Emperor Mateus/Dissidia (PSP)

The Emperor is one of the villains fighting for the side of Chaos in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. Representing Final Fantasy II, he is a man capable of performing immensely powerful magic. With an iron fist, he will stop at nothing to achieve his objectives. As one of the higher-ranked villains, outranked only by Garland and thus his second-in-command, he plots with Ultimecia to take control of the world, rather than most of the other villains, who seek to destroy it. His desire to rule all in a war-torn world stands in opposition to his nemesis, Firion, and his dream of a world free of war and oppression.

While Firion is his nemesis in the original Dissidia, his main rival in the 012 storyline is Yuna, whom he blames and subsequently resents for stealing Tidus from Chaos's side, although he was able to recruit his father, Jecht, in his stead.

The Emperor can produce magnetic energy mines, focus explosive magical energy on his staff, and create Lightning-elemental crests that fire projectiles or ensnare enemies, alluding to his original incarnation's powers from Final Fantasy II. He also has the power of telekinesis.

Appearance
The Emperor's outfit is based on his Amano artwork from Final Fantasy II, which also matches his in-game sprite. He wears gold and purple armor decorated with small spikes, purple and white stripes, and demonic faces including one on his back obscured by his hair. His gauntlets sport extended claws. On his head sits a purple crown with a snake head emerging from it, and he has a purple cape and long blond hair.

The Emperor's first alternate outfit "Silver Despot" is a palette swap based on an of the Final Fantasy II cast, coloring his armor white, black and purple.

The Emperor's second alternate outfit "Violet Robe" is based on in the Final Fantasy Origins FMV, giving him a primarily black robe with dark purple details, high shoulders, knee-high boots and a large purple sash around his waist. The Emperor's hair is styled differently, stylized to resemble a single larger pair of horns, and his hair is longer.

As a bonus downloadable outfit, "Arubboth" or "Emperor of Arubboth", the Emperor takes on the form of the as seen in the Soul of Rebirth bonus quest. The Emperor wears a pale yellow and gold robe with light purple linings that bares his upper torso and shoulders. He has a different hairstyle and several white wings. His eyes are also perpetually closed. In EX Mode, not becoming a demon like in the Emperor's other outfits, a golden crest extends from behind his shoulders as seen in his Emperor of Heaven sprite, even though his EX Mode is still called "The Power of Hellfire".

The Emperor's manikin version, Imitation Despot, is colored yellow with orange highlights.

Personality
The Emperor's personality from Final Fantasy II is expanded on. He is calm and never loses control of his emotions, as he believes his plan will succeed without fail. His intelligence is demonstrated when he formulates the plan to kill Cosmos for good and end the war in Chaos's favor using the Crystals. He is treacherous, creating dark crystals to ensure his own survival, having anticipated that Chaos would attempt to commit suicide when killing Cosmos. Despite this, he vows to return as long as Chaos lives upon being defeated. Mateus abhors nihilistic viewpoints, evidenced by his reaction when Garland compares him with Kefka. He had an interest in Terra Branford, as the aforementioned conversation had him expressing disappointment that Terra was going to be commanded by Kefka again, and in the previous cycle, he offered to have Terra come under his command after Kefka had trouble regaining control over her due to Kuja's actions.

Previous cycles
The Emperor originally served as a simple warrior, but eventually he grew tired of being used, so he decided to overthrow Chaos and conquer the world. However, he was observant enough throughout the cycles to realize that challenging Chaos head-on would not benefit him due to the latter's status as a god, so he decided to put his machinations on hold until an opportunity arose.

Twelfth cycle
The Emperor aids Garland while fighting the Warrior of Light and Lightning. Later, the Emperor, alongside Ultimecia, ends up working alongside Kefka Palazzo in an attempt to ruin Kuja's chances of defecting to the Warriors of Cosmos side, Kefka also engineering the ambush on Kuja as revenge for Kuja also ruining his control over Terra Branford. After Kuja ended up being forced to attack the Warriors of Cosmos, the Emperor seemingly bought Kuja's supposed fake defection and attempt at luring the Warriors of Cosmos into a trap, but nonetheless warns Kuja against angering any members of the Warriors of Chaos, lest he end up having his defeat arranged by them. Expressing displeasure in Yuna awakening Tidus's memories, the Emperor attempts to kill her, but Tidus takes the fatal blow meant for her.

In the middle of his battle with Yuna, the Emperor falls back after seeing Jecht's sacrifice and spirits him away. Later, the Emperor meets with Golbez under the impression that someone in their camp mentioned the crystals to Cosmos's warriors, who should not remember the events of a previous cycle, as well as planning to take advantage of the dormant shard within Jecht as well as that he plans to eliminate the Warriors of Cosmos under one fell swoop by having the Warriors of Chaos attack Cosmos directly. To that end, bringing the unconscious Jecht before Chaos, the Emperor offers the god to convert Jecht to their side despite Garland's utter distrust that the Emperor had other motives. The Emperor later joins the group under Garland to stop Lightning's team from advancing, battling Yuna before falling back.

Thirteenth cycle
Allying himself with Ultimecia in a plan to destroy Cosmos and end the cycle of war in Chaos's favor, the Emperor convinces Jecht that he will be able to return to his homeworld with Tidus if he helps him. The other villains follow the Emperor's plans, which include testing the heroes' resolve and eventually allowing them to claim their Crystals.

After a fight with Golbez, he learns from Exdeath that Golbez had been fully exposed as a traitor, although he plans to wait it out.

The Emperor and Ultimecia approach Sephiroth and offer him a role in their alliance, but are rejected. The Emperor notices Bartz spying on them but allows him to escape, having sensed the Warrior of Light approaching, and instead dispatches Exdeath to pursue Bartz. Though the Emperor attempts to bribe his loyalty by presenting a fake Crystal, the Warrior of Light sees through the deception. After the Warrior tells him that the Crystals are not earned by mercy, but by strength, the Emperor attacks him.

He loses and disappears, but not before he questions the Warrior's resolve, telling him that he will know the whole truth of the battle soon enough. He later meets with Garland, discussing that Terra will soon end up back at Chaos' hands, although he expresses displeasure that Terra will be at the hands of Kefka as a result. When Garland implies that he is similar to Kefka in terms of scheming, the Emperor rebukes him, reminding him that unlike Kefka and his nihilistic motives, he possessed the goal of actually escaping the cycles of conflict and "starting anew." At some point later, Kefka ends up meeting with the Emperor about what Sephiroth is planning. Kefka does not seem to care, as he feels that Sephiroth is not really special due to the fact that he is "Yet another sadistic maniac with a god complex". Kefka seemed to react with surprise when he learned from the Emperor that Sephiroth apparently killed himself in front of the Emperor in the last battle. They then decide to keep an eye on Sephiroth.

When Jecht and Tidus confront each other, the Emperor halts them and tells Jecht that Tidus wishes to fight him out of hatred, which goes against their plan. Jecht departs and the Emperor battles Tidus himself, telling him he cannot find his Crystal if he fights for hatred. Shortly after, Golbez speaks to Jecht and questions his role in the Emperor's plan, implying the Emperor will ultimately betray his trust. Later, Jecht learns the Emperor's true plan and refuses to assist him any further, and attacks him. Tidus and Firion witness the fight, and Tidus leaves to follow Jecht and fight him.

Taking advantage of Firion by himself, the Emperor questions the youth's goal in comparison to his friends, who have abandoned him to fulfill their desires. When Firion says he wishes to end the war, the Emperor mocks him, and Ultimecia appears to battle Firion. Though she loses, both Ultimecia and the Emperor accuse Firion of being too weak to fulfill his dream, and tell him he is nothing more than Cosmos's tool.

In spite of the Emperor's words, Firion is newly inspired by Cosmos and continues on. The Emperor encounters Firion again at the Dimensional Fortress, taunting him by saying that his dream is too foolish to come to realization. The Emperor subdues Firion, but Tidus and Cloud arrive to defend their comrade. The Emperor flees, inviting Firion to come battle him alone and prove himself. The two meet in Pandaemonium, and battle, and Firion is victorious and claims his Crystal. The Emperor begins to fade, but taunts Firion about his goal to end the war once again, claiming his dream will be crushed and Firion will be begging for the Emperor's rule.

