Which optional character in Final Fantasy VII is a former Turk?

Vincent Valentine is the optional Final Fantasy VII character who was formerly a Turk. The Turks are Shinra’s covert operatives, and Vincent served as a bodyguard assigned to protect the scientist Lucrecia Crescent before the game’s main events.

In the original Final Fantasy VII, Vincent is discovered sleeping in a coffin beneath Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim. He is not required to complete the main story: players must investigate the mansion and obtain the key to recruit him. This makes him, along with Yuffie Kisaragi, one of the game’s optional party members.

Vincent’s history is closely tied to Professor Hojo, Lucrecia, and Sephiroth. After Vincent objected to Hojo’s experiments, Hojo shot him and used him as a test subject. The experiments left Vincent with unusual abilities, including transformations into several monsters through his Limit Breaks.

Players sometimes confuse Vincent’s role with that of Reno, Rude, or Tseng, who are active Turks encountered during the main story. Vincent is different: he is a former Turk who becomes an optional ally. His backstory was expanded in Compilation titles, especially Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.