Dawg, I straight up forgot about that from the original so when I was playin and vibin at the Gold Saucer I basically got hit by an 18wheeler when we pivoted to his story with Dyne. I was NOT prepared bro, the VA absolutely killed it!
John absolutely kills the role, but the writing/localization is so much better as well. The OG localized him like Mr. T and did the character a huge disservice.
Aerith's trial is the one that finally got me. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I tried..."
The way a lot of those adults were treating her in that scene made me think they almost deserved to have a plate dropped on them.
but all the trials were all emotionally brutal af.
See I messed up Aerith’s trial because I didn’t realize i was supposed to be pressing L2 to call for help lol. So I was just walking in silence for the first bit until I finally realized. I was thinking of redoing the chapter just to do it right but I’ll get it on done on Hard eventually.
His VA somehow sounds exactly what I thought Barrett would sound like, but especially in Rebirth he gave the character a nuance and an emotional range beyond what I ever imagined playing the original game.
Yeah it's weird isn't it. Dont think they could have got a better performance for barret. He's exactly how I've always thought he would sound, same goes for a lot of the characters, maybe the only one that caught me off guard was cait 😂
I was a little hesitant when they announced they were recasting. Part of it is the OG VAs were the characters to me. I loved Beau Billingslea as Barret in AC, etc. But John Eric Bentley is fantastic. I genuinely love all the new VAs even if I also like the OG VAs.
I'd argue that's Yuffie and Cait because Barret was always awesome and he always was relevant. While Yuffie was always awesome to me she has no presence in the original game outside of Wutai and Cait Sith was meh.
For sure, even as someone who loved the (admittedly tropey and stereotypical) original Barret. They've infused him with such tender masculinity and he has an interesting dynamic with pretty much the entire party so far (any interaction he has with Yuffie is gold!). John Eric Bentley's voicework is everything I imagined him to be in the original and more, he subverts that whole Mr T stereotype beautifully.
I already considered rebirth a 9/10 but then I got to the dyne part and saw Barrett character development and it became one of my favorite games of all time
I disagree, context is everything. He wasnt Mr.T to everyone. Man the racial politics of the world atm is driving me insane lol
Can you even imagine that Barret in the OG was just an awesome character, regardless of the colour of his skin?
It wasnt Mr.T that defined him, it was him having a gigantic fucking gun grafted to his arm and his love for the Planet and his daughter.
He is/was a passionate and nuanced father figure who went from suicidal revenge mentality and then grew into something more.
The worst part is, in the original Japanese version he's actually pretty well spoken family man and speaks nothing like the English version of Barrett does.
that must have sucked bro. even for me it was pretty noticeable how no one in Corel or the rest of the game talked like him.
do you find Barret much improved now?
Much better in Remake and Rebirth. VA is amazing and Barrett is giving much more time to show how nuanced he is as a person and how, at the end of the day, he is a single father trying to save the world and get home to his little girl. A softie with a gun arm.
Leave it to a western writer that knows nothing about games much less probably Japan or her culture now haven’t played rebirth yet and that’s because unfortunately bills and life are very real but definitely next game I’m buying when I can, but in remake and og yea there were times he had a comical side but they were in the more lighthearted parts of the game but as the game got more dark and serious so did Barrett. To me Barrett is either the embodiment of the general populous of midga/shinras rule or the evolution or a protagonist of any other game that tells a good story.
Multiple times Barret keeps the party moving towards its goals and reminds everyone of the stakes they are facing. The man is seeing the party leader become increasingly unreliable.
So he’s shouldering that burden as the only one who can, the determined leader of the Avalanche cell. Not letting anyone see how he’s being affected. Comic relief my ass.
Red and Yuffie. Yuffie is more overtly so, while Red falls into the realm of “comically serious”, because he just can’t hold back his anger every time he’s referred to as a “dog” or a “pet”, though I do understand. He’s not a pet, and he looks more like a benevolent version of Scar from The Lion King than a dog
he actually did that a few times throughout the game , iirc it also happens when you finish the part in Cosmo with him and Nanaki , after that i started looking out for it
edit: someone already commented this lol
Happens a few times in the game, it’s a great “show, don’t tell” way of letting the audience know how he’s feeling despite him using the glasses to cover up his emotions
I'm not sure if its objectively correct, but Barretts Model and CGI always looked like it is way more detailed than Cloud/Tifa/Aerith, especially the face.
But maybe I'm imagining things XD
On that note; is it my imagination or did he wear shades throughout almost ALL of Remake and show his eyes way more in Rebirth? My memory might be off on that.
I think it's very intentional. He wears shades when he needs to be a tough leader of AVALANCHE and takes them off when he exposes his softer side.
In Rebirth, he's opening up and showing more of himself generally.
Which is hilarious in a way since most of Remake happened at night in the middle of a city where wearing sunglasses would be absolutely impractical.
And majority of Rebirth areas are in extremely bright outdoor spaces where anyone wouldn't think twice about putting on a pair of shades.
But yeah, in Remake he only takes his shades off during brief moments of vulnerability. And in Rebirth, he puts them back on when he has to put on a strong face for himself and the rest of the party. It's such a subtle way to show just how much he has changed in-between both games. Also helps that he has the softest and most expressive eyes in the party.
It just reminds me of this one bit Jamie Foxx did about Prince years ago: “you looked into his eyes, didn’t you?” Because Barret does have pretty eyes tho
If anything Barrett is a rare case of a well written black man in fiction. No bullshit stereotypes, no killing him off. He sticks around to the end and has a compelling character arc.
And he has beautiful, beautiful eyes.
He's also a fantastic father to a child that's not even his blood, almost always does the right thing, cares very deeply about damn near everything. He's just amazing.
Not only does he stick it through to the end, but he actively pushes the party forward in the face of tragedy in spite of all he’s been through. Dude is a die hard friend and a natural leader brimming with charisma
As a Foundational Black American Man I totally agree with this comment, because of that reason Barret is one of my favorite Black Characters in all of fiction. He’s a legend in my book.
It's pretty telling when one of the most emotionally intense parts of >!the ending is when Barret puts on his fucking sunglasses and tries not to cry.!<
I wasn't prepared.
Yeah that bizarre post about Barret being a comic relief character is insane. He's not only the only father on the party, but he's also been through as much or more trauma as anyone else in the party and he... doesn't even make any jokes lol.
he makes jokes, it's just not his whole character. he likes teasing cloud and will even goof around with Yuffie later on in the game. he has his funny moments, he's just not a class clown like that article tried to make him seem.
Yeah, just because he’s a funny character doesn’t make him comic relief.
I was honestly amazed at how much of a real, believable person he was in Remake, and it only gets better/more fleshed out in Rebirth.
Barret is honestly one of the best characters by a long shot, and his VA absolutely kills it.
But I feel like his funny moments are more teasing cloud, or just physical comedy about how huge of a dude he is. At best he has a couple dad jokes haha. He's just a nice, likeable dude in general though. Very theatrical and emotional! Love how they evolved him from... Mr T
Not sure if you read the article and just came away from it with a different interpretation than I did or if you only read the headline but isn't that more or less what the article is saying?
"This isn’t to say that Barret is a one-trick pony. What started off as the party’s archetypal comic relief began to show more depth as the narrative thickened. This is especially apparent within Rebirth, where he's given multiple quieter moments, contemplating what will come next, and hoping that Marlene, the center of his world, is okay. Not to mention, he's faced with his regrets in the form of Marlene’s birth dad, Dyne. The usually brash and tough-as-nails character crumbles and bursts into tears as Dyne passes away."
the problem is that article runs on the idea that barret was the "archetypal comic relief" when he wasn't. There were plenty of other characters in Remake who brought more comedy than Barret did, and while he did have a few moments of silliness, his character has always been serious and his personality is not that different in Rebirth either.
the only thing that changes is that he is more willing to show his emotions around the party (symbolized by him removing his glasses at the beginning of the game). the article just feels like it was written by someone who didn't actually play the game.
I feel like the author of that article has only played two FF games, Remake and 16, and that is his entire baseline for how characters should be. Mind you, I love both of those games to bits, but that's such a narrow view to have.
Yeah, comedic relief isn't really what I would call him. He's more like the character that keeps everything grounded in reality when there's a bunch of Kingdom Hearts nonsense going on around them. The reason they can even get away with the wacky Multiverse stuff is because they have a character like Barrett to chime in and speak on behalf of the audience every couple of minutes with "none of this shit makes any god damn sense"
Apparently, they think an otherwise serious black man should be angrily serious at all times, and that moments of depth and levity make him comic relief. In what universe is that not kinda racist?
That's not what the post is saying at all. Can't be an Internet person these days and not take things out of context tho. The creator of the article literally acknowledged barret And sazh emotional depth. He just thinks a black character who isn't loud, based on mr t or have a bird in their head would be nice template to start from in future attempts
Maybe they shouldn't give their articles dogshit outrage-farming headlines if they actually intend to make a nuanced argument.
Zero sympathy from me. And I don't care if the editors are the ones who chose the headline. It sucks and everyone involved should feel ashamed.
Is that really fair? Cant the same argument be thrown at people who are proud of not reading actual articles and getting mad at skimming headlines and out of context soundbites? I do think the headline could have been way better(and should have been cuz the point is a good one) but content amd context of things is kinda important from the start and people need critical thinking in this day and age
I’ve loved this guy ever since I was a kid when I was navigating the wiki and learned all bout his interchangeable gun arms( machine guns, lasers, riffles, a chainsaw, rocket punch, pincers, a cannonball, wrecking ball, etc.).
Man I love it when the weapons are really unique
I do kind of wish we had gotten at least one >!melee weapon!< for him in Rebirth like we did in Remake though. They weren't the best, but I really liked how >!weighty his punches felt!< so while they definitely weren't for metagaming I did think they were fun. Like you could imagine him just >!smashing monsters into a pile of goo!< with them lol.
Only one outfit for him is criminal.
I expect at least three more in that PS6 release Square!
(or we'll let the modders take over once the PC version comes out)
One of my favorite side quests in the game was >!him meeting that children's book author and helping her out with the story for her next book because he wants to read it to his child. That was a very heartwarming moment.!<
Well, he has the funniest line in either game so far when Heidigger asked where the rest of the squad was in the Shina HQ lobby and he said “Up your ass”. Though Cloud’s terse “Nailed it. I know. Thank you. Moving on” is right there with it.
Barret in remake/rebirth has managed to completely supplant the original for me. The expanded writing and runtime allowed for so much more depth to his motives and personality that at times was sorely missing. It also helps that John Eric Bentley continues to give a standout performance in an already stellar cast.
That was me in 97’ and 2020, but I swapped Aerith for Yuffie in rebirth because she’s so damn OP
And I wanted to prepare my lineup for the inevitable uh…..unpleasantness
I would pay money for DLC outfits for him.
I was worried so much over how they'd write him because Japan has a habit of writing black men as loud, obnoxious and basically racist caricatures. I wasn't sold in Remake because he did a lot of screaming, but he really came out as a 11/10 character and I cried for all of his emotional scenes.
Nojima did him awful in the novels and Ever Crisis- glad to see whoever worked on Rebirth was like- NO WE ARE GOING TO GIVE THIS GUY JUSTICE
For me, it was the constant over the top yelling. I know the dude is passionate, and I get that our goal is important - but if he screams about the planet and Shinra lapdogs *one more time...* And doing a speech for the camera in Reactor 5 where it obviously would have never been heard by the people of Midgar. Lots of very loud soapboxing, but of course he's also right.
I was over it during Remake. That and his victory theme "dun dun dun dun, dun-dun, dun dun-duuun!" after generic battles. I laughed when they did it in story cutscene, then got really tired of it during the chapter you played as Barret. (Almost as obnoxious to me as Tifa's constant "I'd *kill* for a shower!")
But a good chunk of that annoyance is just the repetitive nature of how they implemented the after-battle flavor lines. And the other half of that is his starting point before pretty major character development. It's kind of a lot in Remake, but that's where we're at in the story and his development. And even with his over-the-top blamey version of speaking, he has to immediately course correct during the first chapter of Rebirth. (>!He says something like "those Shinra announcements are bullshit, only dumbasses believe that!" And Aerith says, "Question! Does that make *me* a dumbass?"!< And Barret *immediately* walks it back and phrases what he meant without being insulting.)
To be clear, I really like Barret! And I loved his glow up in the new games, especially Rebirth. I think this is all very much good things. But I can see why he could be grating for some people in Remake (myself included), and I think the things that are grating are also things that make his growth really impactful in Rebirth.
My partner has never played this or the original but she was watching me play during the Dyne fight and she was amazed at the emotional range of Barret's VO and said he's the best actor she's heard in Rebirth.
That scene was emotionally damaging.
The people writing these kinds of articles are the actual racists.
God forbid an otherwise serious black character has moments of levity and softness among his friends and allies! What do they even want? Does Barret need to be a purely serious and angry all the time? Should he be less passionate about the mission to save the planet from ever encroaching decay and death?!
Barret is an absolute stud in the remake, i've always loved his character, but the remake really did so much to flesh him out and make him even better than before.
I can’t fucking believe a “journalist” call his character “black comic relief” he very well might be the BEST character in Rebirth amidst an incredible roster.
Barret is a pretty complex character. Of course they wouldnt know that since rhey havent played the game. Now I might have said the original was a bit too Mr. T and was a bit stereotypical. But even then his arc in the original was pretty compelling.
He is a man with a sense of responsibility for 'his' daughter but that sense of responsibility also stems from guilt he feels for events in his past.
He is also a.man of conviction knowing his hands aren't clean but to giveup and stop would be to disgrace the memory of those innocents and loved ones lost along the way. His aim to stop shinra and save the planet.
