Final Fantasy 9 Lore ► Kuja's Origins Explained 

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The narcissism of Kuja is what makes him so interesting. Really think they nailed that part of his character; 'why should the world exist without me? that wouldn't be fair"

Most final fantasy villains: “something something something god something something infinite power imperfect world” Kira: “fuck you if I’m going to die everyone else in existence has to die”

Kuja is really underrated I really like his character and the relationship between him and Zadiane

Kuja unintentionally saved Zidane’s life by throwing him to Gaia out of jealousy. Zidane tried to save Kuja’s life in the end out of empathy. They really were alike outside of being brothers.

Kuja is the most underrated villain in the whole series and its criminal

Kuja is honestly one of the most deep and interesting characters in the series, there is a reason in the Dissidia projects Kuja is always highlighted with so much growth, the moment he died in FF9 was tragic because he was just on the cusp of being able to redeem himself, that being able to explore his motivations after that point is so rich from a story standpoint. I wish there was a way to have a FF9-2 and bring Kuja back without it feeling forced or undeserved.

One of THE Best Final Fantasy Villains without a doubt. Behind his flamboyant and theatrical design, Kuja is Eminently Quotable and Surprisingly Nuanced for a Pastiche of Classic RPG Villains....

My favorite villain in the whole entire series. For whatever reason I seem to have related to him a lot when I was younger.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Summoner village falling to the might of The Invincible. I watched the Evil Forest turning to stone. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."

I was introduced to Kuja and Zidane via Dissidia Final Fantasy and was interested in what their relationship was cause it wasn't the typical hero/villain relationship

AT LAST!! The most FABULOUS FF antagonist gets the attention he deserves!! Kuja really resonated with me. I was a sheltered boy who's never known to think beyond the path my parents laid before me. I pursued a career I didn't want and I gave very little value to the people I met along the way. This was until college, when I was forced to interact with and rely on people more & really get to know them. Whereas Zidane showed me that you can learn to establish your own feeling of home by learning to treasure friends & being treasured by them in return, Kuja showed me how destructive I could have been if I cared little about anything other than myself. To this day, simply thinking about FF9 causes me to get all teary. By the way, I think it bears mentioning how much growth you can see in Kuja through the Dissidia games. I believe it's thanks to knowing how precious life is that he was among those who questioned the senselessness of eternal violence and actively undermined Chaos during the 12th cycle through cunning means. Come Dissidia NT, he drops the facade altogether and teams up with Zidane & Terra. THE GROWTH!

After hearing this i am now convinced we need a remake. So much of this lore is amazing & completely unaware to me when i was younger. Excellent video

Yesssssss my boy!!!!! Seeing this got me really excited!! I love Kuja so much, FFIX was my first FF and will always have a special place in my heart. I remember as a kid seeing Kuja for the first time in the cutscene after Beatrix wipes the floor with Zidane and co and just staring in awe as he looks at the group like their dirt on his boot and then heads to Silver dragon and flies off. Truly to me he was one great villain.

Kefka, Kuja, Sephiroth. In that order. Kuja is incredibly underrated as an antagonist. His development and character arc is perfect for the story.

This reminded me how good the storytelling was in FF9 compared to the most recent installments

Thank you so so much for creating this video. ((Be prepared because I am going to gush XD)) Kuja is undoubtedly one of my favorite Final Fantasy villains. He’s one that we can almost relate to in terms of his fear of dying and wishing to have your life be prolonged; not only that, he is one of the first sympathetic villains in the franchise. Yes you Caius Ballad and Ardyn Izunia, but Kuja was the first one, and the one whose sympathetic notes continue on in other games such as the Dissidia series. While he may not have conquered Alexandria or Gaia as a whole, or even Terra for that matter, he still won by essentially destroying the crystal and bringing forth Necron, the very being of death itself, and nearly destroying the continuation of the universe. (That scene where he destroys Terra is still so beautiful...imagine that in a remake!) Many people underestimate Kuja because of his feminine appearance and his childish personality (even his own villainous comrades do), but if you found out that you were going to die soon but didn’t know when, you’d probably go on a murderous rampage too. But even then, when he was dying under the Ilfa tree, he still mustered up everything within him so he could have the opportunity to be the good guy, even if it took his breath away. It’s interesting to note that he’s similar to Ultimecia, who only wished to be remembered, which is why she wanted time compression in the first place; he’s actually a character who is remembered, and not in a bad or pitiful way like Sephiroth either, his own baby sister says that it was his desire to be an independent instead of someone conformed to what Garland had in mind for him (even though he was created that way, and some parts of his mentality show that) that helped her and the other genomes to be their own beings as well, which is what he wanted: to have a legacy that will be remembered. Anyway, thank you again for making this video on my favorite peacock. 💜

