Villainpedia: Kefka | Final Fantasy VI

[@Ghostcharm]

ladies and gentlemen, check out my brand new merch store - theghostshop.com/ use code "GHOSTOPENING" for 15% off during the next month and thank you for watching

[@KonstandinosZarkadas]

Great vid my dude, Kefka has been one of the best villains of all history. And ff6 just might be one of the best things i played while growing up... with 7th saga really close behind.

[@sup1602]

The best anti sponsor, the self sponsor.

[@bradhorowitz2765]

An excellent video! Keep it up! I can’t wait for you to cover other ff villains. Yeah yeah I know you’ll probably cover Sephiroth (who is excellent) but I am hoping you eventually cover Kuja from ff9 and the villains from ffx!

[@SpitDragon]

Oh Hello. I see you're covering My Idol. Go On (If you don't say he's the single best and all most powerful being in square history, I will roast you) lol 😅

[@davidkieran]

been looking forward to this video since i first seen one of your videos. and while it was great and worth the wait....... i dont think ill ever forgive what you done to shadow...you c$%t!

[@TejanoPendragon]

It's always been a read of mine that Kefka never Lies to you (except when he's acting on behalf of Ghestal); he doesn't need to, he knows who he is and doesn't mind that you do. So when Kefka sais "Hello Friends" when he sees you on top of the tower that he means it, you're the only people who've ever beat him and the only people he respects, the closest thing he's ever had to Friends And *most importantly* when he asks you "Have you found your Hope in this Nearly Dead World of Ours" that it's a real question, Kefka has everything, and none of it satisfies him anymore, he's done nothing in almost a year but wait for you, to ask that very question. *and then* when all of you are able to say Yes, but none of you can give him an answer that resonates to him, that's when he fires the lasers again, for the first time in a year and he does it in order to Force You to stop him. That having not found a remaining reason, even from you, he commits to being ended by the heroes.

[@maiorano84]

I really like this take. I think it gives Kefka a little too much credit, as there is no humanity left in him to care about having friends or wanting to be destroyed, but it's still a super cool idea nonetheless.

[@JokerDoom]

Fantastic write up. I've always felt that Kefka truly embodied what a jester is. He's entertaining, he's wacky, but most importantly he's tragic. The story of Kefka is one of a man who is suffering, and who's only entertainment is making others suffer. The world of ruin is a reflection of Kefka's inner self. I think too many people get hung up on him being random or just pure evil. He is pure evil, but the reasons for his evil are far more understandable than he's given credit for. That's what makes him scary, too. People like that are out there. The people who suffer internally, and want to burn the world down because of it.

[@EddieSpaghetti69]

@@maiorano84 Well, that also depends on what you see as a "friend", which you *arguably* are to Kefka; I wouldn't say he's non-hostile, but he doesn't do things out of direct malice for the party nor does he really care about the "pawns" on the world. You're the only beings that could stand toe-to-toe with him and have a modicum of comprehension of what he is and why, he doesn't have to schlack it up to pretend, like for the rest, and is allowed to stand un-masked before the party. To someone whom *never* has had friends, you would come off as incredibly friendly in a world that is breaking; and to decide once in *god-like form* to *stand up to him* after is what a real friend would do. Not saying that we *are* friends, but I can comprehend where the masked jester comes from. You're the few people that he does not have to be masked, *nor a jester,* around. Kefka can be himself, which is *arguably* very dangerous for everyone involved as Kefka is very much mad and likely insane.

[@Th3HedonismBot]

So, at the end of everything, all he requires is a test of your reflexes?

[@BleachDemon707]

Well, he's the only ff villian that kept his promise to destroy the world 🤷‍♂️ And that, I can respect 👍

[@SirVyre]

A small detail about the sword Kefka hands Celes... It's Gestahl's sword. It's hard to tell but he takes something from Gestahl before handing it to Celes. He intentionally disarmed Gestahl's one means of hurting him that wasn't magical. Yes, he knows the lore! He knows how the Triad works! Seems like The Empire had lore books or that Kefka gained a keen intuition on all things magical from his magic induction process.

[@TubeTAG]

Brilliant preparation or dumb luck from the oh-so-random Kefka? Truly up to interpretation.

[@lorcan0c]

34:02 fun fact about Shadow's saving of the party here. When he says "I'll find my way back, trust me!" he means it. If you just run all the way to the exit and leave, he dies off-screen in the subsequent time-skip to the world of ruin because he had no way off the floating continent. But- if you stay by the exit and let the clock run to *almost* zero, he'll show up, thank you for waiting for him, and he survives to the endgame. Love that the game puts his fate in your hands and tests you like that, seeing if you're willing to risk your party to save him and return the favour.

