Chaos

Chaos is the antagonist and the final boss of the original Final Fantasy. He is a demonic monster who maintains a time loop. He is the quintessential Final Fantasy antagonist and final boss, many future villains paying homage to him. The elements of chaos and harmony, often represented by darkness and light, have become a recurring theme in the series.

Character design
Chaos is a horned demon with large wings, sharp claws and a tail. His kneecaps depict monster faces. Chaos's demonic appearance may have been based on Gustave Doré's illustrations of Satan (Devil or Lucifer) from John Milton's Paradise Lost. In Final Fantasy, a dragon's head emerges from his stomach, but in Dissidia this has been changed to a loincloth depicting a dragon, held with another monster face buckle. In Dissidia he has four arms and a darker coloration; he is more brown-toned in Final Fantasy, and more black and purple in Dissidia.

Final Fantasy
See also: Garland

Chaos is encountered in the Chaos Shrine in the past, which is visited by the Warriors of Light once they finished their mission of defeating the Four Fiends that were draining the Crystals of their power. The power of the Crystals the Fiends had drained was funneled into a Dark Crystal in the Chaos Shrine, opening a portal to the past. With the Crystals restored, the Warriors of Light are told the Fiends were sent from two thousand years ago, and their master is in that time. Using the Dark Crystal the Warriors travel to the past.

Upon fighting the Fiends a second time, the Warriors encounter Garland once again at the very bottom of the shrine. Garland tells the Warriors of Light that the power of the Four Fiends in the present sent him to the past when he was on the brink of death after his defeat. Garland then sent the Four Fiends in the past to the present. Doing this, Garland has created a time loop that will allow him to live forever. Following this exposition, Garland absorbs the powers of the Four Fiends and transforms into Chaos to do battle with the heroes. Chaos is defeated and the time loop is broken, restoring the land. Though Chaos is erased, Garland remains in the reformed present the Warriors of Light return to. In the official novelization, Final Fantasy: Memory of Heroes, Chaos is defeated by the Warrior alone.

Battle
Chaos is fought as the final boss. He is remembered for his noteworthy death animation, which shows him disintegrating, a somewhat innovative phenomenon in games for the NES. This style of death was repeated for final bosses of future games in the series.