Galenth Dysley



Galenth Dysley (ガレンス・ダイスリー) [daɪsli] is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy XIII. He is often seen with a rukh familiar called Menrva, which is actually an extension of his power. Voted into the position of Primarch by Cocoon's citizens, Dysley is the leading figure of the Sanctum.

While he appears to be a well-respected man of the people, promising their continued peace, this is actually a mask which Dysley uses to hide a darker element of his true nature. He is voiced by Masaru Shinozuka in the Japanese version and S. Scott Bullock in the English version.

Datalog
Acting in the guise of a human Primarch, Galenth Dysley has concealed his true identity as the fal'Cie Barthandelus.

He reveals to Lightning and her companions that their Focus is for one of them to take on the form of Ragnarok and shatter Cocoon.

''Despite overseeing Cocoon's prosperity for so long, it seems he now desires its destruction. To that end, he has watched over the fugitive l'Cie, and even taken a direct hand in their survival.''

Profile
Like all fal'Cie, Dysley views humans as tools to achieve his ends and uses propagandistic charisma to cover it. He is also a ruthless nihilist in personality, as he tells the party his intent to kill everyone dear to them and later carries the deed out by shattering projections of the crystallized Serah and Dajh in front of their eyes. Ultimately, Dysley's goal is his own destruction, which he achieved by becoming a part of Orphan.

Dysley is 185 centimeters tall according to the Ultimania guide. He was one of the only two antagonists of Final Fantasy XIII to be designed by Tetsuya Nomura.

Story
Though he appears to be human, Dysley is actually Barthandelus, a fal'Cie who seeks to bring back the Maker via the destruction of Cocoon. After Ragnarok failed to destroy Cocoon, Dysley secretly brought the crystallized Vanille and Fang to Cocoon, along with the rest of the Pulse Vestige, in order to have them lay waste to it when they eventually woke from their crystal sleep. Prior to their awakening, while hiding his true nature from the public, Dysley posed as a man of the people until the events leading to Bodhum's Purging allowed him to reveal his true persona while secretly aiding the l'Cie in evading capture.

Dysley later arrives on the Palamecia to oversee the execution of the l'Cie captured in Nautilus, which shocks Jihl Nabaat, their captor. While this is ostensibly because of his status as leader, which requires him to stand at the fore when a crisis that endangers Cocoon is at hand, he hints that his true reason arriving is to have a splendid view of the execution. After the prisoners escape, Dysley decides to have the entire Palamecia go under Code White status, killing the airship's engine, due to Jihl's difficulty declaring the alert level.

When Lightning and the other l'Cie arrive on the bridge of the Palamecia, Dysley kills Jihl Nabaat and the rest of the crew. He states that Cocoon is an ideal haven for the evils of humanity before Lightning accuses him of being the one who entices it. Dysley dismisses the party's assumption that he is a l'Cie, and he assumes his true form and battles them. He reveals the existence of Orphan upon his defeat, and he plainly states the party's Focus is to use Ragnarok to destroy it, which would cause Cocoon's destruction as a result. Dysley then transforms his rukh familiar Menrva into an airship for the l'Cie to use and takes his leave as the Palamecia sinks. The airship takes them to the Fifth Ark, where they are to be trained in order to become strong enough to complete their Focus.

When the l'Cie later reach Oerba on Gran Pulse, Dysley assumes Serah's form to torment them before revealing that he retired as Primarch in order to facilitate Cid Raines' rise as his replacement (a back-up plan to ensure Cocoon's destruction). Soon after fighting the l'Cie once more, Dysley leaves Menrva behind to give them the means to return to Cocoon to defeat Orphan. He eventually meets the l'Cie in Cocoon's capital of Eden amidst the chaos caused by the invading monsters from Gran Pulse, where he eggs them to continue onward after expressing his joy that preparations were now complete.

When the party reaches the innermost depths of Orphan's Cradle, Dysley appears in a throne overlooking a pool which conceals the sleeping Orphan accompanied by an illusion of the crystallized Dajh and Serah. He shatters both statues in order to break the l'Cies' spirits and force them to complete their Focus, but when he sees that they still refuse to comply, he assumes his true form for a final battle. Dysley is defeated and, embracing his death, sinks into Orphan's pool. His lifeless body becomes a shell for Orphan as it awakens from its rest.

Music
Dysley has his own theme, which is simply called "Primarch Dysley". When fighting Dysley in his fal'Cie form, the theme "Fighting Fate" plays.

Abilities
Even in his human form, Dysley is capable of powerful magic. He has been shown single-handedly killing people with ease. He also has a powerful protective spell strong enough to repel even the brute strength of Snow. He is seen floating in the air and teleporting and is capable of creating illusions. Even with such a wide array of abilities, his powers are arguably pale in comparison to those of his true form, which he can transform into by absorbing his familiar Menrva. He can also transform Menrva into a small airship.

Battle
In the form of Barthandelus, Dysley is fought three times throughout the game: on the airship Palamecia in Chapter 9, in Oerba in Chapter 11, and in Orphan's Cradle in Chapter 13. After the final confrontation with the l'Cie, Dysley becomes a part of Orphan itself.

Trivia

 * Dysley, with his staff, miter, white robes and apparent age, has a small resemblance to a Pope of the Catholic Church in full regalia. Furthermore, his white and purple color scheme reflects that of Justinian I, whose actions influenced artist portrayals of Jesus during the Middle Ages.
 * Due to the aforementioned appearance of Dysley, fans coined a name for him, "Superpope", before the release of the English version of Final Fantasy XIII.
 * Before each battle with Dysley, Snow Villiers attempts to attack him but is thrown backwards by some form of protective magic.
 * Dysley is a unique villain in that from the start of the game he's already the almighty reigning entity of the world's population, unlike other Final Fantasy titles where the main villain is either trying to gain dominion over all beings or trying to achieve a godhood.

Galenth Dysley