Current Events > Why is kefka so beloved? Spoilers

(+) Yeah! (+)

Guy comes across as a rip off of the joker.

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@Veggeta_X

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Even a rip-off Joker has more depth than most JRPG antagonists.

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Rip off of which Joker though?

I dont remember The Joker being as over the top in the 90s movies as he is now.

Maybe the Hamill Joker? The laugh is there, but maybe Im missing something.

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He has a menacing three stooges laugh

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He's a good villain, one of the series' best. To be honest I don't really hold any Final Fantasy villain in that high regard.

electricbugs2 posted...

Rip off of which Joker though?

Emperor Joker.
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Ok: Sephiroth: Whats his personality? What the fuck does he do?

Ive beat ffvii a few times and i forget his personality and feats all the time.

Kefka was a crazy asshole that fucked shit up throughout the game.

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Lairen posted...

Ok: Sephiroth: Whats his personality? What the fuck does he do?

Ive beat ffvii a few times and i forget his personality and feats all the time.

I seriously doubt you've beaten FFVII "a few times" and not know what Sephiroth was about.

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Joker wannabe.

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WaterLink posted...

I seriously doubt you've beaten FFVII "a few times" and not know what Sephiroth was about.

Every conversation he rarely emotes or converses. He just kind of mutters his goal. Like even final boss conversation is very bland. Sephiroth shows little personality and does little the whole game.

I doubt youve played ffvii if you disagree.

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Sephiroth's only real characterization for the whole game is in the flashback scene. + Extra if you've played Crisis Core.

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most stories are about preventing the bad guy from destroying the world
kefka's story is about what happened after he already did

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because he isn't a boring cliche unlike the majority of rpg villains

Lairen posted...

WaterLink posted...

I seriously doubt you've beaten FFVII "a few times" and not know what Sephiroth was about.

Every conversation he rarely emotes or converses. He just kind of mutters his goal. Like even final boss conversation is very bland. Sephiroth shows little personality and does little the whole game.

I doubt youve played ffvii if you disagree.

Do you not remember Nibelheim? And technically Sephiroth himself isn't until the final boss, it's been Jenova cell clones that he's been influencing the whole game. His backstory and motives are gradually revealed throughout the game. If you've beaten it once, I can understand confusion. But beating it "a few times" I have a hard time believing you fully grasped the story
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WaterLink posted...

Do you not remember Nibelheim? And technically Sephiroth himself isn't until the final boss, it's been Jenova cell clones that he's been influencing the whole game. His backstory and motives are gradually revealed throughout the game. If you've beaten it once, I can understand confusion. But beating it "a few times" I have a hard time believing you fully grasped the story

Why not? Its not exactly a well written story.

He has a personality. Even recent jrpgs stumble on giving villains personality as well as goals.
He goes from stooge to main villain. Throughout WoB he's more like a mid-boss while Emperor Gestahl is portrayed as the big bad and the switch feels great. FFXIII spoilers: Imagine if Cid Raines overcame his focus and succeeded in overthrowing the fal'Cie and Barthandelus, then became the antagonist as he himself tried to merge Pulse and Cocoon. Imagine if they gave him some character as well. FFIV spoilers: Likewise, Golbez is a far more compelling villain than Zemus and the switch is really kind of disappointing, albeit understandable. FF has quite a few "mid-boss" stooges who are ultimately far more interesting and compelling than the main villain. When they manage to make both compelling, like FFVI, FFV, and FFT, the whole game benefits. Kefka is just the most obvious example of that.
The clown is a fun trope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c6EkWp79co

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Alexis_Heartly posted...

Why not? Its not exactly a well written story.

Story is written well enough, translation leaves a lot to be desired I fully admit. Which is why I said if you've only beaten it once I can understand. But if you've beaten it multiple times, well things should be more clear on subsequent playthrough.

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Godnorgosh posted...

Kefka was Joker in a genre where super-serious tryhards were the norm. On top of that, he succeeded in (at least temporarily) destroying the world and very nearly ended human life. Most RPG big bads could only dream of what Kefka managed to accomplish before his defeat.

Pretty much all of this, plus Dancing Mad is an epic boss theme. Plus, as others have said, he went from underling/mini-boss to the big bad, a plot twist that was fairly unique at the time.

Godnorgosh posted...

Kefka was Joker in a genre where super-serious tryhards were the norm. On top of that, he succeeded in (at least temporarily) destroying the world and very nearly ended human life. Most RPG big bads could only dream of what Kefka managed to accomplish before his defeat.

pfh1001 posted...

Pretty much all of this, plus Dancing Mad is an epic boss theme. Plus, as others have said, he went from underling/mini-boss to the big bad, a plot twist that was fairly unique at the time.

These. Kefka is objectively the best FF villain.

crazy guy laugh n kill haha crazy guy funny kill haha

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WaterLink posted...

Do you not remember Nibelheim? And technically Sephiroth himself isn't until the final boss, it's been Jenova cell clones that he's been influencing the whole game. His backstory and motives are gradually revealed throughout the game. If you've beaten it once, I can understand confusion. But beating it "a few times" I have a hard time believing you fully grasped the story

You didnt list any personality trait at all. In that flashback he says few throwaway basic conversations. He gets mildly upset and reads a ton of books, burns the place down and walks off.

Whats his personality!? Basic conversation isnt a personality.

His conversations are boring af too here one that i forgrt every time i play the game because its so boring...

http://www.finalfantasyquotes.com/ff7/script/Realization


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Lairen posted...

Whats his personality!? Basic conversation isnt a personality.

