Do you consider Garland Evil?

[Wolf Kanno]

Here we have a being who was given immortality to watch over and keep his people's existence alive until the end of time and while he does some pretty heinous things in the games plot, he's kind of so logical about the whole thing that it is hard to really hate the guy, I mean he's basically a machine just doing his job, can you really blame him for doing what he was created for?

[Quindiana Jones]

He is effectively a bad guy because we, as the players, support the characters we're playing. But, personally, I consider him as basically another good guy whose good guy mission is at odds with our good guy mission. The maintenance and rebirth of an entire civilisation is pretty darned noble.

[magemasher]

I think he is less evil with each time I play the game. After all he does help us a little on disc 4 in Memoria.

[Loony BoB]

Isn't he just trying to establish his own immortality? I can't recall too much about the finer details, to be honest. My searches don't give me much information on him having a noble cause.

[Christmas]

Isn't he just trying to establish his own immortality? I can't recall too much about the finer details, to be honest. My searches don't give me much information on him having a noble cause.

No he isn't. What I remember of Garland is basically what WK mentioned.

The thing about Garland is that he is so lifelike that people have forgotten that it's a machine. :bigsmile:

[Pumpkin]

I don't really like him because he comes off as kind of rude, but I don't think he was really evil, no

[Loony BoB]

Oh, God, I thought this was in the FFI forum. Ahahahaha. xD

[Pumpkin]

Oh, God, I thought this was in the FFI forum. Ahahahaha. xD

I did too at first. I was thinking "Yeah, I'd say so"

[Sefie1999AD]

The thing about FFIX's villains is that none of them is really purely evil, as they all have some sort of redemption or heel-to-face turn during the game. This applies to Beatrix, Brahne, Garland and Kuja. That's why I think the game needed Necron as the final boss. He probably can't be called evil, either, as he's more like a force of nature rather than a person, but this way, you get to fight a foe that can't be redeemed. It's also symbolic for the game's main message, which is about finding yourself and your purpose in life, and the final battle has your party members fighting a force of nature that wants to end all life (i.e. death). Plus a reference to FFI, FFIII, FFIV and FFV. :D Anyway, Garland may have a noble cause, to restore a lost civilization, but he uses questionable methods for it, such as robbing Genomes of their soul and free will, and attacking Gaia so that the planet could be assimilated. Eventually, though, he returns to help Zidane and others to stop Kuja from ending all life.

[Neptunia]

I dont think I ever formed a opinion of garland being good or evil. He's just a machine doing what he needs to complete his mission.

[Depression Moon]

I don't think spoilers are necessary here given the topic, but to Sephy999 I think I could consider Zorn and Thorn to be pure evil and I can't make any excuses for Kuja. What Genome souls did Garland rob? Are you referring to Kuja, Zidane, and Mikoto? Kuja and Mikoto I could see and Zidane would've been there too if Kuja didn't get jealous and kicked him down onto Gaia.

Was Garland a Genome that was appointed by someone to become the protector of his planet's civilization? I agree he went about it in wrong ways. I know you want to revive your people from extinction, but at the same time he practically made the summoner race extinct with only two survivors and when the process was going to be complete Gaia's entire population was going to become extinct.

[black orb]

>>> Evil? I didnt even consider Garland as a villain..:luca:

[Sefie1999AD]

I don't think spoilers are necessary here given the topic, but to Sephy999 I think I could consider Zorn and Thorn to be pure evil and I can't make any excuses for Kuja. What Genome souls did Garland rob? Are you referring to Kuja, Zidane, and Mikoto? Kuja and Mikoto I could see and Zidane would've been there too if Kuja didn't get jealous and kicked him down onto Gaia.

Oh, I forgot about Zorn and Thorn! Then again, they're more like side villains rather than major villains, and I thought they were more for comic relief. As for Kuja, he saved the party after the final battle, which is what I meant when I said he redeemed himself. I'm referring to Genomes being nothing but soulless vessels whose bodies Garland meant to become possessed by the Terrans when they are revived. Garland tried to rob Zidane's soul and make him another soulless Genome, but the other party members came to talk Zidane out of it.