Rufus Shinra Rufus Shinra is the vice president of the Shinra Electric Power Company through " Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII - " , " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " and " Final Fantasy VII " , and the president through most of Final Fantasy VII . He most likely gained the title for being President Shinra ' s son . Rufus is stated as being twenty - five years old during the events of " Final Fantasy VII " in the novella " On the Way to a Smile : Case of Shinra " . Profile . Appearance . Rufus is a young man with short blond hair and blue eyes . Unlike many of the characters in the " Compilation " , Rufus wears the same outfit in all his appearances : a white business suit with a matching jacket over a black shirt . Personality . Rufus seems to have no love for his father , and schemes to overthrow him on the seat of power . He is initially portrayed as an enigma . Like his father , Rufus ' s main goals are to control the world through the Shinra Company , and increase the company ' s power . Unlike his father , however , Rufus uses fear to control people , playing on their suspicions of AVALANCHE and Sephiroth to manipulate them . In " " and " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " , Rufus appears to atone for his crimes , and is hinted to be the one funding the World Regenesis Organization . However , he still wishes for Shinra to have a dominant hand in the world ' s affairs . When the city of Edge is being built , it is done using Shinra resources , and Rufus has a monument to Meteor placed in the city center to claim the city as Shinra ' s and secure their ownership of it in the minds of the citizens . Story . Pre - Presidency . In " Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII - " Rufus is the main financier for the eco - terrorist group AVALANCHE , and feeds them information to allow for their success . Along with the other Shinra executives , Rufus takes part in meetings and strategy , and has special access to his father , personally discussing key issues as the second - in - command . Rufus has no interest in the the Planet or its fate while funding AVALANCHE , rather , he is using the organization to take power from his father . It becomes clear Shinra has a traitor , but initially the informant ' s identity is not known . The Turks capture Rufus during the attack on the Old Corel and use him as leverage with President Shinra so that they can save their commander , Veld , and his daughter , Elfé , the AVALANCHE ' s commander . President Shinra saves him while the Turks are out searching for the support Materia and attempting to rescue Veld . Before the Turks are ordered executed for insubordination , Rufus has the Turks spared since Tseng " assassinated " Veld and Elfé . Afterward Rufus is neither killed nor stripped of his title for being a traitor ; President Shinra merely orders him placed under house arrest in Junon . His absence is explained by claiming he is on an " extended assignment overseas . " Though Rufus is not seen in person in " Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - " , an email from Kunsel to Zack mentions that Rufus has been promoted to Vice President and Corporate Officer , and had departed on a " long - term business trip , " the emailing claiming the details cannot be disclosed for security reasons . As Shinra President . During Sephiroth ' s attack on Shinra Headquarters in Midgar , the Shinra executive , Palmer , calls Junon for help . Rufus responds by taking a B1 - Alpha Helicopter to Midgar to take command of the company . By the time he arrives mostly everyone in the building is dead , including President Shinra . Rufus confronts the second incarnation of AVALANCHE led by Barret Wallace from the Midgar Slums atop the Shinra Headquarters , declaring himself the new president of the company and how he will rule the Planet by inciting fear in the hearts of the populace . Cloud , a mercenary hired by AVALANCHE , remains to hold back Rufus while the others escape . Rufus battles him using a double - barreled sawed - off shotgun and is accompanied by his guard hound , Dark Nation . After seeing he cannot win against Cloud , Rufus flees the building on the helicopter . Rufus decides to pursue Sephiroth who is said to have returned and is blamed for having murdered his father , President Shinra , as witnessed by the Shinra executive Palmer . Shinra forces follow Sephiroth ' s trail across the Planet , Rufus traveling with an entourage of Shinra executives . A parade is held on his honor in Junon celebrating him as the new Shinra president . Unbeknownst to Shinra Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE , who had escaped the Shinra Building in Midgar , partake in the festivities with Cloud disguising himself as a Shinra foot soldier , and is among the soldiers who perform a routine for Rufus ' s send - off on a cargo ship . The cargo ship travels from Junon