~Characters~
~Cloud Strife~
This is the main guy you'll be controlling for the majority of the game. At age 21, Cloud, an ex-member of SOLDIER and now a mercenary, joins the rebel group Avalanche to lead a strike against the Shinra to halt their use of MAKO, which is slowly killing the Planet. Of course none of this really matters to Strife who is only going along for the pay....$_$
Cloud most likely has the strongest attack, and just like almost EVERY hero in RPG games, he is your best all-around fighter. Keep him in the front row to take advantage of his swordsmanship, but keep in mind his magic use is solid as well. His Limit breaks are basically very powerful physical attacks. Personal Note: Iddnt Cloud cool?? He could kill people with his hair alone... and LOOKAT HIS SWORD!!! JEEZ!!!! i wanna sword that big... not too sure what id do with it.. but i still want one... mebbe i could use it to keep my teachers from giving me homework... heh heh ... Teacher--"Sara.. tonight you have to write a 400,000 page persuasive essay on the effects of cytoplasm on the medula oblongata..." Me-- heh heh.... *pulls out sword* OMNISLASH!!!!!!!!
Teacher--.... *_*..... nevermind then....
~Aeris Gainsborough~
Aeris's attacks are the weakest of the party but luckily she is one of your best magic users, so keep her in the back row and load her with your best materia. Let Aeris cast the magic while using the others to make their physical attacks. All of her limit breaks are defensive and some can be very helpful against bosses. Personal Note: I know there are a lotta Aeris fans out there.. but i gotta say.. i hated her...i can understand why people like her... but i found her kinda whiny and annoying... (no hatemail!!! pleeeeease!! im sorry!!! i didnt mean to hate her!!!) Also, I laughed, and laughed and laughed and laughed when sephiroth killed her... (once again, IM SORRY AERIS FANS!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!) ~Cid Highwind~
When Shinra started their new space program, Cid's dreams of going out into space where finally going to come true until something happened on the launch day and he had to abort the launch. But before another launch could be scheduled Shinra changed their minds about space exploration and decided to focus more of their time and funds on the search for the fabled "Promised Land". Now Cid, bitter from his dreams being crushed underfoot, spends his days repairing the Rocket in hopes that President Shinra will change his mind.
Cid's fighting skills are very impressive and come in handy throughout the game. He's basically a good all-around fighter with average magic skills. All of his Limit breaks cause direct damage instead of any healing or status ailments.
Personal note: i love Cid...Big Tobacco companies also love Cid... ~_~ ~Tifa Lockheart~
Tifa uses her martial arts skills instead of weapons so her attacks are weaker than Cloud and Barret's, but her Limit breaks are powerful... Her Limit breaks are basically a chain of combos depending on how many levels up you are. When she's ready to use her Breaks a slot machine appears and if you hit "yeah" the amount of damage will be greater but if you hit "miss" she'll skip that part of her combo. Personal Note: they HAVE to be fake.. if you' ve played the game.. you'll get the joke... ~Barret Wallace~
Barret is a very versatile fighter. Because of his huge gun arm, his physical attacks are just as strong long range then closeup. His HP and MP growth is most likely one of the highest of the entire party.but don't reduce it by jamming him with materia .... keep him in the back row where he can dish it out and not get as much back Personal Note: Isnt Barret funny?? I like him for the same reasons i love Cid.. hee hee! i LOVE obnoxious, loud,swearing characters!! ^_^ ~Red XIII (Nanaki)~
His attacks are very limited and are probably only effective if you keep him on the front lines... But Red XIII is a very good Magic user even though his weapons don't have that many materia spots. Unlike his attacks, Red XIII's limit breaks have a pretty good range going from fierce attacks to status ailments. Personal Note: okay.. ILL ADMIT IT!!!! I cried when Nanaki found out that his father Seto was a hero after all.. that part was SOOOO SAD!!!!
~Vincent Valentine~
A mysterious and dark person, Vincent used to work for the Turks when he fell for a young scientist named Lucrecia. However, a fellow scientist, Professor Hojo, also had his eye on her... and when a furious Vincent confronted Hojo he ended up where he is now, sleeping in a coffin until someone finds him.
