Template:Sideicon Rude is a supporting character in the Final Fantasy VII series, serving as an antagonist in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake. He has minor supporting roles in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, and a major supporting role in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Rude is a prominent member of the Turks—a special task force within the Shinra Electric Power Company's General Affairs division. Often accompanied by his partner and apparent friend Reno, the two act as field operatives. A reticent man of few words, Rude takes on his missions silently and professionally. He prefers to use his fists and physical strength in battle and is a competent helicopter pilot.
Profile
Appearance
Original artwork.
Rude is a tall man with an athletic build. He has tan skin, a shaved head, and sports a black goatee. In his youth, he was clean shaven (as seen in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-). His hazel eyes are concealed behind a pair of sunglasses, and he keeps a spare pair in case they break.
Rude wears a black suit paired with a white (black in the Remake) shirt, a patterned black tie, and studded dress boots—the standard Turks uniform. He has multiple piercings on his ears; his left ear has three silver rings 
and his right ear has a silver gauge and a blue stud 
.
Personality
Rude is stern, serious, and taciturn. He maintains a stoic expression and conducts his assignments efficiently. His antagonistic attitude towards Cloud's group is mostly professional, and even Aerith believes him to be a good man.[2] Rude considers himself to not be a bad person,[2] but understands his job requires him to do bad things and feels remorse for his involvement in the Sector 7 plate collapse.[3]
Rude has partnered with Reno for over eight years during the Final Fantasy VII series. He is loyal to the Turks and often is the one who ends up saving Reno from harm in Before Crisis, Advent Children, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Rude worries about Reno's reckless fighting and would give his life to protect Reno because he cares for him[4]. Rude has an apparent crush on Tifa. In Final Fantasy VII, he is scripted to not attack her during his boss battles unless she is the only party member still active.[5] Further, during the attack on the Sector 7 pillar in Final Fantasy VII Remake, he steers the helicopter out of the way when Reno tries to open fire on both Tifa and Cloud, claiming his "hand slipped".[6] In Final Fantasy VII Remake, he avoids harming both Tifa and Aerith during his boss encounters.[7]
Story
War against Avalanche
As told in Before Crisis, with President Shinra dedicating SOLDIER to deal with the threat of Avalanche, the Turks were instructed to locate new SOLDIER candidates. Reno, Rude and the Player Turk traveled the globe employing potential fighters. In Costa del Sol, the Player Turk entered a fight club called Club Duel, and captured the strongest fighter, known as "King", for the SOLDIER process. On the trip to Midgar the candidate population was killed by a sole candidate called Azul, whom the Player Turk confronted. Azul was eventually suppressed by Rude.
While on the docks, the ship was attacked by a contingent of Avalanche soldiers led by Shears who boarded the ship and freed the candidates, defeating Rude while the Player Turk attempted to recapture them. As the Player Turk returned, Rude pursued Shears and, partnered up with Reno, defeated the Avalanche commander while a freed Azul returned to the Shinra ship willingly to finish his fight with the Player Turk and join SOLDIER to become stronger.
Following the theft of confidential documents from the 45th floor of the Shinra Building, Reno and Rude guarded the room and searched for clues to the missing files. An intruder set off the alarm and the Turks defended themselves against the building's security system, which had been sabotaged by the intruder. While Shuriken (Female) looked into the sabotage, Reno and Rude continued their investigation. When Reno noticed a bearded man in a lab coat watching them from the shadows, the pair chased after him, concluding the man was one who stole the data, but the suspect escaped the building.
Rude in Sector 8 in Crisis Core.
Recalled by Veld, the leader of the Turks, Reno and Rude were ordered to continue their investigation as well as help stop the malfunctioning security robots that had escaped onto the streets of Midgar and begun attacking civilians. On the streets of Sector 8, Reno and Rude split up to find the machines. After destroying a number of the machines, Reno helped out Rude, and as shown in Crisis Core, together made their way to LOVELESS Avenue where they found Shuriken (Female)/Cissnei cornered by two Genesis Copies.
Tseng arrived, along with newly promoted First Class SOLDIER, Zack Fair, but Shuriken defeated the clones on her own. Continuing their hunt for rogue robots, Reno and Rude spotted the man in the lab coat. Gaining Veld's permission to follow him, they chased him into the sewer systems where they were attacked by robots, which seemed to take orders from the scientist. Cornering the man, they discovered him to be Professor Hollander. Two Genesis Copies appeared from a hidden passage and distract the pair, giving Hollander time to escape.
Veld ordered the pair to return to Sector 8 as SOLDIER had taken over the investigation of the stolen documents.
Curious over Rude's unexplained disappearances after work, Reno ordered the Player Turk to shadow him in Sector 8 to discover he goes on dates with a woman named Chelsea. While the Player Turk dealt with a monster infestation in the sector, Reno followed Rude to one of his dates and witnessed Chelsea attempt to place a bug on his PHS.
Reno followed her and discovered she worked with Avalanche, but claimed to her contact she was unable to place a wire tap on Rude's PHS in spite of Reno noting she had plenty of time to do it during the date. Reno informed Rude about his girlfriend's affiliations, but Rude already knew. When the Player Turk returned from destroying the monster nest they came across Chelsea attempting to quit Avalanche and defended her from her angered comrades. Chelsea asked the Player Turk to inform Rude she would not meet him anymore, stating that, although she wished it otherwise, the Turks and Avalanche were enemies and could not be together.
Rude pilots a helicopter looking for Zack in Crisis Core.
President Shinra grew impatient to destroy Avalanche and Veld sent Reno and Rude to gather information on Fuhito's new Ravens while the Player Turk was to gather new Turk candidates. The Turks turned against Shinra and decided to help a former SOLDIER member Zack Fair whom Shinra wanted killed, seeking to find him before the Shinra military would. Scouting the areas around Midgar on a helicopter, Rude looked for Zack, but the Turks did not find him in time.
Rude helped Tseng and Reno find where Veld was being held and freed him. Fuhito of Avalanche summoned Zirconiade, the most powerful summon, and Tseng, Reno, Rude, Veld and Elfe were captured by the Shinra military. Shinra bargained that the Turks would be spared if Veld and Elfe were killed, and Tseng feigned to execute them. As Tseng left with Veld and Elfe, Reno and Rude waited for their remaining comrades who were fighting Zirconiade. The Turks destroyed Zirconiade, but the shockwave emitted from its destruction obliterated the construct on which the Turks were standing. Reno and Rude watched in horror as the construction vanished in an explosion of light.
Original continuity
The new incarnation of Avalanche
Rude intercepted Cloud's group when they attempted to escape the Shinra Building with Aerith, and the group was briefly imprisoned. Following Sephiroth's attack on the headquarters and killing President Shinra, the Turks were assigned to hunt him down and gather intel, learning he was heading for Junon. While on their way there, they ran into Cloud and his party in the Mythril Mine. In Gongaga, Reno asked Rude whom he likes, and he revealed it is Tifa.
Rude went on vacation in Wutai Village with his colleagues Elena and Reno where they spent their time drinking at the bar. Shinra notified them of Don Corneo, a man wanted by Shinra, being in the area, but Reno and Rude ignored the orders as they were off duty Elena wanted to put their holiday on hold to take the job, but as she pursued Corneo alone she was kidnapped by him, spurring Reno and Rude into action. They teamed up with Cloud's party and track Corneo down on the Da-chao Statue. Rude's surprise attack caused Don Corneo to lose his balance on the edge of the cliff, and Reno finished the job. Afterward they got a call from Shinra to capture Cloud, but let them go since they are not officially on duty.
Shinra planned to destroy the Meteor approaching the planet by ramming a rocket loaded with Huge Materia into it. Rude oversaw the launch and protected the entrance to the Shinra No. 26 rocket, but could not to stop Cloud and his friends from boarding the spacecraft to steal the Huge Materia on-board. After a Weapon downed the aircraft carrying various Shinra weapons and it plummeted to the Bottom of the Sea, Reno and Rude were sent there to investigate, but ran into Cloud and were defeated by him.
The Turks during Meteorfall.
After Diamond Weapon was killed, and Rufus Shinra—the new CEO of the Shinra Company—was presumed dead, Professor Hojo took over the Sister Ray mako cannon and Cloud's party stormed Midgar to stop him. Rude, Reno and Elena intercepted Cloud and his friends in the Midgar train tunnel, but were no longer committed to the company, and Cloud had a chance of refusing to fight them.
Although not shown in Final Fantasy VII, Reno and Rude helped evacuate Midgar during Meteorfall. Reno oversaw the evacuation of Sector 4, while Rude cleared Sector 2 and Elena cleared Sector 3. Moving to clear Sector 5 together with Tseng, the four were met and assisted by the previous Turks from Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- and their former leader Veld.
Geostigma crisis
Rude.
As depicted in Advent Children, following Meteorfall, Reno and the other Turks remained in the employ of Rufus to help him atone for Shinra Company's actions against the planet. Tseng and Elena were presumed dead after being attacked by the remnants of Sephiroth while extracting Jenova's remains from the Northern Cave. Rude and Reno brought the parcel to Rufus and served as his bodyguards while at the Healen Lodge where they also attempted to recruit Cloud who refused. Kadaj arrived sometime later to abduct Rufus and defeated the two Turks. Reno and Rude made their way to Edge where they fought Yazoo and Loz to protect the children the remnants had kidnapped from the ensuing chaos before aiding Cloud in getting Kadaj after Rufus was rescued and out of harm's way.
Remake continuity
During "Budding Bodyguard", Rude was informed of Reno's fight with Cloud and traveled to the Sector 5 slums by helicopter with the mission to capture Aerith and avenge Reno. He arrived at the Undercity Station with a small squad of Shinra soldiers and ordered some of the men to scout the area.
