Kefka Palazzo (Japanese: ケフカ・パラッツォ, Hepburn: Kefuka Parattso, romanized as Cefca in the Japanese version) is a video game character and the main antagonist in the 1994 Square role-playing video game Final Fantasy VI. Yoshitaka Amano created his visual design and director Yoshinori Kitase wrote his scenes. He is one of the most well-known and well-received villains in the Final Fantasy series. His popularity led to featured roles in the fighting game Dissidia Final Fantasy and its sequels. He also appears as an enemy boss character in games including Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Artniks, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, and Final Fantasy All the Bravest.
Kefka Palazzo | |
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Final Fantasy character | |
![]() Kefka, as seen in Final Fantasy VI (art by Yoshitaka Amano) | |
First game | Final Fantasy VI (1994) |
Created by | Yoshinori Kitase Hiroyuki Ito |
Designed by | Yoshitaka Amano[1] Kazuko Shibuya (sprites)[1] |
Voiced by | EN: Dave Wittenberg JA: Shigeru Chiba |
In-universe information | |
Home | Gestahlian Empire |
Kefka is first introduced as the court mage of Emperor Gestahl. Over the course of the game, he reveals himself to be a nihilistic psychopath, gone mad from the cruel experiments that gave him his magical powers. When Gestahl is poised to seize the source of magic in this world, Kefka betrays him and takes it for himself. With his new godlike powers, Kefka rules the remains of a ruined world with an iron fist.
Kefka is considered one of the most memorable 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 franchise.[2]
Conception and creation
editKefka'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 their representation as small computer sprites.[3] Several designs were created for Kefka during the planning stages, each with different outfits, taking inspiration from clowns seen at circuses.[1] Amano felt the character was akin to DC Comics villain Joker, and wanted to illustrate a character that shared Joker's crazy personality, someone that was "completely insane". He found the overall process fun to develop.[1]
Writer Yoshinori Kitase found the original writing "did not give him much character", and while working on the very first scene developed for the game, Kefka's approach to a castle, Kitase felt it was too boring to do normally. He added a scene off the top of his head where Kefka demanded soldiers dust off his boots in the middle of a desert, meaning for it to imply that there "may be a screw or two missing from this character's head", something he felt was a perfect fit for Kefka and helped define the character's personality for the rest of the story.[4] In an interview with Edge, Kitase noted that while he wanted to keep story emphasis balanced across the cast, he found that Kefka was one of two characters whose importance in the story grew larger than originally intended when development began.[5] Originally the game was meant to end much earlier with Kefka's defeat and the world saved, but when the developers realized they still had plenty of time, they added a second act where Kefka succeeds in devastating the world, leaving the party members scattered across the remains of the "World of Ruin".[6]
Other developers involved with Final Fantasy VI's production also contributed to his characterization. Artist Kazuko Shibuya aimed to illustrate his "crazy and somewhat childish" demeanor through her work on his pixel art and animations, and considers him her favorite character in the franchise. While the rest of the cast had simple traits that were easy to draw, often easy to define as "cute" or "strong", she felt Kefka wouldn't stand out as much if he went through the same process. She utilized bases of red and green in his design to paint him as "very eccentric", while also wanting to illustrate his dangerous and childish aspects, a character with "no defined limits".[1] Translator Ted Woolsey, who handled the North American localization of the game, also contributed lines to the character while working on the title, namely in part to get around Nintendo censors. Several of these have appeared in later interpretations of the character in other games, such as Kefka's statement about making "a monument to non-existence" in Final Fantasy XIV.[7]
Appearances
editFinal Fantasy VI
editKefka first appears as a general to Emperor Gestahl, serving as his court mage.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] Kefka mentally enslaves Terra and uses her to lead an attack on the town of Narshe to claim the frozen esper Tritoch there.[8][11] 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.[12][13] 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.[12][14] Using the power of the espers, Kefka helps Gestahl raise the espers' homeworld to create the Floating Continent, where they intend to awaken three entities known as the Warring Triad.[15] 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. However, she refuses and stabs Kefka instead, driving him into a psychotic rage. Kefka and the Emperor then get in a heated argument regarding the power of the triad—the Emperor only wants enough power to rule the world, while Kefka wants to unleash the Warring Triad's full potential.[16] 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.[15] Kefka then moves the statues of the Warring Triad out of balance, unleashing enough raw magical energy to reshape the face of the planet, bringing about the second act of the game.[17]
