10 Greatest Final Fantasy Villains of All Time

4. Kuja (FFIX)

Sporting one of the most revealing outfits in Final Fantasy history, Kuja is truly one of the most androgynous characters in the series' history. His refined manner, cultured way of speaking and flourish for the theatrical make him hard to forget and somewhat easy to write off as a pretentious buffoon with delusions of grandeur, but Kuja's far more than that. The Angel of Death himself, Kuja was not born but created with the express purpose of bringing down death and destruction. As he was created and manufactured, his existence began as an adult, never experiencing childhood or growth, depriving him of emotional intelligence and empathy. Subsequently, his actions, though horrific, are in his eyes simply him carrying out his function. When he discovers the truth about his mortality, he realises he is just as frail as the mortals he's been murdering without remorse, and due to this exposure of his weakness, he wants the world to end with him, as it would be €œunfair€ for it to continue without him. Obviously this takes self-centred to a whole new level, but, given that Kuja was created by Garland with the express purpose of destruction while robbing him of empathy, it isn't difficult to empathise, even sympathise with Kuja's plight. Kuja was the first of the Genomes, a prototype, while Zidane and Mikoto are the perfect models Garland designed for the same purpose, only with improvements. Upon discovering this, Kuja murders his maker and destroys the entire planet of Terra, intending to do the same to Gaia. Interestingly, Kuja's last act is not one of destruction, but of saviour. While the Iifa Tree collapses, Kuja teleports Zidane and his friends away to the safety of their airship, rather than murdering them when given the opportunity.
Contributor

When not writing Chris spends more time thinking about playing videogames than actually playing them and can usually be found reorganizing his Blu Ray and book collections. He owns four different editions of A Song of Ice and Fire and no, it isn't overkill. He's left the neon haze of Tokyo and Seoul for the more sedate streets of Bournemouth.