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I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them.

Rufus Shinra

Rufus Shinra is a character in the Final Fantasy VII series. As the son of President Shinra, he is the vice president of the Shinra Electric Power Company through Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, and Final Fantasy VII. Rufus becomes the president and continues to act in this role through most of Final Fantasy VII.

In Japanese, Rufus's name is usually written ルーファウス (Rūfausu?); however, the Final Fantasy VII Official Establishment File writes ルーファス (Rūfasu?) on the title of his page, which is more analogous to the pronunciation of the name "Rufus". The rest of the guide uses the correct name when referring to him. However, there are three instances of dialogue with two men in Kalm who use ルーファス (Rūfasu?). Both characters also use the correct name in other dialogue.

Profile[]

Appearance[]

Rufus's original artwork.

In his original design for Final Fantasy VII, Rufus is a young man with short, slicked-back blond hair and blue eyes. His attire consists of a turtle-necked black shirt underneath a gray-collared white business suit with two matching jackets, with the longer one beneath the shorter jacket. He also wears fingerless black gloves and brown shoes.

In Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Rufus wears a white business with a gray tie. He initially lets his bangs fall in front of his face, but he slicks them back towards the end of Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-.

In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rufus's appearance is redesigned. His slicked-back hair is now a platinum blond and slightly longer. His double-breasted business suit is white with a blue collar and the jacket is now folded over akin to a trench coat. Underneath his suit, he wears a dark gray dress shirt with a tie. He wears hakama-styled pants; the pant legs have a fitted interior and a baggy exterior that skirts over with buttons down the front pleat. Belts drape around his wrists and waist akin to himo straps and overall suspenders, and several hang loosely over his long skirt. He wears black fingerless gloves and black leather boots. His weapon of choice is a ornate, black double-barreled sawed-off shotgun, capable of splitting into two handguns.

For the majority of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Rufus covers himself with a long white sheet. His clothing is more simplified, as he sports a loose-fitting white suit with a white dress shirt over a black dress shirt, a leather cuirass-like waistcoat that doubles as a bandolier for his shotgun, and black leather dress shoes.

In the Final Fantasy VII The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story novel, Rufus notes that, while he inherited many of his father's physical traits, he resembles his mother more.[3]

Personality[]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

I've heard that no one's ever seen him bleed or cry.

Aerith Gainsborough

Rufus is initially portrayed as an enigmatic schemer who does not hesitate killing his enemies. He has no love for his father and plotted to overthrow him, having funded the fledgling eco-terrorist group Avalanche to pressure the president's deposal from behind the curtain. While Rufus shares his father's goals in cementing the Shinra Company's hold on the world, he believes fear is essential to control the populace and even sets up a public execution both to win favor and reassign blame for the company's larceny. Convinced that everything that the Shinra Company produces belongs to him, Rufus taunts Cloud Strife in the remake by claiming that he owns him. Rufus acts fearless even in the face of formidable opponents, always having backup should things go wrong.

Between the events of Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Rufus witnesses firsthand the damage the planet sustained due to Shinra's actions. His near-death experiences and time spent seeing what happens on the ground due to his company's actions have softened him. Now speaking in a kinder tone, desiring redemption for his misdeeds, he acknowledges Shinra's part in desecrating—if not nearly decimating—the planet. Wishing to do his part in fixing it, despite Cloud and Avalanche's hand in Shinra's collapse, Rufus shows them no ill-will and tells Cloud about Kadaj and his group despite Cloud rejecting his offer to work together. He retains a manipulative edge by attempting to use Cloud's adopted orphans to get him to cooperate. He displays a sarcastic sense of humor by commenting "a good son would have known" to Kadaj when revealing what he's been concealing under the white sheet he always cloaks himself with.

Rufus is hinted to be the one funding the World Regenesis Organization in Dirge of Cerberus, but still wishes for Shinra to have a dominant hand in world affairs. The city of Edge is built using Shinra's resources, and Rufus had a monument to Meteor placed in the city center to secure Shinra's ownership of Edge in the citizens' minds.

