Final Fantasy VI/Characters: Difference between revisions

* [[Desperation Attack]]: As a precursor to the [[Limit Break]] that made a proper debut as a battle mechanic in the [[Final Fantasy VII|next game]], everyone except Gau and Umaro<ref>(theyThey only execute when the Attack command is used, and Gau and Umaro don't have one).</ref> has one super-strong attack they may perform randomly while in critical health.

** Even without the Snow Muffler, Gau's Magic Pot Rage is this -: has a chance to cast Curaga on itself every turn, healing a lot of HP, and is immune to all status ailments and elemental attacks.

[[File:Terra_Branford_menuTerra Branford menu.png|frame]]

* [[Ace Pilot]]: Terra has access to more attacks in the Magitek Armor in addition of standard three elemental beams and one healing move. In the [[Updated Rerelease|Game Boy Advance version]], her class name is Magitek Elite.

* [[Action Mom]]: {{spoiler|The children of Mobliz see her as their Mama after their real parents were killed by Kefka's Light of Judgment.}}.

* [[Go Mad Fromfrom the Revelation]]: Let's just say that she didn't take the revelation about her heritage very well. She gets better.

* [[Gorgeous Gorgon]]: While there are no otherwise repulsive features, in Amano's artwork, her Esper form is depicted as quite... feral. It makes sense, as she is only half-Esper, and her father [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Maduin Maduin] resembles the [http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/images/9/9a/Final_Fantasy_V_-_Gigas.gif Gigas] monster from ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'', which is very human-looking.

* {{spoiler|[[Half-Human Hybrid]]}}

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Early in Act 1, when it's brought up to her for the first time that she [[Oh Crap|may not be human.]].

* {{spoiler|[[Last of His Kind|Last Ofof herHer Kind]]: Kind of. After killing off Kefka, all of the Espers and magic disappeared from the world due to Kefka's death. The only reason Terra survived this was because she held onto something in the non-magic realm, thus technically making her the last Esper alive, due to being part Esper.}}.

* [[Mama Bear]]: Threaten her, enslave her, or try to kill her and she'll shrug it off. But if you have the bright idea to threaten her {{spoiler|adopted children}} and attack her [[True Companions]], [[Wreathed in Flames|well... I]] [[Unstoppable Rage|hope]] [[Transformation Sequence|you]] [[Super Mode|like]] [[Kill It with Fire|fire]].

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Her English name is Latin for "Earth"." Also, her Japanese name, Tina, was picked for more reasons than simply because it was an exotic name in Japan than in the West: Tina is the shortened version of Christiana, which is the feminine form of "Christian", and is also the name of an early saint who was tormented by her pagan father. Similar to that early saint, Terra was tormented by the Empire when they took her as a child.

* [[My Name Is Question Marks???]]: In the beginning.

** [[Mystical Waif]]

* [[Orphan's Plot Trinket]]: Terra has a pendant which only appears as a key item and is only mentioned once in the story.

* [[Power Glows]]: Some [[Fanon]] holds that this is actually the explanation for the [[Barbie Doll Anatomy]]-: the glow is so bright, it obscures her clothes (thus, she's still clothed and wouldn't be showing ''that'' anatomy). Amano's artwork has it as a case of [[Fur Bikini]].

* [[The Power of Love]]: In the World of Ruin, {{spoiler|Terra stumbles upon a village of orphans whose parents were killed by Kefka and his [[Light Is Not Good|Light of Judgment]]. She starts looking after them, the children take to calling her "Mama", and these new feelings confuse Terra. She eventually realizes that it was love all along and that the future of these children is worth fighting for. It's this - and her love for her [[True Companions]] - that saves her from going *poof* like the rest of the Espers and the world's magic at the end.}}.

* [[Put on a Bus]]: After the battle in Narshe and her transformation into an Esper, Terra flies away as her powers go out of control. When her friends find her in Zozo, they discover that she still needs some time to get her head together. [[The Bus Came Back]] when the other Returners revisit Zozo after rescuing the Espers from Vector. Terra's regained her memories and made peace with who she is, and she rejoins the party.

* [[Reluctant Warrior]]: Isn't much up to fighting in the World of Ruin during her [[Character Development]]. Wasn't all that keen on the idea in the World of Balance, either.

* [[Sorry I'm Late]]: Terra {{spoiler|in the second fight with Humbaba}}.

* [[Super Mode]]: Morph/Trance: Itit ''doubles'' her magical and physical damage, doubles her heals, and ''halves'' all the magic damage she takes (unless they are barrier-piercing spells). This ability is called the Boss Killer with good reason.

* [[Took a Level Inin Badass]]: After she returns in the World of Ruin, not only is she more confident in who she is, but her Morph meter depletes at a much slower rate.

* [[What Is This Thing You Call Love?]]: A big issue for Terra. Espers are not naturally emotional creatures, y'see; which leads to her powers being sapped to pretty much nothing while she struggles with learning how to love in the second half of the game. That, as well as the fact that her brief enslavement to the slave crown also rendered her temporarily incapable of feeling emotions after breaking free of it.

[[File:Locke_Cole_menuLocke Cole menu.png|frame]]

* [[Bodyguard Crush]]: Locke swears to protect Celes because she reminds him of Rachel;: he eventually falls in love with her.

* [[Failure Knight]]: Played straight with Rachel. He couldn't save her from her accident and he wasn't in Kohlingen when [[The Empire]] attacked and killed her. {{spoiler|Averted in the ending when Locke saves Celes.}}.

* [[Mugged for Disguise]]: When Locke is trapped in South Figaro after the Empire takes over, he can steal the clothes from merchants and imperial soldiers to disguise himself as one of them. [[Paper-Thin Disguise|Somehow, this works flawlessly.]].

* [[My Greatest Second Chance]]: {{spoiler|As the party escapes Kefka's Tower, Celes drops the bandanna she found on Solitary Island and, as she runs back for it, the floor begins to collapse. Celes begins to hang onto an edge as Locke rushes to save her.}}.

[[File:Edgar_Roni_Figaro_menuEdgar Roni Figaro menu.png|frame]]

* [[As Many X as There Are Y]]: When Kefka inquires about Terra, Edgar responds, "There are more girls in here than grains of sand out there; I can't possibly keep track of them all!". His castle is in the middle of a desert.

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: As Bandit Chief Gerad, who looks identical to Edgar but with a [[Palette Swap]]: -- Howhow the hell didn't the thieves recognize him? Celes even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] this, noting that Edgar was the one who threw most of them in jail in the first place.

* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: A possible [[Subverted Trope|subversion]]. He's known as a flirt to his subjects (and the children want to marry him), but his banter to Terra and Celes is not reciprocated. If one pays attention, though, he only attempts it once as a kind of greeting and treats them normally from then on.

* [[With This Herring]]: The King of Figaro has joined the party! That means lots of resources right? Wrong. At least the shops give you a discount. ''Somewhat'' justified in that he spends most of the game on the run, or with his kingdom in shambles.

[[File:Sabin_Rene_Figaro_menuSabin Rene Figaro menu.png|frame]]

* [[Badass]]: As [[The Spoony Experiment|Spoony]] put it: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u84cH_bmTA MOTHERFUCKER SUPLEXED A TRAIN!] [[Good Bad Bug|The programmers forgot to make Phantom Train immune to Suplexes...]] See [[Charles Atlas Superpower]] below.

* [[Dub Name Change]]: From Mash to Sabin, to give him a royal-sounding name (although--littlealthough—little-known fact--Mashfact—Mash is in fact a short form for the none-too-common name 'Macias').

* [[My Name Is Not Durwood]]:

* [[Some Dexterity Required]]: Sabin's Blitz techniques, while freed from many variables in [[Fighting Game|Fighting Games]]s, still require pulling off ''[[Street Fighter]]''-esque input commands. However, the game is much more lenient, and not only can commands be given one button press at a time, but the more difficult ones (even the 360-motion Bum Rush/Phantom Rush) can be performed with easy and simplified button presses.

[[File:Celes_Chere_menu_1215Celes Chere menu 1215.png|frame]]

* {{spoiler|[[Bungled Suicide]]: If you don't save Cid in the World of Ruin.}}.

* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Before the game begins, Celes burns Maranda to the ground;: she's the reason that everyone is rebuilding the town when you visit. After Locke rescues her in Figaro, Celes joins the Returners.

* [[Lonely Atat the Top]]: Her character description in the GBA retranslation screams this when it says, "None have ever truly known the woman beneath the general's guise..."

* [[Love Hurts]]: {{spoiler|If you let Cid die, Celes tries to kill herself. Before she throws herself off a cliff, she thinks about how everyone is gone; she specifically mentions Locke.}}.

* [[Magic Knight]]: She's one of two characters that can naturally learn magic and her special skill, Runic Blade, will absorb any spell cast during a battle.

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: Celes may have had the noble intention of trying to prove her loyalty to the Returners even when Gestahl and Kefka told her to kill them to redeem herself for her betraying the Empire, but stabbing Kefka was a very bad move, as {{spoiler|that was what ended up giving him the opportunity to backstab Gestahl, and misalign the Warring Triad to destroy the world.}}. Either that, or she should have decapitated him.

* [[Please Wake Up]]: {{spoiler|If Cid dies on Solitary Island, Celes thinks, at first, that Cid isn't really dead, but then she realizes he really is gone. Cue [[Sparkling Stream of Tears]] and attempted [[Driven to Suicide]].}}.

* [[She Cleans Up Nicely]]: When she poses as Maria. Leading to an amusing moment of Locke staring at her bosom. Particularly funny, consider that, as mentioned above, her normal in-game costume is a [[Leotard of Power]], and therefore not terribly modest.

