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Artwork by Tetsuya Nomura.
Red XIII's species refers to an unnamed species of sentient feline mammals in Final Fantasy VII that reside on the Planet. The most prominent member of the species in the series is Red XIII, though a handful of others have been seen throughout Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Despite Red XIII's importance and the unique traits of his species, the species is never named though they are frequently referred to as "lion-like."
The species is known for its longevity with lifespans of hundreds of years. They resemble real-world wolves although they share some characteristics with lions. They have bright red-orange fur, and the end of the their tails hosts a burning flame whose the significance is never explained. The species has been seen wearing adornments similar to Native Americans, such as face-paint, beads, and feathers, with Red XIII's equipment notably being headdresses. Though they are equally as intelligent as humans, with the ability to speak with perfect grammar, there is no evidence of the species creating a civilization, except for possibly Cosmo Canyon. The flame of Cosmo Canyon, said to burn eternal to protect it, may be connected to their flaming tail.
For unknown reasons, the species died out to near extinction levels and is said to be down to only Red XIII. Red XIII's father, Seto, died protecting Cosmo Canyon, the only known home of the species, from the Gi Tribe. His unnamed mother died some time afterward.
In Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, another member of his species, a female named Deneh, is seen. Professor Hojo kidnaps Red XIII to use him as a test subject and Deneh is spared, though she makes no further appearances. Red XIII is seen with two cubs of his species 500 years after Meteorfall, presumed to be his children, possibly with Deneh.
During the planning stages of Final Fantasy VII there were plans for two more members of his species, Cobalt XIV and Indigo XV, also experiments of Hojo, but they were cut from the final version of Final Fantasy VII.
Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances
Django's red-fur alternate attire.
In the fighting game Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring, which features several characters from Final Fantasy VII, one of the playable characters, Django, is a grey-furred individual that resembles the same species as Red XIII, although Django has no official connection to the Final Fantasy series. Django's moveset is compiled of references to Red XIII, Seto, and Final Fantasy summons. He also has a palette-swap colored similarly to Red XIII's fur.
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