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I say theres somethin about terra that REALLY makes me like her, besides, it was about time the made a wizard-like main character

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"Flush your problems with the rest of your crap!" ------ Palmer, FF7

"It's.... a very long story..." ------ Everybody, everywhere.
Isn't there anything better they can say?

I love Terra and Celes...they add the love story to the game. Without it, there would be no romance at all involved...except maybe Setzer and Daryl...and Daryl is gone anyway...

Terra was always my favorite character. I hated it when I lost her, and I tended to rush through the parts where she wasn't, so I could find her again.

I thought her story was very moving. The way she had been used as a tool by the Empire, her unique nature as a half-Esper, and the way she had to find out who she was...so many things that we consider normal human things were things she had to learn on her own. Like the concept of love.

Also, she is very powerful in battle. I always stuck Maduin on her as much as I could, because of him being her dad and all. Terra always evoked more emotion in me than Celes did, for some reason.

I like the theory that they were originally the same person, but ended up split into two different women.

Terra easily ranks high among my all-time favorite RPG characters.

Plotwise, she has some of the best character development I've ever seen. Despite how 'unusual' she is, Square makes it not only possible but quite easy to relate to her and to understand what she has to go through and how she feels. While I can complain about her lack of backstory, that's a problem that afflicted a number of characters (e.g. how did Celes become general and why does she wear what she wears?), but such a lack didn't affect my appreciation of Terra's character.

Gameplay-wise, she is one of the most powerful characters the game. While she seems to be some kind of natural mage, her physical stats aren't weak at all, she can use strong weapons (i.e. broadswords, as opposed to only being able to use staffs and rods), and she has a quite decent amount of HP. (Contrast that to Rydia, who would get KOed in every other battle when she first joined, and still have only about 2000 HP even at a level above 60.) But being a natural mage, she (duh) has excellent magic stats, ranking far above most fellow protagonists. Furthermore, the Morph command doubles her magic power (and, if I recall correctly, also increases several of her other stats), making her a powerhouse surpassing Sabin and Strago.

Appearance-wise, I think she is decently good-looking, although this is judging mainly from the sprites and from some FMV screenshots. (Celes might look better sometimes, but I don't quite understand how and why she wears a swimsuit and a cape as normal and wartime clothing, or for that matter, anywhere other than near a swimming pool or beach.)

Personality-wise, I quite like Terra, except for the little bit of her that isn't very confident of herself, like she's always scared to act.

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

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i pitty terra cause she doesn't know what love is cause she was misused by the empire

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They may be monsters, but they're sea monsters. What're they gonna do? Flop around on deck and suffocate at us threateningly?

shes my favorite character in the whole final fantasy series i like how shes clueless (i dont know why) anyways shes my favorite characters i also like celes and relm

Nice thread ressurection.

Anyhow, I like Terra and Celes. I could never get into Relm (Or Rydia since she was mentioned).

Terra, Celes, Sabin, and Cyan was my definite favorite crew.

I swapped Celes with Terra as soon as I could in WoR, because I taught her a ton of spells in WoB.

Terra's always been one of my favorite Final Fantasy characters. The way she was used by the Empire for most of her life and had to figure out who she was and find her place in the world made for an incredibly moving backstory. As other posters have pointed out (and far more eloquently than I), by the end of the game, she had her answers and went from a confused and frightened little girl to a formidable warrior in her own right. Of course, all the main characters in FF6 went through a similar transformation. The WoR was about the characters facing and overcoming their personal demons so they could be strong enough to face Kefka and put an end to his reign of destruction. It's one of the reasons I've always loved FF6 so much and why the game has so much replay value.

She was awesome but sadly we don't have her in the party on most parts of the game plot.

This post has been edited by Xolar_Dark on 10th December 2012 06:39

Terra is just another character in the game and she doesn't have that ''mainly'' (don't know the exact word) attitude and

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you don't have to beat the game with her if you don't want to and in the WoR you won't start with Terra but with Celes

Well anyways she is a good spellcaster

This post has been edited by Tchy on 12th September 2011 23:41

I think Terra represents the journey from childhood to adulthood.

When she begins the game, she is being led around on a proverbial leash, then is put in Locke's care, then is under the protection of the Returners, and then is offered a choice. Do you want to be given more responsiblity, Terra, yes or no? It doesn't affect the gameplay that much, but all the same, for character development purposes, it represents the blossoming idea in a person's mind that "Hey, I have options, decisions I'm going to need to make."

She goes off on a journey alone, what you might call her vision quest, and the party's actions are centered around her for a good chunk of the game, even though she isn't actually participating in the story.

