Game Information | FFVII Character Compendium
Barret Wallace

From the Manual:

Job: Leader of AVALANCHE
Age: 35
Weapon: Gun-arm
Height: 6'4"
Birthdate: December 15
Birthplace: Corel Village
Blood Type: O

Head of the underground resistance movement, AVALANCHE, Barret is fighting the mega-conglomerate Shinra, Inc. which has monopolized Mako energy by building special reactors to suck it out of the planet. Barret depends on brute strength and his "Gun-arm" to see him through. His wife died in an accident several years ago, and he now lives with his daughter Marlene.

From the Game:

Barret is a native of Corel, where he, along with many of the other townsfolk, made his living as a coal miner. Four years prior, Scarlet came to Corel to propose the construction of a mako reactor. Barret and many of the other miners liked the plan, but Barret's best friend Dyne was against it. The construction of the Corel reactor went forward, but one day, there was an explosion at the site, and the people of Corel ended up taking the heat for it. While coming back from the reactor, Barret and Dyne were shocked to see their village on fire. They were soon attacked by Scarlet's troops, causing Barret to lose his grip on Dyne, who fell into a canyon. Barret lost his right hand from this incident, as well as his wife Myrna, Dyne, and Dyne's wife Eleanor. However, Dyne's baby daughter Marlene survived and was adopted by Barret as his own.

Four years later, Barret would carry out his first mission as the leader of AVALANCHE: the bombing of Midgar's mako reactor No. 1. Along with his loyal teammates Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie—and a cold mercenary and ex-SOLDIER named Cloud—this mission was a success. Unfortunately, the group's second bombing mission was somewhat botched, and a retaliatory attack on their Sector Seven headquarters by the Shinra—the felling of that sector's plate—resulted in the loss of Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. During that mission, Aeris agreed to become a hostage in exchange for Marlene's safety, and thus Barret joined Cloud and Tifa in their mission to rescue Aeris, as he felt indebted to her.

After Sephiroth killed President Shinra and the party's escape from Midgar, Cloud emerges as the new leader of the group. They continue on, then reach North Corel, where the survivors of the Corel arson live. None too happy to see Barret, the villagers punch him and blame him for their current predicament. The party continues on to the Gold Saucer and split up. After Cloud meets Cait Sith, he goes to Battle Square to find a number of people dead. Hearing that a man with a gun-arm did the damage, he fears for the worst and goes looking for Barret. Dio, the Gold Saucer's manager, upon learning that Cloud and the others were friends with the gun-armed man, deposit them in the prison at the base of the Saucer, built out of the remains of the old Corel. Here, the group reunites, and Barret tells them all about Dyne for the first time.

It seemed that during their confrontation with the Shinra four years ago, Dyne had also lost a hand and later had a gun-arm attachment made. After scouring the desert for Dyne, Barret finally finds him and fights him near some makeshift graves. He informs the hopeless Dyne that his daughter Marlene is still alive. Dyne gives Barret Eleanor's old pendant to give to Marlene, then tumbles over the edge of the cliff to his death.

After more adventures, Barret and Tifa become the Shinra Company's prisoners and are sentenced to death. Barret is saved by Cait Sith, with whom he would later argue with over AVALANCHE's deeds, and helps save Tifa after boarding the Highwind. After Tifa leaves the group once the mako-poisoned Cloud is found in Mideel, the party discusses who should be their leader in the interim. Barret starts to step up to the role, but, realizing that he's not cut out to be a leader, gets Cid to take on the position.

Compilation Appearances:

Barret appears in Advent Children, Before Crisis, and Dirge of Cerberus. He is also the focus of a short story that was exclusively written for the North American Advent Chidren limited-edition box set.