Summoned monsters Summoned monsters are a recurring element in the " Final Fantasy " series . They are powerful monsters that can be called into battle to fight by their Summoner . The exact nature of summoned monsters varies from game to game , but in some they are depicted as gods or demigods , and their role in the storylines has grown as the series has progressed . Profile . In earlier titles summoned monsters merely appeared to perform a single attack before vanishing . Summoning them costs MP , often more than normal spells , but their attacks tend to be stronger or have effects normal spells cannot duplicate . Starting with " Final Fantasy X " summoned monsters have acted as temporary party members , able to be called into battle to fight alongside their summoner in place of the rest of the party for a period of time . A recurring theme with summoned monsters is that , to earn their allegiance and the right to summon them , the summoner must best the summoned monster in battle . While this is not universal , and some summons are acquired in other ways , most often the player must adhere to this tradition . Summoned monsters often live in another dimension separate from the human world , and travel between the realms is restricted or frowned upon . In other games , summons seem to possess the ability to transport their enemies into a pocket dimension to do battle in . This is difficult to perceive when the player summons a monster against enemies , but in " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " , the summons Genesis calls to attack Zack teleport Zack into another realm for the fight , Zack returning to the normal world when the summon is defeated . There is no universal rule that governs how long summons can manifest in the normal world , varying from game to game to accommodate different gameplay mechanics . Typically , however , a summoning is only temporary and the summoner eventually dismisses the summoned monster back to its home realm . Name . In the Japanese games summoned monsters are usually referred to as " phantom beasts " , and in some other works , such as " Final Fantasy XIII " , " summoned / called - for beast " . The first specific name given to summoned monsters in an English game was " Final Fantasy VI " , where they are called " espers . " Since then , various games have used different terms for summoned monsters — Esper and Eidolon are the most common with the latter being more popular , but there are others . Some games that lack specific English terms refer to them simply as summons or summoned monsters / beasts . Appearances . " Final Fantasy " . Summons don ' t appear in the world of the first " Final Fantasy " ; " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " explains this by stating that Chaos had sealed summons away in the interdimensional rift . Additionally , Bahamut , who would become a recurring summon , debuts in this game , but in a different role as a quest - giving NPC . " Final Fantasy II " . In the original NES release there are no summons , but in the " 20th Anniversary " addition the optional Arcane Labyrinth dungeon introduces Deumion , who has the power to summon monsters . Phrekyos is one such monster . " Final Fantasy III " . In their first appearances as proper summons , summoned monsters can be called into battle by Sages , Evokers and Summoners . Summoned monsters have one of three effects when called , either a weaker offensive attack , a healing or beneficial status spell on the party , or their ultimate attack , a powerful offensive spell . Lower - level summons can be purchased in shops , but higher level summons require the player to find and defeat the summon to earn their spell . There are eight summoned monsters in all , which would become the iconic recurring summons of the series : Chocobo , Shiva , Ramuh , Ifrit , Titan , Odin , Leviathan , and Bahamut . " Final Fantasy IV " . Summoned monsters play a major element in the story . They were known as summoned monsters in the original version , and Summons in the PlayStation and " Advance " versions . The Nintendo DS release coined the term " Eidolons , " a naming convention carried into the " " release and its sequel " " . Eidolons can be summoned by the Summoners of the village Mist . The King of Baron tricks Cecil and Kain into delivering a ring to the village that unleashes monsters to burn it to the ground and Rydia is the village ' s only survivor . Summoned monsters live in an alternate world called the Feymarch , accessed by a cave deep underground . They are ruled over by Queen Asura and King Leviathan . The king of all monsters , Bahamut , lives on the Red Moon . In the " Advance " and " The Complete Collection " releases , the Lunar Ruins feature the Lunar Eidolons , dark versions of the Eidolons that serve as the bosses of the trials of the ruins . " Final Fantasy IV - Interlude - " . Some Eidolons from " Final Fantasy IV " return : Shiva , Ramuh , Ifrit , and Titan . The Goblin , Cockatrice , and Bomb summons can be found as enemy drops . Once the appropriate boss of the first four floors of the Tower of Babil has been defeated , Rydia ? will be able to summon them again in battle . Once Edge confirms she ' s an imposter , she battles the party and summons her four previously acquired Eidolons against the party . Once the party defeats them , she tries to finish off the party with Bahamut , but the real Rydia appears and summons the Mist Dragon to knock some sense into Bahamut who after dismisses himself from battle . Once the real Rydia participates in the final battle , she has all her Eidolons at her disposal minus Goblin , Cockatrice , Bomb , and Mindflayer . Once the imposter is defeated , she will inform the Creator that " the Eidolon project is complete " . The Eidolons from " Final Fantasy IV " return and are given even more importance in the story . Rydia and her summoner abilities return , which she shares with the Mysterious Girl , an antagonist who uses Eidolons against the heroes . " Final Fantasy V " . Summoned monsters are called into battle by the Summon command learned by Summoners , the Summoners ' Call command or via the Magic Lamp . Summons are purchased in shops and won by finding and defeating a summoned monster in battle . " Final Fantasy V " introduces additional series staples , such as Carbuncle , Phoenix and Golem . " Final Fantasy VI " . For the first time , summoned monsters are given an official name and a full backstory . Known as espers , they were humans and animals caught in the magical crossfire of three feuding gods known as the Warring Triad . The espers fled to another realm to avoid being hunted and having their powers exploited . The Gestahlian Empire located the gate to the esper realm and captured several espers to imbue humans and machines with magical energy , creating Magitek . Besides being able to be summoned into battle , espers are the basis of the game ' s magic system . When an esper dies its remains crystallize into magicite . Party members can equip magicite to learn magic spells and receive stat bonuses when they level up . " Final Fantasy VII " . Summons play a minor role , reverting to mere monsters called into battle , this time via Summon Materia . " Final Fantasy VII " is the only game in the " Final Fantasy " main series where none of the summons are fought as bosses . How summons came to be is never explained within the " Compilation of Final Fantasy VII " releases or media , except for some dummied lines from the original " Final Fantasy VII " , explained by Sephiroth in the Temple of the Ancients after obtaining the Bahamut Materia . The majority of the lines were not translated for the English version and can only be found in the original Japanese version . Sephiroth explains that during the times of the Ancients there were beings created by the Planet that sealed their life energy in Materia . It is suggested the creatures that protect the temple were created by the Planet , and it could indicate the Red Dragon turns itself into the Bahamut Materia upon defeat . " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " . Zack can find Summon Materia during his travels , adding more options to the Digital Mind Wave . Genesis Rhapsodos is a rogue SOLDIER First Class who specializes in magic use , and has numerous summons in his arsenal that he can summon against Zack , momentarily sending him to another realm to do battle to buy time to get away . At any time during Modulating Phase of the DMW , while the center reel spins , a blue star symbol can fill the screen activating Summon Mode , where the portraits in the DMW change to summon portraits and all three reels spin again . If three portraits match a summon will be called . Summons are non - elemental . There is a 12 . 5 % base chance of activating the Summon Mode when a Modulating Phase is triggered as long as Zack has obtained at least one summon . Equipping Summon DMW Materia can boost the chance further . There is also a different set of summoned creatures in Chocobo Mode . At any time during Modulating Phase while the center reel spins , Chocobo Mode will have a chance of activating as long as Zack has obtained at least one creature in the reel . If three portraits match a summon will be called . In certain special battles ( like against Sephiroth or the final boss ) the Chocobo Mode will never activate , but otherwise its base activation rate is 9 . 