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The Eikons

In General

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Top to bottom, left to right: Ultima, Garuda, Ramuh, Shiva, Leviathan, Titan, Bahamut, Odin

Phoenix, Titan, Garuda, Ramuh, Shiva, Odin, Bahamut, Ifrit

Beings of unimaginable power whose existences have shaped the land of Valisthea. Unable to manifest on their own, the Eikons host themselves inside of their Dominants, offering them incredible power. Typically, the power and ability if the Dominants make them a valued resource, with some even ruling over countries and nations like Rosaria and Waloed.

There are eight Eikons, all of which preside over an Element: Phoenix (Fire), Shiva (Ice), Leviathan (Water), Ramuh (Thunder), Garuda (Wind), Titan (Earth), Bahamut (Light), and Odin (Darkness). Originally, it was believed there were only eight Eikons until the appearance of Ifrit, the Dark Eikon of Fire.

Adaptational Superpower Change: Traditionally, Bahamut and Odin are well-known for being Non-Elemental summons. But they are also some of, if not the most iconic Final Fantasy summons, so they were reworked into the Eikon of Light and Darkness respectively to fit XVI's entirely Elemental Powers-based primal beings. (The series' "classic" Light summon, Alexander, being a gigantic mecha-castle that would have been pretty jarring alongside the rest probably helped as well.)
Ascended Extra: Like in Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy X, summons now take on a central role in the story of XVI. Unlike those two titles, however, they now act as transformations for their Dominants rather than beasts that can be commanded.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: They are all massive. Phoenix and Ifrit are nearly three stories tall apiece, and they're some of the smaller Eikons shown since. Titan is easily over ten times Ifrit's size in his base form — and then there's the truly mountain-sized Titan Lost, who has all of base Titan's size in just one of his fingers!
Barrier Warrior: Eikons are capable of manifesting a barrier of aether to defend themselves.
Behemoth Battle: The inevitable result of two of them clashing, something that happens several times across the trailers.
Collateral Damage: As shown in various trailers, whether friend or foe, armies of both sides suffer when their respective Eikons duke it out.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The color of the Eikon's eyes usually tells you who's in the driver seat. If the eyes are blue, it's the Dominant in control of the Eikon. If the eyes are orange, it's the Eikon lost in a berserker rage. The latter case usually involves a very high death toll.
Elemental Powers: There's supposed to be one Eikon per Element, or one Element per Eikon. The existence of Ifrit — a second Eikon of Fire — is outright stated as an impossibility, and a point that others doubt in Clive's story early on.
Cid: "And lo, the Creator did make of the Elements Eight Eikons to serve as Keepers of the One Law." Not that I've ever set too much store by holy doctrine...but on that point it's clear. Fire has always had just the one warden, as have all the rest. A new one can't be born until the previous dies, and even that can take years.
Fantasy Pantheon: They appear to be worshipped as gods, if Clive's utterance of "by the flame" is any indication.
The Ghost: Cid confirms the existence of eight Eikons (besides Ifrit), but only seven are encountered by Clive. The last is Leviathan "the Lost", who makes no appearance outside of the mural shown. It's implied Leviathan's Dominant may have died some years ago, as whenever a Dominant or Eikon dies, it takes several years before a new one can be born. There is also the question whether there are still people in Valisthea who happens to be descendants of a tribe where Leviathan might have appeared just like the Phoenix only appearing in those belonging to the Rosfield bloodline, who are descendants of the Motes of Fire, where Phoenix first appeared.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: When partially or fully transformed, the Eikon's eyes glow blue when the Dominant is in control. If they glow orange however, it means the Dominant's will is no longer being exerted over the Eikon, which goes on a berserk rampage. This can be a result of Ifrit stealing the Dominant's power, or Ultima's influence.
Healing Factor: Eikons can heal from any wound that is not instantly fatal within seconds. During the battle between Ifrit and Garuda, each of them severs one of the other's limbs. It only requires a few seconds of separation for both to instantly regrow their lost limbs.
Human Sacrifice: Eikonic Sacrifice, but you get the gist. Ultima's words imply that while the Eikons are powerful in their own right, they're ultimately nothing more than food for Ifrit so the latter can become powerful enough to serve as a suitable vessel for Ultima and his kind.
The Immune: Dominants are completely unaffected by aetherfloods, being protected by the power of their Eikons.
Partial Transformation: "Priming" a Dominant comes in two stages, with the second being a full transformation. The first stage causes a Palette Swap and energy glow, wreathes the Dominant in their element and manifests some of the Eikon's physical features (like Phoenix's plumes, Garuda's wings, or Shiva's mantle and cape) while retaining their human appearance and size, and takes considerably less of a toll on the Dominant than a full transformation.
Person of Mass Destruction: Each of the Eikons is capable of near-apocalyptic feats of devastation when given the freedom to cut loose.
- Ifrit and Phoenix incinerate their surroundings by their mere presence, and the clash between them completely obliterates Pheonix Gate.
- Likewise, the battle Shiva and Titan remakes the landscape and crushes all of the soldiers unlucky enough to be underfoot.
- When Garuda goes berserk and creates a giant whirlwind, Cid states her vortex will swallow up the entire forest near Lostwing if she isn't stopped in time.
- Bahamut is perhaps the greatest example of all, as a single barrage of Megaflare is enough to reduce Twinside to burning rubble in minutes and he is capable of scorching the entirety of Valisthea with Zettaflare after drinking the aether of a Mothercrystal.
- Odin's sword can slice through virtually anything and at one point Barnabas uses it to slice the ocean clean in half like he's Moses.
Power at a Price: The power of the Eikon unmakes the Dominant in order to manifest itself. The more the Dominant uses their powers, the greater the risk of being petrified from expending so much aether, not unlike how Bearers petrify from using their magic too often.
Power Echoes: Dominants gain a noticeable echo to their voice while in their semi-primed form. The echo becomes even more prominent when the Dominants are fully primed into their respective Eikons.
Red Baron: Each of the Eikons is known as the Warden of their respective element. For example, the Phoenix is also the Warden of Fire.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: When a Dominant loses control of their Eikon, its eyes turn orange-red and it starts rampaging indiscriminately. Their eyes are otherwise blue when the Dominant is in control.
Shapeshifting Heals Wounds: Eikons are able to regenerate from non-fatal wounds including being maimed, rapidly regrowing any lost limbs and organs in seconds. If their Dominant is missing a limb when they transform, the Eikon will just regrow that, too.
Super-Empowering: Dominants are known to be able to "bless" their allies with a sliver of the Eikon's power, which can give them access to elemental magic or even allow them to manifest the Eikon's armaments. This ability is very rarely used, however. Ifrit is the exception, as he takes the power of other Dominants instead.
Superpowerful Genetics: Dominance is a genetic trait dating back millennia to when the humans of Valisthea lived in tribes surrounding the Mothercrystals, such as the Motes of Fire giving rise to the Phoenix. Some Dominants like Phoenix have had their bloodline strictly regulated to keep the power within the royal family; others like Titan have had the genes dispersed into the wider population, allowing a Dominant to pop up from any family in the kingdom. Ifrit is a notable exception to this.
Takes One to Kill One: Given their immense size and powerful Healing Factor, an Eikon is virtually indestructible against anything short of direct hits from another Eikon. The best way to defeat an Eikon, if you don't have one of your own, is to prevent it from ever taking the field to begin with by killing or otherwise incapacitating its Dominant before they are able to fully transform. This latter option is the purpose of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque's Bearer assassin squads, like the one that Clive's in at the start of the game.
Took a Level in Badass: In comparison to summons in earlier games in the franchise (or at least from X onwards when they became controllable). They used to be a Crutch Character whose effectiveness nosedives in the late game and post game content, where the damage cap becomes a major limiting factor and Quantity of attacks from a full party often out damages Quality from a single summon with higher stats and don't really have the HP and defense to really thrive as a damage sponge outside of taking ONE for the team. Here Clive does significantly less damage than Ifrit does and attacks that would kill Clive several times over barely inconvenience Ifrit. The same is true of the other Dominants and their Eikons too. Its telling that the only time Ifrit ever comes out to play is in Eikon vs Eikon engagements; he'd steamroller the rest of the game if given free reign.

Ifrit

I am fire... I AM IFRIT!

Raise thy lantern, pioneer
Shine upon the far frontier
Fingers cracked and body broken
Mind adaze yet soul awoken

— Find the Flame

A thought to be impossible second Eikon of Fire. In the year 860, the Dark Eikon Ifrit awakened and seemingly tore the Eikon of Fire Phoenix to pieces before disappearing. Unlike the other Eikons who can grant a piece of their powers to others, Ifrit has the ability to take the powers of other Eikons for himself. Its Dominant is none other than Clive Rosfield himself, and it is the second Eikon he fights — although how he ends up fighting Ifrit is a little unique.

