Bestiary (term)

The Bestiary is a menu element in many Final Fantasy games that displays a list of all enemies that the player has defeated or encountered, typically also storing various information about said enemy. Among the most common information displayed are combat stats, such as elemental affinities and weaknesses; number defeated; items obtainable through steal abilities and drops; as well as occasionally where the enemy was encountered or some sort of description or lore information related to the enemy.
==Appearances==
===Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II===
Introduced in the Final Fantasy Origins versions, the Bestiary is found in the Collections section of the Config menu, accessible after completing the game. In the Dawn of Souls versions, the Bestiary is accessed from the game select screen, while in the 20th Anniversary versions, the bestiaries are found within the Extra option on the main menu. In the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series versions, the Bestiary is accessed from the Configuration menu, or from the Extras section of the title screen.
===Final Fantasy III===
The Bestiary was introduced in the Nintendo DS 3D remake, where it is accessed in the village of Gysahl. The PSP, mobile, and Steam versions of the 3D remake include a moogle next to the Mognet moogle on the Invincible, who, when spoken to, will bring up the Bestiary. The Pixel Remaster version also includes a Bestiary, accessed from the Extras section of the title screen or the configuration menu.
===Final Fantasy IV===
The Finest Fantasy for Advance, The Complete Collection, and Pixel Remaster versions feature an in-game Bestiary, found in the Config menu in the Advance version, in the Bestiary section of the menu in The Complete Collection, in the Bestiary section of the Configuration menu in the Pixel Remaster version, or on the title screen for all three.
In the 3D remake, Namingway, now "Livingway", lets Cecil Harvey look at a proper Bestiary in Kaipo. This responsibility is later passed on to the Fat Chocobo, including the robotic one aboard the Lunar Whale. In the Nintendo DS version, if the player touches the bottom screen, they can see the enemies' attack animation.
====Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-====
The Complete Collection also includes a Bestiary. It can be accessed in the Bestiary section of the menu or the Interlude section of the title screen.
====Final Fantasy IV: The After Years====
The Complete Collection also includes a Bestiary. It can be accessed in the Bestiary section of the menu or the The After Years section of the title screen.
===Final Fantasy V===
First introduced in the Advance version, all revisions of the game released since include a Bestiary. It can be accessed from the title screen or in-game from the Config menu.
===Final Fantasy VI===
The PlayStation version is the first to feature a Bestiary, which also appears in the Advance, the now-discontinued 2014 mobile and Steam versions, and the Pixel Remaster versions.
In the PlayStation version, the Bestiary is found in the Secret menu after selecting Bonus on the main menu, and unlike other games, the player is not required to defeat enemies for them to appear in the Bestiary. The Bestiary is split into two categories: World of Balance, which can be viewed at any time, and in the World of Ruin, viewed after completing the game and a system file is saved onto the memory card. Enemies are further divided into the locations they appear in. For each enemy, their sprite, statistics, item drops, strengths and weaknesses are listed, as well as a short description of their abilities and recommended strategy to defeat them.
In the Advance version, the Bestiary can be viewed from the Config menu, and the player must defeat enemies to fill it.
In the now-discontinued 2014 mobile and Steam versions, the Bestiary works the same way as in the Advance version, but the order in which the enemies are listed is different.
===Final Fantasy VII Remake===
Encountered enemies are collected in the Enemy Intel section of the menu. The information can be viewed mid-battle. The player can unveil all enemy information to the current enemy version they are fighting with Assess. There are 114 Enemy Intel entries in total.
===Final Fantasy VIII===
While a Bestiary does not appear in-game, a section of the Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania titled "Monster" lists 124 of the enemies. Since the Ultimania makes an attempt to remain spoiler-free, enemies fought in the final battle are not included, and it ends at Omega Weapon.
===Final Fantasy IX===
While a Bestiary does not appear, a section of the Final Fantasy IX Ultimania titled "Monster" lists the 197 enemies.
===Final Fantasy X===
While there is no Bestiary, the player can view a list of enemies they have caught at the Monster Arena. Enemies not yet caught will not have their names shown, and to technically complete the Monster Arena, the player has to defeat and capture ten of every enemy. It is through capturing enemies the player can unlock Area Conquest, Species Conquest, and Original enemies.
