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We are floating through space, our vision constantly

shifting examining the stars around us. We hear screaming coming,

we look around but we cannot find where the screaming is coming

from. What is happening? Suddenly everything goes black. The scene

changes. A beautiful girl is facing us, she stands up and begins

to walk. We realize that she is in an alleyway. She emerges from

the alley and we begin to rise, away from her, revealing a clear

shot of the monstrously large city that this girl lives in.

Although this girl doesn't realize it yet. these screams are the

cries of her home world, which is in it's death throws and she

is the only person alive that can stop these screams and save

this world. Her name is Aeris (heiress) and she is the last surviving

member of an all but extinct race that holds the key to

defeating a powerful nemesis which craves nothing less than the

very destruction of the planet on which she lives.

Thus, begins Final Fantasy VII, a remarkable RPG that is

masterful in all respects of good story telling and manages to move

us, even while it confuses us to the point of sheer frustration. If

most of us were asked to describe the story of FFVII in one paragraph

(describing it in one sentence would be a run on sentence no matter

how hard we tried), we would probably say something like, "FF7 is the

story of Cloud, Aeris, and their friends who try and save the world

from Sephiroth and the Shinra, who are destroying the Earth. Shinra

is doing it by draining out the Earth鈥檚 Lifestream, the lifeblood of

the planet which is the energy that all living souls are made of,

through its large Mako Reactors. Sephiroth is doing it by summoning a

giant meteor that is going to destroy everything, allowing him to

converge with this energy and claim if for his own to become a 'God.'

Ultimately, the 9 heroes of the game defeat Sephiroth and all the

members of Shinra (although Aeris loses her life in the process) and

unleash Holy, the ultimate white magic, which is the only thing that

can destroy the meteor. It succeeds in doing so but also sucks the

humans, who have been doing all this damage, back into the Lifestream,

realizing that their existence was a terrible error. This leaves only

Nanaki, the teams sentient wolf-like friend, to live out his life

propagating his species on the planet and remembering not to repeat past mistakes."

On the surface, this is a good interpretation of the game.

All of this stuff is shown to us throughout the games development.

But as Alazlam Durai says in Final Fantasy Tactics "we also know that

what we see with our eyes alone isn't necessarily the truth...Won't

you join me on a journey for the 'truth'?" In Final Fantasy VII

we have an apparent story, that seems to fill all the gaps and create

a rather tragic ending for our heroes. But as Bugenhagen says in his

first meeting with Cloud, "Well, that is a bad example. Looking up

too much makes you lose perspective. When it's time for this planet

to die, you'll understand that you know absolutely nothing." Indeed,

Final Fantasy VII also has another story, one that is strewn throughout

the game in fragments and arranged in scattered order. A story in which

the most crucial revelations come in the places where we are least

likely to notice them. It is this story that we will explore in this

segment of this FAQ. I will cite the actual text of the game whenever

making any sort of point about the story.

Part I: Defining the Story

When we first meet Sephiroth he is a cold, emotionless man who

seems almost totally disconnected from the people around him. The only

time we ever hear him talk of anybody with any sense of respect at all

is when he refers to Professor Gast. In contrast to this, Sephiroth

speaks of Hojo, who is revealed to be his father much later in the game,

as "an inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great

scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes."

When Sephiroth and Cloud (it is actually Zack who witnesses this

scene and later tells Cloud the story) enter the Mako reactor at

Nibelheim together and discover the monsters contained inside

Sephiroth says, "Now I see, Hojo. But even doing this will never put

you on the same level as Professor Gast." He goes on to explain the

origin of the monsters in this exchange.

Sephiroth: Normal members of SOLDIER are humans who have been

showered with Mako. But what are they? They've been exposed to a high

degree of Mako, far more than you.

Cloud: Is this some kind of monster?

Sephiroth: Exactly. And it's Hojo of Shinra that produced these

monsters (note the foreshadowing right here). Mutated organisms produced

by Mako energy. That's what these monsters really are.

Cloud: Normal members of SOLDIER? You mean you're different?

H..hey, Sephiroth!

Sephiroth:N...no..was I? Was I created this was way too? Am the

same as all these monsters? You saw it! All of them were humans.

Cloud: Human? No way!

Sephiroth: I've always felt, since I was small...that I was

different from the others, special in some way. But, not like this. Am I

...human?

At this point, Sephiroth is clearly freaking out. He starts

striking at the various monster stasis chambers with his sword and also

covers his head with his hands and begins shaking. This shaking is

suspiciously similar to the shaking that Cloud does on his two trips to

destroy the Mako Reactors in Midgar and also does later in the game when

he is being manipulated by Sephiroth. This is very strange, but what is

the connection? When Sephiroth questions how he was created he is on to

something, but the knowledge drives him to insanity before he can find

out the full extent of the truth.

After this, all Hell breaks loose. Sephiroth disappears for

three nights in the Shinra Mansions basement, reading the files which

reveal the nature of his creation. He goes bonkers, burns down the town,

and breaks into the Mako Reactor in the mountains, nearly killing Zack

and Tifa in the process. He is stopped by Cloud who, in anger over the

murder of his friends and his mother, throws him into the Lifestream,

even after having Sephiroth鈥檚 sword shoved straight through him (the same

way Aeris dies). How is it that Cloud, little Cloud, who spends most of

the game being manipulated by Sephiroth, is able to lift up and hurl

"the great Sephiroth" over the ledge? Well he was keeping his promise

to Tifa, for one thing. But more than that, could it be that Cloud is

a lot stronger than he seems while Sephiroth isn't nearly as strong as he seems?

Earlier in the game, when Cloud and Sephiroth Nibelheim, Sephiroth

asks Cloud how it feels to be in his hometown, going on to reveal

that he never had a hometown. When Cloud asks about his family Sephiroth

replies that his mother was Jenova, who died giving birth to him. He

only laughs when he is asked about his father saying, "What does it

matter?" Later on in the game we find out that Jenova is not Sephiroth鈥檚

mother at all. Sephiroth鈥檚 mother is a human woman named Lucretia and

his father is revealed to be Hojo of Shinra Inc. What does this mean?

