Barret Wallace

Barret Wallace
Final Fantasy character
Barret Wallace artwork by Tetsuya Nomura for Final Fantasy VII.
First gameFinal Fantasy VII (1997)
Created byTetsuya Nomura[1]
Designed byTetsuya Nomura[2]
Dan Suzuki (Remake)[3]
Voiced by
In-universe information
WeaponGun arm
HomeCorel

Barret Wallace (Japanese: バレット・ウォーレス, Hepburn: Baretto Wōresu) is a character in Square Enix's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. He was created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, and has since appeared in the CGI film sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children as well as other games and media in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series. As of Advent Children, Barret is voiced by Masahiro Kobayashi and Masato Funaki in Japanese, while Beau Billingslea and John Eric Bentley voice him in English.

Barret is first introduced in Final Fantasy VII as an eco-terrorist, leading the group AVALANCHE to bomb Mako reactors in Midgar as to avenge the losses dealt him by the megacorporation Shinra Electric Power Company, the Planet's de facto world government, who operate under the pretense of saving the Planet. Over the course of the story, Barret re-examines his efforts and focuses on pursuing the villain Sephiroth in an effort to protect the planet and the future of his adopted daughter, Marlene. Elements of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII would later expand upon his character, detailing the character's history before and after the events of the original game.

The first black playable character in the Final Fantasy series, Barret's appearance and sometimes profane speech has been compared to that of Mr. T. He is also considered to be the first true father figure in the series, for his relationship with his adoptive daughter Marlene. His character arc is also considered a deconstruction of a revenge story, as a former coal miner seeking vengeance through eco-terrorism before eventually realizing revenge is not the right motivation. The character has earned praise, but also criticism and accusations of racism by some.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference kaitai was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nomura was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference dan-suzuki was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference reunion45 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c "Barret Wallace Voices (Final Fantasy)". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Jessie, Wade (June 10, 2019). "Final Fantasy VII Remake: Breaking Bad, Supergirl Stars in Voice Cast - E3 2019". IGN. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  7. ^ "Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Credits". Allgame. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  8. ^ 『FF7リバース』開発者インタビュー。最も意識したのは“選択の自由度”！ リメイク第2作に秘められた旅の魅力をひも解く. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). September 21, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2024.