Why Leo?

As one of the many people attempting to make a Leo hack (though I'd like to think I'm approaching it more wholistically than most), I've had to ask the question of why? FF6 already has so many characters, so why would I care to add one more? Why does everyone want Leo, and nobody wants Banon?

Part of it is because Leo makes a huge impression, while Banon feels like an escort mission. I admit to being "shocked" when Leo attacked 4 times and covered the battlefield with the Shock ability. I couldn't say the same for "Health".

I think another part is that Leo has all of the setup to be a main character. He shows up everywhere in the story. He has a setup scene (the military base), character development scenes (Gesthal's banquet, the ship, the meeting with the Espers), and all of the reason in the world to be on your team. He shows up in flashbacks, and the NPCs in Vector even talk about him. He's got everything except a theme song and a chocobo riding sprite. Then, you finally get him, and... you lose him. I realize it was meant to be jarring, but there's a reason it created the dream in many of us of getting him back.

The final reason came to me though as I was re-watching some Marvel movies this past week. It's because he's the same character as Captain America. He sees the good. He sees people. He has principles, and he stands up for them. When the first Captain America movie came out, the studio didn't know if it was going to be a hit, since Cap was such a goody-goody. However, they pulled the character off with utter sincerity, and... strangely enough, it worked! FF6 is no stranger to melodrama, with complex characters that go through some trying circumstances finding their identity. In the midst of that, Leo is a breath of fresh air. He knows who is. He is not conflicted. He is just a guy who wants to do what is right. In being who he is, he serves as a perfect foil. He's Faramir from LotR. He's Jin from Xenosaga. He's Dunban from Xenoblade. His character works in its simplicity.

Does that mean I'm not going to give him an intrapersonal conflict or a development journey to go through? Oh hell no! Gesthal's and Kefka's betrayal in Thamasa, and their subsequent murder of Banon, shakes him deeply. He will also, through the Lola letter-writing sidequest, have to come face to face with one of the men whom he led astray, leading to his recruitment scenario in the WoR, where he takes Cyan's place as the letter writer. But everything starts with the character that managed to capture our imagination 20-some years ago.