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Final Fantasyhas a long and storied tradition of great protagonists. The earliest all-star is arguably Cecil, but fan favorites like Cloud, Squall, Lightning, and Noctis are everywhere in franchise discourse - plus several stellar folks we didn’t include in this sentence.
Final Fantasy 6 is one of the most celebrated entries in the series, with a standout cast of beloved heroes. There’s just one thing: FF6 is very much an ensemble piece. For decades, players have bickered over whom, if anyone, takes the mantle of full-fledgedsoleprotagonist. We’ve racked our brains for the answer, and we hope you’ll enjoy our results.
Four Leads, Two Answers
Generally speaking, fans have placed the burden on a quartet of FF6 characters when debating the identity of its protagonist:Terra Branford, Celes Chere, Locke Cole, and Edgar Figaro. This makes sense, as they’re each given some time in the spotlight to an extent that others aren’t.
That said, there’s a degree of merit in includingSabin Figaroin the argument if Locke and Edgar make the cut, asSabin leads his own scenario early in the game, with players viewing a story sequence from his perspective.
Between Locke and Edgar, the former is a thief seeking redemption for the loss of a loved one, and the latter is a king. We think that, while Locke is surely an important character,Locke isnotthe protagonist.
FF6 only paints Locke as the player’s de facto lead for two points:
As for Edgar,the king of Figaro has a big point in his favor relative to Locke. After all, there are onlythree mandatory characters in the World of Ruinin order to take on Kefka and finish the storyline. One is Celes; another is Setzer, and the third is indeed Edgar.
Few, if any, would argue that Setzer is the hero of the story; he joins relatively late, and his mandatory status is due entirely to the fact thatSetzer is needed for the acquisition of an airshipto reach Kefka’s tower.
Yet Edgar simply doesn’t drive enough of the plot, nor does his writing paint him as a ‘perspective lead’ witnessing other people’s eventful decisions a la Vaan in FF12.
Final Fantasy 6 Has Dual Protagonists
This leaves the women of that aforementioned quartet,Terra and Celes. For our part, at least,Final Fantasy 6 has two protagonists, the heroines of separate ‘sides’ of the story.
Terra is the heroine of the World of Balance, as her routinely relied-upon perspective, combines with her Esper-based ability to turn the tide against the Gestahlian Empire. In a very real sense, she’s the closest FF6 has to the archetypal ‘Warrior of Light’.
Miss Branford takes a relative backseat toCelesafter Kefka destroys most of the world.Celes becomes the player’s central POV, awakening a year after the calamity in the so-called World of Ruin and leading the charge to find erstwhile allies and return them to the cause.
It’s a remarkable thing, really; Celes spends much of the story learning to repel her checkered past and connect with others just as Terra does, and then Terra finds meaning during a one-year timeskip, butCeles has discovered her own life’s meaning is through her friends in the party.
Terra does eventually return to the fold, alongside Locke, Sabin, and all the rest of them. It’s worth noting that,so long as she’s been re-recruited, Terra is given the most focus in the final scene of Final Fantasy 6- bringing things full circle, as it were.
