The Inevitable Implementation of Red Mage

[Orophin]

For the record Red Mage has been proficient with ranged attacks since the first Final Fantasy

Funny, I can't find any evidence of that. There wasn't even a ranged weapon in the first FF game (they used swords btw), and everything else written about them points towards them always using a sword, specifically a rapier or epee type.

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Mage