Oh, shut up and help me remodel the Red XIII (VII Rebirth party member) page!
Red XIII is a playable character in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. He is a melee fighter who equips collars as his weapon. As a particularly durable party member with good mobility, Red XIII's skillset gears him toward counterattacking enemies after blocking their attacks.
Red XIII is present in the party from the beginning of the game. He leads the party during chapter 10, "Watcher of the Vale", and is mandatory at multiple points in the story. Red XIII is one of five date options for the Gold Saucer in chapter 12, "A Golden Key".
If Red XIII is transformed into a toad, he becomes a red toad with one eye closed and tiny feathers on his head.
Red XIII's moveset is based partly on his original Final Fantasy VII appearance, with counterattacks being an added focus for him. Red XIII was not playable in Final Fantasy VII Remake in which he was solely a guest, although his moves return.
Battle[]
Red XIII is a melee physical attacker who is unique among party members in pairing strong mobility with strong durability. His basic attacks are swipes with his claws, ending in a rising strike; holding the attack button causes him to spin while charging toward enemies, which can be used to cluster enemies together and quickly build-up ATB.
Red XIII's abilities and unique mechanic are based around counterattacks, particularly after blocking attacks, and many of his abilities can heal him. This allows him to be played as a solid frontline to protect his allies, forcing enemies to redirect their attacks to him. In a way, Red XIII fulfills a similar role to Barret as a "tank".
Red XIII's unique ability and primary mechanic is the Vengeance Mode. As Red XIII blocks attacks, his Vengeance Mode gauge is charged further; filling the gauge further will allow it to be used for longer, although it can be activated whenever. While in Vengeance Mode, his attacks are stronger, and his unique ability becomes Siphon Fang, a powerful attack that heals him based on damage dealt. Many of his abilities also depend on how full his Vengeance Mode is.
Playing Red XIII optimally is dependent on performing successful blocks and counters. His attacks are generally limited outside of his counterattacking moves, meaning his playstyle is dependent on putting himself in dangerous positions often. Though he is highly mobile, he is still strictly melee in attacks, and thus limited in range. Red XIII's durability compares to that of Cloud and Barret, who perform similar roles, where Cloud's counterattacks are only one portion of a varied skillset, and Barret provides more of a supporting role with the ability to redirect damage dealt to the party to himself.
Attributes[]
Red XIII's attributes are heavily geared toward durability. His 
Vitality and 
Spirit are both second-highest among party members, and he has the second-highest HP below only Barret. He also has the highest 
Speed stat of the cast.
Red XIII also has the fourth-highest 
Strength. However, he has the second-lowest 
Magic.
Equipment[]
Abilities[]
From the start, Red XIII has two abilities: Sidewinder and Sentinel Stance. As with all other party members, Red XIII can learn more abilities from weapons gained over the course of the game.
- Sidewinder is Red XIII's first offensive ability. He leaps into the air while rapidly slashing, before crashing to the ground. It provides an option for quick burst damage, and even goes high enough to strike aerial foes (assuming they are stationary). It remains reliable throughout the game, though other abilities will outclass its damage.
- Sentinel Stance has Red XIII brace for incoming attacks, drastically increasing the Vengeance Gauge when hit. He will not take damage from any source, but cannot move unless he counterattacks by pressing the attack button. When used properly, Red XIII can enter Vengeance Mode very frequently, and also helps to tank any heavy damage.
- Stardust Ray costs 2 ATB, and casts a magical explosion across a large area. It has a surprising amount of range, striking many foes at once. However, Red XIII's magic damage is subpar compared to other party members. It is on his initial weapon the Mythril Collar.
- Crescent Claw has Red XIII strike three times with his claws. This ability will be stronger and have more range when used in Vengeance Mode, but will completely deplete the gauge. As such, this ability should be used when the Vengeance Gauge is running low, to maximize its effects. it is tied to Renegade's Collar.
