Cid Kramer



Cid Kramer, more commonly known as Headmaster Cid , is the founder of SeeD and headmaster of Balamb Garden in Final Fantasy VIII. He is the overseer of both school operations and SeeD operations in general, meaning he has little time for other endeavors despite his wish to the contrary. During Final Fantasy VIII he is 40 years old.

Appearance and Personality
Cid wears a burgundy vest over a long-sleeved white collared shirt and green tie, brown trousers and black shoes. He has blue eyes, floppy brown hair, and wears round glasses.

Cid is a cheerful man full of hope, being the man who founded SeeD. He is caring and nurturing, wishing his SeeDs to think for themselves rather than become mindless machines. Cid can be disheartened at times, particularly when the Garden Faculty talk over him and order him about. When he doesn't know what to do, Cid prefers to hide from the situation.

Story
At an unspecified time, Cid married a young sorceress named Edea, becoming her Sorceress Knight. Edea was a caring woman who raised children in an orphanage in Centra. On a fateful night a dying Sorceress Ultimecia appeared from the future attempting to pass on her sorceress power, which Edea accepted so none of the children in the orphanage would become a sorceress. Ultimecia was accompanied by a teenaged Squall Leonhart, who also came from the future.

Squall told Edea he was a SeeD, an organization apparently founded by her, and then disappeared back into the time portal. Edea was bewildered by these events, but concluded that in the future Squall, a boy currently living in the orphanage, would kill a powerful sorceress, and in order to help him accomplish the feat, she and Cid would need to found an organization called the SeeD to train Squall to one day face this destiny. Cid was thus tasked with the creation of Balamb Garden, while Edea, along with Ellone and some other children from the orphanage, went into hiding on the White SeeD Ship.

Cid set about generating the funds required to start the SeeD. He found a business partner in the Shumi NORG and together they set about establishing Balamb Garden to train SeeD members. Other Gardens were established later, and while they are not under Cid's jurisdiction, it appears close diplomatic ties are held, with Trabia Garden students enrolled in an exchange program to become SeeD, and Cid being friends with the Master of Galbadia Garden, Martine. The Gardens were built from the shelters used by those from Centra who had escaped the Lunar Cry 100 years prior to the game's events.

The SeeD were not originally intended to work as mercenaries, and were created as a force that would one day face Ultimecia, but in order to generate the funds needed to run Balamb Garden till that day would come, NORG came up with the idea to send SeeDs out to do mercenary work. During the years NORG and Cid drifted further and further apart, with NORG's goal to earn as much money as possible, while Cid still waited for the day the SeeD would have to fight against the powerful sorceress.

The rift is seen in the game with Cid's communication with the Garden Faculty, who work for NORG: the Faculty members belittle Cid and talk over him, whereas the SeeD members and Garden instructors, such as Xu and Quistis, are respectful toward him. It can be concluded the Garden has divided in half, with NORG running the day-to-day operations and taking care of the Garden funds, whereas Cid is in charge of the SeeD training aspect.

Years later, Sorceress Ultimecia from the future, using Junction Machine Ellone to go back in time, possesses Edea, and uses her body as a vessel. Within Edea's body, Ultimecia embarks into political plans in Galbadia. Ellone and some of the White SeeD come to Balamb Garden at this time, likely to warn Cid that something is wrong with Edea, and that she has abandoned her old life to become a Galbadian ambassador, working for Vinzer Deling. Cid comes to believe Edea is the sorceress they need to defeat, but NORG is not in the same boat. NORG believes the SeeD have no chances to fight against her, and instead she must be appeased. When Cid refuses to go along with NORG, NORG tries to take over Balamb Garden, but his takeover fails.

NORG attacks Squall Leonhart and his party, who were part of the failed assassination attempt on Edea. Squall and his friends defeat NORG, after which he disappears and is never heard of again, him and the Garden Faculty disappearing altogether from the Garden. After Edea unsuccessfully tries to destroy Balamb Garden by launching missiles at it and the now mobile Balamb Garden ends up in Fishermans Horizon, Cid steps down and give the Garden's leadership to Squall, the one he believes is destined to defeat the sorceress, as per told to him by Edea herself. The game dialogue at this point is unclear, as it is made sound as if Cid is merely stepping aside, but in truth, Cid abandons the Garden and goes back to Centra and Edea's old orphanage.

The SeeD confront Edea in Battle of the Gardens, and in a near-death experience Edea's sorceress power passes on to Rinoa Heartilly, which breaks Ultimecia's spell on Edea. Even if Edea goes along with the SeeD to Esthar, Cid stays in the orphanage and is later joined there by Edea permanently.

In the end, the SeeD travel to the future and defeat Ultimecia and with the threat to the world removed, Cid is seen with Edea back in Balamb Garden taking part in the celebrations.

Triple Triad
Cid holds Seifer Almasy's Triple Triad card. He can be challenged for it on disc one in Balamb Garden's headmaster office after being assigned the mission to Timber, on disc two at Fishermans Horizon right before going ashore, or in disc 3 while he resides in Edea's Orphanage with Edea. It is preferable to win Seifer's card from Cid on discs one or two, because Edea's Orphanage uses Centra's card rules, which makes the game more challenging.

Pocket Station Memorycard Icons
An icon sprite of Cid Kramer appears in the Pocket Station memorycard file manager.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Cid appears in a trading card in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game.

Trivia

 * Cid's model appearance has an uncanny resemblance to actor . Fans often nickname him for the likeness, including Leovinus of Something Awful during his "Let's Play" overview of the game.
 * Cid's surname might be taken from Heinrich Kramer, the writer of Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of the Witch), which lead to Witch Hunt Incident in medieval age.