Cecil Harvey

Cecil Harvey is the main protagonist of Final Fantasy IV, who also appears in the sequel Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, and the interquel Final Fantasy IV -Interlude- that bridges the gap between the two games. Cecil is one of the few characters in the series to change his job during the game, starting out as a Dark Knight, but after a trial and the battle with the first of the Four Elemental Archfiends, transforms into a Paladin.

In the English version of the 3D remake originally released for Nintendo DS, as well as in Dissidia Final Fantasy, Cecil is pronounced (seh-sil). However, the bonus disc included with the Final Fantasy XII collector's edition pronounces it as (see-sil).

Appearance


Cecil wears dark armor that covers his body and face while he is a Dark Knight (the 3D render shows his eyes). When he becomes a Paladin, Cecil wears a blue and white armor that reveals his appearance: shoulder-length white hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and a tinge of purple on his lips. Even though Fusoya claims Cecil resembles his father, Kluya, in his youth, it is stated Cecil greatly resembles his mother, Cecilia, even being named after her.

In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Cecil wears a suit of white armor, but with dark spikes on the knees and pauldrons, and a brown cloak with blue stripes around the neck.

Personality


Cecil is a strong and gifted knight, gaining the respect and admiration of his men during his captaincy of the Red Wings. Although being raised by the King of Baron, Cecil is modest and shy and struggles with showing his emotions. His most remarkable traits are his bravery and firm beliefs. Towards his friends, Cecil is loyal and exceptionally forgiving, being able to forgive even those who betray him.

In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Cecil maintains the noble character of a Paladin, but as a Mysterious Girl appears, his mind and character change radically.

Final Fantasy IV
Cecil was born to a Lunarian named Kluya and a woman named Cecilia from Earth. Cecil's father was killed before he was born, and his mother died in labor. His older brother, Theodor, ran away with him, but abandoned him outside the town of Baron. The King of Baron found him and named him Cecil, since he resembled his late mother.

Cecil was raised by the king, initially causing friction between him and the young Kain Highwind who thought Cecil received special treatment and wanted to fight him, but Rosa intervened. As the three grew up, they became close friends. Kain and Rosa followed in the footsteps of their parents and became a Dragoon and a White Mage respectively, while the king had Cecil train to be a Dark Knight. Cecil harnessed the job's dark powers and became one of the kingdom's top warriors and was promoted the captain of Baron's airship fleet, the Red Wings. Cecil had a strong bond with Baron's airship engineer, Cid Pollendina, whom he viewed almost like a father to him.

Cecil commands a raid on the town Mysidia to steal the Water Crystal for the king. He succeeds, but he and his crew grow suspicious of the king, wondering whether robbing national treasures from innocent people is right. Cecil reminds his crew they are the Red Wings, and must represent Baron at all times.

When Cecil returns to Baron Castle, Baigan, the captain of the guards of Baron, notices something strange about Cecil, and takes him to meet the king. Cecil hands over the Crystal, and is appalled the king does not even thank him. Cecil complains he and his crew do not understand the reasons for robbing Crystals from innocent people.

The king discharges Cecil from the captaincy and orders him to hunt Eidolons in the Mist Valley, and to deliver the Carnelian Signet to the village of Mist. Kain comes to Cecil's defense, but the king orders him to accompany Cecil. That night, Rosa comes to Cecil's room to show him sympathy. Cecil is torn between doing what he believes in and doing what the king orders and swears to never perform another act of evil on behalf of Baron. Despite loving Rosa, he knows they can never be together because of his profession as a Dark Knight.

The next morning, Cecil and Kain leave for Mist. They pass through the Mist Cave where a voice orders them to return to Baron, and when Cecil and Kain refuse, the mist gathers and the pair battles the Mist Dragon. After slaying the dragon they head to Mist, but the package they were supposed to deliver turns out to be an incendiary bomb that torches the village. A little girl who stays alongside her dead mother explains that whenever a summoned monster dies, its summoner dies as well. Cecil and Kain realize they defeated the Mist Dragon and thus accidentally killed the girl's mother, and offer to take her to safety and pledge not to follow any more orders from the king. She does not listen and summons Titan and an earthquake separates Mist from the rest of the valley.

Cecil wakes up with Kain gone and the girl lying wounded. Cecil takes her to Kaipo and allows her to recover at the inn, but she refuses to speak to him. That night soldiers from Baron arrive and demand Cecil hand over the girl, saying the king decreed the summoners of Mist too dangerous to be left alive. Cecil does not allow the soldiers to kidnap her, and fights them off. The next morning the girl thanks Cecil for protecting her, introduces herself as Rydia of Mist and joins Cecil's party formally.

Cecil and Rydia hear of a sick girl from Baron who had contracted Desert Fever and find Rosa resting in a nearby home. The doctors say they have to find the Sand Pearl to cure her and Cecil and Rydia go north through the Underground Waterway to Damcyan meeting an old man, Tellah, on the way. The three arrive at Damcyan in time to see the Red Wings, now commanded by a man called Golbez, steal the Fire Crystal and find Tellah's daughter, Anna, who dies of her wounds. Tellah vows revenge on Golbez and leaves despite Cecil's protests.

Anna's lover, Prince Edward, mourns for her death but Cecil and Rydia snap him out of it. Cecil tells him he is now the king of Damcyan and must act as such. Edward agrees to take them to the Antlion's Den where they find the Sand Pearl and use it to cure Rosa. They decide to defend the remaining Crystals, deducing the Air Crystal in Fabul the next target.

To reach Fabul, the party crosses Mt. Hobs, and on the summit finds a Monk named Yang Fang Leiden fighting off Golbez's troops. Cecil and his friends help Yang defeat them. Cecil warns Yang of the danger ahead, and joins Yang in the journey back to Fabul.

In Fabul, Yang warns the king of Baron's incoming attack, and Cecil and Edward back him up. The king is skeptical because he cannot trust the Dark Knight Cecil. Yang convinces him of Cecil's loyalty, and Cecil, Yang, and Edward help defend the castle with Rosa and Rydia put on relief. After the battle against the Baronian army, Kain, who is now working for Golbez, corners Cecil in the crystal room. The two duel, but Cecil fails to beat Kain. Golbez defeats Edward and Yang and takes Rosa hostage, while Kain takes the Crystal.

Cecil decides to sneak into Baron and get an airship from Cid Pollendina, who was also skeptical of Baron's activities. The party boards a ship provided by the king of Fabul and sets sail to Baron, but on the way the ship is attacked by Leviathan and Cecil, Rydia, Edward, and Yang are blown off the deck.

Cecil lands on a beach near Mysidia, the town he raided as the captain of the Red Wings, and learns he is unwanted. Cecil meets the Elder of Mysidia and explains him his plight. The Elder tells Cecil if he wants to defeat Golbez he would have to relinquish his Dark Sword and acquire the acceptance of the Holy Light by becoming a Paladin. Cecil accepts the challenge, and the Elder sends him to Mount Ordeals with Palom, a Black Mage, and Porom, a White Mage. On Mount Ordeals they meet Tellah again, who has been searching for the legendary magic Meteor to defeat Golbez.

Tellah agrees to help them and at the mountain summit they arrive at a room full of mirrors, and a mysterious light who refers to Cecil as "my son" commands him to take a sword, which transforms him into a Paladin. Cecil has to overcome his hatred by facing himself as a Dark Knight. Succeeding by not raising his sword against his darkness, Cecil becomes a full-fledged Paladin. Tellah learns Meteor but finds he is not strong enough to cast it.

Cecil, Tellah, Palom, and Porom return to Mysidia where the Elder congratulates them and speaks of the Mysidian Legend of the sword Cecil now holds, and how only a chosen one can wield it. Cecil agrees to defeat Golbez and the Elder opens the Devil's Road to Baron where Cecil and his friends learn Cid has a new airship, but was arrested when he refused to let the king see it. Cecil tries to enter the castle, but the guards stop him.

Cecil overhears a martial-artist was invited to be an officer in Baron, and that he hangs out at the inn. Cecil discovers it is Yang who orders the guards to attack Cecil, and then attacks him himself. Cecil snaps Yang back to reality, and Yang realizes he was under the control of the king of Baron. Yang rejoins Cecil's party and finds the Key of Baron in his pocket, which the party uses to enter Baron Castle via the Ancient Waterway.

