A Final Fantasy game requires an eccentric cast of characters, and Final Fantasy XVI is no different than its predecessors. While the latest entry in the series may only allow players to play as a single protagonist, the impact of the rest of the cast cannot be forgotten. In particular, the complex nature of Final Fantasy XVI’s villains can leave a lasting effect on players.
The villainous population of Valisthea are a diverse and plentiful bunch, ranging from an actual god to an overly possessive mother. Despite Final Fantasy XVI being a 35 hour long game, its dastardly characters require even further study than that runtime can fulfill.
Benedikta Harman
The Commander of the Kingdom of Waloed’s Elite intelligence and Dominant of Garuda. Benedikta acts as first major obstacle of Final Fantasy XVI, but that does not mean she is devoid of further purpose.
In regards to the game’s main protagonist, Clive Rosfield, Benedikta is a means to an end. An overwhelming evil that stands in the way of his journey. For others, such as Cidolfus Telamon and Hugo Kupka, she means much more than that.
There is much left unsaid about the prior relationship between Cidolfus and Benedikta, but the past faith present within the two is clear. Cid seemingly first encountered Benedikta at her lowest, and helped elevate her from those depths. He desires more for her than what she is under the King of Waloed’s command, but sees otherwise.
The demise of Benedikta at Clive’s hand is a figurative passing of the torch between the two characters. Benedikta refuses Cid’s enlightenment, while Clive accepts it. In more ways than one, the partnership developing between Clive and Cid was meant for Benedikta and Cid instead. A scar representative of the nature of Cid’s journey. No matter how hard one tries, saving everyone is not an option.
Hugo Kupka
The most recurring antagonist of Final Fantasy XVI is Hugo Kupka. He is the Dominant of Titan and the Permanent Economic Advisor to the Dhalmekian parliament. All of those titles pale in comparison to his true role as Clive’s biggest adversary.
Hugo wishes to rip Clive’s head from his shoulders after the death of Benedikta. A conflict that initially arises from a place of confusion. It is the belief of Hugo that Benedikta was defeated at the hands of Cid, not Clive. It is only after Cid’s death that Hugo redirects his anger towards all of Cid’s allies. This quickly positions Hugo as the overarching antagonist for the entire cast of Cid’s Hideaway.
Hugo’s story is one of revenge. An eye for an eye, so to speak. Cid took something from him, so he takes something back by destroying Cid’s hideaway. The problem arises when he is not wholly satisfied with that tradeoff. The opportunity to kill Cid is no longer available, so he must settle for Clive. Going so far as to capture Jill, Clive’s closest companion, in order to gain the upper hand in the scenario.
The conflict with Hugo, in comparison to clashes with other villains throughout Final Fantasy XVI, is the most basic. It is a primal rivalry between two men. A battle of wills that is shallow on the surface the level, but wonderful to undertake. The gameplay aspect of defeating Hugo is the most satisfying feeling of Final Fantasy XVI. On top of that, players get to do it twice. Once, in a battle between men. The second time, in a battle between Eikons.
The end result being the ability to return home to Clive’s comrades and inform them that their biggest enemy is no more. A major sigh of relief.
Anabella Lesage
Anabella is perhaps the most evil person in Valisthea. She is the Empress of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, the former Duchess of Rosaria, and Clive and Joshua Rosfield’s mother. It is her betrayal to her nation that sets the entirety of Final Fantasy XVI into motion. In siding with the Empire. rather than the Duchy, the tone is set for the entire game. Valisthea is a realm of treachery, with ongoing manipulations always occurring behind the scenes.
The life of Anabella is not one of her own. Her desire for power leads her right into Ultima’s control. This leaves only one question: for how long has this been going on? Her son, Clive, is the chosen vessel of Ultima, seemingly creating a theory that she may have been chosen as well.
Ultima chooses to prey on her desire for everlasting power, likening her to the mother of god. In this way, Anabella truly captures the power she so long sought after, but she is too much of a fool to realize. She instead tosses it away at the first sight of potential gain, only to end up taking two steps backwards.
