Thoughts on the Chibitalia Scene in Hetalia: Axis Powers Episode 1

The Chibitalia scene introduces us to some of the Hetalia characters in their chibi forms, which should be pretty cute but isn’t really all that nice. What's there to like and dislike about this scene?  

Chibitalia scene in Hetalia: Axis Powers

The Chibitalia scene happens right after the World War I scene in season 1, episode 1 of the Hetalia: Axis Powers (#ad) anime and manga series by Hidekaz Himaruya. This is the last scene that happens before episode 1 ends.

Scene changes in Hetalia episode 1

The scene changes in this particular episode have gone from ridiculous to completely ridiculous. Seriously. Totally not amused at all. Look at this:

1. First, we were in the future with the world meeting scene
2. Second, we were brought to the ancient past with the Roman Empire scene
3. Third, we go to what is presumably the present with the World War 1 scene
4. Fourth, we are taken to the past with the Chibitalia scene

What’s up with that? Where’s the chronological order and what’s with all the scene changes?

Chibitalia Characters

In the Chibitalia scene, we see some of the characters as chibi. They should have looked cute and, well, they sort-of are, but not really. 

They have the potential to look really cute once the art improves because, as usual, the quality of the Hetalia art in this episode leaves much to be desired. But I’ve seen cuter chibi versions of the Hetalia characters so it is possible for all of them to look cute.

Chibi Italy

We are directly introduced to North Italy who tells us about his Big Brother France and another big brother who isn’t named yet.

We see him standing with a blond guy (not France, someone else. We see Italy in-between France and this other blond kid) and I'm actually not sure who this guy is. Is that Finland or the Holy Roman Empire or someone else entirely? Do you know who that other person is?  

Some confusing parts in the Chibitalia scene

• We are told that Italy used to live with some of the other countries, which seems to imply that he was once a part of the Holy Roman Empire
• Then, he was suddenly taken away by his grandfather, who was apparently the Roman Empire
• Why did Italy’s grandfather take him away? Why did he suddenly go back to seeing France and the Holy Roman Empire?

Unanswered questions in Chibitalia scene

All these questions aren’t answered in the Chibitalia scene. A lot of this probably has basis in history but that shouldn’t mean that Hetalia shouldn’t make things clearer for its audience especially for those who may not be all that well-versed in world history or for those who might find this stuff interesting but who don’t have much time to research these things.

Conclusion

So, what about you? What do you think about the Chibitalia scene in the Hetalia: Axis Powers anime? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging this post.

Notes:

• pic is from Amazon.com; link shown above
• originally published on my Hetalia Archives blog on May 26th, 2015 5:04:14am

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Spheres Guide and Plans

In the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game, you get a Sphere every time you Purple an Ex weapon or get it to Ex+ 3/3. These Spheres increase stats like Attack and Max Brave. Each character has 3 Sphere Slots.

So far, I’ve only given Spheres to a few chars. This post lists those Spheres and chars, including possible Sphere plans for other charas and potential new plans for those who already have Spheres.

Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy XV

My Noctis is currently equipped with the following Spheres:

• Raijin’s (from Final Fantasy VIII) Break Hit Physical Attack Up Longer A Sphere. Its effect is:

When inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break:
• Raises PHY ATK by 15% for 6 turns
*Does not stack with same sphere

• Noel Kreiss’s (from Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII) Breaking Attack Up Shorter A Sphere. Its effect is:

When attacking target afflicted with Break:
• Raises ATK by 15% for 3 turns
*Does not stack with same sphere

• Seymour Guado’s (from Final Fantasy X) Debuff Success Raging Attack Up E Sphere. Its effect is:

Raises own ATK by 3% when inflicting debuff on target up to 5 times, once per turn
*Does not stack with same sphere

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Noctis:

Noctis Lucis Caelum is primarily a damage dealer, so it’s best to maximize his Attack and BRV damage. He can gain BRV based on his Attack stat, so Attack up Spheres might be more preferable than those that increase BRV damage dealt though either should be fine. Raijin’s Sphere raises Physical Attack, which isn’t the same as Attack, so this won’t affect Noctis’s BRV gain.

So if I was trying to maximize his BRV gain, I’d give him the following Spheres:

• Noel’s for the 15% Attack up
• A Spheres that increase Attack by 10% such as Tifa Lockhart’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Critical Attack Up Longer. Those that increase another stat is also a good option such as Machina Kunagiri’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Break Hit Base Attack Up Shorter, which raises both the Attack and Initial Brave stats by 10%, or Yang Fang Leiden’s (from Final Fantasy IV) Critical Attack Boost Up Shorter, which raises both the Attack and Max Brave stats by 10%
• Seymour’s for the 15% Attack up, or Yuffie Kisaragi’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Debuff Success Attack Boost Up Shorter, which raises both the Attack and Max Brave stats by 10%

If I wanted to focus on increasing his BRV damage, then I could stack 2 A Spheres that increase this by 10% such as Cloud Strife’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Critical Power. Unfortunately, so far, there are no E Spheres that increase BRV damage, so Noctis would have to settle for Seymour’s or Yurffie’s Spheres.

