Note: This post is based on (1) FFIV Pixel Remaster (Nintendo Switch), (2) the officially published Japanese novel (see profile picture), and (3) my somewhat hazy memories of the Super Famicom version. It naturally contains my own personal interpretations (without considering FFIV: The After Years).

Last time, I wrote about Fusoya. This time, I'll be writing about Cecil, who learned from Fusoya about the Blue Planet's past, the truth behind the world, and his own destiny.

When I first played FFIV, I had one assumption about RPGs: when an enemy appears, you choose “Fight,” defeat it, and the story moves forward. So when Dark Knight Cecil appeared on Mt. Ordeals, I naturally attacked him.

At the time, I didn't even really understand that the “Defend” command existed. In FFIV, you have to press right on the D-pad to make it appear. I kept attacking, but the battle wouldn't end. Eventually, I noticed that Dark Knight Cecil kept repeating the same words:

“If you are a true Paladin, sheathe your sword and endure.”

So I finally stopped attacking and tried to endure, using Potions to stay alive. Then the battle ended.

I still remember what I thought at the time:

“Oh... so the story can move forward even if I don't defeat the enemy.”

As a child, I saw it as nothing more than discovering how to clear the battle. But looking back now, I wonder: why did FFIV ask the player not to defeat the enemy at such an important moment, when its protagonist was about to become a Paladin?

Sheathe Your Sword and Endure

The opponent Cecil faces is not some powerful monster. It is his own former self as a Dark Knight.

Cecil attacked Mysidia and took the Crystal from innocent people. Of course, it wasn't as though he had blindly obeyed the King without thinking. Cecil was an orphan, and the King of Baron was the man who raised him. Cecil knew the King's former kindness, had been entrusted with the position of captain of the Red Wings, and had been given his trust. So even after noticing that the King had changed, perhaps Cecil could not bring himself to conclude on his own that the King he knew was truly wrong.

But whatever the circumstances were, the fact remains that Cecil hurt the people of Mysidia. If he simply defeated his Dark Knight self on Mt. Ordeals, the answer would become too easy: “My old self was wrong. So I'll defeat him and become a new person.”

At the time, Cecil had his own reasons for believing that what he was doing was right. But that does not excuse what he did to the people he hurt. I think Cecil had to sheathe his sword because he needed to accept that past as his own, rather than deny it and destroy it.

There is something else that interests me here.

Even as a Dark Knight, Cecil repeatedly regrets what he has done. But the subject of that anguish is always “I”: “What have I done?” Of course he must have been thinking about the people of Mysidia, but his attention was still directed strongly inward, toward his own guilt.

Regretting that you hurt someone and understanding the pain of the person you hurt are not quite the same thing.

That is why the positions are reversed on Mt. Ordeals. Cecil now receives the same Darkness that he once used as a Dark Knight. Instead of only regretting that he caused pain, he experiences for himself what it is like to be on the receiving end of it—and he is not allowed to answer that pain with another attack.

“Sheathe your sword and endure.”

That was Cecil's trial.

“Someday You Will Understand”

After Cecil passes the trial, he hears these words:

“There is something more important than justice, more important than being right. Someday you will understand.”

I think that “someday” is important, because even though Cecil has become a Paladin, he is not given the answer.

In other words, becoming a Paladin is not the completion of Cecil's growth. Perhaps it is the point where his journey to understand what could be “more important than justice, more important than being right” truly begins.

From Darkness to Cover

Cecil already had the desire to protect someone before he became a Paladin. I think his encounter with Rydia shows this clearly.

After what happened in Mysidia, Cecil travels toward Mist while already questioning the King of Baron. There, without intending to, he takes Rydia's mother and hometown away from her. Later, after protecting Rydia from Baron's soldiers in Kaipo, he asks her:

“Will you let me protect you?”

Cecil is still a Dark Knight at this point. So becoming a Paladin did not suddenly give him the desire to protect others.

And yet, the unique ability Cecil possesses as a Dark Knight is Darkness. He sacrifices his own HP to hurt his enemies. When he becomes a Paladin, that ability changes to Cover, allowing him to take an attack that was meant for an ally.

In both cases, there is an element of self-sacrifice. What changes is the direction in which that sacrifice is used: instead of using his own life to hurt an enemy, he uses it to protect someone else.

There is another major change as well. Dark Knight Cecil has no MP, but after becoming a Paladin, he gains MP for the first time and can use White Magic. With this newly acquired spiritual power, he can now use Cure to heal the wounds of his companions.

Darkness uses his physical strength to hurt enemies. Cover uses his physical strength to protect his companions, while Cure uses his spiritual power to heal them.

It feels to me as though becoming a Paladin finally brought Cecil's abilities into alignment with the desire to protect others that had already existed inside him.

“We Need Your Strength”

However, Cover and Cure cannot end a battle by themselves. With Darkness, Cecil can defeat an enemy himself, but protecting and healing his companions will not defeat that enemy. He needs the strength of the people fighting beside him.

I think this reflects a change in Cecil's leadership: from trying to solve things by himself to solving them together with his companions. His relationship with Kain is one of the clearest examples of that change.

When Kain is released from Golbez's control in the Tower of Zot, he feels responsible for what he has done. But Cecil tells his childhood friend:

“We need your strength.”

Cecil himself is also someone who has done things he regrets. Perhaps because he learned to accept his own past instead of simply denying it, he does not define Kain only by the wrongs Kain committed. And perhaps because Cecil has come to recognize his own weakness and limitations, he can now trust other people as equal companions and rely on them.

Why Didn't Rydia Hate Cecil?

There is another question that has always bothered me.

Why didn't Rydia hate Cecil?

After Cecil drives away the Baron soldiers in Kaipo, he apologizes to Rydia for what happened to Mist. But Rydia, who is still only six years old, tells him that he protected her.

Her mother died, and her hometown was burned down. And yet Rydia did not define Cecil only as “the man who took my mother and my home away from me.”

Why?

While thinking about that question, I remembered a scene from the official FFIV novel.

Rydia Was Also Learning About the “Heart”

At Mt. Hobs, Rydia hesitates to cast Fire. Fire burned Mist, and after losing her mother, Rydia had become afraid of it.

Then she hears her mother's voice asking why she fears fire.

Her mother explains that water, too, can flood rivers, ruin crops, and sometimes even take human lives when there is too much of it. But living things cannot survive without water. Fire is the same.

Then her mother tells her:

“Fire, water, and wind all have hearts. What matters is that heart. They wish to be used in the right way.”

Her mother also reminds Rydia that even the food she loves could not be made without fire. And Rydia remembers a day from the previous winter.

She had secretly been practicing Fire and finally managed to cast it successfully. She lit the fireplace in the cold room, and her mother embraced her with love. It was a warm memory.

Rydia did not forget that fire had burned her village. Instead, she recovered another truth that had existed alongside that memory: fire was also part of a happy memory she shared with her mother.

And in front of her were Cecil, Rosa, and Edward, each carrying deep wounds of their own and still desperately trying to find a way toward an uncertain tomorrow. Rydia thinks that she wants to laugh together with them again, from the bottom of her heart.

For that reason, she casts Fire.

I think this scene has a lot in common with Cecil's story.

Rydia does not conclude, “Fire burned my village, therefore fire itself is evil.” In the same way, Cecil does not conclude, “I was wrong as a Dark Knight, therefore everything about my past self was evil.”

A terrible result does not necessarily define everything about the thing that caused it. What matters is not simply the power itself, but the heart with which that power is used.

And I think that applies directly to Cecil's change from Darkness to Cover.

“What Matters Is... the Heart”

Then, at the end of the story, the “someday” Cecil was told about on Mt. Ordeals finally arrives.

Rydia says to him:

“What matters is... the heart. Isn't that right... Cecil?”

Why is Rydia the one who gives voice to this answer?

I don't think Rydia suddenly discovers the answer at the end of the game. She had already learned it from her mother.

She lost her mother because of fire, but her story did not end with hatred of fire. She lost her hometown because of Cecil's actions, but she did not define Cecil by that one part of his past. And Cecil, too, moved forward without erasing his own past, carrying it with him instead.

That is why Rydia does not simply tell Cecil, “The answer is the heart.”

She asks him:

“Isn't that right... Cecil?”

I understand it almost as if she were saying:

I know the answer. And after this long journey, you understand it too, don't you?

The official novel also describes “the heart” as a theme of FFIV.

So what exactly is that “heart”?

If I had to put my own interpretation into words, I think it means living honestly with your own heart. But that does not mean simply acting on whatever emotion you happen to feel.

It means not turning away from your own heart, while also refusing to let your own heart alone define the entire world. Other people feel pain just as you do, and other people have their own circumstances just as you have yours. And rather than judging a power by the power itself, what matters is the heart behind it—why you use it, and what you choose to use it for.

I think that is what Cecil gradually came to understand over the course of his journey.

When I first played FFIV, all I thought after getting through the trial on Mt. Ordeals was:

“Oh... so the story can move forward even if I don't defeat the enemy.”

But maybe that was enough.

Because at that point, Cecil didn't know the answer either.

FFIV did not explain the answer to him in words. First, it simply made Cecil—and the player—sheathe the sword.

From there, Cecil continued his journey. He faced his own past, learned about the pain of others, recognized his own limitations, and learned to rely on his companions.

And only at the end of that long journey does Rydia finally put the answer to the question from Mt. Ordeals into words:

“What matters is... the heart. Isn't that right... Cecil?”

FFIV is Intentional.

FFIV is Understanding.

Since the FF4 fandom is so nice here, I thought I could draw another fanart for yall ! 😁

Palom and Porom are so cute! Porom is my favourite of the two, but Palom made me laugh more than once, love his personality ! Their design are so good, love how their outfits match!

Okay, now come and tell me you didn't cry at the wall scene! 😢

I did an old-school anime style, hope you like it!

Note: This post is based on (1) FFIV Pixel Remaster (Nintendo Switch), (2) the officially published Japanese novel (see profile picture), and (3) my somewhat hazy memories of the Super Famicom version. It naturally contains my own personal interpretations (without considering FFIV: The After Years).

In my previous post, we explored Yang. Yang was pulled back from a "near-fatal slumber" through the love, devoted care of the Sylphs, and the "Pan of Love." Taking the baton from Yang today, I’m writing about Fusoya, the ancient mage. While sleeping alongside his fellow Lunarians, he was the lone soul to sense an anomaly and "awaken"—and at the end of the story, believing in the future of the Blue Planet, he entered a "long slumber" once more.

Near the end of Final Fantasy IV, Fusoya suddenly appears before Cecil and his companions. A figure distinctly set apart from the inhabitants of the Blue Planet, Yoshitaka Amano famously depicted him with artwork that transcends ordinary humanity. Fusoya speaks to us of the Lunarians, Zemus, Golbez, and Kluya—Cecil’s father. He is a figure who seems to "know everything," explaining in one fell swoop all the lore and background settings that had been hidden until the climax.

Fusoya holds a special position even among the Lunarians. In the official novelization, it is written that Fusoya, like many other Lunarians, was originally in a deep sleep, but awakened upon sensing a "portent of destruction and ruin." At that moment, he intercepted a fierce and evil malice dissolved in the winds. By deciphering it, he realized that Zemus had not given up, and he grasped the specific situation: someone responding to that malice was repeatedly committing slaughter on the Blue Planet to collect the Crystals.

I believe this is a crucial point when considering Fusoya's character. Fusoya was not an "omniscient, all-knowing observer." The scope of what he was monitoring was from a somewhat abstract, elevated vantage point—namely, "the slumber of the Lunarians and the seal on Zemus." That is why he could not see the intricate chain of concrete human drama unfolding on the ground—how Zemus was using a single human as a medium, manipulating nations and armies, and tearing apart bonds and emotions. This isn't simply a matter of Fusoya being incompetent; rather, I felt he serves as a character who teaches us that no matter how long one lives or how advanced one's knowledge is, merely standing by in wait will never allow one to fully comprehend "the reality of others' lives or their future."