Story[]

Early life[]

Rufus was born as the legitimate son between President Shinra and an unnamed woman. President Shinra would later use Rufus's birthday as the passcode for his personal devices.[4] At some point in time, his mother passed away,[5] and Rufus was often neglected as his father was rarely home due to his busy schedule.

When Rufus was five years old, President Shinra showed Rufus blueprints of the renovation plans for the executive office. Rufus proposed the idea of a secret escape route in case of an attack on the Shinra Building. Although he found the notion of escape to be absurd in the face of Shinra's power, President Shinra reluctantly agreed to install one, claiming he was doing so for Rufus's sake, and labeled the switch mechanism for the escape route with the letter "L" for "Loser".[6]

Pre-presidency[]

RufusIconFFVIIBC
Bc-rufus

In Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- Rufus is the main financier for the eco-terrorist group Avalanche, and feeds them information. Along with the other Shinra executives, Rufus takes part in meetings and strategy, and has special access to his father, personally discussing key issues as the second-in-command. Rufus has no interest in the planet's fate while funding Avalanche, rather, he is using the organization to take power from his father. It becomes clear Shinra has a traitor, but initially the informant's identity is not known.

The Turks capture Rufus during the attack on the Old Corel and use him as leverage with President Shinra to save their commander, Verdot, and his daughter, Elfe, the commander of Avalanche. President Shinra saves him while the Turks are out searching for the support materia to cure Elfe and attempting to rescue Verdot. Before the Turks were ordered to be executed for insubordination, Rufus has them spared since Tseng "assassinated" Verdot and Elfe. Rather than being executed or relieved of his position for the attempt of his father's life, Rufus is placed under house arrest within the Turks' hidden headquarters. His absence is covered up as an "extended assignment overseas".

Though Rufus is not seen in person in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, an email from Kunsel to Zack mentions that Rufus has been promoted to vice president and corporate officer, and had departed on a "long-term business trip", the details unable to be disclosed for "security reasons". It is also revealed that President Shinra had an illegitimate son named Lazard Deusericus with a woman from the slums, making him Rufus's older half-brother. An infantryman in the director's office tells Zack that he found Lazard to resemble "the V.P".

Original continuity[]

As Shinra president[]

Tonight marks a new beginning for Shinra!

Rufus to Cloud in Final Fantasy VII Remake

During Sephiroth's attack on the Shinra Building in Midgar, the Shinra executive Palmer contacts Junon for help. Rufus responds by taking a B1-Alpha Helicopter to Midgar, arriving just after Sephiroth has killed President Shinra. Rufus confronts Avalanche atop the Shinra Building and declares himself as Shinra's new president and his intent to control the planet's populace through fear. Cloud, a mercenary hired by Avalanche, remains to hold Rufus back while the others escape. Rufus battles him using a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun and is accompanied by a guard hound. After seeing he cannot win against Cloud, Rufus falls back to the helicopter.

Rufus New Age

A banner in Junon proclaims a "New Age" during Rufus's parade.

Rufus decides to pursue Sephiroth and Shinra forces follow his trail across the planet, Rufus traveling with an entourage of Shinra executives. A parade is held on his honor in Junon, celebrating him as the new Shinra president. Unknown to Shinra, Cloud and the rest of Avalanche, who had escaped the Shinra Building in Midgar, partake in the festivities with Cloud disguising himself as a Shinra foot soldier, and is among the soldiers who perform a routine for Rufus's send-off on a cargo ship.

The cargo ship travels from Junon to Costa del Sol, and while Rufus stays in the cabin discussing matters with Heidegger, the head of Shinra's military affairs, Avalanche stows away on the ship disguised as crew. Mysterious events transpire with many crew members killed, and after docking in Costa del Sol, it is determined Sephiroth was onboard alongside Avalanche. Rufus admonishes Heidegger for his failure to catch on to the stowaways before flying off on another helicopter.

Shinra's main airship, the Highwind, is not ready for flight, and after receiving intel that Sephiroth is heading for the Temple of the Ancients, Rufus decides to seize Cid Highwind's Tiny Bronco airplane for faster travel. Cid eagerly expects Rufus's arrival as he mistakes his visit for an announcement of re-launching Shinra's space program, but when he hears Rufus wants his plane he becomes outraged and refuses. Cloud's crew helps Cid escape in the Tiny Bronco, but Rufus has his men shoot it down.