Plans:

I’m actually really happy with my Sphere choices for Noctis. Raijin’s may not be the best for him, but I gave it to him anyway because I really wanted to stack as much Attack as I could on one char. I don’t regret this and, at the moment, I have no plans of changing his equipped Spheres anytime soon.

Zack Fair from Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

My Zack is currently equipped with the following Spheres:

• Machina Kunagiri’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Break Hit Initial Attack Up Shorter A Sphere. Its effect is:

Raises INT BRV, ATK by 10% for 3 turns when inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break

• Jecht’s (from Final Fantasy X) Critical Initial Attack Up Shorter A Sphere

Raises INT BRV, ATK by 10% for 3 turns when dealing critical hit

• Snow Villiers’ (from Final Fantasy XIII) Target Attack Up B Sphere

Raises ATK by 10% while targeted by enemies

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Zack:

Zack is actually my current fave char in this game. Which was why I really took the time to think about and plan what Spheres to give to him, so much so that I even ended up writing several posts about this. 

I think the Spheres I gave him are the perfect or best ones for him. He’s an offensive tank and his barrier shield scales off Initial Brave, which was why I decided to focus on ATK and INT BRV for his Spheres. Unfortunately, up to now, there’s still no B Sphere that increases both Attack and Initial Brave, so I had to settle for Snow’s Sphere instead.

Plans:

If a B Sphere that increases both ATK and INT BRV ever shows up, I might give it to Zack. For now though, I’m perfectly fine with his currently equipped Spheres and have no plans to change them anytime soon. 

Lightning (Claire Farron) from Final Fantasy XIII

My Lightning is equipped with the following Spheres:

• Prishe’s (from Final Fantasy XI) Weak Attack Boost Up Shorter A Sphere

When attacking target’s weakness:
• Raises own MAX BRV, ATK by 10% for 3 turns
*Does not stack with same sphere

• Ardyn Izunia’s (Ardyn Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy XV) Break Raging Attack Boost Up A Sphere

When inflicting Break:
• Raises MAX BRV, ATK by 2% up to 5 times, once per turn
*Does not stack with same sphere

• Hope Estheim’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Buff Success Attack Boost All Shorter D Sphere

After granting buff:
• Raises party’s MAX BRV, ATK by 5% for 3 turns
*Does not stack with same sphere    

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Lightning:

As a char who is primarily a DPS, Lightning wants either Attack or BRV Damage up Spheres or a combination of both. Her secondary stats are Max Brave and Initial Brave.

To maximize her Attack, I’d go with the following A Spheres:

• King’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Break Attack Up Shorter, which “raises ATK by 20% for 3 turns when inflicting Break (*Does not stack with same sphere)”  

Lightning is one of the few chars who can consistently and constantly fulfill the activation condition of this Sphere since she can break and rebreak her opponents.

• Noel’s for the 15% Attack up

The highest increase D Spheres offer is 5% so Hope’s Sphere is perfectly fine on her, especially since it actually raises 2 stats instead of just 1.

To maximize her Initial Brave alongside her Attack, then I could go with Jecht’s and Machina’s Spheres.

Plans:

I’m happy with my Sphere choices for Lightning and currently have no plans to change them anytime soon. I could have given her King’s Sphere, but I decided to focus on raising her Attack and Max Brave stats instead.

Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII

My Cloud is equipped with the following Spheres:

• Tifa Lockhart’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Critical Attack Up Longer A Sphere

Raises ATK by 10% for 6 turns when dealing critical hit

• Sazh Katzroy’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Critical Attack All Longer D Sphere

When dealing critical hit:
• Raises party’s ATK by 5% for 6 turns

• Faris Scherwiz’s (Sarisa Scherwil Tycoon from Final Fantasy V) Full HP Critical Poison All E Sphere

Grants effect for 6 turns that reduces enemy’s BRV by 30% of individual INT BRV at start of enemy’s turn when dealing critical hit while HP at MAX
*Does not stack with same sphere

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Cloud:

Cloud Strife wants either Attack or BRV Damage up Spheres as a DPS with some utility. He can increase his BRV based on his ATK stat, so Spheres that raise that are preferable. 

To maximize his Attack, I’d go with Noel’s Sphere. Sazh’s Sphere is fine on him, but if I also wanted him to give the party 5% Max BRV alongside ATK, then I’d give him Queen’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Break Hit Attack Boost All Short.

The top most recommended E Sphere for Cloud was Seymour’s. What’s good about this for him is the fact that the Attack up has no turn duration. The only debuff that Cloud inflicts is paralysis and that doesn’t happen all the time so E Spheres that require him to inflict a debuff and that only last for a few turns aren’t good for him.

Plans:

I’m not entirely pleased with my Sphere choices for Cloud. But, at the same time, I’m not sure I want to change them. For one thing, the items needed to remove Spheres without losing them can only be acquired using real money. We were all given 3 for free, and I’ve yet to use mine, but I’m not sure I want to use them on Cloud.

I could overwrite the Spheres, but I don’t want to lose them. More than that, I only have 1 Noel Sphere, and it’s already equipped to Noctis. As aforementioned, I’m perfectly happy with my Sphere choices for Noctis and don’t want to change them anytime soon. Anyway, it’s just an additional 5% Attack. Tifa’s Sphere works well enough.

As for his D Sphere - I’m kinda okay with this. It may not be the best, but the important thing is that it raises the Attack stat.

Cloud’s E Sphere is the one I really want to change. Faris’s Sphere isn’t that bad, but let’s be real here. Its effect isn’t that good either. 30% of individual INT BRV is really not that high, so it barely makes a difference when enemies get like thousands of brave at once. It really would be better to give Cloud an Attack up Sphere like Seymour’s. 

Too bad I’m also not swimming in Seymour’s Spheres. If I ever manage to get another copy of his Ex - well, I’d have to spend all the necessary resources in order to acquire a second copy of his Sphere, and right now, I’m not sure I want to do that. We’ll see, I guess. For now, I guess I’m just gonna have to live with these Spheres on Cloud.

Kuja from Final Fantasy IX

My Kuja is equipped with the following Spheres:

• Kuja’s (from Final Fantasy IX) Mighty All Range A Sphere. Its effect is:

Increases BRV damage dealt with group BRV attacks by 10%

• Alisaie Leveilleur’s (from Final Fantasy XIV) Critical Magic Attack Up Longer A Sphere. Its effect is:

Raises MAG ATK by 15% for 6 turns when dealing critical hit
*Does not stack with same sphere

• Desch’s (from Final Fantasy III) Buff Success Raging Attack All D Sphere. Its effect is:

After granting buff:
• Raises party’s ATK by 1% up to 5 times, once per turn
*Does not stack with same sphere

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Kuja:

Kuja is a magical DPS with a bit of party utility, so he appreciates Spheres that increase his Attack, magical Attack, and/or BRV damage. To maximize his magical Attack, I’d give him 2 A Spheres that raise the aforementioned stat by 15%. His currently equipped D Sphere is fine, but if I wanted him to also raise the party’s Max BRV, then I could give him either Hope’s or Queen’s Spheres.

Plans:

I’m happy with my Sphere choices for Kuja. Initially, I was considering giving him 2 Spheres that raise his magical Attack by 15% each, but after hearing that his potencies were kinda low and he’d love an increase in BRV damage, I decided to go with his own Sphere and Alisaie’s for a combination of both.

Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII

My Tifa currently has no Spheres equipped. But I do have all of her currently available weapons and she’s at Ex+ 3/3 or Purple. I’m planning to pull for her upcoming LD, and I like her well enough, so I do want to fill out her Sphere Slots. I just need to think about which ones to give to her.

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Tifa:

Tifa Lockhart (#ad) is a single target DPS, so she prefers Spheres that increase her Attack and BRV damage. She can also increase her BRV based on her Attack stat. 

So to maximize that BRV gain, I would give her Noel’s A Sphere. Yang’s is another good option to raise both her Attack and Max Brave stats. For her D Sphere, I could go with Queen’s, but either of the following is also acceptable:

• Lyse Hext’s (from Final Fantasy XIV) Break Hit Attack All Longer

After inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break:
• Raises party's ATK by 5% for 6 turns

• Deuce’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) All Buff Attack Up 3

Raises party's ATK by 5% with 3 or more active buffs

Plans:

Much as I’d love to, I can’t give Noel’s Sphere to Tifa. Even if I somehow manage to get a second copy of said Sphere, it’ll likely go to Cloud. I can’t give her Yang’s Sphere either. So, for now, my plan is to give her the following Spheres:

• Onion Knight’s (from Final Fantasy III) Critical Raging Attack Up A Sphere

Raises ATK by 2% when dealing critical hit up to 5 times, once per turn

• Shadow’s (from Final Fantasy VI) Single Critical Attack Up Longer A Sphere

Raises ATK by 10% for 6 turns when dealing critical hit to single target

• either Deuce’s or Lyse’s D Spheres

I have the Ex weapons of the aforementioned charas, so all I need to do is Purple said weapons in order to acquire their respective Spheres. For now, I’m holding off on doing so since it’s not like I’m using Tifa this very moment anyway. 

Machina Kunagiri from Final Fantasy Type-0

My Machina is equipped with the following Spheres:

• Oerba Yun Fang’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Break Hit Attack Up Longer (RF) A Sphere
  

When inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break:
• Raises own ATK by 4% for 6 turns

• Yang Fang Leiden’s (from Final Fantasy IV) Critical Attack Boost Up Shorter A Sphere

When dealing critical hit:
• Raises MAX BRV and ATK by 10% for 3 turns
*Does not stack with same sphere

• Celes Chere’s (from Final Fantasy VI) Ability BRV Gain B Sphere

Increases BRV by 40% of INT BRV after using ability, once per turn
*Also applies to abilities changed from BRV Attack, HP Attack

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Machina:

Machina is a DPS who gains BRV based on his Attack and HP damage dealt, so a combination of Attack and BRV Damage up Spheres are best for him. He has a BRV Regen that’s based on his Initial Brave, so increasing that as a secondary stat is also a viable option. 

