Exdeath

Exdeath (Japanese: エクスデス, Hepburn: Ekusudesu) is a character and the main antagonist of the 1992 Square role-playing video game Final Fantasy V. Created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the warlock Exdeath is a sentient tree that has taken on a humanoid form, seeking to control the power of the Void. Though he is able to obtain it, while fighting the protagonists it consumes him as well, and he re-emerges as a being known as Neo Exdeath. Exdeath has since appeared in various other titles and promotions related to the Final Fantasy franchise, including the Dissida Final Fantasy games, where he is voiced by Gerald C. Rivers in English and Tarō Ishida in Japanese, with Naomi Kusumi later taking over the latter's role after Ishida's death.

Commentary on Exdeath has generally been mixed, with many being mixed as to his role. Though some praised his role in the games, he has also been criticized for being a straightforwardly evil villain. He has also been subject to literary analysis, examining the themes of the character in the context of mankind's misuse of the environment and the use of horror within the franchise.