An improved version of the Pipsqueak. Uses its speed for a Dash attack.Final Fantasy VI PlayStation Bestiary entry
The Onion Dasher, also called Tomb Thumb or TombThum, is an enemy in Final Fantasy VI fought in Yeti's Cave. Lone Onion Dashers always use Imp Song to inflict 
Imp on a party member, and their special attack, Dash, grants them haste status. However, they are weak with low HP. Thundara and Flood are effective against them.
Stats
Coliseum setup
Onion Dasher is not much of a threat, but the player should equip the Safety Bit/Memento Ring to protect against Dischord, as it can have devastating effects offensively, especially if the battle drags out.
Formations
| Number | Enemies | Encounter flags | Introduction flag | Musical theme | Magic AP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Back | Surrounded | Side | |||||
| 258 | Anemone x2, Onion Dasher | Y | Y | Y | Y | Sides, individual | Battle | 1 |
| 260 | Illuyankas, Onion Dasher x2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Sides, individual | Battle | 1 |
AI scripts
Normal script
If monster is by itself: Imp Song (100%)
Attack Turns:
1st Turn: Attack (66%) or Nothing (33%)
- Target: Self
- Dash (33%)
Coliseum script
Attack Turns:
1st Turn: Attack (25%) or Special (25%) or Dischord (25%) or Magitek Laser (25%)
Other appearances
Final Fantasy Record Keeper
The Onion Dasher from Final Fantasy VI appears as an enemy in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.
Etymology
Onion Dasher refers to the Onion Knight job from Final Fantasy III. The onion, also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is used as a vegetable and is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.
In a 2020 Famitsu interview with Koichi Ishii and Hiromichi Tanaka about Final Fantasy III, Tanaka stated that he created the term "Onion Knight" after seeing Ishii's character design for the job, likening the shape of its helmet's large, white plume to that of an onion.[1]
Fans had previously speculated that "Onion Knight" refers to the Japanese metaphoric idiom "peeling away one layer at a time and crying all the way" (referring to poverty) or from the slang phrase "to know one's onions" (meaning to be very versatile).
Onion Dasher's original Japanese name, Onion Dash, references the prime symbol in Mathematics, which is pronounced "dash" in Japanese; the prime symbol is used to designate that something is derived from something else, such as x′ being derived from x.
Onion Dasher's older translation name, Tomb Thumb, refers to Tom Thumb, a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621, and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favorite of King Arthur.
Related enemies
- ↑ "『FF3』30周年で訊く、開発秘話ミニインタビュー。ジョブデザインや魔剣士、たまねぎ剣士の秘密も" by Famitsu (2020), translated into English in "The Origin of Final Fantasy’s Onion Knight (Translated Interview)" by Lost in Localization (2022)