Esper (Final Fantasy XII)

Espers in Final Fantasy XII are powerful beings created by the Occuria. The Espers that join the player's side are those spurned by their creators; twelve for having rebelled, and a thirteenth for being too powerful. Most of the Espers are based on the Lucavi in Final Fantasy Tactics or other past bosses of previous Final Fantasy games.
Five Espers first appeared as Totema in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and all but two reappear in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings as Yarhi. Lastly, all Espers return in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift as Scions. Recruiting every Esper in Final Fantasy XII adds Belias's sprite in the Sky Pirate's Den and awards the "High Summoner" trophy/achievement in The Zodiac Age.
==Story==
The scions that would become the Espers were created by the Occuria. While the exact number is never revealed, there are at least 24 scions, with each zodiac sign having a light and dark representative.
Proud of her power and status, and believing herself superior to her creators, the highest ranking Esper, Ultima, rose up against the gods. Rallying the scions of darkness, the Espers attacked their creators, but even with their combined force, the twelve Espers were defeated and banished to the darkest reaches of Ivalice. Sealed in the Mist, they could only walk among mortals if called by a summoner via their glyphs.
A thirteenth scion, Zodiark, was bound by the gods for fear of his power. Unlike the rest of his brethren, he is not known to have harbored rebellious desire. It is unknown how long the Espers have been sealed away, but since Dynast-King Raithwall possessed the glyph of Belias, it is thought they have been sealed away at least since the era of the Dynast King.
Ashe's party comes to the Tomb of Raithwall seeking the Dawn Shard to prove Ashe's royal lineage. She enlists the help of sky pirate Balthier with promises of the Dynast-King's treasure. Before the party reaches the Dawn Shard's chamber, they enter an area thick in Mist and Belias attacks the party. Defeated, the Esper yields and lends its power to the victors, but Balthier is disappointed in learning Raithwall's treasure was an Esper rather than something of monetary value.
The party gradually finds more Espers in places thick in Mist, such as the Zertinan Caverns, Garamsythe Waterway and Necrohol of Nabudis. Many Espers guard locations associated with the Occuria, such as Mateus in the Stilshrine of Miriam where the Occurian-forged Sword of Kings is hidden away, Shemhazai guarding the area within the Great Crystal where a waystone to the Occurian realm lies, and Hashmal in the Pharos, built by the Occuria to house the Sun-Cryst. On the party's way to Giruvegan, they must summon Belias to open the gate to the Occurian city.
==List of Espers==
There are thirteen available Espers. Five are obtained in the main story; the other eight, shown in italics in the table below, are found through sidequests. Each Esper requires a number of Mist Charges equal to their level to summon.
===Scions of Light and Darkness===
The following is a list of scions and their associated zodiac signs and element. It is never stated if Ultima and Zodiark are the Scions of Darkness or of Light, but in any case, the Scions of Light are only mentioned and never actually seen in-game.
Scion of Darkness 	Scion of Light 	Zodiac sign 	Element
Belias, the Gigas 	Loghrif, the Transcendent 	Aries, the Ram 	Fire
Chaos, Walker of the Wheel 	Mitron, the Chastiser 	Taurus, the Bull 	Wind
Zalera, the Death Seraph 	Emet-Selch, Angel of Truth 	Gemini, the Twins 	Death
Zeromus, the Condemner 	Pashtarot, Knight-Star 	Cancer, the Crab 	Gravity
Hashmal, Bringer of Order 	Fandaniel, the Protector 	Leo, the Lion 	Earth
Ultima, the High Seraph 	Ultima, the High Seraph 	Virgo, the Virgin 	Holy
Exodus, the Judge-Sal 	Halmarut, the Arbiter 	Libra, the Scales 	Aether
Cúchulainn, the Impure 	Nabriales, the Majestic 	Scorpio, the Scorpion 	Poison
Shemhazai, the Whisperer 	Igeyorhm, the Martyr 	Sagittarius, the Archer 	Soul
Adrammelech, the Wroth 	Deudalaphon, the Benevolent	Capricorn, the Goat 	Lightning
Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud	Emmerololth, Holy Queen 	Aquarius, the Water Bearer 	Water
Mateus, the Corrupt 	Lahabrea, Abyssal Celebrant	Pisces, the Fish 	Ice
Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts 	Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts	Ophiuchus, the Snake Bearer	Darkness
===Level One Espers===
Level 1 Espers require a single Mist Gauge to summon.
