Line #10 MagnificentBastard/FinalFantasy


1	->''"Hark! Ivalice hails her true Dynast-King, Vayne Solidor! He shall defy the will of the Gods, and see the reins of history back in the hands of Man! His time is nigh!"''
2	-->-- '''Judge Bergan''', on '''Vayne Solidier''', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''
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4	An imaginative setting with a rich variety of characters, the [[RunningGag back-stabbingly popular]] ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series has provided villains as [[MagnificentBastard brilliant and charming as they are devious]].
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6	For examples from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', please see [[MagnificentBastard/{{Disney}} here]].
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8	![[Administrivia/SpoilersOff All spoilers are unmarked]]. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!
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11	[[foldercontrol]]
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13	[[AC:Main series and associated games]]
14	[[folder:Examples]]
15	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'': Rubicante is [[PlayingWithFire the Elemental Lord of Fire]] and one of Golbez's most powerful servants who always heals the party before each encounter so [[FairPlayVillain they can fight at their full potential]]. After he is defeated by the protagonists, Rubicante acknowledges Edge as a WorthyOpponent and learns the value of teamwork, and within the Giant of Babel he returns to attack the heroes together with the other Elemental Lords. In ''The After Years'', Rubicante's spirit returns to teach Edge his signature attack Inferno so he can defeat Ifrit. Within the True Moon he is forced to fight the heroes until he breaks free of the Creator's control and self-immolates, and fades away leaving [[BadassCape his cloak of flame]] for Edge to take as his own.
16	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'': [[ArtificialHuman The Maenad]], aka the Mysterious Girl, arrives on Earth with the mission to gather the Crystals, and goes about her objective with [[NoNonsenseNemesis single-minded efficiency]]. After enslaving Baron and the Eidolons, she seizes the Crystals in a matter of days, through a combination of using the airships of Baron to quickly travel the world, using the Eidolons to defeat her enemies, and the simple fact that she's really a multitude of beings that can be in several places at once and coordinate through a HiveMind. In the end the efforts of the heroes of Earth to stop her amount to nothing, the Maenad accomplishes her mission and departs Earth with the Crystals to deliver them to [[TheManBehindTheMan the Creator]]. When the heroes follow her to the True Moon and defeat the Creator, the Maenads [[HeelFaceTurn stand against him]] as he goes on a self-destructive rampage. They sacrifice themselves to defend the party so they can escape the True Moon, and entrust to them the final Maenad so she can have a normal life on Earth.
17	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'': [[WhenTreesAttack Exdeath]] is a relentless, [[LargeHam boastful]] conqueror from Galuf's world, born from an amalgamation of evil spirits locked within a tree in the Great Forest of Moore. Originally sealed away by the Warriors of Dawn in another world, Exdeath operates from behind his seal to orchestrate his return, eventually tricking the Warriors of Light into setting him free. From there, Exdeath consistently remains one step ahead of the heroes at every turn, nearly killing them all in one fell swoop at one point. In the end, Exdeath summons the Void and uses it to annihilate whatever he pleases, while still taking precautions to stop the heroes from interfering, and while ultimately defeated, he still came deathly close to complete dominion over both worlds.
18	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Shadow is a deadly ninja who hires his immoral services out to those who can afford him, while harboring a secret nobility beneath his callousness. Once an infamous train robber named Clyde, he was forced into hiding after the apparent death of his best friend and partner in crime, and though he started a family with a woman he loved, Clyde ultimately left them behind to become the mercenary he is today. Shadow helps the party throughout the game in pulling off great deeds of heroics, yet also takes on a paying job as one of the evil empire's lieutenants. After Kefka plunges the world into chaos, Shadow saves the lives of the party at the risk of his own, and ultimately works with them to take down Kefka once and for all. Shadow then accepts that his life's purpose has been fulfilled, and dies content in his efforts to save the planet.
