Zodiark (summon)

Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts , also called Zodiac, is an Esper from the world of Ivalice. The Esper of Dark, he represents the zodiac sign of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder. Zodiark is indeed a serpent, in the form that Ophiuchus is most commonly associated with: a snake. From his power of Dark, his color sign is black. Zodiark is also referred to as the Ashlesha Ascendant, which is the Sanskrit name of its zodiac sign as used in Jyotish (Hindu) astrology.
==Appearances==
===Final Fantasy XII===
Zodiark dwells in the Special Charter Dig area of the Henne Mines. To unlock the Special Dig site, the player must collect at least ten Espers, go to Jahara, and speak to Geomancer Yugelu. He'll unlock the gate to the Phase 2 Dig, which leads to the Special Charter Dig area. Zodiark could be considered a superboss, but defeating him earns him as an Esper for the party to use.
Zodiark is unlocked in the Sky Pirate's Den in the Clan Primer by defeating him, earning the title Zodiac Knight.
====Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings====
Zodiark returns along with the other Espers. He is a non-elemental ranged Rank III summon found during the Keeper Of Precepts mission, within the Well of Whispered Oaths. His twelve wings may be a reference to the 12 Espers corresponding to the horoscope signs.
Zodiark's attacks are:
*Graviga: Deal damage based on target's current HP to all foes in range.
*Final Eclipse: Deal massive damage to all foes in range.
;Missions
*Mission 80: Keeper of Precepts
===Final Fantasy XIV===
The Ascians worship Zodiark and strive to resurrect what they consider to be the true god of the world. A glyph resembling an outline of Zodiark in Final Fantasy XII even appears over an early Ascian in a cutscene.
===Final Fantasy Tactics===
Zodiark (called Zodiac in the PlayStation version) makes its debut as the most powerful summon spell. It costs 99 MP and has a speed of 10. Elidibus at the bottom of the Midlight's Deep summons Zodiark against the player, and to learn it, player units must currently be a Summoner and get hit by Zodiark's attack and survive. The player is asked if they would like to learn Zodiark. It is recommended that at least one ally Summoner learns Zodiark from Elidibus. It has a 90% chance of being learned and only one person can learn the spell per casting.
When the player challenges the bottom floor of Midlight's Deep again, there is a 25% chance to encounter an enemy Summoner (of random gender) who possesses no Espers and can learn Zodiark from a player unit if s/he survives being hit by the player's Zodiark. The player can then wait for the enemy Summoner to cast Zodiark back on the player's side. The player cannot attempt to Entice that Summoner to join his/her party, because this unit is glitched and does not have the Summoner job in his/her learning ability menu.
In the PlayStation version, upon summoning this Esper, the caster may chant, "Attack by the master of commandments! Zodiac!"
===Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift===
Zodiark is a Scion, called by anyone equipping the Ring of Precepts when the Smash Gauge is orange. Zodiark attempts to inflict 999 damage to all units at a 50% chance.
===Pictlogica Final Fantasy===
===Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade===
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
===Mobius Final Fantasy===
Zodiark was an earth-elemental ability card available for summon. It allowed the player character to use Weaken (Earth) , which lowered a target's opposing element resistance for several turns. After the August 2018 update, the card could no longer be obtained through the game's summon system.
===Final Fantasy Trading Card Game===
Zodiark appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as Dark-elemental Summon cards.
Zodiark TCG.jpg|Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts [4-104S] Chapter series card.
Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts 3-147L from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Zodiark, Keeper of Precepts [3-147L] Opus series card.
==Gallery==
Zodiark_Glyph_Art.jpg|Zodiark's Glyph from Final Fantasy XII.
FFXII Final Eclipse 1.png|Final Eclipse in Final Fantasy XII.
Zodiark final eclipse.jpg|Zodiark's special attack Final Eclipse in Final Fantasy XII.
Zodiark final eclipse2.jpg|Zodiark's special attack Final Eclipse in Final Fantasy XII.
Fft-summon-zodiac.jpg|Zodiark artwork for Final Fantasy Tactics.
FFAB Zodiark - Agrias UR.png|Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (UR).
FFAB Zodiark UR+.png|Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade (UR+).
==Etymology and allusion==
The creature is known as both Zodiark and Zodiac. Zodiark could be an amalgam of words zodiac and ark.
Zodiark is also referred to as the Ashlesha Ascendant, which is the Sanskrit name of its zodiac sign as used in Jyotish (Hindu) astrology.
Zodiark's second form—that of a snake with feathered wings—may be loosely based on the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who is represented as a feathered snake. In some legends, Quetzalcoatl is related to the Sun and is tasked with the creation of mankind. Zodiark also resembles archaic depictions of Seraphim in being a serpent with many wings, although Seraphim conventionally only have six.
Category:Summons in Ivalice
de:Zodiarche