HomeFinal Fantasy - Ten Most Memorable Villians
The villains of Final Fantasy are remembered just as often as the heroes. This list is all about those big bads and mini-bosses you love to hate. Will your favorite villain make the cut or will Sephiroth just be put in every slot?
Brian Ross, Senior Writer
Disclaimer: This article is written as a collaborative effort between Brian Ross & Matthew Zubritsky. Remember these are the most memorable things as we saw them and due to localization problems that exist with Final Fantasy II, III, and V, those games often probably won't be held as in high regard as they deserve. We do wish that they could be remade as powerfully as Final Fantasy Tactics was for the PSP. We also primarily stuck to the core games, Final Fantasy I - XII, to keep things as simple as possible. Be wary of spoilers from this point forward.
Matthew Zubritsky: What does every good story have? If you answered an antagonist then you are right! Final Fantasy is no different. The main Final Fantasy series has seen many baddies thus far and whether they express a desire for world domination or just simple greed they each have their own distinct personality and flair. In this list, we'll be discussing our opinions on the ten best Final Fantasy villains. Enjoy!
Brian Ross: Not every villain is obviously going to make the list with twelve main titles and many memorable lesser evil-doers. Three we wanted to mention off the bat though were Queen Brahne, Emporer Mateus, and Edea. Ultimately, Edea and Brahne didn't make this list because they were merely controlled pawns in the grand scheme of a far greater big bad that did make the list. The gluttonous Brahne may have acted on her own volition, but had the worm-tongued Kuja in her ear the entire time. Edea on the other hand is one of many "super-evil" characters that were merely possessed due to no fault of their own. Mateus is quite possibly one of the vilest villains in the series but suffers sadly being in the seldom played Final Fantasy 2. We may have sinned by not ultimately including him.
BR: The first thing many will say about Golbez is that in the end he wasn't evil and merely being controlled by Zemus. Then again by that logic Darth Vader wasn't truly evil. The truth remains that for a vast majority of both of their existences Vader and Golbez were the face of evil. Both started as innocents and through eerily similar circumstances gave into their respective dark sides. They may have been corrupted by forces beyond their control, but they embraced it nonetheless.
Golbez is by far one of the cruelest villains of Final Fantasy. His evil truly knew no bounds as he killed and manipulated his way towards acquiring the Crystals of Light. Through the course of the game he kidnaps the main love interest, slaughters children, and even forces a party member to sacrifice himself. Golbez really brought it to a personal level for the player. In the end, it takes the combined forces of the entire world to stop him as he attempted to quite simply depopulate the world.
BR: A lot of the story of Final Fantasy XII seemed to be forgotten by players who were more interested in the immense side-stories and technical merits. However, the fearsome visages of the plate-clad Judges aren't something many shake. Far less flamboyant than even the mildest Final Fantasy characters, they still impressed a striking physical presence. Even if Vayne was the brains of FFXII's politically driven plot, the Judges were the imposing brawn and dogs that nipped at your heels.
Judge Gabranth is by far the most memorable of the Archadian Judges. He framed his own twin brother for the assassination of the king. Then to really amp it up, he incarcerated and tortured his twin for years as the presiding Judge. Heinous fuckery, most foul. Towards the end of the game, you get to literally watch Gabranth's conscience tear him apart as his sins finally take root in his own mind. Like many of the characters in FFXII, he was more real and palpable than the more exotic characters that make up other Final Fantasies.
MZ: I really thought he was a girl at first due to his very feminine features. He, I think, is the only villain who actually destroys a world. I don’t mean like how Kefka destroyed the world, which was more of a defacing of the surface. He actually destroys his home world Terra and comes very close to eradicating all of life on Gaia as well. Kuja's very existence is to create death. Initially created to depopulate one world by fostering war, Kuja learns of his own mortality and seeks to end all life just to make things "fair."
BR:Final Fantasy IX is easily one of my favorite in the series and Kuja is a big part of the reason why. He has everything you want in a villain - an unimposing form, political shrewdness, and an extremely diabolical vision. The misery he inflicts on Zidane and crew through the course of the game is tremendous, yet he never regards them as anything more than flies. Kuja isn't rude and crass like many other villains, if anything he is cordial and poetic. He offers up some beautiful speeches whose flowery prose often hide their sociopathic meaning. He is by and large the best written villain in the series. He brings to mind The Who song "Behind Blue Eyes."
