Relation between the Dissidia poster and the Tree of Life

[Anomaly]

This all started when I was first looking at the Dissidia poster and saw how the villains were arraigned. Almost immediately I knew I had seen the pattern before, but I couldn't remember where. Then it hit me...the Kabbalistic Tree of Life that Sephiroth took his name from. The arraignment was slightly off compared to pictures of the tree I'd seen before, but the pattern was there. Looking into it further, I'm now convinced that the poster depicts the final fantasy villains as Sephira in the tree of life (or perhaps the tree of death). The following is data I've collected on the tree and my interpretations on how it relates to each villains placement in the poster.

WARNING MASSIVE SPOILERS
If you have played through every game, or do not intend to do so and don't care about spoilers, read on. If you DO care, please be advised that each explanation of the villains significants DOES touch on their story line, and thus will spoil the end of most of their games.

YOU ARE WARNED

Also, I am not an adept of esoteric knowledge. Most of this was pulled straight out of wikipedia. I just happen to be interested in all these games/anime/music and such like that borrow from mysticism and religion. If I got anything wrong, feel free to correct me. Other theories are welcome as well. I stress this is only my opinion as I observe things and there is no way of proving this as fact short of talking with Amano himself.

First a brief explanation of terms used.

Kabbalah - The mystical aspect of Judaism. It refers to a set of esoteric teachings meant to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional Rabbinic literature, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. Kabbalah teaches doctrines that are accepted by some Jews as the true meaning of Judaism while other Jews have rejected these doctrines as heretical and antithetical to Judaism. It is meant to describe different aspects of God from a human perspective while at the same time making sense of the spiritual universe.

Qliphoth - The shadow side of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. The Qliphoth are not the opposite of the Sephirot, but the shadow. They are the chaotic forces that are unleashed when one of the Sephirot is not in balance with the others.

Pillars - There are three pillars;
1.)Central Column "Pillar of Mildness" and is associated with the air element. It is a neutral one, a balance between the two opposing forces of male and female tendencies. Some teachings describe the sephirot on the centre pillar as gender-neutral, while others say that the sephirot vary in their sexual attributions.
2.)Right Column "Pillar of Mercy", associated with the fire element, and the male aspect;
3.)Left Column "Pillar of Severity." It is associated the water element and the female aspect

Chaos: Runs through out the poster but face holds upper most portion of poster, thus that is the focal point. Other villains seem to spring from him, particularly Exdeath and Ultimecia.
Kabbalah -
Keter- Strongly associated with the concept of 'Will'.("Crown" in Hebrew; כתר) also known as Kether in the Kabbalah of Judaism, is the topmost of the Sephirot, of the "Tree of life (Kabbalah). Keter is so sublime, it is called in the Zohar "the most hidden of all hidden things", and is completely incomprehensible to man. The Crown therefore refers to things that are above the mind's abilities of comprehension. Pure formless consciousness.
Angel-The name of God given to it is Eheieh, the archangel that presides over it is Metatron (the Voice of God), the order of angels that resides in it are the Holy Living Creatures, the Chaioth ha Qadesh, and said to be the First Swirlings of the cosmos.
Qliphoth -
Thaumiel - (Twins of God) while Keter is concerned with the unity of God, Thaumiel represents the dual contending forces, struggling, and it is represented by 2 giant heads with bat-like wings.
"Second, it is also that principle which insists on the separate reality of cosmic life and substance and which denies all primacy to the Spirit. In other words, it is that principle which would seek to insist on the separate reality of either pole, at the expense of the other, and thus to impair the original wholeness of the divine experience as the Reality by trying to sever the all-important link between "own" and "other" and consign each to mutually exclusive isolation in absurdity
Devil - Satan in legend was the chief of the angels, holding a position similar to that of Kether. The diabolical principle is that "which resists the Self-Realizing urge to create the own-other object (creation) and insists in the sole right of pure spirit and transcendence, this being the reason for Satan's refusal to obey God's command to prostrate himself to Adam, from jealousy for the integrity of pure spirit.". Satan represents spiritual pride and arrogance.
Significants- Both sides of the tree of life represent this Sephirot as being mainly concerned with spirituality, but a spirituality beyond all comprehension that runs through out the universe and effects all things. While Chaos can be seen as a unifying force of negativity, at the same time he represents a necessary duality that is at once integral and destructive to the balance of good and evil in the world. This is an obvious position for Chaos to hold given his significants to the game as it is his 'Will' that provides the catalyst for conflict. Chaos level of power is also the ultimate goal of most of the villains in the FF series, thus placing him at the highest point in the kabbalah, while at the same time showing him as an entity that encompasses it suggests that Chaos, as a concept, is far more important to the series as a whole than may have been previously suspected.