[@ivercingetorix1367]

That's amazing. I really missed out not playing this game all these years. That's such a great payoff.

[@robachmusic]

Shadow is probably my favorite character in any Final Fantasy game. When I played that part, luckily I made it to the ship with a suspicious amount of time left, so I looked around for items until time almost ran out. I was horrified by what almost happened. Him and Interceptor made the game for me.

[@ProducerX21]

Me as a kid to potential friends "Did you wait for Shadow before jumping off the floating island?" "No" "Then we can’t be friends"

[@jimmydaddo9357]

You get him at the coliseum

[@LastOneLeft99]

When I was a kid I figured he found his own way off so I didn't wait for him......................I was so mad when I found out I was supposed to wait :(

[@battlericky17]

The part where he poisoned the water supply reminded me of that SpongeBob scene “Hey poisoned our water supply….and burned down our crops” “he did???” “NO BUT ARE WE GUNNA WAIT AROUND UNTIL HE DOESSSS?”

[@zacharylunstrum5623]

That Biggs and Wedge were transported to the world of Chrono Trigger, they work at the carnival in the doppelganger tent

[@etaquince5220]

So that why their names were familiar!

[@mrmosty5167]

Kefka and FFVI are legendary. I played it when I was 14 and it blew my mind. So much so that it inspired me to create a scrapped comic series I worked on for nearly 2 years. I essentially tried channeling all my incel rage at the time into this one Kefka-like villain who is so dissatisfied with the world that he enters cryo-stasis hoping to awaken into a better future. Yet like Kefka, the guy snaps during cryo sleep and awakens into a world that is nearly destroyed because of something he failed to do. He misunderstands this as humanity's hedonistic ways causing the planet's downfall and gains enough power from his madness to literally make all humans numb to pleasure. However a group of heroes called the Guiders, much like the Returners, arise to stop the villain. Without going too much further there are some twists and turns but this story was essentially my homage to FFVI and Kefka born out of my now-quelled anger at being a frustrated autistic loner. I still think about it and it has evolved in many ways but if I ever get more time I'd love to get back to it somehow...

[@Exile_Sky]

I always liked to picture the final fight with Kefka as physical representation of what he went through since the magic was shoved into him. Suffering. - The Fiend at the body. Dissociation. - The many faces of Kefka Ascension. - The personality that boiled to the top. Enlightenment. - The final resolution on the world, life, and its meaning to him. Kefka was a very damaged and broken person, who's most nihilistic and malicious impulses were not only encouraged, but thoroughly rewarded. Which I think makes him a wonderfully evil and horrifying villain, because you can honestly see him doing things that the darkest parts of your mind come up with and then laughing about it.

[@jmtexx]

Isn’t ascension the sharpening of the final personality created by all?

[@Exile_Sky]

@@jmtexx I'm not quoting any kind of philosophy. Though you probably could relate it to Buddhism, I guess? vvv The idea is vvv Suffer pain. Deal with trauma. Overcome the trauma. Hone perspective from the pain and following trauma. ^^^ ^^^ What words you use to explain it is up to you. I've always taken Enlightenment as the final step, because knowledge tends to be a hindsight sort of thing. You overcome whatever your problem is and reach enlightenment. The process of overcoming is an ascension in itself. Mistaking the zenith for the rise has always been a weird concept to me.

[@Greatblade141]

Something I noticed about a lot of Kefka’s hd designs is that his makeup kinda gives me the impression that he’s being forced to smile. Like, he makes a ton of jokes and acts funny all the time, but really he’s infuriated that no one else can see life the way he does

[@brunop.8745]

"Life is all a big, meaningless joke! Then why aren't you laughing?" - the Joker (paraphrased)

[@KyngofIce]

What better way to hit off the new year than with one of the most iconic FF villains AND Ghost's dulcet vocals

[@johnnybensonitis7853]

Man, I was in 6th grade when this game came out. I got it for Christmas that year, and on the second week of vacation off school I basically just played the game like crazy. At the time it really did "knock your socks off" as there was nothing else like it, at least nothing I had experienced. I had no idea what to expect, so the World Of Ruin just blew my dumb kid mind out the back of my head. And other kids at school would probably concur to this day the same types of feelings because we talked about it a lot when Xmas break was over! Great video, this really took me back! Really grateful for the time put into covering so much here, and the excitement for the game here in the vid is not only appreciated but definitely shared.

[@JobeStroud]

My friend got it for Xmas as well when it came out. I would go over to just watch the game.

