Summoning has always been a pretty big part of the Final Fantasy universe. It's one of the cooler aspects of the series, allowing us to call down hulking gods and other helpful creatures to turn the tides of battle in our favor. It's become a mainstay in most of the modern releases and Final Fantasy X was no different. This time around, summons were called Aeons and came equipped with their own special attacks and massive finishing moves called Overdrives.
Thanks to the scale of Final Fantasy X and the visual upgrades, Aeons were a true sight to behold. They were hulking, pretty to look at, and came with their own classic over-the-top Final Fantasy-style summon animations. Unfortunately, there weren't all that many with only eight in total and three collected optionally.
Today we're taking a look at each Aeon and what they brought to the table. Which of these beasts is the best of the bunch, and which fall short?
8 Yojimbo
Although he looks amazing and has a powerful weapon that appears capable of slicing any foe in two, Yojimbo ends up at the bottom of our list. When it comes to combat prowess, the imposing Samurai falls short. He doesn't have access to an Overdrive ability and it'll end up costing you a pretty penny if you want him to dish out any real damage. The only way to get Yojimbo to attack your foes is to pay him some cold, hard Gil. This is on top of the upfront cost of 200,000 Gil that you'll need to fork over just to get the mercenary to join your team.
Thankfully, he's an optional pickup. Any completionists out there will definitely want to seek out Yojimbo but if you're simply looking for strong Aeons to add to your team, you're better off leaving this old soul to brood in his cave.
7 Ifrit
If you're looking for a solid attacker with some stout defense, Ifrit is definitely the way to go. Anyone who's played the Final Fantasy series before is likely familiar with this hulking fire-based beast as he's shown up in a multitude of titles. Simply put, he's a mainstay and his presence is often followed by a massive meteor strike of a blast of hellfire littering the battlefield. The beast is also capable of being healed (if you cast fire attacks on him). Unfortunately for Ifrit, he lands second to last on this list as he's simply a fire-element-based attacker and not much else.
6 Ixion
The Lightning Rod gets a bump past our firey-friend thanks to his utility with Aerospark. Not only does the attack dish out Lightning-based elemental damage but it also dispels all positive status enhancements from the enemy. Ixion features a high magic attack and magic defense making him exceptional at striking down mages and spellweavers alike.
Like Ifrit, Ixion can absorb Lightning-based attacks and turn them into health, increasing his longevity on the battlefield and allowing him to better strip boons from exceptionally tricky enemies.
5 Shiva
Like Ifrit, Shiva has found her way into many of Final Fantasy's entries. The Ice-imbued spellslinger is capable of freezing enemies and sending shattered shards of ice hurling towards her enemies with a snap of her fingers. She boasts less HP than others but makes up for it with high evasion and speed. Her attacks are also capable of inflicting the Threaten status, making it impossible for enemies to escape her icy grasp. If paired with Haste, Shiva becomes an absolute powerhouse, capable of dominating even the toughest of enemies. Like her elemental brethren, Shiva can be healed by Ice-based magics.
4 Bahamut
Bahamut doesn't have the luxury of self-healing like some of the elementals on this list but he more than makes up for it by boasting high HP, Defense, and Power. His non-elemental Overdrive attack, Mega Flare, dishes out massive damage and he's the only storyline (which must be obtained via the story and isn't option) Aeon that is capable of immediately surpassing the damage limiter. The other story-based summons must possess certain requirements to break their thresholds. This makes Bahamut an absolute powerhouse early on and through much of the game.
3 Valefor
This pick will likely come as a surprise to many who've played Final Fantasy X as Valefor is often considered one of the weakest summons available, especially when compared to the powerhouses that you can collect optionally. While it is true that the winged beast isn't so strong early on (compared to the elemental storyline-based summons you collect) she sees a massive uptick in viability later on.
Valefor is the only Aeon to gain access to two separate Overdrive attacks. She also comes equipped with a special attacked called Sonic Wings that can delay enemy turns. Later on, her speed stat climbs so high that she's quite capable of locking an enemy down in an endless cycle of turn-skipping, rendering them useless.
2 Anima
Anima is an optional Aeon and trust us when we say she's absolutely worth it. You should definitely be grabbing her as early as you can because she can quite literally dominate the battlefield for you for much of the game. Most of her stats exceed Bahamut's and she comes equipped with a wide array of attacks, including access to powerful spells in each element. Her special attack, Pain, inflicts massive damage and can even strike an enemy with Instant Death. Her Overdrive is nothing to snuff at either as it hits all enemies incredibly hard. Anima is definitely one of the strongest Aeons available but she barely loses the top spot to an even bigger threat.
1 The Magus Sisters
It takes a lot to unlock this trio. There are many pre-requisites that must be met but it's all for good reason. Quite frankly, The Magus Sisters seem a bit broken. If you're struggling with any battle, all you need to do is call forth these allies and they'll definitely dispatch the threat (usually with ease). They're a bit wonky compared to the other summons as they don't take "direct commands" but rather only suggestions. This can cause problems sometimes as they'll end up doing things you wish they hadn't in a strange sort of "bad luck RNG madness" but those moments are far and in-between. Usually, they'll handle business and completely decimate whatever they see with Delta Attack. Three heads are definitely better than one, especially when it comes to Aeons.