Vincent is a similar fighter to Barret with strong, long range attacks but he is also good with his magic use. His limit breaks are something else though (a gift from Professor Hojo) because when he snaps, you won't be able to control him until the battle is over!! Personal Note: Vincent is one of my favorite characters (along with Sephiroth) .. i mean... he's mysterious, hes got a cool story behind him... and.. well... LOOK AT HIM! HES JUST PLAIN COOL!!! THERES NO WAY AROUND IT!!! COOLNESS JUST OOZES OFF OF HIM!!!
~ShinRa and the Turks~
Rufus Shinra-Vice President of Shinra Corporation
The handsome son of President Shinra, he has no more love for his dad than he has for anyone else... (he does like himself tho ^_^) He may be young but he really knows his way around his father's business and would rule the world by fear if given the chance to succeed his father... Personal Note: Rufus rules... thats all there is to it.
The Turks
Officially they are supposed to be scouts for people who have the ability to join SOLDIER but ShinRa uses them for all the dirty stuff on the side, such as kidnapping, industrial espionage, and murder.
Tseng-Leader of Turks
Cool and collected, Tseng ensures the Turks complete every task to perfection. He also has feelings for Aeris who he's known since she was a child Personal Note: this guy kinda creeped me out.. dont know why..
Elena-Member of Turks
As the newest member of the Turks she's bright and optimistic and is eager to give it her all, which causes her to be picked on a lot by the other members of the turks. Personal Note: Elena is pretty funny... even tho a bit whiny..
Rude-Member of Turks
Rude can bring any situation under control and really really likes his job. The only other thing he seems to love more though is the booze. Personal Note: Good ol quiet, soft-spoken Rude.... where would the game be without him??
Reno-Member of Turks
As the slacker of the group, Reno loves to hit the bars with Rude and pick on Elena. He's got a bit of a loud mouth, but no one takes offense, because he also has a REALLY BIG NIGHTSTICK! Personal Note: RENO RULES!!! HES THE COOLEST OF ALLLLLL THE TURKS!!!
~Sephiroth~
Personal Note: Sephiroth is awesome... he's god-like.. hes cooler than cool... He went crazt and lit Nibelheim aflame!!! ....he killed all the villiagers.. Sephiroth has walked through fire and not been burned... He has a sword bigger than hell and half of texas!! HE SPEARED THAT BIG DUMB SNAKE ON THE ENORMOUS POINTY ROCK!!!! you can BARELY kill the stupid snake with TWO PEOPLE helpind you .... let alone, manage to get it on toppa that big pointy rock... ... i LAUGHED SOOOOO MUCH when he killed Aeris... (once again.. IM SORRY AERIS FANS!!! DONT KILL ME!!!)
Aeris is somewhat of an enigma. She has the power to grow flowers in the slums of Midgar, where the land is too depleated for any life to grow, and sells them for a living. Because of her unusual past , ShinRa has hired the Turks to capture her so she can help them accomplish their quest for the promised land. 
This tough talking ,warm-hearted guy is the legendary pilot, Cid Highwind. Working for Shinra, Cid designed and piloted many planes, among them the famous Highwind.Though he made planes, and piloted them, he couldnt help but dream of a world beyond that... space.
Tifa was a childhood friend of Cloud's growing up in Nibelheim, but they parted ways when Cloud left for Midgar to join SOLDIER. After that Tifa couldn't stop thinking about him, but when a tragedy happened and her parents died she also left for Midgar and started a bar. One day she met Barret and joined his Avalanche group to stop the Shinra's MAKO use. On a rainy day she found Cloud wandering about the train station and talked him into joining Avalanche on a mission. 
Barret started the rebel group Avalanche to get back at Shinra for not only killing the planet with Mako, but for being responsible for causing the death of his wife and many friends, along with the loss of his arm. With Jessie, Biggs, Wedge, Tifa, and later on ,Cloud, Avalanche begins an assault to blow up all of the Mako reactors in Midgar 
Red XIII is the very last of his kind as the Protectors of the Canyon. Because of his background he was captured by Professor Hojo to be used as a lab specimen... Not knowing his real name, he was named after his fiery red fur by Hojo himself. What's hidden beyond his fierce exterior is a very high intellect that matches or even goes beyond human intellect. 
In the elite troops of SOLDIER Sephiroth was the known as the very best. He moved higher into the ranks of SOLDIER by proving himself in the Midgar-Wutai war. With his distinctive sword , named Masamune, he may very well be the most powerful man in the world. All he knew of his parents was that his mother's name was Jenova. 5 years ago in Nibelheim, Sephiroth went insane and hasn't been seen since.
