yapping about games (again): Why Kuja is my favourite FF9 character

disclaimer: this contains MASSIVE spoilers for FF9 (obviously) so I recommend playing or watching the game first, it's really good!!!!

So, Kuja. I mentioned in my last blog entry about how ffix is underrated, a bit about him, and how he's my favourite, but now I have this ENTIRE blog entry to talk about him. yay!!!!!!!!

Kuja is a one of a kind villain, that i've never really seen before in many games. He is a terrible person, having literally blown up Alexandria, started wars, used mist to make black mages and other stuff (which is super fucked up when you remember that mist is basically the souls of the dead people of Gaia), blown up Terra, manipulated queen Brahne into becoming evil, and betraying and killing queen Brahne. Yet, he's so fun and such an interesting character to watch! Sure, you hate his guts at all of the destruction he's caused but goddammit he's so entertaining. He's so evil, and so smug about it. Like, he's so confident that he won't die, and he really just shows everyone how confident and how he views himself as better than everyone else because of this. 

And at the end of the game, where Garland reveals that Kuja is going to die, he loses it. He destroys all of Terra, because he doesn't want the world to live on without him... and I love that. Not as like I think he's a great guy for doing that, no I know he's terrible, but it's so captivating. Watching a villain not accept that the world will move on without him is so interesting. And my favourite part about this, is how he contrasts as a character to Vivi. 

They both are dealing with similar things; both of them have a set date to die. But what they do with that information is REALLY what sets them apart. Vivi spends his remaining time being with the people he cares about, and travelling with them on their adventure, which Kuja turns that fear into anger, and blows up Terra. Like I said; he doesn't want the world to continue on without him, and honestly... don't bash me for this, but I really think that makes him a better villain than Sephiroth. I know, hot take (I think), but let me have my opinions. 

I just think that compared to Sephiroth, sure I guess he's not as powerful since Sephiroth literally opened up separate timelines and whatnot, but honestly... Kuja is just more entertaining to watch. I'm ony talking about remake + rebirth here, I haven't watched the og (sorry, but I do plan to!), or any other FF games with him in it. So, I probably shouldn't be talking here, but I prefer Kuja over Sephiroth. (That's also not to mention that I do love Sephiroth as a character, and I LOVE his design.) 

Speaking of character design... Kuja!!!!!!! I honestly love his character design, even though he does look like a male stripper lmao. I just really think that fits him and his confident personality. (also, he's hot.)

Now, what really made him my favourite character, was the ending. oh my GOD. I'm crying just thinking about it! The fact that Kuja, this terrible monster who's killed THOUSANDS of people, and hates Zidane because he basically replaced him, and the rest of the team by proxy... and he saved them??? Waiter, waiter! more napkins please, i'm crying my eyes out! He could've EASILY let the team die in the Iifa tree, and escape by himself, but no.. he chose to save the team, his ENEMIES WHO HE TRIED TO KILL MANY TIMES, AND THAT HE ACTIVELY WANTS DEAD, INSTEAD of himself. He didn't even save the team and himself, no, just the team because he knows he can't be redeemed. He doesn't believe he deserves to live, after all he's done. and AAAUHGGGHHHHHHHHH when he dies... man... that is one of the character deaths I'll never forget about. 

What's also interesting to me about him, and what makes me like him so much, is how different he is at the end of the game, compared to the beginning. At the start of the game, he's this egotistical, cocky villain who just seems to want to cause chaos. Like, yeah he's evil, but we don't know much about him, other than he's oddly cryptic and is manipulating Brahne. And later in the game, he's shown to not just be some "cocky egotistical classic villain" but a monster. He kills of THOUSANDS of THOUSANDS of people, destroying so many homes, and killing so many people... he's a true terror, with his true motives not so clear. And at the ending of the game... goddamn, I feel bad. Sure, most people wanted him dead from how terrible he is, and all the destruction he's caused.. but his death just shows he thinks the same. In his last moments, he gives up. Instead of fighting for life, and destroying everything else around him... he lays silently in the collapsing innards of the Iifa tree, awaiting his death. He's accepted that he's going to die, which is something he didn't even think was POSSIBLE for him. And then he does. It's so.. poetic in a way that I will NEVER shut up about. Hot take, but FFIX's ending is better than FFVII's ending (remake and rebirth, I didn't watch the og, sorrryyyy). 

I am never going to get over how great of a villain Kuja is, and he will always be my favourite FF9 character.