I just bought the strategy guide today and will get my copy of the game tomorrow. In the meantime, here are the character infoz.

*Full page character profiles*

Zack Fair
Personal Data
Age: 16~23 (ages throughout story)
Height: 6'1"
Weapon: Sword, Buster Sword
Birthplace: Gongaga

Zack is a SOLDER 2nd Class operative and he's training at the hands of SOLDIER's proudest members, Angeal. Zack is an energetic young man brimming with excitement and vigor. Although he dreams of one day becoming a hero like his idol, Sephiroth, Zack must first overcome his limitations. Zack's primary weakness is not physical, but mental. Simply put, he has difficulty maintaining focus - As deadly a character flaw as one could have on the battlefield.

As time goes by and Zack matures and his ability to focus improves, he is promoted to SOLDIER 1st class and given the most important assignments. He continues to respect Sephiroth, but it is Angeal he begins to emulate. Zack remembers all of Angeal's teachings and seeks to pass them down to those who follow in his SOLDIER footsteps. Most importantly, Zack keeps his hope of becoming a hero alive and follows his dream in the most honorable way a SOLDIER operative can.

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Cloud took on Zack's persona and kept his memory alive in FINAL FANTASY VII. This was due to admiration and memory loss on Cloud's part. Sephiroth eventually tries to reveal Cloud's past to him and a hazy image of Zack is uncovered, but little was known about his character until now. CRISIS CORE shows who Zack was, how he came to be part of Cloud's life, and why Cloud is so indebted to him.

The events in FINAL FANTASY VII lead us to believe that Cloud actually thinks that Zack's memories are his own, but it is not so simple. Cloud and Zack form an incredible friendship over the course of events in CRISIS CORE. Cloud hints at this friendship in a scene in Advent Children when Cloud visits Zack's grave and says, "I said I'd live your part from now on..." CRISIS CORE sheds light on what the promise made between Zack and Cloud was.

Zack is shown in Advent Children bearing a scar on his cheek. The origin of this scar is revealed in CRISIS CORE. This scar was even depicted in the fighting game Ehrgeiz.

Zack has a propensity for doing squats, but fans of FINAL FANTASY VII already know this because of Cloud's fondness for them as well. Cloud was seen doing squats several times during FINAL FANTASY VII. He was once again emulating his close friend Zack.

Angeal Hewley
Personal Data
Age: Around 25
Weapon: Buster Sword
Birthplace: Banora

Angeal is a SOLDIER 1st class operative who carries himself with the dignity and honor befitting his position. Angeal grew up in the small village of Banora, as a childhood friend of Genesis. Once in SOLDIER, Genesis and Angeal befriended Sephiroth and the three became the most successful and popular SOLDIER operatives ever.

When not on assignment, Angeal spends his time mentoring Zack. The two became close friends and Angeal works hard to impart his beliefs to the impressionable youngster. Angeal's reasons for joining SOLDIER are uncertain, but it's clear that his family has a history with the sword - And a deep respect for it's power.

Link to Final Fantasy VII
CRISIS CORE represents the introduction of Angeal. He was not mentioned in FINAL FANTASY VII, nor did he appear in Advent Children or Dirge of Cerberus.

Genesis Rhapsodos
Personal Data
Age: Around 25
Weapon: Rapier
Birthplace: Banora

Genesis is the son of wealthy parents who grew up on a hill above the village of Banora. He joined SOLDIER at an early age along with his friend Angeal. Genesis turns to the epic poem Loveless for his inspiration and guidance. He devotes much of his spare time looking for hidden meanings within the poem and hypothesizing about it's lost final act. Genesis goes missing from SOLDIER and is the subject of a great search by those refusing to believe the worst.

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Genesis did not appear in FINAL FANTASY VII or Advent Children, but he did appear briefly in a secret movie in Dirge of Cerberus, which takes place three years after FINAL FANTASY VII. In that game, Genesis is simply referred to as "G" and his motives and identity are a mystery. The hidden movie that contains Genesis appears just before the game's true ending and hints at Genesis's re-awakening after the events of Dirge of Cerberus.

Sephiroth
Personal Data
Age: Around 25
Weapon: Masamune
Birthplace: Nibelheim

Sephiroth is the most famous and highly regarded SOLDIER 1st class operative and is considered by all of Midgar to be a tremendous hero. He is a man of few words who prefers to let his sword do his talking. Although he is close friends with Genesis and Angeal, a part of him always felt that he was a breed apart, unique, and alone. As the years pass, Sephiroth grows increasingly obsessive and spends his time studying old Shinra research documents... And he eventually learns the truth.

Link to Final Fantasy VII

The name Sephiroth needs little introduction. Renowned - and feared - as the terrorizing mortal enemy to Cloud in FINAL FANTASY VII, the name Sephiroth has come to represent the very essence of evil. CRISIS CORE reveals the reasons for Sephiroth's evil ways and uncovers the stormy relationship between him and Cloud. CRISIS CORE shows how and why Sephiroth transformed from a SOLDIER hero to the planet's worst enemy.

