Rufus Shinra

Rufus Shinra is the vice president of the Shinra Electric Power Company through Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy VII, and the president through most of Final Fantasy VII. He most likely gained the title for being President Shinra's son. He is a major antagonist during Final Fantasy VII and an important supporting character on a majority of its expanded universe.

Initially portrayed as an enigmatic schemer with no qualms of killing his enemies, Rufus has no love for his father and plotted to overthrow him. While Rufus shares his father's goals in cementing the Shinra Company's hold on the world, he believes fear is essential to control people and even sets up a public execution to win public favor. He believes that everything that all the fruits of the Shinra Company belong to him, taunting Cloud Strife in the remake by saying that he owns him. Rufus acts fearless even in the face of formidable opponents like Cloud and Kadaj, always having backup should things go wrong.

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, the damage the planet sustained due to Shinra's actions and his near-death experience have softened Rufus. He speaks in a kinder tone and desires redemption for his deeds, acknowledging Shinra's part in desecrating the planet, wishing to fix the damage. Despite Cloud and Avalanche's part in Shinra's collapse, Rufus shows Cloud no ill-will and tells him about Kadaj and his group despite Cloud rejecting his offer to work together. He retains some manipulative edges by attempting to use Cloud's adopted orphans to get him to cooperate. He displays a sarcastic sense of humor by commenting "a good son would have known" to Kadaj when he reveals what he's been concealing under the white sheet he always cloaks himself with.

Rufus is hinted to be the one funding the World Regenesis Organization, but still wishes for Shinra to have a dominant hand in the world's affairs. When the city of Edge is being built, it is done using Shinra resources, and Rufus has a monument to Meteor placed in the city center to claim the city as Shinra's and secure their ownership of it in the minds of the citizens