Ryu[edit]
At the beginning of the game, Ryu is powerless except for his sword-fighting skill. He can awaken his innate powers by visiting small, isolated shrines on the overworld known as Dragon Temples. After accepting a challenge from the monk inside, Ryu is separated from the rest of his party and pitted in a one-on-one battle against a dragon. If he wins, Ryu earns the ability to morph into various dragons during battles. Whenever this occurs, Ryu's sprite is replaced with a dragon, and the strength of his attacks increases.
Karn[edit]
Karn is another character who can change forms. Hidden throughout the game are four members of an ancient clan who claim to be Karn's blood relatives. Each clansman enables Karn to change into powerful mutant creatures by "Fusing" together with Bo, Ox, and Gobi. Although this removes the fused characters from the party roster, it also grants Karn a boost in HP and overall strength. Unlike Ryu, Karn stays in his fused state outside of battle, and will remain so until the player commands him to revert back.
Fighting[edit]
Breath of Fire switches to a 3/4 perspective during its turn based fight sequences. Up to four characters may participate in a battle, though each can be swapped out for another party member if needed. The battle screen is a detailed representation of whatever area the party is currently in, such as a desert or grassland. Although characters are miniaturized on maps, in combat their sprites are normal-sized and more realistic.
A maximum of four characters may participate in battles, although each can be swapped out for another party member at any time. Each character acts in an order dependent on their individual statistics. Players are rewarded for winning battles with experience points and GP. When characters attain a certain amount of experience points, they gain a level, which increases their statistics. Each party member has the option to attack, cast a magic spell, use a restorative item, or escape the fight by running away. The party can also be placed under automatic control, causing them to attack without the player's input.
The Hit Points and Ability Points of each party member is visible via a HUD at the bottom of the screen. Enemies' HP remains unseen, though a life bar measuring an enemy's health will appear whenever a foe takes damage. An identical display appears during boss battles, but in this case, the life bar is misleading; the bar very often will drop to zero, only to see the boss acquire a second wind and continue to attack without any visible HP.