Aerith Gainsborough
Personal Data
Age: 16~22 (ages throughout story)
Height: 5'4" (at age 22)
Birthplace: Icicle Lodge

Aerith is a young girl living beneath the Midgar plate in the Sector 5 slums. She's pretty, well-liked and, although she spends her time tending the flowers she grows in an abandoned church, she has never actually seen the sky. She meets Zack through happenstance and immediately takes a liking to him. Although she doesn't know what to make of the fact that he's in SOLDIER, she withholds judgment and chooses to like him for who he is, rather than who his employer is. Aerith shares her dreams and wishes with Zack, but doesn't reveal to him the one thing that makes her so special...

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Aerith isn't just one of the most adored characters in FINAL FANTASY VII, she's one of the most beloved videogame characters of all time. Her role as the tragic heroine in FINAL FANTASY VII left an indelible image on the memories of gamers around the world. Yet, despite the strong affection for her, much of her past is left shrouded in secret. CRISIS CORE fills in many of the gaps by showing fans exactly why she spoke so fondly of a man named Zack in FINAL FANTASY VII and why she behaves the way she does around Cloud.

Cloud Strife
Personal Data
Age: 15~21 (ages throughout story)
Height: 5'8" (at age 21)
Weapon: Gun
Birthplace: Nibelheim

Cloud is the uncertain, soft-spoken infantryman who desperately wants to join SOLDIER, but probably never will. He befriends Zack by coincidence on a mission and has the good fortune to be taken under his wing. Cloud is clearly in over his head in CRISIS CORE and is more of a liability for Zack than he is an asset. Nevertheless, Cloud reveres Zack and comes to value his friendship above all else.

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Cloud is the hero in FINAL FANTASY VII and, although his personality leads people to believe he's aloof or disinterested, we know from CRISIS CORE that he's simply insecure. When FINAL FANTASY VII begins, Cloud takes to impersonating a mysterious man named Zack, but why he does so is not really known. He does this with such skill that it even surprises Aerith when they meet. CRISIS CORE reveals the reasons why this is the case and shows why Cloud holds Zack in such high regard.

*Partial page character profiles*

Tseng
Tseng is a senior member of the Turks, a highly secretive intelligence agency working for Shinra. Tseng is a man of few words, but isn't averse to making the occasional sarcastic comment. He respects the members of SOLDIER but not as his equals. It's possible that the cruel actions demanded of him by Shinra have simply taken their toll on his personality.

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Tseng has a similar role in FINAL FANTASY VII to his role in CRISIS CORE. The main difference though, is that he no longer wears the ponytail in FINAL FANTASY VII. Tseng does mature a bit during the time between CRISIS CORE and the events in FINAL FANTASY VII and he often appears in FINAL FANTASY VII not as a field operative, but as a leader and moderator.


Cissnei
Personal Data
Age: 16
Weapon: Shuriken

Cissnei is a young member of the Turks who was born and raised within the Shinra society. She was trained from a young age to become a Turk and she takes her job very seriously. Cissnei enjoys the attention given to her by Zack and, for the first time in her life, she lets down her guard and allows emotion to have a say in her actions. Cissnei is secretly jealous of the attention Zack pays Aerith and has strong feelings for him.

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Cissnei didn't make an appearance in FINAL FANTASY VII, but she was one of the 11 player-Turks in BEFORE CRISIS. The scene on the beach in the Nibel Plains with her and Zack appears in both BEFORE CRISIS and CRISIS CORE.

Hojo
Hojo is the top researcher at Shinra Headquarters and has developed a number of training programs regarding the creation of new, unique monsters. He's also a very arrogant man who holds a grudge and is not about to let anything stop his "research".

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Hojo's experiments during the events of CRISIS CORE set the stage for much of the story in FINAL FANTASY VII. In many ways, he is the true force of evil in the series.


Tifa Lockhart
Personal Data
Age: 15
Birthplace: Nibelheim

Tifa is a young girl in Nibelheim who is hired as a guide to lead Sephiroth and Zack to the Mako Excavation Facility. She is not a fan of Shinra and, although she admits to desiring a blonde-haired SOLDIER operative for a boyfriend, she does not have a lot of nice things to say about SOLDIER.

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Tifa meets Cloud in Nibelheim during the events of CRISIS CORE and their friendship carries over to FINAL FANTASY VII. Tifa has always liked Cloud and enjoys helping him restore his memory when they reunite in FINAL FANTASY VII. She ultimately lets her feelings be known near the end of FINAL FANTASY VII and the two can be seen living together during the events of Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus.


