Longtime fans ofFinal Fantasymay know of the series tradition of having a character named Cid in every title withFinal Fantasy 7being no exception. While he hasn’t appeared in thefirst part ofFinal Fantasy 7’s remake, the pace of the story means that he will likely appear in part 2.
Fans who haven’t played the original may not know too much about Cid Highwind and his role as a party member inFinal Fantasy 7. As a result, those who want to go into the next part of the remake should turn back now, as there areSPOILERSfor Cid Highwind’s character development in this article.
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Keeping the roles he plays in mind, there’s a lot to look forward to with his character once he appears in the remake. Cid’s personality certainly makes him stand out from others and definitely contributes to the dynamic of the party in interesting ways.
Who is Cid Highwind?
Cid Highwindis a mechanical scientist who dreamed of sending a rocket to outer space, but joined up with Cloud Strife and the rest of his party to take down Shinra after an incident involving the megacorporation.
Ever since Cid was young, he dreamed of going to space and being the first man to travel there. He nearly achieved his dream thanks to the Shinra Space Program, but things got shaky after Cid was kidnapped by Avalanche to prevent the launch of the rocket. After being rescued, the rocket is almost launched, but one of the scientists that lived with Cid, Shera, is on the rocket before it is launched. If the rocket were launched, she would’ve been burned alive, causing Cid to completely abort the launch.
Cid blamed Shera for the rocket’s failure and she accepted this and attempted to rectify her mistakes while Cid became embittered over the years. The two stayed living with each other with Cid constantly insulting and belittling Shera at every chance while she continued to try and get Cid to forgive her. After years of this toxic relationship dynamic, Cid eventually meets Cloud and the rest of his party when they come to Rocket Town. After Shinra shoots down Cid’s plane, the Tiny Bronco, Cid feels that he has no reason to stay in Rocket Town andjoins theFF7party. While Cid calls the party “numbskulls” for even thinking that they can stop Shinra, he still tags along despite it all.
Cid’s Personality
Something that sets Cid apart from the rest of Cloud’s teammates is his rude personality. One of his standout traits is in how often he swears to the point that many of his words arecensored with random characters in the originalFinal Fantasy 7. Due to the remake being completely voice acted, it could be possible that his swearing could be toned down. Another possibility could be various background elements such as loud noises censoring his swearing in-universe to keep his character consistent.
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Because of Cid’s rough personality, he can come off as being uncaring toward the other party members in the beginning with examples including him sleeping throughCloud’s explanation of a certain missionand during one of Cloud’s breakdowns. However, as the game progresses, Cid grows closer to the members of the party and comes to terms with the rocket failure that occurred years prior.
Cid in Battle
While some players may expect Cid to play a role similar to a machinist seen inFinal Fantasy 14, Cid actually plays more of a Dragoon role, similar toFreya inFinal Fantasy 9. He wields various spears and specializes in melee attacks instead of magics.
One of the best benefits that came to Cid outside of his skills in battle was in how he was very useful inleveling Materiain the originalFinal Fantasy 7. The majority of Cid’s weapons had double AP growth with one having triple AP growth. While Materia leveling is less important in the remake, it’s very possible that other benefits may be added to Cid’s weapons instead.
During battle, Cid benefits from having veryhigh defensive stats, allowing him to tank some very powerful attacks and making him a very useful member of the party. His Limit Breaks involve the traditional Dragoon jumping attacks with them often hitting enemies multiple times in succession or even multiple enemies at once. It will be very interesting to see how these will translate in the remake’s second part once gameplay footage is released for Cid’s reveal.
Cid With the Party
After Cid joins the party, he holds a very course attitude as mentioned before. However, he becomes the key to commandeering the airship, the Highwind. This airship was created by Cid while he worked for Shinra, but he forcibly takes it back by convincing the ship’s crew to join him after allying himself with Cloud and his party. Thanks to this, the group is able to save Barret and Tifa from being executed. This also lets the player gain control over the Highwind as an airship that can travel in the overworld, and the airship is also used to findCloud after he goes missing.
Later during areturn to Rocket Town, the party along with Cid infiltrate Shinra’s new rocket launch. However, this results in the party getting trapped on the rocket. While they attempt to get out via an escape pod with Shera, an oxygen tank explodes, causing Cid to get trapped under the rubble. This makes Cid realize that he is in the exact situation that Shera had been trying to prevent years before and forgives her for the failed rocket launch from the prior incident. He tells the party to leave him, but they work together along with Shera to rescue him, allowing everyone to make it back to the planet’s surface safely.
This incident is what ultimately changes Cid for the good, as he gains a newfound resolve to protect the planet fromSephiroth’s plans, viewing Sephiroth as a disease inside a child that is still new to the universe around it. Cid stays alongside the party to help defeat Sephiroth and save Gaia from being destroyed by him.