[@chrisstorrer]

I can't help getting all emotional and wistful when I hear this game's theme music.

[@ProducerX21]

My favorite villain. My first rpg as a kid. If I could go back to trusting modern game developers I would love to see a sequel to this game. Imagine a teaser trailer where a random man is digging into some rock when he uncovers an intact magicite crystal. The scene shifts to different towns rebuilding with groups of familiar looking characters. We see blurred or shadowy outlines of characters like Terra Celes and Locke. The world is healing 10 years after the world of ruin. They thought magic was erased from the world. But then it slowly zooms into the rubble of Kefka’s tower. Underneath the rubble we see something move as it cuts to black. Then we hear Kefka’s laugh followed by the new title A man can dream

[@xanderpiz8770]

I felt like the developers did both the game (normal world) and the sequel (ruined world) in the same game for this very reason.

[@tonts5329]

I mean I feel like FFVI told a complete story, no real need for a sequel or a prequel. A full remake wouldn't be a bad thing though, especially with how far the visuals/graphics have come along. They could maybe add on a little to the story I suppose?

[@madamminalost]

90 seconds in and so much Cyan, my favorite video game characters of all time and maybe my favorite character ever. Thank you.

[@madamminalost]

(to follow up, I checked a guide and it said to leave Cyan behind for the final battle. But I love him, I kept him in, and he ended up doing the killing blow. I was so proud of him)

[@rctecopyright]

Thou doth enjoy the character Cyan? Very well!

[@madamminalost]

@rctecopyright .... I got opera omnia purely for Cyan, used to tweet at the account when they forgot his accent and saved everything to make sure Cyan was always fully kitted out.

[@theonlybilge]

It's Cayenne, like pepper.

[@lazaroskarmaniolas7410]

It's always a pleasure to watch videos about villains, especially my favorite villain ever! (Well, him and Dr. Weil from Megaman Zero, totally not a suggestion for a new vid WINKWINK) To add to my two cents, Kefka really is a direct opposite to all the characters of FF6. Final Fantasy 6 is a game with a story that heavily revolves around loss. Cyan losing his family, Shadow losing Baram, Locke losing Rachel, Terra losing her memories, Edgar and Sabin losing one another, Setzer losing Darill and so on. They all respond with empathy, courage and the strength to move on. Kefka is utterly incapable of empathy. So he couldn't make these kinds of choices. Really, his broken mind could only find happiness in destruction and death. The fact that he was a magic user in a world where magic is extremely rare made him especially powerful, giving him delusions of grandeur, thinking he's "all-powerful". The only reason he doesn't kill Gestahl is because he kept indulging Kefka's lust for carnage. The moment he holds him back, Kefka kills him. But more than that, when Celes stabs him with the sword, Kefka utterly panics because... well, he thinks himself a god. But Gods don't bleed. If he bleeds, then he's no God. In fact, he'd be just as mortal and weak as the people he kept senselessly murdering throughout the game's narrative. Just another body to rot and die in the dirt. And then he just SNAPS. Somehow, this one-dimensionally evil villain gets character development! Finally, at the top of his tower, we see him embrace his most nihilistic tendencies. He thought that the people of the world would lie down and die. But they didn't. They kept on living and kept building back up anything he destroyed. Which baffled him to no end. Kefka is more than just a lack of empathy or madness. He's the worst possible reaction to loss - cynicism. "Everything sucks and it will always stay that way no matter what. It's pointless to try. Burn everything to the ground because nothing matters." He's that voice in your head that tells you to give up when you're in grief. It felt really, really cathartic to put an end to this guy.

[@antonakesson]

I love how one of gamings best villains is one made 30+ years ago. Quality writing is timeless

[@OtherMomo]

I love how FF re-uses names throughout the series but never re-uses them in the same ways, like how Cid is a scientist for the empire here but in other games he's an ally and even a main party member Id like to see a villain/hero pedia vid that actually follows a re-occurring name through the series, if that sounds like an interesting project or something you can spin into your style.

[@theonlybilge]

In one game he's an abusive husband because he can't admit that he's a fuckup, and in another he smokes and cares about his daughter.

[@BbNaB]

Cid and Patches, two characters that are actually dozens of characters yet I doubt many of them would get along.

[@tonts5329]

Cid was also a scientist for the Empire in FFXII, but he didn't go through a redemption arc. In fact he was also working with magic in FFXII, specifically Magicite and variants like Nethicite.

[@BurghezulDjentilom]

In my humble, old fuddy duddy opinion, this was the most beautiful FF game. One gets SO tired of the "nuanced morality" type of villains these days.

