Summary
TheFinal Fantasyfranchise has seen its fair share of memorable villains. From the immensely powerful Sephiroth to the maniacal Kefka,the antagonist galleryon display for the series is really incredible, but this isn’t to suggest that every antagonist has received the same treatment. For one reason or another, there are a handful of compelling yet underlookedvillains who have largely been forgotten about, even by dedicated fans.
This often happens when the character’s spotlight is stolen by a much bigger and more prolific antagonist, but it can also simply be due to the fact that the game they appear in isn’t well received by the fanbase. Sometimes, it’s even been the case that a villain just isn’t anywhere near as strong as they ought to be, which can easily make them forgettable. It’s time to shine some light on the unfortunateFinal Fantasyvillains who have seemingly faded into obscurity over time.
Final Fantasy 15is more fondly remembered forits lovable protagonistsrather than the villains, but while Ardyn does still get a fair amount of praise as the central antagonist, one villain who flies straight under the radar for many people is Ravus. Despite being the older brother to Lady Lunafreya, Ravus is still dedicated to carrying out his imperial duties and becomes a thorn in Noctis' side for the first few hours of the story.
The truth is, though, his introduction scene is pretty short and lackluster, and he also has a pretty poor boss fight, which is a shame considering how powerful he is supposed to be in the lore. It also would have been nice to dig into the complicated relationship that he shares with Lunafreya, and by extension, Noctis. Sadly, Ravus doesn’t get enough screen time to be very memorable, but at least he’s got a cool design.
It was clear with the firstFinal Fantasygame that Square Enix was still trying to figure out the general template for the series going forward, and as a result, it can feel pretty basic as an overall package. With that being said, though, the main villain, Garland, has still managed to become a favorite due to his awkward dialogue and the development he received inStrangers of Paradise, but Astos, on the other hand, is barely ever mentioned in fan discussions.
Astos uses his shapeshifting powers to mimic the appearance of the king so that he can command the warriors of light to do his bidding. After he’s inevitably caught out and taken down for good, he can actually attack the player again if they visit the Whisperwind Cove, where his evil spirit will lash out toward his killers. Though this makes him a little more memorable, he is still one of the most forgettable villains in theFinal Fantasyseries.
Before Sephiroth makes a proper introduction as the main villain inFinal Fantasy 7, players are led to believe that the true enemy would be the endlessly greedy Shinra Corporation. Within this group are a handful ofdiabolically evil characters, such as Hojo and Heidegger, for example, but someone who’s just as malicious yet also largely overshadowed is Palmer. On the surface, Palmer can seem like an innocent old man who just enjoys a cup of tea every now and again, but his cracks slowly start to show as the game goes on.
He even goes as far as to confront Cloud and the party later on in the story, just as they arrive in Rocket Town, in an attempt to stop them in their quest for Sephiroth. Because of how recognizable the other Shinra members are and the enormous popularity of Sephiroth, Palmer isn’t a villain that many people remember, despite him having a pretty distinct personality. Though theRemakeseries is giving Palmer slightly more of a spotlight, it’s hard to deny how easy it is to forget about Palmer.
It’s hard not to bask in Golbez’s presence whenever he appears on screen inFinal Fantasy 4, but this ultimately means that his maniacal lackey, Dr. Lugae, doesn’t receive anywhere near as much attention. In reality, though, Lugae actually causes a lot of trouble from behind the scenes and orchestrates some ofthe story’s darkest moments, such as being responsible for the killing of Elban’s king and queen.
It’s surprising that Lugae doesn’t get more scenes to himself, as he plays a very big role in the wider story of the game, and his crazy-scientist persona makes him a pretty fun character to be around. Unfortunately, though, this hasn’t done much to make him any more popular among fans, as he’s a character who not many people know about or even remember.
Final Fantasy 13often gets a lot of slack for its linear and restrictive gameplay, and as a result, it’s seen by many as the black sheep of the series, which many newcomers will even skip over entirely. As a result, the game’s antagonist, Barthandelus, the Primarch of Cocoon, has also been overlooked. Within the game itself, though, Barhandelus proves to be one of the darkest and most relentless main antagonists in the series, gladly sending thousands of his own citizens to death in the Purge in order to spread fear among the population so that they would rely on him to keep them safe from Pulse.
Barthandleus also provides some ofthe hardest fightsin all ofFinal Fantasy 13, where players must take down multiple of his heads and body parts in order to deal any significant damage to him. He might not have shown up in a very popular game, but that doesn’t mean that Barthandelus doesn’t still have a lot to bring to the table as a villain.
TheFinal Fantasydirect sequels always seem to be largely forgotten about by fans since they’re usuallyseen as spin-offsmore than anything, but it’s a shame that this also applies toFinal Fantasy 13-2, as this game contains by far one of the most underrated villains in the series. Caius' sole mission in life is to protect Yeul, but because she is eventually destined to die, it means that he has witnessed the girl pass away hundreds or maybe even thousands of times.
Unable to bear the pain of losing her over and over again, Caius seeks to destroy time itself, which makes him directly opposed to the protagonists, Sereh and Noel. Caius' reasons for becoming a villain honestly aren’t all that evil since anyone in his position would most likely also start to go insane if they were forced into that position, and it results in him being a very well-written antagonist. He also has one of the most creative villain designs in the entire series, which is certainly saying something given who he’s up against. Caius has been largely forgotten about these days, even though he has a brilliant andpretty heartbreaking backstory.
