| Vincent Valentine | |
|---|---|
| Final Fantasy character | |
 Vincent Valentine artwork byTetsuya Nomura forFinal Fantasy VII. | |
| First appearance | Final Fantasy VII (1997) |
| Designed by | Tetsuya Nomura |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Weapon | Firearms |
Vincent Valentine (ヴィンセント・ヴァレンタイン,Vinsento Varentain) is a character inSquare's (nowSquare Enix) 1997role-playing video gameFinal Fantasy VII. He is designed byTetsuya Nomura, and also appears in various titles from theCompilation of Final Fantasy VII, ametaseries set in theFinal Fantasy VII continuity. He is theprotagonist of the 2006third-person shooterDirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and its mobile phone tie-inDirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode. Vincent is voiced in Japanese byShōgo Suzuki and in English bySteve Blum andMatthew Mercer.
In the backstory toFinal Fantasy VII, Vincent is aTurk assigned to guard the scientistLucrecia Crescent, whom he falls in love with. After a series of scientific experiments involving thecells of theextraterrestrial lifeformJenova, Crescent gives birth to the game's antagonist,Sephiroth, withProfessor Hojo being the father. Soon after, Vincent became a test subject to experiments performed by Hojo after he shot him. This resulted ingenetic modification that supplanted other forms within him and gave him superior strength, speed, and healing in addition to not aging. If the player unlocks Vincent, he will joinCloud Strife's group to stop Sephiroth and seek revenge on Hojo.
Due to time constraints, Vincent was originally not intended to be playable inFinal Fantasy VII, but was ultimately made an optional character. Despite his optional status and lack of concrete detail regarding his background, he proved to be popular with both fans and critics, and his history was expanded upon in other installments of theCompilation, primarilyFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children andDirge of Cerberus.
Character designerTetsuya Nomura explained that Vincent's character shifted from that ofhorror researcher to detective, tochemist, and finally to the figure of a former Turk with a tragic past. DirectorYoshinori Kitase was in charge of thecutscene, in which Vincent joined the party, while scenario writerKazushige Nojima wrote his backstory. Nojima struggled with writing Vincent's dialogue, as he rarely speaks.[3] In the original script of the game, Vincent was introduced similarly but had a handsome and sarcastic personality. He would join Cloud's group after learning they were in pursuit of Hojo, but was unaware of the results of the experimentation he was subjected to.[4] Additionally, he would be privy to information regarding Shinra's involvement with the creation of Sephiroth. He would explain to Cloud the story of Sephiroth's origins.[5] When the game was in development, Nomura and his staff considered removing Vincent andYuffie Kisaragi since they did not have enough time to work them into the story properly. As a result, Vincent and Yuffie were made optional party members.[3]
Vincent's Japanese voice actor,Shōgo Suzuki, explained that he tries "to hold back as much emotion as possible when playing Vincent", noting that Vincent is "a bit of a loner" and "appears cold on the surface".[6] Nomura wanted Cloud and Vincent's voices to contrast with each other due to their similar personalities. He felt Vincent was older and more mature than Cloud, and as a result, he cast Suzuki, who has a very low voice.[7] In the English dub, Vincent was voiced bySteve Blum, as the casting staff wanted a man who portrays Vincent's brooding manner based on his dark past. Blum was overjoyed because he claims to be a fan of the originalFinal Fantasy VII, and stated that directors wanted him to portray Vincent as "dark and moody" since Vincent is a "tortured soul".[8]
Vincent is a tall, lean man with long black hair and red eyes who wears a ragged red cloak andmantle over black underclothes, as well as a metallic, goldengauntlet on his left forearm. Vincent's cloak covers the lower half of his face and is held closed by a series of buckles. His crimson cloak was added to symbolize the idea of him carrying a heavyweight connected to death.[10] While other characters were given simple costumes inAdvent Children, Vincent was given a more complex outfit. Nomura felt that changing his design to something complicated would "conflict with his personality", which is relatively straightforward. So he was given attire consisting of "various, complex parts".[6] His cloak was difficult to animate due to it beingorganic; the overall complexity of Vincent's design led to his scenes being "especially hard to create".[6] These scenes were constantly being adjusted so as "to convey [their] elusive nature of seemingly having shape, but not". These adjustments concluded six months before the film's completion.[6]
