Bugenhagen Bugenhagen is a character in " Final Fantasy VII " and " Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII - " . He is the elder of the village of Cosmo Canyon , the hometown of Red XIII . In " Final Fantasy VII " he helps Cloud and his party in their quest to save the Planet with his wisdom and knowledge . Red XIII affectionately refers to Bugenhagen as his " grandfather " , although obviously not in a literal sense . Bugenhagen travels upon a levitating green orb . He mentions he ' ll be 130 years old at his next birthday . Bugenhagen ' s special insight may be due to his balanced interest in both machines and nature , as well as realizing humanity ' s often small importance in the grand scheme of things . Profile . Appearance . Bugenhagen is an old bald man with long white beard and bushy white eyebrows . He wears round spectacles , dresses in a blue and yellow robe that covers his body , including his hands . Bugenhagen ' s appearance in " Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII - " differs from his appearance in the original " Final Fantasy VII " in that the sphere he sits on is larger . Though this green spherical area is visible on Bugenhagen in the original " Final Fantasy VII " , it is smaller and lacks detail , and thus could be misinterpreted as part of his apparel . Personality . Bugenhagen is sapient and he has a thirst for knowledge , his specialty subject being the the Planet Gaia and its workings . He opposes Shinra Electric Power Company ' s activities in harvesting the Lifestream for Mako energy , as the Lifestream is the Planet ' s life source . Bugenhagen is protective towards Red XIII , for whom he is a father figure . Bugenhagen never told the details of how Red XIII ' s father , Seto , perished , but unknowingly led to Red XIII becoming resentful of his father whom he assumed to be a coward . Much like Aeris , Bugenhagen can hear the " voices " of the Planet , though he is not a Cetra . However , his unusual long lifespan suggests he is not a normal human . Bugenhagen has a tendency to say " Ho Ho Hooo ! " whenever he hears something that catches his interest . Story . " Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII - " . Bugenhagen speaks with Fuhito and appears to be having a conversation about the Lifestream . " Final Fantasy VII " . Cloud Strife and his party arrive in Cosmo Canyon and Red XIII introduces them to Bugenhagen , who shows Cloud and his friends what is truly at stake if Shinra is allowed to continue extracting Lifestream from the Planet to create Mako energy . Bugenhagen explains how Lifestream is the Planet ' s life energy , and if it is lost the Planet will become unable to sustain life . Cait Sith informs the party that Bugenhagen was once a Shinra employee , although he never worked with developing weapons or Materia . Vincent also mentions the machinery found in Cosmo Canyon was a gift from Professor Gast . Upon discovering Red XIII resents his father , Seto , believing him to be a coward , Bugenhagen takes the party through the Gi Cave to show Red XIII his father ' s petrified remains and explain Seto sacrificed himself defending Cosmo Canyon from the Gi invasion . The petrified Seto sheds tears at seeing his son and , upon seeing Cloud and his friends ' conviction to protect the Planet , Bugenhagen asks Red XIII to continue journeying with them , saying Red XIII ' s true calling is to protect the Planet , not just Cosmo Canyon . After Meteor has been summoned and is approaching the Planet , the party seeks Bugenhagen ' s advice . Bugenhagen and the party ascend into the solar system model generator in Bugenhagen ' s lab and place their Huge Materia within , and then head to the Forgotten Capital to find answers in the works of the Ancients . They use the Ancient Key to access a machine created by the Ancients that displays the moment of Aeris ' s death . Bugenhagen examines the image and notices Aeris ' s White Materia is glowing green , a sign her prayer to Holy succeeded . Holy could destroy Meteor , but something is holding its power back ; the party presumes this to be Sephiroth . Diamond Weapon emerges from the ocean and marches toward Midgar , and the party leaves Forgotten Capital to fight it . After Diamond Weapon ' s defeat , if the party returns to Cosmo Canyon , a resident informs Red XIII that Bugenhagen is ill from his trip to the Forgotten Capital . The party visits the observatory and learns he is dying . Bugenhagen gives Red XIII his ultimate weapon , the Limited Moon , that once belonged to Seto . Etymology . Bugenhagen is named for a character of the same name in " " . In the film , Bugenhagen is an archaeologist who relates a great deal of the lore of the Antichrist to the protagonists so they may stop him . Much like Heidegger , Bugenhagen has a historical and philosophical namesake . was a deeply influential figure in the Protestant Reformation , and was called " The Apostle to the North " for his work in bringing the Lutheranism to the Northern German city - states and the Scandinavian kingdoms . However , he is perhaps most famous for being ' s pastor in Wittenberg . While not as famous as many his contemporaries , he was deeply respected in his time and his theological and social influence lives on throughout Northern Europe .