Exdeath: Positioned on Chaos left hand, but in the right hand column, or Pillar of Mercy.
Kabbalah-
Chokhmah- the Hebrew word for "wisdom". The first power of conscious intellect within Creation, it is associated with the power of intuitive insight, flashing lightning-like across consciousness, pure force, and the male aspect. Chokhmah is the primary ("beginning") force in the creative process, the origin of all things.
Angel- Raziel, who is the "Keeper of Secrets" and the "Angel of Mysteries" and the order of angels that reside in it are the Ophanim ( the wheels- many eyed wheels of fire that carry the 'Thrones' of God and are Gods 'judgement' incarnate)
Qliphoth-
Ghagiel- Chokmah, or "Wisdom" is the sephira concerned with creative, subjective energy, the phallic force that acts upon Binah, the great mother, the receiver of this energy and giver of form. If Chokmah is not balanced by the force of Binah, it remains proud, unrestricted energy, too stubborn to be bound by the matrix of the mother. Therefore, Chokmah becomes Ghagiel, the force that hinders the natural evolution of divine energy flowing down into the creation, through pride and egotism, and maintains itself in the world of illusion and lies.
Devil- They are demons, the Hinderers, described as black evil giants with serpents entwined around them, and they are attached to lying and material appearances, in opposition to those of reality and wisdom.
Significants- It must be remembered that before he became 'ExDeath' he was Enuo(a giant of a man with what appear to be snakes, or tentacles wrapped around his body), an immortal god-like being of incredible power whom was sealed in a tree. Despite his immortality, he lusted for the raw power represented by the Void and thus gave up his own powers in order to try and control it. However, he failed and was consumed by his own power. The same fate befalls Exdeath a second time, in game, as his raw energy consumes him yet again, turning him into Neo Exdeath. Because of this he relates extremely well to the concept of Chokmah as a seed of creative force, but also to Ghagiel, as it is through Enuo's pride and egotism that Exdeath constantly seeks to become one with The Void, hindering the N-zones natural order and upsetting the balance of the two worlds of FFV. Add to this his tendency to ignore reality and indulge in his dreams of power (much like the demons of Ghagiel) and Exdeaths position makes a great deal of sense.

Ultimecia: Sits at Chaos right hand, but is in the left hand pillar, or Pillar of Severity.
Kabbalah-
Binah-, (meaning "Understanding"; בינה) the second intellectual Sephirah on the tree of life. Binah is often defined as the ability to understand one thing from within another and is also associated with the feminine. It is feminine, because it literally gives birth to the whole of creation, providing the supernal womb, with Chokmah providing the raw energy. While Chokmah is the fuel, pure energy, Binah is the engine, pure inert mechanism. Either one without the other is useless.
Angel- The name of God associated with Binah is Jehovah Elohim, the archangel that presides over it is Tzaphkiel(Associated with the primal waters, darkness, closing the initial impulse in form and inertia), the order of angels that resides in it are the Aralim ( the Thrones, they are the keepers of higher more expanded energies. They ensure that these energies maintain connections and flows through the realms.)
Qliphoth-
Sathariel- Represents the Concealment of God, which hides the face of Mercy. Binah's energy, in essence, are the force that drives creation. When this force is unbalanced, then the spiritual principle is hidden, matter is taken to be simply matter, and is not understood to be simply condensed energy, which is crudified spirit. Binah, the giver of form, becomes Sathariel, the concealer of spirit.
Devil- The form of the demons attached to this Qliphah are of black veiled heads with horns, with hideous eyes seen through the veil, followed by evil centaurs.
[B]Significants[/I]- The strong association with the feminine alone would be justification for this placement, but the veiled horned demons really strike a cord (remember Edea's FMV introduction in Galbadia?) as does the relation to centaurs (Omega weapon, and Griever/Edea were both centaur like). Both sides of the tree seem to be representative of an entity that wields massive amounts of energy that are not her own, which would be in line with Ultimecia's abuse of her powers as a sorceress (passed down from the god Hyne) for the purposes of creating Time Compression...a magic so powerful its almost incomprehensible. Then there's the fact most of her 'power' throughout the game comes from the use of machines, such as the Ellone Junction device and the Lunatic Pandora. Add to that her ability to 'hide her spirit' or consciousness in another's body (possession of sorceresses through the ages) and you have a very strong link to both sides of the Kabbalistic tree.

