Characters of Final Fantasy VI

Various characters from Final Fantasy VI wandering about aboard the Falcon waiting for their turn to fight.

Square Co., Ltd.'s computer role-playing game Final Fantasy VI features fourteen permanent player characters, the largest number of any game in the Final Fantasy series, as well as a number of characters who are only briefly controlled by the player.

Main playable characters

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Terra Branford

"A mysterious young woman, controlled by the Empire, and born with the gift of magic..."

Terra Branford (ティナ Tina) is a girl of mysterious origins born with the power of magic. Terra is the first character to be introduced and her background is pivotal to the events of the first half of the story. In the Japanese version of the game, her job class is given as "Mage Knight".

Terra is the daughter of the Esper Maduin and a human mother, Madonna. Her heritage as a magical being is the source of her powers. Terra was raised as a soldier of the Empire after Gestahl's forces attacked the Espers' home and captured several of the creatures. Her potential was quickly realized and she's said to have once destroyed fifty Magitek-equipped Imperial soldiers in an exercise. When the game begins, Terra is wearing a slave crown that suppresses her free will and gives the Empire complete control over her. An encounter with a frozen Esper in the mines of Narshe frees her, but leaves her amnesiac. She is rescued by the Returners, an underground anti-Empire resistance movement, and eventually joins its ranks.

Terra's special skill, Morph, does not appear until later in the game. Contact with an Esper unleashes her hitherto unknown Esper form: a flying, glowing whitish-purple figure with wild hair. Afterwards, she possesses the ability to switch between human and Esper forms. When in Esper form her physical power, magical power and magical defense all double. However, she can only keep the form for a limited period of time. Additionally, when riding MagiTek armor, Terra has access to a number of unique techniques, including Bio Blast, Confuser, TekMissile and X-Fer, and is one of only two characters with the ability to learn magic without the aid of Espers.

Locke Cole

"Treasure hunter and trail-worn traveler, searching for the world over for relics of the past..."

Locke Cole (ロック Lock) is a thief, though he personally prefers to identify himself as a "treasure hunter." In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Adventurer."

Locke was in love with a woman from Kohlingen named Rachel, who would occasionally accompany Locke on his travels. During one such treasure hunt, Rachel suffers from injuries which lead to amnesia; she later has no idea who Locke is. Locke, heartbroken and angry, leaves Kohlingen, and during his absence, the town is attacked by the Empire. Rachel loses her life during the attack, but regains her memory before she dies. Her last word is Locke's name. Blaming himself for Rachel's death, he searches for a way to restore her to life. His anger towards the Empire also leads him to ally himself with the Returners, and he performs various missions from them, including smuggling Terra out of Narshe, and serving as Edgar's contact with the resistance movement.

Locke's special skill, Steal, allows him to steal various items from enemies. After equipping a relic called "Thief Glove," Locke's Steal ability turns into Capture. The Capture command steals from an enemy and also inflicts physical damage on its target in the process.

Edgar Roni Figaro

"The young king of Figaro Castle, ally to the Empire, and a master designer of machinery..."

Edgar Roni Figaro (エドガー), is king of Figaro, and secret ally of the Returners. He is also the brother of Sabin. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Machinist."

When Edgar and Sabin's father died, neither child wished to inherit the crown. They decided to toss a coin, with the loser agreeing to take their father's place. Edgar, however, could not bear to see the heavy burden of being a king lain upon his brother's shoulders, and used a double-sided coin to ensure that his brother would win the toss. As Figaro's king, Edgar is publicly allied with the Empire, but secretly provides support and aid to the Returners. He is a ladies' man and flirts with every woman he meets.

Edgar's special skill, Tools, allows him to utilize tools found throughout the game to achieve various effects, most frequently inflicting damage on enemies. Examples of Edgar's tools include "Auto Crossbow," which inflicts physical damage on enemies present on the battle screen, and "Drill," which inflicts physical damage on one enemy without regard to its defense statistic.

