#Emperor Palamecia

[superthatguy62]

Final Fantasy II: Memory of Heroes novel differences

I’ve done I and III (though the latter may need a touch-up later). Might as well do II as well.

Compared to the other two adaptations, II sticks more closely to the actual plot. There’s still some differences, though.

- The adaptation starts with Firion being resurrected, although he has a flashback to what happened: The party flees, Leon realizes that fleeing is hopeless and turns to fight, Firion joins him while Guy protects Maria. Firion falls just as Guy has his back slashed open and the last thing he hears is Leon giving a war cry, with the implication that Maria was attacked.

- We’re given a smidge of background on the orphans in this version: Rather than in Fynn proper, their hometown is a village on the border of it, they’re explicitly mentioned to have lost their parents in a fire, their father tells Firion to take care of his siblings, and the four apparently imagined themselves as rebels, which they reflected on with shame after they were forced out of their home.

- Firion is furious and wants revenge when he asks to join the rebels. 

- The task of infiltrating Fynn is recognized by Firion as a test of their self-control. Maria almost tries asking a couple in a house about the man taken to the tavern, but Firion and Guy hold her back.

- While accompanying Firion’s party, Minwu mentors them in a number of ways. When Firion brings up Gordon, Minwu states that he needs the strength to stand on his own and that Firion’s party is more likely to help with that.

- Cid is a lot more jovial and less gruff here.

- Josef is far ruder in his initial interaction with the party. He doesn’t even tell them what’s wrong directly: He covertly shoves a map of the Mythril Mines at the party before forcing them out the door. It’s only after they go there that they start figuring out what’s happening.

- Also, Minwu believes Josef strong enough to have handled the imperial forces himself (of course, then they learn Nelly was kidnapped).

- The commander is far less impressive here: The text notes that the cavern is decorated in a ‘desperate’ attempt at making the cavern luxurious and Minwu makes a plan that catches the imperials completely off-guard.

- For the plan to destroy the Dreadnaught, Minwu gives Firion the leadership role.

- Upon learning that Borghen is overseeing development of the Dreadnaught, Firion considers straight up ending him right then and there, before deciding that, with how work on the Dreadnaught’s going, he’s harmless. Then they find the Dreadnaught done ahead of schedule and Firion curses that they should’ve done it.

- Firion actually fights the Dark Knight (who roasts him for his poor on-the-fly plan) where the first clue of his true identity pops up: The Dark Knight is described as having a unique, self-taught style (which he uses to disarm Firion quickly) and that it’s one Firion recognizes Leon.

- The Sunflame quest is totally different:

-- Gordon joins the party as they leave Fynn

-- The Sunflame takes the Goddess Bell’s place at the bottom of the Snow Cavern. Gordon already has Egil’s Torch

--  Gordon is captured by Borghen towards the end of the cavern. Borghen himself makes no mention of being executed by the Empror for failing, instead focusing on his glory and legacy as well as reclaiming his status as a general.

-- On a related note: the game is a bit ambiguous regarding Borghen’s feelings towards Leon the Dark Knight. Here, he’s explicitly dismissive of him.

-- Gordon ends up throwing the torch, causing Borghen to hesitate long enough for Maria and Josef to take him out (Firion catches the torch).

-- Borghen’s trap isn’t just a boulder, but to cause the cavern to collapse. Josef holds up the roof long enough for the others to escape, but ends up crushed afterwards. Gordon naturally feels guilty, but Firion does too for not killing Borghen back in Bafsk.

-- Nelly is portrayed as mature for her age, which shows in the scene where she tells the heroes to keep fighting, hiding her sorrow until her last line of asking them to do it for Josef.

-- Also, the woman outside of Josef’s house doesn’t exist in this version of the story.

- The scene where the party rides chocobos to chase after the Dreadnaught is the only time Guy’s affinity with animals comes up, I believe. The novel also states that Chocobos have a strong homing instinct, explaining why they flee as soon as the riders get off.

- While the game glosses over the realization for simple foreshadowing, here the party actually realizes that Leon is the Dark Knight when he confronts them in the engine room. As a result, the party considers whether or not Leon is brainwashed and Firion wonders if he’ll be able to fight him.

