Hugo Kupka

Permanent Economic Advisor Hugo Kupka's meteoric rise to prominence was sudden, if not unexpected. Once a nameless foot soldier in the Republican Army, his awakening as Dominant of the Eikon Titan thrust him to the forefront of Dhalmekian politics. It was here he used his newfound position as the most powerful man in the republic to exert influence over both the nation's armies and its policy making—amassing a personal fortune in the process. Yet while it is said that a man who has everything wants for nothing, Benedikta Harman will teach him money and power are far from all the world has to offer.

Online description

Hugo Kupka is a major antagonist and boss in Final Fantasy XVI. He is the economic advisor of the Dhalmekian Republic, and Dominant of the Eikon Titan, the Warden of Earth. He is among the richest men on Valisthea, and commands his personal army known as the Men of the Rock. He is in love with Benedikta Harman, who works for the republic's ally nation, Waloed.

History[]

Hugo was once an ordinary foot soldier in the republican army whose fortunes turned when he awakened as the Dominant of Titan, which granted him a permanent seat at the Dhalmekian Parliament. Using his newfound station, he would demand compensation in return for his services to the republic, allowing him to build up a great personal fortune. This, in turn, enabled him to seize control of the nation's Mothercrystal, Drake's Fang, by purchasing the land as well as the loyalties of its guards, the "Men of the Rock", turning the location into his personal palace and the Men of the Rock as his personal army.

Hugo met the 20-year-old Benedikta Harman of Waloed when King Barnabas sent her to make contact^[1] and Hugo fell madly in love with her, though it is implied that she was just manipulating him for Barnabas's machinations. He also became acquainted with Cidolfus Telamon and Sleipnir Harbard, likely through Benedikta.

In the year 873, during the Battle of Nysa, Hugo was present during discussions of Waloed coming to the aid of the Dhalmekian Republic against the Iron Kingdom, who had come into possession of the Dominant of Shiva. When King Barnabas refused, Hugo decided to fight the Ironblood forces himself, much to the chagrin of his councilmen. As he made his way out of the meeting room, Benedikta followed and the two shared an intimate moment. Benedikta asked him to take care but Hugo considered himself unbeatable and thus any worry to be unnecessary. Hugo primed into Titan and was met by Shiva on the battlefield. The two Eikons' clash wrought destruction across the Nysa Defile, causing many indirect deaths. Titan drove back the Ironbloods while Benedikta watched the battle from afar, unimpressed that Titan had not caught Shiva.

Some time later, Hugo received Benedikta's severed head in a box, being told that it had been sent by Cid, the former lord commander of Waloed who had since gone rogue and started his own faction. In reality, this was another of King Barnabas's machinations, and it was likely his current lord commander Sleipnir who had defiled Benedikta's corpse^{[note 1]} following her death at the hands of Clive Rosfield, who had primed into Ifrit and battled her Eikon, Garuda. Heartbroken and enraged, Hugo swore revenge against Cid, and sent his forces to find any information regarding the latter's whereabouts. Eventually, one of his men discovered the location of Cid's Hideaway after spying on Cid's scout Gav and his team lay the slaughtered inhabitants of Eastpool to rest. While Cid was in Oriflamme with Clive and Jill Warrick, Hugo and his men attacked the Hideaway, leading to the deaths of many of the liberated Bearers who were living there. Hugo primed into Titan and destroyed the Hideaway, leaving the survivors to watch on in horror. However, he could not locate Cid, who—unknown to Hugo—had already perished during his team's mission to destroy Drake's Head.

Cid's protege, Clive, took on his late mentor's name and cause and built a new hideaway, which Hugo's men never found. Clive and his group of followers, now being known as the Cursebreakers, continued their mission to liberate Bearers. Hugo's Men of the Rock would hold Bearers captive and make their torment known to lure "Cid" out, but five years on, they still had not managed to catch him. Clive did not understand why Hugo held such a grudge against them, but wanted vengeance for the destruction of their original hideaway and the deaths of its inhabitants all the same.

After "Cid the Outlaw" had destroyed Drake's Head in the Sanbrequois capitol, the empire had occupied the Crystalline Dominion and taken its Mothercrystal, Drake's Tail, for its own, initiating a hostile reaction from Dhalmekia and Waloed, who opposed the takeover. Empress Anabella Lesage came to negotiate for the end of hostilities with Hugo Kupka, who realized her duplicitousness and seemed to admire her for it, playing along with her scheme when Anabella promised to reveal something about "Cid the Outlaw" in return for a favor. A peace deal was made with Anabella's son, Olivier Lesage, publicized as the linchpin of the brokered deal, pacing the way for him to be crowned as emperor, all per Anabella's machinations, and implied to have been thanks to Hugo's great influence in the Dhalmekian Parliament. In return, Hugo learned that "Cid the Outlaw" was, in fact, Anabella's firstborn son, Clive Rosfield, widely believed to have died during the Night of Flames.

