FFV: Not Your Average Tree

"He kept going down, but he wouldn't stay down."  

With every game, The Final Fantasy series came up with a villain that is different from the one before it. All of them had specific characteristics which made them memorable. Kuja with his elegant style and poetical lines, Kefka with his crazy clown attitude, Sephiroth with his deep past and mysterious intentions. All of them had a rather similar goal in the end; either to destroy the world, or rule it. How much they succeeded is told in the game, but nobody succeeded as much as Exdeath. The villain from Final Fantasy V. This blog will talk about why Exdeath is one of the best villains of the series, even though he was just your typical "destroy teh wrld" final boss.

Bio

He doesn't care. He likes to crack jokes with
those willing to kill him.

Exdeath was originally......a tree. In the Forest of Moore, this tree was used as a "cage" for corrupted souls that used to haunt the world after sealing the power of the Void. Eventually, the souls that were trapped in this tree became too much, and affected the nature of the tree itself. Then, that tree became a vicious being, and that being is Exdeath.

Exdeath desires the power of the Void. The power to bring things into nothingness. This power was used before by Enuo, and it was beyond dangerous to be given to someone else again, let alone giving it to someone as evil as Exdeath. The heroes of the game go on a mission to stop Exdeath from breaking from his seal (which he breaks from anyway), then stopping him from unlocking the Void (which he succeeds in controlling anyway), then saving the world by defeating him.

What makes Exdeath brilliant?

• Evil.

Exdeath in his tree form.

Exdeath is a no-nonsense creature. He's brutal. He does what he says. There are barely others similar to him in terms of brutality, where he just kills and destroys whenever he desires. That is Evil. You want a villain that gets things right, not just all talk. He's very cocky and arrogant as well, but that led to his downfall. 

Exdeath is merciless. If you're his minion and fail in a mission, you are DEAD. When he saw Gilgamesh using that toy weapon against the Warriors of Light, he dismissed him into the Void, where nothingness awaits him. That is an enemy to be feared.

• Successful. 

A memorable villain is a villain with achievements. Kefka is remembered for leading the world to ruin. Kuja led the world to war and destruction. Exdeath? He did the unspeakable.

1. Even while sealed, he was able to destroy all crystals, which broke his seal and disturbed the life of the world.
2. Destroyed Ghido's island. That was a smart move since Ghido is one dangerous foe to him.
3. Destroyed the four crystals of the second world, and that was by using the Warriors of Light.
4. Killed two legendary Light Warriors Tycoon and Galuf.
5. Killed a party member (I'm repeating the point here because of its significance) in a VERY emotional scene. Yes, this was the first time it ever happened in a Final Fantasy game.
6. Mastered the power of the Void. The most powerful force in the world.
7. Sent multiple towns and places into the void, including important places like Library of the Ancients, Castle Tycoon, et cetera...
8. Engulfed the current Warriors of Light themselves into the depths of the void. He TECHNICALLY killed the main party, but the Old Warriors of Light saved them and brought them back to the battlefield. We shouldn't let evil forces win!

Most of these achievements are massive. Killing a party member, "destroying" parts of the world, and bringing chaos to the two worlds. He was definitely a monster of a villain. Along with Kefka and to an extent, Sephiroth, he was one of the most active foes in their respective games.

• Fearsome.

Every time Exdeath enters the scene, the whole mood changes. There's always something terrible of a very high standard is going to happen. His musical theme sets a tone of terror, horror, and danger. He's either going to kill someone, or destroy something. And most of the time, he succeeds. 

Fine line for a first appearance.

• Genius.

How many times do you see an arrogant, maniacal entity that is intelligent? Exdeath is extremely powerful, but he didn't do everything chaotically like a headless chicken. He used his powers to possess the likes of Tycoon, which in turn, lured the Warriors of Light into believing that Tycoon is sane, effectively controlling the party. He also used the Light Warriors to destroy the four crystals, which gave him full control of the crystals' power and the Void. Taking initiative in destroying Ghido's island using an earthquake created by Exdeath himself is a sign of both his power and awareness. 


Exdeath was the perfect combination of brawn and brain, along with the lack of mercy or feelings, he was the perfect killing machine. Nothing was ever able to stop him, except for the combined effort of all eight Warriors, scholars, and legendary weapons. When he controlled the Void, he was unstoppable, but arrogant. He had multiple chances to kill Bartz and co. but he decided not to, since he saw him as just "rats" that can't ruin his plans. That was Exdeath's mistake that would have come back to haunt him, IF he actually stayed alive. Exdeath is one of the strongest Final Fantasy villains ever, and deserves more spotlights among the biggest names in the series.