When I first played FF9 - Kuja meant a lot to me in terms of being free to express oneself in an unusual and feminine way (despite being male). I think this played a role in self-acceptance and being proud of being/having what I have. In Kuja's case, he only got redemption at the end of the game - but in real life his approach was very powerful and impactful for me.

Man I didn’t know you guys were making a Kuja origins ff9 is my favorite one and y’all’s origin videos are some of my favorite ones on the channel

Kuja's a cool villain. ...Though I can't stop associating his theme with ProZD.

This game breaks my heart every time 💔

Chaos = beaten Emperor Mateus = eradicated Xande = killed Zemus = destroyed Ex-Death = erased Kefka = felled Sephiroth = slain Ultimecia = defeated Kuja = undefeated

Such a wonderful game and a great story line. The characters had some oomph to them and kuja is a dope villain

Kuja is def underrated. He and Garland really come off like the blueprint for the Ascians in FF14. Minor spoiler, specifically Elidibus, the similarity to Kuja actually surprised me, it's been so long since I played FF9, def an underrated villain.

you have missed one of the most important parts of kuja's character: he was created like just another genome, his ego and strong personality was not something garland expected, only after he came up with the "angel of death" plan. The entire charaterization of kuja (his mannerism, his looks) derives from his strong desire to affirm himself as an individual, rather than as a empty genome, like a puppet. That his the irony of him creating the black mages and considering them useless puppets. In the end Kuja was to the genomes, what Vivi was to the black mages

When Kuja said *"You have bested me....I guess you really are the true Final Fantasy IX...."* he immediately became my favorite villian in the franchise.

I honestly think Final fantasy 9 inspired The Seven Deadly Sins, Meliodas Reminds me of Zidane and Kuja gives me those Zeldris feels.

I never thought of Necron ever being an eidolon until this video. That makes more sense now after 20 years...

Kuja would hold a special place in my heart under any circumstances as the villain of the first Final Fantasy game I ever played. But the fact that he’s such a nuanced and well-written villain makes him truly special in my eyes. He will always be one of my favorite villains in all of gaming.

I'd like to think vivi is a reflection of how kuja could have been given different circumstances. Since their both timed ponds breaking away from their destiny.

These videos are always very nostalgic for me. You guys do a great job. Thanks!

Just want to say these are my favorite videos from this channel. They add so much context that I think a lot of people can't gather on their own, including me!

This guy terrifies me to no end; so few villains stay relevant to a narrative and remain effective as a villain like Kuja does. He constantly stands in the heroes’ way and puts up one hell of a fight every time. I think he’s the best Final Fantasy villain.

Kuja kind of reminds me of Sephiroth as they are both bio-engineered creations.

This was a great video, Kuja is one of my favorite characters!

imo one of the best video game villains ever in any game !

This was on of my favourite villains of the final fantasy series and the story was amazing

I can imagine Kuhn saying this to another character in opera Omnia. Kuja: I will be the one standing, I am the antithesis to this fascade of the world and it is already happening Like Zidane and his friends, destroy Zidane and his friends, Conquer Alexandria, Save Alexandria, Create Black Waltz Mages , Destroy Black Waltz Mages . To me it is all a play and a show. Honestly I think Kuja is just jealous. He wanted to be human so bad it was literally on his face but then he saw Zidane and wanted things he had despite him and Zidane being made by Garland. He saw what Zidane could do and Zidane had so many things, his love for Princess Garnet, his friendships with Vivi, Freya, Eiko, even Steiner and the others. And if Kuja couldn’t get that no one could do he caused destruction and that has been his only plan, Period!

Loved kuja great 3 dimensional villain, like Seymour, ultros/kefa (I know they are two different but great arc stories in one game)and sephiroth.

Kuja’s not dead, he’s sleeping. :p

the villain of Legend Of dragoon Lloyd shares so many plot traits with Kuja

Hi - first of all, amazing video! I enjoyed your analysis of Kuja and this was a really well put video you made, especially with the conclusion! I’ll be looking forward to your future analyses! I’ve never commented on a video before, and I find myself feeling a little nervous to post this, but this video is about Kuja so I cannot help myself. Second, Kuja for me is such an extraordinary villain. I found myself relating to him a lot, with his love for art and especially his profound loneliness. I think he is the character I could relate to the most in the entire Final Fantasy franchise; like him, I am the eldest in my family, so I could understand his anger and jealousy when Zidane was meant to replace him. I also understood his loneliness very well - throughout the game, it seems that he doesn’t connect with many people very much, and doesn’t seem to have many friends besides his Silver Dragon. When I first played the game, I was experiencing a rough time in my new high school. I didn’t have any friends ; nor did I know anyone that could possibly help me adjust to the new environment. Thus, I was stuck with my own thoughts for eight hours a day. The loneliness really got to me, and I can’t imagine how Kuja must have felt spending all his time alone in a spacious palace with no one to share it with. It is due to my experience with loneliness that led me to believe that the reason why he spoke about his plans to Queen Hilda was the possible idea of his own loneliness. Perhaps he wanted for someone to just listen to him for once, or wanted someone to stop him. Throughout the game, he manages to lose those that accompanied him throughout his journey, with his Silver Dragon, Zorn & Thorn being examples of what the player, or Zidane, took away from him. I like to believe that the reason he talks and laughs to himself a lot is simply due to the fact that he has no one else - he had to learn how to be friends with himself since he didn’t have anyone to be there for him. I think this led to his narcissism, since I suppose he went overboard with loving himself. However, these are just my two cents. It could very well be that I am over analyzing him or just input my experiences onto his, but whatever the reason, Kuja was no doubt my favorite character of Final Fantasy IX, added along with Vivi and Freya. In fact, I find it very much a coincidence that I was saving fanart of him earlier this week to cheer myself up a bit - and I see this video pop up! So thank you very much for making this video. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 😊

the last time i was this early was this time.

As an avid Lover of Kuja, I absolutely approve of this video!! All your research/info was spot on too. I wish I could Like this more than once! 😍😍

Thank you for elaborating more on this antagonist’s story! To me, it explains more on the story of FFIX as a whole! I have played this game multiple times since it came out for the PS2. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Great video. Thank you so much for helping me relive the nostalgia.

This is worth being late for work. I'm excited for this video.

Kuja is main antagonist in FF9 transform into Trance form aka Angel of Death that's why

Great video! I played this game ages ago. I think some time in middle school. Well, I completely forgot the story, maybe I didn't even fully comprehend it at the time. Haha. But this was a nice refresher! I think I might have to go play it again.

This video made me appreciate Kuja so much more :O Amazing stuff. Thanks for making this ^^

0 dislikes? wow. You nailed it. Kuja is sephiroth without fucking it up. Meanwhile, Sephiroth did the Tamtrum thing but got no redemption and he doesn't deserve it, I hope Nomura doesn't plan to redeem sephiroth, that would be stupid.

I like these videos detailing the antagonists. More of these please.

Great video as always! Once again you put together a really thoughtful and well structured analysis

Kuja is my favorite character of all time! I've been waiting for this video! Kuja💜💜💜

Wow, this guy narrates this video ON POINT!!

Great video! Kuja has been my favorite FF villain since I first played FFIX back in 2001. c: Also: If anyone out there loves Kuja and HASN'T played any of the Dissidia games, I totally recommend giving them a look. The two psp games have an interesting arc for him, and NT and Opera Omnia expand a lot on Kuja's relationship with Zidane and his own fears of mortality. I've been really pleased with how they've used his character in the games!

well done on this video, sir.

That video really went into the depths of that game, wow.

This was the first rpg game i have ever played and it changed my life. I absolutely love this game and kuja is by far the most interesting and complex antagonist of any final fantasy game. Extremely underrated. I miss good stories like this in a game.

Yes!! Been waiting for this one

What a beautiful and broken weapon Kuja truly was. Also, my man Cid got straight Lorena Bobbitted!

The best Final Fantasy

Kuja was the main reason I played this game after all these years.

Just finished this game for the first time 2 days ago so it’s crazy how recent this video is

Well deserved video for a villain that deserved more attention!

This was just what I needed cheers and thankyou Daryl xo Kuja as a character makes me feel calm and at peace. I feel strong wen i hear his theme song xo

Summary: Son hates his father for being a bad parent and they play a game of 4d-chess wich results in global genocide. Kuja really is one of my top2 FF-villains, and I think this video did him justice. Two things I'd like to add though: Kuja did engage Zidane and the group the first time in order to get mortally wounded, because that was neccessary to trigger trance. And during their second battle, Kuja realized that his time was almost over, thus ending the fight instantly.

Laguna Loire next pls!

I personally would love to see X-Death from FFV. I feel like u can get a lot of info about him from the time of him being sealed by Galuf's team too his death from Bartz's team.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the "A surprise, but a welcome one" reference. Gotta love prequel memes!

Can we get Seymour in the near future 😌

Kuja is my 2nd favorite FF villain right behind Ultimecia.

Real good video indeed You missed an official comic regarding Kujah and Vivi after the events of the tree´s destruction and prior to Zidane´s return. There we can see a wounded Kujah that arrives to the black mage´s village and meets Vivi who is almost at the end of his life. On this story we can see one more act of redemption from him. It is quite touching but I wont say anything else to avoid spoilers for those who would like to read it

As far FF villains go, Kuja was pretty gnarly. Heh cant wait to see you guys cover other nostalgic villains like Mateus, Golbez, Ultima, Ultimecia, or Romeo Guildenstern

Finally my best boi

My fave FF is here!

I did not understand a lot about FF9 (and I played it recently as an adult lol) so this was helpful. Kuja is a cool character though, I like him very much!

This video is amazing.

At last T.T I remember wanted this to happened last year 😍

i love him so much. i need to replay it soon. [with moguri mod]

My favorite antagonist ^^

Please do one on Ultamecia.

I love Kuja. The villains of FF6 - 9 are my fave, each for different reasons.

My favourite game and series villain.

I love when Kuja looks at his hand like, "Nobody makes me bleed my own blood. NOBODY!"

WILL YOU ever continue Kuja's story ? since his arc is far from over thanks to the dissidia games

Kuja is a lot more compelling than Sephiroth Can't change my mind

would love to see a video on Cor from FFXV... no videos on him out there but he is an awesome character.

Who here got his BT? Amazing video BTW.

So Kuja pulled a Vegeta once he seen Mog go Super Sayain. Gotcha.

If the Terrans had only not given Garland free will while they were creating him, none of this would have happened. Without the free will, Garland would have stuck to the original plan the Terrans chose and only search for adequate planets without sentient life. I don't know what made him do everything the hard way, but surely within the millennia he was waiting for Gaias population to kill themselves, he could have found a different suitable planet and begun the restoration of his world. Gaias crystal was powerful because of all the souls and life energy flowing through it, whereas Terras was depleted. Should have stuck to the plan, Garland.

Sick eyeshadow!

Was playing a bit of NT the other day and got a bit interested in Cloud of Darkness. Anyway you could do them/it in a potential video?

"Why would the world exist without me?"

I'm still wait for you to make origin video for Rain from FFBE

I thought kuja was a girl until someone, I think the queen, said "he" pretty sure it was half way through disk 2. Anyone else?

Is this background music from the anime show called Big O?

Zadane and his brother they both are amazing characters.

Can you guys do Laguna next?

Imo he’s with the big 3 all time best final fantasy antagonists along with kefka and sephiroth