Cid

Cid (シド, Shido) is a character that has appeared, or at least been mentioned, in 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 Non-player character to antagonist.

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

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.

Additionally, in Dissidia Final Fantasy, Cid is credited as the game's bodiless narrator, and is 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.

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- and in the CGI-movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He also appears in the Kingdom Hearts series, and is mentioned off-hand in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.

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 pre-eminent 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. Cid is voiced by in the Japanese version and  in the English version. He also appears in Final Fantasy X-2.

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, a villain 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.

Final Fantasy Type-0


The Cid of Type 0 is named High Commander Cid Aulstyne. He is the 76-year-old leader of Byakko 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 Mystic Quest


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

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 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 moustache. He is one of the more important characters and often gives information to the protagonist, Layle.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Cid is an NPC who lives in the windmill near Horne. To meet him, you need the Magic Key that unlocks the windmill's door. Unlike other characters with the same name, this Cid plays absolutely no role in the storyline of the game. Instead, he will tell you some information about your performance in the game: the time you have spent playing, the amount of steps you have taken, etc.

Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshi
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."

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.

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.

Kingdom Hearts
As mentioned previously, 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 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 duck character named Ducktor Cid 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.

Trivia

 * Though this has not yet been confirmed by Square Enix, Cid's behavior seems to be identical to that of Mikhail Kalashnikov, a Soviet/Russian small arms designer, famous for his invention of the AK-47 assault rifle. Both are inventors, and they share the same status to that of an elderly figure. It is also worthy to note that both designed inventions meant for the welfare of their fellow countrymen, but stated regret upon learning that their inventions were causing destruction and chaos. This is most evident from characters named Cid from Final Fantasy V and Cid Del Norte Marquez. In the case of both sequels, the former invented machines designed for amplifying the Crystals' power, which led to the shattering of the said Crystals, and the latter invented machines for forcefully draining the Espers' power, which in turn weakened the captured Espers.

Cid