25. I Want To Be Your Canary (IX)
'Bring my beloved Garnet to me!'
The end of Final Fantasy IX sees players square off against Kuja for the final time, permanently putting a stop to his malevolence. Humbled in defeat, he uses his magical power to transport the player's party out of danger. Unwilling to leave Kuja behind despite his actions, however, lead character Zidane (again adhering to the mantra of 'you don't need a reason to help people') sets off in search of the man he was originally created to replace, ordering the rest of the party (including Garnet, with whom he finally seems set to begin a relationship) to depart as he sets off on his dangerous mission, finding a dying Kuja, who accounts for his sins. He seemingly dies himself in the process, as the next scene shows a depressed Garnet serving in her role as Queen of Alexandria one year later. In a repeat of the game's opening, the Tantalus group that Zidane was once a part of puts on a theatrical performance for her that is attended by the rest of the party, in which the character of 'Marcus' (ostensibly played by the Tantalus member of the same name) appears under a black hooded cloak. Towards the play's climax, this is removed, shockingly revealing Zidane underneath. Astounded, Garnet rushes to the stage, not caring about the loss of her expensive royal necklace in the process as she embraces Zidane and the two finally express their mutual love as their friends and the rest of the audience cheer them on.
24. Interactions With Gilgamesh (V)
'Enough expository banter! Now we fight like men! And ladies! And ladies who dress like men! For Gilgamesh, it is morphing time'
Power Rangers reference aside, Gilgamesh was perhaps the single best thing to come out of Final Fantasy V, being a secondary villain that was both formidable as a foe and downright hilarious. Initially appearing as a mere minion of primary antagonist Exdeath, he shows up to battle the party on a number of occasions, armed with an impressive array of swords and witty quotes (as well as an epic battle theme entitled 'Clash On The Big Bridge') each time. The final encounter with him takes the cake, however, when he shows up during the party's battle with a demon called Necrophobe and interacts with it as follows: Necrophobe: Enough of this. Die! Gilgamesh: *snort* I believe that's MY line!!! Having been banished by his master for his failures, Gilgamesh joins the side of the party, aiding them in their fight against the demon and sacrificing himself to end the battle quickly. So popular was Gilgamesh that he appeared in a number of subsequent games in the series, showing up as a summon in Final Fantasy VIII, a treasure hunter in IX and an optional boss in XII, XIII-2 and a host of remakes of early games in the franchise (it is always implied to be the same character as well, suggesting that he can traverse worlds and that the entire series takes place in the same universe). Regardless of his relevance to any particular game, his appearances seem to be welcomed by fans and long may they continue.
23. The End Of Magic (VI)
'Bleh! You people make me sick. You sound like lines from a self-help book!'
Despite being an abhorrent and thoroughly despicable villain, Kefka has his funny moments in Final Fantasy VI, whether it's berating a pair of minions for the presence of sand on his boots in the middle of his desert or calling somebody the son of a submariner. Never does he strike comedic gold like in the game's climax, however, when after listening to the player's party deliver a 'Patrick Stewart Speech' about why they are all opposing him and how they will prevail, he opts to savagely mock them before resorting to violence. This violence is countered by the party, however, as they split into three separate groups to fight Kefka's assorted forms, ultimately prevailing and undoing the damage that his ascension to godhood has caused. This has the side effect of removing the essence of magic from the world, placing the half-Esper Terra's existence in jeopardy. Using the last of her power, she manages to ensure the party's safety by removing them from Kefka's crumbling tower residence, before managing to continue existing purely as a human because of the emotional connections she shares with not only her friends, but with a group of orphaned children she mothered after Kefka's initial destruction of the world. Cop out? Sure. But it resulted in a much needed happy ending after several hours navigating the bleak and barren world that resulted from Kefka's actions.
22. Cloud Versus Sephiroth, Mark I (VII)
'To the settling of everything!'
Despite not being judged as suitable enough to join him in SOLDIER, Cloud did what Zack could not and managed to overcome Sephiroth during the 'Nibelheim Incident' that occurred five years prior to the beginning of Final Fantasy VII, pushing him into the Lifestream. Hojo's experiments in the aftermath of the incident resulted in him not only being rendered hopeless and losing his memory, but also infused with Sephiroth's cells, creating a connection between the two when Sephiroth returns to the world after five years of being presumed dead. As a result, he and the other onetime inhabitants of Nibelheim that were also experimented on are all inadvertently drawn to Sephiroth's presence, though unlike the others (who are killed), Cloud manages to override the superhuman being's manipulative will and live to fight on. This culminates in a final encounter that occurs as Meteor's collision with the planet is imminent, which sees Cloud and the party fight to vanquish Sephiroth's increasingly demonic forms after making their way through the game's final dungeon. It's a more than satisfying conclusion to the tale of two individuals made equal by scientific experimentation, with good triumphing over evil. Sephiroth is eventually resurrected in Advent Children, but Cloud is on hand to defeat his nemesis once again, seemingly for good, or at least until Square decide to milk what is still one of their hottest properties and add more entries to the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.
21. Squall And Seifer Duel (VIII)
'Fithos, Lusec, Wecos, Vinosec'
The dynamic between the characters of Squall and Seifer in Final Fantasy VIII has already been covered somewhat extensively. Rivals in the classroom, for Rinoa's affections and eventually over the fate of the world, the two are so similar yet so different, shown by how Squall wears black and Seifer wears white, as well as by their mirrored facial scars. These permanent wounds are both the result of a formidable battle that the two engage in during the game's opening cinematic. The duel incorporates fire, blood and extensive swordplay, so it is something of a shock to learn that the two were merely sparring as part of their schooling at a military academy, though it effectively foreshadows the brutality and importance of the showdowns that the two will have later on. The scene itself is a fantastic introduction to what is one of the franchise's more underrated entries, setting the standard high for the rest of the game as it makes the best possible use of the PS1's graphical capabilities. Some of the game's supporting characters (-cough- Irvine -cough-) may be lacking a little in depth, but Squall and Seifer were written to near perfection and it is never evidenced better than by this opening moment.