You ask anyone their favourite summon from across the length, width, and breadth of theFinal Fantasyseries, and it is very unlikely anyone will say Alexander. Some will, of course, though likely more from morbid curiosity than actual explicit adoration.
What even is Alexander, anyway? Some machine, or a robot? Just a moving building? They’re weird, that’s for sure. Especially since they are always representative of the Holy element. There’s something divine about Alexander, we just can’t quite figure out why. Let’s rank them anyway.
9Final Fantasy 12
Being set within Ivalice, Final Fantasy 12 actually forsakes all Final Fantasy summons that had occurred in the series thus far in favour of its own. Summons like Alexander were insteadrelegated to airships, named in their honour. So why are we including this entry?
Well, it’s pretty hard to discern what Alexander even is in most of the other games in which they appear, so who’s to say the Alexander airship isn’t the actual Alexander? It is the Empire’s leading airship too, of a size vastly outranking any others. Seems fairly Alexander-esque.
8Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy 9 was Alexander’s first entry with a significant story focus. Though unlike every other Eidolon featured in the game, Alexander can’t actually be used. In fact, they’re not battled either. Instead, they appear as part of the story when summoned to combat Kuja.
This Alexander is massive, by far the largest rendition of them in the whole series. They also only appear in a single cutscene donning angelic wings. It’s a strong first impression, it’s just also their last impression too.
7Final Fantasy 11
Alexander is a remarkably consistent figure. Despite it being somewhat unclear what they actually are, they still always appear in a consistently mechanical, undecipherable form. The same is true for Final Fantasy 11’s rendition, though with the added caveat that it is actually just a shell to house the Celestial Avatar.
This Alexander ismortal enemies with Odinand once had been part of the war they battled that became known as Ragnarok. Slumbering for centuries following these, their rivalry came to a head again with Alexander’s revival, though they came to a truce to battle the Cloud of Darkness threatening Vana’Diel.
6Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7 marked Alexander’s second appearance in the series, and his first in 3D. In more ways than one, this Alexander became one of the most unusual with the block polygons of the game doing no favours in working out what it actually was.
Of course, that didn’t stop them from being extremely memorable. Being such a massive machine that can only be acquired by defeating a random snow woman in the mountains just made the mystery of what Alexander was all the more potent.
Even more interesting, Alexander is the only means of dealing Holy damage in all of Final Fantasy 7.
5Final Fantasy 13
With the many changes that Final Fantasy 13 made to the series, the function and appearance of summons were chief among them. In a rather humourous turn of events, Alexander finally gained a form that was something more logical to the eyes, though they still retained some oddities.
While he battles in a more humanoid mechanical form when summoned, he can harness much of his legacy in Gestalt mode. In this mode, Alexander transforms into a series of what look like chess pieces to surround a large section of the battlefield and unleash massive damage on enemies.
4Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 8 went for a more specific approach for its summons than what much of the series had done prior to it. Guardian Forces as they are called in the game, are no longer mere weapons for the player to summon, but beings with their own interests and capabilities. Alexander, as such, got a bit more depth than usual.
He is acquired by drawing from Edea, already eluding to the light in her. They still take the form of a massive mechanical fortress, though also come packed with some powerful cannons this time around.
They also hate the Doomtrain GF, and your compatibility with Alexander will go down if you summon them.
3Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
While Alexander in the original Final Fantasy 7 was something of an enigma in just about every regard, the Alexander of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is decidedly more comprehendible.Acquired from Chadley’s battle simulation, they no longer have the bizarre baggage of their previous lore.
Their form as well is decidedly more angelic, despite entirely lacking the Holy damage type this time around. They look opulent when summoned onto the field, and dwarf anything around them in comparison.
2Final Fantasy 6
The very first appearance of Alexander in the series is also one of their most recognisable. While you would be hard-pressed to call them perfectly legible here, the transition to 3D was not the smoothest for poor Alexander, and much of the detail of the pixel art was lost in those early days.
In Final Fantasy 6, Alexander is acquired by defeating Wrexsoul, so they’re a pretty significant chunk into the game. Alexander, owing to their fortress design, is more defense-oriented in this game, though still has their immensely powerful Holy attacks at their disposal.
1Final Fantasy 14
Alexander, though bearing an unconventional design in each game, is undoubtedly something of a fortress, some large building that provides defence. So Final Fantasy 14 decided to take that more literally. You do not just battle Alexander, you travel within them.
Of course, though that’s an incredible experience in and of itself, Alexander is typically portrayed in a more manageable form for battle. Well, Final Fantasy 14 has you covered in that regard too, with Perfect Alexander appearing as a boss in the Epic of Alexander Ultimate raid.
As Perfect Alexander, they take the more humanoid appearance from Final Fantasy 13, and the angelic wings from Final Fantasy 9.