Sabin Rene Figaro

"Edgar's twin brother, who traded the throne for his own freedom..."

Sabin Rene Figaro (マッシュ Mash/Matthew) turned his back on his royal heritage in order to train himself in martial arts. He is the brother of Edgar. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Monk."

Sabin loses a rigged coin toss to decide who would inherit his father's throne. Leaving Figaro Castle, Sabin begins his martial arts training at the school of the world-famous Duncan. Vargas, Duncan's son and student, becomes jealous of Sabin, believing Duncan would leave the school in Sabin's hands. Vargas attempts to kill Duncan and flees to Mt. Koltz, only to be defeated by Sabin. In the World of Ruin, Sabin is found in Tzen, using all of his strength to hold up a collapsing house, until the party rescues a child trapped inside. Having been given hope from finding one other, Sabin joins the party to search for their remaining friends.

Sabin's special skill, Blitz, can be used in battles to perform various martial arts techniques. They are executed by selecting the Blitz option and pressing a certain sequence of buttons, much like a special move in a fighting game. A total of eight blitzes can be learned throughout the course of the game, including "Pummel," "Mantra," and "Bum Rush."

Celes Chère

"Product of genetic engineering, a battle-hardened Magitek Knight, with a spirit as pure as snow..."

Celes Chère (セリス) is a former general of the Empire, genetically enhanced and artificially infused magic, making her the second MagiTek Knight. In the Japanese version of the game, her job class is given as "Rune Knight."

Celes was one of the two leading generals of the Empire, along with Leo. Accused of treason against the Empire, she is imprisoned and tortured in the town of South Figaro, where she is rescued by Locke, and allies herself with the Returners. In the World of Ruin, Celes is the first character reintroduced, awakening from a year-long coma on an unnamed island, and vowing to find her friends and defeat Kefka once and for all.

Celes's special skill, Runic, allows her to absorb the next magic spell cast, converting it into magic points which she then absorbs. This ability works on both hostile and friendly magic, and Celes must be equipped with a bladed weapon or the ability will not be available. Celes is the only character besides Terra who can learn magic without the aid of Espers.

Setzer Gabbiani

"A blackjack-playing, world-traveling, casino-dwelling free spirit..."

Setzer Gabbiani (セッツァー) owns the Blackjack, one of the only airships in the world, but uses primarily to fuel his addiction to gambling. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Gambler."

Setzer announces his intention to abduct Maria, a world-famous opera singer, during her performance of "The Dream Oath: Maria and Draco." Needing access to the Blackjack, Celes agrees to impersonate Maria during the performance to gain access to Setzer's ship. Appealing to Setzer's gambling instincts, Celes uses the same two-sided coin Edgar used to "win" the coin toss for Figaro's throne to force Setzer to transport the Returners to the southern continent. In the World of Ruin, after the Blackjack's destruction, Setzer helps the party recover the only other airship in the world, the Falcon, previously owned by Setzer's deceased friend, Daryl.

Setzer's special skill, Slot, uses a slot machine to activate a variety of special attacks and techniques. After equipping the relic called "Coin Toss," Slot is transformed into GP Rain, allowing him to throw GP at all enemies in battle, causing an amount of damage equal to the amount of money lost.

Shadow

"He owes allegiance to no one, and will do anything for money. He comes and goes like the wind..."

Shadow (シャドウ) is a paid assassin and mercenary. He is accompanied by his faithful dog, Interceptor. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Ninja."

Shadow appears several times throughout the first half of the game, occasionally offering his services to the Returners, and occasionally to the Empire (but always for a price). While there at points at which he will briefly join the party, he comes and goes as he pleases. Betrayed and left for dead by Gestahl and Kefka on the Floating Continent, if the player chooses to wait for him before fleeing the crashing continent, Shadow will eventually rendezvous with the party and flee with them. In the World of Ruin, Shadow can permanently join the party. A subsequent sidequest involving Shadow's dreams about his past lead many to believe that he is Relm's father.

Shadow's special skill, Throw, allows him to throw any weapon in the inventory, such as swords, spears, shurikens, and skeans/edges (which affect multiple foes). This attack ignores physicals defenses and often hits for high damage. In addition, Shadow possesses a secret status effect that causes his dog, Interceptor, to randomly deflect a physical attack aimed at Shadow and counterattack against the enemy responsible.

Cyan Garamonde

"Faithful retainer to his family's liege, with the courage and strength of a thousand men..."

Cyan Garamonde (カイエン Cayenne) hails from Doma, a nation at war with the Empire, where he serves as loyal retainer to Doma's king. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Samurai."

When Kefka poisons Doma's water supply, Cyan is left as the castle's only survivor. Driven close to madness by the death of his family and his king, Cyan launches a suicidal assault on the Empire's encampment, where he is rescued by Sabin. Cyan joins the Returners to bring Kefka and the Empire to justice, but it soon becomes clear that Cyan blames himself for failing to save his family and his homeland.

Cyan's special skill, SwdTech (short for Sword Technique), consists of a set of powerful skills accessed via a time gauge that charges through eight levels. Successive technique levels can be learned as Cyan increases in experience level, and all eight levels are learned after completing a specific sidequest in the World of Ruin.

Gau

"Draped in monster hides, eyes shining with intelligence. A youth surviving against all odds..."

Gau (ガウ) is a feral child who lives among the animals on the Veldt. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Wild Child."

Gau is the son of an "aged man" who lives in the house along the shore of the Lete River. Gau's mother died in childbirth and his father, believing the child to be possessed by demons, abandoned the then infant Gau in the Veldt. Sabin encounters and gains his trust after feeding him Dried Meat from the item shop in Mobliz. Gau guides Sabin to an underwater helmet which can be used to breathe while riding the currents in the underwater Serpent Trench to Nikeah. In the World of Ruin he can once again be found on the Veldt, but only if encountered by a party of three or fewer characters.

Gau's special skill consists of two commands: while on the Veldt, he can use Leap to jump out of the party into the monster formation and end the battle. The next time he is encountered on the Veldt, he will rejoin the party with the ability to use those monsters' attacks via the Rage command. When he uses a monster's rage, he will constantly switch between a set of two different attacks until the battle ends or he is KO'd.

Mog

"Human-loving, fast-talking, street-smart, SLAM-dancing... Moogle..."

Mog (モグ) is a moogle who, like all of his species, lives within the caves of Narshe. Unlike any other moogles encountered during the game, however, Mog can speak human language. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Dancer."

Mog is one several moogles who aids Locke in fending off Imperial soldiers while he attempts to escape from Narshe with Terra. Later, Mog is taken hostage by a thief named Lone Wolf, where he is rescued by the Returners. In return for their help, Mog lends his aid to the group. In the World of Ruin, Mog is once again encountered in the mines of Narshe.

Mog's special skill, Dance, changes the environment of the battle and randomly invokes one of four skills. After successfully starting a dance, Mog will carry on dancing until he is KO'd and revived or the battle ends. Dances are learned after winning a battle in the appropriate environment.

Strago Magus

"An elderly gentleman, pure of heart, and learned in the ways of monsters..."

Strago Magus (ストラゴス Stragos) is an elderly mage living in the village of Thamasa. He is a descendant of the ancient Mage Warriors who fought the War of the Magi. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Blue Mage".

Strago is the only person in Thamasa who professes any knowledge of the existence of Espers or magic. After talking to him, everyone else becomes more friendly, and the innkeeper lowers his outrageous rate to a mere 1 GP (the game's currency). During the night, Strago asks Terra and Locke to help him rescue his granddaughter Relm from a burning building, and then joins the party to search for the Espers that escaped the Sealed Gate. In the World of Ruin, Strago's despair leads him to join the Cult of Kefka, until he is found by his granddaughter, Relm, who manages to return him to his senses.

Strago's special skill, Lore (also known as Blue Magic), allows him to learn certain special attacks from enemies. When attacks like Sour Mouth, Revenge, or Grand Train are directed at a party Strago is a member of, he will learn that attack, which can subsequently be used like any other magical spell.

Relm Arrowny

"In her pictures she captures everything: forests, water, light... the very essence of life..."

Relm Arrowny (リルム) is a ten year old artist from the village of Thamasa, the (possibly adopted) granddaughter of Strago Magus. In the Japanese version of the game, her job class is given as "Pictomancer."

Relm is first encountered when the party visits Thamasa. After speaking to her grandfather, Relm introduces herself to the party. After finishing the conversation and staying the night at the local inn, the party is awakened by Strago, and asked to rescue Relm from a burning house. Relm is rescued from the burning house, and when the party leaves for the Esper Cave the next morning, Relm follows them. She is eventually useful in helping the party defeat Ultros, showing him that he is, in fact, a stupid-looking octopus, by sketching him. When the World of Balance becomes the World of Ruin, Relm is found in the mansion of the rich art-collector, Owzer, where she is painting him a portrait of the Esper, Starlet. The portrait comes to life, and the party is forced to defeat it, after which Relm once again joins the party. Relm also has a mysterious relationship with Shadow, who is rumored to be her father, according to a number of clues hidden throughout the game.

Relm's special skill is Sketch, which allows her to duplicate the skills of her enemies with varying degrees of success. In early copies of the North American Super Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game, Sketch was notoriously glitch-ridden (mostly when used on invisible or otherwise atypical enemies) due to an uninitialized pointer. These glitches have a variety of effects, but most often crash the game. Extreme examples of the glitch could even erase saved game data. The glitch was repaired in later revisions of the cartridge, and is not present in the PlayStation remake of the game in any form. After equipping a relic called Fake Moustache, Relm's Sketch ability turns into Control, which allows the player to completely control the enemy, and select from a small list of the enemy's attacks to use.

Gogo

"Shrouded in odd clothing... is this a man...? ...a woman...? ...or should we ask...?"

Gogo (ゴゴ) is a mysterious stranger, completely shrouded in multicolored fabric, and trained in the art of mimicry. He is one of two secret characters in the game. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Mimic."

Gogo can only be encountered deep within the belly of a monster called the Zone Eater. By finding their way to Gogo's lair, the Returners prove their worthiness to the Gogo, who then agrees to lend his or her services to their cause.

Gogo's special skill, Mimic, allows him/her to copy the last action performed by any party member. This creates a wide array of unique strategies, as s/he can do things that normally, only one person can do, such as Setzer's slots, and Gau's rages. The only ability he/she cannot copy is Terra's Morph. Gogo's menu commands are also customizable, and he can be assigned any three commands used by other characters in addition to his own Mimic ability. In addition, Gogo never needs to be taught magic, as he will have access to all the magic spells of the characters currently in the party if the player gives him the magic skill.

Some gamers have speculated that Gogo is actually Setzer's long-lost friend Daryl, in part because of the proximity of Daryl's theme and Gogo's theme on the original soundtrack. Like other fan theories, however, there is no indication that this connection was intended by the game's developers.

Umaro

"Admirer of bone-carvings, as strong as a gigas, a sasquatch pal with muscle!"

Umaro (ウーマロ) is a sasquatch found in the isolated depths of the mines of Narshe. He is one of two secret characters in the game. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as Yeti.

Umaro can be glimpsed briefly hiding in the mines early in the game, but it is not until the World of Ruin that he formally meets the Returners. When confronted by Mog, Umaro agrees to lend his assistance to the party.