4 % , which can be boosted via DMW Materia . Kadaj has the Summon Materia for Bahamut SIN and can also call forth Shadow Creeper s at will . " Final Fantasy VIII " . Summoned monsters again play an important role in gameplay and story . Known as Guardian Forces , or GFs , they are entities of energy that can bond with a human host ' s consciousness , a process known as junctioning . Junctioning a GF allows the user to channel magical energy using the Guardian Force as a medium . Only Balamb Garden is known to use them , although the process was invented in Esthar by Dr . Odine . In gameplay terms , the party member to whom a GF is junctioned can draw magic from enemies and the environment , then cast it in battle or junction it to a stat attribute , such as Strength , Speed , or elemental or status properties , enhancing their stats , improving their elemental and status defenses , and adding elemental and status properties to their attacks . GFs can also learn support and command abilities that the equipped party member can equip . Because the GF ' s presence in the human mind takes up space , prolonged use results in amnesia . " Final Fantasy IX " . Eidolons , manifestations of the planet ' s collective memories gathered by its crystal , can be called by the summoners of Madain Sari . They can be " extracted " from a summoner and bound to gemstones , allowing anyone to call them . Some eidolons were deemed too dangerous and were locked away . In battle , only Dagger and Eiko Carol can summon them , and there are ways to manipulate which attack they use via certain Add - on s and support abilities . " Final Fantasy IX " marks the first time the ability to summon monsters has to be learned through Ability Points . " Final Fantasy X " . Aeons are physical manifestations of the dreams of the fayth conjured by a link between a summoner and the fayth . As part of a summoner ' s pilgrimage , they travel across Spira and pray at various temples , earning the power to summon the temple ' s guardian aeon . The ultimate goal of the pilgrimage is to reach Zanarkand and gain the power to summon the Final Aeon , the only force said to be able to defeat the monster Sin . " Final Fantasy X " is the first game where summons act as temporary party members when summoned . Only Yuna can summon them either via her Summon command or as a Grand Summon Overdrive . Aeons have their own Overdrives and level up alongside Yuna , and can learn new abilities via items as they don ' t have a Sphere Grid . In the International , PAL , and " HD Remaster " versions , the Dark Aeon s can be fought as optional bosses . " Final Fantasy XI " . Avatars are beings of great power in Vana ' diel , divided into two different classes , celestial avatars and terrestrial avatars . Creatures from either class may be summoned by the player . Celestial avatars are powerful entities sleeping in Protocrystals hidden around various parts of Vana ' diel . These include beings such as Shiva , Ifrit , Garuda , Titan , Ramuh , Odin , and Alexander . Terrestrial avatars serve the goddess Altana , and work to protect the Mothercrystals . Carbuncle , Diabolos , Fenrir , Bahamut and Phoenix serve as terrestrial avatars , but of those , only Carbuncle , Diabolos and Fenrir may be summoned by the player . All avatars except for Carbuncle must be defeated in combat for the player to win the right to call on their power . " Final Fantasy XII " . Espers are ancient and powerful beings created by the gods long ago . For various reasons the Espers were cast down and bound to the realm of the Mist , or otherwise being corrupted and turned evil . Each is associated with a sign of the zodiac and an elemental force , and many take cues in their design from the Lucavi of " Final Fantasy Tactics " or past " Final Fantasy " antagonists . Each Esper has a glyph represented within a crystal viewed upon the Esper ' s defeat in battle . Defeating an Esper allows a party member to bond itself to the Esper , allowing them to summon it in battle . The Espers , called Yarhi by the aegyl , are summoned monsters implied to be embodiment of living beings ' souls , as they are linked to anima . Those who possess crystals known as auracites can call them forth via Summoning Gate s . There are 51 in total and they incorporate the six elements : Fire , Ice , Earth , Thunder , Holy , and Neutral . They can be classified as either a Flying unit , Ranged unit , or Melee unit . The Espers also come in three ranks with the weakest being rank 1 and strongest being rank 3 . Higher ranked Espers also cost more to summon with rank 3 Espers limited to one at a time . " Final Fantasy XIII " . There are six playable Eidolons and several non - playable ones . It is said that Eidolons appear when a l ' Cie ' s will to finish their Focus wavers , and the l ' Cie must