Angeal Hewley



Angeal Hewley is a 1st Class SOLDIER in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. He is Zack Fair's mentor and passes down the Buster Sword to him. He is stoic and serious, but with a playful side, giving Zack the nickname "Zack the Puppy."

Angeal is friends with fellow SOLDIER First Classes Sephiroth and Genesis and has a fan club dedicated to him called the Keepers of Honor.

Appearance
Angeal is a tall man with a broad and muscular structure. He has black hair slicked back except for two bangs on each side, in a style similar to that of his mother Gillian Hewley. Angeal wears a standard SOLDIER 1st Class uniform and carries a standard SOLDIER sword, along with his iconic Buster Sword, the latter of which he only uses on special occasions. Later, Angeal grows two white wings on his right side (one large wing on top and a small one underneath); their appearance troubles him, as he considers them traits of a monster. He is approximately 25 years old.

Personality
Angeal is moral and dedicated and takes pride in his membership in SOLDIER. He is honor-bound to protect as many people as he can, and nothing can stand between him and his honor and pride. He views the sword gifted to him by his family as a symbol of his dreams and honor, and therefore, to damage it would represent damage to his honor, and he refrains from using it. He has a sense of humor, calling Zack a puppy and calling himself cheap at times. According to emails from his fan club, Angeal's hobbies include gardening and cooking, and he has a soft spot for dogs. Angeal is an influential member of SOLDIER and many members revere him as a mentor and idol, the ideal SOLDIER operative and SOLDIER's spiritual leader. His influence passes on to Zack.

When he learns of the circumstances of his birth Angeal comes to resent his existence, feeling himself a monster unworthy of dignity or honor. He exiles himself from SOLDIER, but even through his self-deprecating talk, he still considers himself a SOLDIER at heart. Angeal has a stronger sense of justice than he lets on, wanting to help the entire planet and save the world from monsters, like the one he believed himself to have become.

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, Angeal rarely uses it in combat, and instead fights barehanded or with a standard SOLDIER sword. Angeal, as an accomplished swordsman, wields even large blades with ease.

As a Project G SOLDIER, Angeal can 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 and thus he can take on the abilities of those imbued with his cells in return, and can pass his traits on to both humans and monsters. Angeal does not suffer degradation, but his copies do. Angeal can sprout wings use for flight. He rarely, if ever, uses magic, from Materia or otherwise, so his magical aptitude is unknown.

Story
Many years ago Gillian Hewley worked with Dr. Hollander in the experiment of her namesake, Project Gillian, a branch of the Jenova Project to create a Cetra-human-hybrid. Gillian was injected with Jenova cells (whom Hollander mistook for a Cetra) and her cells were injected into other subjects. Gillian's son, Angeal Hewley, gained her cells naturally and 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 adopted son of the village's landlord, Genesis Rhapsodos. Unknown to both, Genesis was also a test subject in Project G, having gained Gillian's cells via injection rather than naturally like Angeal had.

Angeal joined SOLDIER and was promoted to 1st Class, becoming a mentor and role model for many lower class SOLDIER members, in particular Zack Fair. He wields 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" as he approximates it to a representation of his family's pride and honor.

During a training session in the Virtual Reality Training Room taking on the image of Junon's Mako Cannon, Angeal and Genesis faced the confident Sephiroth, but Genesis wanted to battle Sephiroth alone, claiming he, too, wants to become a hero. The duel escalated and Angeal intervened. Genesis sustained an injury and Angeal donated blood for a transfusion after Sephiroth was told his blood is not compatible with Genesis's.

During an attempt to recover a hi-jacked Shinra train in Midgar, Angeal tells Zack to be careful before allowing him to recover the train alone. When Sephiroth takes Zack down Angeal pulls out his cellphone and aborts the mission and the train station, Midgar, and Sephiroth fade away as it was only a virtual training exercise.

Later, Angeal tells Zack to report to the Briefing Room where Director Lazard Deusericus explains Zack's mission at a temple in Wutai to help bring an end to the Wutai War. Zack is surprised Angeal has recommended him to go on this mission and receive a promotion to SOLDIER 1st Class if he fares well.

Once in the forest outside Wutai's Fort Tamblin, Angeal tells Zack of the "dumbapples," apples that ripen randomly throughout the year. He used to steal them as his family was poor; the largest tree grew outside the house of the richest family in the village, but Angeal would never take an apple from that tree since the rich family's son was his best friend. When asked why he didn't ask his friend for apples, Angeal replies, "Honor can be quite a burden at times."

After Zack takes the fort and is knocked down by two monsters in a dojo Angeal saves him and jokes that Zack's life is a little more important than his sword, if only a little. Heading back, Zack and Angeal meet up with Lazard and the three are attacked by Genesis Copies, copies of Angeal's friend who had defected the company some time earlier. Angeal agrees to handle them while Zack protects Lazard, and pretends to desert Shinra to try and regain Genesis's trust and bring him back.

Two months later Zack and Tseng investigate Angeal and Genesis's hometown of Banora Village and find Genesis at the apple juice factory. As Zack prepares to fight him, Angeal intervenes and Genesis leaves. When Zack finds Gillian Hewley dead and Angeal staring at his mother's lifeless body, Zack attacks him. Angeal states his mother had no reason to live, and he, too, is guilty of the same crime. After Genesis returns, Angeal leaves.