Sephiroth: He seems to be positioned in the central Pillar just below Chaos. Jecht seems to be on the same level, but just below and towards the left, so he will be considered below for the purposes of this theory.
Kabbalah-
Da'at- Means Knowledge, is associated in the soul with the powers of memory and concentration, and is where all ten sefirot in the Tree of Life are united as one. The three sefirot of the left column that would receive and conceal the Divine Light, instead share and reveal it. Since all sefirot radiate infinite self-giving Divine Light, it is no longer possible to distinguish one sefira from another. Thus they are one. It is sometimes controversially described as an eleventh sefira. Da'at and Keter are the same sefirah from two different aspects. Generally, Da'at is only enumerated among the sefirot when keter is not. This is because Da'at represents the "reflection of" (the "inner dimension" of) Keter itself within the realm of consciousness.
Angel- Zagzagiel, a very tall angel who speaks all the languages known to man & more. Zagzagiel is reported to be the angel that appeared to Moses within the burning bush. One could call Zagzagiel the keeper of the portal of the Void or the guardian of the sphere of Da'at.
Qliphoth-
The Abyss- Daat is considered the point of creation, when the active principle of Chokmah meets with the passive principle of Binah and creates the archetypal idea of 'knowledge'. However, this sephirot is often not shown on the tree of life, and instead there is an empty space, straddling The Abyss. In some occult methods of thought, Da'at is a gateway which, upon passing through, inverts the qualities of the sephirothic spheres (making it the gateway to the Qlipoth).
Devil- Chronozon, the Dweller in the Abyss, his function is to destroy the ego, which allows the adept to move beyond the Abyss. He is not really an individual. The Abyss is empty of being; it is filled with all possible forms, each equally inane, each therefore evil in the only true sense of the word—that is, meaningless but malignant, in so far as it craves to become real.
Significants- Sephiroth's placement is suggestive of an achievement of power that rivals Chaos and is on par with Ultimecia and Exdeath (all three of which seek to wield massive amounts of abstract power). Sephiroth, while immersed in the lifestream attained all the knowledge of the Ancients and all the knowledge of those who came before them. Through out his game, he knows far more than anyone else, and that knowledge is his power, allowing him to kill Aeris at the point she would've summoned Holy and granting him the knowledge of summoning Meteor. Arguably, as well, none of this could be achieved without the 'Understanding' of Jenova(Binah, providing the mechanism of his power and birth) and the 'Wisdom' of Hojo(Chokmah, providing the will behind his generation within Lucrecia, a stand in for Jenova). The concept of The Abyss is obviously suggestive of the lifestream and Sephiroths refusal to dissipate in it, but instead become one with it is reflective of both Da'at's oneness with the other Sefirot and Chronozon's position as the dweller in the Abyss. I find it incredibly interesting that Da'at is considered to be the gateway point between the higher sefirot and the lower, thus reflecting Sephiroth's duality in that he is just on the cusp of greatness, but not fully able to cross over yet still close enough that he could rival 'keter' or Chaos. Then again, the fact that Da'at represents ALL the Sefirot (which the plural of which is Sephiroth) may be as good a reason as any for him holding the position that he does.

Cloud of Darkness: Positioned just below Exdeath in the Pillar of Mercy.
Kabbalah-
Chesed- It is given the association of kindness and love, and is the first of the emotive attributes of the Sephirot. Chesed allows energy to flow into the universe and is considered to be an open, welcoming, all encompassing force.
Angel- Zadkiel or Hesediel ("Righteousness of God") is the archangel of freedom, benevolence, mercy, and the Patron Angel of all who forgive. Zadkiel is the unnamed Biblical Angel of the Lord who holds back Abraham to prevent the patriarch from sacrificing his son. The order of angels that dwell in it are the Hashmallim (Brilliant Ones) Ezekiel 1:4
I saw, and behold, there was a stormy wind coming from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire and a brilliance surrounding it; and from its midst, like the color of the Hashmal [often translated electrum] from the midst of the fire, and in its midst there was the likeness of four Chayot (living creatures).
Qliphoth-
Gha'agsheblah- Chesed is the Sephirot of Loving kindness, that allows energy to flow into the universe. When this energy is not checked by the restraining power of Gevurah, however, then equilibrium is disturbed. Things are allowed to exist that should not. It represents the forces who stand by and do nothing even when they see obvious evil and corruption. They are the forces of vested interests, unbridled conservatism, terrified of revolution.
Devil- Gamchicoth is the order of 'Devourers' who seek to waste the substance and thought of creation.
Significants- The Cloud of Darkness placement is fairly appropriate if you consider it from the perspective of the Qliphoth. Even though one would not associate the ultimate concept of Darkness with loving kindness, its very abstract nature is comparable to these other abstract concepts. The imbalance between the Light and Dark Crystals in FFIII is a parallel of the imbalance created when Darkness(Chesed) is not restrained. The Cloud of Darkness is thus one of those things that 'should not exist' in that world, but rather in the world of darkness, and its desire to return the world to nothingness, or cover it in darkness is extremely comparable to the concept of the Devourers who seek to waste the substance of creation.