Yuffie Kisaragi
Personal Data
Age: 9
Birthplace: Wutai

Yuffie is a young, spunky girl from Wutai who wants nothing more than the destruction of Shinra and for Wutai to be restored to its former ways. She's also addicted to treasure and the ways of materia hunting and will do anything to get her hands on special items... Even cheat, lie, and steal if she has to!

Link to Final Fantasy VII
Yuffie learns the powers of materia in BEFORE CRISIS and carries this knowledge into CRISIS CORE where she tries time and again to pilfer treasure from Zack. Yuffie continues her thieving ways in FINAL FANTASY VII and even attempts to trick people with fake save points in both games! Yuffie also plays a significant role in assisting Vincent in Dirge of Cerberus.

Cool! I love to read character profiles in game guides....
Awwww. I can't wait to see what they say about Aerith. :fangirl:

Ok, done typing them all. :lol:

Cimmentz. :fish:

They act as if not only did she know him but also liked him! If I remember right, the last time Tifa ever actually saw Cloud was when they were kids and she badgered him into that unromantic promise.

Still, thanks so much Kal! Now I don't need to buy it! :D

Argh, I just read through the profiles and after reading Tifa's I just KNEW the rabids would take it as a new proof. I just went to check the ACF and, how could I be wrong, they do.

I just can't stand it! Why?! >__< *cries a little*

And why are there no Cleris fans in the debate anymore? ;o;

Sorry for ranting... >_<"

I don't see much wrong with it because it can be taken that way. Though you don't literally see them living together in DC. :fish:

Though it has to be brought to attention, the writers themselves say at the beginning of the book that they too are just fans themselves. They are not Square employees. So their opinions are exactly that. I also doubt they look into all these Japanese fanbooks and are as into it as much as the rest of the fandom.

BEWARE, RANT!!!!

If by liking it means ignoring, then I suppose that's right.

Well she sure took her sweet time restoring them, didn't she! Enjoyed it? PFFT!

Does this refer to the Highwind scene? I don't think she says she likes him, doesn't she say how he can hear her voice in the Lifestream?

Cloud lived in the Church for how long? Dirge of Cerberus, I don't think they we're even in Edge for that game.

Other than that, I like it.

It's not like anything that's said is false anyway, it's just biased in the way it's worded. Not a biggie. It's not like 90% of the people reading haven't already played ff7 and made up their minds anyway.

Wow. A nice character guide, save for the biased Tifa Lockhart part. How biased can people be?

Nice character bios, though Tifa's can be biased, but at least Yuffie's amusing. :lol:

:lol: Nice !
Still, Tifa's profile bugs me... it's not exactly inaccurate, the Cloti have an occasion to squee at the "living together, Tifa revealing her feelings to Cloud"... and still... still...

Still, they can live together without being in love with each other. Barrett lives with them too and he's not even mentioned ( same for Marlene and Denzel )... and Tifa can tell her feelings to Cloud but it doesn't mean he feels the same way about her. It reminds me of a Karin/Yuri scene from Shadow Hearts 2, [beware of the spoiler if you haven't play the game and don't want to know] Karin tells him that she's in love with him and he almost answers nothing to her, because he still loves Alice and cares enough for Karin to not want her to be hurt by his words... by the way, Yuri let Karin got closer to him in a previous scene, we can clearly see that he feels embarrassed at first... and I can't help myself to think about the Highwind scene between Cloud and Tifa... the graphic are pretty bad so we can't see if Cloud is really embarrassed... we can just guess how he can feel with his "...".

Well, because awkward silences are possible between two people in love ( I absolutely adore a certain forbidden relationship from my favourite TV show... and they are pretty good with silences *awkward or not* and looks lol ). But like I said, an awkward silence can happen because one person doesn't want to hurt the other or doesn't know how to respond ( taken by surprise ).
And well, Tifa always liked Cloud... this is true, when she was a kid, she thought he was cute but she never came to see or invite him. But... Tifa meeting (for the first time ?) Cloud during the events of CC ?!? WTF ? She never met him during the incident because she was inconscious and he was hiding himself from her... she met him when she was a little girl/teenager... well before Cloud has left his town anyway.

Conclusion : Tifa's profile is biaised with little inaccurate parts.

Pfew... sometimes, simple things can be awfully ambiguous and complicated. Sometimes, I wish SE made Cloud/Aerith and Cloud/Tifa relationships more obvious to everyone ( lol but even with that... FF7 fans seem to enjoy characters multishipping ). Anyway, as long as SE doesn't show us a real mark of love in a future game/movie between Cloud and Tifa ( not a Tifa mark of love alone ), there is no mutual love going on for me and they're not even canon. Yep, I love Clerith and believe in that relationship ( there are much more hints for them... and I love tragic love stories too :whistle: ) .

Although I was irked by the profiles myself, I guess y'just gotta remember that the strategy guide wasn't written by SE staff but by fans of the game who happen to work at Brady Games. :)
But, I guess, even tho it's relieving to us and people who know better, the information can still be misleading to new fans. : /