If there is anything left to be said about Anabella, it is that her death was too quick. In a moment of pure chaos, Clive, Joshua, and Anabella briefly reunite. 18 long years of separation potentially calls for an overdramatic familial screaming. A moment where Clive can give his mother a piece of his mind for all the problems she has put upon him. As short as it may be, this does occur, but the potential for a longer confrontation was available.
It truly matters not, for Clive and Joshua have risen far above their mother’s schemes.. At her end, her sons controlled the power she so desperately wanted, and she was but a pawn.
Barnabas Tharmr
The true threat of Final Fantasy XVI is Barnabas Tharmr, the King of Waloed and the Dominant of Odin. Much is left unsaid in regard to his mysterious past, but his position as Ultima’s right hand man is clear. He commands a presence from the moment the game exits Clive’s past.
Even while absent from the story, players wonder about his interactions with Cid and Benedikta. Answers that players will surely never receive, but it can only be assumed that Barnabas is part author of his own demise. Cid once acted as the Lord Commander of the Waloed’s royal army. Surely Cid’s exit from his post was a result of conflicting ideals, but further explanation is lost alongside Cid’s demise.
Barnabas is the only character throughout Final Fantasy XVI to best Clive in combat. That alone is enough of a testament to his strength. His interactions with Clive throughout the latter parts of the story can be frustrating though. He speaks as the mouthpiece of his god, Ultima. Acting solely as a tool, rather than the powerful human he could be.
There is no semblance of reason left within his being. This results in a masterful confrontation of swordsmen, but a yearning for explanation. Barnabas is a being of potential immortality, with a singular purpose. A deep dive into his everlasting evil is foregone in service of the best mano a mano boss fight the game has to offer. Many of Clive’s battles are reliant upon his Ifrit form to seem monumental. The battle between Clive and Barnabas does not rely on Eikons, only conflicting ideals, and a blade.
Ultima
The mystery of Ultima, one of Valisthea’s ancient beings, is present throughout the entire story. This fact comes from a place of 20/20 hindsight. Ultima’s first appearance is rather shocking, perhaps the true moment when the Game of Thrones façade of Final Fantasy XVI drops entirely.
He quickly poses a greater threat that Clive did not know existed, but oftentimes Ultima’s character quickly fades in and out of view. By the time Ultima truly emerges, it can feel out of left field, despite Clive’s entire existence being part of their machinations.
Answers to Ultima’s ongoing schemes are not as satisfying as the journey to obtain them. The ramblings of a god surely mean little to his creations until they are aptly interpreted. If this comes by design of Square Enix, perhaps there is an added layer to Clive and Ultima’s final confrontation.
Unraveling a scheme is unnecessary to both the player and Clive. It is only necessary to know that Ultima is the sole creator of Valisthea’s plague, and removing them from the scenario will save the land. In this sense, understanding Ultima’s obsession with Clive’s consciousness is a mute point.
Either way, in comparison to the game’s other antagonists, Ultima falls flat. They lurk above a human world creating transcendental problems. Problems that are inevitably solved the same way Clive solves all problems, with a sword.
The personal grudges between Clive and his previous foes heighten the stakes of their encounters. Clive and Ultima duking it out for the sake of the world feels exactly like what it is, a final video game confrontation.
Ultima is a means to an end for the game. A conclusion is necessary, but the complexity of Ultima’s creations end up making god look like a petulant child.
A Cursed Land
Valisthea itself is actively fighting off Clive’s attempts to save it. It is the natural way of the realm that these characters would rise up to oppose his goals. Each one doing so in their own manner, of unequal proportions. In choosing to raise such a point, it is only right to rank the antagonists of Final Fantasy XVI.
- Barnabas. He is the strongest and the most imposing of the bunch,
- Anabella. The reunion between her and her sons lacks too much to win this vote.
- Hugo. His simple revenge arc knocks him down a peg.
- Ultima. Nobody should ever utter the word “consciousness” ever again.
- Benedikta. She almost edges out God, but simply is not present long enough to do so.
At this point, it truly goes without saying that each of these characters brought something different to the storytelling table. Each of those items simply is not as villainous as the next.
Final Fantasy XVI is available for purchase on the PlayStation Store.