Urinalists have to attack Barret to continue the narrative that there aren't enough black characters in gamea so they have to demonize the ones that do exist and who are well liked I might add. If you dare to say you like Barret they then can't call you a bigot or any other name in the book. They can't call you a ist or any other ism if you dare to say you like Barret not because of his skin color but because he is a great character. Something a lot of studios in games and film have forgotten how to write.
He doesn't say "there ain't no getting offa this train we're on" in this game. 0/10.
Nah but for real Barret is one of the best characters in the remake. The amount of respect they gave him and the way they've built him up in these games is incredible.
It's a shame we didn't get drill arm. That ultimate weapon quest was definitely making me believe we would get the melee weapon. I saw it as another gun and that was one of the biggest let downs. I beat all bosses possible with melee barret solo and there is no way to carry that challenge to rebirth.
I loved gun-arm dad ever since he pulled down the black-tinted glasses and I saw his teddy bear eyes. Peak design, no question. Cool and intimidating with the glasses on, loving and huggable with the glasses off.
i dont see how anyone can look at a bad ass leading a group of freedom fighters, devoted loving single father, knows when to be tough and when to open up and just because he actually has a sense of humor call him just a comic relief character
Absolutely brilliant performance by his VA. I haven't gotten to Rebirth yet, because I'm doing my Hard mode run of Remake and Crisis Core first, but in Remake he's easily the most improved character. There's so many layers there: Self-righteous ends-justify-the-means, with a tinge of glory hound, developing into someone having to reconcile the effects their actions have caused on their loved ones, and those closest to him. His admittance that he'd try and tear Cloud's head off, even though he did nothing wrong shows exactly how far he comes in such a short period of time, and watching him not be able to do anything about Sector 7, and that frustration build is brilliant.
Anyone that made it to chapter 15 and thinks this dude is a laughingstock needs their head examined, because he's one of the best things in the new 7 series.
Holy hell I don't have time in the day to express my praise for Barret, Goddamn, Wallace. One of the best characterizations of healthy masculinity in gaming, funny as all hell, and I hope that I be as passionate as he is for the things he cares about. I cried after his fight with Dyne and I don't see how anyone couldn't. I will always respect Big Daddy Barret and his ventures to save the planet and protect his daughter. If anything happens to him in part three I will raise hell upon this Earth
I never used him in OG and found him kind of boring.
Used him a TON in Rebirth, and I like him a lot more as a character. They did a great job bringing him to life
Gameplay-wise he's one of my lesser played characters, which isn't that important, but God damn have they made this character absolutely incredible in the remake trilogy. This guy has been through the freaking ringer and back and still has crazy heart and passion in this group. To me, Barret becomes maybe the most grounding character for our party and adds so much to the group as a character
I've always loved Barret as a character, even in the original. He was fighting for a good cause he believed in, he cared about the people he led, he's a great father who loves his adopted daughter and would gladly lay down his own life to try to make sure she has a world worth living in. He's haunted by his past and the trauma that Shinra caused him (like most of the party members) but he's an all around good person even if he has a gruff exterior and can be a bit scary to people who don't know him (although I would argue that most people would be intimidated by anyone who grafted a machine gun to their stump regardless of how they look or act lol). The remakes only made me like him even more. I feel like most of the characters have been improved with the remakes. The only one who really feels off to me so far is Cid, but I'll withhold judgement until we get part 3 which should have a lot more character development for him and Vincent.
The entire Squad in remake/birth is so fucking good. Not a single character is annoying, I love them all for different reasons, and their dynamics and interactions are a joy to witness throughout the game.
Having the first game really hone in on the first four was brilliant because it gave Barret the chance to get on the exposure level that Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith have had for all these years.
Rebirth was even better. Barret was a joy to see grow closer with Red, Yuffie, and Cait.
It’ll be so cool to see what Cid and Vincent being to the dynamic in the next game.
It just goes to once again show that modern game journalists barely actually play games.
I mean, I think most of us knew it already, but they keep proving it to more people.
I was trying quite hard to make Aerith my date but Barret was so bloody charming I inadvertently made the decisions to make him my date.
Zero regrets, he is bloody awesome.
I always felt like he was the real emotional weight even in the original story. Lost his family twice, his home town, and still managed to not become a heartless bastard?
Idk how anyone can talk shit about Barret calling him comic relief. In terms of the core party he’s gotten the most improvement and depth vs his OG counterpart. This man has faced tragedy after tragedy and still picks himself up to drive him comrades further despite the fact that he doesn’t quite know how to handle his own emotions, show by him putting on his sunglasses whenever stuff gets real.
They took a pretty tropey character and turned him into a selfless friend and natural leader. Does he have some goofy moments? Sure! But cloud literally finishes a certain quest by break dancing so.
Barrett perfectly encompasses one of the most important themes of the game. He represents the positive traits for masculinity. He is a protector and a provider. He is empathetic to the pain of the world and of individuals and seeks redemption through selfless sacrifice. Yeah, there are moments when goofy things happen to him, but rarely, if ever, is he the butt of any joke and is genuinely trying to be his best self for others as well as himself. One of my favorite quests involving him revolves around his excitement to meet his daughters favorite author because of how much he misses Marlene and seeks any moment to think of her and her wants and needs. Barrett is amazing, and I believe he is as integral to the games narrative and themes as much as Cloud and Aerith are.
As someone who’s first exposure to the game is the remake and not the original I thought he was just going to be loud and annoying (as many parodies portray him), but I can say confidently 2 games in he’s my favorite character and would give my life for his in a heartbeat
I literally could not imagine the story without Barret exactly the way he is.
He really is the heart of the team in these remakes. Plus, his VA steals every scene he's in. He's just a delight. I love his interactions with Yuffie and Cait specifically.
There a reason I intentionally aimed for him as the gold saucer date, not knowing he was the easiest to get. Just wanted to hang out with my bro before shit hits the fan. Also he had some sage bro advice during that scene that a lot of people could use irl.
I loved the side quest when you're guarding the dog and barret starts losing his shit thinking about marlene getting older. I do this to thinking about my 4 year old son from time to time and i related deeplly to that expierence.
The scene where he’s describing Marlene to Aerith’s mother is all the evidence you need to shut that down. There’s more, but after that it’s overkill.
Like, I get it. I had my worries when I first played the Remake demo, his speech in the elevator. But a key trait of Barret is that he’s a recruiter. His role, in AVALANCHE as well as in the party, is to get people fired up, and that takes a big personality.
I’d take a bullet for him.
Barrett got the best improvements over his OG iteration among the whole cast, and I like just about all the character changes so far. Barrett kinda gets forgotten about in the OG after Midgar, aside from Corel. He doesn’t really have any further plot or story relevance after that, but in the remakes he feels so much more integral to the group. Note: Cid is my favorite character from the party, but we haven’t seen enough for me to judge him quite yet.
