There are many JRPGs that come to mind when one brings up the topic of some of the greatest games ever made, with numerous titles from the Final Fantasy series being fair picks due to their immense level of quality. While most people might assume that Final Fantasy VII would be the universal pick in the franchise, the fact of the matter is that there's actually another title that is beloved by many instead, and that is Final Fantasy VI.
Featuring the biggest main cast in a Final Fantasy game, coupled with some of the most ambitious world design ever attempted in a JRPG, Final Fantasy VI has got pretty much everything that a lover of classic JRPGs would desire. A big draw of this game is the characters, with Celes being one notable character who manages to make a very strong impression even after being introduced relatively late in the game.
10 Her Prison Interrogation Scene Had To Be Censored In The GBA Version
The original Final Fantasy VI was released before the creation of the Japanese rating system, CERO. Hence, for the GBA re-release, some changes needed to be made to ensure that the game didn't receive a rating that would block its sales.
One major scene that had to be changed for this was Celes' interrogation scene, which featured a pretty lengthy beatdown. In Final Fantasy VI Advance, this sequence has been shortened and censored heavily.
9 Locke Could've Been The Character Who Wielded Her Abilities
During the initial moments of Final Fantasy VI's development, the abilities that characters would wield ended up swapping hands quite a bit.
Initially, it was Locke who would have a magic sword that would aid him in battle, but his background was changed to that of a charismatic treasure hunter instead. However, the idea of a party member having a magic sword remained intact, and Celes became the receiver of this weapon instead.
8 She Was Similar To Locke's Old Flame Rachel, Which Is Probably Why He Fell In Love With Celes
The connection between Locke and Celes is something that has been explored quite extensively in Final Fantasy VI, and it's easy to see why this is the case. After all, Celes is definitely similar to another person Locke was very close to at one point.
This person is none other than Locke's old flame, Rachel, who ended up passing away after a string of unfortunate accidents that Locke was unable to prevent. However, in the case of Celes, he actually manages to save her in a situation that was very similar to the one Rachel had found herself in.
7 There's Actually A Way For Her To Ensure That Cid Survives His Illness
After the World of Ruin comes into being, the first character that players end up controlling is Celes. She ended up being in a coma for a year after the world changes and was being taken care of by the legendary Cid himself. However, Cid falls prey to a disease and dies shortly afterward, although things don't necessarily have to be that way.
When Cid asks Celes to bring a fish, the player should try and get a fish that is big and moving around quickly, as opposed to the slower and more lethargic ones. Doing so will prevent Cid from dying a meaningless death, although the player would miss one of the more iconic moments in the game.
6 Celes' Background Was Heavily Influenced By Yoshinori Kitase
After the idea of an ensemble cast was finalized, various developers ended up giving their own personal inputs for each character in the game. For Celes, this person ended up being the legendary Yoshinori Kitase himself.
With this talented individual at the helm of writing Celes' character, it was only a given that Celes would be one of the more riveting characters in the game.
5 Kitase Considers Celes To Be His Favorite Final Fantasy VI Character
Kitase has a habit of getting extremely invested in the personalities and stories of the characters in the games he's played a major role in developing, with his personal likes and dislikes shaping the prominence of most characters in the titles as well.
This is perhaps why Celes ended up having such a major role over the course of Final Fantasy VI. Kitase did have a sweet spot for the character he spent the most time on, after all.
4 She Would've Been Insane Due To The Forced Magical Infusions
Various early drafts of Celes' character don't really paint a pretty picture when it comes to her personality. After all, the idea of her being just as insane as Kefka would've been quite an interesting prospect, though Celes' current character is still way more riveting. Giving her such an odd personality quirk would've been quite a gamble in this context. Could she have actually become a villain?
3 She Was Meant To Be A Double Agent Who Constantly Doubted Herself
Initially, Celes was meant to be a double agent. She would pretend to aid the Returners but actually feed information to the Empire instead about the resistance and their movements.
However, due to the kindness she experiences at the hands of Locke and the other characters, she would've started doubting her mission before trusting her gut and going with the true heroes of Final Fantasy VI instead.
2 The Initial Concept Of Her Character Was Used For Cait Sith In Final Fantasy VII
While Celes' story as a double agent was ultimately crapped, not everything about this particular background went to waste. Elements of this initial concept did end up making their way into Final Fantasy VII instead, with Cait Sith playing the role of the double agent.
Given how forgettable his character was, perhaps it was ultimately a good thing that Celes never fell for this double agent trap.
1 She Was Initially Not Meant To Have Such A Major Role In The Game
There was a time when Celes was meant to have a more muted role as opposed to how impactful her presence was in the final product.
This was partly due to Kitase, once again, after developing a liking towards Celes, he ended up writing parts of the story's second half to incorporate her character even more. This is evident from the very moment that players step into the World of Ruin, in Celes' shoes, no less.