"Please others with love, please your heart with song."

—Dissidia Final Fantasy, Bard Lore

The Bard (吟遊詩人, Gin'yūshijin^?, lit. "Minstrel") is a job class that appears in various games in the series.

ProfileEdit

Bards are characterized as wearing lightweight tunics and feathered hats. The Bard's signature weapon is the harp, but they are often able to equip other types of instruments, especially in more recent games. Their ability is Sing, which allows them to sing and play songs that have various effects. The songs usually boost the Bard's party in battle, but some songs target enemies instead. Another ability attributed to the Bard is Hide, which allows the Bard to hide in battle.

When hidden, a Bard cannot perform actions, but is invincible. In some games, such as Final Fantasy Tactics, only males can be Bards - females become Dancers. In the majority of games, however, either sex can be a Bard. Bards often oppose Dancers in utility: Bards focusing on positive support for the party and providing buffs, while Dancers focus on negative support against the enemy, providing debuffs and status effects.

AppearancesEdit

Final Fantasy IIIEdit

Main article: Bard (Final Fantasy III)

The Bard job is obtained from the Water Crystal. In the original game, it possessed two abilities to either buff the party or debuff foes. In the Nintendo DS remake, its arsenal is changed to using numerous songs to aid the party in battle.

Final Fantasy IVEdit

Edward Chris von Muir is a bard, and can Sing to produce various effects. Edward is also the subject character for the famous quote "You spoony bard!".

Final Fantasy IV: The After YearsEdit

Edward Chris von Muir return as a bard, and he can use Bardsong to produce various beneficial effects to assist the party. Unlike the previous game, the player can now pick their targets. Targeting either one ally or all allies will result an effects that will assistance one ally or the whole party. If either one enemy or all enemies are targeted will result in a status affliction upon them.

Final Fantasy VEdit

Main article: Bard (Final Fantasy V)

The Fire Crystal leaves behind a job that grants the Bard class, but it cannot be obtained until further on in the game from a chocobo. The Bard uses songs for various effects in battle. Most of the songs are learned from talking to persons in different towns. If the player has played all the pianos on the game, the bard can learn his last song.

Final Fantasy X-2Edit

Main article: Songstress

The Songstress dressphere is acquired at the beginning of the game and plays an important role in the storyline. The Songstress's Sing abilities grant special effects to the party, while Dance will debuff the enemies.

Final Fantasy XIEdit

Main article: Bard (Final Fantasy XI)

The Bard is a job obtained by a character upon reaching Level 30. It uses its songs to boost the party's effectiveness in battle. In addition, while the NPC character Ulmia is never seen in battle, she uses a harp and sings in cutscenes, thus suggesting that she is a bard. Furthermore, in every district of city and town is at least one bard NPC who, for 10 Gil, will allow the player to re-watch past cutscenes. There is another Bard NPC that will change the player's title to one they previously had.

Final Fantasy Type-0Edit

Deuce has abilities similar to a bard. She utilizes a Flute that can increase allies' attributes and decrease enemies' attributes.

Final Fantasy XIVEdit

Bard was added in patch 1.21 to be a job specialty for the Archer class. It gets extended Archer abilities and is able to perform songs to offer a range of different status improvements for the party.

The NPC and Circle of Knowing member Thancred claims to be a bard and, judging by the way he works with words, more than likely is one; although in battle, he is treated as a Gladiator.

Final Fantasy TacticsEdit

Main article: Bard (Tactics)

The Bard job is exclusive to male units, obtained by training a male unit in magical Job classes.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the RiftEdit

Main article: Bard (Tactics A2)

The Bard job is exclusive to Hurdy the Moogle. Hurdy has several abilities that are mainly for buffing his allies.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of LightEdit

Main article: Bard (The 4 Heroes of Light)

Main article: Musician

The Bard job makes an appearance here as a job used for basic buffing. The Musician job is a similar job that focuses on getting the most out of the party in the form of stat boosts.

Final Fantasy DimensionsEdit

Main article: Bard (Dimensions)

Eduardo is a Bard. Bard also appears as a job class available only to the Light Warriors.

Dissidia 012 Final FantasyEdit

The Bard appears as a job card in the new Labyrinth mode, reviving any fallen party members.

Final Fantasy Airborne BrigadeEdit

Main article: Bard (Airborne Brigade)

This section of the article about Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is a stub. You can help Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.

Final Fantasy All the BravestEdit

"Listen carefully to the lyrics. Despite their lovely voices, bards often sing quite hateful things."

—Description

The Bard is a character available to the party, he uses the Requiem ability during battle. Unlocks at level 62.

GalleryEdit

Arc as a Bard in the DS version of Final Fantasy III.

Edward the Bard in Final Fantasy IV DS version.

Edward in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.

Main cast of Final Fantasy V as Bards.

Bartz from Final Fantasy V as a Bard.

Early Final Fantasy IX concept art shows a Bard among other discarded job ideas.

Rikku, Paine and Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2 wearing the Songstress Dressphere.

A Hume Bard in Final Fantasy XI.

A Hyur Bard from Final Fantasy XIV.

The Bard from Final Fantasy Tactics.

Hurdy as a bard from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.

Aire as a bard from Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.

Eduardo, a Bard from Final Fantasy Dimensions.

Bard as a job class in Final Fantasy Dimensions.

A male Bard in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade.

A female Bard in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade.

Final Fantasy All the Bravest.