Cid Pollendina

Cid Pollendina is a playable character in Final Fantasy IV. He is a master engineer who designs the airships that make up the Red Wings in Baron. He is, thus, an old acquaintance of Cecil Harvey and is adventurous and fun-loving (despite the fact that he is over fifty years old). He has a firm belief in right and wrong, as well. He has a daughter who lives with him in the town of Baron and she often scolds him when he comes home late from work. He is also very hard-working, frequently pushing himself to work on his machines well past his breaking point and has a tendency to snore very loudly.

Final Fantasy IV
Cid is first seen in Baron after Cecil is discharged from his post as captain of the Red Wings. He heard the bad news, and apologizes to Cecil. However, he has to rush home before his daughter scolds him. He is next seen sleeping in his bed in the town of Baron. At this time, he is also working on a new prototype airship, the Enterprise. However, he notices that the king is not acting like his normal self and is performing many evil deeds. As a result, Cid hides the Enterprise and refuses to show it to the king. He is thus imprisoned for treason.

Cecil, Tellah, Yang Fang Leiden, Palom, and Porom have to free Cid by defeating the king, who turns out to be Cagnazzo, the Archfiend of Water. After Cagnazzo is defeated, Cid is free and runs to meet Cecil, and then joins his party after he learns about what happened to Rosa Joanna Farrell. He then agrees to show Cecil and his friends the Enterprise. However, Cagnazzo had one last trick up his sleeve. When Cecil tried to escape, the walls began to cave in. Palom and Porom had to save Cecil's party by petrifying themselves. Tellah tried to heal them, but to no avail. Cid then took them to his newest airship, the Enterprise.

Cecil could not escape on the Enterprise without an encounter with the Red Wings. Kain Highwind issued an ultimatum to Cecil. Cecil would either get Kain the Crystal of Earth in Troia or Rosa would die. Cecil had no choice but to go to Troia. There, he learned from the Epopts that the Dark Elf, a monster who lives in Lodestone Cavern to the north, had stolen the Crystal. He also found Edward Chris von Muir who was recovering from the Leviathan attack. Edward gave Cecil a Whisperweed because he was too weak to help Cecil out.

Cecil's party then headed to Magnetic Cave to meet with the Dark Elf. However, the cave was covered in a magnetic field, and Cecil and his friends could not equip metallic weapons or armor. The Dark Elf was thus able to defeat Cecil. Edward was able to sense this, and began to play a melody on his harp. The Whisperweed reacted to this, and the Dark Elf lost control of himself. As a result, he became weak, and Cecil could attack him with his sword. He was then able to reclaim the Crystal of Earth. He and his party then headed back to Troia, where Kain contacted him and made him get on the Enterprise. Kain then guided Cecil's party to the Tower of Zot, where Golbez was holding Rosa prisoner. Golbez told Cecil's party that he wanted them to "receive" the reward, and made them come to him. Cecil's party then climbed the tower, and had to fight The Magus Sisters at the top. After the fight, they met Golbez, who took the Crystal and would not free Rosa. Tellah then attacked Golbez out of vengeance for Anna, and began casting spells on Golbez. However, they had no effect. He then cast Meteor on Golbez, severely wounding him. Cecil then rushed forward to strike, but Golbez knocked him down. Golbez then told Cecil that it was not over, and escaped. However, his control of Kain was broken. Cecil's party surrounded Tellah, who was dying due to the effects of him casting Meteor. He asked Cecil, Yang and Cid to avenge Anna for him, and then died. Cecil's party then talked to Kain, who was free of Golbez's control, and took the party to Rosa. Cecil then saved Rosa, and shared a kiss with her. Cid made fun of them, but Yang scolded him. Rosa and Kain both joined after. However, they could not escape the tower without fighting Barbariccia, the Archfiend of Air. Rosa then cast the Teleport spell and the party was warped to Cecil's room in Baron. Cecil's party was now worried, as Golbez now possessed all four Crystals. However, Kain spoke of the Dark Crystals, which were in the hidden in the Underworld. These Crystals had only been rumored to exist, but Golbez knew they existed. Kain then explained that Golbez needed the Crystals to open "the way to The Moon." Cecil then decided that his party had to head underground to protect the remaining Crystals. Kain then showed Cecil the Key of Magma, which could be used to enter the Underworld. Cid told the party that the Enterprise was back in Baron due to a remote control feature it had. The party then headed for the town of Agart and threw the Key of Magma in the well, which opened the way to the Underworld. The party entered the Underworld via the Enterprise, however, they were too late. The Red Wings had already begun battling with the tanks that the Dwarves used for war. The Enterprise was damaged in this battle, and Cecil's party had to seek help from the Dwarves in their castle. There, they met King Giott, the ruler of the Dwarves. He asked the party for help, and they agreed. However, Cid had to take a leave of absence in order to repair the Enterprise and wrap its body in Mystic Silver, which could be used to help the Enterprise withstand the intense heat. While he is there, he tells his crew to put a hook on the Enterprise should Cecil ever return to Baron. That way, the Hovercraft could be carried to new locations.

Cid makes his return just in time to save Cecil's party from falling into the lava. He introduces himself to Rydia, a Summoner from Mist, and makes her call him "uncle." The Enterprise is wrapped in the mystic silver that allows it to fly over the lava. However, the Red Wings have been modified as well, and they have the Enterprise in a dogfight around the Underworld. In order to escape, Cid orders Cecil to take the wheel and exit the Underground, while he closes the hole with a bomb, and jumps off the airship in a desperate attempt to save Cecil. He is thus assumed dead.

However, Cid miraculously survives. The Dwarves found him and began taking care of him. When Cecil returns in his new airship, the Falcon, Cid decides to wrap its body in mystic silver as well so it can fly over the lava. When Cid meets Edge, they have a shouting match that Rydia has to break up. Cid makes Edge work on remodeling the airship as a result. However, he becomes fatigued after the remodeling, and has to rest again. Later, Cid has to attach a drill to the head of the Falcon in order to open the hole to go back to the Overworld. Once again, however, he becomes fatigued by the work, but he is healthier than he was before. He eventually recovers fully, and builds a new fleet of airships which he leads in an attack on the Giant of Babil. Cecil's party boards his airship in order to enter the Giant. After the Giant is destroyed, Cid prays for Cecil in the Tower of Wishes in Mysidia. In the Game Boy Advance version of the game, he can rejoin the party at this point.

In the ending, Cid is the best man at Cecil and Rosa's wedding.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years


Although now an old man seventeen years later, Cid refused to retire as airship engineer. He did, however, take Luca as an apprentice. Cid first joins Cecil and Rosa to fend off the invaders led by the Mysterious Maiden. The group battles their way to the castle's ramparts, when Cecil, sure that Baron will fall, orders Cid to take Rosa and retreat, which they reluctantly agree to. They were next seen by Ceodore Harvey and Edward, who accompanied them to face the Maiden and Cecil as well as Kain, who then defeated his dark doppelganger and became the Holy Dragoon. After Cecil was knocked out of his possession from the Maiden by Odin, they joined with others to defeat the Maiden as well as the Creator. Cid is last seen in the Dwarf Castle, where he and his grandson Mid approached Giott and Luca, trying to figure out how to power an airship with the crystals' magic.

Equipment and Stats
Cid is a physical fighter, and equips bows, arrows, daggers, hammers, shields, helmets, armor, gloves, and tunics. With the exception of the DS release of Final Fantasy IV, Cid's hammers are two-handed weapons and thus he cannot equip shields while wielding one. His magic stats are the worst in the game, gaining no MP in any version of Final Fantasy IV. Though he gains MP in The After Years, his MP growth is very low.

Final Fantasy IV
Cid's ability is Analyze, also known as Peep and Scan, which functions identically to the White Magic spell Libra, displaying an enemy's HP, MP, level, and weaknesses. In the DS release, Analyze effects all enemies when used. Cid has an additional ability in the DS release called Upgrade, which allows him to use an attack item to add its elemental property to his normal attacks: for example, using a Bomb Fragment will make Cid's attack Fire-elemental.

The After Years
In The After Years, Cid's abilities are Analyze, which works identically to his DS ability, and Risk Strike, which is an attack that has a chance to do heavy damage or nothing at all. Cid has high HP, Strength and Stamina, and at Level 99 his Strength and Stamina are among the best of any character. However his Speed is very low, and he has little MP. Cid can use the following Band abilities:


 * Machine Break: Cecil (Attack) + Cid (Analyze)
 * X Chaser: Rosa (Aim) + Cid (Analyze)
 * Aiming Thrust: Kain (Jump) + Cid (Analyze)
 * Rocket Launcher: Ceodore (Attack) + Cid (Analyze)
 * Double Tomahawk: Luca (Attack) + Cid (Attack)
 * Vibra Prime: Ceodore (Attack) + Cecil (Attack) + Kain (Attack) + Rosa (Aim) + Cid (Attack)
 * Final Calcabrina: Luca + Cid + Calca + Brina (Event)
 * Weapon in Progress: Cid (Risky Strike) + Luca (Analyze) + Edward (Salve) + Harley (Gil Toss)

Musical Themes
Cid's theme is called "Hey, Cid!" This song was also used as Cid's theme in Chocobo Racing.

Etymology
Cid's last name is based on a nickname given to from. Gepetto's nickname (polendina, or corn meal mush) comes from the yellow wig he wears. Cid's surname is especially befitting of him in The After Years, as he helps Luca repair Calca and Brina and teaches them the Final Calcabrina Band.

Trivia

 * Cid has the distinction of being either the third or fourth oldest human playable character in any Final Fantasy, behind Strago Magus of Final Fantasy VI and Fang and Vanille of Final Fantasy XIII. In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Cid Pollendina is 71 years old, the same age as Strago in Final Fantasy VI's World of Ruin.
 * Cid shares many traits with one of his other "Cid" counterparts, Cid Highwind, as both are short tempered, have some mechanical, engineering, and piloting skills, and both are playable characters.
 * Cid Pollendina is the first playable Cid in the main series.