNES version , with Flare as the Twincast spell . In the Game Boy Advance version onwards , the Black Magic spell is called Flare and the Twin spell was called Pyro . Flare is the second strongest Black Magic spell after Meteor , but is cast faster and for half the MP . In the 2D versions it takes 50 MP cast , and in 3D versions it takes 55 MP . In the 3D versions it has a spell power of 160 and 400 in all other versions . In the " Advance " and " " versions the weapon Flare Sledgehammer randomly casts Flare when attacking with it , even if the weapon is actually Ice - elemental due to a bug . Flare can be cast by Zeromus EG , Dark Bahamut , Zeromus , and Deathmask . " Final Fantasy IV - Interlude - " . Flare returns as a Black Magic spell . The imposter Rydia learns it at level 55 while Palom learns it at level 52 , but Rydia doesn ' t have the spell when she participates in the final battle . It deals massive non - elemental damage to one enemy at the cost of 50 MP . Flare is a powerful Black Magic that can be cast by Rydia , Fusoya , Golbez , Palom , and Leonora . It costs 50 MP to cast and inflicts major non - elemental damage . " Final Fantasy V " . Flare is a Level 6 Black Magic spell , and it is obtained in the magical part of the Fork Tower , where you must defeat Omniscient . The physical part contains Holy and the Minotaur must be defeated . If the party takes too long getting one after the other , the tower will explode and the game will end in a Game Over . Damage calculation parameters are as follows : The formula for Flare is as follows : Flare can be used by Barrier , Enuo , Exdeath in the final battle , Famed Mimic Gogo , Necrophobe , Neo Exdeath , Omniscient , and Archeodemon . The player can also utilize the Flare spell without having to obtain the spell by catching and then releasing either a Goblin , Flaremancer , Fury , or Claret Dragon . Flare is one of the spells that can be cast from the Wonder Wand for free . " Final Fantasy VI " . Flare is an Attack spell that does non - elemental damage and ignores magic defense . It is taught by Bahamut at a rate of x2 , though Celes can learn it naturally at level 81 . Its Spell Power is 60 , its Hit Rate is 150 , and is vulnerable to Runic . It costs 45 MP to cast . Flare is an Added Ability to the Ragnarok weapon . Flare can be cast by Flame Eater , Guardian , Shambling Corpse , Level 90 Magic , Cherry , Magic , Necromancer , Red Dragon , Ultima Weapon , Kaiser Dragon , and Behemoth King ( Living ) . " Final Fantasy VII " . Flare is found in the Contain Materia , as the level 4 spell that costs 100 MP to cast and requires 15 , 000 AP to learn . It does extreme fire damage , its spell power being equal to 7 . 1875x the base magic damage . Only the enemy Behemoth casts the spell against the party . The King Behemoth has access to the spell , but only when under Manipulate . " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " . Flare is usable by the Flare Materia . It lights up the screen with a bright red flash , all enemies taking damage when it dies down . Flare costs 77 MP to cast , and is one of the few spells that cannot be used with Dualcast . Flare can be obtained through missions 2 - 4 - 2 , 3 - 4 - 4 , 3 - 5 - 3 , 5 - 4 - 3 , 8 - 6 - 4 , 9 - 3 - 6 , 9 - 4 - 4 , 9 - 4 - 5 , 9 - 4 - 6 , 9 - 5 - 1 , 9 - 5 - 2 , 9 - 6 - 1 , 9 - 6 - 4 or Materia Fusion by fusing a mastered Electrocute Materia with any of the following : Libra , Dash , Tri - Fire , Tri - Thundaga , Goblin Punch , Iron Fist , or Magical Punch . It can also be made by fusing a mastered Tri - Fire with a mastered Libra . " Final Fantasy VIII " . Flare is a powerful spell that inflicts major non - elemental damage on one opponent . It can only be drawn from some of the most powerful random encounter enemies and a few bosses , and can only be created using rare items . Flare is also a powerful junctioning magic , having one of the largest effects when junctioned to Str - J and Elem - Def - J . Casting Flare in battle increases compatibility with Eden by 0 . 