Angeal Hewley



Angeal Hewley is a 1st Class SOLDIER, approximately 25 years old. He is the son of Gillian Hewley and Dr. Hollander, Hollander created Angeal for Project G. He plays the role of Zack Fair's mentor in Crisis Core, and passes down the Buster Sword to him. His true character is stoic and serious, but he has a playful side, giving Zack the nickname "Zack the Puppy".

Angeal gets along well with his friends, Sephiroth and Genesis. He bears two white wings on the right side of his back, which seems to cause him some uneasiness as he considers them the traits of a monster. He has a small fanclub in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, called the Keepers of Honor. He is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue in Japanese, and Josh Gilman in English.

Appearance and Personality
Angeal is a tall man with a broad and muscular structure. He has black hair slicked back except for two bangs of hair on each side, in a style similar to that of his mother Gillian. Angeal wears a standard SOLDIER 1st Class uniform and carries a standard SOLDIER sword, along with his iconic Buster Sword, which he only uses on special occasions. Later in the game, Angeal gains two white wings on his right side (one large wing on top and a small one underneath).

Angeal is a moral and dedicated character. He takes pride in his membership in SOLDIER, and cherishes it more than almost anything else. He is honor-bound to protect as many people as he can, and nearly nothing can stand between him and his honor and pride. He views the sword that was gifted to him as a symbol of his dreams and honor, and therefore, to damage it would represent damage to his honor, so he refrains from using it as much as possible. He is also shown to have a subtle sense of humor at times, calling Zack a puppy. According to emails from his fanclub, Angeal's hobbies include gardening and cooking, and he has a soft spot for dogs.

As it is later revealed by Lazard after his transformation, Angeal had a stronger sense of justice than he ever let on. He wanted to help the entire planet, to save the world from monsters like the one he had believed himself to have become.

Angeal is also an influential member of SOLDIER. Many members of the corps look up to him as a mentor and idol, the ideal SOLDIER operative. He is even considered by many to be SOLDIER's spiritual leader. His influence passes on to Zack, who takes up his role as mentor to the recruits.

When he learns of the process through which he was created, Angeal comes to resent himself, feeling he is truly a monster, unworthy of dignity or honor. He exiles himself from SOLDIER because of this, and often makes references to his self-hate, although he still considers himself a SOLDIER at heart.

Early Life
Years before the events of Crisis Core, Gillian Hewley worked with Dr. Hollander in the experiment of her namesake, Project Gillian, which was a branch of the Jenova Project to create a Cetra-human-hybrid. Gillian was injected with Jenova Cells (whom Hollander thought to be a Cetra) and her cells were later injected into other test subjects. The result of this was Angeal Hewley. During his childhood, he lived in Banora Village with his mother and a stepfather. His family was poor in comparison to his best friend, the son of the village's landlord, Genesis Rhapsodos, who was also a test subject in Project G. They would grow up together and become great friends.

Many years later, Angeal has become a SOLDIER 1st Class, and is a mentor and role model for many lower class SOLDIER members, in particular Zack Fair. He owns the enormous Buster Sword, a gift from his stepfather when he joined Shinra, though he rarely uses it for the fear of it gathering "wear, tear, and rust". He thinks of it as a representation of his family's pride and honor, and therefore using the sword will damage that honor.

During a training session in the Virtual Reality Training Room taking on the image of Junon's cannon, Angeal and Genesis took on the confident Sephiroth, but Genesis wanted to take on Sephiroth alone, claiming he, too, wants to become a hero. During the duel, the pair comes close to killing each other. Angeal steps in between the pair as they charge at each other, blocking Sephiroth with the Buster Sword's hilt and Genesis with his Shinra SOLDIER sword. Genesis sustains an injury after cutting through Angeal's blade, accidentally wounding his shoulder. Angeal later willingly gives up some of his blood to help Genesis recover, after Sephiroth is told his blood is not compatible with Genesis's.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
In the next few months, Angeal appears during an attempt to recover a Shinra train in Midgar, which has been hijacked by Wutai troops dressed in Shinra MP uniforms. Angeal and Zack land upon the moving train, and Angeal tells Zack to be careful before allowing Zack to recover the train alone. Angeal is not seen until Sephiroth takes Zack down and is stopped by Angeal. Angeal pulls out his cellphone and scrolls down and selects the choice "Mission Abort" and the train station, Midgar, and Sephiroth fade away piece by piece, as everything is revealed to having been only a training exercise. Shocked and annoyed by Angeal's choice to end the "mission", Zack complains he was only getting started. Angeal gives him a few words of wisdom: Not to let go of his dreams, pride, or honor. He leaves the room, leaving Zack disgruntled and confused.

