Table: Black Belt Archetypes
| Archetype | Prerequisites | Description |
| Battle Dancer | — | Battle dancers practice a martial art that emphasizes constant motion, hiding their training from colonial oppressors by presenting it as an acrobatic dance. |
| Blur | Moomba | Moombas are what every shumi dreams of being, their physical forms surpassing their younger kin by far, in both stamina and cuteness. There are moombas that turn this unbridled energy they have into a ferocious weapon of momentum, somersaulting and cartwheeling fast enough that their hands and feet become blurred by movement. |
| Bone Breaker | — | Bone breakers excel at breaking things, especially people. The bone breaker is most capable as a one-on-one fighter. A few well-placed blows soften up an opponent and make him more susceptible to the bone breaker’s signature joint-breaking move. |
| Defiant Testudo | Kojin | The kojin black belt eschews armor, preferring to learn to use his own natural defenses. |
| Drunken Master | — | Most black belts lead lives of moderation and quiet contemplation. But the drunken master finds perfection through excess. Powered by strong wine, he uses his intoxication to reach a state where his ki is more potent, if somewhat fleeting. |
| Living Avalanche | — | When a living avalanche is on the move, no one can stand in her way. |
| Pugilist | Bangaa | Not all people of the fist walk the way of enlightenment. Some of the best bare-knuckled fighters are found in your local inn. A pugilist is nothing more than a skilled hand to hand specialist. There are many kinds of pugilists in the world. Some study like black belts, others were born in a world that forced them to acquire the skills they needed to protect what they have. Some others might just be out there testing their own limits. Stubborn by nature, a pugilist is a person who refuses to believe he is outmatched by armed foes. Fighting is their life and pushing past the ability of others of their race is what drives them to become what they are. |
| Tyrant | — | A black belt who forgoes the brutish nature of pummeling to focus on exploiting the energetic weaknesses of their foes. |
| Wildcat | Mithra | Some mithra have sharp claws, others a predator sense, but wildcats have both. The wildcat leans into the feral calling, using their claws and flexibility to conquer their foes. They are also gifted with thicker skin and able to withstand harsh blows, sometimes more effectively than others that train their bodies. |
| Wrestler | — | Some people like to grab hold of someone and pound the fight right out of them. Wrestlers can do standing locks or take people to the ground. In any case they try to render the people they fight helpless. Control is what their life is focused on. When things go awry a wrestler tends to try and get them back into order as fast as possible. Most people have never dealt with a wrestler and are surprised when they first encounter one, handing the wrestler a huge advantage in a fight. |
| Wyrmfang Brawler | Gria | Ever worshipful of their draconic ancestors, gria often latch onto any means by which they can prove themselves linked to the powerful creatures. |
Non-FF Archetypes
The following archetypes are based off of pop-culture references outside of Final Fantasy and may not fit within the theming of your campaign. Consult your DM before using them.
Table: Non-FF Black Belt Archetypes
| Archetype | Prerequisites | Description | Reference |
| Cobra Disciple | — | These brand of black-belts train to be vicious and give no mercy, often employing techniques that are considered low or unethical. The Creed of a Cobra Disciple is to Strike First, Strike Hard, and show No Mercy. | The Karate Kid movie |
| Shield Champion | — | Stalwart in battle, a shield champion has perfected an entire martial discipline relying on only her hand-to-hand fighting skills and her ever-present shield. What she forgoes in weapon versatility and improved combat maneuvering, she makes up for in her ability to turn her defense into a weapon. | Captain America (Avengers) |
