All Versions of Masamune in Final Fantasy

With a base attack power of 56, the original Final Fantasy‘s Masamune is actually the most powerful melee weapon in the game, and players will locate this legendary blade within the game’s final dungeon, the Chaos Shrine. Although later versions of the game would add in much more powerful blades, the original Famicom/NES release of Final Fantasy features its version of Masamune as the game’s ultimate weapon, even going so far as to allow every class in the game to equip the blade.

Like the original Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy II‘s Masamune is the most powerful blade in the entire game and also awaits the player within the game’s final dungeon Pandaemonium. It has a staggering 150 base attack power along with a 90% hit rate, making it one of the most deadly melee weapons in the game and a must-have for characters utilizing physical abilities. That said, the Blood Sword far outperforms it in the final battle with the Emperor.

Final Fantasy III is the first game in the series to require players to defeat a guardian for Masamune before they can acquire the blade, pitting the party against Kunoichi within the forbidden realm of Eureka in order to get their hands on it. Even though acquiring Masamune is no easy feat, it’s well worth the trouble with its attack power of 132, making it the most powerful Dark Blade in the game (the Famicom version, at least) and the third-most powerful weapon overall.

Players will find Final Fantasy IV‘s Masamune in one of the final floors of the Lunar Subterrane just before their confrontation with Zemus. The dragon Ogopogo guards the blade and is one of the more difficult optional bosses in the game. Masamune is only equippable by Edge, where it serves as the character’s final weapon. Players will acquire the other ultimate katana for Edge (the Murasame) earlier in the Lunar Subterrane and be able to use both blades for a combined base attack power of 110.

Final Fantasy V‘s Masamune is one of the legendary Sealed Weapons that await the party within the Sealed Castle before they can enter the void and challenge Exdeath. As the ultimate katana in the game, only the Freelancer and Samurai jobs can equip the blade, but its user has the advantage of always acting first in battle. The Masamune’s high attack power and critical hit chance make it one of the best melee weapons in Final Fantasy V.

The version of the legendary katana that appears in Final Fantasy VI actually goes by the name “Aura” until the Game Boy Advance release of the title, at which point it forever becomes Masamune in all later versions. Unlike prior incarnations of the blade, Final Fantasy VI‘s Masamune is a strong weapon but not one of the ultimate weapons players can acquire for its wielder, Cyan. Though it has a respectable attack power of 162 and is one of the rewards for the optional encounter against Wrexsoul in Cyan’s dream, it pales in comparison to the power of the ultimate katanas the hero can acquire.

Masamune takes on a much different form for the series in Final Fantasy VII, where instead of being a weapon that players can acquire it exists as the legendary katana of the game’s antagonist Sephiroth. As such, this is the weapon that the villain uses to extinguish the life of Aerith, which only strengthens Cloud and his companions’ resolve to fulfill their mission of stopping Sephiroth from destroying the planet.

The Masamune is one of Zidane’s final weapons and becomes available during Final Fantasy IX‘s 4th disc in the Black Mage Village. Players will need to synthesize the weapon in order to acquire it, and it takes on a bit of a different appearance from previous versions of the Masamune. Instead of being a single katana, Final Fantasy IX‘s Masamune is instead two katanas joining at the hilt. In addition to its high attack power, this weapon has the ability to inflict the Doom status when Zidane uses his Soul Blade ability while wielding it.

Final Fantasy X‘s Masamune is the Celestial Weapon for Auron, only obtainable after acquiring the Celestial Mirror and Rusty Sword earlier in the adventure. It has the unique ability of dealing more damage the lower Auron’s HP is, which the game uses a formula to calculate. At 1 HP, Auron is capable of breaking the damage limit and dealing 216% damage when wielding the Masamune. Additionally, fully upgrading the sword (which requires tracking down both the Mars Crest and Mars Sigil) will also allow Yojimbo to break the damage limit. The Masamune is the only Celestial Weapon in Final Fantasy X that can exceed 100% damage.

The Masamune in Final Fantasy XI is one of the game’s Empyrean Weapons, obtainable only after completing its quest as part of the Trial of the Magians. Since, like in previous games in the series, it is a katana, it is only equippable by the Samurai advanced job. Additionally, it requires the harvesting of several rare materials from Notorious Monsters in order to fully upgrade it to its Afterglow form.

The version of Masamune that appears in Final Fantasy XII is one of the game’s most powerful weapons, which is only enhanced by having whoever wields it do so with the Genji Gloves equipped as well. Original versions of Final Fantasy XII assign the blade an attack power of 93 and a combo rate of 40%, which changes to 111 attack and 30% combo rate in the later Zodiac Age versions of the game. Actually acquiring the blade requires players to complete the Gilgamesh Hunt, acquire the Masamune license, and pay 350,000 gil.

Final Fantasy XV originally included the Masamune as an exclusive bonus for players who pre-ordered the game, though now it’s possible to download the weapon as a DLC purchase. Though it still resembles previous incarnations of the Masamune throughout the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XV actually places the blade in the Greatswords category and assigns it an attack power of 88. Comparing it to other blades in the game shows that the Masamune is actually more of an early-game weapon in Final Fantasy XV rather than an ultimate or endgame weapon.

Most of the weapons that Clive wields throughout Final Fantasy XVI reference past legendary armaments that appear time and again throughout the series, with its Masamune joining the ranks of Ragnarok, Excalibur, and the Ultima Weapon, among others. Players can acquire the Masamune after finally arriving in Waloed to confront King Barnabas and the weapon is technically missable, as it lies in a treasure chest that is definitively off the mission’s critical path. It has an excellent attack power of 310, though that is quickly outpaced by the Ragnarok (which most players will have already acquired before reaching The Shadow Coast).