The Role of Necron (Spoilers Abound; Read At Your Own Risk)

[Squall of SeeD]

I used to believe that Necron was possibly the ferryman of Death, the same as the Crystal is the origin of Life, but I've since come to believe that he may be the central function of the Iifa Tree, the mechanism that interferes with the Cycle of Souls.

Recall that there's a ring spinning around Necron's torso when he is fought: Linkage.

There's a very similar ring spinning around the Crystal during the final battle with Kuja: Linkage again.
And again.

Also, some of what Necron says isn't a far cry from some of what Garland says:

(Garland in Pandemonium.)

Garland
"There's the observatory... You told me you'd become my angel of death..."
"But think for a moment... Isn't life death itself? It must kill other life-forms to survive..."
"Sometimes it even kills those with whom is shares blood..."
"To live is to give life meaning, yet one must take others' lives to survive..."
"A mature civilization becomes aware of this paradox..."
"Terra's souls will sleep until they forget such nonsense. They will begin a new life in a new dimension."
"It's a world in which life and death become one..."
"That is the dimension in which we are meant to live, as beings that transcend life and death!"
"Zidane... I'll ask you one more time. Who are you!?"

(Necron and Zidane at the Hill of Despair.)

"...Now, the theory is undeniable."
"Kuja's action proves it. All things live to perish."
"At last, life has uncovered this truth. Now, it is time to end this world."

Zidane
"Wh-What do you mean by that!?"

"I exist for one purpose..."
"To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life."
"In a world of nothing, fear does not exist. This is the world that all life desires."

Zidane
"Who the hell do you think you are!?"
"You're not ending anything! Never, not as long as we have the will to live!"

"Foolish creature..."
"Your fears have already deluded you."
"One day, you will choose destruction over existence, as Kuja did."
"When he sought to destroy the crystal, the purpose of life ended."
"Now, come... Enter the zero world that you desire."

Here's something else possibly worthy of note:

Zidane
"What is this?"

Garland
"Think of it as an observatory. A place to measure the radiance of Gaia and Terra."

Zidane
"What are you talking about? And what is this weird light?"

Garland
"That is the center of the planet. The end and the beginning of the cycle of souls."
"The light remains Gaia's, for now, but when the blue changes to crimson, all will belong to Terra, and its restoration will be complete."
"That is why I wrapped up the light in the Iifa Tree, to prevent the cycle of the judgement of souls on Gaia from inside the planet."
"Such is the Iifa Tree's true purpose, its true form. All you saw was its material form."
"The flow of Gaia's souls cannot be changed simply by stopping the disposal of Mist."

Garland first says that when the light of Gaia (blue) became red, Gaia's assimilation by Terra would be complete. Necron is blue, but while casting certain Spells, turns red.


Now, this theory does bring up some questions: If Necron was the core function of the Iifa Tree, this may mean that when Kuja blasted Zidane and the others with Ultima, they died, and Necron then arrived to dismiss their souls as he had done with the souls of all others who had died. Them being dead would provide an explanation for why the location where Zidane awakens after the battle with Kuja is called the "Hill of Despair" (the area being different from the area where Kuja was fought), why we hear the sounds of agonized souls, and why four party members are able to transfer their strength into the other four party members to carry the fight against Necron.

However, it leaves us with a massive gap in explanation as to how Zidane and the others came back to life, as when Kuja teleports them away from Necron, he would be teleporting their souls. Granted, Kuja may have had the power to reach out and touch souls with his Magicks, as he had absorbed many souls from the Invincible. That still leaves the question of how the party's bodies were repaired and appeared with their souls returned outside of the Iifa Tree. As to why that happened, I don't know. Perhaps Kuja teleported their bodies and souls simultaneously and set them to appear in the same location, with their bodies healed. In any event, that's a plothole, and the most simple explanation offered by the game as to Necron's purpose and why the Iifa Tree died is that Necron was none other than the core function of the Tree.


If anyone can spot any holes in this, or has anything to add, please let me know.


Edit: After a brief discussion in this Thread and analyzing my evidence, I have edited my above explanation into a more coherent and essay-like form:

I believe Necron, the final opponent fought in Final Fantasy IX, is the central function of the Iifa Tree, the mechanism that interefered with the Cycle of Souls.

