Though many people have named Six as their favorite Final Fantasy game, they almost universally cite the large number of playable characters (12+) as a drawback, mostly due to a lack of character development with some of the more obscure characters. Umaro and Gogo can be excused because, well, they're extras. But at the very least each character is absolutely distinct from one another. Not a single one of them seems redundant (personality-wise) and each have their niche in the storyline. Something interesting about this game is that there is no single main protaganist. Instead, about three or four protaganists share the lead. Mainly Terra, Locke, Celes and (I would argue) Shadow.
Best of all is the main villain. Kefka is the only villain I can remember that also served as the main comic relief character. He's totally nutzo. Other RPG villains will come and go, most with their motive of world domination/attaining supreme power. But Kefka doesn't truly care about power in of itself. He just likes to blow stuff up. --MarkSandoval
WildArmsTwo also has a villain providing comic relief, but the motif is quite rare.
In my opinion, the best part of this game (though almost everything is done well) is the fantastic music. It is very emotional and adds a great deal to the plot, providing an atmosphere of heroism (the battle themes), or menace(Dancing Mad), or utter despair (i. e. the initial world of ruin map theme). Highlights include the opera scene, the normal boss battle music, Kefka's theme, and others too numerous to name. - DanielKagan
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Terra: An amnesiac young woman with mysterious magical powers and green hair. Originally Tina in the Japanese version, the name change allows me to point out that Terra has particularly strong ties with the Earth. At one point she stumbles in pain as the Earth experiences the unpleasant occasion of an entire continent being ripped off the Earth's surface. At times she has mentioned that her powers seem entirely natural to her. She represents nature. But this is rather anachronistic since her father is an esper, a magically altered humanoid creature that could be said to be artificial since they weren't a result a natural process. Rather, they were created by all powerful sorcerers. Also, the love between Terra's esper father Maduin and her human mother Madonna would have been considered impossible under traditional belief. Perhaps the statement of Terra's natural nature could be a comment on the true nature of her parents love for eachother, that such unconventional love isn't truly forbidden, but actually a natural and acceptable occurence.
Terra's other big thing concerns the search for love. After losing her parents at infancy and spending the next eighteen odd years of her life being prodded poked and manipulated by Imperial researchers one can hardly consider oneself to be loved. At some point after her liberation from the Empire's clutches and regaining her memory she begins to ask what love is. Talking with General Leo she just blurts out that question, perhaps because she had felt some feelings towards him. But the manner in which she tries to come on to him is both tactless and unclear, probably due to a life deprived of normalcy, unable to get an idea of how best to approach Leo. Alas, the murder of General Leo by Kefka only a couple of days after their initial conversation results in the prolongation of Terra's search for love. At Leo's funeral it is evident that Terra's grief is a little more than usual among the rest of her comrades. Surviving the Sundering of the world each character goes their own way, and Terra finds her way to a town occupied by orphans that had traumatically lost their parents during said cataclysm. Now, Terra, feeling defeated amidst the terrible time of suffering that now afflicts the Earth and its inhabitants, wants nothing more to do with the fight and hides away with these orphans under the pretense of a surrogate mother. She has come to care for her adopted family, but their world is a harsh one, as the demon Phunbaba terrorizes the hooverville town of the orphans from time to time over the course of a year. Having lost the will to fight, instead of dealing with the demon, she hides with the orphans and hopes for safety. Now that she has found these orphans and comes to love them she is loath to do anything that might cause them to be seperated from her. It's not until her old comrades face Phunbaba and nearly perish that Terra feels compelled to spring to action. With that final deathblow to the demon, Terra realizes that she must leave her family temporarily to go fight Kefka so that they may have a better future. In the end she realizes what love truly is. Not to simply care for someone, but to want the best for the object of affection regardless of what effort may be needed.
Locke: Probably the character that recieved the most effort from writers to give him something that could be read into. Well done, at that. He's a little tricky cause his theme is partially tied into the characters of Terra and General Celes.
When he is first introduced he is described thus: "A trail-worn traveler searching the world over for relics of the past." So, right off the bat we see evidence that supports my position regarding Locke's main theme. That being an inability to let go of the past. The inability to get on with life. He his absolutely obsessive about being called a "treasure hunter" as oppsosed to "thief." The treasure hunter fixation is indicative of his unwillingness to put Rachel's death behind him. He is likely uncomfortable with the term "thief" because he blames himself for Rachel's memories (and later her life) being "stolen" from her. The fact that some old wacko had the gall to cryo/herbally (or whatever) preserve Rachel's body right as death approached her doesn't help Locke's case. He BADLY needs to go on with his life, yet there's so much holding him back. Finally, he devotes the better part of a year searching for the esper Phoenix, who supposedly has the power to revive Rachel from her stasis. When she is finally revived Rachel tells Locke exactly what's wrong with his life. That he needs to get a life and move on. Poof. And Rachel dematerializes. The question as to whether he and Celes will get together is left open, though lightly implied that something could happen between them.
Throughout the game Locke is plagued with the feeling that he failed to protect Rachel both when she got amnesia and later when she had lost her life. This causes Locke to persistently seek the role of the hero. He vows to protect Terra at all costs. No doubt, the parallel of Terra having amnesia with that of Rachel's amnesia makes the two directly associated in Locke's mind, so he feels the need to compensate. The same occurs with General Celes. Locke tells her that she'll protect her (in spite of Celes' objections and claims that she can take care of herself). Celes can no doubt take care of herself, but Locke insists, continuing to swear himself to every seeming damsel in distress. Now, when Locke was talking to the old guy who preserved Rachel the old guy said concerning her stasis "she won't age a day." Then, when Celes assumes the opera role of Maria Celes sings at some point in the aria "I won't age a day." So the connection there is obvious. Can't say too much more about Locke without going into Celes' bit.
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