History Characters / FinalFantasyXIVEmetSelch

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Notably, he's the only boss in ''Shadowbringers'' to lack BossSubtitles, tying into his proclamation before the trial that he and the Warrior of Light shall "cast aside titles and pretense".

* BelievingTheirOwnLies: It's implied that "moral relativism and all that" is just what Emet tells himself to stay on his path, and that deep down he knows the ones he deems "broken" and "inferior" are very much alive. Hence, his desire for a path of lesser tragedy. Once it becomes clear that the Warrior of Light isn't backing down and is willing to force him to confront the truth, Emet's mask cracks and he starts having a VillainousBreakdown. This is implied more strongly by Y'shtola during ''Endwalker'', where she realizes that in contrast to [[spoiler:the Ancients who mistook the Warrior for a mere {{Familiar}}]], the shades from Amaurot mistook them for a child instead. From Emet-Selch's real point-of-view, he seemed to acknowledge the races of Eorzea as people, just immature ones.

** [[spoiler: Try as he might, there was more to suggest he cared more about the sundered races than he cared to admit. Before the final dungeon of ''Endwalker'' if you talk to Y'shtola, she muses that on Elpis, all of the Ancients regarded the Warrior as a mere familiar. By comparison, the shades in the phantom Amaurot regarded the Scions as children, leading Y'shtola to muse that, even if not just subconsciously, Emet-Selch knew his "not a person" schtick was bunk and acknowledged the sundered Spoken as real - if not naive and juvenile - people.]]

* BerserkButton: "Heroes", [[NotSoDifferentRemark being considered the same]], and the future.

--->'''Emet-Selch''': ''[[GameFace (With red mask glowing)]]'' Do not presume to speak of my future!

* DeterimentalDetermination: This is also the crux of Emet-Selch's motivations and his opposition to the heroes in ''Shadowbringers''. Despite his rhetoric about the sundered people not being truly alive, he at least subconsciously acknowledged that they're people who have a right to live as much as his own. But his irrepressible feelings of duty to his people and [[MyGreatestFailure his sorrow over his failure to save them from their fate]] means that he cannot be swayed from his decision to continue the Rejoinings in search of the faintest hope of restoring his people and world, forcing the heroes to fight him to the death. [[spoiler:Even after his death and reclaiming his lost memories in ''Endwalker'', he continues to call [[TheUnapologetic his ideals "inviolate" and "invincible"]], implying that if he had a chance, he'd do it all over again.]]

* WorfHadTheFlu: He's one of the most powerful sorcerers to ever exist, with Hyhtlodaeus calling his power exemplary even among the ancients; [[spoiler:however in ''Endwalker'', when the Ktisis Hyperboreia power dampening field comes in effect, it puts him down several notches which prevents him from unleashing his true power and curbstomping every obstacle on his way up to Hermes.]]

* AssassinOutclassin: The Reaper questline reveals that Drusilla's grandfather attempted to assassinate Solus zos Galvus to end the furious conquest of the Garlean Empire before it began. But this being [[PhysicalGod Emet-Selch]], Drusilla's grandfather [[CurbStompBattle didn't stand a chance]]. The Reaper hobbled home with his hair bleached white from overuse of his Voidsent powers as he told his granddaughter that the most powerful man in Garlemald was no man at all, implying he was at least able to put up enough of a fight to force Emet-Selch to use his Ascian powers.

** In 5.3, [[spoiler:the Warrior of Darkness calls him ''out of the Lifestream'' for aid, and he saves them from the void Elidibus banished them to. If it wasn't clear it was him (as he's wearing generic Amaurotine garb), Emet-Selch does his [[CharacterTic flippant hand wave]] as he walks away.]]

** Being a man of flair, Emet-Selch often works his magic with a solid snap of his fingers, audible even through his gloves. [[spoiler:This is a clue that the Amaurotian who saves you is him, as it summons you back with the same solid snap, and takes his leave with the same languid wave of a hand.]]

