Vincent Valentine
From Final Fantasy Wiki
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| Vincent Valentine | |
| A.K.A | N/A |
| Kana | ヴィンセント・ヴァレンタイン |
| Romaji | Vinsento Varentain |
| Job Class | Gunner |
| Weapon | Gun |
| Birthplace | Unknown |
| Date of Birth | October 13 |
| Age | 27 (physically) 55 (chronologically) |
| Height | 6'0" / 184 cm |
| Blood Type | A |
| Japanese Voice Actor | Shougo Suzuki |
| English Voice Actor | Steven Jay Blum |
"A mystical man, stern and upright while at the same time dark and mysterious..."
Vincent Valentine is an optional playable character in Final Fantasy VII, and main character of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-.
A former member of Shin-Ra's Turks, he was genetically modified and imprisoned in a casket in the basement of the Shin-Ra Mansion in Nibelheim by the deranged scientist Professor Hojo. Cloud and his friends convinced Vincent out from his tomb in the Shin-Ra Mansion, in which he willingly slept to atone for what he considered to be his sins, whereupon he joined the group in their quest. Vincent's Limit Break abilities are connected to Hojo's genetic manipulations, and involve him transforming into a variety of powerful creatures. Vincent's weapon of choice is a handgun. His dark past torments him frequently as the plot of the game unfolds. His dark powers make him a great companion and a good warrior. Vincent Valentine has some rumors of him being the real father of Sephiroth, due to his love and relationship with Lucrecia Crescent, the real mother of Sephiroth. However, this is confirmed to be untrue in the FFVII Ultimania Omega. It was debated whether or not the claw on his left arm is just a weapon or an actual prosthetic limb. However, in Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus, it can be clearly seen that there indeed is an arm underneath the claws, thus allowing the possibility that the claw is a weapon and/or part of his dressing which can be worn as a glove.
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[edit] Story
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
- "That was my sin, and this...this is my punishment."
- —Vincent, referring to his inability to stop the Jenova Project.
Vincent was once a member of the Turks, then known as the Shin-Ra Manufacturing Department of "Administrative Research." When he was assigned to supervise the Jenova Project in Nibelheim, he fell in love with a scientist named Lucrecia Crescent, an assistant to Professor Gast. When he discovered her link to his deceased father, she fled from Vincent, ultimately entering a relationship with her associate Hojo instead. Lucrecia became pregnant afterwards, most likely in order to provide a test subject for their next experiment: an investigation into the effect of Jenova cells on an unborn child.
Vincent's father, Grimoire Valentine, was an associate of Lucrecia on the Chaos project, and after Grimoire's death by a failed experiment, Shin-Ra sent the Turk Vincent as a bodyguard for Lucrecia, a detail revealed in Dirge of Cerberus.
Vincent objected to the use of humans--especially Lucrecia--as live test subjects. Even so, in the interest of science, Lucrecia proceeded with the treatment and apparently became very sick as a result. Outraged, Vincent confronted Hojo in the Shin-Ra Mansion's underground laboratory and a heated argument ensued. Hojo ended it with treachery, pulling a gun from his lab coat and shooting Vincent in the stomach. He proceeded to use his unconscious (or possibly dead) body as the subject for experiments involving metamorphosis, enabling the body to tranform into Galian Beast, Death Gigas, and Hell Masker. Vincent awakened on the operating table - Hojo nowhere in sight - and responded to his modified body with both anguish and rage.
Believing himself responsible for Lucrecia's illness after Sephiroth's birth, he locked himself inside a coffin in the basement of Nibelheim's Shin-Ra Mansion, where he slept mostly undisturbed for 28 years to atone for his "sins"--however, people who have played the game Crisis Core fully, including side quests, will find Vincent sleeping in Shinra Manor (although Zack Fair, terrified of the man sleeping in the coffin, just puts the top of the coffin back and leaves Vincent alone). He constantly relived his "nightmare" for these years as a punishment for his inability to stop Lucrecia from submitting to Hojo's experiment on her unborn baby.
[edit] Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
Verdot, an old friend of Vincent, awakens him inside his coffin, and tells him that he is searching for materia. When he wakes up, he helps the Turks fight AVALANCHE, and displays sharp shooting skills with a beautiful gun, though he is rather jaded after that long sleep. It would turn out that the Support Materia for Zirconaide was hidden inside the mansion and he knew of its existence. He gives it to Verdot before he rests once more.
[edit] Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
When Zack Fair hears snoring coming from a coffin, he opens it and is startled that a person is actually inside it (due to the camera angle, Vincent is not actually seen). As he steps back, the coffin lid floats over the coffin, and seals itself.