Cecil's party reaches the castle and meets up with Baigan who tells Cecil he is not under Golbez's control, and that he is loyal only to the King of Baron. He offers to help Cecil, and Cecil accepts it, but Palom and Porom smell a monster in the area and point Baigan out. Cecil's party fights Baigan, and Cecil meets the king who is upset Cecil has become a Paladin. When Cecil mentions the king of Baron's true name, the king lets out that he killed the real king, and Cecil demands the king reveal himself.

The king is Cagnazzo, the Archfiend of Water, whom Cecil's party defeats in battle. Cid escapes prison and joins Cecil's party, but Cagnazzo has one last trick up his sleeve: when Cecil tries to escape, the walls cave in. Palom and Porom save Cecil's party by petrifying themselves to hold the walls back. Tellah tries to heal them, but to no avail, and Cid takes them to his newest airship: the Enterprise.

Kain issues an ultimatum: Cecil must either get the Earth Crystal in Troia or Rosa will die. In Troia Cecil learns from the Epopts that the Dark Elf, a monster who lives in Lodestone Cavern to the north, has stolen the Crystal. He finds Edward recovering from the Leviathan attack who gives Cecil a Whisperweed as he is too weak to help Cecil out.

Cecil's party heads to the cave to meet with the Dark Elf, but the cave is covered in a magnetic field and Cecil and his friends cannot equip metallic weapons or armor. The Dark Elf thus defeats Cecil. Edward plays a melody on his harp and the Whisperweed reacts making the Dark Elf lose control of himself and allowing Cecil to attack him with his sword. Cecil claims the Earth Crystal and he and his party return to Troia, where Kain makes him get on the Enterprise.

Kain guides Cecil's party to the Tower of Zot where Golbez is holding Rosa prisoner. Cecil's party climbs the tower and meets Golbez at the top who takes the Crystal but does not free Rosa. Tellah wounds Golbez by casting Meteor and Cecil rushes forward to strike, but Golbez knocks him down. As Golbez is about to strike the finishing blow he stops and backs away, silently realizing Cecil is his younger brother. He tells Cecil it is not over, and escapes. Everyone surrounds Tellah, who is dying due to the effects of casting Meteor. He asks Cecil, Yang, and Cid to avenge Anna for him, and dies.

Kain is freed of Golbez's control and takes the party to Rosa and Cecil, who share a kiss. Rosa and Kain join the group, but they cannot escape the tower without fighting Barbariccia, the Archfiend of Air. Before she dies, Barbariccia tries to kill the party by collapsing the tower, but Rosa casts the Exit spell and the party is warped to Cecil's room in Baron.

Golbez now possesses all four Crystals, but Kain speaks of the Dark Crystals hidden in the Underworld and explains Golbez needs the Crystals to open "the way to the Moon". Cecil decides to head underground to protect the remaining Crystals and Kain shows Cecil the Key of Magma used to enter the Underworld. The party enters the Underworld via the Enterprise, but they are too late: the Red Wings are already battling the dwarves' tanks.

The Enterprise is damaged and Cecil's party seeks help from the dwarves in the Dwarven Castle where they meet King Giott. He asks the party for help, but Cid has to take a leave of absence to repair the Enterprise and wrap its body in Mystic Silver to help the airship withstand the intense heat of the Underworld. Yang senses something in the crystal room behind the throne and Giott opens it up for Cecil's party. They find Luca's dolls, the Calcabrina, under Golbez's control and Cecil's party defeats them.

Golbez shows up and places the party in a magical hold. He summons the Shadow Dragon to eliminate everyone except for Cecil. The Mist Dragon appears and defeats the Shadow Dragon releasing Cecil and an adult Rydia appears and defeats Golbez. The party, Cecil and Rosa in particular, are happy to see Rydia who has been living in the Feymarch ever since the Leviathan incident and thus aged into adulthood in a faster pace than normal, and she offers her help. The weakened Golbez steals the Crystal and escapes.

The party heads for the Tower of Babil to retrieve the other Crystals and finds Dr. Lugae, a scientist under Golbez working with Rubicante, the Archfiend of Fire. Rubicante is teleported away and Cecil's party defeats Lugae. The party finds the key to stopping the Super Cannon, but when they reach the cannon its operators would not go down without a fight or making the cannon unstoppable. Yang is determined to stop the cannon himself, and is left behind.

Golbez catches the party escaping the tower and drops them off a bridge, but Cid catches them on the Enterprise before they fall into the lava. The Red Wings chase the Enterprise, and Cid sacrifices himself to save the party and the airship, which escapes the Underground back into the Overworld. Before he jumps off the Enterprise Cid asks Cecil to return to Baron and talk to his workers. Cecil does so, and the workers attach a hook to the airship used to pick up and carry the Hovercraft which is used to enter Cave of Eblan.

In the cave, the party finds Rubicante fighting Edge, the prince of Eblan. Rubicante defeats Edge and the party tries to convince him to join them. Edge agrees because he has taken a liking to Rydia. The party enters the upper half of the Tower of Babil and finds Edge's parents at the top murdered by Rubicante and transformed into monsters by Dr. Lugae. Edge brings them to their senses and Rubicante appears and attacks the party. Cecil's party defeats him and enters the crystal room, where they fall back to the Underground and find a new airship: the Falcon.

The Falcon cannot fly over the lava, so the party returns to the Dwarves' Castle to visit King Giott who says it is time to defend the last Crystal in the Sealed Cave. He gives Cecil's party the key to opening the cave. To get the Falcon fly over the lava Cecil heads for the hospital to find Cid recovering who remodels the airship.

The party heads for the Sealed Cave and work their way to the bottom where they find the Crystal. Golbez possesses Kain who steals the Crystal and runs off. The party heads back to the Upper World (after Cid attaches a drill to the head of the Falcon) and heads for Mysidia, where the Elder prays for something to help the party. That something is the Lunar Whale, the "Ship of Light from The Moon", which lets the party fly to the Moon.

On the Moon the party finds a palace where a man named Fusoya sleeps. Fusoya wakes up and explains Golbez is being controlled by a Lunarian named Zemus and reveals the real reason Golbez is gathering the Crystals: the Crystals are the key to activating the Giant of Babil which can grant wishes. Zemus wishes for the Earth to be destroyed, and he is using Golbez to do it. The party returns to Earth with Fusoya, but they are too late: the Giant of Babil has awakened, and goes on a destructive spree.

A fully-recovered Cid leads an army of leaders from all over the world, as well as Cecil's friends, to do battle with the Giant. They help Cecil and his friends enter the Giant and after defeating the CPU an angry Golbez appears. Fusoya knocks Golbez back to reality and Cecil learns he is his older brother, Theodor. Fusoya and Golbez head to the Moon to fight Zemus, and Kain rejoins the party.

On the Lunar Whale, Cecil asks Rydia and Rosa to leave the ship as he feels it is too dangerous for them to go to the Moon. They oblige but stow away to the Moon anyway, and convince Cecil they should join. They head to the Lunar Core where they witness Fusoya and Golbez defeat Zemus. The hatred possessing Zemus, Zeromus, jumps out and attacks the party. With help from old friends, they defeat Zeromus using the crystal.

Back on Earth, Cecil and Rosa marry and take the throne of Baron with all but Kain attending.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-
While attending the ceremony of Damcyan's reconstruction, Cecil joins Yang in investigating an incident at Mt. Hobbs by the Dad Bomb. Saving the two monks, Cecil accompanies Yang to Fabul and learns of Yang's daughter Ursula being born, naming him as the baby girl's godfather. The Falcon arrives and Cecil joins Cid, Palom, Porom and Luca in dealing with the monsters emerging from the Sealed Cave while Rosa remains in Fabul.