to Costa del Sol , and while Rufus stays in the cabin discussing matters with Heidegger , a Shinra executive , AVALANCHE stows away on the ship disguised as crew . Mysterious events transpire when many crew members are slaughtered , and after docking in Costa del Sol it is determined Sephiroth was onboard alongside AVALANCHE . Rufus admonishes Heidegger for his failure to catch on to the stowaways before flying off on another helicopter . Shinra ' s main airship the " Highwind " is not ready for flight , and after receiving intel Sephiroth is heading for the Temple of the Ancients , Rufus decides to seize Cid Highwind ' s Tiny Bronco airplane for faster travel . Cid eagerly expects Rufus ' s arrival as he mistakes his visit for an announcement of re - launching Shinra ' s space program , but when he hears Rufus wants his plane he becomes outraged and refuses . Cloud ' s crew helps Cid escape in the Tiny Bronco , but Rufus has his men shoot it down . When the " Highwind " is ready to take off Rufus , Scarlet and Professor Hojo fly to the Planet ' s north pole to investigate the North Crater . They run into AVALANCHE at the Northern Cave inside in a place covered in Materia , Shinra deeming it to be the fabled Promised Land , a land told in Cetra legend to be a land full of Spirit Energy . Rufus and the other Shinra executives are forced to flee when the Weapons emerge from the crater when Sephiroth summons the Meteor , but in the chaos they capture two AVALANCHE members : Tifa and Barret . Rufus wants to have the two publicly executed to help calm the panic from the looming Meteor . His plans are foiled when Sapphire Weapon attacks Junon and blasts a hole in the gas chamber , Tifa and Barret escaping on the " Highwind " that has been stolen by AVALANCHE . Determined to not give up , Rufus plans to destroy Meteor with the Shinra No . 26 rocket and send in the Shinra Army to the North Crater to kill Sephiroth in the Great Sephiroth Plan . The plan to blow up the Meteor fails , but Rufus has the Sister Ray Mako cannon moved from Junon to Midgar to destroy the barrier surrounding North Crater that protects Sephiroth . As he launches the cannon , Diamond Weapon approaches Midgar and fires at the metropolis . The salvo of attacks hits on - level with the president ' s office from which Rufus was overseeing the operation . Due to the damage no one can reach the office to find a body , so he is presumed dead and Shinra descends into chaos . Scarlet and Heidegger go rogue but are killed by AVALANCHE and the Turks abandon their objectives . The opening of " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " reveals Rufus survived , and was loaded into a helicopter during Meteorfall . Post - crisis . Rufus and the Turks are the central characters in " On the Way to a Smile : Case of Shinra " . Rufus escapes death in Diamond Weapon ' s attack by using a hidden escape tunnel his father built for when Rufus would need it . Taking refuge in Kalm , Rufus is taken prisoner by Mutten Kylegate while the Turks are absent , and is interrogated , where he reveals his plan to construct the city of Edge in the east of Midgar , using the remains of the fallen buildings and the corrupted roads . After escaping with the help of Kilmister , Rufus helps him recover Professor Hojo ' s research from Midgar to discover the origins of Geostigma , a new disease that now plagues the populace , which Kilmister knows is connected to Jenova . Though Kilmister is eventually killed , Rufus still orders the Turks to locate Jenova ' s remains and keep them safe from being used by others . Geostigma crisis . In " " , Rufus invites Cloud to see him . Rufus has been under the Turks ' protection for the previous two years , living with them in the Healen Lodge . He appears wheelchair - bound , and is covered by a white sheet to supposedly hide his Geostigma , as he appears to be in the disease ' s final stages . Renouncing his past cruelty , Rufus explains the near - death experience opened his eyes to the truth and he now desires to undo the chaos his company brought onto the world . However , Cloud is unwilling to help Rufus . Both Cloud and his friends and Rufus and the Turks fight against the Remnants of Sephiroth , Sephiroth ' s avatars born from the Lifestream who want to reunite with Jenova ' s remains so Sephiroth could be reborn . Rufus meets the remnants ' leader Kadaj several times as he is looking for Jenova , but feigns ignorance of the being ' s whereabouts . As Kadaj brings his possessed horde of Geostigma - infected children to Edge to show him the way to Jenova and summons Bahamut SIN to tear down the Meteor monument Shinra had erected presuming Jenova ' s remains being hidden there , Rufus and Kadaj watch the showdown from a tall building . Rufus removes the sheet and stands from the wheelchair , revealing the progression of his Geostigma is not nearly as advanced as he had pretended , the sheet having concealed Jenova ' s remains from Kadaj of which Rufus had been holding onto the whole time . Rufus throws Jenova ' s container off the building ' s ledge , and when Kadaj plunges after them to retrieve the box , Rufus follows and pulls out his shotgun . He shoots at the box and is caught in a net thrown by Tseng and Elena , but Kadaj collects Jenova ' s remains although he is upset the container was damaged . Kadaj escapes to the ruins of Midgar where he absorbs Jenova ' s remains to become Sephiroth , but he is defeated by Cloud and dissolves back into the Lifestream . Rufus is cured of Geostigma when Aerith Gainsborough calls down healing rain , prolonging the life of the Shinra family and his chance for further redemption . In " Advent Children Complete " , in a new opening scene , after Kadaj asks Rufus why mankind bothers to constantly rebuild after destroying everything they make , Rufus tells him that people rebuild to " gild the past " and rid themselves of a recent problem . Kadaj assumes Rufus means Geostigma , something he says Shinra brought upon the Planet . Kadaj says Rufus fears the past . Rufus objects and says simply because he is forgetful . In the scene he is revealed , Rufus explains to Cloud that Sephiroth ' s will in the Lifestream is the cause of Geostigma rather than the Mako energy , as the populace believes . Deepground conflict . It is hinted in " Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII - " that Rufus is secretly funding the World Regenesis Organization headed by Reeve Tuesti , who had a feeling his mysterious benefactor was someone who owed " a debt to the planet " ( nearly quoting Rufus Shinra ' s words to Cloud from " Advent Children " word for word ) . His signature white jacket is seen in the opening of " Dirge of Cerberus " as Rufus is being loaded into an emergency transport while Yuffie is evacuating a sector of Midgar during Meteorfall . Gameplay . Rufus fights Cloud one - on - one alongside Dark Nation atop the Shinra Building early in " Final Fantasy VII " . Creation and development . In " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " Rufus was covered with a sheet so as to hide his face , and his voice was made soft and deceptive to give him a sense of mystery . Toru Okawa , who voices Rufus in the film ' s Japanese version , stated he got the impression Rufus was the type of person always hiding something , and states that the scene where he rises from his wheelchair and casts off his cloak is one of his favorites , where Rufus reveals his secrets at last . Okawa noted that Rufus ' s line " a good son would have known " has become a fan favorite , and Tetsuya Nomura has joked the irony is that such a line comes from Rufus . Nomura said that Okawa ' s voice had an undertone of mystery and elegance , and was perfect for Rufus ' s part : " Only someone like Rufus , a big shot president , would be able to jump off a building without hesitation and expect his Turks to take care of everything . " Musical themes . Rufus has one theme that plays during his initiation ceremony titled " Rufus ' Welcoming Ceremony . " The theme is also heard in " Final Fantasy IX " being played by a band on the " Prima Vista " after it is shot down by Queen Brahne . This version , called " Rufus ' Welcoming Ceremony ( Millennium Version ) , " is found on the " Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS " album . A piano arrangement of the theme is included on the " " album . The theme is also included on the compilation album " Final Fantasy VII Vinyl Limited Edition " . Other appearances . " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . Rufus Shinra is an ally and a summonable Legend in " Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade " . He is depicted in his " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children " outfit . " Final Fantasy Record Keeper " . Rufus Shinra appears as a boss in select dungeons and as a playable character who could be initially recruited during the Challenge Event Vow Upon a Star as a First Time Reward for completing the event ' s Junon stage on Classic difficulty . Rufus is a President of Shinra , whose combat role is Physical Attack . Rufus can use White Magic abilities up to rarity rank 4 , Combat abilities up to rarity rank 4 , Support abilities up to rarity rank 4 , Darkness abilities up to rarity rank 5 , and Sharpshooter abilities up to rarity rank 5 . His default Soul Break is President ' s Predilection , which at the expense of one Soul Gauge segment grants Protect and Shell to the user . Rufus can equip the following weapon types : daggers and guns . He can equip the following armor types : hats , light armor , robes , and bracers . He can equip accessories . " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " . Rufus appears in " Final Fantasy Trading Card Game " . His card depicts him from " Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children Complete " .