Grim Reaper ( entity ) The Grim Reaper is a recurring motif in the " Final Fantasy " series . A and personification of death , its appearance differs in every installment , but shares a distinct similarity : a reaper is summoned whenever someone uses the spells Death or Doom , more frequently the former . Appearances . " Final Fantasy " . The Grim Reaper in its first appearance is summoned through the spell Death ( called RUB in the NES version and Reaper in the " Origins " version ) . A skeletal figure wearing a red cape beckons the target ' s soul and slices it down with its scythe . Or , if using another spell , it throws back its cloak , and four skulls emerge , attach to the soul , and fly upwards . " Final Fantasy II " . Multiple Grim Reapers appear during the spell animation for Curse . They are skeletal blue - hooded floating figures with scythes . " Final Fantasy IV " . The Black Magic spells Doom and Death summon the Grim Reaper upon the target . The Reaper appears shrouded in black , has a skull with red eyes , and carries a dark scythe . In the " " , the Reaper looks like an famished man with a skull for a head covered in a ghostly white shroud . He is also mentioned in Kain ' s Lunar Trial , as Dark Kain ' s shrouded appearance and polearm remind the townsfolk of the legendary Grim Reaper . " Final Fantasy IV - Interlude - " . The Grim Reaper ' s depiction remains the same . The Grim Reaper ' s depiction remains the same . " Final Fantasy V " . The Blue Magic Doom summons the Grim Reaper . " " appear around the target , followed by the Reaper floating away . The Reaper is dressed in faded red robes and carries a silver - colored scythe . It also appears when the player uses Predict and it generates the Pestilence effect . " Final Fantasy VI " . The Death spell summons the Grim Reaper . In its red cloak and a scythe , it appears out of thin air and carries the target ' s soul skywards while laughing . " Final Fantasy VII " . The Death spell from the Destruct Materia ( also seen in Cait Sith ' s attack " Game Over " from his " Slots " Limit Break ) summons the Grim Reaper . Its appearance is more machine - like , its head placed in a red saucer , abstracting its red cloak , and its arms oversized , with its right arm an outright scythe and its left arm large , with a crest with the kanji for death on its hand . The Grim Reaper emerges from black smoke and slashes its scythe across the target . These are the only ways to summon the Reaper ; other Death spells , such as Doom , summon an elongated skull instead . " Final Fantasy VIII " . The Grim Reaper ' s appearance differs greatly from before , with its color scheme being black , red , and purple . It has a dark , mouth - less head and wears a horned skull . Its back has bat - like wings , and its red hands carry a darkened scythe . It is summoned using the spell Death and the command Doom . " Final Fantasy IX " . The Grim Reaper wears brownish robes of Middle Age attire with a skull as its head . It appears with four spells : Lv5 Death , Death , Doom , and Roulette . There was a design for an alternate Grim Reaper to be summoned during the final battle , but this idea was scrapped . It appears to have been a precursor for Hades , which appears as a superboss in the final game . " Final Fantasy X " . The Grim Reaper ' s appearance is similar to the Malaysian " " : a bodiless shriveled head . It wears a horned headdress and a cape , and has only a clawed left hand . With that clawed hand it reaches into the target , extracting its soul and crushing it , killing the target . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . When a player runs out of time in the Mog Clock a battle is initiated where the player cannot escape . Images of skulls shrouded in black mist appear on the screen during the battle transition , representing the idea of a Grim Reaper . Also , Cie ' th Gorgyra resembles a Grim Reaper and can even cast Doom . " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " . A large Grim Reaper statue held a painting of goddess Etro , who is known as the goddess of death . " Final Fantasy XV " . Worship of the Grim Reaper was to be a theme in " Final Fantasy Versus XIII " , but had to be toned down for " Final Fantasy XV " due to ratings concerns in certain countries . Explicit references were replaced by having the color black be special in the kingdom of Lucis . For example , the main cast dress in this color . A winged skull motif still recurs within crests and banners of Lucis , and the main cast and Cor Leonis have skull motifs on their outfits . Grim Reaper - type daemons spawn in places where daemons lurk , skeletons who wear dark cloaks and wield scythes . The revering of death remains as a theme , with the past kings lending their powers to their ancestors , and the Royal Tomb s being places opened for the current king to receive this blessing from the dead . In juxtaposition , the Niflheim Empire also gains power from death in the form of daemons , but this is a dark power that at least in Ardyn Izunia ' s case prevents one ' s ascension to the afterlife . The Ring of the Lucii , a Lucian royal heirloom , gains power through death as the Crystal ' s power is transferred into it when the ring - bearing king dies . The True King can restore light to the world by sacrificing his own life . As this is the Crystal ' s mission , the death iconography in Lucis could allude to the coming of the True King . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . Grim Reaper appears when the Doom counter expires or Level 5 Death is used on a susceptible target by Jawbreaker or a Morpher using their powers . It will appear above the target , laugh maniacally and then draw the target ' s soul towards it , KOing them . " " . When the Death spell is used several Grim Reapers fly over the battlefield , which turns red . It also appears when the Doom counter reaches zero , when Doom is inflicted via Sniper ' s Death Sickle , and when instant kill moves such as the Parivir ' s Lifethread Blade are used . It flies onto the battlefield and seizes what appears to be the target ' s soul , and takes it off the screen . " Final Fantasy Legend II " . The reaper will appear when a character uses the Death spellbook . A skull shrouded in a black cloth will appear on a target for a split second and vanish . He will take the target with him if the spell was successful . " Final Fantasy Legend III " . The reaper is a slightly modified version of the reaper sprite from " Final Fantasy Legend II " . It appears when a character uses the black magic Fatal spell . A skull shrouded in a black cloth will appear on a target and vanishes after he finishes laughing . He will take the target with him if the spell was successful . " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . Grim Reaper appears as part of Cait Sith ' s Game Over attack .