** In ''Shadowbringers''. He spends most of the expansion ingratiating himself with the Scions, as it occurs to him that cooperation might reap better rewards than opposition. He tags along on a few excursions into Lightwarden territory, can be spoken to at length to get his unique perspective, and [[VillainRevealsTheSecret reveals some of the biggest twists in the story]]. He even steps in to save Y'shtola's life when she's lost in the lifestream. For all that, the party never lets their guard down around him, and he's bluntly honest about his goals as the conditions to realize them change. [[spoiler:However, his ultimate endgame, aside from reviving Zodiark and restoring Amaurot, was for the First to be brought to the tipping point of elemental imbalance toward Light. This would then cause the First's excessive Light to "seep" into the Source, empowering the Black Rose to the point where he could use it to effortlessly kill the Warrior of Light and the Scions and lay waste to Eorzea, which would in turn cause enough death and destruction to trigger a new Rejoining. So really, what he wants more than anything else is to just go home.]]
** He's so this that in Patch 5.3, [[spoiler:Urianger says the scene of the Scions' departure would only be complete if the Exarch were there "with Emet-Selch ''smirking in the wings''".]]

** In 5.3, [[spoiler:his soul shows up to save your party from being banished to the Rift by Elidibus, before giving his usual cocky wave goodbye and disappearing into Aether again.]]

* CharacterTic: He has a unique way of waving goodbye--flipping his hand as if saying "shoo" while walking away. [[spoiler:This is the big give-away that the Ancient who rescues the Warrior of Darkness in 5.3 is really him.]]

* CoolCrown: It's subtle, but his garb as Hades includes a regal-looking crown, befitting his namesake's title of king of the underworld. [[spoiler: It makes a second appearance as a magic circle around his feet when his shade rescues the party later on.]]

* DeathEqualsRedemption: He concedes defeat at the very end and goes out quite somberly, merely asking that you remember him and his people. [[spoiler:Reinforced in the FinalBattle against Elidibus: Emet's shade rescues the party, preferring to see the Paragons' long road end with dignity than to watch his last living comrade lose himself in his lonely quest.]]
* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Implied, retroactively, by his past self's reaction to hearing about his actions in ''Shadowbringers''. As he says, if he truly wanted to beat the Warrior of Light and continue his plans, he could have just waited for the light corruption to destroy them. Instead, he invited them into the heart of his operation on The First and challenged them directly. Either he held the VillainBall at just the wrong moment for all his centuries-long plans to come crashing down, or on some level he wanted the Warrior to at least have a chance to prove him wrong and stop the ancient Ascian conspiracy.]]

** A variation occurs with this via SelfServingMemory and EasyAmnesia. [[spoiler: In addition, when he has his memory wiped and Hythlodeus suggests they'll learn the truth when they return to the aetheral sea, Emet-Selch dismisses his musing wholeheartedly, saying whatever revelations they had this day would not matter in the long run. In fact, ''everything'' he learnt that day was of extreme import, as they had in fact witnessed the birth of the creature that would eventually cause the calamity that would destroy the Ancient's civilization, and force Emet-Selch on his millennia-long vigil to restore his people. Had he remembered, he would have avoided many, many years of suffering for himself and his people. He himself points out the irony of asking the Warrior of Light to remember him, when ''all'' of his villainous deeds were the result of ''him'' forgetting about the Warrior of Light in the first place.]]

** In addition, he also calls to mind to [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyII Emperor Mateus]]. Both are emperors who are skilled in magical arts far beyond anything regular magic users are capable off, both die during the game and are replaced as an Emperor by their subordinate, and then both come back from the dead. Visually, both Mateus and Solus's return have similarities. Both appear from the throne sporting a vastly different appearance than before, both berate and mock their supposed successor for their incompetence and remind them of their place.(Even causing the successor to attempt an EnemyMine with the heroes, albeit unsuccessfully in Varis's case.) And lastly both look down on mankind and believe them to be guided by their selfish desires. The difference is, Mateus was a mortal who usurped the powers of hell for his own selfish desire for domination of the world, while Emet-Selch was an Ascian who possessed a random Garlean to become Solus zos Galvus as part of his plan to bring about the rejoinings to revive Zodiark and his race.]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: When the final blow is dealt and its damage clearly fatal, Emet does not rage against the end. He simply asks that the Warrior of Light remembers the Ascians as they once lived. Once he knows that his people will be remembered he gives the Warrior of Light one final, sad smile before he disperses into aether. [[spoiler: It happens again in Ultima Thule after his BigDamnHeroes moment, however this time it’s voluntary, and comes after acknowledging the Warrior of Light’s people have earned their right to existence where his people failed and succumbed to despair; he even parts with a smile again, except this time it’s warm and genuine.]]

