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Why Professor Hojo Is The Best Final Fantasy Villain Ever

Professor Hojo is overlooked often when there is a discussion over who is the best Final Fantasy villain. When you look at his role during Final Fantasy VII, it becomes clear why is the greatest villain in the entire Final Fantasy franchise.

The villain. An integral part of a narrative, whether it’s film, TV, or video games. The Final Fantasy series has presented many great villains over the past thirty years. When it comes to deciding who the best villain is, people will often say either Sephiroth from FFVII or Kefka from FFVIII. Whilst they are some of the most memorable villains in video game history, in terms of best villains in Final Fantasy, there is one man who better than both of them: Professor Hojo.

Professor Hojo doesn’t fit in the typical main antagonist mould. His role as a mad scientist fits perfectly as a secondary antagonist. He doesn’t have any magical powers, he is not strong, he has zero charisma, and he has to rely on his brains in order to make an impact. In the world of Final Fantasy, you need those traits in order to be considered a threat. However, the events of Final Fantasy VII would not have happened without the actions of Hojo, and it was all part of his master plan, making him the true villain of the game. These are some of the reasons why Hojo is the best villain not only in Final Fantasy VII but the entire series.

He subjected his own wife and son to experiments.

Towards the final hours of Final Fantasy VII, it is revealed that Hojo is the biological father of Sephiroth. Throughout the game before this reveal, we were led to believe that the alien lifeform Jenova was the true mother of Sephiroth, albeit through using her DNA to create Sephiroth in a lab.

He is the evilest man in the entire Final Fantasy series.

At this point, you have to come to the conclusion that Hojo is just pure evil. He enjoys the pain and suffering of others; he is a murderer and has one hell of a superiority complex. Sephiroth might have had a superiority complex, but you can argue that Sephiroth was a tragic villain. Before he burnt down Nibelhiem, he was an honourable soldier and showed to be quite a decent fellow before he found out about his past. Sephiroth’s desire for power came about due to the insanity he fell into whilst going through a major identity crisis.

Hojo, on the other hand, had no redeemable qualities. He always wanted to be the best at everything he did and would resort to murder if anybody got in his way. Kefka may have destroyed the world in Final Fantasy VI and was an evil in every sense of the word, but there was something oddly charming about him due to him being a jester. Hojo was all serious and was truly a despicable creature. His actions prevented Sephiroth from living a normal life and he caused the suffering of not just the main characters, but countless people who were unfortunate to find themselves in the presence of Hojo as they found themselves being part of his experiments.

So hold the other villains in Final Fantasy in high regard: they do deserve the recognition of being some of the best-written villains of all time. But always remember, when it comes to the best, Hojo should be considered the all-time greatest in Final Fantasy history.

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