Barret Wallace

Barret Wallace
Barret Wallace's artwork from Final Fantasy VII.
Universe	Final Fantasy
Debut	Final Fantasy VII (1997)
Smash Bros. appearances	Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
Console/platform of origin	PlayStation
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Corel Village
Article on Wikipedia	Barret Wallace

Barret Wallace (バレット・ウォーレス, Barret Wallace) is a character from the video game Final Fantasy VII.

Origin

Barret first appears in Final Fantasy VII. Originally from the village of Corel, Barret was a supporter of allowing the Shinra Electric Power Company to build a Mako Reactor near the town. The move was opposed by Barret's friend Dyne, who worried about the destruction of the town's coal industry, which it depended entirely on. Despite Dyne's objections, Shinra built the reactor, only to later destroy it and blame the town as a pretext for burning the town to the ground. In the chaos, Barret and Dyne were gunned down by Shinra troops led by Scarlet, a Shinra board member. Dyne fell off a cliff, with Barret just barely catching him. A bullet struck Barret's hand, causing him to drop Dyne and ultimately lose the hand. Resenting Shinra, Barret replaced his hand with a prosthetic that could be equipped with a gun and joined the terrorist group AVALANCHE. Barret moved to Midgar to carry out his campaign of vengeance, and took custody of Dyne's young daughter Marlene.

Four years later, Barret formed an independent cell of AVALANCHE which consisted of Barret, Tifa Lockhart, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. The group successfully bombed a number of Mako Reactors in Midgar before Tifa brought on her childhood friend Cloud Strife. Barret and Cloud clashed almost immediately, but Barret begrudgingly acknowledged that Cloud had his uses to the cause. During Cloud's second mission with the group, they were nearly cornered by Shinra, coming face-to-face with President Shinra himself. The group narrowly escaped, and Cloud was presumed dead after he fell from a great height. Tifa learned that Shinra had gotten intel of their raid from slum crime lord Don Corneo, so she went undercover to find out more. Reuniting with Cloud, Tifa learned from Corneo that Shinra planned to drop the Sector 7 plate onto the slum underneath to retaliate against AVALANCHE. Barret fought to prevent the Turks from carrying out this plan alongside Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, but ultimately only Barret would survive and make it to the top of the plate's pillar before being joined by Cloud and Tifa. Despite the assistance, the group failed to stop Reno from dropping the plate, though they escaped with their lives, and Barret learned that Marlene was in the care of Elmyra Gainsborough, the adopted mother of Aerith Gainsborough. In gratitude, Barret joined Cloud and Tifa as they stormed Shinra Tower to rescue Aerith. After being captured, freed by Sephiroth, and escaping Shinra Tower, Barret continued with the group, despite his reluctance of Cloud's leadership.

The group's travels eventually took them to Corel, where Barret was clearly not welcome. After proceeding to the Gold Saucer theme park, Barret seemingly went on a rampage, ending up in Corel Prison sentenced to death. There he learned that Dyne had survived his fall, and had also replaced his hand with a gun, and in fact was the one responsible for the rampage. Dyne had taken over the prison, and after a showdown with Barret, commits suicide. Soon after, party members Yuffie and Cait Sith broke into the prison and rescued Barret before his execution.

Barret continued fighting alongside Cloud, coming to realize that vengeance on Shinra was not the reason he was fighting anymore: rather it was the safety of Marlene and the continued survival of the planet. When Cloud became out of commission, Barret had the opportunity to become leader and wanted, but decided he was unfit for the role and passed the position onto Cid Highwind. Barret stayed with the group for Marlene's future and descended into Northern Cave for the final battle.

After the defeat of Sephiroth, Barret and Marlene decide to live with Tifa and Cloud in the city of Edge, situated near the ruins of Midgar. Barret leaves soon after on a quest to find alternative energy resources other than Mako. He would eventually find one in the form of oil. Barret would use this oil to both power the homes of many and the vehicles to transport those infected with Geostigma to Midgar for treatment. After returning to his friends and family during the events of Advent Children, he fought alongside Cloud against Bahamut SIN, then watched as Cloud fought Kadaj. One year later, Barret, alongside Cloud and Tifa, led the ground assault against Deepground during the events of Dirge of Cerberus. Barret is also seen sending Vincent Valentine a map via phone.

In the remake, Barret is largely the same. When the party finds President Shinra hanging from the side of a building, Barret contemplates killing him, but is convinced to let him go. Shinra takes advantage of this to draw a gun on Barret, but is stabbed and killed by Sephiroth, who also stabs Barret. The Whispers then swoop in and fully revive Barret before he dies. Barret then follows Cloud to the final boss and agrees to fight Sephiroth.

Barret is the muscle of the party, always willing to go on dangerous missions for the good of his cause to defeat Shinra, and later Sephiroth. A very passionate and emotionally driven person, Barret will never give up, even if it leads to reckless behavior. His hatred for Shinra is only matched by his love for his friends and family, particularly his adopted daughter Marlene. His most prominent feature is his Gun-Arm, which he received after his right hand was mangled and later amputated during the destruction of his hometown. This Gun-Arm can be customized to use various projectile or melee attacks, which Barret excels in using.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a Mii Costume

The Barret Wallace Mii costume in Ultimate.

Barret Wallace appears in Round 8 of DLC as a paid Mii Gunner costume. In said costume, he uses both his design and his weapon from Final Fantasy VII, wielding his initial weapon Gatling Gun. He was revealed during the Mr. Sakurai Presents "Sephiroth" presentation on December 17, 2020, as a part of Round 8 of Mii Costumes. He was released alongside the other Round 8 Mii Fighter costumes on December 22nd, 2020.

His trailer begins with a Barret and Tifa Mii Fighter on Spirit Train with the sound and red screen flash of an X Bomb referencing the security check on the train during the mission to bomb Mako Reactor 5. He is later seen fighting Little Mac in Mushroomy Kingdom, recreating his battle with Dyne, then battling Wario and Dr. Mario as Oil from Flat Zone X pours, referencing President Shinra, Hojo, and their disregard for the Planet. Finally, he is shown on Great Plateau Tower leaping for the whip of Simon, emulating his escape from the collapse of the Sector 7 Plate.

As a spirit

Barret makes an appearance as a spirit featured on Sephiroth's Spirit Board, debuting in version 10.1.0. His original art for Final Fantasy VII by Tetsuya Nomura is used for his spirit. He is represented by a Mii Gunner wearing the Mii Costume based on him if it is purchased, with the Wild West Gear being used instead if not. His Mii is notably designed to resemble him. The battle takes place on the Midgar stage with Opening - Bombing Mission playing in the background, referencing AVALANCHE's mission to bomb a Mako reactor at the start of Final Fantasy VII. Before fighting Barret's Mii Gunner, the player must first defeat three Mii Brawlers designed to resemble fellow AVALANCHE members Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. His spirit increases a fighter's weight.

No.	Image	Name	Type	Class	Slots	Base	Max	Base	Max	Base	Max	Ability	Series
1,441		Barret		★★	1	1902	7639	763	3063	1032	4144	Weight ↑	FINAL FANTASY Series

Trivia

• The female version of Barret's outfit adds a black tank top, coincidentally matching his updated design in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

External links

• Article on the Final Fantasy Wiki
• Barret's official Mii on the Mii Library