Interracial children, particularly teenagers and young adults, face the crisis of determining who they are or what they are. This is the situation of Terra Branford, the main heroine of Final Fantasy III, the video game for Nintendo. The world of Final Fantasy III differs greatly from our world. In the game, there is powerful magic, evil monsters, mysterious treasure, and mighty heroes and heroines. The make-believe world of the game is not, however, immune to racial hatred. The game sends the message that although it is in human nature to blame others for our own short-comings, to fear the supernatural or the unknown, to ostracize others out of jealousy and fear, and to covet power, they can be overcome by tolerance and friendship.
The story opens as follows:
Long ago, the War of the Magi reduced the world to a scorched wasteland, and magic simply ceased to exist. 1000 years have passed...Iron, gunpowder, and steam engines have been rediscovered, and high technology reigns...But there are some who would enslave the world by reviving the dread destructive force known as “magic”. Could it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a senseless and deadly mistake?
According to the game, Terra, the main heroine, is the daughter of a human mother, Madonna (no, not that Madonna), and Maduin, a representative of the magical beasts called Espers. Their union is unique, and almost scandalous, for a few reasons. Because of their unusual appearances and their abilities to use potent magic, Espers were shunned from human society. Humans fear Espers not because of the threat that Espers themselves present. Rather, humans fear that the Espers’ power could be abused by humans who want to bring magic back to the human world.
It is this hunger for power that gets Terra kidnapped and exploited for her inborn magical abilities by a greedy emperor and his lieutenant, Kefka. The emperor fears Terra’s knowledge of her powers, believing she might use them against the Empire, so Kefka uses a device called a Slave Crown to control her thoughts. Note the opening dialogue of the game as two Imperial soldiers discuss amongst themselves their unwilling slave, Terra:
Soldier #1: And this woman, this--sorcerer. Why’s she here? I heard she fried 50 of our Magitek Armored soldiers in under 3 minutes.
Soldier #2: Not to worry. The Slave Crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought . She’ll follow orders.
Terra’s slavery and mind manipulation is similar to situations that occur in the real world, where an adoptive family hides a child’s true heritage and forces their own on her. The mind-control devise suggests that the Empire feels that “inferior” races cannot and should not think for themselves.
There are those, however, who accept Terra for the person inside, instead of rejecting her for her abilities. In the game , if the player calls upon Terra’s magic during a certain battle, it draws some startled reactions from the people around her:
Locke: What’s the matter, Edgar? You look absolutely spooked.
Edgar: Did you just see what I saw?!!?
Locke: Yeah, this kid [Terra] seems loaded for bear.
Edgar: She’s amazing! That was magic! M-A-G-I-C...Magic!
Locke: M-M-M-M-M-M-Magic?! She used magic!?
Edgar: Terra...where on earth did you learn that?
Terra: Sorry...I...um...
Locke: Look, I didn’t mean to make such a big of this...
Edgar: Me either--It’s just that I’ve never actually seen magic before! Where did you...?
Locke: Edgar, Terra can use magic, and we can’t. That’s the only difference between us. The fact is...we can use her help!
In the dialogue, Terra risks persecution by her friends, in order to save their lives, by revealing her true nature. Few of the other characters in the game have been exposed to magic, and those that haven’t are scared when first confronted with the situation. Terra is at first ashamed of her ability, as her, her friends, Locke, Edgar and Banon, convince her that her ability is special and nothing to be ashamed of. It is with their help that Terra comes to grips with her heritage. Where before she experienced nothing but abuse because of her mixed race, Terra learns acceptance and love.
In the subject of love, Terra also experiences obstacles. Like some interracial children, she feels she can never truly love anyone because she is of two different races. The problem arises when she encounters the human king of Figaro. The king flirts with her when they first meet. In fact, he normally flirts with every woman he meets:
Terra: Look, why are you helping me? Is it because of my...abilities?
King Edgar: I’ll give you 3 reasons. First of all, your beauty has captivated me. Second, I’m dying to know if I’m your type. I...guess your abilities come in a distant third.
Terra: ...? What’s with you anyway?
Edgar: Guess my technique’s getting a bit rusty...
Terra: [Aside] I suppose a normal girl would have found him dashing. But I’m hardly...normal...
Since she has never encountered this situation, Terra is unsure of how to respond. She comes to the painful realization that her mixed race could make it difficult to find romantic love.
Terra is proof that a bond between two races can exist. She seeks strength in her heritage, particularly her magic, and uses her gift to make a positive contribution to the world. The game tells biracial children, who might feel alienated by their heritage, that any obstacle like prejudice, greed, fear and hate can be overcome.
For more on Final Fantasy, check out a very cool Final Fantasy III page