Finding Rydia, Cecil takes her to the Tower of Babil where he and the twins lose her and Edge comes to their aid. Upon finding her, Edge realizes it is not the real Rydia and the group nearly loses to her until the real Rydia arrives, and they defeat the imposter together. Though he never discovers the fake Rydia's true identity, Cecil learns Rosa is to bear him a child and reveals the news to his friends.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years


Seventeen years later, Cecil rules over Baron with Rosa as his queen and their son, Ceodore, as prince. While Ceodore is at Mythril training to be a knight, Baron Castle is attacked by monsters. Cecil, Rosa and Cid fight them off but Cecil has Cid take Rosa away to Damcyan via airship when their numbers don't relent. Shortly after a Mysterious Girl arrives, riding Bahamut, and unleashes him on Cecil, who slumps down.

Ceodore returns to Baron with a Hooded Man who rescued him from monsters after his airship crashed, and the two find Baron peaceful, the townsfolk claiming Cecil fended off the monsters. When the two sneak into the castle the Hooded Man finds Cecil in the throne room, not recognizing him and acting strangely. Suspicious and unwilling to let Ceodore see his father this way, the Hooded Man takes him out of the castle and they flee Baron. However, Cecil is also suspicious of him, and sends soldiers to pursue them.

Word spreads that Baron's Red Wings are again attacking kingdoms and stealing Crystals, and several of the former heroes seek to travel to Baron to investigate. Edward sails to Baron and meets with Cecil when Cecil orders Damcyan to leave the investigation of the meteor impact to Baron. Though Cecil acts strangely, he is reassuring and friendly and gives Edward a gift to take home to Damcyan. Edward in turn gives Cecil a bouquet of flowers and Cecil not recognizing them alerts him that something is wrong—the flowers are Whisperweed, and if Cecil was himself he would recognize them. Edward eavesdrops on Cecil through the Whisperweed, the conversation revealing he is working with the Mysterious Girl to seize the Crystals, and the item he has given Edward is a Carnelian Signet.

Ceodore, Rosa, Kain, Cid and Edward confront Cecil at Baron Castle. Cecil engages them using the Mysterious Girl's power to summon Odin, but Odin, being the spirit of the former King of Baron, recognizes his enemies as "[his] children of Baron" and returns to his senses, refusing to harm them. He strikes down Cecil breaking the Mysterious Girl's hold on him, but rendering Cecil in a pseudo-comatose state, because he was possessed by the Dark Knight (hinted by the dreams he had about the Hooded Man, Edward, and his family meeting him on Baron Castle). Unable to speak but for grunts and moans, Cecil's abilities in battle are hampered. The party travels to the True Moon to follow the Mysterious Girl, hoping to find the answer to restoring Cecil's mind.

In the Subterrane, the group comes upon a Dark Knight who attacks them, claiming to be the true Cecil. Cecil protects them from its blows, and is protected himself by Golbez. Rosa and Ceodore help Golbez stand against the Dark Knight and Cecil comes to his son's aid to save his life. Cecil absorbs the Dark Knight as the embodiment of his repressed darkness, and is restored to his senses and power.

After the Creator's destruction and the True Moon's departure, Cecil returns to his throne as the King of Baron and continues to train Ceodore as a knight.

Final Fantasy IV
As a Dark Knight, Cecil wields the Darkness ability, and stats weighted towards physical damage and can only wield swords and shields. Darkness has different effects depending on the version: in the 2D version, it deals non-elemental damage to all enemies at the cost of an eighth of his HP. In the 3D version, it doubles the damage of normal attacks at the cost of his HP. Dark Knight Cecil has high physical stats, with very low Magic Defense. His most powerful Dark Sword, the Deathbringer, can inflict instant death on hit.

As a Paladin, Cecil can use a few White Magic abilities and Cover, a wider range of equipment, and has greater defensive magical stats. He has a more defensive role, but his physical attack stats and ability to equip powerful weaponry makes him a strong fighter. In the 2D release, Cecil's range of possible equipment increases very broadly, and allows him to equip his ultimate weapon, the Ragnarok, or the Lightbringer if he completes his Lunar Trial. In the 3D release, his ultimate weapon is still the Ragnarok, though it is weaker.

