Anyone can attest that a great story is only as good as a great villain. While we've seen our share of great villains over the years and some less than spectacular ones within video games, one thing is for certain: the Final Fantasy series has no problem crafting an enemy that makes the heroes' journey all the more memorable.

With that said, not all villains are created equal and some of the main antagonists in the Final Fantasy series stack up better compared to the others, some becoming fan favorites to others being somewhat forgotten. With this list, we'll rank the main villains in the core Final Fantasy games from worst to best. Keep in mind, we'll be focusing on the villains that were most prevalent in each entry, meaning that we may not particularly be focusing on the actual final boss fight for the game but the villains that were most relevant toward the game's story arc and our heroes.

15 Cloud Of Darkness

Some of the earlier Final Fantasy titles lacked the depth that more modern titles carry as the hardware limitations at the time somewhat hindered great storytelling and weren't as plot oriented as later games. Final Fantasy III's Cloud of Darkness has a fantastic design but is ultimately the most forgettable antagonist in the series. Through most of the game, the wizard Xande appears to be the main antagonist, trying to drain the world's crystals of their power, thus pretty much destroying it. Though mentioned several times, the Warriors of Light only encounter him once, defeating him and revealing that the true villain pulling the strings was the Cloud of Darkness.

Cloud of Darkness was controlling Xande the whole time, manipulating him to make its own desires come to fruition. The problem with the Cloud of Darkness is that there just isn't that much to this evil deity. It simply craves destruction and darkness wanting nothing more than to turn the world into an infinite abyss. Cloud of Darkness isn't necessarily a terrible final boss and it's always an interesting twist to see that there was a secret antagonist pulling the strings, but compared to other villains that have more backstory and a motive, Cloud of Darkness pales in comparison.

14 Shadow Lord

The Shadow Lord is a good lesson in how to make a cool villain, even if they aren't all that particularly interesting. With great art direction and a killer boss theme, Shadow Lord is intimidating even if you're unfamiliar with his backstory or motive in Final Fantasy XI. Even though he falls toward the bottom of our list, he is no stranger to evil as he was the catalyst that sprung the Crystal War into action.

Shadow Lord was actually a fallen Galka warrior in his previous life by the name of Raogrimm. Raogrimm was met with a tragic ending on an expedition, and his bitter spirit manifested itself into a demonic creature who would only come to be known as the Shadow Lord. The Shadow Lord created his own army comprised of Beastmen, rallying against the society that forgot him. Wanting nothing more than to see the destruction of the enlightened society of Vana'diel, Shadow Lord definitely gets some credit for singlehandedly creating his own army but still fails to be a very interesting antagonist. This is likely because of the main character's connection to him as he seems merely like a villain that needs to be squashed rather than a character you really have a personal vendetta against.

13 Emperor Mateus

Possibly starting the beginning of the pretty boy trope we've grown accustomed to in the Final Fantasy series, Emperor Mateus serves as the main antagonist of Final Fantasy II. From the beginning of the game, you know Mateus is the primary villain, as he is the head of the Palamecian Empire. Mateus suffers from a superiority complex and shows it by his lavish wardrobe and makeup while thinking of others as little more than insects compared to himself.

Emperor Mateus is pretty simple as far as villains go. Despite already having power within his own empire, he only craves one thing: more power. He's the textbook definition of your standard tyrannical villain with little substance but plenty of power. His arrogance makes him feel to be the only one fit to rule the world, and he attempts to achieve his goal through devastating means. Mateus has the unique ability of summoning monsters from hell and uses his new army to bring several kingdoms to their knees. Emperor Mateus is definitely evil and a powerful opponent, but in the grand scheme of Final Fantasy II's storyline, he is overall a fairly shallow character.

12 Galenth Dysley

Most of Final Fantasy XIII's villains were fairly forgettable as Lightning and friends interact little with them throughout the story. Even Galenth Dysley appears only a handful of times before our heroes, though his difficult boss fights prove that he is a worthy adversary. Even though he serves as an important political figure for the residents of Cocoon, he is actually a demi-god fal'Cie looking to tear the floating planet apart and may be more commonly known by his fal'Cie name Barthandelus.