Vincent was chosen as the protagonist ofDirge of Cerberus due to his strong connections to the setting ofFinal Fantasy VII and the potential for expanding on his background.[9] Due to the staff's desire to makeDirge a shooter, Vincent was also chosen because of his weaponry, while his transformations into different monsters in the originalFinal Fantasy VII was something the staff wanted to work into the gameplay.[11] For the game, Nomura redesigned Vincent's gun in the same way that Cloud's Buster Sword was redesigned forAdvent Children, to demonstrate that he is the protagonist of the game.[9] The gun was named Cerberus (ケルベロス,Keruberosu) in reference to themonster fromGreek andRoman mythology; the gun has three barrels, like how Cerberus has three heads.[9]
In the game, Vincent is an optional party member. Players can unlock Vincent by the halfway point ofFinal Fantasy VII, whenCloud Strife and his allies find him sleeping in a coffin in the basement ofShinra Mansion in Nibelheim.[12] Cloud mentions his quest to stop the game's antagonist,Sephiroth, who Vincent recognizes as the son ofLucrecia Crescent.[13] Vincent joins the group after learning that they may eventually meet up withProfessor Hojo, whom he has an unexplained vendetta against.[14] Later, Vincent finds Lucrecia inside a cave, and his backstory is partly revealed. Vincent was a member of theTurks, an elite group of Shinra agents. While serving as Lucrecia's bodyguard, he fell in love with her, but she ultimately decided to remain faithful to Hojo, who persuaded her to use her unborn baby in his experiments. When protesting the nature of these experiments, Vincent was shot by Hojo, who proceeded to experiment on him. This resulted in him not aging and having the ability to transform into various monsters.[15] Vincent felt strong guilt over being unable to protect Lucrecia, leading to his separation.[16] Overcome by guilt, Lucrecia sealed herself away in aMako crystal. Upon entering the cave in the game, Lucrecia is revived and asks Vincent if Sephiroth is still alive, but he lies and tells her that he is dead.[17]
InBefore Crisis, which is set six years prior toFinal Fantasy VII, Vincent is seen in his Turk attire conversing withVeld, the leader of the Turks, and helps him obtain someMateria needed for a mission.[15] In the filmAdvent Children, which is set two years afterFinal Fantasy VII, Vincent rescues Cloud fromKadaj and his gang and reveals to him Kadaj's intentions to merge with the remaining Jenova cells and resurrect Sephiroth. Vincent later helps Cloud and his allies defeat the summoned creature Bahamut SIN.[18] In theOn the Way to a Smile novella "Case of Nanaki", which is set between the original game andAdvent Children, Vincent encounters his former comradeRed XIII (Nanaki), who is fearful that he will soon be alone due to his lifespan being much longer than humans. Vincent explains to Red that he is immortal and promises to meet with him every year to prevent his loneliness.[19]
InDirge of Cerberus, which takes place one year afterAdvent Children, Vincent is seen working withReeve Tuesti and the World Regenesis Organization to eliminate the organization Deepground,[20] who have targeted Vincent because he carries "Protomateria" (エンシェントマテリア; Enshentomateria) inside his body, with Lucrecia having implanted it in him after he was shot by Hojo. The purpose of the Protomateria was to enable Vincent to control the Chaos (カオス,Kaosu) gene, which Lucrecia injected him with to save his life.[21] The Protomateria is eventually ripped from his body by Rosso the Crimson, leading to Vincent being unable to control Chaos. Eventually, he confronts the Deepground leader,Weiss the Immaculate, who is possessed by the digitalized mind of Hojo. Hojo reveals that his plan is to awaken Omega WEAPON, who will absorb the Lifestream and leave the Planet, resulting in the death of all living things.[22] After Omega's awakening, the renegade Deepground member, Shelke, returns the Protomateria to Vincent, and he is once again able to control Chaos, using it to destroy both Hojo and Omega. The mobile gameDirge of Cerberus Lost Episode takes place duringDirge of Cerberus and features Vincent as the protagonist.[23]
He appears inFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth.[24]
Outside theFinal Fantasy VII series, Vincent appears in the fighting gameEhrgeiz as anunlockable character, with his Turk uniform as an alternate costume. Like the otherFinal Fantasy VII characters in the game, Vincent does not serve a role in the main storyline.[25] Although he was meant to appear inKingdom Hearts, his design was instead used as the basis for Cloud's redesign.[26] Vincent's popularity has seen merchandise related to the character, including the release of action figures.[27][28] Vincent also appears inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate as a spirit.[29]
