Final Fantasy X (FFX) is my favorite game of all time. And despite playing the game through multiple times, I admit that I left Kimahri by the wayside.

I used him badly the first playthrough. I didn’t use him at all the second time.

And finally — I figured it out.

This is the challenge of working with Kimahri:

Kimahri is in the center of the sphere grid, which means that you have the freedom to creatively choose between any or all of your other party’s abilities and stats. You can make Kimahri support, a tank, or a damage dealer. This choice makes Kimahri the most challenging party member to master.

Kimahri is packed with potential. Below, I’ll describe what paths you can take and what to consider.

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Who is Kimahri?

Kimahri Ronso acts as the ‘Blue Mage’ of the party in Final Fantasy X. A Blue Mage, in Final Fantasy tradition, is able to copy the abilities of enemies and use them. This allows you to think of more creative strategies.

You can only use one beast move during Kimahri’s Overdrive, Ronso Rage.

Without a guide, you cannot know what monsters have moves that you can copy. If you are playing the game blind and want to capture enemy moves, you might keep Kimahri in your party and Lancet each enemy you come across.

Why Train Kimahri?

Kimahri has lots of potential. His Overdrive move presents creative and varied strategies that are inaccessible by the other party members. With the ability to jump into any character sphere grid early on, you are able to mix and match the exact character you want.

I recommend you use Kimahri as a support character. While most characters have forms of buffs and debuffs, you can free other party members’ time to do what they do best (damage and healing), meanwhile making Kimahri indispensable.

Here are some considerations for paths to take with Kimahri:

• Auron: You can build a powerful defense as a tank and physical damage dealer. Auron has valuable support abilities like Sentinel, Guard, and Entrust.
• Lulu: A second source of magic is handy early in the game, where you want to exploit weaknesses. Lulu’s greatest weakness is her low health and physical defense. With Kimahri, you can balance this out and be a solid Lulu apprentice.
• Rikku: Rikku is the last character you get in your party. If you jump into Rikku’s grid with Kimahri, you can get steal far earlier and use it alongside Lancet for maximum benefit in the early game.
• Tidus: Tidus’ greatest strength is his speed. He has great support moves like Haste that would compliment Kimahri’s diverse skillset.
• Wakka: Wakka’s grid is best if you want to be a major damage dealer. You’ll find the most strength sphere slots in Wakka’s grid.
• Yuna: Kimahri can make a great support character with Yuna’s abilities. While Yuna can focus full-time on healing and summoning, Kimahri can handle duties like Protect, Shell, Reflect, and Dispell.

Is Kimahri Good?

My first time playing Final Fantasy X, I used Kimahri’s grid so poorly that he was a useless and weak character. Every party member was better than Kimahri because he became a poor imitation.

Kimahri can be a fantastic character if you use him strategically and if you find a way to differentiate him. But Kimahri may come out weak if he is part physical damage dealer, part mage, and part healer.

If you are nervous about using Kimahri well, starting Kimahri in the Rikku grid is a safe way for your character to have immediate value in the party. With Rikku joining the party late, Kimahri can fill in.

If you have a party member you would love to have two of in a fight (like Auron; everyone loves Auron), then you can choose to jump in that grid and mindlessly follow that character’s path.

How to Get All Kimahri Overdrives

To make the best use of Kimahri, you can prioritize getting all of his Overdrives.

His moves do elemental damage (like Fire Breath or Aqua Breath) or give brutal status ailments (Stone Breath, Doom), or give suppor (Mighty Guard, White Wind). Kimahri is a wild card, which is why we love him.

For more information about overdrives in FFX, check out Overdrives in the Final Fantasy X Wiki Guide.

Here are all Kimahri Overdrives and the fiends to acquire them:

• Jump: Your first Overdrive.
• Seed Cannon: Get from Ragora or Grat
• Stone Breath: Get from Basilisk, Anacodaur, or Biran
• Self Destruct: Get from Grenade or Bomb.
• Fire Breath: Get from Dual Horn or Yenke
• Aqua Breath: Get from Chimera or Yenke
• Bad Breath: Get from Malboro or Great Malboro
• Doom: Get from Ghost, Wraith, or Biran
• Thrust Kick: Get from YKT-63, YKT-11, or Yenke
• White Wind: Get from Dark Flan or Yenke
• Mighty Guard: Get from Behemoth King, or Biran
• Nova: Get from Omega Weapon (Yes, Omega Weapon is a fiend)