For evidence of this, we must first look to Garland's observations and conclusions concerning life:

(In Pandemonium on Terra.)

"But think for a moment... Isn't life death itself? It must kill other life-forms to survive..."
"Sometimes it even kills those with whom is shares blood..."
"To live is to give life meaning, yet one must take others' lives to survive..."
"A mature civilization becomes aware of this paradox..."
"Terra's souls will sleep until they forget such nonsense. They will begin a new life in a new dimension."
"It's a world in which life and death become one..."
"That is the dimension in which we are meant to live, as beings that transcend life and death!"

We find very similar conclusions stated by Necron:

(Above the Hill of Despair.)

"All life bears death from birth."
"Life fears death, but lives only to die."
"It starts with anxiety."
"Anxiety becomes fear."
"Fear leads to anger... anger leads to hate... hate leads to suffering..."
"The only cure for this fear is total destruction."

"...Now, the theory is undeniable."
"Kuja's action proves it. All things live to perish."
"At last, life has uncovered this truth. Now, it is time to end this world."

...

"I exist for one purpose..."
"To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life."
"In a world of nothing, fear does not exist. This is the world that all life desires."

Something else to consider is that Garland states that the Iifa Tree's true form was not the Tree itself, that being only its material form:

Garland
"We must sort the souls."
"I want to disrupt Gaia's cycle and drain its souls, filling the void with the souls of Terra."
"To speed the cycle of souls is to speed the work as a whole. Thus, war..."
"And in time... Gaia's souls are gone, and Gaia becomes Terra."

Garland
"You saw it with your own eyes. You saw the Iifa Tree and the Mist it emits."
"The role of the Iifa Tree is that of Soul Divider. The Mist you see comprises the stagnant souls of Gaia..."

Zidane
"Oh yeah? But we stopped the Mist! So much for that!"

Garland
"All you saw was the back of the tree..."
"Even now, the Iifa Tree blocks the flow of Gaia's souls, while it lets those of Terra flow freely."
"Come and see for yourself. See the true form of this planet."

Zidane
"What is this?"

Garland
"Think of it as an observatory. A place to measure the radiance of Gaia and Terra."

Zidane
"What are you talking about? And what is this weird light?"

Garland
"That is the center of the planet. The end and the beginning of the cycle of souls."
"The light remains Gaia's, for now, but when the blue changes to crimson, all will belong to Terra, and its restoration will be complete."
"That is why I wrapped up the light in the Iifa Tree, to prevent the cycle of the judgement of souls on Gaia from inside the planet."
"Such is the Iifa Tree's true purpose, its true form. All you saw was its material form."
"The flow of Gaia's souls cannot be changed simply by stopping the disposal of Mist."

(Bolded for emphasis.)

This would mean that the mechanism which interrupts the Cycle of Souls was something not on the physical plane. With this in mind, recall that when Kuja is defeated, he says that if he is going to die, he isn't going alone, meaning he intended to kill Zidane and the others with his final attack. He then proceeds to blast them with an Ultima Spell, their bodies disappearing after the blast hits them. Now keep in mind further that after the screen fades out, when it fades back in, we find Zidane and the others laying in an area that isn't the area where Kuja was fought, and which is called the "Hill of Despair" according to the Menu Screen. In addition to this, the moans of tormented souls can be heard in the background.

In other words, the implication is that when Zidane and the others were hit by Kuja's Spell, they were killed, and then came face-to-face with the Iifa Tree's true form on the spirtual plane, it attempting to dismiss them from Gaia as it had done to all the souls up to this point, as was the purpose Garland said the Tree had been given.

Also consider that after the defeat of Necron, Memoria explodes and the Iifa Tree goes into a spasm, flailing its vines and roots about, then dying soon after. We can be certain that the Tree died, as Mikoto can be seen briefly during the ending walking across a vine of the Tree, with it looking withered and dead, no longer violent and thrashing. For that matter, had the Tree not been undone, we would be left to wonder why Gaia's assimilation by Terra was never completed, seeing as how Kuja said that the assimilation was nigh at hand before the final battle with him.