Imbued with the power of the statues, Kefka becomes the God of Magic in the ruined world he created, using the statues to forge a massive tower of random debris to serve as his headquarters.[12] 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,[15] although he implies before fighting the Returners that he largely used the Light of Judgment on everyone for his own amusement regardless of whether they worshipped him or not.[18] 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.[19][20] Upon the defeat of his minions, Kefka reveals his godlike form and, after uttering one final nihilistic vision of life, dreams and hope,[21] attacks the protagonists before he is ultimately slain, causing the power of magic to vanish.[15]
Other games
editKefka 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.[22] As revealed in its prequel Dissidia 012, 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.[23] 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. For his appearance in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, Kefka received a considerable amount of work and changes according to producer Tetsuya Nomura and planning director Mitsunori Takahashi,[24] while ranslator Tom Slattery, enjoyed writing new dialogue for Kefka.[25] Additionally, 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.[26] Kefka's Japanese voice actor, Shigeru Chiba, ad-libbed many lines, including shouting seafood words like "Pike!" and "Yellowtail!"[27] Kefka returns again in the third title, Dissidia NT, fighting as a champion of Spiritus.
Kefka makes cameo appearances in Itadaki Street Portable, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy: All the Bravest as an antagonist.[15][28][29] 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.[30] In Final Fantasy XIV, Kefka appears as one of Omega's creations in the final phase of Sigmascape — the second part of the Omega raid series featured as part of the Stormblood expansion. Similarly, this new phase also draws heavily on themes and enemies from Final Fantasy VI, with his God of Magic form as an additional phase in Savage mode.
Promotion and reception
editIn 2006, Kefka was made into a toy in the Final Fantasy Master Creatures line.[31] The figure is 15 centimetres (6 in) tall from the bottom of the base, representing his final form from the game's conclusion.[31] A munny doll of Kefka in his human form was also created by Tomopop.[32] An album of the music from Final Fantasy VI entitled "Kefka's Domain" was released on July 1, 1994.[33] A figurine was created of Kefka for Square Enix's "Final Fantasy Creatures Kai Volume 5" in 2012.[34]
Kefka is considered one of the most well received and enduringly popular villains in video games by critics and fans.[35][36][37][38] He has earned a place on numerous "all time" lists from a wide variety of publications including Nintendo Power,[39][40] UGO.com,[41] IGN,[42][43][12] GamePro,[44] GameSpy, Den of Geek[45] and many more.[22] GamesRadar named him the most "outrageously camp" villain, stating that when compared to Kefka, Final Fantasy VII antagonist Sephiroth seems as "interesting as a dead accountant painted brown".[2] They also compared him to the Joker from Batman, praising him for both his villainous ambition and his laugh.[2] Digital Spy recognized him for being responsible for one of the most surprising moments in the Final Fantasy series—destroying the world.[46]
Analyses of Kefka focused on his nihilism and unsympathetic portrayal. Konami video game developer Tomm Hulett described Kefka as a pure villain, stating that "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".[47] That he is a central villain of the entire game also serves to intensify a players negative fixation on him.[47] In a review of Final Fantasy VI Advance, IGN wrote "it's the game's maniacal nihilist Kefka that really stands out. 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".[10] IGN also noted his ability to "tap into primal, instinctive fears", including fears of clowns.[42] 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.[48] 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.[13] GameSpy compared Kefka's final form as a representation of Lucifer, highlighted by his powerful "Fallen Angel" attack.[49][a] 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]