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20	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'':
21	** [[BigBad Kuja]] is a stylish, sophisticated ArtificialHuman created by the warlock Garland to spread war and destruction across the planet of Gaia with the goal of transforming Gaia into a copy of Terra, Garland's homeworld. Aware he is not trusted and will be disposed of once Garland can afford to be rid of him, Kuja pulls double-duty on his villainy, aiding Queen Brahne in taking over much of Gaia while discretely seeking [[SummonMagic Eidolons]], the one power Kuja believes Garland fears. When Kuja learns of Trance, he shifts focus to acquiring the power for himself and does so. Trance Kuja is strong enough to kill Garland and pushes the playable characters to the brink of death, Kuja sparing them only to contemplate how to kill them to best show his "gratitude" for their help in achieving his Trance. While initially [[GoMadFromTheRevelation driven mad by the revelation]] of his impending death, attempting to wipe out reality in the process, Kuja eventually comes to regret his deeds, choosing to [[VillainsDyingGrace save the main party]] and make peace with Zidane as he draws his final breaths.
22	** [[EmperorScientist Garland]] was created by the inhabitants of Terra to fuse their planet with Gaia to ensure its prolonged life. Failing in his first attempt, Garland patiently waits for the planet of Gaia to heal before planting the Iifa Tree to block the souls of the departed from reincarnating, turning the anguished souls into Mist, which causes heightened aggression. This lead to more conflict and wars and therefore more death. Creating Kuja to be his Angel of Death, Garland gave him a hard limit to his lifespan when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he considered him a failure]], ordered Kuja to destroy the Summoner Village Madain Sari and destroyed the Eidolon Alexander when Kuja tried to enslave it to overthrow Garland. Responsible for just about all of Gaia's ills, Garland [[DeathEqualsRedemption redeems himself after death]] as a spirit guiding and helping Zidane through Memoria, asking him to stop Kuja from destroying reality and declaring [[IDidWhatIHadToDo he had no regrets]].
23	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' Duology:
24	** The legendary guardian [[BigGood Auron]] is a man intending to save Spira from Sin and Yevon [[TheAtoner after failing to save Braska and Jecht]]. Actually [[DeadAllAlong an Unsent]], Auron went to the Dream Zanarkand to watch and train Tidus until the day Jecht would return as Sin, where Auron would take Tidus to the real world amidst the destruction as planned. Forcing himself and Tidus into becoming Yuna's guardians, Auron subtly manipulates and deceives the group into defying Yevon and Yunalesca by exposing to them the corruption of Yevon and [[GuileHero hiding vital info]] about the aftermath of defeating Sin, while being a ruthless protector to Yuna and the Pilgrimage. When his machination works and he manages to get Yuna and Tidus to defy Yunalesca, he helps pave the way to end the Cycle of Sin for good, helping eliminate Yunalesca and Yevon's influence, before guarding them one last time against Jecht and Yu Yevon, happily [[FaceDeathWithDignity passing on with his oath finally fulfilled]].
25	** Original game: [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Yunalesca]] is the first Summoner who defeated Sin and the overseer of the sacrificial Final Summoning. Defeating Sin to restore her father's honor by sacrificing herself and turning her husband Zeon into the Final Aeon, Yunalesca now resides in Zanarkand as an Unsent in-charge of [[KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge carrying out, explaining, and enacting the ritualistic Final Summoning]] to whomever proves their worth regardless of race and character. Highly protective of the ritual, Yunalesca would strike down anyone who defied it, such as Auron, and later attempted to do the same to the party when they reject it, considering [[MercyKill her act to be "mercy"]] since they know the horrible truth of Sin and the Final Summoning. Having bid her time and set her own courses, Yunalesca laments her defeat, believing Spira is doomed without the Final Aeon.
26	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'': [[LoveMakesYouEvil Shuyin]] was [[FallenHero once a noble warrior]] trying to protect his love Lenne when he was executed with her and trapped inside the Den of Woe. Forced to relieve his death for a thousand years, Shuyin [[EnemyWithout became a vengeful spirit]], hellbent on ending all wars by putting Spira out of its misery with Vegnagun. Unleashed during a Crusade expedition, Shuyin loosens his wrath, killing everyone except for four survivors, and possesses Nooj, forcing him to non-fatally shoot the rest, lying inside dormant for his plan. Influencing Nooj to find Spheres and create the Youth League to track Vegnagun, Shuyin realizes he can't take the weapon with Nooj and so manipulates his host into allowing Shuyin to possess Baralai and carry on. All the while, Shuyin sowed chaos with his powers by summoning the Dark Aeon and even driving the Gullwings mad enough to nearly kill each other. With Vegnagun, Shuyin nearly succeeds in destroying to Spira, fighting until the end until Lenne's spirit manages to make him relent and finally accepts his defeat before going with Lenne to the Farplane in peace.