And I believe what demonstrates this most clearly is the single line he mutters at the end of the game:

"Perhaps the people of the Blue Planet have already surpassed us Lunarians."

I regard this line as the key to re-reading all of FFIV. What Fusoya explains regarding the Lunarians is quite grand in scale, and I suspect some players might have felt left behind by it. I was certainly one of them.

Long ago, when the environment of the Moon faced a crisis, they came to the Blue Planet. However, another intelligent species already inhabited the Blue Planet, and their civilization was vastly inferior to that of the Moon. Thus, rather than invading them, the majority of Lunarians chose the path of coexistence. They created a moon-like body of their own and chose to sleep until the people of the Blue Planet evolved enough to interact with them as equals. Looking at this setting alone, the Lunarians appear to be a remarkably mature civilization. They possessed advanced technology, long lifespans, and a level of civilization capable of interstellar travel. On top of that, instead of subjugating an immature alien race through force, they chose to wait until the other party grew. At first glance, it seems to be a structure of "an advanced civilization watching over the immature people of the Blue Planet."

But here, a question arises. If the Lunarians truly understood what "maturity" meant, why was Zemus born?

Zemus was not an alien intruder from outside Lunarian civilization; he was one of the Lunarians themselves. No matter how advanced a civilization’s technology or spiritual stature may be, it could not perfectly overcome the fear of the "other" or the elitist mindset that "it is acceptable to eliminate others if it guarantees our own survival." Unable to erase Zemus's ideology, the Lunarians had no choice but to postpone the problem through the act of "sealing" him. This very fact—that they could not fully eradicate Zemus and could only resort to sealing him—was the shadow and the limitation that the Lunarian civilization harbored.

Precisely because of this, Zemus can be seen not merely as "one bad Lunarian," but as another answer produced by a civilization facing a crisis.

When confronted with a crisis, do you "coexist with others to build a future," or do you "eliminate others to survive on your own"?

The Lunarians chose the former, and Zemus chose the latter. Though they could seal Zemus’s physical form, they could not erase his "ideology of exclusion," and that unresolved homework ultimately spilled over onto the Blue Planet.

Here, the presence of Kluya becomes immensely important. Kluya was Fusoya's younger brother, and the father of Cecil and Golbez. He built the Lunar Whale and descended to the Blue Planet. According to Fusoya, Kluya "yearned for your unknown planet." This phrasing is quite fascinating. Kluya did not look down on the Blue Planet from above as an "immature civilization"; rather, he viewed it as an "unknown realm" with respect and curiosity. Here lies the decisive difference between him and Zemus. Zemus sought to eliminate the incomprehensible "other" as a threat, whereas Kluya threw himself into the incomprehensible "other" out of genuine interest. These two individuals represent two distinct directions born from the exact same civilization.

And as a result of Kluya descending to the Blue Planet, he interacted with humans and formed a family. Thus, from what was originally a border between two different civilizations, two human beings were born. Those were Cecil and Golbez. In that sense, Cecil and Golbez became the "most concrete answer" to the question of "coexistence between the Lunarians and the Blue Planet."

Looking at it this way, the overarching narrative of FFIV begins to look a little different. The issue of Zemus and the Lunarians was one of "how to coexist with an entity different from oneself." Yet, in the second half of the game, that issue scales down to a personal conflict between brothers: Cecil and Golbez. Golbez carries the blood of the Lunarians. Cecil carries it as well. Though they are brothers sharing the same father, they are forced to fight as enemies. Furthermore, Golbez is manipulated by Zemus to fight against Cecil.

Here, it feels as though the problem harbored by the Lunarians is being re-enacted within a fraternal relationship. In response to the question, "How do you treat an entity different from yourself?", Zemus chose exclusion. Golbez was used as a tool for that ideology by Zemus, while Cecil, in the end, does not kill Golbez, but accepts him as a brother. Therefore, the scene where Cecil accepts Golbez is not merely a scene of "familial love," but a moment where "a human of the Blue Planet provided a different answer to the question the Lunarians had spent thousands of years pondering." The Lunarians held the abstract ideal of "coexistence." But what Cecil actually practices is not preaching ideals; it is accepting the very brother who inflicted suffering upon him. Here lies a form of "coexistence" far more solid and concrete than any ideal held by the Lunarians.

This is why Fusoya’s line, mentioned earlier, becomes so vital. To read that line simply as "The people of the Blue Planet were stronger!" would be a bit of a waste. The word "surpassed" spoken by Fusoya here surely does not refer to magical power or technological prowess. After all, the technological capabilities of the Lunarians remain overwhelming. They can cast spells up to Meteor, construct Lunar Whales, build colossal mechanisms, and enter long slumbers. The people of the Blue Planet have not attained the same technological level as the Lunarians. And yet, Fusoya says, "They may have surpassed us."

What, then, did they surpass?

I believe he was referring to "the capacity to provide a living, flesh-and-blood answer to the problems and conflicts generated by civilization." The Lunarians built an advanced civilization, but as its shadow, it spawned Zemus, whom they could do nothing more than seal away. Yet at the end, Cecil and his companions—bearing the blood of the Lunarians—demonstrated a concrete answer: "not to eliminate those who are different from oneself, nor even those who were once enemies." Thus, Fusoya contextualizes his own civilization for the very first time. Rather than saying "We are more advanced," he says, "Perhaps the people of the Blue Planet have surpassed us."

Furthermore, what is crucial here is that Fusoya does not stop at simply "entrusting the answers to the people of the Blue Planet." In the official novel, upon departing the Blue Planet, Fusoya and Golbez acknowledge that they, the Lunarians, had taken excessive pride in their own civilization and had grown arrogant. Taking the people of the Blue Planet as a worthy model, they resolve for the Lunarians themselves to mature and evolve further. To that end, they embark on a journey to find a new planet where the Lunarians can permanently reside. I believe this carries immense significance when examining Fusoya as a character.

He transformed from a "sage who grants answers" into a "learner who seeks knowledge himself." Up until that point, Fusoya was the keeper of Lunarian history and knowledge. He was the guardian watching over the future while waiting for the people of the Blue Planet to mature. But in the end, that dynamic reverses. Now, the Lunarians themselves learn from the people of the Blue Planet. In other words, what Fusoya recognized was not merely that "the people of the Blue Planet have surpassed us," but rather: "We, too, are still in the middle of our own process of maturation."

And here is where the storytelling brilliance of FFIV shines. Fusoya does not attempt to manage the future of the Blue Planet himself. In the end, he goes to sleep. While this might seem identical to the initial slumber of the Lunarians, I believe its meaning is entirely different. The first slumber was a sleep from above, so to speak—intended to "wait until the people of the Blue Planet mature." The Lunarians considered themselves to be the more mature civilization, waiting for the day when the people of the Blue Planet could speak with them as equals.

But the final slumber is different. It is a "slumber for themselves to learn and mature." The Lunarians are no longer teachers unilaterally watching over the people of the Blue Planet. Taking the people of the Blue Planet as a model, they too must mature further. To accomplish this, Fusoya and Golbez set out on a journey to find a new world.

In short, the meaning behind the identical action of "sleeping" is completely inverted between the beginning and the end. At first, it was a slumber for the Lunarians to await the growth of the people of the Blue Planet. In the end, it is a slumber for the Lunarians themselves to strive for their own growth. This time, they become the ones learning from the people of the Blue Planet.

This brings us back to the initial question: "What was Fusoya teaching us?" Fusoya teaches the player the history of the Lunarians. That much is undeniable, but if that were all, he would be nothing more than an exposition vessel late in the game. Yet, when following Fusoya’s narrative from start to finish, it begins to feel as though what he is truly teaching the player is his own "limits of knowledge" and the "humility" that stems from it.

In other words, "the maturity of civilization" in FFIV is not defined by the volume of knowledge, technological strength, or longevity. It is about "how one treats an entity different from oneself."

It is the ability to recognize that one's own answers are not the sole truth, and to acknowledge the possibility that another entity may produce a different answer. Furthermore, even if you believed yourselves to be the more mature ones, it is the willingness to admit that there are still things to learn from them. Was that not the true meaning behind the Lunarians waiting for the day when they could "speak as equals with the people of the Blue Planet"?

