Laguna Loire/Dissidia

Unreleased

Laguna Loire has been confirmed as the third representative for Final Fantasy VIII in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. A secondary protagonist and Squall's father, he tricked and sealed Sorceress Adel many years prior to the game alongside his comrades Ward and Kiros, Squall and his allies witnessing Laguna's adventures through dream sequences. Laguna eventually became the president of Esthar after Adel's defeat and aided Squall and his friends in their battle against Ultimecia.

Attire
Laguna's outfit in Dissidia 012 is identical to his original Final Fantasy VIII appearance. He wears a blue jacket with rolled sleeves over a white T-shirt with brown cargo-pants. He also wears black boots, fingerless gloves and a large black belt. He has long black hair, combed over to the right side of his face. His eyes are green. His first alternate costume is his Galbadian soldier uniform; a dark blue bodysuit under torso armor covering his chest and hips. His second alternate costume is his appearance as of Squall's time in Final Fantasy VIII when he is president of Esthar. He wears a light blue button up shirt with brown pants and sandals.

Story
Not much is currently known about his role. In one screenshot from the story mode, he is seen alongside Vaan and Tifa. According to the Famitsu scan, he will act like a big brother to the Warriors of Cosmos, mediating them thanks to his cheerful and carefree nature. He is also seen talking Squall out of being a loner and telling him that he would not be around forever. At one point he is seen talking to Kain and Lightning, playfully teasing her about her somewhat harsh personality. He also meets the Cloud of Darkness, learning about the Manikins which he called "munchkins." In the same encounter, he also apparently chose a manner of death that piqued the Cloud of Darkness's curiosity.

Battle
Laguna's fighting style is Tactical Gunner, meaning he uses several mid-range and long-range attacks. He uses a variety of weapons to fight, including his trademark machine gun, rocket launchers, and grenades. His HP attacks use a miniature version of the Ragnarok airship, which he calls to fire various types of laser attacks. Laguna can alter the effects of his attacks by holding the  when attacking. For example, holding the button when using his machine gun fires more shots, while holding it when using his rocket launcher and sniper rifle lets Laguna aim freely using the analog stick before firing. Battle Director Takeo Kujiraoka has stated that, in contrast to the hero characters who have simpler fighting styles, Laguna is meant to be a more strategic character like The Emperor or Kefka.

EX Mode
Desperado GVP6tPnUorM Laguna's EX Mode is Look, the faeries are here, where his weapons turn gold, a reference to the Aura spell in Final Fantasy VIII. In his EX Mode Laguna benefits from Regen, and gains the ability Faeries' Miracle. This lets him cancel out the lag from his Brave attacks by attacking again afterward, letting him assault opponents much faster.

Laguna's EX Burst is Desperado, his Limit Break in Final Fantasy VIII. He blasts his opponent with a rocket launcher, then throws a grenade at them and leaps into the air swinging on a rope while attacking with his machine gun. The player must rapidly tap R as a target flashes over the the opponent, landing hits as a damage meter fills up. Filling the meter will have Laguna end the EX Burst with Ultimate Ragnarok Cannon, where he calls all his weapons together to concentrate energy and fire a large laser blast at the opponent, the earlier grenade exploding to deal HP damage.

Allusions

 * Laguna's usage of the Ragnarok in his attacks is a reference to Esthar's use of the airship Ragnarok during the Sorceress War. Laguna became the leader of Esthar after the war.
 * It is also a pun on his name; Laguna's name in Japanese, "ラグナ, Raguna" is spelled the same as the first three characters in the name of the Ragnarok, "ラグナロク, Ragunaroku".
 * The name of Laguna's EX Mode is a reference to the flashbacks of Final Fantasy VIII where he and his comrades believed the presence of Squall and his friends to be faeries giving them strength.
 * Laguna has a leg cramp when confronting the Cloud of Darkness, a reference to Final Fantasy VIII when he had a leg cramp and backed down when attempting to speak to Julia.

Trivia

 * Laguna and Squall are the second father-son pair in the Dissidia series along with Tidus and Jecht in the storyline.
 * Originally, Laguna was intended to be in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. He was supposed to be the head of Mirage Arena, but Square Enix decided to use him in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy instead.
 * Laguna and Balthier from Final Fantasy XII,while both being gunners, also share the same Japanese voice actor, Hiroaki Hirata.
 * Laguna's HP attack, Satellite Beam, is also one of Barret Wallace's Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII.