List of Final Fantasy VIII characters
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Square Co., Ltd.'s computer role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII dealt with the activities of an elite group of mercenaries called SeeDs.
[edit] Main playable characters
[edit] Squall Leonhart
Squall Leonhart (スコール・レオンハート Sukōru Reonhāto?) is the main protagonist and a young student at Balamb Garden, recognized by most for the scar by his left eye given to him by Seifer. He does not talk much and has the reputation of being a lone wolf. As Squall's story progresses, he falls in love with Rinoa; the two become a main focal point in the game. Squall is also characterized by forlorn memories of standing out in the rain at the orphanage where he grew up, wondering where "Sis" (an older girl he saw as a sister-figure) went. Squall uses a weapon called a Gunblade, which is essentially a sword with a revolver built into it; the barrel forms the spine of the single-edged blade. This weapon deals extra damage if the player squeezes the controller's R1 trigger button while attacking, likely to simulate the use of the trigger on his Gunblade. His Limit Break, a series of sword attacks called Renzokuken, can be similarly enhanced.
[edit] Rinoa Heartilly
Rinoa Heartilly (リノア・ハーティリー Rinoa Hātirī?) is the main female protagonist in Final Fantasy VIII, the 17-year-old daughter of General Caraway, a high-ranking officer in the Galbadian army, and Julia Heartilly, a successful pianist and singer. Rinoa is a member of the Forest Owls, a small resistance faction seeking to liberate the small nation of Timber from Galbadian occupation. Rinoa first meets Squall Leonhart, the male protagonist of the game, at a ball at Balamb Garden, where she manages to charm—albeit somewhat aggressively—the usually taciturn and unfriendly Squall into dancing with her. Her purpose for visiting the Garden is revealed when the Forest Owls hire Squall, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt as mercenaries. She stays with them as they are forced to flee Timber, and ends up travelling along with them, eventually falling in love with Squall. In battle, she uses a weapon that is called a Blaster Edge which has one shot that returns like a boomerang. Her Combine Limit Break is a combination of attacks from Rinoa and her dog, Angelo (not entirely unlike Shadow's attacks with Interceptor in Final Fantasy VI.) As the story nears completion and Rinoa gains Sorceress powers she gains a second Limit Break, Angel Wing, that reflects her increased spell-casting powers.
[edit] Quistis Trepe
Quistis Trepe (キスティス・トゥリープ Kisutisu Turīpu?) enrolled at Balamb Garden at the age of ten and joined SeeD at fifteen. Shortly thereafter, she became an instructor for Balamb Garden. At the beginning of the game, she serves as Squall's instructor, assisting him in preparing for his SeeD field exam. However, it is not too long before she is demoted as an instructor because the Garden administration, at the time, feels that she lacks leadership qualities. Later on, however, after administration of the Garden is seized from NORG, Headmaster Cid Kramer reinstates Quistis. Her weapons are increasingly powerful forms of whip (beginning with a chain whip that appears to be electrified, and working up to some nasty spiked weapons.) Quistis' Limit Break, Blue Magic, allows her to take abilities from items found throughout the game, some of which are extremely potent. For instance, Shockwave Pulsar is one of the few attacks in the game that can do quintuple-digit damage.
[edit] Zell Dincht
Zell Dincht (ゼル・ディン Zeru Din?) specializes in martial arts and joined Balamb Garden at the age of 13 to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a great soldier. Personality-wise, he is much like Sabin in Final Fantasy VI, though not exactly. He is enthusiastic, high-spirited, and loyal to a fault as he sometimes blurts things out without thinking, and his anger can get the better of him. Zell's weapon appears to be a modified Bagh-nakh, but most of the damage done comes from his fists. His Limit Break, Duel, allow fighting-game-style combo moves. His "Armageddon Fist" is a fan-invented attack, which cycles between Punch Rush and Booya, has the capability to rack up damage comparable to Lionheart. It takes a prodigous amount of time to do, however it causes much damage.
[edit] Irvine Kinneas
Irvine Kinneas (アーヴァイン・キニアス Āvain Kiniasu?) is a student at Galbadia Garden, referred to as the 'Best Shooter in Garden' due to his sharpshooting abilities. He is also a self-proclaimed ladies man, and attempts to charm Selphie several times throughout the game (with possible success, depending on one's interpretation of later events). He has, however, been known to lose his cool under extreme pressure. He is also the first to remember that he, Squall, Ellone, Selphie, Quistis, Zell and Seifer all grew up in the same orphanage (the use of GFs are later implicated in the memory loss). His weapon is the rifle. His Limit Break, Shot, uses ammunition from the party's Item reserve to inflict damage and possibly change status.
