I remember a comment on the old rip that really stood out to me. It was something like "Uematsu composing such a masterpiece using the SNES soundchip would be like if Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel with crayons". I think that describes it pretty well.

The game that made me bilingual. No joke. My native languge is french but i studied english a ton just because i wanted to understand FF VI dialogue and story. And it was 100% worth it

So long as Square doesn't find out about this one, we're safe.

It has Kefka's laugh. My joy is immeasurable and my day is completed.

This one song has to be like 30% of the cartridge's memory.

love how 1-3 are this epic orchestral piece and then at 4 turns to aggresively prog

To a newer generation, this was created on a cartridge around the size of your hand. Packing this much story and music into a cartridge is insane.

14:00 dude predicted trap beats holy shit

This is the main reason Kefka is my favorite ff villain. This song basically provides for us his entire life’s story without any dialogue.

“And time will destroy all of those as well. Why do people insist on creating things that will inevitably be destroyed? Why do people cling to life, knowing that they must someday die? ...Knowing that none of it will have meant anything once they do?”

Phase 1 0:01 Phase 2 4:31 Phase 3 8:13 Phase 4 11:33

Life, dreams, hope... Where do they come from? Where do they go? Where do they come from, cotton-eye Joe?

This will always be Nobuo’s greatest masterpiece. He made a full blown symphony to go with the battle against a maniacal god. One-Winged Angel, The Extreme and Necron’s theme are all awesome, but none can match the theme, complexity or length of Dancing Mad.

Tier 1: Brave against the terror of the beastly demon that judges your sins. Tier 2: Fight against the might of the banished souls that were once good men. Tier 3: Repent against the purity of the angelic prophet that cares for no one. Tier 4: Defy against the insanity of the maniacal god that wants you all *dead.*

Playing a cartridge version I bought for $90 with my 12 year old. This is the first time I've played in 28 years, and I'm seeing this game for the first time with adult eyes. And he's never played it before. What a time to be alive.

The original version of the second half of movement 4 fascinates me. Most interpret it as the song heralding Kefka's inevitable death and pitying his wretched existence, and most future versions of the song also take that approach, and end it on a dramatic climax. But here, the song slams right back into the main melody when it ends, accompanied by Kefka's laughter. Also worth noting that this is not an easy fight - it may be his final phase, but you still have to fight tooth and nail not to get wiped out. With all that in mind, what was this version of the second half really saying: is it mourning Kefka's pitiful last moments before descending into the madness again as Kefka simply _does not care,_ or is it Kefka figuratively playing the world's smallest violin to mock your struggles to defeat him, only to laugh in your face as he decides he's had enough fun toying with you?

Kefka wanted to destroy all of existence, and in true Italian opera fashion, the final battle is legendary!

The way that this boss fight and its theme are set up is insane. More games need to realize that if they want their final bosses to make an impact, they need to make that final battle seem like the fight is all or nothing. Saving that one last time before stepping into the SNES's own gates of hell before fighting through Kefka's multiple grueling phases is an experience like no other. And then, at the beginning of the very end, you hear the chords you've been listening to every time you booted up the game. It feels like Kefka's gained the power of the game itself and is using it against you. I hope more game devs are able to produce masterpieces like these in the future.

went to the store today and in line in front of me there was some dude with his gf. he told her some dumb joke and she suddenly burst out in a loud kefka laugh. it sounded identical. my first thought "the end draws near..." 😂

I'm pretty certain this is the longest final boss theme in any video game. 17 minutes to play through two loops for every movement of a four movement symphony, composed of combining Baroque and Romantic eras Classical genre music (complete with a Bach organ and soprano opera singer) with a final, subversive Emerson, Lake, & Palmer styled Progressive Rock movement to end it. Not even Noburo Uematsu's excellent final boss themes from the other Final Fantasy's come close in length, most of them being up to 7 or 8 minutes at longest.

13:27 this part makes me tear up a little. It gives off the "all hope is lost" vibe so well

At one time in the future we will finally have a Final Fantasy VI Remake, and people will finally understand why this is one of the greatest RPG of all times.

It's just incredible this is coming from the Snes sound chip.

Japanese composers creating the 21st century beethoven symphony for a videogame: Edit: 10 mainline games later and we still getting some of the best songs in video game history. Common final fantasy ost W.

This is the greatest final boss music of all time. I never get tired of listening to it, i love all four phases, it accurately describes the antagonist, fitting for a great finale.

Tier 1: Kefka's evil heart (Hell) Tier 2: Kefka's insanity (Pugatory) Tier 3: Kefka's narcissism (Heaven) Tier 4: Kefka's a god (God)

Uematsu was out of his mind when he made this

Uematsu sure likes Bach. i mean everyone should but i love how clear the inspiration is :)

i've never even played final fantasy. i listen to this because it's just that good. polyrhythmic masterpiece.

