Kefka Palazzo is a Warrior of Spiritus in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT and its arcade version, representing Final Fantasy VI. He is a Marksman character with magic-based attacks, and his EX Skill is Heartless Angel. Kefka returns from his original appearance in the 2008 Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, in which he had a similar combat style.
Kefka's default player name is Nameless Madcap, and his manikin counterpart is renamed Fey Madcap.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Kefka's default costume is "Garish Clown", an updated version of his Yoshitaka Amano art, and his main appearance in the Dissidia series. Its first alternate coloration is an updated version of his "Zebra Tights" attire from the PlayStation Portable games and 16-bit boss sprite . The second alternate coloration colors his attire primarily green and red like his 16-bit field sprite .
His first alternate costume is the "Snobbish Turban", an updated version of his attire from Dissidia 012 and alternate Amano art, but with his equipped headpiece now visible above his head. The first alternate coloration incorporates more orange and purple into his multi-colored clothing, while the second alternate coloration incorporates more red and green.
His second alternate costume is "Fallen One", his God of Magic form seen in the final battle of Final Fantasy VI and an updated version of his EX Mode form seen in previous Dissidia games. This has two alternate colorations, the first being an updated version of his Snobbish Turban costume's EX Mode appearance in Dissidia 012, itself based on the boss Rest from the final battle gauntlet in Final Fantasy VI.
Personality[]
Kefka retains his maniacal, twisted, psychopathic, and short-tempered character traits. He has no qualms with destroying a location that is not part of the world he originates from out of sheer boredom. He is the only one of the warriors of Spiritus to deliberately try to get the warriors of Materia killed by the planesgorgers. His defeat pose alludes to his childish nature by having him throw a temper tantrum.
Kefka remains snarky, abrasive, and confident of his victory even when he appears outmatched. His lines are often slandering, exempting mirror matches, where he is entranced by his own image.
Equipment[]
Kefka's "equips" headpieces as his weapon. Kefka's alternate weapons have not appeared in prior Final Fantasy games, and are original to the Dissidia series. They refer to his status as Emperor Gestahl's court jester in Final Fantasy VI.
His default weapon is the Decoration to Die For, a feathered ornament dubbed by Kefka himself. His first alternate weapon is the Motley Cap, a multicolored headpiece that resembles a jester cap. His second alternate weapon is the Bewildering Headdress, which loosely resembles a colorful plumed turban. His third alternate weapon is the Thinking Cap, which resembles a pointed hat with a red ribbon loosely wrapped around. Its tip appears to be a lit-up electrical bulb. His fourth alternate weapon is the Courtly Headdress, which resembles his head ornament in his God of Magic form from Final Fantasy VI.
Story[]
Kefka is summoned as a warrior of Spiritus alongside his fellow villains in the new war. Shantotto stumbles upon Kefka, Cloud of Darkness, and Sephiroth heading to meet Spiritus, with Kefka gleefully skipping about, happy to be back on World B and anticipating the upcoming battles.
Kefka wanders into a schism between Exdeath and Shantotto, Tidus, and Firion in Narshe, and is attacked by Firion. He dodges and grabs Tidus and Exdeath, dragging them into a portal where Ultimecia awaits. Firion and Shantotto save Tidus, and Kefka looks on amused while Ultimecia and Shantotto sling insults at each other. When the trio of heroes fails to escape Kefka tries to get away, but is stopped by Firion, who is nearly blasted into a portal by one of Kefka’s spells. He is saved by Jecht, who joins Tidus and Firion against Exdeath, Ultimecia, and Kefka in Besaid after Shantotto fell into a portal. When the planesgorgers begin to destroy the area, Kefka and the others retreat.
In Rabanastre, Kefka blasts the city with spells out of boredom until he notices the presence of a planesgorger. He taunts Vaan and engages in battle against him, Onion Knight, and Y'shtola, but this is a trick to summon the planesgorgers, who destroy Rabanastre as Kefka retreats.
When the heroes and antagonists meet to stage a battle to lure Shinryu out, the dragon god responsible for the planesgorgers, Terra tells Kefka that though they are joining forces now, he will not be forgiven. Kefka laughs and leers snidely in response. During the battle, he attacks Vaan and Tidus with lightning spells before the two get the upper hand and hit him with a Pyroclasm kicked by Tidus. As Shinryu arrives, Kefka participates in the joint attack to defeat it, but is repelled. After regaining their composure, the warriors work together to defeat the dragon.
The moogles give Kefka a crystal to host his memories for Spiritus to use in the new cycles of wars. With a crystal doppelgänger of himself to serve on Spiritus's behalf, Kefka returns to his homeworld.
Gameplay[]
- Type: Marksman - Kefka's spells keep opponents on their toes with their odd trajectories and uneven speeds. Most of his skills can be charged for added craziness.
Kefka's attacks rely on unusual behavior to catch opponents off-guard with attacks that hit at odd angles. Kefka can charge his Bravery attacks for greater range and power, and to delay their casting to trip up the opponent's attempts to block or dodge. His HP attacks can hit over large areas and two of them inflict debuffs, as does his unique EX Skill, making him a versatile debuffer. As in the PSP games however, Kefka's attacks are powerful but slow to execute and leave him vulnerable, and he is best used to fight from a distance. Unique to Kefka is a taunt move, usable by pressing when the summon gauge is not filled; doing this will have Kefka laugh and pose, and he gains a very small boost to his Bravery.
Abilities[]
Move | Damage | Input | Type | Power | Frame Data | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blizzaga Blitz | Bravery | Ground | ||||
Hover above the earth before unleashing a sudden burst of ice magic. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Plip-Plop Meteor | Bravery | Ground | ||||
Open a void above your opponent's head that pursues them while raining down meteors. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Core Decoy | Bravery | Ground | ||||
Spawn a fake summinong core that explodes when an enemy draws near. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Zig-Zag Firaga | Bravery | Aerial | ||||
Toss a fireball that alternates between pursuing its target and flying straight ahead. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Snap-Crackle Thundaga | Bravery | Aerial | ||||
Generate several orbs of lightning around you before sending them all hurtling toward your foe. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Boom-Boom Ultima | Bravery | Aerial | ||||
Invoke a powerful area of magic a fixed distance from yourself that draws in nearby enemies before exploding. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Liftoff | Bravery | Dash | ||||
Propel yourself upward with explosive flatulence in the direction you move the left stick. | ||||||
Havoc Wing | HP | - | ||||
Piercing wings emerge from your back as you charge toward your foes. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Hyperdrive | HP | - | ||||
Cast pillars of fire from afar that rise from the earth and pursue your target. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Trine | HP | - | ||||
Cast a spell consisting of three triangles that explode after a short time. On hit, it impairs your foe's vision and prevents the use of any common EX skills they have. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Forsaken | HP | - | ||||
Release from afar a magic orb that pursues foes and temporarily lowers maximum HP on hit. (Can move while casting, hold to charge) | ||||||
Heartless Angel | EX Skill | - | ||||
Apply debuffs to any enemies around you. Charging will increase the number of debuffs applied. |
Gallery[]
Allusions[]
- When using Heartless Angel in his debut trailer for the arcade version, the landscape from Narshe turns into the World of Ruin, which may allude to his role in causing the cataclysm in Final Fantasy VI.
- When returning to World B near the start of the game, Kefka alludes to forgetting to behead a Returner, a reference to the rebel faction that opposed him and the Gestahlian Empire in Final Fantasy VI.
- Prior to encountering Vaan, Onion Knight, and Y'shtola Rhul, Kefka blasts portions of Rabanastre (or rather, a simulacrum of the location) out of boredom. This may allude to his frequent use of the Light of Judgment in the World of Ruin.
- His second alternate costume set, "Fallen One", alludes to the original name for Heartless Angel, one of his attacks in Final Fantasy VI.
Trivia[]
- Kefka is the second antagonist to appear in the arcade version.
- Kefka is the first male Marksman in the arcade version.