Chaos (Final Fantasy)

Chaos is the final boss of the original Final Fantasy. He is an incarnation of Garland occurring 2,000 years prior to the majority of the plot of Final Fantasy. The Warriors of Light travel to the past and discover Garland there. He transforms into Chaos and attacks, but is ultimately defeated.

Story
Chaos first exists as Garland, an evil knight who kidnaps the princess of Cornelia at the beginning of the story. However, his plot is foiled by the Light Warriors who supposedly kill him while rescuing the princess in the Temple of Fiends. Garland apparently makes an unholy pact with the Four Elemental Fiends of the past (Lich, Marilith, Kraken, and Tiamat) to summon him 2,000 years back in time while they are sent into the present to cause mass destruction. This pact will create a time-loop and allow Garland to live forever. The Light Warriors return to the Temple of Chaos ruins to travel two thousand years into the past, where they meet a Garland who remembers them, seeks revenge, and absorbs the powers of the Fiends to become Chaos. He is defeated by the Light Warriors, and his threat ends there. It is said that in the ending credits of the game however, that after the Light Warriors have defeated Chaos, they return to their own time with Garland waiting for them. This implies that he is still alive in the present.

Chaos is often remembered for his noteworthy death animation, which showed him being disintegrated after he is defeated, a somewhat innovative phenomenon in games for the NES. This style of death was repeated for final bosses of future games in the series including Neo Exdeath in Final Fantasy V, Kefka in Final Fantasy VI, and Safer Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII. However, this pattern was discontinued in Final Fantasy VIII where Ultimecia was shown convulsing in a circular fashion and then vanishing in a form resembling static interference. It was revived as the death scene for the Weapon-type Fiends in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.

Battle
Chaos is always fought as the last boss of the game. While in the NES version he just used the boss theme, later editions would give him his own music.

Final Fantasy VII
Chaos is one of Vincent Valentine's Limit breaks, and is in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- as his ultimate transformation, but only to fight Omega Weapon. Final Fantasy ' s final boss and Final Fantasy VII's Chaos bear no resemblence, save for the wings.

Dissidia -Final Fantasy-
Chaos is set to make an appearence in Dissidia -Final Fantasy- as the god of Darkness.

Ivalice
Chaos is one of the Espers of Ivalice, known as the Walker of the Wheel, referencing his constant death and resurrection. He is the Esper of wind, although in Final Fantasy XII he is a fire elemental.

Gallery
Chaos (FFI) Caos (Final Fantasy)