Ifrit is the first of the Primals faced on our road to becoming Hydaelyn's Champion, and indeed, THE first Primal seen back in 1.0's intro. This gigantic demonic being of fire symbolizes his element quite nicely: he aims to spread his influence throughout the land like a wild, uncontrolled inferno supported by his followers, the Amalj'aa. During the first encounter with the Warrior of Light he attempts to Temper the player, but the Echo (along with Hydaelyn's Blessing of Light no doubt) shield us from any sinister Primal influence. After this attempt, you're dragged into battle in the Bowl of Embers where the Primal is slain (temporarily) and your deeds are first recognized by the Grand Companies.

This being a Final Fantasy game, Ifrit was taken from mythological sources and added to the franchise. In this particular case, Ifrit is a type of djinn from Arabic and Islamic myth. They're beings of great power and cunning, but are susceptible to magic.

As far as Final Fantasy is concerned, Ifrit is a fire elemental summon that has appeared in every main Final Fantasy game since 3, where he made his debut as a summon for the fellow series rookie, the Evoker. Generally he serves as a rival to the primary ice summon of the series: Shiva.