** He absolutely ''despises'' Hydaelyn and her Light after what she did to his civilization. This hatred extends to anyone who has received the Blessing of Light, with him repeatedly calling the Warrior of Light a "monster" and an "abomination" throughout the final battle. A part of this hatred however, might also be due to the fact that the Warrior of Light is the source's reincarnation of one of his closest friends, [[spoiler: and Hydaelyn is Venat, one of his other closest friends.]] To him, it probably is hell to find himself in that situation, with his friend on the other side of the balance [[spoiler: spurred on by his other former friend]], which makes him go full denial about it.

** He is also one to Elidibus. Both are the final two unsundered Ascians left after the end of Heavensward. Emet-Selch is rather laid back and snarky most of the time while Elidibus is always very business-like and professional. [[spoiler:Emet-Selch was contemplating simply giving up the cause as pointless (as seen in the 7th Tale from the Shadows) while Elidibus is constantly determined to complete his task. Emet-Selch attempted to sway and bring the Warrior of Light to the Ascians' side (assuming they were physically capable of holding all of the First's light) while Elidibus deliberately avoids trying to find common ground with his enemy. Emet-Selch is burdened by the memories of everything he has lost, both as an Ancient of Aumarot and as Emperor Solus, the father whose son died of illness at an early age; Elidibus, due to his nature as a primal, has forgotten nearly everything from his past except for his duty. And finally, Emet-Selch dies gracefully, entrusting the memory of his people to the Warrior of Light while Elidibus dies crying in sadness as he remembers what exactly what he was fighting for in his final moments.]]

* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: A lot of his bitterness towards the Warrior of Light comes from the fact that they are the reincarnation of one of his closest friends, [[spoiler:Azem]], adding a whole new layer to his attitude. [[spoiler:They were so close that Emet defied the ruling of the rest of the Convocation to {{unperson}} them and secretly made a memory stone for them after they defected, and now not only do they not remember him, not only are they sundered, they're on the other side. He goes full denial when he sees Azem's appearance take over the Warrior of Light's for a split second, unable to get over the fact that despite not being fully merged with their other shards yet, they ultimately are still the same person.]]

** He's such a good sport that [[spoiler:his spirit even helps the Warrior of Light defeat Elidibus later on, though Y'shtola speculates that it may have been as much for Elidibus's sake as the Warrior of Light, as the former at that point was little more than a primal stuck blindly carrying out an order for people he couldn't even remember anymore.]]

** [[spoiler:His mocking ReasonYouSuckSpeech to the Warrior before their final battle can be repeated by the ''Warrior themselves'' to give Elidibus a ReasonYouSuckSpeech just before their final battle.]]
--->'''Emet-Selch/Warrior:''' [[spoiler:You've no fight left to fight.]]

* {{Irony}}: [[spoiler: Emet-Selch's final plea towards the Warrior of Light to remember their people's legacy is turned on its head when it is revealed that he is the one who has forgotten their first encounter thanks to being memory-wiped by Kairos. Emet-Selch being Emet-Selch, points out the irony as soon as he is summoned by the Warrior of Light to Ultima Thule, having his memory restored in the Underworld.]]

** [[spoiler:Before he returns to the Netherworld, he tries to cheer up the Warrior of Light by bringing up that they still have so much left to see and explore back on Etheirys, and encourages them to see it all for themself when it's all over. It's pretty much acknowledging the player's concerns about where the story might go from here now that the current MythArc is about to end.]]

* LemonyNarrator: [[spoiler: His narration for each new location introduced in Endwalker is generally snarkier than the ones from expansions before it.]]

** If his Solus Zos Galvus persona calls to mind [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV Ardyn Izunia]], then his Emet-Selch persona references Garland from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''. [[spoiler:Like Garland, Emet-Selch's primary goal is the revival of his advanced yet long extinct race, at the cost of the currently living species that inhabit the the Source and it's reflections. Both their plans rely on the merging of worlds, rely on pawns they create to get their plans moving, both turn out to be the man behind the man of the supposed antagonist that they have a familial connection to, (Varis for Emet-Selch, Kuja for Garland), and have a connection to the main hero that goes before the events of the game. The Warrior of Light is the reincarnation of Emet-Selch's close friend, while Zidane is Garland's perfected angel of death. Both their endgames rely on the hero's soul to some extent, (Emet-Selch hoped that the Lightwarden's corruption would break the Warrior of Light's soul to bring about a rejoining, while Garland rips out Zidane's soul in an attempt at forcing obedience.) Lastly their plans are ultimately ruined by another villain they assumed they had under control. (Emet-Selch's posthumous plans for black rose and thus the rejoining is ruined by Zenos overthrowing Varis, while Terra along with its inhabitant's souls are destroyed by Kuja in addition to Kuja killing Garland himself.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler: When Meteion explains her plans to end all life, Emet-Selch indignantly refutes asking who she thinks she is to determine what is best for mankind. It's this moment the hypocrisy of the Ancients becomes solidified in Hermes' mind, as he sees this as no different to the them deciding which of their creations gets to live or die by what they seem fair and just. This leads to his decision to let Meteion's plans continue, and have it be a determination on mankind's worth.]]