* [[Useless Useful Spell|Useless Useful Ability]]: Runic absorbs magic cast by enemies and party members alike, and by the time the enemies you face use magic enough to warrant its use, you're relying on magic heavily too. However, stick Celes in a party of characters who don't need magic to deal heavy damage, add in, say, Mog or Strago so they can use healing attacks with their special skills, and Runic will render a lot of enemies impotent.

[[File:Shadow_Shadow (Final_Fantasy_VIFinal Fantasy VI)_menu menu.png|frame]]

* [[Dark and Troubled Past]]: {{spoiler|He was formerly a train robber, but he ended up chickening out of giving Baram a mercy kill, and it is hinted that his assassin/mercenary role was his way of running from his guilt for failing to do so.}}.

* [[Death Seeker]]: {{spoiler|It's the only way for him to atone for the spoiler mentioned in [[Mercy Kill]] below.}}.

* [[Defeat Means Playable]]: In the World of Ruin.

* {{spoiler|[[Disappeared Dad]]: When the details of Shadow's five dreams and Relm's one dream are combined, it becomes certain that he is Relm's missing father.}}.

* [[Guest Star Party Member]]: He'll join your party at a few points throughout the first half of the game, but will decide to leave either through random chance after an enemy encounter or at designated points in the plot. (Hehe signs up permanently later on though.).

* [[I Cannot Self-Terminate]]: {{spoiler|Was asked by his friend, Baram, to kill him, since he couldn't do it himself because of his mortal wounds. Clyde, as Shadow was known then, couldn't do it and ran away.}}.

* [[Interface Spoiler]]: {{spoiler|The Memento Ring, which is described as using the love of Relm's mother to protect from [[One Hit KO]] attacks, can only be equipped by Relm... and Shadow.}}.

* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]: If you leave the [[Floating Continent]] without him. Also slightly implied to be what happens to him in the ending of the game if he survived the first act, though [[Never Found the Body|his fate is never firmly established]].}}.

* {{spoiler|[[Lost Forever]]: In conjunction with the previous trope.}}.

* {{spoiler|[[No One Gets Left Behind]]: The subject of this on the Floating Continent.}}.

* [[Only Known by Their Nickname]]: {{spoiler|His real name is Clyde. Shadow was originally the name for him and his partner as a group. By taking the name Shadow, he's making sure he doesn't forget his past.}}.

* [[Shell-Shocked Veteran]]: {{spoiler|Implied by several of his flashbacks and his overall personality.}}.

* [[Shoo the Dog]]: {{spoiler|He stays behind in the collapsing tower at the end, but doesn't want to drag Interceptor into it.}}.

[[File:Cyan_Garamonde_menuCyan Garamonde menu.png|frame]]

* [[Awesome but Impractical]]: Cyan's [[Sword Techs]] may seem impressive, but it takes so long for the gauge to fill up that it isn't really worth it; by the time the [[Sword Tech]] gauge fills up, your other three characters will likely have been standing around for a good 3-43–4 seconds when they could have been told to do something else. "[[Game Breaker|Psycho Cyan]]" on the other hand...

* [[Battle in the Center of the Mind]]: {{spoiler|Spending a night at the abandoned Doma castle in the World of Ruin triggers this as a sidequest.}}.

* [[Crutch Character]]: Borderline Example -example: his later Sword Techs/Bushido requires very long waiting, leaving the party at enemy's mercy. This can be avoided by making Cyan go last, and by the time other party members finished their attacks, Cyan is ready to kickass, and since ''Final Fantasy VI'' is the starting point in a series when attacks have [[Overly-Long Fighting Animation|noticeably longer animations]]... You still have to delay your whole team in order to make him go last, though, and you'll still usually be slowing your team down if you go after the high-level Bushidos. That said, if you put him in the same party as Gau, Mog or Umaro, they can still attack while Cyan is charging. In addition, Cyan's levelLevel 1 Bushido attack, which can be activated as soon as you select it, is quite powerful, capable of piercing defense, and can get you through a lot of early battles on its own.

* [[Cultured Warrior]]: He's very skilled at making hand-crafted silk flowers, and he's also a talented poet.

* [[Failure Knight]]: He is one of only two known survivors of Doma Castle. Even his wife and child die when Kefka poisons the river. (Thethe other on-screen survivor is an unnamed soldier who together with Cyan is searching the castle for more survivors.; Hehe is never seen or mentioned again after Cyan discovers his dead family and goes berserk.).

* [[Mighty Glacier]]: Cyan is one of the slowest characters in the game. His Bushido is one of the slowest attacks in the game. Cyan can take a lot of damage. His Bushido can do a lot of damage.

* [[No Pronunciation Guide]]: Many pronounce it See-anne or Sai-anne, but it's pronounced Kai-en.