So to maximize his Attack stat, I’d give him Noel’s and Yang’s Spheres. To maximize his Initial Brave as well, I’d go with his own Sphere as well as Jecht’s.

Out of all the currently available B Spheres, the best one for him is undoubtedly Celes’s since he’s capable of taking a lot of turns. Plus, he’s not a tank and he can’t taunt or lock enemies into targeting him, so most B Spheres won’t work for him.   

Plans:

Initially, I only pulled for Machina because I wanted his Sphere for Zack. But I ended up liking him, so I don’t regret Purpling him. I even planned to pull for his LD when it showed up in the banner that came with his Lost Chapter event. Thankfully, I was able to obtain his LD. It was then that I decided I wanted to give him Spheres. I have every intention of filling out all of his Slots with real Spheres, but since I couldn’t decide on a second A Sphere for him, I gave him Fang’s RF Sphere for now.

However, now, I found that I really regret giving him Yang’s Sphere. I wish I hadn’t done it. It’s just that Yang’s is probably one of the best Spheres in the game since it raises 2 stats by 10% and it has an activation condition that’s fairly easy for pretty much all chars with an A Slot to fulfill. 

Maybe I wouldn’t have regretted giving this Sphere to Machina if I’d actually been able to use him a lot more than I did. The problem was that I was able to get Noctis’s and Ardyn's full kits soon after Machina. This included their Burst weapons, and so I ended up using them instead of Machina.  

Needless to say, I’ve now found myself seriously thinking about using one of my free Reset Stones to remove Yang’s Sphere from Machina. I’ve been able to refrain from doing so simply because I don’t know yet who to give Yang’s Sphere to. I just know that it shouldn’t be on Machina anymore. I think I really will remove Yang’s Sphere once I find someone to give it to. Until then, I guess it’ll have to stay with Machina for now.

As for Celes’s Sphere - well, I don’t think I mind that much that Machina has it. So far, I haven’t thought of anyone else to give it to. 

I might still give Machina Spheres even if I end up removing the ones he’s currently equipped with. I mean, I do still like him. And it’s not his fault I didn’t get to use him as much as I would have wanted to. Still, the fact remains that I don’t want him to have Yang’s Sphere. So I could just give him other Spheres that raise the Attack stat by 10%. We’ll see, I guess.

Aerith or Aeris Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII

My Aerith currently has no Spheres equipped. But I do have all of her currently available weapons and she’s at Ex+ 3/3 or Purple. I’m planning to pull for her upcoming LD, and I like her well enough, so I do want to fill out her Sphere Slots. I just need to think about which ones to give to her.

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Aeris:

Although Aerith is a support slash healer, most, if not all, of her stat gains are based on her Attack. For instance, she can increase HP Recovery and BRV gain based on her Attack stat. So the best Spheres for her are those that increase the aforementioned stat. Her secondary stat is Initial Brave, but she also has a Max Brave aura, so increasing that isn’t a bad idea either. So I’d give her the following Spheres:   

• Noel’s A Sphere
• either Queen’s, Lyse’s, or Deuce’s D Spheres  

C Spheres are a little harder to decide on though since none of the currently available ones seem to be the absolute best for Aerith. Let’s see:

• Garnet Til Alexandros XVII’s (from Final Fantasy IX) HP Heal Attack Up Longer

When recovering own HP:
• Raises own ATK by 10% for 6 turns

The issue with this is the fact that Aeris only recovers HP whenever she uses her skills or Ex. Her skills don’t deal damage, so it’s not a good idea to spam them. Her Ex does charge fairly fast enough, and the turn duration for this Sphere is 6 turns, so maybe it’s fine. Guess I’ll have to think about this some more.

• Maria’s (from Final Fantasy II) HP Heal Base Attack All Shorter

After recovering HP:
• Raises party's INT BRV, ATK by 5% for 3 turns

This has the same issue as Garnet’s Sphere, only with a much shorter turn duration, so I’m really not sure about this one.

• Alphinaud Leveilleur’s (from Final Fantasy XIV) Buff Success Base Attack All Shorter

After granting buff:
• Raises party's INT BRV, ATK by 5% for 3 turns

Aerith grants buffs with all of her moves, all except for her HP+ and BRV+. This seems like it could work for her, but I worry that the turn duration might be too short. I might end up using her HP+ or even her BRV+ more often than her skills. Of course, I’ll be using her Ex whenever it’s charged, but it might not be that often if I use her HP+ a lot.