Later on in the game, we encounter a very different Sephiroth in

the Temple of Ancients. It is in this encounter that Sephiroth reveals

his plan to become a God, hence this exchange.

Sephiroth: Look well.

Cloud: At what?

Sephiroth: At that which adds to the knowledge of (he pauses)

...I am becoming one with the planet. Mother it's almost time, soon we

will become one.

Aeris: How do you intend to become one with the planet?

Sephiroth: It's simple. Once the planet is hurt, it gathers

Spirit Energy to heal the injury. The amount of energy gathered depends

on the size of the injury. What would happen if there was an injury that

threatened the very life of the planet? Think how much energy would be

gathered! Ha! Ha! Ha! And at the center of that injury will be me. All

that boundless energy will be mine. By merging with the energy of the

planet, I will become a new life form, a new existence. Melding with the

planet...I will cease to exist as I am now...Only to be reborn as a

'God' to rule over every soul. Behold that mural.

The Ultimate Destructive Magic...Meteor.

He takes off, telling Cloud to "Wake up!". Aeris reveals that

Meteor is a magical force which propels through space, finding small

planets and crashing into them, thus destroying them. Cloud goes to the

mural and begins to freak out again, his hands covered over his head, his

spirit visibly being removed from his body, symbolizing how disconnected

from reality Cloud is. Afterwards, the group comprises a plan to get the

Black Materia out of the Temple of Ancients. They succeed but Sephiroth

shows up and steals it from them, through his manipulation of Cloud, then

forcing Cloud to attack Aeris. Cloud goes blank and wakes up in a dream,

with Aeris speaking to him through some sort of telepathy in this exchange.

Aeris: Cloud, can you hear me?

Cloud: Yeah, I hear you. Sorry for what happened.

Aeris: Don't worry about it.

Cloud: I can't help it...

Aeris: Oh...then why don't you REALLY worry about it? And let me

handle Sephiroth. And Cloud, you take care of yourself. So you don't have

a breakdown, okay?

Good old, Aeris. She's running in to certain death and she still

has that spark of optimism which permits her to joke about what things

that really aren't very funny. But this exchange is really interesting

because it is one of the main dialogues that presents the nature of the

relationship between Cloud and Aeris. When Aeris and Cloud are on the

Gondola in the Gold Saucer she has this exchange with Cloud,

Aeris: First off, it bothered how you look exactly alike. Two

completely different people, but look exactly the same. The way you walk,

gesture...I think I must have seen him again in you...But, you're different.

Things are different. Cloud...I'm searching for you...

Cloud:?????

Aeris: I want to meet you.

Cloud: But I'm right here.

Aeris: I know, I know what I really mean is, I want to meet...you.

We already know about Aeris' lost love and that his name was Zack

and he was a member of SOLDIER. Yet Cloud, when asked by Aeris in Midgar,

remembers nothing about Zack. Later on in the game, however, we found out

the Zack was the actual member of SOLDIER who was at Nibelheim and

Cloud was just one of the low ranking members. Cloud was totally confused

by his subsequent infusion of Mako and Jenova cells, done by Hojo and it

is over half way through the game before he pieces his reality together.

Yet Aeris sees that Cloud is not all himself ("I'm searching for you.").

She sees his apparent similarities to Zack and knows that something is

not right. Aeris is Clouds connection with his present. Tifa is his

connection with his past, as revealed through her knowledge of the events

of Nibelheim and her disclosure of them to him in the Lifestream. This is

the most of apparent of three character triangles, each involving

Cloud and Aeris, that appear in the game. There exists another one between

Cloud, Aeris, and Zack. There is also a third triangle within the game

that we will explore.

When Cloud and party reach the City of Ancients they try and save

Aeris, but fail miserably, as evidenced when Sephiroth cleanly slides his

sword through her spine, after failing to manipulate Cloud into doing it

for him. Earlier in the game Sephiroth says, "The Jenova Project wanted

to produce people with the powers of the ancients, no, the Cetra. I am the

one that was produced. Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova project,

produced me." This is down right eerie because shortly afterwards, in

Icicle Inn, we find out that Professor Gast was also Aeris' father.

Professor Gast who "produced" Sephiroth and fathered Aeris. This creates a

kind of pseudo brother/sister relationship between Sephiroth and Aeris and

thus reveals the third character triangle found within the game involving

Aeris and Cloud. It also serves as a reminder too how

disconnected Sephiroth is from reality.

After Sephiroth kills Aeris he tells Cloud, "Ha, ha, ha! Stop

acting as if you were sad. There's no need to act as though you're angry

either." He begins to float into the air, "Because, Cloud, you are..." He

trails off, almost as if confused by something, leaving another Jenova

incarnation to stall them. They kill the seemingly puppet creature and it

is Jenova who finishes these five critical words, "Because you are...a

puppet." This is the only time in the game that Jenova speaks. Why is it

Jenova who says this? What does this mean?

The chase for Sephiroth begins again with them chasing him to the

Northern Crater. When Cloud finally confronts Sephiroth in the Nibelheim

illusion, Sephiroth unleashes another shocker, that Cloud is a clone with

false memories who was constructed by Hojo five years before in the

laboratory of the Shinra Mansion. When Tifa, who knows that Cloud wasn't

at Nibelheim, begins to doubt Cloud, he becomes agitated with her.

Sephiroth tells says, "Cloud don't blame Tifa. The ability to change one's

looks, voice, and words is the power of Jenova. Inside of you Jenova has

merged with Tifa's memories, creating you. Out of Tifa's memory, a boy

named Cloud might've just been part of them."

We tend to overlook this line, just as we over look the 'you are

a puppet' line, because of the shock of the revelation Sephiroth makes

to Cloud and Jenova doesn't really seem to be very powerful, but her

abilities of illusion are obviously STRONG. Then again, there are a lot

of things in this game that seem to be something while actually being

something very different. Very interesting, indeed.

