Cid

Cid (シド) is a character that has appeared, or been mentioned, in almost all Final Fantasy-related media; the main series, spinoffs, film and anime. Cid has become somewhat of a Final Fantasy trademark, as with chocobos and moogles. He leads the list of recurring characters, which include Biggs and Wedge and Gilgamesh. However, each installment features a different Cid character, and his roles in the series also range widely from a party member to a NPC to anantagonist.

Traits
In Final Fantasy tradition, Cid characters often have a group of distinct traits that fans and game creators alike have come to expect from them:
 * Mechanically minded and frequently portrayed as engineers or inventors.
 * Often the source of the airships the player uses toward the game's end, as its captain or its creator.
 * Usually older than the main cast, sometimes by several decades.
 * Often portrayed as a fatherly figure, sometimes as a the biological, adoptive, or surrogate father of one of the main characters.
 * Sometimes partially responsible for the main conflict within the game as a result of his inventions or research being abused. If this is the case, he will often seek redemption by assisting the party.

Final Fantasy


Cid does not appear in the original NES version. He is mentioned briefly in remakes, a retcon designed to extend the presence of Cids into every game of the core Final Fantasy series. Cid is described as the ancient Lufenian creator of the airship the Warriors of Light use.

Cid of the Lufaine is credited as the game's bodiless narrator in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, voiced by in the Japanese version and  in the English version.

He is also revealed to be the master behind the cycles of conflict, Chaos's adoptive father, and husband to the woman who was the basis for Cosmos. As both Chaos and Cosmos were the result in his research on the manikins, Cid also created the Warrior of Light by transplanting his own memories.

Final Fantasy II


The original Cid. He began his career as one of Fynn's knights, but later acquired an airship and left Fynn's service to seek out his own fortune. Based out of Poft, Cid offers taxi service with his airship to Firion and the party. At one stage his airship is taken (with Princess Hilda aboard) by the Palamecian Empire's Dreadnought. Firion and his friends rescue them, and the Dreadnought is destroyed. Later, Cid dies and gives his airship to Firion.

In the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary remakes, Cid shows up in the city of Machanon, a city in the afterlife.

Final Fantasy III


Cid Haze is a creator of airships on the floating continent, from the village of Canaan. He transforms the sailing ship into an airship. In the short time he accompanies the party, Cid will occasionally attack with a hammer or use a Fire spell on all the enemies. Later, he helps save the Light Warriors from Xande.

In the DS version of Final Fantasy III, Cid is involved in the Legendary Smith sidequest.

Final Fantasy IV


Cid Pollendina is a playable character and the first playable Cid in the series. The head of Baron's corps of engineers, Cid is a friend and mentor of both Cecil and Rosa. He designs the airships used by Baron's elite Red Wings corps, but as the story progresses he begins to develop misgivings about the King of Baron's methods. Cecil and Kain's exile, and the use of the Red Wings to destroy Damcyan, finally prove more than Cid can tolerate: he rebels against the King, is imprisoned for his treason, and is later freed by Cecil, joining his party.

In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Cid again appears as a playable character at the ripe old age of 71. He fights alongside Cecil and Rosa to repel Baron's invasion and later accompanies Ceodore for the last portion of his journey.

Final Fantasy V


Cid Previa and his grandson, Mid Previa, are engineers from Karnak who invented the machine which amplifies the power of the Crystals. In particular, they used the Fire Crystal to build the Fire-Powered Ship for Queen Karnak. The two later remodel an airship found in the Catapult.

Cid Previa reappears in Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals.

Final Fantasy VI


Cid Del Norte Marquez is a non-player character who invented Magitek technology for the Empire, a broad technological category that includes powered armor, weapons, and even pseudo-genetic engineering, all stemming from the extraction of magical essence from Espers. He raised Celes as if she were his own daughter. Depending on the actions of the player, Cid lives or dies.

Final Fantasy VII


Cid Highwind is a playable character. A gifted mechanic and pilot, he constructs several of the vehicles used by the party in Final Fantasy VII, including the Tiny Bronco and his eponymous airship, the Highwind. Cid dreams of going into space; the player first encounters him in Rocket Town, a city built around Shinra's abandoned space program (of which Cid was a part).

He reappears as a non-playable character in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, in the CGI-movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and is mentioned off-hand in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. He also appears in the Kingdom Hearts series, making him the "Cid" of that game series as well.

Final Fantasy VIII


Cid Kramer is the Balamb Garden headmaster, where Squall Leonhart is a student. Cid provides Squall and his SeeD companions the training they need to defeat Edea after she is possessed by the sorceress Ultimecia.

Cid reveals to the player that Balamb Garden is capable of flight, fulfilling his duty as a Cid to provide the player with some flying form of transportation.

Final Fantasy IX


Cid Fabool IX is briefly playable during a non-battle sequence. He is the Regent of the city-state of Lindblum -- appropriately, a city of accomplished engineers, mechanics and airship pilots. A fight with his wife, Hilda, ended with his being transformed into an oglop. Despite this handicap, Cid remains Lindblum's ruler, and his skill at designing airships has led the city to become the world's preeminent air power. He is later transformed into a frog when the party attempt to cure him, but he finally returns to his human form after his dispute with Hilda is resolved. He and Hilda take Eiko as their adoptive daughter at the story's end.

Final Fantasy X


Cid is the Al Bhed's leader, 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. Cid repairs and christens the ship Fahrenheit (name is only referenced in the Japanese and international versions). The airship is made available to the player as a mode of transportation late in Final Fantasy X, and is employed in battle with Sin and earlier with Evrae. Cid is voiced by in the Japanese version and  in the English version. In Final Fantasy X-2, he appears at the Zanarkand Ruins, selling clues to Sphere Hunters, coming into conflict with Yuna's misgivings about the area becoming a tourist attraction. He also appears on the Thunder Plains, helping the Al-Bhed technicians recalibrate the Lightning Towers.

Final Fantasy XI


Cid appears as an non-player character in the nation of Bastok. He is a Hume and the most prominent engineer and inventor on the world of Vana'diel. He can be found in the Bastok Metalworks in "Cid's Workshop". Cid has a close relationship with the owner of the Steaming Sheep Tavern, the bar in Bastok. Cid is responsible for much of Bastok's success and prosperity in recent years, and as such has grown influential in the Republic. It is even implied that one of the key factors behind President Hrichter Karst's election to office was Cid's backing. Player characters who come from Bastok can expect to do a few quests to help Cid acquire items to make his fabulous inventions.

Final Fantasy XII


Doctor Cidolfus Demen Bunansa is a non-playable character and, for the first time in the series, an antagonist and an enemy boss. He is Balthier's father and Archadia's chief researcher, who leads the study of nethicite. Cid is also the creator of most of Archadia's airships, including Bahamut. Cid shares his surname with Mustadio and Besrudio from Final Fantasy Tactics.

There is also another character with the name Cid, Al-Cid Margrace, a member of the Rozarrian ruling family. Unlike Dr Cid, Al-Cid is on the same side as the player team; however, he isn't officially the "Cid" of Final Fantasy XII, as only Doctor Cid has been confirmed by Akitoshi Kawazu and Yasumi Matsuno in interviews as being the game's "official" Cid.

Final Fantasy XIII


Cid Raines is a Brigadier General in command of the Wide-area Response Brigade division of the Sanctum Guardian Corps, commanding the airship Lindblum. He appears particularly younger than previous Cids. Initially, he supports the player party from being arrested by the Sanctum, but is revealed to be a l'Cie and fights them as a boss.

Final Fantasy XIV


Cid nan Garlond is the lead of the Garlond Ironworks, a group of Garlean engineers in disagreeance with the Garlean Empire's warmongering policies and allied to the Eorzean City States.

Final Fantasy Tactics


Cidolfus Orlandeau, or Cidolfas Orlandu, is a playable character. Orlandu, a Holy Swordsman, is the commander of the Knights of the Order of the Southern Sky and a long-time friend of Ramza Beoulve's father, Barbaneth. He becomes playable late in the game, and is easily the most powerful player character at the time of his recruitment. He also has been referred to as Thunder God Cid, or T.G. Cid for short.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance


Judgemaster Cid Randell is Mewt Randell's father from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and in the fantasy world of Ivalice, he is the Judgemaster, leader of the Judges that enforce Ivalice's laws. He is playable only if specific conditions are met by the player.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift


Cid is the leader of Clan Gully, a hunter's clan. He inducted Luso into his clan when the boy appeared suddenly during their hunt.

