Red XIII

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For the EP by the band Journey, see Red 13.

Red XIII
Red XIII artwork by Tetsuya Nomura
Game series	Final Fantasy series and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
First game	Final Fantasy VII
Designed by	Tetsuya Nomura
Voice actor(s) (English)	Liam O'Brien
Voice actor(s) (Japanese)	Masachika Ichimura
In-Universe Information
Class/Job	Beast
Weapon	Headdress
Home	Cosmo Canyon
Age	48

Red XIII (レッドXIII, Reddo Sātīn^?) is a playable character in the RPG Final Fantasy VII. He is notable for being a non-humanoid party member: resembling a red lion or dog, possibly based on a manticore.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII 1.2 Final Fantasy VII 1.3 Final Fantasy VII Advent Children 1.4 Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII 2 Trivia 3 References 4 External links

[edit] 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.

Nanaki's "official" mate is named Dinne. They were mated in a special ceremony seen in "Before Crisis" at Cosmo Canyon. She secluded herself in a spiritual 2-year meditation, which is why she was not seen in FFVII.

[edit] Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII

When the Shinra Company's Turks arrive at Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki is captured and taken to Shinra'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.

[edit] Final Fantasy VII

Red XIII joined Cloud's group while they were rescuing Aerith Gainsborough from the Shinra 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 by himself, protecting the people of Cosmo Canyon, 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 encouragement 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 away, 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.

[edit] Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

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 SIN 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 spoken line in the film, in the old church, after the final battle is concluded. He is voiced by Masachika Ichimura in the Japanese version, and Liam O'Brien in the English version.

[edit] Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

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.

[edit] Trivia

• It was previously a subject of debate amongst fans as to whether or not Bugenhagen is Red XIII's biological grandfather. This issue was further confused by Hojo's apparent attempt to breed Red XIII with Aerith Gainsborough. This is more obvious in the original Japanese, where the term grandfather is used affectionately without necessarily implying relation.
• 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.
• Nobuo Uematsu, music composer for the Final Fantasy series, stated in a 2004 interview with Electronic Gaming Monthly that he always envisioned veteran actor Sean Connery providing the voice work for Red XIII.
• Django, an animal fighter in Squaresoft's Ehrgeiz, bears a striking resemblence to Red XIII when using his alternate color scheme.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Red XIII on Final Fantasy Wiki at Wikicities
• Red XIII character profile at the official Square Enix Final Fantasy VII site

• Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω Translations FAQ - Translations from the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω

v • d • e Final Fantasy VII and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

Advent Children • Before Crisis • Crisis Core • Dirge of Cerberus • Last Order • Lost Episode Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding Cloud • Aerith • Tifa • Barret • Red XIII • Cid • Yuffie • Cait Sith • Vincent • Zack • Sephiroth • Jenova • Rufus • Turks Characters • Locations • Terminology • Timeline Materia • Midgar • Shinra • One-Winged Angel • Soundtrack • Reunion Tracks • Piano Collections • Advent Children Soundtrack • Dirge of Cerberus Soundtrack • Before Crisis & Last Order Soundtrack