In the final battle between Cloud %26amp; Co. against Sephiroth we face

four separate entities. The first of these is Jenova noted by her face

and two enormous tentacles, who is easily dispatched, and we've finally

killed her for good, or have we?

In the second battle we face Bizarro Sephiroth, a monstrous form

of Sephiroth that symbolizes Sephiroth's conversion with Jenova. Look very

carefully at this monster. In the torso area, we can clearly identify

Sephiroth's face, but look on top of the monster above Sephiroth, at the

head, and you'll see Jenova, her two tentacles dangling in front of

Sephiroth. Watch the monsters movement when it attacks. Jenova's two

tentacles lift and begin dangling over Sephiroth's head, like a puppeteer

controlling her favorite puppet.

In the third battle, the most difficult of the four battles, we

face Safer Sephiroth. This angelic form of Sephiroth is highlighted by

its monstrous wing where it's right arm should be. Note the colors of

this wing, blue, white, reddish brown, and black, exactly the same

colors that the three Jenova monsters spread through out the game

consist of. This battle is the one that gives us the true indication of

Jenova's aforementioned power of illusion, hence the ridiculously long

Super Nova summon spell which shows a comet tearing through planets

before detonating the sun, causing a super nova which eats up the rest

of the planets. Also, take note of the translation of the final lyric

in the aria sung during this piece.

"Come, come, o come,

Do not let me die

The winged one of the lower reaches"

In the fourth battle, Cloud fights Sephiroth face to face,

without the power of Jenova to contend with...and utterly slaughters

Sephiroth. Yet, Sephiroth seemed so strong during the game. How can he

be this weak? The answer is simple. Sephiroth seems weak because

Sephiroth is weak. He is merely a puppet of Jenova, hence the

revelation of the true villain of Final Fantasy VII.

So now that we know that Sephiroth's not the real villain,

what exactly is Jenova, anyway? Let's journey to Icicle Inn, watch a

certain video tape which just happens to be titled "The Original Crisis,"

and find out. When we go into Professor Gast鈥檚 old house, we see a video

of him and Ifalna. Ifalna explains that the Cetra were wiped out by

something called 'the Crisis from the Sky.'

This creature was an alien life form that came from outer

space and insinuated itself into the Cetra's various cultures throughout

the world, gained their trust, and then spread a plague into their

society gradually killing almost all of them off. It also crashed

something enormous into the Planet (possibly Meteor), causing a wound,

at the northern crater, which was never able to heal. Ifalna describes

the creatures appearance in this line, "When the Cetra were preparing to

depart from the land they loved...That's when it appeared. It looked like

...our...our dead mothers...and our dead brothers. Showing us spectres

of their past." Whatever this creature was, it had the ability to reach

into people minds and show them illusions, thus altering their memories.

It is interesting that Sephiroth calls the crater the Promised

Land when he kills Aeris, when it is, in fact, an injury that threatens

the planet (another one of the games illusions). After the plague, a

few of the Ancients managed to survive, track the creature down, and

seal it away. However they weren't able to destroy it because of its

remarkable ability to replicate itself. In the second video, we find

out the name of this 'Crisis from the Sky' and the name is, surprise,

Jenova. And poor old brilliant, but doomed Professor Gast, what can he

do with this information but turn away from Ifalna, as if deeply

disturbed by something? Hey, didn't he head up some scientific

experiment for the Shinra called 'The Jenova Project?' or something?

So now we know that Jenova killed off the Cetra, whereas as

Sephiroth puts the blame on "those who appeared that disliked their

journey" for their demise and believes he and Jenova to be the sole

survivors of the Cetra as revealed in his revelation to Cloud/Zack in

the Shinra mansion basement. Jenova was sealed away and forgotten. Two

thousand years later and thirty years before the beginning of the game,

Jenova is rediscovered. In the years that immediately follow a huge

world war breaks out and the first Mako Reactors are created. Is this a

coincidence? When Sephiroth is in the Shinra basement, going insane,

he reads aloud this document "Jenova Project approved. The use of Mako

Reactor number one approved for use." Wow, the first Mako reactor was

set up exactly at the time when the Jenova Project, and the creation

of Sephiroth, was set into motion.

Jenova was not simply manipulating Sephiroth. She was

manipulating everything. She was the founder of the Shinra (translated

as 'God') Corporation. Remember when Cloud freaks out just before he

sets the bombs up that are to destroy the Mako Reactors in Midgar?

This is because he is going against the will of Jenova. She

subliminally guided the scientists under her wing to create Sephiroth,

her 'son.' She set up the Mako Reactors to weaken the planet and

prepare it for its easy destruction. Look at the seal around Holy

before the final battle and you'll see that it consists of a red

colored rock structure, just like Meteor. Jenova used the power of the

Black Materia in order to contain Holy. Remember how the Shinra

originally were weapons manufacturers who grew in wealth from the war

that occurred? She probably started that war as part of her plan to

attain the wealth to build the Mako reactors which would be her tool for

her enslavement of the human race. She even implanted her cells into

the most elite of her army, SOLDIER, in order to have a powerful

fighting force of slaves to serve her. She accomplishes her ends in the

present, just as she did in the past, by insinuating herself into the

ruling society, taking control of it, and manipulating it, all the

while keeping her true self and her efforts unseen.

Part II-The Dramatic Themes of Final Fantasy VII and the

Games Ending

So far we have identified two completely different stories that

exist within FFVII. There is the 'apparent but false' story that shows

the world being destroyed by foolish human beings (Sephiroth and the

Shinra). There is also the 'hidden but true' story that shows us that

Jenova is manipulating everything. In contrast to this we have Cloud,

the apparent protagonist. We also have our hidden protagonist, Aeris

(as Cloud puts it, "She was so close, we couldn't see her") who, in

addition to being the first and last character we see in the game, is

the one who accomplishes the major task (the summoning of Holy) which

saves the life of the planet. Cloud, in turn, attacks Aeris twice and

gives up the Black Materia twice and doesn't start being a productive

member of the party until after his experience in the Lifestream. On

opposite ends of the spectrum, we have Sephiroth our "apparent but

false" antagonist and the "hidden but true" antagonist, Jenova.

