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The relationship between these two characters is one I've wondered about for awhile. You never see the two of them interact, except for Terra's flashback in the beginning where Leo, Kefka, and Celes raise their hands in salute. Still, I think it's interesting to think about how they feel about one another.

Leo is so loyal to the Emperor. Even up until his death he can't believe he was betrayed. Gestahl, on the other hand, is just as evil as Kefka, just a bit more...sane...about it. You don't really need much evidence for this. There's the flashback scene in the esper world, Gestahl's manipulation in Thamasa, and the way he behaves on the Floating Continent.

Even though Gestahl didn't order Leo murdered, the fact that he pretended to throw Kefka in prison only to unleash him on the unsuspecting General proves he didn't care very much about Leo. By that point, Gestahl obviously knew that Kefka was a wild card (although maybe not, considering what happens on the Floating Continent). Regardless, Gestahl never mourns. He doesn't even mention Leo's death right up until his own demise.

Here's my theory: Leo served as a knight in Vector before the "Empire" really began to take route. Back in those days, maybe Gestahl was more of a noble king. That's pure speculation, but there must be some reason Leo remains so steadfastly loyal. I don't think someone like him would do so just out of blind devotion. So I think at some point Gestahl had honor.

But somewhere along the line, Gestahl began to yearn for power. Perhaps after a few victories in legimate battles he grew addicted to conquest. Recognizing Leo's honor and loyalty, he led him along, exploiting his devotion for his own purposes. Maybe at some point Leo meant something to Gestahl. But by the end of the game it seems he's fallen out of favor, and Kefka better suits the Emperor's needs.

Just a theory.

Somewhere in the game (I believe at the Returners' first visit to Vector), we learn that General Leo refused a MagiTek infusion. We see when he have control of Leo just how powerful he is, he has the Offering and the lethal Shock attack and seems to be equipped with a Paladin shield. Perhaps Emperor Gestahl thought that Leo was too much of a threat to him, and therefore *allowed* Kefka to kill him while, at the same time, setting up the trap to have Terra and company lead him right to the Espers. In that respect, it is possible Gestahl did order Leo killed.

And I suspect that Gestahl was banking on Kefka as his "wild card." But, as the CoN description of Emperor Gestahl states, Gestahl's most fatal mistake was trusting Kefka. For all you Star Wars fans out there, let's look at an example from "Return of the Jedi." This isn't exactly the same, but it's the general idea ... we have Darth Vader, servant to the evil Emperor Palpatine. Palpatine trusts his apprentice, he believes Vader will never turn on him. Yet he also fears Vader, because he knows Vader's son (Luke Skywalker) is in the picture now. Still, it doesn't even occur to him that Vader will rise up and turn on him. That is, not until it actually happens. And by that time, the Emperor is not in a position where he can save himself (hence, Emperor Gestahl not being able to use magic to stop Kefka from killing him as they are in the field of statues).

I often wonder about the carrier pigeon Leo was sent when he was getting ready to storm Doma. What did it say, and was it really from Gestahl?

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"I will create a monument to nonexistence!!"

"The end comes ... beyond chaos."
~ Kefka, Final Fantasy VI

maybe gesthal orderd to kill leo, like adam said, because he is or rather was a treat Gesthal cause Leo was a noble knight who fights with his own strengt rather than using an espers magic and the only way I can think of that he didn't turn against gesthal is the reason he was dening( is that spelt right?) that the emporer really did become an evil man with a turst for power and this very fact condemd him to be slaughtert by the wacko named kefka also this proves that emporer gesthal was so blinded by the power that he didn't thinkt that kefka's evil and crazy brain would think about killing the emporer to become the powerfult being on the planet

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They may be monsters, but they're sea monsters. What're they gonna do? Flop around on deck and suffocate at us threateningly?

What's more, the emperor could easily have sent Locke and Terra to Albrook with (or rather, to meet) General Celes, but he sent them to meet General Leo. It seems that Gestahl suspected Leo (based on Leo's attitude toward Kefka) and that sending both Leo and Celes to Thamasa (where he would later send Kefka once the Espers had been found) was an easy way to get rid of *both* his disloyal generals.

