Out of Character (Spoilers Within)

[Skyblade]

So, this here thread is for discussion on the characters and their personalities. Which characters do you like, which don't you like, which do you think had their personalities radically changed, all of that discussion belongs here.

I'm going to start off by discussing Garland. In Final Fantasy, he was the first and last boss. He became Chaos through the time loop that caught and froze the world, through the power of the four elemental forces, and the four fiends.

(SPOILER)In Dissidia, he is seen once again as the manipulator of the time loop, and an incarnation of Chaos. But his reasons and goal have changed quite a bit. He now drives the conflict between Chaos and Cosmos, and has for eons unimaginable. Yet he is doing it not for himself, but for an outward force, the "Great Will" that desired for Chaos to become the ultimate weapon, and saved Garland from the brink of death to shape that weapon. Garland guides the development of Chaos, who has no memory of his past, or of his connection to Garland, through eternity in accordance with the Great Will. But what is the Great Will, exactly? What connectiong, if any, does it hold to Shinryu? What did Chaos's dream, where he reigned together with Cosmos as a god that suppressed disorder, mean? And why did the Warrior of Light also have no memory of his past?

Garland appears as a much more fleshed out character in Dissidia, and I, for one, am greatful for it. Square Enix rebuilt him into a fresh, deep, and moving character, but without losing the feel of his roots, even if he no longer threatens to knock us all down.

That is one of the true strengths of Dissidia's characterization, I feel. They didn't just copy the original characters, nor did they completely reinvent them (with the possible exception of Ultimecia, who didn't have enough to even really build on), they took the original characters we know and love and fleshed them out through new journeys and stories. I do hope we get a sequel, because there are many more characters I want to see get this opportunity.


EDITGA:Whoa... merging the posts may not have been a good idea...

Sorry Skyblade :sweatdrop: It merges them chronologically, so the order is smurfed up. Let's just try to make the most of it without moving the posts... ~ WK

[Crimson]

I'll say one thing.



Square Enix need to replay final Fantasy VII because they've obviously forgotten the personality of their own character.

[McLovin']

Think Ultimecia is pretty much shown to definitely not be Rinoa in any way.

[Dante WolfWood]

I'll say one thing.



Square Enix need to replay final Fantasy VII because they've obviously forgotten the personality of their own character.

nah, I think they hit it on the spot, hes still an @$$!

[Wolf Kanno]

I find Cloud more whiny than an ass. Instead of whining about not having a reason to fight he should have been hitting up the other heroes for gil in exchange for his services.

I mentioned in another thread how the Cecil/Golbez relationship is backwards but to be fair, its still believable. I still find both acting in character so I can't exactly argue. I love how Golbez mentions Cecil's overwhelming compassion to those who betrayed him.

The few who really seem different are usually characters that got little development to begin with, namely Garland (as Skyblade beautifully discussed), Emperor Mateus, and Ultimecia. I'm sad that they kinda decided to stick with Compilation Cloud /Sephy cause I feel Sephiroth talking about manifest destiny for him becoming a god would be far more amusing than what was presented. As well as asshole Cloud to go with asshole Squall.

[Skyblade]

Okay, on to Cloud, and I should warn there are some Spoilers for FFVII here too.

Cloud is, thus far, the most out-of-character hero and story I've seen. In FFVII, he spent the majority of the game doing Sephiroth's bidding, without ever questioning why he was doing what he was doing. Sephiroth was omnipresent in VII, always leading Cloud onward. In Dissidia, Sephiroth is absent from much of Cloud's journey, and when he appears, he makes his usual speech about Cloud being his puppet. Yet, in Dissidia, Cloud is searching for a reason to go on fighting, which is a drastic shift from his original behaviour and motivation. In VII, there was only one point (maybe two) where Cloud wondered what he was fighting for, and it was a very small part of the game. Furthermore, he found something to fight for in the VII.

The end of FFVII marked the end of Cloud's story. Cloud's journey in VII was one of self discovery. Learning who he was, what his past was, why he originally embarked on his journey, and why he was more than just a Sephiroth clone. In Dissidia, however, he doesn't make that journey at all. He looks for one of his answers (and one that was very minor in FFVII), but never finds it. His journey gets no closure, no answer.

He doesn't even really fit in with his Compilation self. Because, in Advent Children, his question was never about why he fought, it was about whether he could or not. He doubted not his reasons, but his strength. The strength of his will to go on, and his body to fight the Geostigma. Compilation Cloud was all about finding the strength to overcome his trials, not finding the reason to undertake the trials at all, which is the focus of Dissidia Cloud.

And, yet, there is something fitting about Cloud's behaviour in Dissidia, because there is something crucial to Cloud that is missing from Dissidia, and that was his motivation. In FFVII, Cloud had two motivations that drove him beyond Sephiroth's manipulations: Tifa and Aeris. Each was a huge driving force in his life. Aeris's death gave a drive for revenge that continued on until the endgame with Sephiroth. And Tifa was the reason he left on his journey in the first place. Which played a more crucial role in motivating him is up for debate, as it depends on your actions in FFVII, and your interpretation of the events and your view on the love triangle. But it is obvious that both are huge motivators during Cloud's life.

In Dissidia, however, neither is there. Not just are they not in the game, but they aren't even hinted at (whereas Squall does hint that there is someone who promised to be waiting for him at one point, so even though Rinoa's not in-game, we can surmise that she's at least in the universe). So Cloud in Dissidia is the way he would be without them: drifting and empty, unsure of why he is on his journey.

[arcanedude34]

I always kinda found it ironic that people complain about Cloud being a whiny emo, when, considering all the crap he's been through, he's a very normal person. I also find it funny that when he's "imitating" Zack, he gets his personality COMPLETELY wrong, making Zack seem like a total self-obsessed a-hole. In fact, after he decides to be his own person at the end of the game, he becomes a lot more determined, self-confident, less brooding... exactly how Zack was shown in Crisis Core. Square can not remember their characters for the life of them. XD

Out of characters, I felt Cloud, Sephiroth, Squall, Cecil, Golbez, Kefka, and Kuja were all off, in varying degrees.

Cloud and Sephiroth... they've just been dumbed down to what FFVII-haters think their personalities are, and it's kind of sad.

Squall is actually.... likeable in this game. It's really odd. Like, he actually CARES about the people who risk their lives for him! Wow! Square, keep him like this, not that "I can't trust anyone cause my sister who wasn't my sister leaved me but I can't remember it" bullcrap.

It's been said before that it feels like Cecil and Golbez's personalities have kinda been flip-flopped, but that's a minor complaint for me since I liked their story more than I liked FFIV, so... yeah.

To me, Kefka is not in this game, but rather one of the Kefka fanatics that only had a vague impression of what he looked, sounded, talked, and acted like when he started cosplaying. That's really about all I can say about him. (To be fair, I like the Dissidia Kefka, but it's just not Kefka.)

Kuja bothers me. He always came across as this master chessmaster plotting villain who always had to be ten steps ahead. In this he's just... a baby. There was nothing sinister or clever about him, he just whined the whole game.