[edit] Selphie Tilmitt
Selphie Tilmitt (セルフィ・ティルミット Serufi Tirumitto?) seems out of place at a military academy. She has an overbearingly naïve view of the world, and is always there when people need cheering up. She uses simple moves, but is strangely reminiscent of Yuffie Kisaragi from Final Fantasy VII. Her Limit Break, Slot, randomly serves a spell to cast (including four that are not found elsewhere) and the number of times she will cast it; the player can choose to either go with this option or try again. The type of weapon she uses is called nunchaku in the NTSC (Japanese and North America) versions and shinobou (sticks of death) in the PAL versions due to SBBFC restrictions on depictions of nunchaku introduced in 1975[1].
[edit] Laguna Loire
Laguna Loire (ラグナ・レウァール Raguna Rewāru?) is a former Galbadian soldier who has turned journalist and seeks to tell the world about the horrors of war. He is optimistic and fueled with a passion to assist those in need. He is, however, extremely clumsy. The party first joins him in the Galbadian city of Deling, where he displays his infatuation with a lounge pianist named Julia; however, he is never able to return and see her again, as a reconnaissance mission within enemy territory renders him desperately injured, barely able to escape to the town of Winhill and, by the time he recuperates, he is too attached to the community—and specifically Raine and Ellone—to return. Laguna proposes to Raine, who accepts, but shortly thereafter, Ellone is kidnapped by soldiers of the technologically advanced isolationist nation of Esthar. Laguna infiltrates Esthar to rescue Ellone, and is inadvertently swept up into a revolution that deposes Esthar's ruler, the Sorceress Adel. He is subsequently elected president. He later learns of Raine's death and that Ellone has gone missing, but events continue to tie him to Esthar, and it is there that Squall and company eventually meet him, having experienced his earlier adventures through Ellone. A number of dialogue exchanges and storyline events strongly imply that Raine is Squall's mother and Laguna his father. Laguna's weapon is the machine gun. His Limit Break, Desperado, involves a rope hanging in midair, a grenade, a lot of fire from his gun, and some action-movie-style camera angles.
[edit] Edea Kramer
Edea Kramer (イデア Idea?) is presented early in Final Fantasy VIII as a power-hungry sorceress who takes control of Galbadia. Her motives are initially unknown, but SeeD is dispatched to eliminate her. It is eventually revealed that Edea is not evil, but rather possessed by an evil sorceress from the future called Ultimecia. When Ultimecia releases Edea, she takes the side of the SeeDs in the struggle, and for a short time even joins the party. Later on, Edea accidentally gives her powers to Rinoa, making her a sorceress. She attacks with magical bursts of energy, and her Limit Break, Ice Strike, forms and hurls a giant icicle. This Limit Break is depicted in a scene at the end of Disc 1 when Ultimecia uses it on Squall while possessing Edea's body. Her full name is Edea Kramer, and we learn that she is actually the wife of Headmaster Cid of Balamb Garden, and was known as "Matron" to Squall and his friends during the time when they lived with her at the orphanage in the continent of Centra.
[edit] Seifer Almasy
Seifer Almasy (サイファー・アルマシー Saifā Arumashī?) is a classmate and rival to Squall. Seifer is a powerful warrior, but his ego and inability to follow orders have made him "problematic." During the introduction sequence, he cuts Squall across the face, giving him a scar near his left eye, but is soon after given an almost identical scar near his right eye by Squall in return. He is said to have met and dated Rinoa during a summer school term in Balamb Garden (before she met Squall). Spurred by dreams of a brighter future, he joined with the Sorceress Edea (whom he recognized as the woman who ran the orphanage he grew up in with the main protagonists), out of the promise to be a 'knight' in her new world order, a role which plays towards his vanity, but also to what seems to be an unaffected sense of nobility and honor. It is also believed that Seifer may have had his views brainwashed with a spell, due to his sudden change in attitude toward his assassination of Edea and his "dream" changing from "Romantic" to "Becoming a Knight", but his honor keeps him from the Sorceress Edea's full control. However, it should be noted that from the initial computer panel at the start of the game, a book, Sorceress' Knight: Scenario Edition is listed as overdue. Presumably this is taken out by Seifer, and therefore it is implied at least somewhat Seifer wished this role for himself. At Seifer's point of view, Squall and the others are the "criminals" and he recognizes himself as the hero. He also uses a gunblade, the specific name of his model being Hyperion. His Limit Break is called Fire Cross and his first skill is called No Mercy (he obtains the other later, but he is no longer playable by this point).
