Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Villains 

25. Leon (II)

Final Fantasy II begins with the escape of four orphans, Firion, Maria, Guy and Leon, from the city of Fynn as it is ravaged by the Palamecian Empire. The subsequent story sees the first three of these join a rebellion and seek revenge on their oppressors, with a constantly rotating fourth character filling Leon’s spot as the player is left to question his fate.

The revelation that Leon has been recruited into the Empire, serving as the Emperor’s right-hand ‘dark knight’, is one of the first shocking moments in a series that would come to be defined by them. His motivations for turning to the dark side are never really explored, as he isn’t shown to be under mind control like Kain, Edea and many others that would follow, but after the largely plotless affair that was Final Fantasy I, he has the distinction of being the first villain with a personal connection to the leads.

He is elevated by this, eclipsing the largely faceless Emperor in importance and serving as a formidable opponent. His eventual redemption (of sorts) is predictable, but his departure in the finale and aspirations to rule seemed to set up a new narrative that was never explored. He certainly had more potential, but given the limitations of the NES he does well to still stand out more than thirty years later.