Editing Strago Magus (section)

==Critical reception==
Strago received mixed reception. Mike Minotti of ''VentureBeat'' cited him as an example of a "filler character" commonly found in roleplaying games that players often cared little about.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/the-ageless-chrono-trigger-is-20-years-old-today/ |title=Chrono Trigger's 20th birthday has this must-play role-playing game looking timeless |website=VentureBeat |first=Mike |last=Minotti |accessdate=2024-04-26 |date=2015-11-03}}</ref> On the other hand, Japanese musician [[Kenichi Maeyamada]] in an article for ''[[4Gamer.net]]'' cited Strago's emotional downfall as one of the game's darkest moments, illustrating personal trauma at the believed loss of his granddaughter and friends in a way that stuck with him.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[4Gamer.net]] |first=Kenichi |last=Maeyamada |authorlink=Kenichi Maeyamada |date=2021-07-31 |accessdate=2024-04-26 |script-title=ja:【ヒャダイン】「ファイナルファンタジー ピクセルリマスター」発表会に参加してきました |language=Japanese |url=https://www.4gamer.net/games/095/G009575/20210726053/}}</ref> The staff of ''RPGFan'' meanwhile felt Strago's return to the party was a bit shallow by comparison, and cited him as an example of how ''Final Fantasy VI''{{'}}s large cast caused certain characters to regrettably have little fleshed-out content.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.rpgfan.com/2023/07/13/retro-encounter-378-final-fantasy-vi-part-ii/ |first1=Zach |last1=Wilkerson|first2=Aleks |last2=Franiczek|first3=Lucas |last3=Greene|first4=Ben |last4=Love|first5=Lucy |last5=Gray |title=Retro Encounter 378 – Final Fantasy VI Part II|date=2023-07-13 |accessdate=2024-04-23 |website=RPGFan |time=30:15 }} [https://archive.org/details/retro-encounter-378-final-fantasy-vi-part-i-rpgfan Alt URL]{{cbignore}}</ref>

In contrast, Patrick Holleman in the book ''Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VI'' observed that despite being such a late-game addition to the party he had quite a large amount of dialogue, often providing exposition to events that happened prior to the game's story and how they were relevant to it. However, his introduction to the party by comparison was rather brief, and Holleman felt that was the reason behind the Ebot's Rock quest, as few if any of the party members got a second quest. Additionally Holleman felt the quest tapped into another aspect of Strago's character: his age. As an older character, it was easier for the development team to portray him with hidden depth and a more fleshed out backstory, something that in his point of view wasn't as easy to do with characters in their teens.<ref name="reverse">{{cite book |first1=Patrick|last1=Holleman|title=Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VI |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=97804-2-983-443-1 |date=September 2018 |page=23}}</ref>
===Analysis of themes and music===
[[File:FinalFantasyVI-StragoTheme.ogg|thumb|Unlike other characters' themes which convey character elements during scenes, writer Sebastian Deken saw Strago's as atmospheric. However he emphasized this in turn created a sense of suspicion, which directly relates to Strago's secretive nature.<ref name="Deken">{{cite book |title=Final Fantasy VI |publisher=Boss Fight Books |first=Sebastian |last=Deken |isbn=9781940535289 |date=July 2021 |pages=48, 71}}</ref>]]
In the book ''The Legend of Final Fantasy VI'', Pierre Maugein described him as "the third piece in the emotional family puzzle" in the game that consists of himself, Relm and Shadow. Acting as a paternal figure to Relm, Maugein stated that while his role as a substitute father could be read as often kowtowing to her aggressive nature, he felt Strago was instead trying to offer support and understanding for her difficult past and her need for confrontation. When observing the cut character of his wife, Maugein felt the development team was consciously trying to avoid a support structure that would have lightened the game's overall mood by not including her. Instead the emphasis on Strago as her sole guardian helped paint a picture of survival in a harsh world, and underlined their tragic family experiences.<ref name="legend">{{cite book |title=The Legend of Final Fantasy VI |date=2018 |first=Pierre |last=Maugein |publisher=Third Editions |isbn=9782377840472 |pages=95–97}}</ref>

Maugein also observed how Strago's age is represented in the game, not only through how completion of his personal quest revitalizes him emotionally, but also how easily his despair led him into the Cult of Kefka when he thought Relm had died. He saw that particular moment as an old man that has given up, accepting his approaching death instead of trying to find the energy to keep going. Calling him "sweet in his quirks and his role as a wise but clumsy forebear", Maugein felt that his liveliness hid a personal struggle, something he saw reflected in the removed cutscene with Shadow. Strago to him also represented a view on the elderly in Japanese culture with how grandparents are often at the center of the family in contrast to Western society, an "oft-times tiresome, old man who still  provokes deep respect" that reflected Relm's "acerbity" that represented a shift in the Japanese use away from such paradigms. He close with stating that more than any other character in the game, Strago represented "living for a loved one is a profound act of resistance".<ref name="legend"/>

Other books also examined the character. Sebastian Deken in his book discussing ''Final Fantasy VI''{{'}}s characters and how their music related to them noted that while Strago's was more atmospheric, it still reflected his secretive nature.<ref name="Deken"/> The book ''Final Fantasy and Philosophy'' meanwhile cited Strago's eccentricities as an example of a prevailing theme in literature of positive portrayals of madness.<ref>{{cite book |page=36 |title=Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walktrhough |publisher=Wiley |date=2009 |first1=Jason P. |last1=Blahuta |first2= Michael S. |last2=Beaulieu |first3=William |last3=Irwin |isbn=9780470415368}}</ref>