- The Lamia sequence is heavily toned down 0/10 worst adaptation ever: Hilda’s eccentric behavior is replaced with her acting shell-shocked and the seduction sequence doesn’t happen. Instead, when Firion tries to ask her to lead again, she dismisses his concerns as trivial before telling him to come closer.

- Firion actually does almost get killed by the Lamia before Maria and Guy barge in and the former shoots it, giving Firion a chance to finish it off. Maria then chastises Firion for being so careless.

- The party fights the Behemoth, Maria using magic while Firion and Guy use physical strength. When Guy gets knocked aside, Gordon takes the opportunity to stab it in the threat, with Firion adding his own sword to the forehead.

- The Emperor has a jester in this adaptation and he’s present for the arena sequence. When the Emperor turns out to be an illusion, it’s due to the Jester’s influence. On that note, the Dark Knight is absent in this sequence; the party falls for a trap door.

- The recapture of Fynn happens offscreen. We do get Hilda give a speech to the worried populace, though.

- I neglected to mention this earlier, as you may have noticed, but Leila has the dubious honor of being the only guest party member to not appear in this adaptation 0/10 worst adaptation ever. She’s replaced in the Mysidian Tower trip by a generic male captain and she’s not present for the earlier shenanigans like the Lamia. This has the added effect of making Gordon the only guest (not counting the replacement captain whose fate after Ricard leaves is ambiguous) to survive to the end of the story.

- Ricard’s a bit more playful here, at least until he learns that the Dragoons were wiped out by the Empire from the captain. The revelation that they were all poisoned, and he was stuck in Leviathan, causing him to lose it and become desperate to escape. In the end, the group use gunpowder to cause Leviathan to spit them back out.

- The four crystals in Ultima’s chamber in the Mysidian Tower are woven into the plot: Namely, they’re II’s equivalent of the elemental crystals (which the game itself hints at) much like I and III. While they aren’t explicitly called such, the crystals stressing that darkness is spreading over the world, that the world cannot exist without Light and telling the Warriors to “bring Light to all” along with blessing them with their powers and the four feeling Light within them..., the four are made Warriors of Light in all but name.

- Deist happens off-screen. Ricard leaves the group after the Crystals’ blessing to see Deist for himself and returns with the Wyvern. He mentions Elina and Kain as he explains what he found at Deist.

- The Emperor initially uses another illusion on the throne in the Cyclone, but this time Maria grows wise and snipes the jester making the illusions. The Emperor himself then appears behind the party.

- The Emperor uses explosive and, interestingly, light magic. Firion is forced to shield Maria to give her a chance to cast Ultima, giving Ricard a chance to leap at the Emperor. Emperor parries the leap, but his scepter gets destroyed, which lets Firion and Guy end the battle.

- Also a neat little detail: The Emperor is shocked to see one of the Dragoons alive.

- Unlike the game, Firion and co. don’t forget about the Dark Knight and even note his odd absence. Then the news comes...

- Cid is never explicitly said to die, although with the shape he’s in, it’s probably pretty obvious.

- I made a post about Leon’s speech earlier. The general gist is that the speech is expanded, with Leon feeling that the only way to get out of the cycle of oppression is to stand at the apex of power. Firion notes that Leon used to believe that power should be to protect the weak and Leon claims to have discovered the limits of that approach.

- The Emperor emerges from Leon’s shadow (It’s symbolic). The novel also gives something of an explanation for Leon losing his helmet: The Emperor shatters it when he whacks him on the head. Interestingly, while the “there’s only room for one Emperor” line is there, the part about wanting to destroy everything isn’t.

- Ricard implores Leon to reconsider his path and transfers his Light over to him. The Light ends up being a factor in Leon turning face.

- The Jade Passage and most of Pandemonium is skipped: Leon aims the airship down what may as well be the passage and guns the engine. He winds up crashing the airship into Pandemonium’s top floor, with it stopping in the throne room.

- While I haven’t mentioned it until now, Hell in this adaptation is consistently referred to as “The Underworld”. Not sure why, as the characters say stuff like “Damn” elsewhere.