In addition to being a party member, Dark Knight Cecil is fought in Mount Ordeals as a boss. He must be defeated at the chamber in Mount Ordeals.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-
Cecil returns as his Paladin self. He retains his White Magic and Cover skills. He joins the party at level 32, and he already knows all his spells. He comes equipped with a Mythril Sword, Mythril Helm, Fire Armor, and Mythril Gloves.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Cecil is playable in his Paladin form. He has a larger number of White Magic abilities and retains his Cover ability, and a large number of Band abilities making him useful in many lineups. He can equip swords, daggers, axes, staves, bows, and many armor types. Cecil has strong physical stats, though his low Spirit limits his ability to make use of White Magic. Cecil can equip many powerful weapons, such as the Excalibur, Lustrous Sword, Ragnarok and even the Ultima Weapon.

Additionally, Cecil is fought as a boss three times. His normal self is first fought in the flashbacks in the Lunarian's Tale and later in The Crystals, while his dark side boss is fought on the Subterrane of the True Moon.

Musical themes
Cecil's theme is called "The Red Wings", and it is mixed into the fanfare that plays when Cecil transforms into a Paladin. It plays during the opening scene on the airship, in the battle against Dark Knight, in the short sequence between rescuing Rosa and fighting Barbariccia, and on the upper levels of the Lunar Subterrane.

Other appearances
Cecil has appeared in the following games throughout the Final Fantasy series:
 * Final Fantasy XIV as an outfit and a Triple Triad card.
 * Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008) as a playable character.
 * Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy as a playable character.
 * Dissidia Final Fantasy (2015) as a playable character.
 * Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia as a playable character.
 * Theatrhythm Final Fantasy as a playable character.
 * Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call as a playable character.
 * Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character.
 * Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade as summonable Legend.
 * Final Fantasy Artniks as a series of cards.
 * Final Fantasy All the Bravest as a playable character.
 * Final Fantasy Record Keeper as playable characters (both Paladin and Dark Knight forms).
 * Final Fantasy Explorers as a Trance.
 * Final Fantasy World Wide Words.
 * Final Fantasy Brave Exvius.
 * Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as a series of cards.
 * Triple Triad as a series of cards.

Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances
Cecil has made key guest appearances in the following non-Final Fantasy games:
 * Secret of Evermore.
 * Rise of Mana.
 * Heavenstrike Rivals.
 * Puzzle & Dragons.

Games
In , many of Cecil's Paladin parts are obtainable for use in the.

In the tactical Square Enix mobile game Heavenstrike Rivals, Cecil and Golbez were added as units in a special event from Christmas 2015 until the end of the year.

Virtual World
Users in Square Enix Members Virtual World community can make their character appear as either of Cecil's two versions: Dark Knight Cecil or Paladin Cecil, both designed similar to Cecil's DS appearance.

Trivia

 * Cecil is one of the few Final Fantasy characters who are crossbreeds, along with Yuna, Golbez, Terra Branford, Aerith Gainsborough, Seymour Guado, and Lilisette.
 * Cecil is the first half-human main protagonist, as he is son of a Lunarian and a woman from Earth.
 * A character named Cecil appears in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles as an NPC in Marr's Pass.
 * Cecil is the only central protagonist in the series known to have married and have children, though several side characters have done so in other games.
 * Cecil is referenced by Natsuki Takaya in one of her side columns in Fruits Basket Volume 5, showing her love of Final Fantasy.
 * In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, the Paladin Armor is based upon Cecil's DS model, while the Paladin Helmet and Royal armor are modeled after his original SNES sprite.
 * Cecil's transformation may be a subtle allusion to the class upgrade from the original Final Fantasy. His Dark Knight job appearance alludes to the Dark Knight from Final Fantasy III and the Knight class from the same game wears a similar head ornament to Cecil from the SNES version. Cecil on the Japanese box cover greatly resembles the Knight, as his hair and cape are colored red.
 * Cecil is the first main protagonist to start off with a martial rank (captain) early in the game, a trend that would continue with Terra Branford, Cloud Strife (going by what is initially believed), Squall Leonhart, and Lightning.
 * In the iOS port of Final Fantasy IV, the game introduced Cecil as "Load Captain Baron Red Wings" instead of "Lord Captain". This error is fixed in the PC version of the game and later updates.