Kefka Palazzo

Kefka Palazzo
Final Fantasy character

Concept artwork of Kefka by Yoshitaka Amano
First game Final Fantasy VI (1994)
Designed by Yoshitaka Amano
Voiced by (English) Dave Wittenberg
Voiced by (Japanese) Shigeru Chiba
Fictional profile
Home Gestahlian Empire

Kefka Palazzo (ケフカ・パラッツォ Kefuka Parattso, romanized as Cefca Palazzo in the Japanese version) is a character in the Final Fantasy series of video games. Originally designed by Yoshitaka Amano, he appears in the 6th installment of the series - Final Fantasy VI. First introduced as the court jester and army general under Emperor Gestahl, throughout the game he reveals himself to be a nihilistic psychopath after setting in motion events leading to the Apocalypse and pronouncing himself the God of Magic. From that point he acts as the game's primary antagonist.

He is also present in the spin-off fighting games Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, wherein he is voiced by Shigeru Chiba (Dave Wittenberg in English localization). As well as these appearances, he shows up in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Artniks, and Final Fantasy All the Bravest as an enemy boss character.

Kefka has been rated one of the most memorable and most evil video game villains ever created, with critics and fans noting his intense hatred and maniacal laughter as defining characteristics. He has also been compared to the Joker from the Batman universe.[1]

Attributes

Character design

Kefka's appearance was designed by Yoshitaka Amano, who was given complete creative freedom in Final Fantasy VI, with only brief character outlines as guidelines. His approach was to create "real" and "alive" characters, though with consideration for the representation as small computer sprites.[2] Kefka is well known for his clown-like apparel, which has been compared to the Joker from Batman.[3] His dress has been described as "garish", with "makeup smeared across his face" and "a shrill, girlish laughter" that is thought to "punctuate his madness".[1][4]

Personality

Given only the artwork and outline to work with during production, writer Yoshinori Kitase felt that one early scene of Kefka's approach of a castle was too "boring to make completely normal" and decided to ad-lib a scene where he requests that his accompanying soldiers dust off his boots in the middle of a desert.[5] The scene set the tone for his personality from that point onwards, suggesting that there "may be a screw or two missing from this character's head".[5] He has been described as "powerful" and "manipulative", though he is retiring on occasion when confronted by opposition and even called a coward for his delegating.[3] He is also known for his sarcastic tone and one-liners.[6] As Kefka's power grows, his nihilism and madness grow in tandem and, as he attains godlike powers he thirsts for the destruction of all life, expresses his loathing of everything in existence by chanting the word "hate" to his enemies.[1] He is also very sadistic, taking amusement at the very idea of people dying and screaming. This is especially evident when he poisoned Doma,[7] as well as his admission prior to confronting the Returners for the final time that he enjoys destroying things precisely because precious lives are lost in the process.[8] In his Dissidia appearance, Kefka's insanity is further explored, suggesting that his actions stem from a desire to fill his heart with destruction when love failed to provide his life with meaning.[9] Final Fantasy VI features a song called "Kefka", which exemplifies the "sadistic joy" of the character.[4] His laughter has been called the greatest video game laughter of all time.[10]

Appearances

Final Fantasy VI

Kefka first appears as a general under the game's primary antagonist Emperor Gestahl, serving as his court mage.[3] Prior to the start of the game, he was the first human to be experimentally infused with the magic-like craft "Magitek," which granted him the ability to wield magic, although the imperfect process warped his mind and made him into the nihilistic psychopath he is during the course of the game.[11] Through the first half of the game, Kefka leads the charge for the city-state of Vector to conquer the world, one kingdom at a time, using their magic weapons.[12] Kefka mentally enslaves Terra and uses her to lead an attack on the town of Narshe to claim the frozen esper Tritoch there.[3][13] When she escapes Imperial control, he pursues Terra to the kingdom of Figaro, setting the castle ablaze as she, Locke and King Edgar flee.

