Summary
Across sixteen mainline titles and numerous spin-offs,theFinal Fantasyfranchisehas created some of the most terrifying and cruel characters in gaming. In a world where the heroes of the story are often driven into conflict with some sort of far-reaching empire or imperial authority, it makes sense that characters on the side of authoritarianism are some of the most vile people one can meet. Or if a game doesn’t feature an evil empire, sometimes these characters are just plain nasty and have no reason for their cruelty beyond a tarnished soul.
Whether it’s destroying humanity with a cackle and a sense of glee or orchestrating some kind of conflict for their own gain, some ofFinal Fantasy’s villains have been the most dastardly one can find in the entire industry.
Among the many antagonists inFinal Fantasy 7, ranging from Sephiroth to the various members of the Shinra Electric Power Company, one of the absolute worst of the bunch is Hojo. This demented mad scientist manages to be worse than nearly every member of Shinra with his twisted experiments.
As the one who spearheaded the SOLDIER program and the Jenova project, Hojo is largely responsible for most of the perils thatthe heroes ofFinal Fantasy 7face. He is a disgusting man who tends to get lost in the deluge of outrageous villains inFF7but is still one of the evilest rogues that Square has ever created.
Thematically,Final Fantasy 8can best be described as how fate and destiny intertwine with grief and trauma. And no character more perfectly describes that than Ultimecia, the evil sorceress from the future who is destined to be defeated by SeeD. By setting an event known as Time Compression into motion, Ultimecia sought to change her doomed fate and survive by any means necessary.
Though the true nature of her creation is left ambiguous, she is a nasty sorceress who will cause untold amounts of death and destruction to change her future.Numerous fan theories existthat she is a future version of Rinoa, who went mad after the death of Squall. But whatever it was that turned Ultimecia into the monster she is, she remains one ofFinal Fantasy’smost devious antagonists.
Exdeath appears inFinal Fantasy 5, where he is introduced as the personification of all the evil and hatred in the world. First living inside a sentient tree, Exdeath was the result of millions of evil spirits co-mingling inside a forest meant to keep them at bay. After breaking the seal, Exdeath begins plotting to eliminate the Light Warriors.
Rather than being driven to villainy by some sort of tragic backstory, Exdeath is simply pure, concentrated evil in its rawest form. There is no grand plan beyond defeating those who oppose him and returning the world to complete darkness. Amongthe roster of villainsthat the heroes ofFinal Fantasyhave faced, Exdeath is one with a frighteningly simple motivation that is still endlessly compelling.
WhenFinal Fantasymade the transition fromthe PS1 to the PS2, the powerful new hardware made it possible for more games to have voice acting than previous generations. As a result, villains became even more complex and Seymour fromFinal Fantasy 10was able to benefit in some pretty fantastic ways.
This cruel summoner spends the majority of his time scheming behind the scenes ofFF10, but once the mask is off, his callous nature becomes increasingly clear. He attempts to use Yuna to gain more power, as his marriage proposal to her is based entirely on a lie. A murderous, heartless man, Seymour is easily one of the most horrific characters to ever exist in the series.
Among the numerous things thatFinal Fantasy 16does well, it’s the villains. And Benedikta is not justFF16’sgreatest antagonist, she’s oneof the franchise’s bestand most fascinating sources of evil. This cold and merciless killer is a thorn in the side of protagonist Clive in the early stages ofFF16.
Backed by an absolutely stellar performance by Nina Yndis, Benedikta’s ruthless actions throughout the game are delightfully evil, and wondering what she’ll do next is endlessly compelling. She also features in one of the game’s best boss fights, as the multi-level fight shows just how cruel she can be.
6Sephiroth
A Fallen Soldier With A Messiah Complex
After leaving their 2D sprites behind, Square opted to create something big and bold for theseventh mainlineFinal Fantasygame. With new hardware and a seemingly unlimited amount of space to work with, they ended up creating one of the most fascinating villains in the entire industry with Sephiroth. Driven to madness after discovering what Professor Hojo has done, Sephiroth seeks the Promised Land by any means necessary.
The result is murder, destruction, and genocide. Once seen as the greatest soldier who ever lived, Sephiroth throws everything away to achieve the godhood that he believes rightfully belongs to him. His majestic beauty makes his villainy even more alarming. His ability to manipulate, deceive, and gaslight Cloud throughout the game, as well as the untold destruction, is what makes this iconic villain so much fun to watch.
While a lot of villains are born out of tragedy or some sort of betrayal, the main antagonist fromFinal Fantasy 6, known as Kefka, requires none of that. He is simply an evil, sadistic harlequin who only wants destruction and chaos. His lack of empathy for life and humanity is what makes this maniacal clown so interesting.
In the swan songtoFinal Fantasy’s16-bit days, Kefka tortures the party with endless bouts of nihilistic violence and destruction. His trademark cackle is still haunting to this day, as this outrageous jester is still one of the most spectacular villains in the history of video games.
