Most Clever Plans Used By Final Fantasy Villains, Ranked

Villains come in all sorts of flavors, from the maniacal and power-hungry, to the calculated tacticians who use subterfuge and manipulation to achieve their goals. The Final Fantasy franchise has explored all of these archetypes, and a few of them have managed to concoct some truly clever plans over the past 35-plus years.

Whether it’s orchestrating some sort of war that they can benefit from, or using political power in order to gain some sort of advantage, the villains of Final Fantasy have been behind some truly unique and intelligent schemes over the years. These plans have been ranked on their effectiveness, how well they were implemented, and how much damage they did before the heroes were able to intervene and save the world.

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5

Seymour (Final Fantasy 10)

Seeks To Cleanse Spira By Becoming Sin

Released

March 18, 2014

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Throughout Final Fantasy 10, players come face to face with Sin, a gigantic force of nature that the people of Spira see as punishment for their misdeeds. It’s this perception that guides Seymour Guado, a Master Summoner who is infatuated with Yuna, to concoct one of the most sinister and intelligent plans in Final Fantasy franchise history.

The Final Fantasy series is no stranger to huge, overwhelming creatures that threaten to tear the world apart, but Seymour’s plan revolved around actually becoming Sin. Seeing that the world of Spira was filled with death, destruction and chaos, Seymour wanted to become Sin in order to end the suffering once and for all. Gigantic, world-destroying creatures are fairly common in Final Fantasy, but Seymour’s wish to actually embody them and use them for his own desires is still one of the most compelling approaches any villain in the franchise has ever taken.

4

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7)

Uses His Charm & Manipulates Cloud To Gain The Fabled Black Materia

Systems

Released

February 29, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

Sephiroth is one of the most iconic villains of all time, not just in the franchise, but the entire video game industry. This silver-haired swordsman was at the epicenter of the landmark release of Final Fantasy 7 in 1997 and once again in the Remake trilogy. Though his goals initially appear murky, Sephiroth’s true plan doesn’t come into full view until the events of Rebirth, where he has his eyes on the Black Materia hidden away in the Temple of the Ancients.

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Using Cloud’s pure, unfiltered hatred of him against the party, Sephiroth manipulates the ex-SOLDIER into taking the Black Materia and handing it over to him. As the Black Materia allows Sephiroth to summon Meteor, a devastating spell that would destroy the entire planet, Sephiroth’s ambitious goals add some huge stakes to the second half of Final Fantasy 7.

3

Kuja (Final Fantasy 9)

Manipulates Everyone To Orchestrate A War With Black Mages

Released

July 7, 2000

ESRB

T for Teen: Violence, Mild Language

Kuja’s presence in Final Fantasy 9 is originally relegated to the shadows. He works behind the scenes in order to alter and control the events of the game, coming to a head when Zidane and the party come face-to-face with him in Burmecia. It’s here that his plan starts to fall into place, as his careful, detail-oriented ability to manipulate the situation for his needs sets off a chain of events designed to trigger war and garner him more power.

Kuja’s silver tongue and charisma are the key, as he’s able to coerce Queen Brahne into attacking Burmecia. He also supplies Black Mages, furthering his goals to unleash chaos on the world of Gaia, as Kuja’s quest for power and control leads him to some concrete victories over the party. He is one of the most well-equipped, intelligent villains in Final Fantasy history.

2

Shinra (Final Fantasy 7)

Used Power & Fear To Manipulate The Public & Start A War With Wutai

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Fighting

Action

Adventure

Systems

Released

April 10, 2020

ESRB

t

The Shinra Electric Power Company is one of the most dastardly organizations in gaming. This insidious group of greedy villains crafted harmful mako reactors designed to suck the energy from the planet and keep its people oppressed. In order to do so, while also keeping a scared public on its side, Shinra used the media and propaganda in hugely effective ways, as they needed it to stay one step ahead of a group of freedom fighters named Avalanche.

By painting Avalanche as eco-terrorists threatening the public’s safety, Shinra is able to sow distrust, while also framing them for the destruction of Sector 7, an act they committed themselves by dropping the plate. Shinra also used this as a way to further an illegal war against Wutai, further proving how far this nefarious group would go in order to achieve their goals. Shinra would get what was coming to them, but not before their creative use of manipulation and control would gain them a massive upper hand against Avalanche.

1

Ultimecia (Final Fantasy 8)

Wanted To Use Time Compression To Erase Everything

Released

February 11, 1999

ESRB

T for Teen: Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

After becoming aware of a prophecy that detailed her defeat at the hands of SeeD, a group of teenagers from the distant past, Ultimecia sent her consciousness back into the past, where it possessed the body of Edea Kramer. This leads to the events of Final Fantasy 8, where Ultimecia intends to use time compression in order to alter the events of the past and save her life, all while eliminating every speck of life outside of her own.

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While in possession of Edea’s body, Ultimecia manipulates the past to her liking, coercing Seifer into joining her and taking control of Galbadia. Despite being the main cause of Final Fantasy 8’s events, the party doesn’t even confront her until the game’s haunting finale, as she expertly causes strife and chaos from the shadows of her castle. She is one of the most intelligent, intimidating villains in franchise history.

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