[@Roggenschrotdosenbrot]

But not our boy. He's just nuts

[@vasudeanguy8523]

Nuanced morality has its place. However, sometimes you just need a nutzoid moustache-twirling, Dick Dastardly bad guy.

[@Gafgarion852]

Immediate thumbs up before watching a single second of it, highly underrated villain from one of the best games of all time. Thanks for doing this one.

[@kubon1]

Kefka didn't predict vanish + doom combo I used on him defeating him in one turn.

[@Argyle117]

Dude I love your story telling. I genuinely love how not only do you explain the character but the world building of the game to fully explain the motivations history and how the character goes to become how we know them in the game. I wish you would make videos just telling the stories of games themselves. Like final fantasy for example, there’s way too many of them now that I don’t wanna jump in the middle of things but I’ve always wanted to listen to the story of the games, and I know others have done it, but I personally love your story telling and editing to explain things.

[@RexisSOUL]

FF6 is the story of of Kefka going "It's Kefka time!" And Kefkaing all over the world until he gets beaten to death by self-help books

[@arturofernandez725]

thought that was Morbius?

[@jmtexx]

7:35 Kefka was the epitome of Machiavellian cunning-a soldier who thrived on strategy over brute force. While others charged into danger, he stayed sharp, ensuring his survival at any cost. Think of him as a twisted mix of the Joker and a chess master, someone with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Joining the military wasn’t about patriotism; it was a calculated move, a last-ditch effort to claw his way to power. It’s even possible he played his superiors like pawns, convincing them he was indispensable while scheming his way to the top. Crafty, ruthless, and a survivor to the core.

[@Alucard131]

You left Shadow to die on the floating continent! I am disappoint. 😢

[@TheAdarkerglow]

To be fair... Spoilers ... you never really save Shadow. He dies on the floating continent or he dies with the collapsing tower. It's a bit more poignant to leave him behind, to have the death of the world cost the party directly, mechanically, from a narrative perspective.

[@tpolutts3309]

​@@TheAdarkerglow It's been a while. Collapsing tower? Kefkas tower?

[@SpitDragon]

MUH POOR BOIIEEE NOOOOOO!!!

[@andyplaysinthedark2129]

​@@TheAdarkerglowmassive disagree. That is a cope imo. You can say that with Cid on the little island but not Shadow.

[@ReksNuadiah]

Not only a new Ghost video, but a video on the primary villain for THE game that's influenced my tastes, that my earliest clear memories ARE of family playing the game? You spoil us, and me especially, sir. Edit; A VERY small thing about Biggs and Wedge isn't just that they're killed - it's... Well, that we don't even _know_ what happens to them. They just _disappear._ THAT also sets a VERY alarming tone for just _how_ dangerous and unpredictable magic can be, and honestly _more thoroughly_ sells the Warring Triad's power being a world-ending threat without being "evil" in nature.

[@JobeStroud]

They were transported to the Chrono Trigger universe.

[@evan8542]

NEW GHOSTCHARM VIDEO LET'S FUCKING GO

[@damiencrossley7497]

OK he is the ultimate FF villain! All other badguys: Im gonna take over/destroy the world! Kefka: DID BOTH!

[@vigo2669]

I always thought Kefka's "Statue of the Gods" was simply his replacement for the Warring Triad.

[@Cobaltate]

You can have "One Winged Angel", I'll take "Dancing Mad" all day, every day.

[@darkhunter5293]

Amen to that, that edgelord is NOTHING compared to Kefka!

[@aa-tx7th]

lol absolutely not dancing mad isnt even top 5 of final fantasy tracks let alone of music as a whole one winged angel is EASILY top 10 tracks of all time for ANY genre of music you need to calm down son dancing mad is good but it isnt even close to great.

[@theonlybilge]

Fithos. Lusec. Wecos. Vinosec.

[@Dayemon]

The Black Mages performing Dancing Mad is what put it top 5 for me...

[@barubary436]

@@aa-tx7th Let's not forget the technical limitations of the SNES though. For example, in Advent Children One Winged Angel got a lot of improvement, and IIRC Nobuo Uematsu said that was how he originally wanted the track to go, but the original PlayStation couldn't handle it. There have been other remixes for the other FF7 games that have come out, but FF6 hasn't gotten a full remake or any prequels/sequels. When it inevitably does, I think Dancing Mad would become a much stronger contender.

[@BloodDripss]

incredible video man. every single video you make hits so hard. ive never sat down to really understand this game as ive never played it before, and the length of the game has always felt daunting. what a truly insane story.