Action Bomb: During the battle with Titan, Ifrit learns the Brimstone technique, which allows him to unleash a violent explosion around himself.
Adaptational Badass: Past Final Fantasy games tended to either make Ifrit an early, low-level summon, or he (and other summons like Ramuh and Shiva) gets an elevated status comparable to Bahamut and Leviathan. In this game Ifrit is implicitly the strongest Eikon in the setting, as it seems to be the preferred form of Ultima and his species, and he implies that all the other Eikons exist only to be absorbed by Ifrit to empower it.
Adaptational Villainy: Played with. Similar to his appearance in XV, Ifrit is less of a neutral figure who's mainly on the hero's side and more of an antagonist. In this case, he becomes Clive's Arch-Enemy after he kills Joshua. The reason it's played with is that Ifrit by himself is a neutral force of power: With Clive as his Dominant, Ifrit is a force of good who challenges antagonistic Dominants and their Eikons. For Ultima and his kind, however, Ifrit is an ideal form and vessel once he's absorbed the powers of the other Eikons.
Ambiguous Situation:
- His status as a Dark Eikon as mentioned in promotional materials is subject to a lot of speculation, especially In-Universe where his existence disproves the long-standing belief there can only be one Eikon per element. That's not even going into how in the hell Clive is his Dominant when he already has one with Margrace. The ambiguity is cleared up later in the game: Clive is Ifrit's Dominant and his only Dominant, having awakened at the same time Joshua transformed into Phoenix. The hooded man he sees repeatedly are actually two different people: One is Ultima, who repeatedly tempts and tries to corrupt Clive into becoming his vessel and the other is Margrace, who is actually a revived Joshua Rosfield.
- In a "the chicken and the egg" sort of way, it's unclear if Ifrit looks like Ultima's vision of his ideal vessel, or if Ultima's vision of his ideal vessel is Ifrit by its nature and its actual appearance is inconsequential. The Eikon murals in the game depict Ultima in a similar form as Ifrit Risen, while near the end of the game Ultima takes on the form of an "Infernal Eikon" and later transforms into "Ultima Risen", which respectively look like Ifrit and Ifrit Risen, but the Infernal Eikon is noted to seem incomplete without Phoenix's traits. Further, there are no clues that point to Ifrit Risen being a pre-existing being beyond the murals, and Joshua notes they're vague enough that the winged being shown in them could be either Ultima or Ifrit Risen, or Ultima in the form of Ifrit Risen. The Ultimania clears it up: Ultima's original body, which rotted away after arriving on Valisthea, resembled a dark Ifrit. Ifrit doesn't just happen to have the properties needed by Ultima — Ifrit is a proto-Ultima by nature, finally evolved within the seeds of humanity over the last 5000 years.
- It's unclear why Ifrit is aspected to Fire, because it has a unique role in the hierarchy of the Eikons, that being to absorb their power and become Mythos, Ultima's ideal vessel. Logically it ought to follow that Ifrit would be Non-Elemental, but it is very definitely associated with Fire. This could be given a Hand Wave that it is aspected to Fire because it is meant to merge with Phoenix, the other Eikon of Fire, to become Ifrit Risen, but this invites further questions on why there are two separate Eikons of Fire at all instead of just Ifrit Risen in the first place.
Ascended Extra: Like in XV, Ifrit plays a much bigger role in this game compared to other entries. He's not only the protagonist's personal summon, but the Big Bad himself also takes an interest in his existence since his power and capacity for growth makes him and Clive the perfect host.
An Arm and a Leg: Ifrit gets his right arm blasted off during the battle against Garuda. He quickly grows it back and pays her back with a Hellfire.
Arch-Enemy: To Clive Rosfield after the harrowing events at Phoenix Gate, having slaughtered Joshua right before Clive's very eyes. Until Clive learns he was the one who killed Joshua.
Attack! Attack! Attack!: His fighting style is even more in-your-face than his Dominant's, and few other Eikons can match him for raw, relentless aggression. It says a lot that Brimstone, his version of an Eikonic Barrier (the bubble-like aetherial shields that Eikons can create to defend themselves), is actually a devastating charged explosive that only protects him for as long as it takes to power up, and that his steerable dash, Wildfire/Lightspeed, which is designed for helping him avoid big attacks, also inflicts significant damage when it hits an opponent.
Battle in the Center of the Mind: Ifrit's Eikon battle is fought as a dream sequence, which happens after he first lays his eyes upon the mural at the bottom of the Apodytery. The Ifrit Eikon you face is not the real Ifrit, however, but rather the manifestation of Clive's guilt and anger for killing Joshua in a panicked rage.
Beat Them at Their Own Game: Ifrit is very fond of using his opponent's tactics against them. During the battle with Titan, after seeing Titan use a barrier to protect himself, Ifrit learns how to make one himself, causing him to learn the Brimstone technique. In the last leg of the fight, remembering how Titan empowered himself by consuming aether from the Mothercrystal, Ifrit decides to do the same, temporarily gaining Titan's power over earth and making a pair of makeshift boxing gloves to engage in one last Pummel Duel. During the battle with Bahamut, seeing him use his Flare Breath combined with Clive's intense anger allows him to learn the Spitflare technique. In the battle against Barnabas and Odin, Ifrit grabs Odin's sword and snaps it in half, then uses the broken blade to perform his own Zantesuken against Odin.
Big Red Devil: While this has always been part of Ifrit's design, XVI emphasizes the "devil" part by making him look like a literal demon wreathed in fire and a body seemingly made from molten rock.
Breaking Old Trends: In-Universe example. Ifrit's existence as a Dark Eikon and the secondary Eikon of Fire completely and utterly destroys the belief that there could only be one Eikon per element, making him a huge Outside-Context Problem for everyone in Valisthea.
Breath Weapon: During the boss fight with Bahamut, Ifrit learns the Spitflare technique, which lets him breathe an intense torrent of fire.
Charged Attack: Brimstone, his first super, uses the same charge mechanic as Clive's Titan abilities - which isn't much of a surprise, seeing as he learned it by imitating Titan. Additionally, getting struck while charging it will cause it to detonate early but also negate the damage from the incoming attack, making it a useful defensive tool (particularly if you can anticipate your opponent's moves precisely enough to get hit during the maximum-damage sweet spot of the charging cycle).
The Chosen One: A rather dark variant. Because of the nature of Ifrit's power to absorb either Eikons powers, Ultima considered him and Clive, Ifrit's Dominant, the perfect host to possess.
Close-Range Combatant: He's got significantly less advanced and diverse ranged capabilities than most Eikons (and beings of comparable size and power), but makes up for it with pure strength, speed, and viciousness, meaning his standard game-plan against any significant threat is "dodge and leap through their magical barrage and rip them apart". The opening battle between him and Phoenix, where you play the Long-Range Fighter trying to pin him down and keep him at a safe distance, really drives this home.
Dash Attack: Ifrit's Wildfire attack has him dash around while Wreathed in Flames, which proves invaluable during the boss fight with Typhon as it allows you to dodge his slow, but hard hitting attacks. When merged with Phoenix as Ifrit Risen, he upgrades to Lightspeed, a faster, longer-ranged, and more steerable version of the same move that immediately proves its worth against Bahamut's colossal firepower.
Death's Hourglass: In Ifrit's fight with Phoenix, his Hellfire attack will start with the message "Damnation in..." and then start counting down from five. When he reaches zero, Hellfire becomes a One-Hit Kill that drops you in a game over screen and forces Phoenix to a full-on Auto-Revive skill rather than just a heal.
Elemental Punch: Apart from his basic melee moveset, Ifrit's favorite tactic is to generate a large fireball in his hand and slam it into his opponent point-blank, Rasengan-style. Many of his Cinematic Strike actions involve him landing a gigantic flaming punch on someone or something. He can upgrade this by forming a small Sphere of Destruction in his hand and then slamming that into his target, using a miniature sun like a street brawler would use a roll of coins to give their punches more weight.
Evil Knockoff: Inverted and downplayed. The endgame reveals that Ifrit is the favored form and vessel of Ultima's race as the Nexus of Origin has several Ifrits, with the implication being that the Eikons exist only for Ifrit to absorb their power and grow strong enough to become a proper vessel. When Joshua, Clive, and Dion face Ultima, he takes on Ifrit's form, making Clive's Eikon a "good knockoff".
Faking the Dead: After Joshua lands a solid blow on him and lays Ifrit flat, it seems like he's won...until Ifrit pounces atop Phoenix the second Joshua lowers his guard, leaving him open for Ifrit to viciously maim and pound into the dirt.
Fusion Dance: As dual Eikons of Fire, he is able to combine with Phoenix to become Ifrit Risen. The fusion is strong enough to power through Zettaflare^note, defeat Bahamut who has been powered up by the heart of the Drake's Tail, and the only one capable of going toe-to-toe against Ultima.
Ground Punch: During the boss fight with him, he can use his Scorched Earth attack, which has him punch the ground and send out a shockwave of flame racing forward.
Implacable Man: It doesn't matter how hard you hit him or how much damage he takes. Ifrit will keep coming at you until he tears you to pieces. Just ask Joshua.
Impossibly Graceful Giant: While he towers over humans, Ifrit is still on the smaller side of the Eikons and one of only two who isn't shown able to fly. What makes him so dangerous despite this is that he's by far the most agile of them, able to leap hundreds of meters to close the gap or climb larger foes with ease. While he's a bit of an awkward, lumbering bruiser in the Garuda battle, Clive accepting their relationship and embracing his role as Ifrit's Dominant ups his agility and precision considerably, to the point where the Typhon battle will see any reasonably competent player dancing around their mighty, lumbering foe. He's even more agile after fusing with Phoenix, which gives him wings and the ability to fly.
Lightning Bruiser: His magic may not be as fancy as that of other Eikons, but his strength, speed, and agility are top-notch. Once he becomes fully controllable (as opposed to partially controllable in the Garuda fight), he's almost as nimble as Clive himself despite being vastly larger, and can carve apart foes the size of mountains.
Living Lava: Ifrit's body appears to be made of molten rock that bursts into flames when he uses his powers.
Magma Man: In comparison to Phoenix's largely flame-based attacks and body in their fight, Ifrit is styled more like a Big Red Devil made of Living Lava. Hellfire similarly takes on the form of a sphere of burning magma. This proves useful in the Titan fight, where the similarity in their elemental affinities makes it easy for Clive to learn and put his own spin on his foe's rocky techniques.
Mirror Match: As Ifrit is fueled by Clive's repressed guilt and rage that he had carried within him for the thirteen years since the Night of Flames, the form it takes during its fight is identical to Clive himself. One of its phases even consists of a cinematic fight between two Ifrits!
Mythology Gag: The Mirror Match against Ifrit/Clive as the Infernal Eikon/Shadow is a faithful recreation of the Bowl of Embers trial against Ifrit in Final Fantasy XIV, from the environs to several of their attacks behaving identically.
One-Hit Kill: If you allow Ifrit to charge Hellfire to the full count of five during his fight with Phoenix, he will instantly kill Phoenix even at full HP and drop you in a game over screen.
Our Manticores Are Spinier: Ifrit usually has a mixture of leonine and reptilian features that make him somewhat resemble a Persian manticore (which is quite appropriate considering that he's named after another Middle Eastern monster associated with cruelty and tyranny). This one is particularly manticore-like, especially when he sprouts wings as Ifrit Risen, and the symbolism is particularly apposite considering that Ifrit Risen is the ideal form of Valisthea's abusive creator-deity.
Outside-Context Problem: Ifrit's very existence is this in the setting of XVI; it's quickly established that there has only ever been one Eikon per element. Whenever an Eikon is slain, a new one will eventually take its place, though the process takes several years. Then comes Ifrit, who is described as being not only a Dark Eikon, but also a fellow Eikon of Fire, a position filled by Phoenix. Unsurprisingly, everyone is equal parts confused and shocked that this is possible.
Murdoch: A second Eikon of Fire... But, that's impossible.
Power Copying: Clive learns during the Titan fight that a useful additional feature of Ifrit's Power Parasite abilities is that they give him an intuitive understanding of Eikonic abilities in general, making it easy for him to copy and adapt his foes' moves mid-battle even without draining them. Titan using earth while Ifrit uses magma makes this particularly straightforward, but it's a lesson that turns out to be applicable to his subsequent battles against other Eikons as well.
Power Parasite: While other Dominants can bless people with a sliver of their Eikon's power, Ifrit instead grants Clive the power to absorb the powers of the other Eikons. While the process doesn't necessarily cause a De-powering as seen with Garuda, Titan and Bahamut, it will weaken a Dominant's ability to command their Eikonic form and powers.
Protagonist Power-Up Privileges: Compared to other Eikons, Ifrit's capabilities are vastly different. In addition to being a Power Parasite who can claim the power of Eikons and Dominants for himself and Clive, Ifrit has something of an Adaptive Ability as he and Clive both react and grow in response to whatever threat comes their way. The battle against Titan Lost best demonstrates this, as Clive and Ifrit take a page out of Hugo's book and decide to absorb the surrounding aether into themselves for a quick power-up. In this instance, Ifrit even creates rock gauntlets that he uses to clash with Titan toward the end of their bout.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the "Awakening" Trailer, Ifrit is shown with red eyes. While he has yellow eyes in the game proper until Clive awakens as his Dominant, he's still an Eikon and exceedingly dangerous, given how brutally he rips into Phoenix.
Reformed, but Not Tamed: Even when Clive embraces his status as Ifrit's Dominant and starts learning how to wield the Fire Eikon's powers properly, the Eikon himself is rather fickle as he "comes and goes" as he pleases. Cid notes this is very unusual since Dominants can prime into their Eikon form without much trouble, but concedes that since Ifrit's very existence is unusual, it means that it won't play by the same rules as the other Eikons do. It's not until the second Time Skip that Clive is able to Prime into Ifrit much more easily.
Signature Move: Hellfire. Ifrit conjures a large fireball and tosses it at the opponent.
Sixth Ranger: The existence of an previously unknown second Eikon of fire throws everyone for a loop. That is until it's revealed that Ifrit is not an Eikon. Ifrit's role is to become Ultima's vessel.
Sphere of Destruction: Many of his attacks involve conjuring balls of flame of various sizes, either as point-blank explosions or as persistent, throwable weapons. Hellfire, his Finishing Move, is a particularly colossal one that he charges with his arms raised above his head in a manner very similar to the Spirit Bomb from Dragon Ball.
Superpowered Evil Side: Has shades of this, especially during its Mirror Match inside Clive's psyche. Subverted in that it's not exactly evil per se, but simply a representation of his guilt and self-loathing. After he finally comes to terms with himself, it becomes more akin to his Superpowered Good Side.
Super-Strength: While all Eikons have this due to their immense size, Ifrit is the standout example, as despite being one of the smaller Eikons, it's capable of grappling with foes even larger than it. During the boss fight with Titan, the Eikon of Earth grabs him by the tail and starts slamming him around. Ifrit is not only able to root himself to the ground with his claws, but is able to use the leverage to flip Titan on his back using just his tail. Later, when fighting Titan Lost, he is able to grab one of his massive tentacles and stab him with it. When battling Odin, he's strong enough to grab his giant Laser Blade BFS and snap it in half like a piece of weak glass.
There Is Another: The second Eikon of Fire, something that should not be possible. Then it turns out there are multiple Ifrits, all of which are Ultima's kin who sacrificed their physical form while their spiritual beings slumbered in the Mothercrystals. Ultima himself even transforms into a version of Ifrit called Ultima Prime.
Took a Level in Badass: Downplayed. Ifrit is already a powerful monstrosity on his own, being an Impossibly Graceful Giant who slaughtered Phoenix and Garuda. When Clive chooses to embrace his status as Ifrit's Dominant, however, Ifrit suddenly becomes even faster and can zip around the battlefield while slashing at his opponents in quick succession.
Unskilled, but Strong: Downplayed. Either due to Clive's own preferred fighting style or to Ifrit's abilities being limited, it doesn't display quite the variety of abilities other Eikons do. Most of its moveset consists of swiping with its claws for melee blows, shooting fireballs for ranged attacks, and dashing or leaping to close the distance with enemies. By contrast, most other Eikons show a greater range of versatility with how they utilize their powers. Ifrit is still able to overcome and defeat them by virtue of its sheer power, speed, and durability. While Clive's moveset as Ifrit does expand as the game progresses and he comes up with new ways to use its powers, it still has nowhere near the variety of attacks that Eikon bosses do.

Phoenix

Flames unforgiving

Circled in the strife of an empyreal catastrophe
Whorls of ire fan infernal flames on high
Fire in the night, a scarlet beacon in the sky
Look up to the heavens, the firmament reddens
Throw open your wings and fly

— Away (Theme of Phoenix)

The original Eikon of Fire, whose power has been passed through the Rosfield bloodline for generations. Its current Dominant is Joshua Rosfield of Rosaria, though it has gone missing after his death in the year 860. Although Clive isn't its proper Dominant, it is the first Eikon whose abilities he can use, after having been bestowed a portion of it during his knighting ceremony.

Ambiguous Situation: As Joshua notes, Phoenix is curiously absent from the mural depicting the Eikons and Ultima despite being recognized as the Warden of Fire in the modern day. When Joshua shares his findings with Clive after Barnabas' death, Joshua realizes Phoenix isn't entirely removed from the mural; Ultima's depiction is a mix of Ifrit and Phoenix, as his depiction bears the firebird's wings and Ifrit's horns.
Back from the Dead: Befitting an Eikon modeled after the mythological bird of the same name, Phoenix possesses Resurrective Immortality and can revive itself in the event of its death. After Ifrit obliterates Joshua with Hellfire, he revives himself and promptly retaliates with equal firepower. That said, Phoenix's resurrective abilities are implied to be very limited, as Joshua's resurrection as the mysterious Margrace implies he didn't come back fully as himself. The manner of his death did not help matters, either.
Breath Weapon: Like fellow Eikon of Fire Ifrit, Phoenix is capable of breathing fire.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Phoenix's second death is rather brutal as Ifrit chomps down on its beak, then impales it on its claw, then fires off a Hellfire at point-blank range, wiping Phoenix off the face of Valisthea. Fortunately for it and Joshua, it doesn't stick.
Finders Rulers: The Dominant of the Phoenix is traditionally the one who becomes Archduke of Rosaria. If not for the Night of Flames, Joshua would have supplanted his father (who is only the acting duke, as he doesn't have the power of the Phoenix) as Rosaria's ruler when he was of age.
Fusion Dance: Is capable of momentarily fusing with Ifrit to become Ifrit Risen, due to both being Eikons of Fire.
Giant Flyer: On the smaller end of the scale compared to Garuda and Bahamut, but still much larger (and faster) than any other flying creature in Valisthea.
Healing Hands: Phoenix is capable of healing itself and others through its Signature Move, Flames of Rebirth.
Homing Projectile: Phoenix's main form of attack comes in the form of fireballs that home in on targets.
Long-Range Fighter: Like the other Giant Flyer Bahamut, Phoenix's fighting style is to bombard enemies with fireballs from a distance.
Person of Mass Destruction: Reduces Phoenix Gate to a pile of ash and rubble and incinerates dozens of people, both Rosarian and Sanbrequois, during its first (and only) known appearance. Eventually becomes an Averted Trope after Joshua's revival and return as the Dominant of the Phoenix. Now that he's obtained full control over his powers, the number of unintended casualties that arise with every transformation becomes zero.
Playing with Fire: Naturally, as the original Eikon of Fire.
Primary Colour Champion: Has the bright, heroic colour scheme you'd expect of a symbol of nobility and hope, with vivid yellow and blue highlights amidst its glowing scarlet feather-flames.
The Phoenix: A much more violent and destructive portrayal than most, but it still fits well within the trope. Besides being able to dish out pyrokinetic devastation, it's also The Medic, capable of restoring the lifeforce of others and its own through its signature Flames of Rebirth.
Signature Move: Flames of Rebirth. Phoenix conjures flames that can heal itself or others.
Unexpected Shmup Level: Being able to control the Phoenix turns the gameplay into one of these. Its fight with Ifrit in the prologue is one long Shoot 'Em Up section, and there is a shorter one during the fight with Bahamut much later on.
The Unfought: Although Clive (as the rampaging Ifrit) has fought and killed the Phoenix in the story's perspective, the player never actually gets to fight Phoenix as Clive himself. It, Shiva and Ramuh end up being the only three on-screen Eikons that don't have an associated boss fight.