Aeris and Jenova are the exact opposite of each other,

different in just about every way possible. Aeris is the last Cetra, a

race that was characterized by its migrations into various star

systems. They would colonize, cultivate, and communicate with these

planets until the eventual move to continue their search for the

Promised Land. Jenova goes onto planets, destroys them, and claims

their life energy for its own. Aeris ('heiress' of the knowledge of

the Cetra) is the symbol for life and truth in the game with her

constant excitement about the future and her own natural abilities

to heal herself and those around her, as well as her insight that

all is not right with Cloud. Jenova, in turn, represents illusion

and destruction in its most absolute form and is also able to

reassemble itself whenever it is dismembered. Note the contrast

between Aeris' healing ability and Jenova's ability to reconstruct

itself after it is destroyed.

Cloud and Sephiroth, by contrast, seem to be less

protagonist/antagonist and more flip sides of each other. Both are

men who have been deceived about their past and want to find out

the truth about themselves, but are mislead from this agenda by

Jenova. Cloud comes to believe that he is a clone of Sephiroth.

Sephiroth comes to believe that Jenova is his mother and that

they are both Ancients when, in fact, his mother is Lucretia, a

human woman and Jenova is an alien creature bent on the

destruction of the Planet for her own rise to power. Both characters are

'puppets' of the monster Jenova. Both characters spend time in

the Lifestream, an experience which sets both of them on their

true path of accomplishment. Both characters are infused with

the Jenova cells at the hands of Hojo.

The terms 'nothing is what it seems' defines the theme

of Final Fantasy VII. In fact, it defines each of the characters

in the game as well. All of the heroes in this game undergo a

realization where they have to confront a belief about their

past which is proved to be false. Let's look at all of them.

Cid spends years blaming Shera for the failure of his

rocket launch. Later on in the game he finds out that the oxygen

tank that she was trying to fix, which stalled his launch, was

actually malfunctioning, just as she said. Shera didn't ruin Cid's

dream, she probably saved his life. Vincent spends years in

stasis, punishing himself for his involvement in the Jenova

project. Later on, he determines that hiding from the problem

won't solve anything and that he must confront it in order to

atone for his past mistakes ("I was frozen in time, but now I

feel my time is just beginning!"). Yuffie spends the first part

of the game trying to steal all the Materia from the group, in

order to help restore the power of her home town, Wutai. Later

on, she realizes that Cloud and his party are the ones who are

really fighting for the future of the human race and that this

fight is her true quest. Cait Sith is really Reeve, of Shinra

Inc. But more so, Cait Sith/Reeve realizes that the

Shinra/Sephiroth/Jenova is the threat, and that Cloud, Aeris,

and Co. are the solution and must come to terms with being

able to betray the Shinra and follow his own morals. Nanaki

believes that is father was a coward who abandoned Cosmo

Canyon to save his own hide. Later on, he finds out that

his father was the hero who saved Cosmo Canyon from destruction

by the Gi Tribe. Tifa believes that something terrible

will happen if she tells Cloud that Zack was the member of

SOLDIER who was really at Nibelheim. Later on in the game,

that knowledge proves to be the key to uncovering the truth

about Clouds past, a revelation that allows him to finally

resist Sephiroth and Jenova and fight against them. Barret

is the mastermind behind the destruction of the first two

Mako reactors, an act he defines as being for the future of

the planet. Later on, Barret says that the Mako reactor

attack was the wrong way of doing things since it cost

innocent people their lives. He goes on to reveal that he

is really fighting for the future of Marlene, his late best

friends daughter.

Cloud, the "false hero" is the most screwed up character

in the game and needs no analysis to prove this. He is the

symbol of 'nothing is what it seems.' He is the character from

whose eyes the story is told, yet he is revealed to have totally

false memories about his past. His true memories aren't revealed

until he and Tifa are in the Lifestream together and even then,

they don't seem to realize that Sephiroth is just Jenova's

slave. This is what serves to make the story so confusing. By

telling the story through Clouds eyes we, the player, see

reality as Jenova wishes Cloud to experience it. Cloud doesn't

realize what is really going on until the end of the game and

never says so out loud, but rather implies it, through this

line, "I think I'm beginning to understand...an answer from

the planet."

Aeris, the hero, is the most honest character in the

game yet, as Tifa puts it, "She talked about the future more

than any of us...Although she never talked about it to us, she

must've had a rough life...I think Aeris looked forward to

tomorrow and the future more than anyone...She must've had

many, many dreams..."

In the epilogue of the game, which takes place five

hundred years after the games conclusion, we see Nanaki and

his children running up a hill to reveal a shot of a long

abandoned Midgar and the plant (planet) life that has grown

over it. There are no humans to be seen anywhere. The most

common argument I've heard in defining the meaning of this

ending is that humans caused the destruction and were summoned

back into the Lifestream by Holy because they were a

mistake. From the reality presented on the surface of the

game, this is the strongest argument. Yet, we also know

that most of what is evident about Final Fantasy VII is

false. The truth of the game is subtly told in various

hints spread throughout the game.

Humans were a creation of the planet. They existed

within the natural cycle of the planet, posing no real

threat to it. The destruction in this story is all caused

by Jenova, who is an alien life form which exists outside

of the natural cycle of the planet and manipulates this

cycle (namely, humanity and the Cetra) to achieve her own

ends. What does the epilogue with Nanaki really show us?

Midgar was virtually trashed during Meteors descent into

the planet and would have been long since abandoned by

humanity in the five centuries that passed on the planet

between the games ending and its epilogue if they indeed

continued to exist after Holy is released.

