Final Fantasy Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Template:FFVI character

EsperTerraSprite

A mysterious young woman, controlled by the Empire, and born with the gift of magic...

SNES version

A mysterious young woman, born with the gift of magic, and enslaved by the Gestahlian Empire

GBA version

Terra Branford is the main character in Final Fantasy VI. Her name is Tina in the Japanese version. A half-human, half-Esper, Terra is one of the only humans able to naturally cast magic, and the only human-Esper hybrid in existence. Her unique abilities make her a key player in the war between the Gestahlian Empire and the rebel factions. However, her unique heritage gives her a confused outlook on life, particularly on the subject of love, which she is unsure if she is able to feel.

Terra is depicted in-game with bright green hair, but in all other appearances, she has blond hair. Tera also has the distinction of being the first central female lead in the series, a role she now shares with Lightning and Yuna.

Story

Template:Spoilers

File:TerraFMV.JPG

Terra in a FMV in the Anthology release of Final Fantasy VI.

Terra was born in the Land of Espers, to an Esper father (Maduin) and a human mother (Madeline). Two years after she was born, the Gestahlian Empire raided the Land of Espers and abducted Maduin. Madeline, with her last breath, told the Emperor Gestahl to keep away from her daughter; however, it was too late. Terra grew up in the custody of the Empire, and was bred as a weapon of mass destruction. One of the Empire's top generals, Kefka Palazzo, took a keen interest in her and put a Slave Crown on her head, so she would follow Kefka's orders directly. Among them was to annihilate fifty of the Empire's finest soldiers, which she did with ease.

NTerra

Artwork by Yoshitaka Amano.

Sixteen years after the raid on the Land of Espers, Terra was assigned on a mission to Narshe, accompanied by two Imperial troopers: Biggs and Wedge. The mission was to do research on, and retrieve, the frozen Esper that was lying in the mines. The trio succeeded in reaching the Esper, but the sheer power of the Esper killed Biggs and Wedge and knocked Terra to her senses. Despite this, she had a bad case of amnesia. She was rescued by Arvis, a resident of Narshe, who nursed her back to health. However, the local police knew of her location and wanted her in custody due to her former control by the Empire. Arvis helped Terra escape, but the guards caught up to her in the mines. This forced Locke Cole to rescue her, along with eleven Moogles. They succeeded, and Locke took Terra away to Figaro.

Meanwhile, Kefka was worried that his weapon was taken away. He headed to Figaro (where Terra was being hidden by the king, Edgar Roni Figaro, and Locke), to ask about her whereabouts. Edgar lied and said he never knew of her. This did not stop Kefka from attempting to burn the castle down. Terra, Locke, and Edgar managed to escape, while the Castle submerged under the desert. Edgar and Locke, knowing of Terra's power, took her to the Returners' Hideout in the Sabil Mountain Range. There, they met up with the leader of the Returners, Banon, who tried to convince Terra to join their cause. He did not want to force Terra to do so, because, as Edgar said, forcing her would make them "no different from the Empire." Depending upon the player's actions, Terra eventually agreed to join. Banon then invited Terra to come to Narshe with him, Edgar, and Edgar's brother, Sabin Rene Figaro, and she accepted. On the way, the foursome was attacked by Ultros, an octopus inhabitant of the Lete River. During the battle, Ultros latched onto Terra's leg using a tentacle, and Sabin tried fighting it off with a Blitz. However, during the struggle, Sabin was thrown from the raft, and Terra, Edgar, and Banon had to reach Narshe alone. They eventually did so, and had to trek back through the mines to meet up with Arvis (the local police did not want Terra or the Returners in town).

Thereafter, everyone met up in Narshe. The Empire was staging an attack in order to get the Esper again, this time led by Kefka. Banon led the defense, which Terra participated in. The defense eventually won and Kefka was forced to retreat. After the battle, the group went to see the Esper, which reacted with Terra again. This time, Terra was transformed into an Esper, and flew away to a place unknown.

A search party was set up to look for Terra. She was eventually found in the city of Zozo, atop the tallest tower. She was being cared for by Ramuh, the Esper. Ramuh told the party that in order for Terra to recover, she had to meet with her father, who was still being held prisoner by the Empire. Celes Chere agreed to lead a party to attack the Empire, and Locke agreed to accompany her.

