Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Summons

Aside from Malboros, which are detested rather than loved, Tonberries are perhaps the only monster that can match Cactuars in terms of iconicity. Nobody is quite sure what they are supposed to be given that they resemble bipedal turtles in monks’ robes (origins likely range from the Japanese Umibozu through to a Danish sea creature), but every player gets a chill up their spine when one appears and cackles, moving slowly and ominously towards their party with a deadly chef’s knife in hand.

Made a summon alongside Cactuar for the first and only time in Final Fantasy VIII, the backstory given to the associated side quest chillingly makes the player feel like the monster in the relationship. After dispatching of around 20 Tonberries in an optional dungeon, a Tonberry King then comes along to avenge their passing before lending its power.

Given the host of great abilities it bestows on the party, from being able to shop remotely (and get discounts) through to being able to manipulate the levels of enemies up and down (enabling access to different magic to draw and items to steal), Tonberry is a key part of the game.

Though limited in terms of combat effectiveness, it’s definitely nice to put the shoe on the other foot and see one edge towards a monster and stab them instead of the reverse.