Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Villains 

Few individuals in the series have ever come as close to Argath Thadalfus in the sheer detestability stakes. Though he is a very minor character in the overarching narrative of Final Fantasy Tactics and is dispatched in its opening chapter, he left such a lasting impression (and sour taste) that he was brought back to be therapeutically killed for a second time in the War Of The Lions remake.

A vile elitist who holds commoners in contempt and sees zero value in their lives, Argath immediately rubs players the wrong way from his first appearance, despite ostensibly serving as an ally to Ramza and his adoptive brother Delita. Wanting to crush Ivalice’s peasant rebellion by force and put them ‘back in their place’ under aristocratic rule, he represents a system where those with wealth and heritage are treated more favourably than those without, something that many players can sadly relate to.

Argath is made more hateable by his hypocrisy, having sunk to the status of servant following the dishonouring of his family name, but nothing can top his senseless murder of Delita’s sister Tietra, one of the most brutal moments in a game that is stuffed to the brim with them. Her innocence, coupled with Argath’s remorselessness at the death of someone he sees as subhuman, sets the bar for everything that is to come.