Barret Wallace

Barret Wallace is a major recurring character in the Final Fantasy VII series. He is a playable character in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and has supporting roles in other titles. He is the leader of a cell of the eco-terrorist group Avalanche, trying to prevent Shinra Electric Power Company from using mako, the life source of the planet, as a form of energy.
Barret fights passionately for his cause to protect the planet. He cares greatly for his allies, motivating them with powerful speeches, while also himself fighting on the front lines of his cell's operations. His seemingly benevolent cause of fighting for the planet is a cover for his personal vendetta and anger, which he later must come to terms with. Despite his brash and sometimes violent attitude, Barret has a good heart, and is torn between fighting and caring for his daughter, Marlene.
Barret wields a gun-arm, a mechanical gun grafted in place of his right arm, allowing him to fire from range. His Limit Break abilities largely consist of physical attacks with these weapons. Barret has high HP, allowing him to fill the role of taking damage from other party members.
==History==
===Before Final Fantasy VII===
====Early life====
Born December 15, 1972 in the small, forested coal mining village of Corel, Barret married a woman named Myrna who suffered from an unspecified illness. Because of his wife's illness, Barret advocated co-operation with Shinra in building a mako reactor north of Corel when mako was discovered. His childhood best friend, Dyne opposed the arrangement but Barret and the other convinced him that it would help the town when Scarlet arrives to oversee the deal.
Avalanche occupied Corel on May 8, 0003, two years after the reactor's construction. Barret helped the Turks sneak into the mako reactor to reclaim it (not knowing Avalanche at the time, and not knowing he would join them later). Sometime after, Barret and Dyne explore the Corel reactor after it exploded under mysterious circumstances. On their way back to Corel, they are attacked by a deployment of Shinra soldiers tasked with burning Corel to the ground to cover up the reactor's failure as the attack of a local insurgent group. In the chaos, Barret and Dyne were gunned down by Shinra troops while returning o town, causing Dyne to fall off a cliff while Barret narrowly grabbed his hand. Scarlet shot their hands, and Dyne fell to his apparent doom, while Barret barely escaped despite his severe injuries.
As revealed in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Barret's wounds were treated by Doctor Sheiran. Barret finds Marlene soon after and decides to raise her, assuming Dyne died. The artisan Old Man Sakaki made a prosthetic adapter for his arm that allowed Barret to attach weapons. Barret learned of Avalanche, becoming a leader within the organization, and went to Midgar to begin his campaign against Shinra.
====Moving to Midgar====
Barret and Marlene wandered from town to town before arriving in Midgar, where they initially were homeless and slept on the street. Barret attended a number of planetology screenings hoping to find people who fought back against Shinra, and after recognizing Jessie Rasberry was such a member, frequented Seventh Heaven in the Sector 7 slums in the hopes of finding her. Barret's presence scared off the customers however, causing Tifa Lockhart, who was working at the bar, to scold him for scaring customers away and for allowing Marlene to sleep rough. Thereafter, Marle, who also ran the bar, secured Barret and Marlene a place in the bar's basement, in exchange for them both working for the bar also.
When the bar's owner passed, the builder required a 200,000 gil payment with 160,000 remaining. Barret opted to abandon the bar due to his inability to pay, and believing that freedom from being tied down from debt was more important than a place to stay. However, Tifa was able to pay it off with her own savings. Barret expressed gratitude to her, and asked her if she could put him in touch with Jessie as an intro to Avalanche, which Tifa agreed to. Barret then met Jessie at one of Avalanche's meeting spots, saving her and Tifa from a Shinra attack using his machine gun. In recovering Tifa's money from the Sector 8 slums to pay down Seventh Heaven, Barret helped Tifa resolve her debts to Dr. Dhamini Oranye, having the debt settled when the two discovered the doctor had overcharged her to pay down Rakesh Oranye's debts to Manson.
Jessie then introduced Barret to Biggs and Wedge, and with Tifa, the group collectively agreed to make Barret their leader due to their own indecisiveness. Among the other Avalanche members Barret worked with were Finn, who painted images of Stamp to guide the crew, an intel guy named Al who stole codes, and a quartermaster named Nellie, who was close with Jessie. Barret's leadership helped Avalanche at first, but over time, other Avalanche factions left the Sector 7 Slums Division, before Barret eventually cut ties with the rest of the organization, becoming an independent cell headquartered in Seventh Heaven. Barret ran his cell's operations while raising Marlene, and eventually hired the mercenary Cloud Strife for an operation to attack Mako Reactor 1 on December 9, 0007.
===Original continuity===
====Avalanche leader ====
In Final Fantasy VII, Barret led the attack on the reactor with Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and Cloud, in "No. 1 Reactor Bombing". Due to his suspicions of Cloud's loyalty, he stayed by Cloud's side, disliking his indifference about the fate of the planet, and after the operation, was unsure if Cloud would stay with them. After the attack, in "At the Hideout in the Slums", Barret argued with Cloud, leading him to leave. Tifa convinced Cloud to stay, and Cloud offered to help with the next operation for 3,000 gil. Barret was infuriated, as he was still saving money for Marlene's schooling, but agreed to bring him along for 2,000 gil. In "To the No. 5 Reactor", Barret led the attack on Mako Reactor 5, this time with Tifa's help. After planting the bomb, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa ran into President Shinra, who following an exchange, sent a robot after the group. When it exploded, Cloud was separated from the others.
After returning to the slums, Barret found a mysterious man near the hideout, who mentioned knowing Don Corneo; Tifa left to investigate it, against Barret's advice. Meanwhile, Shinra sent the Turks to destroy the Sector 7 pillar. In "Prevent the Fall of the Plate", Barret, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie fought to stop them, though only Barret reached the top of the pillar where he was joined by Cloud and Tifa; despite their efforts, the pillar was destroyed.