With this knowledge Hugo and his minions took over Rosalith in the former duchy of Rosaria, now an imperial province that had languished under Anabella's cruel viceroyship. Clive was outraged when news of Hugo occupying his former home reached him, realizing it was a trap devised to lure him out and that Hugo must have found out about his true identity. He decided to end things once and for all and headed to Rosalith with Jill and Gav to kill Hugo. They made it to Rosalith Castle where Jill was taken captive prompting Clive to surrender, but Gav freed him from the dungeons in time for Clive to halt Jill's execution by beheading, as Hugo's plan was to pay back what had been done to him: deliver "Cid" the head of his beloved.

Clive confronted Hugo in the castle where Hugo antagonized him by destroying the ducal throne, mocking Clive for his and his nation's falls from grace. Clive learned Hugo persecuted him over Benedikta's death, though he still mourned he never had the chance to kill the original Cid, whom he still viewed the true culprit for her murder. Clive declared himself as Benedikta's killer, though he never learned of someone having delivered Hugo her head, spurring on his half-a-decade long revenge quest. Hugo was pleased at the chance to exact proper revenge at her lover's actual killer after all, and fought Clive in the crypt below the castle in semi-primed state. He lost, and Clive cut off both his hands and absorbed Titan's aether from Hugo. Despite having clearly lost the battle, Hugo still tried to continue attacking Clive, only to be knocked out and spirited away by Sleipnir Harbard, the Lord Commander of Waloed. Clive, exhausted from their duel, was unable to pursue them.

The royal knights transported Kupka overland through the Velkroy Desert to his castle inside Drake's Fang to recuperate, where Hugo had prosthetic hands installed but did not manage to use them to a great degree, driving him into a temper tantrum. When Hugo tried to argue that Clive would be dead had Sleipnir not interfered, Sleipnir mocked the Dominant, for which Hugo opted to attack the lord commander. Effortlessly subduing him, Sleipnir made him realize his weakness and offered him a way to take his revenge on Clive. Desperate to avenge both his lover and his humiliation, Hugo agreed to Sleipnir's suggestion that he go to his inner sanctum and interact with the heart of the Mothercrystal.

Sleipnir's act had not been one of benevolence, but to lure Clive to Drake's Fang for a "trial" to strengthen him, and to destroy the Mothercrystal, all according to the plan of King Barnabas and the god he worshiped. After Clive infiltrated the castle to again try to assassinate Hugo, he entered the inner sanctum as Hugo had a vision of Benedikta being attacked by Clive in his form as Ifrit.^{[note 2]} The heartbreak of seeing his lost love again sent Hugo on to such a rage he lost control of his Eikonic powers and primed into Titan, facing Clive's Ifrit in a clash that shook the earth. Titan was overpowered, forcing him to absorb aether from Drake's Fang's heart to grow into the mountainous Titan Lost. Ifrit destroyed Titan Lost, but Titan still refused to yield and continued to battle Ifrit in free fall through Titan Lost's crumbling form. Ifrit used aether to grow gigantic hands to pummel the massive Eikon to death. Hugo's petrified remains were left behind and disintegrated into dust as Ifrit destroyed the Mothercrystal in the wake of their battle.

Ultima later showed visions of Hugo and other figures Barnabas had known in his life to the king, seemingly as a sign of goodwill and reward for Barnabas's continued loyalty. Hugo's personal army, The Men of the Rock, lost their purpose after both the Mothercrystal and Hugo were gone, and began to terrorize the local area for their personal gains.

News of Hugo's death would spread and while Titan's Dominant had a hostile relationship with the Dhalmekian Parliament, his death nonetheless left the Republic vulnerable without Titan's strength, leading the nation teetering on the brink. In contrast, the residents of the Hideaway expressed much relief and joy after learning of Hugo's death, now free from the man's endless hunt for revenge.

Characteristics[]

Appearance[]

A large and sturdy man, Hugo Kupka towers over others, adding to his domineering nature. Bearing tanned skin with gray-white short hair and powerful muscles, Hugo wears clothes that reflect his position, such as golden, bejeweled rings. After his first battle with Clive, Hugo wears metal hand prosthetics for appearances, but cannot perform the simplest of tasks with them much to his immense frustration.

