Highlights

  • Bahamut is the powerhouse of Final Fantasy summons, with multiple forms and devastating attacks like Mega Flare and Tera Flare.
  • Shiva impresses with her iconic Diamond Dust attack, obtainable early to balance her power against enemies weak to ice.
  • Phoenix shines as a literal lifesaver, simultaneously damaging enemies and reviving allies with the Final Attack Materia combo.

The long-running Final Fantasy series features unique numbered and standalone titles. Every story includes several elements that have become synonymous with the series. Items, monsters, magic, and equipment are just a few of the many common elements shared across the series. Perhaps the most recognizable of them all — understandably so — are the summons.

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Summoning these creatures always felt awesome, but the shift to 3D visuals propelled the impact of these powerful allies to the next level. The fervor over Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has fans revisiting the original game. As fans once discovered, those impressive visuals quickly become secondary to the overall usefulness of the summon. Keeping this in mind, here are all the summons of Final Fantasy 7, ranked.

Updated on March 8, 2024, by Jon Eakin: With Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth bringing new fans to the city of Midgar and the world beyond its walls, many of you are revisiting the original or playing it for the first time. We thought it would be a good time to revisit the idea of which summons from the game are the best, and give this list a shot of Jenova cells to completely transform it.

16 Titan

Bottom Of The Heap

Final Fantasy 7 Titan after being summoned, along with an image of where it can be found.

Titan's summon Materia is obtained in the destroyed Gongaga Mako Reactor. Considering his somewhat lackluster power, it seemed like a rather odd decision. There are other, more reliable summons you already have by this point. Titan's summon damage isn't enough to warrant a permanent spot in someone's limited Materia slots.

The summon does earth damage (although it's not a lot) that can miss flying enemies like every other Final Fantasy game. You will likely summon Titan once, watch the animation, and remove him after realizing the drawbacks of the damage type. Earth summons have never been particularly great in Final Fantasy and Titan in Final Fantasy 7 is a prime example.

Titan features in the MMO Final Fantasy 14, but has a rocky history there. Along with Leviathan, he was meant to be included in the game much sooner than he actually debuted, but was delayed due to natural disasters striking Japan.

It's great that they finally made it in, but it's even better to know that the developers were sensitive to real issues.

15 Choco & Mog

AKA Fat Mog

Final Fantasy 7 Choco and Mog, a collage of them and their attack.

Choco/Mog is the first summon Materia you can obtain in the Chocobo Farm, which can be visited after leaving Midgar. There are two versions of this summon — one inflicts less damage but inflicts Stop. The rarer form involves a massive fat Chocobo falling on your enemies to do bonus damage minus the status changes.

This Materia is decent for the early stages of the game, but becomes pretty redundant once you progress further in the game. Still, no matter how weak it may be, it never gets old watching a Moogle riding a Chocobo crash into your enemy, before lying dazed on the ground as it gets whisked away to safety.

14 Leviathan

A Series Favourite

Final Fantasy 7 Leviathan concept art and in-game image.

Leviathan is, admittedly, a really cool summon and it is the only one in Final Fantasy 7 to use the water element. Unfortunately, as beloved as Leviathan is among Final Fantasy fans, it arrives too late in 7 for the power it wields.

You obtain this summon in Wutai Village after Yuffie conquers the pagoda at the end of her rather annoying quest where she takes all your Materia and runs away. After catching her and finishing the quest, she places all your Materia back in the wrong slots, adding to the accumulating frustration. After going through all these ordeals, a summon of this strength doesn't really feel like adequate compensation.

13 Shiva

The Queen Of Summons

Final Fantasy 7 Shiva, a split image of her summon animation.

The ice-elemental has featured in almost every game in the series. Her iconic attack Diamond Dust impresses in each game. Final Fantasy 7 doesn't disappoint in this regard, and, after Priscilla gives the summon Materia to the party, you can witness this classic summon in all its glory.

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Don't let the placement of this summon in this list fool you — Shiva is obtained pretty early in the game compared to the other summons in this list, which meant that her power needed to be balanced. It doesn't reduce her effectiveness against enemies weak to fire in the slightest.

12 Ifrit

Demon Doggo

Final Fantasy 7 Ifrit, a split image of his summon animation and in-game model.