BR: Sometimes it’s hard to figure out if Jecht is really evil or not. He definitely had issues with his son Tidus, but on many levels they had an extremely positive relationship. Jecht may have been a demanding father, but he truly did show distant warmth for his brooding son. I personally struggled to see Jecht as a bad man. He truly loved his son, but wanted to instill a warrior spirit in him. In that regards, Jecht was ultimately successful. It was if the character designer wrote his biography while listening to Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue."
However, as the vessel for Yu Yevon, Sin was one of the most purely destructive and primal Final Fantasy creatures ever imagined. No part of the world lived without constant fear of Sin. Just imagine if you could only know peace for ten years and were willing to sacrifice everything for just those ten years. Really makes the phrase "taking freedom for granted" stand out. That is the level of sheer terror Sin put the world of Spira through. Jecht may have just been a vessel, but he was definitely a fearsome incarnation of terror.
BR: Most Final Fantasy mini-bosses just end up being throw-away characters, but not the Turks. These suited professionals appear time and time again throughout the Final Fantasy VII games, bringing interesting mini-boss fights and some much needed comic relief. The brash Reno and stoic Rude are easily the most popular of the organization - even if they sometimes come off as a bumbling duo. Somehow though they always manage to put up quite a fight, and I'm sure many players have secretly fallen at their hands. I'd argue, and I'm sure many would agree, that they are the best part of the Advent Children movie as well - especially the foppish Reno.
MZ: "All the hatred in existence would never be enough to defeat me.” Wow, that is a powerful line said by one of the most powerful villains in Final Fantasy. Exdeath was literally bred from evil. The people of Galuf’s world had a solution to lock up all the monsters and evil of their world into a giant tree. The combined hatred eventually spawned the monster known as Exdeath.
Galuf and his Warriors of Dawn fought and sealed Exdeath away in an alternate dimension that happened to be Bartz’s world. Many years later, Exdeath broke free destroying the elemental crystals that bound him there. He then returned to Galuf’s world to continue his reign of terror and eventually killed Galuf himself.
Exdeath is evil incarnate. His power is almost unmatched by anyone in the game; strong enough to sink entire islands and control every monster in the world. I love Exdeath because he IS evil - literally. He is truly a worthy villain for the Final Fantasy series.
MZ: Ultimecia was a villain you didn't even know existed until the middle of the game when you finally beat the Red Herring Edea for the third time. You learn that Ultimecia possessed Edea long ago and that her ultimate goal is to compress all of time and space. Wait, what? Compress time and space? I didn't even think that could be possible! Trying to think of how that is done is completely mind boggling!
The real reason Ultimecia wants to compress time and space is to become a living god and negate her foreseen destiny to be destroyed at the hands of a SeeD. She may not be physically seen through much of the series, but by controlling Rinoa, Edea, and Adel she remains a constant threat. Ultimately, no matter how hard she tried, Ultimecia's destiny came true - which was a major point of the game. You can't escape fate.
BR: Garland is the only main villain to appear in two games; although it is debatable about how deeply his two incarnations are related. It is as the fallen knight that would become Chaos that most people will remember him though. His story is simple: a decorated knight in employ of a king makes a bid for power by kidnapping the princess. When the Warriors of Light confront and kill him, they began a time paradox in which Garland was drawn 2000 years into the past. There he became the god-like Chaos by creating a time loop that enables him to essentially live forever.
Not much was known about Garland at the time, but over the years his story has been fleshed out and he truly has become one of the most simply evil and intriguing bad guys the series has ever offered. If nothing his incorrigible nature and displayed ability in Dissida to manipulate every major villain in history should speak for how truly worthy he is of being number three on the list.
