Celes Chere

"Product of genetic engineering, a battle-hardened Magitek Knight, with a spirit as pure as snow..." Celes Chere or Celes Chère¹ is a fictional character of Final Fantasy VI. Before she joins the party, she is General Celes of the Empire. She was genetically enhanced and artificially infused with magic, making her the second Magitek Knight.

Name origin
Celes's name is probably derived from the Roman goddess of grain and harvests, Ceres ("Demeter" in Greek mythology)." (alt.games.final-fantasy FAQ part 1/3). Also, Celes' name could possibly come from an instrument called the celesta, which is featured predominantly in her theme song.

As a point of interest, it is worth mentioning that the other heroine of Final Fantasy VI is a woman named Terra, whose original name in the Japanese version of the game was Tina. There is also an element of contrast, with Terra meaning earth, and Celes resembling the word celestial. This contrast is touched upon in the game with Terra having innate fire magic and Celes having innate ice magic.

Celes is first seen in Terra's flashback along with her partners Kefka and Leo, but the player doesn't yet learn who she is. That happens when Locke rescues her from a basement under the rich man's house in South Figaro. She has been imprisoned there for alleged treason against the Empire.

In the Magitek Research Facility, when Kefka attacks the players, Celes rescues them by warping Kefka, his soldiers, and herself to another location. However, this makes the other player characters suspicious of her. The next time she is seen is in Albrook, where she is again an Imperial General.

However, in Thamasa, Celes rejoins the party. She proves her loyalty on the Floating Continent when Kefka gives her a sword with which to attack the player characters and she instead attacks Kefka. She flees with the others when Kefka moves the Statues, bringing destruction to the world.

Celes is the starting character in the World of Ruin. She wakes up on an island with only Cid, who has been taking care of her for the last year. Depending on the player's actions, she can either succeed or fail in keeping him alive while he is ill.

If she succeeds, Cid shows her a raft and urges her to leave to find her friends. If she fails, she attempts suicide by jumping off a cliff, then sees a seagull with Locke's bandana, finds Cid's raft, and leaves.

If the player finds Locke, he and Celes share an ending in the credits, during which Locke saves her from falling off a ledge. Otherwise, Setzer takes Locke's place.

Runic
Celes's Runic command allows her to absorb the next casted spell, turning it into MP for her to use. This ability works on the next spell that is cast, so it could absorb a friend or foe's spell. Furthermore, Celes must have a sword equipped for this to work; the menu item for Runic is grayed out if anything else is equipped.

Music
Celes is the only character in the game who is introduced without her theme music; instead, the song "Under Martial Law" is playing. It's not until after her perfomance in the Opera that Celes's theme makes an appearance.

In Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version, Celes' theme is called "Celes" -- disc 1, track 22. It is a leitmotif of the track:
 * Aria di Mezzo Carattere -- 2, 8
 * Ending Theme [Character Medley] -- 3, 15
 * Aria di Mezzo Carattere is also featured in the Final Fantasy VI arranged album Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale in the track "Aria di Mezzo Carattere" performed with true vocals, as well as in the Orchestral Game Concert 4 album in the track "The Dream Oath, Maria And Draku" in its complete version for the first time.