Tseng. You know him. The black-haired hot guy who is the leader of the Turks now and has gone through his fair share of dangers, plus almost dying a couple times. But how well do we really know him?
While in the original game Tseng doesn't have that much of a direct impact, he still has made his appearance known throughout the FFVII series. Before Crisis super develops his backstory, and in Crisis Core he is even one of Zack's DMW! He definitely deserves more recognition and love, so stand back, Reno, Rude, Rufus, any spotlight stealers. We're giving Tseng the spotlight that he needs today!
Quick reminder that this will contain spoilers, namely for Tseng's story of Before Crisis (yes, he has his own chapter), but of course also Crisis Core and the original FFVII, as well as Advent Children and other stuff that involves events after the main game. I will not, however, include the Remake, namely because the story there is different from the original and also because it isn't complete (so, you know, let's follow the complete timeline). With all that said, let's dive in this man's life!
Starting by Before Crisis, Verdot calls Tseng to oversee a rescue mission with one of the Turks' special agents. Tseng came to the realization that the agent, the "Legendary Turk" (Legend for short), was once the anti-Shinra activist "Death God of the Battlefield", whom he had previously crossed paths with.
That said, Tseng didn't like the partnership and was suspicious of the agent's motive. The pair went on with the mission anyway; they arrived at a secret Shinra military factory in Wutai, now overrun by anti-Shinra operatives. Tseng informs Legend by phone he is to rescue a weapons trader held inside the factory and eliminate the anti-Shinra guys. Legend being the explosives expert he is, plants bombs in strategic places and discovers the kidnapped dealer is guarded by an old ally of his old anti-Shinra days. Legend defeats that guy, who then reveals the truth about a past negotiation Legend was in, then the place goes kaboom and the man dies (I don't think he's going to be missed).
The dealer is saved..... Or not, as Legend recognizes him from that same past negotiation and holds a questioning that ends with nothing as the dealer denies knowledge of what Legend is talking about, and so Legend, as the very compassionate person he is, abandons him to die in the collapsing factory.
As punishment, Legend goes under house arrest in Costa del Sol. Tseng is shocked by the lenient punishment, but Verdot explains to him that even though Legend had abandoned his duty and disobeyed orders, he still prevented the company's secrets to be leaked and thus completed his primary objective. Verdot also informs that before becoming a Turk, Legend and his anti-Shinra faction had been in an incident at a mako reactor alongside a weapons dealer. The dealer betrayed the activists and only Legend survived, mourning the loss of his comrades and a little girl who had been very important to him. Assuming the weapons dealer was the same, Tseng started understanding Legend's actions.
Still a rookie, Tseng is assigned to investigate the kidnapping of a Shinra soldier from one of the mako reactors. Under Verdot's command he is sent to search an unregistered vessel in Costal del Sol's harbor. Concluding the only purpose of kidnapping a reactor guard would be to learn more about the reactors, Tseng believes he must rescue the soldier before he reveals anything.
He boards the ship, finds the tortured soldier, and a little more. Tseng also discovers the enemy has been buying Shinra weaponry from a black market weapons dealer and has them stocking aboard the ship. Torn between his duty as a Turk to investigate the stolen weapons further, and rescue the soldier, Tseng opts for the latter, and exits the ship with the man.
This earns him a scold from Verdot, who then joins him in re-entering the ship and protect Shinra's secrets. Verdot is to go to the hangar and destroy the weapons, while Tseng is to go to the control room to find and delete all files regarding them. But that's too easy, and the bad guys aren't that stupid, so they escape with a hard copy of the data anyway.
Seeing Verdot getting his ass kicked by the weapons in the hangar, Tseng attempts to help him, and gets scolded again, as well as reminded that a Turk's first priority is the completion of the mission. Those fugitive operatives dead and his initial mission complete, Tseng heads to aid Verdot destroy the weapons. While doing their rodeo, a surviving anti-Shinra operative sinks the vessel with our boys still in it. As they escape, the ceiling collapses and Tseng is trapped beneath a steel girder (oof to our burned smashed potato). He urges his mentor to leave him, but Verdot, being the father figure he is, ain't gonna do that and instead risks his life to rescue Tseng, suffering a facial injury from falling debris in the process.
While recovering in a Shinra medical facility, Verdot explains he had stayed to help Tseng because his mission had been completed and thus he was free to be what he wanted the Turks to be: loyal to the mission, but good people at heart. Verdot had found a Full Cure Materia in the vessel, that he then entrusted to Tseng, instructing him to keep it safe.
With the Wutai War near its end, Verdot sends Tseng to Costa del Sol to get Legend. However, this guy had become popular among the ladies and doesn't want anything else with the Turks. Understanding his reasoning, Tseng leaves the invitation open.
In Crisis Core, Tseng is tasked with accompany Zack on several missions after Angeal disappears alongside Genesis. Zack is introduced to our black haired boy by Lazard on the mission to Banora. There, the duo is to find Genesis's parents, but finds them dead and buried. Tseng investigates the grave, while Zack goes off to find Genesis. After discovering Genesis has been using the Banora White apple Juice factory as his hideout, Tseng and Zack leave the village and Shinra bombers destroy the place to conceal its secrets.
In a latter mission, Tseng is to accompany Shinra troops to Modeoheim, but Genesis's troops attack them and the helicopter crashes on the snowy mountains of Icicle Area. Zack and Cloud lead the patrol and arrive in the abandoned town of Modeoheim. Tseng holds back while Zack goes off to fight Angeal, who fuses himself with monsters and transforms into Angeal Penance, forcing Zack to kill him (one of the saddest deaths ever, only because Angeal is one of the best characters from this world).
Well, I believe it's safe to say Tseng has had his fair number of adventures. Yup, those were his primary Turk's operations. Moving on to beat the crap out of Avalanche!
In Before Crisis, as part of their duties as a new member of the Turks, the Player Turk (PT) is sent to patrol Sector 8. Encountering Avalanche infiltrating the sector, the PT informs Tseng on their PHS who instructs them to investigate further and in turn notified his superior, Verdot.
Discovering Avalanche intentions of destroying the reactor, Reno is sent to support the player. Shears from Avalanche defeats them after the pair prevents the bombing of the reactor. Shears is ordered to withdraw to Junon where President Shinra is residing to hold a news conference. Noting their movements, Tseng sends Reno and the Player Turk to protect the President.
Later, with Avalanche intending on lauching the Sister Ray on Midgar as a mensage to Shinra, Reno leads a contingent of Shinra troops against Shinra's street forces while we enter the cannon facility from an underground passageway. Guided by Tseng over the PHS, they work their way through the facility's security system and come across a site of massacre. The cannon is turned off mysteriously before the Turks get to the control pannel.
It's discovered Avalanche is getting information from someone from Shinra, however it's unknown who. Verdot is ordered to step down as the head of the Turks and Heidegger gets his position. During an Avalanche attack on Junon, Tseng discovers they are after the airships docked there. Heidegger wants to let the situation escalate until it is viable to send in his military (they kinda suck though....) and thus uses the Turks as distractions, ignoring their requests for coordinated information. Verdot has been watching all this (that's our man) and so approaches President Shinra, saying that if he doesn't get his position back he will reveal all classified information he holds to the media. His request granted, Verdot co-ordinates the Turks into retaking Junon's airport. While the mission is a success, the Turks are no closer to discovering the leak within Shinra executive offices.
Monsters from Hojo's lab escape and run rampant in the 65th to 68th floors of the Shinra Building. Tseng is tasked with evacuating the employees, while the PT is sent to contain the outbreak. Upon reaching the lab, it is discovered the outbreak was caused by Fuhito and Shears as means to capture Hojo; while Hojo is retrieved, Shears and Fuhito escape.
Having learning Aerith is the last Cetra and wanting to protect the Promised Land from Shinra, Avalanche tried to capture her, but the PT foils their plans. Later, Tseng, who has been assigned for some time to capture Aerith, arrives in another attempt to convince her to work for Shinra. Misunderstanding the situation, the Player Turk prevents Tseng from getting to Aerith as she runs back home. (Tseng doesn't get paid for this)
In Crisis Core, before Zack is sent to Nibelheim, he asks Tseng to keep an eye on Aerith. He agrees, since he has already been keeping an eye on her. In Before Crisis, called in due to reports of the staff manning the Nibel reactor disappearing, Tseng pilots the Player Turk to Mt. Nibel where they were to parachute to the reactor, but that obviously doesn't happen due to a rogue wind, which causes us to parachute off course (and then we meet Tifa).
The famous Nibelheim incident unravels when Sephiroth does his only character development thing of burning the town down and break into the reactor, where Cloud defeats him and sends him to a mako pool below the reactor. Tseng is informed of the events and when the Shinra clean-up crew arrives, the PT is tasked with checking the equipment of the laboratory in the basement of Shinra Manor for Hojo. As the Nibelheim survivors are gathered they are to be shipped into the laboratory, but the Turks hesitate over the immorality of it all and are allowed to leave while Verdot handles the situation.
Reno and Tseng discover Avalanche has taken over Corel Reactor's construction site and the Player Turk finds Rufus Shinra there. Verdot, having followed Rufus, informs the Turk he was the one leaking information to Avalanche, in a bid to remove his father from presidency (man, you had only to wait a few years. No need for all this). Verdot orders his subordinates to place Rufus under arrest, but Fuhito appears and states he will kill not just the Turks but Rufus too because he no longer needs him (all for nothing). As Elfe appears, Verdot recognizes her voice as being the same of his lost daughter: Felicia.
Her memories back thanks to her father explaining her backstory, Elfe collapses due to her illness and Fuhito carries her out of the reactor. The Turks, being the awesome children they are, encourage Verdot to go after his daughter, and before leaving, Verdot passes his position to Tseng. Our black haired man takes Rufus out of the reactor before Fuhito destroys it; meanwhile the PT and Shears almost get crushed under it.
With the Player Turk rendered comatose due to injuries and mako poisoning from the epic escape from the collapsing reactor, and Verdot having deserted to pursue his daughter, Tseng is instructed to link with the Turks' secondary division to bolster numbers.
Remember the Nibelheim's incident? Yeah, now let's go foward four years, ok. Zack and Cloud escape Shinra's Mansion. Tseng sends the Turks to find Zack before the army does. Tseng has exactly 88 letters of Aerith to deliver to Zack, that of course went undelivered because spiky hair boy was in Shinra's Mansion. Tseng never gets to deliver the letters, however, as the Turks are unable to get Zack back before he is killed by the army (and this is the plot of Last Order. Go watch it, it's on Youtube. Very good).
Verdot is looking for a number of materia he needs to save his daughter. Despite Shinra being on the hunt for him, the Turks decide to help (such a lovely family). And while the Turks do get the materia, Verdot is captured by Shinra. As Tseng, Reno and Rude discern the location where Verdot is being held, the other Turks and Shears meet in Wall Market where they split the materia orbs among themselves and part ways in search for Elfe.
With Rufus's help, Tseng locates Verdot and attempts to liberate him while ordering the player, that is being chased by Shinra troops, to secure a way out of Midgar. Our trio in black frees Verdot, meanwhile the PT commandeers a helicopter to chase after Avalanche before Fuhito could summon Zirconiade and consequently kill Elfe. Although Elfe is saved, Zirconiade is summoned nonetheless, a powerful summoned monster that has been Fuhito's goal all along to eradicate all life on the planet, returning it all to the lifestream. (sounds familiar? Yeah, don't be surprised, it is supposed to be). And while we player go to kill the bad guy, Tseng, Reno, Rude, Verdot and an awakened Elfe are captured by Shinra military forces.
Confronted with the offer that the Turks would be spared from capture and execution if Verdot and Elfe are killed, Tseng turns his gun at them and pretends to shoot them (they ain't dead yet, alright). As Tseng leaves with Verdot and Elfe, Reno and Rude stay behind to wait for the Turks fighting Zirconiade. The shockwave emitted from the monster's destruction evaporates the construct on which the battling Turks are standing and the entire contruction vanishes in an explosion of light, the Player Turks presumably dead.
Tseng is summoned to a hearing to discuss the Turks' fate. Scarlet suggests the surviving trio be executed, but Rufus steps in, with Reno and Rude in the back, and argues that Tseng has proven his loyalty by "killing" Verdot and Elfe. That said, the Turks are spared, Tseng thanks Rufus, but also admits he did it not for the Turks but for himself. After that giant rollercoaster, our hot man finally lets his hair fall and gets rid of the ponytail (not that it looks bad, but it also doesn't look that good personally. Do keep your hair down, Tseng).
Tseng stays with Shinra and keeps his position as the leader of the Turks. Shinra deems Midgar complete and pursues the plan to build Neo Midgar in the Promised Land. To find it, Shinra needs Aerith, who still lives in the slums. And guess who's gonna get her?
We're finally getting to the original FFVII. Yeah, that was all Before Crisis, with Crisis Core in the middle. If you're interested in Before Crisis, there's a playthrough on Youtube, by Grimoire Valentine, fully translated (saved gameplay). Anyway, on with the story!
Tseng kidnaps Aerith during the dropping of Sector 7 plate and takes her to Shinra Building. Avalanche is back under Barret's guidance, though this new Avalanche is vastly different from the one the Turks had previously fought against (that must be a relief). The worst characters of the game (saved for Barret, of course) infiltrate Shinra Building to rescue Aerith, but are caught by the Turks instead (great job, guys). Then you discover the worst of the worst of the worst characters that ever existed is actually still alive and not dead and that he stole Jenova from Professor Hojo's lab, and in the ruckus Avalanche escapes with Aerith. The Turks are then tasked with finding that-whose-name-shall-not-be-pronounced-by-me, and they trace his whereabouts to Junon.
Tseng, Rude and Elena, the newest member of the Turks, come across Avalanche in Mythril Mines. If Aerith is not in the party, Tseng inquires about her. If she is, Tseng is happy she is safe. Since the Turks' orders concern only Sefiros, they ignore Avalanche (wouldn't want to get the "bad character" virus). Tseng later accompanies Scarlet to Gongaga, where she fails at finding a Huge Materia from the village's destroyed reactor.
Shinra places an informant amongst Avalanche in the form of Cait Sith. During their stay at Gold Saucer, Cait Sith steals the key to the Temple of Ancients and hands it to Tseng. The Turks then head to the Temple of Ancients, as they have gathered info this is the place Sephiroth is after. There, Tseng and Elena try to decipher the murals, and Tseng asks Elena for dinner (why though?). Elena leaves, elated, meanwhile Tseng is attacked by Jenova in Sephiroth's disguise, but manages to crawl back to the entrance, where he meets Avalanche and handles the Keystone to them. Aerith meets Tseng for the last time here and reprimands him. "On a Way to a Smile" explains another Cait Sith went to Tseng and contacted three other Turks, from the vast amount the player can choose in Before Crisis, that then took him to Junon for recovery. Tseng receives the news of Aerith's death through Reeve.
The secret ending of Before Crisis shows Tseng, Rude, Reno and Elena taking care of the evacuation of Midgar during the Meteorfall. The Turks evacuate their assigned sectors and find Tseng near a collapsing building, claiming there's still people trapped inside. A part of the building collapses and they believe it is too much work for only the four of them. Then, a familiar voice speaks, and when they turn around they find Verdot and the playable Turks from Before Crisis. Verdot asks Tseng what are his orders, to which he replies it is urgent they evacuate the remaining civilians and so they get all to work (and then they say they're bad people 😒)
After the events of the main game, Tseng continues to work for Rufus with his fellow Turks Reno, Rude and Elena, speading the next two years in Healen Lodge. Since he is the leader, he oversees Reno and Rude's work of building a monument of Meteor in the city center of Edge and Elena's work in developing a stimulant for patients with Geostigma.
After Evan and Kyrie arrive at Healen Lodge, Rufus and Tseng explain that Evan's mother had once been the late President's secretary and mistress, and that Evan was one of his illegitimate sons (goodness, Rufus. How many half-siblings do you have? I know of two now, is there more?). The sorta family reunion is interrupted by Fabio and his lackeys, Keough and Doyle, when they attack the place in an attempt to rescue Thropp. Evan bargains with the Turks for the thieves' freedom, and after Rufus getting threatened (definitely not the first time), they let them go.
Later on, Rufus sends the Turks in search for Jenova. Tseng takes Elena along and orders Reno to stay in Edge and finish the monument and Rude to repair a helicopter in Midgar's Sector 8. At a beach house in Under Junon, the duo hears a commotion and discover Kyrie had been brought into town by a red beast, which Tseng recognizes as Red XIII/Nanaki. At the doctor's office of the town, he sees Kyrie talking with a silver-haired man who introduces himself as Kadaj. When they shake hands, Tseng and Kyrie pass out. Upon awakening, Tseng learns Kyrie saw Kadaj as a friend of hers who died in a fire; he then tells her to not trust him.
When Reno and Rude arrive in Junon with Evan, Tseng decides they'll use Evan and Kyrie to find Jenova. But the two youngsters believe the Turks had something to do with Fabio's death and attempt to flee. Elena shoots Evan in the shoulder, and as Evan gives up hope in ever finding his mother, Reno suggests taking him to Nibelheim by helicopter. Tseng and Elena agree to take him and Kyrie, while Reno and Rude stay in Junon.
They make their brief stop at Nibelheim and then the duo in black takes the kids to their next desired location: Icicle Lodge. At an inn, Tseng spots a silver-haired guy stare at him through the window, but when he goes to check there's no one there. The duo in black realize Kadaj is after Jenova and chase after him. Reno and Rude arrive at Icicle Lodge to help find Evan. While on the hunt, Tseng orders his comrades to open fire, but they hesitate, afraid to hit Evan. Kadaj finds Jenova in Evan's hands and attempts to grab it, but Evan kicks it into the lifestream, prompting Kadaj to jump in after it.
Tseng and Elena retrive Jenova's remains from the Northern Cave, but are attacked and tortured by Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz. Our super hot vampire amazing man Vincent Valentine rescues them and assists how he can in their road to recovery.
In Advent Children Complete, Tseng has a slightly bigger role: he arrives in time with Elena to save Rufus from falling off the abandoned building, and also assists Reno and Rude in another helicopter with Elena by picking them up after Yazoo takes down the duo's own helicopter.
This is already a long post, so I'll leave the curiosities and extras in the comments.