Galenth reveals to Lightning and her other l'Cie friends that their focus is for one of them to turn into a beast called Ragnarok, which in turn would destroy the fal'Cie Orphan whose powers kept the planet of Cocoon afloat over Gran Pulse. Galenth is an interesting character as he raises some philosophical questions about people and their role in the universe. Though our heroes fight against Barthandelus and other fal"Cie, they are also being manipulated by them throughout the games plot and are frequently subjected to divine intervention. Although Galenth is an interesting villain in that respect, his personality and character design come off as somewhat vapid, causing this particular villain to fall a bit lower on the list.

11 Exdeath

Exdeath is your classic RPG villain, having little backstory or substance but simply wanting to destroy humanity itself. Following this stereotypical RPG villain trope, there really isn't much to Exdeath in terms of plot, as he's simply a means for our heroes to save the world. Despite that, he is one of the cooler villains that exist to seek out destruction.

Though Exdeath manifests himself as a giant knight, his actual form is a giant tree that has evil souls stored inside of it. Evil souls were banished to the Great Forest of Moore where they were trapped, but eventually they all fused into each other creating the giant tree which would later come to name itself Exdeath. Seeking to destroy the world, he was sealed by the Warriors of Dawn before the events of Final Fantasy V, yet the game's events once again see the crystals under attack, thus breaking the seal. Even though Exdeath's motives aren't terribly interesting, you can't deny that an enemy made up from all of the evil souls in the world is a terrifying idea for a villain.

10 Lahabrea

Though Final Fantasy XIV has several important antagonists, Lahabrea serves to be the main villain over the course of A Realm Reborn's initial release before later expansion packs added to the game's storyline. As leader of the Ascians, Lahabrea serves as a formidable foe with the ability of strong magical attacks and being able to summon monsters at his will. Most importantly, he is able to possess people at will using a Dark Crystal.

Lahabrea's intent was to restore the Ultima Weapon in hopes that it would help him revive the dark deity Zodiark who was worshiped by the Ascians. Though the character isn't given too much depth in the story, his abilities are a huge threat to the residents of Eorzea. He's a cunning individual, having used his ability to possess Thancred, a member or the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Though Thancred's betrayal in the game was surprising at the time, it was still a relief to know that Thancred was simply being manipulated by Lahabrea rather than being a villain himself.

9 Vayne Solidor

Vayne Solidor is a bit different from other Final Fantasy antagonists on this list as he lacks any of the impressive powers that many of the other series' villains carry. Vayne's power comes from being a ruthless politician with the wish of becoming the Dynast-King of Ivalice. Serving earlier in the game as the Consul of Rabanastre, he only became more politically powerful after fearing the Imperial Senate stripping him of his position.

Vayne is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve a higher status, having killed two of his brothers for treason against the Imperial City of Archades. Next in line to claim a superior title, he takes his father's death to his advantage, making himself an autocrat of the people and reclaiming control of the Imperial Senate over his much younger brother, Larsa. While Vayne is more of a behind-the-scenes villain in Final Fantasy XII, his actions directly affect the lives of our Dalmascan heroes as Princess Ashe tries to regain the throne. Even though he lacks brute power, he still becomes a worthy adversary for the final battle as he consumes the power of manufactured nethicite.

8 Garland

Once a respected knight of the Kingdom of Cornelia, Garland fell from grace and grew corrupted, wanting power over the kingdom for himself. At the beginning of the original Final Fantasy, the Warriors of Light enter the Chaos Shrine where Garland his holding Princess Sarah captive. He's quickly defeated before we even get to the opening title for the game and is more of an afterthought from that point forward.

