Vincent Valentine is, in my opinion, the most articulately developed characters in the series. The majority of reason behind people liking him listed here is that he ‘looks neat.’ His shoes suck. Vincent is very much a coherent and realistic metaphor. When you first encounter him, he is cold and tormented. He wants nothing to do with Cloud until he hears about Sephiroth- and even at that point, is reluctant to join. He’d prefer self-inflicted damnation and isolation to any sort of social interaction, even abiding by his personal motives. As time goes by, his outlook and personality begin to shift. A sociological attachment is bonded between himself and the other protagonists, expressing concern and a willingness to participate in their endeavors. He even laughs.

Vincent is genetically altered, so that he cannot physically die. As much as he yearns to cease from exsistance (He’s laying in a casket for 30 years...) He cannot. By default, he is forced onward, and make the best of the situations he has been cast into. Impassive at the beginning, he is adscripted to continue, tragedy dismissed. Vincent then becomes a implicit comparison for healing, and personal growth. Regardless of any progress made, his past is still relevant, and presents itself in physical incarnations. With all assiduousness, this is why Hojo altered him the way he did– His arm, his eyes, his soul. An inescapable and forced reminder of what, and who, he is.

As human as he becomes... there is still a beast lurking within.