The Final Fantasy series has provided literally thousands of hours of entertainment for RPG fans over the decades that these titles have been helping to re-define the genre. The famous RPG series has changed in many ways over the years, but there’s still tremendous nostalgia held for the earlier titles in the franchise.
Both Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII are pivotal games in the series and opinion is often divided on which of the two is better. This discussion becomes even more difficult when the titles’ main antagonists are examined. Accordingly, here are 5 reasons why Sephiroth would beat Kefka and 5 reasons why Kefka would win.
10 Physical Strength (Sephiroth Wins)
Both Kefka and Sephiroth have access to unbelievable power, but they go about it in very different ways. Kefka is someone who’s definitely much more dependent on the use of magic and special abilities to aid him in his reign of terror.
Sephiroth, on the other hand, has actually trained in combat and has brute strength to fall back on when everything else fails. Kefka isn’t a legitimate threat until he taps into greater power, but Sephiroth can throw and take a punch from the start.
9 Insanity (Kefka Wins)
Both Kefka and Sephiroth have the insane overall goal to destroy the world and take all of its energy for themselves. The major difference here is that Sephiroth seems to have a more altruistic goal of traveling the universe with unlimited power. He even creates a distraction to unify the planet in order to take their strength.
Kefka is much more concerned about being as strong as possible and conquering everything, with no disregard for the consequences. He’s much more unstable. Kefka’s theme, “Dancing Mad,” should be enough proof of his insanity.
8 Weaponry (Sephiroth Wins)
Combat is an area that Sephiroth is just naturally going to have the advantage over Kefka in. Both of these villains can deal a lot of damage, but Sephiroth is the only one with extensive combat training. Sephiroth’s training has helped him become skilled with various weapons. He regularly attacks with a sword and he clearly knows how to use the weapon to his advantage. Kefka on the other hand doesn’t resort to conventional weapons, whether because he lacks the skills or because he just prefers the use of magic.
7 Magic (Kefa Wins)
Kefka begins Final Fantasy VI with powerful magic that already makes him a threat. However, by the end of the game, he’s attained a whole other level of supremacy. Kefka is basically a deity and he’s just casually destroying the planet for fun. His Light of Judgment move, for instance, wipes out millions of people in seconds. Sephiroth still needs to jump through hoops and perform rituals in order to access this level of magic, whereas Kefka actually achieves it. Magic is also handled very differently in both games, and is more of a spiritual energy in Final Fantasy VI.
6 Followers (Sephiroth Wins)
Plenty of villains like to be able to go at their evil domination plans alone, but there are many that understand the importance of the use of devoted followers. Part of what makes Sephiroth so frightening is that he’s able to trick and manipulate an entire nation to give him what he wants. It’s much harder for Cloud and company to get by as fugitives when the whole state is after them for Sephiroth. It gives him a major advantage, whereas Kefka burns his bridges and doesn’t want or need any allies.
5 Intimidation (Kefka Wins)
One glance at Sephiroth and he looks like a typical disgruntled soldier, but there’s something truly terrifying about how Kefka composes himself. The character is essentially Final Fantasy’s equivalent to the Joker. He decks himself out in over the top makeup and is constantly laughing and taunting his opponents where he sees to get legitimate glee out of it. Kefka looks unstable and his energy is enough to make people either run away in terror or woefully underestimate him. Sephiroth may be strong, but it’s his brooding nature that keeps him back here.
4 Close Combat (Sephiroth Wins)
The boss fights against Sephiroth and Kefka are both grueling experiences, but Sephiroth is the one who’s able to do real damage in close quarters. If the two of them were stuck in a confined space together, it’s likely that Sephiroth would get out on top. Sephiroth fought for years in battle for Shinra and rose up through the ranks because of his combat skills. Kefka was also a general for an empire, but more in the sense of giving orders than actually fighting. He doesn’t have the same skills there.
3 Transformations (Kefka Wins)
One of the staples of many Final Fantasy games is that the last boss has multiple transformations that progressively increase the challenge. On this front, Kefka has the advantage over Sephiroth. Sephiroth’s fight has various stages to it, but Kefka is actually able to ascend and achieve his goal. He gains the power of the Creators (Goddess, Demon, and Fiend), and takes on a Godly form in the process. Sephiroth doesn’t achieve his ultimate end goal and his hindered powers wouldn’t stand a chance against this version of Kefka.
2 Reality Manipulation (Sephiroth Wins)
Final Fantasy VII has been such a popular entry in the franchise that several spin-offs, ancillary titles, and now a remake/reboot have come out to fill in further details about the characters and universe. The more that’s shown of Sephiroth, the more it appears that he’s able to operate outside of reality. He can invade dreams, effect perception, and is able to try to alter the past to his whims. He operates on a much grander scale than Kefka that’s honestly hard to fully comprehend. Even if Kefka thinks that he’s won, it’s possible that Sephiroth still has some time travel shenanigans in store.
1 Villainy (Kefka Wins)
Kefka and Sephiroth are both unquestionably evil individuals, but Kefka is the one that pulls off the more heartless and malicious acts. Sephiroth is also willing to sacrifice Gaia’s health for his own personal gain, but it feels like a less personal rage. Kefka, however, personally gets involved. He poisons water supplies, turns people into murderous slaves, burns down castles, and frames innocent people for his own crimes. He even tortures espers to get more power and this is all before he actually brings abut Armageddon, too.