Cid

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Cid (Japanese: シド Shido) is a name given to a character in almost every Final Fantasy game. Although he is rarely the same individual, and never the same age, he is usually presented as an owner, creator, and/or pilot of airships and provides transportation to the main characters and their party members at various points of the game. In the second game, he has a friendly relationship with a woman named Hilda; he also has a close relationship with a woman of the same name in the ninth and eleventh installments.

The series' creators have said that Cid acts as the "Yoda" of the Final Fantasy series, guiding the main protagonists throughout their journey. The motion picture Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within also featured a character named "Sid," presumably an alternate spelling of the more traditional "Cid."

History

Final Fantasy

Cid does not appear in the original North American localization of the game as released for the Nintendo Entertainment System. He is mentioned, however, in the subsequent re-releases on the PlayStation (Final Fantasy Origins) and the Game Boy Advance (Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls) in the village of Lufenia as being the ancient Lufenian responsible for the construction of the airship discovered during the course of the game.

Final Fantasy II

In Final Fantasy II, Cid is a non-playable character. He is a freelance airship pilot living in Poft. He has set up shop in the local pub and offers passage to various points around the globe, for a price. As the owner of one of the few airships not maintained by the forces of the Emperor of Palamecia, Cid's aid is sought by the rebel princess, Hilda. With his help, Hilda's rebels devise a method to disable the Emperor's powerful airborne warship. After the destruction of the warship, Cid continues to offer his assistance to the rebel cause, but is fatally wounded by the whirlwinds unleashed upon the world by the Emperor. Before dying, he bequeaths his airship to the rebels.

Cid reappears in the "Soul of Rebirth" subgame in Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls for the Game Boy Advance, which takes place during the final parts of the main game. Cid is somewhat surprised when the underworld in which he finds himself is actually a relatively peaceful forest town.

Final Fantasy III

In Final Fantasy III, Cid Haze is a non-playable character. He is trapped in Kazus Village when the evil spirit Jinn places a curse on all of its inhabitants. Rendered incorporeal by the curse, Cid offers use of his airship to four itinerant youths on the promise that they help lift the curse. Once Jinn and his curse have been vanquished, Cid helps the four children modify the airship to clear a path through the rock slide that has blocked his way back to his hometown, Canaan Village. Returning back home, Cid discovers that his wife has taken ill. Once more, the four youths agree to help him, and administer the elixir necessary to restore her to health. In gratitude for all that the youths have done for him, Cid allows them access to his hidden storeroom and any useful equipment they find within. In the DS remake, Cid also reveals that he was the one who saved the four youths after an airship he was piloting crashed about 10 years ago.

Final Fantasy IV

Main article: Cid Pollendina

In Final Fantasy IV, Cid Pollendina is a playable character for the first time in the series. He is the chief engineer of Baron Castle, and a good friend of Cecil Harvey, whom he treats as his own son. This familiarity with Cecil leads to Cid's imprisonment when the Elemental Lord Cagnazzo, posing as the king of Baron, exiles Cecil. Eventually freeing himself, Cid defects and takes the flagship of Baron's famous Red Wings airship fleet, the Enterprise, with him, joining his wayward friend Cecil. Later, Cid seemingly sacrifices himself to seal the crater passage to the Underground, blocking the forces of Baron from following Cecil and his companions. As it happens, however, Cid survives, and is later reunited with Cecil. He continues to aid the party by wrapping the body of the Falcon (an airship the party discovers in the Tower of Babil) in Mythril so that it can fly over the Underground's magma seas, and then later by attaching a drill to the forward section of the Falcon so that they can tunnel through the Agart crater and undo the damage done earlier when he closed off said passage. He later shows up again with several airships and various NPC allies of Cecil to battle the Giant of Babil. Cid flies the party up to the Giant's mouth aboard the Enterprise so that they can destroy it from the inside.

