Final Fantasy 16’s Clive and Joshua are Officially Stronger than Donald Duck
The Eikon battles in Final Fantasy 16 are awe-inspiring displays that demonstrate the immense power of the divine beings that the characters can harness to wreak havoc across the land. Within these battles, there is one particular encounter that stands out as an instant classic. The Eikon Ifrit Risen faces off against Bahamut’s Zettaflare, reaching a milestone previously set by a protagonist in Kingdom Hearts 3. This clash with Bahamut is not the first time that the Final Fantasy series has showcased the overwhelming force of Zettaflare. In recent years, it has become a common method to illustrate the extraordinary abilities of certain characters. Interestingly enough, the most unexpected utilization of this power comes from Donald Duck himself in Kingdom Hearts 3.
At the culmination of the final showdown against Xehanort and his Real Organization XIII in Kingdom Hearts 3, a young Terranort puts the guardians of light in a precarious position, seemingly on the brink of eliminating them before the actual battle commences. Donald Duck intervenes, casting Zettaflare directly at Terranort, seemingly obliterating him, as he does not appear again in that timeline. While there are additional factors to consider in this scenario, the significance lies in Donald’s ability to unleash a spell of such magnitude, a feat previously accomplished only by divine entities like Bahamut. This unequivocally settles any debate regarding the most powerful mage among the Kingdom Hearts party, as Sora had previously claimed superiority in magical prowess over Donald. Moreover, this places Donald Duck’s power above that of any other protagonist Square Enix has created, an absurd notion considering his technical classification as a Red Mage.
As impressive as Donald’s achievement is, the Rosfield brothers Clive and Joshua in Final Fantasy 16 manage to surpass it by combining their strengths to overcome the previously unrivaled attack. In their battle against Bahamut, Clive and Joshua merge their Eikons to become Ifrit Risen, granting them an immense power boost and temporarily uniting their essences. This enables them to endure every assault unleashed by Bahamut, including the formidable Zettaflare at the climax of the fight. The result is a breathtaking spectacle that establishes Ifrit Risen as one of the most formidable characters in the history of Final Fantasy and Square Enix, having not only survived the attack but also repelled it head-on without a scratch. This amalgamation of Clive and Joshua’s combined Eikon surpasses the strength Donald Duck possessed in Kingdom Hearts when overpowering the legendary spell.
However, it is worth noting that the Rosfield brothers had to merge their separate Eikons to withstand the Zettaflare as Ifrit Risen, and they likely would not have succeeded without prior preparation. On the other hand, Clive and Joshua were only able to survive the Zettaflare in their Eikon forms, which presents an interesting contrast to the sacrifice Donald Duck made to cast the spell in the first place. Donald’s desperate attempt to halt Terranort came at a steep cost, depleting him of his own life force and leaving his heart adrift, requiring Sora to rescue him from the clutches of Kingdom Hearts 3’s enigmatic Lich. While Clive and Joshua were unable to accomplish the feat independently and survive, Donald could not even endure casting the spell, leaving both sides with substantial limitations on their powers.
Final Fantasy 16 is now available for PS5.
The Eikon battles in Final Fantasy 16 are incredible spectacles that showcase the full power of the godly entities that the characters are able to use to wreak havoc across the countryside. Among these, however, is one fight that has instant classic written all over it, as the Eikon Ifrit Risen manages to withstand Bahamut’s Zettaflare, crossing a milestone set for a protagonist back in Kingdom Hearts 3.
This fight against Bahamut isn’t the first time that the Final Fantasy series has shown off the all-power Zettaflare, as it has in recent years become a staple way to show the incredible power of certain characters. The most notable exception of these uses of the ability before Final Fantasy 16however, comes hilariously from Donald Duck in Kingdom Hearts 3.
Donald Duck as the Strongest Mage in Square Enix History
At the start of the final confrontation against Xehanort and his Real Organization XIII in Kingdom Hearts 3a young Terranort forces the guardians of light on their back foot, essentially setting up to kill them before the fight proper even kicks off. To even the odds, Donald Duck arrives to cast Zettaflare directly into Terranort’s face, seemingly destroying him outright, as he’s not seen again in that timeline after that point. While there’s a lot of additional context to keep in mind in this whole scenario, the point is that Donald is somehow able to cast a spell so powerful that only a godly being like Bahamut had previously been able to achieve anything close.
This completely shuts down any question of whom the stronger mage is among the Kingdom Hearts party, as Sora has previously tried to profess that his own skill with magic beats out Donald. Beyond that, though, this places Donald Duck’s power in the Kingdom Hearts series above any other protagonist Square Enix has made, which especially absurd when considering that he is technically a Red Mage. However, as impressive as this feat is, Final Fantasy 16‘s Rosfield brothers Clive and Joshua manage to combine their strength to completely overtake what had previously been the strongest attack in the series.
Clive and Joshua Knock the Zettaflare Back at Bahamut
In the fight against Bahamut, Clive and Joshua join their Eikons together to become Ifrit Risen, giving them a massive power boost and temporarily combining their beings into one. This is what gives them the ability to withstand every attack that Bahamut throws at them, including the Zettaflare right at the end of the fight. It makes for an incredible spectacle that sets Final Fantasy 16‘s Ifrit Risen high as one of the most powerful characters in the history of Final Fantasy and Square Enix for having survived the attack.
However, Ifrit Risen goes one step beyond simply surviving the Zettaflare and actually repels the attack completely, flying into it head on and coming out the other side unscathed. This is what makes Clive and Joshua’s combined Eikon stronger than Donald Duck ever was in Kingdom Hearts when they overpower this legendary spell. Of course, that does come with the caveat that the Rosfields had to fuse their two separate Eikons together in order to power through the Zettaflare as Ifrit Risen, and likely wouldn’t have been able to do it without priming.
On the other hand, Clive and Joshua were only strong enough to survive the Zettaflare in their Eikon forms, which compares interestingly to what it took for Donald Duck to cast the spell in the first place. Donald’s last-ditch effort to stop Terranort came at a steep cost, draining him of his own life force and sending his heart adrift, so Sora had to save him from Kingdom Hearts 3‘s mysterious Lich. While Clive and Joshua couldn’t accomplish the task on their own and survive, Donald couldn’t even survive casting the spell, leaving both sides with heavy caveats for the limits of their power.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now for PS5.
