Characters of The Final Fantasy VII Series - Concept and Creation

Concept and Creation

When looking at the story of Final Fantasy VII, character designer Tetsuya Nomura decided it was very dark and needed characters who reflected that. Thus Cloud's original character design called for slicked back black hair with no spikes, intended to serve as a contrast to Sephiroth's long, flowing silver hair. However, to give Cloud a unique look that would emphasize his role as the game's protagonist, Nomura changed the design to feature Cloud's shock of spiky, bright blond hair. For Tifa Lockhart's design, Nomura has admitted to facing a difficult decision in choosing to give her a miniskirt or pants. With input from other members of the game's development staff, he eventually selected a dark miniskirt, contrasted by Aerith Gainsborough's long, pink dress. Vincent Valentine's character developed from horror researcher to detective, then to chemist, and finally to the figure of a former Turk with a tragic past. His crimson mantle was added to symbolize the idea of carrying a heavy weight associated with death on his shoulders. Nomura has indicated that Cid Highwind's fighting style resembles that of a Dragoon, a character class chosen because his last name is the same as that of two previous Dragoons featured in the Final Fantasy series, Ricard Highwind of Final Fantasy II and Kain Highwind of Final Fantasy IV. Although the game was Nomura's favorite Final Fantasy project, he felt that it was hindered by graphical limitations, and that his designs were, consequently, very plain in comparison to his "true" style.

The "dark" theme described by Nomura is continued throughout the Compilation, with characters such as Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and the Tsviets in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. Producer Yoshinori Kitase stated that voice acting was one of the topics to which the Compilation team paid close attention. As Cloud and Vincent have similar personalities, care was taken to differentiate between them and their dialogue.