Like Shiva, Ifrit is one of the classic Final Fantasy summons; any fan of the series will recognize him. The way you obtain Ifrit in Final Fantasy 7 is quite memorable, as well. You receive Ifrit after defeating the first form of Jenova on a ship your party has boarded. After one of the most tense moments of the game, the fire summon is a great reward.

Ifrit's Hellfire summon is a trademark move that can cause some pretty serious damage to enemies weak against fire. His summon animation is pretty awesome, so that's also a welcome bonus. Just don't expect him to make a huge impact in your battles late in the game.

Ifrit, like many summons, first appeared all the way back in Final Fantasy 3. The spell to summon him, though, had the more generic name of Heatra, and then in Final Fantasy 4 was called Jinn.

We wouldn't come to truly know him as Ifrit in the West until Final Fantasy 5.

11 Ramuh

Thunderbolts And Lightning

Final Fantasy 7 Ramuh, a split image of his summon animation and where his materia can be obtained.

It almost feels like we're following a pattern here, taking the iconic summons of each element and listing them one by one. This time, the summon is Ramuh and the element is thunder. Just like the others, Ramuh is a common face you can summon in most of the Final Fantasy titles. The FF7 Remake introduces him as a recruitable summon with the Yuffie expansion, too.

After beating Dyne as Barret, you regain control of Cloud in the Chocobo Jockey room. The Materia can be found lying inconspicuously on the ground as you prepare to head over to participate in the race. This summon is missable, so you should make sure to pick up the Materia before heading into the race.

10 Bahamut

The Dragon King

A split image of Final Fantasy 7's Bahamut, his Materia and where he is obtained.

Bahamut is one of the greatest summons in Final Fantasy history, if not the greatest. His Mega Flare attack is ridiculously powerful and proves to be a huge help in some tough battles. The legacy of Bahamut is so everlasting that, in Final Fantasy 7, you can obtain three Bahamut Materia. This is the only summon who has multiple forms with their own specific Materia.

The first version of Bahamut appears in a rather tame fashion compared to the other two. This version performs the iconic Mega Flare attack to deal non-elemental damage to the enemy. The fact that the initial version of Bahamut is placed at this position shows just how important the king of dragons is to the entire series.

9 Odin

Perfect For Random Encounters

Final Fantasy 7 Odin sits atop his horse, backed by a full moon.

Odin is another familiar summon that has stuck with the series since Final Fantasy 3. Along with Choco/Mog, Odin is the only summon to have two different attacks based on the kind of enemy you're facing. He's one of the most useful options on this Final Fantasy 7 summons list.

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If the enemies aren't immune to death, Odin performs his famed Zantetsuken attack to kill at least one monster on the field instantly. His other attack — done when no enemy will die by Zantetsuken either by missing or being immune to instant death — is called Gunge Lance. This does non-elemental damage similar to Bahamut's Mega Flare despite being slightly weaker.

8 Kujata

Easy To Miss And Understand

Final Fantasy 7 Kujata stands in an icy field.

Kujata is one of the two summons in the game that uses multiple elements to attack an enemy. The Materia is obtained at Bone Village where a red dot will randomly appear on the screen and start moving around, enticing you to grab it. Make sure that you have a free Materia slot; otherwise, you'll miss out on this handy summon.

Kujata uses a mixture of fire, ice, and lightning to barrage the enemy with its Tetra Disaster move. While this summon seems quite handy, there are moments where it can be extremely frustrating to use. If an enemy can nullify or absorb any of the three elements, then the entire attack goes to waste.

Kujata only appears as a summon once in the series, but does turn up in other entries as a boss like Final Fantasy 14, or Final Fantasy 15.

In the latter, you can spot Kujata long before Noctis and the boys are ever ready to tackle it, so beware!

7 Typhon/Typhoon

A Series Easter Egg

Final Fantasy 7 Typhon split image of where it is obtained and its appearance in battle.

The iconic partner of Ultros in Final Fantasy 6 makes its appearance as an ally for the first time in the seventh iteration. You obtain the powerful summon Materia in the Ancient Forest. But Typhon's appearance is the most bizarre thing about the summon animation with a somewhat creepy face and gaping mouth present both at his front and back.

His Disintegration attack is a powerful one that does high fire, earth, lightning, and ice damage to the enemy. The downside of this summon is that its cost is a bit pricey (160 MP is no joke) and it's not as effective on enemies who can nullify or absorb a particular element.

6 Neo Bahamut

Bahamut Evolved

Neo Bahamut Final Fantasy 7, flying above the clouds.

The second version of the three Bahamut summon types replaces the classic look of Bahamut. Neo Bahamut has a new, unique red colour and wings that have a rather interesting design (no matter how impractical they may seem). The original Bahamut's attack is incredibly tame in comparison, too.

Neo Bahamut straight up rips off the patch of earth on which the enemy is standing, brings it up to the clouds, then stares them down before enveloping them in an upgraded attack that does massive damage called Giga Flare. To add insult to injury, the beaten-up enemy is then hurled back to the ground in a humiliating fashion.

5 Alexander

Divine Judgement

Alexander Final Fantasy 7 split image. Alexander looming over an enemy in battle, Alexander's in game model and an image of where the Materia can be found.

Alexander is, hands-down, one of the coolest summons in the Final Fantasy series. The idea of a mobile robot fortress as a summon is a masterstroke. Alexander personifies its awesomeness in Final Fantasy 7, using the improved 3D visuals to showcase the full extent of its power as it barrages the enemy with highly damaging missiles. This summon is obtained in the Great Glacier by interacting with the hot springs and defeating the enemy that appears.

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Alexander can also use the uncommon Holy element in battle, which is another huge plus. The only drawback is that not many enemies are weak to Holy, but the sheer power of Alexander's attack negates this to a large extent.

4 Bahamut ZERO

Intergalactic Laser Dragon

Final Fantasy 7 Bahamut Zero. Two images of Bahamut Zero in space, preparing to fire and firing its laser breath on the planet.

The final form of Bahamut you can acquire is the coolest and most powerful of the three. With an almost guaranteed chance to do 9,999 damage, summoning him is typically the first time you peak the damage limit. This Materia can be obtained in Cosmo Canyon, when you touch the huge blue Materia and have both the Bahamut and Neo Bahamut summon Materia in your inventory.

The summon animation of Bahamut ZERO is also a spectacle to watch as enemies get battered by his Tera Flare attack, which he just so happens to shoot from outer space. It's an easy summon to miss on a first playthrough if you don't use a guide, but well worth the effort.

3 Hades

Double Bubble, Toil & Status Effects

Final Fantasy 7 Hades split image. A close up of his face, and an image of him peering over his cauldron.

If Doomtrain was your preferred Guardian Force in Final Fantasy 8, then you should not be surprised to see Hades so far up the list. He's obtained in the sunken Gelnika's cargo room and costs 150 MP to summon. His damage might not be the greatest, but that's not the main draw of this particular summon.

Just like Doomtrain, Hades' Black Cauldron attack causes enemies to be inflicted by any of the following status ailments — Poison, Confuse, Sleep, Silence, Mini, Frog, Slow, and Paralysis. This summon can turn the tide of battle against bosses. You can just summon Hades instead of trying out all the status-inflicting attacks and spells to see which one a particular boss is susceptible to.

2 Phoenix

A Literal Life Saver

Final Fantasy 7 Phoenix flying above a battle.

Phoenix is one of the most useful summons in the entire series, including Final Fantasy 7. The ability to damage enemies and revive allies in the same turn is rare, and Phoenix is one of the few summons that can do so. This summon can be obtained after completing the Fort Condor side quest. It goes without saying that you should prioritize completing this particular side quest.

While its fire-based attack might not do a whole lot of damage, it's how you can use this summon that makes it so useful. If you pair the Final Attack Materia with this summon, then you basically get a guaranteed second chance if youfall in battle. Just before death, the injured party member will cast Phoenix, damaging the enemy and restoring all KO'd party members back to full health.

1 Knights Of The Round

Unmatched Caliber

Final Fantasy 7 Knights of the Round, a shot of all the knights against a white background.

There was absolutely no way you could make a list of the most powerful Final Fantasy 7 summons and not include the Knights of the Round. Obtaining this Materia is something of a chore since you need to breed a Golden Chocobo and bring it towards the hidden Round Island at the northeast corner of the map. But, once you witness the absolute destructive power contained in this summon Materia, you'll realize that their efforts were completely worth it.

Upon using this summon in battle for a whopping 250 MP, King Arthur and his 12 knights will come forth and attack the entire enemy party for a total of 13 powerful strikes. This amounts to a ridiculous amount of damage, and is more than enough to kill the majority of enemies you can encounter in the game.

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