Final Fantasyhas always been known for its villains, sometimes more so than its heroes.From deliberately cruel clownsto cosmic forces of nature,Final Fantasycontains a veritable rouges' gallery of villains big and small. Each and every one of them is memorable in their own way, whether it be a difficult boss fight ora big character moment.
But while someFFvillains will kill you just for fun, laughing all the way,others have more complicated motivations. Whether they believe they’re doing good, or have lost control of their actions, some of these villains would easily serve as antiheroes in another game. These fiveFinal Fantasyvillains are some of the most sympathetic in the series.
5Sorceress Edea Was Totally Innocent
A Victim Of Mind Control
When we first hear of Sorceress Edea inFinal Fantasy 8,she’s portrayed as a monstrous figure. She’s portrayed as the sole responsible party for Galbadia’s attacks, and the player party is commanded to assassinate her. This leads to an excellent, climactic boss battle in what’s undeniably one of the game’s strongest story beats.
Immediately afterward, though, Edea completely changes. It’s quickly revealed thatshe was never in control of her monstrous actions - she was possessed by an earlier Sorceress, Ultimecia, who immediately takes over as the game’s new antagonist.
Slowly but surely, we find out thatEdea was always kind at heart: a devoted public servant, she genuinely cared for the children at the orphanage she oversaw, including Squall and the rest of the playable party. She’s renowned for her kindness, to the point that those who knew her pre-possession have a hard time believing her transformation.
In actuality,Edea’s not a villain at all; she’s an unfortunate victim of the game’s true antagonist. Even so, it’s undeniable that several of the game’s most monstrous deeds are committed in her name, even if not under her control.
Thankfully,Edea is permitted a happy ending. Once Ultimecia leaves her, she reverts to her ordinary self almost instantly, and is afforded the opportunity to apologize and atone for Ultimecia’s misdeeds. She survives the events of the game, and, as far as we can tell, goes on to live a normal life.
Taking The Shot
Don’t get me wrong:FFX’s Jecht is anything but a misunderstood, secretly good person. He’s an awful father, a bully, and a few other choice words.
In-universe,Jecht is best known as a star blitzball player, and a guardian to summoner Braska. Ultimately, he undergoes significant character development as part of Braska’s pilgrimage, ultimately quitting drinking, and becoming a rather helpful presence.
When he eventually confronts and is then transformed into Sin,Jecht, much like Edea, loses his free will. He’s not in control of his actions when he attacks the various settlements around Spira, and at least one of those attacks was for a good cause.
When Jecht destroys Zanarkand and rips Tidus out of the comfort of his life in Zanarkand,he’s really demonstrating how far he’s come. He now believes that his son, whom he once critiqued and belittled, is capable enough to defeat Sin for good, and free the world from its clutches.
He may be responsible for unprecedented destruction and his son’s enduring trauma, butJecht ultimately redeems himself, at least partially. It’s only because he kidnaps Tidus that Yuna is ultimately able to defeat Sin.
And, in a heartfelt, albeit bittersweet ending,Jecht is able to reconcile with his sonright before they both die. It doesn’t make up for all the wrong he’s done, but Jecht deserves partial credit for saving the world, which ultimately makes him a lot more sympathetic near the end.
3Sephiroth’s Anger Is Justified
If Not All His Actions
If Jecht is a bad person who eventually developed a strong sense of justice and managed to redeem himself,Sephiroth is the inverse. A famed member of SOLDIER, he’s always styled himself as a hero, taking it upon himself to protect the weak and defend his friends, even when he was at odds with them.
However, when he discovers the truth of Jenova’s origins and Hojo’s experiments,Sephiroth cracks. It’s totally understandable: like Avalanche, his true enemy is Shinra, a greedy corporation responsible for no end of death and destruction the world over. Anger is a natural response.
The problem is thatSephiroth misdirects his anger. He mistakes Shinra’s will for the will of humanity as a whole, blaming the entire species for killing the ancient race he believes he belongs to. So he turns on the first target he can find: the innocent mountain village of Nibelheim, which he burns to the ground.
He only digs himself deeper. In time,Sephiroth becomes obsessed with his own power, eventually seeking to destroy the entire planet in revenge for the perceived destruction of his people.
Of course, Sephiroth is ultimately defeated at the end ofFinal Fantasy 7. He allows his anger to spiral out of control, eventually driving him to madness. In other words, he’s beyond saving, too far gone. While his all-consuming misanthropy is hardly sympathetic by the time we meet him,his initial angerat Hojo and Shinra is totally justified.
2Kuja Never Stood A Chance
Used As A Weapon
Not unlike Sorceress Edea,Kuja only became a villain because he was used as someone else’s tool- but life was even less fair toFF9’s primary antagonist.
Where Edea was born a human, and allowed to live freely until Ultimecia possessed her,Kuja was created in a lab by Garlandfor the express purpose of taking over Gaia.
The planet of his birth, Terra, was dying, and so Garland charged Kuja with waging war on Gaia so that Terrans could steal Gaian souls.Kuja never knew another life, and was distant and emotionally stunted as a result.
To make matters worse,Kuja’s mission had an expiration date: Garland planned to replace him with Zidane. But Kuja discovered this plan and went rogue, kidnapping Zidane from his home on Terra and sparking the events of the game by leaving him along on Gaia.
Kuja is responsible for a lot of war, death, and pain, and he’s a bit of a blank slate compared to villains like Sephiroth and Jecht. However,he was basically engineered to be a heartless manipulator, and you can’t fault him for acting according to his nature.
At the very end of the game,Kuja becomes a lot more relatable when he’s forced to confront his own mortality directly. He realizes that much of his wrongdoing stems from his fear of death - born to be a weapon of war, he never knew of a better way to cope with it.
It’s only then that he begins to repent, coming to understand Zidane’s desire to help people and ultimately saving the party from the impending collapse of the Iifa Tree.
1Emet-Selch Was Driven To Violence
Steward Of The Aetherial Realm
Emet-Selch is one ofFinal Fantasy 14’s most memorable characters. Assigned, from a young age, to keep watch over the aetherial realm, he’s always been subject to the weight of responsibility.
During the Final Days,Emet-Selch witnesses the destruction of Amaurot firsthand. His people’s sacrifice to Zodiark leaves him broken, grieving, and bitter. He watches the people of Eorzea rebuild their cities, and wants the same for himself.
So Emet-Selch decides to bring Zodiark back, in the hopes that it’ll restore his civilization to its former glory. Given what he’s gone through,it’s an understandable proposition.
Emet-Selch becomes a villain, though,the moment he’s willing to sacrifice others for the rebirth of Amaurot. To him, the rest of society is inherently inferior, a poor imitation of what existed before the Final Days. He’s willing to give it up freely, as long as he can return to his idealistic vision of the past.
While this doesn’t excuse Emet-Selch’s violence (nor do similar motivations excuse the violence of any villain on this list),it does succeed in making him more understandable- and, at times, even a bit sympathetic.
FF14doesn’t shy away from portraying Emet-Selch’s pain in building him up as a villain, which makes him a stronger character. We know exactly what his stakes are, and, as a result, he’s one of the strongest and most sympathetic villains in theFinal Fantasyseries.