====Belias, the Gigas====
Belias is a bestial Fire Esper who guards the Dawn Shard in the Tomb of Raithwall, and is the party's first Esper. Belias is the only Esper that must be summoned during the main storyline, to open the gate to the Ancient City of Giruvegan. He fries enemies with Painflare unless the foes absorb Fire. His ultimate attack is Hellfire, perishing enemies in a devastating fire.
In the Zodiac releases, Painflare is more powerful and Belias can cast Fira and Cura, in addition to having the Ignore Vitality and Ignore Reflect augments.
====Mateus, the Corrupt====
Mateus is found in the Stilshrine of Miriam, guarding the Sword of Kings. Mateus is an aquatic creature with multiple limbs wielding a trident, with a goddess chained to his chest he uses as a living shield. He freezes enemies with Flash-Freeze unless they absorb ice, and can heal his summoner when they are low on health. His ultimate attack is Frostwave, hurling his trident toward his enemies that crystallizes before promptly shattering.
In the Zodiac releases, Flash-Freeze's power is boosted. Mateus can cast Blizzara and has the Ignore Vitality augment.
====Adrammelech, the Wroth====
Adrammelech is an optional Esper found in the depths of Zertinan Caverns, in Athroza Quicksands, closest from Ozmone Plain. He is a winged Lightning Esper with goat-like features. Adrammelech shocks his foes with Flash Arc unless they absorb Lightning, in which he will use Bio, and can heal his summoner when they are low on health. His ultimate attack is Judgment Bolt, where he releases bolts of electricity.
In the Zodiac releases, Flash Arc's power is boosted, and Adrammelech casts Cura instead of Bio and Curaga. He also gains the Ignore Vitality augment.
====Zalera, the Death Seraph====
Zalera is an optional Esper that resides in the deepest reaches of the Barheim Passage. He is a winged skeleton, imbued with the power of death, with a shamaness on his right arm to command impure souls under his doing. The party must obtain the Barheim Key in the Dalmasca Estersand to find him. Zalera destroys foes with the Kill ability, and casts Holy and Shock. His ultimate attack is Condemnation, whereupon the shamaness's cries summon dead souls with Zalera hurling them at the enemy. It instantly kills all enemies with fewer than 9,999 max HP (6,999 HP for those with the Damage Resist augment), and those with more are hit with non-elemental damage that can break the damage limit.
In the Zodiac releases, Zalera no longer casts Holy or Shock. Instead, he has Cura, Warp, and Death. He no longer absorbs Holy-elemental attacks and Condemnation's damage is randomly generated. He also has the Ignore Weather & Landscape augment instead of Half MP.
===Level Two Espers===
Level 2 Espers require two Mist Gauges to summon.
====Shemhazai, the Whisperer====
Shemhazai is found in the depths of the Ancient City of Giruvegan in the Gate of Fire area. She is described as a half-woman, half-horse entity that utilizes soul energy. She attacks foes with Devour Soul, a non-elemental attack whose damage is calculated the same as the item Knot of Rust. Shemhazai's ultimate attack is Soul Purge, where she shoots soul energy from her guns, creating an explosion. It deals damage by the same calculation as the item Dark Matter, meaning its damage cap is 60,000, making it the second most powerful single attack in Final Fantasy XII, only bested by Zeromus's Big Bang.
In the Zodiac releases, Shemhazai can cast Shock and Curaja and gains the Ignore Vitality and Ignore Reflect augments.
====Hashmal, Bringer of Order====
Hashmal is a leonine Earth Esper found in the Pharos at Ridorana. He shakes his enemies up with Roxxor unless they absorb Earth damage, and his ultimate attack is Gaia's Wrath, where he sends enemies into the depths of the earth before erupting like a volcano to deal massive damage.