* [[The Strength of Ten Men|The Strength of a Hundred Men]]

* [[Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe]]: Cyan's dialogue, originally written in what is sometimes called the "samurai dialect" of Japanese, extensively uses "thee" and "thou" even where grammatically inappropriate. Other characters make fun of him for it. Thankfully, they fixed this in the retranslation, and his Early Modern English is much more grammatically correct.

[[File:Gau_menuGau menu.png|frame]]

* [[Does Not Like Shoes]]: To tell the truth, he doesn't like civilized clothing in general as he finds it cumbersome and uncomfortable. Hence why his best "armor" is the Snow Scarf.

* [[Innocent Fanservice Girl|Innocent Fanservice Boy]]: Some Amano concept art showed him ''naked'' (but not showing parts). This would have been entirely logical for a [[Wild Child]] in [[Real Life]]. The in-game graphics and the more well-known art show Gau wearing his more familiar animal skin clothes.

* [[Lethal Joke Character]]: He's completely uncontrollable and all of the Rages he actually starts with suck, which makes many players dislike him. If you train and equip him correctly, though, he can be ''extremely'' effective.

* [[Lightning Bruiser]]: Perhaps to make up for his uncontrollable nature and inability to equip weapons, Gau has all-around great stats.

* [[Mega Manning]]: His Rages;: one for almost every enemy in the game.

[[File:Setzer_Gabbiani_menuSetzer Gabbiani menu.png|frame]]

* [[Cool Airship]]: The Blackjack. {{spoiler|And later, The Falcon.}}.

* [[The Gambler]]: He's a firm believer of luck and will gamble everything, even his own life. Not to mention that he will never use under-handedly trick in his gamble other than skill, making his cameo in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' [[Out of Character]]. This got [[Take That]] and [[Lampshade Hanging]] in a same statement in ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]''.

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: In World of Ruin, he seemed like had lose hope after 'losing his wings'. Only after Celes gave him an ear of [[World of Cardboard Speech]], he finally unearthed {{spoiler|the Falcon}}.

[[File:Strago_Magus_menuStrago Magus menu.png|frame]]

* [[Can't Catch Up]]: By the time you recruit him, the World of Balance is almost done, and you get him for an hour or two before you move on to the Floating Continent. As a result, you'll have a hard time teaching him even the most basic spells, and in the World of Ruin, he'll be lagging behind everyone else still learning them while they've moved on to the World of Ruin Espers and their end-game magic.

* [[Elite Tweak]]: Having problems learning some Lores? Use other's characters' abilities to make the process easier;: Gau and Relm can use many Lores, and even Setzer can use one if you're very lucky with (or rigged) his Slots.

* [[Glass Cannon]]: If you equip him right, he can do a lot of damage, but as you might expect, he can't take a whole lot of punishment.

* [[Go to Your Room]]

* [[Heroic BSOD]] / [[Despair Event Horizon]]: It is strongly implied that the reason he joined the Cult of Kefka was because he felt he had nothing left due to believing that Relm Arrowny had died in the end of the world. Thankfully, when Relm reveals her survival, he quits the Cult ASAP.

[[File:Relm_Arrowny_menuRelm Arrowny menu.png|frame]]

* [[Art Initiates Life]]: Her Sketch ability -: she will draw the copy of the enemy to attack other enemies. She also frequently threatens to do the same to Strago if she doesn't get her way.

* [[Little Miss Badass]] [[Badass Adorable]]: She's a cute little girl who can paint a portrait of you that kicks your ass!

* {{spoiler|[[Canine Companion]]: If Shadow dies, Interceptor will protect Relm instead (Inin plot; [[Gameplay and Story Segregation|short of a bug, Interceptor only protects Shadow in battle]]).}}.

* {{spoiler|[[Flashback Nightmare]]: If Shadow dies on the [[Floating Continent]], you will not find Shadow in the Cave on the Veldt, but instead, Relm, who will have a dream of her own that ties in to Shadow's five [[Flashback Nightmare]] scenes, finally firmly establishing Clyde as her [[Disappeared Dad]]. But without [[Save Scumming]] (just before choosing whether to let Shadow live or die on the [[Floating Continent]]), Shadow's fifth dream and Relm's dream cannot both be viewed within the same playthrough of the game.}}.

* [[Glass Cannon]]: Like her grandfather, Relm is a powerful magic-user. However, whereas Strago was so old he had a hard time taking blows, Relm is so young she has a hard time taking blows.

* [[Luke, I Am Your Father]]: Shadow can equip Relm's memento of her late mother... and she actually gets along with Interceptor... It was confirmed in a 1995 interview with Squaresoft, as well as in the GBA remake for ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]''.

* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Relm's mother is said to be dead in the inventory description of her [[Orphan's Plot Trinket]], her father, on the other hand, is never directly mentioned. Indirectly, {{spoiler|there's a million and one hints that he's Shadow}}. The developers confirmed this in an interview. {{spoiler|There was going to be a scene between Strago and Shadow confirming his relationship to Relm but it was dropped.}}.