face their Eidolon in battle to gain their power via a crystal shard called eidolith . Eidolons can transform into a vehicle for the l ' Cie to ride on , a system called Gestalt Mode . " Final Fantasy XIII " is the only game where all summons are mechanical beings , similar to the mechanical fal ' Cie that govern the worlds of Cocoon and Gran Pulse . The only organic - looking Eidolons appear during Pompa Sancta parade in Nautilus , but they are implied to be holograms created for the show . " Final Fantasy XIII - 2 " . Alternate versions of the " Final Fantasy XIII " Eidolons appear , bearing different colorations . Caius can transform into Chaos Bahamut , and Noel and Serah fight a boss called Twilight Odin , a memory of Odin on the Vile Peaks corrupted by chaos . A corrupted Shiva also appears , but assisting Lightning in fighting Caius , suggesting these " corrupted " Eidolons are not an entirely evil force . Regular monsters that appear from rifts of time to battle the party as the timeline has become unstable , can be recruited to the Paradigm Pack upon defeat if they crystallize . Only a few Eidolons remain in Nova Chrysalia . Odin has been transformed and Caius retains the power to summon Bahamut , although he can no longer incarnate summon into Chaos Bahamut himself . During Lightning ' s final battle she calls forth the Eidolons ' help who appear alongside their original summoners from " Final Fantasy XIII " . " Final Fantasy XIV " . Primals are godlike manifestations created from the world ' s " aether " , focused into being by the belief of living , sentient creatures . Each tends to associate itself with a particular beast race . Primals are generally seen as a malevolent presence as they require , and desire , ever - greater amounts of aether and followers to maintain and grow their forms , and are willing to " temper " ( effectively brainwash ) mortals into being their followers . Summoners will summon " fragments " of a primal ' s power to do battle with ; these fragments , called " egi " , are incomplete enough for a Summoner to bend them to their will . " Final Fantasy XV " . Astrals are often colossal creatures the people of Eos view as gods . Noctis can summon them once obtaining them after a battle or other means . The Oracle can commune with the Astrals to impart mankind ' s message to them , and the Astrals in turn communicate with humans via the ageless Messenger Gentiana . Carbuncle is a small " spirit animal " to Noctis that helps him on his quest . " Final Fantasy Tactics " . Summons were called summon monsters in the PlayStation translation , but were renamed to espers with the newer translation . They are powerful spells used by Summoners , learned by expending JP . Summons require large amounts of MP and have long charge times , especially for the higher tier summons , such as Bahamut . The beings known as Espers in " Final Fantasy XII " appear as the Lucavi , beings from another realm summoned into Ivalice via auracite s . " Final Fantasy Tactics Advance " . There are two kinds of summonable monsters . One is the five different Totema s , crystal guardians , which each represent one of the five different playable races and can be summoned by spending ten Judge Points in battle . The viera Summoner job class can summon eight different summons by spending MP . Called Espers , summoned monsters are accessible through the viera job class Summoner . They do not differentiate between friend or foe and instead affect every unit within their target area . " Crystal Defenders " . Summons work as a special type of ability outside of units that causes a special effect on the battlefield , depending on the summon used . Each summon costs crystals , the objects the player is trying to defend , so summons must be used sparingly or else the player will soon run out of crystals to protect . " Final Fantasy Type - 0 " . " Eidolon " is used as the official translation for the original term " War God " in Japanese . Eidolons are created by the Dominion of Rubrum with the power of the Vermilion Bird Crystal as a part of their primary arsenal , and there are multiple variations of the same creature , belonging to a certain Eidolon Class . Eidolons are normally summoned at the cost of the summoner ' s life , and only Special Eidolons can be summoned without endangering the summoner . The player can choose an Eidolon as their " special ability " before a mission starts . When pressing the two assigned buttons together for 0 . 