Across the franchise’s 33 year lineage, every mainline Final Fantasy game has been in its own standalone universe, at least for the most part anyway. Some games have had sequels and spin-offs, but each numbered game has no connection with each other. There’s only been one link between each and every Final Fantasy game that’s persisted all this time: “Cid.” With the exception of the original 1987 release of the first Final Fantasy, each numbered title since has had Cid featured as a character in the game.
Even though each iteration of Cid is different, every single game in the series has featured this character with the same name in a different form. From a car mechanic to a literal space engineer, Cid has had many occupations across the Final Fantasy series. Airship captain usually comes up a lot, but his background and personality is unique to each entry. Here’s every version of Cid in the Final Fantasy series.
Final Fantasy 2: Cid
Kicking off the tradition is Cid from Final Fantasy 2. He’s a middle aged airship captain (fair warning: a lot of the Cids in the franchise also look like this) who used to be a white knight stationed in the city of Fynn. Cid gave up his life as a knight to start a transportation business using his airship. Cid assists Firion and the party in their quest to stop the Dreadnought and the Palamecian Empire, the main antagonists of Final Fantasy 2’s story. Cid takes on a mercenary-like personality, whose righteousness lends his assistance (and his airship) to the player during the game’s story.
While the main party searches for the Sunfire, Cid is captured by Palamecia and the Dreadnought. Rebels eventually break Cid out, but he’s gravely injured in the process. Cid eventually dies, but he bequeaths his airship to Firion and the party to carry on in their fight against Palamecia. This inaugural Cid design would set the standard for many of his future iterations, in various capacities.
Final Fantasy 3: Cid Haze
Once again reprising his role as the token herald of airships, Cid Haze in Final Fantasy 3 takes on quite a different appearance as before. Instead of the gruff mercenary type, he’s more of an older and knowledgeable inventor. When the Warriors of Light meet Cid in Kazus, they soon discover the whole town has been cursed and turned into ghosts. He assists the main party and procuring them an airship, so long as they defeat the evil spirit of Djinn and lift the curse. Upon defeating Djinn, Cid and the Warriors of Light use the airship to break a blockade between Kazus and Canaan, Cid’s hometown. Cid remains in Canaan to take care of his ill wife, while the player move on with their adventure.
Final Fantasy 4: Cid Pollendina
Marking the first playable party member in the history of the character, Cid Pollendina is the head of the Baron kingdom’s engineer corps in Final Fantasy 4. He’s the head architect and engineer of the Baron kingdom’s airships, the “Red Wings.” Old friends of Cecil and Rosa, Cid eventually joins their party after being imprisoned by Baron’s false king upon disobeying his orders. Cecil breaks Cid out of his imprisonment and agrees to help his old friend save the kidnapped Rosa. He helms the ironically named “Enterprise” airship and assists Cecil in his quest to stop Golbez and the Lunarians. During the journey, Cid seemingly sacrifices himself as the party escapes the Red Wings, but is shown to be alive later on in the story. He’s a bit of a reckless old man, but his determination and courage keeps him alive.
Final Fantasy 5: Cid Previa
Returning to a non-playable state, Cid in Final Fantasy 5 takes on a more scholarly elder appearance. Professor Cid Previa is a famed inventor and academic who researches the iconic Crystals of the franchise’s lore. Cid’s most famous invention was that of a replication machine, utilizing the Fire Crystal’s energy to manufacture items and materials for industry. Cid assists the party during a quest to save the Fire Crystal upon learning the machines Cid had invented were actually destroying the integrity of the Crystal. He assists the Warriors of Light in procuring an airship, like always, and Cid assists them with how to find the Earth Crystal. Cid Previa in Final Fantasy 5 is a far more calm and composed version of his character compared to the iterations before him.
Final Fantasy 6: Cid Del Norte Marquez
Dressed in a rather tasteful banana-yellow suit, Cid Del Norte Marquez once again represents the character as an established scientist and inventor. Cid is the main inventor and architect of Magitek technology in Final Fantasy 6, the portmanteau for “magical technology” in the Gestahlian Empire. He’s assumed the role of step dad to Celes, and is the one who infused her with magic essence to become a Magitek Knight for the Empire. Cid takes on an Oppenheimer personality, as he’s furious that his Magitek innovations are mostly being used for warfare by the Empire. While this can be prevented, Cid typically dies after the giant cataclysmic event at Final Fantasy 6’s midpoint.
Final Fantasy 7: Cid Highwind
Perhaps the most iconic versions of the character, Cid Highwind joins Cloud’s party on his quest against Sephiroth in Final Fantasy 7. This time, he’s a brash former astronaut of the Shinra Space Program and, of course, captain of the Highwind airship. He joins the party after Cloud’s search for Sephiroth lands the party in Rocket Town, conveniently when Shinra has arrived as well. Escaping on top of the Tiny Bronco and leaving his sad life behind in Rocket Town, Cid agrees to join the party in the hopes of finding a greater purpose. He’s much more of a curmudgeon and reluctant to help Cloud and the gang, but warms up to the group’s goal as Sephiroth’s threat to the planet grows larger. His design, while mostly inspired by Cid from Final Fantasy 2, also has a nod back to Kain in Final Fantasy 4 as the dragoon party member.
