So uh, how is Rufus so strong?

[Cat Rage Room]

Going head to head with someone who has SOLDIER level strength, and tossing himself off a multi story building? Granted, that's only two, but even the small stuff counts. It takes a considerable amount of strength to hold yourself one handed hanging on a helicopter, and wielding a shotgun, even a short barreled one, with one arm is pretty much impossible without breaking your wrist.

So uh, what's his deal?

 

[DrakeClawfang]

The only strength Rufus has is a pair of testicles each the size of the Black Materia. He's gotta have one huge set to do that shit.

 

[Max Payne]

He was doping the green K in private.

 

[Celes Chere]

tossing himself off a multi story building

The parachute pants aided him in that one.

 

[Tennyo]

You know I've always wondered this. When you fight Rufus in FFVII by rights Cloud should have pummeled him. :/

 

[DrakeClawfang]

You know I've always wondered this. When you fight Rufus in FFVII by rights Cloud should have pummeled him. :/

He did, Rufus runs IIR.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

...After taking several slashes from an oversized sword, wielding and firing a sawed off shotgun with one hand, and hanging on from a helicopter with one arm.

 

[Splintered]

I've always figured he was around turk level, which also vague but somewhere below but not too far off from your normal party member.

When you fight Rufus in FFVII by rights Cloud should have pummeled him.

Well, Cloud might have. The fight was easy enough and at the end of it, Rufus's pet kitty was dead and he staggered. They didn't exactly fight to the death, before it got too serious Rufus did jump off a building and run away. We have no idea what would have happened if Cloud continued to fight Rufus but I suppose it might have ended with Rufus' face not as pretty.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Well, Cloud might have. The fight was easy enough and at the end of it, Rufus's pet kitty was dead and he staggered. They didn't exactly fight to the death, before it got too serious Rufus did jump off a building and run away. We have no idea what would have happened if Cloud continued to fight Rufus but I suppose it might have ended with Rufus' face not as pretty.

I have no doubt that Cloud is stronger than Rufus and will always beat him in a straight fight. However Rufus is a lot stronger than what would be expected.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

Rufus is part cockroach.

 

[Tennyo]

Well, Cloud might have. The fight was easy enough and at the end of it, Rufus's pet kitty was dead and he staggered. They didn't exactly fight to the death, before it got too serious Rufus did jump off a building and run away. We have no idea what would have happened if Cloud continued to fight Rufus but I suppose it might have ended with Rufus' face not as pretty.

Addendum: Dark Nation is more of a dog type things.

Also you just made me think of an ex of mine who actually had a very hard time beating Rufus. He died a LOT. XD

 

[ForceStealer]

Addendum: Dark Nation is more of a dog type things.

I've always been confused by people/articles that liken Red XIII to a dog or a wolf, when no part of him is doglike.

And he had trouble with Rufus? As long as you have a Restore materia its pretty easy...

 

[Tennyo]

You've obviously never seen my ex attempt to play video games. It was down right painful to watch. XD

 

[Makoeyes987]

Have we really come to the point that we expect only people from SOLDIER to be strong?

The rest of the cast of FFVII shows us otherwise. And the Turks as well. Rufus isn't just some run of the mill, average joe. He's a rich, elitist prick, but clearly he'll throw down if he has to.

 

[Max Payne]

Rufus is a shit talking prick, but he's smart enough to be able to back that shit talking up with actual strength and skill, unlike his pappy who's too stupid to run when someone tries to shank him with a giant sword.

 

[Tetsujin]

I've always been confused by people/articles that liken Red XIII to a dog or a wolf, when no part of him is doglike.

His head is.
Also, he was howling like a wolf once in FFVII =P
...and roaring like a lion at the end.

Really, RedXIII combines features of both cats and dogs.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Rufus may not be the strongest guy in FFVII, but who would like to argue that he isn't the smartest? What's more, he was held as a kind of prisoner/hostage/trainee by the Turks for over three years prior to the events of FFVII, during which time he established a bond with them (as real life hostages so often do) and became a kind of de facto Turk himself; he also arranged to save the life of their previous Director, Veld. Hence their loyalty to him. On top of that, his plan to save Gaia from Meteor had merit. And he's fearless.

I think it's a bit harsh to call him a prick. He can't help being rich and handsome.

 

[Makoeyes987]

He's called a prick because he tried to murder his own father for power, and said he intended to rule the world by fear and oppression, not to mention scapegoat the heroes just so people would feel better during the Meteor Crisis.

Calling him a prick isn't harsh enough. Wtf?

 

[Tetsujin]

Rufus is a prick.

And strong? My ass.

