Ricard Highwind

Ricard Highwind is a character from Final Fantasy II. He is a dragoon from Deist, and prefers wielding a spear in battle. He joins forces with Firion for some time, accompanying him into the Whirlwind to defeat the Emperor for the first time. When Leon attempts to assume the throne of Palamecia, the heroes travel there and confront him. When the Emperor suddenly returns from the dead, Ricard attacks the Emperor to create a diversion while the other three heroes, accompanied by Leon, get picked up by the Wyvern and escape. Ricard is no match for the undead Emperor and is easily slain. Ricard is a notable character: he is the first Dragoon in the series. He is also the first character to have the surname Highwind in a Final Fantasy title, followed by Kain Highwind in Final Fantasy IV, Alexander Highwind Tycoon in Final Fantasy V and Cid Highwind in Final Fantasy VII, both dragoons in accordance to their respective games. In the Dawn of Souls remake, the son of a fellow dragoon was named Kain. When Ricard returned to Deist, the boy and his mother were the only ones left, and Ricard's eventual death prompts Kain to follow in the Dragoon legacy. It is speculated that this is the same Kain from Final Fantasy IV; in the DS release of the game, Kain states his father died fighting an evil empire, supporting the speculation.

Trivia
In the Nintendo DS remake of Final Fantasy IV, there is a flashback in which a young Kain claims that his father's name is Richard Highwind.