>>712682941
FF3 gave Dark Knights katanas as a weapon-type capable of dealing with splitting enemies (slimes, etc) but that was way back when pretty much all series conventions weren't even figured out just yet. Dark Knight in FF3 NES has more in common with later depictions of Paladin, FF4 is where it gained HP-consumption abilities and an association with instant death abilities. Same as Kain with Dragoon, Cecil ended up informing pretty much every Dark Knight that came after, even though both characters have predecessors in Leon and Ricard from FF2