The Final Fantasy series from Square-Enix is well-known for its turbulent tales. The stories are often strange and make little sense, but provide plenty of motivation for players to be engaged. However, one of the most engaging factors would have to be its cast of villains. The main antagonists in the series are often schemers and sometimes dreamers driven by a lust for power. Some are more devious than others, but it's hard to say that any of these villains are foolish.
This list will rank the series's most iconic villains based on their intelligence. Their actions will be evaluated, along with their mental capacity within the lore of the game. And, perhaps, the supreme schemer will find themselves on top.
15 Cloud of Darkness (Final Fantasy III)
The Cloud of Darkness from Final Fantasy III isn't stupid, but it isn't smart either. The Cloud of Darkness basically exists as a being that brings about the end of the world, returning all life to the void.
It is merely a servant of The Void, like Exdeath, but unlike Exdeath doesn't really have other motivations. In the Dissidia games, its interests serve that goal as well and sometimes align with that of the heroes. But, in terms of intelligence, Cloud of Darkness is ranked at the bottom.
14 The Shadow Lord (Final Fantasy XI)
Final Fantasy XI's main antagonist, the Shadow Lord, is similar to the Cloud of Darkness in that he's basically a being of pure anger. Is it the anger of the fallen lives in his army that makes him one of the hardest bosses in the series? The answer is unknown.
Regardless, as he's basically a spirit of vengeance, his intellect is hard to judge. Even with his military tactics, his actions aren't necessarily that of a smart villain. He's here at the near the bottom of the list because of that.
13 Garland/Chaos (Final Fantasy I)
Garland is a big brute who kidnaps Princess Sarah at the start of the original Final Fantasy. His goal in this is to get control of the Kingdom of Cornelia. He is swiftly taken down by the Warriors of Light and doesn't return until close to the end of the game.
At that point, he reveals that he basically just exploited the power of the Dark Crystal to create a time loop and live forever. His motives are questionable and his plan is pure nonsense. He just really loves to fight and that's about it.
12 Barthandelus (Final Fantasy XIII)
Many fans of the series might not have given Final Fantasy XIII a fair shake. However, when revisiting the game, it has many greats qualities that make it worthy of a playthrough. Even if it's one of the longer games, it still is worth a shot.
However, its weakest aspect is its villain, Barthandelus. His plan goes completely off-the-rails towards the latter portions of the game and, considering revelations in later games within the Fabula Nova Crystalis series, it wouldn't have worked in the long run. He's just a poor villain.
11 Exdeath (Final Fantasy V)
Exdeath considers himself to be an all-powerful being. His essence is quite literally just pure evil. He's constantly one step ahead of Bartz and friends and mocks them for it. His plan basically sees itself through nearly to completion.
However, Exdeath makes the fatal error of having plenty of opportunities to kill Bartz and company, but lets them go because of his own arrogance. This is a classical villain error, but ultimately it's also a fatal one.
10 Seymour Guado (Final Fantasy X)
There are a number of antagonists in Final Fantasy X. Seymour Guado serves as the most traditional of antagonists in the game, but he's not the smartest.
He helps to perpetuate a literal death cult, but won't bother using his Aeon's power to remove threats because of his lust for Yuna. He's hardly a schemer and loses points for being taken down by essentially two volleyball players and their pet cat.
9 Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
Sephiroth is a great villain shrouded in mystery. He's manipulative and powerful, torturing the party in Final Fantasy VII mentally and physically. While Shinra plays games of politics to take down AVALANCHE, Sephiroth plays the role of an agent of chaos.
He cannot be controlled and he cannot be contained. He's also fairly well-spoken and well-read as established in flashbacks. Sephiroth is far from stupid. However, he isn't the typical scheming villain either. He plays his role well, but his role isn't based upon intellect.
8 Ardyn Izunia (Final Fantasy XV)
Unfortunately, like most of Final Fantasy XV, Ardyn is pretty forgettable. He has some good character moments but suffers from the problems that plague the game as a whole.
Ardyn, however, is still a great manipulator. Every action he makes is part of a grand performance. However, his purpose is to hunt down the Lucis bloodline, and he stops at nothing to do that. He shows he still has some humanity left in him despite his incredible power. He's a tragic, but smart villain.
7 Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII)
Ultimecia from Final Fantasy VIII is a great sorceress from the future who aspires to become a God-like entity. She possesses many bodies as she propels her consciousness across time, and her ability to do this and manage it makes her a formidable foe.
She's also shown to play games of politics well, gaining the trust of President Deling before ultimately replacing him. Despite her skill as a manipulator, she makes the same error Exdeath does and underestimates her foes, leading to her eventual demise. She can't be entirely blamed for this, though, when Zell isn't really a terrifying entity, to begin with.
6 Zemus (Final Fantasy IV)
There's not a whole lot to say about Zemus. He may be the villain of a great Super Nintendo Entertainment System RPG, but he isn't that complex. His motives are simple: help the Lunarians gain control of Earth and take their rightful place as rulers.
The way he plays puppet master is similar to that of Ultimecia, controlling both friend and foe alike through powerful psychic abilities. He even asks for his own death, knowing that it would make him stronger in the long-run. His rage literally becomes its own entity: the final boss, Zeromus.
5 Vayne Carudus Solidor (Final Fantasy XII)
Vayne Carudus Solidor's goals are surprisingly noble on the surface. He wants to put the fate of Ivalice's people in their hands, not the hands of uncaring gods. His method of taking control of the country is a classic case of political backstabbing. He is well-spoken and knows when people are trying to play him.
In terms of manipulating pawns, Vayne finds many willing to join his cause. He's dastardly and cunning, only falling due to betrayal from an unlikely source: his own younger brother. The only evil greater would be Yiazmat without the ability to speed up time.
4 Emperor Mateus (Final Fantasy II)
Final Fantasy II is a game that no one should play. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that not many people have played it. Despite that, its main antagonist is one of the series's most cunning.
The Emperor is a master strategist, and constantly keeps Firion and his companion on the back-foot. He's also a skilled architect, designing many of the Empire's greatest weapons. He has many aspects, but all of them are sufficiently cunning.
3 Kuja (Final Fantasy IX)
Kuja is one of the series's most iconic villains, right up there with Kefka and Sephiroth. He shares traits with many other series antagonists in terms of his intellect. However, what puts Kuja a step above the others is in the way he carries himself.
He's a narcissist and talks in riddles and metaphors. What's interesting is that this is all just a face that hides his own internal anguish. As a capable mage, he only goes to bring about total destruction as a last-ditch effort.
2 Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy VI)
By contrast, Final Fantasy VI's Kefka has destruction as the name of the game. He manipulates and kills his way to the top with ease, becoming the God of the World of Ruin.
When Kefka plays war games, casualties are just part of the experience. His iconic speech patterns and unique design make him arguably the most iconic villain, and he's certainly one of the smartest on top of that. Kefka's intelligence is just part of who his character is.
1 Solus Zos Galvus/Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV)
Solus zos Galvus, or Emet-Selch, is one of Final Fantasy XIV's many main villains, despite him being the antagonist of Shadowbringers. The Ascians as a whole serve as the villains throughout the game, being the force challenged by the game's strongest warriors.
However, Emet-Selch, the Architect of the Ascians, is easily the smartest of the bunch. He cleverly plays the Scions right into his hands, even helping them along the way. He is a villain that is a tragic figure, not driven by the goals of the other Ascians. He's one of the series's best villains, and also its smartest villain.