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VIICC Monster-in-a-box

Zack Fair waiting for a monster-in-a-box in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.

Be careful! Sometimes monsters lurk inside treasure chests!

Adventuring School in Final Fantasy VI

Monsters-in-a-box (敵入りの宝箱, Teki Iri no Takarabako?, lit. Treasure Chest Containing Enemy) are enemies that appear in treasure chests. After the character opens the chest, the phrase "Monster-in-a-box!", "Monsters!", or similar is displayed, and a battle begins with an enemy. Usually these enemies are stronger than average foes, and can even match a boss's strength. Monsters-in-a-box were series staples up to Final Fantasy VIII where they do not appear, and only return to the series in Final Fantasy X.

Prior to the use of monster-in-a-box treasure chest starting in Final Fantasy II, the original Final Fantasy surrounded treasure chests with fixed encounters to protect boxes. As a precursor to the monster-in-a-box, enemies fought through this method still tended to be stronger than average. In the later games of the Final Fantasy series, Mimic enemies act as a replacement, which appear as boxes and morph into an enemy.

Appearances[]

Final Fantasy[]

Appearing only in the 2021 Pixel Remaster release, monsters-in-a-box replace the fixed-encounter tiles used in all previous releases. An exception can be found in Cavern of Earth B1, where the Hill Gigas encounters that once dotted a corridor southwest of the entrance were removed and replaced by roving NPCs. Talking to one of these will trigger a one-time battle. Exiting and re-entering the floor will reset the encounter.

Final Fantasy II[]

Monster in a box FFII

Firion meets a monster-in-a-box.

Monsters-in-a-box are common, appearing in almost every dungeon. Unlike later installments, the item is gained before the monster is fought. All types of dragons appear as monsters-in-a-box in some later dungeons and in the last dungeon, Pandaemonium, several of the game's most powerful armor pieces can be found in boss fights with monsters-in-a-box.

Location Enemies Treasure
Semitt Falls B5 Land Turtle Teleport Tome
Snow Cave B3 Grenade Mythril Mace
Kashuan's Third Floor Wererats Golden Shield
Kashuan's Fifth Floor Mine Golden Armor
Dreadnought's Second Floor Hill Gigas Sleep Blade
Deist Cavern B5 Adamantoise Knight's Armor
Deist Cavern B2 Green Soul Mage's Staff
Fynn Castle's Second Floor Wraiths, Ghasts, and Revenants Potion
Fynn Castle's Second Floor Sergeants and Sorcerers Aura Tome
Fynn Castle B5 Rhyos Orichalcum
Tropical Island B3 Wraiths, Shadows, Ghouls, and Ghasts Phoenix Down
Tropical Island B5 Poison Toads and Wild Horns Gaia Drum
Cave of Mysidia B3 Bombs Ogrekiller
Cave of Mysidia B5 Ghosts Drain Tome
Leviathan's Third Floor Red Souls Diamond Shield
Mysidian Tower's Eight Floor White Dragon Flare Tome
Cyclone's Fifth Floor General Diamond Armor
Cyclone's Fifth Floor Green Dragon Wind Flute
Palamecia Castle's Third Floor Imperial Shadow Thunder Spear
Palamecia Castle's Fifth Floor Coeurls and Lamia Queens Sun Blade
Jade Passage B2 Blue Dragon Cat Claws
Jade Passage B3 King Behemoth Rune Axe
Jade Passage B4 Red Dragon Yoichi's Bow
Pandaemonium's Fifth Floor Zombie Borghen Genji Gloves
Pandaemonium's Fifth Floor Tiamat Genji Helm
Pandaemonium's Sixth Floor Beelzebub Genji Armor
Pandaemonium's Sixth Floor Astaroth Ribbon
Arubboth's Fifth Floor Black Dragon Wyvern Lance
Arubboth's Fifth Floor Yamatano Orochi Stardust Rod
Arubboth's Secret Room Lucifer Wild Rose
Arubboth's Sixth Floor Beelzebub Soul Bracers
Arubboth's Sixth Floor Steel Giant Ribbon

Final Fantasy III[]

FFIII NES Monster-in-a-box

Early in the game in Castle Sasune, the party must defeat a monster-in-a-box, a Griffon, to obtain the Wightslayer. In Eureka, a Ribbon is obtained after opening a treasure chest and defeating the Ninja within. During the final dungeon of the game, there is a crossroad of four paths. Each path has a chest along the way, with a Xande's Clone guarding a Ribbon.

Baknamy FFTA2This section about an enemy in Final Fantasy III is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.


Final Fantasy IV[]

Monster-in-a-Box

Cecil finding monsters in a box.

Many monsters-in-boxes can be fought in Final Fantasy IV. After opening a box, a message saying "Monsters!" will appear and the fight will initiate. After winning the battle, the item contained in the chest will be received.

