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biracialOf the games in the series, Final Fantasy VI was the first to infuse its story with current social issues. Teen pregnancy, war based on the acquisition of resources, genetic engineering, racism and biracial couplings were all included in some form. In particular, Terra represented both the entwined subjects of racism and biracialism. Terra was the offspring of a human and esper, and as such can be considered biracial. In the game, both humans and espers separate her from their race, labelling her as neither one nor the other. Edgar, for instance, effectively calls her inhuman. When her esper form is exposed and the party asks Ramuh if she's an esper, he says:
Terra is of both worlds, but in connecting to both, she isn't completely one or the other. Her biraciality is an important driving point of the main antagonists in the story: humans have been seeking to acquire the the magical abilities of espers, and Terra is one possibility in attaining that goal. Although a taboo issue in various parts of the real world, Terra's biraciality is favourably looked upon. Banon of the Returners calls it a "gift", while her friends and comrades are shocked, but not put off. This suggests that the game developers wanted to provide a positive view of biraciality. The reaction of the children Terra comes to care for in the World of Ruin further proves this, as though they are at first frightened and scornful of esper Terra, they quickly look beyond her appearance and love her for who she is inside. An interesting and important aspect of Terra's biraciality is that she doesn't appear to be a combination of both, but rather can switch between her human and esper selves. In a way, this could further emphasise the non-material divide between humans and espers. The orphan's, in fact, accept Terra as her esper self; this could act as a more general symbolism for the very real fact that acceptance between espers and humans is possible. Throughout the game, Terra struggles with the knowledge of her birth. With the way humans are treating espers, it's difficult for her to accept that espers and humans could ever have loved each other. She eventually realises there's nothing to be confused about:
At the heart of her character, Terra represents the idea of racial compatibility and acceptance. the queen and odinAnother almost biracial coupling between a human and an esper is known in Final Fantasy VI. Long ago, during the age of the War of the Magi, a queen and king ruled over a castle city. Odin, a humanoid esper, fought alongside the humans of the city and was the strongest warrior in the king's roster. Unbeknownst to the king, the queen began falling in love with Odin.
The group stumble upon the diary of the queen while searching the subterranean castle, halfway between Kohlingen and South Figaro. Terra is seems somewhat perturbed by this. With her face down, she says:
Later, Terra and the others discover the queen frozen in stone. When they reach her, a tear escapes and falls onto the Odin Magicite. Odin is empowered and transformed into Raiden. Although nothing can be proved, this seems to insinuate a connection between the queen and Odin, perhaps one of love. Terra is faced with another example of love that could have developed between a human and an esper. If nothing else, this fact helped her to see her own parent's love was more than a fluke. Proof that love between humans and espers -- or at least a human feeling love for an esper -- beyond her own parents was an undeniable possibility now.
Content and layout copyright © Aeryvae. Terra Branford and all other items pertaining to Final Fantasy VI copyright © Yoshitaka Amano and Square-Enix Co., Ltd.
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Ramuh: No...She's a bit different from us...
