Cid is as essential toFinal Fantasyas chocobos, Biggs and Wedge, and moogles are. No two Cids are completely the same. But no matter where they appear, they are often engineers, scientists, or have ties to airships. And they are often in a position of power.
The release ofFinal Fantasy 16means the addition of another Cid. Cidolfus Telamon joins the dozens of his brethren in the grand tradition of being the hero’s indispensable ally. Yet unlike other Cids, Telamon does more than maintain cars, and wields more power than a regular mechanic. Throughout the games, some Cids are also more powerful and have more plot relevance than others.
11Cid Sophiar & Cidney/Cindy Aurum (FF 15)
Cid Sophiar is Kingsglaive’s master mechanic and weapons upgrade guy. He fulfilled the same role for main character Noctis’ father 30 years earlier. Cid would go on to play a crucial role in Noctis’ absence, though off-field this time due to his old age.
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Cindy or Cidneydoes what her grandfather couldn’t physically, and renders a great service during the long night. Both are indispensable to the story, more so Cid. Despite this, they’re background characters whose roles are more passive than other Cids.
10Cid & Cid Haze (FF 2 & 3)
Cid and Cid Haze play minor yet active roles in their games. Cid gave Firion his airship, which allowed the party to reach Castle Palamecia. He also rejoined the White Knights of Flynn in death to protect those slain by the Empire.
Haze manages to get through his game with his life and wife, though not before giving his airship to his game’s heroes. His connection with them is deep, as he rescued them as children, and helped free them from a curse that prevented their defeat ofthe main villain Xande.
9Cid Of The Lufaine (FF 1)
Final Fantasy 1Cid was retroactively added in the later versions of the game. Cid also appeared in the novel retelling of the first three games, and was also intheDissidiaseries.
FF1Cid left the airship and Warp Cube that the Warriors of Light used to save people and seal Tiamat away. Meanwhile,DissidiaCid is the primary reason why its cycles of war exist, and is the physical basis of the Warrior of Light. His actions had major repercussions that reverberated until the events ofFF1andDissidia.
8Cid Kramer (FF 8)
Perhaps the most unconventional of all mainline Cids, Kramer was a sorceress’ knight before he became a headmaster. His only connection to airships is through Balamb Garden’s nature as a mobile ship. Nevertheless, he kept his and his wife Edea’s orphans as safe as he could while running the Garden and SeeDs.
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Cid stood strong against NORG and his cronies, and kept the home the SeeDs needed together. He was the nurturing caregiver of the orphans who helped them grow into heroes.
7Cid Pollendina (FF 4)
Pollendina is the first playable Cid in the series and one of the oldest, as he was 71 inThe After Years. Cid was a dear comrade from the start. He savedCecil and co.several times, almost sacrificing his life to do so. His engineering knowledge was critical at several points of the story.
Seventy-one-year-old Pollendina remained sprightly inThe After Years, where he rejoined the party to put down the mad alien that threatened the Blue Planet.
6Cid Fabool IX, Cid, MMORPG Cid, & Cid nan Garlond (FF 9, 10, 11, 14)
While all airship engineers, what sets these Cids apart are their social stations. These Cids all hold some form of political or economic power. This power, along with their engineering prowess, helped their people prosper or survive through major upheavals.
Fabool andXICidled Lindblum and Bostok into prosperity, whereasXCid and Garlond led their people past oppression. As ever, all Cids contributed to their heroes’ journeys, whether through airships or by guiding them through boss fights.
5Cid Previa & Cid Del Norte Marguez (FF 5 & 6)
These Cids are brilliant creators haunted by their own inventions. Previa created the devices that amplified the power of crystals in his world, while Marquez invented the Magitek that the evil Gestahlian Empire used in their conquest. Both inventions eventually lead to their worlds' dooms.
Previa spends his life atoning for his discoveries. He eventually does so by helping Bartz save the world after his devices overtax the crystals that keep Exdeath sealed. Marguez, on the other hand, realized hisrole in his world’s destructionfar too late. He never makes up for his crimes, but he does help Celes reunite with the Returners.
4Cid Highwind (FF 7)
Gruff and curmudgeonly, Highwind was initially too wrapped up in his own bitterness to care for anything else. It took a plane crash for Cid to snap out of his self-serving mission, and a Meteor for him to become a real leader who cares for others.
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Between the two playable Cids, Highwind had more work to do to turn things around. He’s one of the party members who changed the most from start to finish. Highwind was also consequential for the plot to move along, and for the party to actually save the Planet.
3Cid Raines (FF 13)
Raines tragically failed at his endeavors before he could start. He was cursed to becomel’Cie or a puppetbefore he could enact his plans to overthrow the selfish gods, the fal’Cie. As such, he almost caused the doom he wanted to prevent. Even so, Raines did all that he could to help those who wanted to free the world of the fal’Cie. He sacrificed his life twice: first in a misguided attempt to save his world of Cocoon, and secondto truly free himself of the fal’Cie’s will.
Raines continued to make amends after death. He aided a student in helping Purge survivors in a novella set betweenFF8games. Raines then made an on-screen return inLightning Returnsto give guidance and encouragement to Lightning.
2Cidolfus Demen Bunansa (FF 12)
The two most powerful Cids in the mainline games share the same name, but are firmly on the opposite ends of morality. Bunansa had demonstrable political power, genius intellect, and alarming scientific ambition even before discovering Venat. The heretic Occuria may have influenced his actions, butBunansa is not an oblivious pawn.
Bunansa and Venat’s ambitions appear noble. They seek to free mortal races from the Occuria’s control. Yet both committed hypocritical atrocities to achieve their ends. Bunansa even went beyond Venat’s scope, as he eventually wanted to become a god himself.Major spoilers ahead for Final Fantasy 12’s ending and Cidolfus Telamon’s fate and background in Final Fantasy 16.Going back to his namesake, Bunansa and Telamon both died before they saw their ambition fulfilled. Both games’ protagonists also finished the job. Ashe, in a less genocidal manner, freed humanity from the Occuria, while Clive took up his Cid’s mantle to continue the mission.
