History Characters / DissidiaFinalFantasyWarriorsOfChaos

A character sheet for the Warriors of Chaos from ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' and its prequel. Note that comments on a character's fighting style generally stay the same between games, except when otherwise mentioned.

See also:
* [[Characters/Dissidia012FinalFantasyWarriorsOfCosmos New Warriors in Dissidia 012]]
* [[Characters/DissidiaFinalFantasyWarriorsOfCosmos The Warriors of Cosmos]]
* [[Characters/DissidiaFinalFantasyOther Other Characters]]

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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Garland]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dissidia_Garland_art_2227.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"We will never come to accept one another. We shall always be in conflict!"]]
->''"The eternal darkness will transcend time to face its rival once more."'' -- Wheel of Darkness

-->Voiced by: Creator/KenjiUtsumi (Japanese), Creator/ChristopherSabat (English)

--Fighting Style: '''Nemesis'''

The [[BigBad villain]] from the original ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Final Fantasy]]''. His {{backstory}} states that he was once a famous hero, [[FaceHeelTurn but that changed]] when he kidnapped a [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses princess]]. [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle This doesn't affect much of the plot]], though, and Garland comes just as a dedicated warrior on Chaos' side. Indeed, Dissidia spends a great deal of time giving new elements to Garland's backstory.

!!General Tropes
* AdaptationalBadass: Garland ascends from being the first (and weakest) boss in series history to a total {{Badass}}. He ''[[WhosLaughingNow will]]'' knock you all down.
* AdaptationExpansion: Garland [[spoiler:and by proxy, Chaos]] gets a lot more CharacterDepth in ''Dissidia'', almost to the point that you'll forget the origin story given for him by the first game.
* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Garland's entire character is based around this one.
* BloodKnight: Battle dominates his entire character. Fitting, as he sees the cycle of battle to be his only purpose.
-->"Only death shall part me from my sword."
** In fact, in ''Prologus'', Garland, after he and the Emperor are defeated by the Warrior of Light and Lightning, expresses disappointment not at their losing against them, but at how ''short'' the battle turned out to be.
* TheCorrupter: [[spoiler:Originally, Chaos didn't ''want'' to go to war with Cosmos, since she looked like his mother, so Garland was brought in by Shinryu to coax him to get over that.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
--> '''Garland:''' "Am I to be a prisoner of these stupid plans again?"
* DespairEventHorizon: See also GoMadFromTheRevelation below; it's heavily implied that the entire reason Garland is such a BloodKnight is because [[spoiler:he has lost any and all hope of escape from his endless cycle of dying and being reborn to fight again. He decided to go with it and figured if his entire existence is going to center around fighting, he might as well learn to enjoy it. And so he did]]. Undoubtedly made worse by the fact that, according to ''Dissidia'''s backstory, [[spoiler:he helped start the whole thing. Though it should be noted that he only did so AFTER Cid and Shinryu ordered him to do so]].
* TheDragon: To Chaos, naturally. Garland is both the final villain to be defeated by his heroic counterpart in the Destiny Odyssey storylines, and the final villain to be defeated before the heroes face Chaos in Shade Impulse. In fact, after all the other villains [[GambitPileup break up to follow their own plans]], Garland is the ''only'' one still loyal to Chaos.
** TheHeavy: Chaos acts more as a distant authority figure while Garland is the one directly leading the other Warriors of Chaos into battle.
** CoDragons: Borderline with the Emperor; Garland is clearly the one and only right-hand man of Chaos, but the Emperor still has the god's ear and plays a vital role in the plot. Notably, the two of them are the only ones [[spoiler:(aside from Cloud when he challenges Chaos)]] to speak to Chaos in person.
* EnigmaticMinion
* FallenHero
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: It's never stated outright, but all the dialogue in cutscenes implies that the only reason Garland is so devoted to battle and violence is that he's lost all hope for everything else thanks to the [[spoiler:GroundhogDayLoop [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor he's stuck in]].]]
* LargeHam
* TheLeader: Of the Warriors of Chaos.
* MythologyGag: His weapon's four alternate forms refer to the Four Fiends from [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI his original game]] (axe = Lich, twin swords = Marilith, chain whip = Kraken, and lance = Tiamat), and his five Sample Voice quotes speak the Fiends' and Chaos' names. All of his HP Attacks are also all attacks he uses when he is Chaos for the final battle of the original game.
** In addition, he is both the first and last boss in Warrior of Light's Destiny Odyssey.
** In further addition, think of how many attacks Wall Rush ([[MemeticMutation knock]]) the target [[CatchPhrase downwards]]?
* TookALevelInBadass: A far higher tier than his original incarnation.

!!Gameplay and CombatTropes
* CoolSword: Cool enough to encompass the following tropes:
** {{BFS}}: The largest one by far, and to add further emphasis to it, Garland is a little over eight feet tall, and compared to him the thing is still huge.
** MixAndMatchWeapon: His sword automatically shifts into different forms when he attacks, one form for each of the Four Fiends from the original ''Final Fantasy''.
*** AnAxeToGrind: The top part of the sword bends at a 90 degree angle and Garland slams it down like an axe. Represents Lich.
*** BifurcatedWeapon: Splits into two and Garland [[DualWielding Dual Wields]]. Represents Marilith.
*** BladeOnAStick: The sword extends into a lance and Garland charges forward. Represents Kraken.
*** EpicFlail[=/=]WhipSword: The entire sword extends on a chain and Garland flings it about. Represents Tiamat.
*** VariableLengthChain: The chain seems to as long as he needs to be for any of his attacks.
** ReverseGrip
** SwordDrag: Constantly, leaving a trail of sparks and a drag line in the floor behind him.
* ElementalPowers[=/=]SpellBlade: Enchants his sword with elemental magic to attack. As another reference to the Four Fiends as well as Chaos from the original game, Garland's HP Attacks represent their elemental affinities and his sword shifts into the appropriate form for them as listed above.
** BlowYouAway: [[color:yellow:Cyclone]].
** DishingOutDirt: [[color:green:Earthquake]].
** MakingASplash: [[color:blue:Tsunami]].
** PlayingWithFire: [[color:red:Blaze]]. Picks up Flare in ''Dissidia 012'', which was used by Chaos instead of the Four Fiends, reflected by Garland using the sword's base form in the attack.
** ShockAndAwe: [[color:yellow:Thundaga]].
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[PrestigeClass Class]] [[GoodCostumeSwitch Change!]]'''
--> "Warrior's soul!"
** Garland's armor becomes shiny and his cape becomes white, in reference to what he likely looked like when he was still a loyal Cornelian knight. In addition to Regen, Garland's EX Mode gives him access to the following ability:
*** '''[[ImplacableMan Indomitable Resolve]]''': In [=EX=] Mode, Garland's attacks cannot be interrupted by the opponent's Brave attacks, letting him dodge attacks in situations a character otherwise couldn't and stop the opponent's attacks with an attack of his own.
** In addition, Class Change gives Garland access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Soul of Chaos'''.
--> "Know your limits!"
** Garland smashes the enemy before rearing back and charging himself with the power of Chaos. Once he's done, he performs a combination attack on the enemy, hitting them with [[DualWielding all]] [[WhipSword four]] [[BladeOnAStick special]] [[AnAxeToGrind forms]] of his sword in order before finishing the burst with a swipe from the {{BFS}} shape of his blade.
--> "Can you stand this!? Miserable insect..."
* ImplacableMan: In his EX-Mode, Bravery attacks and the Bravery-damage portions of some HP attacks cannot interrupt his own attacks once he begins the animation.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Garland's level 100 exclusive weapon, Gigant Axe, gives the highest attack bonus of all the weapons in the game.
* MagicKnight
* MagicMissileStorm: Blaze.
* MightyGlacier: He's essentially the Cloud of the villains -- he moves and attacks so slowly that it can be hard for him to land a hit, but when he ''does'' connect, you'll feel it.
* {{When All You Have Is A|Hammer}} {{BFS}}: Thanks to its shape-shifting though, it's all he needs.

!!Design and CostumeTropes
* ArtEvolution: Garland was one of the toughest characters for TetsuyaNomura to design, given that he only had Garland's battle sprites to work off of. He described it like designing a completely original character, but he had to maintain the sense it was still the Garland fans knew.
* CoolMask
* GoodCostumeSwitch: Strange as it may sound. His [=EX=] Mode changes his costume to have a white cape, apparently reminiscent of how he looked when he was a loyal Cornelian knight.
* TinTyrant: Original flavor version, although his characterization is more similar to a BloodKnight.

!!In ''Dissidia''
In this story, he opposes the Warrior of Light. However, he often goes along with the plans of the other villains purely for their own sake -- he does not follow their plans blindly, though. Like when he consoles Kuja after Ultimecia tells him of some of the nature behind the conflict to drive him past his [[DespairEventHorizon despair]], for example.

* DontYouDarePityMe: Garland doesn't take it well when Warrior of Light claims he pities him, and worse when he claims [[SaveTheVillain he'll save him]].
* FlatWhat: Played with. His response to first hearing the Warrior of Light say he pities him is a flat "Pardon?"
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Garland knows a lot of things Chaos doesn't, such as the fact that [[spoiler:the entire cycle of war is supposed to temper Chaos into the ultimate weapon of destruction]], or that [[spoiler:Garland himself IS Chaos, or at least is going to ''become'' Chaos.]]
* ResignedToTheCall: He sort of makes this a point during his encounters with Warrior of Light -- that embracing the cycle of conflict is all that there’s left for them, so they should enjoy it to the fullest.
* ShutUpKirk: His reaction to the Warrior of Light's saying he'll even save him from the conflict.
* WouldHitAGirl: He's a BloodKnight; what do you ''think'' his opinion of chivalry would be?
--> '''Garland''' (''to Terra''): "Expect no chivalry here, woman!"

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
In this tale, his role remains much the same as ''Dissidia''. Appearing in ''Prologus'', he gets very few battles in the storyline of ''012'' itself.

* BerserkButton: He ''really'' gets riled up when someone talks about trying to find a loophole in the laws of the cycle, particularly in the official quests where he attacks Gabranth and Shantotto when he finds out that they mean to escape.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He does not trust The Emperor trying to convert Jecht to their side, as he suspects that the Emperor has other motives. [[ProperlyParanoid He does.]]
* [[spoiler:FinalBoss: Of the ''012'' scenario, against Lightning.]]
* FlatWhat: In response to the Emperor's request to bring Jecht to Chaos' side.
* HeroicSacrifice: Implied in his pre-battle quote when facing Feral Chaos, due to [[spoiler:their aforementioned connection which would possibly leave him killed as a result of killing him]]:
-->'''Garland:''' I shall put you to sleep in the name of the Great Will!
** Also a bit of a heartstring tugger, since [[spoiler:the Great Will in question is Cid, Chaos's ''father''.]]
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: In his 3P costume.
* PetTheDog: The reason why he serves Chaos is not simply because the Great Will ordered him to, but because he sympathizes with Chaos for being trapped in a realm for circumstances beyond his control.
** He also disapproves of Ultimecia revealing to Kuja [[spoiler:that his memories are fake]] just to break his spirit, and later tries to console Kuja about it.
* ProperlyParanoid: When he learns that The Emperor intends to convert Jecht to their side, he reacts with suspicion, and openly disagrees with The Emperor. The Emperor accuses Garland of jealousy, and claims that he's only trying to bring about the war's conclusion for Chaos' end; Chaos then allows him to be converted. Turns out, Garland was very sound in his suspicion that The Emperor had an ulterior motive in converting Jecht.
* WhatTheHellHero: Calls out on Shantotto for trying to destroy one of the gateways, as well as getting herself trapped in World B's rift.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Emperor]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dissidia_Mateus_8930.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"You should have disposed of your fantasy and accepted me as master."]]
->''"Without conquering one's virtue and desires, thou shall fall into darkness."'' -- Lust for Power

-->Voiced by: Creator/KenyuHoriuchi (Japanese), Creator/ChristopherCoreySmith (English)

--Fighting Style: '''TrapMaster'''

The leader of the Palamecian Empire from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', dedicated to [[TakeOverTheWorld Taking Over The World]]. He was killed by the heroes, [[HellHasNewManagement but took over hell itself and came back]]. In the [[VideoGameRemake remakes]], it's revealed that his soul split in half; the lighter (and ''still'' [[LightIsNotGood evil]]) half of his soul goes on to ''[[SerialEscalation take over heaven]]''.

!!General Tropes
* AGodAmI: As mentioned, is the Emperor of Hell and possibly Heaven. [[spoiler:And his ultimate plan is to usurp Chaos and Cosmos and take over all existence for himself.]]
-->"Death, life, even the divine shall come under my rule! For the only one suited to rule ''is I''!"
* TheChessmaster: Is the mastermind behind the game's plot, which involves the heroes and a couple of the villains being {{Unwitting Pawn}}s. And he pulls it off magnificently.
** Look no further than his interactions with Tidus, Jecht, and Yuna -- [[spoiler:he arranged for Tidus to fight Jecht, and when Jecht transfers his light to Tidus, the Emperor has Jecht made a Warrior of Chaos so he can manifest a Crystal of darkness for him in the next cycle. An official quest for the game implies that his plans for Jecht weren't XanatosSpeedChess, but instead he was planning to convert Jecht all along once he learned their relationship. Thus, Tidus's HeroicSacrifice to inspire Jecht to do the same was apparently AllAccordingToPlan]].
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: His master plan about defeating Cosmos was also intended to backstab his own allies and even his boss, Chaos, so that he could rule what was left of existence.
* CoDragons: With Garland as described above. Garland is Chaos's head minion, but the Emperor clearly has power and importance above the others. ''Dissidia 012'' moves him up to the third-to-last boss after Chaos and Garland and gives his plans more prominence, arguably pushing him into DragonAscendant[=/=]BigBadEnsemble territory. ''Prologus'' appoints The Emperor as Garland's Dragon, as his Assist when Garland is fought.
** BigBadWannabe: [[spoiler:He's scheming to overthrow Chaos and, as described in the tropes below, is the main pusher of the Cycle 13 story arc]].
** TheHeavy: As mentioned, he's the driving force behind the plot of the original ''Dissidia'' and the 013 story in ''Dissidia 012'' -- while most villains harbor other agendas, they mostly all obey his plan or are {{Unwitting Pawn}}s tricked into following it.
* [[spoiler:DimensionLord]]: His goal is to become one.
* TheEmperor: The clue is in the name.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: His character file in ''Dissidia 012'' mentions that this is one of his few redeeming virtues. If you're a good warrior, he'll recruit you into his army at the proper rank regardless of your origins or background, probably a reference to [[spoiler:Leon becoming the Dark Knight]].
* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Everyone Calls Him Emperor]]: Sort of. As revealed in the [[NoExportForYou Japanese-exclusive]] novelization of ''Final Fantasy II'', he actually ''does'' have a name, Mateus. However, it has never been actually used to refer to him directly in any game, instead being used as a MythologyGag reference, such as naming his [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One Staff]] "Mateus' Malice" and naming the Ivalice summon based on him "Mateus."
* EvilGenius: Shares this role with Ultimecia.
* EvilLaugh: Does an impressive one when he begins charging up Starfall -- for good reason, too, if he pulls it off. Also ends his imperfect Cyclone EX Burst with it.
* EvilSorcerer
* EvilVersusOblivion: He sneers at Kefka for being a "gibbering nihilist", and is the leader of the villain faction intending to conquer the world.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He's quite formal and well-spoken, even when insulting you and declaring his intent to conquer all existence.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: [[spoiler:He wants to kill off all his allies and usurp Chaos and Cosmos as rulers of the universe.]]
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Chaos's forces include the {{Eldritch Abomination}}s Cloud of Darkness and Exdeath, but even they can't compare to the Emperor for vileness.
* KneelBeforeZod
-->(facing Feral Chaos) "Fallen god, kneel before me!"
-->(in Light to All epilogue) "[[IncomingHam Grovel before my UNRIVALED POWER!]]"
* LargeHam
--> "UUNNGAAAHHHHH!" ("UBOAAAAAAAAAA!" in the Japanese version.)
* MalevolentArchitecture: His home stage, Pandemonium, is a tight maze full of cramped corridors with a bottomless pit in the middle. ''Perfect'' for some traps. In the Omega version spikes also routinely pop out of the group to pierce the fighters and knock them into the air.
* ManipulativeBastard
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Got the mannerisms, personality, and attitude down pat. [[RummageSaleReject The looks still need work]].
* NeverSayDie: A rather odd invoking. The Emperor says "I've come back from the afterworld," rather pointedly avoiding saying "hell" when a quote later in the exact same storyline refers to him as "an emissary resurrected from hell".
** Even later, he tells the warriors that he will return again, "From the depths of Hell, to this world once more..."
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Had the Emperor not concocted that plan to have the Warriors of Cosmos gain the crystals and kill off Chaos as well as Cosmos while ensuring his own survival and have Chaos' faction win the standard way, the consequences in the long term would have been far worse than how the 13th Cycle ended, if Scenario 000 in ''Dissidia 012'' is anything to go by.
* PowerFloats: Both floats instead of walking and [[MindOverMatter telekinetically manipulates the staff]] in battle in addition to holding it.
* ShoutOut: His character design bears some resemblance to the Goblin King Jareth from Labyrinth, who was played by Music/DavidBowie. Apparently, the English localizers noticed this, as Creator/ChristopherCoreySmith, The Emperor's English VA, voiced him in a very similar fashion to Jareth.
** Also, his third outfit in ''Dissidia 012'', Violet Robes, bears a rather uncanny resemblance to [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]]...
* SlouchOfVillainy: He does an impressive one as a VictoryPose floating in the air. ''Dissidia 012'' adds the top floor of Pandaemonium as an arena, giving him a proper throne to do this on in a cutscene.
* SorcerousOverlord
* SoreLoser
* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:The ultimate result of his plan is for everyone, including the gods, to die while he survives and rules over what's left of existence. Ironically, considering what would have happened to Chaos had the cycles actually continued without Chaos' death, it almost seems as though the Emperor was unintentionally doing Chaos a favor by having him killed.]]
** He doesn't even seem to have any problem '''[[RefugeInAudacity admitting to Chaos' face that he's plotting against him]]'''.
-->'''Emperor:''' [[spoiler:''You need only focus on your duty. I shall be the author of this tale's end.'']]
*** The Emperor probably intended for Chaos to take that statement as a vow that he'll be the one to usher in Cosmos' defeat and end the war in victory for them, not an admission that he's working against him.
* TookALevelInBadass: Not only in combat prowess as many characters did, but he's gone from a generic EvilOverlord who only got a few lines of dialogue and little characterization in them, to a scheming, cunning, manipulative, smug, evil mastermind. Sure, he's still just your typical EvilOverlord[=/=]TheEmperor, but he's a shining example of the archetype's key attributes and what makes them such good villains to use.

