Final Fantasy is one of the leading gaming franchises out there and its name is known by players all around the world. As well as being instantly recognizable as a prestigious game brand, the series has many mascots and familiar faces that have become synonymous with its long-running history.
Recurring aspects within the series include summonable creatures, crystal themes, familiar monsters, among many other elements. A fan-favorite monster that has become part and parcel of the Final Fantasy experience is the Tonberry. These deceptively cute little critters are stronger than they look, and there's sure to be a thing or two that you didn't know about these guys.
10 First Appearance
The Tonberry first appeared as an enemy in Final Fantasy 5, which first released on the SNES in 1992 but only in Japan. Fortunately, international players eventually got hands-on with the game when it released as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology for PlayStation 1 in 1999. It was later ported to the GameBoy Advance, received a mobile version, as well as being released digitally for various formats.
Tonberries haven't always gone by the same name, with some installments referring to the little green guy as a dinglberry or pug. There are also boss variants, such as the Tonberry King or Don Tonberry, who can vary in size as well as name.
9 Knife
The signature weapon of the tonberry is its super sharp knife that can do some serious damage to players. Though they are slow-moving, once the tonberry is within knife range of the player's character they deal massive amounts of damage, sometimes even insta-killing the player.
Not only is the knife reminiscent of horror slasher films, which is accurate for the deadly little creatures, but it's also a particular kind of knife. The knife that the tonberry wields is a Japanese kitchen knife, varying in design from western knives in the handle and blade, as well as the way in which it is constructed.
8 Familiar, You May Find Him
With its small stature, green skin, and brown robe, it's hard not to see the likeness between the Tonberry and Yoda from Star Wars. Square Enix didn't miss the similarities either and seemingly made a bit of an easter egg out of it in Final Fantasy 15.
During the "Legend Wrapped in Enigma" sidequest, players can encounter Sir Tonberry at night. Not only does its knighthood name remind fans of Jedi knights, but it's fighting style closely resembles Yoda's battle style. Additionally, it shoots purple beams from its knife making it look as though it's wielding a lightsaber. Interestingly, with their pale skin and blackened robe with a raised hood, these special Tonberries look more like Siths than Jedis.
7 Role in Game
Though Tonberries first appeared as an enemy monster, their role soon evolved into other areas of the games. In certain Final Fantasy titles you could get a tonberry as a summon, such as in Final Fantasy 8 where you would earn yourself the Tonberry GF by defeating the Tonberry King.
Additionally, in Final Fantasy 11 the Tonberries were an NPC race, as well as monsters you fought. Tonberries are used in much the same way in Final Fantasy 14, with the game taking things a bit further as it has an NPC, Surito Carito, who was turned into a tonberry by the Nymian Plague. Surito Carito is a key NPC to the scholar job quests.
6 Party Tonberry
The tonberry got another role upgrade in Final Fantasy Type-0 where he became a party member, complete with mini uniform and unique knife and lantern. This particular tonberry is a companion/pet to Class Zero's commanding officer, Kurasame Susaya. Kurasame saved the tonberry's life and so it stays with him to repay its debt, as well as sharing the news of kind humans with the other tonberries.
Kurasame's tonberry becomes an active party member when support personnel is enabled, allowing AI-controlled NPCs to help you in battle. When Kurasame is unable to join the battlefield himself, he sends his tonberry in his stead.
5 They Hold a Grudge
Tonberries are unique in that they have a special ability throughout the series that makes them even deadlier - the ability to hold a grudge. Sometimes referred to as Karma, Rancor, Grudge, Everyone's Grudge, or even Ultimate Grudge, this special move deals damage based on the number of tonberries your character has slain.
This attack can be particularly deadly if you have been farming tonberries, and the tonberry will often resort to using it when you are out of range of a knife attack. It is possible to build enough bad karma with the tonberries that the move will insta-kill your characters.
4 Design Origins
Many fans believe that the design of the tonberry is based on the folklore of the Sea Monk, or Umibozu as it is known in Japan. This fabled creature is said to be a mix of man and fish, have a bald head, and wear a robe reminiscent of monks.
Additionally, with the tonberries always holding their lanterns, it's possible their design also draws on the legend of the will-o'-the-wisps; ghostly lights that were believed to lead travelers astray and sometimes to their demise. The jack-o'-lantern folk tales also might have an influence, as it is said that after being tricked by the devil, Jack was doomed to walk the world holding a lantern, which was lit by the coals of hell.
3 Tonberry Variants
Though tonberries throughout the Final Fantasy series typically have the same standard appearance with usual knife and lantern, they did vary in design in Final Fantasy 11. Here the creatures took on a less adorable character model, complete with head warts, and possessed a different style knife or sometimes even a club.
Additionally, some of the tonberries within Final Fantasy 11 take on a new color palette and were known as "vileberries" and "crptonberries". These variants are decked out in fancier gear than their standard counterparts, giving them a more gothic look.
2 Guest Appearances
As one of the most beloved Final Fantasy mascots, it's no surprise that the tonberry has appeared in other games as an easter egg for fans. Most recently, tonberry appeared in Kingdom Hearts 3 as a constellation, which when you discover it will net you the blueprint for the rather awesome tonberry gummi ship.
Other games that the tonberry has guest appeared in are Rise of Mana, Puzzle & Dragons, Dynami Racer, Lord of Vermillion III, and many more. As one of the mainstays of the Final Fantasy franchise, tonberry is sure to pop up in future titles too.
1 The Tonberry That Never Was
The tonberries of Final Fantasy 11 might already be enough to put you off the normally otherwise cute critters, but there was almost a tonberry even more grotesque in design. These darker looking creatures were set to feature in the Final Fantasy spin-off game that was codenamed "Fortress".
Planned to be set in the world of Final Fantasy 12, players would have taken on the role of Basch fon Ronsenburg in this third-person action game. Fortress would have used weapon interaction as a key feature; emphasizing the use of countering and evasion, while allowing players to disarm enemies or gain advantages based on the weakness of their opponent's weapon. Regrettably, this game never came to fruition.