How FF7's Cid Is Different From Other Final Fantasy Characters Named Cid
With Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 somewhere on the horizon, many RPG fans are excited to see how Cid Highwind could make his debut in a current-gen title. The presence of a character named Cid is a staple of the Final Fantasy series, but the Cid of Final Fantasy 7 is unique, due to his presence as a main party member and his standout characterization - even among the other iconic Final Fantasy 7 characters.
When Final Fantasy 7 was released for the PlayStation, Cid Highwind became the quintessential iteration of Cid. He remained a party member until the end, making him a "main" character rather than a guest party member. Cid Highwind was a pilot and an engineer, reluctantly accepting the funding of the Shinra Corporation to pursue his dream of space travel. He was a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed cynic, not afraid to get his hands dirty by leaping into battle - literally - with a spear, much like prior Final Fantasy games' Dragoon character class.
Cid’s Tiny Bronco airplane served as one of the first modes of overworld travel in FF7; his Highwind airship allowed for full world travel in the latter parts of the story; and his rocket took players into space during one key sequence. More important than his role as ferryman for the party, Cid Highwind fought alongside Cloud and the others up through the battle with Sephiroth and Jenova. He proved to be one of the game's strongest characters, and Venus Gospel, Cid’s ultimate spear, made him a wise choice for the final battles.
As powerful as Cid Highwind was as a damage dealer, his FF7 story was stronger. Cid’s childhood dream was to be the first human in space. He aborted the initial planned launch of his rocket due to Shera, his assistant, remaining in the blast zone to perform a last-minute safety check. Cid blamed Shera’s overcautiousness for sabotaging his dream, and he was unappreciative of and rude towards her when the party first encountered them. In a later sequence, when the rocket was launched with the party onboard, an oxygen tank exploded, trapping Cid under debris. He recognized this as the same tank that Shera was inspecting at the time of the prior aborted launch, and that her prudence likely saved his life.
Though not given as much screen time as FF7 protagonist Cloud, Cid's story was just as heartfelt, albeit more straightforward. Cid aspired towards one of humankind’s loftiest goals - space travel - and saw Shera as the person who had sabotaged his dream. He then realized his ambition had blinded him, and his haste to travel among the stars caused him to lose sight of the details and blame Shera for his shortcomings. With the help of the party, Cid escaped the oxygen tank, humbled and forever changed by the experience.
Among Final Fantasy's Cid characters, Cid Highwind is an all-time great. Prior iterations of Cid were airship pilots, engineers, and scientists fusing magic and technology. Subsequent games would take further liberties with Cid, casting him as a military academy instructor, a king cursed to be an Oglop, and even a villain, among other roles. Though the Thunder God Cid of the Final Fantasy Tactics spinoff could be considered a central character, Cid Highwind is the lone Cid to serve as a main party member in a numbered Final Fantasy game. FF7's Cid is deeply human - flawed, ambitious, irritable, and dour, but also repentant and inspiring. As a memorable character with a great arc, there is good reason for fans to be excited to see the stubborn, rugged aeronaut take up his spear in Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2.
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