Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Villains 

Henchmen in the Final Fantasy series have so often eclipsed their masters in terms of memorability and given his enduring popularity, which has seen him incorporated into almost every subsequent game in the series in some capacity, none have done it better than Final Fantasy V’s Gilgamesh.

Though he is a pushover every time he is fought in combat, his unique appearance and humorous disposition are high points in a game that is somewhat lacking on the character front.

A quote machine from start to finish, Gilgamesh manages to amuse with every appearance. Almost always accompanied by the tune of ‘Clash On The Big Bridge’, one of Nobuo Uematsu’s greatest musical creations, he gets frustrated at the ineffectiveness of his fraudulent Excalipoor sword when it does single digit damage against the party, quotes the Power Rangers and berates an endgame boss for stealing his lines in just three of many highlights.

Gilgamesh’s appearances in other titles are always implied to be the same character, from the summon that replaces the bisected Odin in VIII and the discoverer of legendary fishing rods in XII to the fourth wall breaking DLC boss in XIII-2 and Gladio’s final test in XV.

Wherever he appears and in whatever capacity (usually hunting swords), Gilgamesh is a joy to behold. He qualifies as a ‘villain’ by the barest of margins, but still manages to be better than most in that capacity.