During a siege on the kingdom of Doma, Kefka grows impatient with fellow Imperial General Leo and poisons the drinking water in the castle of Doma, resulting in mass casualties and a swift victory for the Empire.[4][14] After the alliance of Espers and revolutionaries invade and destroy Vector, Gestahl feigns sorrow for the Empire's evils, and to gain the trust of the protagonists, Gestahl has Kefka imprisoned, citing the poisoning of Doma. Kefka later goes to the village of Thamasa to kill the espers congregated there, killing Leo when he tries to intervene.[4][15][16] Using the power of the espers, Kefka helps Gestahl raise the espers' homeworld and create the Floating Continent, where they intend to awaken three entities known as the Warring Triad.[17] Upon being confronted by the protagonists, Gestahl freezes them except for former Imperial general Celes, whom he orders to kill her friends to show her loyalty to the Empire. She instead stabs Kefka, who becomes enraged. Kefka and the Emperor then get in an argument as to what degree they will wield the power of the triad—the Emperor taking a more conservative approach, since he only wants enough power to rule the world, while Kefka wants to unleash the Warring Triad's full potential.[18] The Emperor tries and fails to kill Kefka, who retaliates by having the Warring Triad strike Gestahl down and unceremoniously boots him off the Floating Continent to his death.[17] Kefka then moves the statues of the Warring Triad out of balance, unleashing enough raw magical energy to reshape the face of the planet and bringing about the second act of the game.[19]

Imbued with the power of the statues, Kefka becomes the god of the ruined world he created, using the statues to forge a massive tower of random debris to serve as his headquarters.[4] Kefka smites the millions who refuse to worship him with his "Light of Judgment", a beam of incinerating light capable of cutting fissures into the planet's surface.[17] Confronted by the protagonists at the game's conclusion, Kefka reveals his nihilistic motivations: when the protagonists reject his claims, Kefka goes berserk and proclaims his desire to eradicate everything.[20][21] Upon the defeat of his minions, Kefka reveals his godlike form and, after uttering one final nihilistic vision of life, dreams and hope,[22] attacks the protagonists before he is ultimately dispatched, causing the power of magic to vanish.[17]

Other games

Kefka is the villain representing Final Fantasy VI in Dissidia Final Fantasy, where the gods Cosmos and Chaos are fighting a cosmic war for control, with Kefka on the side of Chaos.[23] As revealed in its prequel Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, Kefka controlled Terra while she was a warrior of Chaos until Kuja weakens his spell, allowing Terra to escape and become a warrior of Cosmos with the aid of Vaan.[24] During the events of Dissidia, Kefka allies himself with the Cloud of Darkness to bring Terra back to their side so he can use her Esper powers to fulfill his destructive desires. However, mastering her powers, Terra defeats Kefka to obtain her crystal. After Cosmos's death, Kefka breaks his ties to the other villains and starts his own scheme to become the ruler of the ruined world before being ultimately dispatched for good. Kefka received a considerable amount of work and changes according to producer Tetsuya Nomura and planning director Mitsunori Takahashi.[25] Translator Tom Slattery, who worked on Final Fantasy VI Advance for the Game Boy Advance, enjoyed writing new dialogue for Kefka.[26] Director Takahashi Mitsunori said he felt that developing Kefka's attacks such as "reverse magic" felt similar to development of the recurring minor character Gilgamesh's attacks, and that the staff enjoyed brainstorming the moves.[27] Kefka's Japanese voice actor, Shigeru Chiba, ad-libbed many lines, including shouting seafood words like "Pike!" "Yellowtail!"[28]

Kefka makes cameo appearances in Itadaki Street Portable, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy: All the Bravest as an antagonist.[17][29][30] He also appears as a huntable villain in a GREE social network card game called "Final Fantasy Artniks", where players must share information to find and defeat Kefka to earn rewards.[31] He also appears in the 2015 arcade reboot of Dissidia: Final Fantasy as an add-on character, where his role is reprised by Chiba.