Barret was enraged at the loss, but was consoled by Tifa's assurance that Aerith Gainsborough, a woman she and Cloud had met in the slums, took Marlene to safety before the plate fell. Aerith had been kidnapped by the Turks, and in "Aeris's Secret", Barret met with Elmyra Gainsborough, Aerith's adoptive mother, whom Aerith had left Marlene with. Barret had a heartfelt reunion with Marlene, but Elmyra criticized him for leaving his daughter alone. Barret struggled explaining his reasoning, rationalizing it that the planet needs saving, especially for Marlene's sake. Vowing to rescue Aerith, he left Marlene in Elmyra's care, and asked the two to flee Midgar as the city was no longer safe.
In "Storming the Shinra Building", Barret hastily suggested barging through the front door of the headquarters after remarking the security looked "pretty light", but Tifa strongly disagreed. After finding Aerith in captivity of Professor Hojo, Barret freed her using his gun-arm. The group met Red XIII, another of Hojo's specimens, who joined their cause. The group was caught by the Turks, and Barret was quartered with Red XIII. In "The Nightmare Beginning Anew", the group awakened to find their cells opened by Sephiroth, who had killed President Shinra and released the Jenova body from Hojo's lab. Before Rufus Shinra, next in line as Shinra's president, could apprehend them, Barret and the others escaped on vehicles stolen from the Shinra exhibition rooms, and fled Midgar. Cloud was chosen as the group's leader over Barret, which Barret grudgingly accepted. He suggested the group split up and regroup at Kalm, a town northeast of Midgar.
====Pursuit of Sephiroth====
During "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", Cloud told the story of Sephiroth, the legendary SOLDIER who defected Shinra and was thought to have perished, and recounted his own version of the Nibelheim Incident and the events leading up to it. Barret interrupted his story at times, asking for more details, as Cloud's recollection was inconsistent. Afterward, Barret was frustrated and confused about aspects he felt made no sense, but was committed to stopping Sephiroth from taking the promised land.
The group continued to track Sephiroth, crossing the sea at Junon to Costa del Sol. In "Dangerous Voyage", Barret disguised himself as a sailor aboard the Shinra cargo ship, allowing him to spy on Rufus Shinra. Barret became infuriated seeing how gleeful Shinra were despite the murders they'd caused, but before he could strike at them, an emergency alert blared off in the ship as Sephiroth attacked. After arriving at Costa del Sol, Barret was angered at Aerith's remarks that he looked "cute" in the sailor suit and Tifa's suggestion that he use it as pajamas, but secretly retreated to the inn to look at himself in the bathroom mirror while wearing it.
In "Barret's Past", when the group arrived at North Corel, a town built by the survivors of Corel near the destroyed mako reactor's ruins, the townspeople vilified Barret. He divulged his past to the group, blaming himself for Corel's destruction at the hands of Shinra. In "The Palace of Pleasure", the group rode the ropeway to the Gold Saucer amusement park towering over the Corel ruins. After Aerith failed to cheer him up, Barret angrily reminded them not to forget Sephiroth was the target, and ran off on his own. Later, Cloud and the others found many people gunned down at the Battle Square, with a survivor saying it was a man with a gun-arm, leading them to assume it was Barret.
Cloud's the group, along with the new member Cait Sith, was thrown into Corel Prison, commencing "The Desert Prison". Barret found them but refused to talk at first. After being pressed, Barret divulged the rest of his past with Dyne, including how Scarlet scarred their arms, leading his to be replaced with a gun-arm, and how the doctor told him another man had had the same operation on his opposite arm. They confronted Dyne, the prison leader with the opposite gun-arm, who was the real culprit behind the Gold Saucer massacre. Traumatized by the loss of his family and home, Dyne believed he had nothing left to lose and wished to destroy the world. When Barret told Dyne that Marlene was alive, Dyne attacked him, saying he had to kill Marlene so his wife would not be lonely in the afterlife. Barret prevailed, and Dyne, considering himself a lost cause, permitted Barret and the others to leave the prison before throwing himself off a cliff to his death. The owner of Gold Saucer, Dio, learned of the event, and allowed the party to leave, giving them a buggy as an apology.
Barret continued to travel with the group in pursuit of Sephiroth. In "In the Land of the Study of Planet Life", he was excited to arrive at Cosmo Canyon, considering it the place where Avalanche was born. When revisiting the Gold Saucer in "Secret Date", Cait Sith revealed he was a spy for Shinra, and blackmailed the group to take him along by revealing he held Marlene captive, greatly upsetting Barret. Later, in "Parting with Aeris" when Cloud was manipulated by Sephiroth to relinquish the Black Materia at the Temple of the Ancients, Barret urged Cloud not to run away, and he and Tifa pushed him to follow Aerith to the City of the Ancients alone. When Sephiroth murdered Aerith, Barret consoled Cloud, willing to continue the hunt for Sephiroth with him despite knowing Cloud was susceptible to Sephiroth's influence.
At Gaea's Cliff, in "Beyond the Snow Fields", Barret had a small revelation. Though the cold mountains made him see how awesome nature truly was, untouched by human influence as the opposite of Midgar, it was a place he would not like to live without changing things for the better. This gave him conflicting feelings about Shinra before shutting them down.
====Meteorfall====
After the party reclaimed the Black Materia in "That Which Waits in the Northernmost Reaches", Cloud had the choice to hand it over to Barret for safekeeping, giving it instead to Red XIII. Sephiroth fooled him into returning it to Cloud by conjuring an image of Tifa begging for help. Cloud passed the Materia onto Sephiroth, allowing him to summon Meteor. This roused the Weapons, colossal monsters created by the planet, and Barret and Tifa escaped on the Shinra airship Highwind with the company's executives and were brought as captives to Junon.
A week later, in "In a World Approaching Its End", Barret escaped his public execution with the help of Cait Sith and Yuffie Kisaragi. They made their way to the Highwind to rendezvous with the rest of the group, minus Cloud (who had not been seen since he gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth). Tifa, traumatized by all the events, was unsure how to move forward without Cloud's guidance; Barret urged her to be the "tough girl I used to know" and doubted Cloud's true identity, but agreed to help find him.