In the Zodiac releases, Hashmal can cast Curaja and Graviga, and has the Ignore Vitality and Ignore Reflect augments.
====Cúchulainn, the Impure====
Cúchulainn is an optional Esper residing in the central area of the Garamsythe Waterway. He is a venomous and grotesque monster with an engorged body, draining life energy with his poison. Cúchulainn drains the HP of his enemies with Malaise unless they are undead, and his ultimate attack is Blight, using vines emerging from his spine to absorb life into a desert of poison. If there are no enemies around when he is summoned, Cúchulainn uses Curaja that ignores the party's Reflect status. When attacked, Cúchulainn counterattacks.
In the Zodiac releases, Cúchulainn gains Bio and the Ignore Vitality augment.
====Zeromus, the Condemner====
Zeromus is an optional Esper hiding away in a secret area of the Stilshrine of Miriam. He has the appearance of a crab due to his massive "claw", and wields power over gravity. He is the second largest Esper after a winged Zodiark, as his length is measured by his long tail. Zeromus attacks his foes with Gravity Well and his ultimate attack is Big Bang, where he uses his claw to charge up gravity power destroying his enemies. Both attacks' damage depends on Zeromus's HP, Big Bang having the potential to deal tens of thousands of damage.
In the Zodiac releases, Zeromus can cast Scourge and Curaja and gains the Ignore Reflect augment.
====Exodus, the Judge-Sal====
Exodus is an optional Esper making his abode at the highest reaches of the Mosphoran Highwaste. Exodus commands celestial bodies, attacking his foes with Comet and his ultimate attack Meteor, whereupon Exodus sends two comets from the ends of his scales to the sky summoning a giant meteor. Both deal random non-elemental damage.
In the Zodiac releases, Exodus can cast Curaja and Ardor, and gains the Ignore Vitality and Ignore Reflect augments.
===Level Three Espers===
Level 3 Espers require all three Mist Gauges to summon.
====Famfrit, the Darkening Cloud====
Famfrit is a Water Esper summoned by Dr. Cid at the summit of Pharos at Ridorana. He carries an ewer of water with which he creates giant waves. Famfrit splashes his enemies with Briny Cannonade unless they absorb Water. His ultimate attack is Tsunami, where he uses the ewer to douse his enemies.
In the Zodiac releases, Famfrit can cast Renew and has the Ignore Vitality and Ignore Reflect augments.
====Chaos, Walker of the Wheel====
Chaos is an optional Wind Esper sealed in the center of the Necrohol of Nabudis, in the Cloister of the Highborn. He has the appearance of a bull and sits atop a pedestal commanding four swords to do his bidding. Chaos halves the highest HP enemy's HP with Whirlwind and attacks foes with elemental weaknesses with elemental magick that ignore enemies' Reflect status. His ultimate attack is Tornado, where he uses his swords to send his foes into a whirlwind. The attack damages his foes for 90% of their max HP. Both attacks are capped at 9,999 damage.
In the Zodiac releases, Chaos only retains Aeroga from his previous abilities, but can now cast Renew; Whirlwind and Tornado no longer do percentage damage.
====Ultima, the High Seraph====
Ultima is an optional Holy Esper who makes her abode at the top of the Great Crystal. She is the Esper who rallied the other eleven to rise against their creators. She is adorned in gold and white robes with six wings. Her dress hides an all-powerful cannon that renders holy light. Her basic attack is Redemption, a powerful Holy-elemental attack. If a foe absorbs holy, she will use Flare that ignores enemies' Reflect status. Her ultimate attack is Eschaton that blasts all enemies with a ray of Holy-elemental light.
In the Zodiac releases, Ultima casts Holy and Renew instead of Flare, and gains the Ignore Vitality and Ignore Weather & Landscape augments.
====Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts====
Zodiark is an optional Dark Esper sealed in the deepest reaches of the Henne Mines. A serpentine monster able to sprout wings, he is both the strongest of the Espers and the only one not part of the rebellion against the gods. Zodiark punishes his foes with the Dark-elemental Banish Ray, uses Flare if his enemies absorb Dark attacks, and uses Scathe if there are multiple enemies. His spells ignore enemies' Reflect status and take no charge time to execute. His ultimate attack is Final Eclipse that ends in an explosion that deals fixed 50,000 damage, and unlike most other Esper attacks, is unaffected by Reverse.
In the Zodiac releases, Zodiark can no longer cast Flare, but can cast Renew and Hastega. Final Eclipse's damage is boosted to 60,000 and he gains the Ignore Vitality and Ignore Weather & Landscape augments.
==Gameplay==
===Obtaining===
Espers must be defeated in battle to obtain them. They will attack the party as soon as they arrive in the area they reside in, often preventing the player from leaving until they are defeated. Espers are some of the toughest bosses, and some of the battles have handicaps that seal some of the party's abilities. As all Espers in the game are of the Dark scion, some are flanked by undead.
Once an Esper is obtained, they appear on the License Board, and any character can purchase its license; once one has bought the Esper's license, it disappears from everybody else's boards. In the Zodiac versions, Esper licenses can be used to reach otherwise inaccessible licenses on jobs' License Boards, thus giving more of an element of strategy as to whom to assign the Esper to. These licenses are isolated from the rest of the board, and if the Esper that unlocks them is assigned to another player, they are in some cases rendered permanently inaccessible. Some, however, can be unlocked by more than one Esper and, in some cases, be unlocked by the License Board for the character's other job. In the latest versions of The Zodiac Age, the player can change their License Boards, thereby having their accumulated LP refunded, and all of their licenses, including Espers, reset.
===Summoning===
The party member who has an Esper's license can summon it by expending a number of Mist Gauges. Summoning an Esper is similar to using a Quickening; Lv1 Espers take one gauge to summon, whereas the Lv3 Espers take all three. The option to use Quickenings is not available while an Esper is summoned.
Summoning an Esper is instantaneous in the remastered version but shows a brief animation in the original, and all other party members will temporarily disappear. The normal background music is replaced by the Esper's battle music as long as the Esper is present. An Esper's level is identical to its summoner's, though Espers have fixed Attack, Defense and Magick Resist stats, as if wearing their own equipment. Espers also cannot trigger traps.
200px|right|All Deathblows
Each summon lasts up to one minute and thirty seconds, but may also end when either the summoner or the Esper dies, the Esper uses its ultimate attack or is dismissed, or when traveling via gate crystal or airship. The Espers' ultimate attacks are area-effect attacks that target the nearest visible enemy. Espers have their own gambits, which the player cannot modify. In this sense, Espers work much like guests. In the Zodiac versions, summons last a maximum of four minutes and ten seconds, and the player can directly control them and toggle their gambits on and off, although they still cannot modify them. Espers can have abilities without corresponding gambits, meaning that they must be used manually by the player. Espers can also use items, but have no animations for them.
Espers never deal hit combos or critical hits, but they can hit flying targets. They are immune to almost all status ailments, which can give a strategic advantage against enemies that inflict them, as enemies also tend to focus their attacks on Espers. In the original version, Espers can cast magicks even without MP, meaning the player can syphon their MP freely.
The dead character glitch can be triggered if a character dies during an Esper's dismiss animation.
===Stats===
Espers share their level with their summoner, and thus their stats grow (see individual Esper articles for stat lists). Esper stats are improved in the International Zodiac Job System version, and in The Zodiac Age, the HP values of Lv1 Espers are doubled, while the HP values for Lv2 and Lv3 Espers are tripled.
==Musical themes==
Battles against Espers are accompanied with "Battle with an Esper", composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto. The Zodiac Age has a reorchestrated version of it.
When summoning an Esper into battle, the track "The Esper" plays. It is a variation of the "Battle with an Esper", with a higher tempo making it fast-paced and a bit chaotic. The choir also joins in with a higher note.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy XII manga===
The Esper's glyph marks itself on the summoner's body as a sign of its servitude to them. Ashe's group enters the Tomb of Raithwall and to Belias's chamber and Basch, Vossler, Fran and Balthier battle Belias while Ashe, Vaan and Penelo try to enter the door the Esper was guarding to get the Dawn Shard.
