Kefka Palazzo/Dissidia (PSP)

Kefka Palazzo is one of the villains fighting for the side of Chaos in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. He is the villain representing Final Fantasy VI. An insane sorcerer with a complete lack of scruples, his attacks are generally magic-based, but more chaotic than basic spells. Coupled with his erratic movements, Kefka's main skill seems to be to annoy his opponents with his contemptuous manner. He shares his goal to destroy everything with other villains, but he handles any hindrance with extreme prejudice, regardless of the offender's allegiance. Kefka's short-term goal is to use the power of his rival, Terra, to further his plans and seize control of her again.

While Terra is his rival in the original Dissidia, his main rival in the 012 storyline is Vaan, whom he blames and subsequently detests for breaking Terra free of his control.

Attire
Kefka's appearance in Dissidia is drawn from his original Amano artwork rather than his Final Fantasy VI sprites. His clothing is colorful with a variety of polka-dots and stripes, with red and yellow being predominant. His trademark blond hair and white and red facial makeup are present, and his lips are outlined in bright purple in a manner resembling a Glasgow smile.

Kefka's first alternate costume, "Zebra Tights," is based on an alternate Amano design and resembles his Final Fantasy VI battle sprite. Kefka wears an outfit with more blue and white colors with a red, white, and blue ruffle around his neck and a white cape. His EX Mode in this outfit is a darker purple God form with a purple loincloth, white angel wings, and red and black demon wings.

Kefka's second alternate outfit, "Snobbish Turban," is based on another alternate Amano art, and resembles Kefka's Final Fantasy VI field sprite. He wears an outfit colored in various shades of green with gold and some red details, puffed sleeves, and a green and yellow skullcap. His EX Mode in this form is based on Rest, one of the two final opponents in the chain of enemies leading up to Kefka in the final battle in Final Fantasy VI. Kefka has light blue-gray skin with a dark blue loincloth, golden angel wings and black demon wings.

Kefka's manikin version, Phantasmal Harlequin, is red.

Twelfth cycle
In "Prologus," Kefka is the second Warrior of Chaos Lightning and the Warrior of Light face. He tells Ultimecia to let him handle them, but is defeated.

Overhearing Kuja speaking with Cloud about memories, Kefka decides to "help" the two, arranging the chain of events leading to Cloud's defection by talking Sephiroth into attacking Tifa and revealing the battle to Cloud. Due to Kuja's own scheme, Kefka finds himself unable to control Terra and retaliates by gathering the Emperor and Ultimecia in a plan to foil Kuja's scheme and expose him to the Warriors of Cosmos he was attempting to align with. Though Kefka expresses how impressed he was with Kuja's scheme, encouraging him to try again in the next cycle, he intends to be a witness to the young man's defeat. To that end, he nags Kuja into showing him what he is made of against Lightning. After Kuja is defeated, Kefka then approaches a fading-away Kuja and mocks him for his failure.

Though Kuja is defeated, Kefka takes in it stride, as well as implies his intentions of supplying Kuja with fake memories upon his revival for the next cycle. Lightning is disgusted at his treatment of Kuja, but Kefka dismisses it, and also cryptically hints at the reviving nature of the conflict to her before taking his leave. Later, Kefka finds his prize "toy" Terra unwilling to fight, and proceeds to torture her until Vaan intervenes on her behalf. Rendered giddy by the fight, Kefka fails to notice Vaan running off with Terra, yet remarks she will come back to him eventually. Kefka later joins the group under Garland to stop Lightning's team from advancing, battling Vaan, as well as asking for Terra back, before falling back. Afterwards, Kefka attacked the Cloud of Darkness for her part in the rift's closing, having her memories erased as well.

Thirteenth cycle
After talking Exdeath into confronting the Onion Knight and Terra, refusing to accept he has lost the latter to Cosmos, Kefka recruits the Cloud of Darkness to help him in unlocking Terra's full power. After the Cloud of Darkness is defeated and the Onion Knight got his crystal, Kefka appears before him and Terra. With Terra having forgotten about being a Warrior of Chaos and no memory of her mindless battle with the little knight, Kefka reminds her and mocks her claims that he is lying, calling her "destruction incarnate" while firing spells at Terra in an attempt to get her to awaken her cataclysmic power. Kefka tells Terra she is better suited to fight for Chaos than against him and extends an offer to Terra to rejoin him in causing destruction. In an attempt to protect Terra, Onion Knight attacks the mad clown, and Kefka teleports them away, leaving Terra alone to search for her friend.

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 Sephiroth is not really special due to the fact he is "Yet another sadist 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 decide to keep an eye on him. Along the way, Terra encounters Cloud after Terra's powers again reach breaking point when remembering Kefka's taunts about her being destruction incarnate. Cloud takes the brunt of Terra's attacks and then joins her to look for the Onion Knight. They later find Kefka, and again she refuses his offer, having found hope for a future where dreams like those of Firion can come true. Enraged, Kefka summons the Cloud of Darkness to assist him before the Onion Knight arrives in time to give Cloud a hand in holding off the Cloud of Darkness, while Terra fights Kefka alone. Kefka bombards her with spells while maniacally demanding that she "play" with him, until she stops running and fights him. Terra overcomes Kefka and he fades away, although not before declaring he will get her back.

Afterwards, Kefka appears with Kuja, telling him to acquire some "bait" for Zidane, but Kuja protests that his friends cannot be kidnapped because they travel together. Kefka tells Kuja Squall travels alone, prompting Kuja to attack Squall and try to capture him, telling him to "kill two birds with one stone".

When Bartz falls into a trap laid for Zidane, Kefka appears before Zidane and, still sore about having lost all chances at getting Terra to return to the Warriors of Chaos, refuses to tell him where Bartz is, as well as angrily chew Zidane out for being "Too stupid to even get caught in a trap!" The two duel, and Zidane wins. Kefka tells Zidane Bartz has been taken to enemy territory. Kefka also makes a brief appearance directly afterward, where Kuja complains Kefka botched his plan, only for Kefka to shrug off the accusation and taunt him with the failure. However, he does express interest when Kuja plots to use the setback to trick Bartz into getting Zidane into a trap by using a fake crystal.

After Chaos has killed Cosmos, Kefka appears along with Exdeath to ridicule the heroes, as they begin to fade away as a result of the goddess's death. Later on, he is confronted by Terra in his tower. He initially taunts Terra in regards to her role in Cosmos's death. Terra once again defeats him, after which Kefka laments the futility of existence before self-destructing and fading away with a sorrowful laugh while craving for more destruction. Terra later speculates Kefka desired destruction because he truly could not perceive anything else in life and needed it to fill his broken heart.

Official Quests
Kefka has two brief mentions in the official quests. In "Sephiroth's Quest 012: The Hero's Memory" during the 12th cycle, he speaks to Sephiroth about the latter's desire to recover his memories. Though Kefka doesn't see the point of such a desire, he tells Sephiroth that fighting someone from their own world will make him "see things differently". Kefka also appears in "Cloud of Darkness' Quest 013: The Power of Destruction", where after they kidnap Terra in the 13th cycle, he and the Cloud of Darkness discuss the value of Terra as a minion with their supply of manikins running low.

Battle
Kefka's is described as a Mad Mage. His attacks consist of various magical projectiles that move in erratic patterns and hit over large areas, allowing him to catch opponents by surprise. His attacks usually have a lag when used, or leave Kefka stationary while he manipulates the attack, leaving him vulnerable to counterattacks. Another drawback is that Kefka has slow ground movement, and many of his Bravery attacks can be blocked. As an upside, when they do hit his Brave attacks often do high damage.

Boss
In Dissidia, Kefka is fought in Destiny Odyssey VI and IX, Shade Impulse, Distant Glory, and Inward Chaos.

In Dissidia 012, Kefka is fought in Stern Eyes, An Undocumented Battle, The Chosen Path, Trust, and Conclusion of the Cycle chapters of Story Mode.

EX Mode
Warring Triad _mphWG8W-Sc Kefka's EX Mode is Power of Destruction, where he transforms into his God of Magic form as seen in the final battle of Final Fantasy VI. In EX Mode Kefka gains the abilities "Glide" and "Exhilarating Magic." Glide lets Kefka fly through the air by holding, while Exhilarating Magic augments his attacks in various ways, such as firing more projectiles, hitting over larger areas, improving their tracking, and so forth. This makes Kefka's attack even more erratic and difficult to defend against.

Kefka's EX Burst is Warring Triad. Kefka attacks the opponent with Ultima, then leaps back and conjures a field of energy. Three button commands flash over Kefka's head, and the player must input the commands in the same order they appear. If the buttons are input incorrectly, Kefka will use a stronger version of Forsaken. If the buttons are correct, he will use Light of Judgment, smiting opponents from above with a beam of light.

Equipment
Kefka can equip Rods, Staves, Instruments, Bangles, Hats, Hairpins, Ribbons, Clothing, and Robes. In Dissidia 012, Kefka can also equip Poles and Headbands.

Allusions

 * Kefka's weapon, Dancing Mad, is named after his final battle theme music, while his Lamia Flute originally comes from Final Fantasy IX as a weapon for Eiko Carol.
 * Kefka's dialogue is based on Final Fantasy VI's script.
 * Against the Emperor, Kefka says "You are less than worthless!", his rebuke to Emperor Gestahl. When using Extra Crispy Firaga, Kefka yells "You'll be well done!", derived from "Run! Run! Or you'll be well done!", his line when Gestahl was escaping the Warring Triad's judgment.
 * When facing Cecil in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, he says "Goody two-shoes!", his retort to Leo.
 * "I hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE YOU!", a line he speaks on defeat, is derived from his dialogue to Celes after she stabs Kefka instead of her friends; he also quotes this in Destiny Odyssey VI.
 * "Don't think you've won this!" and "Graaah! I'll remember this!" are from his defeat at Narshe.
 * "You're lower than lower than dirt", is based on "You may as well be the dirt on the bottom of my boots! Or the dirt stuck to the bottom of that dirt!" in the GBA version of Final Fantasy VI. It is also referenced during Destiny Odyssey III in Dissidia 012 when Kefka is insulting Cloud of Darkness.
 * Kefka's line when facing Jecht, "Meatheads, meatheads everywhere," is similar to Ultros's exchange with Sabin.
 * When Kefka denies Terra's request to know how the Warriors of Cosmos were responsible for Cosmos's death, Terra says "Stop fooling around!" In the GBA translation for Final Fantasy VI, Emperor Gestahl, when Kefka demands that the Warring Triad use Gestahl as a demonstration of their true power, tells Kefka "Stop playing around!"
 * When against Exdeath, Kefka says "Destruction without death? BORING", which is comparable to his final battle dialogue; "What fun is destruction if no precious lives are lost?" Shortly before Terra fights him in Destiny Odyssey VI, Kefka says "I'm going to destroy... EVERYTHING!!", referencing his line to the Returners in the SNES and PS versions; "I will exterminate everyone and everything". "Let's destroy it all, you and me! Friends, enemies, everybody and everything!" is another take on this line.
 * During Shade Impulse, Kefka delivers several lines that mirror his dialogue before Final Fantasy VI's final battle. Dissidia_Kefka_Speech.jpg If it is someone other than Terra, he greets them with "Welcome, dear, dear friends. I've been thinking of just the right thing to say when we met again", similar to "Welcome, friends! I knew you'd come, so I've been practicing my greeting!" If playing as Terra, Kefka says "Destruction is the fate of all things!", alluding to "Embrace your destruction! It is the fate of all things!" After being defeated by Terra, he paraphrases various excerpts of his speech before Final Fantasy VI's final battle; "Beyond the chaos, the end draws near", which is based on the SNES ("The end comes... beyond chaos.") and GBA ("The end draws near...") localizations of his line when preparing Forsaken. In addition, part of his final words, "Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!" are derived from the line from the SNES version "No! I will hunt them down! I will destroy it all! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!!" A similar reference to the above line was made in the pre-battle exchange between Terra and Kefka in "Light the Way part III The Cycles's Conclusion" in Dissidia 012.
 * When Lightning asks them to step aside in Dissidia 012's final stages, Kefka responds with "'Step aside' she says. Do we look like side steppers?", alluding to Kefka's exchange with Sabin, "'Wait' He says! Do I look like a waiter?"
 * One of Kefka's "Dissidia 012" win quotes references Kefka's first appearances, where he orders two soldiers to "clean [his] shoes!"
 * A sample voice clip of Kefka's in the theater is "Such magnificent power!", his line before demonstrating his strength to the party in Final Fantasy VI.
 * When fighting Vaan in Dissidia 012, he says "You're about to learn why 'oppose' rhymes with 'dispose'!" paralleling his orders before invading Narshe, "There's a reason 'oppose' rhymes with 'dispose'!"
 * When using Forsaken Null and while chasing Terra during Destiny Odyssey VI, Kefka briefly enacts the pose from Amano's artwork. On victory, he assumes a variation on the pose from Amano's chibi design.
 * During EX Burst, he will descend from above, similar to his introduction in Final Fantasy VI's final battle. Golden lights also shine upon him, alluding to the battle's scenery. If he uses Forsaken, the camera's perspective changes to that of a 2D Final Fantasy battle, with Kefka taking on the pose of his final battle sprite. The screen also zooms on Kefka's face, a reference to when Kefka's facial expression is displayed before he prepares it.
 * Kefka's EX Burst, Warring Triad, refers to the three gods he absorbed power from to become a god himself. The color of the three circles that surround him correspond with the trio's appearance; the top blue circle reflects Goddess, the right red circle references Demon, while the left yellow circle represents Fiend. Their positions relative to Kefka reference when he took their power on the Floating Continent, with Kefka standing in-between them.
 * On victory, he breaks the fourth wall by humming the "Victory Fanfare".
 * Kefka's attacks are based on his final battle script in Final Fantasy VI; his Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga in Dissidia are variations of the normal versions he uses.
 * Kefka controls Terra in Destiny Odyssey III using a "Puppeteer's Wheel", a reference to Kefka using the Slave Crown on Terra in Final Fantasy VI.
 * Excluding Chase Sequences, Kefka's Havoc Wing is his only physical attack, as in Final Fantasy VI.
 * One of his opening lines before fighting a weaker character is "Do you think you can beat me?" This refers to a line Kefka stated when an Esper's attacks failed to hurt Kefka during his raid at Thamasa, "Imagine! Thinking you could defeat ME!!"
 * In Dissidia 012, Kuja attempts to sneak Zidane and his friends behind enemy lines to fight Chaos himself, but Kefka, the Emperor, and Ultimecia stop them, with Kefka claiming that Kuja's plan was to betray them in the end. This mirrors when Celes in Final Fantasy VI helps the party sneak into the Magitek Research Facility, before Kefka tells them in the Esper storage she was an imperial spy.
 * One of Kefka's voice clips features him laughing in the same tone and tempo as his laugh track from Final Fantasy VI.
 * When Sephiroth faces Kefka in Dissidia 012, he says "Die laughing", similar to Gestahl's line to Kefka before he attempts to kill him on the Floating Continent.
 * When the Emperor faces Kefka in Dissidia 012, he says "Back to your cage, foolish jester!" referring to when Gestahl imprisoned Kefka as part of his ploy to gain the Returners' trust.
 * In Dissidia Duodecim Prologus Final Fantasy, the theme when fighting Kefka is "Esper Battle ~ arrange from Final Fantasy XII", alluding to Kefka's exploitation of the espers's power, before turning them into magicite.

Trivia

 * Kefka's exclusive weapon "Nephilim Flute" takes its name from the, a group in the Hebrew Bible that were said to be the offspring of "the sons of god" (commonly interpreted to mean angels) and "the daughters of men". This could either be taken as a reference to Espers, being humans granted magical powers by the Warring Triad, or to Terra, the offspring of the Esper Maduin and the human Madeline.
 * Kefka is the only male character besides Cloud who can equip the female-only "Pretty Princess" equipment set.
 * If Kefka begins Forsaken Null during EX Mode, and continues to keep the same Forsaken Null out after his EX Mode ends, that specific Forsaken Null will keep its EX Mode effects.
 * Kefka possesses the fastest attack in the game - in EX Mode, Ultima takes only one frame to execute. The only other attacks that execute as quickly as this are blocking abilities like Shield Bash and Omni Block.
 * The Japanese name for Kefka's "Exhilarating Magic" ability is Dokidoki Magic. "Dokidoki" is a Japanese onomatopoeia for a beating heart.
 * In Dissidia in Shade Impulse, Kefka is the first villain to be killed. However, in Dissidia 012, Exdeath dies before him.
 * Kefka is the only character who has no HP attacks which can cause Brave damage prior to dealing the HP damage.
 * Much of Kefka's dialogue, as well as his tendency to change the tone of his voice mid-sentence, were ad-libbed by Kefka's Japanese voice actor, Shigeru Chiba. In particular, Kefka's use of "Ti-La-Pia!" as a magic spell is an example of Chiba's habit of using seafood-related puns when ad-libbing the dialogue of some of his anime roles.
 * Kefka has an idle animation. If left idle for a few seconds, he will lean back while pumping his arms into the air several times while he hovers in place, as if laughing or exaggeratedly yawning. Shantotto has a similar idle pose.

Kefka Palazzo/Dissidia