After Chaos kills Cosmos, the Emperor reveals Jecht's true nature as a former warrior of Cosmos, and that he manipulated Jecht to fight Tidus to create Crystals attuned to darkness that will allow him to survive after Chaos destroys existence, leaving him reign over the remnants of reality and become the new god. The Emperor later reveals himself to the other Warrior of Cosmos, to which he explained to Firion when he remarked with surprise at his survival that he came back from the afterworld, as well as mentioning that the world is in dire need of a new ruler. Firion lashes that its because of fiends like the Emperor that conflict never fades.

The Emperor then implies that things are going to get worse afterwards upon returning the other Warriors of Chaos are now acting outside the group to achieve their individual goals. He also remarks that the future is not the Warriors of Cosmos's to give or take, and remarks that they'll be his opening act until the beginning of his reign before he teleports away. He is later confronted by Golbez, both of their schemes exposed, who claims that he believes the Warriors of Cosmos have the power to destroy Chaos and restore the worlds to their former state.

Later, after all but Garland are defeated, the Emperor meets the Warriors of Cosmos and reveals how it was his plan that ensured they gathered the Crystals so Cosmos could be killed in order for the cycle to end and the Emperor able to rule over existence after Chaos is killed. Nonetheless, he severely underestimated the resolve of the Warriors of Cosmos, an underestimation that resulted in his death. Though defeated, he claims he will return once again as long as Chaos exists, and fades away with an anguished cry.

Official Quests
In "Tidus's Quest 012: A Dream in Chaos", the Emperor allows Tidus to battle him to recover some of his memories in the 12th cycle, allowing Tidus to remember Jecht is his father whom he hates. He also plays a small role in "Sephiroth's Quest 012: The Hero's Memory", being a witness to Sephiroth's suicide. In the 13th cycle quest "Sephiroth's Quest 013: Shape of the World", the Emperor witnesses Sephiroth awaken with his memories of the 12th cycle intact, and tells him Cloud is now a Warrior of Cosmos.

Gameplay
The Emperor is described as a Trap Master, and his arsenal consists of various traps, such as exploding mines and crests of energy which can paralyze the opponent. Most of his attacks, including his Flare HP attacks, allow the Emperor to continue moving and attacking to pressure the opponent, or give him time to charge up his signature Starfall attack. As a downside, his victory largely depends on the terrain and plane - in smaller areas his traps are more difficult to avoid, but in larger areas he has more room to lay said traps and for his Flare spell to track enemies. Most of his Bravery attacks can be blocked or dashed through, and some can be reflected to damage the Emperor. Of particular note is that if the opponent uses a guard-crushing attack to reflect the Emperor's Flare, it will begin to track the Emperor himself instead.

Boss
In Dissidia, The Emperor is fought in Destiny Odyssey I, II, and X, Shade Impulse, Distant Glory, and Inward Chaos.

In Dissidia 012, the Emperor is fought in Where Memories Wait, An Undocumented Battle, Entrusted Power, Seeds of Hope, Champions of her Will, and Conclusion of the Cycle chapters of Story Mode.

EX Mode


The Emperor's EX Mode is Power of Hellfire, where he takes on the form of the Emperor of Hell, his form when faced as the final boss of Final Fantasy II. His body becomes bulkier, his clothing is darker with more pronounced spikes, and his face and crown become demonic in appearance. While in EX Mode he gains the ability "Blood Magic", where the Emperor will heal an equivalent amount of HP whenever the opponent's HP is damaged.

The Emperor's EX Burst is Absolute Dominion. The player must enter the commands that appear on the screen as the Emperor charges with energy. Successfully entering the commands will have The Emperor end the EX Burst with Entice, where he enters his human form and shocks the enemy repeatedly, then light gathers from all around them to consume them in a blast. Failing to enter the commands will have The Emperor end the EX Burst with Cyclone.

Equipment
The Emperor can equip Swords, Daggers, Rods, Staves, Bangles, Hats, Hairpins, Clothing, and Robes. In Dissidia 012, the Emperor can no longer equip Swords, but he can equip Poles and Headbands.