The fact this man made this on an snes is insane.

Hardcore punk orchestra smashed through technology and into my ears. It's really in my top all time favourite audio experiences.

No matter how many decades that passes by, Kefka is Still stands above all the rest Of the villains and succeeded in destruction. He truly made history in the final fantasy Franchise, even to this day.

back then it was a shock to hear this song and also the opera song because it sounded like real voices singing, that wasn't something we were used to back then

This is why classic 16-bit era video game music is goated to me. Think of how much we praise the David Wise’s of the world but mostly because the music is amazing. Not even taking into account how much harder it was to do this back then. Truly in a league of their own.

It's somewhere between Bach's Toccata and Fugue in Dm and Tarkus by Emerson Lake and Palmer, but somehow on an SNES. In other words, it's a piece of genius.

The very definition of hauntingly beautiful. Kefka is the perfect embodiment of handcrafted chaos

this track will live rent free in my head forever

11:32 Julián Omar Maruca presente!

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

"Life... Dreams... Hope... Where do they come from, and where do they go? Such meaningless things... I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL!!!" [laughs like a complete psychopath] Kefka "God" Palazzo.

this is the reason I want to play FF6 at some point in my life

Just finished this game for the first time this year, what a banger to end the game with

When you think it's done, it goes even higher and beyond. Truly amazing.

Nintendo fans: why won't Nintendo stop taking down music that it could monetize on YT? Square Enix fans: *histerical laughter of insanity for every 1X year old video with millons of views that ceases to exist*

As a kid, I played this game and this makes me miss my childhood. 😥 This takes me back! Damn! This battle was long!

13:05 Love this brief callback to Kefka's theme.

Something I think really sets this apart is it's not just a great final boss theme but an emotional rollercoaster in itself. Swings between threatening, exciting and even joyful or melancholy all in the span of a single fight.

This is sooooo metal. MY GOD. Uematsu could really thrash in a really elegant and cohesive way thematically with his rpg soundtracks. He always hit the right themes and the right notes at the absolute perfect time. CLIMAX ENSUES

Listen, I get how great Sephiroth and One-Winged Angel are, I really do. But imo, Kefka and Dancing Mad, for what they were at the time FFVI came out and even now, are one of the greatest final boss/final boss theme combos in video game history. To make a whole boss themed around something like The Divine Comedy after Kefka succeeds in his quest and quite literally becomes a god is such an art nerd’s wet dream

OMG. I'm a huge fan of the FF OSTs, I haven't played all games but I know most songs, but this one somehow eluded me, I never listened to it before, I ended up here because so many people suggested listening to it to a guy who does reactions to music, and oh man, this track is just AMAZING. I can't stop listening to it, truly amazing! I love Nobuo Uematsu!

This song is so impactful but you can also hear tragedy in it.

My mom mostly played Tetris and Doctor Mario on NES. As soon as she heard the final boss music of FF6,...("son,...this is epic! This ain't Dragon Warrior)

Just beat the game over the weekend. While kefka was easier than the Waring triad statues. (I got to pick the best team edgar,sabin,terra, and cyan" it was still incredibly cool. I wish games still had bosses like that. The story of them game was great, and the gameplay was incredible too. This boss carried so much weight in the story. And even though I beat him. He still won.

12:04 "Life....... Dreams.......Hope.. Where are they coming from? and where are they headed? Such meaningless things... I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL!!!" *kefka laugh*

''The end comes... beyond chaos.''

I don't even remember how I discovered this piece, I didn't have this game nor have I ever really been into Final Fantasy. But it's shaped my music taste.

I just imagine everyone fighting while someone is just playing an pipe organ in the corner

This, Plok's Boss Battle theme, and Pokey Means Business are the Trinity of battle themes on the SNES.

I decided to check this out when someone said that Super Mario 64's Ultimate Bowser theme bares are strong resemblance to this. 🤓 Wow, I am honestly blown away with how EPIC this song and its phases are! 🤯👏🏾🎵

This was before I entered the gaming world. I began my journey with FF7, yet letting my ear carry me to stay and listen to all of it, this piece is phenomenal!

What a long piece and what a long fight, but I must say, this is indeed very good.

I remember playing the original aa a kid and the anthology when it came out. WHY DID I NOT REMEMBER THIS SONG?!

This whole song, honestly, has 'Epic Grand Finale' written all over it.

"Life. Dreams. Hope. Where do they come from and where do they go? Such meaningless things... I'll destroy them all!!!"

12:05 of this video is literally the best part

This is like wondering how someone took a piece of stone block and turned it into such intricate designs you see in museums.

