Track this topic | Email this topic | Print this topic

I was watching a YouTube video a few days ago, about how FFVI's cast would be better if there were fewer of them [I'd link it here, but I (a) don't remember what it was and ( wasn't ultimately impressed with it], and while I don't fully agree with its claim*, I did like thinking about the idea that Terra & Celes could be combined into one character. Mind you: I still don't think they SHOULD be combined into one character (since Celes being separate lets her act as a foil to Kefka, for instance), but--and here I come to my question to you--if you were trying to cut the FFVI roster in half, who would you combine together into single characters?

I like thinking about the question from a mechanical standpoint more than I like it narratively, especially since the idea of cutting down the roster--rather than finding ways to more fully integrate and/or develop those FFVI characters who don't get nearly so much in the game we have--well, that's arbitrary.

As I started thinking about what it would mean to trim down the roster though, it had me thinking about what a shame it would be to lose out on different abilities, and how actually I really strongly dislike how the esper-->magicite system incentivizes a personally disliked playstyle (I have to go low-level until I've got access to the best at-level-up-bonus espers/magicite, and then I've got to level them up until level 68, then pop on a Bahamut magicite for a few levels ensure I'll hit 9999 HP by level 99, then back to whatever stat(s) I'm prioritizing between Strength/Vigor and Magic, and often I want to go on a one-track mind and level up before I continue with the story, and blah blah blah)--but in doing so I started wondering what the game would have looked like if not only we were trimming the roster but also combining character capabilities, so we weren't losing any menu options, ultimately.

Anyway, Terra + Celes would be even more of a beast than the individual options because if any enemy has magic, you use Runic, and if they don't you've got Morph/Trance to wreck house.
[EDIT: The combined individual would also have a nice selection of natural magic, and, honestly, I think the game would be better if they (and the Thamasans) were the only ones with magic.]

Basically, I'm wondering who would you combine into one character? Let us know if that's a narrative decision, a mechanical decision, or something of both.

*The large cast lets the developers utilize multi-party dungeons, which is one way to get around the weird narrative question of why half your party doesn't join you on every single mission in most other JRPGs, FFs included, for instance.

This post has been edited by Kane on 1st February 2026 22:44

This is interesting, because it's difficult for me to imagine merging characters more than it would be easy to simply drop characters entirely. It's so much easier to think about just shifting some characters to quest-based NPCs who never join your party, but maybe that is me thinking in terms of Final Fantasy games I've played more recently.

If I think about it in those terms, it becomes really easy, because you can look at easily skipping on Gau, Mog, Umaro, and Gogo immediately and relegating them to their same optional quests where you just don't pick them up at the end.

Thinking about it a little bit more, I could see merging Setzer into Edgar; there's no reason why having the airship couldn't be part of the royal purview, and even the Maria kidnapping and Daryl's Tomb could be reworked to fit with Edgar's "womanizing" side. I think you could probably combine the Thamasans, probably eliminating Strago as a playable character and merging the blue magic ability into Relm. That one gets a little more tricky, though, in terms of managing the plot motivations, I think. Beyond that, for me, I think it just enters an area where it would so fundamentally change the storyline and pacing that it's hard to fathom, I guess.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN? Or perhaps buying a really good looking shirt?

Yeah, it's definitely far simpler to imagine characters dropped than characters merged, but I've been both replaying FFVI [thanks to the Pixel Remaster] AND pitching a game of Fabula Ultima [a tabletop rpg partly inspired by old-school Final Fantasy games]. In Fabula Ultima, every character has abilities from various classes, so you're not ever just one thing but always, like Rydia from FFIV, belonging to multiple "classes".*

*I think they ought to have chosen a different term than "class"; even "job" would be dicey, though.

Quote (Rangers51 @ 2nd February 2026 12:58)

I think you could probably combine the Thamasans, probably eliminating Strago as a playable character and merging the blue magic ability into Relm.

If anything, I'd go the other way around. On top of being a good source of lore relevant to the story, Strago's more believable as a battle-ready character than a (I would assume) sheltered 10-year-old child. And, with Relm out of the picture, there's even less reason for Shadow to exist as part of the playable cast, as that connection seems to be the only thing that really sets him apart from any other stock assassin/mercenary character. Of course, Shadow does appropriately cover the ninja job, but maybe the game's other resident martial artist could take up that skillset?

On the other hand, I actually liked the concept of Mog, and I wish more was done with him. He already got involved in the beginning, and, with seemingly all his old buddies gone later on, why wouldn't he wanna join new friends to see things through to the end.

But, really, a larger cast isn't a problem so long as the writing can still support it and provide an interesting narrative around all the characters.

