Ultimecia

Ultimecia (アルティミシア) is the main antagonist of the 1999 Square video game Final Fantasy VIII.
==Canon==
Late in the story, Ultimecia is introduced and revealed as the true antagonist who has been manipulating Edea, Adel, and Rinoa from behind the scenes. She plans to use sorceress powers to compress all of time and space so that she can attain omnipotence. 
Ultimecia may be considered the first main antagonist to be unambiguously female in the Final Fantasy series; Cloud of Darkness (Final Fantasy III) is considered a genderless entity, and Jenova (Final Fantasy VII) is often referred to as "it" in canon.
==Fandom==
Fan reaction to Ultimecia has generally been tepid at best. Many have found her foreshadowing, backstory, motivations, and overall presence in the plot to be sorely lacking from the narrative.Ultimecia, worst FF villain ever? posted to Final Fantasy Forums on 10 June 2008. However, there are those who appreciate her. Some find it more apt to compare her with earlier Final Fantasy villains (such as Zemus from Final Fantasy IV), rather than the more complex villains of later installments (such as Kuja of Final Fantasy IX, Vayne Carudas Solidor of Final Fantasy XII, or Ardyn Izunia of Final Fantasy XV).
In a 2020 NHK poll, respondents voted Ultimecia as the 158th most popular character in the entire Final Fantasy franchise, out of 200 major and minor characters.FF Ranking, NHK, Q1 2020. (Accessed September 2020.)TheMomAbides. I translated the NHK Final Fantasy poll character rankings., posted to r/FinalFantasy in Q1 2020. (Accessed September 2020.)
===Rinoa Is Ultimecia Theory===
The Rinoa Is Ultimecia Theory (sometimes abbreviated as R=U) is a wildly popular fan theory—perhaps one of the most popular ones in the entire Final Fantasy community, and certainly within the VIII community. It emerged in the fan community at some point before November 2001. Proponents and appreciators see this theory as a satisfying way to give Ultimecia a personal tie to the protagonist, Squall Leonhart, and mirror his fears of rejection, loss, and death with her own.Ava. "The Rinoa/Ultimecia Theory", Wishing Star, circa November 2001. (Archived 22 January 2019.)
When interviewed about various Final Fantasy fan theories in 2017, producer Yoshinori Kitase directly confirmed this theory as non-canon regarding the intentions of the creators.Schreier, Jason.
"Squall Really Dead? Final Fantasy Producer Addresses The Series' Biggest Fan Theories", Kotaku, 5 September 2017. (Accessed September 2020.) Still, many continue to hold this theory as a headcanon.
===Shipping===
Ships featuring Ultimecia are rare. She may be paired with Seifer, or one of the other sorceresses in the game; however those are the only pairings that are even vaguely common.
In R=U works, she tends to be paired with Squall, as Ultimecia's typical motivation is to be reunited with him through Time Compression.
==Fan Works==
===Fan Fiction===
===Fan Art===
*Ultimecia Rinoa Thoery by AngelRinoaL
*アルティミシア (“Ultimecia”) by akiakane
*アルティミシア ディシディアVer (“Ultimecia Dissidia Version”) by aki
*Ultimecia: Griever Hybrid Mode by Nick-Ian
*わたしもここに来る。 by Areiml
*Ultimecia: Nostalgia by artofelaineho
*-思い出したことがあるかい- by x172x(イチナナニー)
===Cosplay===
*Ultimecia by ettelle
===Fan Theories===
*The Rinoa/Ultimecia Theory, write-up by Ava on Wishing Star
*{Basis for a Theory} Ellone is Ultimecia by JanRoses
===Meta===
*Final Fantasy VIII – Time/Ultimecia Plot FAQ by Sir Bahamut, TheOnionKnight, and Squall_of_SeeD
*Why Ultimecia is actually a fairly interesting character, and villain. by zerkeras
*FF8: Why Ultimecia's final speech isn't as out of place as people claim. by Veren_Strife
*Ultimecia was an excellent villain by bluelizardk
==Archives and Fan Communities==
*Ultimecia (Final Fantasy VIII) tag at Archive of Our Own
*Final Fantasy VIII stories and crossovers featuring Ultimecia on FanFiction.Net
*Dissidia Final Fantasy stories featuring Ultimecia on FFN
*アルティミシア (Ultimecia) tag on Pixiv
*Ultimecia-lovers Club on DeviantArt
==Links and Resources==
*Characters of Final Fantasy VIII on Wikipedia
==References==
Category:Final Fantasy VIII Characters