Analysis

Kefka as the God of Magic has been compared to depictions of Lucifer

Konami video game developer Tomm Hulett described Kefka as a pure villain, stating "Unlike most Japanese stories, Kefka did not have shades of gray. He didn't have a tragic past that turned him into a sadistic clown that you felt sorry for him over. He didn't have some greater purpose that he lost sight of. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't 'evil for evil's sake.' There was something twisted and nasty inside him that MADE him that way... and you could feel it... but you also knew there wasn't any good in there."[32] That he is a central villain of the entire game also serves to intensify a players negative fixation on him.[32] In a review of Final Fantasy VI Advance, IGN stated "it's the game's maniacal nihilist Kefka that really stands out.[12] The most evil and destructive villain in the entire Final Fantasy franchise, Kefka's brutality and ruthlessness is unmatched and he has to be seen to be believed."[12] IGN also noted his ability to "tap into primal, instinctive fears", including fears of clowns.[33] CNet in their own review described him as "the unrivaled star of the show...he's the kind of villain that you will love to hate", comparing him to Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker and calling his laugh one of the greatest sound effects in any video game.[34] Kotaku has called Kefka the greatest video game villain of all time, and attempted to explain players' lasting fascination by noting that he inspires such hatred that when his evil plans are finally thwarted, the sense of joy from victory is so much the greater.[14] GameSpy compared Kefka's final form as a representation of Lucifer, highlighted by his powerful "Fallen Angel" attack.[35] Another theory posited by GameSpot is that the intense reaction to Kefka stems from the fact that he is one of the few villains in Final Fantasy, or any game, that succeeds at his master plan before he is defeated.[36]

Cultural impact

Merchandise

In 2006, Kefka was made into a toy in the Final Fantasy Master Creatures line.[37] The figure is 6" tall from the bottom of the base, representing his final form from the game's conclusion.[37] A munny doll of Kefka in his human form was also created by Tomopop.[38] An album of the music from Final Fantasy VI entitled "Kefka's Domain" was released on July 1, 1994.[39] A figurine was created of Kefka for Square Enix's "Final Fantasy Creatures Kai Volume 5" in 2012.[40]

Reception

"I like my bosses evil. Rotten-to-the-core evil. Poison the water supply of a peace-loving village and then giggle like a school girl. Destroy the world with a huge spiritual death ray just because you didn't like the way it looked at you. Bottle up all your rage and then unleash it by delivering the line: "Hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate!" and then still be angry afterwards."[36]
—Eric Fenstermaker, fan of Kefka, writing in to GameSpot

In a "Reader's Choice" edition of GameSpot's "Top Ten Video Game Villains", Kefka placed first, stating "Kefka topped many of your lists, as the villain who gave Sephiroth a run for his money in the status department. You love and hate Kefka, but you surely think he's about as vile and evil as evil gets."[41] In a similar article the boss battle against Kefka was voted by readers as one of the ten best in video games; GameSpot's staff noted "Kefka is one of the two bosses that won through the write-in ballot, meaning he wasn't on our main list of nominees. That means he's a serious favorite."[36]