4 and with Brothers , Diablos , Leviathan and Bahamut by 0 . 2 . Casting Flare doesn ' t lower compatibility with any GF . Flare is cast in battle by Adel , Behemoth , Griever , Ruby Dragon , Seifer in the fourth battle , Sorceress B , and Ultimecia ' s final form . " Final Fantasy IX " . Flare is a Black Magic spell for Vivi that deals non - elemental damage , but cannot be toggled to target more than one foe . Vivi can learn the spell for 95 AP by equipping the Black Robe , and costs 40 MP to cast . It can be reflected and works with Return Magic . Additionally , Kuja , Garland , Trance Kuja and Ozma can all cast Flare . Thorn can cast a lesser version called Light Flare after being charged by Zorn . The spell has a power of 119 and is the strongest single - target spell Vivi can cast . It can also be used in Steiner ' s Sword Magic . " Final Fantasy X " . Flare deals non - elemental damage on one target and costs 54 MP to cast . It can be reflected . It is the final ability on Lulu ' s standard Sphere Grid path , and is near the end of Rikku ' s expert Sphere Grid path . The spell can be cast by Abaddon , Behemoth King , Black Element , Catoblepas , Coeurlregina , Dark Flan , Earth Eater , Greater Sphere , Jumbo Flan , Sleep Sprout , Mindy , Seymour Flux , Seymour Natus . Its spell power is 60 . " Final Fantasy X - 2 " . Flare is a Black Magic spell used by equipping either the Conflagration or Megiddo Garment Grid s and spherechanging through the colored gates . The spell will then appear in the Black Magic skillset . It inflicts major non - elemental damage and costs 54 MP to cast . A somewhat similar attack called Flare Whirl is used by Yuna ' s Floral Fallal dressphere , and hits three times against random enemies . Flare can also be used via Yuna ' s Festivalist dressphere ability Flare Sandals , which hits two enemies . Flare can be used by many enemies . Quick Flare allows a character to cast Flare with reduced recovery time . Captured creatures can learn the ability by equipping the Garment Grid Tricks of the Trade . " Final Fantasy XI " . Flare is the Fire - elemental Ancient Magic spell . It takes a tremendously long 19 seconds to cast , as well as depleting a phenomenal 383 MP from its user , but is the highest - damaging Fire - based Black Magic spell until a Black Mage reaches Level 75 . At such a time , said mage can learn Flare II through the use of Merit Points , which all but halves the casting time and reduces the casting cost by 96 MP ; as well , the spell deals significantly more damage than Flare . Additionally , both spells lower a foe ' s resistance to the Water element for a brief duration . Unfortunately , neither spell is particularly useful to a Black Mage ' s arsenal in " Final Fantasy XI " , because both the Lightning and Ice elements ( in that order ) are stronger than that of Fire , and will generally out - damage any Fire - based spell cast upon a target barring particular , unique weakness to Fire attacks ( such as Bomb and Undead enemies ) . Likewise , there are almost no noteworthy monsters that players deem necessary to inflict reduced resistance to the Water element , as there are various other ( much less wasteful ) methods of inflicting said penalty , and the only Water - based debuff is Poison . " Final Fantasy XII " . Flare is the Black Magick License 7 , and it inflicts heavy non - elemental damage on a single target . Flare has the maximum Effect Capacity , which means no other spell or Technick can be performed simultaneously . It costs 48 MP and is usable for 70 LP . A similar spell is Ardor , which casts extreme Fire damage to all targets in range . Flare costs 11 , 200 gil at Balfonheim Port after the events in Pharos . In the " Zodiac job system " version , Flare is Black Magick 12 License and can only be used by the Black Mage . Flare is Kytes ' s ultimate ability at Level 42 and inflicts massive non - elemental damage to one enemy . The Esper Chaos can use Flare as its ultimate ability . Flare is a Magic in " Lightning Returns : Final Fantasy XIII " . There are three ways to obtain Flare : " Final Fantasy XIV " . Flare appeared as an ability in the Legacy " Final Fantasy XIV " and it dealt massive fire - elemental damage to the target and nearby enemies . At the initial release , Flare was a Conjurer spell available for use at Rank 44 and it cost 4 action points to set . After the release of patch 1 . 