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A Desperation Attack (瀕死必殺技, Hinshi Hissatsuwaza?, lit. Dying Special Move), or Hidden Blitz as it is called in the achievements of the mobile versions, is a special attack unique to each character except Gau and Umaro in Final Fantasy VI. Desperation Attacks are the precursor to the Limit Break mechanism used in Final Fantasy VII, and most future Final Fantasy games since.
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Mechanics
When a character is in Critical status, there is a 1 in 16 chance the character will perform a Desperation Attack when he or she uses the Attack command. Characters will never use their Desperation Attacks during the first 25.6 seconds of battle.
A character would automatically enter critical status when their HP drops to less than 1/8 of their max HP, but Strago Magus and Gogo can achieve critical status without losing their HP, because if the enemy has 1/20 of its max HP remaining, Strago and Gogo can use Rippler to gain it (see Rippler bug for more information). Gogo cannot mimic Desperation Attacks.
All Desperation Attacks are unblockable and ignore Defense. If the character has any of the following statuses, they will never do a Desperation Attack: Confuse, Image, Vanish, and Zombie.
List of Desperation Attacks
| Desperation Attack | Character | Attack Power | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riot Blade | Terra | 142 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Mirage Dive (Mirager) |
Locke | 139 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Tsubame Gaeshi (Back Blade) |
Cyan | 140 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Shadow Fang (ShadowFang) |
Shadow | 140 | Deals magical damage and inflicts Sap on one enemy. |
| Royal Shock (RoyalShock) |
Edgar | 143 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Tiger Break (TigerBreak) |
Sabin | 140 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Spinning Edge (Spin Edge) |
Celes | 143 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Sabre Soul | Strago | — | Instantly kills one enemy. It fails on enemies immune to Death. |
| Star Prism | Relm | — | Instantly kills one enemy. It fails on enemies immune to Death. |
| Red Card | Setzer | 147 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Moogle Rush (MoogleRush) |
Mog | 150 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. |
| Punishing Meteor (X-Meteo) |
Gogo | 146 | Deals magical damage to one enemy. Gogo can only use this if s/he has the Attack command equipped. |
Other appearances
Dissidia Final Fantasy
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Terra performing Riot Blade.
Terra's EX Burst is Riot Blade. Terra attacks the opponent with Blizzara, then charges magical energy into her arms. The player must tap 
in tandem with the 
button to charge two power meters. If the player fills both meters within a time limit, Terra spins and whips out her arms to fire several crescent-shaped bands of energy at the opponent. Failing to fill the meters will have her fire fewer blades.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Template:Sideicon Terra's EX Burst is still Riot Blade.
Pictlogica Final Fantasy
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This section about an ability in Pictlogica Final Fantasy is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Template:Sideicon Characters from Final Fantasy VI use their Desperation Attack when they are summoned as Legends. In addition, players can obtain certain Desperation Attacks to use as abilities.
Pictlogica Final Fantasy
Template:Sideicon Some of the Desperation Attacks from Final Fantasy VI appear.
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Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Template:Sideicon Some of the Desperation Attacks from Final Fantasy VI appear used by their original users.
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Final Fantasy All the Bravest
Template:Sideicon Terra, Locke, and Celes makes an appearance. They use their signature Desperation Attacks Riot Blade, Mirage Dive, and Spinning Edge as their primary attack.
Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Template:Sideicon One of Terra's cards can use Riot Blade. For the discard of another Terra card, Dulling Terra and paying two Ice CP, Riot Blade does 6000 damage to a Forward of the player's choice, then they may search their deck for an Eidolon card and place it in their hand.
One of Locke's cards has Mirage Dive. For the discard of a Locke card, Mirage Dive prevents Locke from being blocked that turn.
A card featuring Celes allows her to use Spinning Edge. For two ICE CP, a Shine CP and the discard of another Celes card, Spinning Edge allows the player to choose any Dulled forward and Break it.
Gallery
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Etymology
Sabin's Desperation Attack being named "Tiger Break" refers to the symbolism of a tiger in eastern martial arts where the dragon and tiger symbolize the balance of power. The tiger represents matter and the dragon represents spirit.
Cyan's Desperation Attack, Tsubame Gaeshi, was a famous technique mastered by Sasaki Kojirō, a famed Japanese swordsman in the Sengoku period of feudal Japan. Kojirō was best known to have been slain by Miyamoto Musashi during a duel at the island of Funajima.
Setzer's Red Card may be named after soccer where the referee sends players off by giving them a red card.
Gogo's Desperation Attack refers to the Famed Mimic Gogo boss from Final Fantasy V who used Meteor as a counter attack.
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