The Villain is NOT actually the Villain - Final Fantasy 9
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- čas přidán 3. 07. 2024
- Video essay regarding one of the greatest JRPG villains of all time.
Kuja may seem evil at his core, but is he truly the villain of FF9?
Music used:
Melodies of Life (instrumental)- FF9
Terra -FF9
Ipsen’s castle - FF9
Kuja’s Theme - FF9
Song of Memories/Garnet’s Song - FF9
Thumbnail Kuja art is by FF9 Character designer Toshiyuki Itahana - Hry
I appreciate it. Nice parallels you have drawn here.
He’s back after 5 months 🙌
damn good content bruddah, melodies of life it is.
so true. Kuja is NOT the villain... Necron is!
@@sandermez3856 Gaarland is the bad guy!
RAHHHH I LOVE FINAL FANTASY 9
not a terrible video but you completely misunderstand existentialism and nihilism
Existentialism is NOT the existence of meaning, but rather, the understanding that there is no inherent meaning in life but that we have to make our own meaning. FF9 is existentialist because it shows that 1) life has no inherent meaning but 2) we can make our own meaning and serve it (which is what Vivi goes through, understanding his life is finite and has no meaning, but finding meaning in helping his friends)
In the opposite, Nihilism *also* believes that there is no inherent meaning in life, *but* it doesn't propose to individuals to make their own meanings, rather, it's a pessimistic view of the world, in which the absence of meaning means also the absence of morality.
If Vivi's story is existentialist, Kuja is a nihilist: he realizes his life has no meaning and is finite, and his only answer is to destroy the world because if life has no meaning then there is no reason for life to exist. Typical nihilist viewpoint.
To be noted that there is another philosphical viewpoint that also embraces the realization of the absence of inherent meaning in life, which is absurdism. Absurdism agrees that life has no inherent meaning, and does not push people in creating their own meaning (unlike existentialism), but rather to embrace the absurdity (or meaninglessness) of life with joy, simply spinning nihilism on its head. I'm not sure whether or not there is a character in FF9 that has an absurdist approach to meaning (it's been more than 15 years since I played it)
@@richneuro6121 I see what you’re getting at here. If existentialism is understanding that there is no meaning, but then understanding you can give yourself purpose, doesn’t that also tie back to Kuja?
I drew similarities between both Kuja and Vivi. It is true that my original statement of Kuja’s existentialism is incorrect. Nihilism does seem to describe him much better. However, I don’t think I completely missed the mark.
Others may see him as an existentialist, as he was driven mad during to Garland and the world rejecting him. After all the madness was over though, he fulfilled a new purpose by saving his brother from the Iifa tree’s collapse.
Furthermore, at the end of the game, one particular Genome claims that Kuja’s actions, as heinous as they were, impacted the lives of thousands. You can say that the genome lives were absurdists, as they were created to pace back and forth for their whole lives. Genomes had no purpose in life, they were born to die and be replaced by Terrans. They didn’t embrace a Nihilistic view point, but didn’t find purpose in life either. Kuja’s actions gave them purpose, and gave them existentialism. At the end of the game the genome claimed that Kuja will live in their hearts as he gave their lives purpose. I believe Kuja had that hint of existentialism at the end of the game.
Thanks for your explanation
Honestly, that Last statement about Absurdism and, there being No Characters to represent it….
I Can Think of a Few Individuals who Fit that Absurdist Viewpoint. And That’s Mainly Zidane, Steiner, Freya, Eiko and Quina.
These characters don’t focus on Nihilism. Though Zidane also comes to have an Existential Crisis during the final parts of Disc 3, he remembers who “He” himself is and throughout the game had been a representative of both Existentialism and Absurdism in some form or another.
And the rest of the characters I mention do represent Absurdism, but in their own little ways! Steiner’s main focus is to represent the Best of Alexandria and to continually protect the Royal family, often bending himself in pretzels to justify his logic, which is Absurd.
Freya is his Mirror opposite, they respect one another due to the fact that they desire to protect those under their charge, but Freya is more focused and free-thinking, not beholden to singleminded duty.
Eiko and Quina are alike to some degree. Their Curiosity about the World at Large drives them to embrace the more Outlandish side of life, With Quina desiring to learn more about food. While Eiko is seeking Zidane’s affection, only to be heartbroken in one moment, and quickly pivot her focus to learning more about what it means to love, in another.
Each of these characters rationalize their own meaning in the world, but as a way of giving themselves something to do rather than forcing a belief or struggling to discover an answer that gives them that sense of fulfillment.
this is pretty epic so keep up the hard work king 🦾