* [[Running Gag]]: Her threats to Strago about "painting his picture.". See [[Art Imitates Life]] above.

* [[Useless Useful Spell]]: The Sketch algorithm falls into this for two reasons: Firstfirst, it has the monster's stats, rather than Relm's. Secondly, any elemental or status attack will be likely nullified or even absorbed. (Therethere is one exception). There's one very specific instance in which Sketch is useful. If used on the Wirey Dragons (tough, hard hitting monsters with good defense and no weaknesses to exploit), it casts Cyclonic and burns 90% of their health.

[[File:Mog_Mog (Final_Fantasy_VIFinal Fantasy VI)_menu menu.png|frame]]

* [[Chekhov's Gunman|Chekhov's Moogle]]: He's one of the Moogles who help Locke protect an unconscious Terra from the Imperial soldiers trying to capture her near the beginning of the game.

* [[Flat Character]]: Has only a few lines of dialogue in the whole game, none of which indicate much of a personality, is the only non-secret party memeber without a World of Ruin sidequest, and to top it all off, he doesn't even have a unique sprite, looking just like every other Moogle in the game.

* [["Friend or Idol?" Decision]]: Between Mog and Lone Wolf. Choose Mog and you get yourself an [[Optional Party Member]]. Choose Lone Wolf, and you will get a Gold Hairpin which halves MP cost.

* [[Last of His Kind]]: The very last Moogle in the ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' world.

* [[Optional Party Member]]: Aside from a brief appearance at the beginning of the game, Mog won't join your party during the main storyline of the World of Balance; you have to go slightly out of your way and complete a side quest in order to recruit him. (Seesee [["Friend or Idol?" Decision]], above).)

[[File:Umaro_menuUmaro menu.png|frame]]

* [[Cursed with Awesome]]: Sometimes Umaro's uncontrollable nature is a blessing in disguise. He completely ignores the restrictions on attacking in the Fanatics' Tower, he can still attack while Cyan is charging his Bushidos, and he'll never do anything stupid in the Coliseum.

[[File:Gogo_Gogo (Final_Fantasy_VIFinal Fantasy VI)_menu menu.png|frame]]

* [[Fragile Speedster]]: Gogo's Speed stat is the only one that doesn't absolutely suck, and really can't take many hits either.

* [[Master of None]]: Gogo can learn just about every skill that's normally accessible to your characters. Unfortunately, Gogo'll never do any of them as good as the originals.

* [[Mega Manning]]: A variant in that Gogo typically steals the abilities of the other heroes, rather than Gogo's enemies. Anything the other Returners can do, Gogo can do too... just not as well because of Gogo's terrible stats. Gogo also specifically imitates what the other ''active'' party members can do -: if equipping magic from the menu, Gogo can only cast a spell learned by someone else currently in the party.

* [[Powers as Programs]]: Gogo can equip almost any other character's special ability (except Terra's Trance and Shadow's Throw {{spoiler|if he died}})), and does need to equip appropriately to use some of them, though. This includes equipping appropriate relics to use altered abilities, like Mug or Gil Rain.

[[File:Banon_menuBanon menu.png|frame]]

* [[Supporting Leader]]: He's the leader of the Returners and thus the driving force in the war on the Empire, but aside from the trip with him to Narshe, he's working in the background while the player pursues various leads on how to gain an edge in the struggle.

* [[We Cannot Go on Without You]]: If Banon falls in battle, it's a [[Game Over]]. Very irritating for many players who probably shouted "Why can't I use a Phoenix Down on him!?".

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: {{spoiler|Vanishes from the game once you reach the World of Ruin and is never mentioned again. Though if you think about where he was last seen (in Vector), he may likely be dead.}}. [[Word of God]] states you're supposed to use your imagination.

[[File:Leo_Cristophe_menuLeo Cristophe menu.png|frame]]

* [[Ambiguously Brown]]: He's actually supposed to be black. Although you can blame the sprites for making him look more caucasian and, in the status artwork, tan at best. (Plusplus, the fact that his hair is ''blonde'').

* [[Duel Boss]]: Leo vs. Kefka.

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: He is the consummate worthy opponent-- asopponent—as the characters say "He could be my friend, if he weren't my enemy...".

* [[Ambiguous Gender]]: The Super NES release referred to the Ghost as an "it", but the Advance remake uses male terminology. Unused code refers to the ghosts are male, but the code was dropped fairly early on.

* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: No equipment and an ability [[Too Awesome to Use]], but when you do use it (preferably against a strong miniboss on the train), it performs a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] to instantly kill the target.

* [[The Faceless]]: In his sprite, his portrait has a face, but not a very human one.

