The following article is based on a subject that has not been officially named in any official Square Enix material; the current title is merely a placeholder.

The Grim Reaper (死神, Shinigami^?) is a recurring motif in the series. A psychopomp and personification of death, its appearance differs in every installment, but they share a distinct similarity, they are summoned whenever someone uses the spells Death or Doom, more frequently the former.

AppearancesEdit

Final FantasyEdit

The Grim Reaper in its first appearance was summoned through the spell Death (called RUB in the NES version and Reaper in the Origins version). A skeletal figure wearing a red cape appears, beckoning the target's soul and slicing it downwards with its scythe. Or, if using another spell, throws back his cloak, and four skulls come out, attach to the soul, and fly upwards.

Final Fantasy IIEdit

Multiple Grim Reapers appear during the spell animation for Curse. They are skeletal blue-hooded floating figures with scythes.

Final Fantasy IVEdit

The Black Magic spells Doom and Death summon the Grim Reaper upon the target. Here, the Reaper appears shrouded in black, a skull with red eyes, and carries a dark scythe. In the Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection, the Reaper received a new look. He now looks like an famished man with a skull for a head covered in a ghostly white shroud. He is also mentioned in Kain's Lunar Trial, as Dark Kain's shrouded appearance and polearm remind the townsfolk of the legendary Grim Reaper.

Final Fantasy VEdit

The Blue Magic Doom summons the Grim Reaper. Hitodama will appear around the target, followed by the Reaper will float away. The Reaper is dressed in faded red robes and carrying a silver colored scythe. It also appears when the player uses Predict and it has the Pestilence effect.

Final Fantasy VIEdit

The Death spell summons the Grim Reaper. Again in its red cloak and a scythe, it appears out of thin air and carries the target's soul skywards while laughing.

Final Fantasy VIIEdit

The Death spell from the Destruct Materia (also seen in Cait Sith's attack "Game Over" from his "Slots" Limit Break) summons the Grim Reaper. Black smoke blows from above, and out of it the Reaper appears wearing its red cloak. It swings its scythe across the target. Note that these are the only ways to summon the Reaper; other Death spells such as Doom summons an elongated skull instead.

Final Fantasy VIIIEdit

The Grim Reaper's appearance differs greatly from before, with its color scheme being black, red, and purple. It has a dark, mouthless head and wears a horned skull on it. Its back has bat-like wings, and its red hands carry a darkened scythe. It is summoned using both the spell Death and the command Doom.

Final Fantasy IXEdit

Here, the Grim Reaper wears brownish robes of Middle Age attire with a skull as its head. It appears with four spells, Lv5 Death, Death, Doom, and Roulette. There was a design for an alternate Grim Reaper to be summoned during the final battle, but this idea was scrapped for the final game.

Final Fantasy XEdit

The Grim Reaper's appearance is similar to the Malaysian penanggal: a bodiless shriveled head. It wears a horned headdress and a cape, and has only a clawed left hand. With that clawed hand it reaches into the target, extracting its soul and crushing it, killing the target.

Final Fantasy XIII-2Edit

When a player runs out of time in the Mog Clock a battle is initiated where the player cannot escape. Images of skulls shrouded in black mist appear on the screen during the battle transition, representing the idea of a Grim Reaper.

Also, Cie'th Gorgyra resembles a Grim Reaper and can even cast Doom.

Final Fantasy Tactics AdvanceEdit

Grim Reaper appears when the Doom counter reaches zero or Level 5 Death is used on a susceptible target by Jawbreaker or a Morpher using their powers . It will appear above the target, laugh maniacally and then draws the target's soul towards it, KOing them.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the RiftEdit

When the Death spell is used several Grim Reapers fly over the battlefield, which turns red. It also appears when the Doom counter reaches zero, when Doom is inflicted via Sniper's Death Sickle and when instant kill moves such as Parivir's Lifethread Blade is used, where it flies onto the battlefield and seizes what appears to be the target's soul, and takes it off the screen.

Final Fantasy Legend IIEdit

The reaper will appear when a character uses the Death spellbook. A skull shrouded in a black cloth will appear on a target for a split second and vanish. He will take the target with him if the spell was successful.

Final Fantasy Legend IIIEdit

The reaper in this game is a slightly modified version of the reaper sprite from Final Fantasy Legend II. The reaper appear when a character uses the black magic Fatal spell. A skull shrouded in a black cloth will appear on a target and vanishes after he finishes laughing. He will take the target with him if the spell was successful.

GalleryEdit

Concept artwork of the Grim Reaper from Final Fantasy VIII, by Tetsuya Nomura.

Unused concept artwork of an alternate Grim Reaper to be summoned during the final battle of Final Fantasy IX.

EtymologyEdit

The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood.