Dumbest Plans Used By Final Fantasy Villains, Ranked

Final Fantasy is a game franchise full of grand plots that tend to be a bit too complicated for their own good. This leads to some of the series’ villains enacting ridiculously convoluted plans that leave too many things to chance, and make it easy for the heroes to save the day.

Some villains have plans that are intentionally dumb, while others feel increasingly stupid the more players focus on the nature of these schemes. Either way, Final Fantasy isn’t a stranger to its fair share of plans that can be hard to fathom. These are some of the most notable.

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8

Kefka Ruins A World He Wanted To Control

To Be Fair, He’s Known For Being Unhinged

Released

October 11, 1994

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity

Developer(s)

Square Enix, Square

This may be a bit of a stretch, since Kefka revels in chaos and would be an obvious candidate for the ruler of a ruined world. However, if this man had plans for world domination in FF6, then destroying the very world he wanted to rule over could seem like a rather odd choice.

Perhaps this is what makes Kefka brilliant, since fans have no idea what to expect from this mad jester. The fact that he had no idea how disturbing the balance of the Warring Triad would impact the world shows that he prefers to wing it instead of planning out everything immaculately.

7

Cagnazzo Poorly Imitates The King Of Baron

Not Emulating His Personality Made It Clear He Was A Doppelganger

Released

July 19, 1991

ESRB

e

Developer(s)

Square

From the very start of Final Fantasy 4, Cecil smells something fishy when it comes to his adoptive father’s behavior. It’s not until after he’s betrayed and becomes a Paladin that he comes back to Baron seeking explanations.

It turns out that Cagnazzo, one of the game’s Archfiends, had killed the real King of Baron and replaced him. This plan would have been smarter had he bothered to behave like the real king instead of flipping the tyrant switch instantly, since Cecil would have been in the dark until it was too late.

6

Reeve’s Robot Spy Gained Autonomy

Just One Reason Why Cait Sith Is Such A Reviled Character

Released

January 31, 1997

ESRB

T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes

Cait Sith is one of the most hated Final Fantasy party members. He’s a robot controlled by Reeve who spies on the party, until a convenient moment when he gains sentience and sacrifices himself — only to come back not long after.

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If anything, Reeve’s plan should be blamed for being full of holes. There’s no reason to program sentience in a robot that’s meant to go undercover. This would obviously risk the chance of said robot empathizing with their new friends instead of sticking to their villainous goal.

5

Ultros Struggles To Drop A 4-Ton Weight Onto Celes

Made It Easy To Disrupt His Plan

Released

January 31, 1997

ESRB

T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes

Ultros is a goofy villain everyone loves to whoop in Final Fantasy 6 from time to time. He may not be the brightest octopus around, but his plan to sabotage the Opera is so hilariously bad that it deserves a special mention.

Somehow, this octopus managed to drag a 4-ton weight to the rafters and is planning to drop it on Celes, only for it to conveniently become so heavy that he needs five minutes before completing this sabotage. While this makes for an entertaining set-piece, it also highlights how stupid Ultros is, and why he stopped bugging the party once the ultra-serious World of Ruin made its debut.

4

Ardyn Absorbs Everyone’s Starscourge

He Failed To Consider The Consequences

Released

November 9, 2016

ESRB

T for Teen: Language, Mild Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence

As mysterious as Ardyn may be, fans may find it hard to empathize with this villain after learning of his origins. In a bid to be a good Samaritan, Ardyn absorbed the Starscourge of afflicted people within himself.

This was a plan that everyone, including his heinous brother, advised him against. Ultimately, Ardyn’s short-sightedness proved to be costly for his ambition. The Crystal rejected him and caused him to spiral into despair after a selfless act that he should have thought through.

3

Gilgamesh Builds Up A Major Attack Only To Whip Out Excalipoor

A Hilarious Moment That Makes Gilgamesh More Endearing

Released

December 6, 1992

ESRB

T For Teen due to Mild Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity

Gilgamesh’s stupidity only serves to make him one of the most endearing villains in Final Fantasy 5. The fact that he saves his dumbest act for after he transforms into a tougher foe is a testament to how much of a goofball he is.

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Fans will prepare their defenses for an act that is supposed to deplete their life considerably, only for Gilgamesh to whip out Excalipoor for meager damage. The fact that he never tested this weapon before bringing it into battle is hilariously stupid, but also falls in line with his airheaded personality.

2

Iedolas Aldercapt Does Nothing To Fight The Starscourge

Loses Himself In The Crystal’s Power

Not only is FF15′s Iedolas one of the most unremarkable villains in the entirety of Final Fantasy, he’s also incredibly stupid when players dissect his plan. The whole reason he wanted the power of the Crystal was to heal his Starscourge, only to lose himself in its power instead of taking care of himself.

By the time he realized he needed the Ring of the Lucii to heal himself, it was too late. The emperor who invaded Insomnia and caused King Regis’ death turned into a mindless daemon who hunted Noctis down before eventually being taken out in an unremarkable battle.

1

Ultima’s Race Created Humanity, Only To Be Thwarted By Their Creation

A Ridiculously Convoluted Plan That Was Bound To Fail

Systems

Released

June 22, 2023

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence

As scary as Ultima may be, fans can’t help but feel that he tried to enact one of the dumbest plans in Final Fantasy history. His species created humans and went into hibernation for eons after their reckless use of magic almost caused Valisthea to die out.

What really hammers in the stupid nature of this plan is how Ultima and his species assumed that humans wouldn’t try to rebel after being told that they would be sacrificed to bring back a race that had already brought Valisthea to the brink of extinction. This could have been solved by robbing humans of free will, but it’s clear that sustainability and foresight weren’t Ultima’s strongest suits.

Final Fantasy

Creation Year

1987

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix