Deep Ground Soldiers:
The Deepground Soldiers were a top-secret branch of SOLDIER. Their existence was known only to President Shinra himself, as well as executives Scarlet, Heidegger, and Hojo. The program was carried out beneath the streets of Midgar, in the secretive Mako Reactor 0.
In contrast to the normal SOLDIER program, different Deepground Soldiers are subjected to different experiments for their creation, rather than the set procedure that produces normal SOLDIERs.
President ShinRa order the creation of a new army in an underground facility beneath Midgar, “Deep Ground”, but when Meteor crashed into Midgar at the end of Final Fantasy VII they were trapped with no way to escape to the surface. As a link to ShinRa each Deep Ground Soldier has the SOLDIER badge on their uniform. Three years after the end of Final Fantasy VII they have found a way out of their underground tomb and are free to do what they feel.
Deepground is a special top-secret branch of SOLDIER created by Shin-Ra Electric Power Company during Final Fantasy VII, headed from the secretive Reactor Zero beneath the Shin-Ra Building. They are the main antagonists of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- and fight against the World Regenesis Organization.
The combined force of Meteor and Holy crushing down on the city trapped the soldiers beneath the Shin-Ra Tower, stranding them there until their escape three years later, during Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-.
Deepground is known to be connected to Genesis, though only vague information exists on this subject. It is said briefly in Dirge of Cerberus that Deepground became an experimentation ground because of his evolution, and that all the Tsviets have been spliced with his genes. It is unknown what, if any, special abilities or advantages this granted the SOLDIERs of Deepground as they bear no similarity to either Genesis himself or his “Genesis clones."
Creation At the end of Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII, Deepground SOLDIER members Weiss and Nero arrive in Banora Village to carry a nearly unconscious Genesis back into Midgar’s Reactor 0. There unknown experiments were performed to create a new top secret fighting force. They seemingly disappear after this, as there are only a select few who even know of their existence. After the death President Shinra, executive control over Deepground shifted to Heidegger and Scarlet. Both seemingly died on board the Proud Clod taking the secret of Deepground to their graves. Events progressed so rapidly that Rufus Shinra, was never informed of Deepground’s existence.
Design of DG Troop’s:
Deepground Soldiers all wear a color scheme of black contrasted with a dark blue. It is notable that while the normal SOLDIER uses Swords as their main weapon, Deepground uses Guns. Exactly why this is so is unknown.
The design of Deepgrounds' arsenal of weapons seems heavily influenced by older weapon models dating back to World War II, in direct contrast to the modern day designs adapted for use by the WRO. For example, the standard Deepground assault rifle appears to be a modified Lee Enfield rifle fitted with a handgrip on the stock compared to the WRO carbine based off the modern Sig 552 Assault rifle. Also, the submachine guns used by the Deepground paratroopers appear to be modified AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles.
The design of the Deepground Commanders also appear to be influenced heavily by Roman helmet designs, both having similar curves on the tops to be used for intimidation.
Unit’s of DG:
Soldiers:
The average soldiers of Deepground seem to be slightly more powerful versions of normal Shin-Ra troops. They are both male and female, generally use machine guns as weapons, and wear helmeted uniforms reminiscent of those worn by the Genesis clones. They are cleared for use of heavier weaponry should the need arise.
Snipers:
Ideally tucked away in hard-to-see corners at long range, snipers sport high-powered rifles with deadly accuracy. By the time one can see a sniper of Deepground caliber, it’s usually to late to do anything other than bleed.
Heavy Ordinance Soldiers:
These massive soldiers carry heavy rocket launchers in the event more firepower is needed. They are slow moving due to the heavy armour they wear, but can take serious amounts of punishment.
Swordsmen:
Following the SOLDIER traditions, Deepground has not forgotten the importance of a blade on the battlefield. These basic soldiers are trained for close range combat, but are skilled to the approximation of a SOLDIER 3rd Class.