Necron being the core mechanism of the Tree would account for the Tree's demise, whereas Necron not being so would leave us to question why the Tree died for seemingly no reason, first going into violent spasms immediately after Necron was defeated, then being dead shortly thereafter.

Something else possibly worth consideration is what Garland says concerning the radiance of Gaia and Terra:

Garland
"That is the center of the planet. The end and the beginning of the cycle of souls."
"The light remains Gaia's, for now, but when the blue changes to crimson, all will belong to Terra, and its restoration will be complete."

The radiance of Gaia is blue, whereas the radiance of Terra is red. Necron is blue, yet when casting certain Spells, changes its color to red.



Points That Would Possibly Contest This Concept:

Necron says "I am eternal" when defeated. Would this not immediately disprove Necron as being the central mechanism of the Iifa Tree, seeing as how Garland created it?

Not necessarily. Necron says "I am eternal" upon being defeated, yes, but that does not necessarily mean that Necron was saying "I have always been and always will be." "Eternal" is ambiguous. It can mean "Always has been and always will be," but it can also mean "Having no end." In other words, Necron might have been saying "I will never perish." This certainly isn't a foreign declaration to villains upon their demise. For that matter, Zeromus, the final opponent of Final Fantasy IV, and the incarnation of Zemus' hatred, made a similar declaration at the moment of his own death:

(Zeromus' final words.)

Zeromus: I will not...perish...so long as evil...dwells in the hearts...of mankind. G...gh... GRRRAAGH!

(Necron's final words.)

"This is not the end."
"I am eternal..."
"...as long as there is life and death..."

However, there's little question as to whether or not Zeromus was simply making a boast before his death, something which he did not anticipate. Something else to keep in mind is that Final Fantasy IX was a game designed to pay tribute to past Final Fantasy games. The ending boss battles of Final Fantasy IV and IX are very similar in that in both the party is wiped out, only to be brought back from defeat by other party members lending their strength. Also in both cases, the defeated final foe declares their self-proclaimed eternal nature, despite all indication and the context of the situation suggesting it to not be the case.


If the party members died, then how were they suddenly back alive after Kuja teleported them out of Memoria? For that matter, how did their souls return to their bodies with their bodies healed? Certainly this would suggest that the concept is false.

Again, not necessarily. The point could as easily be posed in response "Why then do the bodies of Zidane and the others vanish after they're blasted by Ultima, and why do they awaken in a different location than the one where they had fought Kuja, with it being called the 'Hill of Despair' and the sounds of anguished souls audible?". The notion that Zidane and the others didn't die requires more explanation than one that would argue they did. While certainly odd that Kuja was able to teleport souls and then place them back into their [healed] bodies that had been killed moments before, that can possibly be explained away by the fact that Kuja had absorbed a multitude of souls from the Invincible:

Kuja
"Yes! This is the power I've longed for!!!"
"The mighty power of souls! They assault any threat that tries to destroy them!"

Zidane
"Wh-What do you mean...?"

Kuja
"It's Trance! You know how it works."
"But a normal Trance won't be enough to defeat you... You're all as resilient as oglops."
"Even tiny moogles possess the power of Trance... When I saw that in Gulug Volcano, I came up with a plan."
"It was easy. I just needed to borrow the power from wretched souls that can't die..."
"Where did I acquire it? It was the Invincible, or should I say, that large eyeball in the sky?"
"The ship sucked up the souls of Madain Sari, the Iifa Tree, Alexandria to feed upon them..."
"When it fought Bahamut at the Iifa Tree, the Invincible drew in a powerful spirit... Can you guess to whom it belonged?"

Dagger
"!?"

Kuja
"Queen Brahne's soul! The soul of your mother!"
"The souls trapped inside the Invincible welcomed me with open arms."
"They were fed up with being your prisoners, Garland."