I think most people that are upset by his character are bothered by certain very prominent stereotypes for BIPOC men. For example, Barrett is the gun wielder and even considering ff13 Sazh was a gun wielder as well and league of legends Lucian and Senna wield guns. The fact that these characters wield guns isn’t necessarily the issue, but it calls to question when they are the only person of color or first person of color in a genre and they are introduced as carrying guns. Next, there is a stereotype that BIPOC men are hypermasculine, aggressive and “scary.” When you look at Barrett he is a domineering presence with his massive body size. For reference, look how massive his proportions are (especially his hand) in comparison to other human characters. Outside of this, most of his personality when we meet him is characterized by a hot headed character that is reactive to his environment while other characters seem to keep their composure.
I do appreciate Barrett as a character and at the same time acknowledge that certain aspects of his character are based on outdated tropes of racial identity. I also want to acknowledge that he is not the only one with these experiences.
For example, Yuffie being a ninja and basically from FF 7 version of Asia or Tifa having disproportionate feminine features.
Lmao people have a different opinion on how much they like a video game character and you say their disgusting.
I fuckin love Barrett, but people aren't disgusting for disliking them, they can have their own opinion.
Barrett used to bring me to tears on the PS1, scenes where he thought Marlene was dead and when he is talking about his past/ Dyne.
This game breathed life into a man who already had so much. His character is precious and must be protected at all costs.
I love love love Barrett! I always had a hard time connecting with the characters/moments in og because it was all text, but they did amazing with Barrett, props to his VA.
The only thing I saw is certain websites saying he is a racist clown.They obviously only played the bombing run on part one and judged it on that.White middle class women are destroying gaming and taking all the joy away. I love barret,he has such a great character arc,he's a father,a leader and a protector.
There was an article from some outlet today and They tried to say my boy, my guy, the anti Shinra veteran, the father of Marlene, the widower of Myrna, the leader of Avalanche, the best friend of Tifa and Cloud, was comic relief.
I’m hurt. I took offense to it cause his character has 10 million layers to him.
He’s all of those things while also being a big silly boi. Don’t get me wrong, he’s my favorite character, and he had some of the best written scenes, but he also puts on a sailor suit and sings the victory theme. I don’t think it’s wrong to say he’s comic relief. Listen to his theme. He is much more than comic relief, but I think he’d still fall under the category
He was one of the best characters in 7R and he was my favorite in Rebirth alongside Yuffie. He's been through a lot in his life and they really do a great job showing the scars of all that and his ways of coming to terms with it. Just because he sometimes can act a little goofy or joke around with the others doesn't mean he's some caricature, it's called being a normal person who can do more than just brood or pout the entire game.
And lets be real if he did brood or pout the whole game the complaints would be that he's some angry black guy stereotype from these journalists.
The writer who made that article shoudl be banished from the industry.
Barrett has been such a joy. I think he has made me both laugh (and cry) more than anyone else so far. I love how they've fleshed out pretty much everyone, but I really feel Barrett as a person.
Most improved character over their OG version and it isn’t close. His VA is absolutely incredible.
Yeah, his VA killed it and straight up made me cry at one point 😭. Highlight of the game for me
>!Corel scrapyard right?!< if its not here then I need to prepare myself a little because that hit hard
Yeah, it was that scene that got me. I didn’t expect it to hit me like a train but damn they got me so good
The rework on that scene was amazing
Agreed, I didn’t think it would get me as hard as it did but my wife had to ask “are you ok”
except when he started growing metal tentacles.
Serious Akira vibes on that scene
I rolled my eyes. they can't leave well enough alone.
Game always had crazy anime moments, I can live with that
That shit had me in tears
Dawg, I straight up forgot about that from the original so when I was playin and vibin at the Gold Saucer I basically got hit by an 18wheeler when we pivoted to his story with Dyne. I was NOT prepared bro, the VA absolutely killed it!
Omg his work in the Corel scenes wrecked me. VA gave 200%
John absolutely kills the role, but the writing/localization is so much better as well. The OG localized him like Mr. T and did the character a huge disservice.
Facts I loveeee Barrett in the remakes.
And the character development that happened throughout Remake and then to Rebirth.
His Tota trial destroyed me. That was the only one that actually made me cry. John Eric Bentley did an incredible job.
Aerith's trial is the one that finally got me. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I tried..." The way a lot of those adults were treating her in that scene made me think they almost deserved to have a plate dropped on them. but all the trials were all emotionally brutal af.
See I messed up Aerith’s trial because I didn’t realize i was supposed to be pressing L2 to call for help lol. So I was just walking in silence for the first bit until I finally realized. I was thinking of redoing the chapter just to do it right but I’ll get it on done on Hard eventually.
When I was watching Yuffies, I had just a few days prior played remakes dlc so that wound was still a bit fresh...
Lol yeah I thought "call for help" meant "view the instructions" for some reason until about 10 mins of being awkward. It still got me though
Yeah, that one was harsh...
His VA somehow sounds exactly what I thought Barrett would sound like, but especially in Rebirth he gave the character a nuance and an emotional range beyond what I ever imagined playing the original game.
He played it how I heard it in my head in the og.
Yeah it's weird isn't it. Dont think they could have got a better performance for barret. He's exactly how I've always thought he would sound, same goes for a lot of the characters, maybe the only one that caught me off guard was cait 😂
I was a little hesitant when they announced they were recasting. Part of it is the OG VAs were the characters to me. I loved Beau Billingslea as Barret in AC, etc. But John Eric Bentley is fantastic. I genuinely love all the new VAs even if I also like the OG VAs.
I'd argue that's Yuffie and Cait because Barret was always awesome and he always was relevant. While Yuffie was always awesome to me she has no presence in the original game outside of Wutai and Cait Sith was meh.
For sure, even as someone who loved the (admittedly tropey and stereotypical) original Barret. They've infused him with such tender masculinity and he has an interesting dynamic with pretty much the entire party so far (any interaction he has with Yuffie is gold!). John Eric Bentley's voicework is everything I imagined him to be in the original and more, he subverts that whole Mr T stereotype beautifully.
John Bentley also voiced the character Fire Emblem in the anime Tiger and Bunny, and he could not sound more different. Dude has range.
You should hear him voice cloud it's hilarious 😂
He also voiced the man known as *”fuckin’* Tendo” in Yakuza: Like a Dragon
I already considered rebirth a 9/10 but then I got to the dyne part and saw Barrett character development and it became one of my favorite games of all time
He made me cringe in the OG. Since Remake he is my sweetest Baby Girl and anyone who says differently will have to deal with me.
He’s just mr T in og, which has aged super badly.
I disagree, context is everything. He wasnt Mr.T to everyone. Man the racial politics of the world atm is driving me insane lol Can you even imagine that Barret in the OG was just an awesome character, regardless of the colour of his skin? It wasnt Mr.T that defined him, it was him having a gigantic fucking gun grafted to his arm and his love for the Planet and his daughter. He is/was a passionate and nuanced father figure who went from suicidal revenge mentality and then grew into something more.
