RELATED: How Kefka Shaped Final Fantasy 7's Sephiroth and FF15's ArdynĮven in Final Fantasy boss fights, the two are quite similar. Kefka used his Light of Judgment to reduce the World of Balance to the World of Ruin, while Sephiroth summon Meteor to destroy Gaia. And take over they do, both of them ascending to godlike forms to ravage the world and fight the heroes. Shinra and the Empire both served very similar roles in their home games as well, being the main villains up to a point before Kefka and Sephiroth fully take over. Kefka became who he is via the Gestahlian Empire's experiments with Magicite, while Sephiroth was an experiment from birth to see just how far Jenova cells could be pushed. The dark duo also has surprisingly similar stories behind them, being the products of their home games' villainous organizations attempting to create superweapons. Kefka may not have inspired many clowns to take on the role of archvillain, but he exemplifies how a deliberately campy villain acts, and his witty dialogue also sets a strong example for more comedic bad guys. Sephiroth was not the first white-haired sword-wielding villain in Japanese media, but he is one of the most famous, and ripples of his design and personality have appeared in games ever since.
While their roles in the story are straightforward, they both shine with plenty of memorable quotes and moments, not to mention character designs that personify everything that goes into a human JRPG antagonist. These two are more recognizable than any other Final Fantasy villain, and most other JRPG villains as well. FF6: 5 Reasons Sephiroth Would Beat Kefka (& 5 Why Kefka Would Win)įirst and foremost, the biggest similarity between Kefka and Sephiroth is their cultural significance. Obviously, Sephiroth has appeared in many more games and other media than Kefka has, so this analysis will primarily focus on the original Final Fantasy 6 and 7 releases. Many contrasts present themselves, as well as some similarities that can provide more insight into the shared creative process that goes into designing Final Fantasy. However, there's a lot to dig into when these two iconic villains are stood side-by-side. Both sides call the other overrated or generic, and the discourse moves on. Square Enix has written many good ones, but the two fans always seem to come back to are Final Fantasy 6's Kefka Palazzo and Final Fantasy 7's Sephiroth.Īny argument about whether FF6 or FF7 is better is bound to include a segment comparing Kefka to Sephiroth. Of course, the villains are nothing to sneeze at either, and often set the tone and pace of a game when they finally reveal themselves. From the strong core party of Final Fantasy 15 to the various traveling minor characters who develop throughout Final Fantasy 10, the various casts have propelled players through many fantastical adventures.