During the Genesis Copy raid in Midgar four months later, Zack and Sephiroth learn that Angeal can also produce copies. Zack chases after Dr. Hollander after searching through Hollander's records with Sephiroth and finding out about Project G. Within the Sector 5 Plate Interior Zack confronts Hollander but is stopped by Angeal. Zack asks about Angeal's motives and he replies with "world domination" and "revenge". Revealing his wings, he claims those are usually the objectives monsters focus on. Zack tells Angeal he is wrong and that his wings aren't the wings of a monster, stating they are, "Angel's wings." Angeal asks what angels should fight for and what they dream of. Zack is unable to reply, and Angeal claims angels dream of being human. Zack refuses to fight and Angeal sends him falling down towards the Midgar Slums.

After a change of heart Angeal appears on the Sector 0 of Midgar Highway and confronts Zack outside the Shinra Headquarters asking him to join him, stating their enemy is all that creates suffering. At Shinra Headquarters they find Sephiroth dealing with Genesis Copies. While Angeal handles things outside and Sephiroth holds the current floor, Zack heads to check on Professor Hojo, who is about to be captured by Genesis. Angeal appears in Hojo's laboratory and tells Genesis to stop. Hojo is surprised to see both Genesis and Angeal with wings.

Angeal pursues Genesis and once Genesis's attack on the headquarters has been quelled, Angeal meets Zack in the Sector 5 slums the next day and apologizes leaving him to fight alone. Angeal explains Genesis and Hollander have gone to Modeoheim. Zack asks if he plans to return to SOLDIER, but Angeal does not know, and flies off.

Zack later finds Angeal in the Modeoheim Public Bathhouse after hearing from Tseng Angeal had attacked him and Cloud, a Shinra infantryman. Angeal tells Zack it should have been him to fight Genesis, but he intends to prepare Zack for his final battle. Dr. Hollander enters and tells Angeal it is time to take his revenge for their family, but Angeal says 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 explains Jenova cells were injected into Gillian and her cells were injected into the fetal Genesis, but while Genesis was a failure, Angeal, having received her cells directly, was branded perfect. Hollander relishes on how Angeal has developed a two way conduit, having received Jenova's ability to absorb other creatures' traits and implant his into monsters.

Angeal asks if Zack remembers their promise to fight anything that causes suffering in the world. Zack says Angeal does not cause suffering, but Angeal summons several copies and though Dr. Hollander warns that he cannot assimilate a number of creatures at once, Angeal uses the monsters to turn into a chimera composite called Angeal Penance whom Zack is forced to destroy. Defeated, Angeal lies dying and tells Zack he is counting on him to do the rest. Angeal entrusts 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 winged canine) appears at Aerith's church and defends Zack and Aerith from a Shinra attack robot. Injured and weak from the clash, the copy remains within the church.

During the four years Zack lays imprisoned in the Shinra Manor in the aftermath of the Nibelheim Incident, sightings of Angeal are made across the world. One day Zack sees a physical manifestation of Angeal caused by a reaction to the concentration of Jenova Cells and Mako energy. Angeal asks how Zack can call himself a member of SOLDIER. Zack's heightened emotions allow him to break free of his containment to try and reunite with his mentor.

As he escapes Shinra's and Genesis's pursuit to Gongaga Village, Zack spots an Angeal figure who is revealed to be Director Lazard, and the source of the Angeal sightings. Lazard had received Angeal's cells and become an Angeal Copy gifted not only with Angeal's physical appearance, but with his morals and sense of justice. Lazard did not receive Angeal's strength, nor his immunity from degradation, and has been deteriorating like Genesis. While Zack is away to finish Genesis off for good Lazard and the canine Angeal Copy use the last of their energy to defend Cloud Strife from Shinra, pass out and fade into the Lifestream. Later, after Zack is killed by Shinra and left lying on a precipice on the Midgar Wasteland, Angeal's spirit descends from the sky and helps Zack start his journey into the Lifestream.

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

Digital Mind Wave
Zack has Angeal in his Digital Mind Wave since the beginning of the game and can use Angeal's Limit Break, Rush Assault, if three of Angeal's icons line up during a modulating phase. Rush Assault has two sequences of seven physical attacks and a final diving attack. Each of the three sequences has different power and can hit a different enemy. It ignores Vitality, the final hit inflicts Stun, and it may grant Endure. Emotion Gauge increases by 1 for Level 5 attack.

Creation and development
Angeal was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, using elements from Cloud's initial design for Final Fantasy VII.

Voice
Angeal is voiced by in Japanese, and Josh Gilman in English.

Musical themes
Angeal's theme can be considered to be "CRISIS CORE Theme - Dreams and Pride," which plays when he tells Zack about dumbapples in Wutai, and when Zack remembers Angeal in the Nibelheim Inn. It is a variation of the game's main theme, "CRISIS CORE Theme."

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Angeal appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game with his official render. His card is Thunder-elemental.

Etymology
Angeal's name is most likely derived from the Irish word for "angel," aingeal, tying into his white wings.

Also tying into the Judeo-Christian traditions are Angeal Penance's special attacks, named after the Seven Deadly Sins: Unleashed Wrath, End of Gluttony, Wings of Pride, Charge of Greed, Thunder of Envy, Defense of Lust, and Rage of Sloth.

Hewley derives from hyle.

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 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 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 the only product of the Jenova Project who does not wish harm to others, so the white wings may symbolize retaining his honor. This may also be done in contrast to Genesis and Sephiroth who both have a single black wing, symbolizing fallen angels/Satan, while Angeal has two white wings, making him more akin to one of Heaven's angels.
 * 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 knowing his mother's husband was not his biological father. The developers say 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.