With that much power, perhaps the power to reach out and touch souls was not beyond Kuja, him then teleporting the souls to the same location as Zidane and the other's bodies, the bodies healed. While that's conjecture and Zidane and the others dying would make a plothole of Kuja rescuing Zidane and the others, them having not died and Necron not being the core mechanism of the Iifa Tree would make a plothole of what Necron is, why the Iifa Tree died after his defeat, why Zidane and the other's bodies disappeared after being blasted by Ultima when Kuja attempted to kill them, why Necron and Garland express a similar view of life with there being no connection between the two, and why some random cosmic being was so cosmically bored as to be observing Kuja to make a determination about the nature of humanity and deemed it appropriate to step-in to perform what it deemed to be a "boon" to humanity. Logically, the explanation that left the smallest amount of plotholes would be the best one, especially when it is supported by in-game dialogue and events.


Garland says he wanted to place all creatures into a world in which life was combined with death, while Necron spoke of returning all life into a world without life. That wouldn't suggest similar goals.

Once again, not necessarily. This is what Garland says concerning his ultimate goal for living beings:

"To live is to give life meaning, yet one must take others' lives to survive..."
"A mature civilization becomes aware of this paradox..."
"Terra's souls will sleep until they forget such nonsense. They will begin a new life in a new dimension."
"It's a world in which life and death become one..."
"That is the dimension in which we are meant to live, as beings that transcend life and death!"

This is what Necron says concerning its intentions:

"I exist for one purpose..."
"To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life."
"In a world of nothing, fear does not exist. This is the world that all life desires."

Necron speaks of placing life in a dimension of no life, with no Crystal to give life. Does that necessarily mean that all things are non-existant? Would souls cease to exist simply because they weren't inhabiting living vessels? Or would they be without life, and, thus, without death, as well? Would they not have transcended life and death, as Garland sought to accomplish? Granted, this is only speculation, but to transcend life and death would mean to be beyond both, and from my own interpretation, for there to be no life would also mean there would be no death. To exist without either, and beyond their reach.



In conclusion, I feel that the most simple explanation for Necron's role and the only one which is supported by the story itself is that Necron was the core mechanism of the Iifa Tree. Any other explanation I've ever become aware of -- such as Necron being the opposite of the Crystal, or ferryman of Death, so to speak, or being some random cosmic being that was randomly observing Kuja -- are explanations that lie outside the story and aren't supported by it, nor do they really serve to clear anything up, as they merely raise more questions than they answer.

[Craig]

All life came from the Crystal, and at the beginning of it all, Necron was also created. His task was to watch all living creatures until he received a sign that life didn't feel like existing anymore, at which point he'd return everything to nothingness. Kuja's extremely nihilistic acts towards the end of the game had Necron convinced that this was his sign--that, deep down, living things wanted to die, and that Kuja's actions were a reflection of this. And he would have erased everything right there, too, except Zidane and company were there to convince him (with swords and fire) that no, screw what Kuja thought, they wanted to keep living. Necron took the hint and went back to ineffectually waiting for his cue.

[Squall of SeeD]

[QUOTE=Jellisaurus]

All life came from the Crystal, and at the beginning of it all, Necron was also created. His task was to watch all living creatures until he received a sign that life didn't feel like existing anymore, at which point he'd return everything to nothingness. Kuja's extremely nihilistic acts towards the end of the game had Necron convinced that this was his sign--that, deep down, living things wanted to die, and that Kuja's actions were a reflection of this. And he would have erased everything right there, too, except Zidane and company were there to convince him (with swords and fire) that no, screw what Kuja thought, they wanted to keep living. Necron took the hint and went back to ineffectually waiting for his cue.

As I said, I once had a similar idea -- though Kawaii's quoted explanation leaves Necron with even less of a connection to the story than the belief that he was the opposite of the Crystal would -- but exmaination of just the story itself yielded my current analysis. Necron's words concerning all life desiring death was a point Garland had made, and Garland created the Iifa Tree. Were it the case that Necron were the core function of the Iifa Tree, then Garland would have created Necron. In creating him for the function of casting souls into the void of nothingness, and obviously having given Necron a consciousness, it's not too far a stretch to determine that Necron might have been aware of Garland's beliefs concerning life and that it might have sought to analyze that belief and determine its validity. Observing Kuja confirmed that belief until Zidane and the others fought him.