To understand the contrast between the 'apparent

but false' ending and the 'hidden but true' ending, you

merely have to look at the very, very end of the game.

After the conclusion of the epilogue, the Final Fantasy

VII logo appears and we hear a strange noise. This sound

consists of birds chirping, water flowing, and various

other sounds of the cycle of nature. Listen closely and

you'll also hear the laughter of children contained

within these sounds, hence a possible revelation that

humanity does not vanish at the games end.

But this isn't the only evidence of this that is

contained within the game. To understand this, you must

look closely at the games ending before the credits occur

. After Cloud defeats Sephiroth in the fourth of the

games four battles, Sephiroth explodes into Lifestream

energy that has is colored RED, signifying the

contamination of his life force by Jenova. Red is the primary

color of both Jenova and Meteor. Watch this scene closely.

Cloud is left standing alone. A stream of light emerges

from the ground and circles around Cloud. This stream is

clearly Holy as it is identical to the streams that later

emerge from the Planet and destroy Meteor. The red Life-

stream energy of Sephiroth also surround Cloud and enter

him. Holy then enters Cloud, combining with him and the

Sephiroth/Jenova life force, culminating in a bright flash

of light. This bright flash of light also occurs at the

end of the game when Holy is vanquishing Meteor, only we

don't get to see what happens afterwards, which is why

understanding this scene is so important to understanding

the meaning of the games ending. After, the flash of light,

Holy vanishes. The Sephiroth life force emerges once again

from Cloud, only this time it is colored GREEN. This all

symbolizes the cleansing of both Cloud and Sephiroth of

the Jenova life force that is inside of them by Holy.

Notice that Cloud does not vanish after this encounter.

Indeed, only moments later, the airship is propelled out

of the Northern Crater by Holy. Again, neither the team,

nor the airship vanishes. In fact, their lives are

virtually saved by Holy's movement. If they'd remained in

the Northern Crater, they'd all have certainly died.

Remember this exchange that the team has with Bugenhagen

at the City of Ancients, which is also the most commonly

misinterpreted line in the game. (I'll capitalize the

most important words in this dialogue to illustrate my

point.)

Bugenhagen: The knowledge of the Ancients swirling

around here is telling me one thing. The planet's in a

crisis...A crisis beyond human power or endless time. It

says when the time comes, we must search for 'Holy.'

Cloud: Holy?

Bugenhagen: Holy...the ultimate White Magic. Magic

that might stand against Meteor. Perhaps our last hope to

save the planet from Meteor. If a soul seeking Holy reaches

the Planet, it will appear. Ho, Ho, Hoooo. Meteor, Weapon,

everything will disappear. PERHAPS, even ourselves.

Cloud: Even us?

Bugenhagen: It is up to the planet to decide. What

is best for the Planet. What is bad for the Planet. ALL THAT

IS BAD WILL DISSAPPEAR. THAT IS ALL. Hoo, hoo, hoo, I wonder

which we humans are?

So it seems that the humans didn't disappear after

all. It was bold move on Square's part to make sure that this

game could only be understood through its subtleties. After

all, they spent thirty million dollars on this game, they

must have felt obligated to create an RPG that had a

challenging story as well as an entertaining one. This is an art

form after all. 'Normal' RPG's offer endings that provide

closure to the characters. Final Fantasy VII has an ending

which offers no closure and can only be understood through the

subtle hints that are dropped throughout the game. I guess

we all would have liked to see what "really" happens afterward,

but then again, how often is it that we see a story that is

truly original?

Yet, just as everything in the 'apparent' story of

this game is contrasted by the 'hidden' story, there exists

another riddle within the game to finalize this contrast. There

are two mysteries that remains unexplained, the meaning of

Aeris' hand reaching towards Cloud after his cleansing of

Jenova, which is signified by her musical theme, a theme

which is only played during parts of the story that relate

to her. The other mystery is what the appearance of Aeris in

the final scene of the game, showing her head lifting up and

her eyes opening. Does this symbolize Aeris returning to the

Planet or does it symbolize her being resurrected? After all,

the last thing she says to Cloud is, "Then, I'll be going now.

I'll come back when it's all over." The truth is that the only

way to understand the meaning of this puzzling riddle is to

understand the mythology that Final Fantasy VII is based on.

This is what we shall explore in the next segment of this FAQ.

Part III: The Riddle of the Promised Land

Sephiroth鈥檚 name comes from the Jewish mystical text,

the Kaballa. Sephiroth鈥檚 goal in the game is his Jenova

influenced desire to converge with the Planet and become a God.

The murder of Aeris manipulates the player into hating Sephiroth,

thus diverting our attention from the fact that he is

really just a tragic character who is being manipulated by

Jenova. Note the look of horror on his face as he dies. Sephiroth

obviously wasn't afraid of dying. It was his goal to

kill his body and become a new life form. His fear at the

end of the game seems to imply a terrifying revelation, as

if he has suddenly realized what was being done to him and

the terrible actions it caused him to perform. Personally,

I like to think that Sephiroth鈥檚 life energy visits his real

mother, Lucretia, to say good-bye and then returns to the

planet.

The Sefirot of the Kabbalah represent the ten branches

of the Tree of Life which are interconnected by twenty-two

paths. The first nine branches are symbolized in the game by

its 9 heroes. The tenth branch is called Malkut and is

characterized by Harry Gersh in his work, "The Sacred Book of the

Jews," like this, "Malkut has no special attributes but is a

kind of funnel through which the qualities of the upper nine

sefirot are transmitted to the physical world. It is therefore

also called Shechinah, the Spirit of God." Malkut, the tenth

branch, is portrayed in the game by the White Materia (Remember

what Aeris first says about the White Materia, "...but mine is

special. It is good for absolutely nothing." This quote from

George Sassoon and Rodney Dale in their work, "The Mana

Machine," illustrates Sephiroth and his fate perfectly, "To

the Babylonians, it [the Tree of Life] was a tree with magical

fruit, which could only be picked from the gods. Dire

consequences befell any mortal who dared to pluck from its

branches."