[edit] Final Fantasy VII
During the timeframe of the main game, Vincent is discovered by Cloud and the party in a locked room in the basement of Shin-Ra Manor in Nibelheim. After some careful coaxing, he is talked out of his sleep and joins Cloud's party against Sephiroth, which he considers a side-effect of his sin. Very little of his story is revealed in the game, only being briefly looked upon during his introduction, and in a scene when they find Lucrecia sealed away in a crystal cave.
As Vincent is an optional character in the game, along with Yuffie, he is not shown in the ending FMV. "Dirge of Cerberus" retcons that the two of them returned to Midgar early to help evacuate the city before Meteor hit, saving the lives of hundreds, including a heavily-injured Rufus Shinra. However, they can still be used in Final Fantasy VII to fight in the Northern Crater.
[edit] Acquiring Vincent
In Nibelheim, get the Mansion Key from the safe upstairs in the Shin-Ra Mansion. The combination is RIGHT TO 36, LEFT TO 10, RIGHT TO 59, RIGHT TO 97. Following this is a tough boss called Lost Number. If you use magic on it when it is in its physical attacking form and physical attacks when it is in its magical attacking form, you should be able to defeat it. It cannot be harmed by Gravity spells. Pick up the key from the safe after the battle and enter the locked cellar halfway to Sephiroth's Library in the basement. Enter the cellar using the gold key from the safe. Touch the foot of the purple coffin. The lid will fly off and Vincent will talk to you. Choose the bottom reply when he asks you a question. When the coffin closes, touch the coffin again. Choose the second (bottom) reply when Vincent poses another question, and you can name him. Leave the cavern and he'll join you.
[edit] Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
During the years following Final Fantasy VII, Vincent traveled the world, mysteriously popping in and out, retrieving information and helping those in need, keeping even looser connection with his friends than the rest of the party (possibly due to his lack of a phone). After Tseng and Elena were struck down and tortured by Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo at the Great Northern Crater, Vincent rescues them and helps them recover, while getting as much information about the trio as he could.
When Kadaj began to fight Cloud in the Forgotten City, Vincent rushed in as a red vapor resembling his ripped cape, firing at Kadaj while picking up Cloud and carrying him to safety. Resting in a remote part of the forest, Vincent relayed information about the Geostigma to Cloud, before they both leave for Edge.
Vincent shows up with the rest of AVALANCHE for the battle against Bahamut SIN, inquiring as to where he could buy a cell phone (a joke in the film, he apparently being the only member of AVALANCHE without one). He tells the party the truth about Kadaj aboard the Shera, while Cloud duels him atop the remains of the Shin-Ra Building.
During the bonus feature 'Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII,' Vincent makes a call to Cloud. At some point after Advent Children, Vincent purchased a cell phone, and made a point to relay a message to Yuffie that she had no right to call it.
[edit] Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
- "Hmph. Guess I have no choice. It's time...to save the world."
- —Vincent
A year following the events of Advent Children, Vincent is called into duty once again. When the mysterious group Deepground began attacking people around the world, Vincent Valentine and the World Regenesis Organization started investigating. Deepground, they found, was a group based from secret experiments underground in the Shin-Ra Building that were trying to awaken the final WEAPON, Omega. To do this, they were hunting down Vincent Valentine, who housed the powerful Protomateria and the spirit Chaos. Vincent was forced to fight off the constant attacks while trying to solve the mystery of his own dark past. Eventually, he discovers who he is with the help of a young Tsviet (Deepground Elite), named Shelke.
Deepground is able to steal the protomateria straight from Vincent's body, and Chaos becomes increasingly unstable within Vincent throughout the game. At the end, Chaos is finally completely unleashed and defeats Deepground and Omega. When he concludes his mission, he disappears within the crystal cave where Lucrecia lay for some good time. Cloud's party eventually sends a befriended Shelke to retrieve Vincent, who had made his amends and forgiven himself for his "sin."
Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- reveals that when Vincent confronted Hojo he was shot, and turned into a sample for Hojo's metamorphosis experiment. The experiment left Vincent with three demonic transformations, however he was left in a death-like state. Upon discovering this, Lucrecia took his body and attempted to save him by implanting the Chaos gene within him. While Vincent was revived by this process, he became Chaos itself and had no control over the form. The Protomateria then appeared and Lucrecia used the materia to suppress Chaos and allow Vincent to have some control over the transformation. In a flashback, Vincent wakes up on a table in a lab, and looks down to find himself in his Galian Beast form (the claws Vincent sees are those of Galian Beast.)