Heavy Swordsman:
Much like the heavy ordinance officers carry rocket launchers and explosives, heavy swordsmen are quicker and use large serrated swords on combat. They are extremely powerful and are not to be underestimated. They, like heavy ordinance officers, are usually granted command of Deepground field operations.
Paratroopers:
Also known to the infantry as Shrike squads, these troopers carry rapid fire rifles and ride high-yield jetpacks for quick movement causing serious headaches to their enemies. However, they rely more of their lighting fast attacks and maneuverability for protection, as a single well aimed shot can bring down a Shrike.
Pegasus Riders:
Operating on a similar basis as the Shrike units, Pegasus riders ride specialized high-velocity zero-G bikes and carry rapid fire submachine guns. However, they are intended to be used for scouting and search and rescue operations rather that out and out combat. Alone they are not much of a threat, but Pegasus riders tend to travel in squads to overwhelm and overpower single targets.
Beasts:
Deepground also employed the use of beasts, conditioned to attack certain targets with efficiency and aggression. Whether these were actual animals or members of SOLDIER who didn’t respond well to treatment and considered failed experiments is unknown.
Tsviets:
The Tsviets are the highest ranking elite squad within Deepground and its chain of command. All of the members of the group are named after colors from different languages, hence the group’s name, which is based on Ubet, the Russian word for colour. Five members appear in the single player mode of the game, and at least one more member appears in the online mode.
The Tsviets are an elite group of soldiers in Deepground that lead the army in Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII. In the Crisis Core Ultimania, it was revealed that colored Tsviets had their genes spliced with the genes of Genesis, in addition to each of them being involved in a unique experiment that granted them their special abilities and power. This shared genetic information of Genesis' is what makes the Tsviet’s the hellspawn of G. None of the Tsviets are seen returning to the Lifestream during dirge of cerberus leaving it possible for them to return in a future game. However it was implied dring the game that they died and that will probably remain the case. Only six colored Tsviets are known
Shelke the Transparent:
“This feeling. Is this what you meant by doing something for someone you care about?"
—Shelke
Literally “Shelke the Formless” is a blue-eyed, 19 year-old girl trapped by mako in her 9 year old body and fourth recruit of the Tsviets. She fights with two electromagnetic sabers, and has a special ability named SND (“Synaptic Net Dive”
, which allows her to project a residual image of herself within a computer network. She is initially emotionless, but becomes connected to Lucrecia’s personality as the games progresses. She is also revealed to be Shalua’s younger sister, and is referred to as Shelke Rui in the ending credits of the game. Shelke’s job within the Tsviets was to locate Vincent Valentine. However, Shelke’s body does not allow her to fight for very long and without the Mako stations in Deepground to support her, Shelke tires quickly. She is also the only member of the Tsviets who does not possess cells from Genesis. She later abandons the Tsviets in favor of aiding Vincent. Her name means “orange” in Urdu. She is voiced by Kari Wahlgren in English and Fumiko Orikasa in Japanese.
Born Shelke Rui, she was abducted at age nine and taken to Deepground, where she was subjected to numerous experiments. The procedures left her stunted, permanently appearing as a nine-year old child. She requires daily treatments of mako to sustain herself.
Her main skill within the Tsviets is retrieving information from the worldwide network by means of a Synaptic Net Dive, or SND. This skill allows her to create a residual image of herself and, with it, “dive” into the worldwide network. While performing an SND, she retrieves information by negotiating with data on the subconscious planes of sentient life forms. However, her skills are not limited to computers. She carries a pair of electromagnetic sabers, which resemble orange lightsabers.
She fights two battles with Vincent Valentine, and afterwards, is sedated. When Azul the Cerulean escaped his holding cell within the WRO headquarters, Shelke was targeted for termination, as she no longer had a purpose. She survived thanks to her sister, Shalua Rui, who held the monstrous Azul at bay long enough for Shelke, Vincent and Reeve Tuesti to escape. The sacrifice left Shalua permanently unconscious.
