Maria (Final Fantasy VI)

Maria is a non-player character in Final Fantasy VI. She is a famous opera star in Jidoor and performs at their Opera House. Maria does not appear in-person, but her presence drives a major subplot concerning the opera.
==Profile==
Maria bears an uncanny resemblance to Celes, great enough that the Impresario, who knows her personally, mistakes Celes for Maria when they first meet. When disguised as Maria, Celes wears a white ruffled ball gown with her hair tied in a blue ribbon.
==Story==
Maria's beauty was world-renown, and she caught the eye of Setzer, a wandering gambler who became infatuated with her and decided to make her his bride. When he sent a letter to the Impresario warning him he would come for her, the Impresario went to Jidoor to warn Maria. He ran off when he met Celes, dropping the letter. The Returners had been pondering a way to reach the Imperial capital Vector on the southern continent, where no ships sailed, and decided to arrange a meeting with Setzer to use his airship, the Blackjack. The Returners met the Impresario at the Opera House and concocted a scheme to have Celes take Maria's place in the opera, and when Setzer abducted her she could sneak them onto the airship. The Impresario agreed and the show went on with Celes as the leading lady, playing a character also named Maria.
Within the play, the kingdoms of the East and West were at war, and Maria's lover Draco was a great soldier for the West. When Maria's castle was captured, the Eastern prince Ralse forced her to agree to marry him, but she still yearned for Draco. As she sang for him the night of a dance with Ralse, Draco appeared to her and danced with her briefly before vanishing, leaving a bouquet of flowers. Maria attended the dance, and survivors of the West attacked, led by Draco. Draco refused to let Maria marry Ralse and Ralse challenged him to a duel. As Maria watched the battle, Ultros planned to halt the opera by dropping a massive weight onto her from the rafters. The Returners stopped him, but Ultros knocked them off and the two fell to the stage, landing on Draco and Ralse and knocking them out. This was improvised by Locke as part of the show, and the Returners chased off Ultros. At this point Setzer made his entrance and made off with Celes.
A curiosity in Owzer's Mansion is a large full-body painting of Maria in the basement. The Maria within the painting continuously turns to face random directions as the party explores the twisted passages of the area.
==Gallery==
FFVI Maria Sprites.png|Spritesheet (SNES).
FFVI PC Maria Sprites.png|Spritesheet (2014).
==Etymology==
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VI