Vaan wishes to assist in fighting Belias, but Ashe tells him their mission to retrieve the Dawn Shard takes priority. Vaan is displeased with Ashe's attitude towards power and her friends, and leaves her to retrieve the nethicite herself. Ashe returns to protect Vaan before Belias can strike him down, and the group defeats it, Belias's glyph marking the back of Ashe's hand.
The group is captured to Ghis's Dreadnought Leviathan where Ashe enters a trance-like state and summons Belias against Ghis. As the Dawn Shard's reaction causes a chain of system failures and explosions through the airship, Ashe awakens from her trance and sees her arm where Belias's glyph appeared has grown bulbous and deformed. She dismisses Belias, causing her arm to be cut to a stump below the elbow.
===Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings===
Most of the Espers return and the party must unlock them on the Ring of Pacts to summon them; most must be defeated as bosses before they appear on the ring, and grant Quickenings to the party members upon being defeated. The only Espers not to return are Adrammelech and Zeromus. The returning Espers are level 3 Espers, meaning only one can be summoned at a time, apart from the sole level 2 Cúchulainn.
The Espers appear alongside series staple summons like Bahamut and Odin. Zeromus and Adrammelech are the only Espers that do not appear.
===Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy===
Among the new summons added are Ultima and Zalera from Final Fantasy XII. Ultima's Eschaton grants Stage Bravery to the player after being struck by a EX Break or Assist Break for a short period of time, and she can be purchased at the special Moogle Shop at Cornelia for 150 KP as a limited offer after earning 1,800 KP total. Zalera is bought from a Moogle Shop in the northwestern continent for 120 KP. When equipped, his Condemnation will activate once the enemy has 9999 BRV and instantly inflicts Break status on them.
===Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade===
;Ability Cards
FFAB Eschaton - Ashe UR.png|Eschaton (UR).
FFAB Frostwave - Fran UR.png|Frostwave (UR).
FFAB Eschaton - Ashe UR+.png|Eschaton (UR+).
;Legend Cards
FFAB Frostwave - Fran Legend UR.png|Frostwave (UR).
FFAB Tsunami - Ashe Legend UR.png|Tsunami (UR).
FFAB Eschaton - Ashe Legend UR+.png|Eschaton (UR+).
===Pictlogica Final Fantasy===
Some of the Espers appear as enemies.
PFF Adrammelech Sprite.png|Adrammelech summon sprite.
PFF Belias FFXII.png|Belias boss sprite.
PFF Belias Sprite.png|Belias summon sprite.
PFF Chaos FFXII.png|Chaos sprite.
PFF cuchulainn-boss2.png|Cúchulainn sprite.
PFF Exodus FFXII.png|Exodus boss sprite.
PFF Famfrit Sprite.png|Famfrit summon sprite.
PFF_Hashmal_FFXII.png|Hashmal boss sprite.
PFF Hashmal Sprite.png|Hashmal summon sprite.
PFF Mateus Sprite.png|Mateus summon sprite.
PFF Shemhazai.png|Shemhazai boss sprite.
PFF_Ultima_FFXII.png|Ultima sprite.
PFF Zalera.png|Zalera sprite.
PFF Zeromus FFXII.png|Zeromus sprite.
PFF Zodiark.png|Zodiark sprite.
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
Some of the Espers from Final Fantasy XII appear as enemies.
FFRK Belias FFXII.png|Belias.
FFRK Mateus & Ice Azer FFXII.png|Mateus.
===Final Fantasy Trading Card Game===
The Espers from Final Fantasy XII on cards.
Belias TCG.png|Belias.
Mateus2 TCG.png|Mateus.
Adrammelech2 TCG.png|Adrammelech.
Shemhazai TCG.png|Shemhazai.
Hashmal TCG.png|Hashmal.
FamfritTradingCard.jpg|Famfrit.