In the DS version, the word "Monsters!" has been replaced by "Enemy Ambush." If there is an item, the item will be received, followed by the term "Enemy Ambush!". For example, in the Giant of Babil, the message box will say:

Found Elixir.
Enemy Ambush!
Location Enemies Treasure
Tower of Zot's Third Floor Flamehound Flame Sword
Tower of Babil Security Eye Ice Brand
Tower of Babil Security Eye Ice Lance
Tower of Babil Security Eye Ice Armor
Eblan Steel Golem and x4 Skuldier Sleep Sword
Eblan x3 Mad Ogre Silver Apple (Original, remakes) or Elixir (Easy Type, US)
Eblan Lamia and Coeurl Blood Lance
Cave of Eblan x2 Steel Golem Blood Sword
Tower of Babil x4 Mad Ogre Ogrekiller
Passage of the Eidolons x5 Fell Knight Defender
Sylph Cave Bog Witch and x6 Bog Toad Mage Masher
Sylph Cave x6 Evil Dreamers Elixir
Sylph Cave x6 Evil Dreamer Elixir
Sylph Cave x6 Evil Dreamer Elixir
Sylph Cave x2 Tunneler Medusa Arrows
Sylph Cave x2 Malboro Avenger
Sylph Cave x2 Malboro and x2 Elder Treant Moonring Blade
Lunar Path x2 Eukaryote and x2 Prokaryote Elixir
Giant of Babil Optic Blaster Elixir
Lunar Subterrane x2 Armored Fiend Black Garb
Lunar Subterrane x2 Moonmaiden and x2 Dark Sage Sage's Staff
Lunar Subterrane Behemoth Stardust Rod
Lunar Subterrane Red Dragon and Blue Dragon Crystal Shield
Lunar Subterrane Behemoth Crystal Armor
Lunar Subterrane x2 Red Dragon Crystal Gloves
Lunar Subterrane Dinozombie and Dark Sage Crystal Helm
Lunar Subterrane Behemoth Protect Ring
Lunar Subterrane Dark Sage and x3 Moonmaiden Minerva Bustier

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years[]

Baknamy FFTA2This section about an enemy in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.

Final Fantasy V[]

It's a trap! Monster attack!

Monster-in-a-box appears when the player opens certain chests, and is commonly strong for the location. Once the enemy is defeated, a message is displayed and the item is received. The superboss Shinryu appears as a monster-in-a-box in the Interdimensional Rift, which guards one of the strongest weapons in the game, Ragnarok. In the GBA and later versions, Neo Shinryu is encountered the same way, guarding the Ultima Weapon.

Many boxes can trigger different enemy formations and which one the player gets is random. The player can run from monsters-in-a-box; the only penalty is that the player cannot open the chest. However, the player can try opening the chest again to trigger the monster-in-a-box again. As some chests have random outcome on which fight initiates, the player can run until getting the desired enemy, or steal from the enemy multiple times until deciding to kill it. Some enemies that only appear in monsters-in-a-box are not in the bestiary.

Though not a monster-in-a-box the fourth fight against Gilgamesh is initiated by opening the chest in the room after the save point in Castle Exdeath; if the player ignores it, they skip the battle and permanently miss out on the Excalipoor novelty weapon.

Location Enemies Treasure
Tule Greenhorn's Club upstairs Goblin Leather Shoes
Karnak Castle B4 Common: Sorcerer & Cur Nakk x2
Rare: Gigas
Elixir
Karnak Castle B3 Gigas Shuriken
Karnak Castle B3 Common: Sorcerer x2
Rare: Gigas
Ribbon
Karnak Castle F2 Gigas Elixir
Karnak Castle F2 Common: Sorcerer x2
Rare: Gigas
Elixir
Karnak Castle B1
(enter through wall)
Common: Gigas & Sorcerer & Cur Nakk
Rare: Gigas
Elven Mantle
Karnak Castle F2 Common: Sorcerer & Cur Nakk x2
Rare: Gigas
Elixir
Karnak Castle F2 Common: Sorcerer & Cur Nakk x2
Rare: Gigas
Elixir
Karnak Castle F2 Gigas Elixir
Karnak Castle F2 Common: Sorcerer & Cur Nakk x2
Rare: Gigas
Elixir
Karnak Castle B1
(reachable from roof/right side)
Common: Gigas & Sorcerer & Cur Nakk
Rare: Gigas
Main Gauche
Karnak Castle Entrance
(left side)
Common: Sorcerer x2
Rare: Gigas
Esuna spell
Karnak Castle Entrance
(right side)
Common: Sorcerer & Cur Nakk x2
Rare: Gigas
Lightning Scroll
Barrier Tower F2 Common: Red Dragon
Common: Yellow Dragon x2
Blood Sword
Barrier Tower F10 Common: Red Dragon
Common: Yellow Dragon x2
Gold Hairpin
The Pyramid of Moore
(fall from sand cascade)
The Damned x4 Ice Shield
The Pyramid of Moore
(left in room of three chests)
The Damned x4 Flame Shield
The Pyramid of Moore
(middle in room of three chests)
The Damned x4 Dark Matter
The Pyramid of Moore
(right in room of three chests)
Common: Archeosaur
Rare: Archeosaur & Ushabti x2
White Robe
The Pyramid of Moore
(remove the spikes leading up to the chest)
Archeosaur Black Robe
The Pyramid of Moore
(hidden passage)
Common: Bandercoeurl & Black Warlock
Common: Steel Fist x3
Black Garb
The Pyramid of Moore
(left chest in a room)
The Damned x4 Dark Matter
The Pyramid of Moore
(right chest in a room)
Objet d'Art x5 Crystal Armor
The Pyramid of Moore 6th Floor
(fall from a sand cascade)
The Damned x4 Dark Matter
The Pyramid of Moore 6th Floor
(left of the room with 4 chests)
The Damned x4 Dark Matter
The Pyramid of Moore 6th Floor
(left of the room with 4 chests)
The Damned x4 Dark Matter
The Pyramid of Moore 7th Floor
(hidden passage)
SNES/PS/GBA: The Damned x4
Mobile/Steam: Steel Fist x3
Gaia Hammer
The Pyramid of Moore 8th Floor
(right from the where the floor changes)
The Damned Dark Matter
The Pyramid of Moore 8th Floor
(left from the where the floor changes)
The Damned x4 Dark Matter
The Island Shrine Common: Covert
Common: Pantera
Rising Sun
The Island Shrine F2 Common: Mecha Head
Common: Prototype
Protect Ring
Phoenix Tower Every 5th floor (Pots rather than chests) Magic Pot Phoenix Down (F5 & 10 & 15 & 20)
Aevis Killer (F25)
Interdimensional Rift - Inner Sanctum Shinryu Ragnarok
Sealed Temple - Shinryu's Lair Neo Shinryu Ultima Weapon