In "Struggle for the Huge Materia", when she departed to care for the now delirious Cloud they had discovered in a hospital, Barret wanted to be leader, but considered himself unfit to lead the group, and instead elected Cid Highwind, the pilot of the ship. The group aimed to stop Shinra from collecting Huge Materia from mako reactors so they could use it themselves to battle Sephiroth. One of the battles took place at the Corel Reactor, with North Corel on the brink of destruction by Shinra. After saving the town Barret urged the townspeople to stay strong no matter how tough things got, drawing on their roots as coal miners.
After Shinra destroyed Sephiroth's energy barrier from over the North Crater in "Mako Cannon Rampage", Barret chose to keep fighting for Marlene's future. The group descended into the Northern Cave to defeat Sephiroth and released Holy to save the planet from the Meteor.
====Post-crisis====
In Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile "Episode: Tifa", Barret, along with Cloud and Tifa, revisited the various locations they had seen during their quest to save the planet from Sephiroth. In Kalm, Barret reunited with Marlene. They returned to the ruins of Midgar, destroyed in the battle between Holy and Meteor, where they helped construct a new city, Edge. Barret suggested Tifa open a new bar to help the depressed cope with their losses, and Tifa, struggling with her personal hardships, agreed to run it. Shortly after, Barret left on a journey to settle his past.
In "Episode: Barret", after leaving Marlene in Cloud and Tifa's care, Barret searched the world for an alternative energy source to replace mako, and his peace of mind. Searching for a way to atone for the deaths of Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, and to adapt to life after the end of Shinra and the need to fight, Barret visited the artisan Old Man Sakaki, who had made his original arm adapter to use weapons. Barret commissioned a new attachment for the gun-arm that could transform into a mechanical hand, allowing him to live a more normal life. Sakaki requested he wait at least a week for its completion. During a truck run to a nearby village to ensure its safe passage, Barret struck up a conversation with a coal mechanic about how to face his problems; after taking down a monster, and with the mechanic even in fear of him, Barret hesitantly accepted that "the monster dens may be in him".
Upon helping with the farm work for the village to sell their produce in the city, Barret witnessed a father and his sick daughter, suffering from a severe case of the new Geostigma terminal illness, be taken to Midgar. Shortly after the daughter passed away, Barret learned the father was once one of the crew that piloted the Relnikha, a Shinra cargo plane.
In Rocket Town, Barret met with Cid and the new crew of Shera, Cid's new airship. After having witnessed further the impact of the Geostigma pandemic, Barret reconsidered the use of mako to aid the people and find a cure with airship technology. Cid claimed the planet has shifted the lifestream away from where the old reactors were settled, and that it would take a greater degree of manpower that would prove inefficient compared to the expertise that Shinra had before its downfall.
Cid showed Barret oil, a substance he and his team recently discovered. Having located an ideal but dangerous monster-ridden area to construct an oilfield in, Barret's hopes were elevated. He came to catharsis in being able to help with both his strength and insights, as the airship could be used to help those with Geostigma get to aid when a cure would be found, and a new fuel source would help everyone. Returning to Sakaki, he told him to hold onto the arm, as Barret put his strengths to use in rebuilding the world.
====Geostigma crisis====
In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, taking place in 0009 (two years after Meteorfall), Barret kept in contact with his friends, leaving a message on Cloud's cellphone about the large oil field he had found. Barret helped Cloud fight Bahamut SIN using the gun on his mechanical arm as a weapon. Upon reuniting with Tifa, his first words to her were a command that his daughter better be safe. After Bahamut SIN was defeated, Barret watched Cloud battle Kadaj from the Shera. Barret ordered Cid to land so they can help, but Cid declined, telling him to jump if he wanted off the ship.
Barret could also be heard in the "present" sections of Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII, giving Cloud a "closed" sign passed on from Yuffie and each present to deliver to Marlene and Denzel.
====Deepground conflict====
In Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, taking place in 0010, Barret, Cloud, and Tifa led a ground assault on Midgar against Deepground, providing Vincent with a map via phone. The three joined Cid, Reeve, Yuffie, and a young defected Tsviet named Shelke, to aid Vincent destroy Omega.
===Remake continuity===
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Barret led the operation on the reactor with Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and Cloud, in "The Destruction of Mako Reactor 1". Barret was cold towards Cloud, and accused him of remaining loyal to Shinra when he was slow to respond. Though the original plan was for Cloud to fight Shinra's forces and take heat from the others, Barret stepped in himself to offer ranged firepower. Further down, Barret tried to ask Cloud his age, though Cloud misunderstood the question entirely and responded with his rank in SOLDIER. Upon reaching mako storage, the two fought Scorpion Sentinel, still with no trust for one another and with insults exchanged throughout. The group fled the reactor before it was destroyed.
In "Fateful Encounters", after seeing the larger-than-expected devastation wrought by the reactor's destruction, Barret told the group there was no time for regrets, but promised to take the load off the group's shoulders with a rousing speech. He directed them to leave through the Sector 8 Station. Despite still holding a low opinion on Cloud, Barret expressed concern when he was late, before quickly covering it up by yelling. He argued with Shinra employees on the train, telling them that this bombing was merely a warning. The attack prompted Don Corneo's men to look for "a man with a gun for an arm".
During "Home Sweet Slum", the day after Barret reunited with Marlene and Tifa at Seventh Heaven, he went out collecting money to pay Cloud, with Tifa collecting some herself from the sale of water filters. Upon returning, he held a strategy meeting with the others to plan an attack on Mako Reactor 5, drawing up plans from A through to E. Despite Jessie and the others advocating for Cloud, Barret did not want them to become too reliant on him, and so refused to rehire him. He gave Cloud the rest of his money with a small tip and asked him to leave, then drank with the rest in celebration. The following day, at the end of "Mad Dash", the undercity was attacked by the Whispers and Jessie's foot was injured. Barret reluctantly offered Cloud a position and agreed to give him a raise to do the next mission.