- The Emperor actually calls out Leon for siding with the heroes after just recently trying to kill them. Leon shoots back that he’ll do anything to protect the world from the Emperor.

- As the Emperor is on the verge of losing, he has a breakdown only to save face when he notices the Warriors’ light. The party reaffirms that they’re not just doing it because it’s their job to stop the darkness, but that they’re doing it for all those who have died and for those who are left to have a better future, etc.

- While Maria tries to stop Leon from leaving, Firion has the feeling that they’ll see him again someday. Leon himself feels a similar way, but blames it on the light Ricard passed on to him before leaving on his own adventure.

- BONUS: The ending of the FFI adaptation implies that the Warriors of Light reincarnate across all three stories. This would generally mean

Firion = Setro (is the leader, although with growing pains and self-doubt, and is very hot-blooded here. Also uses himself as a human shield at one point like Setro and Luneth)

Maria = Flora (Maria does get tutored by Minwu, which is a factor in her wielding Ultima, a spell classified as White Magic in FFII)

Guy = Teol (Arguably the weakest connection of the four; Guy uses his physical strength leaving Maria as the sole magic user, and him being good with animals is only mentioned briefly. Him being quiet and dependable is probably the only consistency between the two)

Ricard/Leon = Zauver (A bit hard to spot given that both only appear towards the end of the story, but Ricard is portrayed in a more playful nature and, like Minwu and Gordon, they both act as the number 2 to Firion. Leon also acts a bit more rational than Firion towards the end of the story (though that’s partially because he actually knows where Pandemonium is rather than being fooled by the projection) and he pilots the airship to the underworld. That said, the mention of Ricard’s Light influencing Leon makes it very obvious as well).

[chaoticgirl23]

My mom: You can tell me if you like any boy. /Is there any boy you find cute/have a crush on? (She means my male classmates ofc)

My male classmate's mom: Who's your crush? (She also means my male classmates ofc)

Me: I don't have any crush.

Also me: Step on me, Palamecia

Emperor Mateus has no business being that hot.

You can control any day, Emperor.

If he called me an insect and worthless, I would thank him every day.

Him. 💜

He has stolen my heart

Why are you bastard so damn gorgeous?! Why?! WHY?!-

[pininyx]

This world can have but one Emperor, and I am he

[nagarehoshi-testfest]

I found those pics and nearly lost myself in nostalgia. I really like Final Fantasy series (well, not all of them, for I haven't actually played all of them) and it's just a shame that Final Fantasy II is... pretty much underestimated. Still love it wholeheartedly, even though my latest cosplay plans are not even close to this fandom.

Emperor Palamecia (original version) by me

Photo & edit: t.me/nao_snowrabbit

[fostersffff]

I stopped playing Opera Omnia right before the introduction of Force Weapons, and it definitely seems to be a traditional "gacha game is reaching the end of what it can meaningfully do with the existing mechanics and associated subsystems, so it staples a new mechanic and associated subsystem on top of everything else".

However, Force Weapons are actually pretty nifty because they grant what are effectively TAG SUPERS with another character, which lends itself extremely well to Opera Omnia, especially since they don't restrict it to just characters from the same game, and instead seem to go for thematic/fun connections. Cloud of Darkness teams up with Exdeath because they're both all about entropy, Kain calls in Aranea for Dragoon Shenanigans, FuSoYa and Strago do an Old Man Blast, etc.

I mention this because my first experience with this mechanic being "The Emperor of Palamecia attacks JACK GARLAND (because of the Different Future DLC), who Soul Shields the entire thing, and then redirects the attack at the actual enemy" and "Kefka appears to annoy the shit out of Astos (because he's Ultima Weapon)" is delightful.

[godsrondo]

Name: Mateus Palamecia Age: 32 Race: Human/God Gender: Male Sexuality: Superiorsexual Residence: Castle Palamecia (Light-Arubboth/Dark-Pandemonium) Occupation: Emperor of Palamecia, Ruler of Heaven and Hell Fighting Style: Sorcerer, Trap Master Height: 6'3" (192 cm) Hair Color: Platinum Eye Color: Periwinkle Notable Features: His demeanor moves the Emperor to raise his chin, looking down on all others. His arrogant superiority is the most defining trait about him.

