Final Fantasy airships
Categories: Final Fantasy | Fictional aircraft
The games in the Final Fantasy series often features different types of transportation, but the most significant is the airship. Airships have appeared in every game in the series and in most spin-offs. The following is a list of airships involved in the Final Fantasy games.
Contents |
Final Fantasy
In Final Fantasy, the ancient Lufenian civilization ("Lefeinish" in the original North American software localization) was renowned for their skill and manufacturing airships. In the present, however, all but one of those airships has been lost to time. The one remaining airship, lacking a power source, lies buried beneath the desert. Only by obtaining the anti-gravity Levistone ("Floater" in the original North American software localization) can the ship be salvaged from the sands and returned to the sky.
The airship in Final Fantasy moves roughly four times faster across the world map than standard walking speed. It is unable to traverse mountainous regions, but traveling via airship does prevent the party from encountering random battles.
Final Fantasy II
In Final Fantasy II, much of the power of the Palamecian Empire is derived from their mastery of the skies. Imperial airships frequently shoot across the skies, intimidating those who would rebel against Palamecia's ("Paramekia" in the original Japanese version) iron rule. Fleeing from the captured city of Fynn ("Phin" in the original Japanese version), four youths deliver news that the Emperor plans to build a gigantic airbound warship to Fynn's princess-in-exile, Hilda. In order to stop the warship, Hilda and the youths enlist the aid of Cid, one of the world's only freelance airship pilots. Using Cid's ship, the rebels hope to turn the tide against the Emperor.
Like in the original Final Fantasy, the airship in Final Fantasy II moves quickly, but is unable to cross mountainous regions.
Final Fantasy III
A total of four airships appear in Final Fantasy III. The first of these airships, owned by Cid Haze, is bequeathed to the four protagonists of the game to help them lift the curse placed on the village of Kazus by the demon Jinn. Following the defeat of Jinn, Cid and Kazus's village blacksmith outfit the airship with a mythril bow that allows the ship to plow through the rock slide that has blocked the mountain pass between the villages of Kazus and Canaan. Although the bow does its job, the airship is torn apart in the process.
Later, after obtaining the sailing ship Enterprise from Vikings, the four heroes use machinery salvaged from the Floating Fortress to convert the Enterprise into an airship. While slightly faster than Cid's old airship, the Enterprise is still unable to cross mountains, and, because it was created as a seabound vessel, it can only land on water. While travelling over the city of Salonia, the Enterprise is mistaken for an enemy vessel and shot down.
Realizing their mistaken, the scholars of Salonia develop a new airship for the heroes. Designed to be both lightweight and aerodynamic, the Airship Nautilus is the fastest airship in the world. Only the Nautlius can travel through the high-wind mountain passes that would repel a slower ship. Later, the Nautilus is modified by the wizard Dorga so that it can travel underwater and find deep sea caves. Like Cid's airship, the Nautilus can only land on grassland.
Finally, the Airship Invincible is the largest airship ever devised. Four times the sense of the Nautilus, it features its own shops and sleeping quarters. Because of its size and weight, the Invincible must stay in the skies at all times: it is necessary to exit the ship via a small boarding ladder that hangs beneath it. The Invincible's engines are powerful enough to briefly boost the ship into higher flight than any airship before it. However, because of the power required, it can only maintain such high altitude for a very short period of time: only long enough to pass over small sections of mountain. Lastly, the Invincible includes a single cannon defense system to be used against the airborne monsters who appear very late in the game.
Final Fantasy IV
Much of the story of Final Fantasy IV centers around airships. While Cid Pollendina is credited with the invention of airships, it is actually the Lunarian KluYa who introduces the idea to humans. As chief engineer of Baron, Cid created a military fleet of airships, known as the Red Wings. Cecil Harvey begins the game as the commander of the Red Wings, but is relieved from the role when he begins to question the King's judgment.
It is later revealed that the power-obsessed king is in fact the Water Devil Cagnazzo in disguise. Cecil defeats Cagnazzo, and is joined by Cid. Cid gives Cecil and the rest of his party access to his airship the Enterprise (no relation to the Final Fantasy III ship of the same name). The Enterprise is modified to carry Edward's hovercraft. When Cecil and Cid take the Enterprise to the Underworld, it caught in the middle of a battle between the Red Wings and the Dwarven Tanks. After an emergency landing at the Dwarven Castle, Cid leaves the party to fix the Enterprise. When exiting the Underworld, Cid closes the entrance to the Overworld, so the Red Wings cannot follow.
Cecil later enters the Underworld in a trap which drops him to the Underworld level of the Tower of Babil. They then steal an enemy airship, which Edge dubs the Falcon. The Falcon, however, cannot fly over magma, which covers much of the Underworld. Cid and the Dwarves modify the Falcon to allow it to withstand the extreme heat, as well as adding a drill to the airship so that it can burrow its way back to the surface.
In the Tower of Worship of Mysidia, the mages magically raise the ancient Lunarian ship, the Lunar Whale, from the sea floor. The Lunar Whale is a gigantic vessel capable of short-distance space flight between the earth and the Red Moon, and it allows Cecil and his friends to travel to there.
Final Fantasy V
Airships in this game do not exist in the present, but were the results of the labor of an ancient civilization. During their journey, the party stumbles upon an airship. Cid, the engineer and scholar of the kingdom of Karnak, with the help of his grandson Mid, fix the airship with the use of a rare metal called adamantite. The party has to spend many a quest to obtain this adamantite to upgrade the airship.