27	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'':
28	** [[TheStrategist Gaius van Baelsar]] is the Legatus of the [=XIVth=] Legion of the Garlean Empire and their main military commander during their campaign to conquer Eorzea. Although he champions [[MightMakesRight the right of the strong to rule the weak]], he does not approve of reckless genocide and opposes [[ColonyDrop Project Meteor]], and discretely aids the Adventurer in sabotaging it. In the wake of the Seventh Umbral Calamity, he recovers [[LostSuperweapon the Ultima Weapon]] and uses it to absorb the primals of the beast tribes, giving him a seemingly unstoppable weapon to subjugate the Eorzean Alliance. When the Ultima Weapon is destroyed, Gaius abandons his rank and armor and becomes a mercenary hunting the Ascians, trying to determine their influence over the Empire and root it out. To this end he even [[EnemyMine works alongside]] the Adventurer and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn to thwart the Empire's increasingly amoral weapons of war, disgusted that they would stoop to chemical weapons and human experimentation. Though he remains loyal to Garlemald as a nation, Gaius [[EvenEvilHasStandards holds to his philosophies and morals]] rather than be blind to what they've become.
29	** [[HumongousMecha Alexander, "the Creator",]] is the mighty [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVPrimals primal]] of the Goblin Illuminati and [[TimeMaster a powerful time-traveling fortress]], driven by a desire to create a perfect world. Knowing that [[WalkingWasteland his very nature]] means that a "perfect world" can't be as long as he exists, Alexander orchestrates a StableTimeLoop that ensures that the tragedy leading to both his summoning and eventual end comes to pass, while minimizing his own impact on Eorzea and the flow of time as a whole. With his calculations failing him in regards to the Warrior of Light's future, Alexander judges them worthy of inheriting his dream for a perfect world during a battle with them, sending them back in time to save their past self from a deathtrap. With the defeat of the goblins, Alexander locks himself into stasis to prevent himself from causing further harm, eventually sending Mide and her lover back to the distant past to ensure all events play out as intended while giving them the happy ending they deserve.
30	** [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVEmetSelch Emet-Selch]] is one of [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVAscians the Ascians]], dedicated to resurrecting their god Zodiark by initiating Rejoinings between the Source and its shards. As one of their most cunning members, Emet-Selch carefully manipulates events to cause Rejoinings through mass destruction and chaos, and will [[LongGame spend decades or even centuries]] overseeing the execution of his plans. When the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn prove themselves a repeated thorn in his side, Emet-Selch tells them he thinks they should be his allies and explains that the Ascians are trying to [[WellIntentionedExtremist restore the world to the paradise they knew]] in ancient times. Though he is slain by the Warrior of Light, Emet-Selch's spirit returns to help them on several occasions, and he ultimately comes to [[GracefulLoser accept that the civilization he lost is truly gone]]. When his spirit finally fades away for good, he does so with a smile, entrusting the legacy of the world to the Warrior of Light and their comrades.
31	** Fandaniel was once known as the Ancient Hermes, and his experiences in their society and in his reincarnated life as Amon drove him to believe there is no purpose to living but to die. As a member of the Ascians, Fandaniel does not share their vision of resurrecting Zodiark, but instead seeks to [[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery destroy the world and himself with it]]. He works alongside Zenos with promises to help him free Zodiark so he can possess it, and then betrays him and takes control of Zodiark himself to battle the Warrior of Light. Though he is defeated, he reveals [[ThanatosGambit this is what he wanted]], as he got the death he desired and believes he has ensured the destruction of the world without Zodiark to protect it. Between them, Fandaniel and his incarnations run the gamut from hammy OmnicidalManiac to pitiable TragicVillain, and he dies for the last time being both at once.
32	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'':
33	** [[PlayerCharacter Clive Rosfield]], [[PlayingWithFire Dominant of Ifrit]] and Shield of Rosaria, is a bitter warrior hardened by trauma and bloodshed, who nonetheless maintains an earnest desire to help the people of Valisthea. Betrayed and manipulated by higher powers into slavery, Clive dedicates himself to seeking revenge on those who wronged him and his brother Joshua, becoming one of the most feared soldiers in the Holy Empire. Upon finding his old friend Jill and stumbling upon the rebellious Hideaway, Clive sheds his military position to become an outlaw and work with Cid in dismantling the oppressive monsters ruling the land. Clive works to destroy the Mothercrystals across Valisthea and eliminate magic from the realm in an attempt to stop the Blight, destroying and absorbing the power of all enemy Dominants along the way with guile and grace. Though deemed the chosen vessel to the godly Ultima, Clive overcomes the entity's attempts at possession and uses his sheer willpower to destroy Ultima, saving the entire world while sacrificing himself to an ambiguously lethal fate. Willing to get his hands dirty with chaos yet always striving to protect the weak and defenseless, Clive is one of the franchise's most devious, complex protagonists.