4 seconds a portal will be opened summoning the Eidolon below the active leader , whose life must be sacrificed to complete the summoning . Eidolons can be controlled like the active party leader , but they only appear for a limited time , recover MP , cannot dodge , cannot obtain phantoma or items , and cannot switch abilities . Once the summon expires the Eidolon vanishes and will be replaced by the KO ' d active party leader . Some Eidolons will choose their own commands . Different Eidolons require different spaces to summon ; opening a portal in a space too narrow will prevent the portal being opened . There are times when the Eidolons will automatically summon themselves and fight on behalf of KO ' d characters . After the summon time has ended , the Eidolon will revive all KO ' d characters , but will be unavailable for the rest of the mission in return . Immensely powerful Eidolons , known as Verboten Eidolons , cannot be controlled by the player . Verboten Eidolons can only be summoned by a l ' Cie . The process of summoning takes hours and requires the l ' Cie , along with a couple of thousand outstanding sorcerers , to sacrifice themselves . Once summoned , Verboten Eidolons can destroy entire armies . " Bravely Default " . There are six summoned beasts , each requiring a certain level of the Summoning ability learned by Summoners : Girtablulu , Hresvelgr , Ziusudra ' s Sin , Promethean Fire , Deus Ex , and Susano - o . The conjurer job can also use them through the Invocation job command to boost stats . The prior six summons return in the sequel , with the addition of two more : Charybdis and Amaterasu . " Final Fantasy Dimensions " . The Summoner job can summon Eidolons to aid in battle . " Final Fantasy Explorers " . Eidolons are both admired and feared by Explorers in Amostra , and each Eidolon is appended a particular nickname befitting their appearance . Defeating an eidolon will open up area barriers leading to new locations on the island . Eidolons can be captured by the player with the command " Encase " and turned into magicite . The player may then equip the magicite at the Central Crystal to use the eidolons ' ability . " Dissidia Final Fantasy " . Summons are not given a specific name . Bound to summonstones , they can be received as map bonuses or found in certain storylines . A character can equip one summon at a time , and summon it between one or three times . After they are summoned the max number of times the summon is depleted , and the player must fight a number of battles to recharge it . The player can set up to five reserve summonstones , where the next will replace the previous when depleted . Some summonstones come in two varieties — manual , where the player calls them at any time they wish , and automatic , where the summon is immediately used under specific circumstances . The game implies the recurring summons seen across the series are the same beings . " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . Summonstones function the same as in the original " Dissidia " . Though the game does not assign summons a specific term , the terms " Esper " and " Eidolon " are used interchangeably , although " Eidolon " is more frequent . The Museum applies the term " Eidolon " in the context of " Final Fantasy V " and " Final Fantasy VII " , while Vaan makes mention of Yuna summoning Eidolons when neither of their original games used the term . On other occasions the Museum uses the terms of the original games , for example , referring to Ifrit as an Eidolon , Guardian Force and aeon respectively for " Final Fantasy IV " , " Final Fantasy VIII " and " Final Fantasy X " . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy " . Summons are the reward for completing the Feature Drive sequence in any BMS . They boost the damage of successful hits . They are guaranteed to deliver their special attack , even if one does poorly after they appear . This attack typically finishes off whatever monster is present , though some monsters in Expert or Ultimate difficulty prove more resilient than others . There are five possible summons chosen at random : Ifrit , Shiva , Ramuh , Odin , and Bahamut . Equipping the Magic Lamp will guarantee one of them will appear even if one completely fails the Feature Drive sequence . Equipping the magicite of a specific summon , such as Shiva Magicite , will force that particular summon to appear if the Feature Drive sequence is performed successfully . A trophy is awarded for witnessing all five summons . As Bahamut is extremely rare , it is usually faster to wait for a Bahamut Magicite to drop at the end of a Music Stage . " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call " . In addition to the returning five summons , two new additions have been added : Chocobo and Knights of the Round . Summons are no longer chosen at random , as each character now has a specific summon they can use . Characters can still use different summons by equipping their respective Magicite , excluding Chocobo . The