Johnny (Final Fantasy VII)


 * For the unseen shopkeeper in Final Fantasy VIII, see: List of Final Fantasy VIII Characters

Johnny (ジョニー) is a minor character from Final Fantasy VII. He lives in the Sector 7 slums with his family and secretly has a crush on Tifa Lockhart.

Ambiguous past
Because of poor translation in the English version of the game Johnny's origins appear conflicting. In the game he seems to claim of being Tifa and Cloud's childhood friend from Nibelheim, even if his family appears to never have heard of the place, and claims to have been in SOLDIER with Cloud.

In actuality Johnny calls Cloud "childhood friend" not because they are childhood friends, but because Cloud is Tifa's childhood friend. Johnny's lines in Costa del Sol, "Hey, is it really you? We were in SOLDIER, and childhood friends before that. You were such a playboy. And a $#&^ murderer!!" should, in fact, translate to "Oh, and you are...? It can't be! You're that ex-SOLDIER, childhood friend, and sexy playboy! A, and... a murderer!" It can be inferred that Johnny was never in SOLDIER -- however, it still remains ambiguous whether he hails from Nibelheim, based on a conversation with Tifa, and the fact it is implied he was the author of a certain letter in Cloud's flashback.

Final Fantasy VII
Johnny is a resident of the Sector 7 slums where he lives with his parents. The day after the Sector 1 Reactor's destruction, Johnny leaves the Sector 7 slums, with the residents gathering together to see him off. He is on the train with AVALANCHE soon after. His first destination is Wall Market, where Cloud and Aeris encounter him in front of the Honey Bee Inn. Shortly after the Sector 7 plate falls on the slums, killing all of its residents, although it is unknown if Johnny's parents were able to make it out.

Cloud encounters Johnny again in Costa del Sol, where he has found himself a girlfriend. If Tifa is not in the party when the player arrives, she will visit Johnny's home and the two will talk of old times. When Tifa leads the party in search for Cloud, Johnny tells her he has proposed to his girlfriend.

On the Way to a Smile
In On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel, Johnny is running an outdoor bar in Edge that is modeled on Tifa's 7th Heaven. Four years after Meteorfall, Johnny's infatuation with Tifa has transformed into an open admiration of her tenacity to start a new life after all she has gone through. Although he does not realize it, Johnny actually loses customers to Tifa due to his tendency to tell his patrons about how much she inspired him. He openly objects to Denzel attempting to enlist in the World Regenesis Organization in his cafe, fearing it would damage his image. He also listens in on parts of Denzel's meeting with Reeve Tuesti, and speaks to Denzel about what he heard once Reeve leaves.

Development
According to the Ultimania Omega and removed scenes from the game, Johnny was to first appear in 7th Heaven. He gives a choice response to Cloud about Tifa asking what his relationship to her is. The choices are either "We're just childhood friends" or "That's really none of your business, is it?". Depending upon the choice, Johnny will bemoan the fact that he does not have a promise of his own with Tifa and then demand that Cloud treat her right, or leave wishing to become a "proper man". Either way, it is implied that he leaves Midgar's slums out of heartbreak.

Unused text unearthed from the game's original Japanese version reveals that Johnny, when met outside the Honey Bee Inn in Wall Market, would have been aware of Cloud spending the previous night at Aeris's place, and that they spent time on the playground. Johnny appears jealous over these events, but in the final game where these lines do not occur, it is never implied Johnny would even know Aeris.