Could Dagger/Garnet technically be considered a Red Mage?

A while ago, when playing through FFIX, I decided to level up all the characters and have as many of them learn as many of their abilities as possible. Switching Vivi out, temporarily, I replaced him with (delete as appropriate) Dagger/Garnet.

I found that summoning Shiva (since I was fighting those dragons) was effectively just as good as casting Blizzaga; I was doing similar damage and spending a similar amount of MP to call her. In fights against considerably weaker enemies, I also found that Dagger/Garnet had fairly decent physical attack power, though admittedly not on par with Zidane, Steiner or even Freya. She also gets all the mandatory healing spells, namely the Cure series, Life and some rudimentary status cures, but unlike Eiko she didn't have access to the really big guns like Full-Life, Esuna, Dispel or Holy.

So add her half-decent physical prowess and her excellent summoning power to this (so totally nothing like Black Magic in the way it does magic based elemental damage that also can't be reflected, no sir) and in all seriousness, Dagger/Garnet has all the makings of a Red Mage. Now I don't feel so jealous of all those "Male Red Mage" and "Female Red Mage" NPCs I kept encountering :)

Just to give a little rundown of where I'm coming from with "Black Magic"...

Shiva = Blizzaga
Ifrit = Firaga
Ramuh = Thundaga*
Atomos = Demi
Leviathan = Water (remember Water was sort of a higher powered spell in this game as well)
Odin = Death
Bahamut = Meteor, but now it never misses
Ark = Doomsday, but without killing ur d00ds

What do you all think?


*Uh oh , another game where I think there's a superior alternative to a Black Mage. When will this madness end?

yeah sounds good to me

No. She's a summoner/white mage. This is apparent by her skills in summoning magic and white magic.

yes. yes i am

Dagger's summons increase in power in accordance to their specific gem count (i.e. Shiva does more damage with 99 Opals than 1), so she's definitely not a red mage. Our dear old red mages are supposed to be jacks-of-all-trades but have no real magical strengths. And, while anyone could say that Dagger doesn't excel at white magic compared to Eiko, she certainly isn't so much of a lightweight that she is "horrible" at healing.

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Originally Posted by Mirage

No. She's a summoner/white mage. This is apparent by her skills in summoning magic and white magic.

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I vote yes to Red Mage Dagger, Psi! Because it would be cool. I am totally with you on this one man >:O

No, because one thing that a lot of people overlook about Red Mages is that they can use swords.

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Originally Posted by Psychotic

No, because one thing that a lot of people overlook about Red Mages is that they can use swords.

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True, true, but then White Mages can use hammers while Summoners can use knives.

Also, by this logic, all summoners in the entire FF series are either black mages or red mages.

No, Red Mages definitely can't summon. Only Summoners (Callers).

Red Mages use White and Black magic and use swords, Dagger uses White and summons (she doesn't even use Black so just from that then no she is not).

No, I think Dagger is a Summoner/White Mage.

She ain´t a red mage because she does not know any offensive magic that causes damage.

Garnet could be viewed as a Red mage with the logic that Psi has presented. Not offically by name , but through her abilitys maybe.

Dagger had offencive summons, and low leval white magic (not that she was a crippled at w.magic but she was not a pro either. I Know she didnt have a sword, but she she was more usful for attack then healing. And on the magic front, beat Vivi as well as on the psychical attack front. So Its fair to assume she was a red mage at least in spirit. After all she had white magic (limited) and Summons (which acted like elemental attacks) which could be concidered supierior black magic, as you could power them up, they could not be reflected, and you did not need Stiener to cast the ulimate spell without harming your party.

The ironic thing is even Dagge's trace lends it self to attacking with elemnts, where as Viv's only alows you to double cast. In short Garnet is better at black magic and attack then Vivi. She is better used in the game as a red mage then using Vivi in for your elemnet spells if you leval her up right :)

Eiko was more of a real white mage with summons, but would not be concidered a red mage as her summons where not all element based.

So yes your Thoery works for me :)