Jessie Rasberry

Jessie Rasberry is a non-player character in the Final Fantasy VII series. She has a minor supporting role in Final Fantasy VII, Hoshi o Meguru Otome, Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, and a major supporting role in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. She is a core member of Barret Wallace's independent Avalanche cell along with childhood friends Biggs and Wedge, and was crucial to the bombings of Mako Reactor 1 and 5.
Jessie is the mechanic of Barret's Avalanche cell, providing explosives, counterfeit IDs, and procuring other items and tools necessary for their missions. She is generally confident and upbeat, but is burdened with guilt at the devastation caused by her bombs. She tends to flirt with Cloud Strife and often teams up with him on missions.
==History==
===Before Final Fantasy VII===
====Early life ====
Jessie was born in 1984 to Rowan Rasberry and his wife. She grew up with Biggs and Wedge, presumably in Sector 7. She lived with her mother and father, who worked as a Chief Maintenance Engineer at the Shinra Electric Power Company.
Jessie aspired to be an actress at Gold Saucer. After hard work, she was eventually cast in a top billing role at the Gold Saucer as the "Princess", thrilling her parents. However, just before opening night, her father, Rowan, collapsed from overwork and fell into mako storage. Her father's incident led Jessie to study planetology and seek out Avalanche. She believed her father's soul as being stuck between the living plane and the afterlife, and thus came to believe that Shinra's mako harvesting needed to stop.
====Avalanche====
Jessie's pursuit of planetology led her to become a member of Avalanche's Sector 7 Slums Division, where she worked alongside Biggs and Wedge. The group's ideology was to give everyone an equal say, but the three were indecisive, Jessie wanting to bomb mako reactors, while Biggs simply wanted to be a thorn in Shinra's side and Wedge was indifferent. Jessie attended many secret screenings of planetology films around Midgar, in which people did not know where they would take place until the morning of as Shinra would crack down on them. Barret met her at one of these, and recognized she was a member of Avalanche, thus waiting outside Seventh Heaven in the hopes to ask her how to join.
Jessie met Tifa Lockhart when she, Biggs, and Wedge purchased from Sector 8 Steamed Buns in the Sector 8 slums. After work she ran into her, and helped fight off one of Don Corneo's goons. Tifa took Jessie to her Container Row apartment and told her her life story from Nibelheim up her debt to Dr. Oranye's clinic. The two bonded, and Jessie promised to take care of her. Thereafter, Tifa spent one or two nights a week with Jessie, and occasionally with Biggs and Wedge, with Jessie sometimes bringing clothes she thought would look good on Tifa and sharing tips as an actress.
On May 3rd, 0004, Jessie invited Tifa to a planetology screening, introducing her to the philosophy. After rumors that Avalanche had caused the explosion at the Corel Reactor, Jessie went a month without contacting Tifa before coming to her for help, having been injured after jumping off a roof; after resting there for a bit, she took off and left a note. The two lost contact thereafter, and Jessie got in touch with Tifa through Marle and through a woman at Tifa's apartment to arrange a meeting spot. The spot was attacked by Shinra, though Barret, trailing Tifa, appeared and fought off the Shinra soldiers, introducing himself to Jessie.
Jessie introduced Barret to Biggs and Wedge, and with Tifa, the group collectively agreed to make Barret their leader due to their own indecisiveness. Barret's leadership helped Avalanche at first, but over time, other factions of Avalanche left the Sector 7 Slums Division, before Barret eventually cut ties with the rest of Avalanche to become an independent cell. While working for the cell, Jessie lived with other aspiring actresses in the Sector 7 slums. Her mother believed she was still trying to get into the Gold Saucer and wasn't cast yet. Jessie also sold water filters to the residents of the Sector 7 slums, raising funds for Avalanche.
Before the attack on Mako Reactor 1, Jessie prepared the bomb, but used a more powerful blasting agent than what the instructions demanded.