Later, Shelke absorbs some of Lucrecia Crescent’s work and data into her mind to study it. However, this has an unforseen effect, as it allows Shelke to experience Lucrecia’s memories and to feel what she would have felt. These feelings compel her to help Vincent, although she never admits to this. They also allow Shelke to begin to regain her own emotions.
Onboard the Shera, Shelke performs another SND. She uses the information she gathers from the network to aid Vincent’s infiltration of Midgar. While Vincent infiltrates Midgar, Shelke starts to look around the Shera. Inside the engine room, she finds her former comrade Nero the Sable, and is captured by his dark powers. She survives by using a shield materia, and is rescued by Vincent before her power runs out.
After the events of the game, Shelke lives with the others now at the Seventh Heaven Bar, although it is not revealed what she does. When the party needs to get Vincent out of the Crystal Cave, they send Shelke in to get him out. Seeing Lucrecia in Shelke, Vincent smiles as both of them look at the sunset.
Azul the Cerulean:
The blue-haired, 33 year-old final recruit of the Tsviets. He first appeared in Before Crisis as an ordinary man who wanted to be a SOLDIER. As the largest of the Tsviets, Azul uses a large cannon with disturbing ease. He is one of three Tsviets subjected to the Metamorphose experiment, allowing him to transform into the monstrous Arch Azul. He fights against Vincent three times during the game and is finally killed when Vincent, in Chaos form, impales him with his own cannon. His greatest love is battle. His name means “blue” in both Portuguese and Spanish. He is voiced by Brad Abrell in English and Tessho Genda in Japanese.
Prior to joining Deepground, Azul was a normal man who wanted to be a SOLDIER and had once fought the Turks. Although it’s not known how he joined Deepground, Azul was promoted very quickly to the Tsviets. He carries a tank’s cannon as a weapon, resembling a cross between a Gatling gun and a laser cannon.
Azul was one of three Tsviets subjected to the Metamorphose experiment, assuming the form of the Behemoth-like Arch Azul killing his fellow guinea pigs in a battle to test their worth to Deepground. He also possesses a “final attack-revive” materia combination within his body which lets him heal from being fatally wounded.
He seems to be in command when he is on the battlefield, though he shows great loyalty to Weiss the Immaculate, as does the rest of Deepground. He takes every challenge seriously, and hates to lose.
During the events in the Online multiplayer mode on Dirge of Cerberus, Azul attempts to attack the Restrictor, but is stopped by the implanted chip inside them which prevents him from attacking the Restrictors. Later on, he and Rosso are summoned by the Restrictor in order to spar with Weiss. He is defeated easily by Weiss, and falls to the floor before Rosso. Soon after, he transforms into Arch Azul, and takes on Weiss along with Bloodburst Rosso. This time, he puts up more of a fight, but loses once more. After Weiss finishes the final blow of the Restrictor, the implanted chip’s effects wear off, and he along with the Tsviets laugh at the demise of the Restrictor.
Azul is first seen with Shelke the Transparent, in a secret room in Kalm. When Vincent Valentine enters the hideout, he charges through the wall and orders several Deepground soldiers to attack him. After Vincent defeats them, he decides to fight Vincent himself, but is interrupted by Shelke losing consciousness and the arrival of WRO troops. He introduces himself to Vincent, and tells him that they would meet again.
They next meet in the WRO headquarters, where Azul is dispatched to destroy the WRO and retrieve the Protomateria. Vincent tries to keep Azul back with his pistol, but it failed to penetrate Azul’s barrier. Vincent later comes across a laser cannon, with which he is able to destroy Azul’s barrier. Azul later takes possession of the cannon. Vincent fights Azul, and defeats him with some difficulty. After the fight, Azul is rendered unconcious.
Azul is put in a holding cell in the WRO headquarters, though he wakes up and breaks out by transforming into Arch Azul.