When the Highwind is ready to take off Rufus, Scarlet and Professor Hojo fly to the planet's north pole to investigate the North Crater. They run into Avalanche in a place covered in materia, Shinra deeming it to be the fabled promised land, a land told in Cetra legend to be a land full of Spirit Energy. Rufus and the other Shinra executives are forced to flee when the Weapons emerge from the crater when Sephiroth summons the Meteor, but in the chaos they capture two Avalanche members: Tifa and Barret.

Rufus wants to have the two publicly executed to help calm the panic from the looming Meteor. His plans are foiled when Sapphire Weapon attacks Junon and blasts a hole in the gas chamber, Tifa and Barret escaping on the Highwind that has been stolen by Avalanche.

Rufus-ffvii-fmv-death

Rufus caught in the explosion.

Determined to not give up, Rufus plans to destroy Meteor with the Shinra No. 26 rocket and send in the Shinra Army to the North Crater to kill Sephiroth in the Great Sephiroth Plan. The plan to blow up the Meteor fails, but Rufus has the Sister Ray mako cannon moved from Junon to Midgar to destroy the barrier surrounding the crater that protects Sephiroth. As he launches the cannon, Diamond Weapon approaches Midgar and fires at the metropolis. The salvo of attacks hits on-level with the president's office from which Rufus was overseeing the operation. Due to the damage no one can reach the office to find a body, so he is presumed dead and Shinra descends into chaos. Scarlet and Heidegger go rogue, but are killed by Avalanche, and the Turks abandon their objectives. The opening of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- reveals that Rufus survived, and was loaded into a helicopter during Meteorfall.

Post-crisis[]

Tseng, Elena, Reno, Rude. What do you plan on doing from here?

Rufus to the Turks

Rufus escaped death in Diamond Weapon's attack by using the escape route his father installed in the executive office and took refuge in Kalm. Mütten Kylegate takes Rufus prisoner while the Turks are away and interrogates him. Rufus reveals his plan to construct the city of Edge in the east of Midgar, using the remains of the fallen buildings and the corrupted roads.

After Kilmister helps him escape, Rufus helps him recover Professor Hojo's research from Midgar to learn the origins of Geostigma, a new disease that now plagues the populace, which Kilmister knows is connected to Jenova. Though Kilmister is eventually killed, Rufus still orders the Turks to locate Jenova's remains and keep them safe from being used by others.

After Meteorfall, many began referring to Rufus by the unflattering nickname of "Doofus Shinra".

Rufus eventually learns that President Shinra had yet another illegitimate son, Evan Townshend, with his secretary Annette. At Reno's insistence, Evan and Kyrie Canaan are brought to Healen Lodge to have the half-brothers meet. Their conversation is interrupted when Fabio and two of his partners-in-crime, Keough and Doyle, attack the lodge in an attempt to rescue Thropp. Rufus subtly spurs Evan into action and lets Evan threaten him to bargain with the Turks for the thieves' freedom.

Later, Rufus receives a call from Tseng, who informs of his encounter with Kadaj masquerading as one of Kyrie's old friends. Realizing that Evan and Kyrie's journey to search for Evan's mother could lead to Jenova's remains, Rufus orders Tseng and Elena to accompany them.[3]

Geostigma crisis[]

Rufus

Rufus in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

A good son would have known.

Rufus to Kadaj

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Rufus invites Cloud to see him. He has been under the Turks' protection for two years, living with them in the Healen Lodge. He appears wheelchair-bound, and covers himself with a white sheet to supposedly hide his Geostigma, as he appears to be in the disease's final stages. Renouncing his past cruelty, Rufus explains the near-death experience opened his eyes to the truth and that he now desires to undo the chaos his company had brought onto the world. The Turks' search of the North Crater after Sephiroth's defeat yielded no result, but they were interrupted by Kadaj and his gang. Rufus tells Cloud everything he knows about them, offering Cloud to work with him. Cloud refuses, and despite Rufus nearly persuading him by reminding Cloud of the orphans he now helps take care of, Reno's sudden reminder that together they would rebuild Shinra prompts Cloud to leave.

