Summary
Denzel is a young boy with brown hair who lives with Cloud, Tifa, and Marlene in the town of Edge. He first appears in Advent Children and serves as the central figure in Case of Denzel, a novella within the On the Way to a Smile tie-in series. He is the son of a woman named Chloe and a Shinra employee named Abel. Following the death of his parents, Denzel is raised by Ruvie, the mother of Reeve, until she passes away. Eventually, Cloud discovers Denzel and brings him to live with his family. In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Kyōsuke Ikeda, while Benjamin Bryan provides his English voice. In Case of Denzel, his parents perish during the collapse of the Sector 7 plate. Before dying, Abel entrusts Denzel to an inhabitant of Sector 5 named Arkham, though Denzel is ultimately raised by Ruvie Tuesti. After Ruvie dies amidst the chaos caused by the Lifestream burst, Denzel resides in the Midgar ruins alongside a friend named Rick, helping to gather materials for the construction of Edge. When Rick departs, Denzel wanders alone and eventually finds Cloud’s motorcycle. Shortly thereafter, he suffers a Geostigma attack and collapses. Cloud finds him, believing that Aerith’s influence guided Denzel to his bike, and takes him home. During Advent Children, Denzel’s Geostigma worsens to the point where he agrees to go with Yazoo in hopes of being cured. Along with other kidnapped children, he is taken to the Ancient City of the Cetra. There, Kadaj manipulates them, awakening a Reunion Instinct that places them under his control. After Cloud’s unsuccessful rescue attempt, Denzel and the other children are moved to Edge, where they are forced to act as human shields for Yazoo and Loz as they attempt to destroy the Midgar memorial. Denzel regains his senses after Tifa saves him from Bahamut SIN and returns to 7th Heaven to stay with Marlene. Cloud cures him of Geostigma using purified water provided by Aerith. He is last seen in a photograph on Cloud’s desk at the end of the film, featuring the entire main cast.
