I noticed that some people didn’t know much about Reno and Rude’s epic bromance outside of the major FF7 compilation installments (OG FF7, Advent Children, Crisis Core, FF7R), so I compiled a list of moments from lesser known but official sources (light novels, Ultimania, etc.)! Enjoy~
FF7 On The Way To A Smile - Episode Shinra Light Novel (2009)
-Rude loves thrills.
-For Rude, It’s too painful to imagine a life without the Turks.
-During Meteorfall, Reno and Rude are alone together and seek refuge in the Shinra building bathroom stalls because Rude wanted to go back to the building to get his tool kit.
-Rude apologizes and notices that Reno’s tone is different from his usual self. Reno asks Rude, “Hey Rude, we’ve been together for a long time.” Rude says, “Yup.” Reno then asks “We’re partners, right?” and Rude says “Sure.”
-Reno then goes to Rude’s stall and kicks in the door. Rude is surprised and asks why Reno kicked the stall’s door. Reno says, “I want to give one last thrill to my partner. Thrills- you love ‘em.” Rude says it’s not enough.
-They leave the building together to see the destruction caused by the Lifestream.
-Reno looks around and says “Holy shit is that the Lifestream!?” Rude turns to him and says, “Reno…”
-Reno says “Yeah?” and Rude answers, “This is amazing.”
-Later in the chapter, Reno frowns and is worried about Geostigma and asks Rude why Rufus was putting his trust into the sketchy Doctor Kilmister. Reno wonders why he and Rude hasn’t contracted the disease yet.
-Rude cheers him up by lightly punching his arm and says, “Hey partner, how about a sparring session? We haven’t done that in a while.”
-Reno asks why, and Rude explains “Exercising both your mind and body can prevent sickness.”
Reno calls him an old fart but gets ready anyway.
Reference: Japanese version of the On The Way To A Smile light novel
FF7 The Kids Are All Right: A Turks Side Story Light Novel (2011)
-Reno’s Profile (official English version):
“[…] Reno also values his relationships, especially the strong connection he shares with his partner, Rude. He also comes to care about Evan and Kyrie, and he starts keeping an eye on them from afar.”
-Rude’s Profile (official English version):
“Reno’s long-term partner and one of the Turks’ elite operatives […] Taciturn but compassionate, Rude ends up joining his partner in watching over Evan and Kyrie.”
-Evan describes Reno and Rude as “they are always together, like a fork and a knife.”
-Rude thinks that Evan might find it annoying that Reno is trying to meddle with family affairs. Rude thinks to himself “My comrades are all I ever need.”
-Reno and Rude end up stranded and away from Rufus, Tseng, and Elena. Reno tells Rude “You’re all I have, man. The Director and Elena aren’t answering our calls, and the Boss just tells us to finish the Monument. They’re definitely up to something. We’re outcasts. You and me, me and you, if we don’t stick together then what?”
-Rude is the only person capable of falling asleep in a car despite Reno’s reckless driving.
Reference: Japanese version of the light novel Chapters 3, 12, 19
FF7R (2020)
-When you cast Sleep on Rude, he says Reno’s name in his sleep.
References: Chapter 8 or 12 Boss Battles
FF7R Ultimania Book (2020)
-Reno only expresses his doubts and worries in front of Rude.
-Rude greatly cares about his friends.
-Reno and Rude work together in perfect sync.
Reference: Pages 52, 53, 641
FF7R Material Ultimania Book (2020)
-Rude worries about Reno’s reckless fighting due to his “professionalism.”
-Rude is willing to risk his own life to protect Reno.
-Scenario Coordinator Oishi says the scene when Rude tosses the EMR to Reno shows a glimpse of their responsibility and readiness for Shinra as well as the bond that Reno shares with his partner.
Reference: Pages 103, 282
FF7 10th Anniversary Ultimania (2007)
-Reno loves gossip, so that’s why he asked Rude who he likes in the OG FF7 Gongaga scene.
-Although Reno likes hearing about other people’s gossip, he never reveals much about himself though, and that’s part of his aesthetic.
-When Reno heard about Rude dating someone (in Before Crisis), he was more keen on figuring out this mission than any other mission he’s ever done.
Reference: Page 94
FF7 Before Crisis (2007)
-In the bonus Episode Reno, Rude is grumpy all day during a mission. After they complete the mission, Reno asks if he’s still mad and says “I can’t have my partner stay mad like this.”
-Rude says he’s just peachy. Reno then says they should have a competition on who can obtain the “target” the fastest. Rude is confused what Reno is referring to. Reno says the target is Rude’s usual pair of sunglasses that’s undergoing repair since he’s wearing a spare right now.
-Reno mentions that they’ve been partners for a very long time, so of course he noticed Rude was wearing a spare pair of sunglasses all day, which affected his mood.
-Rude can easily recall and remember a lot of different random quotes and sayings that Reno said to him early on in their partnership.
-Reno and Rude have a near perfect record for completing missions successfully.
-InChapter 4, Rude and the player are on a ship with AVALANCHE hostages, and one of the hostages named Sears escapes. The player says they should get Reno to come join them for back-up. Rude says to let him sleep as he was taking a nap in the ship quarters.
-Rude gets hurt by Sears in the fight. Reno wakes up from his nap and finds Rude on the floor and injured. Reno asks Rude who did this to him, but Rude doesn’t answer. Reno then goes and hunts down Sears.
-Rude eventually joins Reno at Costa Del Sol and the two of them find Sears at the beach and easily defeat him. Reno asks Rude what he would have done if no one came to help him, and Rude says he knew Reno would come for him as they have been together for a long time, so he knows how Reno thinks.
-InChapter 6 of the game, when Reno tells Rude they should go home to the Turks company housing after a day’s work, Rude excuses himself to go somewhere. Reno gets suspicious about this and asks the player to follow Rude. The player tells Reno they saw Rude on a date with a woman (named Chelsea).
-Reno then secretly follows Rude on another one of his dates with the girl but sees that she’s actually an AVALANCHE spy who’s trying to use him to get information.
-Reno approaches Rude about this, but Rude says he already knew.
-Rude tells Chelsea he has something to tell her and to meet him on Christmas Eve in front of the Illuminated Christmas Tree in Midgar that symbolizes undying love. On the day of, Rude waits in front of the tree to see what Chelsea will do.
-Chelsea never turns up, and the player and Reno follow her to see what’s going on. They see that she tells AVALANCHE she cannot carry out her duty because she had feelings for Rude. She then leaves and tells the player that perhaps they can meet again in another life.
-The player returns to the tree to see that Rude is there standing alone in the cold. The player tells Rude that Chelsea said she can never meet him again. The player asks if he will chase after her, but Rude said she made up her mind. Rude is about to leave the area but stops as the person who does appear on Christmas Eve in front of an Illuminated Christmas Tree that apparently symbolizes undying love, is none other than Reno.
-Reno teases Rude and calls him a sentimentalist. He then says they should all go back home together to Turks base.
