Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringerstook place in a different world and introduced a ton of characters like Ryne, Gaia, Emet-Selch, the Crystal Exarch, Feo Ul, and Dulia-Chai.Emet-Selch in particular became a fan favorite villain, not just in the game, but in theFinal Fantasyseries as a whole. Recognizing what was done right, Square Enix further elaborated on tragic sympathetic villains in Endwalker.
OneFinal Fantasy 14villain, however, was not so complex. Vauthry was known to be evil and despicable the moment players arrive in Eulmore. His personality is completely selfish, and he believes he should be worshipped like a god, while his subjects are fed monster flesh without even knowing so that he can better control them. However, his backstory had all the ingredients for a sympathetic villain. It is hard to say if Vauthry would have been a better character if he was a sympathetic villain like Emet-Selch, but the signs that he could have been a more complex character are hard to ignore.
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Another Angle On Vauthry
Vauthry is an exaggerated character in many respects, from his design, to his level of greed and sloth. He never shows a hint of humanity in times of war, and has the maturity of a child when faced with reasonable questions and demands. However, his backstory revealed a very interesting detail. Vauthry is half-sin eater, and was groomed to be a sort of “chosen one” from the moment he was born. Such a backstory lends the expectation of a tragic character, but Vauthry’s spoiled personality was too exaggerated to ever be seen with the same mercy as fans felt forEmet-Selch or Hermes in Endwalker.
There are good reasons for Vauthry to think of himself as a god. It seems like he was raised with the idea that he was special, and rather than feel alienated and stressed by these expectations, he thrived. That angle is perfectly reasonable for his character. However, there is the missed opportunity of a tragic leader who is evil because he can’t control his own destiny and does not want to die for beinghalf-sin eater.
Eulmore’s Arc, But With Surprises
Eulmore is a city that provided many surprises for the character, but no surprises for the player. Most players figured meol was theFinal FantasyversionofSoylent Green, and that Vauthry was a no-good scoundrel that preyed on people’s fear to give him control. The familiarity of despicable villains and creepy food tropes can always work, but there could have been more complexities to the entirety of Eulmore if Vauthry showed some humanity. He could have been vulnerable with the Warrior of Light, showing some understandable emotions and reasoning with only hints of his true nature that would be more surprising later.
Not just that, but his design made it obvious he was not human. He could have still been a fat character, but more like Dulia-Chai and less paranormal and exaggerated. That alone would have made fans think of him much differently and see him as more human. This would make it a greater surprise later on that he is not only a sin eater, but a Lightwarden.In terms ofbeing a Lightwarden, Vauthry was a missed opportunity all around. He was the only Lightwarden players got to actually hold a conversation with. So much could have been learned from him as to the nature of sin eaters, if they think, and if they hold any of their old selves inside them.
The fight and defeat of Innocence would have been more impactful if players had stronger emotions tied to Vauthry. It could answer the question of how much free will Vauthry really has after he transforms into Innocence. If Square Enix made him absolutely sympathetic with a fear of his destiny, and then players had to kill him to savethe First, that would have been quite memorable.
Final Fantasy 14is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
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