He believes he's a descendent of the Cetra and he wants to take the planet back for what he believes is his ancestry. He turns his back on those that raised and trained him after learning of how he was created.

I mean what do you want here? Do you think he'd be a better villain if he threw out cheesy one liners or something? What do you mean by "personality"? He feels betrayed and lied to and finds out (mistakenly) his ancestry and chooses to go forward to uphold what he thinks his lineage is.

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Lairen posted...

You didnt list any personality trait at all. In that flashback he says few throwaway basic conversations. He gets mildly upset and reads a ton of books, burns the place down and walks off.

Whats his personality!? Basic conversation isnt a personality.

His conversations are boring af too here one that i forgrt every time i play the game because its so boring...

http://www.finalfantasyquotes.com/ff7/script/Realization

Sounds like your criticism is "dialogue" more than personality or motives. Which is valid, the original game did kind of have a crappy translation. The way the character was written though, and his motives and personality, as well as the "mystique" behind him was perfectly fine imo. I liked the mystery behind him that unraveled as the game went on up to the final confrontation.

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Sephiroth: "Let me just plainly explain my motives and agenda. Im am cetra. Jenovas mother. Ill hit the planet with meteor. Out of my way."

One liners would help.

As if they wrote Kefka: "I am a crazy court jester. Magic experiments made me crazy. I am going to become a magic god and destroy the world. Out of my way."

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Lairen posted...

You didnt list any personality trait at all. In that flashback he says few throwaway basic conversations. He gets mildly upset and reads a ton of books, burns the place down and walks off.

Whats his personality!? Basic conversation isnt a personality.

His conversations are boring af too here one that i forgrt every time i play the game because its so boring...

http://www.finalfantasyquotes.com/ff7/script/Realization

Hey now, being a total momma's boy is technically a personality.

Not a very interesting or fun one, but a personality all the same.
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Lairen posted...

Sephiroth: "Let me just plainly explain my motives and agenda. Im am cetra. Jenovas mother. Ill hit the planet with meteor. Out of my way."

One liners would help.

Maybe you should read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" if you want that level of simplicity in a character.

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I mean lets be real here, it'd be a daunting task for JRPG's to meet compelling villain quotas. FF villains are usually serviceable, very, very rarely memorable as personalities/people. >.>

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And kefkas on a 16 bit game. He laughs and jumps up and down and is plenty corny while being evil. Its personality.

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Lairen posted...

And kefkas on a 16 bit game. He laughs and jumps up and down and is plenty corny while being evil. Its personality.

Sounds like you like Kefka because he's more goofy/insane. Just because Seph is more cold/calculated doesn't mean he has less personality.

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WaterLink posted...

Sounds like you like Kefka because he's more goofy/insane. Just because Seph is more cold/calculated doesn't mean he has less personality.

No, he's right. Kefka actually has characterization and conveys emotion. Sephiroth just stands there reading his lines.

Before you ask which is better, Kefka or Sephoroth think this, which one got into Smash Bros?
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TheOtherMike posted...

Kefka actually has characterization and conveys emotion

Umm what? All he is-is another insane bad guy. please do explain what you are saying.

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Veggeta X posted...

Umm what?

What?

Lairen posted...

Its personality.

Now that's a new one coming from you.

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TheOtherMike posted...

What?

All he is-is another insane bad guy. please do explain what you are saying.

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TheOtherMike posted...

No, he's right. Kefka actually has characterization and conveys emotion. Sephiroth just stands there reading his lines.

Example? It's because he has an animated laugh that the writers spammed isn't it?

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Veggeta X posted...

All he is-is another insane bad guy

False.

Godnorgosh posted...

On top of that, he succeeded in (at least temporarily) destroying the world and very nearly ended human life. Most RPG big bads could only dream of what Kefka managed to accomplish before his defeat.

I mean how he got there matters. Context matters. It's clear to Kefka fans that the journey to how he became God of Magic doesn't matter, only that he got there.

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TheOtherMike posted...

False.

Well I guess if you say so then it must be true.

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Sephiroth has a personality, but it's nothing particularly special. He doesn't feel compelling outside of his overall design and imposing nature, which is the main source of his popularity. Kefka is very basic, but that works to his advantage. He's very pure in his evilness, which is one of the hallmarks of beloved characters like the Far Cry 2 dude.

WaterLink posted...

Example? It's because he has an animated laugh that the writers spammed isn't it?

Literally every scene he's in, from "ahem, I have sand on my boots" to "you all sound like chapters from a self-help book."

The end is beyond chaos!

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Lairen posted...

Kefka was a crazy asshole that fucked shit up throughout the game.

Welcome to every villain in the world.

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Veggeta X posted...

Well I guess if you say so then it must be true.

You have that backwards. It isn't true because I say so, I say so because it's true.

TheOtherMike posted...

You have that backwards. It isn't true because I say so, I say so because it's true.

False

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Kefka manage to destroy the world and came close ending humanity. Sephiroth came close to destroying the world but didn't leave the world in ruins that Kefka manage to do.

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Veggeta X posted...

False

Keep being wrong.

TheOtherMike posted...

Literally every scene he's in, from "ahem, I have sand on my boots" to "you all sound like chapters from a self-help book."

And Seph has "Out of my way, I'm going see my mother"

Way less nonsense, more of a matter of fact "I'm going to do what I believe in, stop me if you can" type of villain, as well as a reason behind it, because he was an experimental being by Hojo. Compared to just insanity and thirst for power like Kefka.

Both can be effective, but just because you prefer one type to the other doesn't mean the other is less valid or less of a personality. Seph didn't need to be a clown to be a menacing villain.

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