Barret Wallace | |
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File:Barret.png 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 |
Article on Wikipedia | Barret Wallace |
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. 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, perished.
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.
In Super Smash Bros. 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 signature Gatling Gun. He was revealed during the Mr. Sakurai Presents "Sephiroth" presentation on December 17, 2020. He is planned to be released alongside the other Round 8 Mii Fighter costumes on December 22nd, 2020.
Final Fantasy universe | |
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Fighters | Cloud (SSB4 · SSBU) · Sephiroth (SSBU) |
Stages | Midgar · Northern Cave |
Other | Aerith Gainsborough · Bahamut ZERO · Barret Wallace · Chocobo · Ifrit · Leviathan · Odin · Ramuh · Tifa Lockhart |
Trophies & Spirits | Trophies · Spirits |
Music | SSB4 · Ultimate |
Related universe | Kingdom Hearts |