Digitally Downloaded.net Editor in Chief Matt Sainsbury argued that while the character was "certainly psychopathic" and villainous, Kefka was not "insane". He added that while Kefka's behavior painted him as a dangerous character "we need to hate and want to stop because, in simply existing, he poses a threat to all decent people around him", his behavior felt completely rational to Sainsbury because Kefka operated off a different moral core than others, and considered this fascinating. Sainsbury cited philosopher Michel Foucault's studies on madness, in which it was argued that in civilization's need to find an "other" to oppose, something separate from "decent" society, insanity was a common go-to. However Sainsbury felt Kefka's behavior came from his "nihilistic understanding on the purpose of life": creations exist simply to be someday destroyed and forgotten, and that the meaning of existence is non-existence. While Kefka's logic runs contrary to most people, Sainsbury described it as still rational and considered thought within the subject of philosophical debate. Additionally he pointed out under philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli's view of the world, many of Kefka's actions were justified. While the character commits atrocities, he is still effective and his actions need to be considered within the scope of the war the Empire he serves is fighting, and within that frame of reference helped make Kefka a more fleshed out and nuanced villain.[50]
Patrick Dugan of Escapist Magazine called Kefka "an androgynous, perverted, wicked little clown [..] Somewhere between Shakespeare's Falstaff and King's It". He further described him as one of the most memorable Final Fantasy villains for how present he was in the game and his personality, feeling he was a necessity in the game's story as a representative of "science run amok [...] an Anti-Christ with a surreal laugh", and that his defeat gave the game's closure far greater significance.[51]
The audio design for Kefka has been praised, including his iconic laugh and his signature musical themes, Kefka and Dancing Mad, by Nobuo Uematsu. Music professor William Cheng called his laugh "quasi-musical" and commended the sound engineers for imbuing character and personality into a limited sound effect.[52] Music researcher Jessica Kizzire tracked Kefka's character arc and ascent to godhood through his musical themes.[53] The repetition of Kefka in key moments of the game add new layers of meaning to the track. Uematsu included musical allusions to Kefka in his themes for Sephiroth and Ultimecia, the villains of Final Fantasy VII and VIII, respectively.[53]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Cutscenes (16 August 2021). Yoshitaka Amano, Kazuko Shibuya - from paper to pixel | 天野喜孝、渋谷員子 - 紙からドットへ (in Japanese). Event occurs at 9:09. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b c David Houghton (17 November 2008). "The Top 7... Outrageous Camp Bad Guys". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Interview". Japan: Final Fantasy (in Japanese). NTT Publishing. 11 August 1994. pp. 108–109. ISBN 4-87188-338-8.
- ^ Yoshinori Kitase (27 August 2009). "The Making of Dissidia Final Fantasy - Final Words from the Producer". 1UP.com. UGO Networks. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "The Making Of: Final Fantasy VI". Edge. 5 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ Clark, Brian (7 April 2019). "25 Years Since The Release Of Final Fantasy VI – Looking Back At The Passion". OneMillionPower. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ Oxford, Nadia (5 May 2020). "Ted Woolsey Remembers Final Fantasy 6, Evading Nintendo's Censorship Rules, and the Early Days of Localization". USGamer. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ a b Ramsey Isler (17 December 2007). "Gaming to Anime: Final Fantasy VI". IGN. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Square Co., Ltd. (11 October 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...
- ^ a b Jeremy Dunham (15 February 2007). "Final Fantasy VI Advance Review". IGN. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Square Co., Ltd. (11 October 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.
- ^ a b c d "The Top 100 Video Game Villain: Kefka is number 18". IGN. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ a b Jason Cipriano (14 March 2013). "Why Final Fantasy VI's Kefka is the Best Video Game Villain of All Time". Kotaku. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ Square Co., Ltd. (11 October 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!!
- ^ a b c d e Yoshinori Kitase (30 October 2009). "Big Boss of the Day: Final Fantasy's Kefka". IGN. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Square Enix (15 January 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!
- ^ Square Co., Ltd. (11 October 1994). Final Fantasy VI (in English). Square Soft.
Celes: Oh, that's really smart, Kefka! Disturb their delicate balance, and they'll go haywire...!
- ^ 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?
- ^ Square Co., Ltd. (11 October 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!!
- ^ Square Co., Ltd. (11 October 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!