Shiva

Ice unfeeling

The Eikon of Ice, whose power is contained by Jill Warrick, Dominant in service to the Iron Kingdoms. She is the fifth Eikon to have her powers absorbed by Clive.

Adaptational Modesty: Most versions of Shiva have her in barely more than lingerie (if that). This one is lightly but fully-dressed in tights, a miniskirt, and a sleeveless top beneath her massive cape.
Badass Cape: Sports a flowing white cape as part of her attire that Jill and Clive manifest when channeling Shiva's powers.
Barrier Warrior: During the fight with the Liquid Flame, she conjures a barrier to defend against its attacks.
Beauty Equals Goodness: Unlike Garuda, the other female Eikon that sports a nasty Slasher Smile and is a brutal bloodthirsty being, Shiva looks mostly like a normal, attractive woman.
Bequeathed Power: Like with Cid and Ramuh, Jill willingly lets Clive absorb her Eikonic powers, granting him Shiva's abilities.
BFS: She's shown wielding a pair of these in her concept art, but she never actually gets a chance to use them in game.
Emotionless Girl: Although her Dominant is definitely far from being one of these, Shiva herself never once smiles, frowns or changes her expression from that of total neutrality. The most of a reaction she's ever made in her screentime is a stare that can be described as mild disinterest to the sight of Titan blocking her icicles with a punch.
An Ice Person: As per series' tradition. Shiva's powers range from conjuring ice crystals and spears to fire at opponents and freezing the surrounding area solid.
Morphic Resonance: While how much gets carried over varies between Eikons, all of the humanoid Eikons reflect their Dominant's physical traits in appearance in some way. Shiva takes the cake by looking exactly like Jill, having the same exact face and even having her distinctive bangs.
Ms. Fanservice: Downplayed compared to her other appearances throughout the franchise. While Shiva is still a gorgeous woman and wears revealing clothing, she is significantly less sexualized in design and is presented as more elegant and graceful.
Mythology Gag:
- The way Jill transforms into Shiva via encasing herself in an icicle and re-emerging as the Eikon is the same method in which Ysayle and Ryne turn into the primal Shiva in Final Fantasy XIV. The one major difference is that Jill's icicle floats into the air before she emerges.
- One piece of lore also states that a previous Dominant of Shiva was accompanied by a legendary wolf named Fenrir, mirroring how Ysayle owned a hoarhound named Fenrir as her personal attack dog. Torgal turning out to be a descendant of Fenrir carries on this relationship with the current Shiva.
One-Woman Wail: A prominent feature of her leitmotif, most completely heard in "Winter's Bound" (Jill's boss fight theme at the end of the prologue). It combines with the piano and strings of the piece to create an appropriate air of tragic elegance for the Warden of Ice.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: By far the smallest of the Eikons — though it must be noted that she still dwarves normal humans — and is still able to fight toe-to-toe with the much larger Titan.
Pointy Ears: As is usual for Shiva, although they're much less pronounced than usual.
Power at a Price: Repeated use of Shiva's powers both during the story and in the thirteen years she's spent as an Ironblood slave ends up causing Jill to suffer the most out of the Dominants from the curse of petrification, causing her to disappear from the story for a prolonged period of time so she can recuperate her strength enough to fight again. She's only cured after she willingly gives up her Eikon to Clive.
Power Floats: Much like previous incarnations of Shiva, she's capable of floating freely in the air to make up for what she lacks in size and raw power.
Signature Move: Diamond Dust. Shiva conjures a massive blizzard that freezes everything around her.
The Unfought: While Clive does fight against Jill in the beginning of the game before he recognizes her as Shiva's Dominant, he doesn't fight against Shiva proper, making Shiva one of three on-screen Eikons that Clive never ends up fighting.
The Worf Effect: Although she's definitely strong as an Eikon, she doesn't exactly have the best luck when it comes to the opponents she faces. She has trouble with the non-Eikon Liquid Flame^note and quickly loses to the much stronger Barnabas, who wasn't even transformed at that time.

Ramuh

Levin untamed

The Eikon of Thunder, whose power is contained by the rogue Dominant and revolutionary Cidolfus Telamon. He is the second Eikon whose powers are absorbed by Clive.

Adaptational Attractiveness: Most depictions of Ramuh in the franchise make him a withered old man who's mostly hidden by his baggy robes and gigantic beard. This one retains most of the rugged good looks of his Dominant — he's still visibly aged, but athletic and broad-shouldered with strong, well-preserved features.
Advertised Extra: While Cid himself isn't, Ramuh gets the least screentime of any of the Eikons during the first half of the story, and doesn't appear in the second half outright. And unlike Garuda, he isn't even fought in a battle.
Bequeathed Power: Cid willingly lets Clive absorb his Eikonic powers as he dies, granting him Ramuh's abilities.
Magic Staff: As per tradition, Ramuh carries a massive staff that acts as a focus for his lightning magic. Cid and Clive are capable of summoning it and using it as a weapon as Ramuh's Dominants. It's also sharp and sturdy enough to be thrown like a javelin, as Cidolfus does so in order to wound Typhon.
Person of Mass Destruction: Averted — Cid is always in full control of Ramuh when he transforms into it, and for this reason never shows any of the continent-reshaping feats of power that uncontrolled Eikons are capable of doing.
Shock and Awe: Again, as per tradition. He's capable of summoning thunderbolts and ball lightning via his staff.
Teleporters and Transporters: In addition to hovering, Ramuh is able to teleport short distances, allowing him to avoid being attacked by a wild Ifrit.
The Unfought: As Cid is Clive's ally and stays that way throughout the game, there's no reason for them to ever come to blows, therefore making Ramuh one of three on-screen Eikons that Clive never ends up fighting. Although it's not an Eikon, Typhon ends up absorbing some of Ramuh's powers after being pierced by his staff, giving it the ability to control lightning on top of its aether-based attacks, thus substituting Ramuh as the thunder-element boss.
Wizard Beard: Once again, as per tradition. It might not be as voluminous as some of Ramuh's earlier incarnations in the series, but it's still large enough to cover his entire upper torso.
Wizard Classic: In contrast with its Dominant being a sword-wielder, Ramuh itself sticks true to his traditional appearance of a wizened old wizard with a massive beard, a magic staff and draped in purple robes. The biggest difference is that this Ramuh isn't bald nor balding, but rather has a full head of shoulder-length silvery locks.

Garuda

Gales unrelenting

Her breath a storm to stir the heavens
A wreth forlorn, she turns to daemons
Far ever falling, falling,
From redemption, to the end of...

— Control (Theme of Garuda)

The Eikon of Wind, whose power is contained by the Waloeder spymaster Benedikta Harman. She is the first Eikon to be fought by Clive and the first to have her powers absorbed.

Absurdly Sharp Claws: Has not only one but four pairs of incredibly sharp talons, located on her arms, both pairs of wings and legs. Benedikta (and Clive, after absorbing her powers) can use these as part of their Dominant powers.
Blow You Away: As the Eikon of Wind, she's capable of creating gale-force winds, tornadoes and hurricanes with a single thought. In the fight proper, she can fire off blasts of Aero magic like a machine gun.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Garuda's defeat at Ifrit's hands might be far more visceral than Phoenix's. Whereas the firebird had Ifrit's maw clamped down on its beak and impaled through the chest, Ifrit point-blank fires off Hellfire while using Garuda as kindling, immolating her before the spell kicks off.
Eye Scream: Clive stabs her eye out during the boss battle. He finds out the hard way she can heal it back, revealing nothing short of another Eikon can kill her.
Feathered Fiend: Despite being much less avian-looking than the Phoenix, it's much more indiscriminately violent and savage than the other giant bird amongst the Eikons.
Giant Flyer: One of three amongst the Eikons. It occupies the middle ground between the Phoenix and Bahamut in body size and wingspan, while being as fast (if not faster) than the other two.
Mook Maker: Part of Garuda's powerset seems to include the ability to send out Elementals of Wind like Chirada and Suparna to do her dirty work, a power which Benedikta can channel without needing to fully transform. When she loses control over her powers and goes berserk as Garuda, dozens of these Elementals start appearing within the vicinity of the Eye of the Storm.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Both pairs of wings can serve as a second and third pair of arms due to having grasping talons on their ends. And much like an actual bird, her feet can also function as Handy Feet strong enough to effortlessly lift the much larger Ifrit off of the ground.
Mythology Gag: The arena she's fought in during the first phase of its boss fight has an uncanny resemblance to the arena in the Eden's Verse: Furor raid from Final Fantasy XIV, in which Ifrit and Garuda are fought as a Dual Boss. Fittingly enough, it also marks the point in the story in which Clive transforms into Ifrit again.
Person of Mass Destruction: Garuda is the first Eikon of whom we get to see the full extent of her powers, and it's as destructive as you'd expect the embodiment of the storm to be. Just by fully transforming into Garuda, Benedikta creates a several-miles wide tornado right in the middle of Imperial territory, which has strong enough winds to rip entire chunks of rock out of the ground and send them flying all around. Not only that, but hostile Elementals of Wind begin appearing in the tornado's surroundings, extending the casualties even further.
Power Incontinence: While a majority of the Dominants lose control of their powers and forcibly transform into an Eikon somewhere in the story, Garuda is unique in that she's never seen in her fully transformed state while under Benedikta's total control. The one and only time that the Eikon appears is when, while Benedikta despairs over the apparent loss of her powers, she gets her men slaughtered by bandits and is about to be kidnapped (or worse) herself, during which she transforms into Garuda in an act of desperation.
Signature Move: Aerial Blast. Garuda charges up and unleashes a wide AOE blast of air around itself that also conjures numerous tornadoes.
Slasher Smile: Whenever she's not in pain or exerting itself, Garuda's expression defaults to a maniacal, toothy grin.
Warm-Up Boss: As the first Eikon that can be fought by a playable Ifrit, she serves as the intro to controlling Ifrit and Eikon battles in general. The damage she can deal with her standard attacks isn't nearly as high compared to later fights, and many of her attacks are heavily telegraphed. It doesn't help that she's also the only Eikon who can be stunlocked by Ifrit's basic melee combo. This is in contrast to Benedikta herself being the Wake-Up Call Boss of the early game.
Winged Humanoid: Has four of them, with two much smaller pairs of decorative wings on her head. Both pairs even have massive talons on each end, allowing them to be used as additional pairs of arms.

Titan

Earth unyielding

Fury and rage
Now the gods below shall know thy name
Suffer this fate
From the crumbling walls none can escape
Sky black with rain
Still against its weight his shoulders strain
Rise, crownless king
For a reckoning shall soon begin

— Heart of Stone (Theme of Titan #3)

The Eikon of Earth, whose power is contained by Hugo Kupka, the economic advisor of the Republican Parliament of Dhalmekia. He is the third Eikon to be fought by Clive and the third to have his powers absorbed.

Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Titan is undoubtedly one of the largest Eikons, rivaled only by the unseen Leviathan if the mural is anything to go by. As a comparison, Clive only comes up to Ifrit's shin. Ifrit only comes up to Titan's shin. This is exaggerated after he becomes Titan Lost, which is so unfathomably huge that he makes the three-story tall Ifrit look like a flea compared to it.
Autobots, Rock Out!: In a predominantly orchestral soundtrack, rock music plays while fighting Titan Lost.
Bald of Evil: This incarnation of Titan is completely bald, much like its Dominant. Although the Eikon himself is completely amoral, he's still responsible for destroying Cid's Hideaway and slaughtering dozens of innocents in that night.
Bigger Is Better: He's huge even by Eikon standards - the in-game database confirms that he's easily the largest of their kind - and it's also his most powerful asset in a duel, granting him unmatched reach, unstoppable force, and immovable bulk. It does come at the cost of being a Mighty Glacier who other Eikons can outmanoeuvre with reasonable ease, but it's still very useful. Transforming into the mountain-sized Titan Lost only exaggerates these advantages, to the point where even getting into attack distance of him is a considerable challenge for Ifrit.
Climax Boss: Titan is fought after a long and drawn-out story arc in the game's midpoint during which his Dominant, Kupka, serves as The Heavy of the story. The constantly-escalating scale and sheer, unbridled awesomeness of its boss fight serves as a high-octane adrenaline smoothie to be enjoyed with the sweet, sweet Catharsis Factor of finally being able to kill Kupka after hours spent with him being a constant thorn in Clive's side.
Colossus Climb: Before you can even do anything at all to Titan Lost, you must first spend a whole sequence climbing up and platforming along his tentacles in order to actually reach him.
Combat Tentacles: In a first for the recurring monster/summon, Titan Lost has multiple massive tentacles made out of rock growing out of his waist that can both extend and regrow themselves seemingly infinitely. How long can they grow, you ask? Long enough to carry Ifrit into the stratosphere and still keep growing before they get snapped off.
David Versus Goliath: Ifrit's fight with Titan is one long sequence of this, considering the difference in size and strength between them which only becomes exponentially larger when Titan becomes Titan Lost. Note that Ifrit himself is already nearly three stories tall.
Determinator: Twice. Firstly when initially defeated by Ifrit, he consumes crystals directly from Drake's Fang and turns into Titan Lost. Secondly when Titan Lost is defeated and Ifrit is falling through the inside of its body, the original Titan ambushes him, determined to drag his sworn enemy down to hell alongside him.
Dishing Out Dirt: As the Eikon of Earth, Titan is capable of causing earthquakes, raining boulders and causing rocks to spontaneously jut out of the ground. He needs the assistance of aether from the Mothercrystal to do so, but he can also merge with the surrounding rocks to make himself even larger than he already is.
Evil Is Bigger: Titan's Dominant is a greedy, power hungry monster and Titan himself towers over even other Eikons.
Freefall Fight: In the final phase of his fight, he and Ifrit tumble down the crumbling remains of Titan Lost.
Good Old Fisticuffs: Continuing with tradition, Titan doesn't need fancy swords, staves or laser beams to fight, relying primarily on its own two fists. Kupka and Clive are capable of temporarily manifesting these fists when channeling Titan's powers.
Handicapped Badass: Titan Lost's actual boss fight starts with Ifrit tricking him into ripping off one of his own arms. This doesn't hamper the gargantuan Eikon in any way — arguably, all that it did was give Ifrit a fighting chance. Even after Ifrit rips off Titan Lost's other arm, he's still capable of fighting him off with the help of his infinitely regrowing tentacles.
Marathon Boss: His boss fight has three distinct phases with boatloads of HP between them - first a fight on foot against his normal form, then a fight against his Titan Lost form (where he becomes so giant that a significant part of that phase revolves around just closing in to attack distance), then a final clash as he and Clive tumble through the ruins of Titan Lost. By the end of it all, Clive can only scream an exasperated and exhausted "Die, damn you!"
Meta Mecha: Titan Lost is revealed to be this—rather than being a transformation of Titan, it is a gargantuan suit of stone armor he constructed around himself, being the "Meta Mecha" to Titan being Hugo's "Humongous Mecha". When Ifrit defeats Lost and falls into its remains, he finds Titan alive and well inside the construct.
Mighty Glacier: His undoing against Ifrit. He's huge and powerful, but not speedy enough to reliably land hits on his smaller, more agile opponent. This becomes even more pronounced when he transforms into Titan Lost, which lets Ifrit outmanoeuvre him so badly that much of the damage he takes is from his own tentacles.
Mythology Gag: His second phase in which it becomes Titan Lost is a direct reference to the Eden's Verse: Sepulture raid from Final Fantasy XIV, specifically the Savage version. In that version of that raid, Titan merges with the mountain range that he's fought upon to become Titan Maximum, a being ten times larger than his original size, which then transitions into a final phase that consists of a rematch with his initial form. Although in this case, it's not a mountain that he fuses with but rather an entire Mothercrystal, the exact same process happens when this Titan transforms into Titan Lost and back again to his original form. Even the music reflects this, as the main melody of FFXVI Titan's theme is directly lifted from the guitar riff interlude in the FFXIV Titan's battle theme "Under the Weight".
Nightmare Face: This Titan's face is permanently twisted into a toothy, lipless snarl combined with a piercing glower that's certainly intimidating enough to make a few players jump during one of its many, many closeups. Just look at it for yourself◊. After transforming into Titan Lost, he loses this trope and instead becomes The Faceless.
Person of Mass Destruction: What else would you expect from an Eikon that's nearly twenty stories tall and can make and unmake entire mountains with a twitch of his finger? Surprisingly Averted in his Titan Lost form, despite the massive increase in size and power. He only really succeeds in destroying his own inner sanctum within Drake's Fang — which was already devoid of people — and none of the destruction reaches Ran'dellah.
Power-Up Food: He powers up into Titan Lost after eating part of Drake's Fang.
Rock Monster: Although his initial form appears to be made of some kind of flesh-rock mixture, much like previous incarnations of Titan, this trope is played straight with his second form, Titan Lost. In that form, he looks more like a mountain that suddenly grew a head, body, arms and tentacles, and his interior is completely hollow all the way to the bottom. The original Titan seems to be present somewhere inside this form, as he emerges from the rock to ambush Ifrit after he had defeated Titan Lost.
Stationary Boss: Titan Lost never moves once from his spot embedded within Drake's Fang. Fortunately he doesn't need to move, thanks to his infinitely-extending tentacles and rock projectiles.
Stop Hitting Yourself: There are a few instances in the fight with Titan Lost where Ifrit, either by power or by evasion, is able to make Titan's attacks hit himself. Falls into Gameplay and Story Integration from the sheer mass involved in those strikes, causing them to do as much damage to Titan as a full Stagger Combo that Ifrit could inflict under his own power, combined with Ifrit's relative ease in evading Titan's counterattacks making it a much quicker and less risky way of dealing with him.
Unexpected Shmup Level: The fight versus Titan Lost starts off with a running section through a crevasse and up along Titan Lost's tentacles just so Ifrit can get close to the damn thing. The usual gameplay changes again during the finisher, in which a tentacle snags Ifrit and carries him all the way to the stratosphere before being snapped off and used as its weapon. The brief falling segment that happens during this time plays like a Shoot 'Em Up much like the Phoenix segment in the prologue.
Unfriendly Fire: Squashes more than a few Dhalmekian soldiers flat under his heel during his very first scene.
Wrestler in All of Us: On top of its fisticuffs, Titan occasionally dishes out flying elbow drops, likely a holdover from Kupka's own combat capabilities. It's only fitting that Ifrit ends the first phase of his fight by suplexing him into submission.

Bahamut

Light undying

On wings of an angel
Forsaken, our destinies lie
In courage, conviction (through the night)
We find our redemption (find our light)
That we might make our ascension

— Ascension (Theme of Bahamut #2)

The Eikon of Light, whose power is contained by Prince Dion Lesage of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. It is the fourth Eikon to be fought by Clive and the fourth to have its powers absorbed.

Arm Cannon: All six of his arms end in gigantic Organic Technology cannons with bladed, sharply-pointed barrels, letting him lay down a hail of magical firepower.
Attack Drone: He can spawn ball-like constructs of aether that either attack independently or help him charge his own most powerful attacks, making the battlefield even more chaotic and oppressive for his enemies. Rapidly eliminating them is one of your top priorities in the fight against him.
Astral Finale: In true JRPG fashion, Bahamut takes off to outer space in the final phase of his boss fight so he may incinerate the entire planet, and Clive and Joshua follow him by turning into the flight-capable and equally powerful Ifrit Risen. Subverted in that despite the climactic nature of the fight, it's still far from the actual finale of the game.
Beam Spam: There are more energy beams being thrown around in its boss battle than the entire rest of the game. Notable spells it uses include Mortal Coil, a breath weapon that explodes into a massive pillar of light identical to Akh Morn from Final Fantasy XIV; Radiance, which fires rotating lasers in all directions; and Gigaflare, a Wave-Motion Gun, and its upgraded version Celestial Foundry, which is multiple Wave-Motion Guns.
Blade Below the Shoulder: His Arm Cannon set are all pointy enough to double as these, giving him close-quarters options despite his preferred Long-Range Fighter approach.
Behemoth Battle: There are two cutscenes in which it does battle against another Eikon that isn't Ifrit: one in the early game in which it clashes against Odin as part of Dion's introductory scene, and a second during its rampage where it does battle with the returned Phoenix.
Determinator: After being defeated once, in an act of desperation, it merges with the heart of Drake's Tail in order to power itself up. Once it's been defeated again, it doesn't give up even then, using its remaining power to charge up its Zettaflare.
Giant Flyer: The largest of the airborne Eikons, with a wingspan twice as long as the Phoenix's. Despite its size, it's no slouch in the speed department either.
Gold and White Are Divine: A variant. He's the Eikon of Light, the beloved god-monster of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, and he has the colours to match. His scales are grey with gold highlights, and the energy bolts he sprays all over the battlefield are predominantly a blinding white accented with gold and/or blue.
Light 'em Up: Naturally as the Eikon of Light, although in practice, it's perhaps more appropriate to call it the Eikon of Frickin' Laser Beams. Its powers over light mainly consist of various forms of Beam Spam and Homing Lasers, rather than any direct manipulation of light itself.
Light Is Good: Bahamut is the Eikon that represents the element of Light, and is revered as a symbol of hope for the Sanbrequois. Its Dominant is also beloved by the people and would never do anything to harm them. ...As long as he's in his right mind.
Light Is Not Good: When its Dominant Dion goes mad with rage and loses control over his own Eikon, Bahamut doesn't hesitate to turn its radiant might on the same people that worshipped it. And it's not going to stop until all of Valisthea is ash and cinder.
Lightning Bruiser: An unusual Long-Range Fighter example. He may be clumsy in close quarters, but he's tough and agile enough to survive against a Close-Range Combatant like Ifrit, make a clean escape, and rain apocalyptic punishment from afar. Meanwhile, their aerial dogfight makes it clear how badly he outclasses another Long-Range Fighter, the Fragile Speedster Phoenix, in durability and firepower while matching him in speed.
Long-Range Fighter: He's a dragon with the agility and firepower of a sci-fi starfighter, and drowning his enemies in a hail of magical doom from somewhere in the upper atmosphere is very much his preferred approach to combat. While he can mix it up in close quarters, he's shown to be at a significant disadvantage against melee-specialised Eikons like Ifrit and Odin.
Magic Missile Storm: Much like in Final Fantasy XIV, this game's version of Megaflare is a continuous barrage of magical projectiles which twist and arc through the air as they home in on their targets. Every single one of these missiles has enough potency to turn buildings into rubble, as the innocent citizens of Sanbreque-occupied Twinside came to realize.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: In addition to his two main arms, the inner fingers of his wings are overdeveloped to give him four extra fully-functional ones (insofar as they can be fully functional arms when all of them end in Organic Technology laser cannons).
Mythology Gag:
- Naturally, given that the studio that developed this game are also the developers of Final Fantasy XIV, Bahamut takes a lot of cues from its depiction there; several of its attacks are similar to its attacks in XIV, its Megaflare takes the form of a Magic Missile Storm, and it is powerful enough to threaten potentially the entire world. It's also got a Golden Super Mode similar to Bahamut Prime, and is defeated in a clash with Phoenix, who (fused with Ifrit) charges through Bahamut and pierces it much like Louisoix did.
- Its impulse attack, which fires a swarm of energy orbs at opponents, is taken from Final Fantasy X.
- Its laser cannons attached to its wings, and many of its attacks firing energy blasts from them, is reminiscent of Bahamut Fury from Crisis Core. All the moreso when it powers up, takes on a golden hue, and flies into space.
Organic Technology: This version of Bahamut doesn't just spew energised death from his mouth - his forearms are a pair of organic laser cannons, and he has four larger ones extending from two each of the inner fingers (struts) of his wings. It makes him look like a cross between a dragon and a sci-fi fighter aircraft, which is also a fairly accurate summary of his fighting style.
Our Dragons Are Different: The fact that it has what looks like laser cannons instead of arms and more attached to its wings notwithstanding, Bahamut isn't an actual dragon like the ones fielded by the Imperial army, but an Eikon that just looks like one. That said, Sanbreque reverse dragons because they're Bahamut-like, rather than revering Bahamut because he's dragonlike.
Person of Mass Destruction: And how. Much like its spiritual predecessor from two mainline titles prior, the rampaging Bahamut only needed less than five minutes to reduce the entirety of Twinside into a pile of burning rubble. The sheer amount of devastation that it manages to cause before the Phoenix intervenes is so much so that Sanbreque, which was already a Vestigial Empire at this point in the story, stops becoming a player in Valisthean politics altogether. It only gets worse when it consumes the heart of Drake's Tail in a fit of desperation and powers up even further — it might have been an exaggeration, but Joshua says that it would've incinerated all of Valisthea with its Zettaflare if it were to be let loose.
Power-Up Food: After being defeated once by Ifrit and the Phoenix, it consumes the heart of Drake's Tail to become even more powerful than it already is.
Serial Escalation: It's able to cast Megaflare, Gigaflare and Teraflare, much like the Bahamut we're all familiar with. At the end of its boss fight, it tries to finish off Clive and Joshua and cremate Valisthea along with them by casting a spell that Bahamut had never used before in a Final Fantasy game: Zettaflare^note.
Sword Beam: An unusual example, in that it can send these out from its wings.
Unexpected Shmup Level: Its boss fight is interrupted in between its first and third phases by a segment in which you get to play as the Phoenix and chase after Bahamut. Just like in the prologue's boss battle against Ifrit, this segment controls exactly like a Shoot 'Em Up.
Unfriendly Fire: Averted in its introductory cutscene, a first for any Eikon. It only uses concentrated attacks like Megaflare and divebombs against Odin, and the only time that it uses anything with wider range is when Odin has been led to an empty hill with no Sanbrequois soldiers in the vicinity. The only time that even one of its attacks hits an Imperial is by accident, when its Megaflare was deflected by Odin.