The other C Spheres that increase stats like INT BRV and MAX BRV also have activation conditions similar to some of the aforementioned Spheres, so I’m not sure about them either. There are C Spheres that can heal the party or provide HP Regen, but these seem way too low to be useful. Besides, Aeris can already heal a lot with her skills, so I don’t think she needs these kinds of Spheres.

There are also C Spheres that can battery each party member based on their individual INT BRV or MAX BRV, but, again, these seem way too low to make much of a difference and Aerith can already battery the party. I suppose they’re something to consider if I really don’t have any other options. 

I think the best C Spheres for Aerith would be the ones that increase her Attack or that provide the party with an Attack up aura. Just need to double-check and make sure she can consistently and constantly proc at least one of these Spheres.

Plans:

For now, my tentative plan is to give Aerith the following Spheres:

• Vaan’s (from Final Fantasy XII) Full HP Attack Up

Raises ATK by 10% while HP is MAX

• either Garnet’s, Maria’s, or Alphinaud’s Spheres, whichever one Aeris can consistently and constantly proc
• either Lyse’s or Deuce’s Spheres, whichever one doesn’t go to Tifa

I have Vaan’s and Maria’s Ex weapons. My Garnet is Purple so I already have her Sphere. I’m missing Alphinaud’s Ex.

Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII

My Sephiroth is equipped with the following Spheres:

• Jecht’s (from Final Fantasy X) Critical Base Attack Up Shorter (RF) A Sphere

When dealing critical hit:
• Raises INT BRV, ATK by 4% for 3 turns

• Jack’s (from Final Fantasy Type-0) Critical Attack Up Shorter Power A Sphere

When dealing critical hit:
• Raises BRV damage by 5%, ATK by 5% for 3 turns

• Yuri’s (from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates) Full HP Attack Boost Up A Sphere

Raises own MAX BRV, ATK by 5% while HP is MAX

Did you notice what’s different here? Yup, that’s right. Sephiroth is equipped with what I like to call joke Spheres. They’re real Spheres and they even raise 2 stats instead of just 1, but they might as well be fake or RF Spheres considering how low their stat increases are. The minimum stat up from a standard A Sphere is 10%. So these Spheres that only raise a stat by like 5% is utterly laughable. 

So why does Seph have these crappy Spheres, you ask? Well, I talk more about this in another post, but see, the thing is, what I think about this guy is actually really kinda complicated. I mean, there are days when I absolutely, utterly loathe him with the fury of a thousand burning suns. But there also times wherein I don’t mind him at all.

I wanted to give him Spheres and yet, at the same time, I couldn’t commit to giving him decent ones. But now I've actually found myself thinking about giving him proper Spheres. I don’t know. I mean, why not, right? I have all these Spheres, so I might as well make use of them instead of just having them rot in my inventory, right?

There was also the fact that I actually ended up pitying Sephiroth’s Burst weapon, and so I wanted to use him as much as possible. But he really isn’t that good at all until he gets his rework and update, which doesn’t happen until much, much later. So I was thinking, why not give him some more decent Spheres to try to make up for his poor damage even if it’s just by a little bit?

Actual best or perfect Spheres for Sephiroth:

Sephiroth is a DPS. He can gain BRV based on his Attack and HP damage dealt, so the best Spheres for him are those that increase his Attack stat and/or BRV damage dealt. 

I could try maximizing his Attack by giving him Noel’s Sphere. Yang’s is another good one as well as Jecht’s and/or Machina’s. To maximize his BRV damage, I’d go with Cloud’s and other similar Spheres. Instead of triple Attack up or triple BRV Damage up Spheres, I could go with a combination of both. Maybe either 2 Attack up and 1 BRV Damage up or 2 BRV Damage up and 1 Attack up Spheres. Definitely gonna have to think about this some more.  

Plans:

If I’m maximizing Sephiroth’s Attack, then I’d give him the following A Spheres:

• Oerba Yun Fang’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Break Hit Attack Up Longer

Raises ATK by 10% for 6 turns when inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break

• Garland’s (from Final Fantasy I) Break Hit Raging Attack Up

Raises ATK by 2% when inflicting Break or attacking target afflicted with Break up to 5 times, once per turn

• Exdeath’s (from Final Fantasy V) Debuff Attack Up

While enemy is debuffed:
• Raises ATK by 10%

I have Fang’s Ex, but she’s not Purple. I’m missing Garland’s and Exdeath’s Ex weapons.

If I'm maximizing Sephiroth’s BRV damage, then I’d give him the following Spheres:

• Cloud Strife’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Critical Power

Raises BRV damage dealt with critical hits by 10%

• Gau’s (from Final Fantasy VI) Full HP Power

Increases BRV damage dealt by 10% while HP is MAX

• Edgar Roni Figaro’s (from Final Fantasy VI) Debuff Power  

Increases BRV damage dealt by 10% while an enemy is debuffed

• Vayne Carudas Solidor’s (from Final Fantasy XII) Broken Power

When attacking target afflicted with Break:
• Increases BRV damage dealt by 10%

My Cloud and Gau are both Purple so I already have their Spheres. I have Edgar’s and Vayne’s Ex weapons, but neither are Purple.

