After having done some spotlights on some of the playable party members of the Final Fantasy series, I thought it was about time we gave some of the more villainous characters a chance to be featured. The first being my own personal favourite baddie…. Ultimecia!
Yes! The SeeD hating, time kompressing, maniacal Sorceress of the Final Fantasy VIII universe!
Ultimecia – A name with many meanings. Firstly, there is the obvious link to “ultimate” which is used as both an adjective and a noun.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oxford English Dictionary
As an adjective:
Being or happening at the end of a process; final: their ultimate aim was to force his resignation
Basic or fundamental: the ultimate constituents of anything that exists are atoms
Physics denoting the maximum possible strength or resistance beyond which an object breaks.
Being the best or most extreme example of its kind: the ultimate accolade
And as a noun:
(The Ultimate) the best achievable or imaginable of its kind: the ultimate in decorative luxury
A final or fundamental fact or principle
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Ultimate also happens to be referenced in the powerful black magic spell: Ultima, which is one of the strongest in the game and is used frequently by Ultimecia. 'Time' also appears in her name - Ultimecia. As a wicked Sorceress with time-related magic it's an obvious clue to her power and perfectly subtle too.
So we can take from this breakdown of her name, that she is both the final act (final boss and destroyer of time) and the 'ultimate' power. With her ultimate power over time - past, present and future.
She definitely isn't the ultimate Sorceress for nothing. In the battle against Ultimecia, she dishes out a whole load of lethal magic upon Squall and his party, including Flare, Meteor, Holy and Ultima. Don't even try to protect yourself with a shell either, she'll dispel it quicker than Zell can wolf down a Hot Dog.
She'll also quite happily draw your magic from you to rip away your junctions and leave you weakened... That's when she'll strike with her 'Hell's Judgement' and reduce the SeeD down to 1HP each... Anyone got a mega-potion? As if that wasn't bad enough, once she starts her Time Compression she'll start using the deadly 'Apocalypse' spell to decimate those wretched SeeD that she so despises!
She has a pretty nasty habit of absorbing ko'd party members into time if they aren't revived quick enough too. She is one formidable opponent and you better be well prepared for her before you go to take her on...
As well as being extremely powerful, she just so happens to be a super hot tamale! She wears a floor length red gown with a train which is very, verrrryyy low cut - barely covering her modesty! But who cares about that when you're the most revered Sorceress of all time? She also has some markings across her body - most notably across her midriff and down her legs. They appear to be tribal inspired and are in a colourful spectrum of blue/purple which fades through to black as they reach her feet.
She also has them on her face and they travel from her hairline to her cheeks and brows. These kind of tattoos feature a lot in Final Fantasy. Seymour Guado and Yunalesca of Final Fantasy X have very similar markings (and also some similar funky hair...)
I wonder what these tattoos mean. I like to think that they are markings caused as a consequence from the magic that she has used. It is also because the magic flows inside of her, like blood. Maybe the markings are where it shows upon her skin and 'leaks' through. Or maybe they're from her rebellious teenage years...
She has some jet black feathered wings which almost touch the floor. And just as Edea did, she has a very fancy looking piece of headgear which resemble some demon-like horns which are made from her... hair! Scary has never been quite so sexy in Final Fantasy.
Nobody knows just how old Ultimecia is. I suppose as a Sorceress of time, she probably doesn't need to worry about it and with all of her power and control over time, she could well have stopped her aging process and be suspended in an infinite age. She could be thousands of years old! Or she could be 30... All we know for sure is that she is from the future.
Her story states that she is a Sorceress seeking compression of all time to destroy the legendary SeeD so as to prevent her own defeat. She wishes to absorb time, space and all existence in order to become a living God and be entirely omnipotent - which would of course, prevent her death and defeat.
A very strange goal, that is both questionable and flawed. Ultimecia and the entire plot of Final Fantasy VIII is something that fans of the series have debated over and picked apart for years. One of the biggest criticisms is how anti-climatic Ultimecia is as the main antagonist of the game. For the first half of the game the party fight Edea, and don't realise that it is Ultimecia until Edea is released from the possession. There is no mention of Ultimecia until quite late in the story.
Using the strongest GF in the world, Griever, Ultimecia is able to become even more powerful by junctioning herself to it. Squall and Griever are linked very closely. Griever is a winged Lion-like creature - Squall's ultimate Gunblade is called Lion Heart: as is his ultimate limit break. He also wears a necklace which features a depiction of Griever. It is made clear that Squall greatly admires Griever.