Odin

Darkness unending

The twain,
On ten feet run
Three eyes and one
Trained upon victory
Foreseen
With steel, darkness comes

— The Riddle (Theme of Odin)

The Eikon of Darkness, whose power is contained by Barnabas Tharmr, King of Waloed. He is the fifth and final Eikon to to be fought by Clive and the last to have his powers absorbed in the main story.

Absurdly Sharp Blade: His Zantetsuken is said in lore to be capable of cutting through the fabric of creation itself. Whether or not it's actually capable of doing so is up for debate, but every time Odin swings his Zantetsuken something ends up being sliced neatly in half, whether it be entire buildings or the freaking ocean itself.
Bequeathed Power: Although he's defeated squarely by Clive unlike Ramuh and Shiva, Barnabas forcibly transfers his powers to Clive in order to lay the final piece in Ultima's grand scheme.
BFS: Although Zantetsuken is already a very large sword in its own merit, Odin is also capable of enlarging his Zantetsuken to more than over ten times its original size and length, and uses it to try and reduce Ifrit to nothing during his mid-boss cinematic.
Casting a Shadow: As the Eikon of Darkness, he's a Magic Knight who backs up his swordplay with various uses of dark aether. The classic examples are the Sword Beams he uses to carve apart his foes (and the surrounding landscape), but he can also create massive shadowy barriers to defend key installations, sculpt the darkness into additional weapons that he can rain down on his enemies, and even create shadowy portals to teleport between.
Cool Horse: Rides around on a black-maned, six-legged horse by the name of Sleipnir, which has the power to float and gallop in mid-air. As Odin himself can't float, this allows him to fight toe-to-toe with the likes of Bahamut and the Phoenix, who'd normally be blessed with aerial superiority against the Eikon of Darkness.
Cool Sword: His trademark sword, the Zantetsuken. Barnabas and Clive are capable of spontaneously creating it and wielding it in their hands when channeling Odin's power.
Dark Is Evil: Fitting for an Eikon who presides over the Darkness element. It doesn't help that his Dominant is in league with Ultima.
Dual Wielding: Although Odin himself is never shown doing it, his Dominant is capable of making a second Zantetsuken once his Eikonic powers reach their full potential, a first for any incarnation of Odin. Clive can also do this as one of his channeled abilities.
The Ghost: In-universe, there has been no known records pertaining to Odin before Barnabas' appearance on the stage of Valisthea. The game leaves open the possibility that it's because he's the first Odin, just as Clive was the first Ifrit born since Ultima created the Eikons.
Glass Cannon: His power is phenomenal, but it seems to come at a massive aether cost even by Eikon standards - Barnabas only fully primes for short engagements, and it's easy for other Eikons to forcibly unsummon him if they land one good hit. His fight with Ifrit is basically Rocket-Tag Gameplay, where both Eikons will exchange a couple of attacks and knock each other out, forcing their Dominants to mostly fight in normal or semi-primed form until they get a decent opening to land another serious blow.
It Can Think: Eikons are usually mindless or near-mindless forces of destruction given intelligence and personality by their Dominants, but Odin has the unique talent to create egis (magical minions that contain a fraction of an Eikon's power) with just as much sapience as a human being. One of them even serves as the second-in-command of King Barnabas of Waloed. The game leaves it ambiguous whether these are separate creations, or external manifestations of Odin's own personality, but either way, they're far smarter and more independent than any Eikon (or Eikon-derived entity) should be.
Magic Knight: Literally. He's not just a knight who uses magic (although he certainly does do that), but a kaiju in the shape of a knight who's made of magic. The fact that his primary attack is a gigantic darkness-infused Sword Beam says it all.
Master Swordsman: As an Eikon whose defining power lies in his sword, it's only natural that Odin himself is unparalleled with the blade. For example, he's capable of deflecting Bahamut's Megaflare by cutting right through it.
Meaningful Name: The only named attack used by Odin during the battle against him and Barnabas is Woden Worhte Weos, a snippet of the Old English Maxims verse "Wôden worhte weos, wuldor alwealda rûme roderas". The full verse roughly translates to "Woden wrought the (heathen) altars / the almighty Lord the wide heavens". Woden is an alternate name for Odin in pagan mythologies, and the verse refers to him being a mere heathen god inferior to the Christian God. As Christian-inspired nomenclature is heavily used in regards to Ultima, Ultima can be seen as "the almighty Lord" in the verse to Odin's Woden, and signifying Odin's subservience to Ultima.
Mook Maker: Part of his power seems to be making theoretically infinite copies of Sleipnir Harbard as an extension of himself. The amount of power that he can grant his summons seems to be finite, as while one Sleipnir poses an issue for Clive, sending out many Sleipnirs massively reduces the power that each of them has.
Mythology Gag:
- Zantetsuken is used in both of Barnabas' boss fights as an attack that must be interrupted through causing enough damage. The primal Odin from Final Fantasy XIV is infamous for being a Time-Limit Boss in both the FATE "Steel Reign" and the Urth's Fount trial, as both instances feature an uninterruptible cast of Zantetsuken that will One-Hit Kill everything within reach should Odin not reach 0 health before the cast bar reaches full.
- Of course, Odin has been a Time-Limit Boss even as early as Final Fantasy IV.
Parting the Sea: Ends up doing this by complete accident. When doing battle with the Phoenix above the ocean, a Sword Beam meant for his intended target ends up being deflected by the Phoenix's barrier and sent flying off miles away in a random direction... which causes the entire sea beneath the shockwave to be cleaved in half, and stay that way for a good twenty or so minutes before Odin commands the seas to close up again.
Power Incontinence: Averted. Odin and Ramuh are the only two Eikons that are never shown entering the rampaging state signified by their eyes glowing yellow. It says something about the level of control that Barnabas has over his Eikon that he doesn't forcibly become Odin even when he experiences overwhelming amounts of emotion, instead staying in his partial transformation and becoming even stronger.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: This doesn't apply to Barnabas or Odin as their defining colors are black and blue, but the element of Darkness that they wield is colored red and black. Being Ultima's most loyal servant, they definitely qualify for the evil part as well.
Sword Beam: Even in his untransformed Dominant's hands, every swing of his Zantetsuken can generate devastating shockwaves to tear though crowds at a distance. When primed, the dark energy released from his blade can and does have geographical consequences.
Teleporters and Transporters: The power of Darkness gives Odin (and those gifted with his power) the ability to teleport short distances, as seen when encountered at sea.
Tin Tyrant: Odin has always been this trope, but this incarnation fits the trope much more than usual, due to his Dominant being an actual tyrant.
The Unfought: The only Eikon to have been fought by Clive and not have a boss fight dedicated to him, not even as an extended Press X to Not Die sequence with visible health bars like Shadow Ifrit. Odin's — or rather Barnabas's boss fight primarily has Clive fighting against the Dominant with the Eikon playing a much smaller role. Odin only appears twice throughout: once as part of a mid-fight cinematic with only one QTE at the end, and again as part of Barnabas's Woden Wohrte Weos attack.
Unfriendly Fire: Cuts a swath through both Sanbrequois and his own soldiers in his introductory cutscene, contrasting him with Bahamut who constantly avoids causing too many unintended casualties in the same exact scene.
World's Strongest Man: A contender for one of the strongest Eikons in XVI alongside Bahamut and Ifrit. Bahamut could only fight Odin to a standstill whereas Odin beat Ifrit twice. It's telling that the only reason Clive manages to even get Odin's powers is because he beat Odin's Dominant, not the Eikon himself.

Leviathan

Water unprofaned

The Eikon of Water, who apparently possesses no Dominant and has been lost to legend. For this reason, it is referred to as "the Lost". However, the DLC The Rising Tide reveals that it is not as Lost as assumed - its Dominant is very much alive, merely in hiding, and Clive receives a letter requesting he come to their aid.

Ascended Extra: In the main game, Leviathan is very much a non-entity due to its status as "The Lost". It comes to the forefront The Rising Tide DLC, where Clive is tasked with apparently saving its Dominant.
Bigger Is Better: If the murals are anything to go by, Leviathan could be the single largest Eikon, dwarfing even Titan in length. When faced in The Rising Tide DLC, Leviathan is so large that it can carry Ifrit like a chew toy in its mouth.
Breath Weapon: Leviathan can spray incredibly destructive waterjets from its mouth.
Death's Hourglass: Much like the Eikon of Fire and Bahamut battles, Leviathan charges up a One-Hit Kill of its own, only much harsher in its damage check. While attacks delivered through a "Press The Attack" phase can usually be healed through, Tsunami will cause an instant game over. Not because of health, but because the collateral damage from the attack is overwhelming.
Flying Seafood Special: Despite its fish-like traits, Leviathan appears to be capable of gliding through the air at will during the second phase of the battle against it.
Free-Fall Fight: The first phase of the battle between Ifrit and Leviathan involves the two Eikons duking it out while falling down the center of a seemingly endless waterspout.
The Ghost: Virtually nothing is known about Leviathan and its Dominant(s). None of the various nations of Valisthea are mentioned in game to have had anything to do with it, and nowhere does it appear in any of the lore. The only mention of it at all is the fact that there were eight Eikons before Ifrit showed up and Joshua off-handedly mentioning it as "Leviathan the lost" when seeing the full Eikon mural that's been appearing around the game. Notably, Leviathan's absence has no bearing on Ultima's endgame, indicating that its been out of the action long enough that Ultima's centuries-spanning plot planned around it. It makes its appearance known in The Rising Tide DLC.
Long-Range Fighter: Its only melee attacks are a lunching chomp and a tail swing, both of which are slow and easy to dodge. It prefers to stay at a distance and weaponize water in the form of jetstreams, orbs, and geysers.
Making a Splash: With attacks that create giant water cyclones and tidal waves many many times taller than Ifrit, Leviathan is more than capable of this.
Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: It's called "Leviathan the Lost" because it hasn't been seen in over a century, and everyone assumes that the bloodlines that bore its Dominants are extinct. The Rising Tide DLC explains that the Motes of Water merely went into hiding due to religious persecution and losing their homeland, and when a Dominant was eventually born into their people, it was sealed in time for eighty years.
Sea Serpents: Appears to take the form of one of these as per series' tradition, according to the Eikon murals.
Superpower Lottery: Leviathan's host of powers are only rivalled by Ifrit, who is explicitly a special Eikon. It can fly, create barriers of energy, summon egi to defend it, and of course can weaponize water in numerous ways including geysers, bubbles, streams, and massive tidal waves. Its control over water also extends into a manner of Weather Manipulation, as in its final phase it conjures a torrential thunderstorm and a massive waterspout that Clive remarks would make Garuda proud. Finally, it is easily the largest Eikon save for Titan Lost - its head is larger than all of Ifrit's body and its mouth is big enough to swallow it whole.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The heroes speculate that because Leviathan and its Dominant were sealed in time for almost a century, Ultima decided it simply didn't need the Eikon of Water for its plans anymore and did nothing to intervene or save it. It wasn't until Clive went to free them that Ultima took an interest in Leviathan again, and he referred to it as "our most profane fragment". The State of the Realm character thoughts show that even once Clive subdued Leviathan, Ultima regarded its Dominant as an aberration and only cared about the power Clive took from them.

Omega

An artificial Eikon created by the Fallen in ages past. It serves as the final guardian of the artificial Mothercrystal in the Sagespire as well as the Final Boss of the Echoes of the Fallen DLC story.

A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Due to the entire party being comprised of Dominants (+ Torgal), the AI defense system of the Sagespire identifies Clive and his companions as threats sent by Ultima and sics Omega on them. Due to it being a robot controlled by a system that cannot be reasoned with, the only option is to throw down.
Battle Theme Music: "Eikonoklasm", a pounding techno theme underscored by a foreboding choir that emphasizes Omega's menace as an artificial Eikon created to overthrow the gods.
Beam Spam: As the fight drags on, Omega will throw out increasing numbers of energy projectiles.at the heroes in an attempt to overwhelm them. This includes spamming its Wave Cannon attack, shooting dozens upon dozens of energy balls that fall rom the sky, on top of additional lasers from every conceivable direction.
Composite Character: It's XVI's incarnation of Omega, a recurring boss in the Final Fantasy series, but the incarnation seen in XVI shares characteristics with the recurring summon Alexander, due to both being artificial summons.
Deity of Mortal Creation: Omega is an artificial Eikon created for the sake of overthrowing the gods. A biomechanical monstrosity of frightening destructive power, its very presence allows it to warp space to its will and it takes Clive, Jill, and Joshua working together to defeat it.
Ground Wave: One of its attacks has it send waves of fiery energy along the ground that home in on Clive.
Meaningful Name: Omega's battle theme "Eikonoklasm", is a Portmanteau of "Eikon" and "Iconoclasm", the latter of which refers to attacks on systems and icons of worship. This reflects Omega's purpose as a means for the Fallen to overthrow the gods of yore namely, Ultima and its kin.
Mythology Gag: Omega's battle music also includes riffs and lyrics from "eScape", Omega's battle theme in Final Fantasy XIV, as well as "Order, yet Undeciphered" the theme of the Allagan research facility Azys Lla that experimented on the eikons that XIV's Omega captured. While many of its attacks are based on Omega's iterations across the Final Fantasy series, its Total Party Kill move, "Omega Protocol", is named after the Ultimate Raid of the same game.
Outside-Context Problem: In a gritty swords-and-sorcery world where science is about on the same level of medieval Europe at best, Omega is a robot operated by an AI gone haywire, to put it bluntly. Clive and his companions can only comprehend it as a form of magick they cannot hope to fully understand. It just goes to show how extremely advanced the Fallen were. All that's missing is a comment from one of them about "bad interdimensional nonsense."
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Omega is much smaller than the original Eikons, as Clive is nearly as tall as Omega's main body. This does not mean that it's weaker, demonstrating terrifying destructive power and the ability to manipulate space to its whim. It takes multiple Dominants working together to defeat it and even then it comes very close to wiping the party.
Rubber Man: It can stretch its arms out to incredible lengths for one of its attacks, letting it claw at Clive from the opposite end of the battlefield.
Time-Limit Boss: In the final leg of the fight, Omega will attempt to compress space, gradually shrinking the amount of usable terrain and making it increasingly hard to dodge its attacks. Should Omega compress space completely, it will activate its Omega Protocol attack, wiping out the party and triggering a Non-Standard Game Over.

