Red XIII is...

[Yuffie514]

i've always questioned what type of animal Red is . sometimes me thinks hyena, and at other times, a lion . maybe he's an Indian lion w/ braided hair ? it's that funny looking mane that gets me thinking he's more of a hyena . anyone wanna debate ?

[Destai]

I dont htink there were any normal animals in FFVII except dogs and cats. Lion comes to mind alright.

[redxiiii]

soughta, a cross between a lion and a moomba, maybe?

[Yuffie514]

me thinks half lion, half hyena :joey: . he looks more lion-ey , but those who've played FFVII knows he can howl . lions don't howl .

[Camanche]

Heh Moomba? Now that I think of it, he looks like another form of a Moomba perhaps. Have Moombas appeared in any games before FFVIII? It's as interesting thought that Red XIII could be a form of a highly intellignet Moomba race.

[ShunNakamura]

Hmm.. I have always just seen red as some sort of glorified Canine.

Of course that is cause I am a canine fan.

Red's head and mouth are definately of a canine form. However I do not know of many canines with a physical build that matches his... that defenatle looks like a large feline to me.. So he is the Canis Felinas.

[Destai]

X-2 suggests VII is X's world 1 or 2,000 years later. Maybe hes the last of what was the Ronso?

[Camanche]

Heh, never thought of it that way. Though I am a little wary of anything based off of X-2 when it comes to FFVII's past. Is X-2's world the exact same world as FFVII's, or did Shinra simply make his way to another planet(and were considered the race of the Cetra), and the 'traitor humans', who stopped travelling to search for the promise land instead developed machines/means to harvest the life energy that exists on any planet that has life? I thought I heard that this was the case, but I can't rememeber where I heard it, nor do I have a quote/interview to back it up. Anyone know? lol I'd be an interesting idea if Red XIII's race was a form of evolved (or de-evolved in some ways) Ronso.

[udsuna]

Actually, I think Red was based off of some old native american entities. Given the whole Cosmo Canyon's theme, he comes off pretty close. It has, however, been a VERY long time since my native mythology was brushed up upon. But there were, in the southeastern US (navajo area), myths of a "race" of intelligent, coyote/wolf type ancestor spirits. Asking what Red is pretty much falls along the lines of asking what a Pheonix or Ifrit is.

[TheSpoonyBard]

Red XIII ((SPOILER)Nanaki) is an enigma. It says so in the game manual. Therefore, no one knows what he is. From what I have read here I most agree with ShunNakamura's point about him being a mixture of canine and feline. Honestly I don't care what he is, he's a great character and that's all that matters.

[Destai]

Actually, I think Red was based off of some old native american entities. Given the whole Cosmo Canyon's theme, he comes off pretty close. It has, however, been a VERY long time since my native mythology was brushed up upon. But there were, in the southeastern US (navajo area), myths of a "race" of intelligent, coyote/wolf type ancestor spirits. Asking what Red is pretty much falls along the lines of asking what a Pheonix or Ifrit is.

He may well ahve been but who says the ronso thing was planned back then? Maybe they just worked that suggestion into later games.

[UltimaLimit]

Definately cat/dog cross. Cats don't howl, but dogs don't have that build. And I could've sworn I saw Red XIII cleaning himself like a cat at one point, but maybe that's my memory playing tricks.

[Yuffie514]

well, he's certainly a good mountain climber too .

[strawberryman]

I think Reds a werecat.
or something...

[Destai]

He becomes human during full moons?