MZ: "Life...dreams...hope...Where do they come from? And where do they go? Such meaningless things...I'll destroy them all!" That very line describes much of Kefka's personality. Throughout the first part of the game we see Kefka commit heinous crimes of murder and destruction. Acting as merely a servant to the Empire he later arises to power on the Floating Continent and literally becomes the God of Magic after he defaces the surface of the entire world.
To put it simple, he is mad. Not meaning emotionally mad, if he has emotions, but plain ol' crazy. Only finding delight in things like hurting others and destroying towns. Heck, this man even had his own cult! He is exactly the type of villain that I'm drawn to - an insane, relentless, cruel, maniacal, self-absorbed, uncaring sadist. I think the only thing Kefka might like more than himself, would be to end all existence.
MZ: The Man in the Black Cape, the Legendary SOLDIER, and the One Winged Angel are just some of the nicknames given to Sephiroth. Could you even picture a better villain than this man here? His image alone is iconic now, with his hockey-like shoulder pads and insanely long Masamune. His story is a sad one full of lies and hate; his whole life was an experiment.
He slowly began to hate the people whom he worked for, Shinra and later began to hate all of existence. By summoning a giant meteor to hit the planet his goal was merge himself with the lifestream and become a god. Wow, that seems pretty intense but if you were in his shoes with all the lying and deception that was pulled over him you'd be mad too. What more can really be said of Sephiroth? He will, in my opinion, remain the most popular villain of Final Fantasy for a very long time if not for the rest of the series. Every game's villain has been thus compared with Sephiroth and none can compare.
MZ: Sephiroth is our number one villain; could you really disagree? It was very hard to decide who was number one as we felt Kefka and Sephiroth were neck and neck. But in the end, you can't really doubt the popularity and cult following of Sephiroth; nor could we find any reason not to list him as number one. That was the sign that the choice was obvious. Stay tuned for our next article in which we discuss the protagonists of Final Fantasy.
Matthew Zubritsky: What does every good story have? If you answered an antagonist then you are right! Final Fantasy is no different. The main Final Fantasy series has seen many baddies thus far and whether they express a desire for world domination or just simple greed they each have their own distinct personality and flair. In this list, we'll be discussing our opinions on the ten best Final Fantasy villains. Enjoy!
Brian Ross: Not every villain is obviously going to make the list with twelve main titles and many memorable lesser evil-doers. Three we wanted to mention off the bat though were Queen Brahne, Emporer Mateus, and Edea. Ultimately, Edea and Brahne didn't make this list because they were merely controlled pawns in the grand scheme of a far greater big bad that did make the list. The gluttonous Brahne may have acted on her own volition, but had the worm-tongued Kuja in her ear the entire time. Edea on the other hand is one of many "super-evil" characters that were merely possessed due to no fault of their own. Mateus is quite possibly one of the vilest villains in the series but suffers sadly being in the seldom played Final Fantasy 2. We may have sinned by not ultimately including him.
BR: The first thing many will say about Golbez is that in the end he wasn't evil and merely being controlled by Zemus. Then again by that logic Darth Vader wasn't truly evil. The truth remains that for a vast majority of both of their existences Vader and Golbez were the face of evil. Both started as innocents and through eerily similar circumstances gave into their respective dark sides. They may have been corrupted by forces beyond their control, but they embraced it nonetheless.
Golbez is by far one of the cruelest villains of Final Fantasy. His evil truly knew no bounds as he killed and manipulated his way towards acquiring the Crystals of Light. Through the course of the game he kidnaps the main love interest, slaughters children, and even forces a party member to sacrifice himself. Golbez really brought it to a personal level for the player. In the end, it takes the combined forces of the entire world to stop him as he attempted to quite simply depopulate the world.
| "Golbez, Clad in Darkness" |
BR: A lot of the story of Final Fantasy XII seemed to be forgotten by players who were more interested in the immense side-stories and technical merits. However, the fearsome visages of the plate-clad Judges aren't something many shake. Far less flamboyant than even the mildest Final Fantasy characters, they still impressed a striking physical presence. Even if Vayne was the brains of FFXII's politically driven plot, the Judges were the imposing brawn and dogs that nipped at your heels.
