Final Fantasy 14 is the series' second foray into the world of MMORPGs and is currently one of the most popular MMOs out there. The game has had three expansions already, with another on the way, and has gifted fans with a myriad of brilliant storylines and characters over the years.
One of the characters that Final Fantasy 14 introduced us all to was the antagonist Emet-Selch, also known as Solus zos Galvus, who has gone on to become a firm fan-favorite. There is plenty more to this charming villain than first meets the eye, such as these interesting and weird facts you probably never knew about him.
8 Captain Jack Wannabe
Emet-Selch appears in a variety of forms in both the game and official artwork for the game, with his first concept art appearance presenting him as the elderly, bearded emperor of the Garlean Empire. However, he is best known in his younger form, as shown above, using one of the many clones made in his image.
Natsuko Ishikawa designed the character of Emet-Selch and took inspiration for his design from Jack Sparrow from The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. While Emet isn't exactly running around doing strange hand gestures as oddly as Jack, there are some definite character quirks and mannerisms that are reminiscent of Captain Jack.
7 He's More Sarcastic in the English Version
In a recent interview with the Final Fantasy 14 localization team, it was revealed that Emet-Selch has a different personality in the English version, as he is far more sarcastic in the western localization. In the Japanese version, he is more direct when speaking, as sarcasm is used more sparingly in Japan.
It's strange to imagine a less sarcastic Emet, as part of his charm is his snarkiness and sarcasm that he uses to mock others and to convey his general antipathy to everything around him.
6 The Sephiroth Parallel
In the cutscene just before the final dungeon of the Shadowbringers content, Emet-Selch walks through a doorway and into a hallway consumed by flames. This moment parallels the scene from Final Fantasy 7 where Sephiroth does a similar thing in Nibelheim.
In fact, this isn't the first time that Final Fantasy 14 has paid tribute to this scene from earlier in the series, as in the original 2010 version of Final Fantasy 14, Nael van Darnus also recreated this moment in Castrum Novum.
5 His True Name
Players know Emet-Selch by a few different names, but his true name is Hades, which is revealed at the climax of the Shadowbringers storyline when players must face him in battle. However, there are a few allusions that hint at his true name before it is revealed.
Firstly, there is his command over life and death; he is able to bring Y'shtola back from the lifestream, effectively bringing her back to life, and he later channels the spirits of various deceased Ascians during battle. Secondly, when he invites the players to witness the end of Amaurot in dungeon form, the doorway to the dungeon is wreathed in flame, reminiscent of the idea of the Gates of Hell. Furthermore, the final boss at the end of this dungeon is Therion, one of the beasts mentioned in the Book of Revelation that is associated with hell.
4 Almost Ardyn
When the character of Emet-Selch was being designed, there was a notable resemblance to Ardyn Izunia from Final Fantasy 15 and the team had to work on this to make the two more distinguishable from one another and avoid overlapping.
While their physical appearance isn't similar, their eccentric personas are very alike and they both had a deep desire to save their people no matter the cost, though Ardyn's ambitions later became twisted due to the Starscourge. Ardyn is arguably the crueler villain of the two, as at least Emet had noble intentions behind his actions.
3 He's Built Multiple Empires
It is revealed during the main storyline that Emet-Selch founded the Garlean Empire as Solus zos Galvus, and that he also had a hand in the creation of the Allagan Empire too during the Source's Third Astral Age. This is revealed when he tells the Crystal Exarch that the Crystal Tower was "shaped by my hands".
In fact, Elidibus comments at one point during the storyline that Emet-Selch has created "many" great empires across the worlds. This could mean that players may find themselves visiting other locations in future expansions or content that Emet helped to create.
2 The Final Fantasy 12 Connection
Emet-Selch is not the first of his name as far as the Final Fantasy series goes. In fact, the name is referenced in Final Fantasy 12 in the Clan Primer bio for the Esper Zalera, which states that Zalera was "Created in opposition to Emet-Selch, Angel of Truth".
Additionally, Emet's Ascian glyph appears to be an inverted version of Zalera's glyph, further tying the two games together. Zalera's bio also states that the esper was originally "tasked with the judging of men upon their deaths", in a similar role to how we would traditionally think of the Greek god Hades, as some kind of guardian/judge of the spirits of the underworld. As Emet-Selch's true name is Hades, there are multiple parallels between Emet and Zalera.
1 Casting Aside Titles
As previously mentioned, Emet-Selch is the boss of The Dying Gasp trial, the final fight of the Shadowbringers expansion storyline. Interestingly, Emet-Selch says to the Warrior of Light beforehand that they should both cast aside their titles and reveal their true selves to one another.
While this might seem as inconsequential as any other line, the most interesting thing about this is that when the fight begins with Hades, the boss has no subtitle. In fact, it is the only boss in the Shadowbringers' expansion to not have one, emphasizing Emet's wish to discard their titles.