Red XIII
| Red XIII | |
|---|---|
| 'Final Fantasy series and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII' character | |
| Red XIII artwork by Tetsuya Nomura Red XIII artwork by Tetsuya Nomura | |
| First game | Final Fantasy VII |
Red XIII (レッドXIII, Reddo Sātīn) is a playable character in the RPG Final Fantasy VII.
Biography
Born with the name "Nanaki" (ナナキ) he believes himself to be the last of a race sworn to protect their home of Cosmo Canyon with their very lives. Despite his appearance and somewhat aloof personality, he is actually an adolescent by his species' standards, possessed as they are of incredible longevity[1]. Nanaki believed that his father, Seto, had been a coward who abandoned Cosmo Canyon during a war with the now-extinct Gi Tribe, leaving the tribes to fight on their own. As such, he was deeply ashamed of being Seto's son.
When the Shin-Ra Company's Turks arrive at Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki is captured and taken to Shin-Ra's headquarters, where Professor Hojo referred to him by the codename "Red XIII" during his experiments. The nickname stuck when he joined Cloud Strife's party in Final Fantasy VII.
Final Fantasy VII
Red XIII joined Cloud's group while they were rescuing Aerith Gainsborough from the Shin-Ra building, where Hojo was attempting to breed Aerith with Nanaki in order to preserve what he believed to be two endangered species of animal.[2] When the group later visits Cosmo Canyon, they meet the village elder, Bugenhagen, whom Red XIII refers to as his "grandfather." Here, Red XIII learns the truth about his father, Seto, who had actually fought the Gi Tribe when they were attacking Cosmo Canyon by way of a secret path. He managed to fight and defeat the Gi Tribe, even as they fired poison arrows into his body, which soon turned him into stone. Finally knowing the truth of his proud heritage, Red XIII, with some prodding from Bugenhagen, gains the courage to rejoin Cloud's party for the rest of their journey, during which he proves himself to be a valuable asset and friend.
Shortly before the game's ending, the player can return to Cosmo Canyon, where Bugenhagen — having lived to the age of 130 — lies on his death bed. Before passing on, Bugenhagen suggests to Red XIII that he may yet discover a mate, indicating that Red XIII is not the last of his kind.[3] In the epilogue to the game's ending, he is shown 500 years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, looking over Midgar, now aged into adulthood and accompanied by cubs, confirming Bugenhagen's prediction.
Red XIII's role in Advent Children is rather minor. He first appears in the opening cinematic of the film, which is a CG rendering of Final Fantasy VII's epilogue. He attacks Bahamut SHIN with the other party members, while Cait Sith rides on his back, rather than an animatronic moogle, as he had in Final Fantasy VII. Red XIII also displays very high physical abilities.
Red XIII has only one line in the film, voiced by Masachika Ichimura in the Japanese version, and Liam O'Brien in the English version.
Red XIII also makes a very brief appearance in Dirge of Cerberus. Unlike the other party members, who appear earlier on to help Vincent, Red XIII only appears in a small scene after the credits where he sits next to Shelke outside of the Seventh Heaven bar.
Trivia
- It was previously a subject of debate amongst fans as to whether or not Bugenhagen is Red XIII's biological grandfather. In actuality, this is not the case. The word for "grandfather" used by Red XIII in reference to — and while addressing — Bugenhagen is "'jii-chan" (as used in-game: じっちゃん; more common rendering: じいちゃん), short for "ojii-chan" (おじいちゃん), a title of familiarity and respect, often used even when there is no biological relation between the speaker and who they are referencing[4]. This issue was further confused by Hojo's apparent attempt to breed Red XIII with Aerith Gainsborough.
- Red XIII can both howl and roar, as well as talk. Like many RPG creatures he is designed after a generalized carnivore, with an obvious leonid influence.
- Some fans have suggested that the names 'Nanaki' and 'Red XIII' are an allusion to Anakin Skywalker and Red Squadron from the Star Wars films [1] , in keeping with other Star Wars references in the Final Fantasy series.
References
- ^ Bugenhagen: ""Ho Ho Hoooo. I hear that you looked after Nanaki a bit. Nanaki is still a child you see." / Red XIII: ""Please stop, grandfather. I'm 48." / Bugenhagen: "Ho Ho Hoooo. Nanaki's tribe has incredible longevity. So you see his 48 years would only be equivalent to say that of a 15 or 16 year old in human reckoning."(Final Fantasy VII)
- ^ Cloud: "What do you think you're doin'?" / Hojo: "Lending a helping hand to an endangered species... Both of them are on the brink of extinction... If I don't help, all these animals will disappear."(Final Fantasy VII)
- ^ Bugenhagen: "Look always to the eternal flow of time which is far greater than the span of a human life. It will teach you more than staying here in the valley... What you see will eventually become a part of life's dream. For my children...... And for your children...... So please, Nanaki... Go with Cloud... And with your eyes... your ears..." / Red XIII: "............" / Bugenhagen: "Ho Ho...... Hooo. Now, now. Don't look like that. I'm all right. It's a wide world and you must go out and see it... You may even find your life's mate. You never know."(Final Fantasy VII)
- ^ Studio BentStuff, ed. (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square-Enix. p. 63. ISBN 4-7575-1520-0.
External links
Template:FFVII character external links
- Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω Translations FAQ - Translations from the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω