Matt Winsord

Matt Winsord is a character in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier and a playable unit in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. He is featured in the opening movie for The First Soldier. Shortly after the announcement of The First Soldier shutting down, players received a graduation notice. It stated that Lucia Lin had recommended the player be promoted to SOLDIER, who would subsequently be assigned to the top-secret mission "FIRST SOLDIER Operation" alongside Lucia and Glenn Lodbrok.
In the opening movie, during a scene taking place 21 years prior to Final Fantasy VII Remake, Glenn and his fellow military operatives, Lucia Lin and Matt Winsord, are engaged in combat. Lucia covers Glenn and Matt as they escape a monster and head towards a helicopter. In a later scene, the three ride in a helicopter, bump fists, and jump out together.
== History ==
In [ μ ] – εγλ 1988, Matt faced down a behemoth on the field of battle. He was rescued by Glenn and Lucia, and the three later became fast friends. 
Matt was picked to be a part of Shinra Electric Power Company's elite SOLDIER force. Due to his camaraderie with Glenn and Lucia, Matt was assigned to Glenn's team for their first mission as "Team Glenn".
In [ μ ] – εγλ 1992, Matt, Glenn, and Lucia were sent on a secret mission to the Rhadore Archipelago to survey sites for a new mako reactor. En route, their helicopter was attacked by the remnants of the Rhadoran army, and an explosion tore the cockpit clean off, causing a crash-landing on the island of Sijad. In the crash, Matt was separated from the others, reuniting with them in the Burmun Forest.
Matt suggested they send a distress signal, but Glenn convinced him and Lucia to continue with the mission. On the La'paina coast, the three were surrounded by Baloir before a Rhadoran boy and his dog Refu help the SOLDIER operatives to safety. Matt had his reservations about accepting help from the enemy, and was distrustful of the boy. Glenn, however, had a good feeling about the kid, and Matt trusted Glenn's intuition.
Rosen simply wanted the three off the island to leave him to his duty, so he provided the three SOLDIER operatives with a boat. Matt performed repairs, including replacing the battery with one found at the wreckage of their helicopter, and the three headed to the main island. There, Matt began collecting data on the baloirs, hoping to create a bestiary chronicling the flora and fauna on the island. 
While there, Team Glenn was surrounded by the Rhadore remnant army. Sephiroth eliminated the threat before taking control of the team. The four of them infiltrated the Rhadoran base in the Cawpine Caves. Matt was able to fix a lock mechanism for the gates in the caverns, opening the way ahead and allowing the SOLDIERs to reach the fleeing remnants. 
When Shinra's construction of the mako reactor led to the destabilization of the island, Matt was the first to join Glenn in his efforts to rescue Rosen, risking his job and his life to fly to the island of Sijad. There, he pointed out that the mana torrent resembled many legends about the end of the world, and realized that continuing to work for Shinra would lead to more calamities like this.
After the mission in Rhadore, Matt joined Glenn in the creation of the Shinra Resistance Committee before joining Avalanche, leading a team in the raid of the Shinra building in [ ν ] – εγλ 0007. 
== Characteristics ==
=== Appearance ===
Matt is a young man with a thinner build, dark skin and dark hair in a buzz cut. When not in his SOLDIER uniform, Matt wears a black shirt with green cargo pants and tall boots.
=== Personality ===
Matt is level-headed and analyzes situations logically, earning him the nickname "Professor" from Glenn. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of mako, Rhadoran culture, and native flora and fauna, to the extent that he planned to chronicle his own bestiary for the island of Rhadore. He is calmed by patterns and numbers, reciting the Fibonacci sequence when under duress. He also shows skill in repairing mechanical devices, including the engine of Rosen's boat and the locking mechanism to the gates in the Cawpine Caves.
Despite his logical outlook, he values and appreciates Glenn's instincts and can intuitively tell when something is bothering Glenn or Lucia. He enjoys joking with Glenn and Lucia, but does his best to view every situation pragmatically and keep the three of them on task. He's not above petty tactics and low blows, calling Glenn the "scum of the slums" when Glenn refused to stop calling him "Professor".
=== Abilities ===
Matt fights with a sword in his right hand and a gun in his left. In his limit break, Valiant Attempt, he shoots at the enemy thrice before ending with a horizontal sword slash. His second limit break, Gigantic Shield, focuses on defense, healing allies and increasing defense and magic defense.
== Behind the scenes ==
Matt was originally designed and envisioned as the protagonist of the story, though the role was later shifted to Glenn, who had a more charismatic personality.［インタビュー］成長途中にある少年時代のセフィロスも登場する「FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS」。野村哲也氏を交えた制作陣にいろいろ聞いた
==Etymology==
According to Tetsuya Nomura, Matt's name is derived from the word "matcha" in "green matcha tea", which he was drinking at the time he named the members of Glenn's crew, with Glenn being derived from "green" and Lucia from "tea", respectively.FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS　第一回公式生放送～アップデート情報～
==Citations==
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis