Summon of the Month - January - Odin

In the Centra Ruins, Squall and his team must battle against the clock to obtain the legend that is Odin, an untameable force of power. Upon finding him, he will speak to Squall; "The weak shall perish. The strong shall triumph." Then, the battle will ensue to earn his sword in future battles.

Taken from Norse Mythology, the Final Fantasy inspiration for Odin is almost identical to his Godly self! In the Mythology, Odin is said to be the King of the Gods, and the grand ruler of Asgard. In artist depictions of him, he rides an eight legged horse named Sleipnir, and wields a spear which never misses its target, Gugnir.


Perhaps what sets Odin apart from the other summons is his stark resemblance to his mythological counterpart. He is a summon which is taken almost directly from actual mythology and is placed in the setting of the game.

Like the other recurring summons, Odin provides a familiarity to Final Fantasy, and he’s a firm favourite with fans of the series. He has featured in many of the games, making his debut in Final Fantasy III and appearing in all the games through to IX. He did not appear in X, but returned for XI, XII and XIII.

In Final Fantasy VIII, Odin can be… temperamental, shall we say. He only appears randomly, and cannot be summoned at will, however, when he does decide to show up in battle, he will use his attack, ‘Zantetsuken’ which will cause an instant KO to the enemy. (A very useful advantage for the Island’s Between Heaven and Hell… When he decides to show up, that is)

Unfortunately, you can only use Odin up until the third disc of the game, as when fighting Seifer at the Lunatic Pandora, Odin appears ready to show this Knight who is boss; however he finds himself getting sliced in half by Seifer’s Hyperion.


Odin is a powerful summon, there is no doubt about it, and he is certainly not to be underestimated, as proven in Final Fantasy IX when Queen Brahne uses the Dark Matter to summon him from the sky. He races down on Sleipnir, surrounded by fiery clouds to destroy the beautiful Cleyra, with a single throw of his spear, Gugnir. He then rides away, leaving a trail of destruction behind him – to the absolute delight of Queen Brahne.

One of his most unique appearances is in Final Fantasy XIII, where he is a controllable and interactive summon. Found in the Vile Peaks, he is Lightning’s Eidolon, and challenges her to prove her strength to him in battle.


In Final Fantasy XIII, Odin is much more personal to the player, he is almost a guide to Lightning throughout her adventure, and he features in many of the FMV sequences and feels like another character entirely. In X, we were given the option to play as the Aeons we obtained, but not to this level. In XIII, the Eidolons are fully interactive in battle, and are more akin to the ultimate dress-spheres found in X-2.

In XIII the character and the Eidolon become one. During the opening sequence to XIII-2, the player controls Lightning in battle as she rides across the beach on Odin, he is an enhancement to Lightning, and an extension of her power.

Just like our previous feature, I interviewed a member of our forum to share their thoughts on Odin, this month, I chose our resident Sailor Suit Barret lover, DK!

What are your feelings about Odin as a Final Fantasy Summon?
Which Odin incarnation is your favourite from the series?
What is it about Odin, which makes him such a well-lovedpart of the Final Fantasy series?
Maybe you have your own Odin related anecdote from playing through Final Fantasy, maybe he’s not your favourite summon, or maybe he is,but whatever the case is, please share your thoughts! And that’s it for this month! Tune in again to see which magnificent summon of the series will be featured next!