Al-Cid also returns, this time as a playable character.

Final Fantasy Type-0


High Commander Cid Aulstyne is the game's main antagonist, a first for a Cid character. He is the 76-year-old leader of the Milites Empire and has broken the world's peace treaty, Pax Codex, by sending l'Cie troops to attack other countries and destroy their crystals. He wields a sword.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King


Mogcid is a Moogle in My Life as a King who pilots the Skysphere. He helps bring more families to Padarak. He is part of the group of Moogle brothers who live in Padarak. Mogcid is the first time a Cid has appeared in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers


A yellow-skinned Lilty with glasses and a white mustache. He is one of the more important characters and often gives information to the protagonist, Layle.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest


Otto Cid Bekenstein is the operator of the Rainbow Bridge Machine in Windia.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Cid is an non-playable character who lives in the windmill behind Horne. Cid was not affected by the curse and thus was not petrified along the other villagers. Cid in this game plays no role in the storyline and the player needs the Magic Key to unlock his windmill's door. When spoken to, he will tell the player various statistics such as play time and number of enemies slain.

Final Fantasy Dimensions
Sid is the leader of the Empire's fleet of airships. This marks the second time the name has been spelled "Sid" instead of "Cid".

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
Cid Haze returns in Theatrhythm as a bonus character.

Chocobo Series
Cid has appeared in the Chocobo game series in two incarnations. The first incarnation appeared in Chocobo's Dungeon 2. The same appearance was retained in Chocobo Racing, albeit a different costume. He is also seen in Chocobo Stallion and Hataraku Chocobo, Japanese-exclusive Chocobo titles.

His second incarnation is a younger bespectacled blond. He appears in Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited


Cid in the Final Fantasy: Unlimited anime is an energetic young blond, a break in the tradition of old and wise Cids, though still as intelligent. He plays a supporting role as the starry-eyed inventor of various vehicles, weapons and equipment; all of which have feminine names. Cid is a member of the Komodin, a resistance group which joins forces with the cast to defeat Earl Tyrant and his cadre of villains.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within


Dr. Sid is the film's resident Cid character; though his name is spelled differently. His role is a scientist to whom Aki, the protagonist, serves as protege. He is voiced in the English version by Donald Sutherland.

Kingdom Hearts
Cid's Highwind incarnation from Final Fantasy VII appears as a non-playable character in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Rudra no Hihou
The game Rudra no Hihou (unofficially translated as Treasure of the Rudras); another game created by Square, a man by the name of Cid (キッド, Kiddo) accompanies a man named Dune, one of the game's main characters. Instead of playing as the scientist, they are a duo of thieves that steal treasure from various ruins, sometimes getting in the way of the other main characters.

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
In one of the many recent Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest crossovers, a Platypunk (a duck monster) character named Ducktor Cid (CidMoja (シドもじゃ, ShidoMoja) in Japanese version) appears in Dragon Quest Heroes.

Lost Odyssey
Sed is a playable character in the game Lost Odyssey. He is the mortal son of one of game's main protagonists, Seth Balmore, and in his younger years was a notorious Pirate.

Although the name differs slightly it can be considered the name Sed is derived from that of Cid in the Final Fantasy series as the creator of Lost Odyssey, Hironobu Sakaguchi, also worked on a number of the Final Fantasy games. This is backed up by the fact that Sed also provides both the main mechanical expertise in the party and some of the vehicular support in the form of his ship, the Nautilus.

Imaginary Range
Cid appeared as the male protagonist of Imaginary Range. In the game, Cid still somewhat fulfills his role as an engineer/inventor. He can create and/or alter things using his "PAD" with the power of "IP". He calls his ability "miracle".

Etymology
"Cid" is a male name of Spanish origin that means "Lord".

Cid