 

[Masamune]

Going head to head with someone who has SOLDIER level strength, and tossing himself off a multi story building? Granted, that's only two, but even the small stuff counts. It takes a considerable amount of strength to hold yourself one handed hanging on a helicopter, and wielding a shotgun, even a short barreled one, with one arm is pretty much impossible without breaking your wrist.

So uh, what's his deal?

Nanomachines.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

He's called a prick because he tried to murder his own father for power, and said he intended to rule the world by fear and oppression, not to mention scapegoat the heroes just so people would feel better during the Meteor Crisis.

Calling him a prick isn't harsh enough. Wtf?

His father deserved it. And it wasn't just for power; it was because he hated him, and who doesn't?
AVALANCHE tried at first to get their own way through fear. The fact that it was the right way doesn't excuse their methods.
They sabotaged his efforts to avert the Meteor crisis. What grounds did he have for believing they had a better idea?

Calling him a prick is way too simplistic. Pricks make boring villains. Rufus is ruthless, practical, and fearless - much more interesting.

 

[Gale]

Calling Rufus ruthless, practical, and fearless are all true but that's also the criteria for being a prick. He's not an asshole just because he's some arrogant rich-kid, he's a Machiavellian character. His actions are a result of ruthless logic, but the fact that he's logical doesn't make him any less of an asshole. He saved Avalanche at the Northern Cave just so he could execute them later - not for their crimes, but as a PR stunt.

Rufus is one of my favorite characters from FF7, but to say he isn't a heartless asshole gives him far too much credit. In a lot of ways he's just as evil as Sephiroth.

 

[kenobi]

I don't know about you guys, but if I were the son of a man who developed a major corporation who tried to take over and damn near ended the world, I'd've sought to take a lesson or two in protecting myself in case something happened to my bodyguards.

 

[Makoeyes987]

His father deserved it. And it wasn't just for power; it was because he hated him, and who doesn't?
AVALANCHE tried at first to get their own way through fear. The fact that it was the right way doesn't excuse their methods.
They sabotaged his efforts to avert the Meteor crisis. What grounds did he have for believing they had a better idea?

Calling him a prick is way too simplistic. Pricks make boring villains. Rufus is ruthless, practical, and fearless - much more interesting.

Uh, actually no he didn't, seeing as how President Shinra loved his son very much and wanted him to inherit the company. Murdering your dad just so you can be a billionaire and leader of a company is a selfish, and sociopathic thing to do.

AVALANCHE did that at first, and they realized they were wrong. So I don't know how you could even compare the two. And his efforts to avert the Meteor Crisis were bullshit. Firing a rocket at Meteor wouldn't do shit except waste materia that could be used to actually stop the source; Sephiroth.

Did you just suddenly forget the entire plot and themes of FFVII in your Rufus fapping or something? He's still a prick.

 

[Gale]

To be fair to Rufus I don't think his plans to deal with Sephiroth were unfounded. Yes the rocket attack didn't work and probably wouldn't have even with the huge materia, but Rufus is clearer a survivor. He fought pretty damn hard to deal with WEAPON and to break a hole into Sephiroth's hiding place. It's only because he was so badly injured and Shinra went to pieces that no further action was taken. I'd assume that if Diamond WEAPON hadn't blown the Shinra building halfway to hell Rufus would have mustered all his forces to storm the crater and attack Sephiroth. If not that, it's silly to assume he didn't have some sort of plan, and that the plan actually had (some) chance of succeeding.

Sure, Avalanche was probably the only group of people capable of defeating Sephiroth, and it all would have been for nothing anyway if Aerith hadn't manipulated the lifestream, but Rufus was working with the knowledge and resources he had to try to make a difference. The fact that he's a murderous jerk with zero concern for the planet's well-being beyond his own survival doesn't necessarily devalue his actions.

All that said, I think it's a fair claim that Rufus had no reason to put much stock in Cloud and company's ability to stop Meteor. In a lot of cases the gang just got lucky, and in a world-ending crisis I'd sure as hell hope that a mobilization of wealth, technology, and weapons used intelligently could help avert disaster. Everything Rufus did in the game was logicaly sound from his perspective - it's just that some of those decisions were cold-blooded or failed due to circumstances beyond control. Hell, if I blasted a space-rock with a rocketship stuffed with materia that probably had nuclear-level force, I'd be pretty damn shocked when the meteor just pulled itself back together.

Shinra's plans didn't fail because they were bad plans, it's just that Sephiroth and Meteor were much more powerful than anyone realized. Even the heroes were at a loss when Holy activated too late. If not for Aerith their plan would have failed too, and no one, least of all Rufus (or even Sephiroth), was expecting the lifestream itself to rise out of the planet and save everyone in something so miraculous it could be considered an act of god.