“There really isn’t any deep meaning to it, we just wanted to make a character that would appear in various forms in all the games. I guess I’ve always had a soft spot for that kind of character. Cid is like Yoda from the Star Wars series–very intelligent and wise.”
—Hironobu Sakaguchi in EGM2 August 1997.

Cid (シド, Shido?) is a character that has appeared, or been mentioned, in almost all Final Fantasy-related media; the main series, spinoffs, film and anime. Cid has become somewhat of a Final Fantasy trademark, as with chocobos and Moogles. He leads the list of recurring characters, which include Biggs and Wedge and Gilgamesh. However, each installment features a different Cid character, and his roles in the series also range widely from a party member to a NPC to an antagonist.

In Final Fantasy tradition, Cid characters often have a group of distinct traits that fans and game creators alike have come to expect from them. They are often mechanically minded and frequently portrayed as engineers or inventors. This leads to them often being the source of the airships the player uses toward the game’s end, as its captain or its creator. The Cid characters are sometimes partially responsible for the main conflict within the game as a result of his inventions or research being abused. If this is the case, he will often seek redemption by assisting the party. Cid is usually older than the main cast, sometimes by several decades and they are thus portrayed as fatherly figures, sometimes as the biological, adoptive, or surrogate father of one of the main characters.

Final Fantasy IV：cid

Cid Pollendina is a playable character and the first playable Cid in the series. The head of Baron’s corps of engineers, Cid is a friend and mentor of both Cecil and Rosa. He designs the airships used by Baron’s elite Red Wings corps, but as the story progresses he begins to develop misgivings about the King of Baron’s methods. Cecil and Kain’s exile, and the use of the Red Wings to destroy Damcyan, finally prove more than Cid can tolerate: he rebels against the King, is imprisoned for his treason, and is later freed by Cecil, joining his party.

In Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-, Cid is a temporary character who doesn’t make it into the final party formation.

In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Cid again appears as a playable character at the ripe old age of 71. He fights alongside Cecil and Rosa to repel Baron’s invasion and later accompanies Ceodore for the last portion of his journey.