The Final Fantasy 9 Mystery That Remains Unsolved Today
When it comes to antagonists from the Final Fantasy series, Kuja numbers among the most sympathetic and complex. Throughout Final Fantasy 9, Kuja manifests as a powerful boss that defeats the player despite the player's actions: it's all part of the story. He seems like a fairly ordinary villain. Then, you discover through in-game dialogue that Garland created Kuja to serve as an Angel of Death until Garland could perfect Zidane for that job.
Kuja is responsible for abandoning Zidane and inciting war, causing a great deal of destruction as he attempted to reconcile his own existential anxiety surrounding death, as detailed by YouTuber Alleyway Jack. The character features a richly layered personality, personified in his elegant, egotistic qualities and the way he speaks in metaphor. That complexity is also displayed in Kujo's change of heart and ultimate fate.
Final Fantasy 9 players were left to interpret what actually happened to Kuja at the end of the game. Since 2000, when Final Fantasy 9 released, fans have continued to speculate; however, we may never know the truth about Kuja's end.
Did Kuja die or not?
Despite the ongoing conflicts with Kuja, he doesn't even end up as the final boss in the game: Necron has that honor. Near the conclusion of Final Fantasy 9, Zidane actually saves Kuja at the Lifa Tree — he even tries to rescue his regretful enemy as the tree's trunk and roots start to collapse. But the question is — did Kuja actually die?
Many people think he did. After all, in his last scene, he expresses gladness that Zidane's friends escaped, as well as regret at the harm he has done. Zidane stays with him until the end. That end personifies his whole reason for becoming such a ruthless enemy: the realization of his coming mortality and limited life span. His repentance would not have much meaning if he survived.
On the other hand, this is exactly the type of story that Final Fantasy might want to continue in a later installment— that of a man, a world-destroyer, getting a second chance. Plus, if no one saw the death, it probably didn't happen, right? As he is never mentioned again, we may never know.
The ending of Final Fantasy 9 is among the most bittersweet in the series, and packs quite the emotional punch as is. Perhaps Kuja's ending, done differently, would have altered that feeling. One thing gamers do know: the Final Fantasy franchise knows how to leave fans wanting more, and this mystery definitely qualifies.