Vincent fights Azul again on an elevator leading to Deepground’s stronghold. The entire first part of the battle, Azul uses his cannon. The second part of the battle was the hardest part. Vincent had to fight him as Arch Azul, and regular bullets had no effect on him. Vincent therefore had to fight him using magic and physical attacks.
He meets his demise when Vincent Valentine transforms into Chaos and impales him with his own cannon. Mortally wounded, he comments that Vincent is “more a beast than he was” and tells Vincent that he will see him again in hell. Chaos then hits him with a burst of energy, knocking him off of the elevator they are standing on. Azul screams “Hail Weiss!" and laughs as he falls.
Azul’s first apparition in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is seen in Before Crisis Final Fantasy VII as a normal person who aspires to join SOLDIER. He is fought as a boss in Episode 4.
Because both Azul and Vincent were the subjects of the Metamorphose experiment, this could explain the similarities between the Galian Beast and Arch Azul, and possibly how they could be further connected.
Rosso the Crimson:
A red-clothed, psychotic 25 year-old woman and third recruit of the Tsviets. She fights with a double-bladed weapon capable of bursts of gunfire. Rosso moves with elegance and speed and does not care if she kills friend or foe to win. Even though there are several meetings with her over the course of the game, Vincent only fights her once. Overconfident and egomaniacal, she kills herself after being beaten by Vincent: she collapses a part of the building with her on top of it so that she “shall not grant him the pleasure of killing Rosso the Crimson”. Her name means “red” in Italian, and she is given a Romanian accent in the English version, voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, and Atsuko Tanaka in Japanese.
Rosso, aged 25, was born into Deepground. As a result of her lifetime in the SOLDIER program, she was dangerously psychotic and bloodthirsty, taking great pleasure in killing her opponents.
During the events in the Online multiplayer mode of Dirge of Cerberus, Rosso wanted to see the outside world’s sky since she only ever got to see projections, so she decided to kill countless Deepground soldiers in order to get her point across. Soon after, one of the Restrictors appeared before her, and challenged her. Though she put up a good fight, she was defeated by the Restrictor and had his short gunblade lunged into her stomach. Later on, she was summoned by the Restrictor along with Azul in order to spar with Weiss. Yet again, she was defeated easily, but transformed into Bloodburst Rosso. Yet again defeated by Weiss, she and Azul lay on the ground. Soon after with the Restrictor dying, the mind chip’s effects began to wear off, and the Tsviets laughed and watched as the Restrictor breathed his last breath.
She first encountered Vincent Valentine in Edge, but ran afoul of Chaos and was forced to flee, slaughtering several WRO troops while in the city.
She met Valentine again in Nibelheim, in the ShinRa Mansion, where she tried to steal the Protomateria, which was key to controlling both Chaos and Omega WEAPON. This time, she was prepared to deal with Vincent, and might have killed him if not for the timely intervention of Yuffie Kisaragi.
When the WRO lauched its assault on Midgar, Rosso was shown briefly fighting with Cloud Strife. The exact outcome is unknown, though both Rosso and Cloud survived the encounter, suggesting there was no victor or possibly, in the former’s case, unexpected retreat.
At last, she confronted Vincent for the final time in the old Shin-Ra building. They engaged in an all-out battle, and Rosso was defeated. Badly wounded, Rosso, prideful to the last, told Vincent that he would not have the pleasure of killing Rosso the Crimson. Defiantly yelling, “No one will ever stand above me!" Rosso used materia to collapse the portion of the building she was standing on. She plummeted to her death, laughing maniacally.
Rosso’s weapon is a unique double blade that is capable of gunfire.
Nero the Sable:
Literally “Nero the Jet-black Darkness” is a 23 year-old man and second member of the Tsviets, whose face is always obscured. He is Weiss' younger brother and can control darkness as the only fully successful experiment from stagnant mako injection into a fetus. He secretly leads Deepground under Weiss' name after the unification of the organization, when Weiss' state becomes unclear to the remaining Deepground soldiers. He can transform into the spider-like Arachnero Nero Rafurea?. He eventually merges with Weiss to free the latter from Hojo’s control. His name means “black” in Italian. He is voiced by Mike Rock in English, and Ryotaro Okiayu in Japanese.