At the moment, I’m leaning towards giving Seph the BRV Damage up Spheres simply because they’re the ones I actually have. I’m not sure I want to Purple someone just for him though. Yeah, I’m definitely leaning towards no on Purpling someone for him, especially since the aforementioned chars have been heavily powercrept by now. Definitely gonna have to think about this some more.

Update: welp, I did it. I actually did it. I removed Jecht’s RF Sphere from Sephiroth then equipped him with Cloud’s Critical Power A Sphere. So far, I don’t regret it. I’ve been using him a lot lately since I ended up pitying his Burst weapon so it doesn’t feel like a waste to have given him this Sphere. I like seeing it show up on the upper left side of the screen every time it procs.

But, to be honest, I can’t really tell if it’s all that helpful or how useful it really is. I mean, I’m not really noticing any significant difference in his performance before I gave him this Sphere. His damage didn’t suddenly skyrocket or anything. It’s still pretty meh actually. He’s still pretty meh and will be until he gets his much needed rework and update, which will unfortunately not happen until much, much later.

I was also considering giving him Gau’s Sphere since I already have it, but couldn’t quite bring myself to go for it. Every time I think I’m really gonna do it already, I always find myself hesitating, unsure if it’d be worth it or if I’d just end up regretting it.

The recent quests I’d done with Sephiroth had me leaning towards NOT giving him Gau’s Sphere. He wasn’t always at full HP during these fights, so if he’d been equipped with Gau’s Sphere, it would have been useless a lot of the time, which doesn’t sit well with me at all. If I’m giving someone Spheres, I want the effects to be active pretty much all the time.

I’d rather give Edgar’s and Vayne’s Spheres to Sephiroth, but since neither are Purple and I don’t want to Purple them just for Seph, it looks like he’s gonna have to make do with his currently equipped Spheres for now. 

Who knows? Maybe I’ll change my mind later on or something. Maybe Edgar and Vayne will get pretty good updates or reworks that will make them worth Purpling.

Conclusion

So, how ‘bout you? Have you decided to use your Spheres? Which chars did you give them to? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging this post.

Notes:

• pics are from Amazon.com; link shown above
• screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account
• originally published on my main Tumblr blog on May 1st, 2021 11:22:34pm

Final Fantasy Record Keeper 7th Anniversary Festival Present Relic Draw

As part of the Final Fantasy Record Keeper (FFRK) mobile game’s 7th Anniversary Festival celebration, players get 1 free multi-draw on the Present Relic Draw banner.

AFAIK, the pull includes all the relics that are currently in the game and you’re only guaranteed to get at least one 5-star item so the chances of getting something crappy are very high. However, after you pull on this banner, you can pick a free Synchro Arcane Soul Break (SASB) from a very limited pool. The options are as follows:

1. Locke Cole’s (from Final Fantasy VI) SASB1
2. Terra Branford’s (from Final Fantasy VI) SASB1
3. Squall Leonhart’s (from Final Fantasy VIII) SASB1
4. Rinoa Heartilly’s (from Final Fantasy VIII) SASB2
5. Bartz Klauser’s (from Final Fantasy V) SASB1
6. Ultimecia’s (from Final Fantasy VIII) SASB1
7. Tifa Lockhart’s (from Final Fantasy VII) SASB1
8. Maria’s (from Final Fantasy II) SASB1
9. Kain Highwind’s (from Final Fantasy IV) SASB1
10. Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca’s (from Final Fantasy XII) SASB1
11. Tidus’s (from Final Fantasy X) SASB1
12. Onion Knight’s (from Final Fantasy III) SASB1
13. Paladin Cecil Harvey’s (from Final Fantasy IV) SASB
14. Minwu’s (from Final Fantasy II) SASB
15. Dark Knight Cecil Harvey’s (from Final Fantasy IV) SASB
16. Golbez’s (from Final Fantasy IV) SASB1

From that list, I already have a few dupes. Removing those dupes leaves me with the following:

• Locke SASB1
• Terra SASB1
• Rinoa SASB2
• Maria SASB1
• Kain SASB1
• Ashe SASB1
• Onion Knight SASB1
• Paladin Cecil SASB
• Minwu SASB
• Golbez SASB1

Welp, that’s still a lot of relics to choose from. Let’s take a closer look at them to try and narrow down the options some more. But first, let me just remove Ashe from the list already because I have her Sync 2 and it’s way better than her first Sync. There’s also the fact that each char can only equip 1 Sync at a time.

Locke SASB1, Phoenix Heat

Locke’s Sync 1 is for the physical fire element. I have his Awakened Arcane Soul Break 1 (AASB1) so getting his Sync would give me 2 BDL relics for him. But he has a Sync 2 which is way better, and my physical fire team is already really stacked so I don’t know about picking this one. 

