Terra Branford has a brand-new official look. Square Enix revealed new artwork of the Final Fantasy 6 heroine yesterday (October 16th) as part of its launch countdown for Final Fantasy Resonance, which releases next week (October 22nd). The illustration was drawn by Gen Kobayashi, and it puts Terra side by side with Fina from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, the mobile game that Resonance is built on.
The official Final Fantasy X account shared the art with six days left until launch. Check it out below:
A Fresh Take On A Classic Design
Kobayashi keeps all of the pieces that make Terra recognizable. She wears her signature red dress, this time with a soft rose pattern on the sleeve, along with a yellow sash wrapped around her shoulders, a green pendant at her neck, and a gold ornament with a pink ribbon tucked into her hair. Her long hair falls in loose waves in a pale green-blonde shade. Fina sits just below her in a white hooded cloak with a pink lily in her hair, and the two of them look up toward the light against a glowing pink background. The countdown number is written as a Roman numeral, so the "VI" doubles as a nod to Terra's game.
Terra's hair color has changed a few times over the decades, from the lighter tones of Yoshitaka Amano's original concept art to the bright green of her in-game sprite, and fans still argue over which version is the real one. Kobayashi's version sits right between the two. The pairing is a fun touch as well, since Terra is known as Tina in Japan, and the Japanese Final Fantasy Resonance account introduced the art as Tina and Fina. That account had a simple message for fans: "Here are the adorable Tina and Fina! Thank you so much."
Who Is Gen Kobayashi?
Kobayashi is a longtime Square Enix designer with plenty of history in the series. The Japanese Resonance account credited him as the character designer for the Game Boy Advance versions of Final Fantasy and for the Paranormasight series. He is also known for his character work on The World Ends with You, which gives this piece a slightly sharper, more modern style than the watercolor look most fans picture when they think of Final Fantasy 6.
A Countdown Full Of Final Fantasy Artists
Terra is part of a much bigger celebration. For almost two weeks, Square Enix has been posting a new piece of countdown art each day, and most of them come from artists tied to the game being honored that day. Lightning was drawn by Final Fantasy 13 art director Isamu Kamikokuryo at 13 days out. Vaan and Resonance hero Rain came from Final Fantasy 12 character designer Ryoma Ito, Shantotto came from Final Fantasy 11 illustrator Fumio Minagawa, and Tidus came from Final Fantasy 10 art director Yusuke Naora.
Final Fantasy 9 character designer Toshiyuki Itahana drew Rain and Zidane, Final Fantasy Trading Card Game illustrator Oreki Genya handled Squall, and Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis illustrator Risa Fujise drew Cloud with Rain the day before Terra's art went up. The countdown has also included video messages from Naoki Yoshida, Final Fantasy 11 producer and director Yoji Fujito, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase. With five days to go, the Japanese account has already posted three more pieces today, including a new Zidane illustration.
Terra's Role In Final Fantasy Resonance
Terra is one of the Visions in Resonance. The game describes Visions as echoes of beloved Final Fantasy characters who fight alongside your party with their own skills and abilities. The official character page lists 16 of them, one from each mainline game: the Warrior of Light, Firion, the Onion Knight, Cecil, Bartz, Terra, Cloud, Squall, Zidane, Tidus, Shantotto, Vaan, Lightning, Y'shtola, Noctis, and Clive. Square Enix gave Terra her own Vision trailer last month. For those who want a look at her in action, here it is:
Resonance is the first Final Fantasy game in the HD-2D style made famous by Octopath Traveler. It adapts the first story arc of Brave Exvius, but Square Enix has rebuilt it from the ground up as a full console RPG, with turn-based battles, chocobos, espers, and airships. Players can break an enemy's defenses by hitting its weaknesses to earn extra turns and unleash powerful Resonance attacks.
The game launches on October 22nd for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC through Steam and the Microsoft Store, with the Steam version arriving a day later in Japan. The standard edition costs $49.99, the Digital Deluxe Edition is $59.99, and the Collector's Edition is $209.99 with an artbook, a soundtrack, and an exclusive Final Fantasy Trading Card Game promo card. There is also a demo available now, and save data from the demo carries over to the full game.
Why Terra Still Matters
Final Fantasy 6 first launched on the Super Famicom in Japan in April 1994 and reached North America that October on the Super Nintendo as Final Fantasy III. Terra, a young woman who is half human and half Esper, opens the game as a mind-controlled soldier of the Empire and slowly learns what it means to love and to fight for others. Her story, the ensemble cast around her, and the showdown with Kefka are a big reason the game is still ranked among the best in the series more than 30 years later.
Do you love Kobayashi's softer, modern take on Terra, or are you sticking with her classic Amano look?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.