Tonberry

A Tonberry is a mysterious creature from the Final Fantasy series. It made its first appearance in Final Fantasy V ("Dingleberry" in the North American localization); in Final Fantasy VI, they were known as "Pugs" in the North American release. Tonberries are often found in caves or ruins, and frequently guard coveted treasure or valuable items.

A Tonberry is quite small, usually no larger than two or three feet tall. It has green skin and a round head with a small snout and round yellow eyes; it walks on two legs and resembles, to some small degree, a bipedal lizard. However, it always wears a hooded cloak, usually plain brown or grey in color, and its dolphin-like tail can be seen peeking out from beneath the hem. A Tonberry always carries two things: a lantern in one hand to light its way through the caves, and a long, sharp butcher's knife in the other.

Lore from some of the Final Fantasy games claims that Tonberries possess a great rage against all in their hearts, and it is this anger that binds the Tonberries as a civilization, although no human has ever seen such a civilization. However, some fans disagree, characterizing the Tonberries as a highly intelligent and civilized race which forcefully defends its territory.

Despite their small size and unassuming appearance, a Tonberry is a formidable opponent. They are tough and hard to kill. While a Tonberry's foes are attacking it, it will walk slowly towards them; after every successful attack that its opponent lands, it will counter with a very powerful special ability, such as that known as "Everyone's Grudge" or "Karma." This ability seems to call upon the departed spirits of every creature that the Tonberry's attacker has defeated in the past, and summon them forth for retribution. Once the Tonberry has come close enough to its enemy, it will then attack with its knife; this attack is almost always fatal.

On rare occasions, one may encounter one of the elders of Tonberry society; these are Tonberries that have lived longer or grown larger than the rest of their kind. They are known as either Master Tonberries (Masterberries in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance) or Tonberry Kings, and can be recognized by some form of head ornamentation. Most frequently, this takes the form of a crown or a star. As a rule, the treasures that these elders guard are even rarer and more precious, and their combat abilities are (naturally) more highly developed. The Tonberry King may be defeated and claimed as a Guardian Force (a summoned creature) in Final Fantasy VIII.

In Final Fantasy X-2, Paine's Mascot costume is modeled after a Tonberry.

In Final Fantasy XI, Tonberries are classified as Beastmen that live solely in the Yhoator Jungle on the eastern half of Elshimo. During the Great War, the majority of the Tonberries remained in their stronghold, the Temple of Uggalepih. However, a few elite members of the tribe were sent to the Shadow Lord to act as his secret agents. These Tonberries would often sneak into the castles of the allied forces and assassinate important generals or political figures. Feared around Vana'diel, these beastmen were often referred to as the "invisible killers." According to the Tonberries' religion, their creator, the Goddess Uggalepih, had beauty that was envied by the Goddess Altana. A furious Altana transformed Uggalepih into a hideous beast and exiled her to the Outlands. Revenge for Altana's actions is said to be one of the origins of their rancor.

This game reveals why Tonberries are never found without their lanterns or knives in a Tonberry 'war-chant':

"O brothersss of rancor, take up thy lanternsss, The truth we shall illuminate. O sistersss of rancor, take up thy knives, To cleave our foesss with barren hate. Through this we ssseek our just reward; Our goddess's glory be ressstored."

Final Fantasy XI tonberries still use "Everyone's Grudge", but the damage is based on the number of tonberries the player has killed. There is a repeatable quest that allows a player to reset their kill counter (a necessity if a player has gone on a tonberry killing spree!)

In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, slightly-modified Tonberries, called Tonberry Chefs play a major part in the Mochet Manor dungeon. You must hunt them all down and kill them to draw out the boss. They are also normal enemies in several other levels.