Garland

Garland is the main villain of Final Fantasy and the first boss fought. He formerly served as a knight under Cornelia's monarchy. Early in the game, Garland kidnapped Princess Sarah, and the Warriors of Light set out to Chaos Shrine to battle Garland. Near the end of the game, the heroes travel two thousand years into the past to prevent Garland from gaining power. In that time, Garland absorbed the Four Fiends' elemental powers and transformed himself into Chaos, the final boss of the game.

Final Fantasy
See also: Chaos

In the novelization, Final Fantasy: Memory of Heroes, Garland plays a similar role to the original story, with his appearance in the finale having him merge with the Four Fiends in the middle of the confusion between them and the Warriors of Light, allowing him to transform into Chaos.