Emperor Palamecia: In the left hand pillar, or Pillar of Severity, positioned just below Ultimecia.
Kabbalah-
Gevurah or Din- Gevurah means 'Severity' while Din means 'judgement'. It is associated with the principles "strength, "judgment", "power", and "concealment". Gevurah is associated in the soul with the power to restrain one's innate urge to bestow goodness upon others, when the recipient of that good is judged to be unworthy and liable to misuse it. It is the restraining might of gevurah which allows one to overcome his enemies, be they from without or from within (his evil inclination). Gevurah is seen as God's terrible aspect, the aspect that allows death and suffering in the world, the aspect of God the Bible entreats us to 'fear'. It is a limiting, restrictive aspect, and is responsible for taking away that which is not necessary, and destroying that which is not wanted. However, this does not mean it is evil, except when it is out of balance.
Angel- Khamael, claimed to be the leader of the forces that expel Adam from the Garden of Eden but is also known as the archangel of pure love. the order of angels that resides in it are the Seraphim (Fiery Serpents)Num. 21:6 "So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died."
Qliphoth-
Golachab- Geburah is the sephirot of Restaint, which takes away that which is unnecessary in the cosmos, destroys the wicked, fights evil and injustice, and maintains an equilibrium with Chesed, Loving kindness. However, it is obvious to see that when this force is out of balance, it becomes too destructive, and burns that which shouldn't be burned. While the Klipot of Chesed may represent unbridled conservatism, Golachab represents unbridled radicalism and tyranny, that brooks no opposition, and executes all its opponents.
Devil- Geburah is a going forth in power to rule in strength. The order of Golab is composed of those who burn to do destruction --- even on themselves.
Significants- "Reluctance to forgive has long been a human failing. It is man's nature to sin, yet you answer sin with violence upon violence. Is that not itself a sin?" Despite this statement, Emperor Palamecia goes on to summon demons from Hell to punish those whom he deems unfit for his new world order and destroy cities and kill those that oppose him. He 'goes forth to rule with strength' and then after he himself is killed he returns as a far more demonic version of himself, an Emperor of Hell, and declares that he no longer seeks to rule the world, but instead intends to destroy it. His position strongly reflects his destructive nature, which is in line with Geburah, but also the twisted judgement more associated with Golachab that drives him not to just destroy those that oppose him, but all things after his own apparent destruction. Perhaps a difficult placement considering ALL of the FF villains could be said to be in line with this, but from the context of the game Mateus Palamecia originally appears to be a man who's judgement and power are respected that later develops into the brutal tyrant we see in game.