In "Dogged Pursuit", Barret boarded the train with Cloud and Tifa to meet Biggs on the Sector 4 plate and begin the attack. Barret was enthusiastic, pledging to do the mission for Jessie and Wedge. Though they split up to avoid suspicion, Tifa was concerned for him, and sent Cloud to check on Barret; as she suspected, he was close to an argument with the Shinra Middle Manager before Cloud intervened. An emergency ID scan locked down the train and Barret helped the passengers escape before jumping off the moving train. After rejoining Cloud and Tifa, he informed them that they had ended up with Plan E, wherein they follow paintings of Stamp in the Corkscrew Tunnels to find the Sector 4 plate. After navigating the tunnels and fighting the Crab Warden at the end, the group traversed the Sector 4 plate, commencing "Light the Way". Barret mentioned the bedtime stories he used to read to Marlene, and while Tifa worried for the others, Barret encouraged her to kick ass in Jessie's stead.
The group arrived at Mako Reactor 5, commencing "A Trap Is Sprung". As they planted the bomb, Heidegger appeared on hologram and revealed the entire event had been broadcast through the lens of Shinra propaganda, and that they were to be executed by the Airbuster live on air, a mech created by Shinra. Tifa felt defeated, though Barret encouraged the two to give Shinra the spectacle they want and "take down Shinra's big-ass mech in front of everybody". When fighting through the reactor the group stole pieces of Airbuster before they could be fitted to the mech. Barret encouraged Cloud to take the big bomber units, and at one point tried to speak to the people on camera until Cloud pointed out the audio was probably cut. When President Shinra appeared on hologram, Barret tried to lecture him on the effects of mako energy, who retorted that people willfully turned a blind eye as using mako energy improved their lives. Barret was further infuriated when President Shinra told him they intended to smear Avalanche as a proxy group funded by Wutai to incite another war. Heidegger unleashed Airbuster, which the three destroyed, though its explosion left Cloud hanging to the railings for dear life. Barret admitted he had been wrong about Cloud, before being forced to flee carrying Tifa.
After Tifa left to investigate Corneo, the Turks attacked the Sector 7 support pillar. Barret led the Avalanche effort to protect it, in "Fight for Survival". While Barret reached the top, Wedge, Biggs, Jessie, and other Avalanche soldiers did not make it far. He was rejoined by Cloud and Tifa, and battled Reno and Rude to try and stop them from detaching the plate. They were ultimately unsuccessful, and fled on a wire. In "A Broken World", after the plate fell, Barret broke into tears at what he believed to be the loss of Marlene, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. Tifa suggested that Avalanche may be to blame, but Barret quickly told her that the blame lay with Shinra who pulled the trigger, and encouraged her to hold onto the anger. Cloud calmed Barret by telling him that Aerith, a friend he and Tifa met, had kept Marlene safe. This gave Barret hope to hold onto, and he remained optimistic that the other three may still be alive too and wished to find them. At Elmyra's house, Aerith's adoptive mother, Barret reunited with Marlene. After Elmyra told them Aerith's story and her heritage as an Ancient, Cloud wished to chase after Aerith, but Elmyra pleaded with him not to, and Tifa advised against it. Barret instead suggested searching the Sector 7 ruins.
One of Wedge's cats led Barret, Cloud, and Tifa to an unconscious Wedge who had fallen through a cave-in. The unstable ground collapsed under them, leading Barret to fall further into the Shinra Underground Test Site. He fought his way through the rubble alone before reuniting with Tifa and fighting a group of makonoids, and then reuniting with Cloud. The group spotted several humans in testing pods before the Whispers ejected them. This strengthened Barret and the group's resolve to rescue Aerith from Shinra's science experiments, beginning "In Search of Hope". The following night, Barret had a chance to talk with Cloud in Aerith's garden where he told Cloud about the Avalanche members the latter never got to meet. The next day, Elmyra reluctantly agreed to let them chase after Aerith.
Barret, Tifa and Cloud helped many of the people in Midgar's slums, and fought off a group of hoodlums on his trail. The group met Leslie Kyle at Wall Market, who offered to help them get to the Shinra Building if they agreed to accompany him to the sewer system to help enact vengeance on Don Corneo. Barret disliked and distrusted him at first, but agreed to follow him and gained respect for him after learning Leslie's story. Though they failed to apprehend Corneo, they chased him away, and Leslie gave them grappling guns to use to climb over the collapsed plate and reach the top. Barret confessed having gained respect for Cloud after figuring out who he was deep down. In "The Day Midgar Stood Still", after climbing over the wall, Barret gave the group two goals: "Kick some Shinra ass and save the planet", and "Save the girl—while kicking more Shinra ass—and get out". While climbing, the group witnessed the ruins of Sector 7. Barret told the grieving Tifa to never forget the view.
In "The Belly of the Beast", upon reaching the Shinra Building, Barret, eager to attack, encouraged charging the headquarters head-on, but was quickly shut down by Cloud. After fighting in the parking garage, they snuck into the tower, unknowingly being aided by Mayor Domino. Barret declared the building a "monument to corporate greed" and relished returning one day to burn it down. Depending on Cloud's choice, the group climbed the emergency stairwell or used the elevator. The group encountered soldiers in the latter, but also scared, normal employees. Tifa remarked how easy it was to forget that ordinary people who are just trying to provide for themselves work for Shinra. Barret responded that these people are not without sin and must accept their complicity. During the tour of Shinra's history, Barret was disgusted both by the museum of Shinra's accomplishments as well as the presentation in the Visual Entertainment Hall, saying it made him want to puke. Upon meeting the mayor, Barret was surprised to learn Domino was an Avalanche collaborator, irritated that HQ had not informed him, but promised to help get payback. When the group found Professor Hojo, Barret held him at gunpoint to free Aerith. Hojo escaped by unleashing Specimen H0512, and after the battle Barret freed Aerith, and inadvertently Red XIII, another research specimen who joined the group.
