The Final Fantasy series is full to the brim with some of the greatest JRPGs ever made, with one particular title making waves in the industry upon launch and turning any subsequent game in the genre into a guaranteed success during the era of the PlayStation. It goes without saying that this game is Final Fantasy VII — a landmark title that has stood the test of time as one of the best games ever made.
There are many reasons as to why Final Fantasy VII was such a monumental success, and props should definitely be given to the brilliant cast of characters in the title, who end up making the experience all the more memorable due to their rich and unique personalities. Even a character like Rufus who isn't even featured all that prominently in the game still ended up being an iconic character in his own right.
Keeping this in mind, here are ten things about Rufus Shinra had absolutely no idea about.
10 Rufus' Design In Advent Children Was Meant To Convey A Sense Of Mystery
Anyone who's seen Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children can attest to the fact that Rufus was easily one of the most mysterious and secretive characters in the entire movie.
This was an intentional move — the fact that Rufus had a sheet covering his face along with a soft voice was puposedly designed to convey this feeling of mystery.
9 There's A Line That Rufus Utters In Advent Children That Nomura Acknowledged As Being Quite Ironic
After revealing that he had the remains of JENOVA under his wheelchair throughout the movie, Kadaj ends up being dumdfounded... following which Rufus utters one of the best dialogues in Final Fantasy history.
He makes a snide comment by saying, "a good son would've known" — something that Tetsuya Nomura found deliciously ironic for obvious reasons.
8 He Has Two Half-Brothers As Well
One thing that most people might not know about Rufus is the fact that his father actually had two illegitimate children with different mothers.
The first one was revealed in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core as Lazard Deusericus, a child that President Shinra had with a woman from the slums. Meanwhile, his second younger half-brother, Evan Townsend, was revealed in Final Fantasy VII — The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story as the result of a tryst between President Shinra and his secretary, Annette.
7 His Father Used Rufus' Birthdate To Lock Everything In Shinra
Even though one might assume that Rufus and his father weren't really all that close — given the cold reaction of the former after the latter's death — the truth might show otherwise.
After all, the fact that President Shinra used Rufus' birthdate as the passcode for pretty much everything in Shinra Headquarters is proof enough that he definitely did care for his son in his own twisted way.
6 His Suggestion As A Kid Led To The Creation Of Numerous Escape Routes in The Shinra Headquarters
As a five-year-old, an enthusiastic Rufus recommended that his father add escape routes in Shinra Headquarters after seeing a blueprint of this building.
While President Shinra was somewhat iffy about this plan, he ultimately ended up approving this idea — something that helped save Rufus' life further down the line.
5 He Avoided Diamond Weapon's Attack By Using These Escape Routes
In the original game, Diamond Weapon ends up unleasing a devastating beam attack upon Shinra Headquarters, which ends up destroying the entire building... along with everyone in it, including Rufus himself.
However, as per Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, it turns out that Rufus actually ended up using the escape routes that his father had installed — on his recommendation, no less — to escape this blast.
4 The Coins He Uses In Final Fantasy VII Remake Reflects The Various Facets Of His Personality
The fight against Rufus and Darkstar in the Final Fantasy VII Remake is no pushover, and any player who ends up assuming this encounter to be just as easy as the one in the original game is bound to be in for a rude wake-up call indeed.
One thing that Rufus tends to do during this fight is use a coin for his moves. The two faces of this coin show both facets of his personality — one side has an emblem with the words 'Shinra Inc.", which is meant to showcase his ambitious side. Meanwhile, the other side has the face of Darkstar, which embodies his will to instil fear as a controlling tool.
3 He's The Inspiration For Dauragon C. Mikado, The Antagonist For The Bouncer
The Bouncer is a forgotten beat-'em-up released by Square Enix that pretty much failed upon launch. However, its antagonist is still somewhat interesting... mainly due to his ties with another character from Final Fantasy VII.
Similar to Rufus Shinra, Dauragon also inherits a massive multi-billion dollar company and wants to use fear as a way to control the populce, which is definitely more than just a coincidence.
2 His Name Means Red-Haired... Even Though He's Not
In Latin, Rufus means red-haired — a rather odd meaning, given the fact that nothing about Rufus is indicative of the fact that this name means anything to him.
If anything, this name would've been more apt for Reno, due to the rather apt color of his hair in this context.
1 The Speech He Given Post His Father's Death Is Completely Meaningless
After his father passes away and he takes over the reins, Rufus gives an impassioned speech about how he would learn from his father's mistakes and use fear as an effective tool to force the people into living subservient lives.
It's a textbook bad guy speech that has absolutely no meaning whatsoever once the player ends up fighting him, post which he ends up being an observer who constantly plays second fiddle to the imposing presence of Sephiroth.