Agreed. The series was at its best with this trope with Kefka because he was so unapologetic and straightforward about it.

FTR, I'm fairly sure everything Seymour says about easing suffering is a rationalization that I doubt he himself even believes. Beyond the mask of a Yevon Maester he hates Spira and just wants it to die in a fire. Still I don't think he's pulled off well by the game at all, since all he actually is in the story is "that asshole that gets in the way of our love story".