!!Gameplay and CombatTropes
* AgonyBeam: His [=EX=] Burst, though its description calls it "[[MindRape an attack that takes over the opponent's mind]]."
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Or, more accurately, [[ColonyDrop Authority Equals Squishing You With Celestial Bodies]].
* AwesomeButImpractical: [[ColonyDrop Starfall]] is impressive to watch and near unavoidable when you successfully cast it, but with such a long cast time (around eight seconds), you're highly unlikely to be able to use it against players unless you're creative or put a lot of space between the two of you. Players instead tend to take advantage of being able to cancel it [[BoringYetPractical as a taunt, forcing the opponent to come closer, rather than actually expect it to go off]].
* BoomStick: Shoots explosive energy balls from his staff.
* ChargedAttack: Starfall.
* ColonyDrop: His trademark Starfall.
* ColorCodedWizardry: To avoid obvious potential confusion, his ground Flares are blue and the midair ones are orange. Also a MythologyGag, as ''Final Fantasy II'' was the only time Flare manifested as blue fire, while it's been orange and red in the rest of the series.
* DamageDiscrimination: The Emperor cannot be harmed by his own traps unless the opponent has reflected them back at him. Pretty standard, but it still stretches the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief to see the man standing inside his own Flare fireball as he charges up [[DeathOrGloryAttack Starfall]] with no ill effects.
* DeathOrGloryAttack: Because of the unholy time it takes to {{charge|dAttack}}, attempting to perform [[ColonyDrop Starfall]] is quite a burden, yet if managed, with its own [[LargeHam special evil laugh]] and the bizarrely cool sight of watching a giant meteor materialize out of nowhere to [[VideogameCrueltyPotential crush your opponent, while watching them squirm as they desperately try to stop you in time]], all makes for a real Glory for the player.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWD2TktjNM8 An entire match was dedicated to seeing how many Starfalls two players could drop on each other.]] And it is ''awesome''.
* DeathTrap: He's not called a "TrapMaster" for nothing.
* DifficultButAwesome: The Emperor relies on sending out mines and crests to attack for him rather than fighting himself. This makes him one of the most strategic characters in the game, as using him effectively requires making good use of the terrain and playing mind games with the opponent to trap and brutalize them. He's not for everyone, but once you get the hang of him, he's a lot of fun to play with.
* DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud: The imperfect version of his EX Burst is the Cyclone.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[OneWingedAngel Power of Hellfire!]]'''
--> "My reign is ''absolute!''"
** The Emperor shapeshifts into his Emperor of Hell form from the endgame of his original game. In addition to Regen, The Emperor's [=EX=] Mode grants him the following ability:
*** '''BloodMagic''': Exactly the same as Firion's Blood Weapon bonus -- when The Emperor deals HP Damage, [[LifeDrain he gains an equal amount of HP for himself]].
** In addition, Power of Hellfire gives the Emperor access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Absolute Dominion'''.
--> "Suffer! All is ''mine'' to command!"
** The Emperor surrounds himself and the enemy with a [[DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud huge cyclone]] as he concentrates for his attack. Perfect execution results in '''[[MindRape Entice]]''', where he suspends the enemy in [[NoGravityForYou zero gravity]] and [[AgonyBeam zaps them repeatedly as they lie helpless.]]
--> "Lowly ''worm''!"
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Every character except for Kuja and Shantotto has at least one attack that will cause the Emperor's homing Flare to start chasing ''him'' instead. Fortunately for the people who main the Emperor, he is included in that as well. In fact, if the opponent reflects the Emperor's Flare, he can fire out a second Flare (normally, only one can be out at a time) and then re-reflect the reflected Flare to get ''two'' Flares chasing the opponent, allowing him to turn this trope back on his opponents if they try it on him.
* InstantRunes: Though not the only character to use them, the Emperor is particularly notable for how the runes he creates when casting Starfall slowly grow in size and complexity as the attack charges.
* MagicStaff: Most notably the only villain to carry a casting tool.
* PainfullySlowProjectile: Flare.
* PlayingWithFire: Flare.
* ShockAndAwe: Thunder Crest. His mines, including his Dreary Cell, appear to be lightning-based, too.
* TrapMaster: His entire fighting style is actually named this. The Emperor almost never attacks directly, instead of he sends out mines and Flares to pressure the opponent, Thunder Crests and Dynamites to draw them in and stun them, and Bombard to knock them backwards and up into his other traps.
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: The Emperor's traps allow the player numerous chances to sit back with a SlasherSmile as the opponent is hit with no chance of escape. Conjure a Thunder Crest and watch the opponent writhe around while you dash away and charge up Starfall, or sit and watch Flare sloooowly travel towards them as they lay stunned. Summon Starfall and land and watch your opponent be driven into the ground a few feet in front of you, then send out a Thunder Crest to stun them before they even get up, setting them up for another hit.
** Likewise playing ''against'' the Emperor. Even the most mild-mannered of hero players may let slip a PsychoticSmirk after watching the Emperor get stuck in and hopefully killed by his own traps.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: The Emperor has one of the smallest unique movesets in the game; between that and the playstyle required by a trap specialist, you're going to be seeing the same moves often.

!!Design and CostumeTropes
* {{Bishonen}}: Proving that ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' villains were attractive long before [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII you may]] [[OlderThanTheyThink have thought]]. His alternate outfits seem to be designed to show an [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101218053517/finalfantasy/images/b/b6/Emperor_Alt.png escalation]] [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110127162737/finalfantasy/images/a/ac/DissidiaEmperor_3rdAlt.png of]] [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110421105251/finalfantasy/images/5/57/Dissidia-HeavenEmperor.png prettiness]].
* CombatStilettos: And highest-heeled of all characters in the game, too.
* EyesAlwaysShut: His Light Emperor outfit.
* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: The Light Emperor's robes have the same basic gold-purple color scheme as his base outfit, but with more white details added, along with his white wings.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
** EightiesHair
** HornedHairdo: And his 3P costume makes it even taller.
** RapunzelHair: Possibly even longer than Sephiroth's.
** WhiteHairBlackHeart: His alt outfits all recolor his hair some shade of silvery-white.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Many fans noticed that his English voice actor made him sound similar to Music/DavidBowie, thus, along with the already uncanny physical resemblance, leading to the FanNickname "Emperor Bowie".
* PurpleIsPowerful: All of his outfits incorporate some shade of purple as their secondary color.
* ShouldersOfDoom: 3rd costume again.
* SkullForAHead: In EX Mode.
* SpikesOfVillainy: He only has moderate spikes normally, but [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101218063539/finalfantasy/images/5/58/Dissidia_Mateus_ex.png in his EX Mode]] he can give Golbez and Exdeath a run for their money.

!! In ''Dissidia''
Scheming to achieve his own goals, the Emperor is, perhaps, one of the masterminds behind the Chaos faction's plans along with his ally, Ultimecia. As later shown in ''Dissidia 012'', he's in this for the long haul: his ultimate goal is to have Cosmos defeated, [[spoiler:then survive past Chaos' death and become the sole ruler of the entire world.]] Don't be fooled by his looks: he didn't become an Emperor by being a fool.

* BackFromTheDead: Invokes this trope in Shade Impulse, though he uses the phrase "back from the [[NeverSayDie afterworld]]".
* EvenEvilHasStandards: It is implied in his opening quote if fighting against Kefka that he intends to send Kefka to Hell to punish him for his actions.
-->'''Emperor:''' "A taste of Hell may be just what you need."
* HypocriticalHumor:
--> '''To Squall:''' "Such a lofty ego."
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: His insulted reaction to Garland comparing the Emperor to Kefka in terms of scheming, specifically because Kefka's a nihilist whereas he believes in wanting to start the future anew.
* MinionShipping: With Ultimecia, due to their alliance in the story mode.
* MotiveMisidentification: Bartz observes the Emperor, Ultimecia, and Sephiroth together, and wonders whether the Emperor and Sephiroth were fighting over Ultimecia. Actually, the Emperor and Ultimecia were attempting to recruit Sephiroth into their plan, but Sephiroth had evidentially refused.
* [[PitifulWorms Pitiful Insects]]: He likes using this insult -- one of his victory quotes is even: "An insect, defeat an Emperor?" The heroes are happy to [[IronicEcho remind him of it]] after kicking his ass.
--> '''The Emperor:''' "Who are you?"\\
'''Firion:''' "Just a swarm of insects."
* PlotInducedStupidity: Why, when his plan is to let the heroes kill Chaos, would he confront them on their way to him and get himself killed? Averted in ''Dissidia 012'', where the world map mechanic makes it clearer that the heroes track him down to destroy him instead of him confronting them willingly... though it still does beg the question why he decided to hide out in one of the gateways blocking the path to Chaos.
* StealthMentor: [[BatmanGambit As the villain's plan requires the heroes to obtain the Crystals]], he advises Tidus in his path for his.
* {{Ubermensch}}: He describes himself as such when Garland compares him with StrawNihilist Kefka:
-->'''Garland:''' "The [[MonsterClown clown]] is just as scheming as you are."
-->'''Emperor:''' "You would compare me to that gibbering nihilist? No, I have a goal: to escape the ultimate end... and build the future anew."
* WorthyOpponent: Played with his character-specific Encounter phrases against the witches.
-->'''To Ultimecia:''' "Let us crown the ''true'' master."
-->'''To Shantotto:''' "It is an honor, milady."
** And then inverted in one of his victory quotes.
--> '''The Emperor:''' "You are an unworthy opponent."

!! In ''Dissidia 012''
In this game, we have an opportunity to see how long the Emperor's invested in this. His plan in the first game was apparently formulated on the spur of the moment: [[spoiler:Tidus' TakingTheBullet moment leads to Jecht becoming a vacant vessel. The Emperor realises this and brings him over to Chaos' side for the thirteenth cycle...]]

* ArchEnemy: To Yuna, and by proxy Tidus and Jecht. Indeed, the events of the twelfth cycle reveal that his thirteenth-cycle clash with Firion is entirely impersonal; it's not that he opposes Firion, it's that ''Firion opposes him''.
* GoodWingsEvilWings: His new DLC costume is the "[[LightIsNotGood Light]]" Emperor from ''Soul of Rebirth'', giving him a set of angelic wings.
* GracefulLoser: One of his defeat quotes has him feeling that the reason why he lost is because he may have "enjoyed it too much".
* LightIsNotGood: His 4th costume, available as DLC, is the angelic form of the "Light Emperor" from ''Soul Rebirth''. Now, while he may be shiny, and light-based, and angelic, he's ''still evil''. He ''took over'' Arubboth, AKA Heaven, when he died.
* ProfessionalButtKisser: He really knew how to kiss up to Chaos in order to get him to make Jecht one of his warriors.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Cloud Of Darkness]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dissidia_Cloud_Of_Darkness_7458.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"A lone heart will not change the world... What awaits when you awake is always -- nothing but despair."]]
->''"Light fells the darkness, while darkness swallows the light; all return to nothing."'' -- Roaming Clouds

-->Voiced by: Masako Ikeda (Japanese), Creator/LauraBailey (English)

--Fighting Style: '''[[OmnicidalManiac Bane Of Life]]'''

[[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere The being that appears upon the perturbing between light and darkness to pull the world into the Void]]. In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'', she's the main antagonist resurrected after a very long time. In her ''Dissidia'' incarnation, her objective of pulling everything into the Void practically describes all of her character. She's said to hover like a cloud, and fights with powerful magic and [[CombatTentacles tentacles coming from her body]]. Perplexingly, she's supposed to be [[NoBiologicalSex sexless]].

!!General Tropes
* AboveGoodAndEvil: She exists to return the world to the Void, but is pretty much this trope, given that she's a force of nature doing what she is meant to do. Her ''Dissidia 012'' victory quote "Good and evil are powerless" emphasizes this.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of ''' [[PowerOfTheVoid THE VOID]]''', which is essentially [[CessationOfExistence nothingness]]. Either that, or she's its {{herald}}. The games have never really strived to clarify this.
** Also, more explicitly stated, she's an avatar of Fear. This is [[MythologyGag referenced]] in several characters' battle quotes when fighting her:
-->'''Squall:''' "I have no fear."
-->'''Kuja:''' "You don't scare me one bit!"
* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Allusions to her connection to this trope in her original game exist, namely that she was summoned due to an imbalance of light and darkness and thus would restore balance by absorbing it all into the Void. As well, ''Dissidia 012'' implies [[spoiler:she tells Laguna how to seal the portal the Manikins are emerging from because she dislikes their presence in the war, as it disrupts the natural cycle of things]].
* BreakoutVillain: Xande? Who's that?
* BrilliantButLazy: She could have easily defended herself when [[spoiler: Kefka discovered she'd leaked information to Laguna. But saw no reason to bother, since she firmly believed that her actions restored balance to the cycle (she didn't yet know about Cosmos's plan for the crystals).]]
* TheBrute: A rare female[[AmbiguousGender ish]] example.
* CirclingMonologue: During her exchange with Onion Knight at the end of his Destiny Odyssey.
* CognizantLimbs: The reports state that her snakelike tentacles each have a mind of their own.
* CompleteImmortality: She's practically a force of nature.
* DarkIsEvil
** LightIsNotGood: Her [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101220182346/finalfantasy/images/8/80/CoD012Outfit.PNG third alt. costume]] from ''Dissidia 012'' colors her "clothing" white, lavender, and blue to an almost angelic effect.
* EldritchAbomination: Of the HumanoidAbomination type.
* HiddenDepths: No longer just a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII''. Cloud of Darkness is shown in both Dissidia games to be a being that strives for cosmic balance. It's just that her idea of "balance" is a bit primitive and twisted.
* IAmLegion: Does a very good job of making her even more imposing than she already is.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: A bit ironically, she seems completely clueless throughout both games just how un-terrifying she appears to people in general (and especially towards men). Which makes her come across as rather naive, in her own way. In fact, when she first notices Laguna's hesitation she assumes it's because he's "caught in fears icy grip" (not comprehending that men might get distracted by scantly clad females for reasons other than fear).
* IntriguedByHumanity: [[spoiler:Defeated by Onion Knight during Shade Impulse, she admires his determination to press forward despite her beliefs that they cannot change fate. Retreating back into the Void, Cloud of Darkness comments that humans are fascinating.]]
** [[spoiler:She also exhibits [[FoeYay a curious interest]] in Laguna due to his remarks about the nature of his loyalty to Cosmos and (more importantly) his will to fight the Manikins, what is essentially a suicide mission as well as a very peculiar manner of death for one to resign themselves to.]]
* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: She bickers with Exdeath over whose Void is the true one.
* MythologyGag: Her comparatively small role in the conflict makes sense when you remember that [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere she was around for all of one dungeon]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII''
* NoBiologicalSex: In lieu of this, she takes the form of a [[{{Stripperific}} nearly-naked woman]]. Onion Knight and Golbez refer to Cloud of Darkness as a "she", and Zidane plays this up right before he fights her.
-->'''Zidane:''' "Well, she ''is'' a lady... I guess?"
** She might well be genderless... just not sexless. Aside from the fact that the two are not the same, it can make a bit of sense if you think about the fact that nature does not have a gender, but is usually represented as a female/mother because it goes well with the idea that nature created, or "birthed" the aspects of itself. [=CoD=] is the opposite of nature/existence, so you might well argue that she birthed the void.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Some of the characters (namely Kefka) imply that the Cloud of Darkness is well over millions of years old, or at the very least well over thousands of years old:
-->'''Kefka:''' Get lost, fossil. (''Dissidia'')
-->'''Kefka:''' Let's bury this ancient relic back into the ground. (''Dissidia 012'')
* OmnicidalManiac: [[ItsWhatIDo It's her schtick]].
* OutOfFocus: She easily has the smallest role of the villains. Her role in ''Dissidia 012'' is expanded from her ''Dissidia'' appearance, but only in terms of her impact on the overarcing story, in both she only appears in a small handful of scenes outside the pre and post-battle cutscenes.
* PowerFloats: Besides one scene in her battle with Onion Knight in Destiny Odyssey and her recovery animation, Cloud of Darkness is always hovering in the air.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Given the source material as well as her description in ''Dissidia'', Cloud of Darkness is apparently 1,000 years old. This makes her among the oldest of the Warriors of Chaos, beaten out only by [[spoiler:Garland/Chaos]].
* RoyalWe: Both the main female body and each tentacle has a [[PsychicLink mind of its own]]. She speaks on behalf of all of them. However, Cloud of Darkness ''does'' refer to herself as "me" when facing Cloud, Squall, and the Warrior of Light.

!!Gameplay and CombatTropes
* CastingAShadow: Her various lasers and other projectile attacks are darkness-based.
* CherryTapping: She starts off with all her Brave Attacks, so every move she learns from then is a HP Attack, of which she has many. This means that she's more focused upon destroying HP directly rather than Breaking the opponent first. She's quite capable of destroying the opponent's HP in chunks, one piece at a time.
* CombatTentacles: What she uses for her only two Brave Attacks.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[PowerOfTheVoid Flood of Darkness!]]'''
-->"My spirit seethes!"
** Cloud of Darkness takes a slimmer, green-skinned form, identical to how she appears in her original game. In addition to Regen, Cloud of Darkness's EX Burst gives her the following ability:
*** '''[[BeamSpam [Null] Particle Beam]]''': Cloud of Darkness can cancel the recovery time after using any attack by performing an HP attack. This allows her to spam her various HP attacks at unprecedented speeds.
** In addition, Flood of Darkness gives Cloud of Darkness access to her [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Ultra Particle Beam'''.
--> "True darkness!"
** Cloud of Darkness hovers in front of her enemy, slowly charging her particle beam to [[UpToEleven 120%]]. Once done, she fires a positively ''enormous'' [[KamehameHadoken Particle]] [[WaveMotionGun Beam]] attack at the enemy.
--> "Unleash the shadows!" (''EvilLaugh'')
* FrickinLaserBeams: The reigning Queen in ''Dissidia''.
** BeamSpam
* GreenLanternRing: Her only HP Attacks are with her Particle Beams, and much like the TropeNamer, she can shape them into a variety of shapes depending on what she needs.
* KamehameHadoken: Her [[LimitBreak Ultra Particle Beam]], and her [0-Form] Particle Beam.
* MagicMissileStorm: [Fusillade] Particle Beam, and her two-delay Tentacle of Scorn.
* MoreThanInfinite: Her [[LimitBreak EX Burst]], [[PowerOfTheVoid Ultra]] [[KamehameHadoken Particle]] [[WaveMotionGun Beam]], charges [[UpToEleven up to 120 percent power]].
* PowerOfTheVoid
* WaveMotionGun: Her Particle Beam attacks are even called Wave Cannon in the JPN versions.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Every single one of her HP Attacks are some variant of her Particle Beam attack, the only move she had in the original ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII''. With her Brave attacks, she has four each with three variations, but they all consist of her just hitting her opponents with her tentacles in various ways, or once again firing Particle Beam-like blasts of dark energy.