Allusions

 * The Emperor's regular EX Burst attack Cyclone is a reference to the Cyclone he used to destroy the Kingdom of Fynn in Final Fantasy II.
 * In Shade Impulse C2-5, the Emperor’s exclaims, "How could I lose... not once but twice? Who ARE you?" This is the same as his final words in Final Fantasy II. His dialogue in Shade Impulse C2-1, "I've come back from the afterworld," is derived from when he returned from Hell.
 * When the Emperor battles a mirror match, his fight introduction is, "This world can have but one emperor!" He originally said these words to Leon, who had declared himself the new emperor in Final Fantasy II after the Emperor's death. Similarly, he utters, "There can only be one ruler," in Dissidia 012, when fighting a mirror match.
 * The Emperor also gives a similar line prior to his fight in Shade Impulse: "For the only one suited to rule—is I!"
 * The Emperor's death cry "Ungaahhhh!" is his trademark death wail from Final Fantasy II. He makes the same cry when defeated in battle and in a cutscene in Shade Impulse. As a reference to this, Tidus's fight introduction against the Emperor is, "What's this 'Ungaahh!' business?"
 * The Emperor's HP attacks Flare and Starfall are references to the Emperor's final form in Final Fantasy II, where Flare XVI and Starfall X were his sole offensive attacks besides physical blows. His Bravery attacks appear to be lightning-based, reflecting the boss battle with his human form, where Thunder X was his only offensive spell. In Final Fantasy II when fought as the final boss, the Emperor's physical attacks healed him, reflected in Dissidia by the Emperor's EX Mode bonus "Blood Magic".
 * The Emperor's ground Flare fires a blue fireball, while his midair Flare fires an orange fireball. In most Final Fantasy titles the animation for Flare is orange, but in Final Fantasy II its animation is blue.
 * In Shade Impulse, the Emperor says, "Death, life, even the divine shall come under my rule!" This may be an allusion to the Soul of Rebirth quest in the Game Boy Advance, PSP, and mobile releases of Final Fantasy II, where the Emperor's dark side conquers hell, while his light side ascends to Heaven and becomes the lord of Arubboth. There is possibly a similar allusion in the fact that the Emperor's final death in Dissidia involves both darkness and a small amount of light emanating from his disappearing body. It also references the death animation of the Dark Emperor in the PS1 and GBA remakes.
 * When the Emperor faces Cecil and asks, "Ought you not be on our side?", it is also a possible reference to when the Empire converted Leon into a Dark Knight.
 * When facing Prishe in battle, she says to him, "Straight back to hell for you!" This is likely a reference to the Emperor's first visit to Hell before returning to life.
 * The DLC costume's name, "Arubboth", refers to the plane of the afterlife that the Emperor's light half took over.
 * His exclusive weapon, the Diamond Mace, is a weapon available in Final Fantasy II, while the Demon's Rod is a weapon exclusive to the Game Boy Advance version of Final Fantasy V.
 * In his Dissidia 012 profile, it mentioned that he recruited skilled warriors into his Empire regardless of their origins and backgrounds, referring to his recruiting Leon into a Dark Knight despite his technically being of the enemy camp.

Trivia

 * The Emperor's Starfall attack has the longest charge time of any attack, requiring 521 frames, or over eight seconds, to execute.
 * In the original Japanese release, the Emperor had the fewest HP attacks in the game, with only Flare and the ground and aerial versions of Starfall.
 * In a mirror match between two Emperors, if Flare is reflected, the original caster can use Flare again, resulting in possibly multiple Flares being present. If The Emperor were to cast Flare after reflecting the opponent's Flare, the opponent's Flare will vanish as though it were The Emperor's. He shares this trait with Lightning and her Watera spell.
 * Fully charged, the final hit of the Emperor's Dynamite attack has the highest base power of any single hit in the game, not counting EX Bursts or benefits from EX Mode. It has a power of 50, doing more damage in its final hit alone than many other full attacks. In Dissidia 012, its power has been reduced to 40, tying with Terra's Fire.
 * The Emperor's Dreary Cell attack in Dissidia 012 is taken from an attack he used in cutscenes in Dissidia to attack Terra and Firion, where he similarly surrounded them in explosive orbs of magic.

Imperator Mateus (Dissidia) Emperador Mateus Palamecia/Dissidia Imperatore (Dissidia) Император Матеус/Dissidia