I had previously said that one of the greatest tragedies is seeing a former hero fall to evil. But of course, sometimes what makes someone a "hero" is subjective. Sometimes one man's hero is another man's villain. Sometimes the "hero" is someone who fought for what he thought was right, but went about it the wrong way. This is the freedom fighter, the revolutionary, the man picking up arms against tyranny. There is a great tragedy, then, in how the man who once fought for freedom turns around and fights for the tyrants that would gladly throw him away once he is of no use for them. Today's villain exemplifies what I'm talking about: Wiegraf Folles from Final Fantasy Tactics.
Fifty years before the start of the game, the land of Ivalice was at war with Ordalia, a kingdom to the east. The cause? Some small, allegedly independent province between both countries that had fallen into strife. The province of Zelamonia had petitioned for the King of Ivalice to intervene, but Ordallia proclaimed that Zelamonia was under their control. When the King of Ordalia died, King Denamunda of Ivalice proclaimed himself King of Ordalia, by virtue of being the uncle of the late Ordalian king. But another relative, Varoi VI, was named King of Ordalia instead. Thus, war erupted.
Wiegraf Foles was born decades into the war, growing up and coming of age during the turbulance. Once he reached adulthood, he joined the Ivalice army and fought bravely. For his courage, he was allowed to lead his own troop, dubbed the Dead Men, made up entirely of recruits from the peasantry. After the war ended, the entire common population of Ivalice was tired, hungry, and dirt poor. When it came time for the nobility to compensate their soldiers for their efforts, the people who had laid their lives so that nobles can play their game of thrones (sorry...I had to...) found themselves bilked.
Because of this injustice, many former knights turned to theft, becoming roadside bandits just to make a living. Wiegraf, however, had a new dream. Justly angry at the nobility, Wiegraf reunited his former platoon, creating a new anti-nobility movement that aimed to destroy the noble and royal classes of Ivalice, bringing power to the people. This new army of the people was dubbed the Corpse Brigade.
A man of impeccable honor, Wiegraf kept his eyes on the bigger picture while retaining his morals. He never attacked innocent civilians, never kidnapped for ransom, and fought his opponents fairly. When one of his subordinates, Gustav, kidnaps the Marquis Elmdore, Wiegraf frees the Marquis and slays Gustav, reminding his men that they have a greater goal in mind than simply money and immediate survival.
Wiegraf's movement was gaining traction, and the nobles of Ivalice were rightly nervous. Though the Corpse Brigade was poorly armed, poorly fed, and many were losing hope, the fact remains that they were still doing some damage to the nobility. However, one man would prove to be the undoing of the Corpse Brigade: Ramza Beoulve.
When a soldier of Wiegraf's fails to assassinate Dycedarg Beoulve, the leader of the Hokuten Knights and one of Ivalice's most powerful nobles, he attempts to escape with a hostage. Intending to take Alma Beoulve, younger sister of Dycedarg and Ramza, he instead takes Tietra Hyral, a common girl but friend to Alma and Ramza. Ramza and his friend, Delita Hyral, Tietra's older brother, set out to rescue the girl.
Along the way, they encounter Wiegraf's younger sister, Miluda, another leader of the Corpse Brigade. Miluda attempts to stop Ramza, but Ramza overpowers her. Miluda pleads her case, and Ramza finds himself sympathizing with the Corpse Brigade. Sadly, this is a battle to the death. Miluda's death would prove to be the catalyst for the destruction of everything Wiegraf stood for.
Consumed with grief, Wiegraf attacks Ramza, giving the young boy the toughest battle of his life thus far. However, Wiegraf's emotional state is too much, and Ramza is able to defeat the leader of the Corpse Brigade. Disgraced and wounded, Wiegraf is forced to flee the battle; in no time at all, the Hokuten manage to destroy the rest of the Corpse Brigade.
And for the record, Tietra died.
A year later, Wiegraf is in hiding. With a bounty on his head and no one to help him, Wiegraf is truly alone in the world. As he visits his sister's grave, he is approached by a Knight Templar, a warrior for the Church of Glabados. The Knight, Loffrey, tells Wiegraf that he and the Church share a goal: an Ivalice without nobles. Wiegraf, with some reluctance, joins the Knights Templar, and is given the Aires Zodiac Stone as a sign of good faith...
A few months later, during a raid on Orbonne Monastery in search of the Germonik Scriptures, a special codex containing secrets the Church would rather keep hidden. There, Wiegraf once again encounters Ramza. His heart fills with hate once more, and the new Knight Templar fights the man who killed his sister. Once again, Ramza proves the better fighter.
Beaten and dying, Wiegraf's Aries stone begins to glow. Ramza, having seen the Stones do this previously, begs Wiegraf to disregard whatever the stone tells him, but Wiegraf doesn't listen. The stone tells Wiegraf that it can save him, he only has to give himself to the stone. Wiegraf agrees, and he the stone fuses him with the demon Belias. From then on, Wiegraf is no more.
During a final confrontation with Ramza, the Wiegraf that had fought for equality and dreamed of a world free of nobility is dead, replaced by a man possessed with a desire to see the world descend to chaos and destruction. Ramza has no choice but to end Wiegraf's life once and for all.