Terra Esper

Terra as an Esper.

Locke eventually returned with Maduin, now a Magicite shard, and used it on Terra. She regained her memory, and the party headed for Narshe to form a strategy to attack the Empire. Banon thought the best strategy would be to have the Espers attack from the east, and then a coalition of Returners and Narshe guards would attack the Imperial capital, Vector. Terra had to be the messenger to the Espers, since she was the only one who could communicate with them. She led a team through the Cave to the Sealed Gate, which led to the Land of Espers. She was ambushed by Kefka there, but was able to open the gate to the Land of Espers, and the army of Espers that emerged, led by Yura, attacked Kefka. Terra's group managed to escape to the party's airship, but the Espers were in hot pursuit, and attacked the ship, which was forced to land near Vector. The party agreed to enter Vector.

Once they arrived, they found the city up in flames, and Arvis and Banon were confused. Inside the castle, Emperor Gestahl appeared to have surrendered. He invited the Returners to a banquet during which he proposed peace. He then asked Terra to parlay this message to the Espers, who were now hiding out on Crescent Island to the east. Locke agreed to accompany her, and General Leo Christophe would act as the Imperial liaison. On the way there, Terra asked Leo about love, because it was an emotion that she never felt. She was worried that being half-Esper would prevent her from truly falling in love. Leo reassured her and said that it wouldn't.

Terra V

Upon arriving at Crecent Island, Terra and Locke, now accompanied by Shadow, made their way to the remote village of Thamasa, to ask about Espers. They found the villagers to be very hostile to strangers, and they asked an old man named Strago Magus for help. Strago denied the existence of Espers, but was friendly nonetheless. That night, Terra, Locke, and Shadow were invited to stay for free at the inn. During the night, a building was caught on fire, and Strago's granddaughter, Relm Arrowny, was stuck inside. Strago asked Terra and Locke to help him rescue her, and they saw Strago's magical abilities in the process. As a result, Strago revealed the truth of his ancestry to Terra and Locke, and agreed to accompany them to the Espers' Gathering Place. Relm followed them, and caught up to them in a fight with Ultros. Eventually, the group reached the area where Yura was hiding with the rest of the Espers who attacked Vector. Terra convinced Yura to set up a conference with General Leo.

Back in Thamasa, Yura and Leo began peace negotiations. However, they were interrupted by Kefka, who revealed that this was a set up for him and Gestahl to retrieve more Espers to turn into Magicite. Kefka killed Yura and the other Espers and wounded everyone but Leo, who fought Kefka and died. Kefka then began to collect the remains of various Espers, and headed to the Sealed Gate to collect more. As a result, the Statues were restored and the Sealed Gate rose above the ground and became the Floating Continent. Afterward, Terra led a funeral service for Leo.

One year after Kefka destroyed the world, Terra found herself in the village of Mobliz, which was attacked by Kefka's "Light of Judgement." All the adults had died, and Terra felt a responsibility to take care of the kids. While doing so, she realized a new side of her was awakening, and thus she lost all her will to fight. Celes and Sabin tried to convince her to take up arms again, but Terra refused. She even proved her weakness when the town was attacked by Humbaba, a legendary beast. The second time Phunbaba came, though, Terra realized what her feeling was, and it was love for the children. With this newfound knowledge, she defeated Phunbaba and rejoined the battle.

TerraHair

After Kefka was finally defeated, Terra's friends were worried about her fate, as the Statues had died, and they were the source of Magic and allowed the survival of the Espers. Terra agreed to use the last of her power to help the party escape from Kefka's Tower. However, Maduin told her as he was about to shatter, that she would live on as a full human if she was attached to someone or something. Due to her love for the children of Mobliz, she was allowed to live, and the game ends with Terra standing at the bow of the Falcon releasing her ponytail and savoring freedom at last.

Equipment and Stats

Terra's job class can best be described as a "Red Mage", as her stats are all-around good and her equipment is highly varied. She can equip all swords and shields, as well as all heavy armor. In addition, she can use female specifics and early game mage equipment such as the Silk Robe. This overall makes Terra one of the most customizable characters in the game.