The attire he dresses of changes, but primarily adorn with the Palamecian crown- something more demonic than royal. Multi-colored jewels hand from his long tresses, and golden armor fitting to one so mighty. Purple, claw-tipped gloves, accents to his lips and eyes, and a flaring cape.

Personality...

Positive: intelligent, experimental, persistent Negative: rude, cruel, possessive Likes: snakes, obedience, tinkering Dislikes: roses, the cold, love Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Cunning, rude, and with a god complex. Mateus believes only he is fit to rule over all, seeing others unworthy and lost to the foolish beliefs they’ve created in the world. Though he believes himself sane, his mind has been corrupted to expand his tyranny wherever possible.

History...

***FFII spoilers***

Emperor Mateus is the ruler of Palamecia, a fertile land surrounded by a blistering desert and an impenetrable mountain range. Due to demon’s curse that’s plagued his ancestor’s, he’s driven to conquer all, even making a pact wit the devil to summon hellspawn for his army.

Starting with the neighboring kingdoms of Kashuan and Deist, his rule expanded, forcing these and others to submit or be destroyed. Using his demonic forces, he extended his attack to Fynn. Though suffering significant losses in the period of time, the Emperor focused attention on upbringing his new commanding Dark Knight and the building of his terrible airship, the Dreadnought.

This warship rained bombs from the sky on many civilizations, forcing the Wild Rose Rebellion to turn their primary focus upon stopping it. A magnificent distraction in order to obtain the Princess Hilda of Fynn and lure out the rebels which remained a thorn in his side.

Still unable to hinder the rebellion, Mateus summoned a great cyclone, merely another tactic for unyielding devastation. Upon Firion’s successful breach into this fortress with the last wyvern’s assistance, Mateus finally faces them in battle, if only to perish.

However, even in death, the Emperor’s soul separates. Half to conquer Hell, the other Heaven. With the powers of a god, the Dark Emperor unleashes his fury upon the mortal world, seeking only destruction. Only when Firion, Maria, Guy, and his former second, Leon, face him in Pandemonium, is he finally defeated.

[xkuja]

For curiosity, why do you hate Emperor Mateus Palamecia?

"Hate?" Kuja's lips curled into a smile. "No, hate is a term I exclusively reserve for only one soul... The Mantis could never aspire to kindle such fervent disdain in me."

"I merely find him... Distasteful. He has perched atop his grand throne for such an extended period that the merest nudge would suffice to send him tumbling, irreparably. Cracked into two. People like that are pathetic."

[magickmuses]

MUSES MASTERLIST (MOBILE)

KULOVASHOK (OC)

SPYRO THE DRAGON (CLASSIC SERIES)

SPYRO THE DRAGON (TLOS SERIES)

SPYRO THE DRAGON (SKYLANDERS SERIES)

PRINCESS ELYSSA AMASTACIA (OC)

LADY LUCILLA TEPES (OC)

LORD DARIUS COPPERWIND (OC)

RIPTO THE SORCERER (SKYLANDERS)

LORD MALEFOR (SKYLANDERS)

LORD FRIEZA (DRAGON BALL Z)

LORD BEERUS (DRAGON BALL Z)

CASTIEL (SUPERNATURAL)

SEPHIROTH (FINAL FANTASY)

KEFKA PALAZZO (FINAL FANTASY)

THE EMPEROR OF PALAMECIA (FINAL FANTASY)

GARLAND (FINAL FANTASY)

WARRIOR OF LIGHT (FINAL FANTASY)

TERRA BRANFORD (FINAL FANTASY)

SHANTOTTO (FINAL FANTASY)

PRINCE VEGETA (DRAGON BALL Z)

LOKI (ASSASSIN’S CREED)

SCARLET WITCH (MARVEL)

DOCTOR STRANGE (MARVEL)

ODIN (NORSE MYTHS)

THOR (NORSE MYTHS)

ZEUS (GREEK MYTHS)

LOKI (NORSE MYTHS)

KRATOS (GOD OF WAR)

CAPTAIN MARVEL (MARVEL)