Other Beings

The Lord (WARNING: UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Ultima

Voiced by: Harry Lloyd (English), Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese)^{Foreign VAs}

"Bathed in light I stand above you, my rebirth complete. And you, for your defiance, shall pay the proper price; an eternity of anguish."

^{Click here to see his final form, Ultimalius}

Certain in our faith
Blessed in His grace
O, children of fate
One heaven awaits!

— Hymn of the Penitent (Theme of Ultima #1)

The God of Valisthea, who created humanity and the Mothercrystals. "Ultima" refers to a race united by a Hive Mind that share a collective identity, so it is both the proper term for the species and the name of the singular individual who acts on their behalf. The Ultima fled their home after the Blight rendered it uninhabitable and came to Valisthea because it was a land rich with aether. Ultima wished to rebuild his civilization here by absorbing this aether to resurrect his race, and enacted a plan that would take thousands of years to bear fruit.

After seeding the Mothercrystals, humanity, and the Eikons on the world, Ultima went into slumber to wait. The Mothercrystals would slowly absorb the aether from Valisthea while humanity would someday evolve to the point that Ultima's perfect vessel would arise among them, "Mythos", a body strong enough to channel so much aether without dying. With the aether of the Mothercrystals and the vessel of Mythos, Ultima would have the means to resurrect his brethren. When Clive awakens as the Dominant of Ifrit, Ultima stirs, as it so happens that Ifrit is the vessel he's been waiting for — all that remains is to bring Clive under his thrall and take it.