!!Design and CostumeTropes
* MsFanservice: Wears BodyPaint [[YouCanLeaveYourHatOn and nothing else]], has tentacles, is [[EvilIsSexy evil]], extremely flexible, FemmeFatalons... we could be here all night.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Played oh-so-very-straight.
* ShesGotLegs: [[NoBiologicalSex More or less.]]
* StatuesqueStunner: [[http://community.livejournal.com/ffchaoticcosmos/271197.html As rips of the ingame renders]] reveal, surprisingly. It's hard to tell when playing because she's constantly floating/slithering, but the Cloud Of Darkness is taller than ''any'' non-giant character (e.g. Garland, Golbez) in the game. She stands at an estimated ''six feet, seven inches'' barefoot.
* {{Stripperific}}: [[{{Fanservice}} Does anything she's wearing actually count as clothes?]]
** Vaan lampshades this in his battle quote to Cloud of Darkness.

!!In ''Dissidia''
Perhaps notably, she may be the villain with the smallest role in the game. She's not running any schemes, and only appears as the Onion Knight's foe because, well, he has to have ''someone'' to oppose him. She's fought a total of twice in the entire story line, whereas most villains have at least three or more battles.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: She hammers Onion with ''several'' after [[spoiler:Terra loses control of her powers, fights Onion Knight, and subsequently teleports away]]. The second time she tries it (before her duel with Onion Knight in Destiny Odyssey), it doesn't work, as he's regained his resolve thanks to Cosmos and [[spoiler:Golbez]].
* NumberOfTheBeast: During her story mode battle with the Onion Knight, she is equipped with four blue gems which give her a base bravery of 666 for the fight.
* OutOfFocus: She didn't get a lot of screentime in ''Dissidia'' outside of Destiny Odyssey III, appearing in only one cutscene, one dialogue scene, and being fought in Shade Impulse, while most other villains are fought twice over the Destiny Odysseys. In ''Dissidia 012'', she plays a fairly larger role.

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
With a new game comes an expanded role. She doesn't get many more battles in this game, but she primarily opposes [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Laguna]]; she gives him vital information, which ends up being rather instrumental as the story continues.

* AscendedExtra
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:It's implied in the 13th cycle that she told Laguna about the Manikins and where they came from because she ''wanted'' him to close the portal, displeased that their presence was upsetting the balance of the war.]]
** Also implied in her intro quote if playing as Kefka and fighting against her in ''Dissidia''.
-->'''Cloud of Darkness:''' "We won't allow you your sordid cries."
* GoodCostumeSwitch: Her new alt outfit in ''Dissidia 012'' gives her a white cape with light blue and lavender colored body coverings, in essence making her into the long-rumored "[[LightIsNotGood Cloud of Light]]". Not very "good", though. Even when she's predominantly made of light, she's still the enemy of all life.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: As noted above, she ends up telling Laguna how to seal away the rift. [[spoiler:She ended up having to pay for that gambit shortly after their battle, when Kefka executes her for it. As a result, she doesn't even remember that Terra was under Kefka's control, because warriors who die instantly lose their memories upon being revived for the next cycle, barring being killed by a Manikin.]]
* MaleGaze: Which leads to Laguna getting a [[{{Adorkable}} leg cramp]].
* ReluctantWarrior: Her ''012'' Museum profile states that she did not like the Gods fighting amongst themselves, and thus, she didn't like their war.
* ShipTease: In ''Dissidia 012'', with ''Laguna'', of all people, ''[[FoeYay multiple times]]''.
* YouHaveFailedMe: See LaserGuidedAmnesia.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Golbez]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dissidia_Golbez_5914.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"You're naive, Cecil. Even knowing betrayal and despair, you would depend on the whims of others?"]]
->''"Accept hatred and regret as you proceed forth. All paths lead to the future."'' -- Lone Heart

-->Voiced by: Takeshi Kaga (Japanese), Peter Beckman (English)

--Fighting Style: '''Thaumaturge'''

Cecil's older brother, and a major antagonist from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV''. Nevertheless, [[GoodAllAlong his role in the story could hardly be considered antagonistic]]. Appears instead of the ''[[TheManBehindTheMan real]]'' ultimate foe in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', [[spoiler:Zemus/Zeromus]].

!!General Tropes
* AdaptationalVillainy: In ''Final Fantasy IV'', Golbez was just being mind-controlled and was really a good and virtuous person, if [[TheStoic stoic]] and stern, as ''The After Years'' shows. In this incarnation, however, he combines the facets of his true kind-hearted personality with his mind-controlled persona as a cold-hearted manipulator. [[TropesAreTools Tropes Are Not Bad]], though, as this makes him a much more complex and interesting character.
* AffablyEvil: Emphasis on affable; if Golbez's EX Burst fails to defeat the enemy, he'll muse, "Impressive." Unlike Kuja, who is somewhat sardonic and sarcastic with his compliments, Golbez's praise is 100% sincere.
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler:He's actually trying to help the heroes win, but serves Chaos under the belief his past as a villain makes him unsuited to serving Cosmos. He also engages in actions that, while intended to contribute towards Cosmos' victory, are morally ambiguous -- for example, guess who arranged for Kain to kill off his comrades so they'd survive to the next cycle in ''012''.]]
* [[spoiler:TheAtoner: Subverted. He doesn't believe he deserves redemption, but Cecil thinks otherwise.]]
** [[spoiler:His quote when facing Feral Chaos has Golbez state that he shall atone for him.]]
--->'''Golbez:''' "I shall atone for your hatred."
* {{Badass}}
** BadassArmFold: Nightglow, as well as the beginning of his VictoryPose. He naturally walks around like this, too.
** BadassBaritone
* BigBrotherInstinct: His primary motivation for [[spoiler:helping the Warriors of Cosmos]].
* [[spoiler:BigGood: He may be an ever better example of this than ''Cosmos'', since he's the one who [[ThePlan set everything in motion for the heroes to win]].]]
* BlackKnight
* CapeSwish: Fond of these, even in battle.
* [[spoiler:DarkIsNotEvil]]
* DarthVaderClone: Taken even further than the original, complete with Force Lightning (which the real Vader never used).
* DefectorFromDecadence
* [[spoiler:GoodIsNotNice: His characterization takes elements from his good and evil portrayals in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV''.]]
* GracefulLoser: In keeping with lecturing his opponent when he wins (see WarriorTherapist), while other villains protest or use some variation of ThisCannotBe, Golbez is calmly accepting of his losses:
-->"I've no one to blame but myself."
-->"I must learn my limitations."
-->"Bested by my arrogance."
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn: Although arguably, he was never ''really'' on the villains' side.]]
* InformedAbility: According to ''The After Years'', [[ASinisterClue he's left-handed]], but he shows no preferences for either hand in battle.
* [[spoiler:JerkWithAHeartOfGold: It's because of him that the cycles end and Team Cosmos wins, but he's still fighting for Chaos.]]
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Sorry for those of you who haven't gotten around to finishing ''IV'', but yes, he is Cecil's brother. And if you're in the dark about who the Man in Black is in ''The After Years'', you may want to hold off purchasing his Alt 2 outfit in ''Dissidia 012''.
* PowerFloats: The only time he's ever seen not floating is during cutscenes and when using Nightglow.
* [[spoiler:ReverseMole]]: More or less.
* TokenGoodTeammate
* WarriorTherapist: He councils almost as many heroes as ''Cosmos'' does, for crying out loud! In the case of Onion Knight, it takes advice from both of them before he gets the guts to face the Cloud of Darkness. He even comes across as ''more insightful than Cosmos'' when [[spoiler:speaking to her over the risk of her upcoming ThanatosGambit. His warning, that her warriors will not be revived if her gambit fails, has the goddess second-guessing herself for a moment. According to ''012'', he was even the one who gave Cosmos the idea for said plan in-between the 12th and 13th cycles.]]
** This trope becomes very apparent when one listens to Golbez's victory quotes, some of which are advice and warnings directed at his fallen foe.
-->"Your loss can strengthen you."
-->"Weakness is the greatest sin."
-->"There will be always be somebody better than you."
-->"You are still too naive."
** And for the [[RuleOfThree third example]], some of his attack audio cues berate the opponent for their carelessness in letting him near them ([[OhCrap and with good reason, too]]).

!!Gameplay and CombatTropes
* AttackDrone: Conjures [[ThatOneBoss the Giant of Babil's CPU, Attack Node, and Defense Node]] from ''Final Fantasy IV'' to fire lasers.
* ChargedAttack: Black Fang.
* DifficultButAwesome: It'll take a while to get the hang of Golbez's odd quirks with his Brave attacks, but once you do, he's an absolute monster.
* ElementalPowers
** CastingAShadow[=/=]BlackMagic: His elemental magics have a distinct darkness flavor to their appearance.
** DishingOutDirt: Genesis Rock
** PlayingWithFire: Glare Hand and Rising Wave
** ShockAndAwe: Cosmic Ray and Nightglow
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[SummonMagic Summon Shadow Dragon!]]'''
--> "Creature of shadows!"
** Golbez summons his [[CoolPet Pet Dragon]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' and [[FusionDance merges]] it onto one of his ShouldersOfDoom. In addition to Regen, Golbez's EX Mode gives him access to the following ability:
*** '''Black Fang'''. By pressing and holding [=R+Square=], Golbez begins the un-godly long charging time for the Shadow Dragon's signature attack. If the attack is successfully charged and launched, the enemy suffers an unblockable, undodgeable [[OneHitKill One Hit Brave Break]], crippling them and giving Golbez plenty of Brave to work with.
** In addition, Summon Shadow Dragon gives Golbez access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Twin Moons'''.
--> "Guide my inner shadow, Light and Dark above..."
** Golbez traps the enemy with the Shadow Dragon's [[EvilIsDeathlyCold Binding Cold]] attack and begins charging a spell. Perfect execution results in him rising into the air and casting his ultimate spell: '''[[ColonyDrop Twin Meteor]]'''.
--> ''"Transcend the stars!"'' or "[[MythologyGag (Dragon: Give your power to Meteor!) Very well.]]"
* FrickinLaserBeams: Gravity System, Float System, and Ambush System. Has Sector Ray in ''Dissidia 012''.
* FullContactMagic: It's what makes him so effective, as the hand motions he uses to command his energy waves and attack drones can also damage the enemy in addition to the magic part. Thus, he can hit at close ''and'' long range.
* GeniusBruiser
* GoodOldFisticuffs: The [[MagicalGesture grandiose movements]] he makes when casting spells are legitimate attacks. Of course, Golbez ''is'' both built like a brick house and covered from head to toe in steel.
* GravityMaster: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gravity Force]].
* MagicKnight: He's an interesting example, preferring to batter you with his hands rather than using a weapon, but he's still equal parts physical and magical and definitely fits this better then KungFuWizard. Subverted in gameplay, though, as his hand swings technically deal magic damage.
* MightyGlacier: Has brutal power, especially in the original ''Dissidia'' with his infamous dodge-cancel and EX-cancel combos that let him string together as many as four attacks with proper timing, his attacks come out fast at close-range, and he has excellent HP attacks. If only his movement speed and ranged attacks were faster.
* MythologyGag: There is an alternate version of his Twin Meteor EX Burst (itself the attack used by [[spoiler:him and Fusoya to defeat Zemus]]) where his Shadow Dragon tells him to "give your power to Meteor" just like [[spoiler:Fusoya]] did. Like in the original game, Golbez replies, "Very well" (or, "Iidesutomo!" in Japanese).
* ReverseShrapnel: Genesis Rock.
* ATwinkleInTheSky: Nightglow launches the opponent upwards very quickly and very, ''very'' high. On all but the highest arenas, it's a guarantee that the opponent will be smacking into the [[InvisibleWall Invisible Ceiling]].
* VillainTeleportation: His fighting style makes liberal use of this; his jumps are even teleports.

!!Design and CostumeTropes
* BadassCape: So badass he [[CapeSwish pulls it around]] to protect himself when he blocks.
** AllEncompassingMantle: While it doesn't completely cover his front, when his arms are lowered, it does come around far enough to partially conceal them.
* BarbarianHero: His third alternate costume in ''Dissidia 012'' is his [[http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/File:Golbez%28Dissidia_012%29.png Man in Black]] outfit from ''Final Fantasy IV: The After Years'', although he left his {{BFS}} back on the moon.
* CoolMask[=/=]CoolHelmet
* FashionableAsymmetry: In accordance with Creator/YoshitakaAmano's artwork of him.
* TheGiant: He's ''[[http://www.schala-kitty.net/pandaemonium/resource/heightchart.html huge]]''. Golbez's model is 8'2," an inch behind Garland and tying with Exdeath, together they're the three biggest characters in the game other than Chaos. This means he towers over every other character except for Gilgamesh by two feet or more. What makes Golbez particularly notable in this, though, is his third outfit, where he takes off the armor -- not only is his model not scaled down at all, but he's actually slightly ''bigger'' than his armored costumes.
* HiddenEyes: Golbez is somehow able to pull it off without a helmet in his 3P costume.
* ManInAKilt: In his Man In Black costume.
* ShirtlessScene: Man in Black again.
* ShouldersOfDoom
* SpikesOfVillainy
* TinTyrant: [[SubvertedTrope What do you mean, "tyrant"?]]
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: [[SubvertedTrope Though not "black"]] as much as [[WhiteAndGreyMorality "dark grey"]].

!!In ''Dissidia''
While cold and strict, he honestly wants to help Cecil to obtain his crystal.

* FourIsDeath: [[spoiler:Inverted; he's the only one on Chaos' side who '''doesn't''' end up dying, unless Sephiroth's last words are to be believed.]]
* ManipulativeBastard[[spoiler:[=/=]GuileHero]]: In keeping with his penchant for such from ''Final Fantasy IV'', he plays a lot of head games with Cecil to challenge his resolve in order to bring out his true feelings, and also plays a part in nudging Firion and Onion Knight along their paths. He tries to do the same for Bartz, but Bartz runs away before he can finish talking.
* [[spoiler:RedemptionEqualsDeath]]: Subverted. [[spoiler:Golbez, in fact, is the ''only'' Warrior of Chaos to ''not'' bite the bullet, which instead leads to him WalkingTheEarth (see below).]]
* SiblingYinYang
* [[spoiler:StealthMentor]]
* [[spoiler:WalkingTheEarth: After their battle in Shade Impulse, Golbez decides to do this until he feels that he can join Cecil in the light. [[HeelFaceTurn Not that he already hasn't...]]]]

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
Though appearing in few scenes, Golbez still holds a key role in the development of the cycles.

* AbortedArc: A throwaway line from Exdeath implies that [[spoiler:Golbez is looking to get a crystal of his own]], but this apparently never happens and is never touched upon again.
* BigBrotherInstinct: He was content to fight in the cycle as punishment for his sins until Cecil showed up in the 12th cycle. Then he began acting to ensure Cecil was safe and helped Cosmos in her plans to end to the war to see that he got to go home.
* TheChessmaster: He triggered all the defining events in the 12th cycle that gave way to a possible victory in the next one.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Evokes this to [[spoiler:Kain]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Exdeath]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DissidiaExdeathArtwork_2501.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330: "Embrace the stillness of eternity."]]
->''"The true Void lies nowhere. Only the power of life exists."'' -- PowerOfTheVoid

-->Voiced by: Tarō Ishida (Japanese), Gerald C. Rivers (English)

--Fighting Style: '''Entropic Adversary'''

The warlock from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' born from [[SealedEvilInACan a mass of evil spirits sealed in a tree]] that became sentient. He controls the power of the Void. With a background similar to Cloud of Darkness, [[CessationOfExistence he wishes to absorb everything into nothingness, even himself, so that nothing at all exists anymore.]]

!!General Tropes
* BreakoutCharacter: He was one of the more overlooked villains before ''Dissidia''. After it came out, his obsession with the Void, LethalJokeCharacter status, and LargeHam tendencies made him a FountainOfMemes. The result is he's far more popular than he was before, something [[MemeAcknowledgment Square-Enix notes]] in ''Dissidia 012'' as covered under AscendedMeme on the main page.
* CompositeCharacter: He has the motivations of Neo Exdeath (normal Exdeath very much did not want to erase himself) but his own personality.
* [[spoiler:DeathSeeker[=/=]DrivenToSuicide: Apparently, this is Exdeath post transformation into Neo Exdeath, because not only does he retain Neo Exdeath's desire to return existence into the Void, but the desire to see himself erased, as well.]]
* EldritchAbomination: Exdeath is actually an amalgamated consciousness made up of monsters sealed in a tree, wrapped in an [[HumanoidAbomination armored shell]]. Like the Cloud of Darkness, it's not entirely clear whether the consciousness running the whole thing is an embodiment of the Void, or its herald.
** Technically, he's neither. Just a blasphemous legion of evil that just so happened to gain, and master, the power of nothingness. Because that's what everyone wants: an OmnicidalManiac who can erase existence with a thought.
* LargeHam: With a name like that, it's practically required.
* TheManBehindTheMonsters: Released the Manikins from the Void to use as minions and seems to be the one who controls them, as he's the only one shown summoning them in ''Dissidia 012''.
* {{Mondegreen}}: Two bullet points for English versions, and three for Japanese misheard as English.
** '''Delta Attack''': "Get the fruit!"[=/=]"Get the protein!" ("Death approaches!")
** '''Almagest''': ''"Naive Weekly!"'' ("Naive weakling!")
** '''The laws of the universe mean nothing!''': "To the asylum beyond!" ("To the silent beyond!")
** '''Neo Almgest''': "Embrace the sins of eternity." ("Embrace the stillness of eternity.")
*** ''High Block'': "Tasty arrow!"
*** ''Vacuum Wave'': "You're a-comin' to me!"
* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: He bickers with the Cloud of Darkness over whose Void is the true one.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* OmnicidalManiac: When Golbez questions what his true ambitions are, he coyly, yet blatantly, hints that he has his own way of ending the conflict of the gods: '''killing everyone.'''
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Let's see. There's Exdeath, [=Ex=]Death, Ex-Death, X-Death...
** And if his Ivalice appearances count, Exodus.
*** Let's not forget the translation from the [=OVAs=], "Exodeeze."
* StealthPun: His unlockable '''TURTLE!'''/'''KAME!''' line. Not only is it a nod to Ghido, but it's also a play on the concept of turtling, a game term referring to forgoing offense in favor of superior defense. A strategy that Exdeath [[StoneWall excels]] [[MightyGlacier in]].
* StrawNihilist: Unsurprisingly, yes. What with how he uses the Void. A example of this is what he says to Firion:
-->'''Dreams are meant to be shattered."''
* TitleDrop: Got one in the Japanese version with his defeat quote, "Is this my final fantasy?" Then, {{Woolseyism}} struck and changed it to "Will I end like a mirage?"
* WhenTreesAttack: His EX Mode skirt is colored to resemble his tree face. Did we mention that when he dashes, it ''sounds'' wooden?