Seifer appears as a member of Twilight Town's Disciplinary Committee in Kingdom Hearts II. He is a few years younger than he is in Final Fantasy VIII, similar clothing, but his jacket is sleeveless, he does not have his necklace, wears a black stocking cap, and has a shorter shirt. He still has his scar despite his younger age than Leon (Squall). In the Japanese version of the game, he is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, and in the English version, he is voiced by Will Friedle.
[edit] Kiros Seagill
Kiros Seagill (キロス・シーゲル Kirosu Shīgeru?) is Laguna's close friend and comrade in the Galbadian Army who possesses a very caring personality and sharp wit. He is light on his feet and fights with dual blades called "katal" (an incorrectly romanized version of the word "katar") that he wears on both arms; his Limit Break, Blood Pain, is a barrage of attacks.
Following the disastrous mission in Centra, Kiros was separated from Laguna and Ward. He heals quickly and decides to leave the Galbadian army, but soon finds life without Laguna is lacking excitement. Kiros resolves to discover his whereabouts, a search that takes the better part of a year to complete and finally brings him to Winhill. Surprised by Laguna's willingness to settle, Kiros reminds his friend of his journalistic aspirations. When Laguna is forced to leave Winhill to find Ellone, Kiros accompanies him, helping him earn money to fund the expedition. Kiros remains by Laguna's side throughout his adventures in Esthar, earning a place as an advisor to the unlikely president. When a fight is over you can see Kiros doing a bow, or salute similar of that in Final Fantasy X
[edit] Ward Zabac
Ward Zabac (ウォード・ザバック Wōdo Zabakku?) is Laguna's other close friend. He lost his voice in a battle with Cyborg Esthar soldiers. He has a kind heart and follows closely with his friends and comrades, Laguna and Kiros. Ward is very large and quite strong; he throws an enormous harpoon in battle, and rides it down in his Limit Break (Massive Anchor). He becomes an official in Esthar alongside Laguna, directing affairs with gestures and his characteristic ellipses. Due to their closeness, Laguna and especially Kiros can understand Ward's silent expressions. When talking to him as Squall, Kiros will translate.
[edit] Other major characters
[edit] Ultimecia
Ultimecia (アルティミシア Arutimishia?) is the sorceress that SeeD was formed to defeat, and is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VIII, though this is discovered quite late in the game, as she operates through the body of Edea Kramer prior to this revelation. While possessing Edea, Ultimecia gains control of Galbadia, and later possesses Rinoa in order to release Sorceress Adel from her tomb. Afterward, Ultimecia abandons Rinoa, leaving her to die in space, but Rinoa is rescued and Ultimecia is soon fought and defeated. A sorceress from the future, Ultimecia is extremely malevolent and capable of reaching back through time via a special machine in order to possess other sorceresses and manipulate them. Fully aware of her predestined fate to die at SeeD's hands, she desires to conquer it through casting the spell called "Time Compression," which would cause all eras to merge. She could then absorb the power of all the sorceresses throughout history and absorb all space-time itself, essentially becoming a god to direct all creation as she pleased. Ironically, it is through her desire to alter the past and cheat her fate that she fulfills the terms of her destiny (defeat at the hands of Squall Leonhart and his comrades) and perpetuates the cycle that will lead to the formation of SeeD. This is an example of the predestination paradox.
It also seems to be indicated that her actions will result in her suffering intense persecution before she ever actually commits the deeds for which she is scorned. Future generations, aware of the coming of Ultimecia thanks to her failed attempt at Time Compression, react with hostility toward all sorceresses, fearing that any one of them could eventually become the "cold-blooded tyrant" that history remembers her as. This prejudice, in turn with her fear of death, is perhaps what drove Ultimecia — condemned for crimes she had not even yet committed — to evil in the first place, thus perpetuating the cycle.
