In Shining Armor
Faithful retainer to his family's liege, with the courage and strength of a thousand men...
- Cyan's Introduction (SNES version)
Like most characters in Super Nintendo titles, Cyan's appearance is different in every place you see him. The gallery shows just this (and provides a handy companion to this article.) But which image is the "real Cyan", given what visual and statistic information we have?
Early sketches by head character designer Yoshitaka Amano show a big, burly fellow in flowing purple robes and ornate armor. The key facial features are there: the ponytail, the moustache, the stern gaze. He clutches a katana, and his armor protects key areas. The armor's look is based on late samurai outfits, most evident in the plating and bows.
The violet hues were later ditched for a striking blue and gold combination. Though Cyan's chest is still heaving, his face is thinner and its expression more mischievous. Another portrait replaces the blue clothes with a black, and the armor fades from bright yellow to weathered bronze. His body is also slim and taught, more in keeping with his weight, 158 lbs.
These later pieces were no doubt the basis for the portrait in the game manual. Since all the characters appear in a style known as "super deformed" - rounded and with a 1:3 aspect of head to body - it's difficult to tell his body type. The armor is gold with a black tunic and pants, and blue sleeves, which is not really what he looks like in the game.
The game sprite - the graphic that you move around the screen to represent Cyan - wears a dark blue suit of armor, sleeveless, and a mighty brown belt buckle. His skin is tanned, his ponytail evident in side views, and the eyebrows and mustache retained. He looks rather formidable and grizzled. The sprite is surprisingly expressive, conveying laughter, surprise, sadness, and relief when needed, and allowing for several imposing stances.
A key recurring characteristic not yet mentioned is that Cyan may be Japanese. There is irony in this, since in one sense, all the FFVI characters are of Japanese origin (all the company's games are developed there) yet none of the others have the appearance. Their skin is fair and their hair blond or wildly colored, just like in Japanese anime. Cyan's vaguely Eastern visage and garb distinguish him as a proud samurai and unique entity.
Cyan does not appear in the CGI Full Motion Videos included in the Final Fantasy Anthology release for the PlayStation One. Likely, he wasn't a popular or significant enough character to include. An injustice, since even the fleeting Shadow has a shot! We are left to imagine what he might have look like, rendered with the computer technology of 1998.
So for a true image of Cyan: picture a tall warrior, five foot ten, perched on a sun-drenched hill, in gilt armor with intricate carvings and silk details, in pastel tints. His tied back, jet-black hair catches in the wind. Shadows seek the deep and well-earned age lines on his bronze face. His eyes are fixed and probing, his bristled mustache nearly hides the hint of a smile. His katana is held at his side but his grip relaxed, for the blade will be drawn instantly at the first sign of danger, and woe to any that stand in its way.