34	** [[TheLancer Jill Warrick]], [[AnIcePerson Dominant of Shiva]], is Clive's ChildhoodFriend, trusted confidant and eventual lover. Forced to be the attack dog of the Iron Kingdom until Cid saves her and Clive, Jill devotes herself to helping Clive and finding her own atonement through freeing the world from the shackles of fate. When Clive takes the title of "Cid the Outlaw", Jill works with him to free Bearers and craft plans, leading the mission to destroy Drake's Breath with her knowledge of the area and quick thinking. Taking bloody vengeance on Imreaan, Jill and Clive plot to start a riot in the Crystalline Dominion, Jill suggesting having Gav make sure the "fires they start" keep burning. Saving Clive's life from Barnabas, Jill is taken captive, but when Clive frees her she freezes the very ocean to escape from his clutches. Giving Clive the power of Shiva which barely slows Jill down, she stays at Clive's side with faith in him and Cid's vision.
35	** [[TheAce Cidolfus "Cid" Telamon]], [[ShockAndAwe Dominant of Ramuh]], is the snarky, charming [[BigGood leader]] of the Hideaway and Clive's Mentor. Introduced on a mission to rescue Shiva's Dominant, Cid takes an instant shine to Clive and hopes to help him reach his potential. Teasing the lad while still making sure to encourage him, Cid realises Clive is Ifrit's Dominant and with tough love convinces him to keep living to learn the truth of his brother's death. Confiding in Clive and Jill his plot to destroy the Mothercrystals - admitting it is mostly an educated guess that this will stop the Blight and how bad it will be for people and Bearers to lose magic Crystals - and convinces them this is the right course. Giving his life destroying Drake's Head and saving Clive from Ultima's clutches, Cid leaves his legacy in Clive's hands; even after death, his adopted daughter Mid finishes their design for the ''Enterprise'' ship that is indispensable to the heroes. Cheery about the notion of being seen as an Outlaw if it means humanity's freedom, his dream is finally fulfilled by Clive defeating Ultima.
36	** [[WarriorPrince Prince Dion Lessage]], [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dominant of Bahmaut]], is the charming heir to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque. Dion is a skilled warrior who leads his army into helping to expand the borders of the empire. After discovering that his father has fallen under the influence of the monstrous Ultima, Dion helps to discover that his WickedStepmother Annabelle is responsible for spurring him into the worst acts and sets about fixing the situation. Dion uses the fact he's so well respected by his people to launch a coup against his father and take the throne to stop the madness while having Annabelle and her son executed. After he is driven insane by Ultima, Dion resolves to fix the damage he caused and helps the heroes journey to Ultima's homebase to stop them. Using his skills to lure Ultima's minions into a careful trap, Dion helps to take him on and takes an attack meant for protagonist Clive, dying at peace knowing that Clive will defeat Ultima for good.
37	** The [[NoNameGiven nameless]] Executor, main villain of the side quest ''An Inconvenient Truth'', is part of a shadowy organisation that suppresses and destroys heretical or otherwise inflammatory literature. When Clive finds the book ''From a Distance'' detailing the AwfulTruth of the history of the Bearers, the Executor confronts him, having tracked him all the way to the Blighted continent of Ash. When Clive refuses to give over the book, the Executor has him ambushed by goons, then affably congratulates him when he survives. The Executor then philosophises on the nature of truth, belief and history, tells Clive he can keep the book but they will one day get it anyway and [[StealthHiBye disappears without a trace.]]