THANOS (MARVEL)

KANG (MARVEL)

ULTRON (MARVEL'S WHAT IF)

MASTER XEHANORT (KINGDOM HEARTS)

SORA (KINGDOM HEARTS)

POWER-FIST (OC)

SPECTRE (OC)

AMBROSIA CLOUDSTORM (OC)

TWILIGHT SPARKLE (MY LITTLE PONY)

DISCORD (MY LITTLE PONY)

KING SOMBRA (MY LITTLE PONY)

TIREK (MY LITTLE PONY)

SHINRYU (FINAL FANTASY)

SAURON (LORD OF THE RINGS)

THE DARK DRAGON (DISNEY)

SALEM (RWBY)

LUCIFER (SUPERNATURAL)

ANNA (DISNEY)

GLORIA IVARRSDOTTIR (OC)

EMPEROR BELOS (DISNEY)

JORMUNDGANDR (NORSE MYTHS)

FENRIR (NORSE MYTHS)

ELSA (DISNEY)

[sinnohborn-trainer-evan]

For as long as I have other believers to stand by, the dream shall never fade!

Wonderful piece by my friend Yarik!

A world of wild roses, a world free from oppression and control, that is my dream. It's a dream I share with others, and I'll fight long and hard to make it come true. Of you who make us out to be no more than tools of war, fuel to a fire that threatens all we live for, we'll show you the true weight of our will!

This is a commission of my Pokémon Trainer avatar Evan with his Roserade Blossom, and cosplayed as the protagonist character Firion from Final Fantasy II! A simple villager born in the kingdom of Fynn, removed from his home in a sudden invasion led by the Emperor of Palamecia. Firion and his fellow homeland folk form an alliance with the resistance group Wild Rose, made up of Fynn refugees. Determined to restore the good name of his homeland, Firion and co. advance their way along to every settlement still intact, learning all the combat styles he can, and inspiring other nations to stand up to the looming threat of the Emperor. Their endeavors will take them far, even down to the very depths of the Earth, where the cursed kingdom of Pandaemonium lies beyond where mortal man should ever go. But as Firion holds fast to his dream, he will stop at nothing to bring peace to all.

[superthatguy62]

FF2 Villain/Character Talk: Leon

Because I have a lot of thoughts about this lovely little crumpet.

Final Fantasy II

Leon is one of the four main party members of Final Fantasy II, except that’s kind of a lie. While artwork and the naming screen suggests he’d be one of your companions, in the game you have him for the span of a single battle. When the party is revived, Leon is missing. While he is initially the driving force behind their initial trial to enter the rebellion, the party is forced to put Leon out of mind as they go on more missions.

(That’s him on the far right)

The biggest key aspect of Leon that is not immediately obvious is his family situation: Maria is Leon’s sister and only biological sibling. Firion and Guy, as their wildly different looks imply, are orphans that were adopted into Maria and Leon’s family. Maria and Leon do share an association with the color purple and are sometimes (but more rarely than you think) portrayed with the same hair color. 

Leon only returns at the end of the game, where

He’s the Dark Knight.

He’s the Dark Knight of Palamecia.

He betrayed his family.

Throughout the game, the party has to contend with the Dark Knight of Palamecia. Initially, these encounters are straightforward with the party unawares although while the Dreadnaught is exploding, Maria realizes that she recognizes the Dark Knight’s voice. However, it’s only after the Emperor dies and the war appears to be over that the Dark Knight is revealed to be Leon, taking the throne for himself.

This twist is preserved to varying degrees depending on the version. The Famicom and Origins versions lack portraits, meaning that the twist is preserved. The PSP version gives the Black Knight a (somewhat doofy looking) unique portrait to preserve the twist. The path of least resistance is definitely the GBA version, which simply darkens Leon’s portrait, presumably hoping the original GBA’s lack of backlight prevents the player from noticing.

When the party goes to Palamecia and confronts Leon, Leon goes into a rant about how power is the thing that rules the world and he won’t let go of it. The GBA versions onward also throw in some lines about how the weak need the strong to control them and where he accuses the rebellion of throwing away lives by opposing the empire.

Then the Emperor returns from Hell.