!!Gameplay and CombatTropes
* AwesomeButImpractical: Like the Emperor's Starfall, Maelstrom is a guaranteed hit but takes a disgustingly long time to cast. While the Emperor can still cast starfall by hiding in one of his flares or creating distance, Exdeath's slow movement speed means you'll rarely be far enough away. And just like starfall, it's more practical to just use as bait- and indeed, it can immediately lag cancel into any of his blocks, making it seem to have been designed for such.
* BarrierWarrior: Exdeath possesses a multitude of attacks based around nullifying, reflecting, and countering enemy attacks. Even the developers admitted that he's [[GameBreaker pretty much invincible if mastered]]. [[DifficultButAwesome Good luck with that, though]], since he has a very high learning curve. This means that you do not want to see a fight between [[TennisBoss two Exdeaths]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8bQXhRpdDw demonstrated here.]]
* BlowYouAway: Hurricane. Gains Maelstrom in ''012''.
* ChargedAttack: Maelstrom.
* CoolSword: Though he doesn't use it much.
** {{BFS}}: Less noticeable than examples of this trope in the game since his sword isn't that big relative to him, it's pretty long compared to everybody else.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''PowerOfTheVoid!'''
--> "Supreme power!"
** Exdeath takes on his penultimate form; the fusion of tree and humanoid that he uses in the final battle (except in his new 3rd alternate costume, where his appearance more closely resembles the humanoid body at the apex of Neo Exdeath). In addition to Regen, Exdeath's [=EX=] Mode gives him access to the following ability:
*** '''Speed Guard''': Exdeath's guards execute faster and have reduced cooldown. In addition, he has more counterattack options after a successful block.
** In addition, Power of the Void gives Exdeath access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''The Laws Of The Universe Mean Nothing!'''
--> '''"To the silent beyond!"''' or '''"TURTLE!"'''
*** As a nice nod to his relationship with his old minion, Exdeath using his EX Burst on Gilgamesh gives an extra two text boxes during the attack input taken straight from ''Final Fantasy V''[='s=] script;
--> '''"You worthless fool!"''' '''"Fall to the depths of the Rift!"'''
** Exdeath surrounds himself and the enemy with the power of the Void as he drains the power to nothing. Perfect execution results in '''[[PowerOfTheVoid Neo Almagest]]''', where he traps the enemy in a rapidly shinking portal to the Void, which he finally crushes between his hands as the screen goes dark and the music fades.
--> "Embrace the stillness of eternity..."
* FlyingWeapon: His sword.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Despite using a sword in gameplay, he couldn't equip them in ''Dissidia''.
* InstantRunes: Delta Attack and High Block. They also pop up under him during Reverse Polarity, his teleportation spell.
* JokeCharacter[=/=]LethalJokeCharacter: He's amazingly slow, has almost no combos, an extremely difficult to master list of brave attacks, and easy to predict HP attacks. He's by far the easiest computer opponent in the game (this actually makes him ideal for power leveling, as even a measly level 1 player can kill a maxed out level 100 Exdeath with the right summon set up, or he can just be [[CherryTapping Cherry Tapped]] to death). But if you're a talented enough player to master Exdeath's counter attack-based BP moves, you can devastate your opponents in a flash.
** He received several buffs in ''Dissidia 012'', however, including a MUCH smarter A.I. Players expecting the derpy Exdeath from the first game are going to be in for a nasty surprise when they discover that A.I. Exdeath suddenly learned to block-and-counter, and WILL hit you with Maelstrom if you try to run off and grab an EX Core.
* MagicKnight: Carries a sword, but much like Terra, relies moreso on magic. He instead uses the sword [[MindOverMatter via telekinesis]] to focus his magic.
* PowerOfTheVoid: {{Trope Namer|s}}.
* TheSlowWalk: Slowest in the game -- Ultimecia is the second-slowest character, and in an exercise done to determine how fast each character was by having them walk across the World of Darkness arena, Exdeath ''still'' took almost three times as long as her to make it across.
* StoneWall: Except for Reverse Polarity, Exdeath moves approximately at the speed of tree. His attacks aren't that fast either.
** LightningBruiser: When he does one of his famous counters after a block, however, his attacks are lightning-fast and have an increased critical hit chance for attacking a staggered opponent. In addition, just because his normal movement is slow doesn't mean he can't still keep up with you with Reverse Polarity, which moves plenty fast for him to get around as easily as any other character.
* VillainTeleportation: [[ReverseThePolarity Reverse]] [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample Polarity]].
** TeleportSpam: Since he won't be ''walking'' anywhere if the player plans to get there before their opponent rage quits from boredom, expect to see it a lot.
** {{Telefrag}}: If he teleports directly to the opponent's location, he damages them.

!!Design and CostumeTropes
* [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic Helmets Are Hardly...]] [[InvertedTrope Villainous?]]: His 3P outfit in ''Dissidia 012'' is based on his second form, Neo Exdeath, as well as Amano's alternate design for him. He looks arguably more menacing than he did with the helmet.
* ShouldersOfDoom: Although not nearly as much as Golbez.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Likewise.
* TinTyrant

!! In ''Dissidia''
Exdeath's role in the first game is similar to most villains, standing out only in that he has the least personal relationship with his personal foe, Bartz, and a little more relevance given near the end of the story, arguably to serve as [[MrExposition exposition]]. Ultimately, he cares little for the war between the gods, since he believes blindly in that it will all ultimately lead everything into nothingness.

* [[spoiler:FaceDeathWithDignity: When he's killed the final time in Shade Impulse, he revels in the feeling of dissolving to nothingness, and faces his death standing tall, laughing deep and long.]]
* GenreSavvy[=/=]BrilliantButLazy: ''Nothing'' gets past him in ''Dissidia'''s plot. He knows what his cohorts are planning, especially the fact that Golbez is a traitor, he sees right through Onion Knight's attempt to avoid fighting him, and he knows exactly how the cycle of conflict will end if it goes on the way it has been. The only thing keeping him from being more of a threat is that he simply doesn't care, as he believes his ultimate objective is inevitable and guaranteed by the conflict, so there's no need to do anything. Even in regards to Golbez, all he does is taunt Golbez that he knows what's up. He considers executing Golbez for it, but when Cecil makes that more trouble than it's worth, he foregoes that plan.
* MustHaveLotsOfFreeTime: In one cutscene in Onion Knight's Destiny Odyssey.
--> '''Exdeath:''' (''to Onion Knight and Terra'') "I come out here to kill the time, and what do I find but a woman and child!"
** {{Justified|Trope}} in that Exdeath believes that regardless of how events turn out, ''all'' outcomes will eventually lead to the Void consuming all of existence. This is why he seems to aimlessly wander around throughout the various cycles of the conflict, even deciding to play along with Kuja's schemes in ''Dissidia''. So, in his mind, he wins either way, and has no reason to really do anything.
* [[MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours My Void Is Better Than Yours]]: When facing Cloud of Darkness, Exdeath tells her that her Void is nothing more than a pale imitation. Which is ironic coming from the legion of evil tree spirits. Makes you think ''his'' might be the imitation.
--> '''Exdeath:''' [[{{Hypocrite}} "The Void ''you'' desire is false."]]

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
In ''Dissidia 012'', Exdeath takes the role of Kain's personal foe, chasing him around while the Dragoon tries to [[spoiler:hide away his allies for the next cycle.]] Ultimately, they confront one another as Kain tries to buy time for Lightning and the others, and is ultimately defeated and killed right there, realizing too late that [[spoiler:Golbez had betrayed him and let Kain get close enough to attack]].

* ArchEnemy: To Kain, and with [[spoiler:Golbez's hand in the unfolding events, especially what eventually happens to Exdeath]], to all three ''IV'' cast members by proxy.
* EvilLaugh: Gained a ''glorious'' one as a victory quote.
--> '''BWO-HO-HA-HA-HA!'''
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:An Official Quest shows Kain's actions after his encounter with Lightning -- turns out the only reason he didn't kill her off then was because he didn't want Exdeath following him back to where he was keeping the fallen heroes safe. If Exdeath and Garland hadn't shown up, Kain and Lightning would have kept fighting and one of them would probably have eventually killed the other, and from there the entire plot of the game unravels.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: Aside from his A.I. being much more competent, he can now cancel out many of his attacks into blocks, and if you just try to keep your distance and not attack while waiting for him to give you an opening, he's got Maelstrom, which can hit you anywhere in the arena, and can still be cancelled into a block.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kefka Palazzo]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DissidiaKefkaArtwork_8358.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"Hopes aren't worth dirt! I'm going to destroy everything!" ]]
->''"The past is filled with pain and suffering, but all is well if you have fun living."'' -- Fanatic's Leer

-->Voiced by: Creator/ShigeruChiba (Japanese), Creator/DaveWittenberg (English)

--Fighting Style: '''Mad Mage'''

The insane sorcerer who, after gaining [[AGodAmI immense power]] by absorbing the strength of the [[ThePowersThatBe Warring Triad]], became even more sadistic and nihilistic than he was even after his [[PsychoPrototype magitek infusion]] during ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. His personality [[AxCrazy hardly holds much sanity]], resulting in the other villains not taking him seriously. Instead, they try to use him for their convenience, since his two main motivations are simply his desire to destroy all that is, and his desire to bring Terra back onto the side of Chaos, so that she can help him achieve his first motivation.

!!General Tropes
* AdaptationalVillainy: Inverted. Kefka is ''definitely'' just as cruel, wicked and monstrous as in ''Final Fantasy VI'', but ''Dissidia'' tweaks him slightly to portray his nihilism and thirst for destruction in a more tragic light, making Kefka surprisingly sympathetic in his final moments when he never came close to getting sympathy from the heroes or the audience before. See SadClown further down the page.
* AxCrazy: Anyone who has played his original game shouldn't be surprised by this.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: As above. See NotSoHarmlessVillain.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: He winks and laughs at the player, hums the victory fanfare sometimes when he wins against a stronger opponent, and points out that the Onion Knight is a stand-in for Locke ("imitation hero", as he put it).
* CardCarryingVillain: "Destruction is fun" is his entire motif.
* CreepyCrossdresser: He is the only male character besides [[WholesomeCrossdresser Cloud]] able to equip ribbons and female exclusive equipment.
* DarkChick: Shares this role with Kuja.
* DepravedBisexual: Some of his pre-battle taunts can be interpretated as he having the hots for [[HotBlooded Firion]], [[TheHeart Terra]], and ''[[ScrewYourself himself]]''. His comment to Firion ("Aren't you hot?") may be a mistranslation, as the original line in Japanese is something like "You must be sweltering!" It is intended to be rather like Jecht's line to Gabranth "Aren't you hot in that thing?"
* DistractedByMyOwnSexy: His MirrorMatch quote is a minor case of this.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: "Why create when it will only be destroyed? Why cling to life, knowing that you have to die?"
* EvilLaugh: It's his trademark.
* TheFightingNarcissist: If his intro quotes during his mirror matches are anything to go by, he certainly is a narcissist in terms of looking at himself in the mirror and loving his reflection.
* GirlyRun: The way Kefka runs... well, it really didn't seem like how a guy would run.
* GlasgowGrin: Kefka's normal form sports the Heath Ledger's Joker variation. In his EX mode, however, he sports a genuine one.
* AGodAmI: His [=EX=] Mode is his "god of magic" form.
* GoOutWithASmile: Sort of: Because he constantly has a smile made on him (see GlasgowGrin or SlasherSmile), even when he's defeated, he is still smiling, although his reaction indicates that he's feeling the exact opposite emotion for losing.
* GutturalGrowler: When being threatening.
* HopeCrusher: Emphasized with this quote on fighting Terra:
-->''Hopes aren't worth DIRT! I'm going to destroy EVERYTHING!''
* TheHyena
* HypocriticalHumor: He claims Sephiroth is "just another sadist with a god complex... like THAT's something special!" This pretty much describes Kefka perfectly ([[MetaGuy and he probably knows it]]). Also counts as a form of LampshadeHanging, because most major ''Final Fantasy'' villains want to [[AGodAmI become a god]], [[OmnicidalManiac destroy everything]], or both. It's par for the course, really.
** Also, in ''Dissidia 012'' his intro quote to Laguna Loire is "Would you look at this clown?" Err, Kefka, you really need to look at yourself in the mirror.
-->'''Kefka''': [[DistractedByMyOwnSexy "Ooh! Who's that handsome devil?"]]
* IdleAnimation: One of the few to have an extended one. He tilts back in the air, silently laughing, if left alone long enough.
* TheJester: Appearances aside, he has no qualms of mocking his fellow Warriors of Chaos compatriots in addition to the Warriors of Cosmos. He even LampShades the trope when fighting the Emperor in ''Dissidia 012'':
-->'''Kefka Palazzo:''' Look at who I get to mess with next!
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: Averts it repeatedly. More than once the dialogue goes in a direction that seems to indicate Kefka will reveal information to the heroes, only for him to laugh and refuse to spill the beans or wave that they wouldn't be interested anyway. Keeping with his tendency to {{Troll}} the other characters, he makes a point of averting the trope by telling them enough to interest them and get them to ask what he's talking about, but he doesn't give them anything actually helpful.
* LackOfEmpathy: Hoo boy, is he lacking in it. In the first ''Dissidia'', he frequently taunts Terra for her [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beatdown on Onion Knight]], as well as her apparently being "destruction incarnate" and the possibility of her enjoying hurting Onion Knight, and taunts and laughs at the heroes after [[spoiler:Cosmos was killed by Chaos]], and then he taunts Terra with information relating to their role in Cosmos' [[spoiler:death]], and then retracts it as soon as he learns that she actually ''wants'' to know. In ''Dissidia 012'', he cruelly mocks [[spoiler:Kuja's loss]], not to mention taunting Terra for renouncing her destructive nature.
* LargeHam: See his page quote.
* LaughablyEvil: He acts like a complete clown at times (fitting, given the fact that he resembles one). Also, when about to fight an opponent, his opening action is to turn around, bend over with his head turned to face the enemy, and slapping his own butt at the enemy, essentially telling them to "kiss [Kefka's] butt".
* LaughingMad: It's his trademark... Seriously, he [[TropeNamer named the trope]]!
** It's also strongly implied in the first ''Dissidia'' that, similar to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Laughing Octopus]], his manic laughter is the only way he could express himself, even when the actual emotion he is feeling is significantly different than his laughter suggests.
* MetaGuy: Makes several {{Aside Glance}}s (though the way Kefka does it, it ends up more like a JumpScare), occasionally hums the Victory Fanfare when he wins, and hangs many a lampshade. An interesting way to think of Kefka is that he's fully aware about the video game he and the others are in, and likes to troll them with his knowledge of the cliches they embody.
-->'''About Sephiroth:''' "He's just another sadist with a [[AGodAmI god complex]], like THAT'S something special!" \\
'''About Squall:''' "You sure are talkative, [[InnerMonologue in your head]]!" \\
'''About Vaan:''' "And here I thought you were just another [[{{Bishonen}} prepubescent pretty-boy]]." \\
'''About Kuja:''' "He and his [[ThongOfShielding black thong]] are going to regret this!
* MonsterClown: But this time it's more obvious than ever! Uwee hee hee!
* MundaneUtility: PowerFloats, of course, but he's fond of laying down and lounging on the air itself during some cutscenes. Who knows if he's just miming being "at rest" or is actually reclining, depending on how much power it takes to float.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Don't let the clown make-up and constant joking around fool you -- Kefka is just as cruel, sinister, and powerful as any other villain, and though he focused on Terra in ''Dissidia'', in ''Dissidia 012'', he's just as manipulative and sneaky as the rest, too.
** In ''Dissidia 012'', according to the museum profile for the Cloud of Darkness, the reason she doesn't remember Kefka using Terra as a pawn in the 13th cycle is because [[spoiler:Kefka killed her in the 12th when he found out she told Laguna how to stop the flow of Manikins. Yes, Kefka, the guy who cracks a fart joke, pulls a YouHaveFailedMe on the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the realm of nothingness!]]
*** That is also retconned into the dialog for the 13th cycle; at some point, Kefka complains about [[spoiler:the purification of traitors who give vital information to the enemy. Apparently, Kefka didn't expect the Cloud of Darkness to be around again, and is pissed at Shinryu for it.]]
* ObfuscatingStupidity: While not really stupid, Kefka is far more devious and cunning than his behavior would indicate. Most obvious in ''Dissidia 012'', where he's cackling and joking around with Kuja [[spoiler:about him failing to kill Zidane and his friends]], then once Kuja leaves, [[spoiler:mutters he knows Kuja let them go on purpose and starts plotting how to make him pay for it]].
* OmnicidalManiac: Emphasis on "omnicidal". And emphasis on "maniac".
* PowerGivesYouWings: Sprouts four of them in his EX Mode. He can also sprout them as a combat move, "Havoc Wing", in which he flips over and shoots them out of his back, attempting to impale his enemy at close range.
** RetractableAppendages
* PowerPerversionPotential: Let's just say that what he says when activating the Light of Judgment has him very literally lusting for destruction.
* PsychopathicManchild: This is especially evident in this quote:
-->'''Kefka''': "LET THE PARTY BEGIN!"
-->(''Terra teleports seconds before the Ultima balls hit her'')
-->'''Kefka''': "Hm? Was that it? I wanna play more~!"
** Also his reaction [[spoiler:after fighting Vaan, before realizing that Vaan also took Terra with him.]]
--->'''Kefka''': "Incredible! That's the most fun I've had in minutes!"
** Also, in the Japanese versions of the games, he uses the pronoun "boku", which is usually used by young boys.
* SadClown: It is implied shortly after his defeat in Shade Impulse that he thinks no matter what people do, the things they create will be lost and their lives will end, so why bother with any of it? Terra realizes after he fades for the last time that the reason he was so lustful for destruction is because nothing else made him happy, not even the normal things people are happy for.
-->'''Kefka:''' Life...dreams...hope...where do they come from, and where do they go? ''None of that junk is enough to fulfill your hearts!'' '''Destruction''', destruction is what makes life worth living!

