Like chocobos, moogles, and plots that revolve around magical crystals, airships are one of the hallmarks of Final Fantasy, with most games in the series featuring them in one way or another. In the earlier entries, airships mostly served as nondescript transportation, enabling the party to fly through the air and explore the world map to its fullest.
Later entries, however, have experimented with the formula a little, allowing airships to serve a multifunctional role either within the narrative or during gameplay. These airships are often the ones that stick in the minds of Final Fantasy fans the most, as iconic bases, gorgeous set pieces, or, in one instance, an extended raid dungeon tackled with 23 other players.
10 The Airship (Final Fantasy)
The first airship in the whole series – the granddaddy of them all. Dating back to the NES era, this airship established many of the rules of air travel that came to be ubiquitous throughout the Final Fantasy games, such as only being able to land in open fields, eliminating the chance of random encounters, and being the only way to progress the story at the end of the game.
The more modern remakes have made it clear that this airship was built by a certain Cid of the Lufaine, bringing the tradition of every game having a techno-whiz named Cid back into the game that started it all.
9 The Strahl (Final Fantasy 12)
Belonging to Balthier the sky pirate and used to roam around Ivalice in total style, the Strahl is a cool-looking airship. It might have even served as the party’s main method of transportation if the system of Teleport Crystals weren’t so much more efficient and useful.
That said, the Strahl still remains an iconic set piece that even made it to the sequel to Final Fantasy 12, Revenant Wings, where it serves as the party’s main base.
8 Enterprise (Final Fantasy 4)
Considering that the protagonist of Final Fantasy 4 begins the game as an airship captain in his own right and another playable character is the resident Cid, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of great examples of airships in this RPG. The Enterprise is the latest in airship technology designed by Cid and is gained by the party after they uncover Cagnazzo as a devious King impersonator.
While the Enterprise is not the final airship that the party gains over the course of the game, it’s certainly iconic going by the standards of the entire series. This is mostly thanks to this airship being a very early mode of transportation that opens up a rather huge amount of the world.
7 Fahrenheit (Final Fantasy 10)
The Fahrenheit is a really cool ship that is encountered right at the beginning of Final Fantasy 10, which is ranked as the best game in the franchise by Japanese players. Many players may not have realized it, but the underwater ruins explored at the behest of Rikku are actually the sunken ruins of the airship that the party ends up using as a base at the end of the game!
Something unique to this airship is that it is actually used during the battle against Evrae. The party not only uses it to adjust whether they wish to use ranged or close combat attacks but can get Cid to fire missiles at the gigantic dragon for a decent chunk of damage in what is a very satisfying moment.
6 The Void Ark (Final Fantasy 14)
Debuting in the Heavensward expansion pack of the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy 14 is the Void Ark, a massive dungeon that serves as the first instanced encounter of the Shadow of Mhach raid series. Along with 23 other players, the Warrior of Light must traverse the horrific airship and slay multiple cosmic voidsent to progress this side story.
Players don’t get to take the Void Ark for a pleasure cruise, but it’s an atmospheric location filled with doom and gloom. The Void Ark is a very memorable example of a Final Fantasy airship.
5 Blackjack (Final Fantasy 6)
Half airship, half casino, the Blackjack makes a grand entrance in Final Fantasy 6 thanks to its captain, the dashing Setzer Gabbiani. After falling into the heroes’ trap to lure the world-renowned pilot to the opera house in the game’s most iconic scene, the party gains access to the whole world thanks to the impossibly elegant airship.
What makes the Blackjack incredibly memorable is its interior, being decked out with a full and classy casino that serves to show off Setzer’s risk-taking sensibilities. Multiple boss fights also take place on the Blackjack’s deck, including the final confrontation with the meme-tastic Ultros.
4 M.S. Prima Vista (Final Fantasy 9)
Past airships in the Final Fantasy games have served as casinos, schools, spaceships, and vehicles of war, but what about a theatre? The timeless story of Final Fantasy 9 begins on this creaking ship filled with the roguish troupe of actor-thieves known as Tantalus, setting the tone perfectly for the drama that is about to come.
While the ship gets destroyed by Queen Brahne’s bomb assault very early in the story, the M.S. Prima Vista is iconic enough to be preserved in the game’s Tetra Master minigame as a decently strong card.
3 Lunar Whale (Final Fantasy 4)
Airship or spaceship? Both! The Lunar Whale is the final mode of transportation unlocked during the sprawling story of Final Fantasy 4. Veterans of the series will undoubtedly remember how awesome it felt when the gigantic piscine ship was raised from the waters near Mysidia by the power of prayer.
What makes the Lunar Whale extremely iconic is its ability to swap between the planet the party has been used to for the entire game and the otherworldly, almost eerie red moon where the RPG’s finale takes place.
2 Balamb Garden (Final Fantasy 8)
The reveal that Balamb Garden is actually a whole airship that seems to be the size of a small village is one that no one saw coming. Balamb Garden serves as a sort of base for much of Final Fantasy 8’s early game and is a familiar place where the player can relax after the harder-hitting story events.
This all gets shaken up as the building itself lifts off the ground and becomes the newest method of transportation. Balamb Garden idly floats across the continents as Squall and co. make their way around the world to prevent disaster time and time again.
1 Invincible (Final Fantasy 9)
There are not many airships that can claim superiority over entire Eidolons, but the Invincible is certainly the first that will. The Invincible manages to wreak absolute havoc over the story of Final Fantasy 9, even slaying Alexander, a tremendous Eidolon that had previously just beaten back Bahamut of all things.
For all its power, the Invincible also serves as some chilling iconography, with its eye-like beam appearing in flashbacks to foreshadow future horrors. When Zidane, Dagger, and co. finally manage to wrangle control of the mighty airship, the player knows they are deep in the endgame.
NEXT: Final Fantasy 8 Characters Ranked By Outfit