[@RMWestcott]

Thanks for the video. Going through a lot right now but being reminded to fight the nihilism was weirdly topical. ❤

[@pancakesean6888]

Back when FF3 came out on the SNES Kefka and the mature themes of this game marked a significant change in what games could do. While Kefka himself is an amazing villain, the entire story of FF3 was so grounded and intense it really pushed the entire medium forward. Fantastic villain and game.

[@antonakesson]

Don't you mean FF6?

[@BananaBanditos]

Ultima III had released eight years prior. Final Fantasy VI, while great, didn't break some perceived barrier into narrative driven games that some try to credit it with.

[@Wohlfe]

​@@antonakesson FF6 was released as FF3 originally in the US

[@MisogynyMan]

@@Wohlfe So FF6.

[@captainbarbossa289]

@@BananaBanditosagreed. Ultima and Phantasy Star II had already tackled a lot of the subject matter that FF6 did, and weren’t afraid to go even further. I love 6, but it definitely wasn’t doing anything with the subject matter that hadn’t been done before at the time.

[@arsonal3]

Beautiful essay. Honestly, having played FFVI before VII, the one thing I always felt was how Sephiroth wasn't really that successful. I had honestly played the two games in the same year. All the news had been building up on FFVII, and I had a friend who said that he loved the series and that I could borrow his version of FFIII (VI). Having only played Super Mario RPG and, way earlier, Sword of Vermilion, I was in for quite the experience. Final Fantasy VI blew my teenage mind's socks off. I hadn't, to that point, seen a story where the villain won. It felt so life-defining. All the attempts were thwarted, and I'm sure I dropped the controller after the story picked up with Celes. Till that point, as you stated, the plot was what all stories attempt to be, constantly being in a tug-of-war with the villain, or what I thought at the time as the lackey only to find that a mastermind could be usurped and my amazing team tossed away as nothing more than trash. After that, I beat the game and was excited for FFVII, but no matter how cool I thought Sephiroth was, he was nothing compared to Kefka. All my friend groups laughed, and while they never played the game, they could look at Kefka's art and conclude that Sephiroth would beat him in a battle. Well I'm going to get off my soapbox and thank you again for a great video essay. Hoping maybe a new update if the FFVI 2.5D rumors turn out to be true.

[@budderk1305]

The whole thing about sitting down to dinner with Gestahl while listening to him being 'sincere' is such a boneheaded anime protagonist blunder, lmao. The man still started wars and handed power to the likes of Kefka, you can't just go "Oh shucks we all make mistakes, it's good enough that you feel bad about it :)"

[@AshleyKitsune]

I'm in my early '40s. I've been playing games since I was a little kid and to this day final fantasy 6 is still my number one. Watching videos like this. Bring a tear to my eye and really helped to remind me and others on why it is such a great game. Well done

[@bluecanine3374]

Yeah, I like the interpretation of Kefka less as a schemer or vengeful person, and more of a warped child. Feom his childish speech and early action to his breakdown at seeing his own blood, it gives the sense that it is all a game to him and he didn't have to face consequences or reality because he was powerful. But the moment he is hurt and feels pain or in danger, his delusion is broken and he panicks like a frightened child. Of course that changes after he ascends to godhood

[@TheBanditKingKir]

Happy New Year Ghostcharm, Another villain, Kefka Palazzo, It wouldn't do any harm, Requesting Sarah Kerrigan, no?

[@Cavendish_pirate_prince]

Was she really a villain tho? She was under the control of the overmind, and when she was finally freed, she helped with the xel'naga. Arcturus Mengsk for sure was a villain tho

[@ellisnorn259]

Kerrigan yes please

[@Morec0]

​@@Cavendish_pirate_princeIn this house we denounce the SC2 expanded lore and praise the Overmind.

[@Morec0]

@@Cavendish_pirate_prince I pay no mind to bad, retcon laden storytelling. Kerrigan is the Queen Bitch of the Universe. Simple as.

[@ellisnorn259]

@@Morec0 O Ver Mind. Live 4 The Swarm.

[@ellisnorn259]

FF6 was one of the first games I ever played, and no joke played a huge role in my development. This was a much anticipated video for me, and you killed it as always. Thanks, Ghost! You da best. PS I bought a ton of merch too 🤙

[@somerandomguy9058]

Cool merch and nice video. Edit: I feel like an Amazon review bot. ,,Great product, very good" but hey, nothing else needs to be said. It’s just a good video, and merch I'd like to own

[@Arutima]

27:00 Of course, most people at that time thought that it was nearing the end of the game, since most all Final Fantasy games before VI were no longer than 20 hours long.