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"I will create a monument to nonexistence!!"

"The end comes ... beyond chaos."
~ Kefka, Final Fantasy VI

Actually, I've also wondered how Leo, such an honorable soldier, could serve such a wily dictator, but the emperor could simply have been crafty enough as to be able to fool Leo into thinking he was a good man.

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I always thought Leo was just kept in the dark about everything (okay, that's a 'duh'). He's obviously the only one of the higher-ups in the Empire who doesn't know what's really going on. Heck, Kefka even has to conjur up an image of Gestahl in order to get it through to Leo that the Empire isn't all rainbows and gumdrops. It's possible the Emperor planned to have Leo murdered the entire time, since he doesn't seem to care at all after it happens. Unless, of course, he wasn't told, but I doubt it. Based on what Gestahl says in front of the statues, it doesn't look like there was any place for Leo in his worldwide conquest. We know he's a master at manipulating people, just like he does to the Returners, so odds are Leo was the target of a lot of that.

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I often wonder about the carrier pigeon Leo was sent when he was getting ready to storm Doma. What did it say, and was it really from Gestahl?

I've wondered about that too. Kinda convenient that he had two generals at Doma and the humane, merciful one gets called back to Vector. Personally, I think it really was Gestahl who sent it, but it was his 'clever' way of getting Leo out of the picture so Kefka'd be free to off the Domans the way the Emperor saw fit.

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Words of Wisdom:

If something can go wrong, it will.

If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. - Murphy’s Law

Boing! Zoom! - Mr. Saturn

Quote (SilverFork @ 18th February 2005 23:31)

I've wondered about that too. Kinda convenient that he had two generals at Doma and the humane, merciful one gets called back to Vector. Personally, I think it really was Gestahl who sent it, but it was his 'clever' way of getting Leo out of the picture so Kefka'd be free to off the Domans the way the Emperor saw fit.

That could be an intersting idea. Maybe since the beginning Gesthal and Kefka had that scheme worked out... or at least Gestahl did and Kefka just ad-libbed.

Also the theory that Gestahl was a "noble leader" at one point seems to make a lot of sense. Otherwise, why would so many people, including Leo, become so loyal to him?

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I fear my heart and fear my soul
Life goes on, it surely will,
Without me and I wonder:
Will I ever see light again?

Life goes on...

Maybe the Emperor cast "Muddle" on him.

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"I will create a monument to nonexistence!!"

"The end comes ... beyond chaos."
~ Kefka, Final Fantasy VI

I don't think Gestahl ordered Leo killed. Just before Kefka offs him, he says "I'll just tell the Emperor I had to murder a traitor." Why would Kefka have to cover his tracks if he was following an order?

Quote (KefkaLives @ 19th February 2005 11:40)

I don't think Gestahl ordered Leo killed. Just before Kefka offs him, he says "I'll just tell the Emperor I had to murder a traitor." Why would Kefka have to cover his tracks if he was following an order?

Maybe a conversation between kefka and gestahl went something like this:

"Head to Thamasa and bring me back the magicite remains of the espers hidden there. Now that we know how to truly extract magic from magicite, we no longer need the magitek factory.

Bring some magitek soldiers with you, and if Leo betrays us, kill him. If he stays loyal to our cause, keep him alive - I still have some use for him yet."

This makes the most sense to me, as Gestahl used people to further his own ends. He used Terra and the returners to find the hidden espers on thamasa island, and jumped at the opportunity to enter the sealed gate afterwards to claim ownership of the statues. He most likely used kefka's ambitions to further his own world domination.

I agree with Keith, but with a slight change.

Kefka was not ordered to directly kill Leo, just kill everyone that gets in the way of the betray espers plan. Which he thought he accomplished, but he left the hero's alive because he thought they were unfitting to be killed by a general, they had not earned such a 'noble' death yet.

About the letter, it was from the Emperor. He had also sent a letter to Kefka telling him to take charge over whoever Leo assigned as the leader.

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Could you repeat that?