The folks from Square Enix are known to introduce memorable characters in their Final Fantasy franchise. Moreover, as Final Fantasy 7 remains one of the most critically-acclaimed games in the series, it's no wonder it has its roster of unique characters. Additionally, aside from mainstays Cloud, Sephiroth, and Aerith, fans have AVALANCHE leader Barret to admire.
In the game's story, Barret is the one-armed badass heading AVALANCHE against Shinra Electric Company. Moreover, after he lost his arm in an accident, Barret wields various Gun-Arm he can attach to his right arm. Additionally, these provide him with a wide range of weapons and special abilities that prove useful to the party. However, aside from these weapons of sheer awesomeness, Barret fans may want to know some other interest Barret trivia.
10 One Of The First Characters To Be Designed
Fans of popular games might think the protagonist is the first character devs will create throughout the development cycle. Such is the case with FF7, as Cloud being one of the first characters made in the game. However, more interesting is the fact that Barret is the other character created alongside Cloud.
With the addition of Aerith, they form the triumvirate of characters the story will most likely revolve around, which explains the depth of the story of each cast member compared to the other members of Cloud's party.
9 A Dev Favorite
Fans might think only series protagonists—in this case, Cloud—get attention out of devs. However, in the case of FF7, multiple characters have become dev favorites for various reasons.
For instance, main programmer Ken Narita expressed his love for Barret throughout the development of the series. In a dev interview, Narita said he loves Barret, as he deals the same damage regardless of his placement in battle. In fact, while players can clear the game without some characters such as Yuffie, Barret remains an integral part of the party for Narita.
8 Had A Daughter
Devs conceptualized Barret to be the biological father of Marlene. This factoid means Marlene would've ended up being Barret's actual daughter instead of Barret's friends Dyne and Eleanor's. As such, this means that the early iterations of Barret's backstory would have included a wife before the tragedy.
Interestingly, this little factoid doesn't change the fatherly bond Barret and Marlene had, as Barret continues to treat Marlene as his own, regardless of which Barret iteration the devs decide to stick with and follow throughout the game's story.
7 Originally A Gunner
Unlike other titles in the franchise, FF7 is known for its apparent lack of Job Classes. Instead, characters can equip various weapons, armor, and Materia that can help with spellcasting. However, in its original conception, FF7 should have set classes for each of the main characters. As such, Cloud would've been a Mystic Knight, Aerith would've been a Geomancer, and Tifa would've been a Shooter or a Monk that uses Shootfighting.
In the case of Barret, he was supposed to be a Gunner. Thanks to his Gun-Arm, Barret would've been able to specialize in using various weapons to maximize his combat potential.
6 A Lost Promise
As the leader of AVALANCHE, Barret's friends know him to be charismatic. In the original story, Barret promised fellow AVALANCHE members a visit to Cosmo Canyon after they finish their mission. Unfortunately, the team removed this scene from the rest of the game.
Thankfully, a remnant of this promise remains when the party finally reaches Cosmo Canyon in the game. In the campfire scene during their visit, Barret told the party there was "a promise" he swore with friends that they'd pay Cosmo Candle a visit once everything is over.
5 A Shinra Familiarity
When the party enters the Shinra Building, they might expect at least a bit of exchange between the cast. However, players didn't get much dialogue apart from major NPC interactions. Interestingly, FF7 game data actually contains a set of unused dialogue in the Shinra Building.
For instance, outside the entrance, Barret would ask Cloud if he's familiar with the place. Cloud will deny this, which prompts Barret to say he's actually visited the HQ when he still had two hands. Moreover, Barret will say the same response if Cloud, in the elevator, inquires about his familiarity with the place.
4 Crisis Core Reference
Despite the lack of Barret in Crisis Core—also known as Final Fantasy VII—he's actually referenced in the game. This reference appears in dialogue inside Shinra HQ where a soldier laments about troubles a Shinra team is facing in Corel. Moreover, they refer to a leader that calls himself "Magnum or Bullet"—"Magnum or Bread" in the Japanese version.
At first, it might seem like a meme of sorts, but it makes sense for those aware of Barret's development history. Interestingly, the mention of "Bullet" and "Magnum" refer to Barret's association with guns. Moreover, "Bullet" might be referencing Barret's name, as both "Bullet" and "Barret" are spoken with a similar intonation in Japanese.
3 A Line In Tactics
Fans of Final Fantasy Tactics will likely remember an iconic Barret line while talking to Cloud. When players click "dismiss" from the party menu after talking to Cloud in this turn-based RPG, he'll say a familiar line of dialogue.
"There's no getting off this train until we reach the station," Cloud will say. Interestingly, this line is something Barret uses in the original FF7 game. Barret hires Cloud as a mercenary in their AVALANCHE missions. It's only after the depart the proverbial train where Cloud realizes that there's no getting off the train until they defeat Shinra and, eventually, Sephiroth.
2 Interesting Name Origins
As there aren't any existing interviews with regards to the exact origin of character names, fans can only speculate where Barret got his name from. For instance, "Barret" may represent the Japanese pronunciation of "bullet," as we've previously referenced. This idea makes sense, as some articles before FF7's release does refer to Barret as "Bullet."
Another interesting bit is Barret's surname, Wallace. Given Barret's background as the leader of AVALANCHE, fans speculate Barret is inspired by William Wallace, one of the leaders of Wars of Scottish Independence. Unfortunately, there aren't any interviews to confirm this factoid.
1 AÂ Long Time Coming
Aside from being a dev favorite, Barret has also been one of the characters Tetsuya Nomura had been wanting to make for a long time. As such, he finally got this opportunity to include Barret in FF7. After all, Nomura served as lead character designer for this Square Enix title.
In fact, not much has changed with Barret's backstory from his original version to the final version that made the game. For instance, the original Barret served as a miner in a town that Shinra eventually occupied. Devs carried over this version of the story to the final product. As such, this backstory also likely serves as a great motivation for Barret's vendetta against Shinra.