Quote Originally Posted by Avarice-ness View Post
The fact that he chose to do the experimental magic infusements had his sanity in question WAY before we see him in game.
I agree but we can speculate many things about him. I personally feel Kefka was an asshole before the experiment but that's just me.

There is no reason behind everything kefka did but one thing that gives the glimmer of him actually having a plan is the sole fact that.

1.) He was not a general, he was not some high up there guy, he was the court mage but he was basically treated as if he was the higher ranks.

2.) After you see him complaining in Figaro about having all the jobs in the middle of no where, you start to see him actually having more of a say. Doma, GENERAL Leo is able to give him command. It would normally be completely irrational for a general to give a court mage command UNLESS Kefka was working his way up.

The fact that he basically goes from complaining about being in a stink pit desert and that Ghestal always gave him these jobs to having enough followers to smash up Thamasa and kill Leo shows that at some point he gained alot more power military wise.

He obviously ended up second hand to Ghestal who had been looking for the goddess statues for a very long time. It would be insulting to assume that Kefka didn't know about these statues.

So.. yeah just as the game progresses, it goes from him having not to much power to being the left hand of Ghestal then taking the goddess statues for himself to gain ultimate power.

Sadly since Kefka didn't have a MASS amount of info on his background we can only really go off what is said and done in game.

I think him rising to the top in the empire is more than apparent, seeing as the empire was after power, I could only imagine he was too since he was the only one who managed to take it.

Also, like I said before.

HE -HATES- HUMANITY. It's not stated til the end but even before he gains the ultimate power, when Celes stabs him he sees blood then is SHOCKED to see blood as if he himself were not human and surprised to see this. He never had any empathy towards humans -at all- clearly he killed everyone in Doma for the hell of it. Until the end, you find out it's not really because it was "fun" or "funny" or "for his entertainment" it's because he -hates- humans and everything they have to live for, so there is no reason why he SHOULDN'T kill everyone.
Celes: Power only breeds war... I wish I'd never been born.
Kefka: Ouch!!
Kefka: B... Blood!?
Kefka: You... vicious brat! Grrr... Aargh... I hate hate hate hate hate
hate... hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE YOU!
Grrr...
That's when he snaps and goes to the goddess statues.

And OBVIOUSLY he knows enough about them to know that they absorb other magic, which Ghestal did not know. So due to the fact he knew more about these statues than the person who originally wanted them did, it's only reasonable to say he -wanted- to have their power.
I never had the impression that Kefka was "rising through the ranks" I always felt it was pretty apparent he's the Emperor's right hand man from the get go as he's connected to not only pivotal missions but most of the Empire's "dirty work" that more respectable Imperial generals wouldn't dare touch (Leo and Celes).

I never stated he didn't know about the statues but until the Emperor turned on him, Kefka seemed pretty content to play second fiddle to the Emperor. It wasn't until the Emperor tried to kill him and he accidentally stumbled upon the true nature of the statues did Kefka slay his master and took the opportunity to become a god.

Even with all this, I never said Kefka was a terrible villain just that he really never had a goal outside of spreading suffering and misery to all life. Other villains were trying to achieve some goal, even if it was just trying to become a god. Kefka never really strived to be a god, his only motivation is to cause as much suffering as he possibly could. He didn't work towards being a god like Ex-Death or Sephiroth did nor did he have some compelling personal goal like Kuja, Zemus, Ultemacia, or Vayne. He's just a narcissistic sociopath hell bent on wiping out everything.

I feel these points make Kefka a compelling villain cause he's more honest and pure than other villains. He has no vendetta, no utilitarian motive, he's barely fighting for personal gain. I'm not saying Kefka isn't power hungry or a shrewd tactician, those are the traits that allow him to be a god for nearly a year. Its just that he's pretty much insane and strives to make others suffer cause he considers everything worthless in comparison to himself. At the same time, I don't consider him to have a real motive outside of insanity. The GBA translation paints Kefka as an arrogant sociopath who feels everyone is beneath him and he is truly superior. He never really said he hated humanity, he just thinks he's better than them. In his mind, he was a god before he ever took the power of the statues and destroyed the world. So what if a few people die and suffer. They are worthless compared to him, he thought. No more than livestock waiting to be exploited and culled. He holds this mindset for most of the game until the end of the game where his statements paint him as a nihilist who sees no point in life itself. But this is why he's my favorite villain in the series. He's incredibly simple and complex at the same time.