20 , Flare became a high level fire - elemental spell for Black Mages , learned by completing the " International Relations " quest . Flare appears in the relaunch of " Final Fantasy XIV " as a Black Mage spell obtained after completing their level 50 job quest . It has a cast time of 4 seconds and consumes all of the user ' s remaining MP with a minimum MP cost of 266 . When the spell is cast , it grants the Astral Fire III effect for 10 seconds and removes Umbral Ice . " Final Fantasy Tactics " . Flare is learned by the Black Mage for 900 / 1000 ( " WotL " ) JP , and is their ultimate spell . It costs 60 MP to cast and has a speed of 15 . The Lucavi Zalera can cast an upgraded form called Flareja , and some high - level enemies can cast Giga Flare . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . Flare is learned by Alchemists from the Lotus Mace , which costs 300 AP to learn and inflicts extreme non - elemental damage to one enemy . It costs 36 MP to cast , has a Magic Power of 65 , is stealable through the ability Steal : Ability , and is also susceptible to Return Magic and Absorb MP . The spell cannot be reflected . Sages possess an area version , Giga Flare , also learned from the Lotus Mace for 300 AP . There is also a Blue Magic called LV ? S - Flare which is learned from Vampire , and deals Dark - elemental damage to all enemies of the same level . Similar to " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " , Flare is learned by Alchemists by equipping the Lotus Mace , but it costs 400 AP to master and costs 16 MP to use . " Final Fantasy Mystic Quest " . Flare is a Wizard spell , and the strongest spell in the game . It does heavy Fire - elemental damage to one or more enemies . Only Benjamin can cast the spell . It is found inside Pazuzu ' s Tower . " Final Fantasy Adventure " . The Nuke spell is the most destructive force in the game . Like Lit , it can only travel in a straight line . It is obtained by defeating Lich in the Sealed Cave , and cost 3 MP to cast . This spell is needed to gain access to the Cave of Ruins due to a crystal in the desert blocking the entrance . Nuke is also an enemy ability used by the Julius and Julius 3rd Form , a projectile that is shot in all eight directions . " The Final Fantasy Legend " . Flare is an ability that has 3 uses and has an attack power of 8 which damages all enemies , the damage formula is base on Mana . This ability is used by Lich , Athtalot , Ashura and the Creator . There ' s a Magic Book called Flare and it has a book icon before its name . It cast Flare , and can be bought in Hidden Town for 50 , 000 GP . It only has 20 uses and an attack power of 10 , the damage formula for Flare is base on Mana . Deals non - elemental damage to all enemies . " Final Fantasy Legend II " . Flare is a magical attack that has 5 uses , it also increases a Robot ' s HP by 9 ( though it cannot be equipped to them ) . The damage formula for Flare is the user ' s Mana x10 while Apollo ' s Flare is Mana x8 . The ability target ' s all enemies . This attack can be used by Athtalot , Haniwa , Lich , Titania , and Apollo . There ' s a Magic Book called Flare and it has a book icon before its name . It cast Flare , and can be bought in Final Town for 50000 GP or found in chests . It only has 10 uses , and also increases a Robot ' s HP by 144 when equipped on them . The damage formula for Flare is the user ' s Mana x13 , deals non - elemental damage to all enemies . " Final Fantasy Legend III " . Flare , a Lost Magic spell , is the strongest magic spell in the game . It costs 56 MP to use , and it can be made by combining two Fire elemental stones from Shar aboard the " Talon " . Because the game only features four Fire elemental stones , it is only possible to have two copies of Flare , at the expense of several weaker Lost spells . Nuke is a separate spell entirely . While much weaker than Flare , it is the strongest Black Magic spell . It costs 36 MP to use , and it can be bought for 25000 GP in Dwelg Town ( Underworld ) . The legendary Flare Tome is mentioned by a scientist at Guera Palace , but it does not appear as a usable spell or enemy ability . " Bravely Default " . Flare is a powerful , enemy - exclusive Fire spell used by Airy in her second form . It deals heavy damage to the entire party . In her third form , Airy uses an upgraded version of Flare called Zeta - Flare . " Final Fantasy Dimensions " . Flare is a level 8 Black Magic learned by Level 1 Magus ( Warriors of Darkness ) . " Dissidia Final Fantasy " . Onion Knight has Flare as an HP attack chained from Thunder . As a Mime , Bartz is able to use Onion Knight ' s version of Flare , but his version is chained from Holy . Their versions of Flare summon streams of fire to bombard enemies from three directions . Onion Knight ' s Flare costs 40 CP to equip and 300 AP to master , while Bartz ' s Flare costs 45 CP to equip and 180 AP to master . Terra can cast Flare as a part of Holy Combo . After landing a hit with Holy Combo , Terra shoots several fireballs at the opponent . This can chain further into Ultima . Kuja has a variation called Remote Flare , which summons several small explosive fireballs to surround opponents . It costs 30 CP to equip and 180 AP to master . Kuja also uses Flare in many of his Bravery attacks , and his Flare Star HP attack . The Emperor has two versions of Flare as HP attacks , one which fires a blue fireball that moves slowly and tracks enemies , and another which fires an orange fireball that stays in place . Both versions cost 40 CP to equip and 180 AP to master . Shantotto ' s Spirit Magic : Fire casts Flare when she has over 6000 Bravery , launching a barrage of smaller fireballs towards her opponent , culminating in a massive explosion . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Garland has Flare as an HP attack . He enchants his sword with fire and attacks the opponent with two overhead slam attacks . Shantotto ' s Spirit Magic : Fire now casts Flare when she has over 4000 Bravery . Onion Knight ' s Flare now costs 30 CP to equip and 160 AP to master . Terra ' s Flare now has Ranged Mid Damage Priority , causing it to stagger blocking opponents . Kuja ' s Remote Flare costs 100 AP to master now . Both versions of the Emperor ' s Flare now cost 30 CP to equip and 130 AP to master , and his aerial Flare inflicts downwards Wall Rush . Bartz ' s Flare is unchanged . " Final Fantasy All the Bravest " . Flare Thundaga is the ability that is used by Magus during battle . It is also an enemy ability that is used by Exdeath and Lich during battle . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Flare is a Black Magic Ability with a Rarity of ☆☆☆☆☆ . It deals massive non - elemental magic damage to one target , it can initially be used two times and it can be honed to Rank 5 . It can be created by using Major Black Orb x10 , Major Non - Elemental Orb x6 , Major Fire Orb x6 , and 50000 gil . " Chocobo ' s Dungeon 2 " . Flare is a Lv . 7 spell that cost 5 SP to cast and attacks all enemies in a 7x7 grid around Chocobo . " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " . One of Lulu ' s cards has the Flare ability . Flare costs one Thunder CP , the discard of a Lulu card , and the player must Dull Lulu . Flare deals 8000 damage to a Forward of the player ' s choice . Non - " Final Fantasy " Appearances . " Heavenstrike Rivals " . Flare is Julius and Demon Form Julius ' s ability . At the start of the player turn , deal 2 - 6 damage split between random enemy units . Etymology . In the case of " Final Fantasy " , while this may seem weaker than an explosion , a flare is a contained release of energy , which fully exposes the enemy to the source rather than blow them away from it after a while .