** [[Taking You with Me]]: But kills the Ghost and removes it from the party.

{{quote|Two soldiers sent with Terra to attack Narshe, they're promptly destroyed when Valigarmanda stirs.}}

* [[Red Shirt|Red Shirts]]s

== [[NPCsNon-Player Character]]s ==

[[File:cid_portraitcid portrait.png|frame]]

* {{spoiler|[[Plotline Death]]}}: {{spoiler|If Celes doesn't feed him fast-swimming fish, or just takes too long to feed him at all. ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]'' actually implies that his death is ''canon''.}} .

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: This trope applies to Arvis in exactly the same way it applies to Banon. See Banon's entry above.

* {{spoiler|[[Faking the Dead]]}}: {{spoiler|Though it's unknown why he never appears in person until the World of Ruin, or how he survived his encounter with Vargas when everyone including Vargas thought he didn't.}}.

* [[Guide Dang It]]: {{spoiler|In the World of Ruin, not only is his home in a completely different location relative to the rest of the world, but it's not even marked on the map, appearing as a formation of trees.}}.

** [[Mentor Occupational Hazard]]

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: In the World of Ruin, you find him trailing Gerad and the thieves into Figaro Castle. Once you get through the cave though, he vanishes, and it's never revealed what he was doing there.

{{quote|Terra's parents, Maduin was the guardian of the gateway to the Esper World. Somehow, Madeline found her way there, and the two fell in love and had a child to see if their two races could truly co-exist.}}

* [[Dub Name Change]]/[[Meaningful Name]]: In fitting with Terra being [[The Messiah]], in the Super NES translation Madeline was called "Madonna", as in the virgin mother. Suddenly, the [[G-Rated Sex]] takes on a new meaning, doesn't it?

* [[Fire, Ice, Lightning]]: Maduin's Magicite teaches Fira, Blizzara and Thundara. Maduin's summon attack, however, is [[Non-Elemental]] .

* [[G-Rated Sex]]: How they conceive Terra--: they fly around the screen in trails of sparkles, and the sparkles come together to form baby Terra.

[[File:kefka_portraitkefka portrait.png|frame]]

* [[Bad Boss]]: Especially when compared to [[A Father to His Men|General Leo.]].

** [[Dragon-in-Chief]]: Even before he overthrows Gestahl, Kefka's the one who actually confronts the party most of the time, while Gestahl is more of a distant [[Evil Overlord]].

** [[Dragon with an Agenda]]: Gestahl wanted to ''rule'' the world. Kefka had a different idea.

* [[Dystopia Justifies the Means]]: Kefka's intention is to create a world full of suffering, because it amuses him.

* [[Evil Laugh]]: Kefka's "Uwee-hee-hee!" --: the only vocalized character sound in the entire game. Or at least the only one that isn't Terra's inhuman scream when Tritoch forces her to confront her true nature.

** [[Gone Horribly Right]]: Ultimately, they ''did'' succeed in making Kefka a super-powered magic-user capable of destroying their enemies. He just decided to move on to everything else too.

* [[Ignored Epiphany]]: When the party explains to Kefka that no matter what he does life will go on and people will always find reasons to keep living, he lowers his head, turns around slowly... then spins back around and delivers his famous [[Shut Up, Kirk]] comeback.

* [[Impossibly Tacky Clothes]]: Kefka could be considered Square's [https://web.archive.org/web/20180711160850/http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/images/3/31/DissidiaKefka_alts.png first shot across the bow] at cosplayers.

* [[It Got Worse]]: No matter how bad things are, he will always try to make it worse. Just take his destruction of the world--: it wasn't enough for Kefka to murder countless innocents, rip apart the continents and unleash mutated monsters on the people, he had to spend his time afterwards blasting the ashes of civilization when he got bored.

* [[Light Is Not Good]]: Kefka has a weapon called the Light of Judgment that he uses to destroy towns that oppose him, and in the final battle, he turns into an angelic-looking creature. Also provides the trope image. Heck, even before becoming the God of Magic, he basically resembled a very colorful clown, was blond and blue/green eyed, and wore white makeup, and was also heavily implied to have pyromaniacal tendencies (eg,e.g. forcing Terra to torch his own soldiers alive, attempting to burn Figaro Castle, having his troops burn Thamasa, was implied to have caused a lot of fires when misaligning the Warring Triad, not to mention the whole Light of Judgment thing). His [[One-Winged Angel|God of Magic form]] also mixes this with [[Dark Is Evil]], as he possesses a pair of bat wings as well as looking more fierce and demonic overall in his god form.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Aside from his first name bearing similarity to [[Franz Kafka]], Kefka's last name, Palazzo, is Italian in origin that means palace, mansion, and/or castle, and also sounds very similar to Basque ''pailazo'', Catalan ''pallasso'', Greek ''paliatsos'', Italian ''pagliaccio'', Portuguese ''palhaço'', Spanish ''payaso'' and Turkish ''palyaço'', which all translate to "clown,", and his appearance pretty much makes it clear that the similar names are very fitting.