Cloud, his friends, Rufus and the Turks fight the remnants of Sephiroth, Sephiroth's avatars born from the lifestream who want to reunite with Jenova's remains so Sephiroth can be reborn. Rufus meets the remnants' leader, Kadaj, several times as he is looking for Jenova, but feigns ignorance of the being's whereabouts. Kadaj brings his possessed horde of Geostigma-infected children to Edge to find Jenova and summons Bahamut SIN to tear down the Meteor monument Shinra had erected, presuming Jenova's remains being hidden there. As Rufus and Kadaj watch the showdown from a tall building, Rufus removes the sheet and stands up. The progression of his Geostigma is not nearly as advanced as he had pretended, the sheet instead having concealed Jenova's remains from Kadaj of which Rufus had been holding onto the whole time.

Final Fantasy 7 AC Rufus shooting

Rufus shooting at Kadaj while jumping from the building.

Rufus throws Jenova's container off the building's ledge. When Kadaj plunges after it, Rufus follows suit and pulls out his shotgun and shoots at the box. He is caught in the net thrown by Tseng and Elena, but Kadaj collects Jenova's remains, upset the container was damaged. Kadaj escapes to the ruins of Midgar where he absorbs Jenova's remains to become Sephiroth, but is defeated by Cloud and dissolves back into the lifestream. Afterwards, Rufus is cured of Geostigma when Aerith Gainsborough calls down healing rain.

Rufus later receives an invitation from Kyrie for a belated birthday get-together for Evan, though he declines.[3]

In the new opening scene for Advent Children Complete, after Kadaj asks Rufus why mankind bothers to constantly rebuild after destroying everything they make, Rufus says people rebuild to "gild the past" and rid themselves of a recent problem. Kadaj assumes Rufus means Geostigma, something he says Shinra brought upon the planet. Kadaj says Rufus fears the past. Rufus objects, and says it is simply because he is forgetful. Rufus also explains to Cloud that Sephiroth's will in the lifestream is what causes Geostigma, rather than the mako energy, as the populace believes.

Deepground conflict[]

Rufus is secretly funding the World Regenesis Organization headed by Reeve Tuesti, who had a feeling his mysterious benefactor was someone who owed "a debt to the planet" (nearly quoting Rufus's words to Cloud from Advent Children word for word). His signature white jacket is seen in the opening of Dirge of Cerberus as Rufus is being loaded onto an emergency transport while Yuffie is evacuating a sector of Midgar during Meteorfall.

Remake continuity[]

Rufus Shinra arrives to the Shinra Building from FFVII Remake

Rufus arrives to the Shinra Building.

During Cloud, Barret, and Tifa's infiltration of the Shinra Building to save Aerith, Rufus contacts Tseng, prompting Reno and Rude to retrieve him via helicopter. As they approach the Shinra Building, they shoot down the Avalanche HQ helicopter sent out to extract Barret's cell from the roof of the building. Cloud tells the others to escape while he stays behind to deal with Rufus. Rufus is amused at Cloud's bravado and remarks that Cloud's former affiliation with SOLDIER, Shinra's elite military force, means that he owns him. During his fight with Cloud, Rufus unknowingly comes into contact with the Whispers, allowing him to perceive them later on.[7] Cloud overpowers Rufus and his guard hound, disarming Rufus of his guns, and Rufus retreats via helicopter.

Tseng and Rufus from FFVII Remake

Rufus realizes Tseng cannot see the Whispers.

Rufus returns after Avalanche escapes the building and sees that the building is being swarmed by Whispers, puzzling Rufus when he realizes that no one else can see them. Although troubled by the mysterious entities, Rufus orders Tseng to have Shinra troops continue their pursuit of Avalanche. As Sephiroth killed President Shinra, Rufus officially takes over as CEO of the company. Rufus ignores Heidegger when the latter refers to him as the vice president and responds to Tseng when he is addressed by "president" before going to meet with the other Shinra executives.

Spoilers end here.

Gameplay[]

Rufus fights Cloud one-on-one alongside Dark Nation atop the Shinra Building early in Final Fantasy VII.

Rufus boss coin toss from FFVII Remake

Rufus's coin toss attack.

