Seifer Almasy

[Seifer Almasy]

Seifer Almasy

Hometown: Balamb Garden
Age: 23
Height: 6'2
Weight: 217
Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Cyan
Weapon: Hyperion (gunblade)
Limit Break: Fire Cross (No Mercy, Demon Slice, Bloodfest)

Personality/Appearance

Seifer has short blond hair, blue-green eyes, and a scar across his forehead and nose received from Squall Leonhart, the protagonist of the game, as retaliation during a duel. Seifer wears a blue vest, with a cross-like design lined in white, a gray coat with an emblem resembling the symbol of the Cross of Saint James on the sleeves, as well as black gloves and boots. The cross is Seifer's symbol as much as the angel wings are Rinoa's and the lion is Squall's. He also wears a silver chain with a tag around his neck.

Seifer is quite famous around garden, and he is known for having great skills in battle, but his stubborn, arrogant, reckless and unpredictable nature has kept him from completing the SeeD exam multiple times. Along with Squall, Seifer is the only Gunblade specialist in Balamb Garden, although their styles are fairly different, as Seifer wields his Gunblade with one hand, displaying more speed and agility, while Squall wields his Revolver two-handed. At the beginning of the game, he once again fails the SeeD field exam after his impatient behavior makes him disobey direct orders during the attack on Dollet. The other members in his Squad, Squall Leonhart and Zell Dincht, pass. When they are announced as the only ones who passed the field exam, Seifer is the first amongst the other students to applaud them.

There are many parallels between Seifer and Squall. Even though they are rivals, always battling to prove each other's superiority, they have an unspoken mutual respect for each other's prowess in battle. As aforementioned, both Seifer and Squall have a scar in their faces inflicted during their duel in the opening sequence. The scars are mirror images of each other, with Seifer's pointing upright while Squall's points upleft. Seifer is stubborn, arrogant, loud and outspoken rebel, while Squall is a silent, strict follower of duty. Both men are nigh-equally skilled in the ways of the Gunblade; however, his temper and impatience often leaves him losing to Squall.

Ironically and despite his reckless and arrogant nature, Seifer is the head of Balamb Garden's Disciplinary Committee. The other committee members are Fujin and Raijin both of whom are extremely loyal to Seifer, and consider themselves a "posse". Other members of Balamb Garden consider them a "gang" more interested in exercising their "disciplinary" powers than actually keeping students in line.

It should be noted that, in spite of Seifer's actions throughout the game, he is not really evil, and is shown to actually care for the party. The most obvious example of this is when he storms out of the detention room at Balamb Garden upon hearing that Squall and company were sent on a mission in which they could end up fighting the whole Galbadian Force, possibly with intentions of aiding them. Seifer is then twisted by the Sorceress' power, and pursues a warped version of his dream: to be a Sorceress Knight. It could also be argued that he remembers who Edea actually is, as he refers to her as "Matron." In the End, Seifer watches the Balamb Garden fly by with a proud smile on his face, hinting that he never really harbored any ill-will toward Squall and Co. or against the Garden itself, but was in reality being controlled.

As the five years passes, Seifer's attitude changes. He comes to look more upon Balamb Garden with a sense of pride and acceptance. He even reaches out and establishes friendships with many of the others living in Balamb Garden. Although still over confident and impulsive he exhibits a more caring attitude toward his friends, especially Asher Devias whom he sees as a similar kindred spirit akin to himself.

History

Seifer was born 18 years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VIII. He was orphaned after his parents were killed in the Sorceress War and sent to Edea's Orphanage. From a young age he bullied the other children in the orphanage, especially Zell. As he grew up, he became a student at Balamb Garden, where he studied to become a SeeD. Seifer would later forget his past in the orphanage due to the memory loss that usage of Guardian Forces cause.

At Balamb Garden, Seifer found friendship in Fujin and Raijin, and their posse was rarely seen apart. The friends later became the Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee, abusing their power to give fellow students punishment and detention. Even though he forgot his past, he became a rival to another student at Balamb Garden called Squall Leonhart who had coincidentally grown up in Edea's Orphanage as well. Of all the students at the Garden, only Seifer and Squall chose a Gunblade as their specialized weapon, and they would often duel to hone their skills. Even though Seifer had great potential to become a SeeD, his behavior often made him fail the exams needed to become one and he was labeled a "problem child". Seifer also develops a "romantic dream" about becoming a Sorceress Knight, whose job it was to protect the current Sorceress, and borrows several books from the Balamb Garden related to the subject. About a year before the events of Final Fantasy VIII, Seifer started a romantic relationship with Rinoa Heartilly, a girl working in a resistance group to free the occupied nation of Timber.

At the beginning of Final Fantasy VIII, Seifer and Squall are shown having a fierce duel in a rocky field near Balamb Garden. Neither one seems to be giving an inch, but Seifer casts a Fire spell during the duel, sending Squall to the ground. Seifer strikes at Squall's face, giving him a bloody scar; however, as Seifer lets his guard down after this, Squall strikes back, leaving a mirrored scar in Seifer's face.

Afterward, for the SeeD field examination, Squall and Zell Dincht another coincidental orphan, with Seifer as their leader, are put into one group to form a squadron of SeeD for a military operation against the Galbadian Army. While Selphie Tilmitt, yet another orphan, later joins the group because of his disobedience during the engagement Seifer fails his SeeD exam once more. He grudgingly applauds Squall, Zell and Selphie, all of whom passed.

