Emperor Mateus

**Emperor Mateus** appeared in the 1988 videogame called *Final Fantasy II*. The **Emperor**, also known as Emperor Mateus, is the main antagonist of *Final Fantasy II*. He rules the Palamecian Empire and aims to conquer the world through demonic forces.

The Emperor wears golden armor with purple and rose-colored robes that have four portions: two connected on each side, and a raised collar and extended striped "shoulders". His hair is blond (although the exact shade varies from golden blond to platinum) and spiked, with an extra-long ponytail, and purple ombre at the tip of the side bangs. His head is adorned with tiny colored jewels, along with four long golden purple-tipped spikes atop his head. Black and white stripes trace his ribs on his chestplate, and demonic looking faces embellish his waist and back. His gauntlets sport extended claws. The Emperor wears purple makeup and a purple and gold crown depicting a serpent. His boots have stiletto heels. He wears a transparent quartz-colored belt around his waist. His Amano artwork as well as his PSP and *Dissidia* depictions depict him with violet-colored eyes, while his portrait in the GBA version has white eyes and black scelara.

He has at times worn a darker outfit, consisting of navy blue robes with yellow octastar arrangements. It has curved spines near the shoulders and back, spined fasteners at the front, and four massive curved purple shoulder ornaments. He wears gauntlets resembling spiders, and his platinum-colored hair is styled to resemble a pair of demonic horns. This outfit exposes his hands, which have long fingernails painted black with golden lines, and rings on his middle and index fingers of his left hand. The pair of horns has golden ornaments and a crown with rubies.

After his soul was split to dominate both sides of the afterlife, the Emperor has two appearances, each representing the spiritual element the form embodies. The Emperor of Hell is bestial with a skull-like face, razor-sharp teeth, and snakes on his head similar to a Medusa. He is covered with spines and wears a dark cape or cloak and has clawed hands. His battle sprite in the Famicom, 20th Anniversary, and *Pixel Remaster* versions lack a lower half, but it is present in the PlayStation/GBA battle sprite. In the former, he overall has a similar build to his human self, with his lower half having the armor appear darker than in the original human form, while his skin darkens. His field and battle sprites from the PlayStation version onward often depict him with a scepter, although the 20th Anniversary versions omit the staff in the battle sprite.

The Light Emperor has an otherworldly appearance and always has his eyes closed. He has six wings similar to a Seraph and a golden gate on his back. He appears to be made of clouds and wears a light-colored robe. His ears are long and pointed as well. The design may be based on Lucifer. The Light Emperor's portrait is based on Mateus's appearance from a promotional artwork by Yoshitaka Amano.

The Emperor of Palamecia is cunning, subtle, rude and arrogant. He calls Firion by name after he defeats the Emperor's Behemoth, but other times calls them insects or worms. Owing to his arrogant nature, the Emperor never fights unless he has to, and has his minions do the work for him. His actions are tyrannical and he abhors humanity. As the Emperor views humans as interchangeable, he sees himself as superior to them and thus views himself as the only one capable of ruling. Owing to his arrogance and subtlety, he told Firion's group that him personally dispatching them ought to be considered an honor.

The Emperor is implied to be skilled with developing advanced weaponry, as the *Dreadnought* airship was developed by him. He is skilled in strategy, as evidenced by how he left a decoy of the then-captured Princess Hilda aboard the *Dreadnought*, and used the real deal for the coliseum to draw out the Wild Rose rebels.

The Emperor's different incarnations have subtle personality differences in the mortal world and the afterlives. The Dark Half is arrogant and destructive to the point of no longer caring about merely ruling the Palamecian Empire, seeking to destroy the world with the powers he gained upon his return from Hell. The Light Half initially comes off as courteous and apologetic, but is revealed to be a hypocrite and a liar, containing the same misanthropic spirit as the Emperor.

## Powers and Abilities

Even before he crowns himself the Emperor of Hell, Mateus is incredibly powerful, able to create cyclones destructive enough to devastate entire towns and lift one of his castles to use as a mobile fortress. The opening FMV included in the PlayStation version of *Final Fantasy II* implies the Emperor can manipulate the tide of battle via energy from his fingertips even when not directly on the battlefield. He can teleport, or at least leave behind an illusion of himself, as evidenced by how he traps Firion and his party at the Coliseum. He employs strong elemental magicks in combat, while having a mass arsenal of support spells. He has access to a seemingly endless stock of Elixirs, allowing him to repeatedly restore himself to health.

Upon his death, and eventual rebirth, the Emperor gains the ability to summon Pandaemonium to the surface world, as well as a slew of new demonic powers. His dark half can generate purple flames, while also causing distortions within the area he is occupying. His light half is implied to have the power to return dead souls to their bodies, along with the ability to grant eternal life to people.