Shortly after, Angeal calls Zack's cellphone, telling him to report to the Briefing Room. Once they arrive, Director Lazard explains Zack's first mission. They are to go to a temple in Wutai to help bring an end to the war. Zack is surprised to hear Angeal has recommended him to go on this mission and receive a promotion to SOLDIER 1st Class. Pushing the excited Zack off of him, Angeal tells Zack not to make him regret his decision and prepare to leave.

Once in the forest outside Wutai's Fort Tamblin, Angeal tells Zack of the "dumbapples", apples that grow on the trees randomly throughout the year. Angeal tells him people were fond of them, and that once a year they hand-picked the apples. Zack jokingly tells him he is a thief, but Angeal says that back then, he and his family were poor. The largest White Banora apple tree was the one that grew outside the house of the richest family in the village. Angeal says he could never take an apple from that tree, since the rich family's son was his best friend. Zack asks why did he not just go and ask his friend, but Angeal says, "Honor can be quite a burden at times". Then Zack asks what the dumbapples have to do with him and Angeal answers, "No story is not worth hearing". He walks off laughing with the confused Zack behind him.

Angeal and Zack begin their mission and Angeal is not heard of again until Zack takes down two monsters inside a Wutai dojo and answers his cellphone. Quickly informing him he is almost done and will be back in five minutes, Angeal finishes his call. Back in the dojo, Zack is knocked down by one of the monsters and is about to be killed, but Angeal saves him in a nick of time. Zack notes Angeal used his treasured sword he almost never uses, but Angeal jokes that Zack's life is a little more important than his sword, but only a little.

Whilst heading back, Zack and Angeal meet up with Lazard and the three are attacked by strange soldiers. Angeal agrees to handle them while Zack protects Lazard. Unknown to Zack, Angeal pretends to 'desert' Shinra as Genesis had to try to regain his trust and bring him back. When Zack returns to help Angeal, he is nowhere to be found. The strange soldiers turn out to be Genesis Copies. After Zack tells Sephiroth of Angeal's disappearance, Sephiroth begins to brand Angeal a traitor who has deserted SOLDIER just like Genesis had, but Zack refuses to believe Angeal would ever turn traitor.

About two months later, Zack and Tseng visit Angeal and Genesis's hometown of Banora Village to look for Genesis. As Zack prepares to fight Genesis, Angeal walks in, takes the sword, and points it at Genesis. Genesis asks Angeal if he could really live in that world, before walking out the door of the apple juice factory. Angeal turns around and plunges Zack's blade into the ground before following him.

When Zack eventually runs into Gillian Hewley's house, he finds her dead on the floor and Angeal staring at his mother's lifeless body while holding the Buster Sword. In rage, Zack takes a hold of Angeal and slams him up against the wall and punches him to the ground outside, shouting in his face about how and why he did this. Angeal states his mother had no reason to live, and he, too, is guilty of the same crime. After Genesis appears on the scene, Angeal leaves.

During the Genesis Copy raid in Midgar four months later, Zack and Sephiroth learn that Angeal can also make Copies like Genesis. Zack chases after Dr. Hollander after both he and Sephiroth searched through his records. Within the Sector 5 Plate Interior, just as Zack is telling Hollander to come to his senses, the Buster Sword appears from behind a column and blocks Zack's path. Zack asks what does he plans to do and Angeal only replies with "World Domination" and "Revenge". Zack asks what for, but Angeal can only say what he feels. He reveals his wings and says he has become a monster, feels like a monster, and as a monster, he can only think about those two objectives. Zack tells Angeal he does not have the wings of a monster, he has angel wings, but Angeal retorts by questioning what dreams should angels have.