Nero the Sable is the second in command of the Tsviets. It is important to note that his rank does not indicate his power. It can be said that he is easily more powerful than Weiss, his brother. He is also the only Tsviet whose power Weiss does not possess.
He is a thin man, with long, unkempt, black hair and red cat-like eyes (possibly caused as a result of using tainted Lifestream in his creation). Perhaps his most striking features are a mechanical pair of wings that spread from his back, and the various restraints on his body. A metal mask (muzzle?) obscures his mouth, while a strait-jacket covers his upper torso. He always has balls of darkness that emanate and rotate around him. He speaks with a dry English accent.
Nero is the biological younger brother of Weiss, the only successful experiment from stagnant mako injection while in the fetal stage, similar to the experiment Sephiroth underwent. The experiment itself was the research left by the scientist named Grimoire Valentine who found that a life was created by a stagnation of the Lifestream, and those researchers who were in Deepground at that time believed it. By experimenting with it, they took the stagnation, and put it into children who were about to be born, without understanding of how it’s going to turn out. Though they only did a few hundred experiments, it looked like Nero was the only one that was successful. It resulted with the death of his mother, who was sucked into the darkness upon his birth. The rest after that is a mystery.
During the events in the Online multiplayer mode of Dirge of Cerberus, the player learns that the Restrictors had chained up Nero because he was considered too dangerous for him to be free.
Just before the events of Dirge of Cerberus, Weiss is taken over by Professor Hojo’s data in Hojo’s quest to find a host for the Omega weapon. It is during this time, that Hojo (as Weiss) teaches to Nero “the secrets of rebirth” to bring about Omega. Nero learns of Lucrecia Crescent’s theorem of the planet’s ultimate and final weapon, Omega, and its herald, Chaos. Nero orders the Tsviets and Deepground under his brother’s name to make a pure stream of mako (in Hojo’s own words; Lifestream untainted by either Jenova or G-Substance) and to search for the Protomateria to bring about and control Chaos. Shelke’s findings of Lucrecia’s data eventually lead to information about the ex-Turk, Vincent Valentine, whom the DGS were ordered to pursue.
Although not seen in Edge, it is likely that he was there, as a small group of WRO troops is sucked into darkness. Nero’s first in game appearance is not until the middle of the game, when Vincent is searching in the abandoned Shin-ra Mansion. One of the Cait Sith robots encounters Nero in the very heart of the Deepground complex beneath Midgar, “Mako Reactor 0”. Nero summons darkness to engulf Cait as he did to the soldiers in Edge.
He is next seen during the WRO assault of Midgar, where although he does not engage in the fighting with the ground assault, he discusses tactics with the Tsviet commanders. He teleports onto Cid Highwind’s ship; The Shera, and wreaks havoc in the engine room by absorbing the engine room crew into darkness. Shelke enters the room and, after a conversation, they begin to fight. He dodges Shelke’s attacks, and releases some of the restraints on his arms and tries to have her be destroyed in the darkness.
He watches over Vincent as he progresses his way down through the Shin-Ra building. He sees Chaos emerge from Vincent, and as Nero teleports away, accidentally drops Shelke’s mobile telephone, which allows Vincent to control Chaos for a while again.
Vincent later encounters him deep in the Deepground complex, where they duel. Upon being defeated, he taunts Vincent about Shelke’s fate and then tries to absorb Vincent into the darkness. As he turns to go, Vincent and Shelke unexpectedly appear from the darkness. He then realizes that Vincent is immune to the effects, as he has Chaos, “a soul wrought of terra corrupt” inside him. The “terra corrupt” is tainted Lifestream, something, which Nero’s darkness is formed of. As he is about to question them, Yuffie intervenes by giving a speech. Slightly confused, Nero vanishes into a portal, insisting that his brother has called him.
