Template:Sideicon Template:FFVIII Enemy
- For summon information see Bahamut#Final Fantasy VIII.
Bahamut is an optional boss in Final Fantasy VIII found in Deep Sea Research Center. To fight, the player must reach the blue light in the middle. Whenever the blue light is shining the player fights random enemies, but if the player moves when the light dims, they can avoid the battles.
Once the party inspects the pillar of blue light they are asked questions and must answer "It is not our will to fight" to the first question, "never" to the second question, and choose the secret third option for the third question. Ruby Dragons are fought after each answer. Defeating Bahamut allows the party to obtain it as a Guardian Force.
Stats
Template:FFVIII Enemy Stats
Battle
At the start of the battle, there will be a brief conversation:
- Bahamut: "I am...Bahamut."
- Squall: "The Great GF...Bahamut."
- Bahamut: "...GF? I...?"
- "Using my powers..."
- "...it is you humans...I fear..."
Its physical attack is Claw Swipe and it uses Stop, Thundaga and Tornado. Its special attack is Mega Flare, a non-elemental attack that will ignore the party's spirit stat that Bahamut can cast twice in a row. Bahamut is susceptible to Blind.
Upon its defeat, Bahamut will say:
- "Have you seen the light...?"
Strategy
Blinding Bahamut is useful to avoid its Claw Swipe. Its magic attacks can be countered by elemental defense on Lightning and Wind, and having Auto-Haste helps Stop wear off faster. The player may also wish to junction some Stop spells to status defense to reduce the chances of it hitting. Mega Flare's damage may be mitigated by Shell and using the Defend command.
One strategy involves a party of Squall, Quistis, and Selphie. One should junction Pandemona and Doomtrain to Squall and Cactuar to Quistis and both should have the Initiative support ability. Quistis and Selphie should be in critical status. When the battle begins, Squall should summon Doomtrain or cast Meltdown while Bahamut is busy talking. Initiative is useful for Quistis for clearing the two Ruby Dragons immediately before Bahamut with Degenerator.
Selphie can cast Wall on the party, or Quistis can use Mighty Guard. Next Selphie can cast Full-Cure or Quistis can cast White Wind to heal the party. The battle will be over faster if Bahamut's vitality is down to zero; Doomtrain is better than Meltdown, because Bahamut is vulnerable to Blind. Casting Haste and Aura on Squall and following through with Renzokuken will finish the battle quickly.
As Bahamut is in the habit of casting Mega Flare twice in a row it is good to keep a party member ready to perform an action at all times.
Other appearances
Final Fantasy Record Keeper
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Gallery
Trivia
- In Ultimecia Castle there is a boss called Tiamat that resembles Bahamut and has a similar move to Bahamut's Megaflare (D-A-R-K-F-L-A-R-E).
- The first sentence of Bahamut's Scan description in the English language release of Final Fantasy VIII contains a spelling mistake, reading "Called the King of GF; its Mega Flare ignores all defense, giving a powerful blo". In the PlayStation Greatest Hits (Platinum) release this error is corrected so that the first line ends with simply "ignores all defense".
- The way the party reaches Bahamut — by fighting two Ruby Dragons before fighting Bahamut himself — bears some similarities to the way Cecil and his party encounter Bahamut in the Red Moon during Final Fantasy IV: by defeating two Behemoths in a row before facing Bahamut.
Etymology
Bahamut (Arabic بهموت Bahamūt) originated as an enormous whale in ancient pre-Islamic Arabian mythology. Upon Bahamut's back stands a bull with four thousand eyes, ears, noses, mouths, tongues and feet called Kujuta (also spelled "Kuyutha") (compared with the pair of Behemoth and Leviathan). Between each of these is a distance of a 500-year journey. On the back of Kujuta is a mountain of ruby. Atop this mountain is an angel who carries six hells, earth, and seven heavens on its shoulders.
Another version of the Arabic story is that Bahamut is indeed a dragon and he stands on a whale called Liwash.
In modern times, the game Dungeons & Dragons is responsible for reimagining Bahamut as the king of dragons, a benevolent Platinum Dragon; the opposite of the malevolent Tiamat, the five-headed Chromatic Queen of Dragons.