Though in most versions of the game Cid is not playable after he sacrifices himself to close the crater, in the recently released Final Fantasy IV Advance for the Gameboy Advance, the player has the option of recruiting Cid and other characters back into the party for the endgame. As a character, Cid is rather unremarkable and has few skills beyond Peep/Scan, which replicates the effects of the White Magic spell Scan. Cid is a decent fighter, able to wield axes and hammers, and can wear the heavy armors normally only usable by Cecil and Kain. This makes Cid an adequate front-line formation fighter, though the fact that he often cannot use a shield (as most hammers in the game are two-handed) causes his tanking ability to suffer somewhat. His last hammer in the GBA version of the game is the Fiery Hammer, which sometimes casts the Flare spell after attacking. His next-to-last weapon, Thor's Hammer, allows Cid to cast Blitz when used as an item — making up somewhat for his lack of spells or class abilities.

Final Fantasy V

In Final Fantasy V, Cid Previa is a non-playable character. Cid is an elderly inventor and scholar who designed the machinery needed to extract power from the Fire Crystal of Karnak. Thanks to Cid's ingenuity, the Kingdom of Karnak became one of the most powerful and prosperous in the world. Excessive use of Cid's machinery, however, was damaging the integrity of the fire crystal, and the forces of the powerful trans-dimensional lord Exdeath used this fact to accelerate the destruction of the crystal. While unable to save the crystal, Cid offers his aid to Bartz, Lenna, Faris, and Galuf, four warriors trying to put a stop to Exdeath's plans. Together with his grandson, Mid, Cid helps the heroes uncover an ancient airship buried beneath the ocean.

In Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, the late Cid's brain has been stolen by Ra Devil to be used in the villain's plans.

Final Fantasy VI

In Final Fantasy VI, Cid del Norte Marguez is a non-playable character. Cid is the chief researcher for the Empire, whose research into the magical power of Espers led to the development of the Empire's powerful Magitek armor. He is very close to former Imperial General Celes, and when Celes turns on the Empire, Cid too begins to have his doubts regarding Emperor Gestahl's plans. Eventually, Cid helps Celes and her allies, the resistance group known as the Returners, escape from a trap Gestahl had laid for them in Vector. Following Kefka's catastrophic attack on the world's surface, Cid finds himself stranded on an isolated island with Celes, who has fallen into a coma. Cid cares for Celes until her recovery one year later, and takes ill himself in the process. Depending on Celes's actions subsequently, Cid either dies of his illness, leaving Celes to discover the small raft he had built to return them both to civilization, or recovers and bequeaths the raft to Celes himself.

Final Fantasy VII

In Final Fantasy VII, Cid Highwind is a playable character. He wields a series of spears, including the Venus Gospel. Cid is a pilot and inventor who dreamed of being the first man in space and came within moments of realizing his dream when he was chosen to pilot an experimental Shinra space shuttle. The launch was aborted, however, when a technician named Shera defied Cid's orders and insisted on running a last-minute check of the rocket's oxygen tanks, which were revealed to be structurally flawed. Rather than reschedule the launch for a later date, Shinra eliminated its astronautics program, dashing Cid's hopes of becoming a space explorer. Although he originally blames Shera for destroying his dreams, he later forgives her upon learning that the oxygen tanks would likely have ruptured had he proceeded with the launch when he actually uses the space ship in an attempt to destroy Meteor. He appears as the pilot of the newly built airship Shera, named obviously after his wife, in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.

Final Fantasy VIII

In Final Fantasy VIII, Cid Kramer is a non-playable character. Originally the proprietor of a foster home for orphans of the Sorceress War, Cid establishes the Garden mercenary academies with the help of his wife Edea Kramer. He is the headmaster of Balamb Garden, where Squall Leonhart is a student, and provides Squall and his SeeD companions the training they need to defeat Edea after she is possessed by the sorceress Ultimecia.

Cid fulfills the "vehicle" custom of Final Fantasy games as he reveals to the player the fact that Balamb Garden is capable of flight. In game, Cid bears a striking resemblance to the actor Robin Williams.

