The Best Dragoons In Final Fantasy

Key Takeaways

• Dragoons are iconic in Final Fantasy, with notable examples like Richard Highwind from Final Fantasy 2.
• Final Fantasy 3 solidified the Dragoon class, with characters like Luneth, Arc, Refia, and Ignus standing out.
• Kain Highwind is considered the ultimate Dragoon, setting the standard for the class in Final Fantasy.

Final Fantasy is full of iconic characters like Cloud or Terra. Equally iconic though are some of the classes and character types the series has given us, like the high-jumping Dragoon.

The Dragoon is a fan-favourite, a lance-wielding warrior who leaps around the battlefield and drops on their enemies from great heights. To help celebrate this icon, here are the best examples of a Dragoon throughout all of Final Fantasy.

The Dragoons selected aren’t based on their stats or combat performance, but rather their influence on the series as a whole and how compelling they might be as characters.

8 Final Fantasy 2 Dragoons

The First Appearance

No conversation about Dragoons would be complete without discussing their first appearance all the way back in Final Fantasy 2. Although they originally lacked the spears and Jump ability they would become known for, this is where it started.

Most notable is Richard Highwind, an ally to the party at key moments of the game’s story. For Dragoon fans, Final Fantasy 2 is a must-play if for no other reason than to say you saw how it all started.

7 Final Fantasy 3 Dragoons

The Finished Product

Final Fantasy 2 may have been the first instance of Dragoons, but Final Fantasy 3 is where they became what you would come to know them for. They gained the Jump ability and wielded spears, the weapon they would be associated with ever after.

The Dragoon was a Job Class in Final Fantasy 3, so you could pick any of the playable characters as the best one depending on who you had it equipped to. You could even give the class to everyone if you wanted. Luneth, Arc, Refia and Ignus all standing together as Dragoons is a sight to behold.

6 Cid Highwind

To The Stars

You might not think Dragoon when you see Cid from Final Fantasy 7. He lacks the trademark dark armour after all, but in just about all other aspects he’s a Dragoon. He wields spears and fights in combat with their signature leaps.

It’s fitting that someone whose goal is to reach space is given the class that leaps toward the sky. Although he isn’t as obviously a Dragoon as some others, he is one of the most beloved examples of the class in the series.

5 Kimahri

A Hybrid Approach

Kimahri Ronso is an unusual case, being both a Dragoon and a Blue Mage. He has the spear and jumping ability associated with Dragoons, but the Blue Mage ability to copy the abilities of enemies he encounters.

This loyal guardian is all Dragoon in personality though, brooding and stoic in nature. A lot of people overlook Kimahri in their Final Fantasy 10 playthroughs, his initial Sphere Grid placement is very different from everyone else’s. Give him a try though, you won’t be disappointed.

4 Estinien

The Azure Dragoon

Estinien is a community favourite in Final Fantasy 14, and one of the most classic examples of a Dragoon you’re likely to find. He serves as the poster boy for the Job in the game and is prominent throughout the main story quest.

He has everything you could ask for. The armour, the lance, the abilities, the unadulterated edginess you’ve come to expect from the Dragoon class. The only downside is how absurdly long it takes to ever see his face.

3 Freya Crescent

Knight Of Burmecia

Freya Crescent is one of the most tragic figures in Final Fantasy 9, someone who loses absolutely everything and falls into despair. Ultimately, though, her story is one about hope and dedication.

She’s a stand-out Dragoon and one of the few examples of a non-human Dragoon throughout Final Fantasy. She says that to be forgotten is worse than death, but Freya is at no risk of that among Final Fantasy fans.

2 The Warrior Of Light

That’s You

Final Fantasy 14 isn’t the first in the series to make Dragoon a selectable Job, but it is the game which does it the best. Starting off as a Lancer at Level 1, you’ll train as a Dragoon at Level 30 and gradually unlock all the jumping attacks you could ever want.

With deep ties to the main story quest of the Heavensward expansion in particular it’s easy to feel like Dragoon is the canon Job for your Warrior of Light, and it doesn’t hurt that it plays like a dream too.

1 Kain Highwind

The Best Of All

Kain Highwind didn’t originate the Dragoon, but he is the version that every Dragoon after him is compared to. This Final Fantasy 4 legend established many of the character and narrative traits that would be associated with the Dragoon going forward.

Presenting as calm on the surface but easily swayed by darker emotions or outside influence, these are traits that many Dragoons would exhibit after Kain did it first. He’s probably the first character you think of when you hear the word Dragoon, and rightly so.

There are some overt links between Kain and Ricard Highwind from Final Fantasy 2. Kain’s father was also a Dragoon named Ricard who died fighting an evil empire. In the Dawn of Souls remake of Final Fantasy 2, Ricard’ss adopted son who goes on to become a Dragoon.