While Seifer is sent to be disciplined for his actions during the exam, Squall, Zell, Selphie are assigned a new mission, their first as SeeD mercenaries: to aid a resistance faction known as the Forest Owls in their mission to free the occupied nation Timber. In this resistance faction, Rinoa, Seifer's former love interest, is a member. Having heard of this Seifer breaks out of the discipline room, injuring many people in the process, and embarks to assist them by holding the President of Galbadia hostage during a broadcast worldwide from the Timber TV Station. Backed into a corner and watched on by Squall, Zell, Selphie and Quistis Trepe; who had been sent to retrieve him, he attempts to retreat and is saved by Sorceress Edea who appears from out of nowhere and, appealing to Seifer's darker side, convinces him to follow her. Seifer is officially announced executed by the Galbadian government and a saddened Rinoa reveals her past with Seifer to Squall.

Seifer is believed dead until he suddenly shows up in Deling City, standing at the side of Sorceress Edea. He has become the Sorceress' protective Knight. Squall and their new ally Irvine Kinneas had been assigned to assassinate the Sorceress by shooting her but Irvine, remembering his past at the orphanage (he had not forgotten his memories due to the fact that he had never used Guardian Forces), refuses to shoot Edea and disguises it as merely nerves getting to him. He is convinced by Squall to shoot, but Edea blocks the shot with a magical spell. Squall is then forced to break into the Sorceress' parade and fight her one-on-one; however, Seifer stops him, and claiming his new status as hero and Knight of the Sorceress, fights Squall. After Seifer's defeat, Squall fights the Sorceress herself but is felled by an ice spell, which pierces Squall's shoulder and leaves him unconscious.

When Squall comes to in Galbadia's D-District Prison he is quickly transported to the torture room by non-other than Seifer who tortures Squall for the truth about what SeeD really was. Squall, who does not understand the question, only further enrages Seifer who then turns on the electrical torture instrument to full, which leaves Squall unconscious and incapacitated. While Squall is later freed by and escapes with his friends Seifer, as now head of the Galbadian Army, invades and takes over control of Galbadia Garden in Edea's name. Enabling the Garden to be airborne he then embarks on the search for a girl named Ellone whom his Sorceress wished to be found. Eventually, wether the encounter was accidental during the search or intentional is unknown, he manages to intercept a similarly airborne Balamb Garden over the Cetra continent near the ruins of Edea's Orphanage.

With Seifer as commanding officer the Galbadia Garden launches a full assault on Balamb Garden. Eventually however the Balamb students and SeeDs turn the battle and make their way inside Galbadia Garden, where Squall and his party encounter Seifer. He is defeated once again, and is left unconscious and disgraced on the floor. Despite Seifer's determined efforts Squall's party eventually defeats Sorceress Edea as well but after the battle the essence controlling Edea, Sorceress Ultimecia, enables Seifer's escape.

Under the orders of Ultimecia Seifer embarks on a new quest to resurrect the Esthar weapon Lunatic Pandora from the depths of the ocean. Restoring the device to active status he then directs the pillar to be placed upon Tears' Point, starting the Lunar Cry and bringing into motion Ultimecia's plan for Time Compression. Squall and his party however once again move to prevent this, invading the construct with an Estharian airship and battling their way deeper into the Lunatic Pandora. Seifer, for his part, kidnaps Rinoa and offers her to Sorceress Adel, a recentilly ressurected Sorceress, only to have his plan defeated by Squall.

These many toils have taken their toll on Seifer, as his hair is unkempt and his coat is blackened and falling apart. Here Fujin, who up to now had followed Seifer loyally, begs Seifer to stop what he is doing and just go back to being their friend. Seifer claims that it is too late to go back, and wishes them a good life, before he fights Squall one last time. During this fight Odin appears, and, Seifer manages to bisect him when he is summoned in battle, and Gilgamesh takes his place, and knocks Seifer down. Now, the evil essence that was corrupting Seifer's heart is gone.

After Squall and his party go into the future to defeat Ultimecia, Seifer is seen in the ending as an entirely different person. He is fishing together with Fujin and Raijin, and smiles towards Balamb Garden as it flies by. As the five years passes Seifer changes and forms a bond of trust and respect with Squall and the others. At Squall's bidding he even becomes an honorary SeeD as is appointed as a combat instructor. It is also during this time that he befriends Asher Devias, a young orphan that reminds Seifer much of himself. He takes the young man under his wing and mentors him for the next five years, forming a brotherly bond that he'd never really experienced in his life. He continues to guide him even as Asher approaches the SeeD exam as well as continues to undertake missions and instruct at Balamb Garden.

Limit Break - Fire Cross

No Mercy - Seifer casts a fire spell onto all of his enemies and takes a balanced battle stance. He then spins his gunblade around wildly with one hand, starts focusing energy into it, and then, in an upward slash-motion, launches circular blades of energy at his foe. The blasts fly through the enemies and continue towards the sky, dealing exploding damage on the foes.

Demon Slice - Seifer starts his skill by casting a fire spell on one enemy, takes on a stance and starts spinning himself rapidly around, forming a whirlwind around himself. His gunblade works like a circular saw's blade as he twirls with a distinctive speed. He approaches the enemy as a tempest, slicing him/her multiple times, finally lifting him/her up in the air and delivering a blow that sends the foe head-first down to the ground and jumping back to his original stance.

Bloodfest - n the beginning of the skill, Seifer again attacks all of his enemies with fire spells. He then jumps high in the air and swings his gunblade twice, vertically and horizontally, forming a huge fiery cross on the ground beneath his adversaries' feet.The cross explodes and the enemy party flies up in the air. A hole opens up in the ground and the enemies fall into it. They keep falling through an underworld-like space and then suddenly fall back to the ground where they were in the first place, heavily damaged.

Played By: CJ

[Tabby]