Roche, SOLDIER behavior and discipline

MasterMoogle

MasterMoogle

Pro Adventurer
So Roche is quite the character. I was wondering is that something specific to him, or is it a symptom of the SOLDIER transformation?

We know of at least five or six SOLDIER's by name: Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, Zack, Kunsel, and Roche. During their time in SOLDIER, both Sephiroth and Angeal were quite tame in terms of their behavior. Genesis stands out for his envy and weird obsession with crappy plays. Not sure about Kunsel, but there are some similarities between Zack and Roche. Certainly Zack doesn't take his excitability to the same degree that Roche does, but they're certainly an energetic pair.

Maybe it's the achievement of boyish power fantasies mixed with mako and jenova cells, but does the transformation into what is essentially a super-soldier(a la Captain America) cause mania in SOLDIER members? Also, is self-descipline the key to advancement in SOLDIER?
 
C

Clement Rage

Pro Adventurer
The random enemy SOLDIERs seem fairly normal. Roche just went 'wow, I have superpowers, fuck yeah' and took it to the logical conclusion.

No one's personalities seem inherent. Genesis seemed to like LOVELESS anyway, Angeal loves his sword because his Dad died to get it for him. Zack takes his cues from Angeal. Cloud's personality changed because of people screwing with his brain, not the enhancements.
 
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Pizzachu

Pizzachu

SOLDIER Fan
I think SOLDIER members have more idiosyncrasies than the average person. It probably takes a special type of person to be able to mentally handle the changes that they go through in order to become a member of SOLDIER.

MasterMoogle said:
Maybe it's the achievement of boyish power fantasies mixed with mako and jenova cells, but does the transformation into what is essentially a super-soldier(a la Captain America) cause mania in SOLDIER members?
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I'd imagine that the idea of having prowess as a warrior and potentially becoming a hero (along with the fame that comes with it) would be very alluring to many young boys. I also would assume that Shinra doesn't necessarily care about the mental well-being of its personnel as long as they can get the job done. There are probably a lot of mental health issues associated with the combination of Mako and Jenova cells that have not been researched yet.

If I'm remembering correctly, Banora is a pro-Shinra town, so it would be natural for Genesis and Angeal to be raised with a positive view of Shinra.

Genesis has jealousy issues and wants to become a hero, Angeal had the responsibility of becoming an "honorable warrior" placed onto him by his family, Zack wanted to become a hero, Sephiroth probably didn't have a choice, and who knows about Kunsel and Roche. I would think that Shinra probably pushed propaganda to attract as many participants as possible.

Also, I don't think self-discipline is the key to advancement in SOLDIER. I think it's more about being able to do the job that is assigned to you than anything else. I haven't seen anyone else mentioning "Honor as (a) SOLDIER" beyond Zack and Angeal.
 
C

Clement Rage

Pro Adventurer
Unclear, but Roche's Ultimania profile mentions that while he has the skills to move up, he doesn't bother trying to because all he cares about is bike stuff.
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While I suspected this, I'm kind of sad that he's not just a very poor fighter by SOLDIER standards with an inflated sense of self importance.

I love how someone in Shinra decided that the best department to put the President's embittered, disgruntled, illegitimate son in charge of was... the human superweapon department.
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I guess they were thinking 'have fun trying to get them to listen to you'
 
LicoriceAllsorts

LicoriceAllsorts

Donator
He's kind of over-the-top and I feel they were trying too hard to make me like, or at least enjoy, him.
If they develop him further in subsequent installments and reveal some hiden depths, I may like him more.
 
oty

oty

Pro Adventurer
AKA
ex-soldier boy
I actually dont want Roche to be "that" expanded. He's like Heidegger or Scarlet, one-dimensional sure, but that's what makes them who they are. I dont want to start understanding their motives behind their evil schtick, they are just like that and they serve their purpose.
 
Keveh Kins

Keveh Kins

Pun Enthusiast
^I agree with that. There's no real need to expand them beyond what they are in the canonical story.

I'd rather read a fanfic expanding on Roche than see any time in game dedicated to giving him a lot of depth.

For me, he functions perfectly as a condiment to the main meal. A persistent presence throughout the story with the sole goal of beating Cloud in a fight, and being an obnoxious prat in the trying.
 
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