Barret Wallace
Barret Wallace is a primary character in the Final Fantasy VII series and the leader of an AVALANCHE cell opposing the Shinra Electric Power Company. Towering and fiercely determined, he leads the fight to protect the Planet from energy exploitation while harbouring deep personal grief. Armed with a heavy prosthetic fitted to his right arm, he serves as the hot-blooded yet caring heart of the main party.
Overview
Barret Wallace is a primary character in the Final Fantasy VII series and the leader of an AVALANCHE cell opposing the Shinra Electric Power Company. Towering and fiercely determined, he leads the fight to protect the Planet from energy exploitation while harbouring deep personal grief. Armed with a heavy prosthetic fitted to his right arm, he serves as the hot-blooded yet caring heart of the main party.
Appearance
Barret is a tall, muscular 35-year-old man with dark skin, very short black hair, facial hair, and a facial scar on his cheek. He wears a brown vest with torn sleeves, green pants, dog tags, earrings, and has a tattoo on his left arm. His eyes are depicted as brown or blue. His most prominent feature is his right arm, which has been replaced by a customizable prosthetic weapon known as a Gimmick Arm. He also frequently wears sunglasses.
Personality
Barret is loud, hot-tempered, and blunt, often expressing extreme rhetoric during his campaign against Shinra. Although initially driven by intense hatred and revenge, his travels temper his recklessness, shifting his priority toward protecting his loved ones. Behind his rough exterior lies a tender heart, especially regarding his daughter Marlene, whom he dotes on completely. Despite his eagerness to command, he is self-aware enough to yield leadership when others are better suited.
Abilities
Barret specializes in long-range physical attacks utilizing his Gimmick Arm, possessing exceptional hit points and resilience. While his physical durability allows him to absorb significant damage, his magical capabilities and speed are comparatively low. His Limit Breaks include heavy ranged blasts like Heavy Shot and Grenade Bomb, MP-draining moves such as Mindbreak, close-quarters physical strikes like Hammerblow, and satellite-guided lasers via Satellite Beam. His higher-tier attacks include the rapid-fire barrage Angermax and the powerful orbital beam technique Catastrophe.
Background
Originally a coal miner in the town of Corel, Barret supported the construction of a local Mako Reactor. When an explosion occurred, Shinra used the incident as a pretext to destroy the village. While fleeing with his best friend Dyne, both men lost an arm to gunfire from Shinra forces. Barret survived and adopted Dyne's infant daughter, Marlene. Grief-stricken and bent on vengeance, he underwent surgery to install a prosthetic weapon on his arm and established a branch of AVALANCHE to strike back at the corporation.
Relationships
Barret is profoundly devoted to his adopted daughter, Marlene Wallace, the biological child of his late friend Dyne. He initially distrusts Cloud Strife due to Cloud's past with SOLDIER, but eventually develops deep mutual respect and trust for him. He shares a close, family-like bond with Tifa Lockhart, who assists in raising Marlene while helping run their operations. His relationship with his former friend Dyne ends in tragedy when they clash at the Corel Prison.
Trivia
During early character development, he was named 'Blow' and was originally intended to wield a crossbow attached to his arm. He appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a downloadable costume for Mii Gunners alongside an in-game Spirit.