Nintendo Power named Kefka the best villain to appear on Nintendo consoles in 1994, ranking higher than Donkey Kong Country's King K. Rool and Marvel Comics' Carnage.[42] They again featured him in their January 2010 issue, ranking him as their third favorite Nintendo villain.[43] He also was ranked 3rd place in the "Our Favorite Villains," section of their "250 Reasons to Love Nintendo," article. He was described as "An insane, remorseless clown with godlike powers who wants to destroy everyone and everything (and comes frighteningly close to achieving his goal), Kefka is downright evil."[43] UGO.com named him third in their "Top 25 Japanese RPG Characters" article, stating "Insane, nihilistic, and cruel, Kefka isn't a reserved mystery like other Final Fantasy villains – rather, he's in-your-face at all times, doing dirty deeds just to say he did them."[44] Digital Spy states that he caused some of the most surprising moments in the Final Fantasy series when he destroyed the world.[45] IGN ranked him sixth on their list of the "Top 25" Final Fantasy characters of all time, noting that several factors, such as his dialogue and appearance, contributed to his memorability as a character;[33] in a "Reader's Choice" edition of the article he placed eighth, with similar comments.[6] He was also ranked 18th in IGN's "Top 100 Videogame Villains" list.[4] GamePro ranked him 33rd on the top 47 most diabolical video game villains of all time, citing both his "genocide" and his enslavement of Terra.[46] GamesRadar ranked him the most "outrageous camp bad guys", stating that when compared to Kefka, Final Fantasy VII antagonist Sephiroth seems as interesting as a dead accountant painted brown.[1] They also compared him to Batman antagonist the Joker, praising him for both his villainous ambition and his laugh.[1] GameSpy declared that Kefka is quite possibly the greatest video game villain of all time.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 David Houghton (November 17, 2008). "The Top 7... Outrageous Camp Bad Guys". GamesRadar. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Interview". Japan: Final Fantasy (in Japanese). NTT Publishing. August 11, 1994. pp. 108–109. ISBN 4-87188-338-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ramsey Isler (December 17, 2007). "Gaming to Anime: Final Fantasy VI". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Top 100 Video Game Villain: Kefka is number 18". IGN. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Yoshinori Kitase (August 27, 2009). "The Making of Dissidia Final Fantasy - Final Words from the Producer". 1UP.com. UGO Networks. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Phil Pirrello (May 20, 2008). "Final Fantasy Reader's Choice". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  7. ↑ Square Co., Ltd.. Final Fantasy VI (in English). (Square Soft). Super NES. (October 11, 1994 (NA)) "Kefka: Hee Hee! Nothing beats the music of hundreds of voices screaming in unison! Uwaa-haa-haa!" / (Kefka dumps the poison into Doma's river)
  8. ↑ Square Co., Ltd.. Final Fantasy VI (in English). (Square Soft). Super NES. (October 11, 1994 (NA)) "Unidentified Returner: We won't let you harm another living being! // Kefka: Hee-hee-hee! But what's the fun in destruction if there are no "precious" lives lost?
  9. ↑ Square Enix (August 25, 2009). Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Square Enix. Kefka: It's not enough... Destroy more... Have got to destroy more! / Terra: Just stop! None of this makes any sense! / Kefka: (chuckles weakly) Destruction isn't supposed to make sense! It's only fun when it's senseless! Why create, when it will only be destroyed? Why cling to life, knowing that you have to die? None of it will have meant anything once you do. / Terra: We live to protect what we hold dear. As long as you have that, you can find the meaning on your own. / Kefka: Meaning, schmeaning. The whole world's going bye-bye! You included! Life... Dreams... Hope... Where do they come from, and where do they go? None of that junk is enough to fulfill your hearts! Destruction... Destruction is what makes life worth living! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy! LET'S DESTROY EVERYTHING! (Explodes, then utters a sobbing laugh) / Terra: It was your broken heart. You were trying to fill it with destruction
  10. ↑ Chad Concelmo (June 27, 2012). "The ten best video game laughs EVER!". Destructoid. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  11. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy VI (in English). Square Soft. Vector citizen: Here's one for you... That guy Kefka? He was Cid's first experimental Magitek knight. But the process wasn't perfect yet. Something snapped in Kefka that day...
  12. 1 2 3 Jeremy Dunham (February 15, 2007). "Final Fantasy VI Advance Review". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  13. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy III. Super NES. Square Soft. Wedge: Not to worry. The Slave Crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought. She'll follow our orders.
  14. 1 2 Jason Cipriano (March 14, 2013). "Why Final Fantasy VI's Kefka is the Best Video Game Villain of All Time". Kotaku. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  15. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy VI (in English). Square Soft. Leo: Kefka! What do you think you're doing!? / Kefka: Hee-hee-hee... Emperor's orders! I'm to turn all these Espers into magicite. Behold! A magicite mother lode!
  16. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy III. Super NES. Square Soft. Kefka: G'ha, ha, ha! Emperor's orders! I'm to bring the Magicite remains of these Espers to his excellency! Behold! A Magicite mother lode!!
