ITT, CMAK is procrastinating.

Upon watching a recent LP of Final Fantasy Nine, I've begun to find myself rather disappointed - There are only a handful of villains I've ever liked quite as much as Kuja, and certainly none have been recent.

I've always found something very appealing about him as a character. He's educated, sophisticated, well spoken, charming, cunning, ~fabulous~, and well-motivated. He's not so over the top as, say, Kefka, nor is he as understated as the Entire Villainous Cast of Xenogears. He manipulates people as a means to his end and he enjoys it.

I suppose the realization came when I re watched the end of Disk 3, namely Kuja's reaction to the truth about his own mortality. Graphical quality notwithstanding, there was something about watching Kuja, the poster child of a Dignified and Classy FF Villain, react first with dismissal, then denial, and then the breakdown. Kicking Garland off the balcony was a nice touch.

He's by no means my FAVOURITE Video Game Villain, but he certainly stands out the most in my brain when I think of examples. Too bad he was such a butt-monkey in Dissidia.