I wouldn't be surprised if the next villain we will eventually have to fight revives him or golbez actually since I think he still roaming free doing what he wants
I loved how they specifically gave you the choice of how to interpret their final fight; wether you liked him, didn’t care abt him or straight up hated him
This. I feel like too many people get so caught up in analysing his arc that they forget that he still ended up doing a ton of things that could make WoL not that cool with him or want to fuel his ego, even if he shows up to help with Endsinger. I mean, either headcanon is valid but I really don't like the crowd who act as if the first choice is objectively correct.
@@SkallvaWell, even the first choice can be interpreted as "Alright, on this one you've got me. I do love theses challenges for the sake of themselves." Not a "hehe, actually I like you very much dear friend!"
@@kuronyra1709 I do want to say that tho. What my character wanted to say was: Man you're a piece of shit but i like you, let's have fun and kill each other.
4:37 This entire scene was the moment Zenos became one of my fav characters. Unlike other villains who shit on their subordinates for dying to the heroes, he actually has high respect for their courage. Even more respect if they fought and survived. His whole dialogue with Alisaie and Jullus in Endwalker makes this even more powerful now. Spoilers below: In his debate with them, when they meet in Garlemald, we get a brief insight into why Zenos is the way he is. It's due to his own internal conflict that Alisaie's intuition hints at. For reasons yet unknown, he's given up and sees no meaning in existing, unless one gives said existence meaning. While that's a healthy outlook on existentialism, the issue is that if handled irresponsibly, it leads to heidonism, as Alisaie rightfully points out. So Zenos has decided the only thing he has to keep him going, is his obsession with combat. He respects these soldiers who fought and died, because they had a meaning to fight and die for. He respects the soldier who survived, because they had a meaning to live for. He respects WOL because he finds his meaning in us. This is why I personally don't get when ppl claim Zenos is a poorly written villain or has no nuance to him. Like, are they even paying attention to the story at all?
Sadly he was utterly wasted by the terrible writing since SB. He had a hell lot of potential, but the story being just a shallow Mary Sue tale, where the braindead protagonista just always win without any effort and are always right - no matter how wrong they are - has no place for any depth that would have made Zenos a very interesting character. Hell, even his whole "I just want to fight you" thing was ridiculous bad, because he's doign so many other things, but never cares to just fight you until that absurd nonsense finish of EW. That he just burned down a whole continent and killed millions of people just to NOT fight the WoL is insane - but not even the worst the writers did in FF14, with the protagonists pretty much blindly serving super Hitler, whitewashing a planetar genocide and endless torture.
@@miriamweller812 Funnily enough, when people point this out as a way of saying Zenos is badly written, or the plot (And honestly, is it REALLY that bad? EW was INSANE but it all more or less flowed in a cohesive narrative that I followed and was hype for because I enjoy insane concepts), but back onto Zenos, I think the fact he never actually confronts the WoL with real intent in ANY of EW until the very last moment is because not only is the WoL concerned with, literally in some cases, bigger fish. Zenos just doesn't want to fight the WoL, he wants a true clash of wills and to rekindle that excitement back in Stormblood, where HE was the goal, the final prey in our hunt, the last true obstacle to liberating a nation, in Zenos' eyes, I think, had the WoL been focused elsewhere, on saving the planet or creation itself, then it wouldn't be the same excitement, it may still be exciting for him but the doubt of "What if not as exciting?" is probably a HUGE deterrent for him since if he fights and kills us, he has no idea if we, like him, will cheat death and return or if the WoL defeats him but it truly never felt as fulfilling as that first time, seems a good enough reason for him to have patience and wait. And while yes, the planet nearly dying IS Zenos' direct doing, it doesn't require his actual death to stop, Killing Zenos and saving the planet aren't a package deal, it might have been had Zenos actually "gorged himself" on Zodiark like he'd planned to and assumed the power of yet another Primal, but Fandaniel, that crazy kook, stole that moment and left Zenos with no critical part to play in the WoL's life that