Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion introduces several new characters to the franchise. Some play minor roles, whereas others are far more significant to the game's events. One of the most important characters to be introduced is Angeal Hewley, a 1st Class Soldier who serves as friend and mentor to the game's protagonist, Zack Fair. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion shines a spotlight on Zack and Angeal's relationship, and shows how Angeal's key values of honor and pride are instilled into Zack's personality.
Angeal is one of SOLDIER's finest members. Highly skilled in both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, he is seen as a role model by many 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs, and is also adored by members of the public, being one of the small number to have his own fan club, alongside his friends Sephiroth and Genesis. Angeal is dedicated to protecting as many people as he can and values nothing higher than this dedication and honor. Many see Angeal as the spiritual leader of SOLDIER, such is his influence over many of its members.
Angeal Values Honor Above All Else
From a young age, Angeal displayed a real desire to join SOLDIER. During his childhood, he lived with his mother and stepfather, and thanks to inheriting his mother's cells, which had been enhanced through Shinra's experiments, Angeal displayed superhuman strength and speed. This allowed him to quickly join SOLDIER and rise through its ranks to become 1st Class. To commemorate this special occasion, Angeal's stepfather paid to have a special sword made for him, something which ultimately resulted in his stepfather accruing a huge debt that he had to work long, hard hours to pay off. This sacrifice likely played a role in his premature death, and since then, Angeal came to use the Buster Sword as a symbol of his family's honor, even joking that Zack's life was only marginally more important than the welfare of his sword.
As a result of this, Angeal rarely used the Buster Sword, for fear of it getting damaged or rusty. Instead, he chose to fight with a standard SOLDIER-issued sword, keeping the Buster Sword on his back. Even from an early age, pride and honor seemed to seep through in everything Angeal did. In his youth, he and his family were poor, especially when compared to his friend Genesis Rhapsodos and his family. Angeal would steal fruit from trees just so he had something to eat. When asked why he didn't ask his rich friend for food or assistance, he replied that honor could be a real burden at times, valuing that just as highly as having something to eat.
Upon learning the truth behind his existence, Angeal defected from SOLDIER. This put him directly at odds with Zack Fair, and the two had a couple of run-ins, eventually resulting in Zack defeating his former mentor. Before his passing though, Angeal was still able to reconcile with Zack, entrusting him with the Buster Sword, and using his final words to urge Zack to always protect his honor. Zack took this very seriously and used the Buster Sword frequently from that point onwards, eager to keep Angeal's memory alive.
At the hour of Zack's own passing, Angeal's spirit is shown to descend from the sky, helping Zack to transition from his human form into the Lifestream, symbolizing the pair's lasting friendship. Despite not being mentioned in any of Final Fantasy 7's other video games or movies, Angeal left an undeniable mark on his friends, SOLDIER, Shinra, and the franchise as a whole.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