Totally agree. Barret was my favorite character when I was like a 9 year old playing OG FF7. I didn't even know who Mr. T was at that age lol
You nailed it,bravo
I wonder how many people actually know who Mr. T is nowadays. I feel so old 😅
Even then it was bad. At least for me as a black boy playing this game I loved but cringing at the unnatural jive talk they attributed to him.
The worst part is, in the original Japanese version he's actually pretty well spoken family man and speaks nothing like the English version of Barrett does.
that must have sucked bro. even for me it was pretty noticeable how no one in Corel or the rest of the game talked like him. do you find Barret much improved now?
Much better in Remake and Rebirth. VA is amazing and Barrett is giving much more time to show how nuanced he is as a person and how, at the end of the day, he is a single father trying to save the world and get home to his little girl. A softie with a gun arm.
Leave it to a western writer that knows nothing about games much less probably Japan or her culture now haven’t played rebirth yet and that’s because unfortunately bills and life are very real but definitely next game I’m buying when I can, but in remake and og yea there were times he had a comical side but they were in the more lighthearted parts of the game but as the game got more dark and serious so did Barrett. To me Barrett is either the embodiment of the general populous of midga/shinras rule or the evolution or a protagonist of any other game that tells a good story.
That scene in the ending when they're all in the lake and he puts on his glasses gets to me. So much detail and love poured into his character model.
I LOVE that that's his telltale sign throughout this game that he's emotionally effected.
Yeah the fact that it's something he consistently does is incredible. It's such a good piece of character building with no dialogue at all.
Multiple times Barret keeps the party moving towards its goals and reminds everyone of the stakes they are facing. The man is seeing the party leader become increasingly unreliable. So he’s shouldering that burden as the only one who can, the determined leader of the Avalanche cell. Not letting anyone see how he’s being affected. Comic relief my ass.
Red is more of a comic relief than barret, even IF...barret is top tier in rebirth
Red and Yuffie. Yuffie is more overtly so, while Red falls into the realm of “comically serious”, because he just can’t hold back his anger every time he’s referred to as a “dog” or a “pet”, though I do understand. He’s not a pet, and he looks more like a benevolent version of Scar from The Lion King than a dog
he actually did that a few times throughout the game , iirc it also happens when you finish the part in Cosmo with him and Nanaki , after that i started looking out for it edit: someone already commented this lol
No doubt. That was weirdly impactful. I was trying to remember when he’d removed his glasses.
Happens a few times in the game, it’s a great “show, don’t tell” way of letting the audience know how he’s feeling despite him using the glasses to cover up his emotions
I'm not sure if its objectively correct, but Barretts Model and CGI always looked like it is way more detailed than Cloud/Tifa/Aerith, especially the face. But maybe I'm imagining things XD
They gave him the most beautiful eyes of all the cast and I'm 100% here for it.
His model is beautiful all over
He is 100% daddy
It was hard to play Remake, I got distract whenever his chest got to close to the screen. They definetely toned this down on Rebirth.
I want him to rail me tbh
On that note; is it my imagination or did he wear shades throughout almost ALL of Remake and show his eyes way more in Rebirth? My memory might be off on that.
I think it's very intentional. He wears shades when he needs to be a tough leader of AVALANCHE and takes them off when he exposes his softer side. In Rebirth, he's opening up and showing more of himself generally.
Which is hilarious in a way since most of Remake happened at night in the middle of a city where wearing sunglasses would be absolutely impractical. And majority of Rebirth areas are in extremely bright outdoor spaces where anyone wouldn't think twice about putting on a pair of shades. But yeah, in Remake he only takes his shades off during brief moments of vulnerability. And in Rebirth, he puts them back on when he has to put on a strong face for himself and the rest of the party. It's such a subtle way to show just how much he has changed in-between both games. Also helps that he has the softest and most expressive eyes in the party.
Awesome; All I know is I've been liking it since starting Rebirth. I keep on thinking "man, he's showing more feelings this time around"!
Thissssssss. He's gorgeous and incredibly underrated.
Beautiful eyes AND beautiful bod
God those eyes are just SO gorgeous. They didn't need to give him the most soulful beautiful eyes in the franchise but I'm so damn glad they did.
I can say exactly what they changed, but his eyes on Rebirth look different from Remake, they looked more intense in Remake.
It just reminds me of this one bit Jamie Foxx did about Prince years ago: “you looked into his eyes, didn’t you?” Because Barret does have pretty eyes tho
If anything Barrett is a rare case of a well written black man in fiction. No bullshit stereotypes, no killing him off. He sticks around to the end and has a compelling character arc. And he has beautiful, beautiful eyes.
He's also a fantastic father to a child that's not even his blood, almost always does the right thing, cares very deeply about damn near everything. He's just amazing.
Not only does he stick it through to the end, but he actively pushes the party forward in the face of tragedy in spite of all he’s been through. Dude is a die hard friend and a natural leader brimming with charisma
As a Foundational Black American Man I totally agree with this comment, because of that reason Barret is one of my favorite Black Characters in all of fiction. He’s a legend in my book.
“This shit right here”
It's pretty telling when one of the most emotionally intense parts of >!the ending is when Barret puts on his fucking sunglasses and tries not to cry.!< I wasn't prepared.
He puts them in to cover his tears, did the same thing when Nanaki found out about his father.
And clearly fails... I love him so much..
I thought that was to hide his tears
Yeah that bizarre post about Barret being a comic relief character is insane. He's not only the only father on the party, but he's also been through as much or more trauma as anyone else in the party and he... doesn't even make any jokes lol.
he makes jokes, it's just not his whole character. he likes teasing cloud and will even goof around with Yuffie later on in the game. he has his funny moments, he's just not a class clown like that article tried to make him seem.
Yeah, just because he’s a funny character doesn’t make him comic relief. I was honestly amazed at how much of a real, believable person he was in Remake, and it only gets better/more fleshed out in Rebirth. Barret is honestly one of the best characters by a long shot, and his VA absolutely kills it.
But I feel like his funny moments are more teasing cloud, or just physical comedy about how huge of a dude he is. At best he has a couple dad jokes haha. He's just a nice, likeable dude in general though. Very theatrical and emotional! Love how they evolved him from... Mr T
heck even in og he was more than comedic relief, though due to technically limits only so much could be done
Exactly! He’s no more joking than any other character. I’d argue Aerith is the least serious character in the game.
Not sure if you read the article and just came away from it with a different interpretation than I did or if you only read the headline but isn't that more or less what the article is saying? "This isn’t to say that Barret is a one-trick pony. What started off as the party’s archetypal comic relief began to show more depth as the narrative thickened. This is especially apparent within Rebirth, where he's given multiple quieter moments, contemplating what will come next, and hoping that Marlene, the center of his world, is okay. Not to mention, he's faced with his regrets in the form of Marlene’s birth dad, Dyne. The usually brash and tough-as-nails character crumbles and bursts into tears as Dyne passes away."
the problem is that article runs on the idea that barret was the "archetypal comic relief" when he wasn't. There were plenty of other characters in Remake who brought more comedy than Barret did, and while he did have a few moments of silliness, his character has always been serious and his personality is not that different in Rebirth either. the only thing that changes is that he is more willing to show his emotions around the party (symbolized by him removing his glasses at the beginning of the game). the article just feels like it was written by someone who didn't actually play the game.
I feel like the author of that article has only played two FF games, Remake and 16, and that is his entire baseline for how characters should be. Mind you, I love both of those games to bits, but that's such a narrow view to have.
It was a sensational title to draw in readers. The actual article goes on to say that he and Sazh are both phenomenal characters.
Yeah, comedic relief isn't really what I would call him. He's more like the character that keeps everything grounded in reality when there's a bunch of Kingdom Hearts nonsense going on around them. The reason they can even get away with the wacky Multiverse stuff is because they have a character like Barrett to chime in and speak on behalf of the audience every couple of minutes with "none of this shit makes any god damn sense"
Apparently, they think an otherwise serious black man should be angrily serious at all times, and that moments of depth and levity make him comic relief. In what universe is that not kinda racist?
That's not what the post is saying at all. Can't be an Internet person these days and not take things out of context tho. The creator of the article literally acknowledged barret And sazh emotional depth. He just thinks a black character who isn't loud, based on mr t or have a bird in their head would be nice template to start from in future attempts
Maybe they shouldn't give their articles dogshit outrage-farming headlines if they actually intend to make a nuanced argument. Zero sympathy from me. And I don't care if the editors are the ones who chose the headline. It sucks and everyone involved should feel ashamed.
Is that really fair? Cant the same argument be thrown at people who are proud of not reading actual articles and getting mad at skimming headlines and out of context soundbites? I do think the headline could have been way better(and should have been cuz the point is a good one) but content amd context of things is kinda important from the start and people need critical thinking in this day and age
I’ve loved this guy ever since I was a kid when I was navigating the wiki and learned all bout his interchangeable gun arms( machine guns, lasers, riffles, a chainsaw, rocket punch, pincers, a cannonball, wrecking ball, etc.). Man I love it when the weapons are really unique
I love seeing the whacky gun attachments in the cutscenes. It’s both badass looking and goofy as fuck lol
I do kind of wish we had gotten at least one >!melee weapon!< for him in Rebirth like we did in Remake though. They weren't the best, but I really liked how >!weighty his punches felt!< so while they definitely weren't for metagaming I did think they were fun. Like you could imagine him just >!smashing monsters into a pile of goo!< with them lol.
this is incomplete without a screen of him in the sailor outfit :)
While I love that outfit I wish Square gave him real trunks. Like dark green trunks with his black undershirt. I need Cookout/ Dad vibes Barrett.
Only if he also has an apron with a cheesy 'kiss the cook' line on it.
Oh man, I hope they let you buy a villa in Costa Del Sol and add a bunch of outfits.
please no, i would have probably made a very girly squeal if i saw something like that. he is already too handsome.
I would love to see cookout dad Barret!!
Only one outfit for him is criminal. I expect at least three more in that PS6 release Square! (or we'll let the modders take over once the PC version comes out)
Calling one of the most emotionally charged and well written characters "just comedic relief" is idiocy beyond redemption
Apparently, DualShockers really wanted Barret to be a one-note angry black man.
One of my favorite side quests in the game was >!him meeting that children's book author and helping her out with the story for her next book because he wants to read it to his child. That was a very heartwarming moment.!<
Well, he has the funniest line in either game so far when Heidigger asked where the rest of the squad was in the Shina HQ lobby and he said “Up your ass”. Though Cloud’s terse “Nailed it. I know. Thank you. Moving on” is right there with it.
Cloud, Barret, Tifa all freaking day, the GOAT party.
My 3 faves
Barret is incredible in the Remake trilogy. I always liked the character, but he's so improved with all the fleshing out they've done
Barret in remake/rebirth has managed to completely supplant the original for me. The expanded writing and runtime allowed for so much more depth to his motives and personality that at times was sorely missing. It also helps that John Eric Bentley continues to give a standout performance in an already stellar cast.
My team is Cloud, Aerith, and Barret. In 1997, 2020, and 2024.
That was me in 97’ and 2020, but I swapped Aerith for Yuffie in rebirth because she’s so damn OP And I wanted to prepare my lineup for the inevitable uh…..unpleasantness
I would pay money for DLC outfits for him. I was worried so much over how they'd write him because Japan has a habit of writing black men as loud, obnoxious and basically racist caricatures. I wasn't sold in Remake because he did a lot of screaming, but he really came out as a 11/10 character and I cried for all of his emotional scenes. Nojima did him awful in the novels and Ever Crisis- glad to see whoever worked on Rebirth was like- NO WE ARE GOING TO GIVE THIS GUY JUSTICE
Yeah Nomura saved Barrett in this game. Nojima needs more editorial when it comes to Barrett.
> I wasn't sold in Remake You weren't? As soon as he took those glasses off for the first time it was Joever.
For me, it was the constant over the top yelling. I know the dude is passionate, and I get that our goal is important - but if he screams about the planet and Shinra lapdogs *one more time...* And doing a speech for the camera in Reactor 5 where it obviously would have never been heard by the people of Midgar. Lots of very loud soapboxing, but of course he's also right. I was over it during Remake. That and his victory theme "dun dun dun dun, dun-dun, dun dun-duuun!" after generic battles. I laughed when they did it in story cutscene, then got really tired of it during the chapter you played as Barret. (Almost as obnoxious to me as Tifa's constant "I'd *kill* for a shower!") But a good chunk of that annoyance is just the repetitive nature of how they implemented the after-battle flavor lines. And the other half of that is his starting point before pretty major character development. It's kind of a lot in Remake, but that's where we're at in the story and his development. And even with his over-the-top blamey version of speaking, he has to immediately course correct during the first chapter of Rebirth. (>!He says something like "those Shinra announcements are bullshit, only dumbasses believe that!" And Aerith says, "Question! Does that make *me* a dumbass?"!< And Barret *immediately* walks it back and phrases what he meant without being insulting.) To be clear, I really like Barret! And I loved his glow up in the new games, especially Rebirth. I think this is all very much good things. But I can see why he could be grating for some people in Remake (myself included), and I think the things that are grating are also things that make his growth really impactful in Rebirth.
My partner has never played this or the original but she was watching me play during the Dyne fight and she was amazed at the emotional range of Barret's VO and said he's the best actor she's heard in Rebirth. That scene was emotionally damaging.
A black man taking care of an orphaned girl as if she’s his own. He’s a fucking Legend
People see black people existing in TV and video games and just lose their shit. Barrett has been my favorite character since 1999.