Leon is taken with the party back to Fynn. While Hilda is shocked to see him, Firion asks for Leon to join the rebellion and she ultimately leaves the decision up to the party. Leon is clearly concerned about the death that the revived Emperor will bring, and at Maria’s request, he rejoins the party.

In the end, Leon helps the party defeat the Emperor, but knows that things can’t simply go back to normal. Leon leaves to go off on his own, and despite Maria asking him to stop Leon, Firion instead promises that they will meet again.

Leon is notable for being the series’ first Dark Knight. He’s moreso a Dark Knight in terms of title rather than ability as, outside of brainwashing the town of Bafsk, he doesn’t display any particular dark powers. Still, he is considered the inspiration for the job (alongside its variant, Warmage), with the jobs’ implied Hell connections potentially being a reference to him serving the demon-infested Palamecia. Spinoffs lean into this by giving Leon abilities that suggest that the Emperor did indeed give him dark powers.

Prototypes

Leon’s genesis comes from two characters in the very early design document: A character named Leon who is “Part of Bamberg and a famous knight” and Rigel, a “Cold-hearted Dark Knight”. He may also have a bit of Ricard in him, one of the princes who schemes for the throne.

In the Early Plot, Leon’s role is largely the same as the final game, but the dynamic is wildly different; Leon being Maria’s biological brother is not mentioned in this treatment. Instead Firion gets the bulk of the emotional payoff, with the heavy emphasis on Firion and Leon growing up together and being brothers in arms (Guy and Maria are merely friends here). This implies that, as plans shifted, Maria absorbed the sibling relationship with Leon from Firion. Some descriptions such as Leon’s FF2 Dawn of Souls/PSP manual description or his Opera Omnia description suggests that he is still best friends with Firion, but for obvious reasons, this is never shown in game (unless you pull an Ultimania and generously interpret his “I knew you’d come Firion” as him respecting Firion’s strength).

Additionally, Leon wouldn’t hide his identity from the party. Not only that, but during his encounters with the party, he would try to sway Firion into joining the Empire, a sharp contrast from the final game’s Leon who seems to have rid himself of his feelings for his family. In fact, Firion is the one who has to cast aside his feelings to fight Leon.

Last, but not least: The treatment specifically says that Leon sought to act as the Emperor’s heir, implying that he respected Mateus in some way. In the final game, Leon is dismissive towards the Emperor’s return, refusing to hand over the throne. There’s also a bit where Firion points out what the Emperor became, asking Leon if he intended to become that, furthering a parallel between the two, but that’s moreso a Firion thing, so I’ll just save it for another day.

Regardless of these changes, Leon’s primary role in the game was fixed at this stage, being that he would join the Empire as the Dark Knight and oppose the party.

The third and final treatment is largely the same, although Leon has now shifted to a form close to his final version self. Still, a few things stand out: First, Leon is noted as “the rival” of the game. Second, building on the previous point, Leon is listed as an enemy like Borghen and the Emperor, suggesting that he would have been a proper boss fight (this is also hinted at in the previous treatment, where it mentions the party fighting Leon several times). Lastly, it mentions that Leon ‘comes to his senses’ after the Emperor returns from Hell, though whether that’s literal (suggesting that he was brainwashed) or figurative (suggesting he was not) is unclear.

Other Portrayals

Leon appears in the Labyrinth of Nightmares novelization of Final Fantasy II (That One With The Emperor’s Name). Information on said novel remains scarce unfortunately, as it has never had an official english translation and neither of the two known fan-translations have gotten deep into the book before going on indefinite hiatuses. What little is translated shows Leon in a foul mood due to his betrothed abruptly marrying another man about a month after giving him the equivalent of a marriage proposal (long story), though he pretends not to be upset in front of others like Maria. The sequence portrays Leon as someone who can mask his emotions, able to hide his grief and bitterness from Maria for almost a year; Had it not been for Firion eventually explaining, Maria would’ve never realized.

The book also goes a bit into Leon and Maria’s family life: They live in Mysidia in this portrayal, their father is master hunter and Leon is aptly following in his footsteps. He’s also stated to love Maria with “much greater than any esteem he had for himself, even dropping his anger towards Maria and Firion due to the former convincing the latter to teach her how to be an archer.