When this section ends, her backstory is essentially the first chapter of the game's story which has been held back up to this point. We find out how everything got started. It is a shame that the space between her abduction and the mission to Narshe was not elaborated on. I've always wondered what the hell she was doing for all that time.

With a new understanding of who she is and where she comes from, the first words off of her lips are not words of sadness or dismay, but a confident declaration of purpose:

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Terra
Locke, what's happening in Narshe?

And again:

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Terra
Come on!

And from then on during the first half of the game, Terra is an adult, for all practical intents and purposes. Instead of pursuing protection or fleeing the Empire, she begins to function in the party as a specialist in the area of Espers and magic. No one has the firsthand knowledge she does, and she quietly accepts it, and effectively fulfills her role. But still, her journey from despondent "back of the hand on the forehead" damsel to an emotionally mature adult is not over.

In the second half of the game, Terra has been presented with a problem. Her heart has stirred for the first time upon seeing the orphans in Mobliz, and being loved by them. This feeling weakens her significantly, and she is unable to reconcile this weakness with her former position as a warrior. It isn't that she has grown actually, physically weak; there is a mental block occuring in her. The part of her mind that formerly was responsible for steadying her arm in battle is now melted by warm, fuzzy feelings of familial love.

In the end, she finally is pushed to the edge out of desperation, and allows herself to "snap," discovering in an instant that warm, loving feelings and the strength necessary for battle can not only coexist, but feed each other in ways she hadn't realized. We're almost done!

The final step is

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during her ending sequence. Her father, who was not allowed to ever be her father, speaks to her with his own voice for the very first, and very last time. She is not sitting quietly in her study while this is happening; she is fleeing a crumbling tower. Still, her heart forces her to take this moment to say goodbye to the only connection to her heritage she ever had, and finally, she is able to complete her journey; she has finally achieved emotional maturity, wherein she is not afraid to feel, but is not ruled by her feelings.

This all makes her a very touching character who can still be seen as a warrior. And one of the best parts about it is that they never played her as a love interest for anyone; they circumvented innumerable cliches of leading women by doing this. She is her own person, not dependent on any of the other characters for her "personhood."

And green hair is way cool. I like green hair.

This post has been edited by Spooniest on 12th September 2011 10:40

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X is blue.

That...was a very great read. Thanks for the essay; I enjoyed it a lot. First, the coming-of-age theme, then varied by a division between a more "masculine" warrior mentality and a more "feminine" caretaker mentality--then reconciling the two. Very nice perspective. Thank you.

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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 )

Aww shucks

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X is blue.

Your appraisal of her situation is right on, Spooniest. I completely agree. Terra is great case of coming of age; this is why she is the closest thing in FFVI to a 'main' character, as the player is able to 'come of age' within the FFVI universe alongside Terra.

In a game of extremely well developed characters (If I were to rank FF games based on character work, it'd go FFXIII, then FFX followed by FFVI), Terra stands out as one of the few who is powerful throughout the game from a character-plot standpoint.

With Terra, we have parental absence mixed with identity issues and, in the WoR, internal moral conflict. My favorite aspect of her character, however, is her overwhelming desire to just be normal. She didn't ask for the mess, she didn't ask for the powers, she's just a girl who wants to live like a normal person. And Square actually made this emotion compelling in Terra's case; her dialogue makes this clear, as is the fact that she is actually willing to stop fighting.

Terra is definitely one of my favorites from the series.

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

Thank you for the kind words, Glenn Magus and Death Penalty. And Death Penalty, what the heck is your avatar?? I mean, maybe it's just cuz I'm up early and haven't had coffee yet, but dang!

Anyway, Terra Branford is part of the reason why almost all of Square's female characters have turned me off (story-wise, not saying they aren't beautiful) for years. With Terra (and Celes!) they nailed the strong female persona. They haven't really been able to do it since. I think Lightning may be a powerful warrior, but

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

what a raging bitch.

Excuse my french.

This post has been edited by Spooniest on 14th September 2011 08:32

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X is blue.

Terra would've been cooler if she had a unique magic spell in addition to her ability to Morph. Would've made her more useful. She was something special so it'd be plausible if she had a magic power outside of the Warring Triad.

Quote (rising_terra @ 19th November 2004 17:05)

Does anyone out there like Terra better than any of the other girls you can play.
She is my favourite and she seems to be like me.

Yes, Terra is my favorite FF6 girl. I think she's a sweet, troubled young woman and that by the end of the game she flourishes into a truly amazing warrior, and more importantly, person/esper.

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You can't have sunshine without rain, so let the rain fall.

Espers are people too!

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X is blue.