Heidegger

Heidegger is a supporting antagonist in the Final Fantasy VII series. He is a minor supporting antagonist in Final Fantasy VII, with an expanded role in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. He also appears is other entries of the extended universe, including Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- and a mention in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
Heidegger is the executive director of the Shinra Electric Power Company's Public Security Forces and the trusty right-hand man of President Shinra. He is arrogant, cruel, and vindictive, having a bad temper and willing to sacrifice others to get what he wants. However, he is not very competent, lacking structure and organization.
Heidegger is an accomplished general who commands the most powerful division within Shinra, but is only fought in Final Fantasy VII while piloting the Proud Clod with Scarlet.
==History==
===Before Final Fantasy VII===
Heidegger was born in 1949. He has been with the Shinra Electric Power Company since its founding days and was a general in the Wutai War.
====Wutai War and Avalanche Insurgency====
During "One Step Further Toward Uncertainty" in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Heidegger became the Turks' commander after Verdot's demotion and smugly informed them. He sent them to patrol Junon, instructed contacting him if Avalanche attacked, and planned to deploy the army. However, the Turks struggled to fight Avalanche under Heidegger's haphazard directions until Verdot was reappointed his position.
During "Onward to the Distant Heavens", Heidegger attended a board meeting about the suspension of Shinra's space program. He hoped the extra money would be sent to Public Security and thought about Rufus Shinra potentially taking over the company. After Verdot defected from Shinra during "The Muddy Course of Inexorable Fate", Heidegger retook command of the Turks.
During chapter 4 of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Heidegger sent an email to Shinra personnel analyzing the Midgar attacks. He noted the costly damage but assured minimal impact on company operations. Heidegger later assumed control of SOLDIER after Lazard Deusericus betrayed and abandoned Shinra during chapter 6.
===Original continuity===
====Jenova War====
During "To Corneo Hall" in Final Fantasy VII, Heidegger informed President Shinra that preparations for the Sector 7 mission were on track with the Turks assigned to it. He mocked Reeve Tuesti's concerns for the people and spoke disrespectfully about Mayor Domino. During "Storming the Shinra Building", Heidegger attended a board meeting after the Sector 7 plate fell, obnoxiously laughing that Shinra saved the sector from Avalanche.
During "The Stowaway Strategy", Heidegger accompanied Rufus Shinra to Junon for his inauguration parade, updating him on the status of Highwind. He was reprimanded for laughing like a horse, informed the cargo ship was ready to depart for Costa del Sol, and observed marching troops perform in the parade. Heidegger assured Rufus that his men would crush Cloud Strife's party, but was later scolded at Costa del Sol for letting them and Sephiroth escape and constantly laughing, leaving him ashamed.
During "That Which Waits in the Northernmost Reaches", Heidegger joined Rufus on an airship to the North Crater, believing it was the "promised land" that President Shinra was searching for. After Sephiroth summoned Meteor, Heidegger returned to Junon during "In a World Approaching Its End". He threatened to publicly execute the Avalanche members Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace and fired the cannon at the attacking Weapons, but grew worried when they proved formidable.
During "Struggle for the Huge Materia", Heidegger attended a conference on acquiring the Huge Materia and defeating Sephiroth. He laughed about Meteor's threat and suggested collecting the Huge Materia from different regions. He mentioned they already had the materia from Nibelheim and Fort Condor, and sent men to Corel to obtain the next. During "Mako Cannon Rampage" and the Raid on Midgar, Heidegger attended a meeting about firing Sister Ray at Sephiroth. He laughed and praised Rufus's plan, reporting Sister Ray's readiness to him. Rufus gave the order to fire, but Hojo hijacked the cannon, firing at Sephiroth to empower him and also killing Diamond Weapon, which had just fired at Midgar, destroying the upper Shinra Building and presumably killing Rufus. Heidegger was unable to reach Rufus afterward and was confused when Reeve gave orders. He and Scarlet then seized the company, later piloting Proud Clod against Cloud's party, but were ultimately defeated and the mecha exploded.
During "Showdown in the Wastes" in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Reeve mentioned Heidegger was one of the few Shinra executives aware of Deepground.
===Remake continuity===
====Avalanche conflict====
During "The Destruction of Mako Reactor 1" in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Heidegger surveilled Avalanche in Mako Reactor 1 and informed President Shinra that his troops were investigating their potential involvement in his attempted assassination.
During "Dogged Pursuit", Heidegger observed Avalanche in the Corkscrew Tunnel via security cameras. He confidently assured the president that preparations for a "grand finale" were underway. He coldly dismissed a subordinate's report for analytical results and casualty rates, brushed off casualties as pawns, and arrogantly laughed and questioned what the president would do without him. Heidegger received another report on Avalanche's combat capabilities, reminding his subordinates about the Wutai War and threatening their positions. He was annoyed by a power outage in the tunnel, reassured President Shinra, and activated the Crab Warden to attack Avalanche.
During "A Trap Is Sprung", Heidegger projected himself to Avalanche on a live broadcast in Mako Reactor 5, mockingly welcoming them and threatening them with the Airbuster. He demanded engineering updates on the operation status of the Airbuster and grew frustrated at the slow progress. He later taunted Avalanche, called them pawns, and revealed he sabotaged their explosives. He deployed the Airbuster, intending the execute Avalanche live on air. After the Airbuster was almost destroyed, Heidegger departed, confident the footage would boost army morale.
