Red XIII
Red XIII is a character from Square's Final Fantasy VII. He makes his first appearance as one of Dr Hojo's test specimens in the bowels of the Shin-Ra building, when Cloud, Tifa and Barret are trying to rescue Aeris. Red XIII appears to be a wild beast (he looks like a cross between a lion and a wolf, with fiery-red fur and a small flame at the tip of his tail, like a Charmander) at first, snarling at Aeris and Hojo, but he surprises everyone by talking. He is really an intelligent creature, and joins the party, for a while at least.
Later on in the game, it emerges that Red's real name is Nanaki, and he comes from Cosmo Canyon, a kind of scientific resort whose centre-piece is an amazing observatory. The leader of Cosmo Canyon is Bugenhagen, who is also Red's granfather, and when the party arrive, Red's story begins to emerge.
It seems that Red holds a great resentment towards his father, Seto. All his life, he has been led to believe that during an attack on Cosmo Canyon by a race known as the Gi, his father abandoned his mother to fight off the attack herself. But Bugenhagen enigmatically tells Red that he is ready to know the truth, and leads the party to a hidden, sealed cavern in the depths of the canyon...
After battling through a pretty tough dungeon, and defeating the boss, the party find themselves by a cliff on the edge of Cosmo Canyon. On top of the cliff is a giant stone beast; the remains of Seto The Warrior, petrified by the poison of the many Gi arrows protruding from him. But, Bugenhagen tells them, Seto's spirit still protects the canyon. Red sits in silent communion with his father, who sheds a single tear on his son.
When the party is ready to leave Cosmo Canyon, Red joins them. On his grandfather's advice, he has decided to help their quest to save the world from Sephiroth and Shin-Ra, in order to become as great a warrior as his father.
With regard to gameplay, Red XIII is a fairly average character. His weapon is a bit wimpy; it's basically a hair clip that attaches to his mane. His limit breaks can be effective, but some of them are elemental attacks, which can be annoying when used against certain enemies.
Sources:
- http://www.ffonline.com
- A lot of time spent playing FF VII
- From an original idea by Glowing Fish