Pinning Down The Nature (and History) of Cosmo Canyon and its Inhabitants

[fancy]

Bonjour tout le monde~

First of all, poor Nanaki needs more love/attention. From being notably absent in DoC's battle scene to his single line in AC(C) to being grossly underrepresented in merchandising, thinking on this majestic cat/dog makes me, well, sad. I really hope the excuse of him being hard to animate doesn't stop his story from being expanded on in the Remake. Also, it kind of makes me sad to see him being refereed to as 'Red XIII' because that is his mfing slave name. That's like walking up to Cloud and going, "Hey, Project C." I guess he has to be referred to this way officially in order not to spoil his story for new gamers but still. Meh.

Sorry, I just needed to get that all off my chest.

At first glance, I thought the nature of Nanaki's tribe was a caricature of Native American culture (kind of like how Wutai is basically an "Ambiguously Asian" town), but upon doing a little research, what had been Nanaki's tribe seems to closely resemble that of the Plains Indians, specifically the Lakota Tribe.

Like Nanaki's own, they were a great warrior tribe, wore significant head pieces, and they practiced an animist religion that basically believed that all things are alive and possess spirits and that Earth is the mother of these spirits (i. e., 'The Planet is Alive!'). The Lakota tribe also practice a Sun Dance ceremony that involves communal prayer for the healing of all things. That sounds similar to the ritual Nanaki had to perform in BC in order to appease the Planet.

Whilst the Lakota seem to be the inspiration of the nature of what had been Nanaki's people, obviously, Nanaki is in the minority here. And Bugenhagen and Nanaki are technically from two different tribes, right? Bugenhagen is certainly no warrior and Cosmo Canyon acts as a sort of mecca for knowledge with Nanaki merely being charged as being a guardian for that place. Does the way that Bugenhagen handles the Cosmo Canyon seem reminiscent of a specific culture/group?

I wonder who laid claim to Cosmo Canyon first? The giant lion-wolves or human beings? Haha, I just had a thought that Nanaki's people acted as servants to the humans living in Cosmo Canyon, but then I think about the fact that being a warrior there seems to be held in great esteem.

Am I making sense? Give me my coffee.

 

[ForceStealer]

Also, it kind of makes me sad to see him being refereed to as 'Red XIII' because that is his mfing slave name.

People always say this, but frankly, that's the only name he chose to give when Cloud asks. So obviously it doesn't bother him, or if it did, he has little right to criticize people who do.

I tend call him Red, generally. With the number definitely sounds like a project name, but just Red sounds endearing enough to be a nickname. So headcanon them calling him that would be a good way for the party and him to take back what Hojo had done and turn it into a positive. Something he would relate to friends rather than captivity. I also never liked naming him Nanaki in subsequent playthroughs because it makes the exchange in Cosmo Canyon make no sense, lol.

I believe Yuffie calls him "Red" in Case of Yuffie, as well.

 

[Octo]

Yeah, he says:

"Hojo has named me, Red XIII. A name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me whatever you wish."

And 'Red XII' is the default name, so I don't think the writers would have put that in if they had written him as giving a shit about his name, it wouldn't make any sense.

Even later when his real name is revealed it isn't an option to change it.

 

[fancy]

^^Fair points. I suppose I hadn't the right to be offended on Nanaki's behalf, lol. Still, it's just the principle of it that bothers me. Haha, I always change it to Nanaki, but I will concede, it does make for a silly reveal.

Nanaki: Hojo has named me, Red XIII. A name with no meaning whatsoever to me. Call me whatever you wish
Cloud: I'mma call you Nanaki.

Nanaki: I am home! It is I, Nanaki!
Others: Hey, Nanaki! You're safe!
Cloud: Who dafuq is Nanaki though.

The headcanon of 'Red' being a nickname to take back his power is presh, though.

Even later when his real name is revealed it isn't an option to change it.

This is actually one (of many things) I hope gets changed in the remake because it just doesn't make much sense to me. Why would you continue to refer to someone by a name that isn't their own especially considering the circumstances surrounding that name?

Now I'm wondering why keeping the truth of his real name was even a thing to begin with...hmm....interesting writing choices.

 

[ForceStealer]

I'd be fine with that in the remake, although like I said I like "Red" being it's own nickname for AVALANCHE. But at least lob off the Roman numeral. Though I doubt they would constantly be saying "thirteen" when everything's voice acted anyway.

 

[Ghost X]

TLS best poll creator 2017 award

I call him either Red XIII or Nanaki, but prefer Nanaki.

Interesting research about the Lakota tribe connections.

 

[Clement Rage]

This is actually one (of many things) I hope gets changed in the remake because it just doesn't make much sense to me. Why would you continue to refer to someone by a name that isn't their own especially considering the circumstances surrounding that name?