Wiegraf was a man who lived in a world that did not allow for heroes, yet desperately needed one. He could have been a hero, but his choices made him some powerful enemies. In another game (like Suikoden) Wiegraf would unquestionably have been a hero; a man fighting for the common man against a corrupt and despotic system that treats commoners like cattle. But this is Ivalice, the Westeros of video games.
The game doesn't spend too much time on the Corpse Brigade, in fact they are promptly written off once the Second Chapter starts. Without Wiegraf, the Brigade just disintegrated, disappearing from the face of Ivalice. However, their anti aristocratic message would soon resonate within all of Ivalice with the coming of the Lion War, a civil war that would see the loss of thousands, unpopular tax hikes, the deposing of the old monarchy, and the rise of a new hero for the people: the common man Delita Hyral would assume the throne and end the war, bringing Ivalice into a new era of peace and prosperity. More on him in a future chapter, though. The point is, Wiegraf's vision would, with time, come true.
That's what makes his eventual downfall so much harder. Wiegraf, consumed by grief and hatred, made the bad decision of joining the Knights Templar, a group that sought to turn Ivalice into a theocracy. How? By manipulating the nobles into fighting each other, then acting as mediators, and eventually, using the power of the Zodiac Stones to end the war, thus becoming heroes for the people. The Corpse Brigade were upfront about what they wanted; the Church was acting in the shadows. In that way, Wiegraf became his own antithesis: a man willing to manipulate the common man for his own goals.
His thirst for revenge, however, proved to be his own undoing. Had Wiegraf left his anger aside and not confronted Ramza directly, he could have regrouped the Corpse Brigade. Or perhaps his war against the nobles was doomed regardless, as many of his soldiers were tired and hungry, and many more were expressing doubts about the cause. Maybe Wiegraf was a man with big dreams but little opportunity.
One of the major themes of Final Fantasy Tactics is how the common people are treated as tools by the powerful nobility, and how this is wrong. Wiegraf exemplified this, being a common man who started off wanting his earned reward. He only wanted to be paid for his service in the Fifty Year's War, and when the nobility stiffed him, he wanted to rid Ivalice of the nobility, of the rich and powerful. But in the end, he was so consumed by his own hatred and sorrow, that he allowed himself to be used by men with power, and eventually got possessed by a demon. And it was all by his own choice.
I think that, of all the villains on this list, Wiegraf is the one I sympathize with the most. The man started off as someone who wanted the common man to be given their rightful dues, but ended up as a demon seeking to destroy everything. His is the tale of the Fallen Hero. The third greatest video game villain.
The summary:
Name: Wiegraf Folles
Type of Villain: The Fallen Hero, The Possessed
Greatest Crime: Accepting to be possessed by the Zodiac Stone.
Current Status: Dead.
artwork from http://corpsebrigadecommander.tumblr.com/bio
Fifty years before the start of the game, the land of Ivalice was at war with Ordalia, a kingdom to the east. The cause? Some small, allegedly independent province between both countries that had fallen into strife. The province of Zelamonia had petitioned for the King of Ivalice to intervene, but Ordallia proclaimed that Zelamonia was under their control. When the King of Ordalia died, King Denamunda of Ivalice proclaimed himself King of Ordalia, by virtue of being the uncle of the late Ordalian king. But another relative, Varoi VI, was named King of Ordalia instead. Thus, war erupted.
Wiegraf Foles was born decades into the war, growing up and coming of age during the turbulance. Once he reached adulthood, he joined the Ivalice army and fought bravely. For his courage, he was allowed to lead his own troop, dubbed the Dead Men, made up entirely of recruits from the peasantry. After the war ended, the entire common population of Ivalice was tired, hungry, and dirt poor. When it came time for the nobility to compensate their soldiers for their efforts, the people who had laid their lives so that nobles can play their game of thrones (sorry...I had to...) found themselves bilked.
Because of this injustice, many former knights turned to theft, becoming roadside bandits just to make a living. Wiegraf, however, had a new dream. Justly angry at the nobility, Wiegraf reunited his former platoon, creating a new anti-nobility movement that aimed to destroy the noble and royal classes of Ivalice, bringing power to the people. This new army of the people was dubbed the Corpse Brigade.
A man of impeccable honor, Wiegraf kept his eyes on the bigger picture while retaining his morals. He never attacked innocent civilians, never kidnapped for ransom, and fought his opponents fairly. When one of his subordinates, Gustav, kidnaps the Marquis Elmdore, Wiegraf frees the Marquis and slays Gustav, reminding his men that they have a greater goal in mind than simply money and immediate survival.
Wiegraf's movement was gaining traction, and the nobles of Ivalice were rightly nervous. Though the Corpse Brigade was poorly armed, poorly fed, and many were losing hope, the fact remains that they were still doing some damage to the nobility. However, one man would prove to be the undoing of the Corpse Brigade: Ramza Beoulve.
