HP Up

In Final Fantasy VIII, HP Up is an item used to permanently increase a character's maximum HP. Unlike other HP-boosting items in the series, in FF8, HP Up can only be obtained by winning a card game on the 11th floor of D-District Prison or by refining 1 Gaea Ring into 1 HP Up. Additionally, there's a support ability called HP Bonus that permanently increases HP by leveling up. This ability is learned by the Guardian Forces Brothers and Cactuar, providing extra HP when a character levels up. Unlike the direct use of HP Up items, HP Bonus requires the character to equip this ability when leveling up and becomes ineffective when the character reaches level 100. There is also a support ability called Move-HP Up, which allows players to slowly recover HP while moving. This ability can be learned by the Guardian Forces Cactuar, Tonberry, and Bahamut. These mechanisms make HP upgrades not only dependent on using items but also integrated into character development and exploration.