Final Fantasy 16puts the control of summons, better known as EIkons in Valisthea, in your hands in a way that the series never has before. For the first time, you can face Eikons face to face with fast, intricate combat. The experience is on such a grand scale that each fight feels like it could be a final boss in another game.
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It also makes you wonder what could have been. Sure, seeing the usual suspects such as Ifrit, Shiva, and Bahamut in a whole new way is amazing, but there are other summon regulars in the roster that didn’t make the cut. Who else could have fit inside the beautifully grim world of Valisthea?
10Siren
Music is a universal language. You don’t need to understand the spoken language to be captivated by its appeal, and it can make you feel things that you never felt before.
To have an entity so fully capable of wielding such a powerful tool use it to enchant you to your doom is scary. Unlike the more tangible elements like fire and lightning, it overpowers you in a much more profound way.
Valisthea has enough on its plate with the political back and forth ruining the land and its people, fighting off a battle of will with one of the most powerful weapons one could wield, the citizens wouldn’t have stood a chance. No, keeping Siren on the sidelines may have been a grace.
9Zodiark
Zodiark is comparatively new to the series as a summon but has quickly become a legacy in his own right. He is a ‘god’ of darkness born out of desperation and a desire to protect in his most recent installment, Final Fantasy 14.
What makes him interesting is that he isn’t a creature born out of any ill intent or desire to take over the world as you would think.
Which makes it all the more of a shame that he wasn’t in some way connected tothe world of Valistheathat we are aware of. It could work as an element to counterbalance the other Mothercrystals or something more sinister.
There are other continents, so it’s a possibility, but the possibility of finding out is slim at best.
8Carbuncle
In other Final Fantasy games, Carbuncle always had your back by offering shields or reflection against magic attacks, but you have to admit, they are too adorable to ignore. Carbuncle closes out the trifecta of cuteFinal Fantasy mascots along with Moogles and Chocobos.
Because of that status of being cute, it’s understandable to see why he didn’t make an appearance in the darker-toned FF16.
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Though, all may not be lost within the newest mainline game. There are theories that Clive’s wolf-dog hybrid companion Torgal is a spiritual connection to Carbuncle, who both share key visuals, such as the diamond shape within the forehead and the muted, but similar color of his coat.
7Diablos
The demon who is ready to throw down and fight, he first appeared as a secret boss in Final Fantasy 8, in which you carry him around until you are ready to hop inside his magic bag, given to you by Headmaster Cid, and fight to prove your worth. If you aren’t careful, he will quickly wipe your team out and go back to chilling in his bag.
Though Valisthea is a world filled with magic and creatures, there doesn’t seem to be much space for a demon who is hellbent on taking over anyone who gets in his way. It could have worked if he teamed up with the big bad, but Final Fantasy 16’s main antagonist carries the role alone with ease.
6Atomos
Having been around for more than a few games, Atomos just doesn’t get the shine that other summons from other iterations within the series. It could be due to the strange way his mouth hangs open as if it were a door waiting for you to walk through.
Or maybe it’s because his summon attack is notorious for being too RNG-reliant and dealing low damage.
It would be difficult to fit him in the game as things currently stand. Several monsters and bosses use Gravity just as well, if not better than the mighty summon in question.
Atomos remains put on the back burner until a possible future installment or perhaps a different Square Enix title altogether.
5Anima
A true symbol of sadness, guilt, and pain,Anima is a mother’s love incarnate. She was supposed to be used by her son to bring peace to Spira and acceptance for Seymour, but without his mother, Seymour didn’t see a reason to bring peace to the world that shunned him and his mother, so the unnamed mother remained with Seymour for years.
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Truly tragic that she is missing from Final Fantasy 16. Though only appeared in two mainline games, her story and sheer power made her highly beloved with the fans of the series.
Drawing from her tragic background would have been easy while making Anima something truly to fear when facing her down as she draws from the pain of loss and turns it into powerful, non-elemental attacks.
4Hades
Here’s someone who hasn’t gotten a proper position in the spotlight even in the games they’ve shown up in. Hades has always been put off to the side as a powerful, but unimportant, optional boss that you would have to go out of your way to find and defeat.
Thankfully, the character of Hades gets a complex overhaul in the Final Fantasy 14 expansion Endwalker.
It would have been interesting to see the Eikon Hades being used to fight against the antagonist. The fight would be visually exciting sure, but it would give us a chance to see him in a light we haven’t seen him: a good guy without any strings attached.
3Leviathan
The seas are a cruel beast that will bend the waters to their whims. Should you choose to trek them, then be wary of Leviathan, the serpent who lives down deep and wish-wash away whole fields of enemies in one move with ease.
Alas, the all-mighty sea serpent is accurately named Leviathan The Lost by Joshua Rosfield, as it seems to be absent in Final Fantasy 16. And while it makes sense Valisthea is a massive landmass with minimal access to the sea, there are whispers that he did exist in the land long ago.
2Knights Of The Round
There’s not much in the world that will make you feel as powerful as when you summoned twelve knights from the Arthurian legend to eliminate the enemies that stand in your way.
Just make sure you have the patience to wait several minutes while each knight performs a singular move. All twelve of them.
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At first, you’d question why these knights wouldn’t fit in with the world of Final Fantasy 16. There are kingdoms and knights all over the land, so surely these twelve could fit into the game, right? Maybe represent one of the countries we don’t know about, or an amazing protector of the final Mothercrystal that acts like a boss rush of sorts.
1Alexander
Finally, the father fortress himself, Alexander. All versions of the mighty summon have been portrayed to be imposing protectors of whoever wanders behind their walls.
First appearing in Final Fantasy 6, Alexander has been in every numbered game in some way or another, and always (mostly) on the side of good.
Since both Darkness and Holy elements do not apply to Valisthea, it’s no surprise that Alexander didn’t make the cut. All the other Eikons in the game represent the elements they always have, such as Ifrit with fire and Shiva with ice.
Changing Alexander’s element just for him to fit inside the main narrative would change the core of what he is.
