Page "Final Fantasy IX" Paragraph 8

Whenever the playable character encounters an enemy, the map changes to the " battle screen ".

On the battle screen, the enemy appears on the opposite side of the characters ; each battle uses the familiar Active Time Battle system that was first featured in Final Fantasy IV.

The character's command list is presented in a window opposite the ATB gauge list ; while all characters can physically attack the enemy or use an item from the player's inventory, they also possess unique abilities.

For example, the thief Zidane can steal items from the enemy, Eiko and Garnet can summon " eidolons " to aid the party and Vivi can use black magic to damage the opposition.