Jecht: Though he is positioned on the same level as Sephiroth, Jecht appears slightly below and behind him and slightly below Palamecia and the Cloud of Darkness yet still above Golbez. Thus it can be infered that Jecht is meant to occupy the central Pillar, like Sephiroth and Chaos.
Kabbalah-
Tif'eret- 'Adornment' or 'Glory' It has the common association of "Spirituality", "Balance", "Integration", "Beauty", "Miracles", "Compassion", and "Masculinity". Tiferet is the force that integrates the sfira of Khesed and Gvura. These two forces are, respectively, expansive (giving) and restrictive (receiving). Either of them without the other could not manifest the flow of Divine energy; they must be balanced in perfect proportion (by sharing), and this is the role of Tiferet, wherein the conflicting forces are harmonized, and creation flowers forth. Tiferet is unique amongst the Sephirot as it is connected to all the other Sephirot (except Malkut and Da'at) via the subjective paths of the unconscious. Its position down the center between Kether and Yesod indicates to many Kabbalists that it is somewhat of a "converting" Sephirot between form and force. In other words, all crossing over the middle path via Tipharet results in a reversed polarity. The law of conservation of energy and mass tends to corroborate this - in all cases of energy transmutation, a sacrifice is necessary so a new form may be born. This is because this is the Sephirah in which the divine force 'sacrifices' itself, transmuting into the forces of energy and matter, in order that creation might come to be. It is the sephirah in which 'God becomes a mortal man'. Christianity primarily focuses on Tipharet as a driving spiritual force, emphasizing the points of love, beauty, self sacrifice and service in its greater aspect.
Angel- Raphael (God Heals) Other titles attributed to Raphael include the angel of prayer, love, joy, light, as well as the guardian of both the Tree of Life and of humanity. The order of the Malakhim, or messenger angels in charged to protect humanity and encourage the gestation of human life.
Qliphoth-
Togaririm- (Those Who Bellow Grief and Tears) Tiphereth is the place of great beauty and rejoicing. The Togaririm build ugliness and groan about it. Implicit in the idea of balancing and synthesis is also the idea of stress and strain, and the swinging backwards and forth between the different forces. Chesed and Geburah often work against each other, and the pendulum must be allowed to swing between them. If the pendulum is forced to stay still, in the middle, due to an excess of Tiphereth, then undue stress and pain is felt, as these forces are not given room to breathe. Thagirion plays a role similar though inverse to that of Tiphereth in the Tree of Life, in stopping the different forces from falling apart from each other, and maintaining the shape of the tree, although in the case of Thagirion, it maintains and sustains the ugly and evil forces together. Another important role of Tiphereth is that of Saviour, and in Christian kabbalah it is through Tiphareth, the Son, that the father is known. Thagirion could be said to be the negative aspect of this dogma, the harsher doctrines that condemn all who dare defy their particular brand of beauty to everlasting hell and fire.
Devil- Belphegor(Lord of the Dead) Togaririm means the Disputers, the painful movers, and the demons called the Zomiel are attributed to it, great black giants that are always working against each other.
Significants- I think the significants here is obvious. Jecht sacrificed himself to become Braska's final Aeon and in turn became Sin. While Jecht himself can certainly be said to be full of compassion, a spirit of self sacrifice for the good of mankind (and very masculine besides) in accordance with Tif'ereth, as Sin he is arch-typical of Thagirion in that he is the embodiment of the stagnation of the cycle of Life and Death in Spira. As Sin he maintains the evil and ugly facade created by Yu Yevon (The black giant of Sin that Jecht could be said to be struggling against) and condemns and punishes the world that long ago forsook Zanarkand. Jecht can certainly be said to be crying out in grief over the destruction he is forced to wrought on the world, but at the same time it is through him that Yu Yevons evil can be maintained. This position makes the most sense for Jecht and may go a long way in explaining why he was chosen over Seymour to be the representative villain of FFX.

Kefka: Positioned just below the Cloud of Darkness in the Pillar of Mercy, Kefka occupies the only position that he, among all the FF villains, has truly earned.
Kabbalah-
Netzach- 'Victory' Netzach is "endurance," the fortitude, patience, and chutzpah (quality of audacity, for good or for bad. Meaning "insolence", "audacity", and "impertinence") to follow through on your passions. It is paired with Hod as the Godly attributes related to group interactivity, with Netzach being leadership, the ability to rally others to a cause and motivate them to act. It is also associated with music and dancing.
Angel- Haniel (Joy of God, Grace of God) and the order of angels known as the Elohim (Godly Beings or sons of God)
Qliphoth-
A'arab Zaraq- Netzach is the sephirah 'victory', the ability of raw, emotional, passionate energy to overcome obstacles, but it needs to be balanced by Hod, the ability to rationalize and exercise a degree of self-control. If it is not balanced it becomes uncontrolled passion, desire, greed, covetousness, and unbridled lust.
Devil- A'arab Zaraq translates as 'The Ravens of Dispersion', and the demons associated with it are hideous, demon-headed ravens issuing forth from a volcano.
Significants- Kefka's position as representative of Victory pays homage to the fact that he is the only villain to archive his goal of world conquest, reshaping the World of Order into the World of Ruin. He is of course completely manic, with nothing like a semblance of self control or ability to rationalize (outside of his own deranged conclusions on the nature of life and suffering) but at the same time he possess the pure audacity and fortitude to attain his own ends against truly steep odds. Netzach is also associated with qualities of leadership, and it should be noted before Kefka lost his sanity to Esper experimentation, he was a well respected general on par with general Leo. I personally like that the sphere is associated with music and dancing...Dancing Mad anyone?

Kuja: Positioned just below Emperor Palamecia in the Pillar of Severity.
Kabbalah-
Hod- 'Glory' meaning "Majesty" or "Splendor" and denoting "Praise" as well as "Submission". Prayer is seen as form of "submission"; Hod is explained as an analogy: that instead of "conquering" an obstacle in one's way, (which is the idea of Netzach), subduing oneself to that "obstacle" is related to the quality of Hod. Hod is described as being a force that breaks down energy into different, distinguishable forms, and it is associated with intellectuality, learning and ritual. Imagine primitive man is meditating in the wilderness, and comes in contact, begins to understand, some energy which surrounds him. In order that he can grasp it better, he creates some form, perhaps the form of a god or a symbol, in order to have something with which he can relate. He then uses that statue or that symbol in future ceremonies in order to get in contact with that intangible energy once again.
Angel- Michael(Who is Like God)generally presented as the field commander of the Army of God, and the Bene Elohim (Sons of Godly Beings, possibly related to the Nephilim) is the Angelic order.
Qliphoth-
Samael- Hod is the complex working of the will of the Absolute. Samael (The Desolation of God) represents the barren desolation of a fallen and failed creation. Samael is also known as the Angel of Death in the Kabbalah, often confused with Satan. As Hod is associated with submission, Samael could be associated with either rebellion or submitting oneself to oneself and no one else, profaning glory and forsaking ritual.
Devil- Adremelech, described as "The enemy of God, greater in ambition, guile and mischief than Satan. A fiend more cursed — a deeper hypocrite." Being depicted with a human torso and head and the body of a peacock.
Significants- The placement of Kuja is only truly obvious from a Qliphothic point of view, and even then only if one considers Kuja's in game behavior. On Gaia, Kuja was fulfilling his purpose as Angel of Death (see Samael) but he was also secretly plotting against Garland (his Creator and thus a being of worship), hoping to overthrow him, and become the master of his own destiny. Rather than submit himself to the will of Terra and his creator, Kuja rebels all throughout the game, working to further his own ends. The one point where Kuja is in line with Hod is when he observes Mog transformation into the Eidolon Madeen to defend Eiko, Kuja realises the power of Trance, and finally sees the way to acquire ultimate power through the souls collected within the Invincible. This can be viewed as Kuja's realization of the ritual involved in gaining the power of Trance, breaking down the power of Souls into the tangible form of the Trance state, thus comparable to that aspect of Hod but again for his own purposes. I think the key comparison here though really is Kuja's rebellion, as he rebels against his fate at every turn, even rebelling against his own foretold death to the point of attempting to wipe out all life in the universe.

Golbez: Centered just below Sephiroth and above Garland, unfortunately all you can see of him is the horns of his helm behind the logo.
Kabbalah-
Yesod- The sephirah of 'Foundation', often associated with the moon, because it is the sphere which reflects the light of all the other sephirot into Malkuth. It is likened to the 'engine-room' of creation. In Christian kabbalah it is compared to the 'Holy Spirit', that aspect of God that descends upon the earth and sanctifies it.
Angel- Gabriel (of God, attributed as chief messenger and he who shall sound the horn that announces Judgement Day) and the order of Cheribim (Strong Ones)
Qliphoth-
Gamaliel- 'The Obscene Ones' Yesod is the place of the final forms that become matter in Malkuth. The Gamaliel are the Misshapen and polluted images that produce vile results. Yesod is the Sephirah that collects all the energy from the Sephiroth above it, stores these archetypal ideas in the unconscious, and expresses them in their correct time. It is associated with the sexual organs, and unconscious sexual desire. It can be seen that without the correct expression of the images stored in Yesod, either through physical expression in Malkuth, or by transcending them in Tiphereth, an unhealthy sexual repression exists.
Devil- The demons associated with it are described as corrupting, loathesome bull-men, linked together.
Significants- I think that Golbez placement, and choice, all have to do with Yesods relationship to the Moon and the fact that it 'reflects' light rather than emitting it itself. Golbez is part Lunarian, but is not himself evil, or all that powerful, but chose the path of evil when he was manipulated by another Lunarian still sleeping on the moon, Zemus (which could be seen as a negative Holy Spirit in this instance). As such he can be said to be a conduit of Zemus power and a reflection of all Zemus psychically projected hatred. Golbez is both himself corrupted and a corrupting force in the world, controlling Kain and pitting him against his friend Cecil (Golbez brother). The 'bull-men' demons are fitting, given Golbez horned helm, and the fact that they are 'linked together' may reference how he, Kain, and Zemus are all linked together. Understanding this, Golbez inclusion, and placement, make a lot more sense.