-->'''Terra:''' It was your broken heart...you were trying to fill it with destruction.
** Firion reinforces the trope with his pre-battle quote when facing Kefka.
-->'''Firion:''' "I've never heard... a sadder laugh..."
** TragicMonster
* ShoutOut: Dave Wittenberg's performance as Kefka sounds similar to MarkHamill's characterization of SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker.
* SlasherSmile: His even resembles Heath Ledger's characterization of the Joker from the Dark Knight (IE, resembling a [[GlasgowGrin glasgow smile]]).
* StrawNihilist: The actual motivation behind Kefka's all-consuming desire to destroy everything is his firm belief that nothing in life matters or has any value. Any time you get a glimpse underneath the AxCrazy MonsterClown personality, the hints of how much this drives ''everything'' he does are almost {{Tear Jerker}}s.
* ThisCannotBe: "Inconceivable!"
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: With Kuja, much to the latter's dismay.
* ThrowItIn: ''A lot'' of Kefka's lines and quirks can be traced back to Creator/ShigeruChiba, who ab-libbed a lot during recording sessions.
* {{Troll}}: He annoys the other characters, he knows it, and he has fun doing it.

!!Gameplay and CombatTropes
* ConfusionFu: His fighting style is appropriately summed up as "Mad Mage". Though GenreSavvy players will know better, the main idea behind Kefka's attacks is that they don't hit where you're supposed to expect them to. Instead, they zigzag to hit from a different direction than where he fired them, or they stop randomly when firing before moving again a second later to screw up your dodge timing.
* DanceBattler: When using Zap-Trap Thundaga, he spins around as if dancing and clapping as the heavens rain thunderbolts, while also shouting maniacally "Dance, Dance!" Presumably, the reason he does this is due to his severe insanity.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[OneWingedAngel Power of Destruction!]]'''
-->"Watch ''this''!"
** Kefka takes on his God of Magic form from the end of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. He loses his makeup and garish clothes in exchange for purple skin and two pairs of wings (presumably changed from the original six wings for ease of character modeling. The head-feather is still in style, though). In addition to Regen, Kefka's [=EX=] Mode gives him access to the following abilities:
*** '''[[NotQuiteFlight Glide]]''': Kefka uses those wings to great effect, and gains the power to fly around the stage.
*** '''[[ConfusionFu Exhilarating Magic]]''': All of Kefka's spells become even crazier. Some of his spells fire more projectiles at a time, others track opponents better, and some change the timing of their firing to screw with the opponent's dodge attempts.
** In addition, Power of Destruction gives Kefka access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Warring Triad'''.
-->"Be careful! Watch ''this!''"..."
** Kefka descends from on high, and draws power from the signs of the Warring Triad. Performed perfectly, the [=EX=] Burst results in '''[[LightIsNotGood Light]] [[HangingJudge of Judgment]]''', a [[PillarOfLight beam of light]] [[DeathFromAbove from the heavens]] that incinerates the enemy.
-->"It's filling me up!" (''[[FrickinLaserBeams smiting light from above]]'') "[[PerverseSexualLust That was titillating.]]"
* FireIceLightning: With his own crazy twists, of course. He's got two variants of each -aga level spell. Notably the only villain with access to all three elements.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Havoc Wing.
* LightIsNotGood: Just ask anybody who's been on the wrong side of his Light of Judgement. Oh wait, they're all ''dead''.
* MightyGlacier: He moves slowly and many of his attacks have fair lag, but they pack a wallop.
** SquishyWizard
* OverlyLongFightingAnimation: His Ultima spell is a [[MythologyGag reference]] to one from his original game. Ultima's spellcasting animation in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' was longer than many of the others in that game (considering this is where spellcasting started getting long, this is saying something). Kefka's Ultima in ''Dissidia'' travels for approximately three seconds before detonating; thus, taking longer than normal to actually harm the opponent.
* PureEnergy: Trine and Forsaken Null.
* {{Roboteching}}: Much of his moveset revolves around this, most notably his two Firaga attacks.
* StuffBlowingUp: Hyperdrive.

!!Design and CostumeTropes
* GreenEyes
* IdiotHair
* PointyEars
* PurpleIsPowerful: His god form.
* VillainousCrossdresser: Did you know that Cloud's cross dressing item set can also be equipped by [[{{Squick}} Kefka]]?
* VillainousHarlequin: Straddles the line between this and the MonsterClown, being a whimsical, frolicsome buffoon half the time while the other half is spent shrieking corny jokes while setting you on fire.

!! In ''Dissidia''
In the first game, Kefka's primary goal is to seize control of Terra and use her power to further his plans to destroy all existence. To this end, he uses a [[MindManipulation Puppeteer's Wheel]][[note]]Fans of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' will recognize this as that game's Slave Crown, only with a more literal translation[[/note]] to take over her mind and use her to attack Onion Knight, then taunts her about her destructive abilities that make her better suited to serving evil than good.

* ActorAllusion: Kefka, upon meeting with Terra for the first (onscreen) time, implies that she was a bloodthirsty monster beforehand. When he realizes that she doesn't remember, he reveals this information in such a way that causes her great trauma. Lastly, although unintentional, he takes a kid upon his escape (more specifically, the kid fought him), just like Raditz did with Goku in the beginning of the Vegeta saga. Both Raditz and Kefka are voiced in the Japanese version by Creator/ShigeruChiba.
** It's also not the first time Chiba's voiced a MonsterClown. He was previously the voice of Buggy the Clown from OnePiece.
** Also, Kefka's antagonism of Terra is somewhat similar to Emperor Pilaf's antagonism of Bulma, and overall acts like an [[PsychopathicManchild insane overgrown kid]] just like Pilaf. Pilaf is also voiced by Chiba.
** There's one regarding Creator/DaveWittenberg as well: During the battle with Terra, Kefka briefly makes a crazed face (specifically while chortling while flying high-speed towards the camera after the third attempt at bombing Terra with various Ultima balls) as he flies towards the screen. Another one of Dave Wittenberg's characters, [[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Yazoo]], gives a [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120422183619/finalfantasy/images/8/85/Yazoo-is-insane.png very similar facial expression]] at one point in ''Advent Children.''
* AlasPoorVillain: In-universe, Terra (story mode) and Firion (via intro quote) took pity in regards to Kefka.
** Also in Light The Way Conclusion in the story pre-battle exchange, where, while Kefka is undergoing a mantra of shouting "Destroy!" in a repetitive fashion, Terra wonders whether Kefka is himself feeling tormented.
* DeathSeeker: Is perfectly willing to even have himself killed as long as he at least sees some destruction. See DrivenToSuicide.
* DrivenToSuicide: Implied with his blowing himself up after being defeated in Shade Impulse. The Dissidia 012 bio even listed him as self-destructing, feeling that at least would make him feel better.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Towards Terra (as seen in their cutscenes), and the main reason he wants to brainwash her back to the side of Chaos. He also shows this towards Shantotto ("Now ''you've'' got what it takes to destroy the world!")
* DieLaughing: After he self-destructs in Shade Impulse. Unlike most examples, [[SadClown his laughter has shots of sobbing]].
* MadBomber: Kefka has shades of this in ''Dissida''. For one thing, during his fight with Terra in Destiny Odyssey, Kefka is seen laughing maniacally when he is lobbing explosive orbs (implied to be his Ultima spell) at Terra both during their first onscreen encounter (when he fires some spells at her while claiming that there's another enemy for her to destroy) as well as during their fight, especially when they are exploding. He then fires the same spell at Terra shortly before their battle in "Shade Impulse", with him laughing as it is exploding. Also, when he is using the Ultima spell during gameplay, shortly after it detonates, he starts cackling.
* OhCrap: Kefka's expression when he sees the Cloud of Darkness attempt to blast away Terra and Onion Knight with her particle beam (seen for a split second).
* PragmaticVillainy: When the Cloud of Darkness had the chance to kill Terra (and presumably Onion Knight) with an energy attack, Kefka put down [=CoD's=] hand, because he wants to make sure Terra returns to Chaos' side, feeling that she still has some use (that, as well as him and [=CoD=] having different methods of carrying out destruction: She wanted to destroy Terra outright, Kefka simply wants to "have some fun" while destroying things).
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Well, it wasn't much of a speech, but Kefka's opening line to the Emperor (which qualifies as a MythologyGag to what he said to Gestahl after he ended up fried by the Warring Triad) qualifies as such.
-->'''Kefka Palazzo:''' You are less than worthless!!
* ShadowArchetype: To Terra.
* StalkerWithACrush: His obsession with Terra borders on this.
* VillainousBreakdown: Probably suffers from this prior to fighting Terra in Shade Impulse, if the pre-battle exchange in Light The Way part III of Dissidia 012 is anything to go by.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Terra believes that the reason why Kefka was so insane and hell-bent on the destruction of everything was because of a "broken heart". And then there's this:
-->'''Kefka:''' "Why create when it will only be destroyed? Why cling to life, knowing that you have to die? None of it will have meant anything once you do."

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
Kefka is still concerned with Terra primarily; in this game, he has full control over her (initially) and puts her to work fighting. However, he's also in prime form as a villain otherwise, manipulating enemy and ally alike into fighting, either ForTheEvulz, or for the sake of the Emperor's scheme.

* AintTooProudToBeg: A rare villainous example: If Kefka ends up defeated, sometimes he will apologize and beg to be let go.
* BigWhat: Gives an especially big one when he discovers that Vaan took Terra and ran after fighting him.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Fitting in with his StalkerWithACrush tendencies, there's some rather thin subtext about Terra's servitude to Kefka. At one point, he remarks "[[ParentalNeglect She always comes running straight back into my arms, anyway. What do I care!]]", and when she refuses to fight, he tortures her, saying "[[DomesticAbuse Sorry babe, I only hurt you because you make me.]]"
* DoubleTake: Has a rather amusing one when Vaan runs off with Terra.
-->'''Vaan:''' "We'll finish this next time! For now, I'm just gonna take the girl! Catch ya later!"
-->'''Kefka:''' (''waving'') "Yeah, it's been a pleasure! Wait, you're, you, you're you w-w... [[BigWhat WHAT]]!?"
* EvilMentor: He gives Kuja advice and assistance with capturing the heroes, but [[spoiler:he does this to keep Kuja on track with the fake memories he implanted him with between the 12th and 13th cycles. And so he could get those fake memories into Kuja's head in the first place, he arranged for him to fight Lightning, then stood back and not only watched him die, but also [[KickTheDog proceeded to mock him]].]]
* KickTheDog: He mocks Kuja [[spoiler:when the latter is defeated/killed by Lightning]]. Honestly, it's really no wonder why Kuja would hate him.
-->'''Kefka:''' Oopsie! Someone went and lost, didn't he? ''(Kefka approaches a keeling Kuja)'' You know what they say about second place: Completely pathetic! ''(Kuja fades away in clouds of darkness)'' Meh. Don't sweat it, a little thing like that's not gonna be the end of you. Should be the end of that rebellious phase of yours, though! The next time you fight, it will be study time! ''(mimes writing)'' All over again!
* ManipulativeBastard: Not only does he screw with Kuja's plans, he also [[spoiler:plants the idea to attack Tifa in Sephiroth's head, giving him a reason to send Cloud after him with the intent for this to motivate Cloud's HeelFaceTurn and eventual death]]. He did this simply because he did ''not'' like the idea of the two of them choosing to sit out the war.
* MythologyGag: The song that plays during the battle against Kefka in Prologus is "Esper Battle" from VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII. Fans of the series will note that the theme is fitting, as Kefka himself tried to exploit the espers in his game for power before eventually settling for turning them into magicite.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Gets ''very'' close with Kuja, leaning on his shoulders and getting right up in his face several times.
* ToiletHumor: This guy can pull a fart joke out of nowhere.
-->'''Kefka:''' What's this? The brooder and the narcissist having a heart-to-heart? Oh, this is rich. So rich it gives me gas. Gives me gas, I say! *camera cuts away, fart noise* And I... *camera cuts back* give it back."
* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:He executes the Cloud of Darkness after learning that they gave away information to Laguna about the door to the Rift]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sephiroth]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sephiroth_Dissidia_Artwork_2688.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"Accept it. I am the one who guides you -- forever."]]
->''"The truth can be cruel at times, but whether they can accept that truth is up to them."'' -- Life of the Planet

-->Voiced by: Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (Japanese), Creator/GeorgeNewbern (English)

--Fighting Style: '''Focused Blade'''

A powerful former member of [[SuperSoldier SOLDIER]] from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. [[ArtificialHuman When he learned about his origins, as the result of an experiment called the Jenova Project]], Sephiroth attempted to become a god by absorbing the world's life energy into himself.

!!General Tropes
* AntiVillain: While he's fighting for Chaos's side, he has no interest in the war and tells Emperor and Ultimecia that EvenEvilHasStandards. That said, while he's willing to fight the Warriors of Cosmos to get what he wants, he doesn't go out of his way otherwise. It's also implied in his ''Dissidia 012'' character bio that he might have also wanted to end the war as well.
* {{Badass}}: This ''is'' Sephiroth that we're talking about here.
** EmpoweredBadassNormal
** BadassLongcoat
* BreakingSpeech: To everyone, even those on his own side. It's what he does.
* DissonantSerenity: Nothing ever shocks this guy, not even being beaten, since he just turns it on his opponents with his words.
* FallenHero: Lampshaded repeatedly by his opponents.
-->'''Emperor:''' A 'hero', toyed with by fate? / How the mighty have fallen.
-->'''Kain:''' A fallen hero; how regrettable.
-->'''Lightning:''' Something tells me you're not the heroic type.
* GoOutWithASmile: Sort of. If Sephiroth ends up defeated, he'll remark in a calm tone "I fall into the shadows," implying that he accepted his defeat, and in addition, he's the only one of the characters who seems to be calm in their defeat in the storyline.
* HumanoidAbomination: Remember, he's actually a collection of Jenova cells made to resemble his human body.
-->'''Firion''': "You make me shiver. What are you?!"
* HypocriticalHumor: In his lines against certain opponents.
-->''(to Shantotto)'': "A former hero? Please..."
-->''(to Cloud of Darkness)'': "Another washed-up monster..."
** This is also noted by both his allies and enemies:
-->'''Garland''': "Show me what a 'hero' can do!"
-->'''The Emperor''': "A hero, [[CosmicPlaything toyed with by fate]]?"
-->'''Squall''': "No one needs a hero from the past..."
* LampshadeHanging: After the boss battle with him during Warrior's story mode, Sephiroth says that he is going to go do what he is ''obligated'' to do, i.e. torment and battle Cloud. He seems aware of the fact that most of his appearances since his original game more or less center around just that.[[note]]Dissidia 012 also reveals that he makes it a point to fight those from his world to recover his memories, though that came later.[[/note]]
-->'''Sephiroth:''' "The time has come. I must face him and fulfill my obligation."
** Makes you wonder if he's just [[PunchClockVillain in it for the paycheck these days]].
* LonersAreFreaks: He's sorta treated like this by The Emperor and Ultimecia, due to his refusal to join their alliance.
* ManipulativeBastard
* MusicalSpoiler: [[spoiler:When fighting Sephiroth in Destiny Odyssey/Light to All Chapter 1, the battle theme J-E-N-O-V-A plays - which played during the Jenova fight immediately ''preceding'' the battles with Sephiroth in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. This is your giveaway that Cloud and Sephiroth are going to get another match - when you fight him in Shade Impulse/Light to All Epilogue, One-Winged Angel kicks in like it should.]]
* OneWingedAngel: Averted, surprisingly enough considering he's the TropeNamer. Sephiroth's OWA form would require a completely different character model, due to how inhuman it is, rather than just a new skin, and that would have forced the game to stop and load every time he activated it (which is strange, considering how most of the other villains' EX forms were based on their legitimate One Winged Angel forms). He does have his one black wing from ''Advent Children'' and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', though, making the trope be applied ''[[VisualPun literally]]''.
* PunchClockVillain: While all the other villains have some clear goal of domination, absolute destruction, or something alike, Sephiroth doesn't care at all for any of this, nor the outcome of the battle of the gods. His only shown interest is in fighting Cloud and Tifa to recover his lost memories, and once he has them, his focus turns to the nature of the cycle and his own existence within it.
* WorthyOpponent: Seems he reciprocates Jecht's opinion of him in this regard.
-->"Seems I do not have to hold back."

!! Gameplay and Combat Tropes
* BeehiveBarrier: When using Scintilla.
* CastingAShadow: Shadow Flare. Also gets a dark aura on his sword when using Octaslash.
* ChargedAttack: Black Materia.
* ColonyDrop: Same as above.
* CoolSword: His signature Masamune, with its Kingdom Hearts length.
** {{BFS}}: Has the longest melee reach in the game.
** KatanasAreJustBetter
** ImprobableWeaponUser
** NamedWeapons
** PublicDomainArtifact
* DeathFromAbove: Hell's Gate combines this with ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice -- Sephiroth drops onto opponents from above with his sword held down to stab them, just as he did when he killed Aerith.
** GroundShatteringLanding: If he's close enough to hit the floor when executing Hell's Gate, HP-damaging Materia rocks will shoot up where he lands, giving it much more ground potential than one may think. Basically, if he shouts "To the promised land!" while you're on the floor, it's a pretty good idea to just run, since one dodge might not be enough.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[PowerGivesYouWings Reunion!]]'''
--> "It's time..."
** Just as he did in the climax of the original game and ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'', Sephiroth fuses with even more Jenova cells and increases his power, gaining a single black wing in the process. In addition to Regen, Sephiroth's [=EX=] Mode gives him the following abilities:
*** '''[[NotQuiteFlight Glide]]''': Seems one wing is almost as good as six. Sephiroth is able to fly around the stage.
*** '''Heartless Angel''': Holding [=R+Square=] begins the charge for Sephiroth's signature move. When it goes off correctly, it causes an instant, unblockable attack which results in bringing the opponent's [[HPToOne Brave To One]].
** In addition, Reunion gives Sephiroth access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Supernova'''.
--> "I bring you despair!"
** Sephiroth charges his own LimitBreak meter after slashing his opponent and begins chanting the [[FormulaicMagic mathematic equation]] for his spell. On a perfect charge, Sephiroth [[HurlItIntoTheSun smashes the opponent into a dying sun]], [[EarthShatteringKaboom which promptly goes nova]] as he stands in the foreground, exactly like he did after the Niblheim Incident.
--> "Ruination to all!"
* FlashStep: Oblivion, Fervent Blow, Godspeed, and Heaven's Light.
* IaijutsuPractitioner: Oblivion.
* ImplausibleFencingPowers: Not that he's the only one, but he gets a special mention for his gratuitous use of the tropes list under the next one.
* JackOfAllStats: He isn't a particularly ''bad'' character; he moves and attacks at a decent clip and packs a fair punch. He just lacks the pure power and/or speed of others, and has little combo potential.
* SimultaneousBladeSpam: ''All'' of his melee attacks hit far more times than you actually see his sword swing. Oblivion is probably the best example, where he dashes past the opponent and only hits them with the Masamune once, but they get hit eleven times.
* SwordBeam[=/=]RazorWind: The undisputed king. Fervent Blow and Godspeed fire several sword beams, while Reaper, Transience, and Sudden Cruelty leave bands of energy after the actual swings that hit more times.
* TooSlow: When using Reaper and Godspeed, though as he's TheStoic, it's underplayed compared to other instances of the trope.

