Electric Challenge #5 asks us to talk about our favorite antagonist.
This is trickier than it might first appear, because a lot of games want us to not be as attached to the antagonists as we might otherwise be. Although, fandom being what it is, there are times where an antagonist might attract a significant following, especially in the case where there's the possibility of significant Foe Yay (where Cloud and Sephiroth are certainly one of the most famous examples, even if they're not necessarily the first) or where the antagonist might be someone who's not really all that into the whole supremely evil deeds done by the leader (looking at you, Axel).
We still want a compelling antagonist, of course. A character doing it just for the evulz or for the lulz isn't always the best antagonist any more. It can still happen, because sometimes what you really are looking for is to save the world from a cosmic horror that intends to destroy everything in its path, but those games usually are looking to have lots of character building among the protagonist party and focus on them and how they work together against the impending doom.
If I'm going to talk about my favorite antagonist in terms of what they did in their game, rather than their awesome music (for which more than a few end bosses of the many games I've played could vie) or their cutscene power (which is invariably stronger than their actual power when properly fought at the end), then I should talk about someone who engineered a really good plan to completion.
( And here's where I have to cut it, because it's possible that some of you are coming to Disgaea through the PC port and not through the other console ports or the original that have been in place for a while now. )
So that's which antagonist is the one that I have really enjoyed the most. There are others that I like crushing more, like Lavos, the Time Devourer, and Pringer-X, but this one is the one who I have to tip my cap to for excellent long-term planning and execution.
This is trickier than it might first appear, because a lot of games want us to not be as attached to the antagonists as we might otherwise be. Although, fandom being what it is, there are times where an antagonist might attract a significant following, especially in the case where there's the possibility of significant Foe Yay (where Cloud and Sephiroth are certainly one of the most famous examples, even if they're not necessarily the first) or where the antagonist might be someone who's not really all that into the whole supremely evil deeds done by the leader (looking at you, Axel).
We still want a compelling antagonist, of course. A character doing it just for the evulz or for the lulz isn't always the best antagonist any more. It can still happen, because sometimes what you really are looking for is to save the world from a cosmic horror that intends to destroy everything in its path, but those games usually are looking to have lots of character building among the protagonist party and focus on them and how they work together against the impending doom.
If I'm going to talk about my favorite antagonist in terms of what they did in their game, rather than their awesome music (for which more than a few end bosses of the many games I've played could vie) or their cutscene power (which is invariably stronger than their actual power when properly fought at the end), then I should talk about someone who engineered a really good plan to completion.
( And here's where I have to cut it, because it's possible that some of you are coming to Disgaea through the PC port and not through the other console ports or the original that have been in place for a while now. )
So that's which antagonist is the one that I have really enjoyed the most. There are others that I like crushing more, like Lavos, the Time Devourer, and Pringer-X, but this one is the one who I have to tip my cap to for excellent long-term planning and execution.