Summary
- Fans are drawn to Final Fantasy villains with immense screen presence, like Benedikta, who met a premature end.
- Rufus Shinra stands out with his cool presence and redemption arc, making him a popular villain in Final Fantasy 7.
- Ultros, a bumbling monster octopus, adds humor and entertainment as a recurring obstacle for the party in Final Fantasy 6.
The villains present in most Final Fantasy games do a great job of making it easy for players to team up against their overwhelming might. Sometimes, these villains do too good a job, to the point where fans may love these characters more than the heroes themselves.
The best bad guys in Final Fantasy are wildly entertaining and have an immense screen presence. Their impact is substantial, ensuring that fans will remember these characters long after they're taken out in their respective games.
8 Benedikta Harman
A Villain With A Ton Of Potential Who Should've Survived For Longer
Final Fantasy 16
- Released
- June 22, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Final Fantasy 16 has numerous villains that are disliked in their own ways, but one character who got the short end of the stick was Benedikta. Despite boasting a charisma that fans love in cocky villains, she was chosen to be the first victim of Clive's rage.
Fans were shocked to see that she died before she could live up to her potential as a compelling Final Fantasy villain. What sours players even more is the appearance of Ultima, a wildly uninteresting villain in comparison who's nowhere near as entertaining as Benedikta despite getting way more screen time.
7 Rufus Shinra
An Epic Duel And His Appearance In Advent Children Somewhat Redeems This Villain
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original), PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4
From the very moment fans engage in a duel for the ages against Rufus on the rooftop of Shinra HQ, they know they're in for something special. He takes over the position of CEO after his father's death and shows no remorse.
His cool presence makes it easy to like the villain despite his heinous actions. Advent Children shows that he survived Diamond Weapon's attack, with Rufus eventually redeeming himself by standing against Sephiroth's Remnants instead of letting these villains do what they wanted.
6 Ultros
A Bumbling Monster Octopus That Tries To Stop The Party Numerous Times, Only To Fail
Final Fantasy 6
- Released
- October 11, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
The best villains in Final Fantasy are the ones who are quite goofy and never stop hunting down the player. Such is the case with Ultros, who became a riveting character from the very moment he assaulted the escaping Returners in the World of Ruin and forced them to split up.
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He stands in the way of the party numerous times, with the most hilarious instance arriving when he tries to sabotage the opera by dropping a heavy weight on Celes during her performance. In the World of Ruin, he's realized just how out of his depth he is and becomes a receptionist in the Dragon's Den Coliseum, which is a job change no one expected.
5 The Turks
This Charismatic Group Stands In The Heroes' Way Time And Time Again
Fans love villains who have redeeming qualities of their own, even though they stand against the heroes. Such is the case with the Turks, a mercenary group who are simply being paid the big bucks by Shinra and don't really think about their actions all that much.
Every character in this group is riveting in its own way, and they eventually redeem themselves when the party decides to assault Midgar. They encounter the heroes once again but choose to let them be, since the Shinra executives had gone rogue following the destruction of their headquarters by Diamond Weapon. They weren't being paid anymore to stand in Cloud's way, so they felt no reason to incite yet another confrontation.
4 Ardyn Izunia, AKA Ardyn Lucis Caelum
His Infectious Charisma Makes It Very Hard To Hate This Villain
Final Fantasy 15
- Released
- November 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Ardyn's charisma makes him infectious from the very first moment he's introduced in Final Fantasy 15. His appearances are sporadic yet entertaining, causing players to like him even though it's clear as day that he's the game's main villain.
Episode Ardyn does a great job of humanizing his character and showing why he walked the path of darkness after being refused the privilege of being the next king. It may not justify his ruinous actions, but this DLC gives players yet another reason to like this charming antagonist.
3 Sephiroth
The Most Popular And Iconic Final Fantasy Villain By A Country Mile
It goes without saying that Sephiroth is one of the most iconic Final Fantasy villains of all time. His luscious silver hair and the impossibly long Masamune are iconic and do a great job of making this character quite recognizable.
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His descent into madness is caused by the revelation that he was a genetic experiment created with JENOVA cells, causing him to be infatuated with the idea of reuniting with his alien mother. His fall into the Lifestream somehow makes him even more powerful, and it's up to Cloud and his friends to put an end to Sephiroth's plans and save Gaia.
2 Gilgamesh
The Hilarity He Brings To Every Boss Fight Made It Clear Why He Became A Recurring Figure In The Series
Final Fantasy 5
- Released
- December 6, 1992
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Gilgamesh is one of the funniest villains in Final Fantasy by a country mile. Fans loved his character so much that he's becoming a recurring figure in the series. His goofy antics made every battle against him entertaining, even if he could punish players who underestimated him.
After one mistake too many, Exdeath banishes him to the Void. However, in the final dungeon, he comes back and saves the heroes from an arduous battle, allowing them to reach Exdeath and defeat this embodiment of evil for good.
1 Kefka
The Mad Jester Is Easily The Most Compelling And Entertaining Final Fantasy Villain Of All Time
Final Fantasy 6
- Released
- October 11, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
Kefka is one of the greatest Final Fantasy villains of all time, with this mad jester winning over fans with his over-the-top antics time and time again. It helped that he was the beneficiary of one of the best Woolseyisms in the series, with the line "son of a submariner" becoming legendary for all the right reasons.
He embodied the spirit of Chaotic Evil by cutting down any enemy or ally in his path. He had no problems disturbing the balance of the Warring Triad and bringing the world to a state of ruin, compelling the heroes to reunite in this destroyed world and launch one final assault against this would-be god.
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