Celes Chere (Japanese: セリス・シェール, Hepburn: Serisu Shēru) is a character and protagonist in the video game Final Fantasy VI.

Celes' character and story, including her attempted suicide and opera performance, were designed by game director Yoshinori Kitase.

[5][6] Her appearance was designed by artist Yoshitaka Amano, who was given complete creative freedom in Final Fantasy VI, with only brief character outlines as guidelines.

[1] Artist Kazuko Shibuya then did additional illustrations based on Amano's design to use as a basis for her sprites, in particular her appearance during the opera scene, which she felt looked "cute".

[9][4] Celes was set as the first character players controlled in the World of Ruin portion of the game to avoid giving Terra Branford's story too much emphasis over others.

[11][12][13][14] She appears as a supporting character in World of Final Fantasy, where she received her first voice roles from Houko Kuwashima and Christina Rose in Japanese and English respectively.

She has been regarded as one of the best characters in Final Fantasy, with some of the strongest moments being her opera performance, her growth from being a soldier in the Empire, and her relationship with Cid.

[19][20][21][22][23] Nintendojo writer Joshua Johnston praised her for her quest to reunite the cast in the second half of Final Fantasy VI as her standout moment.

[20] Jef Rouner for the Houston Press was similarly critical of how she was depicted, noting that despite her and Terra's importance and strength, they are frequently "bound and dominated" by men and require their aide.

She discussed how Celes' "lithe and slender form, when juxtaposed against her sword and the geopolitical conflict," evokes the "beautiful fighting girl" archetype of late-20th century Japanese pop culture, whose "female-coded compassion is often portrayed as the solution to an otherwise unwinnable war."

She lastly added that "Terra and Celes are not characters to be consumed, but identities to be embraced and managed", feeling they represented in many ways the discussions of bioethics prominent in the 1990s and that "humanity, in all its forms, can bravely continue on into an optimistic future".