!!Design and Costume Tropes
* BadassLongcoat: It's ''Sephiroth'', it couldn't be any other way.
** BlackCloak
* FeatherMotif: Black feathers, likely carried over from ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]''.
* GreenEyes
* HellBentForLeather
* HighCollarOfDoom: Normally big in his original three outfits, but his DLC bonus outfit is his ''Kingdom Hearts'' coat, and, [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110407124716/finalfantasy/images/d/dd/Dissidia012-SephirothKH.png well....]]
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Once again, it's ''Sephiroth''. Penelo seems to disagree on this one.
** RapunzelHair
** WhiteHairBlackHeart: [[ZigzaggedTrope Though not as much as usual]], this time Sephiroth is a PunchClockVillain fighting for his own interests, but he's still on Chaos's side and has no problems fighting any hero he wishes to further those interests.
* NoShirtLongJacket
* PerpetualMolt: He constantly leaves a trail in [=EX=] Mode, but even upon entering battle ''without'' his wing, he descends amidst a swarm of black feathers.
* PowerGivesYouWings: ONE wing in this case.
* ASinisterClue
* WalkingShirtlessScene: His second outfit.

!!In ''Dissidia''
* AlasPoorVillain: Invoked in-universe by Cecil Harvey. See TragicMonster.
* AudienceSurrogate: Similar to LOVELESS and his reaction to it in ''CrisisCore'', Sephiroth basically speaks for all people who don't view Kefka favorably with his pre-battle quote to Kefka being a simple "You're annoying." Made even more poignant in the Japanese version, where Kefka is basically a scrappy.
* BloodKnight: Sephiroth implies when attempting to pull a NotSoDifferent speech on the Warrior of Light during the 13th Cycle that the closest thing to a "motivation" for Sephiroth to participate in the conflict is that he enjoys fighting. Kefka also claims that he pretty much was made for the battlefield during the 12th Cycle when trying to manipulate Sephiroth into luring Cloud to be killed by Sephiroth in addition to Sephiroth killing Tifa.
* BorrowedCatchPhrase: When the Emperor asks Sephiroth to join himself and Ultimecia, Sephiroth borrows Cloud's "Not interested" line.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When the Emperor attempted to recruit Sephiroth into his and Ultimecia's plot to rule existence, he refuses. Considering how their "plan" basically involved killing off every single one of their own allies as well as their enemies to ensure that the Emperor managed to rule existence in the place of Cosmos and Chaos, it almost seems like Sephiroth was subtly giving his displeasure in that sort of plan in retrospect.
* AGodIAm: Lampshaded by [[HypocriticalHumor Kefka]]. Like the other villains, Sephiroth decides to implement his plot from [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII his original game]] in order to survive after [[spoiler:Cosmos' death]]. It was cut out of Duodecium in favor of focusing on his rivalry with Cloud, but several of his quotes in both games allude to this.
* MotiveMisidentification: Bartz observes the Emperor, Ultimecia, and Sephiroth together, and wonders whether the Emperor and Sephiroth were fighting over Ultimecia. Actually, the Emperor and Ultimecia were attempting to recruit Sephiroth into their plan, but Sephiroth had evidently refused.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: How he tries to hammer home the fact that Cloud is his UnwittingPawn. Cloud turns it around on him ("You're the one who won't let go!"), but Sephiroth doesn't seem to be fazed in the slightest. He also deals one to the Warrior of Light, though the Warrior being the Warrior, doesn't pay attention.
* TragicMonster: If playing as Sephiroth against Cecil Harvey, Harvey will say that there "is sorrow in (Sephiroth's) wintery eyes", indicating that, despite his statements, Sephiroth does actually feel some melancholy about something.
* WarriorPoet: With his desire to become a god toned down, Sephiroth's main goal (besides messing with Cloud) seems to be to muse over the nature of life and his lost memories to himself and occasionally Garland.

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: While a few of the villains are insulting [[spoiler:Feral Chaos]], Sephiroth actually talks down to him.
-->"Is that all? You can do better than that."
* {{Hypocrite}}: Though unintended since the cutscene dialogue wasn't changed between the two games, he snarks that Cloud clings to old memories, when his entire motivation for fighting Cloud is so he can recover his own memories. Promptly lampshaded when Cloud quickly snaps back "[[TakeThat You're the one that can't let go!]]"
* MirrorMatch: His suicide is represented by this in an official quest.
* [[NotInThisForYourRevolution Not In This For The God's Dispute]]: Apparently, Sephiroth does not actually care about the actual outcome of the conflict between Cosmos and Chaos, and only participated in the conflict in the first place to regain his memories.
* ProperlyParanoid: Hinted at in the original game and confirmed in ''Dissidia 012'', in the twelfth cycle he suspected that he might actually be an enhanced Manikin that was implanted with the real Sephiroth's memories. He killed himself to test this theory, and when he was resurrected in the thirteenth cycle, he knew that he was the real deal. [[spoiler:However, it turns out that the Warrior of Light, Cosmos, and Chaos are precisely that themselves, so his suspicions were well-founded]].
* WarriorTherapist: Strangely enough, in the ''Prologus'' demo for ''Dissidia 012'', he actually lectures the Warrior of Light ''and'' Lightning after they beat him about their holding back too much of their power, and even almost encourages them to go full out and actually kill him next time, namely because there wouldn't have been a point to them existing in the current state of the world if they didn't do that. Then again, Cloud does hint that most of the Warriors of Chaos were holding back their power.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ultimecia]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dissidia_Ultimecia_2283.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"Foolish boy. Everything is an illusion. Your hopes, your friends -- Your life itself -- shall fade."]]
->''"Everyone wishes they could change the past."'' -- Gears of Time

-->Voiced by: Creator/AtsukoTanaka (Japanese), Tasia Valenza (English)

Fighting Style: '''Sorceress Fusileer'''

An incredibly powerful sorceress [[TimeMaster who controls time]] and can attack with weapon-shaped long range energy attacks, aside from casting [[IncrediblyLamePun time-honored spells]]. In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', she attempted to compress time, creating a world where past, present, and future would become one, and in ''Dissidia'', she's plotting the same thing, [[WellIntentionedExtremist although with a much more ambiguous view about it]].

!!General Tropes
* DontYouDarePityMe: If you start a fight with her on low health, she may call this out onto her opponent.
* EvilGenius: Shares this role with the Emperor.
* EvilLaugh: Chuckles while executing Time Crush. And with good reason too, if she can get it off.
* [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorceress]]
%%* FemmeFatale
* FunetikAksent: Unlike ''Final Fantasy VIII'', Ultimecia does not pronounce her hard "c"s as "k"s. Like many other things in this game, this has [[BrokenBase split some fans on whether or not this is a good thing]].
** What makes this hilarious is the fact that Ultimecia's English VA also voiced [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Sniper Wolf]], who ''did'' speak with an accent similar to Ultimecia's verbal tic.
* [[AGodAmI A Goddess Am I]]
* MinionShipping: With the Emperor, due to their alliance in the story mode.
* MixAndMatch of MasterOfDisguise and MasterOfIllusion when [[spoiler:impersonating Cosmos]].
* {{Mondegreen}}:
-->'''Apocalypse:''' "There is no butter for this plane. Your bed awaits."
-->''Actually:'' "There is no running from this pain. Regret awaits."
* OmnicidalManiac: Taking the concept of destroying everything and applying it to the entire spacetime continuum. Welcome to Time Compression.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Technically true for the Warriors of Chaos, since the Cloud of Darkness has NoBiologicalSex.
* VainSorceress: Hinted at by Kefka Palazzo's pre-battle quote in ''Dissidia 012''.
-->'''Kefka Palazzo:''' Using time to get rid of those wrinkles?
* TheVamp: That evening gown should have been your first clue.
* WorldOfPun: Almost all of her Encounter phrases (as well as the other characters' when they face her) are some kind of pun on the concept of time.

!!Gameplay and Combat Tropes
* TheArchmage
* AwesomeButImpractical: Unlike the likes of Sephy's Heartless Angel, Golbez's Black Fang, and the Emperor's Starfall, Ultimecia can't stop Time Crush once the player begins to charge it up, so she's completely helpless to dodge or block if the opponent gets to her. On the other hand, it's a lot of fun to trap your opponent by perfectly timing consecutive Time Crushes to keep them paralyzed indefinitely, preferably while a summon, like, say, Tiamat or Ultima Weapon, charges up its effect. This only applies to the original ''Dissidia'', as ''Dissidia 012'' allows Ultimecia to cancel out of Time Crush.
* AnAxeToGrind: A Knight's Axe to be precise.
* ChargedAttack: All her Bravery attacks can be charged by holding the button instead of pressing or tapping it, changing their effects. She can also charge Shockwave Pulsar and Great Attractor.
* ColonyDrop: Fires a miniature version of the ''Final Fantasy VIII'' planet when using Great Attractor.
* DarkActionGirl
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[FusionDance Junction Griever!]]'''
--> "Come, Griever!"
** Continuing to [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard fly in the face of the Junction System's rules]], Ultimecia merges with the "Ultimate [=GF=]", Griever. In addition to Regen, Ultimecia's [=EX=] Mode gives her access to the following ability:
*** '''[[TimeStandsStill Time Crush]]:''' Holding [=R+Square=] beings the charge for Ultimecia's special attack. If she is allowed to get it off, she freezes the enemy in place with a call of "Time!" This creates an irresistible opportunity for an HP Attack.
** In addition, Junction Griever gives Ultimecia access to her [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Time Compression'''.
--> "Time! Playtime is over!"
** Ultimecia [[TimeStandsStill freezes the enemy in time]] (in fact, if the opponent was recovering from Bravery Break, their Bravery will stop regenerating) and walks toward their helpless, inverted body, summoning magic missiles as she does so. Eventually, she unfreezes everything and the [[RainOfArrows missiles strike the enemy in rapid succession]]. Finally, she ends the attack with '''Sorceress Heart''', a [[StuffBlowingUp huge explosion]].
--> "Eternal sleep..." (''EvilLaugh'')
* FemmeFatalons: When in Chase Mode, she'll use them.
* FusionDance: Her combination with Griever, which is decidedly more human in appearance than it originally was, since instead of Junctioning herself onto Griever like in ''Final Fantasy VIII'', she Junctions him onto her.
* GradualGrinder: Her long-range-oriented playstyle, and the fact that her HP attacks can't be efficiently spammed due to slow start-ups, lends itself to this trope. She'll launch a volley of magic arrows from the other side of the stage to whittle your Bravery down and keep you stunned long enough for her to land an HP hit. It makes sense that she'd [[IncrediblyLamePun take her time.]]
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Knight's Spear.
* InstantRunes: Apocalypse and Hell's Judgment.
* LongRangeFighter: Has the longest range attacks of any character.
* MagicMissileStorm: She does with magical projectiles what Squall and Laguna do with their sword and guns.
* PillarOfLight: Apocalypse.
* RainOfArrows: Knight's Arrow.
* {{Roboteching}}: Knight's Arrow and the uncharged Knight's Axe.
* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: Her main schtick.
* SquishyWizard
* StormOfBlades: Knight's Blade, especially the charged version.
* SummonMagic: [[FusionDance Fuses herself with]] [[PantheraAwesome Griever]] in EX Mode.
* TimeMaster
** TimeStandsStill: Not only does she do this in a cutscene, but it's her special attack in EX Mode. TakeThat, CutscenePowerToTheMax.
* TrapMaster: Less so than the Emperor, but the wind-up time on Ultimecia's HP attacks means that often you'll have to come up with clever ways to maneuver your opponents into them. Most of this involves the charged-up version of Knight's Arrow, which emits up to four projectiles that stay stationary for five seconds before launching at the enemy, and can keep them pinned long enough to use Apocalypse on them (or Hell's Judgement in ''Duodecim'').

!!Design and Costume Tropes
* AbsoluteCleavage
* FacialMarkings
* FeatherMotif: Black feathers, like Sephiroth. This was probably carried over from Edea's costume in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''.
* GoingCommando: If you look closely using the Battle Replay feature, ''she's not wearing any panties, even after she's Junctioned Griever!'' For better or for worse, there's nothing to see.
* HornedHairdo
* HotWitch
* NakedInMink: See "GoingCommando".
* NiceHat: In her 3P Edea costume.
* NotSoDifferent: So she says about Squall and herself; after all, they are both trying to create a world according to their liking.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Possibly. When facing [[SmugSnake Kuja]], he says, "Exit quietly, old crone".
** Possibly further hinted at when she faces Warrior of Light in his Destiny Odyssey.
--> "You are bold for one so young."
** [[RuleOfThree For a third example]], one of her Encounter phrases is, "Poor child."
* PerpetualMolt
* RapunzelHair
* ShesGotLegs
* StatuesqueStunner: Not as much so as the Cloud of Darkness, but Ultimecia still qualifies: According to estimates from rips of the models, she falls but slightly short of six feet, not counting the hair-horns.
* {{Stripperiffic}}
* WickedCultured: She certainly has her own sense of flair.
* WingedHumanoid
** GoodWingsEvilWings: Definitely evil wings.
** WingsDoNothing: Unlike the other winged characters who can Glide in EX Mode, Ultimecia's wings provide no additional benefits other than aethestics (aside from allowing her to hover while she's casting spells).
* WomanInBlack: In her 3P Edea costume.

!!In ''Dissidia''
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: One of ''very few'' uses of this trope in ''Dissidia''. During the FMV in Squall's Destiny Odyssey, Ultimecia brings Squall's time to a halt mid-[[{{BFS}} Blasting]] [[WaveMotionSword Zone]] and induces her [[NonIndicativeName Time]] [[RainOfArrows Compression]] LimitBreak, ''without'' [[FusionDance Junctioning]] Griever...
** [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist By Her Own Petard]] ...only for Squall to unleash Blasting Zone the first set of shots, Heel-Crush the next few volleys, and then traps the next few in a Fated Circle and pulls the trigger ''with the blade pointed at her.''
* CryForTheDevil: Many of Ultimecia's lines throughout the game imply that the real driving reason behind her wanting to compress time to a single point is her longing to return to the innocent days of her childhood, the last time she was truly ''happy''.
* [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]]: [[spoiler:Disguises herself as Cosmos]] to convince Squall to travel on his own and leave Zidane and Bartz behind.
* MotiveMisidentification: Bartz observes the Emperor, Ultimecia, and Sephiroth together, and wonders whether the Emperor and Sephiroth were fighting over Ultimecia. Actually, the Emperor and Ultimecia were attempting to recruit Sephiroth into their plan, but Sephiroth had evidentially refused.
* ShoutOut[=/=]TakeThat: Ultimecia's exclusive weapons are named after some of Rinoa's weapons from ''Final Fantasy VIII''. More than likely, this is a nod to the {{Jossed}} ([[CanonDefilement albeit still popular]]) [[EpilepticTrees theory]] that Ultimecia was a BadFuture [[FutureMeScaresMe incarnation of Rinoa]]. Likewise, her [[FoeYay "Shall we dance?"]] line to Squall is a variation of what Rinoa said to Squall prior to their first meeting at a ballroom dance.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdOsqk6tMVo Watch this]] and tell us that Ultimecia isn't a fangirl of [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Dio Brando]].
* TakeYourTime: Ultimecia tells Squall to do this when they meet face-to-face and he isn't ready to face her yet.

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
* ActuallyADoombot: Tifa soundly kicks Ultimecia, only for Ultimecia to shatter into crystal -- it was actually a Manikin.
* DesignatedGirlFight: She's Tifa's designated story mode rival, the only time in the story where two female warriors fight.
* {{Flanderization}}: Subjected to a particularly brutal example of it in ''Dissidia 012'' -- every line she had in Dissidia regarding her deeper motivation to return to the innocence of her youth is removed in favor of making her focused solely on compressing time and becoming [[AGodAmI omnipotent]] in that way. What's worse is that this is a MythologyGag; the same thing happened in the Japanese to English port of FFVIII. That's right: someone on the writing team actually thought removing personality from a character was not only a good idea, but ''such'' a good idea it deserved a '''CallBack'''.
* PetTheDog: Her intro quote to Terra if the player is fighting as Terra, possibly:
-->'''Ultimecia:''' It's okay to cry.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kuja]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dissidia_Kuja_1977.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"As one who shares your fate, I simply had to see how your heart would break upon realizing how powerless you truly are."]]
->''"Everything must disappear to truly forget the truth. To do that, the world must disappear as well."'' -- God of Destruction

-->Voiced by: Creator/AkiraIshida (Japanese), JD Cullum (English)

--Fighting Style: '''[[NotQuiteFlight Graceful Glider]]'''

A confident and prideful mage who is quite jealous of Zidane for some reason. In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', he was quite a ManipulativeBastard and succeeded in attaining tremendous power.

!! General Tropes
* AffablyEvil: Despite being quite a prick most of the time, [[BaddieFlattery he will actually compliment you]] ([[SarcasmMode though somewhat sarcastically]]) on successfully pulling off an attack on him in battle ("That wasn't bad at all!") Possibly a reference to when Bahamut managed to give him a minor injury in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''. He was '''surprised''' when he realised that he'd received a small cut and commended the dragon for actually managing to hurt him.
* DarkChick: Shares this role with Kefka.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Kefka refers to him "Kuji-coo", or "Kuja-kun" in Japanese.
* TheFightingNarcissist
* LargeHam: Perhaps the largest in the game. He's obsessed with theater and makes a habit out of weaving faux-Shakespearean speech into his sentences. Even the few sentences where he ''doesn't'' do that get pretty hammy.
-->"As one who shares your fate, I simply had to see how your heart would break upon realizing how powerless you truly are."
-->"Your friends will get hurt, and there is nothing you can do. Like a bird trapped in a cage, you can only listen as they scream in terror..."
* MoodSwinger: "You're not getting away! Come dance with me!"..."Just go AWAY!"
* MythologyGag: Most, if not all, of Kuja's battle quotes relate to his theatrical and dramatic nature (see LargeHam) from his [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX respective game]]. For example, when battling Terra, Kuja refers to her as "a poor bird without wings," similar to how he refers to [[Characters/FinalFantasyIX Garnet]] as a "canary".
* NoRespectGuy: In-story and in combat quotes, absolutely ''no one'' treats Kuja with respect. The other Chaos Warriors in particular tend to treat him the way [[Film/AustinPowers Dr Evil]] treats his son Scott. Even Gilgamesh, resident CosmicPlaything, gets to prod him with a metaphorical stick.
* RelationshipVoiceActor: See Bartz's entry.
* SissyVillain
* SmallNameBigEgo: He considers himself superior to all of his allies, despite Garland telling him they are all slaves of the cycle of battle.
* SoreLoser: Probably the sorest of them all due to his narcissism.
* SpannerInTheWorks: The reason [[spoiler:Cloud and Tidus have a BigDamnHero moment is because Kuja told them Firion was about to fall into the Emperor's trap.]]
* SpotlightStealingSquad: He attempts to invoke this, considering himself the most intelligent, powerful, beautiful villain, and he and goes out of his way to interfere with the others' plans and one-up them to prove himself superior. His battle quotes also reflect that in his opinion, he's the only one that matters.
-->"Now for my one-man show!"
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: With Kefka, much to his dismay.