Garland: He is placed at the base of the poster below Golbez in the central Pillar, but about as much emphasis is placed on his presence as Sephiroth's.
Kabbalah-
Malkuth- 'Sovereignty' or 'Kingdom' It is associated with the realm of matter/earth and relates to the physical world, the planets and the solar system. It is important not to think of this sephirah as merely "unspiritual," for even though it is the emanation furthest from the divine source, it is still on the Tree of Life. As the receiving sphere of all the other sephirot above it, Malkuth gives tangible form to the other emanations. Some occultists have also likened Malkuth to a cosmic filter, which lies above the world of the Qliphoth, or the Tree of Death, the world of chaos which is constructed from the imbalance of the original sephirot in the Tree of Life. Although Malkuth is seen as the lowest Sefirah on the tree of life, it also contains within it the potential to reach the highest. In some systems, it is equated with Daat, knowledge, the invisible sephirah.
Angel- Sandalphon, some describe him as the "twin brother" of Metatron, whose human origin as Enoch was similar to the human origin of Sandalphon. The angelic order of the Ishim (Souls of Fire - spirits of prophecy considered closest to man) are also attributed.
Qliphoth-
Nehemoth- Some occultists have likened Malkuth to a cosmic filter, which lies above the world of the Qliphoth, the world of chaos which is constructed from the imbalance of the original sephirot in the Tree of Life. For this reason it is associated with the feet and anus of the human body, the feet connecting the body to Earth, and the anus being the body's "filter" through which waste is excreted, just as Malkuth excretes unbalanced energy into the Qliphoth. As such, Nehemoth can be seen as imbibing that negative energy and using it to reach Thaumiel. Just as Malkuth is the lowest yet has the seed to reach the height of the Kabbalistic tree, Nehemoth has the ability to plant the seed of corruption.
Devil- Whisperers (or Night Spector) "These are responsible for frightening sounds in strange places. They excite the mind and cause strange desires."
Significants- Aside from the obvious fact that Garland is the first final fantasy villain, and thus entitled to the first position on the Kabbalistic tree, there is also the fact that Garland is the earthly vessel for Chaos. Through Garlands quest for power and immortality, Chaos is ultimately born into the world, thus solidifying his position as a lowly mortal (really, he's easy to kill at the start of the game) that yet had the ability to gain the powers of a god (not so easy to kill at the end of the game). This is a logical position as well as a position of honor for Garland, emphasizing his connection to Chaos as well as the fact that through him all the other FF villains were able to exist at all.

Questions, comments?
http://www.forever-fantasy.net/images/news/dissidia-villains.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d5/Ktreewnames.png/192px-Ktreewnames.png

[guardian]

Wow. I am simply stunned at this post. I mean, I love mythology and whatnot, but this is WAY over my head. You are should be praised for such depth of knowledge and reasoning that you have included into this post. From what little I could understand, it does seem to make sense, but only outside of the beliefs I myself hold. If it is common belief, I have no reason to doubt that you have a large part of this correct. I really need to do some more research into various religions and mythologies, but you have successfully made me feel dumb and uneducated, a task my ego typically tries to prevent. Good work, and perhaps once I find out more on these topics, we may discuss this more.

[Nocturnal~Fantasy]

I thought that was really insightful. Though I still can't find Kuja and you just pointed it out to me.

[T.G. Oskar]

And I thought only I had the chance to pull off an hour-long post, much less a two or three hour post.

Though, I'd like to refine that great post. I assume that you haven't gotten all of the names given to God which are in a sense crucial to the Qabba'lah, with a mention of only a few within the representing angel of the Sephirah. It would be a minor request, but if within an edit the names could be explained, it would be helpful to the understanding. Perhaps it' sbecause it is a proper title (although I do recall that it is considered a proper name), but I don't see where "Adonai" falls within the organization of the Sephirah (pretty much the reason we speak of God as "Lord", which is used as a title and as a form of proper name, hence the doubt)

Also, that explanation of the orders of Qabbalistic angelic orders strike as odd, considering that they differ promptly from the typical Christian angelic orders (seven instead of 10, with the Nephilim exposed as fully evil and corrupted)

Indeed, you have done quite the relationship between Chaos and the Final Fantasy Qliphoth, to which you can subtract a key point, which may be the entire purpose of the game.

See, if Chaos is the very end of the Qliphoth, it can mean two things. One, that Chaos is the result of all the disasters in Final Fantasy. Second, the destruction of all 10 major villains has caused the awakening of Chaos (akin to the unbalancing of the Sephiroth, which invokes the proper mirror on the Qliphoth to form balance). I don't know how much Amano did this intentionally (perhaps he saw the Tree of Life, got inspired, and pretty much used a simplified form of Anomaly's dissertation, which had not been written yet, to organize the villains.

One thing, though...I can't seem to see the link between the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the organization of the portrait propaganda in first instance, since first time I looked at it was slanted, short, and with a flash of light. That's some keen insight, Anomaly. May you get a higher resolution picture, to see the proper alignment, please?

[Anomaly]

Originally Posted by guardian

Wow. I am simply stunned at this post. I mean, I love mythology and whatnot, but this is WAY over my head. You are should be praised for such depth of knowledge and reasoning that you have included into this post. From what little I could understand, it does seem to make sense, but only outside of the beliefs I myself hold. If it is common belief, I have no reason to doubt that you have a large part of this correct. I really need to do some more research into various religions and mythologies, but you have successfully made me feel dumb and uneducated, a task my ego typically tries to prevent. Good work, and perhaps once I find out more on these topics, we may discuss this more.

I appreciate the praise, but I really just compiled data from different sources, wikipedia mainly. I don't actually believe in a lot of this as it exists outside of my faith as well, but I find the differences between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam as well as those religions that are slightly more philosophical in scope. It's always interesting to learn something new.

I thought that was really insightful. Though I still can't find Kuja and you just pointed it out to me.

I didn't even see him until his position was clarified by the FFwiki and Fluffy over in the other thread. He's not in his Trance form, so that may be why...all those soft blues and whites blend in with the background, but he's right next to the logo, opposite Kefka and below Palamecia. He basically looks a bit like a swirly feather in this picture

Though, I'd like to refine that great post. I assume that you haven't gotten all of the names given to God which are in a sense crucial to the Qabba'lah, with a mention of only a few within the representing angel of the Sephirah. It would be a minor request, but if within an edit the names could be explained, it would be helpful to the understanding. Perhaps it's because it is a proper title (although I do recall that it is considered a proper name), but I don't see where "Adonai" falls within the organization of the Sephirah (pretty much the reason we speak of God as "Lord", which is used as a title and as a form of proper name, hence the doubt)

There is a full version including all the different names of God, but I left it out because it became obvious that without a fuller explanation they would be irrelevant. If you would like though, I'll post a link to wikipedia that has the ten (I couldn't find much information for Da'at, unfortunately, outside of Crowley's writings on the subject) and perhaps you could find them yourself and relate their meanings and if they are applicable to this topic.
[Kabbalah"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalah[/URL]

Also, that explanation of the orders of Qabbalistic angelic orders strike as odd, considering that they differ promptly from the typical Christian angelic orders (seven instead of 10, with the Nephilim exposed as fully evil and corrupted)

They actually differ because they include some angels not recognized by Christianity, specifically the Catholic church, and only by the Jews who authored the earliest kabbalistic tree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalistic_angelic_hierarchy

See, if Chaos is the very end of the Qliphoth, it can mean two things. One, that Chaos is the result of all the disasters in Final Fantasy. Second, the destruction of all 10 major villains has caused the awakening of Chaos (akin to the unbalancing of the Sephiroth, which invokes the proper mirror on the Qliphoth to form balance).

Actually I was implying the first, the second though is an interesting theory. Perhaps whichever deity (Chaos or Cosmos) controls the crystal controls the flow of energies in this design. Thus if Chaos were able to seize them, the Warriors of Darkness would prevail, making the imbalanced world the proper one, and the world of balance, improper. I doubt the game will be as esoteric as all that though. Your probably right, Amano or someone within Square Enix probably just said, 'hey, you know how Sephiroth takes his name from the Kabbalah? Wouldn't it be neat if we could do something like that with all the villains we're putting in this game!?'
I'd like to know if there's going to be a hero's version and if it will follow the same pattern.

One thing, though...I can't seem to see the link between the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the organization of the portrait propaganda in first instance, since first time I looked at it was slanted, short, and with a flash of light. That's some keen insight, Anomaly. May you get a higher resolution picture, to see the proper alignment, please?

I really hope a clearer image becomes available. I'd really love to see one without the Logo taking up half of it. Basically what I ended up having to do though was take the image you see, save the file, and blow it up in photo shop. You can make out the finer details that way, but yes the image is still fairly blurry. The angle and flash don't matter that much though as I took those into account when describing the relations between each character.