[edit] Cid Kramer
Cid Kramer (シド・クレイマー Shido Kureimā?) is the headmaster of Balamb Garden. He is a wise, peaceful man and is much respected by Squall and his companions. The loyalty of the Balamb student body is tested when an internal staff conflict is sparked between the headmaster and the Garden Master, NORG; however most of the students and faculty remain loyal to Cid and return him to power. It is possible that the estranged Cid and Edea are named Kramer as a reference to the Dustin Hoffman film Kramer vs Kramer, since Cid and Edea are seen as leaders of opposing factions in the early part of the game, despite being married.
[edit] Ellone
Ellone (エルオーネ Eruōne?) is a mysterious girl who wanders in and out of Balamb Garden, and who knows Squall from his past; she is the missing "Sis" he has been looking for. It is later revealed that she has a bizarre power: the ability to send a person's consciousness back in time and into the body of another, so they can watch and sometimes influence the actions of said other. She uses this talent to send Squall and his friends into Laguna's past adventures in the hopes that they will be able to alter the past; however, she eventually concedes that history cannot ever be altered. Her parents were killed by Galbadian soldiers during an occupation, and she then lived with Raine until she was captured by Esthar soldiers.
[edit] Fujin
Fujin (風神 Fūjin?) is a young woman with pale skin, short silver hair, and an eye patch. She makes up one third of the Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee with Seifer and Raijin. She is incredibly dedicated to both men, never leaving Raijin's side despite the exasperation he often causes her, and remaining loyal to Seifer even when it requires siding with her bitter enemies. Fujin speaks in single-word sentences, which she normally yells. These pronouncements typically summarize her emotional state or declare pejorative statements, for example "RAGE!" and "LIES!". In the Japanese version of the game, she speaks in single exclamated Kanji characters. Towards the end of the game, her speech pattern returns to normal, when she makes a very articulate and heartfelt plea to Squall and his companions to save Seifer from himself. In battle, Fujin wields a chakram, which she throws at her opponents, similar to Rinoa's pinwheels. She is named after the Japanese god of wind, Fujin, and carries the game's wind-based Guardian Force.
Fujin appears as a member of Seifer's gang in Kingdom Hearts II. She is slightly younger than her Final Fantasy VIII self, shown without her eyepatch (her hair is covering her eye instead) and going by the name "Fuu". In the Japanese version of the game, she is voiced by Rio Natsuki, and in the English version, she is voiced by Jillian Bowen.
[edit] Raijin
Raijin (雷神?) is a strong looking partner of Fujin. He makes up one third of the Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee with Seifer and Fujin. He is a very laid back and rather slow-witted person. Whenever he and Fujin appear together, Fujin is clearly the one in charge, but Raijin is the one who does all the talking. He always ends his sentences with "ya know," and sometimes opts out of explaining difficult things, like Seifer's supposed "execution" by Galbadia, simply by saying "ya know." He stands loyally by Seifer even as he turns away from SeeD and Garden and sides with the enemy, the Sorceress Edea. Raijin clearly has no animosity towards Squall and his friends, he is just following Seifer's orders. Near the end of the game, Raijin comes to the realization that Seifer is headed down a very dark path, one which he cannot in good conscience follow. Along with Fujin, he desperately pleads with Squall and the others to help save Seifer from himself before he does something truly terrible. In battle, Raijin uses a long staff with two large battering weights on either end. He is named after the Japanese god of thunder, Raijin. In the ending, FMV he is celebrating the fact he caught a large fish while fishing until Fujin kicks him off the pier into the water.
Raijin also appears as a member of Seifer's gang in Kingdom Hearts II and is slightly younger than his Final Fantasy VIII self as well. He goes by the name "Rai" and like his Final Fantasy VIII self, ends all his sentences with "ya know" (except spelled "y'know"). In the Japanese version of the game, he is voiced by Kazuya Nakai; in the English version, he is voiced by Brandon Adams.
[edit] Adel
Adel (アデル Aderu?) is a sorceress who rose to power in Esthar and is the initiator of the Sorceress War. As the ruler, she had her soldiers abduct every girl who might serve as her successor, such as Ellone. During the revolution, she was tricked by Laguna and placed in suspended animation in space. Seventeen years later, after losing control of Edea, Ultimecia possessed Rinoa and used her to free Adel to serve as a new vessel. Adel was later revived in the Lunatic Pandora and was defeated by Squall and his party when she tried to absorb Rinoa.