- Chilling Roar summons icicles that will hit enemies that strike Red XIII with
Ice damage for a brief amount of time, filling the Vengeance Gauge. Compared to Sentinel Stance, this ability helps passively charge the Vengeance Gauge while dealing damage and without limiting Red XIII's movement. It is tied to the Silver Collar. - Supernal Fervor costs 2 ATB, and bestows Haste on the whole party. This is a great ability, as it forgoes having to equip any materia, and since Red XIII has one of the highest ATB charge rates of the party, it does not take long to gain 2 ATB. It is tied to the Amethyst Collar.
- Watcher's Respite heals the party by completely draining the Vengeance Gauge, the amount healed proportional to the gauge. While the max amount healed is average, the ability serves well as an emergency heal, since it costs no MP and Red XIII has several ways fill the Vengeance Gauge faster. It is tied to the Golden Collar.
- Watcher's Spirit replenishes the ATB of Red XIII's two party members by completely draining the Vengeance Gauge, the amount restored proportional to gauge. This has many uses, such as preparing to maximize damage during a stagger phase or to set up support abilities. Once again, Red XIII has several ways to quickly fill the Vengeance Gauge. It is tied to the Mystic Collar
- Reaper Touch, his penultimate ability, has Red XIII viciously strike twice, dealing more damage the lower his HP is. Considering Red XIII's tanking role, it is likely for his health to get low enough to use this ability efficiently. Though risky, getting his health is low enough in time for a stagger phase will output much more damage than using Sidewinder. It is tied to his final weapon Brisingamen.
- Retaliation is Red XIII's ultimate ability, unlocked from his folio at Party Level 9. It costs 2 ATB and is only usable during Vengeance Mode. Red XIII braces for an attack and delivers a devastating counterattack when hit, completely depleting the Vengeance Gauge. While the damage is remarkable, the main drawback is that this ability is useless during a stagger phase, since Red XIII cannot counterattack then. Otherwise, the ability is one more option for using the Vengeance Gauge.
Synergy[]
Red XIII learns various synergy abilities and synergy skills from his folios to use with teammates.
Materia[]
Red XIII is initially equipped with a 
Poison Materia and the Ifrit summon materia for Fire damage.
As with all characters, 
First Strike Materia is very useful to provide him a significant boost to ATB right at the start of the battle, allowing him position himself in the middle of the action and use Sentinel Stance and / or Chilling Roar to quickly build-up Vengeance.
Improving his survivability as well ability to frequently enter Vengeance Mode is key, and there are many complete materia that fulfill this role. The HP Up Materia, Vitality Up Materia and Spirit Up Materia provide significant boons to his stats, while the Steadfast Block Materia directly synergize with his unique ability, allowing him to mitigate damage from blocks. The Limit Support Materia grants Red XIII a more supportive role, as he ideally wants to soak the damage from the party to himself, which in turn builds up limit to himself and his allies simultaneously. Lastly, the Speed Up Materia can also be useful to further boost his already formidable Speed.
Red XIII can also be given Barrier Materia and Time Materia to further boost his defensive capabilities and speed, although these materia can be given to different party members.
Limit breaks[]
Red XIII has three limit breaks: Bloodfang, Howling Moon, and Wrath of the Land. Bloodfang restores HP and MP To Red XIII upon attacking an enemy. Howling Moon will activate a longer lasting vengeance mode than usual. He gains Wrath of the Land from his skill tree.
Quests[]
Main scenario[]
Odd Jobs[]
Red XIII has two dialogue versions for all quests that can be completed at any time, depending if the jobs are completed before or after reaching Cosmo Canyon chapter 10, "Watcher of the Vale". After reaching Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII talks in a different voice and others start to refer to him as Nanaki.
Interactions[]
Red XIII can be Cloud's "date" in Gold Saucer if he has the highest affinity of all party members, but if he knocks on Cloud's door in chapter 8, "All That Glitters", Cloud will have to tour the amusement park alone. In chapter 12, "A Golden Key", however, Red XIII will accompany Cloud to the event square and to the skywheel with unique scenes.