Starting equipment

  • MithrilKnife
  • Buckler
  • Leather Hat
  • LeatherArmor

Equipment list

Weapons

Dirks Swords Maces Spears
  • Dirk
  • Mythril Knife
  • Man Eater
  • Gladius
  • Mythril Blade
  • Regal Cutlass
  • Rune Edge
  • Epee
  • Flame Sabre
  • Blizzard
  • Thunder Blade
  • Break Blade
  • Drainer
  • Ultima Weapon
  • Enhancer
  • Soul Sabre
  • Ogre Nix
  • Crystal
  • Falchion
  • Scimitar
  • Excalibur
  • Ragnarok
  • Lightbringer
  • Apocalypse (GBA)
  • Flail
  • Morning Star
  • Impartisan

Armor

Shields Helmets Body Armor
  • Buckler
  • Heavy Shield
  • Mithril Shield
  • Gold Shield
  • Diamond Shield
  • Crystal Shield
  • Flame Shield
  • Ice Shield
  • Thunder Shield
  • Aegis Shield]]
  • Force Shield
  • Genji Shield
  • Cursed Shield
  • Paladin Shield
  • Leather Hat
  • Hair Band
  • Plumed Hat
  • Bandana
  • Magus Hat
  • Iron Helmet
  • Green Beret
  • Bard's Hat
  • Mithril Helmet
  • Tiara
  • Gold Helmet
  • Mystery Veil
  • Diamond Helmet
  • Crystal Helmet
  • Circlet
  • Oath Veil
  • Red Cap
  • Thornlet
  • Genji Helmet
  • Leather Armor
  • Cotton Robe
  • Silk Robe
  • Iron Armor
  • Mithril Vest
  • White Dress
  • Mithril Mail
  • Gaia Gear
  • Gold Armor
  • Diamond Vest
  • Diamond Armor
  • Mirage Vest
  • Crystal Mail
  • Force Armor
  • Genji Armor
  • Minerva

Abilities

Terraesper

Terra in her Esper form

Music

Terra III

"Tina" (Terra's theme) is the main theme of the game, and it is worked into the songs "Awakening," "Opening Theme," "Metamorphosis," "Save Them!" and "Ending Theme."

Other Appearances

Dissidia -Final Fantasy-

File:Terra Dissidia Artwork.jpg

Terra's artwork for Dissidia by Tetsuya Nomura.

File:Dissidia terraexmode.jpg

Terra in her EX-Mode, based on her Esper form.

Chaos has summoned a combined force of Final Fantasy's ultimate masters of evil. Cosmos, in an attempt to protect the Crystals, has summoned ten warriors to thwart their plans. Terra is one of these warriors.

Like the rest of the Dissidia cast, Terra's appearance is based in her original artwork. Thus, she is depicted with blonde hair instead of green, lacks shoulder pads, and wears a pale cloak. She stands as the hero opposing Kefka Palazzo. Her EX-Mode will involve her Esper form, in which she seems to use her Riot Blade Desperation Attack, flinging out crescent-shaped waves of energy. In the Tokyo Game Show 2008 trailer, she is seen summoning Typhon to help her in battle, although it has been confirmed that all characters can Summon and thus is not an ability unique to her.

Non-Final Fantasy Appearaces

Secret of Evermore

Terra appears among a crowd of people that includes Final Fantasy related characters such as a moogle in the gladiator battle of Antiqua.

Etymology

Tina is a common western name. Terra is the Latin word for "earth".

Trivia

  • There exists an underlying contrast between Terra and Celes. In the English version, similar to the word "celestial", Celes' name might be a direct counterpart to Terra's name. This contrast is touched upon in the game with Terra having innate fire magic and Celes having innate ice magic. To this same end, Red Dragon holds Terra's strongest weapon and Blue Dragon holds Celes' strongest weapon in the Advance port of the game.
  • Along with Faris, Terra is Yoshitaka Amano's favorite character to design.
  • Terra appeared in the Final Fantasy VI: The Interactive CG Game along with Shadow and Locke.

External Links

Template:FFVI Template:Dissidia Template:Featured article

Advertisement