[@tpolutts3309]

Funnily enough not for anyone playing it back when it released. The two-sided map kinda spoiled that.

[@bosnyandave]

THE BIGGEST BAD OF ALL TIME IN FF, NO DOUBT LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@scenczyk1429]

Haven't seen you post for a while and i immediately said "oooooh" as soon as i saw that it was about Kefka. AMAZING.

[@KGBBooks]

My first Final Fantasy was IV (II on the Super Nintendo.) I’ve played them all since then, but VI is the one that thrilled me the most, the one I miss, the one I look at through nostalgia glasses. Great, great game.

[@cheekym8init]

That you for covering this gem. It does not get nearly enough attention. It really is the GOAT for at least final fantasy

[@techdeth]

12:25 DUDE the way he slaps the knife on his leg .. ive seen that in chrono cross or something i swear ... how wild

[@aresgodofwar7401]

Kefka is the real goat of any final fantasy game, square has never made a better and more chaotic big bad.

[@ImpmanPDX]

I wonder about the timeline personally. In my own head cannon the first generation was offered to Celes and Leo. Leo refused, so Kefka got the deal. Gestahl was probably okay with it not only because he thought he could control Kefka, but that having Leo backed up with an infused Celes would be enough to keep him in check. Celes getting sprung by Locke actually backfires terribly since Leo being recalled from Doma only happens because Celes is 'kidnapped' from the Figaro campaign.

[@history272915]

Yo I'm broke rn but you did a great job with this merch drop! Shit is clean clean

[@Cavendish_pirate_prince]

Starting the year off with a very strong villian with a dark story. Can you do some more of the final fantasy bosses?

[@guardduvie]

This is my first time I’ve seen one of your videos… thank you for doing justice to my favorite video game of all time! Subscribed!

[@chriscarter2519]

Just came here to say you KILLED it with your narration of one of my favorite SNES games. Well done, and I look forward to subscribing and seeing what other villains you've covered!

[@attaxiaffxi7033]

It's often understated how effective the game's imparted assumption that the floating continent is the final dungeon.

[@josecuestas7246]

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

[@TeflonTrout]

And some like their own fires best

[@ThePageofVoid]

My take on Kefka is that while he was mentally unstable he did in fact plan to follow Gestahl’s plan. I think he would’ve been content ruling the world as the Emperor’s Right Hand (or outright as Emperor) but he was forced to confront his mortality when Celes ran him through with her sword. In desperation he in that moment sought to take the Power of the Warring Triad. For the first year of World of Ruin, despite the world being ruined he still got the result of Gestahl’s plan but it was short lived, his ennui of being God of the World twisted into Nihilism. Life had no purpose to him. I (and reading the comments, others) feel that in the final moments after the party climbing his tower, he was being genuine. He wanted to know if the people found hope so that he too could find some for himself. However his Nihilism in conjunction with his mental state could not allow himself any hope prompting him to contemplate and attempt the ending of existence.

[@mattdaddy8055]

Thanks for the recap, I have good memories playing this as a kid. I never actually beat it, multi level Kefka at the end was too much, I could never beat him! Lol

[@BboyDrMadison]

I LOVE how the comment section is sharing all of their Kefka observations and knowledge. Here's something that I've noticed about one of his later depictions. In FF14, your character is imbued with something known as "The Echo". Without going into it, it's the equivalent of a type of clairvoyance. Jedi like premonition. Foresight in Xenoblade. An advanced Sharingan eye... ... It's a bit more complicated than this, but the way that it's presented in combat is that your enemy displays a "dangerzone" in the area that they are going to attack. You see their cast bar, you see the direction they're going to rotate, the shape of the attack. You can even tell if you can tank, interrupt, or misdirect the attack. Your character literally sees the reality that the attack happens right before the reality exists. NOT with Kefka. Kefka is the only boss that can, ON COMMAND, intend for a spell to do something, only for it the do the EXACT OPPOSITE. Some of my friends argued that he's just faking you out by making you THINK he's going to do something, then changes it. But your ability is CLAIRVOYANCE!!!! For all intents and purposes, you are in the reality where kefka is going to cast Ice3 Directly next to himself, only for you to move away, and for it to crash down at the far end of the arena!! My point is... in SPITE of what Kefka is consciously aware of, and in spite of his intentions, he is completely aware that he is the pure unperceived embodiment or random chaos. Shoving around the very pillars of reality is pretty on brand for him, and the results were never going to be any concern of his. (For anyone wondering how to dodge his attacks, you have to watch his animation precast. If it's normal... the spell is normal. If your premonition shows question marks around him, your premonition can't be trusted. He can also store these mixed-up spells, and surprise-drop them on you later with NO premonition warning AT ALL either way)

[@Vexxus0]

Kafka is the peak "intrusive thoughts winning" character lol

[@TheMrSeagull]

Something I learned by accident, you can actually save Cid from death! If you feed him only the fastest fish, he will recover and help Celes off the island! I flipped out as a kid, playing a cart I rented over and over, when I stumbled upon this. I gushed this discovery to my dad who had no idea what I was talking about lol.