Cloud was briefly possessed and fell unconscious. Aerith took him and the group to her childhood him in Hojo's laboratory, commencing "Deliverance from Chaos". Barret bonded with her due to his knowledge of the Ancients, and offered to let the group escape while he went to further attack the building. Aerith warned against this, trying to tell him more before the Whispers interrupted. The Shinra Building came under attack with Wedge and Mayor Domino securing their escape route through a helicopter escort. The group were sidetracked as they fell through the Drum, Hojo's secret research laboratory, with Hojo tracking them to gather data. Barret teamed up with Cloud, separated from Tifa and Aerith, until the group reunited to find the body of Jenova removed from the lab, and a trail leading up to President Shinra's office. Upon finding the president dangling from the roof, President Shinra offered Barret anything in desperation. Barret first appeared ready to throw him off the roof, but Tifa and Aerith pleaded he stop. Barret showed mercy but demanded the president reveal that it was Shinra who destroyed Sector 7, and that Avalanche was not a pawn of Wutai. The president grabbed a gun and mocked Barret for his principles. Sephiroth appeared and killed the president, along with seemingly Barret, until the Whispers healed his wound.
Rufus Shinra shot down the Avalanche helicopter, forcing the group to leave through the front entrance. Cloud urged Barret to take Aerith and the others while he bought them time; Barret offered to stay and back him up, but Cloud declined. Barret left with Red XIII and Aerith, while Tifa remained behind. The group tried to leave by elevator, but were stopped by a machine known as the Arsenal. After defeating it, they reached the lobby where Heidegger confronted them. Barret stood defiant before Heidegger, until Cloud and Tifa rescued them with stolen Shinra vehicles, and they escaped on the Midgar Expressway, commencing "Destiny's Crossroads". At the end, when Sephiroth opened a portal to the singularity, Barret helped fight off the large Whispers, ending their grip on fate, and helped Cloud in his duel against Sephiroth. After the fact, Barret promised to help the group fight Sephiroth, saying that an enemy of the planet was an enemy of his.
In "Episode INTERmission", Barret leads the party towards Kalm on foot, until they rest before Tifa and Aerith help the party hitch a ride on Choco Bill's pick-up.
During "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago", Cloud told the story of Sephiroth, the legendary SOLDIER who defected Shinra and was thought to have perished, and recounted his own version of the Nibelheim Incident and the events leading up to it. Barret interrupted his story at times, asking for more details, as Cloud's recollection was inconsistent. Afterward, Barret was frustrated and confused about aspects he felt made no sense, but was committed to stopping Sephiroth from taking the promised land.
The group continued to track Sephiroth, crossing the sea at Junon to Costa del Sol. In "Dangerous Voyage", Barret disguised himself as a sailor aboard the Shinra cargo ship, allowing him to spy on Rufus Shinra. Barret became infuriated seeing how gleeful Shinra were despite the murders they'd caused, but before he could strike at them, an emergency alert blared off in the ship as Sephiroth attacked. After arriving at Costa del Sol, Barret was angered at Aerith's remarks that he looked "cute" in the sailor suit and Tifa's suggestion that he use it as pajamas, but secretly retreated to the inn to look at himself in the bathroom mirror while wearing it.
When the group reach Mt. Corel, Barrett did not expected a warm welcome when the group arrived at North Corel as the townsfolk voice out their distain for the man and barely want anything to do with the group. Barret also visits Doctor Sheiran, learning the man also tended to Tifa's injuries following the Nibelheim incident. The group learn the Sephiroth clones are traveling to the Gold Saucer amusement park towering over the Corel ruins. While on route, Barret tells the group about the events that led to Corel's destruction at the hands of Shinra while insisting not to be pitied.
As the girls and Red enjoy the sights, Barret and Cloud acquire rooms at the Ghost Square with help from Cait Sith before the former decides to get some fresh air. Barret thinks of Marlene before noticing someone with a left arm gun prosthetic and follows him to the colosseum, recognizing the man as Dyne after he rampages the lobby in an attempt to assassinate Palmer. Barret follows after Dyne to Corel Prison, ending up at the scrapyard before reuniting with the others as they are investigating on behalf of Dio to clear their friend's name. Barret tells the group about Dyne before meeting with his old friend alone, realizing Dyne lost his mind from losing everything. He attempts to carry Dyne out before being forced to fight him when the latter snaps upon seeing Cloud. After defeating Dyne, Barret admits he regrets accepting Shinra's deal those years ago and reveals that he found some peace looking afer Marlene. He is then forced to watch Dyne die after pushing him out of way from a hail of bullets from Shinra soldiers, with Dyne telling him to live with his guilt. After the group escapes, Barret promises Yuffie that they will settle things with Scarlet together when the time comes.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Barret is a heavy-set, muscular dark-skinned man. His right arm was mangled in the loss of his hometown, and has been replaced with his weapon, the gun-arm, which lets him interchange various weapon attachments to it. Barret has several bands of metal around his waist, and a tattoo of a skull on his left shoulder. His hair is cut similar to a hi-top fade. He has a thick beard, as well as two dog tags around his neck. He has three scars on his right cheek. He also wears a silver hoop earring in his left ear.
Barret's attire in his original appearance is a dirty brown vest, green pants, and large brown boots, as well as several bonds of metal on his remaining arm. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, a few modifications are made to this: Barret now wears sunglasses (that possibly serve as ballistic eyewear), a black tank under his vest (with visible chest hair), cargo style pants, and zipper-black styled boots. On his remaining arm, he wears a leather bracer with small metal plates strapped on top of it instead of the simple bonds of metal, and his basic gun-arm resembles a modern rotary-style machine gun.
In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Barret's gun-arm is replaced with a transforming steel hand that can transform into a large gun at will. His vest has been replaced by a puffier, off-white one, and he wears a fishnet shirt under it, though he retains the green pants. His hair is differently styled and is now arranged in cornrows.
Barret PortraitNB.png|Portrait in Final Fantasy VII.
BC Barret 1.jpg|Portrait in Before Crisis.
Barret AC 2007 Art.jpg|Promotional image of Barret in his Advent Children outfit.
Barret Wallace from FFVII Remake bust render.png|Portrait in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Barret Wallace from FFVII Remake promo render.png|Render in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
===Personality===
Barret is a passionate and emotionally-driven leader, caring deeply about his cause and his teammates. His energetic, rousing speeches motivate his team, whose burdens he promises to lift. Barret's passion is a double-edged sword, and can lead him to be reckless, such as him cutting ties with the rest of Avalanche after arguments, when he puts himself in harm's way urging the team to attack Shinra's headquarters head-on, and when he almost kills the Shinra executives while stowed away on the cargo ship. Barret strives to be strong for others, which can mean concealing some feelings that occasionally slip through, from hidden concerns for Cloud's well-being, to his fear of heights. In addition to his teammates, Barret is attached to his daughter, Marlene. He is torn between his role as a father and his cause to protect the planet, wishing he could be with her all the time, but realizing he must fight for her future. Upon realizing she understands this, Barret remarks she is tougher than he is.