Abusive Precursors: He's the creator of humanity and the original intelligent lifeform on Valisthea, who set humanity up to be his disposable pawns for ages to come.
All for Nothing: All his plans to turn Clive into the ultimate host of power would have been for naught even if he had succeeded in taking him over. Clive notes after absorbing all of Ultima's power that his body can't handle it, and after destroying Origin, when we see him next, he has already started to petrify from overuse of aether, and it's ambiguous whether he lived much longer after that. All Ultima would've accomplished would be the slow death of the Blight or mass extinction that included himself, leaving Valisthea entirely devoid of life.
All Your Powers Combined: As Ultimalius, he uses all of the Eikons' powers to attack, even temporarily shapeshifting like sprouting draconic wings when using Exaflare or summoning Odin's sword when using Severance.
Ambiguous Situation: Ultima confirms he and his kind are not native to Valisthea and created humanity, though it's not clear exactly where they're from. The syntax in conversations regarding their point of origin tends to be a bit vague, so they may simply be from a land mass beyond the ocean, or they may be from another planet or another dimension.
And Your Little Dog, Too!: Justified Trope. Ultima eventually recognizes that Clive is using The Power of Friendship, or "consciousness" as he calls it, to resist becoming his host. Ultima then decides to target and kill those closest to Clive to cut him off from that source of resilience, break his spirit, and prepare him for possession.
Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better:
- Ultima trounces Clive, Joshua, and Dion when they battle in the skies as Eikons, using superior versions of Hellfire, Flames of Rebirth, and Gigaflare that completely overpower the heroes' own attacks.
- This gets turned on him during the final battle, when he starts using Dominant abilities and Clive counters each one in a duel.
Arch-Enemy: Once Clive's bitter enmity with Hugo is put to a decisive end, Ultima steps in as his most personal foe. He comes to the realization that if Clive won't join him willingly because of the bonds he shares with Joshua, Jill, and others, then he need only sever those "strands of consciousness" to assert control over his prized vessel at long last. That, and the fact that every tragedy in Clive's life can ultimately be traced back to Ultima's machinations.
Bad Samaritan: The Mothercrystal's "blessings" bestowed unfathomable power and influence on those lucky enough to harness its power and determined the majority of the traditions and societal norms in Valisthea. This resulted in the development of decadent societies with a severe Fantastic Caste System that favored those in power at the expense of almost everyone else, especially the Bearers. Once the Blight started spreading, power-hungry rulers wasted no time in waging war to protect their status, resulting in the people turning on one another on a massive scale even before Ultima directly intervened.
Big Bad: He's the main antagonistic force of the story, pitting kingdom against kingdom and Dominant against Dominant in order to get the people to destroy each other so he can swoop in and take over whatever remains. He's also the biggest cause of Clive's misfortunes, first by trying to groom him as a vessel, then manipulating others to target him once it becomes clear he won't just give in.
Bishōnen Line: As Ultimalius; he sheds a lot of his Uncanny Valley traits such as his sunken lidless eyes and instead appears more conventionally handsome before Clive while still looking unmistakably alien and unquestionably powerful beyond belief.
Black Speech: During his earliest interactions with Clive, before the latter has any idea who Ultima even is, he speaks in an eerie, alien tongue who's meaning can only be understood though the subtitles. After Joshua fully unmasks him at Drake's Head, he starts speaking in English and continues to do so for the rest of the game.
The Chessmaster: A very, very large portion of the game's major events can be traced back to his scheming. He created magic, humanity and the Mothercrystals countless years ago, and now uses them all for his purposes with skillful manipulation. By the end of the game, nearly everything has gone his way in one fashion or the other except for Clive's stubborn heroics. Which prove to be exactly what brings Ultima's house of cards tumbling down.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Serves mostly as this to Ardyn. Ardyn was a human who once used his ability to absorb the Starscourge for good but was demonized for it and eventually became the enemy of the world at the behest of his world's Bahamut. Ultima is the creator of the Eikons who created humanity in order to stave off the decline of his own people thanks to the Blight, only to then plot against humanity so that they destroy each other, and he goes in and terraforms whatever remains. Many of his motivations, as well as his contempt for humanity, are shared with the XV incarnation of Bahamut, who became the true main villain of the story in the Dawn of the Future novelization.
Control Freak: This is who Ultima truly is at his core. Beneath his grandiose posturing and claims of divinity, Ultima is little more than a controlling sociopathic tyrant who is so galled by the idea of his creations no longer blindly worshipping him that he is willing to wipe them out and replace them with a race of mindless servants. He is especially this towards Clive, his prized "Mythos", and spends a chunk of the story attempting to break his will and make him into a proper vessel, becoming increasingly irate as Clive continues to resist.
Cosmic Horror Story: The Low Fantasy setting of XVI becomes this whenever Ultima shows up, due to Ultima being an otherworldly being of indeterminate origin from thousands of years prior to the events of XVI. Much of Ultima's true nature is kept hidden until the very end of the game, so as to build him up as a bigger threat that anyone else in Valisthea.
Demiurge Archetype: He's an immortal being who created humanity with the goal of forming a body for himself to create a new world. Abandoning his creation as they evolve, humanity developed sentience and consciousness, something that disgusts Ultima once his perfect vessel is finally ready. Although almost all knowledge of him has been lost and a new religion centered around the goddess Greagor has taken hold around the world, fringe religions continue to worship Ultima. To further the Demiurge comparison, Ultima exists as sixteen splintered bodies and wants nothing more than for humanity to blindly serve him, even if it means eradicating their personalities and free will. While he created mankind, it is clear Ultima did not create the universe or magic, and Clive and Joshua debate whether to consider him the capital-G God.
Despotism Justifies the Means: Once you get past his vague promises of 'salvation' and an 'age of rationality', this is his guiding philosophy. He deserves to be all-powerful, and humanity can either be slaves, meat-suits, or corpses - their choice. It's why he spends so much time acting as a Hope Crusher; it's not helpful to have the cattle developing ideas above their station.
Duel Boss: Clive goes into the final showdown with him bereft of all allies, even his ever-loyal dog Torgal.
Dying Curse: In his last moments, he prays for Clive and the rest of humanity to spend their remaining days in agony.
Energy Beings: Ultima's species cast off their physical forms before they came to this world, and their existence in the material world is "fleeting" without a vessel to channel their powers. They may appear to be made of flesh, but they're virtually impossible for humans to kill as a result, as they can just get back up again.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Clive points out that Ultima's Fatal Flaw is that he cannot understand the importance of friendship or putting trust in others and its how Clive's bond with others that allowed him to resist Ultima. The end of the final battle has Ultima suffering a Villainous Breakdown as he repeatedly wonders just how Clive is able to beat him on equal terms.
Evil Is Petty: For as much as his scheming revolves around setting Clive up to become his vessel "Mythos", Ultima spends a lot of time sowing extra chaos, death and destruction across Valisthea. Why? Because he finds the idea that humans moved on from his tyrannical reign and became more than the slave race he created them as to be so appalling, that he wants them to suffer before he inevitably wipes them all out for "dishonoring" him with free will.
The Evils of Free Will: As humanity's creator, Ultima believes the greatest sin of humanity was developing free will in his absence, as it caused humans to spoil the world and prevents them from becoming vessels for Ultima.
Expy: Of Zanza. Both originate from the technologically advanced worlds predating the events of their respective games, eventually become their Gods by creating man to worship them and claim themselves to be the absolute power of their worlds. However, their scorn for and lack of interest in their creations result in them being forgotten by the world, and most importantly, both require the main protagonist to act as their vessel and imbue them with immense power in order to do so (Clive being able to wield all of the Eikons, Shulk being the heir to the Monado). Ironically enough, Ultima shares the same voice actor as another Demiurge Archetype villain from the Xenoblade Chronicles series - Z.
Failure Is the Only Option: He obviously doesn't know it, but Ultima's plan was doomed to fail from the start. Upon defeating him, Clive absorbs his power as he did the Dominants, but he ends up suffering from a Phlebotinum Overload and starts succumbing to the crystal's curse. Had Ultima succeeded in turning Clive into his host, he would've found that his "perfect vessel" couldn't actually contain his power after all.
Fatal Flaw: Fitting for a being who fancies himself a god, Pride. Ultima's downfall is brought on mainly due to his sheer hubris. As Clive and Joshua point out, the reason humanity gained free will in the first place was because Ultima was too much of a self-absorbed narcissist to actually guide the very beings he created. Also, his entire plan hinged on Clive absorbing the powers of the Eikons to grow in strength, yet in his arrogance never once considered the possibility that Clive would actually grow powerful enough to actually defeat him. Clive spells it out for him:
Clive: So sure of your place atop the world, you refused to acknowledge those below. You chose to remain alone. And so you shunned the one thing that could have made you stronger. Pushed away the hands that could have raised you higher.
Ultima: I do not need you. You or anyone!
Clive: And that is where we are different. I could not have made it here on my own. I carry with me the hopes and dreams of my brothers, my sisters. And it is they who will give me the strength to end your reign.
Final Boss: Ultima, in his combined form as Ultimalius, is the final boss of the game.
Final Boss Preview: Played with. Ultima is fought at the end of Drake's Spine, the game's penultimate dungeon, but once encountered in Origin he uses a completely different skill set.
Final Boss, New Dimension: Played with. While certainly not the same dimension as the game's setting, players will have already seen the dimension in which the final battle takes place during their battle with Typhon.
Freaky Electronic Music: His themes incorporate a lot of synthetic instruments and electronica to underly his nature as a Sufficiently Advanced Alien.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Clive offers some level of understanding of Ultima's goals of self-preservation against the Blight, but immediately follows it up with speech after speech about how all of Ultima's problems are his own doing, and that his desire to slake his own ego and his treatment of humanity as expendable pawns far surpasses any genuine sympathy that the goal of avoiding the Blight could have brought.
Genre Refugee: Ironically enough, out of all characters in the game, he is the one who most feels like he came out of a JRPG, being a Demiurge Archetype with otherworldly origins, lots of symbolism taken from the Kabbalah, and having a radically different appearance from all other characters in the game. In short, Ultima has more in common with other JRPG villains like Chaos, Lavos, or Zanza than he does with the rest of XVI's Game of Thrones-esque Low Fantasy cast.
A God Am I: How Ultima sees himself compared to the humans he created, and an aspect he shares in common with many of the franchise's villains. But unlike many of them, he has some claim as the creator of humanity and isn't of mortal origin the way almost all of them are, instead belonging to an ancient Hive Mind race which isn't native to Valisthea. To him, humans are but ants who deviated from their intended purpose in mindlessly worshipping him and cannot bear any of his creations rebelling against him.
God Is Evil: The God of Gods as the ruler of the Eikons, creator of humanity, and sociopathic, narcissistic manipulator that is slowly killing the planet through the Mothercrystals.
Hannibal Lecture: He always tries to break Clive and Joshua at every opportunity, telling them how fruitless their efforts are, that they have no hope of defeating him. Of course, Clive has no problem telling Ultima he's full of Chocobo shite.
Hero Killer: He directly kills Dion and Joshua (although the latter was likely revived by Clive later on), and his machinations indirectly kill Cid as well.
Hope Crusher: A very open and straightforward example. He's a proud, overt tyrant who believes that humanity only has value as unthinking slaves and/or fodder and devotes most of his time and effort to grinding them down until they're too broken to resist. One of his signature plays is triggering Eikon rampages by targeting Dominants during moments of extreme grief and despair, giving them exactly the nudge they need to go Person of Mass Destruction and obliterate everyone and everything around them - we see him do it directly to Clive and Dion, and Hugo's rampage as Titan Lost was instigated by one of his minions, Sleipnir.
Hive Mind: There are actually sixteen of him, some of which were cores of the Mothercrystals while another was sealed within Joshua's body. They later undergo a Doppelmerger prior to the final battle.
Hypocrite: As Clive and Joshua point out, he claims Humans Are the Real Monsters for abuse of magic despoiling the planet… and also because said despoiling of the planet was preventing him from terraforming it into a paradise for his species after they despoiled their own planet through overuse of magic. The very flaws Ultima despises humans for are the very same flaws he tried to use humans to circumvent in himself. Combined with how Plan A was to allow the Mothercrystals to drain the world to the point of rendering it a blank slate to shape for the Ultima's people, his critique comes off as more Psychological Projection and moral cowardice than anything else.
Joshua: He would condemn us for this? Surely he cannot be so blind to his own hypocrisy.
Clive: Not blind. Just unwilling to admit the truth. That we're one and the same.
Ineffectual Loner: During their final battle, Clive points out that Ultima rejected all of the bonds that could have made him stronger or possibly solved his problems without sacrificing humanity.
Interface Spoiler: Ultima's existence is spoiled before his name is ever uttered by the lore entry for his thralls, which is titled "Ultima's Thralls".
It's All About Me: As Clive points out, Ultima's motivations are out of self-preservation, and Ultima's arrogant and narcissistic belief that he should have Valisthea all to himself is what makes him impossible to reason with.
Jerkass Gods: As part of his whole God Is Evil package, he's personally extremely unpleasant to his human subjects. They're disposable slaves/raw materials at best, and vermin to be exterminated at worst, and none of that warrants any level of politeness, especially when you could just shut them up by acting as a Hope Crusher instead.
Manipulative Bastard: While Valisthea already had numerous corrupt and decadent traditions put into place thanks to the powers of the Mothercrystals, Ultima is all too happy to actively manipulate the disparate kingdoms and principalities into destroying each other, either by masquerading as another person or by sending visions to Dominants.
Mind Rape: He has an extremely twisted fixation with Clive once he discovers he's the Dominant of Ifrit and begins tormenting him right since the sacking of Phoenix Gate, where he forcibly triggers his awakening, causing him to go berserk and nearly kill Joshua as a result. He once again attempts to break him upon the destruction of Drake's Head, and it's only thanks to Cid and Joshua's intervention that he fails to do so. After that point, he targets Olivier, Annabella's child with the Sanbreque Emperor instead, and effectively kills him and uses his body as a meatsuit. During Dion's insurrection, he reveals Olivier's true nature to him and then drives him berserk in a manner eerily similar to what he did to Clive in the prologue. And finally, during the confrontation at Drake's Spine, Ultima traps Clive and Joshua in a dimensional rift and eventually violates Clive's mind again, and it's implied he may have succeeded this time if not for Joshua's intervention.
Mirror Boss: In his Ultimalius form, he can not only utilize the power of the Eikons but seems to prefer doing so in ways that intentionally parallel how Clive invokes them, like how his Cataclysm has him slam the ground with a stone fist to create a shockwave similar to Earthen Fury, but Ultima does it one-handed and the stone pillars erupt in a radius outward instead of traveling in a wave forward. The exception is his Odin attack, Severance, which is based on Barnabas' The Lord's Measure instead of any of Clive's moves.
Mirror Character: To Anabella, of all characters. Both of them believe their children are imperfect (in Anabella's case, Clive and Joshua; in Ultima's case, all of humanity). Neither of them can see the true value in their children, and both try to impose their will over those children — Ultima just on a much grander scale. This Pride is their undoing, as is their neglect of their duties to guide and support their children. Ultima, at least, becomes aware of how dangerous his foe is, but by then it is too late.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: His primary appearance has four arms.
Mythology Gag:
- This isn't the first time a god-like being called Ultima has been the Big Bad of a Final Fantasy game. He also takes cues from the XIV boss homaging both the Tactics boss and the Esper from XII, as a Sufficiently Advanced Alien who came to the world, believes itself a god, and attempts to use the main character as a vessel to be reborn. In the final boss battle his grotesque visage becomes more pleasant and he grows six wings, completing the allusions.
- He also takes cues from the Creator, as an alien being who came to the world and created the Mothercrystals on it to seed life through the process of its evolution, but only as part of an experiment for his own interests and he plans to wipe out humanity now that they've served their purpose.
- He's largely inspired by Garland too, as the representative of an alien race that fled their own world when it fell to ruin and are trying to conquer another planet to rebuild their civilization. Near the end game Ultima brings Clive and Joshua into the Interdimensional Rift and explains how its race came to Valisthea in a very similar manner to Garland speaking to Zidane in the Crystal World about the history of Gaia and Terra. He also bears a physical resemblance to Necron, being a blue-skinned humanoid with four arms and a prominent pair of wings extending above his shoulders.
Narcissist: He created humanity for the sole purpose of worshiping him... and promptly took their prayers for granted, then abandoned his faithful by going into a slumber without giving them any guidance on his plans. He then has the gall to chastise humanity for committing the grave sin of developing their own will as a consequence. When Clive starts surpassing Ultima, he freaks out and screams about his inherent superiority.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Downplayed. He will trade verbal barbs with Joshua and Clive, but will quickly drop the fight if he feels there's a chance to claim Clive as his avatar.
"Not So Different" Remark: Clive and Joshua come to the conclusion that despite his affectation of being a god, he is really not so different from any of them. His home was ravaged by the Blight and he was doing whatever he could to survive for as long as possible, just as the humanity he created wishes to survive. However, if he won't work with the humanity he has created, then he has to go.
Not So Stoic: When first encountered, Ultima speaks in a constant monotone, with seemingly nothing fazing him in the slightest. Even when things don't go as planned or he's harmed, he never emotes. But during the final battle as Clive repeatedly gains the upper hand, Ultima expresses frustration, rage, and confusion.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: He presents himself as a "savior" of humanity for a large chunk of the game, with even Barnabas thoroughly convinced that Ultima's annihilation of humankind's free will is going to bring a utopia for them all. The truth of the matter is that Ultima has no plans to spare the human race once he gets what he wants, so affronted by their ability to have personalities that he plans to wipe them out and restart with a new, more subservient creation.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Ultima's entire plan is to empower Clive so that he can be the perfect vessel for him. However, the obvious pitfall in that plan is that by empowering Clive with all of the Eikons, Ultima also gives Clive the opportunity to overpower and defeat Ultima.
Obviously Evil: He's a pale and gaunt figure with soulless glowing eyes. There's no way he was going to be a good guy.
Oh, Crap!: Let's out a little "Oh..." when he sees Bahamut has let out one last Megaflare before losing its Beam-O-War, knocking out Ultima Prime long enough for the brothers to recuperate.
Omnicidal Maniac: If his corrupting people with aether into becoming his personal army isn't enough, Ultima later reveals that all of humanity would be destroyed, as they have served their purpose of creating Mythos.
One-Winged Angel: Ultima transforms twice in the final battle - his second phase has him transform into a dark version of Ifrit Risen called "Ultima Risen", and after he's bested in that form, he shrinks down back into a humanoid form called Ultimalius, this time clad in armor and bearing the powers of all Eikons at the same time. The trope namer himself gets referenced when Ultima takes a form resembling Ifrit, also having a single black wing. During the third phase, Ultima finally snaps and unleashes his Limit Break, which breaks apart some of his armor into glowing halos and gives him a permanent buff to all his spellcasting.
Orcus on His Throne: Zigzagged. Ultima is by no means passive in his attempts to claim Clive as his vessel, even orchestrating events that will mould him into a proper host, but he's not a physical threat since he and his "pieces" are all locked up in the Mothercrystals. As such, he relies on mouthpieces (Typhon), puppets (Olivier), and his agents (Barnabas) to do his bidding. Once his fragmented selves are brought together and Clive's absorbed the power of seven Eikons, Ultima is firmly off the throne and in Clive's face for the remainder of the game.
Our Manticores Are Spinier: It turns out that the manticore-like Ifrit Risen is a fairly close approximation of his species's original forms, as he himself demonstrates with his transformation into "Ultima Risen" during the Final Battle. The creature's mythological association with tyranny and envy is very appropriate for the cruel, jealous god of Valisthea.
Outside-Context Problem: He's this to most of the continent of Storm. Up until the attack on Drake's Head, the game presents the conflict of warring nations and slavery as relatively grounded despite the fantasy setting. Besides some appearances as a mysterious robed figure and a mural hidden beneath Phoenix Gate, there's no real indication that somebody like Ultima even exists... but then he reveals himself and flips the entire story on its head, showing that the stakes are much higher than they initially seemed to be. Ash, on the other hand, is aware of Ultima and await his coming to give them Freedom from Choice. Not that he would spare them from the same fate of annihilation as their Storm cousins.
Press X to Not Die: The "battle" against Ultima Prime is the only battle in the game to be made up entirely of quick time events.
Red Herring: He invokes one in-universe as a means of safety. After he and his brethren created the Mothercrystals, Ultima spread a false legend that they were pieces of an ancient dragon and named them "Drake's Eye", "Drake's Breath", etc, in an effort to conceal their true origins from humanity.
Royal "We": Almost never refers to himself using singular pronouns, instead saying "we/our". This is partly because Ultima had fragmented himself into multiple selves to occupy each Mothercrystal, but he still uses plural pronouns up until Clive actually begins beating him. Once his Villainous Breakdown starts, he finally starts using "I/me" to signify he's no longer so unreachable or alien, and merely another flawed being trying to impose his tyranny on people that Clive has to defeat.
Satanic Archetype: Both his armored (in his first battle when assimilating the remnants of an Ifrit) and Ultima Prime/Risen appearances have taken elements of the Devil, and him being a dark god that created humanity reinforces this. It's also implied that his race's true physical forms are just a bunch of Ifrits, making them a race of literal devils.
Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: Joshua seals a fragment clone of Ultima inside himself for several years to give the world a chance to prepare for a fight with him, only to bide his time until he is freed and merges with the other Ultima fragments.
Shadow Archetype: As Clive finally realizes after his motivations are made clear, Ultima is not all that different from how Clive himself was before attaining his semi-prime form: unwilling to admit an important, uncomfortable truth. Whereas Clive came to terms with his role in what happened on the Night of Flames, Ultima represents what would have happened if he had not: twisted and destructive to the point of turning everything toward everyone else, and unable to conceive of maybe just being wrong or needing help. To drive this home, Ultima literally transforms into a dark version of Clive's own Eikon (seeing as it was originally his form).
Smug Snake: While rather unemotional about it, he's rather haughty whenever carrying out his crimes and getting away with them.
Sore Loser: When Clive finally defeats him and he lays dying, Ultima poses a question to what he expects of the world to come now that the crystals and magic will fade. When Clive admits that he doesn't know but humanity will still struggle for a better future no matter what, Ultima ponders and even considers it for a moment, before smugly telling Clive that his dying wish is that he and his species spend their remaining days in agony.
Sufficiently Advanced Alien: It's revealed that Ultima and his "people" were actually an advanced alien species that were functionally gods, to the point where humans who discover their origins just call them divine figures.
The Stoic: Speaks with a very monotone voice, and reacts to setbacks such as being sealed for years with little more than dull curiousity. Of course towards the end of the game when his goal is within his grasp, but Clive refuses to yield and even begins to surpass him, he starts getting a lot more emotional.
Torso with a View: During Clive and Ultima's final clash, Clive imbues his sword with his flames and throws it with such force that it pierces both Ultima's attack and his chest, leaving a large, charred hole in its wake. This doesn't outright kill Ultima, but it puts him on his knees and gives Clive the opportunity to give God himself a flaming punch to the face to end the battle.
Turned Against Their Masters: Clive theorizes that the real reason Ultima wants to destroy free will in humans is due to his subconscious fear that humanity will eventually grow powerful enough to surpass him, leading to this.
Uncanny Valley: The most chilling part of his appearance is not his extra arms or pallid skin tone, but that his face appears similar to a conventionally attractive man... except for his lack of eyelids.
Unskilled, but Strong: While his first battle with Clive and Joshua shows he has some skill in swordsmanship, and his battle as Ultima Prime shows he's a competent hand-to-hand combatant, Ultima doesn't seem to possess any actual fighting style beyond decimating enemies with overwhelming power, often employing destructive and impractically large magical attacks like Purgatorium, which is a One-Hit Kill that takes an excruciatingly long time to charge. Being such an immensely powerful god, Ultima has never had to fight someone on his level and thus doesn't have to use anything but the barest minimum in combat. This becomes his undoing during the final battle with Clive, who not only has the powers of Ifrit and seven other Eikons, but has been trained as a knight since birth, meaning that Clive can not only fight Ultima on equal footing, but has the skill to back up his strength. Best shown during the last phase of the fight where Ultima starts using the powers of the Eikons against Clive only to lose each Cinematic Clash because Clive is simply better at using them, not helped by Ultima's increasing frustration making him more reckless.
Villainous Breakdown: He starts having one when Clive, as Ifrit, begins surpassing him during the Final Boss fight. Ultima becomes visibly irritated for the first time, then speaks in a more naturally angry tone as he uses his Eikon form. When Clive defeats him, he becomes megalomaniacal and irrationally sacrifices his backup bodies to preen his godhood. When Clive defeats that, he gets so angry he triggers his Limit Break, which is effectively a Trance that boosts his spellpower as long as he's angry and unhinged - which goes on for minutes instead of the usual seconds. By the end, he's weakened and barely capable of casting spells but outright screaming of his supposed superiority.
Ultima: I sense… more here than mere will. Is this Logos? Have you truly become… free? No…! I forbid it! You are not a god. You are but flesh and bone. You are not one of us! I created you. All of you. And what is mine, is mine to destroy.
[...]
Ultima:I CANnoT ENd... III AAAM THEEE EEEND!!
Voice of the Legion: When Ultima speaks, it is as if several instances of him were speaking in near perfect unison. Fitting, as there are actually sixteen of him.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: He can take many different appearances in order to push events further, such as controlling Barnabas by appearing as Sleipnir or whispering ideas into Emperor Lesage's ear as his youngest son.
Walking Spoiler: The very existence of Ultima turns the entire story on its head once he's revealed. Not only does it cement the Big Bad of the story, but it reveals quite a bit about the Mothercrystals, the world of Valisthea, and how far Clive has to go in order to fully enact his revenge.
Xanatos Gambit: Members of his own species were used as the cores of the Mothercrystals when they put themselves into stasis. If the Mothercrystals are left alone, they will pump Valisthea's aether to Ultima, spreading the Blight and turning the world into a barren waste. The only way to stop a Mothercrystal is to destroy it... which awakens and releases the slumbering Ultima locked within, which can eventually merge with the collective.