It is ambiguous precisely what happened between Vincent's awakening in the laboratory and the beginning of his extended slumber. In a note written by Hojo - the first clue provided for uncovering Vincent - he claims to have put Vincent to sleep in the basement himself. While there was originally much conjecture as to whether Vincent's sleep was fully voluntary versus induced because of his own attitude toward it and the mystery of his in-game attire and long hair, a flashback scene in Dirge of Cerberus clearly illustrates Vincent was experimented on and then immediately put to sleep in his current appearance. Assumedly, as hair continues to grow even after death, enough time passed during the experimentation for Vincent to assume the appearance he later maintains. However, this does not explain his change of clothing.
[edit] Weapons
In Final Fantasy VII, Vincent uses a variety of different pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles. His default weapon is the Quicksilver pistol, which he can be seen carrying in Nomura's artwork. His ultimate weapon is known as Death Penalty.
Vincent's primary weapon in both Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- is the handgun Cerberus, named after the three-headed dog which guarded the Greek underworld for its three barrels (each of which is ornamented with a dog head). There is also a keychain attached to it that bears a Cerberus-shaped charm. It holds a total of eighteen rounds and fires three each time the trigger is pulled, making it extremely lethal to a normal person. The weapon can be upgraded to either be lighter, hold more ammo (max of 80 rounds) or do more damage.
However, the most powerful weapon in Dirge of Cerberus, appears very innocent. The Toy Gun that is found in Edge is actually the precursor to the Ultima Weapon, which has maximum stats and can hold 99 bullets at a time. Its power is boosted as is apropos, and with a scope on the gun with the L Nova barrel, one can simply snipe their way through the entire game when not on a machine gun. The Model Gun is upgraded into a Silver Model Gun, which then becomes a Gold Model Gun, before finally becoming the Ultima Weapon. The player needs a lot of gil for this route though, as it costs quite a pretty penny.
During the course of "Dirge of Cerberus," Vincent also acquires two other guns. One, a triple-barreled rifle, is christened the 'Hydra.' The other, the 'Griffon,' resembles a Thompson gun, and has a rapid-fire ability, although shoots slowly enough that it is possible to only shoot one bullet. All three guns Vincent acquires in this game can be equipped with accessories, such as longer or shorter barrels, a scope, and Materia.
It is not known precisely when Vincent discarded Death Penalty for Cerberus. It seems likely that he returned it to the cave near Nibelheim where Lucrecia gave it to him. He does regain it in Dirge of Cerberus when he transforms into Chaos. It apparently gains power as the player defeats enemies with it.
[edit] Limit Breaks
- See videos of the various Breaks here
Vincent's Limit Breaks are quite different from many others. There is only one Limit Break for each of the four levels. When he initiates one, he turns into a monster, who is constantly berserk, and stays that way until the battle is over, win or lose.
| Limit Break | Information | Final Fantasy VII Appearance | Dirge of Cerberus Appearance |
| Galian Beast | Vincent transforms into a reckless, wild purple beast that unleashes a variety of spells and attacks against the enemy. This Limit Break also appears in Dirge of Cerberus, allowing him to brutally attack enemies with his fists and energy blasts. He attacks using Beast Flare and Berserk Dance. Known automatically. | 
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| Death Gigas | Vincent transforms himself into a monster which greatly resembles the monstrosity created by Dr. Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's famous novel: "Frankenstein". He attacks using Gigadunk and Livewire. Learned after killing ~60 enemies with Vincent. | 
| N/A |
| Hell Masker | Vincent transforms into a psychotic thug wearing a hockey mask and wielding a chainsaw which greatly resembles a combination of Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th horror films and the infamous Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He attacks with Splattercombo and Nightmare. Learned after killing another ~60 enemies with Vincent. | 
| N/A |
| Chaos | Vincent transforms into a malevolent winged demon and attacks the enemy with Chaos Saber and Satan Slam. It is Vincent's Final Transformation, and can be accessed in the Crystal Cave. In Dirge of Cerberus, Vincent is capable of using this form in the final chapter, along with his final weapon, the Death Penalty. | 
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| Red Cloak | Vincent transforms into a previously unseen form during Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. This form, presumably learned during the two years he spent traveling the world after Sephiroth's defeat, is an amorphous, crimson mist. Vincent appears to gain an added resistance to swords and bullets while in this form, and is also seen to levitate. |  | N/A |
[edit] Non-Final Fantasy Appearances
[edit] Ehrgeiz
Vincent is a secret character in the game Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring.
[edit] Trivia
- A running joke about Vincent is that he is a vampire. In-line with vampire myths, Vincent wears red and black with a cloak, has pale skin, is brooding, and due to Hojo's experiments can shapeshift into various demonic forms and also has an extended life. He is also first found sleeping in a coffin in the basement of the Shin-Ra mansion.
- In Kingdom Hearts, Cloud's costume has many similarities to his, such as his torn cape and claws.