Barret holds firmly to his cause with a strong sense of righteousness, believing he can hear the planet's cries of pain, and being well-read on planetology and the history of the Ancients. His worldview, which he jumps at any opportunity to argue about or broadcast, is dogmatic and black-and-white. He blames Shinra for every evil faced by society, even viewing their low-level employees as guilty, and is quick to dismiss any notion that they have improved anyone's lives. However, though his concern for the planet is genuine, a major component of his actions is self-righteousness. When President Shinra offers him anything, Barret asks only for his name to be cleared, as of Shinra's character attacks and smears, the only one that irks him is being smeared as a pawn of Wutai. Barret's creed and vendetta against Shinra is also a coping mechanism for the guilt he feels for helping Shinra move to (and eventually ruin) his hometown of Corel. The reminder of this fuels his rage further, as well as his worldview that one must accept their complicity to redeem themselves.
Barret is loyal and protective of his daughter and teammates, whom he shares mutual respect with. Despite cutting ties with them and some of them being slow to warm to him, he admires many past teammates at Avalanche, and remains optimistic for them. Barret and Tifa rely upon one another for support. Barret's reassurance she is doing the right thing is crucial when she has her doubts, while she serves as a moral compass for him, grounding him to do the right thing and to practice restraint. Barret is slow to trust new faces, as is particularly evident with Cloud. Initially, Barret suspects that Cloud has remained loyal to Shinra, and deems him "a little shit with a big attitude and a bigger inferiority complex", leading to his dislike before seeing through Cloud's persona and realizing he had a good heart. The two then become friends, with Barret being able to open up to Cloud and connect with him emotionally. Barret's slow trust of others is not true of everyone, as he immediately takes to Aerith upon learning she helped Marlene, feeling indebted to her and bonding with her out of his respect for her heritage as a Cetra.
After accomplishing his cause, Barret looked for for a new meaning to his life once his vendetta with Shinra was settled. He felt isolated from viewing himself as a monster because of his gun-arm, and the guilt over the chaos Avalanche had caused caught up with him, namely the death of the group's members under his leadership. Barret sought both a new life, and a way to atone for his "minefield of mistakes".
=== Abilities===
Barret's grafted gun-arm is a powerful machine gun that gives him an advantage in ranged combat. His default weapon is a gatling gun and he is typically seen with a minigun-like attachment to his arm. His gatling gun uses repurposed handgun bullets from 4-4.5 cm thick magazines due to their low price and ease of acquisition, meaning the shots are weak and inaccurate, but Barret overcomes this by sheer volume of fire. He can be outfitted with missile launchers as well as mechanic melee weapons, including a chainsaw, a wrecking ball, and mechanical claws. His limit break abilities involve him charging up this weapon into a more powerful attack. This includes using it as a grenade launcher or firing an immense barrage of bullets, as well as laying markers to call down lasers from satellites. Beyond this, Barret is durable, represented in gameplay by his high HP stat.
Barret's greatest strength is his willpower and drive, which allow him not only to motivate his team with rousing speeches, but also to motivate himself. These qualities make him a capable leader. Barret is headstrong, willing to put himself in harm's way for his cause and those he cares about, allowing him to face any danger (though this is sometimes also to his detriment). At the battle for the Sector 7 pillar, Barret was the only member of his cell to reach the top intact, owing possibly to his own willpower as well as his durability.
==Gameplay==
===Final Fantasy VII===
Barret is the second playable party member available, and is in the party for most of the game. He wields various gun-arms for long range combat (with a few melee weapons), and his Limits consist mostly of physical blows with these weapons. Barret has strong defensive stats, both in terms of his high HP and Vitality, as well as very high Strength, but his magic stats are weaker.
Barret's weapons, Limits, and stats initially make gear him towards using physical damage and playing a defensive role, particularly with the Cover Materia. Barret's ultimate weapon, the Missing Score, has a large number of Materia slots, and deals more damage based on the AP of the Materia stocked to it. This can change his role to allow him to equip more Magic Materia while not sacrificing his physical damage. Additionally, two of Barret's Limits Angermax and Catastrophe (his ultimate Limit), are notable for tremendous damage potential, which can be further amplified with Missing Score if Barret's Materia is assigned correctly. Missing Score also potentially allows Barret to abuse an overflow glitch if stocked with mastered Knights of the Round Materia.
Barret is a date option for Cloud in the Gold Saucer. He begins with 0 hidden date points and has few dialogue options to improve this value, making him the hardest character to date. Dating Barret in the PlayStation 4 version earns the Best Bromance trophy.
Barret-ffvii-field.png|Field model.
Barret-ffvii-backpack.png|Barret wearing a parachute backpack.
Barret-ffvii-young.png|A younger Barret.
Barret-ffvii-sailor.png|Barret in a sailor outfit.
===Final Fantasy VII Remake===
Barret normally wields gun-arms that specialize in long-range attacks, reaching enemies that would be difficult for melee characters, and allowing him to deal single-target damage at a distance. He can also equip melee weapons which change his playstyle entirely, making him focused towards dealing slow but hard-hitting melee attacks. His unique ability is Overcharge with a ranged weapon, which deals considerable damage and fills his ATB gauge quickly, or Overrun with a melee weapon, in which he charges forward dealing damage in enemies along his path, and then slams down with an attack in a wide radius. Both of Barret's limit breaks deal ranged physical damage.
Barret has the highest durability of any party member, having very high HP and defensive attributes, as well as abilities that allow him to resist being knocked back. However, most of his attributes are below average. Barret excels in a unique role in which he can tank damage from the rest of the party and draw it towards himself using his ability Lifesaver, as well as his ability Steelskin that resists all damage he takes. With the right materia setup, he can serve effectively in a supporting role where he protects the party and provides supplementary damage. Depending on his materia and weapon setup, though, he can instead be used more for damage-per-second.