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40	[[AC:''Franchise/CompilationOfFinalFantasyVII'']]
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42	* Consummate businessman [[Characters/FinalFantasyVIIShinraInc Rufus Shinra]] spent his vice-presidency funding the activities of an early iteration of AVALANCHE to subvert his father in hopes of attaining the position for himself. When Sephiroth murders him and parts of the company in cold blood, a parade is held in the newly inaugurated President Rufus's honor to mark a new era. When the Weapons attack the world to protect the Lifestream, Rufus tries to get rid of them but is caught an explosion. Revealed to have survived, Rufus powers through restrictive circumstances to get his company back on top, including building the city of Edge with a Meteor monument to represent his rise to power and discovering the remains of Jenova to keep for himself. He later implicitly manipulates Cloud to battling Kadaj and the other Remnants of Sephiroth and derives great amusement in easily fooling Kadaj, having kept Jenova's head with him the whole time.
43	* ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'': [[TheManBehindTheMan Lazard Duesericus]] is the [[BastardBastard illegitimate son]] of President Shinra who grew up in the slums of Midgar. Every bit as much the brilliant mastermind as his brother, Rufus, Lazard uses his genius and charisma to climb the ranks of the Shinra Electric Company, eventually becoming the Director of the SOLDIER program while secretly embezzling money to fund Dr. Hollanders experiments to create an army against Shinra for Lazard’s own vendetta against his father for abandoning him and his mother to poverty. Coordinating strategies for both [[PlayingBothSides SOLDIER and Genesis’s forces]], Larzard orchestrates Dr. Hollander’s jailbreak when Shinra’s forces detain him. Becoming an Angeal copy, Lazard has a [[HeelFaceTurn change of heart]], turning on Hollander and Genesis, helping Zack Fair stop the villains’ plans, and [[HeroicSacrifice dying while protecting]] Cloud Strife from Shinra’s forces.
44	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' & ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRebirth'': [[BadassInANiceSuit Tseng]] is the calm and collected leader of the Turks, a master of infiltration, interrogation, and assassinations, training his Turks to work together yet be prepared to sever those ties of duty calls for it. Tasked with keep watch of the Cetra Aerith and take her back into Shinra custody [[LoopholeAbuse without the use of force]], [[OpportunisticBastard he takes advantage of the Sector 7 plate fall to force Aerith to make deal to save Marlene in return to coming back to Shinra]]. Later serving as President Rufus Shinra’s right hand man, he tracks Cloud and CO’s progress via having Cait Sith serve as a mole and having him steal the Keystone to the Temple of the ancients. After suffering a near fatal injury via a Sephorith clone he finds the strength to kill the clone to protect Aerith and after confirming his mission ensuring his safety. calmly walks away to file a report. A true professional that follows any order regardless of feelings and [[BenevolentBoss a stalwart exemplar to his underlings]], Tseng will always fulfill his duty as a Turk.
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47	[[AC:VideoGame/IvaliceAlliance]]
48	[[folder:Examples]]
49	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'': Delita Hyral, who, in a game full of competing masterminds, finishes the story standing on top of the GambitPileup. Out-manoeuvring everyone else to become a king by marrying the reigning princess Ovelia, Delita uses the hero Ramza to actually do the hard work, playing off Ramza's accomplishments to claim his triumphs as Delita's own. Delita betrays those he feels he has to in order to rise to the top, ending by placing himself on the throne. While he soon realizes that he is [[LonelyAtTheTop utterly alone at the top]], Delita manages to secure a place for himself on the throne [[RagsToRiches despite his commoner birth]] in the ruthlessly classist land of Ivalice.
50	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'':
51	** [[WarriorPrince Prince Vayne Carudas Solidor]] is the, calm, collected, brilliant, devious son of the Archadian Emperor. Vayne manages to march in to the land of Dalamasca to depose the king before giving a speech so powerful, even the people who despise him openly cheer. He follows this by organizing a feast to bait the resistance into attack, ready to kill or capture most of them in a trap. Vayne's ultimate goal is to defy the gods themselves, using the material Nethicite to empower himself as the Dynast King of Ivalice and free humanity from the divine Occuria's will, [[WellIntentionedExtremist a goal for which no price is too great]], even if he has to stain his hands in blood endlessly.
52	** Doctor Cidolfus Demen Bunansa is the [[EvilGenius chief researcher]] for the Archadian Empire and the mastermind behind manufacted nethicite that allowed Archadia to become a military superpower in a few short years. As part of his studies he orders the usage of [[FantasticNuke deifacted nethicite]] to view its power and gather data to refine his experiments further. With the nethicite, Cid seeks power not for its own sake, but to free mankind from the control of [[JerkassGods the Occuria]], who grant access to nethicite to humans as a means to control Ivalice to their liking. Cid's machinations reveal the influence of the Occuria to Archadia and Dalmasca, allowing them to defy them and write their own history, ensuring that even in death, [[TheBadGuyWins Cid's goals are fulfilled]] and he sets the stage for Archadia to [[VillainousLegacy continue their conquests]] using the innovations he achieved.
53	* ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'': Sydney Lostarrot is a charismatic cult leader secretly cursed with the Blood-Sin tattoo on his back. Kidnapping his younger brother Joshua, the Riskbreaker Ashley Riot is sent after Sydney and Sydney decides to play all the sides after him against one another, luring them into the dark city Lea Monde so he may test them to see who is worthy of inheriting the Blood-Sin to hold the Dark at bay. Believing that any rule or regime must respect human life, Sydney knows only one who has no desire for the Dark can hold its power, deciding to die and pass the power to Ashley, the only worthy successor.
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56	[[AC:[[Franchise/FabulaNovaCrystallisFinalFantasy Fabula Nova Crystallis series]]]]
57	[[folder:Examples]]
58	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' trilogy:
59	** Original game: Galenth Dysley masquerades as the head of [[FloatingContinent Cocoon's]] Sanctum government and an old, helpless PuppetKing of the [[PhysicalGod fal'Cie]], but in reality he is Barthandelus, ruler of the Cocoon fal'Cie. Surveiling the heroes from afar to help and hinder them in equal measure, Dysley attempts to groom the group to become [[PersonOfMassDestruction Ragnarok]] and destroy Cocoon, fulfilling his goal to exterminate humanity. At the head of the government and the most powerful fal'Cie in Cocoon, Dysley is constantly on-top of the situation and always has back-up plans ready to deploy when things don't go his way, forcing the party to dance to his tune if they want to keep up with him. Dysley's plans only failed due to a literal [[DeusExMachina act of god]] when the Goddess Etro intervened -- otherwise he got exactly what he wanted, tricking the party into killing him and killing the fal'Cie Orphan, which would have destroyed Cocoon if not for the efforts of Etro, Fang, and Vanille.
60	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'': Caius Ballard is a Guardian tasked with protecting the seeress and became Paddra legend because of his might. Moved by his honor and tenacity, the goddess Etro awarded the former l'Cie with the Heart of Chaos to make him an immortal warrior to continue his duty forever. Once Caius realizes the curse of immortality, he concocts a plan to destroy of all time, by opening the Door to Souls, so Yeul and indirectly everyone else can no longer experience the pain of mortality. To that end, he tries to kill Etro directly in Valhalla, but when that fails, he sets to collapse Hope's New Cocoon to cause mass destruction, even manipulating a scared Alyssa to put Serah and Noel—his biggest opposition—on a dangerous detour. When that fails as well, Caius has Noel, his Guardian successor he personally groomed, stab the Heart of Chaos. In the end, Caius becomes one of the few series antagonists to completely win.
61	** ''[[VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII Lightning Returns]]'': [[Characters/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII Lumina]] is a mischievous young girl who uses her powers to cause trouble in the dying world, usually by [[ItAmusedMe pranking people for her own amusement]]. Over repeated encounters with Lightning, Lumina will [[WildCard variably help her or sabotage her]] as it suits her, and talks her into realizing that Bhunivelze cannot be trusted and is lying to her. It gradually becomes apparent that Lumina is manipulating Lightning and her friends to help her save their souls, and to turn Lightning against Bhunivelze and figure out his true goals. In the end, Lumina achieves everything she wanted--Lightning and her friends are saved, Bhunivelze's plans are thwarted, and Lumina herself is revealed to be [[EnemyWithout the inner weakness that Lightning has been suppressing]], and Lightning accepts her back into herself with as the two embrace.
62	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'': [[Characters/FinalFantasyXVArdynIzunia Chancellor Ardyn "Izunia"]], true name Ardyn Lucis Caelum, poses as a "man of no consequence", but is far older and far more devious than he initially seems. Working for the [[Characters/FinalFantasyXVEmpireOfNiflheim Empire of Niflheim]], Ardyn oversees the invasion of [[Characters/FinalFantasyXVKingdomOfLucis Lucis]]' capital city Insomnia, where he fatally stabs heroine Luna as she summons Leviathan and allowing the Starscourage affliction to run rampant and turning many of the residents of Altissia into monstrous Daemons. After nearly tricking his nemesis, [[Characters/FinalFantasyXVNoctisLucisCaelum Prince Noctis "Noct" Lucis Caelum]], into killing his best friend, Ardyn turns on Niflheim, allowing the Daemons to assail their cities and converting others into more Daemons. Ardyn also reveals he taught Niflheim the technique to transform people into living weapons to begin with and puts in place a series of machinations to transform Noct into the "Chosen King" so Ardyn may destroy him. In the ''Dawn of the Future'' epilogue novel Ardyn manages to outplay even the gods themselves, sacrificing his life to turn the power of the line of Lucis upon the tyrannical Bahamut. Rejected long ago by the very land he served and saved, Ardyn's endless, witty charm and ability to manipulate events in his own favor make him one of the most memorable villains in the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise.
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65	[[AC:Spin-offs]]
66	[[folder:Examples]]
67	* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'':
68	** [[GodOfGood Cosmos]] is the [[ArtificialHuman Manikin]] copy of Cid of The Lufaine's wife turned Goddess of Harmony. Originally created to help control [[TykeBomb Chaos]], she was apart of the group that made a pact with [[GreaterScopeVillain Shinryu]] when they arrived in World B and gained the ability to summon warriors from various worlds and wage war with Chaos for the sake of turning him into the ultimate weapon for Cid's revenge. A dozen cycles later, Cosmos realizes she helped create an everlasting nightmare and works behind the scenes to end it, creating [[PowerCrystal crystals]] secretly infused with her power for her warriors to obtain. Reminded of her plan when brought back in the thirteenth cycle and still as resolved as ever even knowing her impending death, Cosmos acts as a guiding force to her remaining warriors so they are each able to obtain their crystals [[UnwittingPawn while being able to take advantage of the forces of Chaos' knowledge of their true nature in order to speed up the process]], and when the time comes, [[FaceDeathWithDignity Cosmos calmly faces her demise]] at the hands of Chaos knowing her champions will be able to survive without her thanks to the crystals and be able to take advantage of the upended balance her passing has caused in order to strike down the warriors of Chaos and the god himself once and for all. Seeing a repentful Cid off on his new journey with forgiveness when revived, Cosmos is content to return to the Void with World B, knowing her chosen are safe and returned to the worlds they belong to.
69	** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Golbez]] is Cecil's brother and was a loyal warrior of Chaos, but when Cecil is summoned in the 12th cycle, he begins acting as a DoubleAgent for Cosmos. As the 13th cycle begins, Golbez tells her about her plan to create the [[PowerCrystal Crystals]] she began in the 12th cycle, and he then spends the cycle manipulating the heroes in order to help them along with acquiring the Crystals. He also willingly plays the part of Cecil's ArchEnemy and challenges his beliefs to make him assert himself and prove himself strong enough to earn his own Crystal. He does all of this while being [[AffablyEvil affable]] and calm towards friend and foe alike, doing anything he must to help Cosmos end the cycles of war and free Cecil from sharing his fate.
70	* ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'':
71	** [[PlayerCharacter Jack Garland]] is a snarky agent sent by the Lufenians to act as a "[[FakeUltimateHero Warrior of Light]]" against the darkness of Cornelia. In reality, the Lufenians are trapping Cornelia in a constant cycle of darkness and light to keep it under their control, so Jack decides to break the cycle after [[LoveRedeems falling in love with Princess Sarah of Cornelia]]. Knowing his memories get erased during every cycle which ends with a time revert, Jack convinces his friend Astos to allow him to get his memories back since Astos is immune to the effects of the time revert. Eventually [[ObfuscatingInsanity playing at being an insane psychopath to take the Lufenians off guard]], Jack seizes their Time reversion crystal and becomes the new embodiment of the darkness, Chaos. Jack reveals at the end he [[ZeroApprovalGambit plans to shroud the world of Cornelia in darkness]], so he can train Warriors of Light from Cornelia to break the cycle themselves and stop the control that Lufenia has over them for good.
72	** Jack's Party--Ash, Jed, Neon and Sophia--are [[TrueCompanions loyal companions]] that nonetheless guide their leader on his dark path. Working together with their fragmented memories and Astos' guidance, they subtly push Jack into regaining some of his memories and all his strength. When Astos dies, Darkness veils Cornelia which finally results in [[LoveInterest Princess Sarah's]] death. The four friends are pleased with this result, attacking Jack and forcing him to kill them to fully push him past the DespairEventHorizon. Even after death, they are reborn as the Four Fiends--Lich, Kraken, Marilith and Tiamat respectively--and are happily complicit in Jack's plan to cover Cornelia in Darkness to bring about the True Warriors of Light.
73	** Astos, King of the Dark Elves, is Jack's [[UndyingLoyalty loyal]] and committed co-conspirator. Bred by the Lufenians to serve Strangers, Jack earned Astos' undying friendship, asking him to help him defeat Lufenia by [[WellIntentionedExtremist any means necessary]]. After being direct proved fruitless, Astos became more duplicitous. Tipping the scales in his favour by giving Neon a Dark Crystal so she could attempt to become Chaos, he went on to guide Jack and his party, offering just enough advice to help them along, so that they'd defeat the Fiends, restore the Crystals and recover their memories. At the same time ensuring their safety and having his bats guide them, Astos goads Jack into [[SuicideByCop killing him]], ending his miserably lonely existence while also releasing the Darkness within his Heart, ensuring the Destruction of Cornelia and Jack's rebirth into Chaos.
74	* ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'':
75	** [[MasterSwordsman Nobutsuna Kamiizumi]] is the leader of the Black Blades and Grand Marshall Braev Lee's most trusted ally. During his time in Eisenberg, he has Praline a la Mode guard a chokepoint to prevent the Shieldbearers from advancing further. Due to his sense of honor, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Kamiizumi abhors Dr. Qada's war crime of using poison gas]], which rendered a large area uninhabitable for years. Praised by both his allies and enemies, he avoids unnecessary violence and kills Dr. Qada after overhearing the extent of his depravity. When backed into a corner, Kamiizumi successfully wards off the Shieldbearers despite being outnumbered, [[BadassPacifist without a single casualty on either side]]. Proving that he can "do more than simply destroy" and "show respect for the enemy", Kamiizumi stands as one of Eternia's most efficient generals and even [[HeelFaceTurn joins the heroes' side]] in ''VideoGame/BravelySecond''.
76	** [[MasterOfDisguise Konoe Kikyo]], the Ninja, is a quirky, shy, and utterly relentless Eternian assassin tasked with taking out the leaders of the Shieldbearers. Disposing of and disguising herself as the Goodman family housekeeper Nastassja, Kikyo forges invitations to a banquet in Agnès Oblige's name and sends them to Commander Daniel Goodman and Officers Steiner and Neuer. Once they're all gathered, Kikyo locks them inside the house, feigns her own death to prevent suspicion, discretely murders both Steiner and Neuer while pinning the blame on Daniel's wife Eleanor, and nearly manages to kill Daniel as well when he separates himself from the party, only stopped at the last second by Agnès' crew. Despite this merciless cunning, Kikyo is shown to be rather pleasant when off-duty, values her fellow Eternians as friends, and ultimately [[HeelFaceTurn turns a new leaf]] come the sequel.
77	* ''VideoGame/BravelySecond'':
78	** [[PhantomThief Whitson]] is a criminal from a long family line of assistants who've served detectives in the past. He conspires with Madame Goldiga to murder her husband Lord Gulliver for his fortune, using a hidden passageway that no one was able to find quickly enough. When Argent Heinkel and Konoe Kikyo investigate the murder, Whitson lures one of them into a trap and impersonates them, [[MasterOfDisguise fooling almost everyone who was familiar with them]]. Despite failing in his goal of deterring aspiring detective Sholmes from his desired career, [[KarmaHoudini Whitson manages to escape justice]], clashing several times with Sholmes in the future.
79	** [[StealthMentor Yoko]] is the holder of the Yokai asterisk who hides her true nature behind a simple-minded personality. Developing a habit of [[SecretTestOfCharacter testing the resolve of whoever she comes across]], Yoko creates a fake older brother named Danzaburo to gauge whether Yew Geneolgia has the guts to reveal his DarkAndTroubledPast to the party. Although Yew fails his first test, he passes the second one which has him learn more about the bloody history of his family line. Finding enjoyment in seeing others pass her tests and grow as people or suffer more than what death can bestow, Yoko leaves the party [[KarmaHoudini without any repercussions for her actions]].
80	[[/folder]]

Context MagnificentBastard / FinalFantasy