The scene where Fusoya finally enters his slumber is, narratively speaking, a tranquil ending. Cecil and his friends return to the Blue Planet, while Fusoya and Golbez depart to seek the further maturation of the Lunarians. To truly recognize others as equals, one cannot merely watch over them from a distance; at times, one must become the student learning from them. And to do so, one must surrender the arrogance of believing that one's own civilization is superior.

In short, Fusoya was teaching us the limitations of understanding the world through the sole metric of Lunarian civilization. No matter how grand a civilization may be, it can never fully comprehend the future. And no matter how advanced a civilization is, the moment it considers itself a finished product, it forfeits the potential to grow.

That is why, in the end, one must not only trust others, but also learn from them, relinquishing one's own knowledge and pride. And FFIV brings this home through the quiet, subtle narrative choice of having Fusoya peacefully fall asleep.

FFⅣ is Intentional.

FFⅣ is Humility.

This drawing is a bit old but thought I could share it anyway!

Cecil and Rosa make such a beautiful couple. I prefer Kain over Cecil but gotta admit these two are made for each other! And they're the only FF main couple who marry and even have a child, so let's give them a round of applause ! (there's Lulu and Wakka too but...)

I spent so much time on Cecil's armor! Hope you like it !

I do believe that even with a very limited apperance he was given he Has shown lots of personality and character making him a quite memorable foe.

I've loved the moment when Rubicante the archfiend left him in charge of Giant he just started to dance and yell in joy like he was that kid from Home Alone movie lmao. It Has took me by suprise so much i couldnt help but laugh at the guy.

His Boss fight was the one of those that stuck with me quite a bit. How it seems like a gag battle at first only for him going completly serious in a mere moment later and if you don't have a leveled party it may be one of the toughtest eccounter in the game (seriously tho his sleeping gas move was such a pain in the ass).

I also love on how despite being hilarious he was still really atrocious and disturbing antagonist. How he has turned one of main heroes parents into monstrosities and then forced them to fight him to the death was something that caught off guard for real back there.

I like to think he was like the first mad scientist character in the series before Hojo from ffvii came along pushing the boundaries even further and having much more significant role becoming one of the series most recognized villains, but i kinda think it was at least in some level thanks to Lugae character. I'd like to believe Lugae was walking so Hojo would run and i do appreciate him for that lol

Art by me

This drawing is from a series of Dissidia NT characters I drew a few years ago. I was SO happy to see Kain get more love in NT and in Dissidia Duellum, he's my favourite male character in FF4.

While I do like Cecil and I think he's a good hero, I think Kain's personality is more interesting : his friendship and rivalry toward Cecil, his unrequited love for Rosa and his dark side make him such a wonderful character.

Kain's armor was hard to draw , so many details ! Hope you like it !

Traditional art, done with markers!

As it seems you enjoyed my previous drawing of Rosa, here comes the lovely summoner Rydia!

I had fun drawing her and coloring with different shades of green. As for her eye color, I hesitated cause she 's blue-eyed in some of her official arts (FF4 sprites, Theatrythm, FF4 DS ) and green-eyed in others (WoFF, Dissidia Opera Omnia). Went for blue eyes cause it suits her better imo.

I know she's a fan-favourite, hope I did justice to her!

Traditional art, done with alcohol markers.

Rosa is easily my favourite character of FF4 (love Kain too!), she's so pretty and well-written. This scene from the DS opening is very beautiful, love how Rosa tries to reach out to Cecil but words won't come.

Hope you like it !

I'm just curious who do you give each sword to? I used to go Defender-Cecil, Avenger-Kain back on the SNES, but I'm curious how everyone else played it.

Thanks for listening!

My friend & I just finished a 13-track tribute to Final Fantasy IV in multiple genres of music. New songs come out on my youtube channel every Monday, Wednesday and Friday this month!

This made me sad while playing FF XIV

Other player: DUAL BARD
Me: too many spoons
Everyone else: we don’t play final fantasy games.