Garland ( Final Fantasy IX ) Garland is the secondary antagonist of " Final Fantasy IX " . He works behind the shadows and is first confronted in Terra ' s Pandemonium , although he is first seen earlier in the game piloting the airship " Invincible " over Alexandria during its destruction . Before Garland reveals his identity , he is known to the player as Old Man . Profile . Appearance . Garland appears as an old man with pallid skin and pointy ears . His hair is long and white although he is mostly bald . He has a mustache and a beard and white eyebrows . His head is the only organic - looking part of him , as his body is mechanically constructed from black armor - like material , and he has long pointy robotic hands . His middle is hollow with a shining red orb implanted into his chest cavity . He wears a long black cape . Personality . Garland is devoted to his mission , wishing to see the planet of Terra revived and has been working tirelessly for thousands of years to this end . There is nothing else in life he cares for , and he has no special attachments to any living individuals . Garland has a paranoid streak , as he is known to take drastic measures to ensure his plans will be carried out without hindrance , preferring to take preemptive action to future obstructions he sees lying on his path . He is led into clashes of ever - growing intensity with Kuja , who is not pleased with his role in Garland ' s grand scheme after Garland makes it clear he only sees him as a pawn for his master plan . Garland is defined by an air of emotionlessness , as neither destruction nor companionship elicit much response from him . The only pangs of remorse he feels are when it comes to the mistakes he has made in carrying out his mission . Story . Garland is an android created by the Terrans to accomplish their plans of " survival " five thousand years ago . Terra had always assimilated other planets to survive , and when the world was dying , the Terrans desperately sought for a newborn planet to merge with . No such planet was found in time , and the Terrans made the risky decision to fuse with the young planet of Gaia . The Terrans entrusted Garland with their plans and slept , their souls placed in dormant bodiless state . Garland attempted to fuse Terra ' s crystal with Gaia ' s , but Gaia ' s crystal rejected the process , and the fusion failed with disastrous results , leaving Gaia ' s surface in ruin and shifting the world of Terra inside the world of Gaia . Garland transplanted the magical Iifa Tree from Terra onto Gaia ' s surface to oversee the planet ' s recovery , but it would take thousands of years for Gaia to recover from the disaster . According to the " Final Fantasy IX Ultimania " , Garland started creating Genomes around 3000 years prior to the events of " Final Fantasy IX " . The Genomes were to be vessels for the Terran souls to live again , once the fusion would be complete . To control the cycle of souls in Gaia , Garland used the Iifa Tree to prevent the Gaian souls from returning to the planet , trapping them within Iifa ' s roots . Later , Garland constructed the Soul Divider at the Iifa Tree ' s base that allowed the souls of Terra to flow into Gaia instead . The rejected Gaian souls were expelled through the Iifa Tree ' s roots to the continent where civilization had taken root , and the anguished souls manifested as Mist , leading to the continent being known as the Mist Continent . The presence of Mist had a hardening effect on the people who had to live among it , and though the people of the Mist Continent chose to migrate to higher ground to escape the Mist , its presence still brought forth many wars and conflicts . This was all according to Garland ' s plan , who wanted to speed up the rate in which Gaian souls would attempt to return to the planet . After the advent of airships that could fly using the power of the Mist , the wars that had plagued the Mist Continent came to a stop , and the planet ' s soul cycle returned to normal . Garland ' s plan was to construct a Genome with a mind of its own whom he could send to Gaia to incite war and destruction . He named this Genome Kuja and sent him to hasten the Iifa Tree ' s soul dividing process by killing more Gaians . Kuja ' s role as the Angel of Death was not meant to last , due to Garland initially viewing him a failure ; therefore , Garland created another Genome , Zidane , to eventually replace him . Kuja , jealous of Zidane but unaware of his own mortality , kidnapped Zidane and abandoned him in Gaia . As punishment , Garland banished him from returning to Terra . The summoners ' tribe living in the town of Madain Sari on Gaia had mastered the art of summoning eidolons . Garland , fearing their power , ordered Kuja to destroy the summoners ' village . Garland created another Genome , Mikoto , to replace Zidane , whom he thought was lost . When Kuja begins his plan to control the eidolons , beginning with Bahamut and Alexander , Garland can no longer tolerate Kuja ' s rebellion and travels to Gaia to stop his subject ' s schemes . Garland wrests control of the " Invincible " from Kuja and destroys both Alexander and the town of Alexandria , leaving Kuja to formulate a new plan involving the power of Trance . When Zidane arrives in Terra , Garland reveals everything about the purpose of his existence . Zidane refuses to accept his destiny as an Angel of Death , so Garland imprisons him within Pandemonium . Zidane ' s friends convince him that he has control of his own life and together they confront Garland on the highest ledge of his fortress . As Zidane presses him for more answers , Kuja arrives on the " Invincible " , touting his new soul - driven powers . Rendering the party unconscious with a blast of Ultima , Kuja turns on Garland , intending to gain total control of Terra and Gaia . Garland wearily informs Kuja that his powers would come to nothing , and in a fit of rage Kuja kicks Garland to his death off Pandemonium ' s ledge . Garland retains his presence as a formless , omniscient voice , and reveals Kuja ' s mortality , pushing him over the edge . In Memoria , Garland assists Zidane , the only one who can hear him , with advice about the origins and nature of Gaia , Terra , and the crystal : that which is the source of all life . In the void of space , before the entrance to the crystal ' s inner sanctums , Garland ' s presence fades away , asking Zidane to take care of Kuja and protect the crystal . In his last words , Garland expresses no regrets for being created as a savior to a world which would perish by his creation ' s hands . Gameplay . The party fights Garland as a boss in Pandemonium . Other appearances . " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " . Garland appears in " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " . Etymology . Garland is named after the villain of the original " Final Fantasy " .