Okay, so you named one game where White Mages can use hammers, even though they also use staves -- and there are more staves than there are hammers in that game. So, do you think that is the only game that counts, or what? It obviously didn't set any trends, as White Mages haven't really been using hammers ever since, and most commonly are associated with staves or rods.
If they were as synonymous as you seem to think, wouldn't the developers continue to give White Mages hammers after the very first game? But they didn't. Rather, White Mages have been using staves primarily in almost every Final Fantasy game. Hammers did not stick. Staves did. And if you did a poll of what weapon people naturally associate with White Mages in the FF series, I'd bet the vast majority would say Staff, while almost zero would say Hammer. That's what iconic means.the idea of hammers became synonymous with the class/job. That's what Iconic means.
I suppose you would try to convince us that the Monk's "iconic" weapon isn't fists/claws, but rather Nunchaku, because they could use it in FF1? Please.
Yuna was both a Summoner and a White Mage. Besides summoning, all her abilities are White Magic spells. She uses staves. And in FFX-2, the staves White Mages use are Yuna's from FFX.wasn't Yuna a Summoner?
Dude, really? First of all, that is a pretty snotty remark. Not everyone is old enough to have lived through the entire FF series, nor do we all irrationally idolize the original Final Fantasy game as the be-all, end-all authority of the series for all time. Also, Porom from FFIV was given as an example, and that game came out in 1991.I also like how all of your examples come from games that are from 1997 or later.
Second, 1997 was 17 years ago. Even that many years is a disturbingly long time for you to still be considering hammers "synonymous" with White Mages, even though they don't even use them. Meanwhile, you can't just ignore all the games where White Mages use staves, as if they don't count.
Third, there are older examples if you prefer. Minwu in FF2 is a White Mage, and although he has no natural weapon proficiency his ultimate weapon is the Staff of Light. White Mages in both FF3 and FF5 use Staves, as well.