Avernus

Katy points out that a couple of entries ago I was blogging about FFVII and started calling Cloud 'Squall' mid-entry. To which I reply to you as I replied to her: it's not my damn fault if the character designers and script writers of the Final Fantasy series only have enough material for two heroes.

There are two archetypes, as exemplified by Squall (dark and interesting-looking bish with brooding, not to say antisocial, personality) and Tidus (wanker with bleached hair.) All the FF heroes from VII onwards fall somewhere on the sliding scale of these two, with greater or lesser degrees of similarity. By the look of it the hero of XII is going to be a Tidus-clone, and Zidane too shows a marked degree of similarity. Cloud is a slightly unusual hybrid as he largely displays Squall-type personality, particularly in the earliest phase of the game, while possessing Tidus-type looks.

One could, of course, extend this rule towards other subsets of characters. There's the silver-haired psychotic unfeasibly powerful villain (Sephiroth-type, see also Kuja. Will often have certain genetically-modified issues.); then there's the irritating heroine (Aeris-type) which frequently subdivides into irritating *love-interest* heroine (Rinoa-type, see also Garnet and Tifa) and irritating *genki* heroine (Yuffie-type, see also Selphie).

The rule, naturally, is not exhaustive, but I feel amply explains why I keep thinking of Cloud as bloody Squall.

And also goes to show that Laguna is the best character ever. In...some way.