Also, note the similarities that Garland and Necron speak of in terms of a new dimsension. Garland speaks of existance in a new dimension that transcends life and death, and Necron speaks of returning things to the "Zero World," where this is no life and no Crystal to give life.

Again, I'm examining this based on just what the game gives us without looking outside the story presented for an explanation for the being's origin, as that would never yield an explanation that would definitely fit.

[Itsunari 2000]

I believe " The Hill of Despair " is a place in the plain between life and death - purgatory.When the crystal is supposedly destroyed, this is where the souls of Gaia's inhabitants will go - this is where Zidane and co. go in the aftermath of the crystal's destruction therefore , dead - only when Necron has been defeated , Kuja,seeing the error of his ways, uses the last remnants of his strength to repair the crystal and thus restore life to Zidane and co.,teleporting themoutside the Iifa tree. At least that's my theory.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Garland created the Iifa Tree, and if Necron were its core, then it would also be true that Garland created Necron. Necron, however, states that he has always existed, and that he'll continue to exist as long as there is life and death.

Also, the purpose of the Iifa Tree is to regulate the flow of souls back to Terra. This is completely different from Necron's stated purpose: "I exist for one purpose... To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life."

[Lon611]

usually i read into ff's too much, and come up with theories galore. but i saw necron as just a way to end the game, and prove kuja's point. when he showed up, i wasn't thinking "hey, now this guy must have a purpose". i was like "*sarcasm*great way to just throw in the last boss likethat square"

[Squall of SeeD]

I believe " The Hill of Despair " is a place in the plain between life and death - purgatory.When the crystal is supposedly destroyed, this is where the souls of Gaia's inhabitants will go - this is where Zidane and co. go in the aftermath of the crystal's destruction therefore , dead - only when Necron has been defeated , Kuja,seeing the error of his ways, uses the last remnants of his strength to repair the crystal and thus restore life to Zidane and co.,teleporting themoutside the Iifa tree. At least that's my theory.

The Crystal was never destroyed, however. Kuja tumbled off after blasting everyone with Ultima. He didn't attack the Crystal.

Also, the purpose of the Iifa Tree is to regulate the flow of souls back to Terra. This is completely different from Necron's stated purpose: "I exist for one purpose... To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life."

Actually, that fits with exactly what Garland said:

"But think for a moment... Isn't life death itself? It must kill other life-forms to survive..."
"Sometimes it even kills those with whom is shares blood..."
"To live is to give life meaning, yet one must take others' lives to survive..."
"A mature civilization becomes aware of this paradox..."
"Terra's souls will sleep until they forget such nonsense. They will begin a new life in a new dimension."
"It's a world in which life and death become one..."
"That is the dimension in which we are meant to live, as beings that transcend life and death!"

Very similar to what Necron says, no?:

"All life bears death from birth."
"Life fears death, but lives only to die."
"It starts with anxiety."
"Anxiety becomes fear."
"Fear leads to anger... anger leads to hate... hate leads to suffering..."
"The only cure for this fear is total destruction."

"...Now, the theory is undeniable."
"Kuja's action proves it. All things live to perish."
"At last, life has uncovered this truth. Now, it is time to end this world."

...

"I exist for one purpose..."
"To return everything back to the zero world, where there is no life and no crystal to give life."
"In a world of nothing, fear does not exist. This is the world that all life desires."

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Okay, so Garland wants a world where life and death become one. Meanwhile, Necron is going for a world where there is no life--just death. Different.

And there's still the fact that Garland couldn't have created something that's always existed.

[Squall of SeeD]

Okay, so Garland wants a world where life and death become one.

Not quite:

Garland: "That is the dimension in which we are meant to live, as beings that transcend life and death!"

(Bolded for emphasis.)

He speaks of transcending the two. Necron's words would suggest the transcendance of life and death, as well. With no life, but still existance, there's no death either. Without life, death cannot follow.

And there's still the fact that Garland couldn't have created something that's always existed.

A fair point, though Necron wouldn't have been the first villain to exaggerate.

Any way one slices it, the Necron situation is Plothole Land. I'm seeking the explanation that is based on the story alone and not on things outside of it or not suggested by it. Granted, even that leaves a few questions unanswered, but it's more reasonable in my opinion than looking outside the story.

