Gestahl Emperor Gestahl is the dictator of the Gestahlian Empire in " Final Fantasy VI " , and at first appears to be the game ' s primary antagonist . Profile . Appearance . Gestahl has long white hair , a white beard and a mustache . His field sprite in the mobile and Steam versions depict him with blond hair like most of the cast . Being an emperor , Gestahl dresses in ornate robes and golden plates over red clothes lined with gold . He wears a black gold - lined head ornament that sustains a ruby . There is some confusion on Gestahl ' s age from the source materials . The " Final Fantasy VI The Complete " guide and " 20th Anniversary Ultimania " give his age as 50 , yet in the timelines given in the " Final Fantasy VI Settei Shiryō - hen " he was born 72 years before the events of the game , and became the Emperor around the age of 50 . Personality . Gestahl ' s ambition is to project power over the world and use technology to make his empire grow unparalleled in its military branch . Gestahl is ruthless in attaining his goals , shown in his forceful taking of espers and paying no mind to the experiments done to them . He never shows remorse regarding the ethics of infusing children with magic or using a mind - controlling device . Gestahl holds little regard for human and intelligent life , having his eyes set on his dream Magic Empire . Even after Kefka ' s atrocities the Emperor does not punish him outside of throwing him into a prison cell . Gestahl ' s fake affability and attempt to trick and use the party to his own ends , after lying to them , shows his political knowledge . Gestahl was also aware of what would happen if one were to misalign the statues of the Warring Triad , as he attempts to stop Kefka ' s disturbance of the Warring Triad as his goal is to lead an empire , and not to destroy the world , although in the SNES version he laments that no one will worship him . Abilities . Gestahl wields the power of magic , and can cast powerful high level spells during his battle against Kefka . Gestahl has likely been using magicite to learn it . The spells used against Kefka are in order of appearance : Firaga , Flare , and Meltdown . Story . Gestahl was born to a military family in the southern state of what would become Vector in the Gestahlian Empire several decades ago . His father was involved in a military coup when Gestahl was 13 years old , and Gestahl was crowned Emperor some time later . During his time as Emperor , Gestahl researched ancient tales of magic and sorcery , looking for truth behind the tales . The exact details of Gestahl ' s rise to power ( outside of his father being involved in a coup ) are unknown , but he came to lead Vector some time before his scholars located the portal to the Esper World beyond the Cave to the Sealed Gate . Gestahl led a raid to capture espers , but he and his troops were ejected when the esper elder cast a spell to seal the gate . In the chaos , the esper Maduin and a human woman , Madeline , were swept out and , outside the gate , Gestahl found Madeline ' s daughter , Terra . He took her , Maduin and the other captured espers back to Vector . The next several years would see the rise of Magitek making the Empire the most powerful force in the world as they rediscovered the secrets of magic . Owing to this , Gestahl made a manifesto declaring their intent to conquer the planet . At some point during one of their attempted conquests , the Siege of Doma , Gestahl summons General Leo back to Vector for an unspecified duty making him indirectly responsible for the poisoning of Doma shortly thereafter , as Kefka , who had been assigned command of the operation , dumps poison into the river to ensure a victory for the Empire . When the Returners open the Sealed Gate more espers emerge and destroy Vector . The Returners that come to the Imperial Palace in the aftermath are treated to dinner with Gestahl , who claims he has lost his will to fight at the sight of how powerful and angry the espers were , and the losses his Empire has sustained . Gestahl asks the Returners to accompany a force of Imperial soldiers lead by General Leo to the town of Thamasa to locate the espers and negotiate peace . This is a ruse , however , as Gestahl dispatches Kefka to the village to turn the espers into magicite . Kefka kills Leo and burns the village , reportedly telling Gestahl Leo was a traitor . With the power gained from the espers in Thamasa , Gestahl and Kefka cross into the esper realm and raise the Floating Continent with the power of the Warring Triad , ancient petrified deities said to be the source of magic in the world . The Returners land on the continent and confront Gestahl who uses the power of the Triad to paralyze them , leaving only the former Imperial general , Celes . Gestahl and Kefka hand Celes a sword and offer her the chance to rule the world with them if she proves her loyalty and dispatches her friends . It is implied that Gestahl desires Celes and Kefka to produce Magitek progeny . Celes refuses and stabs Kefka who flies into a rage and demands the Warring Triad to reveal their true power . Gestahl , knowing that the Triad ' s power could destroy the world , tries to stop Kefka . His spells are ineffective as Kefka is protected by the statues ' forcefield . Gestahl is struck down by a bolt of lightning from the Triad and Kefka kicks him off the side of the Floating Continent to his death . This marks the end of the Gestahlian Empire , although not before Gestahl laments that Kefka ' s actions will result in the world knowing true fear . Musical themes . The theme for Gestahl and his army is called " Troops March On " or " Empire Gestahl . " This plays in scenes involving him or his army . It is similar to the famous song " Bolero " . Other appearances . " Final Fantasy XIV " . Gestahl appears as a dog minion . This is likely a reference to the fact Gestahl ' s original SNES sprite resembles a dog . " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " . Emperor Gestahl appears with one Fire - and one Dark - elemental card . Etymology . The name Gestahl may derive from Gestalt psychology . After the banquet with Gestahl and before leaving for Thamasa , it is possible to talk to the Emperor . In the North American SNES release , the name shown in his textbox is " Majesty " , while he is known as " Gestahl " in the " Finest Fantasy for Advance " release . Kefka refers to Gestahl by his real name during the scene with General Leo in Thamasa .