Final Fantasy 8: Cid Kramer
Headmaster Cid takes on a very different role at first in Final Fantasy 8. Cid Kramer is the founder and headmaster of Balamb Garden, the central military school where the protagonist Squall becomes a SeeD. Cid manages the school in preparation for the battle against the sorceress Ultimecia, and some other more convoluted roles in Final Fantasy 8’s very confusing time travel story. Cid Kramer is a bit more aloof and cheery, even though he’s supposedly leading a young adult mercenary training institution. Cid eventually supervises the graduation of Squall, and after some rioting at Balamb Garden (a story for another time), Cid grants Squall the activation key to turn Balamb Garden into a giant airship, as he is indeed another Cid after all. He continues to supervise Balamb Garden while Squall and the party go after Ultimecia.
Final Fantasy 9: Cid Fabool IX
Cid in Final Fantasy 9 has finally reached royalty as the ruler of Lindblum. Cid Fabool IX leads a renowned state known for their airships, if that wasn’t surprising. He rules over esteemed engineers, mechanics, and pilots of his city’s great airships. He doesn’t become a party member, but he does have a briefly playable mini-game sequence where he’s been turned into an Oglop and a frog. Basically, he needs to redeem himself for being unfaithful to his wife, so that she may turn him back into a human and once again help Zidane and the party get an airship later on in Final Fantasy 9’s story.
Final Fantasy 10: Cid
As the leader of the Al Bhed in Final Fantasy 10, Cid is willing help Yuna in her quest to rid the world of Sin. Since the Al Bhed are a people with impressive mechanical prowess, they absolutely have designed several airships for use. He’s also Yuna’s maternal uncle and Rikku’s father. Cid was also the main architect of Al Bhed’s “Home” in Bikanel, and Cid assists Yuna by uncovering an old Al Bhed airship found underneath the ocean’s surface. And of course, he’s the captain of the ship “Fahrenheit” that brings Yuna and the party to Old Zanarkand.
Final Fantasy 11: Cid
Within the MMO world of Final Fantasy 11, Cid is a renowned engineer and inventor in the Republic of Bastok. He acts as one of the main quest-givers in the region, with each quest fueling his inventions and items for the player. His status and business success is largely attributed to the Republic’s prosperity, thus giving Cid an influential reputation. Granted in the main game, Cid’s role is pretty standard fare, but in the Chains of Promathia expansion, he eventually begins developing his own airship.
Final Fantasy 12: Cidolfus Demen Bunansa
Acting for the first time in the series as an antagonist, Cidolfus Demen Bunansa from Final Fantasy 12 is a scientist employed under the Archadian Empire. He’s largely responsible for the synthesization of Nethicite and the immense industrial technology the Empire has built from it. Cid is also the father of Balthier, the sky pirate who joins the main party and also happens to be an airship captain. In this case it looks like the role of airship captains runs in the family, as Cid is later fought multiple times as a boss in the story.
Final Fantasy 13: Cid Raines
While this particular Cid helms an airship like usual, he’s not quite the scientist or engineer from past iterations. Cid Raines in Final Fantasy 13 is a brigadier general in the Guardian Corps. He’s the leading commander of the Lindblum airship, tasked with shepherding Lightning and the party towards Cocoon. He’s a much younger Cid than previous versions, one with far more complicated political motivations during the somewhat complicated story of Final Fantasy 13.
Final Fantasy 14: Cid nan Garlond
Returning to his more traditional role, Cid nan Garlond in Final Fantasy X14 is the leader of Garlond Ironworks. Cid and his group of Garlean and Eorzean engineers are developing Magitek for the MMO world. In A Realm Reborn, Cid has amnesia and he’s working towards figuring out why he’s so good with engineering and what happened in his life prior. Cid tags along with players on several quests, whilst also working to repair and develop airships in Final Fantasy 14’s world.
Final Fantasy 15: Cid Sophiar
And of course, for a fantasy based on a reality, Cid returns in Final Fantasy 15 as a car mechanic. Cid Sophiar runs the Hammerhead garage and is also on contract with the Lucis royal family to work on the Regalia and assist in Noctis’ road trip. He once traveled with Noctis’ father King Regis during his own respective journey, but due to a disagreement, Cid moved on to open his own mechanic shop in the countryside. He’s also got a daughter, aptly named Cindy, who’s become head mechanic at Hammerhead garage as Cid’s grown older. Of course, by the end of the game, Cid fulfills his one sworn duty of turning the Regalia into a convertible airship.