The Kaballah also speaks of an eleventh, hidden branch.

This branch is called Da'ath and is represented in the game by

the Lifestream. This quote from Rebecca Salem describes the Da'

ath, "Here is the highest point of the human mind: the home of

the brainstorm or creative energy that is brought into

manifestation on the earthly plain."

In Celtic Mythology, the development of which was

highly influenced by the mystical ideas found in the Kaballah,

magic is a process of altering the structure of the physical

reality through the sheer force of ones own will. The use of

magic requires one to gain mastery over the five elements,

Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Spirit and use them in the

construction of spells. Note how this parallels the magical

system of Final Fantasy (and almost every other RPG in existence),

which features magical spells based on all these

elements. As Bugenhagen puts it when he first meets Cloud,

"Spirit energy is a word you should never forget."

Celtic Mythology often uses numbers to symbolize

mystical ideas. Three and all multiples of three are the fundamental

numbers which were believed to have magical power.

Nine was considered the most important of these multiples

for its ability to return to itself. If you multiply nine by

any single digit number and then add the two numbers you

get as your answer, their sum will always be nine (Example:

2x9=18, 1+8=9/ 6x9=54, 5+4=9).

In Final Fantasy VII, the number 3 and all its

multiples are employed in a strange repetition. (Just before

the final battle, Barrett says, "Look at the number.") Here is

a list of some examples.

1. There are three characters in the players party at

any one time.

2. There are nine characters in the game total (Note

that Sephiroth is in your party briefly during Clouds flash-

back bringing the number to 10, the same number as the

branches found on the tree of life. This is another way of

symbolizing that Sephiroth is a victim, not a villain.)

3. There are three incarnations of Jenova fought

during the game (Jenova Birth, Life, and Death)

4. There are six primary characters which lead the

Shinra at the beginning of the game (President Shinra, Hojo,

Scarlet, Heidegger, Palmer, and Reeve) When President Shinra

dies, Rufus immediately shows up, stabilizing the number.

5. On the world map, there are a total of thirty

locations which can be entered (I counted these up by looking

at the world map in the official strategy guide. There were

actually 36 locations, but six of them were just chocobo

tracks, although this still comes to another multiple of

three.)

6. Each character has 6 Limit Break attacks which

come naturally to them (except Cait Sith, who only has two,

which is one third of six, and is not a real character, but

rather Reeve of Shinra.) The seventh limit break can only

come through mastery of the fist six.

7. Aeris, the true hero, is the third character we

meet in the game (after Cloud and Barrett). Note that we

don't learn Aeris' name until after we meet Tifa, making her

seem to be character number four (another contrast between

the 'apparent' and 'hidden' realities of the story.)

8. In the games final battle we fight four different

monsters. Yet each of these four monsters represent 3

different forms of both Sephiroth and Jenova. Numerically, the

pattern can be illustrated like this, with the left side

representing Jenova and the right side, Sephiroth:

1-2/3-3/2-1. If you add these numbers up (1+2+3+2+3+1) you

will get 12, another multiple of 3. Note that 4 (the number

of battles) times 3(the number of forms of Jenova and Sephiroth)

also equals 12. If you add only the center numbers

of the conversion up (2+3+2+3) you will get 10, the number

of spheres on the Tree of Life, which represents the state

of immortality that Sephiroth/Jenova are trying to attain.

9. There are 69 floors in the Shinra headquarters.

'69' is a numerical symbol for convergence (as well as

being...well, you know ). Shinra translates as meaning

'God.' If you put these to words into a sentence summarizing

Jenova's goal in the game you'll come up with something like,

"Jenova wishes to destroy the planet and 'converge' with its

Lifestream energy to become a 'God.'" (Square sure did put

some intense planning into this game, didn't they?)

10. There are 241 species of monsters spread through-

out this game (not counting the final battle). Multiply 2x4

and then add 1 and you will get 9.

11. The first Cait Sith is destroyed in the Temple

of Ancients and is replaced by another. Add another 1 (Reeve)

to this 2 and you get 3.

12. In the Mural room in the Temple of Ancients,

there are nine pillars in the room, eight on the wall and

one different looking pillar, characterized by a sphere at

its top, that is located on the altar on the right side of

the room. There are eight torches in the room with another

point of light represented by the Black Materia illusion floating

above the pillar. The Black Materia illusion is a light

color when we first see it, but turns dark after we touch it.

I've found other repetitions of three in the game, but

I've basically illustrated my point enough for the numerical

pattern to become evident. Replay the game and look for your-

selves. All of the characters ages in the game are multiples of

three with the exception of Aeris, Tifa, and Yuffie (all of

which are potential love interest for Cloud, although it is

very difficult to see the 'date' with Yuffie, and I have never

taken the time to get it). Aeris' age is 22, the same as the

number of paths interconnecting the branches of the Tree of

Life. Tifa's age is 20, I'm not really sure what this means,

but I think that zero in the number may be meant to somehow

symbolize Tifa's secret from Cloud. Yuffie's age is sixteen,

multiply 1x6 and you get six, which is still a multiple of

three (Yuffie is also the sixth character found in the game,

if you find her at your earliest opportunity, just before

you first reach Junon.)

As I mentioned earlier, in Final Fantasy VII there

are three character triangles involving Cloud and Aeris.

These are:

1.Cloud, Aeris, and Zack

2. Cloud, Aeris, and Tifa

3. Cloud, Aeris, and Sephiroth.

Add the numerical points of these character triangles

and you will get 9, the number that always returns to itself.

These triangles serve to illustrate various choices

that Cloud makes during the game which are fundamental to his

growth. The choice between Tifa and Aeris is very obvious and

is up to the player to decide. The choice between Zack and Aeris

is personified when Cloud emerges from the Lifestream and vows

to live without lying to himself. Zack represents the false

past that Cloud constructed for himself under Jenova鈥檚 influence.