Ultimecia is able to draw from Squall's thoughts and memories his ideals about Griever. She does this in order to create Griever for herself. The GF embodies the qualities that Squall values; strength, courage and pride. The Griever emblem is worn a lot by Squall. On his pendant, his Gunblade case and also on a ring that Rinoa has made to symbolise their relationship.
The entire Sorceress storyline is very obscure and doesn't always make complete sense. Fans have often commented on the Orphanage backstory, and questioned why such a huge plot detail is thrown into the game so suddenly. They often wonder how the Orphanage children lost their memories of each other, and then why Irvine didn't say anything about it. Of course it is explained by Quistis. She states that memory loss is a consequence of junctioning a GF for periods of time.
"Reflect on your childhood..."
Ultimecia is also considered to be rather foolish. By seeking out Squall and the SeeD, she single handedly manages to create the circumstances for her defeat and allows it to happen. Not a very clever move by the most powerful Sorceress of all time.
The way in which she allows her Time Compression to happen, is by possessing other Sorceress's of the past like Edea, Adel and Rinoa. Now this is when it all gets a little bit too much for my brain to handle. So much possession and time traveling and past, present, future mumbo-jumbo! When possessing Rinoa, she is able to use the power of Junction Machine Ellone to send her mind into the past. Little does she know that Squall and his buddies plan to meet her in her future during her Time Compression spell and stop her. Or something...
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Something that I have always loved about Ultimecia is her choice of home. She lives in a huge castle floating in the sky, held down by these absolutely humongous chains. Kinky. The interiors are even better: delightfully gothic and a massive transition from any other location in the game which only emphasises the different worlds that Squall and co are from in comparison to the world of Ultimecia. I love the clock tower with the leering Gargoyle perched upon it.
The party get to fully explore the castle too. There's an art gallery, a dungeon, a great hallway and a library - and these are just a few of the rooms. Each room has a boss fight and the whole castle is one big puzzle set by Ultimecia to test Squall and his friends.
The entire castle is presented as a living, breathing extension of Ultimecia herself. It takes away all of the parties abilities once they step inside and has some tricks up it's sleeve to shock the party with.
The art gallery comes alive with it's paintings hung up, each with a code word under it - spelling out; "Vividarium et Intervigilum et Viator" which roughly translates to; "In the garden sleeps a messenger." This could reference Balamb Garden and Squall as a messenger.
Another favourite is the theme music "The Castle". It is reminiscent of very old horror movies in which a villain plays a frightful song on an organ made out of the bones of the dead. Playing music which fills the whole castle and blows dust off the furniture, filling you with a sinking feeling of dread.
One of my favourite 'Ultimecia themes' also happens to be one of my favourite pieces of music in the game. It is the often overlooked "Time Compression." Words cannot quite describe how much this song makes my heart sink when I hear it play while I climb the chains towards the castle. It's melancholic, yet strikes fear and nerves right into me.
Like "The Castle" it is a piece of music that is so unusual against every other piece in the game. It has a different tone, style and overall feel to it. When I hear it, I know the game is about to end, and I know it's going to be a very unsure end for these characters I've grown to love over the game.
Ultimecia is a villain who has old-fashioned class by the bucketload. She sometimes reminds me of a Final Fantasy version of Disney's Maleficent as the two have a strikingly similar appearance and are both very evil. She is definitely worthy of the name "Villain" as she has everything a classic villainous witch does!
Ultimecia is revived for Dissidia. She uses fights with her magic to beat her enemies down. She also arms herself with magical swords and axes to do some slicing and dicing! She plots to take over both Chaos and Cosmos to have complete reign over both of the worlds. In Dissidia she is always taunting and conniving towards other characters. She uses this ability to bend people to her will - even if they don't know it.
There have been many fan theories about Ultimecia, the most popular being that Ultimecia is in fact Rinoa. The games creators have responded to this rumour and denied it. But people still argue that it is true.
A good villain should inspire these conspiracy theories and have fans talking long after the game is over. Perhapsin the case of Ultimecia, most of the talking is about how she was a 'let-down' as a villain. Or that she never quite peaked and was never really that good. Final Fantasy VIII is criticised for it's lack of Ultimecia background, but some fans do enjoy the mystery that surrounds her. I know I do.
And that's it for February's Character Spotlight! To end on a good note, let's discuss Ultimecia! Is she one of your favourite villains? Are you one of the Final Fantasy fans who disliked her and the story of VIII? Leave a comment and share your thoughts! As for next months Spotlight, we will be looking at the popular Sky Pirate of Final Fantasy XII.... BALTHIER!