would put him back at the center of his attention. Killing his friends? Oh certainly that'd earn him spite, anger and the myriad of feelings that would force a confrontation, but the looming end of the star and eventually creation would still have the WoL's focus split and that is just not perfect enough for the last real pleasure Zenos can find. It's only when the WoL settled all the matters on the Star, ending the threat to creation and even saving his friends from death itself, there are no other matters left to be attended to by the WoL except "Making it home", and while Zenos' tells them he wouldn't stop them he also makes his one final request of the WoL, for that one final moment at the edge of creation after all is said and done, where there are no distractions, no greater prey to hunt, nothing stands between them now but the single challenge Zenos issues. And no matter the response from the WoL, Zenos becomes their main focus once more, nothing else matters because even if they return home, Zenos would still be out there and likely cause trouble again in some quest to become the sole focus of the WoL once more and remake that perfect moment of his, so, I found it fitting in Zenos' tale that only after everything was settled, the star saved, creation itself free to birth new life without risk of Meteion killing it, friends safe and sound that Zenos and the WoL finally have a moment where not only is Zenos all that remains as the sole obstacle to peace but also where the WoL can truly, finally, have a battle where the stakes are truly just solely on their shoulders. Because lets face it, even if Zenos wins, he doesn't have the power to carry himself back to the home star, had we left him there he likely would have remained, there is NO STAKES left, and depending on your response as the WoL (Mine being "That, I can't deny." because, it just seems so fitting) means Zenos will likely be the last true challenge you face because what tops the end of all creation as a threat? ...Damn, someone gimme a novel cover because I'm writing a book-
People simply didn't understand one of the best, if not the best, villain ever created for a Final Fantasy game. Zenos is extremely complex, he personifies the end result of all the madness and misfortune that befell the Garleans. It would be necessary to make an "iceberg" type video to explain all the layers that make up this character and how these layers "interact" with the story.
It’s basically his fancy way of saying “Seriously, you’ve felled gods, destroyed the immortal, decimated entire armies and THIS basic bitch and her army of birds are what spell your doom? Get your shit together.”. He never was one for subtlety
That and "why is it not dead yet?" Like my dude that's the biggest confidence boost I've ever received but it's literally the big sad that's ever sad so I'm doing my best
He is actually one of the best characters I have ever seen in a medium and I am not joking, not even close. A lot of people dismiss him and dislike him quite fast because he seems bland on first glance. But they also dont understand his essence, that what cements him into a legend, it is easy to overlook that part unfortunately. I cant blame it, it is actually not outright told and you have to really dig further into Zenos character/scenes as a whole and even try to relate to it, as silly as it sounds. His true potential/character is shown in Endwalker, with everything else before being the build up/him just showing his surface character Here is my take on Zenos true self: Zenos in essence fully despises the current state of the world, it's a tepid bog as he says. Nihilism basically - It's dull and borring to him. Hence he resurts to a sort of Hedonism like the fighting, this keeps him atleast "kind" of sane for a while, even revives him. At the end of Endwalker this gets further proof by him stating how the WoL had a much better life and that it was a wonder. It's fair to assume he longed for a better life, a life full of experiences. Perhaps even a better world in itself. It's to note that Zenos had a very cruel upbringing, without any kind of love from his father Varis. He grew up reading and fighting, eventually killing his own teacher even for trying to betray him. He was obsessed with the WoL because it was the only thing it gave him drive, purpose, energy. As weird the world around him saw it. With that being said I dont think Zenos is a character for everyone. People that dwelve into such topics will find him likely more fascinating. What makes him great is that he shows the core of nihilism but also how flawed the world was/to him, he is basically someone with depression, depressed by the world - in his own way he helped to forge a better world as well with helping us in the final days.