During "Rough Waters" and "Covert Ops" in "Episode INTERmission", Heidegger updated President Shinra on the Sector 7 plate drop operation, assuring him that the Turks were on it. He mocked Reeve Tuesti's plea for an evacuation warning and derisively called him a coward. Heidegger gave a public speech after Sector 7 collapsed during "The Belly of the Beast", expressing outrage and vowing to bring Avalanche to justice. In a board meeting, he assured the president about public support for the Wutai-Avalanche conspiracy, refused to believe Palmer saw Sephiroth in the Shinra Building, assuring his men would deal with any intruders, and offered his armory to Professor Hojo.
During "Deliverance from Chaos", Heidegger surrounded Avalanche in the Shinra Building lobby, sarcastically responded to their introductions, and ordered troops to kill everyone except Aerith Gainsborough. He was enraged by their escape and commanded his men to pursue and stop them. During "Destiny's Crossroads", Heidegger stood before Rufus Shinra as the latter became president, initially referring to him as "vice president" before being corrected by Tseng.
====Pursuit of Sephiroth====
During "Dawn of a New Era" in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Heidegger accompanied Rufus to Junon for the latter's inauguration parade. He advised against firing the mako cannon as it would violate the ceasefire with Wutai, but agreed when Rufus insisted. Heidegger amusedly watched the performances of various marching Public Security teams. He announced award-winning divisions and stood by Rufus during his inaugural speech. Heidegger was injured shielding Rufus from an assassination attempt by Yuffie Kisaragi and was annoyed that he had been entertaining a disguised Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith.
During "Those Left Behind", Heidegger attended a board meeting about the Magnus Materia Project and the newly-emerged Weapons, offering his finest men to Scarlet, who was eager to study the Weapons' materia. During "The Long Shadow of Shinra", Heidegger met with Rufus, learned that Moroha Murasaki was ambushed and killed at the Nibel Reactor, and assumed Wutai was responsible. During "A Golden Key", Heidegger attended a meeting about Glenn Lodbrok's broadcast from Wutai declaring war on Shinra. He called him a spineless deserter and angrily suspected the supposedly dead Avalanche were involved.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
In Final Fantasy VII, Heidegger is a heavyset man with fair skin, brown eyes, short black hair, and a bushy beard. He wears a green military coat with maroon and yellow accents, a silver medal, green pants, and brown shoes.
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Heidegger closely resembles his original design, but with some additional details. He is described as "massive" and "menacing", has a muscular build, fair skin, brown eyes, a scar across his right eye, short and slicked graying black hair, and a bushy beard. He wears a dark green military tunic with maroon and yellow accents, a black dress shirt, a red tie, gold cufflinks, black buttons, black slacks, and black boots.
Heidegger-ffvii-field.png|Field model from Final Fantasy VII.
Heidegger-artwork.jpg|Concept art by Tetsuya Nomura from Final Fantasy VII.
Heidegger.jpg|Portrait from Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-.
Heidegger artwork for Final Fantasy VII Remake.png|Concept art by Roberto Ferrari from Final Fantasy VII Remake.
===Personality===
Heidegger is an arrogant and uncaring man with bad manners, a foul temper, and a strikingly hearty laugh. He is an overbearing military leader who lacks perception and understanding, groveling before his superiors and looking down on those he considers his inferiors. He tends to give haphazard orders and brutally punishes his troops, forcing them into challenging situations, mercilessly eliminating those who oppose his orders, and willingly sacrificing anyone to achieve his goals. Heidegger comes across as obnoxious and jovial, but is actually petty and vindictive. He despises Wutai and Avalanche and seeks revenge.
Heidegger is the close and considerably trusted aide of President Shinra since the early days of the company, often lavishing him with sycophantic praise. After Rufus Shinra becomes president, Heidegger is treated coldly and considered incompetent, much to his anger and shame. Heidegger and Scarlet often work together and feel mutual contempt for each other, but seem to get along despite always bickering. He dismisses Reeve as a coward and mocks his concern for Midgar's citizens, allows Hojo to use his army, and thinks lowly of Palmer. The Turks resent Heidegger for his poor leadership.
==Musical themes==
"Heidegger's Frustration", composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged by Yoshitaka Suzuki, and featured on the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack Plus, is a variation of "Shinra's Theme" that plays in various scenes where Heidegger observes Cloud's party in the Corkscrew Tunnel via security cameras during "Dogged Pursuit".
==Behind the scenes==
Daiki Hayasaka, a character artist for Final Fantasy VII Remake, noted that Heidegger's facial scar initially looked redder and more painful, but they touched it up to resemble an old scar. Hayasaka added they did a lot of careful adjusting with his hairline, sideburns, beard, and eyebrows, and that it is easier to bring out textures of their 3D models in older male characters.
Heidegger Shinra Tower FFVIIR.jpg|Final Fantasy VII Remake
Heidegger from FFVII Remake.jpg|Final Fantasy VII Remake
Heideggers smartphone from FFVII Remake.jpg|Final Fantasy VII Remake
Heidegger loading screen from FFVII Remake.jpg|Final Fantasy VII Remake loading screen
===Voice===
Heidegger is voiced by Katsumi Chô in the Japanese releases of the Final Fantasy VII remake project and by John DiMaggio in the English releases.
==Etymology==
Heidegger is a German surname meaning "heath harrower". The Japanese pronunciation resembles the variant Heidecker. The name's usage for this character may derive from .
==Citations==
==References==
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Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Category:Characters in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
Category:Antagonists