Angeal explains that angels only have one dream — to be human. Then he punches Zack in the stomach and sends him flying. Zack has no will to fight Angeal even if Angeal demands Zack to defend himself, but Zack is only saddened by the fact he cannot save his friend. Angeal casts a spell at Zack and the floor beneath him breaks apart, and sends Zack falling down towards the slums below.

Appearing on the Sector 0 Highway of Midgar, Angeal confronts Zack outside the Shinra Headquarters and asks him to join him, stating their enemy is all that torments the world. Once at Shinra Headquarters, they find Sephiroth dealing with Genesis Clones. Whilst Angeal handles things outside, and Sephiroth holds the current floor, Zack heads to the next floor to check on Professor Hojo. Angeal appears in Hojo's laboratory and tells Genesis to stop. Hojo seems surprised to see both Genesis and Angeal with wings.

Genesis begins to recite a line from LOVELESS Act 4. Hojo claims Act 4 is the scene where the best friends duel each other, and says he has read all the research material on it, but found it to be worthless. Angeal asks if there was ever an end to the duel, but Hojo says it is unknown since the final act of LOVELESS is missing. Genesis claims there is an end to LOVELESS, then asks what does the Gift of the Goddess hold for them. Angeal takes hold of Zack and flies after Genesis. Angeal drops Zack on top of the building to fight off Genesis's new summon, Bahamut Fury, before flying off to face Genesis.

Once Genesis has been defeated, Angeal meets Zack in the Sector 5 slums the next day and apologizes about leaving him to fight alone. Angeal explains Genesis and Hollander had gone to Modeoheim. Zack asks if he plans to come back to SOLDIER, but Angeal does not know, and flies off. Later on, Angeal is met one final time in the Modeoheim Public Bathhouse, after Tseng informs Zack that Angeal attacked him and Cloud and is waiting for him. Angeal tells Zack it should have been him to fight Genesis, but he intends to prepare Zack for his next fight. Angeal asks Zack if someone is waiting for him, possibly implying he has somehow learned of Aerith and Zack's relationship. Suddenly, Dr. Hollander enters the room and tells Angeal it is time to take his revenge for their family, but Angeal replies saying his father is dead. Bemused, Hollander tells him to take revenge on his mother's behalf, but Angeal says his mother was so ashamed of her past she took her own life.

Dr. Hollander questions this and states she even used her own name for the project code name: Project G, otherwise known as Project Gillian. He goes on to explain that the Jenova cells were injected into Gillian and her cells were directly injected into the fetus known as Genesis. But while Genesis was a failure, Angeal received her cells directly, and so was branded perfect.

Angeal says he is nothing more than a perfect monster, and for him, it is possible to pass his traits and abilities to monsters and other people. Hollander adds Angeal has developed a two way conduit, which means he has completely received Jenova's ability to absorb other creatures' traits and implant his into monsters.

Angeal asks Zack if he remembered their promise, that they would fight against anything that causes suffering in the world. Zack says Angeal does not cause suffering, but Angeal tells him he has caused his own suffering, summoning several different Angeal Copies, which drop in from above. Though Dr. Hollander shouts to him to stop, warning him he cannot assimilate the creatures all at once, Angeal forcefully pushes Hollander away as he uses the monsters to turn himself into a chimera composite called Angeal Penance, whom Zack is forced to destroy. Defeated, Angeal lies dying and speaks to Zack his last words. He tells him he did well, and that he is counting on him to do the rest. Angeal gives the Buster Sword to Zack and his life ends with the words, "Protect your honor, always".

More than a year after Angeal's death, a surviving Angeal copy (a wolf with two wings similar to his) appears at Aerith's church, when Zack arrives to visit. He believes the monster is trying to harm Aerith and leaps forward to protect her, but instead of attacking, the copy defends them from a Shinra attack robot. Injured and weak from the clash, the copy flies to the church's heights and stands vigilant. Before leaving to build a flower cart for Aerith, Zack warns the copy to stay put.

During the four years Zack lays imprisoned in the Shinra Mansion, sightings of Angeal appear all across the world. Four years after the Nibelheim Incident, Zack sees a physical manifestation of Angeal (caused by a reaction to the immense concentration of Jenova Cells and Mako energy). It speaks to him, questioning how Zack could call himself a member of SOLDIER. Zack's heightened emotions allow him to break free of his containment tube to try to reunite with his mentor.

As he travels to Gongaga Village, Zack sees Angeal once again. However, it is revealed that this vision and the many sightings reported, were actually Director Lazard, who had somehow received Angeal's cells and become an Angeal Copy. He had been gifted not only with Angeal's physical appearance, but with his morals and sense of justice. However, he did not receive Angeal's strength, nor his immunity from degradation, and had been deteriorating just like Genesis. While Zack is away to finish Genesis off for good, Lazard and the last wolf-like Angeal Copy use the last of their strength to defend Cloud from Shinra. After the battle, they pass out and fade into the Lifestream. Later, after Zack's Final Stand and Zack starts his own journey to return to the Planet, the real Angeal descends from the sky as a true angel and helps him start that journey.

Abilities


As a product of Project G and a member of SOLDIER, Angeal has superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility and reflexes. Though he bears the Buster Sword on his back, Angeal rarely uses it in combat, fearing it will get damaged. He instead fights with his bare hands or with a standard SOLDIER sword. With either the Buster Sword or a SOLDIER sword, Angeal is an accomplished swordsman and wields both weapons with ease.

As a Project G SOLDIER, Angeal is able to use his cells as a conduit to imbue other beings with his abilities by implanting them with his cells. Angeal's ability at this is superior to Genesis's due to him being a better sample, thus he can also take on the abilities of those imbued with his cells in return, and he is able to pass his traits on to both humans and monsters. It is stated that Angeal Copies do not suffer degradation, but Lazard is highly degraded at the end of Crisis Core, so it may be rather that Angeal Copies suffer much slower degradation than Genesis Copies, Lazard at this point having survived for years. Angeal is able to sprout wings in the same manner as Genesis and Sephiroth, and is able to use them to fly. He rarely, if ever, uses magic, from Materia or otherwise, so his magical aptitude is unknown.

Boss
Angeal is fought as a boss in the form of Angeal Penance.

Etymology
Angeal's name is most likely derived from the Irish word for "angel", "Aingeal" and is pronounced the same way as Angeal, tying into his white wings. Also tying into the Judeo-Christian traditions are Angeal Penance's special attacks, which are named after the Seven Deadly Sins; Unleashed Wrath (his DMW), End of Gluttony, Wings of Pride, Charge of Greed, Thunder of Envy, Defense of Lust, and Rage of Sloth. Hewley is derived from the Greek word "hyle", which is translated as "Materia" in Latin.

Trivia

 * It is believed that the last Angeal Copy was born out of Angeal's will on the Planet and that he controls it from within the Lifestream in order to continue helping Zack. This is foreshadowed when, after a Genesis Copy attack on Costa del Sol, Tseng speculates that Genesis might be controlling his copies from beyond the grave.
 * Out of all those born from the Jenova Project, Angeal was the first and only one to have more than one wing and have them be a color other than black. Angeal is also the only product of the Jenova Project who does not wish to do any harm to others, so the white wings may be a symbol that he retains his nobility and honor.
 * The scenes of Angeal and Zack grabbing hands in Wutai and the ending FMV are reminiscent of Aerith and Cloud grabbing hands after Cloud's final confrontation with Sephiroth at the end of Final Fantasy VII, and during the fight against Bahamut SIN in Advent Children Complete.
 * The Crisis Core Complete Guide includes a developer interview where the interviewer asks about the identity of Angeal's father, and if the relationship between Hollander and Gillian is comparable to the relationship between Hojo and Lucrecia Crescent. The developers state Gillian married after being sent to Banora with Angeal, and Angeal was raised never known his mother's husband was not his biological father. The developers say that the idea of a marital relationship between Hollander and Gillian is a secret, leaving the possibility open that Angeal's unidentified biological father could be Hollander.