Red XIII

Red XIII, also known as Nanaki, is a character in the Final Fantasy VII series. He is a red lion or wolf-like beast of an unnamed unique species, and is the only quadrupedal playable character in the main Final Fantasy series. Red XIII first appears as a playable character in Final Fantasy VII, as a guest in Final Fantasy VII Remake, and in other games in the series. He possesses human-like speech and intelligence surpassing that of humans. He received the name “Red XIII” as a specimen designation while held captive and experimented upon by Professor Hojo. Although he is 48 years old, he is developmentally equivalent to a 15- or 16-year-old human by his long-lived species' standards. He fights alongside Cloud Strife and his allies to fulfill his duty to the planet to defend it as a warrior. Red XIII uses headdresses to enhance his damage. His earlier Limit abilities augment his stats through adding positive status effects, while his later abilities deal physical attacks to enemies based on his own damage. He has a strong sense of honor and courage, especially regarding his father, whom he initially believed abandoned his tribe. He is polite, curious, and observant, with a distaste for humans, possibly stemming from Shinra’s treatment of him. In the story, Red XIII discovers his father sacrificed himself to protect Cosmo Canyon, and resolves to become a great warrior like him.