Personality[]

As the Dominant of Titan and the permanent economic advisor, Hugo is a powerful man in Dhalmekian politics. His role as the economic advisor mainly means that the state needs to pay him should Hugo take part in the republic's wars as Titan, allowing Hugo to amass a sizeable personal wealth. He uses his power and position for personal gain and enrichment, and protecting the nation's interests comes second. He views himself as the king of the world wielding the powers of a god and looks down on everyone. During a negotiation with Barnabas he disagrees with the Dhalmekian marshal, disrespects his personal space, and spews cigar smoke in his face. He is ruthless and has no qualms about taking innocent lives and crushing the dreams of others to pursue his own goals. Nonetheless, Hugo possesses some political skill and pragmaticism when conducting negotiations and attending matters of state.

One quality that sets Hugo apart from other Dominants is his love for Benedikta. While he serves as Titan's Dominant and the Dhalmekian economic advisor, he wants nothing more than to rule the world with Benedikta at his side. When he is not partaking in political matters, Hugo plays the lady's man around Benedikta. While it is unclear whether she reciprocates the romantic feelings, Hugo nonetheless hopes she will be there to welcome him home after he returns from the battlefield. When he is informed of his lover's death and shown her severed head, Hugo becomes heartbroken and enraged, swearing vengeance on Cid and his group under the belief the mutilation was their doing.

His vindictiveness leads him to destroy Cid's hideaway and most of the dwellers. He spends years hunting Cid, using Bearers as bait to trap him. While having his men hunt for Cid, Hugo maintains a semblance of sanity and professionalism while discussing Dhalmekia's next move against Sanbreque and the Dominant of Bahamut, Dion. He proves to be a good bargainer, especially when he offers Clive's mother, Anabella, a seat of power so he may retire as the economic advisor and focus on his quest for revenge. Hugo's mental state deteriorates when his vindictiveness leads him to take over Rosaria and command his soldiers to murder its people to lure Cid out, having learned that the "Cid the Outlaw" making a name for himself is actually Clive Rosfield, the original Cid's protege. He attempts to have Clive's partner Jill beheaded to get even, and after discovering that Clive is Benedikta's true murderer, Hugo reaffirms his thirst for vengeance, finding it pleasing to murder the man who killed the woman he loved directly rather than simply take the life of someone close to him.

Hugo is shortsighted when it comes to empathy and morality. He does not care that his actions do not excuse all the deaths he caused across Valisthea, not even after Clive calls him out. In the heat of battle, his pride and arrogance get in the way of his critical thinking, as he relies more on brawn over brain. He is exceptionally coarse in his language, especially when irritated.

After he fails to avenge Benedikta and loses his hands following his first battle with Clive, Hugo becomes even more unhinged, destructive, and temperamental, lashing out at his servants and making himself an obvious target for mockery, particularly from Sleipnir. He becomes so consumed with the idea of killing Clive he no longer cares about his previous goal of avenging his lover, yet becomes desperate for a way to get back at Clive when Sleipnir shuts him down, calls him weak, and makes him lick his boots for a solution. When Sleipnir goads Hugo into restoring his strength by absorbing an absurd amount of aether from the Mothercrystal, Drake's Fang, his mental state becomes even more unstable, including hallucinating Benedikta's presence in front of the Mothercrystal. Hugo hallucinating Ifrit killing Benedikta is the last straw, driving him into madness, transforming him into the Eikon, Titan Lost, and diminishing his villainous personality into the mentality of a child or that of a beast. This childish front and loss of reason lead Hugo to his demise, eventually turning to dust, never to be able to exact his revenge again.

Abilities[]

In battle, Hugo takes pride in his status as the Dominant of Titan, believing himself to be in his element when faced with adversity, given that his abilities allow him to interact with and manipulate the earth itself. When primed, Hugo towers over the landscape as Titan. When he semi-primes, his body takes on some qualities of Titan, especially the giant's massive hands, which Hugo uses for battle, pummeling his foes to dust, and causing earthquakes by slamming the floor. When he absorbs aether from the Mothercrystal, he is able to grow into a mountainous size and prime a version of Titan that he ultimately cannot control.

Gameplay[]

Kupka is fought as himself in Rosalith and later as Titan in Drake's Fang.

Behind the scenes[]

As the other Dominants have their abilities and fighting style serve as homage to Final Fantasy jobs, Kupka was designed to take after the Monk archetype from previous installments.^[2]

Kupka is a real-world English language surname. His name was adjusted to Kubka in the Polish translation due to scatological meaning of his original name.

Voice[]

In the English version, Alex Lanipekun voiced both Kupka. His voice in the Japanese version is provided by Yasuhiro Mamiya, who voiced Ifrit and David Auburnbrie in Final Fantasy XV and Khury Wezette in War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius.

Notes[]

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