He is finally encountered in Weiss’s chamber, where, after Vincent and Yuffie find Weiss’s seemingly lifeless corpse, he informs Vincent, and the accompanying Yuffie, of Weiss’s rebirth and the start of Omega’s awakening. Then, the reactor activates, briefly illuminating the chamber with blinding light. Vincent and Yuffie draw their weapons and attempt to attack Weiss. Nero, in a furious rage, sucks them and himself into darkness.
Upon exiting from the darkness, to find that both Yuffie and Vincent are still very much alive, Nero comments to Vincent that, “there are somethings that cannot be absorbed by my darkness...the heart of a demon”. Nero then transports Vincent into a hellish world, with mysterious floating platforms and crystals above a pool of lava. Nero himself appears in a spider-like machine and is known as ArachNero. Eventually, the machine loses it’s footing and plunges into the lava pit. In a scream of both agony and anguish, Nero blasts upwards in a pillar of fire. He floats down to a rock, and draws his guns, while Vincent clambers up to meet him. Then the battle with GorgoNero commences.
After the gunfight, Nero and Vincent return to Mako Reactor 0, where a fatigued Nero limps off to Weiss. Back in Weiss’s chamber, Weiss has become 'reborn'. An excited Nero rushes over to Weiss and embraces him, begging him to never leave again. Weiss just sneers and tells Nero that he has no further use of him. Nero glares at him in disbelief. Weiss then plunges his hand into Nero’s chest and throws him across the room.
A few moments before death, Nero uses his powers to extract his soul from his dying body, and proceeds to “infect” Weiss’s body. After it is revealed to Vincent that Hojo is in control of Weiss, Weiss and Vincent battle.
After losing the battle to Vincent, a shocked and confused Hojo wonders why Omega’s power has begun to wane. Nero, in a spectral form, appears, and begs for his brother and him to become one, so that they’ll never be parted again. Hojo orders him to leave and stop polluting Omega, Nero merely ignores him. Weiss, now nearly free of Hojo’s influence, agrees, and proceeds to hug Nero. Nero then fuses into Weiss, completely freeing him of Hojo’s control. Weiss walks slowly towards the center of the Mako chamber, with the compulsion that he needs to bring about Omega, and vanishes in a ball of light.
Nero’s actual fate is speculative. He is either in some form of existence inside of Weiss, or he may have been destroyed along with Hojo when Weiss entered in Omega, since they both were tainted beings.
Nero’s weapons of choice are guns (from their appearance, possibly handguns based on the real life IMI Desert Eagle), two of which is carried by him and used by his mechanical hands (on his mechanical wings), and two identical ones drawn from darkness which he uses with his real hands. He also has the power of darkness, which he can use to transport people, objects, etc, or, indeed, absorb them into the darkness like a black hole and destroy them. While fighting him in the game, he is shown to be able to spin around using his wings as melee weapons, and able to shoot dark orbs at Vincent, which he calls “Dark Rain." Vincent is revealed to be the only person capable of entering and leaving Nero’s darkness, for his own darkness is apparently far deeper. It is said that the restraint like outfit he wears is to keep his power under control.
Weiss the Immaculate:
“The pure will be “spared” for the cause, while the tainted will be hunted down and exterminated. They shall be slashed, strangled, and slaughtered. Beaten, stabbed, and crushed. Garroted and impaled. Shot and executed without mercy. The time has come to cleanse this world."
