What is power? Is it the ability to defeat your opponents with no more than a single attack? Or is it charisma to sway the masses to your beliefs and stir them to fight in the name of your strength?Final FantasyVillains are widely known for harnessing cosmic powers that defy logic, but what makes each of their powers top-tier?
This list, while not definitive, will explore some of the most powerful villains to appear in the series. Their strength won’t be measured solely by their combat prowess, but also by how much they influence the story and the people in-game. Which villain is your favorite?
Vayne Solidor
Final Fantasy 12
As far as Final Fantasy villains go, Vayne pales in comparison to the more popular (and stronger) villains who come before and after him. Final Fantasy 12 shows us that power isn’t necessarily who swings their sword the hardest, but who can capture the hearts of nations with a few well-placed words. However,even politics isn’t bloodless, as Vayne will get rid of anyone in the way of his ambitions.
While Vayne has three forms, the first two are simply a formality for the true faceoff: The Undying. This form is modeled after the infamous series summon, Bahamut, and all of his powerful attacks are taken from this dragon’s repertoire: Megaflare, a Gigaflare sword, and Teraflare, the strongest of the three.
Ardyn Izunia
Final Fantasy 15
Spite is a powerful motivator. It can motivate a person to change their lifestyle and adopt better habits, or it can leave you holding a 2000-year-old grudge against your family. In Final Fantasy 15, we enter into the story just as he was putting the final touches to his plan to kill Prince Noctis. Ardyn wields political power from Nifelheim, but that’s only a means to the end of the Caelum bloodline.
Due to the soulscourge, the man is an immortal daemon-like entity that can spread that scourge from inside his body to not only create daemons but eventually cover the world in an everlasting night, a prime playground for his creatures. Not to mention, he subjugated the Astral Ifrit and used it for his means.
Seymour Guado
Final Fantasy 10
What do you do when even death doesn’t stop someone from coming after you? Seymour Guado rose to fame as theDarling of Yu Yevonand Final Fantasy 10, as a former summoner turned Maester. You get a small taste of his power during theforbiddenoperation Mi’hen with his hard-hitting magic spells, but even that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Once you find out about his inevitable deceit, the party promptly ends him, but as his soul is full of rage, he refuses to move on and becomes an unsent that you’ll have to face three more times. Don’t attempt to summon against him in battle either. His power as a summoner allows him to instantly removeyoursfrom the field.
Cloud Of Darkness
Final Fantasy 3
Speaking of horrors that won’t stay gone, the Cloud of Darkness has not only been the driving force of destruction in Final Fantasy 3 but has also crossed over into the MMO realm twice in Final Fantasy 11 and 14, respectively. What does she want? To bring about the void and destroy everything, of course.
The Cloud of Darkness, as a being of the void, naturally has void abilities. She can take your positive status effects with the skill Black Hole, right before using her reality-destroying signature move, Particle Beam. Even if you destroy the corporeal form completely, the void still exists, leaving a door for her to return.
Exdeath/Neo Exdeath
Final Fantasy 5
What is it with villains and the compulsion to return everything to nothing? To wipe out all beings, includingyourself, is a wild motivation, but understandable when you’re made of marinated evil spirits and sealed in a tree. You’ve got nothing but time to plot the end of existence. Final Fantasy 5’s Exdeath finds the idea not only a good one but joyful as well.
As he marinated and grew in strength, he conjured up plenty of terrifying skills that can wipe your party out if you aren’t prepared. He commands all major elements, as well as harnesses his void powers throughout his three forms. This tree won’t be taken down with a chainsaw. That much is for sure.
Ultimecia
Final Fantasy 8
Power isn’t always a loud, explosive spell or sword skill. Sometimes, it’s more sinister and creeps into the consciousness of others without them realizing it. Ultimecia of Final Fantasy 8 fame is a perfect example of this. She reaches through time to assume control of other sorceresses and manipulate their thoughts and actions.
To what end? Well, all she wants is to be the only entity that exists throughout all space and time. Even before she fuses with the Griever, she already has the power to manipulate both, though not to the extent that she wants. For now.
Kefka Palazzo
Final Fantasy 6
Ah, Kefka. This maniacal clown prince of Final Fantasy 6 is technically the only main antagonist who succeeded in their goals, even if it was temporary. Honestly, though, it was kind of easy, at least as far as processes go in Final Fantasy villain schemes. All he did was rearrange the Warring Triad statues, and he threw the world into sheer chaos.
The action isn’t solely chaotic; there is a method to this act of madness. He becomes the God of Magic, and the only source left in the world (aside from our party, of course). As a god, Kefka’s magical prowess gets turned up to 11 by rendering your party’s HP to one and rendering your magic useless in response. Nihilism wears its makeup well.
Sephiroth
Final Fantasy 7 Series
As far as motivations go, Sephiroth’s in the original Final Fantasy 7 was the most ‘unique’. Sure, it did involve destroying the planet, sucking up the lifestream, and becoming a god. However, that was only a means to an end. His ultimate goal was to use the husk of the planet and travel the cosmos with his mother, to annihilate and absorb planets together.
If that weren’t powerful enough, in the remake, he gains the ability to traverse between alternate realities to sow the seeds of his new plan: unite all the existing realities into one, so he can finally beat the game and win. It’s a little more complex than that, but it does let you know that he’s seen that future, and it’s bleak.
Zeromus
Final Fantasy 4
Remember when I mentioned that spite is a powerful motivator? Welp, Zeromus in Final Fantasy 4 here is Spite Incarnate, as he is the hatred of Zemus born from his dying body. He doesn’t have any motivations for Godhood or taking over the world and reducing it to zero. No, the only thing this creature of hate wants is destruction –yourdestruction.
Zeromus may have the least in terms of the number of skills he possesses, but that doesn’t mean they’re anything to sneeze at. First, his ability, Black Hole, is an improvement from the Cloud of Darkness’ version: it not only removes buffs from the party, but also cancels out any negative status effects that have been cast on him. Couple that with the Big Bang, which causes continuous HP damage, and you’re asking for a bruising if you don’t prepare.
Chaos
Final Fantasy
Wherever life exists, so too does Chaos. Each Final Fantasy game is separate from the rest, but Chaos is the one entity that ‘breaks through’ the walls of each game and shows up as an enemy. Here, Chaos is part of a never-ending cycle of life and death, victory and defeat, and only the heroes of light can break the cycle.
He is the only Villain on our list that canonically achieves immortality, though imperfect as it is, due to him having to send the Four Fiends back in time to resurrect him. Still, he was successful for 2000 years. Chaos’ influence is more immortal than he is, as it has influcenced All Final Fantasy villains, andinspired other games for over 30 years.