- ^ Square Co., Ltd. (30 November 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)
- ^ a b Ryan Scott (30 July 2009). "The Villains of Dissidia Final Fantasy: Kefka Palazzo". GameSpy. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Anoop Gantayat (25 February 2011). "Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy: Gilgamesh and More Another Forms". Andriasang. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Anoop Gantayat (21 December 2010). "Nomura and Takahashi on Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy". andraisang. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Michael A. Cunningham (1 January 2011). "Inside Gaming - Interview with Former Square Enix Translator Tom Slattery". RPGamer. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Spencer (22 February 2011). "A Few More Details About Gilgamesh, Dissidia 012". Siliconera. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Makoeyes98 (12 February 2009). "Chapter EX Director Section II Part 6- Interview with Tetsuya Nomura". thelifestream.net. pp. 696–699. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Justin Davis (18 January 2013). "Final Fantasy All The Bravest Review". IGN. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ JC Fletcher (2 July 2012). "Theatrhythm Final Fantasy review: More fun to play than to say". joystiq. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Spencer (11 January 2013). "Final Fantasy Artniks Has 1 Million Users, I Wonder How Many Killed Sephiroth". Siliconera. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Square-Enix Final Fantasy Master Creatures Cefca Palazzo Figure". Amazon. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ K. Thor Jensen (10 July 2008). "Today in Joystiq". joystiq. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Damian Thomas (1 January 1994). "Kefka's Domain: The complete soundtrack from the Final Fantasy III video game". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Rio McCarthy (30 August 2012). "Final Fantasy's Kefka shows his devious face!". TomoPop. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ GameSpot Staff. "TenSpot Reader's Choice: Top Ten Video Game Villains". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ a b Gamespot Staff (12 January 2004). "TenSpot Reader's Choice: Top Ten Boss Fights". GameSpot. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ "Bowser voted top of 50 video game villains". Digital Spy. 24 January 2013.
- ^ Carter, Chris (27 June 2016). "Dissidia Final Fantasy arcade adds fan favorite Kefka to the mix". Destructoid. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Staff (May 1995). "Nintendo Power Awards". Nintendo Power. Vol. 72. p. 52.
- ^ "250 Reasons to Love Nintendo" (PDF). Nintendo Power. No. 250. South San Francisco, California: Future US. January 2010. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ K. Thor Jensen. "Top 25 Japanese RPG Characters". UGO.com. UGO Networks. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
- ^ a b Dave Smith (15 May 2008). "Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters - Day IV". IGN. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Phil Pirrello (20 May 2008). "Final Fantasy Reader's Choice". IGN. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ GamePro Staff (2 April 2008). "The 47 Most Diabolical Video-Game Villains of All Time". GamePro. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Byrd, Matthew (29 July 2023). "15 Best Final Fantasy Characters". Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Matthew Reynolds (4 November 2012). "Final Fantasy retrospective: A look back at 25 years of the RPG series". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ a b Tom Hulett (9 October 2006). "Why FFVI is so freaking great. (updated)". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Greg Mueller (13 February 2007). "Final Fantasy VI Advance (Game Boy Advance)". CNet. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ GameSpy Staff (16 October 2009). "GameSpy's Favorite Videogame Bosses". GameSpy. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
- ^ Sainsbury, Matt (5 January 2018). "Final Fantasy VI and Kefka – the most nuanced and interesting villain in classical JRPGs". Digitally Downloaded.net. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
- ^ Dugan, Patrick (20 December 2005). "A Fine Fantasy". Escapist Magazine. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Cheng, William (2014). Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199969968.
- ^ a b Anatone, Richard, ed. (2022). The Music of Nobuo Uematsu in the Final Fantasy Series. Intellect Books. ISBN 9781789385564.
Notes
edit- ^ The source mistakenly referred to the attack by the name "Fallen Angel". The correct name for the attack as it appeared in the SNES version of the game is "Fallen One". Subsequent re-releases and ports of the game have used the name "Heartless Angel" instead.
External links
edit- Media related to Kefka Palazzo at Wikimedia Commons