Blofeld is unusually forthright about his intentions in You Only Live Twice, and nowhere is that clearer than this curt admission. When he demands $100 million in gold bullion from Japanese government officials, he does so without euphemism, openly acknowledging the criminal nature of his leverage. It’s a refreshingly honest moment of villainy that suits Blofeld’s supreme confidence. At this stage, his control of space gives him overwhelming power, and his aggressive strong-arming feels entirely justified from his perspective. That same confidence, however, metastasizes into arrogance, and Blofeld’s refusal to temper it ultimately leads to his undoing, culminating in the spectacular destruction of his volcanic lair, yet living for another day and another Bond movie.