FFXIV Villains

[Duelle]

My thoughts exactly. I was always under the impression she was just his subordinate.
Also, she's REALLY off her rocker.

I don't buy Livia being Gaius' daughter. Otherwise his whole "my chambers. 30 minutes." conversation is just....ugh.

Pyramid Head (Silent Hill)

This doesn't fit the OP's post, since PH was the byproduct of James' guilty conscience and was there to punish him, not kill him.

Luca Blight (Suikoden 2)

I won't accept this unless it literally takes a full 24-man raid just to kill him, and even then it would have to be a close call. Challenge Point: he has to have no powers or blessings of any sort. Just sheer skill, willpower and madness, and you have to fight him multiple times over the course of the raid where this boss would be located.

[Vydos]

I'd just like to point out that FFXIV did had one villain that sorta fits the crazy ass villain. But honestly he was a 1.0 villain.

Nael van Darnus.

Legatus who decides to cleanse the lands by dropping Meteor on Eorzea. A clear fanatic. Although admittedly, he only began getting crazy once Bahamut began to influence his thoughts. But Sephiroth as well started as a normal person. Until he found out about his origins and JENOVA.

[Gralna]

There are still a few prospects for a "puppet-master" type of super villain in the FFXIV storyline.

SPOILERS

First is whoever is behind the overthrow of Ul'dah, at first I thought it might of been Taledji or Lolorito, but events in 2.55 showed that it clearly wasn't Teledji and most likely isn't Lolorito either. All we know about their plotting so far is that they desire the Omega weapon buried beneath the Cartenaeu Flats, and that the Sultana dissolving the monetarists hold on Ul'dah would of had a negative influence on their plans.

Another is Iceheart, she is more of an unknown still though. Is she actually another champion of Hydalaen fighting for a just cause, or has she been corrupted by Draconian influence?

Of course either of these plots could just as easily lead to both factions being manipulated by the ascians, but I'm hoping that at least one of them isn't.

[Lemuria]

I don't buy Livia being Gaius' daughter. Otherwise his whole "my chambers. 30 minutes." conversation is just....ugh.

Maybe he just wanted a quiet word... inviting 'family' members to your quarters doesn't mean you're doing the dirty.

[Dalvy]

Pyramid head ? Seriously ? That thing ain't even human !

Well... Technically it is if you've played SH2 all the way through! But PH is not batshit; James is.

[MilesSaintboroguh]

I think crazy characters are better off as a supplement to the main bad guy rather than being THE bad guy. As others have said, a nutter butter of a villain usually has no motivations doing what they do other than "because I can" or using the same logic as trolls do on a forum and that's why some people love insane villians like Kefka and the Joker from the Batman franchise. Cold and calculating villains tend to only show their cards when the time is right and sometimes their reasoning behind their actions can make you at least sympathetic to them or their cause.


Oh and if you wanna see someone crazy who was recent-ish, look at Cid from FF12. That guy is completely off his rocker.

[Vydos]

I personally think that both the crazy type villains and the more tactical villains both have their appeal. I do however miss seeing more of the crazy type villains like Kefka. Unfortunately, these type of villains came from a time, age and era where those villains appeared inmovies and tv shows, to the point that it became a cliché. But right now, I'm starting to crave back for one as well.

Mind you, a crazy type villain, is in my opinion only truely interesting if the story is right. And I usually prefer them in the same vein as how Kefka was in FF6 or Kuja in FF9.

Basically, stories that makes us trick in a false sense of belief that you're fighting the main villain. Until what the person perceived as being another side-character/villain, decides to jump in at unexpected times, to then take things into his own hands.

[Felis]

Nael Van Darnus - Fanatic diviner/religious zealot; becomes possessed by Dalamud/Bahamut and gets boobs (he is probably the closest we have to bat $#!@ crazy villain)

There was not much religous zealot on him. He was a crazy patriot, who was obsessed with his project meteor and wanted to conquer Eorzea with a big Booom (and test his new toy).
Discussion between Nael and Gaius (with fan-dub): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAU9...ailpage#t=1825

[LineageRazor]

I don't buy Livia being Gaius' daughter. Otherwise his whole "my chambers. 30 minutes." conversation is just....ugh.

The impression that I got was both that, yes, Livia is his adopted daughter and, yes, they are lovers, likely at her own urging. It's not clear how old she was when Gaius rescued her, so even if he's legally her father it's not clear that they they ever really regarded one another as father and daughter. A girl's gratitude and loyalty became infatuation and love as she got older. It doesn't have to be squicky.

I did get the vibe, though, that Gaius wasn't as into her as she was into him, but put up with it because he cared for her and knew that it made her happy.

On the topic of cuh-rayzie villians, it IS possible to be a long-term planner AND a lunatic. Sephiroth was one example of that. He was clearly out of his gourd, but his goal (get Meteor Materia, summon Meteor, cleanse the world for Mother) required moving all kinds of pieces around the metaphorical chessboard.

A villain can be crazy without flinging himself at the heroes like a frothing loon at every opportunity.

[CYoung187]

Though a primal may not count. Garuda is pretty bats**t crazy.