Adel's Tomb was responsible for the radio interference that had blanketed the world since its activation, due to the construction of the wave jammer to prevent Adel's powers from manifesting. During her incarceration, Adel was able to project messages within the powerful signal, visible once on a screen, that read "I AM ALIVE HERE", "BRING ME BACK THERE" and "I WILL NEVER LET YOU FORGET ABOUT ME".
Despite Adel being technically a Sorceress, in game, she has taken on a masculine appearance. It is most notable due to her bare chest, since it resembles a man's, showing no signs of breast development, but well-defined pectorial muscles. The presence of large arm muscles further promotes her masculine guise.
[edit] Minor characters
[edit] Biggs and Wedge
Biggs and Wedge are members of the Galbadian Army, Biggs being the superior officer to Wedge, an enlisted man. They are recurring characters in the story, crossing paths with the main character party on three occasions during the game. A source of comic relief, the duo are bested by the main characters each time and demoted in rank as a result. The last encounter in the game suggests that they both quit the Galbadian Army. Their names keep with the Square tradition of naming two minor characters in most Final Fantasy games Biggs and Wedge (Magitek soldiers in Final Fantasy VI, members of AVALANCHE in Final Fantasy VII, and freelance Blitzball players in Final Fantasy X) and they also share their names with two X-Wing pilots in Star Wars: Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles. They share a Triple Triad card, but it is a monster card, not a boss card.
[edit] Card Club Members
The Card Club or CC Group are the Triple Triad fanatics of Balamb Garden. They consist of:
- Jack, who was the first to mention the CC Group to Squall. He is also the first member to challenge Squall once he had considerable skill in Triple Triad,
- Knight Club, who is only interested in playing Triple Triad with Squall, and says nothing else except "Draw..." to challenge him,
- Princess Diamond, who is a pair of female Garden students and holds many of Triple Triad's high level cards,
- Prince Spade, who gave Squall his first deck of Triple Triad cards,
- Queen Heart, who is Xu and holds many high level cards, which includes the Carbuncle card,
- Magician Joker, who holds the Leviathan card. He updates the battle meter and acts as a shopkeeper in Balamb Garden's training center and the Ragnarok spaceship, and,
- Master King, who is actually Quistis, and holds many high level cards, including the Gilgamesh card.
Once Squall begins his quest in the Triple Triad game, he is considered one of the best players, and the CC Group members begins to challenge him one after another until Squall finally bests Master King. They will be caught in the Time Compression, and survive by boarding the spaceship Ragnarok with the determination to challenge Squall once again.
[edit] General Caraway
General Fury Caraway is a member of the Galbadian military. He advises the main characters in the game on their mission to assassinate Sorceress Edea. He married Julia Heartilly after she lost contact with Laguna, and is Rinoa's father. He opposes Sorceress Edea's rise as Galbadian ambassador and is involved in the SeeD assassination plot. Caraway and Rinoa do not get along and they have a very cold relationship, in which Rinoa refers to Caraway as "that man." He does love his daughter and does not want to see her get hurt, as demonstrated when he attempted to lock her in a room while the assassination plot takes place, as well as his efforts to free her from the Galbadian Desert Prison. General Caraway was an admirer of Julia Heartilly, and was jealous of Julia's admiration for Laguna and such, he issued an order to send Laguna to war. It seemed to him that Laguna would never come back, and Caraway comforted Julia during this time. Eventually they fell in love, got married and had a daughter whom they named Rinoa. After the assassination attempt on Sorceress Edea, he was dismissed of his duties as General.
[edit] Chocoboy
Chocoboy is a young boy who places himself in charge of the puzzles in Chocobo Forest. He supplies Squall with Gysahl Greens, plus tips to help capture the Chicobos needed to call the Mother Chocobo in each forest. He's a little greedy, but generally well-meaning.
[edit] Vinzer Deling
Vinzer Deling is the President of Galbadia. During the course of the game, Deling appoints Sorceress Edea as a so-called "peace ambassador" to resolve problems Galbadia had with other nations. Later in the game, Martine tells the party that Deling chose Edea because he knew that other nations feared Edea as she was a sorceress. Using this fear, he aims to control the other nations. However, Deling meets his untimely death in the hands of Edea during the welcoming ceremony he arranged for her at Deling City.
[edit] Ma Dincht
Ma Dincht is the adoptive mother of Zell, who thinks of him fondly as her own son. It was not until later in the game did Zell discover that he was adopted.