Judge Gabranth is by far the most memorable of the Archadian Judges. He framed his own twin brother for the assassination of the king. Then to really amp it up, he incarcerated and tortured his twin for years as the presiding Judge. Heinous fuckery, most foul. Towards the end of the game, you get to literally watch Gabranth's conscience tear him apart as his sins finally take root in his own mind. Like many of the characters in FFXII, he was more real and palpable than the more exotic characters that make up other Final Fantasies.
MZ: I really thought he was a girl at first due to his very feminine features. He, I think, is the only villain who actually destroys a world. I don’t mean like how Kefka destroyed the world, which was more of a defacing of the surface. He actually destroys his home world Terra and comes very close to eradicating all of life on Gaia as well. Kuja's very existence is to create death. Initially created to depopulate one world by fostering war, Kuja learns of his own mortality and seeks to end all life just to make things "fair."
BR:Final Fantasy IX is easily one of my favorite in the series and Kuja is a big part of the reason why. He has everything you want in a villain - an unimposing form, political shrewdness, and an extremely diabolical vision. The misery he inflicts on Zidane and crew through the course of the game is tremendous, yet he never regards them as anything more than flies. Kuja isn't rude and crass like many other villains, if anything he is cordial and poetic. He offers up some beautiful speeches whose flowery prose often hide their sociopathic meaning. He is by and large the best written villain in the series. He brings to mind The Who song "Behind Blue Eyes."
|
| "Kuja's Theme" |
BR: Sometimes it’s hard to figure out if Jecht is really evil or not. He definitely had issues with his son Tidus, but on many levels they had an extremely positive relationship. Jecht may have been a demanding father, but he truly did show distant warmth for his brooding son. I personally struggled to see Jecht as a bad man. He truly loved his son, but wanted to instill a warrior spirit in him. In that regards, Jecht was ultimately successful. It was if the character designer wrote his biography while listening to Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue."
However, as the vessel for Yu Yevon, Sin was one of the most purely destructive and primal Final Fantasy creatures ever imagined. No part of the world lived without constant fear of Sin. Just imagine if you could only know peace for ten years and were willing to sacrifice everything for just those ten years. Really makes the phrase "taking freedom for granted" stand out. That is the level of sheer terror Sin put the world of Spira through. Jecht may have just been a vessel, but he was definitely a fearsome incarnation of terror.
BR: Most Final Fantasy mini-bosses just end up being throw-away characters, but not the Turks. These suited professionals appear time and time again throughout the Final Fantasy VII games, bringing interesting mini-boss fights and some much needed comic relief. The brash Reno and stoic Rude are easily the most popular of the organization - even if they sometimes come off as a bumbling duo. Somehow though they always manage to put up quite a fight, and I'm sure many players have secretly fallen at their hands. I'd argue, and I'm sure many would agree, that they are the best part of the Advent Children movie as well - especially the foppish Reno.
|
| "Turks Theme" |
MZ: "All the hatred in existence would never be enough to defeat me.” Wow, that is a powerful line said by one of the most powerful villains in Final Fantasy. Exdeath was literally bred from evil. The people of Galuf’s world had a solution to lock up all the monsters and evil of their world into a giant tree. The combined hatred eventually spawned the monster known as Exdeath.
Galuf and his Warriors of Dawn fought and sealed Exdeath away in an alternate dimension that happened to be Bartz’s world. Many years later, Exdeath broke free destroying the elemental crystals that bound him there. He then returned to Galuf’s world to continue his reign of terror and eventually killed Galuf himself.
Exdeath is evil incarnate. His power is almost unmatched by anyone in the game; strong enough to sink entire islands and control every monster in the world. I love Exdeath because he IS evil - literally. He is truly a worthy villain for the Final Fantasy series.
|
| "The Evil Lord Exdeath" |
MZ: Ultimecia was a villain you didn't even know existed until the middle of the game when you finally beat the Red Herring Edea for the third time. You learn that Ultimecia possessed Edea long ago and that her ultimate goal is to compress all of time and space. Wait, what? Compress time and space? I didn't even think that could be possible! Trying to think of how that is done is completely mind boggling!