After the completion of the airship repair, more adamantite must be found in order for the party to get to the Earth Crystal, as the metal is used to reach a gigantic flying fortress.
Later in the game, the airship is upgraded even more, until it has the capabilities to become a submarine, as well as a boat.
Final Fantasy VI
The Blackjack
In Final Fantasy VI, the gambler Setzer Gabbiani first appears with his ship the Blackjack to abduct Celes from the Opera House during a show. The airship is decorated like a casino and has its own personnel staff. The Blackjack's final flight takes place after Kefka rearranges the Esper Goddess Statues and defaces the World of Balance. The resulting chaos destroys the Blackjack in mid-flight and scatters its passengers.
The Falcon
The game's other airship, the Falcon (no relation to the Final Fantasy IV ship of the same name) belonged to Setzer's long lost friend Daryl, who crashed it after a race with him many years ago. Setzer discovered the wreck a year later, but Daryl was nowhere to be found. He fully restored it and put it underneath her resting tomb. After making their way through Daryl's Tomb in the World of Ruin, the Returners find the Falcon, their only means of reaching Kefka's Tower.
Final Fantasy VII
- Main article: Highwind
In Final Fantasy VII, the game's only airship is first shown in the town of Junon. The Highwind is used by Shin-Ra, which is diriged by Rufus Shinra at this point, to track Sephiroth. Cid Highwind, the obvious builder, leads the party inside the airship to escape from Junon. The Highwind is now in the hands of the player for the rest of the game and goes much faster than walking. One of the pilots has a mention about the LVL (level) of the airship which goes up to LVL14. Many assume it is connected to its ability to transform, but nothing is made clear in the game. It seems more likely that it refers to the pilots flight experience as the level goes up as the game progresses, and in how the pilots confidence grows with his level. Aerith Gainsborough is seen standing before the Highwind on the art seen on the left while, in fact, she dies before the chance to ride it. That is a reason why many believed Aeris could be revived. But this is an unfounded reason as she probably stopped to look at the airship after reaching upper Junon. She even mentions the airship to Cloud if you talk to her on the cargo ship on the way across to Costa De Sol.
The Highwind is mostly destroyed during the game's ending and is later retired. Cid then set to work on constructing a next generation airship named Sierra, which made its debut in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and makes a return appearance in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.
Final Fantasy VIII
- Main article: Ragnarok (Final Fantasy)
Final Fantasy IX
- Main article: Hilde Garde
Final Fantasy IX has many airships. Cid Fabool, even if he is a king, likes airships and mechanics in this game and is the builder of the Hilde Garde series of airships. Many airships feature in the game, but the player finally ends up in control of the Invincible, (no relation to the Final Fantasy III ship of the same name). The Invincible appears as an eyeball in early memories of Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII and she remembers it as the destruction of her hometown. We only see later in the game what is beyond the eye. The Invincible comes to your rescue when Trance Kuja sends Terra to its doom. You then get in direct control of the Invincible.
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X's airship belongs to the Al Bhed, a race of machina users rejected by the rest of Spira for this same reason. Upon its first appearance, the party are simply passengers aboard the ship and Cid is in control of flight. Soon after, when the party reach Bevelle, they lose use of the airship. Later, the party gain the airship for their control.
Final Fantasy X's airship doesn't allow free-roaming around a world map unlike other games in the series. During the game, characters naturally move through a town and country environment with no typical "world map" to move from town to town, which is what other games allow the player to roam. The airship in Final Fantasy X allows a choice of destination via a list the player can choose. That doesn't make the airship unimportant since a battle occurs on the airship where you can interact with Cid, the pilot. It is even a more important part of the story since it is part of the characters plan to get rid of Sin.
Final Fantasy X-2
Celsius is the name of the airship in Final Fantasy X-2. Like Final Fantasy X, the player can't control the airship directly on a world map, but instead get to choose from a list of locations. The main difference is that the player can use the ship from the start of the game and get to choose to where they want to go, in a non-linear way. Brother, who was introduced in Final Fantasy X as Cid's son, is the leader of the Gullwings, a group of sphere hunters including Yuna, Rikku and Paine, and so therefore, is the airship's owner. Most of the party's interactions occur inside the Celsius.
Final Fantasy XI
Most travel in Final Fantasy XI is by foot or by mount. The airships in the game can be used, but only for a substantial price. To ride an airship, a player must be Kingdom level 5. This is not the same as a character level. A player must talk to an air travel agency employee to purchase a ticket. Airship tickets are 200 Gil one way, and players will not be attacked while onboard.
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII also takes place in the land of Ivalice, although in a different era than that of the Final Fantasy Tactics games. From what we have seen so far, the airships of this game appear to be a rather traditional style; reminescent of classic Final Fantasy airships, rather than the more high-tech aircraft look from recent games.
Final Fantasy Tactics
During the era of St. Ajora, several centuries before the start of the Final Fantasy Tactics, the land of Ivalice was dominated by kingdoms which relied on the power of airships. The abandoned city of Goug was a major center of industry, and, though long since abandoned, many airship parts can still be found scattered throughout the wreckage. The so-called "graveyard of airships" consists of several downed ancient airships, and it amongst these ruins that Ramza Beoulve and his army find the last of the Zodiac stones, Altima.