===Original continuity===
====Avalanche operations====
In December of 0007, during "No. 1 Reactor Bombing", Avalanche infiltrated Mako Reactor 1. Jessie came up with a code that opened a door and descended an elevator with Barret and Cloud. After setting the bomb she had built, Cloud helped Jessie during their evacuation after she got her leg stuck. The Avalanche members parted ways and regrouped at the train back to the Sector 7 slums, during which Jessie showed Cloud a digital model of Midgar and told him about her fascination with computers. The bombing mission was a success, and Jessie was amazed by seeing the results of it on the news back at their Sector 7 hideout.
The night before the Mako Reactor 5 bombing mission in "Jessie's Favor" of Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, Jessie tried hacking into Shinra's database for reactor information but faced a lockout from their intrusion system. She programmed a virtual battle hack, requesting Cloud's aid and offering him a pizza as a reward. Cloud declined the pizza but still helped, making quick work of the simulator. Jessie rewarded him with the old SOLDIER: P0 Class training program she found, but neither knew anything about it. She then granted Cloud access to her battle simulator anytime and advised resting up for the upcoming "big day".
During "To the No. 5 Reactor", Avalanche set off to Mako Reactor 5. Jessie made everyone fake ID cards to bypass the train's security check; however, Cloud's card notably failed, because she had tried to "make it special". This forced the group to jump off the train. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie stayed behind when Cloud, Tifa, and Barret jumped off first, Jessie disguised as a train conductor. Cloud could compliment her on her disguise, or tell her it needed more work.
During "Prevent the Fall of the Plate", Shinra attacked the Sector 7 pillar, and Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge helped Barret defend it. When Cloud found her severely wounded, she was glad she could talk to him one last time and mourned that since many people died because of her bombs, this was her rightful punishment. Jessie was among the casualties of Sector 7 plate collapse.
==== In the lifestream====
In Hoshi o Meguru Otome, Jessie appeared to Aerith within the lifestream when the former thought of Cloud and Tifa. Jessie's remnants responded to their names, and she caused Aerith to call Biggs and Wedge. The three were happy to hear Cloud officially joined Avalanche, and that the group was fighting a threat surpassing even Shinra, but told Aerith they were fated never to be absorbed into the lifestream due to the lives they took while they were alive.
Jessie asked Aerith to leave them because she must still have a task to fulfill before she is absorbed, and being near them would only taint her with their bad memories and inflict their fate on her. As they left, Aerith called to them and told them their deaths helped save people by delaying Shinra, allowing more of Sector 7's people, including Marlene, to evacuate in time.
===Remake continuity===
During "The Destruction of Mako Reactor 1", Jessie supplied the bomb for Avalanche's mission, as well as codes to hack the reactor and progress further inside. She immediately took an interest in Cloud, telling Biggs about it. She descended the reactor with Cloud and Barret to mako storage. After her bomb went off, Shinra's mechs caused more damage, and thus the explosion was bigger than Jessie expected. She fled the reactor with the help of Cloud.
Jessie was stunned by the explosion's size, wondering how she could have caused it, which left Biggs and Wedge suspicious. During "Fateful Encounters", she supplied more bombs to help the group through the tunnels. She expressed guilt at the explosion, gave Cloud materia to thank him, and showed him the map of Midgar despite him saying he didn't need it. As they made their way back to the slums, Jessie continued to feel guilty about the explosion's size. Upon returning to the Sector 7 slums in "Home Sweet Slum", she celebrated their victory despite her feelings and met up with Cloud again, telling him she'd be lobbying for him to join the next mission, as she could tell Tifa was uneasy about the bombings and felt safer in Cloud's hands.
After Barret refused to hire Cloud, Jessie asked him for help on a mission to rob her parents' house in "Mad Dash". Biggs and Wedge came out of concern for her, and they drove motorbikes up to the Sector 7 plate. Jessie rode with Cloud, playfully flirting with him along the way, and kissed him on the cheek for his safe driving, leaving him awkwardly flustered. They arrived at Jessie's neighborhood and headed to her parents' house. Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge chatted with her mother, who made pizza for them, while Cloud stole her father's Shinra ID. Jessie's mother urged her to work at the Sector 8 theater again, still blissfully unaware of her involvement with Avalanche. Jessie then robbed the Sector 7-6 Annex, securing a weaker blasting agent than the one used in the previous bombing mission.
Jessie and the others returned to the Sector 7 slums via parachutes secured by her father, and once there she asked Cloud on a date inviting him to her house for homemade pizza. If Cloud agreed she was ecstatic, otherwise she vowed to try a less in-your-face approach.
The next day, Jessie was attacked by Whispers, who injured her leg, and thus she was unable to help in the bombing of Mako Reactor 5; Cloud took her place and agreed to her request to "raise some hell" for her. Jessie's fake IDs were still used on the mission, but because of the previous day's attack, the system was updated, and the group was found holding forged IDs.
During "Wutai's Finest" in "Episode INTERmission", Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge discussed the aftermath of the Mako Reactor 5 bombing, concerned that Barret, Tifa, and Cloud hadn't returned yet. They eased each others' worries and planned to have a celebratory pizza feast once they were back; Jessie teased Wedge about not getting any pizza. Later, a worried Jessie sat outside Seventh Heaven, irritated by Shinra's propaganda, wishing she could've helped the others on the bombing mission, and anxiously awaiting Cloud's return. Approaching her, Yuffie teased Jessie for being stood-up much to her annoyance, before Jessie stated she wasn't "in the mood". Yuffie then suggested they play a game of Fort Condor to clear her mind and Jessie reluctantly agreed. Upon losing, Jessie resigned that "you can't win 'em all", asked to be left alone, and warned a hubristic Yuffie not to push her.
Jessie, alongside Barret, defended the Sector 7 pillar against Shinra's attack during "Fight for Survival". She ascended to floor 13, which was higher than both Biggs and Wedge. She used her grenades to destroy Shinra's helicopters, but the Whispers intervened, severely injuring her by burying her beneath beams and rubble. Cloud and Tifa found her shortly after, and Cloud dug her out. Cloud picked her up, and Jessie called him her "hero" and remarked on him being the "guy" who gets to hear her "last words." Cloud affirmed they wouldn't be her last. Still, Jessie told Cloud and Tifa not to be sad over her death, believing it to be the rightful punishment for all the victims of her bombs. In her final moments, Jessie lamented how she wanted everyone to come over again and enjoy her mother's cooking. Cloud reminded her that she "owes him a pizza", but she didn't believe she could oblige. Jessie noticed Tifa was crying and asked if "she said something wrong". She encouraged them to press on, fist bumped Cloud, and told him it's "not polite" to "stare", before closing her eyes and apparently succumbing to her injuries.
After Cloud and friends defeated the Whispers and escaped Midgar in "Destiny's Crossroads", one of Jessie's gloves, and her bandanna, were on the desk beside a bed with a recuperating Biggs.
==Characteristics==
=== Appearance===
Jessie is a 23-year-old woman with a slender build. She has fair skin, brown eyes, and medium-length reddish-brown hair tied in a high-set ponytail. Jessie wears a red headband, a metal breastplate, a blue undershirt, metal-plated brown gloves with red bands, a brown leather belt and holster, knee-length green capris, and armored boots. In Remake, she also wears a black shirt under her breastplate, black wristbands, and silver stud earrings.
===Personality===
Jessie is determined, spunky, and charismatic. Like Biggs and Wedge, she is upbeat and playful. She is fearless when it comes to romance, openly flirting with Cloud to the point that he calls her "desperate". Jessie feels embarrassed to play "damsel in distress" and tries to push herself even when injured.
Beneath her vibrant and animated demeanor, Jessie feels culpable for her actions as part of the terrorist group, and after trying to blame something else, eventually blames herself; Biggs and Wedge notice this isn't normal of her. However, Jessie continues to harbor guilt up until her final moments, feeling she deserves to die for all the deaths her bombs caused. Her talents as an actress enable her to mask her insecurities behind her smile and sense of humor.
Jessie grew up with Biggs and Wedge. She had great respect for Barret, her leader, choosing to trust him with leadership and stick with him even after Barret cut ties with the rest of Avalanche. She and Tifa have a close friendship, bonding quickly as the two shared a strong mutual admiration, to the point of Jessie sharing clothes and acting tips with Tifa, greatly boosting Tifa's confidence. Though their friendship is close, Jessie appears to have somewhat of a romantic rivalry with Tifa, asking Cloud if he is close to her, and later commenting that she'd "rather have a professional" like him instead of Tifa during a mission.
Jessie frequently gushes over Cloud and eventually invites him on a date. Wedge believes this is a mere game to her. Cloud sometimes reacts with irritation to Jessie's advances, but normally responds awkwardly and flustered. Jessie is comfortable opening up to Cloud, even entrusting him with a mission she did not tell Biggs and Wedge about. Her attempts to break his hardened persona have sometimes yielded success, making him smile on a few occasions, which is rare for him.
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Jessie commonly uses the slang term "Psych!" after acting flirty with Cloud. According to Motomu Toriyama, she does this "to hide her romantic feelings behind a joking smile."
===Abilities===
Jessie is intelligent and resourceful, possessing vast technological knowledge. In addition to providing Avalanche with explosives and fake IDs, she builds and sells water filters and other household items to the residents of the Sector 7 slums to raise operating funds. The filters are crucial as a source of revenue, and Tifa notes they raise more funds than the Seventh Heaven bar.
Jessie inherited her tinkering skills from her father, who worked as a "Chief Maintenance Engineer" at Shinra, and received the parachutes used from him. She is skilled at tossing grenades, using her accuracy to blow up a helicopter when Shinra attacks the Sector 7 support pillar. She also brags about her ability to make pizza.
Jessie is a talented actress and was skilled enough to land a starring role at the Gold Saucer after a lot of work. Her roles in action scenes also gave her martial arts skills that she used in real combat.Though not displayed on-screen, some of the children who live in the Sector 5 slums emulate her.
== Gameplay ==
In "Episode INTERmission", Jessie sits outside Seventh Heaven. She is a Rank 2 player in Fort Condor in "Mastering Fort Condor" quest. She who uses a mix of ranged and defense units. A mix of vanguard and ranged units should be used to counter her. An edge can be given to vanguard units. She has Grenadier Barracks (Ranged), but her weakness is her slow ATB-recharge rate and stationary units.
In hard mode, Jessie is a Rank 5 player who uses a board with maximum speed and buffed towers. The player can keep using Sorcerer Board II with the same general strategy (though other setups are also viable) of using all spells on the enemy HQ and sending out fast units to push out the territory line up to the opponent's towers. As the Sorcerer Board II has slow ATB growth, the player can wait for their ATB to fill up while Jessie starts with her deployment, to have a lot of ATB available to deploy units fast; when the player has a unit attacking the enemy HQ, all of Jessie's units will focus on them; it is optimal to be able to deploy a fast unit, like a Guard Dog (Vanguard), right in front of the enemy HQ to get an attack in before being killed off; the spells against the HQ deplete most of its HP and the player only needs to get couple attacks in from their units to win. The Guard Dog is fast, but only goes for the HQ in favor of one of the outposts when placed dead center in front of it, so the HQ is the closest tower it can reach.
Board 	Units 	Reward(s)
Battalion Board II8 ATBCureBarrierHasteHP Up	Guard Dog (Vanguard)Sentry Ray (Ranged)Missile Launcher (Ranged)Grenadier Barracks (Ranged)Blast-Ray (Defense)Sentry Gun Prototype (Defense)Sentry Gun (Defense)	Easy/Normal:Grenadier Barracks (Ranged)Condor Coin x3Assassin Board IIHard:Secrets of the Ninja Vol.IVSecrets of the Staff Vol.IVCondor Coin x3
==Musical themes==
Jessie has no musical themes in the original Final Fantasy VII, but Final Fantasy VII Remake introduces a few. "RUN RUN RUN", track 13 of disc 2 in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack, plays at the end of the "Motor Chase" quest in "Mad Dash" if Cloud maintains 80% of his health, earning him a kiss that leaves him awkwardly stunned. "RUN RUN RUN - Instrumental Ver." and "RUN RUN RUN - Mellow Ver.", tracks 7 and 8 of disc 1 in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack Plus, are variations that play based on how much health Cloud loses.