—Weiss
Literally “Vice the Immaculate White Emperor”
The leader of the elite Tsviets of Deepground. He fights with two pistol swords, or gunblades, and possesses all the abilities of the other Tsviets, the only exceptions being Nero’s darkness and Azul’s metamorphosis. He is controlled by Hojo’s digitized mind, who invaded his body when Weiss was in “Synaptic Net Dive” mode, trying to find a cure to the Restrictors' virus that infected him after he overthrew them. He is eventually defeated by Vincent; however, in the game’s ending sequence, his body is seen carried off by an awakened Genesis, who addresses Weiss as his “brother” and tells him that “it is not yet time for slumber” and that they “still have much work to do”. In the online version, Weiss is shown fighting both Azul and Rosso at the same time and winning while Restrictors watch. His name means “white” in German. He is voiced by David Boat in English, and Joji Nakata in Japanese.
Weiss the Immaculate is a member of the Tsviets and one of the antagonists of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-. He is voiced by Dave Boat in the English version and Jouji Nakata in the Japanese version.
A mysterious SOLDIER who commands Deepground, he declared a hunt on the world three years after the Meteor crisis. He received the title of emperor, as he is the strongest Tsviet, as well as the first member. All Deepground soldiers fear his power and follow him; however, it’s said that they rarely see him directly. He is the brother of Nero the Sable and both deeply love each other.
During the events of the Online multiplayer mode on Dirge of Cerberus, Weiss is restrained by chains attached to the throne inside Mako Reactor 0. He begin to speak to the Restrictor and tells him that he’d like to try out his new swords. After the Restrictor breaks the chains, Weiss takes hold of his swords, and tells him that he wants to fight him handicapped as he is confident that he is more powerful than the Restrictor. As he does this, the Restrictor calls forth Azul the Cerulean and Rosso the Crimson, and tells Weiss that if wants to fight handicapped, then he can, against Azul and Rosso. Weiss beats them both easily, but Azul transforms into Arch Azul, and Rosso into Bloodburst Rosso. Still, Weiss proves to be more than a match for the two Tsviets. Unable to attack the Restrictor, Weiss orders the female player to shoot him. The Restrictor proved to be very powerful, but was defeated by the player. Quickly in rage, he forced his short gunblade into her stomach with incredible strength, and watches as she drops to the floor. Weiss suddenly attacks the Restrictor as the effects wear off, and tells him that it was the Restrictor that told everyone that death is always with you as long as you are with Deepground. Soon after the Restrictor falls, Weiss and the Tsviets laugh at the demise of the Restrictor.
At the time of the revival festival of Kalm, the worldwide network that was broken since the Meteor disaster has been fully restored. The fragments of Professor Hojo’s digitized mind that were previously spread were about to reform — in a simulation of Hojo himself. He invaded Weiss' body while the man was performing a Synaptic Net Dive to find the cure to the time-released virus the Restrictors had infected him with. It was meant to control him and was set to kill him within 3 days if the Restrictors' signal disappears.
Hojo, through Weiss’s body, had the Deepground abduct those not under the effects of Geostigma to serve as incubators of enough pure mako to enable Weiss to absorb Omega, as well as trick the Planet into summoning it. The mako gave Weiss abilities far beyond Vincent’s, and he was easily able to overcome him. However, Vincent was able to turn the tables by using his Chaos power to defeat Weiss.
Once Weiss had been defeated, Nero, who had been watching, wanted to merge with his “brother." Hojo ordered Nero to stop, knowing he wouldn’t be able to control Omega with an impure being inside him. Neither Weiss nor Nero cared, and Hojo was finally destroyed as Nero integrated into Weiss, who then invoked Omega’s power on a sense of compulsion, and vanishes in a ball of light. Weiss was later killed by Vincent in Chaos form. However, Weiss’s body was carried off by an awakened Genesis, who told his “brother” that they “still have much work to do."
Weiss wields two katana-rifle hybrids, sometimes referred to as gunblades by fans, though they’re notably different from the Final Fantasy VIII weapons officially referred to by that name, and much closer in smilarity to that of the real weapon called a pistol sword. However, in Crisis Core Ultimania, their names have been identified as “Heaven” and “Earth”. He also has all of the other Tsviet members' abilities, including Shelke’s SND, within himself.