Now I'm wondering why keeping the truth of his real name was even a thing to begin with...hmm....interesting writing choices.

A cultural thing, where only people he feels close to get to use his real name?

 

[Flare]

I call him Nanaki when I talk about him with others, but calling him Red, like Force said, is also pretty nice, I like it. I never thought to give him that nickname until Alan Red here on the forums, but it makes sense
I would love to see the team in the Remake just call him Red. <3

 

[Tennyo]

I tend to switch back and forth between Red and Nanaki when referring to him. I am unsure why.

 

[fancy]

TLS best poll creator 2017 award

I call him either Red XIII or Nanaki, but prefer Nanaki.

Interesting research about the Lakota tribe connections.

Hahaha, I am genuinely pleased to be presented with such an award

Isn't it? I absolutely adore making these sorts of connections. Gives me a chance to learn a little something about the values of different cultures as well. Truly fascinating stuff! I'm probably overthinking it most of the time but...eh! It's fun.

A cultural thing, where only people he feels close to get to use his real name?

I was just running back here to say that hahaha. I had just realised that at the time Nanaki joins AVALANCHE, he's probably thinking, "Don't really care because I'm not gonna be hanging with you cats for very long anyway/humans are gross." Makes the most sense. This is (now) why I would especially like the option to call him by Nanaki post Cosmo Canyon because it it would sort of signifies that shift in relationship/trust!

I would love to see the team in the Remake just call him Red. <3

I tend to switch back and forth between Red and Nanaki when referring to him. I am unsure why.

Maaaaaan, the more I'm taking it in, the more I'm okay with it I guess So long as we keep the numbers off, lmao. That's just demeaning imo.

 

[ChipNoir]

The thing to consider is with Red XIII, this isn't just a cultural difference, it's a species difference. Red doesn't think like a human; his longevity alone gives him quite a different perspective on pretty much everything compared to the fleeting lives of humans. He's also VERY young. A lot of people mistake his reticence with mature aloofness, but he doesn't even understand the concept of dying from old age.

Spoilers
He lives to be over 500, and hardly seems aged, implying that senility would not be for possibly a millennium. He could even have biological immortality, a rare but documented phenomenon in reality. His species may just not die unless they are killed. So all the emphasis that Cosmo Canyon's natives put on learning about the lifestream and it's purpose in the cycle of life would probably not be something Red's species naturally thinks about, or even care about. They would live in the here and now, and take pride in their current mark. To them, protecting their territory, the canyon, would be most important. I imagine Red's species came to term with the peaceful ways of humans, and over generations, they became one tribe of mutual existence. It would also explain why there are so few of them: Generally the longer your life span, the less need for reproduction, at least as a biological imperative.

To such a creature, names are a little bit...irrelevant? The concept of identity, and history would be strange concepts given you could potentially exist with generations of your own kind. The fact that he has identity issues is probably more a factor of his interactions with humans than anything else. As said, for all his age, he's still very much an impressionable teenager psychologically. Some humanist concepts may have rubbed off, albiet at odds with the more detached instincts of his species. It kind of makes sense that he has two different names, since once he meets Avalanche, he now has two distinctly different identities. The instinctual in-the-moment that doesn't care what name he's given, and then there's the human interactions, seeing humans that actually have mutable lives compared to the settled lives of Cosmo Canyon natives.

 

[fancy]

^^ChipNoir...

Absolutely love this sentiment!

I like the idea of his kind, perhaps, not particularly being worried about gaining wisdom considering he relatively has all the time in the world. It makes the idea of Bugenhagen tasking him with seeking knowledge beyond Cosmo Canyon all the more interesting, methinks. Being that he is the last of his kind (aside from Deneh I guess?????), and given the part he plays in saving the Planet, he's been put in a unique situation where he must act as a sort of courier of knowledge to remind the inhabitants of Gaia about the crisis that nearly ended it. Cosmo Canyon no longer needs a guardian, but the Planet certainly does. Hmmm.

 

[Flare]

I think he does have a bodily lifespan, but it's just several hundred years at least. Case of Nanaki mentioned Vincent as being completely immortal, but Nanaki isn't quite there. Vincent tells him that they can meet up each year, and that one day he'll still be alive even when Nanaki isn't, as Nanaki was scared of losing his friends as they grow old and die while he's still alive. Put things in a different perspective for him to realize Vincent had that even 'worse' than himself.

Will have to check out the story for details again but I'm pretty sure that's what it was.

 

[ForceStealer]

^Adding that bit of depth to the 500 Years Later scene is one of the greatest things the Compilation has done. It figures it comes from probably the worst of the the Case ofs