LogFAQs > #979783098

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48 . Heidegger

Playing the OG FF7 as a kid, I had no idea that this character was named after Martin Heidegger, one of the most "important" philosophers of the 20th century (scare quotes because what philosopher actually is important in the grand scheme of things). So it was wild as a college sophomore to be reminded of this absolute chucklefuck while trying to understand concepts like phenomenology and "being."

Heidegger's name is part of a pattern within the fascist undertone of the Shinra Electric Power Company. Shinra is and always has been an evil empire with layers. On one hand, it represents the domineering force of unchecked capital across the world. On the other, it conjures Nazi-esque rhetoric, particularly in its discussions of genetic experimentation on the Cetra. The Turks could be seen as a reference to regime toppling exercises undertaken by the CIA in South America. Heidegger's physical appearance seems Stalin-esque.

He's also rather clownish, second only to Palmer in terms of "Shinra board joke villains." In Rebirth his biggest moment is almost getting run over by a bike again.

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47 . Mayor Zander, aka the Mayor of Nibelheim

Insert "moments before disaster" meme. There's also a pretty good line of dramatic irony in the introduction, where Zander says something along the lines of "I'll remember meeting Sephiroth as long as I live" or something.

In a game full of unnecessary mayors, Zander is probably the most memorable due to the vicious nature of his demise. I wasn't a huge fan of how slow the game made me walk/crawl during the Nibelheim burning sequence, but I did like the L2/R2 scene where this guy gets his block knocked off. Sephiroth really didn't need to step on this guy's hat afterwards. That's just cold.

There's a world out there somewhere where Zander kills Sephiroth. Let that sink in.

Hint for minigame 29: Hog's Gotta Hunt