Gi tribe

The Gi Tribe was the race that Nanaki and his father Seto belonged to. Their race is all but extinct, with Nanaki being the last remaining one of his species (this is the idea we are given in-game, but the game's ending suggests otherwise. See below.). Seto was petrified by poison arrows in his attempt to stop invaders from reaching Cosmo Canyon and to the time of the game, nobody had ever suceeded in attacking the canyon. Bugenhagen revealed to Nanaki that his father's spirit protects the canyon still, even after his supposed death (though it could be considered a form of suspended animation). The remnants of the Gi Tribe were slaughtered by Shinra Soldiers and Nanaki was captured and experimented on by Hojo. Cloud's party assisted Nanaki's escape from the Shinra building and so he joined them on thier quest, only to return home at the end of the game.

Something that has made fans unsure on the subject of the Gi Tribe is that Nanaki's race is deemed all but extinct (with Nanaki being the sole survivor), but 500 years after the game in a cutscene, he is seen with two red pups which are supposedly his. This can however be justified by the dying words of Bugenhagen that implied that Nanaki was in fact not the sole survivor of his tribe after all.