Esper ( Final Fantasy VI ) An esper is a magical being in " Final Fantasy VI " . When killed , espers transform into magicite that teach the party members magic . Equipping said magicite allows an esper to be summoned in battle . They are also central to the plot , being enslaved by the Gestahlian Empire who extract their magic to fuel their rampage for world domination . Story . Espers were created as a result of humans coming into contact with magic and the Warring Triad during their war for dominance . The gods realized what they were doing was wrong and sealed themselves away in the forms of statues . They returned the espers their free will , and asked to be protected by them . A second war began between espers and humans seeking to use their powers , beginning the War of the Magi . At the height of the war the espers created a new realm where they escaped with the Warring Triad ' s statues . A handful of espers remained in the world , such as Valigarmanda , who was frozen in ice , and Odin , who was petrified in the Ancient Castle buried deep within the mountains . Ramuh lived in the human world for an unspecified time , using his humanoid appearance to blend into normal society , and he implies other espers do the same . The espers ' magicite remains also remained , such as Ragnarok and Phoenix . As the remaining espers concealed their existence , the knowledge of magic became the stuff of legends and myths . The espers lived in their world safe from human invasion until a woman named Madeline stumbled upon the Esper World . She fell in love with an esper named Maduin much to the other espers ' dismay , and gave birth to a baby girl , naming her Terra . Two years later , an army led by Emperor Gestahl invaded the Esper World . Unlike Madeline , who had come upon the place by accident , Gestahl had spent years searching for the Esper World . His troops began capturing espers , causing a panic , and the Elder , who was one of the few able to perform the feat , formed a Sealed Gate around the entrance to the Esper World and forced out the soldiers . Maduin was taken when he tried to stop Madeline and Terra from leaving before the gate closed , as Gestahl captured all three of them , but killed Madeline . For the next sixteen years the captured espers were being held in the Magitek Research Facility in the Imperial capital of Vector , and were the subject of experiments conducted by Cid Del Norte Marquez , who extracted their magic power and infused it into humans using the process of Magitek , creating the Magitek Knight s . His first experiment was done on a man named Kefka Palazzo . The experiment was deemed a failure , as Kefka lost his mind . A more refined process was invented and used on Celes Chere , whom Cid raised as his daughter . The refined process no longer harmed the subject ' s mental faculties , and soldiers and machines began to regularly be infused with magic . At an unspecified point in time , the esper Ramuh and three other espers — Siren , Cait Sith and Kirin — escaped the Empire , but the latter three were struck down . Ramuh fled to Zozo , taking refuge atop a tower in the city . Four espers ; Leviathan , Gilgamesh , Gigantuar and Diabolos also escaped according to the man in Nikeah in the World of Ruins . They would wander the world remaining free from detection for a year . Diabolos eventually dies and his magicite comes to rest in Dragons ' Den . At Narshe , the townspeople unearth the esper Valigarmanda in a newly dug mine shaft . The news attracts the Empire ' s attention , and they send Terra , under their control via a slave crown , to retrieve it with Biggs and Wedge . Biggs and Wedge are killed when the esper responds to Terra ' s presence , knocking her unconscious . A villager named Arvis finds her and contacts Locke to get her out of the city safely . The two are members of the Returners , an Imperial resistance group , and Terra joins their ranks to help them fight the Empire . When the Returners return to Narshe , they attempt to have Terra awaken Valigarmanda to have a powerful ally to fight the Empire . The contact causes Terra to lose control of her powers and transform into an esper . Ramuh , sensing this , summons Terra to him and puts her to rest while she mentally wrestles with what she is . When the Returners track her down , Ramuh explains the Empire ' s methods for extracting magic are flawed . Total transfer of an esper ' s power is only possible via magicite , the crystallized remains of an esper when they die . Ramuh entrusts the magicite shards of Siren , Cait Sith , Kirin and himself to the Returners , and tasks them to rescue the imprisoned espers from the Magitek Research Facility . The Returners raid the facility and rescue the espers , though too late to prevent them from dying and turning into magicite . Kefka and the Empire learn that magicite magic is more potent than Magitek , and with the Empire ' s magic supply gone , the Returners ally with Narshe to open the gate to the Esper World and launch a joint human - esper attack on Vector . Terra opens the gate , but when the espers emerge they lose control of their powers like she did , and go on a rampage at Vector . The Empire is decimated and Gestahl calls a truce , asking the Returners to ally with him to find the espers and explain the truce to them to avoid further bloodshed . While Terra , Locke and General Leo locate the espers at Crescent Mountain near Thamasa , it is revealed to have been a ruse to draw them out of hiding . Kefka arrives under Gestahl ' s orders and kills the espers , seizing their magicite , incapacitates the party , and kills Leo . The sealed gate opens and more espers arrive to attack Kefka , but he is immune to their powers and turns them into magicite . Kefka and Gestahl cross the sealed gate and raise the Floating Continent with the power of the Warring Triad . When the party confronts the two , Kefka kills Gestahl and takes the Triad ' s power as his own . The party flees , and the world is destroyed . In the newly formed World of Ruin , only a few espers remain , though magicite remains are abundant and it is mentioned by some there may be almost no espers left . With the destruction of Kefka and the Warring Triad , espers and magicite vanish from the world . List of espers . Magicite espers . The following espers are usable as magicite : Terra . Terra is the daughter of the human Madeline and the esper Maduin , making her a half - human and half - esper . She can use the Trance command to transform into esper form when she discovers the truth about her origins . From then on , she can control her powers , as long as she uses it in short bursts . This enables her to unlock her latent magical potential and increase her physical and magical power drastically . She can revert back into her human form at will . Terra is naturally gifted in magic due to her heritage , able to learn sixteen spells as she level s up without the help of magicite . Esper folks . It is unknown how many espers exist during the events of " Final Fantasy VI " , but there are at least dozens if not hundreds . They are represented on the field by assorted sprites representing wolves , dragons and fairies , and are not given proper names . Yura and Esper Elder are the exception to this . In the battlefield , they use the summon sprites of other espers , so it is likely their field sprites are not reflective of their actual appearance . Only one unnamed esper has a unique sprite — a red palette swap of Ifrit that battles Kefka in Thamasa . Gameplay . As bosses . Shiva , Ifrit , Valigarmanda , Leviathan , Gigantuar , and Gilgamesh are fought as bosses . As playable party members . Terra Branford is half - esper and a playable character since the start of the game . her unique battle command is Trance allowing her to transform into a magical form and become temporarily more powerful . Maduin is playable in a flashback sequence , but the player can ' t enter battle as him . Magicite . When equipped as magicite they grant stat boosts upon level up to those currently equipping them . As summons . Any esper that is equipped as a magicite can be summoned . All summon attacks are unblockable , except for those that inflicts status ailments . Musical themes . The theme song for the Espers is called " Esper World " , sometimes referred to as " Another World of Beasts " . It plays in the Esper World and is also used during somber moments in the game . Other appearances . " Final Fantasy Legends II " . Lakshmi , Seraph and Maduin appear as summons . " Pictlogica Final Fantasy " . The espers from " Final Fantasy VI " appear in " Pictlogica Final Fantasy " . " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . Some of the espers appear in " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . The espers are often associated with a relevant party member from " Final Fantasy VI " ; Maduin was given to Terra in " Final Fantasy VI " , and players often assign Odin for Locke for its rare Speed level up boost because Locke has the highest natural Speed stat . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Ifrit and Shiva appear as bosses .