When Cloud and Aerith returned to town, Rude intercepted them on the road to Aerith’s house. He greeted Aerith, but did not recognize Cloud, although he noticed Cloud's mako-infused eyes matching the description of the one who had beat up Reno. Aerith tried to talk Cloud out of dueling Rude, asserting that he wasn't a bad person; Rude agreed, but acknowledged that he sometimes had to do bad things. Rude readied his fists, telling Cloud not to take it personally. Aerith pleaded for him to leave them alone, but he said she knew he couldn't do that. The duel was cut short when Reno called and informed Rude of a new assignment related to Sector 7. As Rude left by helicopter, he warned Aerith to stay home. She mocked the remark, saying he knew she couldn't do that, leaving him flustered.
During "Haunted", Rude piloted a helicopter en route to the Sector 7 slums, accompanied by Reno. The two awaited further orders regarding their assignment there, receiving a broadcast from Tseng on their mission being approved—the Sector 7 plate was to be dropped with the intent of blaming it on Avalanche while disposing of Barret's cell once and for all. Tseng gave them a plate separation code to be entered on a computer console atop the Sector 7 pillar. During their flight, the two discussed the catastrophic mission ahead, Rude reminding an uneasy Reno that public threats must be summarily put down and that was what they had always done, though he was uneasy as well.
Rude and Reno atop the Sector 7 pillar.
During "Fight for Survival", Rude and Reno continued their aerial assault on the militia defending the pillar, spotting Cloud and firing at him. After Tifa joined Cloud the two scaled the pillar together. Reno tried to shoot at them, but Rude steered the helicopter to the side, preventing any shots from hitting Tifa, claiming that his "hand slipped" to an annoyed Reno. Reno fought Cloud atop the pillar while Rude provided air support until the helicopter was shot down by Barret. Reno picked his partner's shattered sunglasses up from before the wreckage dejectedly, but Rude emerged from the crashed helicopter, putting on a new pair. Rude told Reno he planned on joining him in battle anyway, but the pair was defeated with Barret soon holding Rude at gunpoint. While Cloud's group were impeded by intervening Whispers, Rude sprinted to the computer console, dodging attacks from both Barret and Cloud while knocking Tifa unconscious, and activated the plate separation procedure. He collected a badly beaten Reno and the two escaped by medical helicopter.
The Turks meet in the aftermath of the Sector 7 plate collapse.
During "The Belly of the Beast", Rude and Reno met with Tseng in the General Affairs office within the Shinra Building where they discussed the Sector 7 plate collapse. When Rude questioned if their assignment was necessary, Tseng attempted to justify it. Rude was unconvinced, disturbed by his director's words. The meeting was adjourned after the Turks received a call from Rufus Shinra—vice president of the Shinra Electric Power Company.
Rude piloted Rufus's helicopter to bring him to the Shinra Building's helipad, and shot at Cloud when he tried to interrupt the Shinra soldiers ordered to secure Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII. After Rufus's defeat, Rude and Reno flew him to safety. Tseng later informed Rufus that Rude and Reno were on standby awaiting orders, and Rufus ordered him to bring them in.
Gameplay
Final Fantasy VII
Rude can be fought four times, but only battle is set. The rare Ziedrich armor can be stolen from Rude during the later encounters.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Rude is fought twice, once in the Sector 5 Slums near Aerith's house, and again at the Sector 7 Slums tower, alongside Reno. In the first fight, he will avoid attacking Aerith directly, and will try to instead incapacitate her while doing minimal damage; in the second fight, he will do the same to Tifa. If the player casts Sleep on him in battle, he says his partner's name "Reno" in his sleep ("aibou" in the Japanese version).
Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
Rude is fought in the Training Mode.
Other appearances
Rude appears in the following Final Fantasy media:
- Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia as a playable character.
- Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character.
- Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade as a playable character.
- Final Fantasy Artniks as a card.
- Final Fantasy Record Keeper as a playable character and a boss.
- Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as a series of cards.
Behind the scenes
During the making of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the animators noted Rude was the easiest character to animate due to his baldness and minimal facial expressions resulting from Rude's sunglasses and character, although the animators did animate his eyes behind the sunglasses in case fans caught a glimpse of them in some scenes.[citation needed]
Because Rude avoided harming Tifa during battles in Final Fantasy VII, it was decided that he wouldn't actively attack any women in Final Fantasy VII Remake—neither Aerith nor Tifa. Because battles wouldn't work if he didn't attack the two at all, he was made less aggressive, putting them to sleep instead of attacking them.[7]
Voice
Rude is voiced by Taiten Kusunoki in the Japanese versions of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-, and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
He is voiced by Crispin Freeman in the English versions of Crisis Core and Advent Children.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania, p. 053
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Requests for the Mercenary"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Operation: Save Aerith"
- ↑ Final Fantasy 7 Remake Material Ultimania, Page 282
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII, Turks:Rude AI script
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "To the Top"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sal Romano (n.d.) . "Final Fantasy Portal Site: Digging Deep into the World of Final Fantasy VII Remake special interview part one". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 16:17, August 06, 2020 (UTC).