Final Fantasy VI[]

Several monsters-in-a-box appear in Final Fantasy VI. After opening a chest, the monster event triggers a message saying "Monster-in-a-box!" and the encounter will commence. The treasure is received as an item drop from the enemy. A notable example is Angler Whelk in Darill's Tomb, which drops a strong Holy-elemental weapon for Sabin.

Location Enemies Treasure
Beginner's Hall Silver Lobo Potion
Imperial Camp Satellite Green Beret
Phantom Train Apparition Hyper Wrist
Floating Continent Gigantos Sasuke
Crumbling House 1 Nightwalker x4
Crumbling House 2 Nightwalker x4
Darill's Tomb Angler Whelk Dragon Claws (x2)
Cave on the Veldt Death Warden Tigerfang
Yeti's Cave Tonberries (Minerva Bustier)
Ancient Castle's Cave Master Tonberry Gladius
Ancient Castle Samurai Soul Master's Scroll
Dragons' Den Flan Princess x5 Oborozuki
Dragons' Den Neslug Gungnir
Dragons' Den Plague Angel Brush

Final Fantasy VII[]

Monsters-in-a-box only appear once in the clock puzzle room of the Temple of the Ancients. They do not give items.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]

In Gongaga, Zack can find treasure chests that contain enemies. During a mission he will also encounter a treasure chest that will transport him into a battle against Bahamut Fury.

Final Fantasy X[]

FFX Omega Ruins

Potential "Monsters-in-a-Box" in the Omega Ruins.

In the Omega Ruins, there are areas where three to five treasure chests are grouped together. Some contain treasure, while others initiate a battle. After the battle, the other nearby treasure chests will disappear. It is random which treasures contain battles.

The treasures contain the following items:

  1. L4 Key Sphere
  2. Defending Bracer
  3. Turnover
  4. 3x L3 Key Sphere
  5. Defending Armlet
  6. 2x Friend Sphere
  7. L4 Key Sphere
  8. Phantom Ring
  9. Cactuar Wizard
  10. Warmonger
  11. 2x Warp Sphere
  12. 99x Warp Sphere

Final Fantasy X-2[]

There are several monster-in-a-box chests in the Fiend Colony. The battles that initiate are against Vermin-type enemies.

Final Fantasy XIV[]

Patch 2.1 added the Treasure Hunt system, which uses a monster-in-a-box mechanic. The buried treasure coffers have a trap that will release a "powerful musk" when opened that summon monsters. These creatures must be defeated in order to claim the goods contained within.

In the 24-man raid The World of Darkness The World of Darkness, Xande's Clone appears by opening a treasure coffer dropped by Queen Scylla.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy[]

In Confessions of the Creator, red treasure chests initiate battles with powerful enemies when opened, and one in the Southern Lufenia gateway triggers a battle with Feral Chaos.

Final Fantasy Legend II[]

FFLII Monster-in-a-box

The sewer has two trapped treasure chests which contains monsters. The player can farm them for high level meat if they want, but the player does not get any items from these treasure chest. The player can repeatedly open them infinitely if they wish to fight the monsters again.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light[]

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Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]

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World of Final Fantasy[]

Monsters-in-a-box appear in a few dungeons in World of Final Fantasy. Mimics appear in three treasure chests in Saronia Docks, and one in EX Dungeon A; while Mimic Jackpots appear in two treasure chests in Mako Reactor 0, and one in EX Dungeon B. The player does not earn any items from monster-in-a-box encounters.

Gallery[]

Etymology[]

"Monster-in-a-Box" is a play on the kid's toy, a "Jack-In-A-Box".

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