[@Tyranitardad]

Wow. I don't think I've ever been this early.... and for my favorite FF to be shown is awesome! Everyone usually goes for FF7. I'm gonna enjoy this!! Kefka is a real piece of work!

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

Opening the video with the laugh, that is the greatest move ever.

[@indigopandora1829]

The jester covering an evil jester?

[@Takosaga]

The music brought me back to my youth and gave me chills

[@TheWtfanime]

One of the best video games of all time, greatest video game villains of all time and honestly probably the best written video game ever. This video was a treat, thank you Ghost for covering Kefka. Your ending to this video was just as good as the writing for FF6. Accepting, looking down the barrel of nihilism and chose to hope... man what a beautiful thing to say.

[@TheWtfanime]

Throwing at another suggestion since you said Handsome Jack is has been requested. Goro Majima from Yakuza, another case of not really a villain, but still it would be amazing to see your analysis of him and what makes his brand of crazy tick.

[@richritter3437]

Missed that little tidbit about the discount code! Consider my full price purchase as a tip for all these great videos! Keep up the great work. I wouldn't know half the lore to my favorite games without you.

[@SpitDragon]

OMG THAT LAUGH! From Norstein Bekkler's Tent of Horrors! - Of Course! lol

[@robertbecker491]

Alot of golden sun music!!! Love your videos!!

[@bio1804]

Happy new year to everyone and make place for THE TRUE BETTER ANTAGONIST OF THE FF SERIES!!!!

[@temp-td2uk]

Legitimately one of if not the best rpgs of all time. Goated cast of characters and progression mechanics

[@mrsnatural2368]

I love this guy. I once described him to my friends as "What if the one guy you've been clowning on half the game, in the final leg of the race, suddenly shoots the guy in feont in the head, tears into the front of the pack from behind, and sets the entire racetrack on fire."

[@LordMarcus]

I've always thought, even at the time, that Kefka won the game. He accomplished his goals. The only reason you can kill him at the end is because he *wants* to be killed. Even at his own end, he wins.

[@synatra719]

One thing about Yoshitako Amano artwork is he was shown the sprites first then he drew them. His artwork isn’t the original, the sprites are the original and his artwork is his interpretation. That’s why in his art Terra has blonde hair and Locke has a hat.

[@oberondargos5465]

I remember playing this as a kid and finding Kefka so obnoxious and couldn't wait for his downfall, like it always happens to the main villain's goofy, treasonous henchman. BOY! What a twist. Wish I could replay without memory, so to relive the shock.

[@Roggenschrotdosenbrot]

Oh yes. I haven't watched a minute of this video yet but I already know I'll be here for every second of it. Edit: When looking at original artwork of Kefka and his character design in general always reminded me of butterflies and moths. He evolves from a modest underling larvae to an insane jester butterfly to an even more insane god thing. Transformation is a big theme in the game, isn't it?

[@Knobiknows]

This is so great! Please tell me you're doing Lavos next

[@Mr.Gnome731]

Hey there Ghost! Thank you for putting in the hard work! I’ve heard a lot about this guy, I can’t wait to learn about him!

[@michaelk9080]

Bro, with all that Golden Sun music you HAVE to do Alex next.

[@SirVyre]

Have you not played 6 in a hot minute? Kefka doesn't get to take the Magicite that you get in The Magitek Research Facility. He demands that Celes bring it to him, but she warps him away. He does gain magicite later, perhaps from other parts of the facility, and definitely during the events at Thamasa, but you escape Vector with the magicite, that's how you fix Terra with her Dad's magicite. Like what?

[@ClaireMeeboon]

FF6 video AND golden sun ost?! What a wonderful video!

[@thenpcnextdoor105]

I never realized that Cid and Kefka discover the concept of Magicite because we show it to them accidentally in the Magitek Factory.