Throughout the rest of the game, the Warriors of Light fight the four crystal fiends who were sent from centuries ago in the past to drain the crystals. The Warriors of Light travel back in time at the end of the game discovering that Garland was the one pulling the strings, having not originally died at the Chaos Shrine as the Four Fiends pulled a dying Garland into the past, creating an infinite time loop. The twist at the end was unexpected; our first defeated foe turned out to be the primary villain of the game.

7 Ultimecia

Ultimecia has a lot going for her, whether it being her abilities in magic or her fierce character design. Being a sorceress with the powers of manipulating time and people, she is one of the more powerful villains on this list. Earlier in Final Fantasy VIII we are led to believe that Edea is the main antagonist, as she manipulates the Galbadian government and President Deiling and rises to power. Later it is revealed that she was being possessed by Ultimecia, who sent her consciousness through time into another sorceress in order to manipulate the events of the present time.

Squall and his companions don't truly encounter her until the end of the game, though she is a looming presence throughout. Her motivation is somewhat vague, other than wanting to gain total power, yet many have theorized that she is an immortal Rinoa trapped in the future, having lost her memory from the use of Squall's Guardian Force, Griever. Though it's a clever theory with substantial evidence to back it up that gives Ultimecia more depth as a villain, this theory has been debunked. Regardless, it is an interesting take on the devious witch.

6 Seymour

Seymour receives the spotlight of Final Fantasy X's main antagonist, despite Tidus's father Jecht and the powerful "God" Yu Yevon taking role as the game's final bosses. Though we must fight Jecht at the end, he is never actually an evil character, just a crappy father, and Yu Yevon has an interesting backstory, but only appearing as a final boss simply makes him uninteresting. Seymour is the villain that remains present throughout the whole game, craving the destruction of society as it is the only way to end the world's suffering.

With the goal of becoming close to Yuna, Seymour wishes to join her on her journey to become the Final Aeon, the only means of defeating the giant flying monster Sin, which wreaks havoc on the world and is resurrected every ten years. Unbeknownst to most, the Final Aeon fuses with Sin and it is Seymour's wish to become part of that destructive life force. Seymour believes that ending one's life is the only way to release them from pain, even killing his own father in the process. Our heroes defeat and kill Seymour, but Yuna is unable to send him to the Farplane, a place where the spirits of the dead are sent, otherwise becoming fiends. After death, Seymour becomes an even more powerful opponent as his true intentions and thirst for blood unravel.

5 Golbez

Golbez may not technically be the main antagonist of Final Fantasy IV, but he is certainly the most prevalent and interesting villain. Much like Emperor Palpatine is the main villain in the Star Wars saga, Golbez is pretty much the Darth Vader of the Final Fantasy series, serving under the rule and manipulation of the Lunarian Zemus, and is later revealed to be the older brother of the game's main protagonist Cecil. Being half Lunarian, Golbez is easily manipulated by Zemus from the moon to flee society after the death of his parents and to do his bidding, stealing the planet's crystals.

Golbez has one of the more interesting story arcs in earlier games of the Final Fantasy series because we don't expect him to have such a tragic backstory along with becoming a sympathetic villain. Even though he is a force to be reckoned with throughout the game as he attempts to regain power toward Zemus and the Lunarians, he is at heart still a good person and one that atones for his crimes toward the end of the game. Despite being a villain under control of an even bigger evil, Golbez's power is unmatched by most of our heroes. Even the hero Tellah sacrificed himself to conjure up the ultimate spell Meteor, giving his life to attack Golbez which ultimately had little effect.

4 Kuja

Kuja is another example of a somewhat sympathetic villain on this list, sharing several similar qualities of other Final Fantasy villains. Kuja was an experimental Genome created in order to take lives away from the planet of Gaia, serving as Garland's "angel of death." Discovering that he was only meant to be a puppet, Kuja becomes resentful toward both Garland and Zidane, hoping to gain further power for himself.

Even though Kuja's actions stem from the bitterness he feels, he ultimately tries to gain the power of the eidolons himself and to destroy the crystal which sustains life on Gaia. What makes Kuja such a fascinating villain is his relation to the main protagonist, Zidane. Both were created for the same purpose yet turned out completely different. While Kuja was aware of the reason of his existence which caused him to become a villain, Zidane lived a completely different life not knowing of his true roots. While Zidane was meant to become a death machine, he instead became one of the most upbeat heroes in the series. In an emotional ending after defeating Kuja, Zidane ultimately tries to save his life, both becoming aware of the kinship between the two of them.

3 Ardyn Izunia

Ardyn Izunia is the most recent villain to grace a Final Fantasy game and is by far the most interesting villain that we've come across in the series over the past decade or so. Ardyn was likeable from the beginning with his polite yet patronizing demeanor while characterized by flamboyant gestures and a unique taste in clothes. Bonus points for the fedora, Ardyn is the most suave Final Fantasy villain to make the ranks.

Ardyn isn't only awesome because of his personality, but when his backstory comes to light, you see that he is not only a great villain, but a tragic hero. Ardyn was a hero of Eos centuries before the primary story of the game as the world was being overwhelmed by daemons. Sacrificing himself by absorbing the daemons, he saved the world, but his selfless act came at a cost. The Gods would not let him into the afterlife due to him being tainted by the daemons and he was also rejected by society itself. He grew bitter toward the Kingdom of Insomnia and the Caelum family. After generations of hatred manifesting, he pursued revenge on the Gods and kingdom that turned their backs on him. Not only is he a great villain, he's one of the few that have actually succeeded in bringing his plans to fruition, bringing the world of Eos into years of darkness.

2 Sephiroth

You really can't talk about the Final Fantasy series or their main antagonists without bringing up the man in black, Sephiroth. Everything about him screams menacing, dressed in all black and his popular weapon of choice, the sword Masamune. Yet Sephiroth isn't just all smoke and mirrors, as he has one of the most interesting stories to date.

Upon discovering the truth about his own existence, learning the truth of him being a modified experiment by his own father Professor Hojo, Sephiroth goes crazy seeking revenge on the planet. Turned into a super soldier with the use of Jenova's cells, an alien life force that once threatened the planet's existence, Sephiroth is a formidable foe. Not only does he make his way to the top of our list by his plans of destroying the planet, but he plays an integral role to many of the characters' pasts. Our protagonist Cloud wanted to join SOLDIER as Sephiroth was his hero at a younger age, only for Sephiroth to go berserk and set his hometown on fire, killing his mother in the process. Tifa's father was also murdered in cold blood in the process and this string of events led to the fate of 1st Class SOLDIER Zack. To take the cake, no one could forgive Sephiroth toward the end of the first act, impaling one of the most beloved Final Fantasy's heroins, Aeris. It was at that point that Sephiroth wasn't just a villain, but one you could love to hate.

1 Kefka

Often times when Final Fantasy villains are compared, it ultimately comes down to either Kefka or Sephiroth as the best villain of the series. Sephiroth often tends to get extra points due to launching the Final Fantasy series into popularity and becoming such a well known villain, but when looking at villains as a whole, Kefka is the most evil of all of them, going through acts so cruel that you absolutely wanted to take him down toward the end of Final Fantasy VI.

Resembling a sociopath clown, Kefka often draws comparisons to the Joker from Batman, both twisted and insane. Working for the Gestahlian Empire, he was one of the first experimental Magitek Knights, leaving him with powers, but the experiment left him with a crippling insanity. He still remained a public representative for the Empire, yet his lack of humanity led him to perform cruel acts toward those around him, ultimately causing him to destroy the world and obtain God-like status. Even though he was one of the first villains to achieve his goal of world domination, his evil actions existed long before his reign. From killing General Leo to poisoning a river which brought a kingdom to its death, Kefka has earned a spot as the best Final Fantasy villain. Whether it is his narcissistic world perspective or his maniacal laugh that makes him such a likeable villain, this is one clown I'm glad to have laid to rest.