Kefka Palazzo

Kefka Palazzo (known as Kefuka or Cefca in the Japanese version) is a primary villain in Final Fantasy VI. Kefka is an insane, egomaniacal villain who starts out as a mere lackey but eventually acquires godlike powers. He is perhaps best remembered for his distinct sound effect - a shrill maniacal cackle - and his darkly-comedic passion and dialogue. Those in combination with his appearance have earned him the nickname "The Psycho Clown" from many fans.

Kefka's full name is Kefka Palazzo, although as with Leo Cristophe, his full name is not actually mentioned in the game. Kefka's first name is believed to be derived from the name of the author Franz Kafka, and both share an absurdist/nihilistic view of life. There seems to be a nod to the author in the fact that a song, "Metamorphosis," played during Kefka's actual transformation, shares a title with "The Metamorphosis," a novella written by Franz Kafka. "Palazzo" is a common last name among individuals of Italian or Peruvian descent.

Many still remember Kefka fondly due to the fact that he is different from most villains in the series. Instead of being distant and mysterious, he is persistent and taunting. Kefka's popularity as a villain remains second outside of Japan only to Sephiroth.

Biography
Kefka was the first volunteer for an experimental Magitek infusion, under supervision of a scientist named Cid. The process was flawed, and although Kefka gained the ability to use magic, it shattered his sanity, making him brutally misanthropic.

Kefka spends the first part of the game as a mid-level minion of Emperor Gestahl, who largely controls the southern continent. Kefka's maniacal zeal in carrying out the Emperor's dirty work pits him against the heroes of the game on a number of occasions. Kefka first appears in search of Terra, coming to Figaro Castle to talk to King Edgar (or in the beginning full motion video in Final Fantasy Anthology). Kefka responds to Edgar's evasive comments by setting the castle on fire. He next appears at the Imperial base east of Doma Castle, where he disobeys General Leo's orders and dumps poison into Doma's water supply. After that, Kefka leads an Imperial attack on Narshe to claim the Esper there. When the Returners infiltrate the Magitek Research Facility, they watch Kefka abuse two drained Espers, and Celes apparently sacrifices herself to stop him from killing the party. Previously the Empire tried to drain the Espers' powers to power their Magitek, but this leaves them of little use after their power is drained. Kefka listens in on the party's explanation to Cid about how to unlock the real powers of the Espers, by making them become Magicite.

When the Returners open the Sealed Gate to the Espers' homeland, Kefka attempts to take control, but they are too powerful, and he is swept away. Gestahl has him locked up in Vector's prison, but it is only a ploy to gain the Returners' trust; he sends Kefka to Thamasa to take Magicite from the Espers that had escaped, and then return so they can go through the Sealed Gate and revive the Floating Continent. In the process he kills General Leo, who tries to stop him. When the Returners land on the Continent and defeat the powerful magical creatures, including the ancient Atma Weapon (called "Ultima Weapon" in the Japanese version), Kefka freezes them (except Celes) with the power of the Goddess Statues, the source of all magic in the world. He tells Celes to kill her friends to show her loyalty to the Empire, but she stabs him instead. Wounded, Kefka knocks her aside and attacks Gestahl, who tries to blast him with powerful magic after seeing Kefka going insane, but the Statues absorb it. Kefka directs them to unleash their power on Gestahl, whose wounded body Kefka boots off the side of the Floating Continent, leaving him to a certain death. He then moves the Statues from their delicate balance, dooming the world. It is through this process, that Kefka absorbs the power of the Goddess Statues, replacing them as the underlying source of all magic in the world.

After the end of the world, transforming the known World of Balance into the World of Ruin, Kefka uses his newfound power to create a massive tower of random debris to serve as his headquarters, using his powers to smite millions of people who refuse to worship him. Many towns are fried by Kefka's 'Light of Judgement', a heavenly beam of incinerating light that can cut across the planet, used as a twisted play off the bible that enhances Kefka's image as God. Many global inhabitants form the Cult of Kefka in his honor to avoid certain death. Members of the Cult are in a zombie state, wandering mindlessly. What remains of the world slinks into ruin as a result, with most of the surviving population losing all hope until the party returns.

Kefka rules over the planet for approximately one year, before the heroes of the game regroup and attacks his stronghold. During their final battle, Kefka reveals to the heroes that he has developed a nihilistic revelation, explaining that life is meaningless and his goal is now the destruction of everything; life, hope, and dreams.

During the final battle with Kefka, the player must fight through several forms of the character, as is traditional with final bosses in role-playing games, before finally destroying the tyrant once and for all. Several of these forms are interpretations or parodies of Renaissance art, including Michelangelo's Pietà, with an image of Kefka replacing that of Jesus; as well as the character's final form, as an Angel of Death and an ironic reference to Lucifer, the fallen angel, by bearing an angelic appearance. Nobuo Uematsu's multi-part theme song for these battles, titled Dancing Mad, is based mostly on Kefka's main theme and also on the Empire theme of the game.

Interestingly enough, Kefka is the only Final Fantasy villain to ever achieve Godhood. He temporarily defeated the heroes, then destroyed and later ruled the world as they knew it. Despite not having as much popularity as Sephiroth, he obtained what neither Sephiroth, nor any other villain had, which is truly impressive.

Other appearances
Kefka appears in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable.