Cid Raines



Brigadier General Cid Raines is a non-player character in Final Fantasy XIII and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and one of the long line of characters named Cid in the series.

In Final Fantasy XIII, Cid works for the Guardian Corps and is the commander of the Wide-area Response Brigade, a military unit otherwise known as the "Cavalry".

In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, he acts as a representative for the souls of the dead.

Final Fantasy XIII
''Cid Raines is the commander of the Wide-area Response Brigade, a military unit otherwise known as the 'Cavalry.' His vaunted position in the army has afforded him an unobstructed view of the blind obedience the government shows to the fal'Cie. In order to free Cocoon from the tyranny of these powerful entities, Raines has begun enlisting the assistance of Fang and the other Pulse l'Cie.''

''Raines had been planning to overthrow fal'Cie rule, but was made into a l'Cie by Barthandelus before those plans could be put into action. Since then, he has been a part of the fal'Cie's scheme to guide Lightning and the others through their battles with the Sanctum, and along the path to Cocoon's destruction. However, Raines regains the will he once had as a human, and attempts to foil Barthandelus's plans by killing the l'Cie. Despite his eventual defeat, the Cavalry commander transforms into crystal.''

''During his failed attempt to overthrow fal'Cie rule, Cid Raines was cursed to become a pawn of Barthandelus. Concealing his l'Cie status as he continues to lead the Cavalry, Raines pursues his Focus of supporting and guiding Lightning and her companions along the path to Cocoon’s destruction.''

''After defying his Focus and falling in battle against the fugitive l'Cie, Raines turns to crystal. He is later revived by Barthandelus to serve as the new Primarch—a puppet with the sole purpose of inciting conflict among the people of Cocoon.''

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
''A man who once defied the orders of the gods and hoped to set mankind free. He died an unnatural death while working towards this goal. General Raines was a military man, working for Cocoon's Guardian Corps. He wished to defeat the fal'Cie, powerful servants of the gods, and return to humanity control of its own fate. He lost that fight, and in the cruel irony that gods so love, he was turned into a puppet for the fal'Cie. He faced Lightning as an enemy, when they should have been allies.''

''He may have met a tragic end, but his wish to see the people free lived on in those who followed after him. For Lightning, Raines was both a bitter enemy and a comrade in the great fight against the gods.''

Appearance
Raines is a young man with black hair and grey eyes. He stands 199 cm (6'6") tall. According to Tetsuya Nomura, male Sanctum officials have the sides of their heads shaved, but Cid wears his hair in a style that covers this feature. His clothing is close to Yaag Rosch's with a lighter color scheme and he wears a large cape and blue-to-silver pauldrons with the left more ornate than the right. Raines' l'Cie mark is on his right hand, hidden by his glove. He sports this outfit in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Personality
Similar to the other leaders of Cocoon's military forces, Raines is cultured and well-spoken, but also possesses a friendly disposition, showing hospitality to Snow once he arrives on the Lindblum. His servitude is to the people of Cocoon, rather than to its fal'Cie and even after becoming a servant of the fal'Cie, he retains this trait and defies his Focus to try and protect Cocoon's people. He is skilled in combat, as he easily parries Lightning's attacks and disarms her when the party encounters him in the Fifth Ark.

Final Fantasy XIII


When Snow is captured in Lake Bresha by Oerba Yun Fang and members of the Wide-area Response Brigade, he is taken aboard the Lindblum where he is introduced to Cid, who greets Snow with a friendly handshake. Cid explains the Sanctum intends to hold a public execution of the l'Cie to suppress the public's fear, and reveals he plans to overthrow the Sanctum's rule so he can hand control of Cocoon over to the people.

Snow, believing his Focus is to save Cocoon as Serah asked, agrees to help him track down the rest of the party. Cid drops Snow and Fang off in Palumpolum, where they rescue Lightning and Hope from a PSICOM assault. As the party rendezvouses at Estheim Residence, they are ambushed by PSICOM but Cavalry forces disguised as PSICOM troops help the fugitive l'Cie board the Lindblum where they meet Cid again. Cid helps the party infiltrate the Sanctum Skyfleet's airship base, the Palamecia, after learning that Vanille and Sazh are being held captive on board.

