Concept and creation
According to ''Final Fantasy IV'' lead designer Takashi Tokita, ''Final Fantasy IV'' was the first Japanese role-playing game to feature such "deep characters." The graphical capabilities of the Super Famicom allowed character designer Yoshitaka Amano to create more elaborate designs than he had done for previous games released for the Famicom. Tokita stated that although his inexperience may have hurt the story, the characters' personalities and roles made the story more appealing. Tokita also pointed out the variety of characters helped to appeal to a wider demographic, stating that the team worked hard to make all side characters fit into the story, something that, at the time, was difficult to do in Japanese media. For the Nintendo DS remake, the characters were handled by Airi Yoshioka. In ''Final Fantasy IV: The After Years'', the characters were designed by Akira Oguro. Tokita stated that the inclusion of voice actors in the DS remake was pleasing for him, claiming that the voice-overs "allowed for a much more dramatic localization." The Japanese voice actors reflected Tokita's vision of the characters, but he noted that others did not feel the same way. English translator Tom Slattery had to change various parts of the original script for the voiced scenes in order for the characters' mouth movements to match the words they were speaking.Playable characters
Cecil Harvey
is theKain Highwind
is the leader of the Dragoon Knights of Baron as well as childhood friend of both Cecil and Rosa. He claims that being a dragoon makes him feel closer to his father, who died when he was very young. Although best friends with Cecil, Kain is in love with Rosa and must deal with his jealousy throughout the story. Like Cecil, Kain notices the King of Baron's unusually harsh behavior, but he is under the mind-control of Golbez, and thus becomes Cecil's enemy. Kain eventually breaks free of Golbez's control after Tellah weakens Golbez. At this point, Kain joins Cecil's group in their efforts to defeat Golbez. However, after Cecil claims the last Dark Crystal, Golbez resumes his control of Kain. When Zemus' mind-control of Golbez breaks, Kain is released and helps Cecil's group destroy Zemus. After the final battle Kain is overcome with remorse for his actions, and decides that he must atone on Mt. Ordeals before he can rejoin his friends permanently. At the end of ''Interlude'', Kain, who is still living on Mt. Ordeals hears a mysterious voice calling to him. He reappears in ''The After Years'' as the , assisting Ceodore while hiding his real identity. He is impersonated by the incarnation of his negative emotions, , who wishes to kill Cecil and have Rosa for himself. Kain defeats his dark alter-ego and merges with him, causing Kain to become a Holy Dragoon. After helping his friends to destroy the True Moon, Kain returns to Baron to assume command of the Red Wings. Kain has also been featured in ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'' and ''Dissidia Final Fantasy NT'' as a playable character, as producer Tetsuya Nomura wished to add him to the fighting game. He is voiced byRosa Farrell
In ''Final Fantasy IV'', is the childhood friend of and love interest for Cecil. She is a white mage and archer. Experienced in healing magic, Rosa is often busy attending to Baronian soldiers who have been wounded in battle. When Rosa learns that Cecil was sent to Mist with a bomb ring, she immediately leaves Baron in search of him, but contracts desert fever. Cecil cures her, and she joins his party. During the battle of Fabul, she attempts to save Cecil from Kain, but Golbez kidnaps her and demands the Earth Crystal for her safe return. Cecil brings the Crystal but when the party meets Golbez a fight erupts. Tellah wounds Golbez with the forbidden spell Meteor, but dies in the process and the party is left at the mercy of a wounded Golbez. He is about to slay Cecil but stops and flees. Afterwards, Cecil saves Rosa, and she helps them defeat the Lord of Wind, Barbariccia. Immediately after this, Rosa uses her magic to teleport them out of the unstable tower and she remains in the party for the rest of the game. At the end of the game, she marries Cecil and becomes the Queen of Baron. After marrying Cecil, Rosa has a son named Ceodore; her pregnancy causes her absence from most of ''Interlude''. In ''The After Years'', she is kidnapped by Kain's dark self. Once back to safety, Rosa joins her old friends as they fight to save their world from the threat of the True Moon. During the encounter with the Dark Knight, Rosa intervenes when he attempts to murder Golbez, and the two of them battle the Dark Knight by themselves and later with Ceodore until Cecil is able to end the battle himself. She is voiced by Yuhko Kaida in Japanese andRydia