ExodusTradingCard.jpg|Exodus.
ZaleraTradingCard.jpg|Zalera.
ZeromusEsperTradingCard.jpg|Zeromus.
Cúchulainn TCG.png|Cúchulainn.
ChaosEsperTradingCard.jpg|Chaos.
TCG_Ultima.jpg|Ultima.
Zodiark_TCG.jpg|Zodiark.
==Other media==
Members of the Ascians in Final Fantasy XIV, who worship Zodiark, are named after the Scions of Light mentioned in the Espers' profile. Additionally, the sigils that appear when they channel magic resemble the inverted sigils of the respective Espers.
==Behind the scenes==
Final Fantasy X was the first game where the summons are more like playable party members than plain special attacks, and this trend continues in Final Fantasy XII. Whereas in previous Final Fantasy games summons are "good monsters" that fight alongside the player's party, the summons in Final Fantasy XII are the demons of Final Fantasy Tactics. Instead of the summons being automatically good, the developers wanted it to be ambiguous whether the Espers fight for the party or if the party fights for them. Instead of being characterized like pets, the Espers are depicted as entities with minds of their own.
The freely traversed environment set its own challenges for recreating that in Final Fantasy XII, and in the end the developers did not have enough time to perfect the system until the International version where Espers become fully controllable rather than following an AI.
None of the series's recurring summons appear in Final Fantasy XII as Espers, though their names are used by Archadian airships.
Hiroyuki Ito interview from the Final Fantasy XII International Ultimania (Translation)
==Gallery==
Summoning.jpg|Vaan summoning.
Adrammelech Glyph.jpg|Adrammelech.
Adrammelech Glyph Art.jpg|Adrammelech.
Belias Glyph.jpg|Belias.
Belias Glyph Art.jpg|Belias.
Chaos Glyph.jpg|Chaos.
Chaos Glyph Art.jpg|Chaos.
Cúchulainn Glyph.jpg|Cúchulainn.
Cúchulainn Glyph Art.jpg|Cúchulainn.
Exodus Glyph.jpg|Exodus.
Exodus Glyph Art.jpg|Exodus.
Famfrit Glyph.jpg|Famfrit.
Famfrit Glyph Art.jpg|Famfrit.
Hashmal Glyph.JPG|Hashmal.
Hashmal Glyph Art.jpg|Hashmal.
Mateus Crystal.jpg|Mateus.
Mateus Glyph Art.jpg|Mateus.
Shemhazai Glyph.jpg|Shemhazai.
Shemhazai Glyph Art.jpg|Shemhazai.
Ultima Glyph.jpg|Ultima.
Ultima Glyph Art.jpg|Ultima.
Zalera Glyph.jpg|Zalera.
Zalera Glyph Art.jpg|Zalera.
Zeromus Glyph.jpg|Zeromus.
Zeromus Glyph Art.jpg|Zeromus.
Zodiark Glyph.jpg|Zodiark.
Zodiark Glyph Art.jpg|Zodiark.
==Etymology==
 
Most of the names of the scions have something to do with angels in both Judaism and Christianity. For the etymology of the Scions of Darkness, see their corresponding articles.
A name with a hidden meaning is Emet-Selch, the scion of light. His title is "The Angel of Truth." "Emet-Selch" in Hebrew means "Your Truth."
Nabriales, another Scion of Light, is a name of an angel in Jewish mythology. It is pronounced in Hebrew as "Nabriel."
Fandaniel matches the basic template of angel names in Judaism, as the "-el" suffix in hebrew means "god" and is usually at the end of many angel names, to mark their superior connection to God.
Some of the Espers take their name after a main antagonist from the first five games in the series:
*Chaos - Chaos
*Mateus - Emperor Mateus
*Famfrit - Cloud of Darkness
*Zeromus - Zeromus
*Exodus - Exdeath
==Citations==
de:Esper (FFXII)
fi:Esperit
it:Esper (Final Fantasy XII)
ru:Эспер (Final Fantasy XII)
Category:Espers in Final Fantasy XII
Category:Summons