Celes Chere

File:Celeschere.jpg

Artwork by Yoshitaka Amano

Celes Chère or Celes Chere¹ is a fictional character of the Square Co., Ltd.'s RPG Final Fantasy VI. Before she joins the party, she is General Celes (Shogun Celes in the Japanese version) of the Empire. She was genetically enhanced and artificially infused with magic, making her the second Magitek Knight.

"Product of genetic engineering, a battle-hardened Magitek Knight, with a spirit as pure as snow..."

Name origin

"Celes probably got her name from the Roman goddess of grain and harvests, Ceres ("Demeter" in Greek mythology)." (alt.games.final-fantasy FAQ part 1/3). As trivia, according to the 1870 U.S. Census, a woman named Celestin Chere lived in Louisiana.

Celes is first seen in Terra's flashback, 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 (be careful not to give him rotten fish if you want him to survive)

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.

¹ In the game, Celes' full name is only shown in all majuscules. As such, the presence or absence of any accents is speculation. Official Squaresoft romanization of Celes' name uses no accent marks.

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. Celes must have a Blade weapon equipped, or the ability will not work.

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 arrranged 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 it's complete version for the first time.

External links

• Celes Chere @ FFOnline.com