Terra Branford

"Hope... How can anyone put their hope in me?"

Article by: Alex Stuart (Linearity)
Created by: Square
First appearance: 1994

Bio

Terra Branford is arguably the primary character in Final Fantasy VI, which was called Final Fantasy III in the United States. She is the first person naturally capable of magic since the apocalyptic War of the Magi years before the game's story begins. As such, she represents a time of change and turmoil.

Her rare ability to use magic interests the Empire, and the imperial army attempts to control her power for its own ends. She is enslaved both in body and in mind and made into a Magitek Knight: a soldier who operates a machine (called Magitek Armor) infused with manufactured magical power.

During this time, until one of the first scenes of the game, Terra is without a friend and without the feelings of a proper human. In this early scene, Terra reacts powerfully to a magical being called an Esper and the army's locks upon her mind break. She is confused, as she has for so long been without her own thoughts and free will. This confusion about her feelings, magnified by other parts of her nature revealed piecemeal throughout the story, is an important personal struggle for Terra. It tests and shapes her spirit as she fights the Empire with a resistance group called the Returners, whose members are some of the only friends that she has ever known.

Selected game appearances

Super NES

• Final Fantasy VI (1994)

References

• GameFAQs: Final Fantasy III (SNES) FAQ/Walkthrough by Jeff Chan
• Wikipedia - "Characters of Final Fantasy VI - Terra Branford"
• Final Fantasy Online - "Final Fantasy VI"
• Final Fantasy III instruction manual