02-21-2013, 02:23 PM
Lone Wolf Leonhart
This spotlight is glorious. I was blown away! This is one of my favorite villains as well.
You really talked about all the points I thought were worth discussing, and on top of that you put up some great fan art as well as official art. The song link was a trip down memory lane as well. Definitely an underrated gem.
You're great with adjectives, especially describing the castle. Despite being a huge fan of this game with a lot of knowledge on it, I felt like I learned something more and got a new perspective on the character and her characteristics.
You really hit the nail on the head with this one! As a writer, I feel like I should aspire to write something as good as this.
02-21-2013, 02:44 PM
LadyJuxtaposition
Now her naming made a lot of sense and completely relates to he as a character and abilites. Very cool name for an awesome villain woman! Great spotlight feature! :D
02-21-2013, 04:38 PM
Formalhaut
I agree with Leonhart, I can only dream of writing this good.
But to Ultimecia. In summary, I feel that she was a great villain who needed expanding on. The best villains are more than one-dimensional. For example, Caius from FFXIII-2 was lovely because you had some empathy with his attempts at saving Yeul. However with Ultimecia, she was just 'evil', with one 'goal'. It's straightforward.
02-21-2013, 06:13 PM
Night Fury
Thanks for the comments guys!
I did really enjoy writing this piece, maybe I should write more on some of the more mysterious characters in FF! :)
02-21-2013, 07:48 PM
Formalhaut
Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyJuxtaposition
Now her naming made a lot of sense and completely relates to he as a character and abilites. Very cool name for an awesome villain woman! Great spotlight feature! :D
I have to agree with this. I never knew her name could have the words 'ultimate' and 'time' in it. Completely looked past that!
02-21-2013, 08:55 PM
Night Fury
Quote:
Originally Posted by Formalhaut
Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyJuxtaposition
Now her naming made a lot of sense and completely relates to he as a character and abilites. Very cool name for an awesome villain woman! Great spotlight feature! :D
I have to agree with this. I never knew her name could have the words 'ultimate' and 'time' in it. Completely looked past that!
I thought I was being really clever with that analysis, then when I browsed the FF wiki... it was already there. Darnit!
02-22-2013, 08:51 AM
maybee
Even though I love and adore FF VIII I never gave Ulti that much respect as a villain, she felt more like a puppet master and I sort of enjoy those villains that have more face-time in front of the heroes like Kuja and Kefka; though I do agree with you with the castle and the song that plays within the castle, it's beautiful.
02-22-2013, 01:27 PM
Karifean
Seeing the disambiguation of her name is kind of strange because the version of FF VIII that I mainly played is the German one, in which her name is "Artemisia". The Japanese Arutemishia is multi-interpretable, though I think Ultimecia is her official name.
Very nicely written article. :D
02-22-2013, 03:36 PM
Night Fury
Quote:
Originally Posted by Karifean
Seeing the disambiguation of her name is kind of strange because the version of FF VIII that I mainly played is the German one, in which her name is "Artemisia". The Japanese Arutemishia is multi-interpretable, though I think Ultimecia is her official name.
Very nicely written article. :D
Well actually, the Artemisia version has links with Artemis of Greek Mythology, the Goddess of the hunt who is depicted as a winged woman holding a leopard and sometimes a lion. I don't see much of how Artemis links with Ultimecia really, but she was worshipped a lot by Women, and was also the Goddess of some womanly things, like virginity and childbirth - And of course in FFVIII Sorceress's were almost exclusively women.
02-25-2013, 11:21 PM
Roogle
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lockharted
And of course in FFVIII Sorceress's were almost exclusively women.
All of the sorceresses in Final Fantasy VIII were women. I think Sorceress Adel was meant to look masculine in a lot of ways, but she was still female. I think the only reference to a male having any kind of sorceress power was in the original legend of Hyne as he was referred to in masculine terms.
02-26-2013, 09:48 AM
Night Fury
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roogle
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lockharted
And of course in FFVIII Sorceress's were almost exclusively women.
All of the sorceresses in Final Fantasy VIII were women. I think Sorceress Adel was meant to look masculine in a lot of ways, but she was still female. I think the only reference to a male having any kind of sorceress power was in the original legend of Hyne as he was referred to in masculine terms.
Yeah that's what I was a bit unsure of, and yes, Adel did look.... erm.... Manly >.>
02-26-2013, 10:34 AM
SophieVIII
I thought this article was extremely well written and thought-provoking. I admit at times, there are parts of the FFVIII story that do confuse me. You have actually made things a little clearer for me so thank you, Lockharted!