* NoPlaceForMeThere: When [[spoiler:Emet-Selch returns from the lifestream seemingly with no strings attached at the Ultima Thule, he is quick to mention to the others that he is still just a half faded phantom willing to play a bit part and is more than content to fade back into the afterlife. Despite his resurrection he does not allow himself to remain partly because he can't stand the idea of being alive thanks to Venat's magic, but mostly because he cannot find it in himself to co-exist with mankind as he claims he still holds strong to his beliefs. That being said Emet-Selch's willingness to reincarnate and enter the lifestream shows that he could very well be lying, and in his own way admit that there is a future where he belongs to, just not as he currently is as an unsundered.]]

* NotAfraidToDie: Despite all of his planning and willingness to fight to the end, Emet-Selch was prepared for either eventuality that he would win or die against the Warrior of Light. [[spoiler:He gave his convocation crystals which allowed him to raise up other Ascians to the shade of Hythlodaeus, in the hopes that it would reach the Warrior of Light in the event of his death. ''Tales of Shadow'' showed that he was already on the verge of giving up on the entire plan, if it weren't for Elidibus' determination and the fact he would be alone if he did truly give up. Notably he was resting in oblivion after his body's death and only woke when Lahabrea was killed off. And finally, he left behind Azem's crystal, which allowed the Warrior of Light to properly use their power of Azem to gather allies, including the shade of Emet-Selch himself if s/he needed his assistance.]]

* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler:Azem's memory crystal. Normally someone who left the Convocation of the Fourteen would not have a memory crystal made, but Emet-Selch made one in secret for his dear friend. He makes sure it finds its way back to its owner (the Warrior of Light, a fragment of Azem) after his defeat.]]

* VillainousRescue: [[spoiler:His soul saves the party from Elidibus. Y'shtola speculates that he did this because he could no longer bear to see his old friend, the last of the unsundered, champion the cause alone.]]

* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:He's one of the most powerful Ancient sorcerers to ever exist, if not THE strongest; however in ''Endwalker'', when the Ktisis Hyperborea power dampening field comes in effect, it puts him down several notches which prevents him from unleashing his true power and curbstomp every obstacle on his way up to Hermes.]]

''Other Realms'': [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheVoid The Void]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheFirst The First]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheWorldUnsundered The World Unsundered]] ([[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVPandaemonium Pandaemonium]]) | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVUltimaThule Ultima Thule]]\\

''Other Realms'': [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheVoid The Void]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheFirst The First]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheWorldUnsundered The World Unsundered]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVUltimaThule Ultima Thule]]\\

* PetTheDog: As he travels with the Scions through the First, he repeatedly makes light of their conflicts and journey, and tends to disparage them rather openly despite supposedly calling a truce. But when Y'shtola ends up in the Lifestream again thanks to ''another'' attempted HeroicSacrifice with Flow, the heroes ask him to help once they realize they're lacking options -- and he simply summons her back and fully intact with a snap of the fingers, despite having every reason to leave her for dead and ignore their pleas instead of trying for an "act of trust" to get in their good graces. While it does demonstrate a case of PragmaticVillainy, as this only would've "paid off" if his plans for the Warrior succeeded in containing the Light, he's the one that comes up with the idea first and he makes nothing of it besides requesting earnest thanks for once.

