Final Fantasy IV/Characters

This is the list of characters within the game containing a brief description and their abilities. There are five different types of magic in the game: 24 White spells, 24 Black spells, 16 Summon spells, 6 Ninja spells, 2 Twin spells

Dark Knight
A Dark Knight is a physically oriented character that uses dark swords. He combines physical power with impressive defense. However, he is mostly useless against the undead, and levels up slowly. At the beginning of the game, Cecil starts as a Level 10 Dark Knight with 3000 experience.
 * Main weapons: swords, dark swords
 * Other weapons: axes, daggers, bows
 * Magic: none
 * Abilities:
 * Dark: A multi-targetted attack that hits all monsters; costs 1/8 of his health points. (Not in US or Easytype.)

Paladin
After transformation, Cecil begins again as a level 1 paladin, a physical class with white magic. This class starts strong, can use basic White Magic, and retains the strong offense and defense of the Dark Knight. His chief weakness is his limits as a magic user and the incompatibility with any of his old equipment.
 * Main weapons: holy swords, swords
 * Other weapons: axes, daggers, bows
 * Magic: White
 * Abilities:
 * Cover: Protects a given party member. Will also activate if the party member is critically wounded.

Kain
Kain is a dragoon assigned to assist Cecil at the start of the game. Like Cecil, he is a physical class, who has strong physical offensive and defensive stats. His only notable ability though is Jump, which does heavy damage only after a long period of time.
 * Main weapons: spears
 * Other weapons: swords, axes, daggers
 * Magic: none
 * Abilities:
 * Jump: Leaps into the air, and attacks.

Rydia
Rydia is a caller ("summoner") from Myst. Out of fear from seeing her mother and village destroyed, she causes a massive earthquake but becomes friendly once she sees Cecil defend her. In the early game, she is a sage, i.e. an adequate white mage and a solid black mage. Later, she dumps the white magic for a powerful array of summons, which are more powerful than typical spells, thus becoming similar to a black mage. Her chief weakness is her lack of any physical prowess.

Young

 * Main weapons: whips
 * Other weapons: rods, daggers, bows
 * Magic: White, Black, Call
 * Abilities: none

Adult

 * Main weapons: whips
 * Other weapons: rods, daggers, bows
 * Magic: Black, Call
 * Abilities: none

Tellah
Tellah is a sage who knows a variety of useful black and white magic spells. He also starts out with a fair amount of power, already being a very experienced fighter. However, due to his age, he will gain no MP as he levels up, which is not very often.
 * Main weapons: staves and rods
 * Other weapons: none
 * Magic: White, Black
 * Abilities:
 * Recall: Casts a spell at random, even ones you don't normally have access to. (Not in US or Easytype).

Edward
Edward (Gilbert in the original version) features low stats across the board and lacks access to heavier equipment. However, his physical prowess is greater than that of a typical mage, while his various abilities can be useful in many battles. After level 70 Edward's attributes skyrocket.

Edward, the prince of Damcyan, was in love with Tellah's daughter. He joins the party when the castle gets bombed by the Red Wings.
 * Main weapons: harps
 * Other weapons: daggers
 * Magic: none
 * Abilities:
 * Sing: Provides a random status effect on a target (i.e., sleep, silence).
 * Hide: Hides from the battle. May autoactivate if critically injured.
 * Heal: Uses a potion on all party members. (Not in US or Easytype.)

Rosa
Rosa is the game's most notable white mage, and eventually learns every White Magic spell in the game. She specializes in spells that support fellow party members, most notably by restoring HP. Although by no means a powerhouse, her bows also give her the ability to inflict some damage from the back row in a fight.
 * Main weapons: bows
 * Other weapons: staves
 * Magic: White
 * Abilities:
 * Aim: A slightly stronger attack with bows and arrows only.
 * Pray: Casts healing on all party members for no cost, but doesn't always work. (Not in US or Easytype.)

Yang
As a monk, Yang has high HP and physical attributes. His regular attacks are strong, and his abilities only emphasize this fact. His chief weakness is his inability to use heavy equipment or any weapons that directly increase his power. Despite this, he is a capable physical fighter, albeit one that may require stronger items than Cecil.
 * Main weapons: claws
 * Other weapons: none
 * Magic: none
 * Abilities:
 * Power: Builds up for a double-strength attack. (Not in US or Easytype.)
 * Kick: Hits all enemies in a single attack.
 * Gird (Endure): Reduces physical damage. (Not in US or Easytype.)

Palom
Palom is a black mage with the standard emphasis towards magic at the cost of physical strength. He works best in a team with his sister, Porom.
 * Main weapons: rods
 * Other weapons: bows
 * Magic: Black, Twin (attempts a binary spell with Porom for massive damage)
 * Abilities:
 * Bluff: Increases magic power. (Not in US or Easytype.)

Porom
Porom is a white mage with the standard emphasis towards magic at the cost of physical strength. She works best in a team with her brother, Palom.
 * Main weapons: staves
 * Other weapons: bows
 * Magic: White, Twin (attempts a binary spell with Palom for massive damage)
 * Abilities:
 * Cry: Makes it easier to flee the battle. (Not in US or Easytype.)

Cid
Cid is a physical fighter with access to a variety of powerful weapons, though he can not equip shields. He has the worst magic-related attribute in the game, even compared to other non-magic users like Kain.
 * Main weapons: hammers
 * Other weapons: swords, axes, bows
 * Magic: none
 * Abilities:
 * Peep: Determines the statistics of a monster.

Edge
Edge is a ninja, and he has the ability to wield two weapons at once. Though his armor is light and defenses are low, he makes up for it using his high attack power, speed, and evasion. Furthermore, his Ninjutsu abilities make him an adequate substitute for a black mage.
 * Main weapons: katanas, shurikens, boomerangs
 * Other weapons: daggers, claws
 * Magic: Ninja
 * Abilities:
 * Sneak: Steals an item from the enemy.
 * Throw: Throws an item at an enemy for increased damage.

FuSoYa
FuSoYa is a sage, but he is a mixed bag, even by FF4's standards. On one hand, he has access to every White and Black magic spell in the game, well before any other characters are likely to have mastered even one of those categories. On the other hand, his attributes are unremarkable and, like Tellah, his MP is limited.
 * Main weapons: staves and rods
 * Other weapons: none
 * Magic: White, Black
 * Abilities:
 * Spirit Wave (Regen): Slowly regenerates party's HP. (Not in US or Easytype.)