"Jessie's Theme", track 14 of disc 2 in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack, plays while exploring Jessie's neighborhood in Sector 7 during the "Homecoming" quest in "Mad Dash". Later in the chapter, "Flying Over the Undercity", track 10 of disc 1 in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack Plus, is a rocky upbeat variation of "Jessie's Theme" that plays when the group parachutes down to the slums in the "Return to the Slums" quest.
"The Look on Her Face", track 22 of disc 5 in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack, a sad variation of "Jessie's Theme" plays when Cloud and Tifa find an injured Jessie in the "To the Top" quest during "Fight for Survival", and continues playing thereafter.
==Other appearances==
Besides appearances of Jessie in other games and cross-over material, characters named Jessie sometimes appear as allusions to the Final Fantasy VII character, often alongside other characters named Biggs and Wedge, with varying degrees of resemblance.
===Final Fantasy XIV===
In Final Fantasy XIV, a recurring character named Jessie Jaye was introduced in Patch 2.3 as the Deputy President of Garlond Ironworks, working alongside the Final Fantasy XIV versions of Biggs and Wedge, and often harrying after the lackadaisical founder of the Iron Works, Cid Garlond. This Jessie resembles her Final Fantasy VII counterpart in appearance, being a young female Midlander Hyur with brown eyes and brown hair tied into a ponytail.
=== Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia===
Jessie appears as an obtainable character in Sloppy Provisioner. While treated as a representative of the Original Final Fantasy VII, her appearance and abilities are based and inspired from Remake. 
===Mobius Final Fantasy===
Jessie appears as a card in Mobius Final Fantasy.
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
Jessie is a character in Brave Exvius, called Avalanche's Jessie. She is also featured on Remake Cloud's vision card.
===Chocobo's Dungeon 2===
In Chocobo's Dungeon 2, a character named Jessie appears alongside Biggs and Wedge, as a trio of Black Mages in a research laboratory.
She is a part of a sidequest to develop and unlock the workshop's facilities. If brought an essence, she will provide a service to lift curses from the current equipment for 100 gil.
Jessie appears later in a FMV together with the other four Black Mages. She assists the Chocobo and the villagers with attacking and bringing down the airborne Dungeon.
===Final Fantasy Trading Card Game===
Jessie appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as Lightning- and Earth-elemental Backup cards.
Jessie TCG.png|Jessie [11-088C] Chapter series card.
Jessie 1-204S from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Jessie [1-204S] Opus series card.
Jessie 4-082C from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Jessie [4-082C] Opus series card.
==Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances==
===Kingdom Hearts===
In , Jessie is the owner of an Accessory shop in Twilight Town, appearing together with characters named Biggs and Wedge. This character looks quite different from the Jessie from Final Fantasy VII, as she has blonde hair and wears blue. She plays a small role at the beginning of the game, being the first character the player can talk to using .
== Behind the scenes==
===Development===
Jessie was designed by Tetsuya Nomura for the original Final Fantasy VII. She was redesigned by Roberto Ferrari for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Jessie, along with Biggs and Wedge, was given more character depth for Final Fantasy VII Remake, at the direction of Nomura,Shanley, Wigler 2020 and the entire team were conscious about adding depth to the characters leading into the battle at Sector 7.Ryan 2020 For this, writer Kazushige Nojima used the same personalities he had imagined for the characters when originally creating them, bringing out a side that always existed but wasn't fully portrayed.
