Editing Strago Magus (section)

===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>