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| #9 - Dr. Cid (Final Fantasy XII) |
One of the most beloved and long-running traditions of the series is that every game has a character named Cid, usually a pilot or a scientist. In more recent years, the games had this odd stint of having villainous Cids. But the best of those, and my personal favorite Cid, is the one from Final Fantasy XII- Cidolfus Bunansa. Yes, I know that name is incredibly silly, that’s why I exclusively refer to him as Dr. Cid.
Dr. Cid is the brilliant scientific mind behind the Archadian Empire’s research into Nethicite, a powerful element that absorbs Mist and releases it as magick (with a k for some reason). Cid immediately saw the application of this discovery and used it to create all sorts of machines- airships, weapons, you name it. However, he owed much of his knowledge to Venat (remember her from the honorable mentions?), with whom he shares the goal of “putting the reins of history back in the hands of men.” However, despite his brilliance, he was written off by many as a mad scientist, because his research led him to forsake any and all ethics, and also due to the fact that Venat only appears to a select few, making it seem as though he is having animated discussions with empty space. His supposed fall into insanity led to the estrangement of his son Balthier.
Final Fantasy XII’s writing has always been a treat, managing to sound elevated and almost Shakespearean without coming off as pretentious, coupled with some excellent voicework. I bring this up because it emphasizes how truly hammy Dr. Cid. Every other line is dripping with over-the-top enthusiasm. He’s theatrical, bombastic, fond of grand, sweeping gestures, and overall just so much fun to watch.
Both fights against him are intense and enjoyable as well. He employs all manner of scientific devices to assist him, wields a freaking gatling gun at one point, and is one of the few villains to employ the longstanding series tactic of summoning monsters against the heroes, and uses it to great effect. It helps that the second fight occurs at what is ostensibly the real climax of the story and has a ton of weight to it.
Again, his character ties into one of the best aspects of XII- namely, its rogues gallery. The villains of XII all have this mutual sense of camaraderie among them, and his relationship with the other bad guys is part mutual respect, part manipulation. It’s implied near the end of the game that he was considering betraying his superiors for the sake of scientific curiosity over the relic they were fighting over. If I had one complaint about him, it’s that his relationship with Balthier isn’t explored as much as it could have been, but that’s a very minor issue.
As far as mad scientists go, he may not have the bottomless well of evil Hojo did, but he makes up for it with his memorable presence, excellent boss fights, and endearingly over-the-top mannerisms. And to think he’s not even the highest ranking XII villain on this list!
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