Final Fantasy IX

In Final Fantasy IX Cid Fabool is a playable character for a minor period. Cid Fabool is the present ruler of Lindblum. He was turned into an oglop by his wife, Hilda, because of his womanizing. Cid is a technology expert who is fond of creating new airships. He was best friends with Dagger's father and ordered Tantalus to kidnap Dagger because he was concerned for her safety, based on the erratic and abnormal tendencies of her mother as of late. After Lindblum is destroyed, Zidane and his party attempt to turn him back into a human, but fail, and instead turn him into a frog. In a scene of the game where some of the main protagonists are imprisoned in Kuja's Desert Palace, Cid is playable the one and only time in the game, as the player controls him to solve a 'weights and measures' puzzle to release the prisoners. His restoration to human form was possible only after liberating the then imprisoned Lady Hilda from Mount Gulug, after it is realized only the one who casts the spell can be the one to reverse it. At the end of the game, it seems that Cid and Hilda have adopted Eiko, because she calls them "father" and "mother".

Final Fantasy X and X-2

In Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, Cid is a non-playable character. He is the leader of the Al Bhed tribe, the father of Rikku and Brother, and Yuna's uncle. With the help of the other Al Bhed, he unearths an ancient airship at the Al Bhed excavation near Baaj Temple which he repairs and christens Fahrenheit (name only referenced in the Japanese and International versions of the game). This airship is made available to the player as a mode of transportation late in Final Fantasy X and is employed in battle with Sin, Evrae and Penance.

In X-2, Cid plans on turning the Zanarkand Ruins into a tourist resort, much to the dismay of his daughter and niece. Cid is voiced by actor Michael McShane in the English versions of Final Fantasy X and X-2.

Final Fantasy XI

Although Final Fantasy XI is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, and the story is developed as the player character participates in missions, Cid still features prominently in the world of Vana'diel as a non-playable character. A member of the Hume race, he owns a lab in the Republic of Bastok, and is involved in a few of the quests and missions given to citizens of Bastok. He has a close relationship with owner of the Steaming Sheep Tavern, Hilda. Cid does take a prominent role in the Chains of Promathia series, and begins to develop his own version of the Jeunoan airship. In CoP, Cid helps the adventurer work with Prishe and the others to try to intervene with Bahamut's assault.

Final Fantasy XII

In Final Fantasy XII, Doctor Cidolfus Demen Bunansa is a non-playable character and, for the first time in any Final Fantasy game, a villain and an enemy boss. He is Archadia's chief researcher who leads their study of Nethicite, aiding Vayne. While he does not directly provide the player with any transportation, his son Balthier owns the party's airship, and an artifact stolen from his laboratory improves said airship's transport capabilities. He controls the Esper Famfrit.

There is also a character by the name of Al-Cid Margrace, who is the heir of Rozarria and friend of Larsa.

Final Fantasy Tactics

In Final Fantasy Tactics, Cidolfas Orlandu is a playable character. A famous general of Ivalice, leader of the Nanten Knights, Orlandu is better known by the nickname Thunder God Cid for being undefeated during the 50-year war. He is a friend of the deceased Balbanes Beoulve, father of the main character Ramza Beoulve. Initially fighting for Goltana against Larg and the Hokuten, he is later imprisoned for a false charge. Afterwards, he is saved by Ramza and joins his party. Orlandu initially wields the sword Excalibur, one of the game's most powerful weapons.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Cid Randell is a secret character who is playable only after you have completed all 300 of the game's missions. In the town of St. Ivalice, Cid was a good father, but changed drastically when his wife died. In the American version, his work suffers and he has lost his job at least once, from a larger company. In both versions, he develops alcoholism. In either event, he is a source of constant embarrassment to his son, Mewt. When Mewt discovers the Gran Grimoire and uses it to reshape the world, Cid is transformed into the supreme Judgemaster of the kingdom of Ivalice, and the husband of Queen Remedi, the human incarnation of the Gran Grimoire itself. Encountering Mewt's friend, Marche, helps jog Cid's true memories, and he breaks off from the palace to aid Marche in his travels, proving particularly useful against Llednar, Mewt's almost invincible dark side. During the ending, it appears that he has recovered from his grief.

