Sabin's... well, I hesitate to say that he's my favorite FF6 guy, because I like them all. But he's the one I would most want as a friend in the real world. He's sweet, he's funny, he's a loyal and caring brother and a good friend. He stands by his principles without sacrificing his sense of humor. He doesn't take himself too seriously or wallow in angst. He doesn't always seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's probably not too dim, either; after all, Edgar's a genius, and Sabin's verbal wit suggests he's fairly bright, too. He sleeps through the opera, but Philistine that I am, I hardly blame him.

Let's elaborate. First of all, there's his sense of humor, the thing that draws me to him the most. I'm going to draw a distinction here between being comedic and having a sense of humor. For example... Celes says "I'm a general, not some opera floozy!" We laugh, because the word "floozy" is funny. But she's not *trying* to be funny. She's serious. Locke says "Call me a treasure hunter, or I'll rip your lungs out," which is funny, but he's doing it to pick a fight so he can rob the guy. Sabin actually says things that sound like they're deliberately humorous ("I know, I know... we smash Kefka, and deliver peace unto the world") and laughs at other people's jokes (like when Terra says he looks like a bodybuilder who's strayed from his gym.) He laughs more often than any of the other characters, which is refreshing in such a grim game. Especially since his life hasn't been any better or worse than any of the others'. He, too, has had to contend with the deaths of loved ones, guilt issues, duty, honor, all that fun stuff. He just deals with it differently.

His approach to the world is refreshingly optimistic, despite his not-entirely-sheltered upbringing. Not entirely sheltered? His parents were murdered by political opponents. Granted he had a loving family background and presumably luxurious surroundings, but, you know, assassination. Whee. This guy's had it rough, but... well, I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call him naive, but he seems fairly innocent. Edgar's coin trick never occurred to him; if he's not with you for the opera house scene, he never knows what his brother did to protect him. He's stunned and upset by Vargas's treachery, and he makes little effort to conceal his emotions, crying openly at his father's death and when he finds out Duncan is alive. He's a simple person - not stupid, just untwisty. The closest he comes to deception is when he tells Terra that Edgar is trustworthy and has always been fair with him - "but don't you DARE tell him I said that!" And he laughs, again. It's such a nice, brotherly moment - anyone who has siblings knows what I mean. He's your brother and you want to put in a good word for him, but damned if you'll have him know you did.

He sometimes edges perilously close to being foolhardy - witness his solo assault on Ultros, which gets him separated from the party during the raft sequence. He makes friends easily - he recruits more new members for the party than all the others combined. He seems to fall asleep during the opera - his comment, "Uh? Why's everyone singing?" sounds like you woke him from his nap and he's disoriented. He's the only one other than Celes who set to work on locating the rest of the party in the World of Ruin, and there's no indication he had to go through suicidal depression first. He's a sweet, honest, funny guy, and it doesn't hurt that he kicks ass in a fight, either.