Final Fantasy VII is considered by many to be one of the greatest games released on the original PlayStation, and perhaps the greatest JRPG of all time. There's no denying that the golden age of JRPGs would've probably not even happened had it not been for the rampant success of Final Fantasy VII, which ended up opening the blast doors in the most resounding manner possible when it came to showing the potential of this particular genre.
A big part of what made Final Fantasy VII such an enduring and legendary product is definitely its wide cast of beloved characters. The fact that even an optional party member like Vincent Valentine ended up becoming one of the most popular characters in the game is a testament to the strong character writing and rabid fan following of this particular title. Keeping this in mind, here are ten things about Vincent that most people had no idea about.
10 He Can Equip Sephiroth's Masamune In The Game... With Interesting Results
One thing to note about Sephiroth's Masamune is the fact that it's one of the most powerful weapons in the game... and can also be equipped by Vincent if the player hacks this weapon into their inventory!
The funny part about this is that Vincent still wields this weapon like a gun, with the slash animation still playing after a "shot" is fired. It's a rather odd yet interesting fact about this character that most people would have no clue about.
9 His Death Penalty Has The Potential To Completely Break The Game
Seeking out every character's ultimate weapon in Final Fantasy games is pretty much a ritual of sorts at this point, but Vincent's Death Penalty is a weapon that might not be worth it due to its low damage output... unless, that is, the player gets a considerable number of kills with this weapon.
After killing a whopping total of 65408 enemies, using the Death Penalty triggers the Damage Overflow glitch which pretty much one-shots most enemies in the game... including the feared Emerald Weapon itself.
8 His Backstory Changed Several Times Over The Course Of The Series
Vincent's backstory as a member of the Turks who ended up being used for Hojo's experiments was a rather unique background indeed... and something that was intensely debated within the development team.
Other iterations of this backstory included Vincent being everything from a horror researcher to even a chemist! One particular backstory that was worked upon quite a bit was him being a detective who took on weird supernatural cases, with one particular case being that of unveiling Shinra's secrets... only for him to get caught and experimented on by Hojo.
7 Early Concept Art Showed Him Wielding A Scythe Instead Of A Gun
While Vincent's skills with a gun are something that most fans are already well aware of, there was a slight possibility that he would've never even used this weapon in the first place!
After all, early concept art showed him wielding a scythe instead. This would've made for a cool weapon... but the idea was ultimately scrapped in favor of firearms.
6 He Was Supposed To Be Way More Suave And Social, As Opposed To His Aloof Demeanor
With his background as a detective, Vincent was also meant to be more charismatic instead, functioning as a self-labeled ladies man of sorts whose dialogues would've been way more smooth... and frequent.
This idea was ultimately scrapped along with his detective backstory, turning him into the silent yet imposing presence that fans know and love to this day.
5 His Name Is Meant As A Reference To His Heartbreak, Courtesy Of Hojo And Lucrecia
The names of most characters in Final Fantasy games hold some sort of meaning or the other, which should make it pretty clear as to what the name 'Vincent Valentine' is meant to allude to.
It's obvious that Vincent's last name is a reference to him falling for Lucrecia... only to be thwarted by Hojo who ended up killing his love and subjecting him to experiments that turned him into a monstrosity of sorts.
4 He Has Some Of The Lowest Stats In The Entire Game
Vincent might seem like a rather imposing character who'll be effective in battle... but that's not even remotely the case. In fact, he has some of the weakest stats of anyone in the entire game!
His only stat that is even worth a mention is Magic, which is second only to Aerith. Given the fact that she dies in the game, it would make sense to keep him around to make the most of a magic cast instead.
3 He Was Supposed To Appear In The Original Kingdom Hearts
When the idea of Kingdom Hearts came into existence, the idea of both Cloud and Vincent making an appearance in the game was considered. However, this idea was nixed further down the line... but not all of Vincent's presence was completely removed from the game.
While only Cloud makes an appearance from Final Fantasy VII, he still has various aspects of Vincent's attire incorporated into his design. such as his red cloak and gauntlet.
2 Various Candidates Were Considered For A Final Fantasy Shooter Before Vincent Was Selected
Dirge of Cerberus might not be the greatest addition to Final Fantasy VII's esteemed legacy, but there's no denying the fact that it's still a fun little ride in its own way.
That being said, the concept for a Final Fantasy shooter actually had a number of other candidates before Vincent was finalized. Other potential protagonists included Barret (for obvious reasons), Yuna from Final Fantasy X-2, and Irvine from Final Fantasy VIII as well.
1 Vincent Could've Potentially Been Cut From The Final Product Due To Time Constraints
There's a reason why Vincent is an optional party member even after all the work that was put into connecting his story with Hojo and the creation of Sephiroth himself — this was a compromise that was settled upon due to time constraints.
Crunch is something that is fairly common in the video game industry, and Final Fantasy VII wasn't able to avoid this sad reality either. During this crunch period, the developers initially thought of removing Vincent from the final product altogether. Thankfully, a compromise was reached, and Vincent ended up being an optional character so that he wouldn't have to be a focal point during FMVs, main story events, and anything else along the same lines.