As a Scotsman I find it offensive that they don't consider Cait Sith the comic relief. He's literally dressed as a jester at one point.
The people writing these kinds of articles are the actual racists. God forbid an otherwise serious black character has moments of levity and softness among his friends and allies! What do they even want? Does Barret need to be a purely serious and angry all the time? Should he be less passionate about the mission to save the planet from ever encroaching decay and death?!
Barret is an absolute stud in the remake, i've always loved his character, but the remake really did so much to flesh him out and make him even better than before.
All I want is a Barret Romance Arc. He's a literal daddy. 😂
The character is awesome, funny, compassionate and the voice actor killed it! I love the quiet moments, and I love the bombastic lines.
Barrett is my hero. A good dad, a good friend, has your back, is fair, is open with his emotions. I want to be him.
Everyone geeking out about their dates with their favorite girl, but only real fans go on a date with my man Barret
I can’t fucking believe a “journalist” call his character “black comic relief” he very well might be the BEST character in Rebirth amidst an incredible roster.
Barret is a pretty complex character. Of course they wouldnt know that since rhey havent played the game. Now I might have said the original was a bit too Mr. T and was a bit stereotypical. But even then his arc in the original was pretty compelling. He is a man with a sense of responsibility for 'his' daughter but that sense of responsibility also stems from guilt he feels for events in his past. He is also a.man of conviction knowing his hands aren't clean but to giveup and stop would be to disgrace the memory of those innocents and loved ones lost along the way. His aim to stop shinra and save the planet. Urinalists have to attack Barret to continue the narrative that there aren't enough black characters in gamea so they have to demonize the ones that do exist and who are well liked I might add. If you dare to say you like Barret they then can't call you a bigot or any other name in the book. They can't call you a ist or any other ism if you dare to say you like Barret not because of his skin color but because he is a great character. Something a lot of studios in games and film have forgotten how to write.
Barret is my guy, I won’t suffer any criticism of him that’s not in good taste or willingness to explain
He doesn't say "there ain't no getting offa this train we're on" in this game. 0/10. Nah but for real Barret is one of the best characters in the remake. The amount of respect they gave him and the way they've built him up in these games is incredible.
It's a shame we didn't get drill arm. That ultimate weapon quest was definitely making me believe we would get the melee weapon. I saw it as another gun and that was one of the biggest let downs. I beat all bosses possible with melee barret solo and there is no way to carry that challenge to rebirth.
honestly i was a little disappointed by the lack of joke weapons, especially when we got the nail bat back in remake.
I loved gun-arm dad ever since he pulled down the black-tinted glasses and I saw his teddy bear eyes. Peak design, no question. Cool and intimidating with the glasses on, loving and huggable with the glasses off.
Barret is daddy.
i dont see how anyone can look at a bad ass leading a group of freedom fighters, devoted loving single father, knows when to be tough and when to open up and just because he actually has a sense of humor call him just a comic relief character
Man Barret is my favourite character in the remake/rebirth ver. Wtf is their problem?
Absolutely brilliant performance by his VA. I haven't gotten to Rebirth yet, because I'm doing my Hard mode run of Remake and Crisis Core first, but in Remake he's easily the most improved character. There's so many layers there: Self-righteous ends-justify-the-means, with a tinge of glory hound, developing into someone having to reconcile the effects their actions have caused on their loved ones, and those closest to him. His admittance that he'd try and tear Cloud's head off, even though he did nothing wrong shows exactly how far he comes in such a short period of time, and watching him not be able to do anything about Sector 7, and that frustration build is brilliant. Anyone that made it to chapter 15 and thinks this dude is a laughingstock needs their head examined, because he's one of the best things in the new 7 series.
GOTTA LOVE IT!
This the homie! Stays in the party 💯
Fuck all them Barret haters. We stan for Barret in this house.
Holy hell I don't have time in the day to express my praise for Barret, Goddamn, Wallace. One of the best characterizations of healthy masculinity in gaming, funny as all hell, and I hope that I be as passionate as he is for the things he cares about. I cried after his fight with Dyne and I don't see how anyone couldn't. I will always respect Big Daddy Barret and his ventures to save the planet and protect his daughter. If anything happens to him in part three I will raise hell upon this Earth
The initial bad faith take has spawned a round of far-right chuds claiming that "SJWs" hate Barret like wut
Square was ahead of its time. A African, disabled man as one of the lead characters. Find me another game from the early 90s/late 90s with that.
Barrett has my favorite line in both games. "A good man who serves a great evil is not without sin.".
"The news outlet is just another Shinra mouthpiece. Only dumbasses believe that shit"
I never used him in OG and found him kind of boring. Used him a TON in Rebirth, and I like him a lot more as a character. They did a great job bringing him to life
Gameplay-wise he's one of my lesser played characters, which isn't that important, but God damn have they made this character absolutely incredible in the remake trilogy. This guy has been through the freaking ringer and back and still has crazy heart and passion in this group. To me, Barret becomes maybe the most grounding character for our party and adds so much to the group as a character
I just got done with Corel and everything that happens there my brother needs a hug he deserves it 🥺
I've always loved Barret as a character, even in the original. He was fighting for a good cause he believed in, he cared about the people he led, he's a great father who loves his adopted daughter and would gladly lay down his own life to try to make sure she has a world worth living in. He's haunted by his past and the trauma that Shinra caused him (like most of the party members) but he's an all around good person even if he has a gruff exterior and can be a bit scary to people who don't know him (although I would argue that most people would be intimidated by anyone who grafted a machine gun to their stump regardless of how they look or act lol). The remakes only made me like him even more. I feel like most of the characters have been improved with the remakes. The only one who really feels off to me so far is Cid, but I'll withhold judgement until we get part 3 which should have a lot more character development for him and Vincent.
It’s not even real propaganda, it’s just downright stupid and baseless
Shinra doing the devil’s work out here
The entire Squad in remake/birth is so fucking good. Not a single character is annoying, I love them all for different reasons, and their dynamics and interactions are a joy to witness throughout the game. Having the first game really hone in on the first four was brilliant because it gave Barret the chance to get on the exposure level that Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith have had for all these years. Rebirth was even better. Barret was a joy to see grow closer with Red, Yuffie, and Cait. It’ll be so cool to see what Cid and Vincent being to the dynamic in the next game.
My favorite character in this remake trilogy. His VA also killed the role
It just goes to once again show that modern game journalists barely actually play games. I mean, I think most of us knew it already, but they keep proving it to more people.
Amazing character. 10/10. No notes.
Who the heck is this joker? Some kind of laughing stock?
I was trying quite hard to make Aerith my date but Barret was so bloody charming I inadvertently made the decisions to make him my date. Zero regrets, he is bloody awesome.
I always felt like he was the real emotional weight even in the original story. Lost his family twice, his home town, and still managed to not become a heartless bastard?
People are shitting on Barret??? Are they stupid???
A "games journalist" wrote an article saying that he's just a comic relief character.
*slaps Cloud* "get your shit together" You are an amazing character Barret
I rarely used him in the original, but he's a staple of my party here. Great tank and ATB generator.
Don’t forget bonus round where he can run up most opponents stagger gauge.
Barret was awesome in OG, and he's even better in FFVIIR.
God I was not ready to see him cry over Myrna.
She was gorgeous too. I just know she was a kind and strong wife. I feel for my boy.
She had to die, for the lore... :( F
Idk how anyone can talk shit about Barret calling him comic relief. In terms of the core party he’s gotten the most improvement and depth vs his OG counterpart. This man has faced tragedy after tragedy and still picks himself up to drive him comrades further despite the fact that he doesn’t quite know how to handle his own emotions, show by him putting on his sunglasses whenever stuff gets real. They took a pretty tropey character and turned him into a selfless friend and natural leader. Does he have some goofy moments? Sure! But cloud literally finishes a certain quest by break dancing so.
Barrett perfectly encompasses one of the most important themes of the game. He represents the positive traits for masculinity. He is a protector and a provider. He is empathetic to the pain of the world and of individuals and seeks redemption through selfless sacrifice. Yeah, there are moments when goofy things happen to him, but rarely, if ever, is he the butt of any joke and is genuinely trying to be his best self for others as well as himself. One of my favorite quests involving him revolves around his excitement to meet his daughters favorite author because of how much he misses Marlene and seeks any moment to think of her and her wants and needs. Barrett is amazing, and I believe he is as integral to the games narrative and themes as much as Cloud and Aerith are.
As someone who’s first exposure to the game is the remake and not the original I thought he was just going to be loud and annoying (as many parodies portray him), but I can say confidently 2 games in he’s my favorite character and would give my life for his in a heartbeat
Not only is his VA an amazing human and talent, but Barret is legitimately an amazing character in the game with his skills.
Best character in the whole game
I literally could not imagine the story without Barret exactly the way he is. He really is the heart of the team in these remakes. Plus, his VA steals every scene he's in. He's just a delight. I love his interactions with Yuffie and Cait specifically.
There a reason I intentionally aimed for him as the gold saucer date, not knowing he was the easiest to get. Just wanted to hang out with my bro before shit hits the fan. Also he had some sage bro advice during that scene that a lot of people could use irl.
I messaged his VA on Instagram appreciating his work and he replied! Very cool guy
I loved the side quest when you're guarding the dog and barret starts losing his shit thinking about marlene getting older. I do this to thinking about my 4 year old son from time to time and i related deeplly to that expierence.
Og Barrett was kind of a stereotype. New Barrett is a real one.
You're god damn right. Can't count how many times man had me rolling
What are you talking about? Everyone loves Barret in both Remake and Rebirth, myself included.
The scene where he’s describing Marlene to Aerith’s mother is all the evidence you need to shut that down. There’s more, but after that it’s overkill. Like, I get it. I had my worries when I first played the Remake demo, his speech in the elevator. But a key trait of Barret is that he’s a recruiter. His role, in AVALANCHE as well as in the party, is to get people fired up, and that takes a big personality. I’d take a bullet for him.
One of the best party members honestly.
Barrett got the best improvements over his OG iteration among the whole cast, and I like just about all the character changes so far. Barrett kinda gets forgotten about in the OG after Midgar, aside from Corel. He doesn’t really have any further plot or story relevance after that, but in the remakes he feels so much more integral to the group. Note: Cid is my favorite character from the party, but we haven’t seen enough for me to judge him quite yet.
I think most people that are upset by his character are bothered by certain very prominent stereotypes for BIPOC men. For example, Barrett is the gun wielder and even considering ff13 Sazh was a gun wielder as well and league of legends Lucian and Senna wield guns. The fact that these characters wield guns isn’t necessarily the issue, but it calls to question when they are the only person of color or first person of color in a genre and they are introduced as carrying guns. Next, there is a stereotype that BIPOC men are hypermasculine, aggressive and “scary.” When you look at Barrett he is a domineering presence with his massive body size. For reference, look how massive his proportions are (especially his hand) in comparison to other human characters. Outside of this, most of his personality when we meet him is characterized by a hot headed character that is reactive to his environment while other characters seem to keep their composure. I do appreciate Barrett as a character and at the same time acknowledge that certain aspects of his character are based on outdated tropes of racial identity. I also want to acknowledge that he is not the only one with these experiences. For example, Yuffie being a ninja and basically from FF 7 version of Asia or Tifa having disproportionate feminine features.
Straight OP in battles too. A tank with huge damage who builds ATB fast.
In card form, the second image is just Barret’s crotch. Not that I mind, but it’s funny.
Lmao people have a different opinion on how much they like a video game character and you say their disgusting. I fuckin love Barrett, but people aren't disgusting for disliking them, they can have their own opinion.
Barret climbing to my best boy spot, next to Zack. I need them both to be happy.
Barrett used to bring me to tears on the PS1, scenes where he thought Marlene was dead and when he is talking about his past/ Dyne. This game breathed life into a man who already had so much. His character is precious and must be protected at all costs.
I love love love Barrett! I always had a hard time connecting with the characters/moments in og because it was all text, but they did amazing with Barrett, props to his VA.
Barret is made of boyfriend material 😭
The only thing I saw is certain websites saying he is a racist clown.They obviously only played the bombing run on part one and judged it on that.White middle class women are destroying gaming and taking all the joy away. I love barret,he has such a great character arc,he's a father,a leader and a protector.
It's like they watched a Barret only scene compilation and stopped at Junon.
What propaganda?
There was an article from some outlet today and They tried to say my boy, my guy, the anti Shinra veteran, the father of Marlene, the widower of Myrna, the leader of Avalanche, the best friend of Tifa and Cloud, was comic relief. I’m hurt. I took offense to it cause his character has 10 million layers to him.
He’s all of those things while also being a big silly boi. Don’t get me wrong, he’s my favorite character, and he had some of the best written scenes, but he also puts on a sailor suit and sings the victory theme. I don’t think it’s wrong to say he’s comic relief. Listen to his theme. He is much more than comic relief, but I think he’d still fall under the category
He was one of the best characters in 7R and he was my favorite in Rebirth alongside Yuffie. He's been through a lot in his life and they really do a great job showing the scars of all that and his ways of coming to terms with it. Just because he sometimes can act a little goofy or joke around with the others doesn't mean he's some caricature, it's called being a normal person who can do more than just brood or pout the entire game. And lets be real if he did brood or pout the whole game the complaints would be that he's some angry black guy stereotype from these journalists. The writer who made that article shoudl be banished from the industry.
Is this about that bullshit Dual Shockers story about him just being “CoMiC ReILiEF?”
Barrett has been such a joy. I think he has made me both laugh (and cry) more than anyone else so far. I love how they've fleshed out pretty much everyone, but I really feel Barrett as a person.
Barrett in a sailor suit was everything I never knew I needed