The Final Fantasy franchise is one of the biggest names in the gaming industry and fans have come to expect a certain caliber of quality from the series, as well as expecting many staples of the games that have since become common recurring elements. Examples of recurring features include gameplay mechanics, monsters, bosses, summons, and more.
One of these elements is the Ultima Weapon, a boss that has appeared in numerous Final Fantasy titles. Even the most avid Final Fantasy fans might be surprised to find there is a thing or two that they don’t know about this boss.
10 First Appearance
With many features of Final Fantasy games that have come to be known as staples of the franchise, many fans mistakenly believe them to have been in the series since the very beginning, though this is often wrong. The same can be said of the Ultima Weapon, as its first appearance wasn’t until Final Fantasy VI in 1994 (though it was called the Atma Weapon in earlier versions of this title).
The Ultima Weapon was added into some of the earlier Final Fantasy titles retrospectively when they were re-released, making its chronological first appearance Final Fantasy II when it was re-released as the Dawn of Souls version.
9 Omega Dethroned Ultima
Ultima Weapon was classed as the most difficult boss in the games right up until the release of Final Fantasy VIII, where its position as the top dog was stolen from it by Omega Weapon. Not only is it no longer the strongest boss, but Ultima has been reduced to simply being a weaker version of Omega.
This has even been changed in older titles retrospectively, for example, in Final Fantasy VI there was Ultima Weapon and then the stronger version called Ultima Buster. In the GBA, mobile, and PC versions, Omega Weapon was added in despite there already being a stronger version of Ultima.
8 Other Names
Though the Ultima Weapon is a common feature throughout the series, it doesn’t always go by the same name and is sometimes instead called the Atma Weapon or the Ultimate Weapon. This gets particularly confusing as there are other elements to the game, actual weapons that are equipped by characters, which are also sometimes called the Ultimate Weapon, Atma Weapon, or Ultima Weapon (which is often a reward for defeating the Ultima Weapon).
Additionally, Ultima Weapon’s counterpart of Omega Weapon suffers the same fate in that there is another recurring boss in the Final Fantasy franchise simply called “Omega”, so the two are often confused with one another.
7 Lore
The Ultima weapon often shares the same lore, if its background is ever really explained that is, which is unsurprising as it is the background given to it in the very first title that it appeared in — Final Fantasy VI.
As such, the Ultima Weapon is often explained as being an ancient war machine, left behind by a long-forgotten ancient civilization and its appearance in the game is often a result of it being awakened by someone in the game it appears in, or alternatively, it is a remnant of a lost civilization that is still active for some reason.
6 Role in the Game
Ultima Weapon is most often referred to as an optional boss, as this is the role that it usually fits, but this is not always the case. In other titles, such as Final Fantasy XIV, the Ultima Weapon is a mandatory boss that must be defeated as part of the main storyline.
It is often tied to other super bosses in the Final Fantasy games, in many of which players need to defeating Ultima Weapon as the requirement to be able to spawn and take on the much stronger version, Omega Weapon.
5 Ultima Weapon is Stronger than Omega Weapon in One Title
Interestingly, there is one title where the Ultima Weapon is stronger than the Omega Weapon and that is in Final Fantasy X-2. This is particularly strange given that both bosses appeared in the predecessor, Final Fantasy X, even to the point of using the same character models, and in that title, Omega Weapon was stronger than Ultima Weapon.
Additionally, in a nice nod to the boss’s other names and origins, the Shinra Bestiary entry for the Ultima Weapon references Final Fantasy VI and states “Whatever you do, don’t call him Atma.“
4 Design
The Ultima Weapon boss almost always sticks to the same general design, with it being presented as a six-limbed bio-mechanical monster. In earlier titles, it is shown to use all six limbs as legs, but in later titles, it is generally shown as having four legs and two arms, sometimes even wielding a blade in one of its hands.
There are occasions when its character model reverts to its earlier design, such as in the spin-off mobile title Final Fantasy Dimensions II that released in 2017, where Ultima once again stands on six legs. However, in Final Fantasy XI the appearance is much more different and rather alien, though it still has six limbs, though they are spindly.
3 Shared Model
Omega and Ultima often share similarities in appearance; the games generally use the same model for both with a simple palette swap applied, as well as maybe a cosmetic tweak or two. Unsurprisingly, given their near-identical appearances, the two bosses also generally feature the same battle mechanics too.
While this might look like some lazy development, the two bosses are generally tied when it comes to their backstory and lore, and so it’s simply showing their connection to one another.
2 Other Appearances
The Ultima Weapon has secured itself as a Final Fantasy favorite, and as such, it has appeared in more than just the main Final Fantasy titles, but plenty of the spin-off titles too. Examples of these games include the Theatrhythm series, World of Final Fantasy, the Dissidia series, and more.
There are also a couple of titles that the Ultima Weapon has cameoed in that are not a part of the Final Fantasy universe, such as the Dragon Quest and Itadaki Street Portable games.
1 You Can Bribe it To Run Away in One Game
Interestingly, there is one Final Fantasy title where you can bribe the Ultima Weapon boss to leave the battle, yet it will still give you some of its coveted rewards. In Final Fantasy X, players are able to unlock the ability “Bribe” on the sphere grid. All characters can unlock this, but Rikku is the closest to unlocking it at the beginning of the game.
Bribing Ultima Weapon will cost players a whopping 1,750,000 gil, but will reward the party with 99 Pendulum items in return, as well as saving players the trouble of having to defeat it too. Ultima Weapon is only one of only two bosses in the game that can be bribed, with the other being Lord Ochu.
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