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Healing is an important part of a Final Fantasy party. Some games allow any character to be a healer, but even with that, certain characters just radiate White Mage energy. They are helpful, kind, and have at least some ability that helps the party succeed in dire situations. Occasionally, they have attack spells or powerful summon magic, but they are still healers at the end of the day.
White Mages are important, and while there are a few dedicated White Mages in the Final Fantasy franchise, they are still worthy of discussion and bring a lot to the fight against the forces of darkness.
Healers are important to every Final Fantasy game
Being able to equip healing spells and skills isn’t enough to be a White Mage in a Final Fantasy game. Sure, those characters become “Healers,” but that isn’t all it takes. Characters that come equipped with the “White Mage” class, come with default abilities that heal, cure status ailments, or aid the party in some way are ones who could possibly make up the list.
Most of the games in the series allow people to heal through a variety of items, powers, and abilities, but White Mages come with those built into their kits.
Top healers in Final Fantasy
- Minwu (FFII)
- Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (FFIX)
- Aerith Gainsborough (FFVII)
- Rosa Farrell (FFIV)
- Yuna (FFX)
Almost anyone can heal, but not everyone can excel at being a White Mage. As with all lists, it is based on one writer’s opinion, and other readers' opinions will undoubtably vary.
5) Minwu (FFII)
Minwu in Final Fantasy II may be a temporary party member, but he is the first named White Mage in the franchise. Hailing from the land of Mysidia, Minwu does not gain more spells than he has access to upon arriving in the game. That is, except for Ultima.
That’s okay though, because his list of spells is potentially game-breaking for the time period he’s with the party. He has high MP, spirit, and magic stats, complimenting his wide array of spells.
He grants access to spells the party would not normally have access to for a significant length of time. Minwu is not with the party forever, but he leaves an indelible mark on the franchise as a whole. The only downside to the character is that he doesn’t come with any serious Weapon or Shield proficiency.
That makes him a bit fragile out of the gate, but his healing potency is out of this world. He can buff, raise the dead, teleport the party out of dungeons, and more.
4) Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (FFIX)
Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, more commonly known as Garnet or Dagger, is part White Mage, part Summoner. Though she does have the ability to summon Eidolons to fight, she’s primarily a healer.
Dagger is one of two white magic users in Final Fantasy IX but is more potent at it when compared to Eiko. While her list of white magic spells is a bit lower when compared to other healers, every one of them counts. She has three primary cure spells, life, and a list of the more common status ailment/disease removal spells.
When it comes to the unique spells she can use that Eiko can’t, they are Scan, Blind, Berserk, and Confuse. Garnet’s an incredible healer, and it doesn’t hurt that she also has access to powerful Eidolons, because not every moment in the game requires healing.
3) Aerith Gainsborough (FFVII)
While Final Fantasy VII doesn’t really have character classes per se, the characters fit the tropes that their class is known for. Aerith Gainsborough is a charming, half-Cetra who lived in the slums of Midgar and is a beloved member of the franchise.
While Aerith is only with the party again, for a limited time, her impact on the party is tremendous. Her attitude is upbeat and positive, and her Limit Breaks are incredibly useful. From sealing off evil foes’ attacks to healing, she even has two that offer invulnerability. Planet Protector and Great Gospel are some of the best Overdrive/Limit Break powers in the Final Fantasy franchise.
Her death was a serious blow to the party and the fans of Final Fantasy VII. Characters have died in the franchise before, but many of them come back in some manner or another. But Aerith’s death was something different, something more impactful. Her healing abilities and her outlook on life were both desperately missed.
2) Rosa Farrell (FFIV)
Rosa Farrell has the distinction of being the first White Mage to stick with the party as a permanent party member. She does get kidnapped and leaves the party for a while, but winds up as a permanent party member. Final Fantasy I had “White Mage,” but it was not a defined character.
As the first love interest and first female White Mage in the franchise, she is an important character. She does have potential as a DPS character, though, with her Bow & Arrow ability “Aim.” Pairing a strong bow, arrow, and berserk spell, Rosa can mow people down.
Cecil Harvey’s love interest is also a healer without equal. Several healers show up in FFIV: Porom, Rydia (sort of), Tellah, and FuSoYa, but Rosa stays with the party longer and focuses on healing. Tellah and FuSoYa have a wide variety of white and black magic, and Porom is a brief party member who only casts white magic.
If she has any drawbacks, it is that she only gains access to the “Exit” spell after a storyline trigger (Tower of Zot). Other healers get the spell much sooner. Rosa is a caring, supportive member of the party, and easily one of the best healers in the franchise.
1) Yuna (FFX)
Yuna is another healer that also doubles as a Summoner. That was pretty common for a little while in the Final Fantasy franchise. The daughter of High Summoner Braska, she had some mighty big shoes to fill in Final Fantasy X.
Though Final Fantasy X has no character classes, Yuna meets all of the requirements of being a white mage. She’s helpful, considering, and caring for her other party members. She has the default ability to heal within her skill set, such as Pray. Her default Sphere Grid has Anti-Element spells, various heal spells, and resurrection spells.
None of her summons offer healing, but they instead bring overwhelmingly high amounts of damage to the table. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. When equipped with her ultimate weapon, Nirvana, her spells all cost 1 MP and she breaks the damage limit.
Yuna would do anything to save the world, and was willing to sacrifice her life if need be. She is a helpful, useful character, and easily one of the best White Mages from any Final Fantasy game.
Healers aren’t going anywhere in Final Fantasy. Not every game has a dedicated White Mage character, but the ones that do appear are all useful and worth putting in the party. Some of these White Mages can even deal terrifying amounts of damage, but at the end of the day, their job is to help and protect the well-being of others.