* [[PietaPietà Plagiarism]]: The third tier of the final battle... And when you see Kefka in place of Jesus on the pietà, you simply have to face the facts: Thethe world is fucked, and if you want a savior, you'll have to be the one yourself.

* [[Psycho Prototype]]: Kefka seems to cover a lot of insanity tropes, doesn't he? He was the first Magitek Knight ever produced, but the experimental process, due to it not being perfected yet, snapped his mind.

* [[Razor Wings]]: His God form is fond of the physical attack Havoc Wing, his AIA.I. script allowing him the potential to use it every single turn, and later in the battle use it twice in a row.

* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: The peaceful segment in the 4thfourth part of "Dancing Mad".

* [[Super Soldier]]: The prototype actually. [[Psycho Prototype|You know what that means.]].

* [[Took a Level Inin Badass]]: It's jarring to see him go from running away from a lone Sabin (granted, Shadow could be there as well) through an entire camp full of his army and having to run away with his tail between his legs from the collective party, to kicking the party's collective asses ''twice'', then killing the best soldier in the Empire, ''without using any magic'', and a small ''army'' of Espers ''on his own'' that were able to thrash the Capital City of the Empire. [[It Got Worse|And that's just the start of the madness.]]. It was strongly implied, however, that he was holding back his overall power when Sabin was fighting him, most likely because he wanted to poison Doma as soon as possible and didn't want any distractions from that goal.

* [[We Have Reserves]]: This is Kefka's general approach to warfare. He broke the siege of Doma Castle by poisoning the water supply, killing everyone inside -... including women, children, and even some Imperial soldiers that were being kept as prisoners of war.

[[File:gestahl_portraitgestahl portrait.png|frame]]

* [[A Nazi by Any Other Name]]: Let's see... He's an amazingly charismatic dictator attempting to conquer the world, his troops are obliquely compared to Nazi stormtroopers in a reference to a scene from ''[[Star Wars]]'', his troops use the "Nazi arm-raise salute", he keeps Espers in a <ref> concentrationConcentration camp.</ref>, and... oh, he wanted to create a "master race" by [[Squick|breeding Celes and Kefka]]. His characterization is also quite similar to Mussolini and his Facism movement, especially when taking into account the fact that he was essentially trying to resurrect an old empire of Magic.

* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: In the SNES version, at least, Emperor Gestahl tries to stop Kefka from doing something that will cause [[The End of the World as We Know It]], because he wants to rule the world, not blow it up. Kefka kills him. In the GBA version, his final words were "The world will now experience true fear..." before being kicked off by Kefka, implying that it was closer to [[Even Evil Has Standards]].

{{quote|Three ancient gods that effectively created magic as it is now known, they created the Espers in the crossfire of their feuding but turned themselves to stone when they realized the struggle was destroying the world. They are named Demon, Fiend, and Goddess.}}

* [[An Axe to Grind]]: Demon.

* [[Cosmic Keystone|Cosmic Keystones]]s

* [[Dub Name Change]]: Demon and Fiend were renamed PoltrgeistPoltergeist and Doom in the Super NES release.

* [[Fire, Ice, Lightning]]: Demon is Fire, Fiend is Ice, and Goddess is Lightning.

* [[God Is Evil]]: Though their backstory reveals they realized the havoc they were causing and stopped, by the time you find them in Kefka's Tower they're clearly on his side and fight you. Heck, thanks to {{spoiler|Kefka absorbing most of their energies}}, they barely even qualify as gods by that point.

* [[Infinity+1 Sword]]: Demon drops the Radiant Lance, Fiend drops the Mutsunokami, and Goddess drops the Excalibur. In the original Super NES release, the former two were the strongest weapons of their kind. Excalibur was outclassed by the Ultima Weapon, Ragnarok and Illumina, but getting the latter two meant passing up the Ragnarok Magicite that taught [[Game Breaker|Ultima]].

* [[Lost Forever]]: Hope those of you aiming for [[One Hundred Percent Completion]] brought Strago to fight Fiend, because he's the only enemy in the entire game who knows the Force Field Lore.

** Averted in the ''Advance'' port where you can fight Fiend again... if you feel like dragging Strago through the [[Boss Rush|Soul Shrine]].

{{quote|Eight ancient and powerful dragons sealed in the earth, they were unleashed when Kefka moved the Warring Triad out of alignment. They reappear in the ''Advance'' bonus dungeon Dragons' Den with their boss, Kaiser Dragon.}}

** [[Loophole Abuse]]: Turns out Wave Cannon and Plasma [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|aren't classified as magic]]. Fortunately, you can do the same with Strago's Lores.