When a soldier of Wiegraf's fails to assassinate Dycedarg Beoulve, the leader of the Hokuten Knights and one of Ivalice's most powerful nobles, he attempts to escape with a hostage. Intending to take Alma Beoulve, younger sister of Dycedarg and Ramza, he instead takes Tietra Hyral, a common girl but friend to Alma and Ramza. Ramza and his friend, Delita Hyral, Tietra's older brother, set out to rescue the girl.
Along the way, they encounter Wiegraf's younger sister, Miluda, another leader of the Corpse Brigade. Miluda attempts to stop Ramza, but Ramza overpowers her. Miluda pleads her case, and Ramza finds himself sympathizing with the Corpse Brigade. Sadly, this is a battle to the death. Miluda's death would prove to be the catalyst for the destruction of everything Wiegraf stood for.
Consumed with grief, Wiegraf attacks Ramza, giving the young boy the toughest battle of his life thus far. However, Wiegraf's emotional state is too much, and Ramza is able to defeat the leader of the Corpse Brigade. Disgraced and wounded, Wiegraf is forced to flee the battle; in no time at all, the Hokuten manage to destroy the rest of the Corpse Brigade.
And for the record, Tietra died.
A year later, Wiegraf is in hiding. With a bounty on his head and no one to help him, Wiegraf is truly alone in the world. As he visits his sister's grave, he is approached by a Knight Templar, a warrior for the Church of Glabados. The Knight, Loffrey, tells Wiegraf that he and the Church share a goal: an Ivalice without nobles. Wiegraf, with some reluctance, joins the Knights Templar, and is given the Aires Zodiac Stone as a sign of good faith...
A few months later, during a raid on Orbonne Monastery in search of the Germonik Scriptures, a special codex containing secrets the Church would rather keep hidden. There, Wiegraf once again encounters Ramza. His heart fills with hate once more, and the new Knight Templar fights the man who killed his sister. Once again, Ramza proves the better fighter.
Beaten and dying, Wiegraf's Aries stone begins to glow. Ramza, having seen the Stones do this previously, begs Wiegraf to disregard whatever the stone tells him, but Wiegraf doesn't listen. The stone tells Wiegraf that it can save him, he only has to give himself to the stone. Wiegraf agrees, and he the stone fuses him with the demon Belias. From then on, Wiegraf is no more.
During a final confrontation with Ramza, the Wiegraf that had fought for equality and dreamed of a world free of nobility is dead, replaced by a man possessed with a desire to see the world descend to chaos and destruction. Ramza has no choice but to end Wiegraf's life once and for all.
Wiegraf was a man who lived in a world that did not allow for heroes, yet desperately needed one. He could have been a hero, but his choices made him some powerful enemies. In another game (like Suikoden) Wiegraf would unquestionably have been a hero; a man fighting for the common man against a corrupt and despotic system that treats commoners like cattle. But this is Ivalice, the Westeros of video games.
The game doesn't spend too much time on the Corpse Brigade, in fact they are promptly written off once the Second Chapter starts. Without Wiegraf, the Brigade just disintegrated, disappearing from the face of Ivalice. However, their anti aristocratic message would soon resonate within all of Ivalice with the coming of the Lion War, a civil war that would see the loss of thousands, unpopular tax hikes, the deposing of the old monarchy, and the rise of a new hero for the people: the common man Delita Hyral would assume the throne and end the war, bringing Ivalice into a new era of peace and prosperity. More on him in a future chapter, though. The point is, Wiegraf's vision would, with time, come true.
That's what makes his eventual downfall so much harder. Wiegraf, consumed by grief and hatred, made the bad decision of joining the Knights Templar, a group that sought to turn Ivalice into a theocracy. How? By manipulating the nobles into fighting each other, then acting as mediators, and eventually, using the power of the Zodiac Stones to end the war, thus becoming heroes for the people. The Corpse Brigade were upfront about what they wanted; the Church was acting in the shadows. In that way, Wiegraf became his own antithesis: a man willing to manipulate the common man for his own goals.
His thirst for revenge, however, proved to be his own undoing. Had Wiegraf left his anger aside and not confronted Ramza directly, he could have regrouped the Corpse Brigade. Or perhaps his war against the nobles was doomed regardless, as many of his soldiers were tired and hungry, and many more were expressing doubts about the cause. Maybe Wiegraf was a man with big dreams but little opportunity.
One of the major themes of Final Fantasy Tactics is how the common people are treated as tools by the powerful nobility, and how this is wrong. Wiegraf exemplified this, being a common man who started off wanting his earned reward. He only wanted to be paid for his service in the Fifty Year's War, and when the nobility stiffed him, he wanted to rid Ivalice of the nobility, of the rich and powerful. But in the end, he was so consumed by his own hatred and sorrow, that he allowed himself to be used by men with power, and eventually got possessed by a demon. And it was all by his own choice.
I think that, of all the villains on this list, Wiegraf is the one I sympathize with the most. The man started off as someone who wanted the common man to be given their rightful dues, but ended up as a demon seeking to destroy everything. His is the tale of the Fallen Hero. The third greatest video game villain.
The summary:
Name: Wiegraf Folles
Type of Villain: The Fallen Hero, The Possessed
Greatest Crime: Accepting to be possessed by the Zodiac Stone.
Current Status: Dead.
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