Terra Branford

Terra Branford (voiced by Natalie Lander) is a playable character in Final Fantasy VI. Her unique abilities make her a key player in the war between the Gestahlian Empire and the rebel factions.

Terra is first used by the Gestahlian Empire, who exploit her abilities via a slave crown controlled by Kefka. After she is freed from the slave crown, the Returners attempt to recruit her to fight the empire. While she has no love for the empire, Terra is apprehensive about joining the Returners, as she is confused by and afraid of her powers, while unsure of what is the right cause to fight for. She longs to learn what love is, but throughout the course of the game, she learns more about herself, comes into her own, and becomes more focused and determined.

Terra is one of two characters in Final Fantasy VI with the innate ability to use magic without magicite, her spells having a general theme of fire and offensive status magic. Her ability Trance temporarily heightens her stats and amplifies her damage. She can equip most weapons and armor, including mage and female-exclusive equipment, making her a versatile character.

Yoshinori Kitase has stated that Final Fantasy VI has no official main character, as the developers aimed to give the entire cast equal development and status without anyone standing above the rest. However, Terra is commonly used as Final Fantasy VI's representative character, first appearing in such a capacity in Dissidia Final Fantasy and continuing into other crossover titles. She could be considered the first female character to be the central character in a mainstream Final Fantasy title.