[edit] Mayor Dobe and Flo
Mayor Dobe is the pacifist mayor of the pacifist Fisherman's Horizon. He and his wife Flo detest violence and stubbornly oppose the Garden's presence in his territory. He was somewhat mollifed after Squall and his party save the Mayor from certain death when the Galbadian Army invades Fisherman Horizon.
[edit] Julia Heartilly
Julia Heartilly (ジュリア・ハーティリー Juria Hātirī?) was a resident lounge pianist at a Galbadian hotel frequented by Laguna during his soldiering days. After being admired by Laguna from afar for some time, Julia approached him and introduced herself one night. They spent the evening talking. Julia confessed to Laguna that she had always dreamed of writing her own songs and becoming a singer. Inspired by his encouragements, she eventually established herself with the hit single "Eyes On Me". Unfortunately, Laguna was shipped out on new orders the following day and ensuing circumstances prevented him from ever returning. Julia eventually married top-ranking Galbadian military officer General Caraway and had a daughter, Rinoa. She was killed in an automobile accident just before Rinoa turned five years old.
Julia is the only character in the game with a named character theme, Julia, which is a piano arrangement of Eyes On Me.
[edit] The Great Hyne
The Great Hyne is the god mentioned in the Final Fantasy VIII creation myth and the one responsible for creating people. A fragment of Hyne's own power was given to the sorceresses, thus calling a sorceress "the Great Hyne's descendant" bears a mark of respect. Hyne also appears in Final Fantasy III, where he is a skeletal wizard, who terrorises the people of Agrass from a flying tree. His clothing is remarkably similar to the second form of the "many sorceresses" battle in Final Fantasy VIII.
[edit] Dr. Kadowaki
Dr. Kadowaki is the Balamb Garden doctor who tended to Squall's wounds after the fight with Seifer in the opening sequence. Despite her serious demeanor, she cares for the students. She used to be a good Triple Triad player and was the CC Group's King until she lost to Quistis.
[edit] Lank and Port
Lank and Port are the Tech Squad of Trabia Garden, assisting in the repairs following the Trabia Missile Incident.
[edit] Raine Loire
Raine was Laguna's second love, whom he met after she found him lying injured at the bottom of a cliff and brought him back to her home town of Winhill to recover. Being very direct and self-sufficient, she was irked at first by Laguna's perpetual bumbling and reluctance to express himself outright, but the two eventually grew quite close and were later married, though Laguna seldom revealed this after Raine died (possibly in childbirth). Evidence points to her being Squall's mother along with the fact it is strongly implied Laguna is Squall's father.
After Laguna became President of Esthar, his duties as President stymied his efforts to return to Winhill, and thus Raine died without Laguna at her side. She died after giving birth to a child, which (along with Ellone) was taken away to an orphanage. It is strongly implied that Squall was that child, as evidenced by his special relationship with Ellone.
[edit] Martine
Martine was the head of Galbadia Garden and was ordered to use his SeeDs to carry out the assassination plot against the Sorceress. Squall and his team traveled to Galbadia Garden after fleeing Timber, and Martine tells them that it is their responsibility to assassinate the Sorceress in hopes that he would remain safe. His actions helped trigger the conflict within Balamb Garden when Garden Master NORG tried to kill Headmaster Cid to appease Sorceress Edea after the failed assassination plot. Edea, Seifer, and the Galbadian army seize Galbadia Garden and Martine flees to the pacifist city of Fisherman's Horizon. He confiscated many Triple Triad cards from students at the Garden and spends his days outside of the mayor's house playing Triple Triad. Originally named Dodona in the Japanese version of the game (about which see below.)
[edit] Nida, Piet, and Dodona
Nida, Piet, and Dodona are noteworthy due to their names. Nida, a student at Balamb Garden who passes the SeeD exam along with Squall and later pilots the mobile base, is named after Captain Needa. Piet, the chief of operations at the Lunar Base, is named after Admiral Piett. Both Needa and Piett were Imperial naval officers appearing in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Dodona, the Garden Master of Galbadia Garden and subordinate to NORG, is named after General Dodonna, a Rebel leader who appeared in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Dodona was renamed Martine in the English version of the game for reasons unknown. Ergo, Final Fantasy VIII is the only game in the Final Fantasy series to not merely follow the tradition of including Star Wars character names via Biggs and Wedge, but to also expand on it by introducing more Star Wars names. However, a reference to Piett was made in the game Chrono Trigger, when visiting the Tent of Horrors - the lowest-cost option instigates a game of three-card monte with three soldiers, named Vicks (a deviation from the more usual Biggs, used before in the American release of Final Fantasy 3(6J)), Wedge and Piette.
