What changes occur if I do (or don't) save Cid?

At the start of the World of Ruin phase of the game, Celes can feed fish to Cid. Based on the quality of the fish, Cid will either either live or die. How does the rest of the game change based on whether Cid lives or dies?

Solution 1:

There's not much difference in terms of the rest of the story - regardless, Celes will leave the island in search of her friends.

If Cid lives, he will send Celes off on the raft he's built, and if he dies, Celes will discover a note that inspires her to take the raft on her own.

After you've left the island, I don't believe the game is different in any way. I think if he lives, you can return to the island later to visit him, but I don't believe this changes the events of the game either.

There's a description of the events on this page:

If Cid dies, Celes will find a raft that he built so she could sail to freedom, but not before attempting suicide (which is referenced more in the Japanese version of the game). If Cid lives, he will show Celes the raft he was building and give it to her so she can leave the island. Regardless of whether Cid lives or dies, Celes will eventually set out to find all of her friends.

Solution 2:

First - you'll cry so much less if you save Cid. It's really hard to do, it's just luck-based enough that it feels like a real accomplishment when you do save him. The game is not significantly different, but there's a bit of dialogue later that you don't have access to on the small island if you don't save him. It's minor, but I think it's worthwhile.

Solution 3:

Not lucked-based actually : the quickest fish is always the better to give, while the slowest is the worst. You can see the fish name right after having caught it ("rotten", etc...) to confirm that. Cid lines will also change depending on his health state, confirming that you feed him right.

Story-wise, it is however much more better to let him die. You can therefore see the famous scene where Celes throws herself form the cliff in a suicide attempt, only to fail and be awoken by a seagull and finding Locke's bandana on the beach. If Cid lives, the music between the raft cruise and the first open-world combat is different and too much joyful in my opinion.

If Cid lives, a scene at the end of the game show him wave the airship from the island. No other different I remember.