is a powerful summoner. When Cecil and Kain travel through the Mist Cave to reach Mist, they kill the Mist Dragon that was summoned to protect the village. As Eidolons are directly linked to their Summoner, Cecil and Kain inadvertently kill Rydia's mother in the process. They also set the entire village on fire by inadvertently releasing a Bomb Ring. Rydia becomes enraged when she learns of their actions, using Titan to cause an earthquake that separates them, but injuring herself in the process. Cecil takes her to Kaipo, and when she regains her senses, she initially cannot forgive him, although she does agree to join him after he defends her from some Baron soldiers. Later, Rydia is swallowed by the Eidolon Leviathan and taken to the Feymarch, the Land of the Eidolons which Leviathan rules alongside his Queen, Ashura. Due to the different flow of time in the Feymarch, she physically matures during her stay despite being gone only a short time in the real world. Having mastered summoning and black magic at the expense of white magic, she saves Cecil from Golbez's Shadow Dragon in the Dwarven Castle's Crystal Room and rejoins the party for the rest of the story. At the end of the game, she returns to the Land of Eidolons. During ''Interlude'', Rydia is impersonated by a mysterious summoner that attacks Cecil and his friends. The real Rydia appears near the end of the game, saving their lives. At the beginning of ''The After Years'', Ashura teleports Rydia to the real world moments before the Maenad appears and turns Ashura and Leviathan into stone. After helping her old friends save the planet, Rydia decides to rebuild Mist with the cooperation of Cecil and others, and also becomes the adoptive mother of the child Maenad Cuore. Rydia also appears in the rhythm game ''Theatrhythm Final Fantasy'' as a character representing ''Final Fantasy IV''. She is voiced by Noriko Shitaya in Japanese andTellah
Tellah, known in the Japanese version of the game as , was once the wisestEdward Chris von Muir
Edward Chris von Muir, known in the Japanese version of the game as , is the prince of Damcyan, soon to become the seventh king of the region. Edward grew up very mild-mannered. Although expected to become an expert in business, Edward showed much more interest in music and became aYang Fang Leiden
The composed leader of the monks of Fabul, is an undisputed expert inPalom and Porom
and are twin mages from Mysidia. Palom is a rowdy, immature and rude young boy who is a Black Mage, while Porom is his sweet, polite, and mature older sister who is a White Mage. Though the twins are only five years old, they are experts in their respective magic skills and are sent by the Elder of Mysidia to help Cecil on his journey to the top of Mt. Ordeals. However, they are really acting as spies for the Elder, who does not yet trust Cecil. Following Cecil's trial and his transformation into a Paladin, Porom and Palom decide to join his group. They turn themselves to stone to save Cecil and his friends from being crushed in Cagnazzo's trap. The Elder later releases them, and they assist the efforts against the Giant of Babel and ultimately help in the defeat of Zemus. They later resume their studies in Mysidia, with Porom working to rein in Palom, who aspires to become as great as Tellah. Palom and Porom are major characters in ''Interlude'': they join Cecil's party at Mount Hobs along with Cid and stay there until the end of the story. In ''The After Years'', Palom is sent on a mission to Troia to train a replacement Epopt, Leonora. However, with Porom now helping the elders preserving Mysidia's laws, a wedge is driven between them. Over the course of the game, they come to realize that despite the fact they dislike and get on one another's nerves, they need each other, and are at their best when together. Palom and Porom are voiced by Rie Kugimiya in Japanese. In the English remake, Palom is voiced byCid Pollendina
The chief engineer of Baron, is friend of Cecil, Kain, and Rosa. He lives in the town of Baron with his daughter, who often scolds him for his workaholic behavior. Since the loss of his wife, Cid has treated Cecil like his own son. Having discovered the ancient skill of levitation, Cid is credited with inventing the airship. After discovering that Cecil has been relieved of his position in Baron's fleet, Cid is locked away in the dungeon by Cagnazzo. After Cagnazzo is defeated, Cid escapes and gives Cecil access to his special airship, the ''Enterprise''. When the ''Enterprise'' crashes in the Underworld, Cid takes it back to the surface to outfit it with Mythril, which enables it to fly over magma. He rescues Cecil from the collapsing bridge to the Tower of Babel, and attempts to escape a pursuing Red Wings airship. He ultimately jumps off the ship and detonates explosives to seal the Underworld. He is thought to have been killed, but he returns to add Mythril and a drill to the newly acquired airship, the ''Falcon'', which he deploys against the Giant of Babel. In ''The After Years'', Cid is still Baron's airship engineer, having refused to retire. He has taken on Luca, daughter of the King of Dwarves, as his apprentice. He eagerly joins the battle for the Blue Planet, his age not slowing down his enthusiasm. He is voiced by Ichirō Nagai in Japanese and by John Snyder in English.Edge