5.5k views in 11 years is a travesty. This is a fucking masterpiece

Really got a lot of mileage out of that choir sample.

Playing this currently and still baffled to this day on how the SNES can produce this kind of sound. Same with Tales of Phantasia JPN, Super Metroid and Super Castlevania

genuinely enjoy this more than one winged angel, I love gauntlet themed bosses and this one is absolutely no exception

A masterpiece of music, let alone retro gaming.

Life... Dreams... Hopes... Where does they go and where does they come from? I going to destroy... destroy... DESTROY EVERYTHING!!! *Kefka's laugh*

This ominous yet beautiful movement of music will be studied and performed in the centuries to come, just as we are doing today with the compositions of Bach and Rachmaninoff

Kefka is the anime renaissance version of DC’s Joker.

Truly a timeless classic, a masterpiece in music, videogame or not. You can't deny the intelligence & creativity that went into this piece. The composer is incredible.

Square Development Team: Yeah, so we got this guy named Kefka and he's the final boss, kinda crazy, wants to watch the world burn but how are we gonna make it sound this way? Nobuo Uematsu:

A laugh that echos through time.

Dancing Mad: The song of a deranged Mad Man named Kafka Palazzo,the villain who won

This game has always been my favorite old school RPG.

Tier 1: Hell Tier 2: Purgatory Tier 3: Heaven Tier 4: God

just finished this game for the first time and goddamn what a final battle and what a boss theme

I have no enough words to describe how much i love this mastepiece! I LOVE AND ADORE IT SO VERY MUCH!! ❤

Ill say it. FF6 is probably the pinnacle of art in gaming.

Something about Kefka was more epic than Sephiroth. Like the psycho had more tools and minions at his disposal than Sephiroth. Sephiroth had Jenova and cave of monsters. Kefka had the whole world as his own with a huge army, powerful bosses, and three gods (as statues). Sephiroth had a cave. Kefka had a mechanized fortress. Kefka's theme is stronger than Sephiroths.

Out of all the final boss fights against gods and deities or whatever, this is one of the very few OSTs that makes it feel like you’re actually throwing down with a god in heaven

What a shame that the video with I think 2 million views was either blocked due to copyright or forced to be put on private for the same reason, all those comments are gone smh

FF6 remake needs to be a thing

Friend of my spotted. From 11:30 on is 100% inspired in Tarkus by Emerson Lake and Palmer. Amazing

8:12 - Ears Entering Heaven

What’s even more impressive is that the FF6 Snes rom is less than 5mb, which means they managed to fit the whole OST (including this music) and everything else in less than 5 megabytes. That compression magic packs a bigger punch than Ultima and Knights of Round 😂

12:11 "Hay que saber comprender y entender"

An actual masterpiece

I wish I have played these Final Fantasy games a lot sooner, or I could've at least explored comment sections to see how people think of a certain OST outta any of them. Too bad Square doesn't want such a thing, it feels lame not being able to read them when they were on KZfaq for years. Hope this upload stays up for as long as possible but doubtful it'll last forever.

Music that draws a crowd, a show that blows their minds.

The Greatest song of them all. 💯

The best final boss theme of all time. Period.

My interpretation of the fight Phase 1, Hell: Kefka tries to obliterate his opposition using raw power and malice. He uses his hatred and evil to try and overpower the heroes. Phase 2, Purgatory: Kefka is becoming slightly more desperate, attempting to drive the heroes mad with sorrow and grief, since raw power didn't work. He taunts and teases, eager to break their minds rather than their bodies. Phase 3, Heaven: Kefka, becoming ever more impatient, now resorts to deception to defeat the heroes. He poses as a godly, warm figure that they can trust, offering to soothe their souls and provide divine healing, while instead he is a heartless monster who attempts to poison and mislead their spirits. In the end, they see through his false divinity and warmth, striking down the beast that dwells within. Phase 4, Kefka: Kefka finally descends to annihilate his opposition with his bare hands. He's done with pretending to be an elegant and godly being, now finally revealing the sad, twisted clown who was always beneath. He returns to his true, chaotic nature, dropping the godly behavior, hence the more chaotic music in this phase. He's prepared to use every ounce of his power to win, but in the end, hope defeats him. As Kefka fades slowly into death's embrace, he realizes that he was just as mortal as those innocent lives he carelessly obliterated. As this cruel realization dawns on Kefka, and he begins to see how much he wasted his life, his last bit of consciousness fades with a hollow, empty laugh, same laugh as always, one last time.

This song is a certified MASTAPIECE!

I’m so happy it still exists, with the laugh. God I miss playing this game.

I wish we got a Kefka battle in Kingdom Hearts.