After escaping the Palamecia to the Fifth Ark, the party finds Cid waiting for them. Cid reveals the truth behind their Focus; the fal'Cie plan to use them as tools to destroy Cocoon in hopes that the deaths of the Cocoon citizens will summon the Maker to return and reconstruct the world. He explains the fal'Cie have been watching over the party guiding their every step to turn them into the instruments of Cocoon's demise.

Cid had been planning to overthrow the fal'Cie, but was transformed into a l'Cie by Barthandelus before his plans could be put into action. His Focus is to guide the party along the path to Cocoon's destruction as part of the fal'Cie's grand scheme, but to challenge his fate Cid uses his remaining power to transform into a Cie'th to kill Lightning and her companions, "set them free" of their Focus and save Cocoon. After the party defeats him, Cid offers words of encouragement and advises them to choose their own fate as he did before turning into a crystal and disappearing.

Cid was teleported to Barthandelus to be revived as Cocoon's new Primarch to sever Cid's ties with the Cavalry, who would see him as a traitor. Cid submits to his fate as a fal'Cie pawn and oversees a grand prix in Eden when Lightning and her friends return to Cocoon from Pulse and crash the race course. As Eden descends into chaos Rygdea and the Cavalry capture their former leader. Cid requests to be killed and Rygdea reluctantly shoots his former superior to free him of the fal'Cie.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
The souls trapped within the Sea of Chaos assume the physical form of Cid Raines to communicate with Lightning. Raines, whose soul remains in the Sea of Chaos as well, describes himself as the advocate for the souls of the dead. He tells Lightning that Vanille has the power to save the souls of the dead and help them be reborn and explains the Order of Salvation plans to use Vanille to destroy the dead. Cid reveals the truth about the nature of Chaos, and warns Lightning that if she chooses to save the souls of the departed, she will defy Bhunivelze. With a final message of hope for Lightning, Cid fades away.

Gameplay


Cid Raines is fought as a boss in the Fifth Ark. His battle style revolves around shifting through stances, similarly to the paradigm system available to the playable party. He has three stances each stance relating to paradigm roles: Offensive stance which concentrates on Commando and Saboteur; Defensive stance which concentrates on Sentinel and Synergist; and Recovery stance which concentrates on Medic. He lacks a stance for executing elemental spells. Cid can use Seraphic Ray, which deals large damage and removes all status enhancements from the party.

Creation and development
Raines is one of few young Cid characters; usually a Cid is an older man. He is the first Cid to play the role of an anti-hero, following Dr. Cid from Final Fantasy XII being the first Cid antagonist.

Voice
Cid is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura in the Japanese version. He shares his Japanese voice actor with Trey from Final Fantasy Type-0.

He is voiced by Erik Davies in the English version.

Musical themes
Cid's appearances in Final Fantasy XIII are mostly accompanied by the "Cavalry Theme". "Setting You Free" plays during his appearance on the Fifth Ark, as well as during his appearance in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Cid Raines in his boss form appears as an enemy.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Cid appears on a card depicting his CG render.

Triple Triad
Cid appears on a Triple Triad card in the version playable via Final Fantasy Portal App.

Etymology
Cid is a recurring name in the Final Fantasy series.

Trivia

 * A model for Cid Raines in crystal stasis exists in the game disc of Final Fantasy XIII-2 as dummied content. It is unknown why Raines's crystal model exists in Final Fantasy XIII-2.
 * Raines's airship, the Lindblum, is named after the city of Lindblum in Final Fantasy IX. As Regent Cid Fabool IX was the leader of the nation of Lindblum, Cid Raines is the commander of the Lindblum airship.
 * Cid's last name is misspelled as "Rains" in Famitsu's Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII review.