[edit] NORG
NORG is an exiled Shumi residing on the lower B1 floor of Balamb Garden. A venture capitalist, he lent Cid Kramer the money to build and develop the Garden years before the story begins, and took the position of Garden Master upon its completion. NORG is much more concerned about the revenue acquired by SeeD as a mercenary organization rather than their noble duty of opposing the Sorceress. He is considered a "black sheep" of the Shumi tribe, and contrary to Shumi social mores, he often flaunts the palms of his hands for all to see.
After hearing about a failed assassination attempt on Sorceress Edea, NORG begins to distrust Headmaster Cid and attempts a coup of Balamb Garden, causing a minor 'civil war' to erupt between factions loyal to the Headmaster and Garden Master. Feigning loyalty to the Sorceress, he attempts to kill the SeeDs who carried out the failed assassination. After he is defeated in battle, he enters a cocoon-like state. If the player returns to the lower B1 level of Balamb Garden later in the game, a group of Shumis are seen to have come to retrieve NORG's cocoon, only to find it had hatched. NORG himself plays no further part in the story (though a character in Fisherman's Horizon says he "should evolve soon" and "you'll start getting the picture soon enough," implying that he's still out there somewhere if you can find him.)
[edit] Dr. Odine
Dr. Odine is a scientist whose lab is in the capital of Esthar. An extremely idiosyncratic personage, he has a scientific mind like a broken mirror; brilliant, but fractured. He tends to have absolutely no regard for anything other than his research. He is a famous researcher of magic, and has taken a special interest in the sorceresses. It was he who discovered the GFs and Junctioning, and who engineered a machine that mimicked Ellone's power. He developed the necessary technology to allow Laguna to entomb Adel. As the creator of the Lunatic Pandora, he also played a significant role in the attempt to prevent a Lunar Cry from occurring over Esthar. It was Odine who explained to Squall and his friends how to survive Time Compression. He echoes the heartless research-oriented cruelty of Hojo in Final Fantasy VII, and Dr. Lugae in Final Fantasy IV.
[edit] PuPu
PuPu is a small, blue alien. He stands a little less than 3 feet, has an antenna on his head, and two swirly eyes. PuPu's backstory remains a mystery. Squall's group encounter PuPu, in his spaceship, in four different places around the world. They then encounter the spaceship itself, and damage it severely, causing it to explode. When they find the alien inside, they must help him by feeding him five Elixirs in order to be rewarded with his PuPu card. This is the only Lv5 rare card in the game. PuPu is never seen again. The artifacts he collects are a cow in the area around Winhill, a Moai statue in Mandy Beach, near Timber, a Pyramid in Kashkabald Desert, and a crop circle at the Heath Peninsula, in Trabia.
[edit] Queen of Cards
The Queen of Cards is a woman who travels from town to town spreading different card rules. Players are able to ask her to spread a different rule throughout a region. Her father is a card painter and by giving her select cards, her father will paint brand new cards and distribute them throughout the world. She will give all the requested cards to her little brother in Dollet. During one of the game's flashback sequences, she can be seen playing the part of a distressed princess in a botched B-movie alongside Laguna. This odd appearance, along with her unexplained survival of Time Compression at the game's end, makes her one of the game's most enigmatic characters. One of very few people to survive Time Compression, she afterwards resides in the Abadon Plains on the site of the crashed lunar pod, but despite the apocalyptic circumstances is still always up for a game of cards.
[edit] The Timber Owls
This tiny resistance faction against Galbadia is based in Timber, and comprises of Zone as their leader, with Rinoa and Watts as loyal members. Both Zone and Watts' parents were killed in the Galbadian occupation, which prompts them to create a resistance faction of their own. Watts acts as a scout and informant, while Zone is the technical expert. Both of them act as comic relief; Zone is obsessed with girlie mags and gets a major stomachache whenever they are about to undergo a mission, while Watts has a tendency to be left behind whenever the Timber Owls' mobile base moves to a new location.
[edit] Xu
Xu is a high ranking SeeD who helps Squall throughout the course of the game. She reveals where Headmaster Cid is during the civil war. She is Heart of the CC and holds the Carbuncle card.