It's great to share opinion of Zenos online with other people at a nuanced level given how... prone the community is to vastly overlooks any action Zenos makes, diluting him to "the evil guy that makes you miss Emet". I really wanted to touch on a personal favorite aspect of mine: Zenos is a great depiction of the inherent problems and hypocrisies that you see in modern nihilism and hedonism, but even through that, he's still at the end of the day a fantastic foil for the WoL. As shown in the Alisaie and Jullus scene (a personal favorite of mine), Zenos truly isn't a stone faced figure when it comes to his jealousy for having the opportunities we have. He had grown up in a world of layers and layers of corruption and violence, yet in the end when he took the life of his sire while we took the life of his great grandsire, he chose to not improve himself. Whether this decision was made out of incompetence or intense mediation we may never know, but I think his seeming lack of want for resurrection in patch content Stormblood really clues us in on the conclusion that Zenos's new life does nothing but torture him further than death ever could. He has to hone in on his insane addiction to the thrill of battle with us even more than usual, because even when he had thought the euphoria of battle had been achieved, death was not granted to Zenos as he had wanted. In other words, he had not been given the soldier's death that he harbored so much respect for, leaving him a much more broken man than what was already but dust. In 5.4 and 5.5 I was left very confused by the actions of Fandaniel and his seeming lack of nuance, but as Elidibus's actions in 5.2 had shown, this game's "one note" villains are nothing but a ruse for a much thicker plot down the line. As I look back on it with the knowledge and love I have for Amon and Hermes after EW, I now find myself very much engaged with how Zenos treats (or, well, doesn't pay any mind to) Fandaniel's ramblings and actions as anything but invisible. Knowing what he's been through in full and what Amon has been through in full, I find it very well done how both of these lunatics are amazing examples of pure insanity through environment and dedication to upholding dead beliefs (hmm I wonder if this theme persists anywhere else in the game), but differ so much in execution, personality, and contextualization. As you said, I don't think Zenos is a character for everyone, but I think he's a damn good example of why I personally believe Endwalker to be the best content currently out for the game, if not my favorite piece of gaming content ever. Amazingly well portrayed, voice acted, weighted, and nuanced enough to convince the average player that he has no character growth.
@@solodude3937 Ah Zenos and Fandaniel, they are so similar yet so different. One still clings onto life and has a spark of hope in him, the other is utterly devoid of it and wished the end for all.. yet even Fandaniel lingered around as a soul and cant get over his existential dread, it's actually very intriguing that even Zenos seems to atleast have found something at the end of the day, even if it may be in his own twisted way for his own sake. Fandaniel told Zenos how he envies and hates him at the same time for this. But Fandaniel and by extension Hermes was left a trainwreck. While Zenos had desire for something, Fandaniel and by extension Amon tried to be a hero who tried to bring back his empire to former days of glory.. it miserably failed, even the one he admired the most his majesty Xande made it very clear to him that everything was for naught and for nothing. Fandaniel had nothing, his whole being was shattered that day. But here lies another difference between Zenos and Fandaniel: Zenos is his own master, he had no one to look up to.. no mythical hero nothing but himself.. he had to fight to the death to survive in a world born with no love from his own kind and as Zenos has put it.. "then came the light", meaning he found purpose in his desire through battle with the WoL. He could always look forward to it. With Fandaniel/Amon we can only speculate about his background, but it is clear from the start that he had a deep sense of wanting a better world and a great bond for the very few people he cared about.. Meteion and Xande, and taking these two from him while also turning them even against him..his worst nightmares must have come true. No one to look up to or care about anymore. I mean imagine you are being told time and time again that nothing you will do matters, that everything will end and this also includes being completely alone with the want to help the world prosper and show them how they strayed away from the right path, while being surrounded with decadent people who couldn't care less about it. Even the dreams he often talks about are uncomplete and haunt him. He is basically someone who lost everything and even the losses kick down on him, leaving him nothing but a mental trainwreck who wants nothing but to draw the curtain for all, the end. Fandaniel is basically the WoL (and G'raha, they share a lot of parallels) but completely doomed. Not even his ambitions to lift the empire out of stagnancy had any fruition in the end. The answers he could not get still pain him to this day. Zenos found them and made peace with us at the end of Endwalker.
My absolute most favorite character in all of FF. He's a mirror to the player. A blood thirsty nigh unstoppable monster of a warrior, and I am so sad that we were basically slowly over the updates and expansions to declare him as evil and we are not friends. We Are friends, and we are enemies. I'm not saying I forgive him for what he's done. But we are two of a kind, and we deserved each other as two sides of the same coin, and that coin in violence, but one side is violence for it's own sake, and the other is violence for a cause.
I cannot possibly express how grateful I am that you've labeled each cutscene specifically in the description/chapters, you've saved me HOURS of looking.
