The summonable creatures in theFinal Fantasyfranchise are a recurring element, appearing in different forms & with different names– such as aeon, esper, or avatar– and these creatures have become a staple feature that fans expect. Often the summonable creatures are used by players in battle, summoning them to help defeat enemies. Other times they appear as bosses or are even integral to the storyline in certain titles.
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Ifrit first appeared inFinal Fantasy IIIand has since gone on to become one of the mainsummonswithin the series. Ifrit takes its name from a type of Jinn (also, Djinn, genie, etc) from Arabian mythology, and as such its form often shows jinn-like features. Ifrit’s design has changed over the many titles it has appeared in, and not always for the better. Check out the best and worst versions of Ifrit just below.
10BEST: Final Fantasy VII Remake
With the release ofFinal Fantasy VII Remake, the summons all got a graphics upgraded make-over, includingIfrit. Though Ifrit often changes details about his form, sometimes appearing more bestial than human, he always has horns and typically has some kind of hellish or firey appearance to portray his relation to fire.
Ifrit’s appearance inRemaketakes a lot of cues from its Jinn origins with the detailing on its clothing, arm braces, and large hoop earrings. Ifrit’s originalFinal Fantasy 7form was a lot plainer, though its basic shape appears the same.
9WORST: Final Fantasy IV
Ifritis no stranger to being associated with hell. After all, he is the fire summon and his signature move is “Hellfire.” However, his 3D appearance in the updated iOS version ofFinal Fantasy IVjust seems straight-up generic red devil more than the Ifrit we know and love.
Perhaps it’s because he is only in red hues and lacking detail that he appears this way, but this version is pretty forgettable whatever the reason. Interestingly, his sprite for the originalFinal Fantasy IVpresents more Jinn elements, though it is still completely red in color.
8BEST: Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV’s version of Ifrit looks like it stepped straight out of hell with its more demonic look, but something about it really works. It’s the first summon, or primal as they are called in this title, that players come across asa boss battle, after it is summoned by the Amalj’aa beastmen tribe.
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Players are also able to obtain an Ifritminion, a vanity pet that follows them around, that is a much cuter version of this rather wicked-looking beast. Either way, big beastie Ifrit or little minion Ifrit are both great versions.
7WORST: Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XIwas the franchise’s first foray into the world of MMORPGs, but the change in the genre didn’t mean a change in customs and the title still retained many staple elements. Of course, summonable creatures were one of the features kept in, though they are called avatars in this title.
Though Ifrit keeps his red coloring, horns, and demonic appearance, his body is arguably more rockish than firey. Perhaps this is an allusion to the brimstone part of the “fire and brimstone” saying, but either way, this design just doesn’t impress.
6BEST: Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy Xwas the first title to show any real interaction between the summoner and the summoned creature, withYunapetting them, riding upon them, or in Ifrit’s case, sitting on his shoulder. This version of Ifrit takes on a bestial hell-like form, but he appears more wolf-like or leonine than some of his previous designs.
The interesting thing about thesummons/aeonsin this title is that they are created from the Fayth, which were people who willingly gave their bodies and souls in order to defeat Sin, and in doing so entered a permanent dream state inside of statues. Summoners then draw on the power of the Fayth to cause aeons to materialize. Ifrit’s Fayth (right image) was originally a Crusader.
5WORST: Final Fantasy Type-0 / Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Ifrit shares the same design betweenFinal Fantasy Type-0andCrisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-,though it’s hard to understand why when this version is far from Ifrit’s best representation. Ifrit keeps his horn and hellish demonic appearance, but he has a sort ofConan the Barbarianvibe going and it’s hard for any fan to overlook those undies.
The cloven hooves give Ifrit a sort of Satan-vibe, which although fitting for his fiery nature, makes him less like “Ifrit” and more like a generic version of “the devil.”
4BEST: Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XVdecided to take Ifrit’s design and really refresh it as it had never done before, with Ifrit getting anew lookthat’s a far cry from anything fans had ever seen. Though fans don’t often deal well with change, this handsome version of the fire summon went down rather well.
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Ifritretains his horns and sizzling appearance, with his body almost appearing to be partially burned or petrified. He has become more god-like than demonic, which is fitting considering that in this title the summonable creaturesareastral gods. Interestingly, Ifrit’s original character model had him show human-colored skin, but this was later updated in patch 1.21 to make his skin more ashen and his demonic corruption from Ardyn more noticeable.
3WORST: Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
The summons that fans are familiar with don’t make a proper appearance inFinal Fantasy XII, only having ships named after them, and are instead replaced by summonable espers that are largely based on the bosses from past titles. However, Ifrit, as well asother past summons, make an appearance in the sequel,Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.
Ifrit is the rank 3 fire esper inRevenant Wings, as well as featuring as a boss within the game. His signature horns are apparent and he’s still red in color, but unfortunately he looks like aSesame Streetreject.
2BEST: Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIIIwas the first time that Ifrit took on a more bestial form, with previous titles showing him as more humanoid. This new design soon became a fan-favorite and he often reprised a bestial style in later titles. Additionally, Ifrit’s appearance in thespin-off titlesTheatrhythm Final FantasyandFinal Fantasy Record Keeperwere based on his look fromFinal Fantasy VIII.
Ifrit keeps his horns and has a brown body with a red mane, as well as other hairy parts, and retains some of his Jinn styles with his golden cuffs and earrings.
1WORST: Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX’s rendition of Ifrit is arguably his worst yet, with the poor summon getting some strange kind of gorilla make-over with his overly-large forearms and ape-like face. Sure enough, he still has his horns, but there’s nothing red or hellish about his appearance really, he looks as though he’d fit in with a jungle setting instead.
Ifrit’s special move in this title is not “Hellfire” like normal either, and is instead the similarly named “Flames of Hell.” Though Dagger has him at the beginning of the game, his MP cost is too high for him to feasibly be summoned, but later in the game, the MP cost drops significantly.
