There are many Final Fantasy games that come into mind when one brings up the topic of the best game in the series. Most people would mention Final Fantasy VII and IX while purists would incline more towards Final Fantasy VI and X... but there's actually one title that has wallowed in relative obscurity due to its age, which is Final Fantasy IV.
After Final Fantasy II, players were expecting to get another story-heavy Final Fantasy title... which is probably why the third title was somewhat of a disappointment. However, for people who stuck with the series, Final Fantasy IV ended up delivering on every front when it came to a story-driven JRPG, and then some.
A big part of what made Final Fantasy IV such a memorable gem was its lovable cast of characters, with the protagonist Cecil having a riveting character arc that fans will still remember long after they finish this brilliant title. Keeping this in mind, here are ten things about Cecil that most people had no idea about.
10 The iOS Version Had A Typo In Cecil's Introduction
An interesting thing to note about Cecil is the fact that this protagonist's introduction in Final Fantasy IV has a pretty glaring — and rather hilarious — typo.
Basically, after showing Cecil on the Red Wings airship. the text that appears him introduces him as a "Load Captain" as opposed to a "Lord Captain", which is a somewhat unfortunate — albeit funny — typo in the starting moments of the game.
Thankfully, this typo was fixed with a patch soon enough.
9 His Voice Actor Has Played Some Notable Roles
Cecil is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal — a name that should be pretty familiar for anyone even remotely into pop culture.
After all, this voice actor has played several notable roles, with his most popular and well-known performances being Peter Parker in Marvel's Spider-Man, Sasuke Uchiha in Naruto, and The Prince from the Sands of Time trilogy.
8 He's Very Much Into Adult Magazines
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years might not be a game that's really worth anyone's time, but that shouldn't take away from the lore it adds to the series... although some of it may be ridiculous.
For starters, the item description of the Lustful Lali-ho — an adult magazine — in The After Years reveals that it's actually Cecil's favorite magazine, which makes one wonder whether Rosa even knows about this particular addiction of her husband's.
7 Kain's Hatred Of Him Was Triggered Because Of Cecil's Relationship With Rosa
The rivalry between Kain and Cecil is easily one of the most intriguing parts of Final Fantasy IV, with this dynamic leading to some of the more memorable events in the game.
This rivalry mainly stems from jealously — namely, it is Kain's inability to accept that Rosa chose Cecil over him that causes him to veer off into a dark path... before his rival and other friends end up saving him.
6 He Ends Up Being Ursula's Godfather After Yang Asks Him
Yang is easily one of the more memorable characters in the series, and the connection he forms with Cecil after the latter ends up helping him out in a tight spot is something he very much appreciated.
This can be seen in the fact that Yang ends up asking Cecil to be Ursula's godfather — something that the hero readily accepts without any second thoughts whatsoever.
5 His White Magic Skills Are Way More Effective In The 3D Remake
In the 2D version of the game, Cecil doesn't really serve as an effective magic user after turning into a Paladin, with his magic serving as more of a backup to Rosa's infinitely superior skills as opposed to actually being useful in its own right.
This is rectified in the 3D remake, with Cecil receiving skills like Protect, Shell, and Raise to make his magic more useful in tough battles.
4 He Looks Young In The After Years Even Though He's Almost 40 Years Old
The After Years takes place more than a decade after the events of the original game... which is what makes it somewhat hard to swallow that nearly all the main characters look the same even after such a drastic time-skip.
The fact that Cecil is pushing forty years old yet still looks the same as his past counterpart from the first game is either a testament to his Lunarian heritage... or just laziness from the developers.
3 He Ends Up Under The Control Of A Mysterious Girl In The Sequel
It's rather hard to fathom that someone as strong-willed and focused as Cecil could end up falling for the brainwashing antics of an unnamed adversary... but that's precisely what ends up happening in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.
This is the major reason why his stats are extremely weak in the sequel and he's pretty much a blubbering mess who finds it hard to even construct basic sentences.
2 He Snaps Out Of This Mind Control After He Almost Kills His Own Son
However, while Cecil might've fallen for the brainwashing of this mysterious adversary, that doesn't mean that he lost his mind completely. In fact, he was completely aware of his actions even after being controlled by his mental jailor.
His psyche finally ends up breaking the hold that this mysterious girl had over him when he almost ends up taking his own son's life... only to break free of the chains that were controlling him and coming back to his senses.
1 His Darkness Ability Was Removed In The US Release
The western release of Final Fantasy IV made a really odd change to Cecil's character by removing his patented Darkness ability as a Dark Knight from the action menu.
This meant that Cecil just ended up being a rather basic fighter who was fairly unremarkable until he made the transition to become a Paladin.