Maria (Final Fantasy II)

Maria is one of Firion's two permanent allies in Final Fantasy II. She is Leon's sister and the two are separated at the very beginning of the game. She is later shocked to learn that one of the Emperor's servants, the Dark Knight, actually is Leon.

When Leon attempts to crown himself Emperor after the original Emperor's first death, Maria accompanies Firion to confront him. However, the original Emperor returns from the dead, and Leon is forced to give up all dreams of ruling.

Maria's parents were killed during the empire's strike against Fynn.This gave her a good reason for not being able to go home after being taken in by the princess of Altair Hilda. After Firion asked if the three of them (Firion, Maria, and Guy) could join the rebel army they were refused. Maria made the statement that they could not go home because Fynn had been taken over by the empire and that their parents had been killed. After that Hilda gave them the rebel password Wild Rose and allowed them to stay in Altair. At the end of the game, Maria wants Firion, Guy, Leon, and herself to stay together, but soon Firion allows Leon to leave, allowing him to follow his own path.

Stats and Traits
Maria's starting equipment is a bow and her clothes. As with every playable character in the game, she can become proficient with any weapon she wields. Out of the three starting characters in the beginning of the game, Maria has the most Intelligence, making her suited for a Black Mage. Since she is usually trained as such, the bow, which allows normal damage from the back row, is usually her weapon of choice as well.

Maria is the first female Final Fantasy character that actually has a name. Her looks are very similar to that of a female warrior from the original Final Fantasy. She is free-spirited, smart, beautiful, and strong-willed.

Maria's vocal sounds in the PlayStation remake Final Fantasy Origins was provided by Noriko Shitaya, who later on provided the voice of Rydia in the Nintendo DS remake of Final Fantasy IV.