[@XDenyDefendDeposeX]

Loved the video. Small thing you got wrong tho is that Wedge and Biggs don't die in the beginning of the game. They actually get teleaported into the game Chrono Trigger. I just found your channel but i looking forward to watching you backlog of videos. Amazing job. Kefka is my favorite villian in all of gaming and you did a wonderful job of telling his story.

[@Welch01]

during the scene in Dark Knight with Heath Ledger’s Joker talking to Two-Face, he is actually holding the hammer of the gun under his thumb. he plays the man without a plan when really he has everything lined up from the beginning. honestly that seems even more like Kefka in some regards

[@PinkMawile]

I like to think Baram was the test subject, which is why Shadow lets himself die after Kefka dies.”, having righted his mistake of abandoning him before. Also apparently in early drafts, Celes was meant to be a full double agent and much more deranged, only slowly finding humanity through the kindness of the party. Sad they didn’t lean into it

[@Blasharga]

Maybe someone with a litteratur background can help, but I always figured kefka as a reference to Franz Kafka.

[@daltonfreeman6551]

Happy New Year indeed!

[@gideonthejudge9036]

Top tier content. This was very good.

[@indigopandora1829]

So many good ideas for future Vida in the opening clips

[@felman87]

18:50 Not sure if I should counter with a "Geneva doesn't exist in FF6 so what Convention?" or the fact that Geneva Convention only matters if a country (or group of them) is going to stand up and put you in place for violating it.

[@tierban5803]

Love the choice of golden sun music

[@justinmacdonald2102]

I honestly think that this game shaped my cynical outlook on life. I played this when i was like 10 and all it showed me was the people in power will do anything to keep that power.

[@TeflonTrout]

Pretty useful and accurate lesson, tbh

[@downtostandup]

It's true, no reason to be mad. Adapt, adopt and follow through

[@jrasealexander5480]

Beautifully done. An essay worthy of the greatest RPG ever made. But bro. . . you didn’t wait for Shadow?!🥺

[@kizunadragon9]

Finally, the man the myth the legend. the killer Clown himself. The only Villain in Final Fantasy to actually win and conquer the world. also we do know his origin. he was an orphan living at the orphanage in Thamasa, where the Empire took children to experiment on

[@kevinbrown0529]

I first played this game when it was on the super Nintendo. I rented it and then mowed yard to get the money to buy it. Thank you for the upload. It's a great game and I still play it. And I'm glad others have enjoyed it.

[@aa-tx7th]

6:20 two of ff6's worst of many plot holes 1. how the espers get captured when theyre so much more powerful than a bunch of mundane soldiers. its seen several times they can easily destroy/exile them all. 2. why cid go through with even starting to experiment on the espers when hes a "good guy" and later regretted it? i dunno about you but capturing and torturing living things is a an act beyond evil and should not only be unforgivable but also anyone not a psychotic should be incapable of doing.

[@Arthurian_Rabbit]

2: Because like most people, Cid fears when sharp stabby implements of death are pointed at him. Empire say do, he do. Plus, I'm sure the scientist in him was morbidly curious.

[@fieryrebirth]

1. That's literally the reason why the espers exiled themselves, they knew humans were greedy for more power even without their lifeforce. Humans have developed enough to be able to thwart espers while they, in their own world, were stuck in time.

[@rezahydra]

FF6 is a timeless classic, and I’d honestly say it’s much better than its PS1 sequel. And Kefka is a huge part of why I feel that way. I’ve been very excited to see what you’ve been cooking up, and hoo boy is this tasty haha. I cannot wait to see where the channel goes in 2025, and here’s hoping it thrives more than ever!

[@bigdragonfly4208]

Man, just started playing it recently! Will be back when I finished, keep up the great work Ghost, quality as always ^^

[@BananaBanditos]

I'm a big fan of the FF games where the Espers/Eidolons are actual characters and not just objects to be used as a battle command. IV, VI, and IX are my three favorite in part due to that.

[@ellisnorn259]

@@BananaBanditos FF9 is my favorite ❤

[@Ironcorgi2]

I like kefka as a villian because his first few appearances are a misdirection. Like sure the guy is a dick but he has a lot of comedic moments that make the threat he provides seem minimal. So when he ultimately snaps and on a whim kills the emperor and causes the triad to lose their balance it is a big twist. I like that in the game the heroes at first lose. It gives a message of even if humanity has to build back from ruin that is still worth it rather than giving to despair

[@RetroGamerLofi]

This channel is amazing! Kefka is a top tier villain 🔥

[@MCCaradon]

Im pretty sure Kefka is the friend Shadow left behind bleeding.

[@thebigsucc030]

Yippie a ghostcharm villianpedia video to watch