Unlike the other player characters, Umaro cannot use magic, Espers or any weapons or armor (other than the Bone Club and Snow Muffler, which he starts out with). In addition, Umaro is in a constant state of berserker rage, and the player cannot directly control him in battle. Initially, Umaro will automatically attack by throwing himself at the enemies. Once equipped with the Rage Ring relic, he will also pick up and throw other party members at enemies, causing more damage to the enemy (and none to the party members). Lastly, if he is equipped with the Blizzard Orb relic, he will also perform an attack using Cold Breath, similar to a magic attack.

Other major characters

Kefka Palazzo

Kefka Palazzo was the first volunteer for an experimental Magitek infusion, under supervision of a scientist named Cid. The process was flawed, and although Kefka gained the ability to use magic, it shattered his sanity, making him brutally misanthropic. He is the right hand man of Emperor Gestahl, whose orders Kefka carries out with an almost maniacal zeal, running afoul of the Returners on multiple occasions.

Citing his brutality, Gestahl eventually has Kefka imprisoned, but in truth it is only a ploy to gain the Returners' trust; Gestahl later sends Kefka to Thamasa to seize Magicite from the Espers congregated there. Using the power of the Espers, Kefka helps Gestahl revive the Floating Continent. When the Returners confront Kefka and Gestahl on the continent, Kefka freezes them (except Celes) with the power of the Goddess Statues, the source of all magic in the world. He tells Celes to kill her friends to show her loyalty to the Empire, but she stabs Kefka instead. Wounded, Kefka knocks her aside and attacks Gestahl, who tries to defend himself with powerful magical spells which are absorbed by the Statues. Kefka directs the statues to unleash their power on Gestahl, whose wounded body Kefka boots off the side of the Floating Continent to his certain death. He then moves the Statues from their delicate balance, unleashing enough raw magical energy to reshape the face of the planet.

Kefka uses the power of the Statues to forge a massive tower of random debris to serve as his headquarters, as well as to smite millions of people who refuse to worship him. Many towns are fried by Kefka's 'light of judgement', a heavenly beam of incinerating light that can cut across the planet. For unknown reasons, many global inhabitants even form the "Cult of Kefka." Members of the Cult are in a zombie-like state, wandering mindlessly.

What remains of the world slinks into ruin as a result, with most of the surviving population losing all hope--plants stop growing and natural animals are limited to the Veldt--until the party returns. Finally confronted by the Returners, Kefka reveals the depths of his madness, explaining that life is meaningless and his goal is the destruction of everything. The ensuing battle with Kefka is the final battle of the game.

Banon

Banon is the leader of the Returners, a resistance movement dedicated to the defeat of the Empire. Banon finally convinces Terra to join the Returners' cause, and he briefly joins the player's party. During this time he is controlled by the player, he has the special skill Health, which allows him to partially heal the entire party without expending magic points. In the Japanese version of the game, his job class is given as "Priest." His fate following the change of the world is unknown.

Ultros

Ultros is a large, talking, purple octopus who appears multiple times as both antagonist and comic relief. He fights the party on multiple occasions in the World of Balance, sometimes with the aid of his friend and ally, "Mister" Chupon. In the World of Ruin, both Ultros and Chupon find their way to the Dragon's Neck Colosseum. Having reformed in his ways, Ultros begins a job working as its receptionist, while Chupon serves as one of the combatants in the colosseum.

Ultros, along with Chupon (this time properly translated as Orthros and Typhoon respectively), Death Gaze (Doom Gaze), and the Phantom Train, also makes an appearance as optional bosses in Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls.

In a rare instance of a Final Fantasy game breaking the fourth wall, Ultros's first lines of dialogue after attacking the player are "Uwee hee hee...Game over!"

Leo Cristophe

Leo Cristophe is one of the two leading generals of the Empire. Unlike Kefka and general Celes, Leo refused to undergo the magic transfusion procedure, and is therefore incapable of using magic. He possesses a strong sense of dignity and honor, despite his continued loyalty to a regime that possesses neither.

