List of Final Fantasy 7 Characters - Final Fantasy
The cast of characters in Final Fantasy VII, a role-playing game released on the Sony Playstation 1 in the year 1997 by Square (later Square Enix), have garnered a huge following among fans in the series. They appear in a number of other spin offs, movies, and other media including, the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, and Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, to name a few. In Final Fantasy: Advent Children, a 3D computer-animated film that takes place after the events of the original game, almost all of the original characters show up. Most of the characters were designed by Tetsuya Nomura, but various members of Final Fantasy VII’s development team contributed to and even conceived many characters on their own.
The Final Fantasy characters are a common choice for Final Fantasy cosplay enthusiasts and they have been recreated countless times in fan art and figures. These characters have also inspired an incredible variety of other merchandise and apparel as well. On April 10th, 2020, these characters are set to appear once again in the much anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake, a reimagining of the original game that is being created from the ground up and introduces a number of new mechanics and vastly improved visuals.
Playable Characters
Cloud Strife - An ex-member of the SOLDIER that left the program to become a mercenary. Cloud is later hired by eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE to stop Shinra Electric Power Co. from harvesting the world’s lifeblood, which is known as Mako. He is initially fairly apathetic to their cause, but Cloud ends up fighting with zeal. Cloud is often seen wielding broadswords in combat like his iconic Buster Sword.
Barret Wallace - The current leader of AVALANCHE. Barret is a passionate and sometimes aggressive leader. In the heat of combat, he is prone to flying into a rage and letting out a variety of swears. That said, he does have a soft spot in his heart, especially toward his adopted daughter. Before the beginning of the game, Barret lost his right hand and eventually had a machine gun attached to his arm to replace it. Most of his attacks revolve around this arm gun in some way.
Tifa Lockhart - Tifa is the owner of the bar 7th Heaven in the ghetto of Sector 7. She is also a childhood friend of Cloud’s, though the two became unable to contact each other several years before the beginning of the game. Tifa is also a member of AVALANCHE and is the one who manages to convince Cloud to join their cause when they finally meet again. Even on her own, Tifa is quite a capable fighter and is highly trained in the art of unarmed combat.
Aerith Gainsborough - A girl raised in the slums of Sector 5. She often visits the local church, where she keeps a flower patch -- a rare sight due to Shinra harvesting Mako from the planet. When fighting along with Cloud and the rest of his party, she wields a staff. Although she isn’t the strongest member of the party, she makes up for her physical weakness in her magical abilities.
Red XIII - A member of an unnamed race of cat or wolf-like beasts that are capable of speech. Although his actual name is Nanaki, he is given the title Red XIII after he is captured by Professor Hojo. He is rescued along with Aerith after Cloud’s party breaks into Shinra’s headquarters.
Cait Sith - A robot cat that sits atop a giant Mog. Cait is controlled by Reeve, but has a personality and character that is completely separate from him. Several of Cait’s attacks are based on gambling and luck, like his Limit Breaks “Dice” and “Slots”.
Cid Highwind - A foul-mouthed, chain-smoking mechanic from Rocket Town that wished to be the first man in space, but was forced to give up on his dream. Although he is often harsh and bitter, he is a good friend. In combat, Cid wields a spear to attack his enemies.
Yuffie Kisaragi - A Materia hunter that wishes to restore her home of Wutai to its former glory. Yuffie is one of the optional playable characters that Cloud can obtain in his adventures and will join the party after a specific side quest is completed.
Vincent Valentine - A former Turk with a painful past. Due to experimentation, he is able to metamorph into multiple forms. Feelings of guilt led him to seal himself away in a coffin. Like Yuffie, Vincent is also an optional party member.
Zack Fair - A member of SOLDIER and a key character in Cloud’s back story. Aerith’s first love.
The Turks- A group of secret agents that work for Shinra and eventually become an independent force.
Antagonists
Sephiroth - A non-playable character that joins the party for only one sequence. He was presumed dead but later returns as the game’s main antagonist.
Jenova - An alien lifeform that crash-landed on the planet 2000 years before the events of Final Fantasy VII.
Rufus Shinra - The previous Vice President of Shinra who is promoted to be President after his father is murdered by Sephiroth.
Professor Hojo - Sephiroth’s biological father and the previous head of Shinra's Department of Science and Research before he quit after an attack by Red XIII at Shinra headquarters.
Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo- The antagonists of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Deepground- A military force formed by Shinra that acts as the main antagonist in Dirge of Cerberus.
Genesis Rhapsodos- A character first seen in Dirge of Cerberus, but also acts as the antagonist of Crisis Core.