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00:05Welcome to MojoPlays and today we're tackling the worst of the worst, the evilest of the evil,
00:09the longswordiest of the longswords. This is every Final Fantasy villain ranked.
00:14We're just picking one villain per game, but if I'm feeling frisky I might break that rule.
00:18We'll see. Let's go.
00:19Before we continue, we publish content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:24the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:28Galanth Final Fantasy XIII
00:30Why don't you leave, Jill? Or rather, take your leave.
00:36Although Orphan serves as the final boss of Final Fantasy XIII, it's really Galanth who spends the
00:41entire adventure pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Nearly every major event can be traced
00:45back to his plan to trigger Ragnarok, making him the story's true antagonist rather than the creature
00:49waiting at the finish line. One thing that definitely helps the character stand out is
00:53Stuart Scott Buellock's commanding vocal performance, which gives Galanth a calm but
00:57intimidating presence whenever he appears. His biggest problem isn't the acting, it's the
01:02storytelling. Like much of Final Fantasy XIII, his motivations and long-term goals can be difficult
01:06to piece together, leaving him in the bottom position. Not because he's necessarily the worst
01:11on paper, but easily one of the most underutilized.
01:15Men do. Without our help, death is all of which you're capable. You saw the fools, a mindless mob
01:25drunk on fear of a fueless sea.
01:27The Emperor Final Fantasy II
01:37Plenty of fans still argue that Final Fantasy II sits at the bottom of the series, and it's
01:41easy to see why. Its unusual progression system abandoned traditional leveling in favor of raising
01:47stats through repeated actions, a decision that remains one of the franchise's most divisive
01:51experiments. Instead of feeling fresh, it often makes the adventure feel tedious, more tedious than
01:56it needed to be. That's a shame, because underneath those awkward mechanics is a fairly enjoyable story
02:01filled with rebellion, sacrifice, and an empire threatening the world. Unfortunately, many players
02:06never stick around long enough to appreciate it. Even the Emperor, despite being the game's
02:10central villain, is often overshadowed because the frustrating gameplay ends up leaving their
02:14biggest impression.
02:20Cloud of Darkness Final Fantasy III
02:28Unlike the later entries, Final Fantasy III doesn't spend the adventure building up a single
02:32unforgettable villain. Instead, the story focuses on exploring its mysterious world, with the Warriors
02:37of Light overcoming a series of separate threats as they slowly uncover what's really happening.
02:42Everything eventually leads to the Crystal Tower, where they form an unlikely alliance with the
02:46Warriors of Darkness to stop the Cloud of Darkness from wiping out all of existence. She deserves credit for
02:52being the series' first major female antagonist, and has returned in several games since. Even so,
02:57she's never had much of a personality. Despite her striking design, she feels more like a powerful
03:01final obstacle than a fully developed villain whose presence drives the story from beginning to end.
03:14Garland slash Chaos Final Fantasy
03:23The OG Final Fantasy saves its biggest twist until the very end, though whether it's a
03:28great twist is still up for debate. For most of the adventure, you're busy hunting down the
03:32four fiends with no obvious mastermind pulling the strings. Then, almost out of nowhere, the final boss is revealed to
03:37be
03:37Chaos, who is actually Garland, the very first enemy you defeated. Thanks to a confusing time loop plot, he's secretly
03:44been
03:44responsible for everything all along. Whoa! It's certainly memorable, even if it leaves plenty of players
03:49scratching their heads. Thankfully, later games gave Chaos far more attention. He became the standout
03:54antagonist in the Decidue Final Fantasy series, and the driving force behind Stranger of Paradise
03:59Final Fantasy Origin. In the original game, however, he's little more than a powerful monster waiting for
04:04one last fight. Still, iconic.
04:11X-Death Final Fantasy 5
04:19X-Death has one of the weirdest origin stories in the entire series, and that's really saying
04:24something. Rather than being born or created in the usual way, he's the physical form of countless
04:29evil spirits that were sealed inside a giant tree until they eventually merged into a single being.
04:34Somehow, all of that ends up looking like a fairly standard armoured warlord for most of the game.
04:39The real spectacle arrives during the finale, where he transforms into Neo X-Death. Suddenly,
04:44the intimidating knight is replaced by a grotesque mass of twisted flesh, human bodies, and monstrous
04:49limbs, bringing back that tree element. It's body horror, it's fantasy, it's on Nintendo systems.
04:54It was so original.
05:02Golbez slash Xemus Final Fantasy 4
05:09For most of Final Fantasy 4, Golbez is the face of everything standing in your way.
05:15He constantly stays one step ahead of the party, stealing crystals and carrying out what appears
05:19to be his own ruthless plan. As the story unfolds, players discover there's far more going on behind
05:24the scenes. Golbez was never the true mastermind at all, having spent most of the game under the
05:29control of Lunarian Xemus. That revelation completely changes how you view his actions,
05:34turning him from a straightforward villain into another victim of manipulation. It's an interesting
05:38twist, but it also means Golbez loses some points as an antagonist, since many of the game's
05:43greatest evils weren't truly his doing. Let's split this entry between two. What a team.
05:48What I set out to do. The role must be gone.
05:57Sid Olstein Final Fantasy Type-0
06:00We must unite to bring forth the light of hope. The time has come. Yes, this is the dawn of
06:09a new age.
06:10Compared to the universe-ending gods and reality-breaking monsters that usually headline
06:14the series, the main villain of Final Fantasy Type-0 is surprisingly grounded. At least,
06:19he starts that way. Sid is simply the ruthless leader of the Milites Empire, relying on intelligence,
06:25political influence and anger that he's the second Sid to be evil in the series. His calm and
06:30calculating personality makes him a constant threat, as he's always thinking several steps ahead
06:34of the heroes. Of course, this is still Final Fantasy, so things eventually become far less normal.
06:38After his death, Sid is possessed by a powerful deity and transformed into a horrifying monster,
06:44blah blah blah blah, but his ground of evil was pretty damn epic, and the reason he's here on the
06:48list.
07:05Shadow Lord Final Fantasy XI
07:15The Shadow Lord from Final Fantasy XI certainly understands the importance of making a dramatic
07:19first impression. Clad in imposing black armor and surrounded by an intimidating presence,
07:24he looks every bit like the kind of villain you'd rather avoid in a dark alley.
07:28His backstory, however, is another matter entirely. It's wrapped up in so much lore that explaining it
07:33properly could take longer than some RPGs themselves, and it doesn't matter because none of you are
07:37playing this game anymore. At its core, though, it's a relentless enemy determined to bring
07:41destruction on a massive scale. While he isn't the sort of villain who casually wipes out kingdoms
07:46with a flick of his wrist, he's a terrifying military leader backed by a powerful army.
07:51His climactic two-phase boss battle, mixing crushing melee attacks with dark magic, remains one of Final
07:56Fantasy XI's most memorable encounters. Remember? Oh, you don't. God damn it. Can't get that 30 seconds back.
08:08Vayne Caridus Solidor Final Fantasy XII
08:19Vayne Solidor
08:20Actually, I don't know how to pronounce his last name. That was a total guess. Spends much of Final Fantasy
08:23XII
08:24proving that you don't need to swing a sword every five minutes to be dangerous.
08:28As the heir to the Arcadian Empire, he hides ruthless ambition behind polished speeches,
08:33expensive-looking armor, and the calm confidence of someone who always has a backup plan.
08:37He's even willing to murder his own father if it helps him move one step closer to absolute power.
08:42Like many Final Fantasy villains, Vayne wants humanity freed from the control of the gods,
08:47but he also intends to rule the new world himself. Pick a thing, brother.
08:56Solus Zos Galvis
08:58Slash Emmett Selch
09:00Final Fantasy XIV
09:01Would you not agree?
09:09Although Laha Brea spends much of Final Fantasy XIV acting as the face of the Ascians,
09:14it's Emmett Selch who ultimately steals the show.
09:17Introduced during the Shadowbringers expansion, he quickly became one of the franchise's most celebrated villains.
09:22Rather than relying purely on brute force,
09:24Emmett Selch wins players over through his intelligence, patience, and unsettling ability
09:28to manipulate events across countless years.
09:31As one of the architects behind the Ascian Plan, he's responsible for unimaginable destruction,
09:36yet his motivations are driven by a deep longing to restore the world he once knew.