Other appearances

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

The only notable connection to any other part of the Final Fantasy franchise in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is found in Dr. Sid, the mentor of the main character Aki Ross. He is a scientist who has discovered energy in "phantoms" and in humans. He is working on gaining all eight spirits of life to make an "anti-wave" against phantoms, which could save the people and the planet itself. Note that his name is spelled with an "S", rather than the traditional "C" seen through the video game series. Sid's voice was provided by Donald Sutherland.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited

In Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Cid is one of the main characters. The Cid of this series is likely the youngest of them all. He is an eccentric inventor who is a vital member of the Comodeen. With his high-tech backpack, Cid built most of the vehicles and devices in the series, marking all of them with his seal and giving them each a woman's name. Normally polite and gentle, he flies into a "wrath of god" rage with his "Ultimate Hammer" attack whenever any of his beloved inventions is even slightly damaged. Like all the others, he too has invented an airship, though it was not used until the finale. He had a relationship with fellow Comodeen member Miles as a result of when he was temporarily turned into a Frog.

Kingdom Hearts series

In Kingdom Hearts, Cid Highwind is a non-playable character found in Traverse Town with Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie. He is an expert on Gummi ships and will sell Gummis and aid Sora with different modifications and models for his ship. Although he's much like his Final Fantasy VII self, he does not smoke cigarettes, preferring instead to chew on straw. He also seems to nearly explode into profanity at certain points but refrains from doing so. It is also revealed that Hollow Bastion, eventually renamed Radiant Garden, is Cid's and most of the other Final Fantasy characters' homeworld.

He appears briefly as a figment of Sora's memories in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, where he introduces the "Moogle Room" cards.

In the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, Cid maintains his Final Fantasy VII appearance, but he no longer deals in Gummi Ship parts. He now uses and fixes Hollow Bastion's defense system, which he calls "claymores".

Chocobo Racing

In Chocobo Racing, Cid is a mechanical inventor who creates Chocobo's Jet Blades and Mog's scooter, and is also the narrator of the game under "Story Mode." Additionally, Cid built the game's first racetrack, a simple course known as "Cid's Test Track."

Chocobo's Dungeon 2

In Chocobo's Dungeon 2, Cid is a somewhat playable character. Cid is an outcast inventor who is not trusted by the people in the nearby town. He's rather gruff, but is willing to help Chocobo on his quest. He gets quite angry when people insult his machines. He is only playable to a second player who joins the game; otherwise he follows Chocobo around the dungeons and fights of his own accord. Also, he attacks simultaneously when Chocobo, the main character, does, so he can be used to attack enemies behind Chocobo.

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

In Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, in a departure from his previous Chocobo game appearances, Cid is depicted as a friendly young man who acts as a big brother to the game's protagonists. Once again, he owns an airship, using it to take Chocobo and his friends to the Technolith.

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

Cid Highwind appears in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children when Cloud and the others are fighting Bahamut SIN (Bahamut Tremor). He and the rest of the main party put up a valiant effort in fighting off the huge monster until Cloud arrives. He does his part to launch Cloud up to Bahamut by using his spear as a jumping platform. He later appears with his Airship Shera when Cloud is fighting Kadaj and is witness to the rebirth of Sephiroth. His last appearance in the movie is with the rest of the party when they meet up with Cloud in the church. He is also in Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII, albeit only in audio form. He is one of the three who calls Cloud and tells him to get to Barret's place to receive Yuffie's gift.

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

Ducktor Cid is a character put into Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime by Square Enix in honor of the uniting of Square and Enix. Being a platypunk, he initially started out on the team of the Plob (the game's villains), but turned his loyalty over to Rocket after being saved from suffocation in a large pile of sand. Ducktor Cid is in charge of maintaining the Schleiman Tank, including its crewmembers and ammo.