"Damage and healing effects are reversed. Taking damage restores HP, while healing reduces it."

—Final Fantasy XII Description

Reverse (逆転, Gyakuten^?) is a status effect that causes attacking and healing to have the opposite effect for afflicted target; when an enemy is in Reverse, all attacks directed at it will heal rather than injure. Reverse bears some similarities to the Zombie status ailment present in many Final Fantasy games in that it causes healing magic to act as offensive magic.

AppearancesEdit

Final Fantasy IVEdit

In the Nintendo DS version, Dr. Lugae is the exclusive user of Reversal Gas, which inflicts Reverse on all party members and enemies. He'll start by using Restore to heal the party, making it hard to defeat Dr. Lugae.

Final Fantasy XIIEdit

Reverse is an Arcane Magick spell that causes healing and damage to have the opposite effect. It has 70% base success rate, which is also affected by the user's Magick Power and the target's Vitality. The License for Reverse is Arcane Magick 6 and costs 70 LP to purchase and 50 MP to cast (initially; with the Channeling License the MP will be 45, 40, or 35 depending on the number of licenses.). Reverse can be bought in the Muthru Bazaar and the Phon Coast for 7600 gil. Reverse has shortest effect duration of all status effects.

In the International Zodiac Job System version, Reverse is listed as a Green Magick 2 License, costs 50 LP and 20 MP, and is bought at the Clan Provisioner for 7,000 gil. In the Japanese version, Reverse is known as Reborn. Reverse can be learned by the four mage job classes - White Mage, Black Mage, Time Mage, and Red Mage.

One accessory, the Nihopalaoa, uses an effect similar to Reverse, causing all items used by the holder to do the opposite of their average effects.

Reverse affects all regular attacks, damaging and healing spells and most Esper attacks. Reverse does not affect Drain and Leech, Syphon, Poison, Sap, Regen, Phoenix Down, Knot of Rust, Dark Matter, Quickenings or Technicks. The following Esper skills are also exceptions: Zalera's Kill, Shemhazai's Exodus and Zodiark's Final Eclipse.

Although the status is classed as "negative", it can be beneficial in long battles by casting Reverse on one or all members of the party so all attacks from the enemy will heal them. Due to this advantage, the spell is considered "cheap" by some players. The only drawbacks to the status are that if any party members have an Esuna Gambit active, they will immediately attempt to remove the status due to its negative classification.

Also, if the player has a gambit set to heal using Cura or Curaja, in which the character would normally be healed, they would instead be hurt. If a character has Reverse status and they are stopped, Reverse will not wear off until Stop does. This can be used for strategic advantage against enemies that use the gambit Foe:nearest visible, by placing a stopped and reversed character near the foe, letting the character attract all of the enemy's attacks, while the other party members can attack from distance with ranged weapons.

The Esper Ultima uses Holyja which can inflict Reverse.

Zalera's spell, Lv.5 Reverse can inflict reverse to an character.

GalleryEdit

The Reverse symbol in the DS version of Final Fantasy IV.

Ashe under the Reverse status.

Reverse icon in Final Fantasy XII.