The character has received mixed comments from video game publications. Magazines have also described him as one of the bestFinal Fantasy character.[30][31][32] InGameSpot's article "The History ofFinal Fantasy", Vincent was comically referred to as theFinal Fantasy VII character who female players found to be "the most alluring undead man they've ever met".[33]IGN has praised for his "striking" character design, as well as the fact that "FFVII's3D engine made his shapeshifting Limit Breaks some surprisingly scary stuff".[30] He has been held as an example of the recurring character categories of "The Kickass Quiet Guy" by1UP.com[34] and "The Brooding Pretty Boy" byGamesRadar+.[35] DiehardgameFan said that Vincent's design is invoking of vampires but does not pass such standards that gaming vampires are famous for as he is instead called an undead or an experiment.[36]
There was also commentary about Vincent's appearances in his spin-off.GameSpot writer Greg Mueller regarded Vincent as one of "the more interesting characters fromFinal Fantasy VII" and liked howDirge of Cerberus was focused on him and explained his origins more clearly.[37] His character design and abilities have been praised byGameSpy's Justin Speer, who felt that with such traits he "capably steps into a leading role" ofDirge of Cerberus.[38]IGN's Jeremy Dunham had a similar opinion, noting that Vincent "is exposed pretty convincingly here".[39]Eurogamer's Rob Fahey criticized Vincent for not being familiar enough to players, even to those who played the originalFinal Fantasy VII, to warrant his role as protagonist inDirge of Cerberus. However, Fahey still recognized him as a very popular character, commenting that he is one of the most common characters fromFinal Fantasy VII to be featured infan fiction andfan art.[40] AlthoughRPGamer's Michael "CactuarJoe" Beckett said that Vincent was one of the "less well-developed" characters fromFinal Fantasy VII, he found his development inDirge of Cerberus to be satisfying.[41] According to'GamesRadar+,Dirge of Cerberus focused on developing Vincent due to his lack of backstory inFinal Fantasy VII, and regarded the mobile phone spin-off as "Vincentfan service instead ofFFVIIcanon".[42] Steve Blum's performance as Vincent achieved a positive response from fans and the media.[43][44]
GamesRadar+ claimed that they look forward to the character's debut in the remake installments ofFinal Fantasy VII as the first volume still did not focus on him.[45]GamesRadar was disappointed that Vincent's role inRebirth would not be as active as in the original game, comparing him to the early inclusion of Red XIII as AI controlled rather than playable.[46]
Vincent: To wake me from the nightmare... Who is it?! .... Never seen you before. You must leave.
Vincent and Cloud: You know Sephiroth? /Vincent: You Start first.
Vincent: Wait! If I go with you will I meet Hojo? /Cloud: Dunno. But we're after him and Sephiroth. So, I guess sooner or later... /Vincent: Lucrecia... All right. I've decided to go with you.
Vincent: This body is... the punishment that's been given to me... I was unable...... to stop Professor Gast and Hojo... And Lucrecia... I was unable to stop them... All that I was able to do was watch... That is my punishment...
Lucrecia: I wanted to disappear... I couldn't be with anyone... I wanted to die... But the Jenova inside me wouldn't let me die... Lately, I dream a lot of Sephiroth... My dear, dear child. Ever since he was born I never got to hold him, even once... Not even once. You can't call me his mother... That... is my sin... Back!! Stay back!! Vincent... Won't you please tell me? /Vincent: ......What? /Lucrecia: Is Sephiroth still alive? I heard he died five years ago. But I see him in my dreams so often... And, I know that physically, like myself, he can't die so easily. Please, Vincent tell me...... /Vincent: Lucrecia... Sephiroth is dead...
Vincent: Reeve. Who were those men? /Reeve: Deepground soldiers. /Vincent: Deepground? /Reeve: Yes. The shadow of the Shinra Company, constructed by the former president and completely hidden from the rest of the world. /Vincent: Constructed? /Reeve: His goal was to create an army of superhuman warriors--not once letting morality interfere. The man you met earlier, Azul, is also a member of Deepground. But, he belongs to an elite unit known as the Tsviets.
Rosso: So you're Vincent Valentine. Keeper of the Protomateria. /Vincent: Protomateria? /Rosso: Yes. The key to controlling Omega. We know you have it.
Hojo: If the Chaos within you was born of a tainted Lifestream, then the almighty Omega would be born of a pure one. So I had my minions gather up the "uncontaminated" to create a stream of refined mako, thus awakening Omega inside me. /.../Hojo: Only a scientist of my caliber is worthy to become one with Omega and leave this planet for the stars!
Vincent: Lucrecia. Everything's alright now. Omega and Chaos have returned to the planet. Thank you. It was you. You were the reason I survived.