Aeris represents Clouds connection to reality ("I'm searching

for you.") The choice between Aeris and Sephiroth is

personified when Cloud refuses to obey Sephiroth鈥檚 command and

kill Aeris at the end of the first disc. If Cloud chooses Aeris

in the Tifa/Aeris triangle, then Aeris becomes the point of

focus for all three triangles. Here is a visual illustration

of these triangles.

(C=Cloud, A=Aeris, T=Tifa, S=Sephiroth, Z=Zack)

C

S/A Z/A

C A/T C

If you look at these triangles carefully, you will notice

that there is a fourth, inverted triangle within the structure

where Aeris is the three points of focus. Note that the points

of focus are in the center, with Cloud being represented on the

outside of the triangle. Aeris within Cloud. What does this mean?

As Cloud puts it in his conversation with Tifa at the end of disc

2, "Everybody has an irreplaceable something they鈥檙e holding onto."

In the Tree of Life, the first nine sefirot are grouped

in threes. Each triad is comprised of a masculine element, a

feminine element, and a combining element. The three triads

represent 1. the world of thought 2. the world of emotions and

morality and 3. the world of nature. Note how this parallels the

above structure. Even Tifa can be determined as the masculine

element as she is presented in the game as being somewhat of a

tomboy with many masculine traits (she is a martial arts expert

who wears men鈥檚 clothes), whereas Aeris is more of an angelic waif

and very, very feminine to boot.

Each one of the three triads on the Tree of Life symbolize

a different element. The first represents the world of thought and

is personified by the choice between Zack and Aeris, which occurs

inside Clouds head while he is in the Lifestream with Tifa. The

second represents the world of emotion and morals and is personified

by Clouds choice between Tifa and Aeris, his two love interests.

The third triad represents the world of nature and is

personified by Clouds refusal to kill Aeris at Sephiroth/Jenova鈥檚

command.

Everything in the 'apparent' and 'hidden' stories has

parallel contrasts. There is also a second trilogy of character

triangles in this story. These triangles consist of:

1. Hojo, Jenova, and Sephiroth

2. Hojo, Jenova, and Lucretia

3. Hojo, Jenova, and Professor Gast

The structure can be illustrated like this (H=Hojo,

J=Jenova S=Sephiroth, G=Gast, L=Lucretia):

H

L/J G/J

H S/J H

Once again, each of these triangles is brought into focus

by a choice Hojo makes. His choice between Jenova and Sephiroth

(his son) is personified when he chooses to inject the cells of

Jenova into Sephiroth while he is in the womb (the world of

thought). The second choice is personified when he chooses to

give Lucretia, his lover who is carrying is child, to Professor

Gast鈥檚 Jenova Project and then doesn't allow her to see the child,

thus creating the illusion for Sephiroth that Jenova is his real

mother (the world of emotions and morals.) The third choice is

made when Hojo has Professor Gast killed (the world of nature.)

If you add the number of characters in these two trilogies

together (5+5) you get another 10. If you subtract Sephiroth,

who appears once in both sets of trilogies, you get another 9

(damn, this is gettin' trippy!).

The inverted triangle, which is highlighted in these

structures by the three connecting points of Aeris and Jenova,

is an important symbol in Celtic Mythology. It is called the

Triangle of Manifestation. This triangle symbolizes the creation

life through three points:

God (Masculine Element) Goddess (Feminine Element)

Manifest Creation

The three triangles of Hojo illustrate the choice Hojo

made that ultimately lead to the creation of the "false"

Sephiroth, who never had any real choice except to become a

slave of Jenova. The three triangles of Cloud seem to symbolize

that Cloud somehow keeps Aeris alive, but how is this possible.

Let's take a look at some of the hints regarding this that are

spread throughout the game.

When President Shinra dies, we see Sephiroth鈥檚 sword

shoved through him in exactly the way he kills Aeris later on.

He is immediately replaced by his son, which could foreshadow

Aeris' rebirth.

When Aeris speaks to Cloud in his dream before taking

off to the City of the Ancients the last thing she says is,

"The secret is just up here. At least it should be. I feel it. It

feels like I'm being lead by something. Well, I'll be going now.

I'll come back when it's all over." This line implies that Aeris

knows that she is being protected by something far greater than

herself and that she will be safe if she prays for Holy, no matter

what happens. After all, she knows that Sephiroth is going to be

after her. She probably also knew that Jenova was the real threat

because her mothers voice would have told her. Also remember that

Holy is "the Ultimate White Magic," which is the magic of Healing.

If any magic could perform a resurrection, it is Holy.

When Tifa and Cloud are on their way to revisit the City

of Ancients to find out what Aeris was really doing there, they

have this exchange:

Tifa: I wonder what Aeris felt when she was on that altar.

Cloud: I'm sure she wanted to give her life for the planet

Tifa: Really? I wonder? I don't think that's it at all. I

think she didn't think she would die at all., but that she planned

on coming back all along. She always used to talk about the 'next

time.' She talked about the future more than any of us...

When we re-enter the church at Midgar, we see a specter of

Aeris that disappears if we get too close. Aeris has not returned

to the Planet yet, but why not? What is she waiting for?

When Aeris runs away from Cloud in the Sleeping Forest

dream, we see her run into a white sphere of light, symbolizing

Holy. If you look closely as Aeris falls through the waters during

her burial, notice that she falls into a sphere. As the fade out

occurs a circular light surrounding the sphere, grows smaller and

smaller as she falls, as though it is absorbing her body.

In the games ending, there are two appearances of Aeris.

The first is the hand reaching from the white light of Holy out

to Cloud, as though Holy is creating a new body for her. This could

also symbolize Aeris reaching out to Cloud to pull him into Holy

and back into the Lifestream with her since, when the scene shifts

back to reality, Cloud is about to fall off the ledge he is standing

on and die. In the first scene of the game, we see Aeris' head

facing straight at us, her eyes already open (life). When Sephiroth

draws his sword from her body we see her eyes close (death). In

the final scene we see Aeris' head nodding upward and her eyes

opening (returning to the Planet or resurrection).