In Final Fantasy VII Remake Rufus is again fought by Cloud alongside his pet, now renamed Darkstar. He is faced in Chapter 17, "Deliverance from Chaos". He is a significantly more threatening opponent, performing combo attacks with Darkstar. He parries Cloud's attacks and guns him from behind. He alternates between shooting and reloading, and ordering Darkstar, who can buff him.

Musical themes[]

"Rufus's Welcoming Ceremony" plays during his initiation ceremony in Junon. In Final Fantasy IX a band on the M.S. Prima Vista plays the theme in the Evil Forest. This version, called "Rufus's Welcome Ceremony (Millennium Version)", is found on the Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS album. A piano arrangement is included on the Piano Collections: Final Fantasy VII album. The theme is also included on the compilation album Final Fantasy VII Vinyl Limited Edition.

The original Final Fantasy VII version is included in the music player in Final Fantasy XV. It is the eleventh track of the Memories of FFVII album that is available by default.

In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rufus's boss theme is titled "Rufus Shinra" and uses traits of "Fight On!" and "Shinra's Theme".

Other appearances[]

Rufus, as seen in Opera Omnia

Though a non-playable minor antagonist in-universe, Rufus's other appearances draw from his role as an antihero later in the Final Fantasy VII franchise. In his four appearances as a playable character, Rufus is shown to favor handguns and has employed various forms of skulduggery and/or Shinra Power Company hardware as special moves.

Rufus has made appearances in the following works within the greater series:

Behind the scenes[]

Rufus advent children

Rufus covered by a white sheet in Advent Children.

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Rufus is covered with a sheet so as to hide his face, and his voice was made soft and deceptive to give him a sense of mystery. Toru Okawa, who voices Rufus in the film's Japanese version, stated he got the impression Rufus was the type of person always hiding something, and that the scene where he rises from his wheelchair and casts off his cloak is one of his favorites, where Rufus reveals his secrets at last.[8]

Okawa noted that Rufus's line "a good son would have known" has become a fan favorite, and Tetsuya Nomura has joked the irony is that such a line comes from Rufus. Nomura said that Okawa's voice had an undertone of mystery and elegance, and was perfect for Rufus's part: "Only someone like Rufus, a big shot president, would be able to jump off a building without hesitation and expect his Turks to take care of everything".[9]

Rufus coins from Final Fantasy VII Remake

Rufus' coins in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rufus employs personalized coins for special attacks during his fight with Cloud. Each side has a meaning that reflects Rufus's personality and his plans to rule the Shinra Corporation and Midgar. One side shows an emblem with a sword, a shield, and a pair of wings, with the words "Shinra Inc., A New Era. Ever Forward. Reign Supreme." surrounding it, which symbolizes the Shinra ideals and Rufus's lust for power. The other side shows the words "Fierce Pride", alongside Darkstar and mandragora flowers, which symbolizes both "enchantment" and "fear".[10][11][12]

Gallery[]

Etymology[]

Rufus is a name of Latin origin, and means "red-haired". In a March 4, 2020 interview, Yoshinori Kitase explained that the word "SHINRA" derives from the word "myth" in Japanese (神話, shinwa?) because SHINRA was about becoming god and controlling everything.

Rufus is one of the few Final Fantasy characters with a last name written in kanji and a first name in katakana, and, along with his father, the only character in Final Fantasy VII (and the series in general) with kanji in the name that isn't a title or a nickname.

References[]

  1. Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, "Episode: Shinra", pg. 138-139: The monstrous Weapon had struck the building. [...] Then Rufus remembered a conversation with his father from almost twenty years ago.[...] Five-year old Rufus woke up in the middle of the night [...]
  2. Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania, p.050
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Final Fantasy VII The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story
  4. Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, "Episode: Shinra", pg. 144
  5. Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, "Episode: Shinra", pg. 143
  6. Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, "Episode: Shinra", pg. 139–140
  7. Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, pg. 102
  8. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children -Reunion Files-, pg. 34
  9. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children -Reunion Files-, pg. 35
  10. Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania, pg. 731
  11. Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania, pg. 101
  12. Aitaikimochi's Tweet on Mandragora Flowers' Symbolism
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