Reminiscent of the fourth installment of Final Fantasy, FFIX features characters who, at least in battle, resemble one or two classic FF "jobs." For example, Amarant resembles both a Ninja and a Monk, and Freya is a Dragoon. Each character, as a result, has clearly defined strengths and weaknesses as well as unique abilities. All of these factors must be taken into consideration to form a balanced party that is effective in battle.

Abilities
While characters in FFIV learn abilities at certain levels, FFIX's characters learn abilities by gaining Ability Points (AP) in battle. Characters can only learn abilities from the equipment they have equipped. (Up to three abilites are imbued in a piece of equipment.) Learning a given ability allows a character to use that ability anytime, regardless of what he has equipped. (A character can use the abilities from a piece of equipment he is using, even if he hasn't learned them. However, he loses use of the abilities the once he removes or exchanges that piece of equipment.)

Given the game's emphasis on highly specific roles for characters in battle, no character can use all abilities available in the game. Fighter classes generally cannot use magic-related abilities, and magic classes generally cannot use fighting-related abilities, for example.

Abilites are divided into Action and Support types. Action abilities, which require Magic Points (MP) to be used, are directly controllable battle commands that fall under a general command set, such as "White Magic" or "Sword Art." Support abilities, on the other hand, augment a character's strengths and even bestow new attributes. These abilities are automatically applied once they are "equipped" outside of battle. Each Support ability has a "magic stone" value. The number of Support abilities a character can equip at any time is limited by the maximum number of magic stones he can use.

Trance Mode
A character enters Trance Mode when his Trance Meter (below the ATB meter) is full. This meter gradually fills when the character sustains damage. Trance Mode improves a character's performance and even gives the character access to different battle commands. Once a character enters Trance Mode, any action he takes gradually decreases the Trance Meter. Trance Mode ends when the Trance Meter is empty.

Character Pages
Each character page features a brief synopsis of the character's personality and his motivations, a summary of his statistics (projected in ten-level intervals, up to level 99), and ability information.