We have already established that many major truths in this

game are illustrated in the places where we are most likely to

notice them. The most fundamentally absurd scene in the game is the

show at the Gold Saucer during Aeris' and Clouds date. The scene

is so goofy that we are totally encouraged to play it as

mischievously as possible (another way the game diverts us from its

truths). Let's look at the entire scene through the path to the

happy ending. I will add what I think to be the secret references

to the story and what they mean in parenthesis.

Narrator: Long, long ago...An evil shadow appeared over the

peaceful kingdom of Galdia (Jenova, "the winged one of the lower

reaches," who started reaping her destruction upon the planet 30

years before the game begins) Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by

the Evil Dragon King Valvados (Aeris was killed by Sephiroth/Jenova)

What will become of her (what is Aeris' true fate?) Just then, the

legendary hero, Alfred, appears!

Knight: Oh...you must be the legendary hero...Alfred! Hey,

it's your line! (It's your decision to make) Yeah, you. Ahem! Oh,

you must be the legendary hero...Alfred! I know in my soul.

Please...please save princess Rosa (In your soul you can save Aeris)

On the peak of a dangerous mountain...dwells the Evil Dragon King,

Valvados (In the Northern Crater dwells Jenova. Note that both

Jenova and Valvados have three syllables in their names) who's kid-

napped Princess Rosa (who has killed Aeris)...But you can't beat the

Evil now (Cloud is still too confused about himself to fight Jenova)

talk to the one who can help you (Talk to Tifa Lockheart, who holds

'locked' within her 'heart,' the key to Clouds true past)...

Cloud has two choices 1. The knight (a symbol of force) 2.

The wizard (a symbol for wisdom) Let's have Cloud choose the wizard.

Wizard: I am the great wizard, Vorman (I am truth) What do

you wish to know?

Cloud: The evil dragon kings weakness (Jenova鈥檚 weakness)

Vorman: Ahh, the weakness of the Evil Dragon King. It must

be, it must be..Yes! It must be True Love (Truth and Love)! The

power of love...Is the only weapon that can withstand the fangs of

the evil dragon king (Only love can save Aeris from death) Oh,

what is going to happen next! (Only Cloud can decide Aeris' fate)

Oh...legendary hero...look!

EDK: Aaah! I am the Evil Dragon King....Valvados (I am

Jenova) I have not harmed the princess (Aeris is being contained

inside Holy, which has been sealed) I have been expecting...you!

Aeris: Please help me legendary hero! (Please save me from

Jenova, Cloud!) psst... like that?

EDK: Gaah! Here I come legendary hero...Alfred! I already

know your name (I have been controlling you all along).

Vorman: And now legendary here...Here is what will happen...

to your beloved...A kiss! The power of True Love!! (Aeris will

return through Clouds love)

Aeris: Cloud, I mean Alfred!

EDK:Arrgh! Curses...The power of...love!!!

King: Oh, look! Love has...triumphed (Clouds love has

brought back Aeris) Now let's all return and celebrate!

Narrator: Oh, how profound the power of love (profound means

'within,' Holy is contained at the center of the planet) And so the

legendary hero %26amp; our story live happily ever after (Cloud defeats

Jenova and Sephiroth and finds Aeris in the Promised Land)

All this stuff here is based on choice that Cloud (the

player) makes. Every important element in this game means something

different that what it seems to mean on the surface.

If you choose Tifa over Aeris, it breaks the points of focus

that symbolize Aeris and the Triangle of Manifestation. I think that

Aeris' resurrection is determined by whom Cloud chooses in the love

triangle. If Cloud chooses Aeris, he completes the Triangle of

Manifestation and brings Aeris back, through the power of love, when

he is touched by Holy (Note that Aeris hand appears immediately after

Cloud is touched by Holy and this scene immediately shifts to a shot

of Tifa鈥檚 hand reaching towards Cloud). If he chooses Tifa, Aeris goes

back into the Lifestream. After all, any good RPG will often let you

decide something fundamental to the fate of your protagonist.

Remember what Aeris says about the Promised Land, "You don't

'know' where the Promised Land of the Ancients is. You search and

travel until you feel it. Like you just know, '...this is the

Promised Land.'"

The Promised Land is not a place, but something you find in

your heart. When Cloud is snapped back into reality at the end of the

game, he says to Tifa, "I think I'm beginning to understand. An answer

from the planet...The Promised Land...I think I can meet her there."

Cloud somehow knows that he can bring Aeris back by keeping her

alive in his heart. If Cloud loves Aeris then she is his Promised

Land, thus providing the explanation for her resurrection when Cloud

is touched by Holy. But Aeris loves Cloud no matter how he feels. If

Cloud chooses Tifa over her, then she has no real reason to come back.

She is better off in the Lifestream with her own race. This

resurrection/Lifestream return riddle is somewhat ambiguous. But, when

you understand the mythological references in the game, the choice

between Aeris and Tifa steers it to a more likely possibility, which

is why I think this determines Aeris' fate.

I think Square put this riddle in the game as a sort of

'reward' for people who take the time to read about the mythology on

which the game is based. They wanted to encode something in the game

which could only be understood by understanding the most subtle levels

of the game.

I can really see why Square of Japan translated FFVII

themselves. There was just way too many symbolic elements encoded

into the game for them to risk it all being ruined by having someone

else translate it. FFVII touches a level of depth in both its dramatic

story telling and in its symbolism that has never been approached by

another RPG. I've never played a video game which has challenged me

more in it's requirement of the player to think about it's story in

order to understand it. This is a very confusing story and I hope

that I've done a good job of explaining the tale and its intriguing

mythological basis. If I've done my job right, then may this FAQ

serve as an affirmation of appreciation that inspires the many FFVII

fans to play the game once again, with new eyes...

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