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Defending Kefka's credibility as a Villain from Any New Naysayers.
12.29.02, 20:51:51
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Post #1 (permalink) |
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Recently, several people I know have come onto other boards and tried to convince us that Kefka is a shallow character and not deserving of all the praise he gets. Most of these points are simply absurd, and it's about time someone rebuts them, all in one fell swoop:
"Kefka is one-dimensional."
This is the most common accusation I see, and it is faulty for several reasons. Mainly, one-dimensional covers a broad definition, so I might as well only try to guess what they mean by it.
Perhaps they mean that Kefka is not a dynamic character, that he keeps the same personality all through FFVI. Well, let me ask a question now. How many villains, in videogames, film, or literature, all throughout history, are dynamic characters in situ? If you think about it, not many. And think about it even further. A relatively miniscule number of plots, in any media at any time, require a dynamic villain. In the Final Fantasy world, some overanalyzing people wrongly compare Kefka to a dynamic villain, like Kuja, who I'll readily admit was a great villain in his own right, but he was different, and specifically created for a different game altogether! The point of FFIX's plot was different from FFVI's plot. FFIX's plot required a dynamic and ultimately tragic villain to develop its point. FFVI's plot did not. Part of the point of FFVI was to show what the world would be like if true evil was allowed to rule, and for that we need an unrelentingly cruel villain who is pure and crystalline evil, without any remorse. And Kefka fills that role better than any other villain, videogame or otherwise, could. He is perfect in the role FFVI's plot demanded of him.
"Kefka receives no character development."
This ties into the first faulty point. Again, Kefka is not meant to be a tragic villain, thus he is not meant to change his course from evil. A quick reference to how he became crazy and unrelentingly evil is really all that is needed. Instead, Kefka gets the best development he, and really, most villains can get: situational development. His rise in power is well-written, subtle but noticeable, and ties into all the other events in FFVI's plot.
"Kefka is your typical crazy f*cker who goes around destroying stuff, killing people and going 'MWAHAHA!!!' "
and/or
"Kefka is your typical ripoff of Saturday morning cartoon villains."
and/or
"Kefka's personality is so shallow."
Ahhh, my favorite set of accusations. There may be FFVI spoilers ahead.
First of all, what "typical crazy ****er" cognitively, intentionally, and consciously, upon the departure of the commanding officer, poisons a river and kills off a whole nation? What Saturday morning cartoon villain deceives his commanding officer and actually succeeds in his cruel murder? Furthermore, what normally hilarious character elsewhere all of a sudden becomes the target of genuine and intense hate on the viewer's/gamer's part? Just as I thought. Kefka is the only villain, ever, that has made me love him at certain points, and then, at the next moment, make me hate him so much. His Hitler-esque cruelty and passion for genocide tempered by an overwhelming and admittedly guilty hilarity is the ultimate example of supreme character design.
Kefka also happens to be a great psychological case study as well. Something is genuinely wrong with him, my personal diagnosis is antisocial personality disorder. His abnormality and his disturbed mind do not make him stupid, spontaneous, or incognizant. People like Kefka, while they <crosses fingers> won't bring about the end of the world, often kill in a premeditated fashion and often feel no remorse. So many times in FFVI's plot, there is always the feeling that Kefka may very well have planned everything that happened. While usually dismissed at first thought, it always seems to linger. Let's just say that if I had a patient like Kefka in real life I would be fearing for my life. The writers at Square, therefore, do a great job in conveying this ambiguity of his mind, adding actual depth to Kefka's character that some overlook.
So, in conclusion, yes, Kefka is definitely a credible, and deep villain. Remember, he is not meant to be a dynamic, tragic villain, as FFVI never, ever called for one. Kefka fills his role perfectly. Depth in his character is evident by the paradox that takes into account his Hitler-esque actions tempered by a guilty charisma and hilarity. Further depth is reflected in his accurate portrayal of a presonality disorder. The accusations of Kefka being a shallow, typical crazy person, with no thought as to his character makeup ring false. |
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