Leon’s characterization pre-downward spiral is also displayed in the prologue. He’s said to be one who values peace over his own happiness and his love for Maria is such that his refusal to teach her to hunt is moreso rooted in concern for her safety. On the other hand, Leon is shown to be somewhat petty, privately applying his annoyance at his former fiance’s marriage to all women after witnessing it.

Leon also has a childhood pet (implied to be a dog) named Perry. Perry is close to Leon, to the point that the dog is probably the one individual that Leon is emotionally open with at least until he succumbs to demonic madness and ends the poor pup on the spot.

Details from here become scarce. One thing that I can seemingly figure from a fansite is that, despite his claims during chapter 2, Leon stops caring about Maria in his madness and instead shifts priority to Firion. The novelization takes cues from earlier drafts (Alie, Borghen actually being threatening, etc) so this would be one of those.

Interestingly, an interview with Keniji Terada that predates the novel mentions that he was writing a prelude of sorts centered around Leon. It’s unclear if this story ever made it to magazines, but it’s likely that it evolved into the Labyrinth of Nightmares novel.

Leon also appeared in the Memory of Heroes adaptation. I’ve covered the novel a lot on here previous so the brief take is: Outside of nuances such as having a recognizable self-taught fighting style, Leon’s role is almost exactly the same as the game . The only significant difference is that Ricard passes on the light he was blessed with to Leon. It’s thus implied (in the novel’s canon at least) that he has a connection with the Zauver the Thief from the first part and consequently Ingus from the third part.

Leon’s made numerous appearances in FF spinoffs, mostly the mobile game titles. Due to the simplicity of said titles and how they use their characters, Leon is usually portrayed in his mid-FF2 form, i.e. as an antagonistic Dark Knight. Opera Omnia, being post-FF2, portrays him firmly on the side of good, albeit with the Emperor briefly brainwashing him in a way that implies that his lust for power still exists somewhere within him.  

Legacy

As mentioned prior, Leon technically started the trend of Dark Knights (and their related job Warmage/Hellblade). Guidebooks for the original releases of III and IV allude to this, as both feature backstories about a knight named Leon who uses Dark energy. Even today, Stranger of Paradise has a passive for its Dark Knight job that mentions “memories of a power-hungry Dark Knight” (paraphrasing) as a clear nod.

It is also possible that Leon inspired another character: Kain Highwind. Kain is the best friend of Cecil Harvey, the Dark Knight-to-Paladin protagonist of Final Fantasy IV. Despite this, Kain ends up coming to blows with Cecil; While this is revealed to be the result of brainwashing, it is implied that the form of brainwashing that the main villain uses is one that roots itself in the targets’ insecurities. Thus, Kain’s envy of Cecil and desire for Rosa to be his are implied to have existed in him even prior to the start of the game. In the end, Kain goes to Mt Ordeals, in hopes of someday overcoming his moral weaknesses. For bonus points, it’s said that Kain had potential to be a Dark Knight, but preferred to follow in his father’s footsteps as a Dragoon. 

On a more coincidental note, there is Delita Hiral who, like Leon, was put into a traumatic situation involving his own powerlessness and the death of a sibling that ended with his apparent demise and both began to covet power as a result. However, Delita wants to use that power towards benevolent ends and in spite of his lashing out initially, he nevertheless keeps a somewhat amicable relationship with Ramza (moreso on Ramza’s end) while the mantra that Leon adopts is more suited towards Tactics’ villains (indeed, Dycedarg Beoulve reveals towards the end of the game that he has similar views regarding the relationship between the weak and the strong). As such, it’s more likely that this is merely a happy coincidence than a clear nod to Leonheart.

Conclusion

Leon is an odd character in that he’s interesting in spite of how little screen time he gets. So much about him is shrouded in mystery due to the nature of Famicom-era Final Fantasy storytelling: There’s not even a proper intro in a number of versions of the game, we’re given no real info on what life for him and his siblings was like prior to the Empire’s invasion, even the assertion that he’s Firion’s best friend is only barely alluded to due to the nature of the game. And of course, there’s his role as the Dark Knight; Was he brainwashed or did he willingly turn turncoat? Did he always resent the Emperor or was it more akin to a Chirin’s Bell/Ringing Bell situation? And where does Leon go off to, after the game ends?

I dunno. I just think he’s neat.

[chaoticgirl23]

Pinned post. Introduction

Hello. I'm ChaoticGirl23. I'm from the Balkans and around 14-16 (underage).

I really like a lot of things such as Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, history, Shadow The Hedgehog, The Paul Street Boys, The Outsiders etc.

Oh, by the way, I simp for Emperor Mateus Palamecia (Final Fantasy 2/Dissidia), Kuja (Final Fantasy/Dissidia), Marluxia (Kingdom Hearts) etc. so expect me to post about them from time to time.

DNI (Do Not Interact) if:

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Anyway, I hope you enjoy this mess of a blog

[we-are-trickster]

Because I need some attention and validation…

New fic drop!

Title: The Sound of Silence

Fandom: Dissidia: Final Fantasy

Pairings: Kuja/Mateus, Kuja/Sephiroth, Mateus/Ultimecia

Summary: Kuja was once a powerful mage in the kingdom of Alexandria, the Queen’s spy master in fact, but when forces of the Palamacian Empire invade, Kuja finds themself captured by Kefka who places a permanent Silence spell upon them - keeping them from casting or even speaking - and brings them back to Palamecia as a War Prize. Presented to Emperor Mateus Palamecia as a gift, Kuja must carefully navigate his court without both their voice and magic. They quickly catch the eye of one of Mateus’s other generals, Sephiroth, who may be able to assist them in both regaining their voice and taking revenge…

[circle-bircle]

should have made an emperor mateus ramble tag long ago. my mind is running WILD. anyway gordon/mateus??????

they're just sooo pretty. ive written about gordon before - he's the exact opposite of mateus so he'd be soo shy and lurk behind him while mateus hogs all of the attention especially if he were to have any sort of party. but i think they're similar in that they both dislike parties and big get-togethers - gordon's is probably because scott was always the one that managed to be conversational and well-spoken while gordon hid in the corner. while mateus wouldn't hide in the corner he's definitely an asshole if he knows other people are terrible as well - so the people who talk down to him or have made slights against him will bring him to be an embarrassment. so it's better that they don't have any grand parties at all :p

ugh and getting into even more hcs i don't think mateus has ever seen a chocobo before. gordon loves them so he makes mateus go riding one day and he's grossed out but gordon would lead him through the kashuan forests and talk all about his country and the best looking spots - it's one of the only things gordon is confident about and mateus can't help but be impressed by the knowledge imparted. but he would like to bathe, please, and get this filthy bird away from him. (the chocobo would love him regardless and try to get headpats and nuzzles).

there's two ways i think gordon could tell scott - either he tells scott the vague details - "i'm in love with someone" "who?" "i can't tell you." that sort of conversation, where scott is probably thinking it's a commoner or maybe a servant/a visiting lord/lady and doesn't have any idea for the longest time that it's mateus; or, gordon drops off the face of the earth because he's living in palamecia and scott would think he is dead. but no, he's just livin the life in the castle!!

plus i think gordon would thrive off of mateus whether it's like. peak "the emperor" or not. emperor mateus could order gordon to do something and he would do it just because he wants to be useful and as a prince he was just the backup lest scott passed, but here he's putting the skills he learned to use and mateus is proud of him!?

plus i think he'd like the grovelling at his boots thing just because of how wimpy he is.

[danielpsharma]

Episode 28: The Resurrected Emperor. And Fifth Run of the Arcane Dungeons

Palamecia: Emperor cares not for the empire but is now bent on destroying the world. Ricard sacrifices himself, and Leon joins the party, escaping as Palamecia crumbles.

Castle Fynn: The Lord of Hell rules Pandaemonium, and it seems that the resurrected Emperor is the lord of Hell. Pandaemonium can be accessed through the Jade Passage, rumored near Mysidia.

Arcane Labyrinth NW: 5th Run (Firion): Cyclone, Giants.