** In the mythology of Ivalice, Emet-Selch was the Scion opposite to Zalera, the ''Death''-elemental Esper.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In the lead up to the final battle with Emet-Selch, he tells the Warrior of Light that they should both cast aside titles and reveal their true selves to one another. At the start of the trial, Emet-Selch's name is listed as just "Hades" with no subtitle unlike every other boss in the expansion.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In the lead up to the final battle with Emet-Selch, he tells the Warrior of Light that they should both cast aside titles and reveal their true selves to one another. At the start of the trial, Emet-Selch's name is listed as just "Hades" with no subtitle unlike every other boss in the expansion.
** [[spoiler:Before he returns to the Netherworld, he tries to cheer up the Warrior of Light by bringing up that they still have so much left to see and explore back on Etheirys, and encourages them to see it all for themself when it's all over. It's pretty much acknowledging the player's concerns about where the story might go from here now that the current MythArc is about to end.]]

* DefeatEqualsFriendship: A firm, if not pragmatic, believer of this. He explains to the Warrior of Light that as a conqueror, toppling an enemy through might is only the first step of true subjugation. He states that it is crucial to treat the defeated with dignity and respect, that they might "let bygones be bygones" and win their hearts over. He is genuinely impressed that the Warrior of Light has successfully accomplished this with Eulmore and gives them a heartfelt compliment.

* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler: Although his resurrection in Ultima Thule appears to be a proper one, he and Hythlodaeus still voluntarily choose to return to the aetherial sea after their BigDamnHeroes is complete; as Emet himself puts it, though the Warrior of Light’s world has proven its right to exist, [[NoPlaceForMeThere it is still not HIS world, and he does not belong in it]].]]

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: As Emperor Solus, he became a Legatus in the Garlean military at age 24, pushed reforms that allowed magitek into the military, and by age 28 was so loved by Garlemald's people he was unanimously named Dictator.

''Other Realms'': [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheVoid The Void]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVTheFirst The First]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVUltimaThule Ultima Thule]]\\

** Emet-Selch does a lot of this to the people of the world, considering them malformed creatures to broken and fractured by the sundering to be considered truly alive and human. It is implied he does this in order to keep the weight of the guilt of destroying countless lives through the Ascian's plans from wearing his conscience down completely. He even acknowledges "moral relativism and all that" while he lays this out for the Scions.

* WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler:He's one of the most powerful Ancient sorcerers to ever exist, if not THE strongest; however in ''Endwalker'', when the Ktisis Hyperborea power dampening field comes in effec, it puts him down several notches which prevents him from unleashing his true power and curbstomp every obstacle on his way up to Hermes.]]

* UnreliableNarrator: While his love for his people and anguish over their fates are very much real, ''Endwalker'' retroactively reveals [[spoiler:he was wearing ''quite'' a pair of rose-colored glasses about them: the Ancients, while not evil, had a different view the value of an individual's life (stemming from their very long lifetimes), were pretty intolerant of big flaws in their creations, sometimes more than they needed to be, and [[NotSoAboveItAll did not always use their creation magicks responsibly]]. They certainly ''would'' and ''did'' sacrifice themselves for the greater good, but they were not perfect. It's implied Emet was subconsciously aware of this but [[IveComeTooFar had been laboring too long and was too enslaved to duty]] to give up his course. Taken a step further with the events of the Pandaemonium Raid series; not only were the Ancients not perfect, but [[MadScientist Athena]] proves there were those among them which could match evil lunatics like Amon and then some.]]

* NotAfraidToDie: Despite all of his planning and willingness to fight to the end, Emet-Selch was prepared for either eventuality that he would either; win or die against the Warrior of Light. [[spoiler:He gave his convocation crystals which allowed him to raise up other Ascians to the shade of Hythlodaeus, in the hopes that it would reach the Warrior of Light in the event of his death. ''Tales of Shadow'' showed that he was already on the verge of giving up on the entire plan, if it weren't for Elidibus' determination and the fact he would be alone if he did truly give up. Notably he was resting in oblivion after his body's death and only woke when Lahabrea was killed off. And finally, he left behind Azem's crystal, which allowed the Warrior of Light to properly use their power of Azem to gather allies, including the shade of Emet-Selch himself if s/he needed his assistance.]]

''Antagonists'': [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVAscians Ascians]] ('''Emet-Selch''') | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVGarleanEmpire Garlean Empire]] ([[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVZenosYaeGalvus Zenos yae Galvus]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVBozjanGarleans Bozjan Garleans]]) | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVPrimals Primals]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVRaidAntagonists Raid Antagonists]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVAntagonists Other Antagonists]]\\