Leo is assigned by Emperor Gestahl as ambassador to the Espers unleashed in the human world by Kefka. He greets the assembled creatures in the village of Thamasa, and manages to negotiate a truce between humans and Espers. Before the terms of the truce can be carried out, however, Imperial forces under the command of Kefka besiege the city, killing all of the Espers present. Leo realizes that he has been set up, and that his mission of peace was in reality nothing more than a pretense enacted by Kefka and Gestahl to gather all the Espers together so they could be slaughtered. Although he attempts to defend Thamasa from Kefka's forces (and becomes briefly playable in the process), he is no match for Kefka's magic, and is killed in battle.

Leo's special ability, Shock, uses his sword to create a column of energy around himself and his opponent and deal out heavy damage. Leo is also equipped with an Offering relic, which allows him to perform four normal attacks at a time.

Cid del Norte Marguez

The fifth character from the Final Fantasy series to go by the name Cid, Cid del Norte Marguez is the chief researcher for the Empire. His research into the magical power of Espers led to the development of the Empire's powerful Magitek armor. He is very close to former Imperial General Celes, and when Celes turns on the Empire, Cid too begins to have his doubts regarding Emperor Gestahl's plans. Eventually, Cid helps Celes and her allies, the resistance group known as the Returners, escape from a trap Gestahl had laid for them in Vector. Following Kefka's catastrophic attack on the world's surface, Cid finds himself stranded on an isolated island with Celes, who has fallen into a coma. Cid cares for Celes until her recovery one year later, and takes ill himself in the process. Depending on Celes's actions subsequently, Cid either dies of his illness, leaving Celes to discover the small raft he had built to return them both to civilization, or recovers and bequeaths the raft to Celes himself.

Gestahl

Emperor Gestahl

Gestahl (Ghastra) is the leader of the Empire. Obssessed with the ancient stories of magic, Gestahl has overseen the rise of the Empire as the world's preeminent military and political power thanks to the development of Magitek. With his right hand man, Kefka, he plots to harness the magical energy of the long-lost Espers. Gestahl, however, fails to recognize Kefka's impatient and overzealous disposition. His trust in Kefka ultimately proves to be Gestahl's downfall: on the Floating Continent, Kefka finally betrays his Emperor, striking Gestahl down with the power of the three Statues, and casually kicking the once mighty Emperor's corpse off the Floating Continent.

Biggs and Wedge

Vicks/Wedge

See also: Biggs and Wedge

Biggs and Wedge are two temporarily playable Imperial soldiers featured at the very start of the game equipped with Magitek armor. With the help of Terra, who is under the control of a slave crown, they raid the town of Narshe, where a frozen, live Esper has been dug up in the mines, with orders to take it. After defeating the town's defenses and the mines' guardian Whelk, they reach they Esper. The Esper, apparently reacting to Terra's presence and perhaps sensing the danger, sends out waves of energy which engulf the two soldiers. Their fate is unknown.

Maduin and Madonna

Maduin

Madonna

Maduin, an Esper, and Madonna (Madeline), a human woman, were the parents of Terra. They were shown in a flashback scene in the game (in which Maduin is briefly playable) After Madonna accidentally stumbled onto the Esper world, Maduin nursed her back to health. Though other Espers did not trust her, Maduin believed her to be good and defended her from the others. The two would eventually conceive a child, Terra. Two years later, when Gestahl and his troops discovered the Esper world, they began capturing Espers. The Espers quickly used their powers to drive the humans out and seal the gateway to their world. Unfortunately, Maduin, Madonna, and Terra were sucked out before the the gateway closed. With Maduin too weak to stop him, Gestahl managed to snatch up Terra and strike down Madonna when she tried to stop him. Maduin, along with most of the other Espers captured during the incident, apparently spent the next twenty years in the Empire's Magitek Research Facility being drained of their power before they were finally reduced to magicite when Locke and Celes infiltrated the facility. Maduin's remains would later help his daughter accept her heritage after she discovered she was part-Esper.