, primarily called by his nickname , is the royal prince of Eblan, only heir to the throne and a skilled ninja. Though often cocky, impulsive and overconfident, he is a righteous young man who is not easily manipulated or led astray. Cecil's group first meets Edge in Eblan Cave, after he has been defeated in battle by the Lord of Fire, Rubicante. Because Cecil and the rest are after Rubicante as well, Edge joins the party and leads them into the Tower of Babel. However, he is made to watch helplessly as his parents, whom Dr. Lugae has abducted and turned into demons, sacrifice themselves rather than be forced to kill him. He stays with the party throughout the game. Following Zemus' defeat, Edge returns to Eblan. By the time of ''The After Years'', Edge has proven to be a kind-hearted and popular king, making efforts to aid in the reconstruction of Eblan and Mist and to defend the Blue Planet from the invasion of the True Moon. He is voiced byFusoya
Fusoya, known in the Japanese version of the game as and FuSoYa in earlier versions of the game, is a Lunarian, and a resident of the moon. He watches over the other Lunarians in their long sleep and knows the true origins of Cecil, Golbez, the Crystals, and the real nature of the threat to the Blue Planet. Once Fusoya explains Golbez's innocence to Cecil, he joins the party to help defeat Zemus, returning to the planet just in time to fight the Giant of Babel. Inside the hugeAntagonists
Golbez
is a sorcerer who pursues the Crystals around the world using Baron's forces, attacking multiple innocent people in the process. In reality, he is Cecil's older brother who has been under the control of Zemus from the day his parents died; his father beaten by the people he tried to help and his mother dying after giving birth to Cecil. Taking Cecil's place as the captain of the Red Wings, Golbez is a powerful opponent who serves as the main antagonist for the majority of the game. Seemingly affiliated with King Baron, Golbez brainwashes Kain to assist him. Upon recovering his true self while fighting Fusoya, he attempts to defeat Zemus, but fails. Once Cecil's group defeats Zemus, lacking the heart to return to the Blue Planet with the others, Golbez decides to remain on the moon with the Lunarians. Golbez returns in ''The After Years''. In his own storyline, he and Fusoya investigate the arrival of the Maenads, who shatter the moon's crystals and in doing so revive Zeromus. Fusoya sends Golbez down to the Blue Planet as he continues to fight Zeromus alone, and Golbez, under the identity of the , joins Rydia to help her save her friends. Later in the True Moon, Golbez comes face-to-face with Cecil's alterego the Dark Knight, who desires Golbez killed for both nearly destroying the world and abandoning his brother. With help from Rosa and Ceodore, Golbez stands up to his past sins and begs for forgiveness, allowing Cecil to regain his own strength and banish his dark half. Should Golbez survive, he remains with the party until the end of the game, at which point he returns to the moon in hopes that Fusoya or anybody else is still alive. He has also been featured in all three ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' titles as a playable character. He is voiced by Takeshi Kaga in Japanese and Peter Beckman in English. According to Takashi Tokita, one of the writers for ''Final Fantasy IV'', Golbez was created as an homage to the ''Zemus
is the mastermind behind Golbez's actions in ''Final Fantasy IV''. Wishing to destroy the planet, he manipulates Golbez into carrying out his will in hunting down the Crystals. Fusoya reveals that Zemus is the only Lunarian who refused to go into stasis until the time when Lunarians and Earthlings could live in harmony. Even though Golbez and Fusoya seemingly vanquish him, Zemus comes back to life as , the monstrous embodiment of his hatred and evil. Cecil and his friends use a Crystal to reveal the true shape of Zeromus, and manage to slay him. Zeromus returns in ''The After Years'' as Zeromus' Malice, which the Maenads unleash on the Lunarian's Moon by shattering the Crystals there. Fusoya and Golbez attempt to stop Zeromus, but he proves too strong and Fusoya is forced to send Golbez to the Blue Planet alone in order to protect it from the Maenads. The final fate of Fusoya and Zeromus is left unrevealed. A different version of Zeromus is fought in the ''Easytype'' version of ''Final Fantasy IV'', with a different graphic and attacks. It later appears in the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable versions as the final boss of the new Lunar Ruins dungeon, named Zeromus EG. Zeromus is also an optional esper in '' Final Fantasy XII'', combining the Zeromus and Zeromus EG designs. He is voiced by Ryō Horikawa.Rubicante
(Rubicant in the original SNES release and PlayStation re-release) is the leader and strongest member of the Four Elemental Lords. The Lord of Fire, he is working with Dr. Lugae to raise the Giant of Babel, and is the archenemy of Edge. Cecil and Edge defeat Rubicante in the Tower of Babel and the Giant of Babel. Unlike the other Lords, he is very honorable, going so far as to heal Cecil's party before fighting them. He later advises Edge not to let his anger get the best of him, as it will merely blind him. He did not authorize Lugae's transformation of Edge's parents into monsters, and he apologizes to Edge for the deed before they fight. The party faces him again within the Giant of Babel. Rubicante also appears in '' Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls'', in the final level of Hellfire Chasm. In ''The After Years'', Rubicante is revived by the True Moons, in which he once again proves his honor to Cecil and his party. He is voiced by Norio Wakamoto. He also appears in ''Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker'', appearing in ''Endwalker'' 6.2 patch ''Buried Memory.'' As Golbez's archfiend, he witnesses the defeat of Scarmiglione and Barbariccia at the hands of the Warrior of Light, then promises to enact revenge alongside Cagnazzo.Barbariccia
(Valvalis in the original SNES release andCagnazzo
(Kainazzo in the original SNES release) is the Lord of Water. He is a large turtle demon with a humanoid face, hired by Golbez and Zemus. Cagnazzo killed King Baron and impersonated him. It was in fact Cagnazzo that ordered Cecil to steal the Water Crystal from Mysidia and bomb the village of Mist. He was also responsible for imprisoning Cid after he would not divulge the location of his hidden airship. The initial battle with Cagnazzo is fought in the throne room of Baron. His battle tactics primarily consists of drawing water around him to unleash a powerful tsunami, although when struck by lightning, Cagnazzo will retreat into his shell and attempt to restore his lost health. Upon his defeat, he attempts one final attempt at killing the party by crushing them between the walls of the antechamber to the King's throne room, but this is foiled by the sacrifice of Palom and Porom. He later joins the other Lords in a final battle against Cecil and his friends in the Giant of Babel. He also appears in ''Dawn of Souls'' on the fifth level of Hellfire Chasm. In ''The After Years'', he is revived inside the True Moon. He is voiced by Takeshi Aono in Japanese and Michael McConnohie in English. He also appears in ''Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker'', appearing in ''Endwalker'' 6.2 patch ''Buried Memory.'' As Golbez's archfiend, he witnesses the defeat of Scarmiglione and Barbariccia at the hands of the Warrior of Light, then promises to enact revenge alongside Rubicante.Scarmiglione
(Milon in the original SNES release and PlayStation re-release) is the Lord of Earth who first meets Cecil's group on Mt. Ordeals. Scarmiglione first appears as a small cloaked figure. Though Cecil thinks that he has defeated Scarmiglione and his zombie minions, the Earth Lord soon transforms into a hunched, zombie-like beast, attacking the group from behind. Even though Cecil and his allies believe that Scarmiglione had been destroyed as he fell off a bridge at the summit of Mt. Ordeals, he faces the Lord once again in the Giant of Babel. Both of his forms appear in ''Dawn of Souls'' on the fifth level of Hellfire Chasm and in ''The After Years'' as a revived guardian of the True Moon. He is voiced by Konishi Ōnishi in Japanese and Dameon Clarke in English. He also appears in '' Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker'', primarily appearing in ''Endwalker'' 6.2 patch ''Buried Memory.'' Scarmiglione is battled by the Warrior of Light at the end of the Fell Court of Troia dungeon. Despite being seemingly vanquished, Scarmiglione later returns and again battles the Warrior of Light and their companions. This time however, using the power of their new ally Zero, Scarmiglione is vanquished for good.Dr. Lugae
Dr. Lugae is a mad scientist working for Rubicante. He is the self-proclaimed "brains behind Golbez's operation" and he turns Edge's parents into monsters even though Rubicante never gave him permission to do so. His bodyguard and master creation is Barnabas (バルナバ, ''Barunaba'') (Balnab in the original SNES release). Should Barnabas become damaged enough to warrant the concern of Dr. Lugae, he will apply oil, and eventually mount the monster as a last resort, combining their powers. If Lugae is defeated before the player destroys Barnabas, then Barnabas will explode, damaging the party. Lugae later transforms into a cyborg-like creature with advanced weaponry. He reappears in ''The After Years'' as a revived guardian of the True Moon. Lugae appears in ''Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker'' as a boss in the Tower of Babil. Like his original incarnation, Barnabas initially attacks him before warping away, and appears later as a cyborg. He later appears in the Hildibrand Manderville questline. Having survived his initial defeat, he sought to continue his work on artificial lifeforms, eventually taking interest in Hildibrand's near-invulnerability. He arranges a deal with a Hannish representative to bring the inspector's comatose body to him, but are stopped by his assistant Nashu and the player's Warrior of Light. After a dramatic awakening of Hildibrand's body, he destroys the scientist with his own shoulder-mounted missile, leaving only his head remaining.Baigan
is a knight of Baron. He is a good friend of Cecil — although like Kain, he joins Golbez and the King in their army of evil. When the party sneaks into the seemingly vacant castle through the Watery Passage, he is the first apparently friendly face to greet them. However, the twins Palom and Porom smell "something fishy", and Baigan reveals his true self, telling the party that he was given the gift of his alternate form by Golbez. He is subsequently killed by Cecil's group. He reappears in ''The After Years'' as a revived guardian of the True Moon.Other characters
Anna
is the daughter of Tellah and is engaged to Prince Edward of Damcyan. After the death of Anna's mother, Tellah became overly protective of Anna, in the hopes of never losing her. When he learns of Anna's elopement with Edward, Tellah becomes furious and sets out after her. In Baron's raid on Damcyan, Anna is killed saving Edward's life. Edward later meets Anna's spirit in Kaipo, where she assuages his fears. She is voiced by Hitomi Akino in Japanese and Zarah Little in English.Elder of Mysidia
The Elder of Mysidia is the trainer of Palom, Porom, and the other mages of the town. A friend of Tellah, the Elder orders Palom and Porom to spy on Cecil when he heads to Mt. Ordeals. When Cecil becomes a paladin, the Elder realizes he is trustworthy, and becomes his ally. Later, the Elder, along with Palom and Porom, directs the prayers of the world to Cecil before the final battle against Zeromus. In ''The After Years'', the Elder offers much advice to Porom before she leaves to join the fight for the Blue Planet.King Baron
As both Cecil and Kain were orphaned at very young ages, King Baron took them in and raised them as his own. While he wished for both to become Dark Knights, Kain wanted to train as a Dragoon, like his father. King Baron is killed by Cagnazzo though his spirit remained trapped in a secret second throne room of Baron Castle. When it is released, he is reincarnated as the Eidolon, Odin.King Giott
, or King Giotto in the Japanese version, is the King of the Dwarves. Though the ''Enterprise'' gets caught in the crossfire between the Red Wings and Giott's tanks, the dwarves soon befriend Cecil and the rest of the party. King Giott provides much of the insight on the Dark Crystals of the Underworld. In all his kingdom, Giott's most prized treasure is his only child, his daughter Luca. After his wife's death, he gave his wife's necklace to Luca. The necklace is needed to open the Sealed Cavern, so Cecil and his party can stop Golbez from obtaining the final Dark Crystal. He is voiced by Takeshi Aono. A character who shares the same name as Giott appears in '' Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers'' as a dwarven bounty hunter aiming to slay the sin eater Sophrosyne, who was created from the body of the one of the First's Warriors of Light, Lamitt. Unlike his original appearance, this incarnation of Giott is female.Luca
Luca is the daughter of King Giott and princess of the Dwarves. She created two mechanical dolls, Calca and Brina, which Golbez turns into a monster called Calcabrina that attacks the party. At first Luca seems untrusting of Cecil, but like the other dwarves, she learns to accept them. Under the rule of Luca and her father, the Dwarves help assist the party in their battles in the Underworld. Luca is a playable character in ''The After Years''. She is Cid's apprentice, mastering the skills of airship steering and maintenance, and joins the party in Rydia's chapter along with her two dolls. She is voiced by Naomi Orikasa.Characters introduced in ''The After Years''
Ceodore Harvey
is the protagonist of ''The After Years'', the son of Cecil and Rosa, and the prince of Baron. He is an apprentice knight who has no confidence in himself, as he fears he will never be able to step out from the shadow of his parents. When his family disappears, Ceodore goes on a quest to find them and eventually joins forces with others to fight against the Maenad. He is trained in swords and lances, and can also tap into his inner energy to temporarily enhance his strength.Ursula Fang Leiden
Ursula Fang Leiden is a supporting character in ''The After Years''. She is Yang's daughter, a childhood friend of Ceodore, and his godsister. Unlike Ceodore, she takes great pride in being Yang's daughter and the princess of Fabul, and knows no better way of expressing this than by training as a monk herself, which frustrates her father greatly: the two often quarrel since Yang does not want her to be a monk. However, when he sees how she has developed, and that she understands what it means to be a monk, he gives in. Ursula continues to aid her friends as the battle for the Blue Planet leads them to the True Moon.Leonora
Leonora is a supporting character in ''The After Years''. She is an Epopt from the kingdom of Troia who is sent to be trained as a Sage. Palom is chosen as her teacher in Black Magic, and though Palom's brashness conflicts with Leonora's shyness, the two slowly begin to open up to each other. It is later revealed that Leonora had always looked up to Palom since she was a little girl listening to his stories about his adventures with Cecil, and their friendship grows stronger as they travel to the True Moon. Like Tellah in the previous game, Leonora can use both White and Black Magic, though she does not have the same strengths as those who specialize in one or the other.The Eblan Four
The Eblan Four are a group of ninjas who serve under Edge: Gekkou, Izayoi, Tsukinowa, and Zangetsu. During the events of ''The After Years'', Edge sends each of the four on a reconnaissance mission around the world before meeting up with them later in the storyline. Should any of the four die during their mission, they will not rejoin Edge and thus will not become party members during the final assault on the True Moon.Harley
Harley is Edward's personal secretary and an aspiring scholar. In ''The After Years'', Harley is first found investigating a meteor landing and is helped by Edward. Later, Harley is stricken by desert fever while she and Edward are traveling to Baron to meet with Cecil, and Edward is disheartened at his inability to protect anybody until the spirits of Anna and Tellah tell him to not grieve for his losses and to find what his heart truly wants. Encouraged, Edward retrieves a Sand Pearl to cure Harley, and she continues to aid Edward as they journey to the True Moon with the rest of the party. Harley is briefly seen in ''Interlude'' as Edward's secretary-in-training.Maenad
The Maenad, initially only known as the Mysterious Girl, is a strange being with summoner powers encountered in ''Interlude'' and ''The After Years''. In the first of the two, she impersonates Rydia and causes trouble for Cecil and his friends. She is defeated by Cecil, Edge, Cid, Palom and Porom with the real Rydia's assistance but she escapes from them. In the second game, she first appears in Baron Castle where she defeats Cecil and brainwashes him. She later plays a cruel trick on Ceodore, forcing Cecil to fight him for her own amusement. She regards humans as lower life forms than herself and therefore has no qualms about hurting them physically or psychologically. It is later revealed inside the True Moon that the Maenad is not a singular entity. There are many Maenads brought into being by the true antagonist of ''The After Years'': The Creator. These beings were born to retrieve the Crystals for their father. It is implied that they also receive their summoning abilities from him, as their powers are not how a summoner's powers usually work: the Maenads overwrite the Code of the Eidolons by trapping them in another dimension and forcing them to serve their will, and by extension, The Creator's. Before meeting the Creator, the party encounters a child Maenad who opens the passage to his chambers. When the Creator begins to destroy the True Moon after being defeated, the party rescues the child as they escape, and the other Maenads protect them from the Creator by stating "that child is our future". In the ending, it is revealed that Rydia has adopted the child Maenad and named her Cuore, and she is raising her with help from Edge and the Mist villagers.The Creator
The Creator is the name given to the primary antagonist of ''The After Years''. The driving force behind the Maenads, he is the last survivor of a mysterious race that prospered too greatly, causing them to destroy their own planet. He has embarked upon a lifetime's experimentation using the Crystals to learn where his kind went wrong, however, somewhere along the way, he decided that the universe should not be overrun with inferior races, and programmed his ship, the True Moon, to consume the planets of races that do not live up to his expectations. He has the ability to create Crystals, which he uses to record data on various races, and later on the True Moon to summon demons from Cecil's past and from other worlds (the worlds of '' Final Fantasy I'', '' II'', ''Reception
The cast of ''Final Fantasy IV'' has been well received by video game publications.References
{{Final Fantasy series, FF=FFIV Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy 04