In the original Final Fantasy VII script, Jessie has relatively few lines, though a couple of lines hint to her personality that Remake would expand on. These include a line about her guilt at the devastation caused by her bomb, later believing that her death at the Sector 7 pillar was a rightful punishment, as well as subtle moments hinting at her attraction to Cloud when asking what he thinks of her disguise and claiming to have put her heart into making his ID "special". The Final Fantasy VII Remake script includes far more character moments and interactions, a scene at the Sector 7 pillar showcasing her skills in combat, and a backstory that did not previously exist. For her backstory, Kitase wished to show the top of the plate, and Nojima gave her background as an actress to make Jessie's words and actions more theatrical.
The team intended for Cloud to respond differently to the characters depending on whom he is talking to. Cloud tries to act cool when talking to Aerith, acts more like himself when talking to Tifa, while being more flustered in response to Jessie, which she sometimes takes advantage of. When editing the voices, the team found that Jessie came on stronger than intended and worried she might be seen as "too persistent". To offset this, whenever Jessie flirts with Cloud, she'd end it with "Psych!" to show it's just for fun.
Ff7 jesse artwork.png|Artwork by Tetsuya Nomura.
Jessie FFVII Sketch.jpg|Sketch by Tetsuya Nomura.
Jessie-FFVIIR-Roberto-Ferrari.png|Concept art by Roberto Ferrari for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Jessies submachine gun artwork for FFVII Remake.png|Concept art for Jessie's sub machine gun.
Jessies gun artwork for FFVII Remake.png|Concept art for Jessie's sub machine gun.
=== Character model===
In the original Final Fantasy VII, Jessie has a high-resolution model of her upper body, used in the scene where she and Cloud look at the Midgar map. When she is under her disguise, she simply reuses the Shinra guard model.
Characters using the models of Jessie and Biggs are seen in Elmyra's flashback at the train station in the original game, but it is ambiguous whether they're meant to be the same characters. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Biggs and Jessie are not seen in this flashback, implying the models in the original game were merely reused assets.
Jessie-ffvii-field.png|Field model in Final Fantasy VII.
Jessie-ffvii-highres.png|High-resolution model in Final Fantasy VII.
NPC-ffvii-ShinraGuard.png|Disguise (reuses Shinra guard model).
===Voice===
Jessie is voiced by Erica Lindbeck in the English release of Final Fantasy VII Remake, first appearing in the December 2015 gameplay trailer using an old version of the script. Lindbeck knew little about the original game when joining the cast, but had heard her role would be minor. She was nonetheless very excited to be in a Final Fantasy game at all, and was happy that her role was being expanded upon. Lindbeck also loved the relationship between Jessie and Tifa.Watts 2020
===Reception===
Jessie was noted a fan favorite for Final Fantasy VII Remake. In a poll of Japanese players, Jessie ranked as the fourth most popular character for the game, above Barret, but below Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith.Famitsu July 2020, p. 19 Nomura was also surprised at her popularity.Romano 2020
Square Enix developers also had a good impression of her during development, and were pleased to see the reception reflected among the fans beyond what they had expected. Yoshinori Kitase credited Jessie's success to Nojima's distinctive dialogue, the performance by Jessie's voice actresses, and the cutscene team's direction.
Due to Jessie's glove and bandana being near Biggs during the events of the remake's ending, speculation on Jessie's fate became a talking point among fans. When participating in a PlayStation Play interview on March 21, 2021, Yoshinori Kitase was asked about Jessie's fate. He replied that he could not say anything currently, and simply covered his mouth playfully.
==Merchandise==
Jessie from Final Fantasy VII Remake is in three Play Arts Kai sets: one with her alone, one with the motorbike she and Cloud rode in Chapter 4, and one with her and Cloud and the bike all together.
==Etymology==
Rasberry possibly derives from raspberry, a sweet and tart berry of the genus Rubus.
==Notes==
===Annotations===
===Citations===
==References==
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de:Jesse
fr:Jessie
it:Jessie
ru:Джесси (Final Fantasy VII)
pt-br:Jessie Rasberry
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Category:Characters in the Chocobo series