{{quote|"[[Puny Humans|Humans]] and your insatiable greed... [[Humans Are Bastardsthe Real Monsters|Your lust for power leads always to a lust for blood]]... This place is a sanctuary for wayward souls... What business have you filthy creatures here? [[What the Hell, Hero?|You slaughter my brethren, and befoul their rest with the profanity of your continued existence]]... You should not have come here. In the name of all dragonkind, I shall grant you the death you desire. I am the dealer of destruction... I am the font from which fear springs... [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya|I am Kaiser]]... [[Prepare to Die|And your time is at an end]]."}}

* [[Bragging Rights Reward]]: Congratulations, you defeated Kaiser Dragon and won the Diabolos Magicite! Pretty pointless now since all that's left is the [[Boss Rush|Soul Shrine]] and aside from the HP boost as a level up bonus, Diabolos won't be much help there. And even then, it's not like other Espers don't also have HP boosts as bonuses...

* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: Earth Dragon's earth-elemental attacks can be avoided by casting Float. He has an attack to neutralize Float. Meanwhile, he himself is floating, and the reborn dragon absorbs earth, so his earth attacks that hit enemies and allies alike don't hurt him.

** Blue Dragon's AIA.I. script has it scan for party members with status buffs, then it inflicts itself with status ailments and uses Rippler to swap its status ailments and buffs with yours.

** [[PlayingElemental with FirePowers]]: Red Dragon

** [[MakingPlaying awith SplashFire]]: BlueRed Dragon.

** [[AnMaking Icea PersonSplash]]: IceBlue Dragon.

** [[HolyAn HandIce GrenadePerson]]: HolyIce Dragon.

** [[DishingHoly OutHand DirtGrenade]]: EarthHoly Dragon.

** [[UniversalDishing PoisonOut Dirt]]: SkullEarth Dragon.

** [[BlowUniversal You AwayPoison]]: StormSkull Dragon.

** [[ShockBlow andYou AweAway]]: GoldStorm Dragon.

** [[AllShock Yourand Powers CombinedAwe]]: KaiserGold Dragon.

* [[Infinity+1 Sword]]: They all guard powerful weapons in the original game, though usually not the strongest of their types. Their reborn incarnations, however, ''do'' drop the strongest weapons.

* [[Power-Up Letdown]]:* The reborn Blue Dragon is pretty much the same as the original, just higher stats. Its "gimmick" is just that it inflicts more status ailments on itself when using Rippler as described above, but it still only does that if you use your own status buffs.

** Red Dragon: Red Fang and Eraser.

** Blue Dragon: Blue Fang.

** Ice Dragon: Freeze.

** Holy Dragon: Heavenly Wrath.

** Earth Dragon: Honed Tusk.

** Storm Dragon: Leaf Swirl and Wing Saber.

** Skull Dragon: Apparition and Fear.

** Gold Dragon: Mighty Claw.

** Kaiser Dragon: Last Breath.

* [[Took a Level Inin Badass]]: Their reborn incarnations in Dragons' Den are ''far'' higher tiers than the originals.

[[File:Ultros_battleUltros battle.png|frame]]

* [[Harmless Villain]]: His battles in ''Final Fantasy VI'' were never all that difficult to begin with, and was never as formidable as his more rarely-seen friend Typhon. In the World of Ruin, Ultros is forced to work indefinitely as a receptionist to pay off his crippling debts. You can see him and speak to him as often as you please, but his role as a villain has ended.

* [[Inconsistent Dub]]: Appears in ''[[Final Fantasy V]] Advance'' as a [[Bonus Boss]] named Orthros. Then ''[[FFFinal 6Fantasy VI]] Advance'' came along and went back to Ultros.

* [[Took a Level Inin Badass]]: In the third battle with him, after a period of time, he'll gain powerful elemental spells and will become much stronger, and can even pull off a [[Total Party Kill]] if you aren't careful.

* [[Evil Counterpart]]: To Sabin, as a fellow pupil to Duncan, but Vargas prizes power over discipline and honor.

* [[Ascended Extra]]: Unless you happened to be Bahamut or Odin, before this game, you didn't get a lot of character exploration if you were a summon, and Ramuh was no exception. This time, aside from Valigarmanda/Tritoch and Maduin, Ramuh could be considered ''the'' most plot-important Esper in the game.

* [[My Greatest Failure]]: He isn't very proud that he fled the Empire and survived while his friends are still trapped in their Magitek facility.

* [[EverybodyEveryone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Casts a binding spell to sweep the Empire out of the Esper realm, but he's so old, itsit's implied he lost his life.

** [[Senseless Sacrifice]]: But by the time he does it, the Empire has already captured enough Espers to begin their campaign and keep it going for 20 years.

* [[Dub Name Change]]: In the SNES release as Tritoch. Let's be real here--: [[Character Name Limits|"Valigarmanda" was never going to fit]].

* [[Meaningful Name]]: The [[Dub Name Change]]. See "[[Fire, Ice, Lightning]]" above.