Rei (Breath of Fire character)
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Rei is a fictional character from the RPG Breath of Fire. He is depicted as a member of the Woren Tribe, a race of "cat-men". Occasionally irresponsible yet fiercely loyal to his friends, Rei uses his considerable speed to aid Ryu in his quest.
[edit] History
Prior to the beginning of the game, Rei is a thief who lives with his partner in crime, Teepo, in the Cedar Woods, and is responsible for finding Ryu, the game's main protagonist. He and Teepo take Ryu in and attempt to teach him the ways of thievery, getting them in trouble and resulting in Bunyan (a local woodsman) sending Rei off to deal with a vicious creature living on Mt. Glaus; at the time, Bunyan seems aware of a special ability Rei possesses, though he does not expand on his knowledge. The trio face the creature on Mt. Glaus and kill it, endearing them to the local populace, who had been losing their livestock and crops to the fearsome Nu.
The three later decide to further endear themselves to the people of McNeil by stealing back tax money collected by Mayor McNeil, egged on by a suspicious character named Loki (doubtless a reference back to the Norse god of mischief) who insists that McNeil is operating in a less than legal fashion. After penetrating the walls of McNeil Manor, Rei, Teepo and Ryu find themselves faced with not only guards but the ghosts of former McNeils, who refuse to allow the youthful thieves easy access to the living McNeil. During the operation Rei displays his physical prowess numerous times, leaping across huge gaps with relative ease.
After robbing McNeil blind Rei, Teepo and Ryu scatter the money across the village, but their goodwill is rebuffed - the people return the money to McNeil and refuse to service the boys any longer. Bunyan later reveals that McNeil is a part of a powerful crime syndicate, and advises that the boys retreat to their forest home for the time being. They do so, only to find it burning to the ground, thanks to the handiwork of Balio and Sunder, a pair of braying horses who proceed to beat Rei, Teepo and Ryu up. The boys find themselves subsequently separated for several years.
Neither hide nor hair is heard of Rei until seven years later, when Ryu and Garr begin to hear rumours of a tiger stalking Ogre Road, just a little way removed from Sin City, the home base of the crime syndicate. They are confronted by the tiger and manage to drive it off with little difficulty, and in the process Ryu begins to realize who the tiger is; his suspicions are confirmed upon returning to the burned down hideout, where he confronts an older Rei. Rei admits that he has spent the last seven years trying to track down Balio and Sunder - all the time unaware that Ryu had dispatched them years ago - and refuses to give up on avenging his little brother, Teepo, still presumed to be dead.
Ryu and company track Rei back to Sin City, discovering that he has carved a path of mayhem and wounded many of the people there in retribution for their foul lifestyle. They discover, too, that Rei has taken off in pursuit of Mikba, the head of the crime syndicate, who is headed for a checkpoint into unknown lands. They head off in that same direction and find Rei, who has cornered Mikba, and help Rei defeat Mikba when he transforms into a great winged demon. He subsequently joins the party, and remains with Ryu for the rest of the game.
Much, much later, Rei, Teepo, and Ryu are reunited in Myria Station, though the reunion is short and bitter: Rei and Ryu are forced to kill Teepo, who has fallen under the sway of Myria. He expresses his bitterness at having to do so to Myria at the end of the game, telling the Goddess with a flourish of his daggers that he won't do as she wishes.
[edit] Personality
Early in the game Rei is portrayed as the 'older brother' figure for Teepo and Ryu, bringing equal portions of food and common sense to the two orphans. He exercises more caution and restraint than the occasionally bombastic Teepo, though he is also not above thieving and violence to get his way. He usually serves as a sort of point guard for the group, taking on dangerous tasks (like leading the guards away from the entrance of McNeill's Manor) so Teepo and Ryu will remain safe.
After seven years of solitude, however, Rei's brotherly overtones are tainted with a taste for revenge, and he becomes obsessed with avenging Teepo and Ryu. He is unable to relinquish his quest even after learning that Ryu is still alive, and only truly gives it up once Mikba reveals with his dying breaths that Ryu had killed the objects of Rei's anger - Balio and Sunder - years earlier. His sensibilities lighten slightly after learning this, though his quest is replaced with a question: why are people the likes of himself granted incredible power (in this case, his ability to transform into a weretiger)? This question consumes his mind for the rest of the game.
This said, Rei does have a charming side, and he enjoys ribbing the other characters occasionally. There are small hints in the game that he has a womanizing streak, and he is described by one of the attendants in Wyndia castle as quite handsome. He also has a sense of humour that can be a bit morbid at times, such as when he suggests to Ryu that they use their respective powers to go around killing people (a comment he quickly backs down from).
His final bit of characterization in the game - taken from his own mouth - describes Rei as a kid at heart. He professes to Myria that he was never able to do what he was told, and as such she can't expect him to just sit back and do nothing while she overprotectively coddles the world.
Rei is well known for his use of the phrase "don't/doesn't that (just) beat all?", which frequently creeps into his dialogue, sometime written differently.
[edit] Skills and Powers
As a Woren, Rei is a naturally gifted battler with considerable physical prowess. He displays an expertise in hunting very early in the game, just moments before discovering Ryu for the first time. He can jump great distances, both vertically and horizontally, and is easily the fastest character in battle. He battles with a pair of daggers, utilising quick, leaping cuts to harm his foes.
Rei is an adept thief, and he can open locked doors or treasure chests outside of battle at any time. He is also the first character capable of stealing from enemies in battle, a skill that is very useful late in the game.
Rei can also put magic to decent use, though his AP (ability points) are not incredibly high. Most of his attacks are lightning based, reflecting his spikey, yellow colour scheme.
When met as an adult, Rei is revealed to be capable of turning into a dangerous weretiger, making him considerably stronger yet largely uncontrollable in battle. Leaving him in this form for too long will invariably cause Rei to turn on the rest of the party in a frenzied berserker mode, and Rei can only return to his normal form if the battle ends, or he is knocked unconscious. Additionally, you can control who he attacks by having a character use the skill, Influence, learnt from the enemy Boss Goblin, which Weretiger Rei will react to by agreeding to the order and attack said target.