following is a list of summons along with whom they are summoned by : " Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All - Star Carnival " . In the arcade edition , a summon gauge has been added that gradually fills up for each successive trigger , and the summon that appears is dependent on which character is the party leader , randomly choosing between the number of party leaders in the stage , with a maximum of 4 possible summons chosen at present . All summons from " Curtain Call " return , excluding the Chocobo , while three new summons have been added : Leviathan , Phoenix , and Alexander . As with " Curtain Call " , each character has their own summons assigned to them : " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . Esper is a word used to name summons . It is said that only Espers have the ability to restore light to a crystal that has lost its glow . Espers are usually contained within circular red gems , of which may be occasionally discovered by feeding a green chocobo or by defeating the Espers themselves in battle . " Final Fantasy All the Bravest " . Rydia , Eiko , and Yuna attack with summoned monsters from their respective games : Rydia summons Mist Dragon , Eiko summons Madeen , and Yuna summons Valefor . Krile has the Summoner ' s Dualcast which makes her summon both Titan and Odin for her attack . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Espers make an appearance . " Final Fantasy Brave Exvius " . Espers returns not only as summons but also the main ability system for Units . Espers must be fought in battle in their respective locations to acquire them . Each Esper represents their main elements , their summoned magic attacks and their ability list that can be enhanced by spending Skill SP . Espers has levels and stats and they can be improved by giving them magicite . " Chocobo Racing " . Espers are identified as magical beasts from the realm of Fantasia , ruled over by Lord Bahamut . Etymology and symbolism . The concept of summons in the " Final Fantasy " series takes influence from " " , the spirits worshiped in the animism of Shinto . Though the word is translated in multiple ways into English ( god , deity , divinity , or spirit ) no one English word expresses its full meaning . " Kami " are elements in nature , animals , creationist forces in the universe , as well as various anthropomorphic spirits . In Shinto , " kami " are not separate from nature , but are of nature , possessing positive and negative , good and evil characteristics . They are manifestations of " musubi " ( 結び ) the interconnecting energy of the universe . This link is most obviously seen in " Final Fantasy IX " where memories are the essence of souls and part of the universe - wide cycle of life with eidolons being manifestations of said memories , and in " Final Fantasy X " where the aeons are made of pyreflies . " Kami " are believed to be hidden from this world , and inhabit a complementary existence in the world of the " kami " . Although " kami " are not visible to the human realm , they are said to inhabit sacred places , natural phenomena or people during rituals that ask for their blessing . They are mobile , visiting their places of worship but never staying permanently . In " Final Fantasy " games summons manifest only when summoned , and appear to reside in alternate dimensions : in " Final Fantasy VI " the espers live in the Land of Espers ; in " Final Fantasy XII " the Espers are banished to a nether realm ; and in the " Final Fantasy XIII " series the Eidolons hail from Valhalla , the middle realm between the visible world and the unseen realm , momentarily entering the physical world via a glyph when called forth by their summoner . " Kami " have a different guardianship or duty to the people around them ; just as the people have an obligation to keep the " kami " happy , the " kami " have to perform the specific function of the object , place , or idea they inhabit ; in the " Final Fantasy " games , the summons must answer the call of their summoner once the " link " has been established . " Kami " are of two minds : they can nurture and love when respected , or cause destruction and disharmony when disregarded . " Kami " must be appeased to gain their favor and avoid their wrath . In " Final Fantasy " games the summoner often must go through a " trial " to gain the summon , often in a way of a boss battle , but in " Final Fantasy X " summoners must pray for the aeons ' fayth to form a bond . There are many different varieties of " kami " in the pantheon with varying functions , such as the " kami " of wind , " kami " of entryways , and " kami " of roads . In the " Final Fantasy " series this usually manifests as summons of different elemental affinities .