This post has been edited by Galsic on 4th February 2026 13:44

--------------------

Console RPG Cliches

Quote (Galsic @ 4th February 2026 05:43)

Quote (Rangers51 @ 2nd February 2026 12:58)

I think you could probably combine the Thamasans, probably eliminating Strago as a playable character and merging the blue magic ability into Relm.

If anything, I'd go the other way around. On top of being a good source of lore relevant to the story, Strago's more believable as a battle-ready character than a (I would assume) sheltered 10-year-old child. And, with Relm out of the picture, there's even less reason for Shadow to exist as part of the playable cast, as that connection seems to be the only thing that really sets him apart from any other stock assassin/mercenary character. Of course, Shadow does appropriately cover the ninja job, but maybe the game's other resident martial artist could take up that skillset?

On the other hand, I actually liked the concept of Mog, and I wish more was done with him. He already got involved in the beginning, and, with seemingly all his old buddies gone later on, why wouldn't he wanna join new friends to see things through to the end.

But, really, a larger cast isn't a problem so long as the writing can still support it and provide an interesting narrative around all the characters.

Good points all around. I've always enjoyed Strago's character, and there's no doubt that we SHOULDN'T use child soldiers, so there's that.

And, yeah, give Throw to Sabin, or Cyan, if that's all we're doing with a ninja skillset.

Also, you're right about Mog. He's the 3rd playable character introduced to us--despite eventually becoming missable. (Reminds me of how FFXII really could have leaned into the non-human playable characters and given us a few more surprises that I, and many others, would have loved.)

Personally I think that Terra and Celes are both narratively compelling, though in terms of gameplay Celes feels somewhat more boring (maybe partly because I just never found Runic that useful). But I guess yeah you could have Terra be the one who wakes up at the beach, feels hopeless (again), and then is saved by Cid and the seagull. Celes's part in the WoB could be filled by Leo, and instead of Locke falling in love with her, he could fall in love with or simply become sympathetic to Leo being imprisoned, followed by various other smaller changes. And the scenario with Terra wanting to play mother to the children is now omitted.

Narratively, I think we could do stuff like give Sabin a solo quest with optional Shadow presence to get back to the party rather than introducing Cyan or Gau. Would make things a lot less interesting, but if you wanted to simplify the story, yeah.

And yeah obviously you could cut out Gogo and Umaro. And then also Mog -- simplify the multi-party battle scenario where he first appears, then have Lone Wolf just hold some random NPC hostage instead.

And yeah, Relm could be written out. Shadow could be instead implied to be Strago's long-lost son, with both of them wanting to hide their identity from each other.

--------------------

Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 24th February 2026 09:23)

Personally I think that Terra and Celes are both narratively compelling, though in terms of gameplay Celes feels somewhat more boring (maybe partly because I just never found Runic that useful). But I guess yeah you could have Terra be the one who wakes up at the beach, feels hopeless (again), and then is saved by Cid and the seagull. Celes's part in the WoB could be filled by Leo, and instead of Locke falling in love with her, he could fall in love with or simply become sympathetic to Leo being imprisoned, followed by various other smaller changes. And the scenario with Terra wanting to play mother to the children is now omitted.

Narratively, I think we could do stuff like give Sabin a solo quest with optional Shadow presence to get back to the party rather than introducing Cyan or Gau. Would make things a lot less interesting, but if you wanted to simplify the story, yeah.

And yeah obviously you could cut out Gogo and Umaro. And then also Mog -- simplify the multi-party battle scenario where he first appears, then have Lone Wolf just hold some random NPC hostage instead.

And yeah, Relm could be written out. Shadow could be instead implied to be Strago's long-lost son, with both of them wanting to hide their identity from each other.

I do think that Celes caring for Cid works pretty well for their relationship and her arc [even if the mechanics are pretty well inscrutable], but I suppose if we had been crafting the story with a smaller cast from the get-go, the combined Terra/Celes character would still have a meaningful relationship with Cid.

I really like the idea that Locke would rescue Leo, shifting the former's arc away from saving the damsel in distress, though obviously with Leo playing a role in later events, he couldn't have been designated a traitor at this early stage of the story.

And, yeah, Cyan & Gau add so much to Sabin's, and the overall, story that it's hard to imagine ditching them.

Locke could save one of Leo's lieutenants in an unexpected moment of mercy, e.g. something blows up in South Figaro and Locke happens to be on scene and saves someone who turns out to be an imperial soldier. and Leo could have a soft spot for Locke as a result, which makes him reconsider what the Empire is doing, or something like that.

Setzer plot hook is kinda weak as-is, so it could be rewritten as he's the opera house's owner and someone's trying to screw up his show and you prove your worth by taking care of the purple octopus-shaped problem. For bonus points, he could be portrayed as an eccentric, and run into Sabin somewhere on the Veldt. Or, for that matter, more depth could be given to Duncan's fate.

--------------------

Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )