Ages of people who don't have ages.

[Cat Rage Room]

According to this I just found, Rufus is 21 years old at the time of Final Fantasy 7. Is this true?

Also, does anyone know the ages or approximate ages of characters like Reno, Rude, Tseng, President Shinra, Lazard, etc?

 

[Cat Rage Room]

C'mon, dudes.

 

[ForceStealer]

Judging by real life terms, I would highly doubt that Rufus would only be 21 years old.

By Japanese entertainment standards, I suppose we're lucky he's that old.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Rufus being only 21 strikes me as very weird too. I thought he'd be like 24-25 or something.

 

[Channy]

I tried looking the other Turks up and couldn't find any ages. =/

 

[Gale]

I always feel as though there should be a sense of age inflation in Japanese anime/game characters. They constantly claim that characters are much younger than they behave/act.

For instance, the claim that Sephiroth was only 25 at Nibelheim never sat right with me. A company president at 21 seems equally unlikely.

 

[Ravynne Nevyrmore]

For instance, the claim that Sephiroth was only 25 at Nibelheim never sat right with me. A company president at 21 seems equally unlikely.

25 at Nibelheim sits with me just fine. 25 in FF7 does not.

I dunno if that's a shoop, but the fanon age for Rufus was always 28 IIRC.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

For instance, the claim that Sephiroth was only 25 at Nibelheim never sat right with me. A company president at 21 seems equally unlikely.

I agree with you, but in this case, one was a supernatural prodigy and the other was the only heir to a business only after his father suddenly died. There are business owners in real life that age.

 

[Channy]

Yeah, 21 for Rufus doesn't seem all that unlikely to me. He did only take over the company after his father died, he would have probably gotten it in his early 30's.

 

[Gale]

I suppose you've all made fair cases for Rufus and Sephiroth, but I still feel that a lot of games/anime try to say that characters are a lot younger than they logically should be.

 

[Channy]

Isn't that usually to appeal to the younger audience?

 

[Cat Rage Room]

No, you're definitely right, Gale.

 

[ForceStealer]

I always feel as though there should be a sense of age inflation in Japanese anime/game characters. They constantly claim that characters are much younger than they behave/act.

I wholeheartedly agree. That's actually something that I always really appreciated about FF7, the hero was 21. He had an actual backstory, SOLDIER or not, he had combat experience. One of the very few Final Fantasies to have such a main hero. (Cecil might be the only one that comes close) They've regressed a bit as the Compilation goes on. But as I said, I suppose we're lucky Rufus is even 21.

But still, Rufus secretly funding AVALANCHE and plotting his fathers' death at 14? Come on.

One of the most egregious offenders of the Japanese's apparent blindness to how people of certain ages act to me is Gundam Wing. First of all, the Gundam pilots are 15. Really? 15? You're not even allowed to drive a CAR at 15.
But even worse than that, Zechs is supposedly 19. 19!!! First of all, he doesn't even sorta act that young. Furthermore, he's a COLONEL! Even at the extremely brisk pace of 2 years per rank you could not make Colonel by 19 unless you joined at like 8.
If the Gundam pilots were 19, and Zechs were like 28 (which is still obscenely young to be a colonel) I could live with that.

Why are the Japanese obsessed with such young heroes?

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Japanese culture in general is obsessed with youth. Weird because there's so many old people and they're currently having a panic because their population is spiraling downwards because no one is having kids.

 

[ForceStealer]

I know, it's rather funny. You'd think they'd be cranking out kids. After all, should disaster befall the world, no one over 25 will be able to do anything, apparently.

 

[Channy]

Isn't that usually to appeal to the younger audience?

?

 

[Cat Rage Room]

The idea is that younger people relate to younger heroes.

EDIT: Oh yeah you asked that. Yeah, I suppose, but Americans don't really do that.

 

[Channy]

Americans no, but most of Japanese anime/video games feature young characters.

FF Crystal Chronicles anyone?

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Oh, of course, wasn't denying that.

 

[Channy]

So yeah it doesn't seem all that out of the ordinary. Bothersome? Very.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Ah, no no, my previous comment was illustrating how Japanese do it, but American heroes are often much older.

 

[ForceStealer]

Even ones that are supposed to appeal to younger audiences. Japan must have even greater anxieties about getting older than we do, since any chance at having an impact on the world is gone after 19.

And Channy, a lot of anime are NOT aimed at younger audiences.

 

[Channy]

Because Americans aren't as pedopheliac as Japanese are?

@force: And it starts when we're about 8

Not a lot, but a good number. Most shoujo anime are aimed at young teenage girls.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Because Americans aren't as pedopheliac as Japanese are?

Well, no.

 

[Channy]

Oh darn, I thought I had it.