Zenos' speech for Jullus is one of my favourite moments of him because the scene happens shortly after the end of the Elpis part of Endwalker _Zenos,_ of all people, had it figured out and his speech doubled as a critique of Hermes' messed up nihilism and on Garlemald's victim complex, an empire that has ruined other nations for years under the belief that they are entitled to other people's lands via birthright & military might
@@rasielius Remember how Meteion said that dead souls up there in the sea cannot go back to the aetherial sea? So... Zeno´s Soul is up there, where we he died... Not only the fact that he dreamed about the end of days since he was a CHILD, but he was so obssessed with "The Hunt", and the most intriguing thing about The Hunt is that "Venat" means Hunt. So WTF...
This video was an absolute life saver- or at least a time saver. I used this as a reference for looking up all the cutscenes I needed to record for my AMV. Trying to remember what scene happened when is such a pain in a game this long!
"While i await you, i shall drink a sea of souls and gorge myself upon the darkened moon" Absolute brilliance, who made this character, he is probably my favourite character of all time, he is too far
Every once in a while, I come back to listen to his thoughts and his words, and reflect on purpose, passion, and life. Zeno's is such a uniquely stark and raw character. I would be terrified of a man who was as cold and decisive as him, and yet within this fantastic story I find his passionate determinism, even in it's darkest shades of light, compelling and inexplicably satisfying. Thank you for uploading this gift of our reflections memories, our enemy of circumstance, and our hunger filled dark twisted friend.
Setting aside how i like how Zenos works a foil for my own character, he speaks to the part of me personally that loves harder content in this game, like i get you man i am constantly chasing the feelings i had during day 1 orbonne or when i started doing extreme fights for the first time
@@MrtllI won't be playing ff14 again for a WHILE. without going into too much detail...just answer me with a simple yes or a no as to whether he is alive or not.
Zenos wasn’t written to be redeemable in the eyes of the players unfortunately. That’s part of why everyone hates on him, with the other part being that people don’t like how much of a single-minded psychopath he comes off as. Personally, I’m a huge fan lol
1:15:58 The DELIVERY of this line always gave me chills. A mix of being so sinister and that craving for a fight that is Zenos’ whole character. I had my reservations with Zenos in Endwalker but the ending stuff really made me happy with his resolution. Genuinely a fantastic character along with the rest of his fucked up family.
Need a 5th Zenos fight. We're tied up 2-2. I wonder if it'll happen. Zenos vs WoL - Gyr Albania - Zenos - W Zenos vs WoL - Doma - Zenos - W Zenos vs WoL - Ala Mihgo - WoL - W Zenos vs WoL - The Edge - WoL - W
@@YUXKE Well yes, but actually no. It's not the battle fetishist who we are fighting in those situations, but either a child controlling his body or a weak imitation made by the same child
I really want him to return a second time fighting him as a solo instance didn’t do it for me it was fun and all but I hope he comes back again and either joins us or we fight him in a badass trial fight.
I always hated how the game portrayed him as "sparing" us! I never went below half on my white mage buddy! >:U I can never die in a one on one! YOU KNOW HOW MANY HEALS I GOT! (it's a lot!) Just remembering our encounters has me fuming! LEMME At em! >:U *Angry Lala Noises!* I'm sticking gum in your hair next time Princeling! HOLD ME BACK!!one!
It's such an awesome story and antagonist. It's a real shame that the player community is toxic as hell, and the in-game mods do nothing to stop the drama. Otherwise, I would have loved to finish Endwalker.
You broke your sword striking him down and still consider him pathetic!? In this setting breaking your sword fighting them usually means they are made of sterner stuff, does it not!?
Double entendre. You notice he did the same thing in a flash back with asashi picking up a felled warrior's sword. He speaks through the weapon and the person he is speaking to. The sword breaking on you is as pathetic as the fight you gave him.
Would have been fun if he just had slaughtered Alisea after he selfrighteous rant (which was ridiculous and made no sense) or maybe her brothers or just all the Scions but her, asking her if she won't fight him now and give him "the day"? Hell, Zenos would have been so interesting as the whole story, without those ultra shit Scions and their plot armor.