Terra SASB1, Inferno Cross

Terra’s Sync 1 is for the magical fire element. Don’t have a single BDL relic for her but her AASB1, which is for the magical fire element as well, is Lensable. My magical fire team is already pretty stacked though so I prefer to power up my other teams. If I had to pick between Terra and Locke, I’m more inclined to go for the latter since at least I already have 1 of his Awakenings so won’t need to spend additional resources in order to make him usable. 

Rinoa SASB2, Angel Wing Cross

Rinoa’s Sync 2 is for the magical ice element. Have her magical ice AASB, 2 of her Ultra Soul Breaks (USB), her Limit Break Overstrike (LBO), and even her magical ice Chain Soul Break (CSB).

My magical ice tech is really lacking so, at the moment, I’m leaning towards picking Rinoa’s Sync 2 even if she herself may not be the best magical ice DPS.

Maria SASB1, Armageddon XCIX

Maria’s Sync 1 is for the magical earth element. Don’t have a single relic for her but her Awakening is Lensable. On the other hand, my magical earth team is already pretty good and Maria has a Sync 2 that’s way better than her Sync 1.

Kain SASB1, Blood Dragoon

Kain’s Sync 1 is for the physical lightning or thunder element. The only BDL relic I have for him is his Dual Awakening Soul Break (DASB) but one of his Awakenings is Lensable. He has a Sync 2 which is way better though and Kain makes use of dragoon and jump mechanics that I’m not too familiar with so not really sure about picking him. 

Onion Knight SASB1, Channel Water

Onion Knight’s Sync 1 is for the magical water element. Have 2 of his Awakenings but they’re for physical elements. Also have his magical earth Sync. His magical Awakening is Lensable though. My magical water tech is really lacking but I’m not sure about going with Onion Knight to help fill that void. Haven’t really heard a lot of good things about him when compared to other chars, and not really all that fond of him anyway.

Paladin Cecil SASB, Shine Braver

Paladin Cecil’s Sync is for either the physical holy or magical holy element. His AASB1 is Lensable. Like with Onion Knight, haven’t heard much good things about him as a DPS.

Minwu SASB, Holy XCIX

Minwu’s Sync is for the magical holy element. Already have his Awakening. My magical holy team is already pretty good but Minwu can help make it better. Aside from Rinoa, am currently leaning towards going for his Sync. It helps that I already have his AASB and won’t need to spend the Lenses needed to get it from the The Record Lab unlike with some of the other options here.

Golbez SASB1, Dark Meteor

Golbez’s Sync 1 is for the magical dark element. Don’t have a single BDL relic for him. Unfortunately, his Awakening isn’t Lensable so while I could use more magical dark tech, not sure picking him is the best option.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper 7th Anniversary Festival Present Relic Draw Free Sync Select

If I remove the chars whose Awakenings I have to Lens in order for them to have 2 BDL relics, I’m left with Locke, Rinoa, Kain, and Minwu. Still not sure whose Sync to pick though. Gonna need to think about this some more.

Later, much, much later: had a bit of a scare when I discovered that my Tumblr account had been terminated. There was some sort of mistake or accident or something. Thankfully, was able to get it back but that had been one of the most stressful and depressing weeks ever.

Will talk more about that in another post but the point is that this happened sometime during the Final Fantasy Record Keeper (#ad) 7th Anniversary Festival event. Needless to say, wasn’t feeling very festive at all and I ended up not bothering to pull on any of the fest banners. I only did the free draws since they were free.

After doing the FFRK 7th Anniversary Festival Present Relic Draw, I found myself at a loss as to which free Sync to pick. All my notes were on this post, which I obviously couldn’t access at that time. Sadly, I didn’t have any backups and was too upset to try and look things up again so I ended up ignoring the free Sync select for now. 

Really super thankful that I was able to get my Tumblr account back again. Now I need to backup everything! But that’s a story for another post. Anyway, now I’m fast running out of time to pick my free Sync since FFRK’s fest is ending soon so need to make a decision ASAP.

First, the free draw from this banner gave me Josef’s (from Final Fantasy II) Glint+ Soul Break. Meh. Don’t have a single BDL relic for him so this is useless.

Now to try narrowing down the Sync select list some more. Golbez’s Sync is out since getting it won’t do me any good considering his Awakening isn’t even Lensable.

Minwu is still an option, especially since I already have his AASB. Getting his Sync would make him better. Now that I’m thinking about it some more though, I’m not sure he actually has a place on my magical and mind holy team. 

Currently, I’ve got Rem Tokimiya (from Final Fantasy Type-0) as my main DPS with her Sync and AASB. Then I’ve got Hope Estheim (from Final Fantasy XIII) as my secondary DPS since I have 2 of his Awakenings. I can also make use of Rydia (from Final Fantasy IV) as another DPS since I have 2 of her Awakenings and her holy Sync.

Hmm. Okay, Minwu’s still in for now but Paladin Cecil might as well be out. If I’m getting a holy Sync, it might as well be Minwu’s as opposed to Cecil’s since at least I already have the former’s AASB.   

Onion Knight is out. It really doesn’t seem like he’s the answer to my need for a magical water DPS. I guess Kain should still be in since I do have his DASB. That’s the latest type of Soul Break in this game. If I get his Sync and AASB, then I’ll have 3 BDL relics for him. His Sync 1 may not be that good but it’s better than nothing.

Maria’s out. Even if I Lens her AASB and get her Sync 1, she won’t be better than my current magical earth DPS which are Rydia (also have her earth Sync) and Enna Kros (from World of Final Fantasy; have her Sync and AASB).

Rinoa’s still an option, especially since I recently got Vivi Ornitier’s (from Final Fantasy IX) ice and lightning magical Sync and AASB. Terra’s out. She has no place on my magical fire team unless I can get more BDL relics for her that will make her better than my current DPS. Locke’s out too. Might as well power up my other elemental teams as opposed to my most stacked element. 

So that leaves me with Rinoa’s Sync 2, Kain’s Sync 1, and Minwu’s Sync. I think I should just drop Minwu’s Sync already. I doubt getting his Sync would make him better than Rydia or Hope and Rem’s really, really good so he definitely won’t be better than her.

Now I’m left with Rinoa and Kain. Which Sync should I go for? Still not sure. Rinoa’s Sync will help me power up my magical ice team which is severely lacking. Other than Vivi, I don’t think I have any other magical ice Sync or AASB so I could really use more relics for this element. 

On the other hand, my lightning team is already pretty good. For physical lightning, I can go with Delita Heiral (from Final Fantasy Tactics) and Ravus Nox Fleuret (from Final Fantasy XV) as my DPS. I even just recently got Lightning’s (Claire Farron from Final Fantasy XIII) lightning Sync. Don’t have her lightning AASB but it is Lensable so I can also make use of her as yet another possible lightning DPS. 

So I guess I don’t really need Kain but the fact that I have the potential to get up to 3 BDL relics for him is actually kinda tempting. I only have Delita’s Sync and AASB. The same can be said for Lightning, assuming I Lens her Awakening. Well, I also have her second Awakening but that’s for the holy element. Ravus is the one who I have multiple BDL relics for, including his Sync, AASB, DASB, and even his True Arcane Soul Break (TASB) or Arcane Dyad Soul Break (ADSB). 

If I get Kain’s Sync and AASB, he might become better than Lightning or Delita. And I might be able to do more fights that require a physical lightning team. But - argh! I don’t know. Still can’t decide.

Taking a closer look at the descriptions of Rinoa’s and Kain’s Syncs revealed that they were basically the same right down to having a follow-up ability that can break the damage cap. The only difference was that one dealt lightning damage while the other dealt ice damage.

So I scrolled down to take a closer look at their Sync abilities. This was where they started to differ from each other. Rinoa’s Sync commands deal a lot of magical ice damage. Her Truespell Icefury Sync command 2 can also increase the damage of her ice abilities for 3 turns.

Kain’s Sync abilities also deal damage but they also come with gimmicks that can’t easily be ignored. His Sworn Lance Sync command 1 only deals 1 hit (as opposed to Rinoa’s Truespell Chillfrost which deals 6 hits) but it can break the damage cap. 

It also has a long delay before landing but his Dragoon Thunderbolt Sync command 2 will reduce the delay of his attacks by 2 turns. So it looks like you’re supposed to go Sync command 2 > Sync command 1 > Sync command 1 then back to Sync command 2. I guess this isn’t really that bad but it still seems annoying to have to deal with this.

In contrast to that, for Rinoa, it seems feasible to just spam her Sync command 1, especially if you have other chars who can boost her damage. Speaking of chars who can boost damage, I actually have Cait Sith’s (from Final Fantasy VII) Sync and AASB. He’s the premier support for magical chars.

For physical chars, I only have Tyro (from Final Fantasy Record Keeper). Unfortunately, he’s not that good. I mean, he works well enough but there are way better physical supports out there. It’s really too bad I don’t have the relevant Soul Breaks for those chars.

So right now, I’m leaning towards picking Rinoa’s Sync, especially after I saw that Dragoon-type abilities all have a long delay before they hit their target. Don’t have a single Dragoon-type ability so will have to create one or more if I’m going to use Kain. On the other hand, I already have magical-type abilities that Rinoa can equip.

Right, I think that settles it then. I’m going with Rinoa’s Sync. Hopefully, I don’t end up regretting this. But I really don’t have time to think more about this because the 7th anniversary festival event is about to end in FFRK.

And as mentioned in one of the announcements within the game, “Any unclaimed bonus relics that remain from this draw at the time it ends, will be chosen for you at random.” So Rinoa’s Sync it is.

Conclusion

So what about you? Which Sync did you end up picking? Do you wish we had more and better options to choose from? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

• screenshots are from my Final Fantasy Record Keeper game account
• also published on my Final Fantasy Archives blog and scheduled to be published on my main Tumblr blog