The real reason Ultimecia wants to compress time and space is to become a living god and negate her foreseen destiny to be destroyed at the hands of a SeeD. She may not be physically seen through much of the series, but by controlling Rinoa, Edea, and Adel she remains a constant threat. Ultimately, no matter how hard she tried, Ultimecia's destiny came true - which was a major point of the game. You can't escape fate.
|
| "Succession of Witches" |
BR: Garland is the only main villain to appear in two games; although it is debatable about how deeply his two incarnations are related. It is as the fallen knight that would become Chaos that most people will remember him though. His story is simple: a decorated knight in employ of a king makes a bid for power by kidnapping the princess. When the Warriors of Light confront and kill him, they began a time paradox in which Garland was drawn 2000 years into the past. There he became the god-like Chaos by creating a time loop that enables him to essentially live forever.
Not much was known about Garland at the time, but over the years his story has been fleshed out and he truly has become one of the most simply evil and intriguing bad guys the series has ever offered. If nothing his incorrigible nature and displayed ability in Dissida to manipulate every major villain in history should speak for how truly worthy he is of being number three on the list.
MZ: "Life...dreams...hope...Where do they come from? And where do they go? Such meaningless things...I'll destroy them all!" That very line describes much of Kefka's personality. Throughout the first part of the game we see Kefka commit heinous crimes of murder and destruction. Acting as merely a servant to the Empire he later arises to power on the Floating Continent and literally becomes the God of Magic after he defaces the surface of the entire world.
To put it simple, he is mad. Not meaning emotionally mad, if he has emotions, but plain ol' crazy. Only finding delight in things like hurting others and destroying towns. Heck, this man even had his own cult! He is exactly the type of villain that I'm drawn to - an insane, relentless, cruel, maniacal, self-absorbed, uncaring sadist. I think the only thing Kefka might like more than himself, would be to end all existence.
|
| "Kefka" |
MZ: The Man in the Black Cape, the Legendary SOLDIER, and the One Winged Angel are just some of the nicknames given to Sephiroth. Could you even picture a better villain than this man here? His image alone is iconic now, with his hockey-like shoulder pads and insanely long Masamune. His story is a sad one full of lies and hate; his whole life was an experiment.
He slowly began to hate the people whom he worked for, Shinra and later began to hate all of existence. By summoning a giant meteor to hit the planet his goal was merge himself with the lifestream and become a god. Wow, that seems pretty intense but if you were in his shoes with all the lying and deception that was pulled over him you'd be mad too. What more can really be said of Sephiroth? He will, in my opinion, remain the most popular villain of Final Fantasy for a very long time if not for the rest of the series. Every game's villain has been thus compared with Sephiroth and none can compare.
|
| "One Winged Angel" |
MZ: Sephiroth is our number one villain; could you really disagree? It was very hard to decide who was number one as we felt Kefka and Sephiroth were neck and neck. But in the end, you can't really doubt the popularity and cult following of Sephiroth; nor could we find any reason not to list him as number one. That was the sign that the choice was obvious. Stay tuned for our next article in which we discuss the protagonists of Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy Week
Friday, March 5th: Most Memorable Moments
Saturday, March 6th: Most Memorable Creatures
Sunday, March 7th: Most Memorable Villians
Monday, March 8th: Most Memorable Heroes
Tuesday, March 9th: The Final Countdown
Friday, March 5th: Most Memorable Moments
Saturday, March 6th: Most Memorable Creatures
Sunday, March 7th: Most Memorable Villians
Monday, March 8th: Most Memorable Heroes
Tuesday, March 9th: The Final Countdown
Brian Ross
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About: Brian Ross graduated from NC State with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Film Studies. His major interests include college sports, Magic, video games, and movies. Brian tends to embrace all aspects of video gaming and movies, being able to tell you why Citizen Kane is genius and in the same breath praise Little Nicky for intrinsic merit. Always captivating - half man, half amazing.
About: Brian Ross graduated from NC State with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Film Studies. His major interests include college sports, Magic, video games, and movies. Brian tends to embrace all aspects of video gaming and movies, being able to tell you why Citizen Kane is genius and in the same breath praise Little Nicky for intrinsic merit. Always captivating - half man, half amazing.
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