Cid Highwind

Article by: Polo
Pictured from: Final Fantasy VII
Created by: Square
First appearance: 1997

Bio

One of the recurrences in the Final Fantasy series is the inclusion of a character named Cid. Several incarnations are known to build and pilot an airship for the heroes to cross oceans and continents in, helping them reach their goals. Cid Highwind of Final Fantasy VII fills those boots generously, taking his role a step further. The cigarette-smokin', goggle-totin' pilot is driven by his boyhood dream: to be the first man in outer space.

Unfortunately, being a hotheaded cuss machine doesn't deliver the Captain's end goal any faster. Cid's maiden voyage via rocket went kaput when Shera, a faulty engineer, was caught in the path of the rocket's thruster right before ignition. Furiously, Cid aborted the countdown, saving her life, and later learned that the space program chose to withdraw their funding. Now a precariously tilted rocket and a contrite engineer remain with Cid, doing little to ease his pain; the frequency of his blistering swear language is legendary in the Final Fantasy series.

But even if Shera, or Cloud and his companions, are "numbskulls" in his eyes, he's not above lending a hand or saving a life for a greater cause. Spear in hand, Cid shish kebabs enemies from above, thanks to his Dragoon-classed leap-and-dive mode of attack. Since the sky is still within his reach, it wouldn't hurt to allow Cloud's company aboard the Highwind or the Tiny Bronco so they can find the black-caped terror known as Sephiroth.

Quote

"Sit your ass down in that chair and drink your goddamn TEA!"

Selected game appearances

PlayStation

• Final Fantasy VII (1997)

PlayStation 2

• Kingdom Hearts (2002)
• Kingdom Hearts II (2005)
• Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (2006)

References

• Wikipedia - "Characters of the Final Fantasy VII series - Cid"
• Video Game Character Adaptations - "Cid Highwind"
• Final Fantasy VII instruction manual