Barret is an option for a resolution scene in the quest "Resolve" in Chapter 14, "In Search of Hope", depending on the player's affection mechanics with Aerith or Tifa. Barret only participates in the Odd Jobs that take place during "In Search of Hope".
==Musical themes==
"Barret's Theme" plays as the background to the Seventh Heaven and Sector 7 slums after preparing to attack the Mako Reactor 5. Additionally, "Mining Town" , which plays during Barret's flashbacks of Corel and in North Corel, is a remix of "Barret's Theme." A blues arrangement of "Barret's Theme" is a music disc in the remake the player can play in jukeboxes, bought from the Sector 7 train station shop for 50 gil.
"Mark Of The Traitor" also has elements of "Barret's Theme;" it plays in North Corel.
==Other appearances==
===Guest appearances===
Barret has appeared in the following games in the Final Fantasy series:
*Final Fantasy VII G-Bike as a supporting character.
*Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia as a playable character.
*Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call as a playable character.
*Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character.
*Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade as summonable Legend.
*Final Fantasy Artniks as a series of cards.
*Final Fantasy Record Keeper as a playable character.
*Final Fantasy Brave Exvius as a summonable vision.
*War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius as a summonable vision.
*Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as a series of cards.
*Triple Triad as a card.
*Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a spirit and as a .
In Barret's playable appearances, he has a similar role to his Final Fantasy VII role, being a supportive character, and makes use of the same Limit Breaks. In both Final Fantasy Record Keeper, and Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, his most notable appearances, he has high HP, moderate stats, uses Big Shot and Grenade Bomb, and serves a supporting role. In the former, his primary ability schools are Support, Machinist, and Sharpshooter, able to equip the full range of abilities all three offer, reflecting his role in the original game.
DFFOO Barret EX.png|Barret in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia.
Theatrhythm CC Barret.png|Barret in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call.
FFRK Barret.png|Barret in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.
===Mentions and cameos===
Barret is referenced in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. A soldier in the Shinra Headquarters talks about troubles with the inspection team in Corel, particularly the leader-like guy. The soldier recalls his name as "Magnum or Bullet," while in the Japanese version he is referred to as "Magnum" or "Bread" . "Magnum" is a Barrett reference, both Barrett and Magnum are firearms manufacturers and names for their firearms. The English "Bullet" is a reference to its similarity to Barret's name, but it is also his Japanese name (Bullet and Barrett are phonetically identical in Japanese). Similarly, the Japanese transliteration of "bread" is similar to Barret's Japanese name, changing the first vowel and voicing the final consonant. The English dialogue also has another reference, saying he acted like a "big-shot" alluding to his Limit Break.
Barret is referred to in Kingdom Hearts, though he does not make a guest appearance like many other Final Fantasy characters. In , a shopkeeper named "Wallace" appears in alongside Biggs, Wedge and Jessie in Kingdom Hearts II. Much like the other characters, his appearance is different from his namesake, being light-skinned instead of dark-skinned, and being tubby instead of muscular.
In Final Fantasy Tactics, when talking with Cloud after selecting "Dismiss" from the party menu, he will say, "There's no getting off this train until we reach the station", a reference to a line Barret uses in Final Fantasy VII.
In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, published by Square Enix, there is an antagonist named Lawrence Barrett who possesses a minigun built into his augmented arm. Despite these similarities, the developers have called it a coincidence.Davies 2016
===Merchandise===
Barret has appeared in action figures, key chains and Coca-Cola figurines. He, alongside Marlene, has also appeared on a Potion can.
==Behind the scenes==
===Concept and design===
Barret, along with early versions of Cloud and the character that would become Aerith, was one of the first three main characters designed for Final Fantasy VII. Barret was a character that Tetsuya Nomura had wanted to create for a long time.Electronic Gaming Monthly 2005 Barret was originally going to have a bowgun on his left hand before it was replaced with the gun-arm, and in place of his dog tags, he would have had a medallion around his neck as a gift from his deceased wife Myrna.Knight 2003 His job class early on was listed as "Gunner", a class which would eventually be introduced to the series in Final Fantasy X-2. Many journalists compared Barret's original and portrayal with American television personality Mr. T.Parish 2009IGN 2006, "4. Barret (Final Fantasy VII)" Other similarities include actor Ving Rhames, who portrayed Symbionese Liberation Army leader "Cinque" Donald DeFreeze in the 1988 biopic Patty Hearst.
When developing Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Barret's design was altered, with Nomura acknowledging the Mr. T comparisons. Nomura redesigned Barret's face, and took input from other artists for further changes. Takeshi Nozue suggested giving Barret's hair cornrows, while Yusuke Naora designed his new attire (which originally consisted of white overalls). Nozue also designed Barret's new gun-arm, with the guideline from Nomura being "a huge, over-the-top gun that transforms in a huge, over-the-top way"; as he found this difficult to work with, he decided to obscure the hand's transformation sequence as much as possible.
For Final Fantasy VII Remake, Barret's design changed most drastically from his original design in comparison to the other characters. Nomura made sure to reference both of Barret's designs in order to show his strength.
Barret Early Art 1.jpg|Early concept art of Barret by Tetsuya Nomura for Final Fantasy VII.
Barret Early Art 2.jpg|Early concept art of Barret by Tetsuya Nomura.
Barret Early Art 3.jpg|Early concept art of Barret by Tetsuya Nomura.
Barret sketch.png|Early concept art of Barret by Tetsuya Nomura.
Barret Concept Art.jpg|Concept art of Barret by Tetsuya Nomura.
Limit Break Storyboard FFVII Sketches 2.jpg|Limit Break concept arts for Final Fantasy VII.