09:40That emotional complexity makes him far more than a typical world-ending antagonist.
09:45He's powerful, tragic, charismatic, and easily one of the strongest villains in the entire series.
09:50Alas, it is not your grand scheme that will succeed, but ours.
09:57Ultima Final Fantasy XVI
10:11Few names in Final Fantasy carry as much significance as Ultima.
10:15Long before becoming a character, Ultima was known as one of the series' most devastating spells,
10:19capable of wiping out unprepared parties in spectacular fashion.
10:23That's why it's so fitting that Final Fantasy XVI reveals Ultima as the true force behind the world's suffering.
10:29From the shadows, this ancient being manipulates kingdoms into endless conflict,
10:33forcing Clive and his companions to confront the source of the chaos if they hope to save Valestia.
10:37Before reaching that final showdown, however, players must survive one of the game's most memorable enemies,
10:42Hugo Kubka.
10:43As the dominant of Titan, he's an arrogant and power-hungry ruler who uses his enormous influence
10:48for personal gain instead of helping those beneath him.
10:51Defeating Hugo feels like an incredible achievement,
10:53right until you realise he was only one piece of Ultima's much larger plan all along.
10:57Did all life flourish?
11:03Yet the price for this boon would prove heavy.
11:09Delita Hyrule Final Fantasy Tactics
11:12Delita, what do you suppose this is about?
11:14I could hazard a guess.
11:17Calling Delita the final villain of Final Fantasy Tactics is guaranteed to start an argument,
11:21but it's a position that's pretty easy to defend.
11:23While he begins the story alongside Ramza, Delita slowly abandons any sense of idealism
11:28in favour of achieving his goals by whatever means necessary.
11:31He believes taking control of the kingdom is the only way to end this endless cycle of war
11:35and corruption, but his methods become increasingly ruthless as the story unfolds.
11:40Manipulation, betrayal and sacrifice are simple tools to him.
11:44His darkest moment comes when Princess Ovelia discovers the truth
11:47and stabs him only for Delita to retaliate and kill her.
11:50He later silences historian Oren Durai to keep his secrets buried,
11:54proving that winning the throne ultimately mattered more than protecting his own conscience.
12:05Arden Azunia Final Fantasy XV
12:17Arden is one of those villains who sounds incredible,
12:20when you read his backstory.
12:22The man was betrayed by his own brother, unknowingly made an enormous sacrifice,
12:26and was cursed with immortality, leaving him trapped in an existence where death is never an escape.
12:31It's easy to understand why he became so twisted,
12:34and his talent for manipulating everyone around him makes him a constant threat throughout the game.
12:38The problem is that he never quite meshes with the game's laid-back road-trip atmosphere.
12:43His history mirrors Noctis in interesting ways,
12:45but their rivalry never reaches the iconic heights of heroes and villains like Cloud and Sephiroth.
12:50He's memorable, but the story around him never quite lets him become truly legendary.
12:54What have you given to me at birth?
12:57Arden Lucis Kylum is my proper name.
13:02You'll never guess his name is in your way.
13:14It was really tough to pick a villain from this game, because there's actually a bunch,
13:18but my mind always lands on the blue-haired Sephiroth rip-off that is Seymour Guado.
13:23Seymour is one of the most tragic villains in the entire Final Fantasy series.
13:27As a child, his mixed Guado and human heritage meant he never truly belonged anywhere,
13:31leaving him isolated and rejected for most of his life.
13:34Instead of finding hope, that loneliness slowly twisted into bitterness,
13:38convincing him that life itself was nothing more than endless suffering.
13:42From Seymour's point of view, becoming sin and ending everyone's pain is an act of mercy
13:46rather than cruelty.
13:47It doesn't excuse the horrors he commits, but it does make his warped logic easier to understand.
13:52His multiple transformations and relentless pursuit of Yuna
13:55also make him one of the most persistent enemies the party faces,
13:58refusing to stay down no matter how many times he's defeated,
14:01and no matter how creepy he looks.
14:03Still, sin itself is also a real nightmare,
14:05a colossal flying monster capable of wiping entire cities off the map
14:08while Yu Yevon serves as the final boss.
14:15Cypher Almacy Final Fantasy VIII
14:22There's a huge chunk of great villains in this divisive entry.
14:26You've got Ultimecia, a powerful sorcerer from the future who plans on compressing time in order to become a god.
14:32You've also got E.D., the main antagonist, until it's revealed she's being controlled by Ultimecia.
14:37But none feel as well-rounded to me as Cypher.
14:40Cypher is one of the most fascinating antagonists in Final Fantasy VIII
14:44because, unlike most villains in the series, he starts out as someone the player actually knows,
14:49and I guess likes.
14:50I liked him.
14:52Introduced to Squall's arrogant rival at Balam Garden,
14:55Cypher constantly pushes himself to prove he's destined for something greater.
14:59His obsession with becoming a heroic knight ultimately blinds him,
15:02making him easy for Ultimecia to manipulate through sorceress E.D.
15:05Even after learning the truth,
15:07Cypher refuses to abandon the fantasy he's built around himself,
15:11believing his actions will finally give his life meaning.
15:14That tragic mix of pride, ambition, and delusion
15:17makes him far more than a simple bad guy.
15:19He's a rival whose dreams ultimately became the very thing that destroys him.
15:29Kuja Final Fantasy IX
15:38Kuja might have one of the most divisive looks in the Final Fantasy series,
15:41but there's far more to him than flashy clothes and dramatic entrances.
15:45As he twisted counterpart to Zidane,
15:47he's essentially an earlier version of this hero,
15:51created for the same purpose but sent down a completely different path.
15:54Beneath all the confidence and theatrical flair is someone consumed by rejection,
15:58desperate for the approval he never received.
16:01When Kuja discovers the truth about his existence,
16:03that heartbreak quickly turns into uncontrollable rage,
16:06making his actions feel tragically human,
16:09even as they become increasingly destructive.
16:11He's manipulative, charismatic, and emotionally complex,
16:14proving that some of the series' best villains aren't driven by pure evil,
16:17but by the pain of never feeling wanted.
16:20Maybe if Garland had spent a little less time creating living weapons
16:23and a little more time being a decent father,
16:25things might have turned out very differently.
16:31Kefka Palazzo Final Fantasy VI
16:42Kefka stands out because he does something
16:44almost no video game villain ever manages to accomplish.
16:47He actually wins.
16:49Halfway through Final Fantasy VI,
16:50his plan succeeds,
16:51the world is torn apart,
16:52and the heroes are left scattered
16:54while players wake up on a lonely beach with Celis,
16:56wondering how everything went so wrong.
16:58From that point on,
16:59you're fighting to survive in a world Kefka had already conquered.
17:02His unforgettable personality only makes him more compelling.
17:06He's loud, theatrical, unpredictable,
17:08and completely unhinged.
17:10Yet every move he makes is surprisingly calculated.
17:13Unlike villains driven by revenge or tragedy,
17:16Kefka simply revels in destruction for its own sake.
17:19He's literally the Joker.
17:21He's the perfect embodiment of pure chaos,
17:23happily laughing as the world collapses around him.
17:26And that's exactly what makes him
17:27one of the greatest antagonists in gaming history.
17:37Sephiroth Final Fantasy VII
17:47Professor Hojo is as evil as a regular human can get.
17:50The Turks are interesting, divided, and driven,
17:53and the Shinra Power Company represents big corporations
17:55taking advantage of the lower class.
17:57But nobody in this game,
17:59or the series,
18:00will ever compare to the impact and power
18:02of our main boy, Sephiroth.
18:05Sephiroth has become the face of Final Fantasy villains.
18:08For good reason.
18:09Before everything falls apart,
18:10he's celebrated as a legendary soldier,
18:13only to have his entire identity shattered
18:15when he learns the truth about his origins.
18:17Left with nobody to help him process that revelation,
18:20he spirals into madness under Genova's influence,
18:23transforming from a hero
18:24into one of gaming's most iconic antagonists.
18:26His rivalry with Cloud works so well
18:29because the two mirror each other in unexpected ways,
18:31making every confrontation feel really, really personal.
18:34It's easy to understand the pain and isolation
18:36that shapes Sephiroth,
18:37even if his actions are completely unforgivable.
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