Top 10 FF Character Themes #1, Cid Highwind

That’s right! Cid Highwind is my number one! Now, before I get into things, I want to address a few potential comments. I want to do this first as otherwise some might read this article with that issue burning away and not enjoy a great piece of music. There are a lot of fantastic themes not included in my top 10. Of course there are – their absence does not mean I think they are devoid of merit! From FFVII alone it was a wrench to leave out the gentle Tifa’s theme, the achingly gothic theme of Vincent, the tribal drum beats of Red XIII and the cheerful and bouncy Yuffie’s theme, let alone the big hitters like One-Winged Angel and Aeris’s theme.

The “Top 10” format is really just a vehicle for discussion, and I’ve deliberately tried to cover a diverse range of Final Fantasy games. Regardless of what your opinion on what the top 10 is, I hope you can at least appreciate this for what it is: an amazing piece of music. Approaching this series, I think I could’ve come at it from two angles. I might have judged the songs on pure musical merit, but what I plumped for in the end was to put an emphasis onto the character and the emotions brought out by the songs. With that in mind, please listen to Cid’s Theme.


Drift away with me as you listen, if you will. You’ve spent your whole life pushing the boundaries, and now you, you alone have been chosen to be the first to usher in a new era for mankind. Children will know your name for centuries to come. You will see things nobody has ever seen before, and this is your dream. And how hard you have worked. Endless training, day after day, to reach the pinnacle of your profession, and through hours of blood, sweat and tears, you’re here.

That stirring melody. You’re walking up to the launch site, and everyone salutes. Your family are so proud of you, and your coworkers are all grinning. You’re not the only one whose long journey ends with the longest of journeys yet to come. Is your blood pumping? Is your chest swelling with pride? Doesn’t the music get that feel of excitement and pride but also the feeling that you might never come back from this? And now, the reprise, the song whose name says it all, Sending a Dream into the Universe.


You all know what happens next. And doesn’t it just break your heart? He is a complete and utter jerk, but who on earth does not like Cid Highwind? Even those who dislike FFVII will not speak against him. Why is it that we find him so endearing? It is because, ultimately, he is a good person. Despite it all, he gave up his dream to save someone’s life. Visualise again. You’re in the cockpit and the countdown is getting closer to 0, to your destiny. “What am I…. what am I supposed to do?” is such an incredible line of dialogue. The cocky and confident test pilot reduced to this. Then the poignant “Oh man, outer space, the moon, my dreams….” hits home.

The grumpy and cranky Cid we all know and love… that’s not a curmudgeon, that is a broken man. His dreams have been shattered. It’s never stated in the game, but Cid has clearly experienced some form of depression.

Let’s listen to some fantastic orchestrated versions of the two songs.


I want to open by saying I absolutely love the strings in Cid's Theme, they fit the vibe of the song perfectly. It's an overused phrase when it comes to music, but haunting is the only appropriate word I can find to describe Sending a Dream here, especially when the strings kick in. I will say one aspect of Sending a Dream that I normally love is missing here. The drum beat. All 9 of the main characters in VII have one theme that binds them: Their lives were smurfed over by Shinra somehow. Listen to the drum beat in the original... sound familiar? It's from the Shinra theme. Subtle, but it tells you all you need to know about who Cid blames for ruining his life.

I treat Cid's Theme and Sending a Dream Into the Universe as one entity here. The real comment I've wanted to make is how incredible it is that the same melody can be split into two songs with such contrasting emotions. How fantastic that fact is, and how brilliantly they set the tone.


Although the rocket incident was a major point in Cid's life, it's not entirely what defines him. This absolutely fantastic rock version of Cid's Theme reminds you of what a gritty and tough son of a bitch Mr Highwind truly is. That washed up prize fighter back for one more fight, and by god he is going to give Shinra hell.


Let’s recap our finalised top 10:

10. Bartz
9. Snow
8. Beatrix
7. Hilda
6. Rydia
5. Auron
4. Cyan
3. Laguna
2. Terra
1. Cid

Comments on this beautiful pair of pieces of music welcomed, as is comments on any of the songs in the 10. Did I get it right, or does Aeris’s Theme or another theme deserve to be here instead? Let me know!