By the way, if Necron had no connection to the Tree, why did it die after Necron's departure? Garland stated that the Iifa Tree's true form wasn't the Tree itself, which he called its material form. Where would this true form have been? Obviously it would have been a form not on the material plane based on his wording. When, then, would this non-material form have been contended with otherwise?

[Drinkinlinkin]

This is why I stopped smoking pot while playing video games
I always started to think too much

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

You can't just say, "Oh, he's a villain, he might be lying about that." If you could, then anyone else could say the same thing to discount anything you have to put forth. There's no reason to think Necron isn't speaking the truth about his timeless nature, especially since it's his last line.

[Squall of SeeD]

You can't just say, "Oh, he's a villain, he might be lying about that." If you could, then anyone else could say the same thing to discount anything you have to put forth. There's no reason to think Necron isn't speaking the truth about his timeless nature, especially since it's his last line.

He says "I am eternal." That doesn't necessarily mean "I have always been here."

It may mean "Now that I'm here, I always will be." You've never heard a villain make such a statement upon defeat? Hell, even Seifer didn't believe he could be defeated in Final Fantasy VIII. Necron's dialogue certainly didn't convey any belief that he would be overcome.

For that matter, Zeromus, the final opponent of Final Fantasy IV, and the incarnation of Zemus' hatred, made a similar declaration at the moment of his own death:

(Zeromus' final words.)

Zeromus: I will not...perish...so long as evil...dwells in the hearts...of mankind. G...gh... GRRRAAGH!

(Necron's final words.)

"This is not the end."
"I am eternal..."
"...as long as there is life and death..."

However, there's little question as to whether or not Zeromus was simply making a boast before his death, something which he did not anticipate. Also recall that Final Fantasy IX was a game that payed tribute to past Final Fantasy games. The final boss scenes of Final Fantasy IV and IX are very similar. In both cases, the party is wiped out, only for aid to come from other party members lending their strength to allow the others to carry the fight and achieve victory. In both cases, as well, the final opponent boasts its eternal nature upon defeat.

"Eternal" is a bit ambiguous. One of the wonders (annoyances) of the English language. I wish I knew what the actual context of the statement is in Japanese.


Edit: I've now edited my first Post to contain a more coherent and straightfoward presentation of this explanation.

[Necronopticous]

This thread is the reason I love Final Fantasy geeks. God bless you guys.

[Gwelenguchenkus]

These are interesting ideas.

I'm not too sure I buy the whole 'convincing necron' that life is not worth living thing.

But f the crystal is destroyed and you are on the hill of despair, I think the hill of despair is symbolism that this is Zidane and co.'s last chance to fight for their world, or else the universe will return to zero. I see necron as simply the thing that actually drives everything into the zero world. I think that makes more sense.

I'm not too sure about the wailing in the background, or why the Iifa tree dies, but there might be a way to connect them all together, with a little more thought. I don't see Necron as the core of the Iifa tree, though.

I think that there is some connection in the fact that memoria is composed of the memories of everyone, all tied together as the fabric of existence, which is why the crystal resides in Memoria.

How do we know Garland personally created the Iifa tree, anyway? Is there a quote for that?

These are some great ideas, but in order to make any progress on making sense of ALL of the aspects of the storyline, I think it's better to be a little more open-minded than just screaming the exact same thing back and fourth. Instead of saying 'this makes more sense because there are less imperfections' I'd like to see some kind of compromise, because there are good points on both sides.

--The Iifa tree dies after you defeat Necron.
--Zidane and co. die, or nearly die after the shattering of the crystal, but are given the souls of their other party members to give them strength to fight necron.

--I think i's important to note waht garland truly means when he speaks of a world where life and death exist. you see, Garland is killing the lives on gaia, and assimilating them to his own people, to give them life (this is how I took it). This explains how life and death can exist together.

--Garland wanted life, he just chose a different means to get it. Necron doesn't want what garland wanted, he just wants complete nothingness.

more notes later, I've got a class to go to.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I don't care enough to argue about it. Necron's deal is ambiguous enough that I'm fine with Squall of SeeD thinking whatever he wants to think.