Rabite

Rabites are rabbit-like monsters that appear in nearly every game of the Mana series, since their debut in Final Fantasy Adventure. Rabites are very common enemies, although they have appeared as pets, and are among the weakest ones encountered. They are a mascot of the Mana series.

Final Fantasy Adventure
In Final Fantasy Adventure, Rabites are primarily encountered in Topple, although they also appear in Wendel during Julius's attack on the location. Rabites move around by bouncing very high, after which they slowly descend back onto the ground.

Legend of Mana
In Legend of Mana, the rabites encountered in the wild are instead white, as it is possible for the Hero or Heroine to raise a pet rabite, who retains its usual yellow color. Both types of rabites have the same attacks, such as biting, and Glare, which is an attack that decreases its target's attack power.

Wild rabites are encountered at Luon Highway, Fieg Snowfields, and The White Forest. Their strength is different in each location, depending on when it can be accessed by the Hero or Heroine.

Like other domesticated pet monsters, a rabite hatches from a Monster Egg. Monster Eggs with a rabite can be found at Lake Kilma and The White Forest. Unlike wild rabites, a domesticated rabite's strength depends on how many experience points it has. Domesticated rabites are not strong fighters, but they have a special ability named HP Recovery that increases the the Hero or Heroine's hit point recovery rate.

Other appearances

 * In Final Fantasy X-2 there is an accessory called the Rabite's Foot (despite Rabites not having any feet), which increases the Luck statistic by 100 points. Its name is a play on "" and also references how rabbit feet are considered by some to be a good-luck charm.


 * In , statues of rabites appear outside of a shrine. In the hidden ending, when all scenarios are completed, the player can defeat a rabite in combat.


 * In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, rabites are mentioned in a summary of the Poachers mission, and are said to sometimes be named "the lucky rabbit."

Legend of Mana (manga)
In the Legend of Mana manga, a Rabite appears as a dangerous but cuddly comic relief character and emergency food ration for the main hero.

Stats

 * HP: 4
 * Attack Power: 10
 * Defense Power: 1
 * EXP: 1
 * GP: 2

Physical appearance and traits
Rabites resemble a small rabbit with no legs, large ears that curve upward and form a point at the tip, and a round, puffy tail. They are usually found in grassy areas. Movement by the rabites is achieved by hopping along the ground by pushing up with the muscles on its underside, allowing it to move forward while propelling its body through the air. Though many aspects of its physiology remain unrevealed by Square Enix, its body appears to contain little to no bone structure, as evidenced by the extreme pliability of its stomach and mouth, which it is able to open quite widely. However, in some games, the rabite tends to spew forth several bones from its body upon defeat, often more so than could logically be housed inside its small frame. One possible explanation could be that the bones come from an animal the rabite has recently devoured, or it could simply be a recycled death graphic that should not be taken literally. In the earlier games, the rabite, upon defeat, explodes in a colorful splash.

Despite their docile appearance, rabites can and most often will attack unprovoked. Their primary attack consists of lunging at an opponent, mouth agape, and biting down on them with their single, large tooth. They can be quickly defeated from a single hit. According to some of its other traits found in Secret of Mana, in the event it becomes too wounded to fight or if it faces a threat too large for it to handle, it will attempt to flee. If it becomes surrounded it will then cover its face in a last bid for mercy. In any game featuring a day-night cycle, rabites can be seen sleeping when it becomes dark rather than moving around screen, which would make them diurnal.

Variants
While the most common rabites are depicted as yellow, several other types exist, each one being different from the other in terms of strength.


 * Silktails are a pink and stronger variant of a rabite enemy. Unlike yellow rabites, the pink rabites rely on their ability to both attack and heal, using their ability to conjure minor restorative magic (the silktails in Secret of Mana also possess a sleep spell). They are much more aggressive than regular rabites, using jumping and leaping attacks and pursuing foes well after dark.


 * King Rabites, which only appear in Trials of Mana, have a lilac color, and are hardier and more aggressive than their relatives. Somewhat of a rarity, King Rabites make their home in the fabled Mana Holyland, a sacred place that houses the Mana Tree. They can summon rabites and rabilions to their aid, and they have a potent attack which pummels a foe with many tiny rabites.


 * Great Rabites are even more powerful than king rabites, and first appear in Trials of Mana. Aside from inheriting nearly all of their lesser cousins' attacks, these green members of the species can stomp their foes flat by enlarging themselves to perform a Jumbonk attack.


 * Black Rabites are an elusive variant who are matched only by their immense power. First appearing in Trials of Mana, the Black Rabite is an optional boss character that wields powerful magic and has a staggering amount of health. The origin of this beast is unknown, but it has somehow come into possession of powerful mana that allows it to cast nearly every spell in the game, as well as summon equal-level monsters to its aid. The Black Rabite is seen in a hidden path inside the Dragon's Hole in Trials of Mana, not too far from the entrance. The Black Rabite appears again as a result of an easter egg in Sword of Mana by killing 1000 normal rabites, thus allowing the player to "upgrade" any rabites encountered thereafter into their black counterparts. Although much more powerful physically than normal rabites, these Black Rabites lack the magic abilities of the one found in Trials of Mana.

In Dawn of Mana, a rabite named Rabini is a pet belonging to Ritzia, who took him in after he was abandoned by his family.

Etymology
Rabite's name is a portmanteau of "rabbit" and "bite," a reference to how it is based on rabbits and primary means of attack, respectively.

Profiles

 * Secret of Mana Official Game Secrets (page 158): "These are the weakest enemies youll [sic] encounter.''"