Typhon

A bizarre series of monstrosities that Clive encounters after Cid destroys Sanbreque's Mothercrystal, seemingly unleashing it in the process. It then proceeds to drag Clive's consciousness to "somewhere" and proceeds to battle him at its master's behest.

Ambiguous Situation: It's never made clear whether Typhon is a member of the same race as Ultima, albeit of a lower rank or status, or simply a monster under his employ. Ultimania suggests that they may be Ultima's previous attempts at creating Mythos who were unable to absorb all of the Eikons into themselves due to various reasons and were turned into monsters.
Adaptational Villainy: In other entries in the series, Typhon is either a neutral summon or part of a Goldfish Poop Gang alongside his partner-in-crime Ultros, with the duo generally being Punch-Clock Villains at their worst. Here, Typhon is a herald of the Big Bad serving as a Knight of Cerebus, far from its comedic roots and with no Ultros in sight.
Adaptation Species Change: The Eikons, while important, otherwise retain their status as summonable monsters as is usual for the series' norm. Typhon, who is usually among their number, is not a summoned beast this time around and is instead something else. More importantly, Typhon isn't just a singular entity, but has seemingly been upgraded to an enemy race.
Creepily Long Arms: Completely lacks legs, but possesses very long, muscular arms that end in clawed fingers. If Typhon had knees, they would surely reach past them.
Disc-One Final Boss: Serves as the final encounter before the five-year Time Skip where Clive succeeds Cid as "the Outlaw" and is now set on destroying the Mothercrystals.
Doppelmerger: One absorbs the others to transform into Typhon the Transgessor.
Final Dungeon Preview: The dimension where Typhon is fought is the same where the final battles against Ultima are fought.
Hand Blast: It can fire magical rays, beams and projectiles from its palms and fingertips.
Hero Killer: Typhon shoots Ramuh, and in turn Cid, before it even emerges from its portal. While Ramuh is able to drive it back through the portal and Ifrit kills the beast, Cid ultimately succumbs to the wounds it inflicted.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Ramuh manages to drive it back into its portal by impaling it in the chest with his electrified staff. Unfortunately, this fails to kill it and it eventually manages to free itself by tearing said staff out of its chest, forcing Clive to finish the job.
Knight of Cerebus: Typhon's arrival heralds Ultima taking a more direct role in the plot and things get much darker from there.
Mook Maker: It spends the initial opening rounds of its battle summoning waves of undead enemies to attack Clive in its stead, all while providing cover-fire with its magic.
Mythology Gag: One of its attacks is Demon Wall, a recurring monster in previous games.
Power Floats: Typhon has no legs at all, with twisted lengths of viscera making up its lower body instead. It gets around this by effortlessly floating and gliding through the air with surprising speed. Since it's an avatar for Ultima, it makes sense as to how it can pull this off.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: In Greek mythology, Typhon was a monster that fought Zeus, god of thunder and storms, for dominance of the universe, and was later buried under Mount Etna in defeat. Here, Typhon is an entity slumbering within a mountain-sized Mothercrystal, and is immediately brought into conflict with (and smote by) another thunder deity.
Spell My Name With An S: Although its name is spelled as "Typhon" in English versions of the game, it's written as "Tifon" (ティフォン) in the Japanese version. The traditional way that Typhon is written in Japanese in the Final Fantasy series is "Tyupōn" (テュポーン). The reason for this change in its katakana is unknown^note, but it could be to illustrate how fundamentally different this being is from the usual Typhon.
You Don't Look Like You: In previous games, Typhon was a pink, two-headed pig-like creature with shriveled arms and powerful sneezes; here, it's an ash-grey humanoid spirit the size of a small Kaiju with disproportionately large arms and no legs.

Infernal Eikon

Infernal Eikon/Infernal Shadow

The manifestation of Clive's guilt, trauma, and anger toward Ifrit after the Night of Flames, representing his worst fears and hate and the obstacle keeping him from realizing his potential as Ifrit's Dominant.

Ambiguous Situation: Although born from Clive, it's implied the Infernal Eikon might also be connected to Ultima, or at the very least is a ploy to make Clive awaken to his full potential as his vessel. When Clive defeats the Infernal Eikon, Ultima can be heard after the battle and is quite pleased with Clive embracing his status as Ifrit's Dominant.
Dark Is Evil: The Infernal Eikon embodies everything Clive despises about Ifrit, so naturally it has a somewhat more menacing color palette than the actual Eikon. This even extends to its "Dominant" the Infernal Shadow, which is Clive but with dark and gray colors.
Evil Doppelgänger: It looks exactly like Ifrit, albeit with darker flames and the glowing yellow eyes Eikons have when they go berserk. It's Infernal Shadow form also looks like a black-and-gray version of Clive, who fights with the same moveset, albeit using Ifrit's powers over Phoenix's.
Mental Monster: Essentially, the Infernal Eikon is Clive's guilt over his repressed memories of the Night of Flames, blaming Ifrit for killing Joshua and misremembering what happened. The purpose of the battle is to accept what happened and move on to become The Atoner and awaken as Ifrit's Dominant proper.
Playing with Fire: As it's based off Ifrit, it's more or less a mental-based construct of the Eikon of Fire with all the power that it entails.

Thralls (WARNING: UNMARKED SPOILERS!)

Ultima's Thralls

Mysterious and otherworldly beings that spawn in places where there is a high concentration of aether. Clive and Jill first encounter them in the Apodytery under Phoenix Gate, and they continue to pop up in other places throughout Clive's adventure, particularly within Mothercrystals. It gradually becomes apparent they are minions are Ultima and become more numerous as he becomes more active.

Eldritch Abomination: They have twisted, warped body designs and grotesque features.
Guardian Entity: According to the Thousand Tomes, Ultima created them with the task of keeping Valisthea isolated and protected from outside influence so that the land would remain untouched by outside forces that may interfere with his plan.
Interface Spoiler: Thralls are encountered for the first time in the Apodytery, which unlocks the lore entry for them. Unfortunately, said entry is titled "Ultima's Thralls" before the game ever utters Ultima's name.
Made of Magic: They're soulless automatons formed from pure aether.
Not Using the "Z" Word: They're the XVI equivalent of recurring undead enemies in Final Fantasy; Ghoul, Ghast, Revenant, Spectre, Lich, etc. The trope is justified since, while they certainly look the part, they aren't actually undead in this title, they're constructs formed from aether.
Sinister Scythe: Some variants like the Lich wield a scythe as their weapon.
Zerg Rush: Unless they're serving as a boss or several of the stronger ones are attacking together, mostly the thralls attack Clive in large numbers, but are easily killed.

Beastmen

A collective term for demi-human monsters including goblins, orcs, and minotaurs. They differ from normal beasts in that they have a degree of higher intelligence, including crafting and using tools, language, magicks, and even building complex structures. However, they are nowhere near as intelligent as humans and have been in constant conflict with them over land as the Blight encroaches on civilization.

A Day in the Limelight: The tonberry tribe of beastmen get to be the focus of multiple sidequests in The Rising Tide, both on account of the creature's notoriety in Final Fantasy and because they're the only kind of beastmen who appear around Mysidia, so the villagers are particularly keen on their ways and Clive runs across them multiple times.
Ambiguous Situation: Waloed's armies include beastmen in their ranks. Whether this is because Barnabas managed to negotiate an alliance with them, found a means to control them, or Ultima has some measure of influence on them, is unclear.
Fantastic Racism: While the fact they have sapience means that diplomacy is at least hypothetically plausible, all of Valisthea groups them with other beasts as monsters to be put down, just more dangerous because of their intelligence. The Thousand Tomes says that humans have sometimes managed to communicate and even cooperate with some of them, but this comes off as an Informed Attribute.
No Party Like a Donner Party: According to Nektar, the orcs have resorted to cannibalism to survive living in the deadlands with no other sources of meat or vegetation available.
Resistant to Magic: Orcs at least seem to be somewhat resistant to the effects of aether, as unturned orcs are seen fighting alongside Akashic humans for some time before Akashic orcs start turning up.
The Speechless: Unlike other beastmen who are at least The Unintelligible, tonberries never so much at grunt. Despite having mouths, not a single utterance is heard from them, making them an eerie presence.
To Serve Man: Orcs are demonstrated to be man-eating, feasting on the fallen Men of the Rock defending Drake's Fang in their introductory cutscene.
Token Heroic Orc: The beastmen would all be Always Chaotic Evil except that there is exactly one goblin camp that isn't outright aggressive to humans in the whole game. Forced to flee to Dhalmekia, several goblins turn to banditry to survive until one man in a side quest takes pity on them and learns to communicate with them, wishing for Clive to understand their ways and their desperation while aspiring to protect them from others who would misunderstand them. In order to protect them, Clive intentionally leaves the existence of any goblin tribe out of his report at the mission's end, aware the populace is highly likely to kill the tribe anyway out of fear due to them being goblins.
The Unintelligible: While they have their own languages among themselves, it's nothing that can be recognized.
Wacky Wayside Tribe: They ultimately play no major role in the story and just act as another variety of enemy between normal monsters and human warriors.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Despite being sapient creatures with their own civilizations, no one thinks much of slaughtering them the same as normal beasts.

The Akashic (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

The Akashic

When a natural overabundance of aether floods to the surface of Valisthea, any sentient being who absorbs too much of it into their bodies is turned into a shambling, violent, crystalline beast called an Akashic, functionally killing the victim as there is no cure for the disease.

Except there's much more to the creatures than just that, being what Ultima created before they developed conscious individuality. Barnabas explains that Ultima plans on "restoring" humans into Akashic. To do this, he amplifies the flow of aether on the surface and begins a slow process of spreading it to every human settlement he can.

Cross-Species Disease: Aetherfloods can infect any sentient being: while humans are the most common forms (as they make the best foot soldiers for Ultima) we see, all of the monsters and fauna have the potential to turn, ranging in power from Goblins to a behemoth.
Deadly Gas: Aetherfloods are visible as a blue vapour in the air, and anyone infected by it for long enough (save for very few), whether human or not, eventually turns into a monster.
Death of Personality: Anyone who goes Akashic loses their humanity and becomes murderously aggressive to anyone - including friends and family. There are only two known exceptions:
- Barnabas Tharmr somehow managed to retain his sense of self by becoming Akashic willingly. It's implied his nature as a Dominant helped him in that regard, as he quickly crumbles away once he forces Odin's powers into Clive, though he was already mortally wounded before then.
- Theodore manages to retain just barely enough sense of self to recognize his family and take his own life before he harms them.
The Dreaded: Even Dominants are wary of Akashics due to their strength and violent nature. Similarly, aetherfloods are treated as very grim threats for what they do to living creatures.
Fate Worse than Death: Turning into an Akashic is largely considered this, as few want to be a threat to their loved ones or lose their personalities. Theo, especially, manages to muster enough Heroic Willpower to say goodbye to Clive and Eloise before slitting his own throat. Whenever Clive and his party encounter them, they can only express pity for whoever was unfortunate enough to become Akashic, including the imperials.
The Immune: Dominants are afforded total protection from falling ill to the disease, as they command vast amounts of aether through their link with their respective Eikons. Bearers are offered some resistance due to their increased aether, but even they can turn if exposed enough. Furthermore, while rare, it is possible for non-Bearers to be immune (or at least resistant) to the effects of aetherfloods as well, and some characters theorize it is due to a natural magic resistance being passed down through their bloodline. Gav and Byron both benefit from this. Barnabas appears to be the sole exception as he's an Akashic Dominant, though unlike the others, he's managed to retain his sense of self, apparently with the aid of his connection to Odin. Once he passes the power onto Clive, his body quickly succumbs to the same fate all the others do.
No Body Left Behind: When an Akashic is killed, their body dissipates into aether. Even their equipment fades with them, having seemingly becoming a part of them via the corruption.
Our Zombies Are Different: While they can't bite and infect others, they are essentially undead beasts of aether who serve Ultima's will.
Technically-Living Zombie: Akashic are not physically dead, but act like undead in most other extents.
Zombie Apocalypse: Essentially what Ultima wants to do to humans as a whole: as his plan gets set into motion, he begins to flood the world with more and more aether to, in his view, purify humans into worshipping him (read: remove their free will by turning them into Akashic slaves).
Zombie Gait: Most Akashic humans will meander around their environs aimlessly... until they spot prey, in which case they go into a vicious rage and attack with the same haste they had in life.

Characters / Final Fantasy XVI - Eikons and Notable Beings

The Eikons

Other Beings

Ultima

Voiced by: Harry Lloyd (English), Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese)^{Foreign VAs}

Typhon

Infernal Eikon/Infernal Shadow

Ultima's Thralls

Beastmen

The Akashic

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Characters / Final Fantasy XVI - Eikons and Notable Beings

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The Eikons

Other Beings

Ultima

Voiced by: Harry Lloyd (English), Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese)Foreign VAsBernard Gabay (French), Paolo De Santis (Italian), Alexander Merbeth (German), Dafnis Fernández (LA Spanish)

Typhon

Infernal Eikon/Infernal Shadow

Ultima's Thralls

Beastmen

The Akashic

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Voiced by: Harry Lloyd (English), Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese)^{Foreign VAs}