However, this system functions differently from a Bestiary as the player has to capture enemies instead of just defeating them, and since the player does not always have the Capture ability, certain enemies in unrevisitable locations cannot be caught. Machina also cannot be caught, and nor can bosses. While not an official Bestiary, there are also panels in certain areas that show the fiends that appear in the area. The party is also given a chance to practice fighting the monster without being penalized. No AP is awarded, and Kimahri cannot gain new Ronso Rages from the practice monsters.
Despite a Bestiary not appearing, a section of the Final Fantasy X Battle Ultimania titled Sphere of Monster gives a numbered list of enemies in the game based on appearance. It lists 197 enemies in total. The final listed storyline boss is Seymour Omnis, and then it details the Omega Ruins enemies, leaving Omega Weapon at the 197th spot. No enemies are listed from the final battle, the Monster Arena, nor Belgemine's aeons.
The Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega has a section entitled Hall of Monsters. This section continues from the Bestiary given in the Battle Ultimania, and lists the Monster Arena enemies from 198 to Nemesis at 232. While the rest of the section is just an overview of the enemies, stats for Braska's Final Aeon and Yu Pagoda fill the next two numbers to make 234. Yu Yevon is not included, nor are any of the aeons.
With the Final Fantasy X Ultimania Omega comes a short section called Final Fantasy International Omega, which is separated from the book and has its own page number system. A section titled Sphere of Monster, like the section name from the Final Fantasy X Battle Ultimania. This section lists the Dark Aeons, continuing the numbering system from 235 to 244. The section does not neglect to mention Penance; however, it and its arms do not have an entry with stats or a number.
====Final Fantasy X-2====
When aboard the Celsius, the player can talk to Shinra and select "Shinra's Bestiary". Shinra's Bestiary has information on all the fiends the Gullwings have defeated, including an Oversoul page, which is helpful if the player wants to obtain the The End Garment Grid.
An extended version of the bestiary including all non-fiends and bosses is featured in the Final Fantasy X-2 Ultimania Omega in chapter 3 entitled .
====Final Fantasy X-2: Last Mission====
===Final Fantasy XII===
The Bestiary is an option in the Clan Primer. It does not give enemy stats, instead just general background information about them. Certain entries give assorted side-stories not directly involved with that enemy, and a few hints about creating Bazaar items.
===Final Fantasy XIII===
Enemy Intel is one of the sub-menus within the Datalog. The Enemy Intel lists enemies by their type and subtype, and contain stats, such as elemental affinities and status immunities. It also lists notable remarks on the attribute of an enemy.
====Final Fantasy XIII-2====
Bestiary (Enemy Reports in the Japanese version) is one of the main menu options. The Bestiary lists enemies by their type and subtype, and contain stats such as elemental affinities and status immunities. It also lists notable remarks on the attribute of an enemy.
====Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII====
The Bestiary is a sub-option of the Datalog that provides the player with detailed descriptions of enemy encounters.
===Final Fantasy XV===
A Bestiary was added with patch 1.15. It shows enemy stats, item drop information, and lore. It can be accessed through the in-game Archives menu. Enemies from downloadable content are not included in the Bestiary, but the Astrals are, even the ones not fought as bosses.
===Final Fantasy XVI===
Bestiary is a section in Active Time Lore that extols information on the creatures of Valisthea, beastman, wildlife, monster, and domesticated alike. Final Fantasy XVI has no in-game enemy list viewable in the menu; the bestiary is purely for lore.
===Final Fantasy Type-0===
The Rubicus has an enemy compendium where all battled enemies are listed. Rubicus can be viewed from the title screen or from the Akademeia library (in the HD version).
===Final Fantasy All the Bravest===
The Catalog acts like a typical Bestiary, displaying the enemies the player has fought, EXP, and gil along with their item drops.
===World of Final Fantasy===
The Mirage Manual acts as a Bestiary for playable versions of Mirages, while also listing general item drop(s) and locations for enemy versions.
==Gallery==
FFI Bestiary PS.png|Final Fantasy (PS).
FFI PSP Bestiary.png|Final Fantasy (PSP).
FF Dawn of Souls 4.png|Final Fantasy II (GBA).
FFII Behemoth Bestiary.jpg|Final Fantasy II (PSP).
FFIVDS Bestiary.png|Final Fantasy IV (DS).
FFIV iOS Bestiary.PNG|Final Fantasy IV (iOS).
TAY IOS Sand Worm Bestiary.png|Final Fantasy IV (iOS).
FFVI Bestiary PS.png|Final Fantasy VI (PS).
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Category:Bestiaries
Category:Menu elements