Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Villains 

IX is stuffed with call-backs to the earlier entries in the franchise, with many characters, locations and events referenced. One of the most overt is the inclusion of Garland as a secondary antagonist and his striking appearance makes him a sight to behold.

Serving as the Master of Time on the chillingly empty planet of Terra, Garland has the horrendous task of overseeing Gaia’s development until Terra can be assimilated with it, trapping the souls of its fallen inhabitants in the Iifa Tree so that the fallen Terrans can replace them and begin their society anew.

Creating Kuja (and Zidane) to accelerate the process by upping the bodycount through war, Garland’s remorselessness in the pursuit of his mission, which is one the Terrans have undertaken on multiple other planets throughout history, has devastating consequences, with the destruction of the summoners and the creation of Mist (the vengeful souls of the dead unable to return to the planet manifesting as monsters instead) attributable to his actions.

Though he is swiftly dispatched by Kuja when he turns on his creator in madness over his mortality, Garland remains an omniscient presence that only Zidane can hear. His narration is rather haunting as the party navigates Memoria, but ensures that he leaves a lasting impression even after death.