Barret face artwork for Final Fantasy VII Remake.png|Face concept art for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Barret toad status from FFVII Remake concept art.jpg|Concept art of Barret in Toad for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
===Character development===
Barret was one of the first three main characters designed for Final Fantasy VII. The game was originally going to have three playable characters total, along with Cloud and Aerith. When it was decided that one of the main characters would die, Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, and others debated strongly between Barret and Aerith as to which would die. Aerith was ultimately chosen, with the developers feeling that Barret's death would be too predictable, commenting later it "became almost a signature theme for one character to sacrifice him or herself" in Final Fantasy that was typically "a similar character type from game to game, kind of a brave, last-man-standing, Barret-type character".
Barret's backstory in early drafts, a coal miner whose town was burned down, did not change too drastically from the final game. However, Corel would instead have been burned down due to the town's discovery of mako energy, which Shinra wished to keep secret. The executive who led the attack that destroyed Corel and injured Barret's arm was changed several times, considered to be Heidegger and Reeve at points, before settling on Scarlet. Barret's reunion and confrontation with Dyne would also have been different, originally ending in a duel taking place during a battle between Avalanche and Shinra in the ruins of Corel. Further changes to his story were that Marlene was originally Barret's biological daughter and that Barret's wife Myrna would have survived the attack. Originally, Barret would have visited the Shinra Building before Final Fantasy VII when he still had his hands; remnants of this is still present in unused dialogue found in Final Fantasy VII not present in the final script.The Lifestream.net
In a deleted scene, Barret was to promise the other Avalanche members they would go to Cosmo Canyon together after finishing their mission. A remnant of this promise exists in the game when Barret mournfully says at the campfire in Cosmo Canyon he swore with his friends they would have a toast at the Cosmo Candle.
For Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square Enix wanted Barret's maturity to contrast with the younger Cloud in interactions with others.
===Voice===
Barret is voiced in Japanese by Masahiro Kobayashi, and shares his Japanese voice actor with Ryid Uruk from Final Fantasy Type-0. In English, Barret is voiced by Beau Billingslea in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Barret retains his Japanese voice actor, but is voiced by John Eric Bentley in the English release. Bentley was a fan of the original Final Fantasy VII. For him, playing Barret was important for Black representation as well as portraying depth in Barret's character development, hoping to convey that Barret had dynamics and was more than a one-dimensional character.Chandler 2020
===Reception===
In a poll of Japanese players, Barret ranked as the fifth most popular character in Final Fantasy VII Remake, below Jessie.Famitsu July 2020, p. 19
Barret's character development, depth, and complexity was well-received in the original Final Fantasy VII. Jeremy Parish praised his depth, owing to his role as a loving father and also the losses he had agonized over. Pat Holleman in his book Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VII described Barret as the easiest example to use in illustrating the game's "theme of tragic survivorship", pointing to Barret's "wonderfully imperfect" attempt to deal with the loss of his identity following Corel's destruction. Holleman also observed that Barret becoming an environmental extremist despite his past as a coal miner was intentionally ironic on the developer's part to demonstrate that Barret's goal is not as noble as he believes.Holleman 2018, "Introduction" Listing Barret as the fourth on their 2006 list of best sidekicks in videogames, IGN stated that "it's easy to see what a loyal character he is" after learning why he has made his decisions in life.
Barret's portrayal in Final Fantasy VII has also been criticized as a negative racial stereotype, particularly due to the dialogue and Mr. T comparisons. Jeremy Parish stated that Barret's depiction was racist, arguing this was due to the cultural gap between Japan and the United States as well as the fact the game was not translated by Americans, saying that it would "never have happened under Ted Woolsey".Parish 2008 He separately stated that though Barret's dialogue and Mr. T appearance made him seem "the worst kind of stereotype" on the surface, his depth and his role as the "first true father figure" in Final Fantasy were examples of Final Fantasy's "great track record with handling foreign races in fiction". Marc Nix also drew attention to Barret's "stilted slang" dialogue, which he said stands out among the rest of the cast as it feels as if it is written through a "broken ebonic translator".Nix 2009
The criticism of Barret's depiction in the original game convinced Nomura to design Barret differently in Advent Children, and encouraged John Eric Bentley to be a better example of representation in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Barret was warmly received in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Tamoor Hussain described Barret as a "loud showboater" with his lines "having the same kind of energy as a wrestler cutting a promo in a WWE pay-per-view", but said that his pure intentions and "touching fatherly moment[s] with his heart-meltingly cute daughter" make him sympathetic when one doubts him.Hussain 2020 Jenni Lada praised Barret's depiction in Final Fantasy VII Remake for the humanizing moments and interactions with Cloud and Tifa, and also commended the game for setting up Barret's role in future installments in spite of the difficulty in finding room to do so before the party reaches Corel.Lada 2020
==Gallery==
==Etymology and symbolism==
The name Barret is a Japanese transliteration of the English word "bullet".Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho The Complete p.10 Before Final Fantasy VII had an English localization, Barret was referred to as "Bullet" in some pre-release magazine articles. In a similar manner to Aerith's name ("Aeris" in the final game), Barret was referred to as "Barett" in early Japanese publications despite the English localization using "Barret". In Barret's case (and the same is true for a number of other minor characters), the localization name became the universal one. Therefore from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children in 2005, "Barret" is used in Japanese publications too.
In English and Japanese, Barret's name is also phonetically identical to Barrett, a firearms manufacturer and term used for their guns.
His last name Wallace is of French origin and means "foreigner". Due to his prominent role as fighting against Shinra, Barret's surname in Final Fantasy VII may allude to William Wallace, a Scottish landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence, who is the subject of the 1995 Academy Award-winning film Braveheart.
Final Fantasy VII derives symbolism from Jewish mysticism, and Barret's character may have been influenced by it as well. Sephirot are the ten attributes through which God appears, and Barret may be tied to one such attribute, gevurah, associated with judgment and strength. From the Bahir, "This is the left hand of God." The right hand of God being chesed: kindness/love. Cloud, Barret and Aerith were the first player characters designed for the game, with Aerith and Barret possibly representing chesed and gevurah. The metaphor may be embodied in Barret, who has lost his right hand, but retains his left.
==Notes==
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==External links==
* Barret Wallace on Wikipedia
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Category:Gunners
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:Characters in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Category:Characters in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts