The higher the numbers go in Final Fantasy, the more advanced the storytelling gets. Games like the original entry up until the fifth do not have as memorable of stories due to hardware limitation. One could only do so much on the NES and SNES. More specifically, they didn’t have really memorable villains.
Contrary to that, these early games do have some of the most powerful villains if one digs into the lore and analyzes just exactly what they are bringing to the table. More modern games may have better villains but are less powerful. It's a balancing act Square Enix has struggled with for years, but from main entries to spinoffs, it is hard to argue with the results.
Updated June 2, 2021, by Tom Bowen: Over the past three decades, the Final Fantasy series has featured some of the very best storytelling in the JRPG genre. While a lot of this can be attributed to the strength of its heroes, however, the series' antagonists also play a big part. Both through their creative designs and their sinister intentions, some of these villains have really defined the franchise, while also pushing their respective protagonists to their absolute limits. Their strength is often unparalleled, while their actions have made for some some truly unforgettable moments.
10 Necron (Final Fantasy IX)
Through both its name and its appearance, Necron serves as the personification of death. It's capable of destroying life with relative ease and has a strong arsenal of physical and magical attacks with which to do so. Though its physical form can be defeated, its essence will continue to linger on for as long as life itself continues to exist.
After careful observation, Necron concludes that the meaning of life is to seek death and so decides to destroy the crystal of life in order to revert the world to a state of perpetual nothingness and free humanity from its struggles. Unfortunately, however, it fails to take the party's will to live into consideration and they're able to defeat it in battle with a little help from Kuja.
9 Ultima (Final Fantasy Tactics)
Ultima is a godlike entity and is also known as the Angel of Blood. For those who may be wondering, she more than lives up to her menacing title, causing Ramza and the party plenty of problems throughout the events of Final Fantasy Tactics. She doesn't have a body of her own to begin with though, making her a little weaker than some of the series' other villains.
To get around this, Ultima possesses Ramza’s sister, Alma, in an attempt to become whole again. Though not enough to unlock her full power, this does allow her to manifest herself as a large demonic being and an epic battle ensues. Without her true power, however, she's just no match for the party and ends up destroying herself and the Airship Graveyard in a desperate bid to cling to life.
8 The Emperor (Final Fantasy II)
The Emperor began life as just another maniacal ruler of a fantasy land. For a while, ruling the kingdom of Palmecia was enough to quench his thirst for dominance, but he eventually grew dissatisfied with his own physical limitations and began to dream of more. In a move that Lord Voldemort would have been proud of, he eventually found a way to obtain it.
By splitting his soul in two prior to his death, Mateus was able to be resurrected as the ruler of both the heavens and the underworld. Granted, the party is still able to defeat him again at the end of the game, but he should be commended for having found a way to not only survive death but also grow stronger from it.
7 Exdeath (Final Fantasy V)
Beneath Exdeath's iconic blue armor hides a grotesque and maniacal monster whose only aim is to eradicate all existence and replace it with eternal nothingness. He shows no empathy whatsoever, nor is he capable of understanding the concept of love. As far as he's concerned, hatred and anger are the only emotions worth fighting for.
His plot to turn the universe into an empty void ultimately fails, but not before doing some serious damage to the game’s world. One of the most notable casualties is Galuf, who, much like Tellah in the series' previous entry, gives his life in an attempt to bring an end to Exdeath's evil ways. Though he's ultimately unsuccessful, it's perhaps his sacrifice that eventually inspires the party to victory.
6 Cloud Of Darkness (Final Fantasy III)
Though typically depicted as a woman, The Cloud of Darkness is actually more of an androgynous "it." In fact, in subsequent appearances, it even refers to itself as "we" due to the autonomous nature of its two tentacles. Whatever the pronoun though, when combined with its total disregard for human life, its immense power makes it a deadly threat to all existence.
Compared to most other Final Fantasy antagonists, the Cloud of Darkness isn't really a villain in the traditional sense, instead serving as a universal judge of sorts. Its ultimate aim is to flood the world with darkness, effectively replacing all life with absolute nothingness. Were it not for the self-sacrifice of the Warriors of the Dark, it would almost certainly have succeeded too.
5 Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII)
One villain who is definitely female is Ultimecia from Final Fantasy VIII. Her first appearance served as a huge reveal as it showed that the previous witch, Edea, was nothing more than a puppet. In fact, all of the characters in the game were puppets, in some sense, with many of them losing their memories due to Ultimecia's evil and insane plan.
Her ultimate aim was to compress time and space in order to bring balance to the world. Though a little cliche at this point in the series, time, at least, served as a somewhat unique substance with which to do this. Her powers made her a strong villain, but it was her ability to manipulate others so effortlessly that made her a near unstoppable one.
4 Chaos (Final Fantasy I)
By creating an endless loop of death and rebirth, Chaos effectively found a way to make itself immortal. Moreover, the situation made it almost impossible for the Warriors of Light to break the endless cycle of despair, no matter how hard they tried or how strong they became. Though Chaos may never truly defeat them, nor are they able to ever truly defeat it.
Chaos was first formed when Garland fused himself with the Four Fiends, creating a godlike entity that was capable of returning even in defeat. It is arguably the embodiment of chaos too, making the name it takes all the more fitting. Unfortunately for the villain, however, another constant in fiction is light, and the Four Warriors of Light were on hand to save the day.
3 Yu Yevon (Final Fantasy X)
Sin serves as an ever-present threat throughout the events of Final Fantasy X, causing chaos and destruction wherever it appears. Though it can be defeated temporarily with the help of a Final Aeon, it always returns to bring more death; at least until Tidus and Yuna arrive on the scene, anyway. It's only when they break this vicious cycle that the party uncovers the true nature of the monstrous fiend.
Rather than a mindless monster, Sin is revealed to be a shell of sorts for the game's true villain, Yu Yevon. Unlike Chaos, who promises to return but never does (at least not to the knowledge of the heroes in Final Fantasy, anyway), Yu Yevon achieves true immortality for thousands of years before he's eventually brought to justice by the saviors of Spira.
2 Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy VI)
From the moment he's first introduced, Kefka cuts an incredibly intimidating figure and demonstrates levels of ruthlessness that few villains can match. By the midpoint of the game, however, he takes things one step further; manipulating the Warring Triad statues to becomes a godlike monster with unimaginable power.
With his newfound might, he sets about reshaping the planet in his own image, killing much of the population in the process. Though the party members are eventually able to stop him, it takes a herculean effort to do so, not to mention a half-human, half-Esper hybrid with access to magical abilities far beyond those of the average human.
1 Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
Even more so than Chaos or Sin, Sephiroth is a villain who's almost impossible to truly defeat. As of right now, he's returned from death on no less than four separate occasions throughout the Final Fantasy VII Compilation, making him one of the most enduring Final Fantasy antagonists of all time.
He's a skilled swordsman with access to some of the most powerful magic known to man, although it's not until he gets his hands on the black materia that he really becomes a threat. Combine the might of meteor with his strong connection to the lifestream and it's difficult to see how he can ever be truly defeated.