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Yoshinori Kitase (October 30, 2009). "Big Boss of the Day: Final Fantasy's Kefka". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  18. ↑ Square Enix (January 15, 2014). Final Fantasy VI (in English). Square Enix. Kefka: Gods, you were born to fight! Now is the time! I implore you...show me your power! // (Kefka attempts to get between the statues only to be knocked back, before eventually forcing himself in) // Kefka: Let me in here! Grrr...! // (the statues then begin glowing ominously, only to end, causing Kefka to look around in irritation) // Kefka: Now listen to me! No more playing games! I command you... Show me your power! // Gestahl: Kefka, stop! If you revive them, they'll destroy the very world we want to rule! There's no value in that! // Kefka: Shut up! // Gestahl: Kefka! Are you mad!? // Kefka: Mad...? Emperor Gestahl, what are you saying? This is the perfect chance to show them the power of the Warring Triad!
  19. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy VI (in English). Square Soft. Celes: Oh, that's really smart, Kefka! Disturb their delicate balance, and they'll go haywire...!
  20. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy VI (in English). Super NES. Square Soft. Kefka: I will destroy everything... I will create a monument to non-existence! / Unidentified party member: Life will go on! There will always be people, and dreams! / Kefka: No! I will hunt them down. I will destroy it all! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!!
  21. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (October 11, 1994). Final Fantasy VI (in English). Super NES. Square Soft. Kefka: I've tapped into the ultimate power. Observe...! / ... /Kefka: This is sickening... You sound like chapters from a self-help booklet! Prepare yourselves!
  22. ↑ Square Co., Ltd. (November 30, 2006). Final Fantasy VI Advanced (in English). Square Enix. Kefka: Life... Dreams... Hope... Where do they come from? And where do they go...? Such meaningless things... I'll destroy them all!! (laughs)
  23. 1 2 Ryan Scott (July 30, 2009). "The Villains of Dissidia Final Fantasy: Kefka Palazzo". GameSpy. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  24. ↑ Anoop Gantayat (February 25, 2011). "Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy: Gilgamesh and More Another Forms". Andriasang. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  25. ↑ Anoop Gantayat (December 21, 2010). "Nomura and Takahashi on Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy". andraisang. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  26. ↑ Michael A. Cunningham (January 1, 2011). "Inside Gaming - Interview with Former Square Enix Translator Tom Slattery". RPGamer. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  27. ↑ Spencer (February 22, 2011). "A Few More Details About Gilgamesh, Dissidia 012". Siliconera. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  28. ↑ Makoeyes98 (February 12, 2009). "Chapter EX Director Section II Part 6- Interview with Tetsuya Nomura". thelifestream.net. pp. 696–699. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  29. ↑ Justin Davis (January 18, 2013). "Final Fantasy All The Bravest Review". IGN. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  30. ↑ JC Fletcher (July 2, 2012). "Theatrhythm Final Fantasy review: More fun to play than to say". joystiq. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  31. ↑ Spencer (January 11, 2013). "Final Fantasy Artniks Has 1 Million Users, I Wonder How Many Killed Sephiroth". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  32. 1 2 Tom Hulett (October 9, 2006). "Why FFVI is so freaking great. (updated)". 1UP.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  33. 1 2 Dave Smith (May 15, 2008). "Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters - Day IV". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  34. ↑ Greg Mueller (February 13, 2007). "Final Fantasy VI Advance (Game Boy Advance)". CNet. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  35. ↑ GameSpy Staff (October 16, 2009). "GameSpy's Favorite Videogame Bosses". GameSpy. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  36. 1 2 3 Gamespot Staff (January 12, 2004). "TenSpot Reader's Choice: Top Ten Boss Fights". GameSpot. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  37. 1 2 "Square-Enix Final Fantasy Master Creatures Cefca Palazzo Figure". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  38. ↑ K. Thor Jensen (July 10, 2008). "Today in Joystiq". joystiq. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  39. ↑ Damian Thomas (January 1, 1994). "Kefka's Domain: The complete soundtrack from the Final Fantasy III video game". RPGFan. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  40. ↑ Rio McCarthy (August 30, 2012). "Final Fantasy's Kefka shows his devious face!". TomoPop. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  41. ↑ GameSpot Staff. "TenSpot Reader's Choice: Top Ten Video Game Villains". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  42. ↑ Staff (May 1995). "Nintendo Power Awards". Nintendo Power. 72: 52.
  43. 1 2 "250 Reasons to Love Nintendo" (PDF). Nintendo Power. South San Francisco, California: Future US (250): 42. January 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  44. ↑ K. Thor Jensen. "Top 25 Japanese RPG Characters". UGO.com. UGO Networks. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
  45. ↑ Matthew Reynolds (November 4, 2012). "Final Fantasy retrospective: A look back at 25 years of the RPG series". GameSpy. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  46. ↑ GamePro Staff (April 2, 2008). "The 47 Most Diabolical Video-Game Villains of All Time". GamePro. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
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