Chaos (Final Fantasy)
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Chaos (カオス Kaosu?) is the final boss in the first Final Fantasy game. He is a relatively large, winged demonic figure, who only appears during the game's climactic end.
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[edit] Story
Chaos first exists as Garland, an evil knight who kidnaps the princess of Cornelia at the beginning of the story. However, his plot is foiled by the Light Warriors who supposedly kill him while rescuing the princess in the Temple of Fiends. Garland apparently makes an unholy pact with the Four Elemental Fiends of the past (Lich, Marilith, Kraken, and Tiamat) to summon him 2,000 years back in time while they are sent into the present to cause mass destruction. This pact will create a time-loop and allow Garland to live forever. The Light Warriors return to the Temple of Chaos ruins to travel two thousand years into the past, where they meet a Garland who remembers them, seeks revenge, and absorbs the powers of the Fiends to become Chaos. He is defeated by the Light Warriors, and his threat ends there.
Chaos is often remembered for his noteworthy death animation, which showed him being disintegrated after he is defeated, a somewhat innovative phenomenon in games for the NES. This style of death was repeated for final bosses of future games in the series including Kefka in Final Fantasy VI and Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII. However, this pattern was discontinued in Final Fantasy VIII where Ultimecia was shown convulsing in a circular fashion and then vanishing in a form resembling static interference. It was revived as the death scene for the Weapon-type Fiends in Final Fantasy X/Final Fantasy X-2.
The exact story of Garland seems to be unexplored by many. One man in Cornelia Castle mentions that Garland "Didn't used to be bad...", as Garland was once one of the king's top knights. His horned helmet (while human) is a subtle hint to the monster he becomes.
[edit] Chaos in other media
Aside from Chaos' appearances in Final Fantasy and its multiple remakes, characters with the same name have appeared in other titles of the series.
[edit] Final Fantasy VII
In Final Fantasy VII, Vincent's fourth and final Limit Break causes him to take the form of a black, winged demon called Chaos.
In Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- Chaos is revealed to be an ancient monster that was to cleanse the world of life before Omega carries the Lifestream through the cosmos. Chaos (now redesigned to look like a demonic-version of Vincent) was created with Vincent as a host via exposure to the G-Substance. It has been dormant inside of Vincent and only emerged whenever Vincent is in dire need of him. The Protomateria in Vincent's body keeps Chaos' power under control, however, Chaos became more active when Vincent loses the Protomateria during the course of the game's events. After finally mastering Chaos, Vincent uses its power to defeat Omega. In the epilogue, Vincent notes that Chaos has returned to the planet along with Omega, for when they are truly needed.
[edit] Final Fantasy IX
In Final Fantasy IX, Garland is the lord of planet Terra, the last of his dying world's people. He sowed the seeds to transfer Terra's souls into Gaia, with the Genomes to serve as their vessels once plans are complete. He is battled near the end of disc 3 directly before the battle with Kuja for the first time. Afterwards, Kuja proceeded to kill him by kicking him off a cliff. However, Garland's spirit remained only long enough to reveal Kuja's eventual death as well as aid Zidane & company on the path to Memoria.
[edit] Final Fantasy XII
He appears as an Esper within the game, obtained by defeating him first, and bearing the title "Walker of the Wheel." He is the summon of Wind, yet bearing the strongest spells of every other Element. He is considered the best Esper after Ultima and Zodiark. Also, the four "Chaosjets" that accommpany Chaos in the boss fight in the Necrohol of Nabudis, might relate to the 4 elemental creatures Kraken, Tiamat, Malarith, and Lich that appear in Final Fantasy I (and also in Final Fantasy IX). The title "Walker of the Wheel", referring to the hell-like samsara it is forced to under go, is a homeage to the storyline in the first Final Fantasy wherein Garland continuessly repeats history in the form of Chaos (that the heroes of the game promptly "cut the thread of history").
[edit] Final Fantasy: Unlimited
In the anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Chaos is an otherworldly being that consumes other worlds, feeding on the negative energy of others. It can create agents or aspects that bear its mark: Two such agents were the child-like Earl Tyrant & Oscha.