!! Gameplay and Combat Tropes
* DeathFromAbove: Force Symphony.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[KillerSpaceMonkey Trance!]]'''
--> "Here's your invitation!"
** Yes, the third practitioner of Trance. Kuja uses his game's answer to the LimitBreak and powers up, gaining a more bestial form covered in fur and feathers, as well as revealing his tail. In addition to Regen, Kuja's EX Mode gives him access to the following abilities:
*** '''[[NotQuiteFlight Super Glide]]''': Kuja is the only character who can Glide outside of EX Mode, so it would follow that his EX Mode gives him an even ''better'' Glide. Super Glide can keep him airborne pretty much indefinitely.
*** '''Auto Magic''': The Holy/Flare spellballs that surround and follow him will automatically perform special attacks while he's gliding, jumping, or landing.
** In addition, Trance gives Kuja access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Final Requiem'''.
--> "Curtain rise!"
** Kuja sits back and conducts as the spell-balls he controls drop [[PlayingWithFire Flare Star]] spells on the enemy, followed by [[HolyHandGrenade Seraphic Stars]], as the image of the planet Terra overpowers the planet Gaia. For the final strike, Kuja commands the spell-balls to drop rapid-fire [[LastDiscMagic Ultima]] spells on the enemy, obliterating them with the ultimate magic.
--> "Here comes the finale!"
* TheFightingNarcissist: Remember, [[MeaningfulName his name]] is two letters away from ''kujaku'', the Japanese word for "peacock", an animal noted for its flamboyant nature and beautiful appearance.
* HolyHandGrenade: Seraphic Star. He also combines Holy and Flare for his Brave attacks.
* MagicMissileStorm: Ultima.
* MusicalAssassin: He doesn't use any instruments, but much of his gameplay makes reference to music.
* NonElemental: Ultima.
* PlayingWithFire: Flare Star.
* PowerFloats: He's not called the "Graceful Glider" for nothing -- while the others disregard gravity, Kuja is actively giving it both middle fingers. The only time he ever physically touches ''anything'', much less the ground, is if his opponent introduces him to it the hard way.
* SquishyWizard: He does a lot of damage and moves at a fair speed, but his Bravery attacks are easy to block.
* StuffBlowingUp: His EX Burst. His Flare attacks also manifest mostly as explosions.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Every attack he has is some variation of Flare, Holy, and/or Ultima.

!! Design and Costume Tropes
* ArtificialHuman: And a FlawedPrototype, to top that, as Ultimecia won't stop reminding him of, referencing the revelation in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''.
* BareYourMidriff
* {{Bishonen}}: The bishiest.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: As always. The museum's character files [[LampshadeHanging say so too]], describing Kuja as "epicene". Epicene means effeminate, unmasculine, or outright gender-ambiguous.
* FingerlessGloves
* GorgeousGeorge: Full-stop. Being a LargeHam just makes him that much more fun to play.
* HeinzHybrid: He looks mostly human, but even in his "normal" form, he has feathers growing from his scalp, and when [[SuperMode Tranced]], he is ''covered'' in red feathers, in addition to having his monkey's tail, just like Zidane's, finally show.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* NiceHat: Fourth outfit.
* ShowgirlSkirt
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Second only to the Cloud Of Darkness.
* UnderwearOfPower: That armored thong can''not'' be comfortable.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: With a [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair bluish-purple]] [[HairColorDissonance tint]].

!!In ''Dissidia''
Letting his arrogance lead him to believe himself superior to all of the other antagonists -- which causes a degree of unrest among them -- he targets Zidane both for the sake of revenge, and to demostrate his power.

* CharacterExaggeration: His narcissism and child-like selfishness were cranked UpToEleven for ''Dissidia''. However, see his ''[[{{Retcon}} Dissidia 012]]'' [[FakeMemories section]].
* DeathEqualsRedemption: [[spoiler:Upon facing his final demise, Zidane's kindness made him have a change of heart.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: After being beaten in Shade Impulse, he feels the worlds themselves have disowned him.
* DontYouDarePityMe
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Says so himself to Zidane.
* ManipulativeBastard
* NaiveNewcomer: Called this by Garland. Apparently, this is at least his second time participating in the Cycle. It doesn't help that Kuja is the youngest of the Warriors of Chaos, yet expects to be treated as if he's a pro.
* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: Post-defeat in Shade Impulse.

!!In ''Dissidia 012''
During the twelth cycle, Kuja was indecisive about his role in the conflict, believing his actions would have no consequences. Surprisingly enough, he considers assisting the Warriors of Cosmos... but some may not agree with this...

* {{AntiVillain}}: He just plain didn't want to take part in the war. Unfortunately for both him and Zidane, [[ManipulativeBastard Kefka]] took care of that.
* TheChewToy: As described briefly in the above spoiler, the prequel may have developed his character better, but in-universe, things got worse than ever.
* [[spoiler:EvilFormerFriend]]: Has this relationship with Zidane, [[spoiler:having tried to ally with him and the two remembering they were on good terms. Then Kefka started tinkering with Kuja's memories]]...
-->'''Zidane: '''"Kuja... don't you remember me at all? We weren't really enemies..."
* [[spoiler:FakeMemories]]: The reason he's so much more reserved and affable in the 12th cycle compared to the 13th is because [[spoiler:Kefka arranged for him to die in the 12th, then tweaked his memories so he hated Zidane and would willingly fight him in the next round]].
** If Kefka's choice of words when gloating about planning to do this is any indication, this isn't even the first time it's happened.
* [[spoiler:HeelFaceTurn]]: Tried to do it and failed miserably.
** [[spoiler:HeelFaceDoorSlam]]
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: His tweaked storyline results in his 13th cycle behavior being this. All his efforts to prove how superior he is to the other villains are because [[spoiler:he wants to prove that in spite of his fake memories and past manipulations by them, he's still just as effective as they are]]. When Garland consoles him that [[spoiler:none of them have all their memories yet]], Kuja just laughs and takes this as proof that he was right in his beliefs.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:[[ReverseMole For]] ''[[ReverseMole Chaos' team]]'', no less. As he was actually planing to betray them, yet... Kefka's intervention cornered Kuja and forced him to betray Zidane.]]
* PetTheDog: Aside from his interactions with Zidane, Bartz, and Squall, Kuja is the one who [[spoiler:breaks Kefka's spell on Terra, because her servitude to Kefka reminded him [[NotSoDifferent of himself]].]]
** This unfortunately ended up ironically leading to a KickTheDog moment for Kuja when he attacks Terra in an official quest and denounces dreams as nothing more than being fake.
* ReluctantWarrior: He is extremely reluctant in fighting his rival, Zidane, during the 12th cycle.
* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler:Pretty much everything that happens to Kuja on the twelth cycle is tragic.]]
** ShootTheShaggyDog: To the point where he starts to skate into [[TheWoobie woobie]] territory.
* StarterVillain: He is the first boss in the twelfth cycle, and is one of only two Chaos warriors to be killed by the warriors of Cosmos, the other being Exdeath.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: By the time the main events of the 12th cycle take place, this is his position with Kefka. It may have something to do with the fact that his faux-Shakespearean speech just comes off as pretentious without his allies putting on acts aside it. For better or for worse, [[YouHaveFailedMe it doesn't last long]].
* TrailersAlwaysLie: Twice over. The first trailers showed Kuja talking to Zidane and being referred to as a Cosmos warrior, and another scene showed him talking to Cloud, so at that time, it was easy to believe he was called by Cosmos in this game. Then later trailers revealed Cloud was on Chaos' side in ''Dissidia 012'' and showed Zidane accusing Kuja of betraying him, making it seem Kuja was just tricking them by pretending to by a good guy. [[spoiler:The truth is somewhere in the middle -- he really did try to help Zidane and his friends but was caught in the act, and he made out like betraying them was the plan all along to save his own skin and theirs.]]
* VocalEvolution: JD Cullum improved noticeably between ''Dissidia'' and ''Dissidia 012''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jecht]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dissidia_Jecht_1879.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"Pesky little runt. Who do you take after?"]]
->''"Unrefined love can cause misunderstandings. It's okay... your love will shine through."'' -- Medal of Honor

-->Voiced by: Masuo Amada (Japanese), Creator/GreggBerger (English)

--Fighting Style: '''Brutal Blitzer'''

Tidus' father and a famed blitzball player, a sport which also becomes part of his fighting style. In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', he became the [[OneWingedAngel Final Aeon]] that defeated [[EldritchAbomination Sin]], [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie but eventually became Sin because of that]]. In ''Dissidia'', his reasons for siding with Chaos tend to express a more good attitude rather than evil intentions.

As hinted in the first game, Jecht is sided with Cosmos in ''Dissidia 012''. The game will reveal how he ended up on Chaos' side.

!! General Tropes
* {{Abusive Parent|s}}
* AdaptationalBadass: While Jetch wasn't weak by any means in ''X'', his skill as a fighter was only hinted at, and his main impact on the story was as the Final Aeon, and later Sin. In this game, he's firmly established as a powerful warrior on his own merits.
* ArchnemesisDad: Although it's not ''[[SubvertedTrope nearly]]'' as spiteful and hate-filled as the relationship was in ''X''. In fact, his dynamic with Tidus in ''Dissidia'' more closely mirrors [[spoiler:the climax and resolution of ''X'', where the two finally part on more promising terms]]. Regardless, Tidus makes it clear that he does not enjoy his relationship with his dad during this little gem:
-->'''Tidus''' (when facing ''Chaos''): Forget you! I've got a bigger fish to fry!
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: Similar to how boastful and arrogant he was about his Blitzball skills in ''X'', the same is true about his fighting skills in ''Dissidia'', as well. Just look at his boasts below.
* {{Badass}}: Arguably '''the''' most badass member of Chaos' team, and that's some steep competition.
** BadassArmFold: After flinging the meteor in Ultimate Jecht Shot.
** BadassBeard
** BadassBoast: Especially his victory quotes.
--> "There's no shame in losin' to ''me''."
--> "I got no such thing as ''limits''."
--> "''That's'' what they call ''skill''!"
--> (''during his EX Burst'') [[SpotlightStealingSquad "This is]] ''[[SpotlightStealingSquad my]]'' [[SpotlightStealingSquad show!"]]
* JerkJock: If his Ultimate Jecht Shot and Blitz King are any indication, he plays Blitzball. With ''meteors''. And he is definitely going to let you know it.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* LargeHam
* LikeFatherLikeSon
* RatedMForManly: Have you ''seen'' this guy's fighting style? It consists of heavy hitting rushdown combos, a high priority block where he basically ''smacks attacks away with his forearm'', not to mention catching a meteor ''with his bare hands'' and chucking it at his opponents. And he can charge up his attacks to make them more manl... err, powerful.
* ShamelessSelfPromoter: As in ''X'', he loves attention and fame, and a few of his battle quotes allude to him wanting to put on a spectacle for whatever audience he thinks is watching. And again, his EX Burst call is to yell at his opponent "This is ''my'' show!"
* RecycledInSpace: Some of his attacks can basically be called Blitzball ''[[{{Badass}} WITH METEORS!]]''
* ShoutOut: Triumphant Grasp is called [[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam Jecht Finger]] in Japanese.
* SpiritedCompetitor: He loves a good brawl, and fights Firion simply to work out his stress and frustration when the Emperor stops him from fighting Tidus. While the player as Firion wins, the after-battle cutscene shows Jecht is fine and tries to goad Firion into continuing.
* StoryboardBody: His Zanarkand Abes chest tattoo, which also counts as a ChestInsignia.
* ThemeNaming: His attacks -- Jecht Rush, Jecht Block, Jecht Stream, Jecht Blade, Ultimate Jecht Shot, and in ''Dissidia 012'', we get Jecht Beam. The only attack of his that doesn't fit the theme is Triumphant Grasp, which was "Jecht Finger" in the Japanese release.
* WorthyOpponent: Seems to consider Sephiroth one, if his pre-battle quotes are any indication.
-->''"Let's show everyone else how it's done!"''
-->''"A duel between legendary heroes, huh?"''

!! Gameplay and Combat Tropes
* BarehandedBladeBlock: His normal block uses his sword and is only good for normal-strength Bravery Atttacks, but his Jecht Block uses the back of his hand and staggers enemies out of HP attacks (though he also staggers, preventing a counterattack).
* {{BFS}}: Uses a human sized variant of the sword he uses as the Final Aeon.
** OneHandedZweihander: While his manual preference is to punch, kick, and tackle, he only ever uses both hands to swing his sword for one attack.
* BoisterousBruiser
* BraggartBoss: His MirrorMatch taunt says it all.
--> "I get to fight the best fighter in the world!"
* ChargedAttack: All his offensive attacks except for Jecht Beam can be charged up for greater range, tracking, and/or power.
* CloseRangeCombatant: It's the main thing holding him back. Jecht has pretty much no ranged attacks, and the ones he does have, he has to charge them up, giving the opponent ample time to anticipate it coming. The only attack he has with any range is Jecht Beam, and that range is still only a few feet.
* ColonyDrop[=/=]DeathFromAbove: Ultimate Jecht Shot has him jump up and catch a meteor, which he throws down on the opponent's head. His EX Burst is basically his version of Tidus' Blitz Ace, but with an even bigger meteor in place of a blitzball.
* DifficultButAwesome: Nothing on [[SublimeRhyme Sir "DURR HURR HURR!"]], but he's definitely second in this regard. His attacks require ''extremely'' precise timing of buttom presses to pull off properly, but if you ''do'' get the hang of him, Jecht has some of the best combos in the game, all of which link to HP attacks and have Wall Rush to pile on the damage even more. He's also got Jecht Block which blocks almost ''any'' attack, he has lots of CP for support abilities because he has a comparatively small moveset, and though he's definitely not the fastest character, Jecht is [[LightningBruiser pretty speedy]] in comparison to other heavy hitters.
* ElementalPunch[=/=]SpellBlade: [[PlayingWithFire Fire]] to be specific.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[OneWingedAngel Final Aeon!]]'''
-->"Let's do this!"
** Jecht assumes the monstrous form he takes in his FinalBoss fight in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', that of [[HeroicSacrifice Braska's]] [[CastFromHitPoints Final]] [[SummonMagic Aeon]], though he's human-sized as opposed to being a giant. In addition to Regen, Jecht's EX Mode gives him access to the following ability:
*** '''Full Combo''': Even if Jecht misses on the first attack, he can continue to execute his combo-based attacks as if he had hit.
** In addition, Final Aeon gives Jecht access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Blitz King'''.
--> "You were just out of luck! ''Come on, come on, come on, come on!'' This is ''my'' show!"
** Jecht slams the opponent back with his sword, then kicks them twice before [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice sticking them to the "ground"]] with his {{BFS}} and [[SteppingStoneSword leaping off of it]] into the air. He then crushes a ''meteor'' with a timed kick, and then uses another timed kick to [[DeathInAllDirections knock all the pieces]] into his helpless enemy.
--> "One more! WHOOOAAAHH YEEAAHHH!"
* EyeBeam: He gets one in the form of Jecht Beam in ''Dissidia 012''. '''No kidding'''.
* FacePalmOfDoom: Triumphant Grasp.
* FireWaterJuxtaposition: The Fire to Tidus' Water.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: Weapons are for wimps!
* IKnowMaddenKombat: His profiles state his fighting style comes from full contact blitzball.
* LightningBruiser: He is especially notable, relying almost entirely on bone-crushing melee attacks, which are arguably the most damaging attacks in the game, while most other characters have extensive selections of ranged magic. However, compared to other melee heavy-hitters, Jecht moves and attacks at a fair clip.
* MagicallyIneptFighter: Jecht notably has no magical attacks at all in the original game, and only picks up Jecht Beam in the prequel. He relies solely on crushing physical melee combos, and his lack of ranged options is his main weakness.
* MegatonPunch [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom Across The Room]]: He does it in a cutscene against Tidus, and in battle with "Triumphant Grasp". They don't [[FanNickname call him]] [[VideoGame/{{F-Zero}} Captain]] [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Jecht]] for nothing.
* MeteorMove: His ground combo to Ultimate Jecht Shot.
* PlayingWithFire: His stronger attacks create a fiery aura over his sword, probably meant to contrast the [[MakingASplash water theme]] in Tidus's attacks.
* RapidFireFisticuffs

!! Design and Costume Tropes
* EightiesHair: He has a pretty standard mullet.
%%* AmbiguouslyBrown
* BarbarianLonghair: Shoulder-length, unruly and shaggy, fitting given Jecht's [[TheBrute person]][[DumbMuscle ality]].
* {{Hunk}}: Lampshaded by Penelo.
* [[ASinisterClue Left]] [[RightHandOfDoom Hand Of Doom]]: His left arm is normally covered in a metal gauntlet. In his EX Mode, it becomes a monstrous claw.
* [[RealMenWearPink Real Men Have Purple EX Modes]]: His third outfit in ''Dissidia 012''.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: In EX Mode.
* SpikesOfVillainy: In EX Mode and his default outfit. Also had them in his alternate outfit in ''Dissidia'', but lost them when his alt changed for ''Dissidia 012''.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Unlike Sephiroth, he ''has'' no "shirted" scenes.

!! In ''Dissidia''
As Tidus' opponent on the side of Chaos, Jecht has no interest in villainy and is implied to just be fighting so he and Tidus can go home when the war is over.

* {{Antivillain}}[=/=]DesignatedVillain: Aside from being a JerkJock and a lousy father, Jecht is actually a decent guy.
* [[spoiler:{{Brainwashed}}]]: Heavily implied to be how and why [[spoiler:he ended up defecting from the Warriors of Cosmos to the Warriors of Chaos]]. ''Dissidia 012'' confirmed it.
* StealthInsult of SelfDeprecation: After his Shade Impulse battle, he tells Tidus that, if he (Tidus) doesn't understand what's going on or how to fix it, he should just [[YouCantFightFate accept that he's weak and can't change it]], so that he can move on in life. Instead of being intended to [[KickTheDog insult his son again]], it [[HiddenHeartOfGold actually refers to]] the way in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX their original game]] that, [[spoiler:when Jecht realized he couldn't return to Zanarkand and his family, he followed Braska on his pilgrimage and [[HeroicSacrifice gave his life to become the Fayth for Braska's Final Aeon]], contributing to the (temporary) salvation of Spira and dying for a good cause.]]
* TokenGoodTeammate: ([[ReverseMole Almost]]) everyone else on the Chaos side is in this for [[TakeOverTheWorld world domination]] or [[OmnicidalManiac mass devastation]]. Jecht just wants to save his kid and go home.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Golbez]] hints that Jecht is one in [[ManipulativeBastard The Emperor's]] grand plan.
-->'''Jecht:''' "... The past ain't important. I just wanna know if doing this'll put the world back as it was."\\
[[spoiler:'''Golbez''']]''':''' "If it does... will you be satisfied? Will you [[WhatAnIdiot blindly follow that man's words]] [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness until the moment he betrays you?]]"

!! In ''Dissidia 012''
This time, Jecht is one the side of good, and is Yuna's Guardian during their quest. His son, meanwhile, has been brainwashed to the side of Chaos, and the rivalry is alive and well.

* ContinuitySnarl: During the 12th cycle, Jecht's portrait in dialogue boxes still shows his crest of spikes over the shoulder, which he doesn't have in the 12th cycle because he's in his third outfit, which has no spikes.
** A meta example -- in ''Dissidia'', Jecht's original outfit was a red and orange palette swap, while in ''Dissidia 012'', he swaps it out in favor of an outfit based on his original ''Final Fantasy X'' model. However, when you win Arcade mode as him, you're still treated to a "Congratulations" screen showing him in the red and orange outfit, despite the fact that it otherwise doesn't exist in the game anymore. Newer players will only be confused.
* DramaticIrony: It turns out that in ''Dissidia 012'', [[spoiler:Tidus has been {{brainwashed}} and Jecht calls his son out for being stupid enough to be manipulated. Of course, by the time the game ends...]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:He's revealed to have been one of Cosmos' Warriors during the previous clash between Cosmos and Chaos. ''The Dissidia 012'' trailer implies that his FaceHeelTurn was not a willing one or even a knowing one (he was unconscious when the Emperor delivered him to Chaos).]]
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice[=/=]SenselessSacrifice]]: [[spoiler:Jecht ended up using up most of his light energy to heal Tidus, who got in the way of the Emperor's attack on Yuna, in order to save Tidus. Unfortunately for him, this also in a way backfires, because shortly after losing consciousness, the Emperor ends up having Chaos {{brainwash|ed}} Jecht into their ranks.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gabranth]]
[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gabranthiddia_Art_1581.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:"There is no future for the bystander, as there is naught he can defend."]]
->''"Faithfully fulfill your role, even if mistaken. That is the definition of a professional."'' -- Gates of Judgement

-->Voiced by: Creator/AkioOhtsuka (Japanese), Keith Ferguson (English)

Fighting Style: '''[[{{Pun}} EX]]ecutioner'''

Judge Magister Gabranth is one of five elite generals who command the armies of the Archadian Empire. As a military intelligence specialist, Gabranth is privy to information that could shake the land of Ivalice to its foundation. He shares a hidden, tragic past with one of the heroes, Basch Von Rosenburg. In ''Dissidia'', Gabranth can only fight effectively in EX Mode -- his Brave attacks are slow and weak, and his HP attack charges his EX Bar and does no damage. However, once in EX Mode, he becomes a nigh-unstoppable force of destruction.

!! General Tropes
* AnimalMotifs: [[YankTheDogsChain The stray dog]].
* EvilCounterpart and EvilTwin: Basch's twin brother who fights for the Empire (or did), and uses more violent versions of Basch's Quickenings. Also dons Basch's armor for his alt. costume in ''Dissidia 012'', as he did when impersonating him in the original game.
* FakeBrit
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner
* MythologyGag: Gabranth's pose at the end of his EX Burst is the exact same pose he appears in on the title screen of ''Final Fantasy XII''. It's also used at battle start (though with helmet off), after using Hatred, and after winning a battle. His standing pose during [[SuperMode EX Mode]] is the pose from his Bestiary entry.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Having lost contact with Michael Rogers (Gabranth's actual voice actor from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''), Square-Enix settled for having him voiced by Keith Ferguson (the voice of Basch, Gabranth's twin brother, from the same game). Regrettably, this game suffers because of this. Keith seems to be trying his best to make Gabranth sound British, but can't seem to settle on what ''kind'' of British accent he should have.
-->'''"HATRED IS WOT DROIVES ME!"'''
** To clarify, Ferguson often slides between what sounds like "posh" British (the proper accent for the Arcadian Empire) and what sounds like Cockney.
** NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: In ''Dissidia 012'', Ferguson heavily toned down the accent. The result is that when he does it right, he sounds much better, but sometimes it's ''too'' subtle, at which point Gabranth pretty much sounds exactly like Basch.
* TheOtherDarrin: As said above, Gabranth's original VA (Michael Rogers) was replaced by Keith Ferguson (the voice of Gabranth's twin brother) due to Square Enix losing contact with Rogers.
* ThePowerOfHate
* {{Pun}}: His fighting style revolves entirely around his EX mode. And in ''Final Fantasy XII'', it's noted that Archadian Judges are "more like executioners". So his fighting style is called [=EXecutioner=], [[DontExplainTheJoke emphasis on the EX.]]
* ShoutOut: Gabranth's Quickenings, as stated above, are all just replicas of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII his brother Basch's]] Quickenings, just with different names: Basch had Fulminating Darkness, Ruin Impendent, and Flame Purge. The animations also differ slightly -- Fulminating Darkness is blue-green, Fulminating Oblivion is red-orange, etc.
* TokenGoodTeammate: On the side of Chaos, but disliked by most of his comrades for his heroic qualities. Also, it's hinted that he desires to defeat Cosmos simply to end the war and has no ulterior motives in doing so.
* TookALevelInBadass: Besides the [[MaskOfPower obvious powering up]] [[SuperMode in EX Mode]], in Dissidia 012, the developers make his EX Charge build up his EX gauge INSANELY FAST. Even though EX Mode lasts a lot shorter and is [[{{Nerf}} weaker]] in 012, the boosted EX Charge charge speed doesn't just make up for it, it still [[JustForPun EXecutes everything.]]
** His overall abilities in both Dissidia games would also qualify as in Final Fantasy 12 he was a very easy and straightforward boss (in both encounters) that any decently leveled and equipped party can easily handle but here [[DifficultButAwesome when properly used is one of the most devastating characters both games]].
* UnstoppableRage: HATRED IS [[strike:WHAT]] WOT DROIVES ME! Yup, that's right, if [[ThePowerOfLove love]] and [[ThePowerOfFriendship friendship]] aren't working for you, apparently hatred works just fine in their place.

!! Gameplay and Combat Tropes
* BlownAcrossTheRoom: Most of his Brave attacks when he's not in EX Mode are designed to throw the opponent as far away as possible as fast as possible, so he has more time to charge himself up and get into EX Mode.
* CoolSword: The Chaos Blade and Highway Star which can combine into one.
** DualWielding
** ReverseGrip: With Highway Star.
** BifurcatedWeapon: During EX Mode.
** DoubleWeapon: Outside of EX Mode.
** NamedWeapons: The larger, [[ASinisterClue left-hand]] sword (shown in the artwork) is called Chaos Blade, and the smaller, right-hand sword is called Highway Star.
* DeathFromAbove: The aerial version of Innocence.
* DifficultButAwesome: The "Difficult" part is getting him into EX Mode. The "Awesome" part kicks in once you get there.
* ElementalPowers
** BlowYouAway: [[DoNotTouchTheFunnelCloud Aero]].
** CastingAShadow: Fulminating Oblivion and Black Hole.
** PlayingWithFire: Inferno and Frost Purge.
** ShockAndAwe: Ark Blast.
* [[SuperMode EX Mode]]: '''[[BackgroundMagicField Mist!]]'''
--> [[ThePowerOfHate "Hatred is what drives me!"]]
** Gabranth places his helm on his head and separates his weapon into two swords. He also glows with a blood-red light: a sign of excessive mist exposure. In addition to Regen, Gabranth's EX Mode gives him the following ability:
*** '''[[TheDogBitesBack Stray's Tenacity]]''': Gabranth in EX Mode basically goes from "Nobody who can't even deal HP damage" to ''absolute monster''. He moves faster, he recovers HP, and he gains a completely new set of attacks. His Brave attacks are long, fast, and powerful, and his HP attacks are varied between the long and short-range, and either way are hard to avoid.
*** '''Jamming''': In ''Dissidia 012'', Gabranth also has the ability to prevent enemies from gaining the stage bravery pool when he suffers an EX Break.
** In addition, Mist gives Gabranth access to his [[LimitBreak EX Burst]]: '''Quickening'''.
--> "By my sword!"
** Gabranth launches into a series of Quickenings based on those that his brother Basch has. First is '''[[CastingAShadow Fulminating]] [[KamehameHadoken Oblivion]]''', a continuous blast of dark energy. This is followed by '''[[FullContactMagic Ruin Unflinching]]''', remote punches that ''crack reality''. Then he goes into '''[[FlamingSword Frost]] [[StormOfBlades Purge]]''', which stabs the enemy with flaming swords ([[AmbiguousSyntax because nothing purges frost like massive amounts of heat]]), and finally, a perfect string will result in '''[[SwirlyEnergyThingy Black Hole]]''', a brutal blast of dark energy on the opponent.
--> "Know this ''pain''! [[{{Kiai}} Hnngh! Hnngh! Hrrrgghh!]] Take your last breath! Surrender now ''to oblivion''!"
* LightningBruiser: While in EX Mode, he's one of the fastest characters in the game, and his attacks are on-par with the heavy hitters like Garland and Cloud in terms of power, but they come out a lot faster. He also has the benefit of continuous HP recovery and a boost to the frequency of Critical Hits.
** GlassCannon: They may not get the Stage Bravery for it, but getting hit by an opponent's Assist still drains his EX Gauge to empty and knocks him out of EX Mode, where he's almost helpless. Thankfully, entering EX Mode drains the opponent's Assist bar, so you have something of a reprieve at the start.
* SphereOfDestruction: Hatred.
* SpinAttack: Circle of Judgment and Vortex of Judgment.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: Vortex of Judgment can [[AttackReflector deflect lesser magical Bravery attacks]].
* StuffBlowingUp: Guilt.
* SwordBeam: Innocence.
* TurnsRed: A literal invoking; he gains a red aura while in EX Mode.

!! Design and Costume Tropes
* BadassCape
* BlackKnight
* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: No, he doesn't subvert this by being a villain. He does not wear a helmet... when he can get his ass kicked by anyone in the game. Since he's a Warrior of Chaos, getting his ass kicked can be seen as heroic. When that helmet goes on...
* MaskOfPower: See the description of his [[SuperMode EX Mode]] above. Normally, Gabranth is pitiful. So pitiful, in fact, that he can't even whittle away your HP under normal circumstances. However, once he ''does'' power up... oh boy... [[TookALevelInBadass Gabranth turns into a]] ''[[UnstoppableRage nigh-unstoppable force of nature]]''. [[GameBreaker He gets so badass]] he can out-muscle [[SNKBoss Chaos]] easily while in [[SuperMode EX Mode]] -- his combos are just as long and powerful as Chaos', he attacks just as quickly, and in the small arena his HP attacks are just as difficult to avoid.
** His character profile in ''Dissidia 012'' states that Gabranth's true power is unlocked when he dons his helmet, confirming that the helmet isn't just an aesthetic change to show his EX Mode, it really is the source of his strength. Doubles as a MythologyGag for players familiar with his characterization in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''.
*** Begs the question of why he even takes it off, then.
* TinTyrant

!! In ''Dissidia''
* TheAtoner: Seems to regret his past failures and mistakes and wants to make up for them, but doesn't make much progress.
* IShallTauntYou: As part of making sure the player isn't about to give up so easily.
* SecretCharacter
* ThresholdGuardians: He guards the place the losers of the war get tossed. Earning your way back to the battlefield (and thus life) means fighting your way past him.

!! In ''Dissidia 012''
* AdvertisedExtra: Featured just as prominently in promotional materials as any other character, but ended up taking on an even smaller role than before -- ''Dissidia'' at least displayed his storyline in the menu, but in ''Dissidia 012'', the Gateway that approximates it is optional and out of the way to find, and outside that, he just gets a single scene in the Reports.
** Some [[NoExportForYou official quests]] feature him, though. [[spoiler:It turns out that he rebelled against his mission, when he fought Shantotto again and she couldn't remember him, and didn't want to fight anymore. He thus resolves to escape the cycles, and is even willing to fight Chaos if he must. After a fight with Garland, he tries to kill himself, but this coupled with his defiance gets him sent into the Rift until he once again submits to the will of the gods and wants to fight again. He also fights Vaan when the latter stumbles into the Rift during one of the cycles. His attempted suicide is reflected upon by The Emperor and Garland once the former witnesses Sephiroth's suicide, speculating why Gabranth's failed while Sephiroth's succeeded.]]
* AntiVillain: He's trying to end the cycles of war like so many others. It just so happens he prefers to take on Cosmos to do it instead.
** Edges towards DesignatedVillain -- attacking Cosmos is the only villainous action we see him do, and it's understable why he goes after her when you think his alternative for ending the war was to challenge [[SNKBoss Chaos]]. And, considering his opponent guarding Cosmos is [[SociopathicHero Shantotto]]...
* TookALevelInBadass: In ''Dissidia'', when fought in his storyline, he wasn't too impressive, having weak boosters and some accessories to improve his EX Mode duration, but he still had to charge up his gauge and could be killed before that happened. In ''Dissidia 012'', though, they gave him the Puppeteer's Wheel, five "EX Mode" boosters, a Hyper Ring, and an Attractorb. The result is that he enters battle with a full EX Gauge, will likely remain in EX Mode for the entire fight, has a nice buff to his base damage, and will constantly be absorbing all the EX Force in the arena so you can't get it for yourself. About all you can do is charge your Assist Gauge to try and EX Break him to force him out of EX Mode -- assuming before you challenged him you didn't kill your Assist on the board to get access to the two chests they were guarding. Oops.


[[/folder]]

-----

%%* BlondGuysAreEvil

* BlondGuysAreEvil

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Many fans noticed that his English voice actor made him sound similar to DavidBowie, thus, along with the already uncanny physical resemblance, leading to the FanNickname "Emperor Bowie".

* [[Characters/DissidiaFinalFantasyArcadeWarriors Arcade Warriors]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Every character except Ultimecia, Kuja, and Shantotto has at least one attack that will cause the Emperor's homing Flare to start chasing ''him'' instead. Fortunately for the people who main the Emperor, he is included in that as well. In fact, if the opponent reflects the Emperor's Flare, he can fire out a second Flare (normally, only one can be out at a time) and then re-reflect the reflected Flare to get ''two'' Flares chasing the opponent, allowing him to turn this trope back on his opponents if they try it on him.

->''"The [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil eternal]] [[DarkIsEvil darkness]] will transcend time [[WeWillMeetAgain to face its rival once more]]."'' -- [[ViciousCycle Wheel of Darkness]]

->''"Without conquering one's [[EvilVirtues virtue]] [[{{Lust}} and]] [[{{Greed}} desires]], thou shall fall into darkness."'' -- [[AmbitionIsEvil Lust for Power]]

->''"[[MutualKill Light fells the darkness, while darkness swallows the light]]; all return to [[CessationOfExistence nothing.]]"'' -- [[AStormIsComing Roaming Clouds]]

->''"[[TheAtoner Accept hatred and regret]] as you proceed forth. All paths lead to the future."'' -- [[IneffectualLoner Lone Heart]]

->''"The true Void lies nowhere. [[{{Irony}} Only the power of life exists]]."'' -- PowerOfTheVoid

->''"The past is filled with [[DarkAndTroubledPast pain and suffering]], but all is well if you [[ForTheEvulz have fun living]]."'' -- [[EvilLaugh Fanatic's Leer]]

->''"[[AwfulTruth The truth can be cruel]] at times, but [[GoMadFromTheRevelation whether they can accept that truth]] is up to them."'' -- [[TheLifestream Life of the Planet]]

->''"Everyone wishes they could [[ScrewDestiny change the past]]."'' -- [[TimeTravelTropes Gears of Time]]

->''"Everything must [[CessationOfExistence disappear]] to truly forget the [[AwfulTruth truth]]. To do that, [[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery the world must disappear as well]]."'' -- [[OmnicidalManiac God of Destruction]]

->''"[[CantSpitItOut Unrefined]] [[NotNowKiddo love]] can cause [[WellDoneSonGuy misunderstandings]]. It's okay... [[ThePowerOfLove your love]] will shine through."'' -- Medal of Honor

->''"Faithfully fulfill your role, even [[MyCountryRightOrWrong if]] [[MyMasterRightOrWrong mistaken]]. That is the definition of [[PrinciplesZealot a professional]]."'' -- [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner Gates of Judgement]]

* [[Characters/DissidiaFinalFantasyWarriorsOfChaos The Warriors of Chaos]]

* [[Characters/Dissidia012FinalFantasyWarriorsOfCosmos Warriors in Dissidia 012]]
* [[Characters/DissidiaFinalFantasyWarriorsOfCosmos The Warriors of Cosmos]]

The leader of the Palamecian Empire from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'', dedicated to [[TakeOverTheWorld Taking Over The World]]. He was killed by the heroes, [[LikeABadassOutOfHell but took over hell itself and came back]]. In the [[VideoGameRemake remakes]], it's revealed that his soul split in half; the lighter (and ''still'' [[LightIsNotGood evil]]) half of his soul goes on to ''[[SerialEscalation take over heaven]]''.

** The Emperor shapeshifts into his [[LikeABadassOutOfHell Emperor of Hell form]] from the endgame of his original game. In addition to Regen, The Emperor's [=EX=] Mode grants him the following ability:

** SwordDrag: Constantly, [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything leaving a trail of sparks and a drag line]] in the floor behind him.

** Ultimecia [[TimeStandsStill freezes the enemy in time]] ([[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything in fact, if the opponent was recovering from Bravery Break, their Bravery will stop regenerating]]) and walks toward their helpless, inverted body, summoning magic missiles as she does so. Eventually, she unfreezes everything and the [[RainOfArrows missiles strike the enemy in rapid succession]]. Finally, she ends the attack with '''Sorceress Heart''', a [[StuffBlowingUp huge explosion]].

* LightningBruiser: While in EX Mode, he's one of the fastest characters in the game, and his attacks are on-par with the heavy hitters like Garland and Cloud in terms of power, but they come out a lot faster.

* FemmeFatal