Site translator hitoshura has been kind enough to provide us with a chapter-by-chapter summary of the newest official FFVII novel. Released on December 15th, the book was written by Kazushige Nojima, writer of the original FFVII, as well as Crisis Core, Advent Children and the On the Way to a Smile novellas. As such, The Kids Are Alright is an authentic entry in the world of Final Fantasy VII.

Sadly, however, it had no official release outside of Japan. So, while you could still import it if you lived elsewhere, you novel, FINAL FANTASY VII Lateral Biography TURKS -The Kids Are Alright-. Released on December 15th, the book was written by wouldn’t be able to read it without some knowledge of the Japanese language.

Were the contents of this newest tale in Cloud Strife’s world, then, to be kept from us indefinitely? Blessedly, no. TheLifestream.net’s hitoshura has already stepped forward to provide his fellow fans with a rundown of the book’s main events.

This is to tide us over until he is able to provide a complete translation of the 354-page novel — an endeavour that is already under way, so be sure to check back in the future for updates about that.

What you’ll also find in this article: scans I’ve made of all the book’s artwork (illustrations by Shou Tajima), and my translation of a page from the beginning of the book that introduces several of the characters featured in the story. Additional thanks go to hito, by the way, for correcting me on a word I had mistranslated on that page.

So, if you’re ready to get caught up on the latest events in this world we all love, click upon “Read the rest of this entry” below.

And yes, by the way, that mouthful up there really is the book’s complete official title. “Lateral Biography” (外伝 in Japanese) really should have (in my opinion, anyway) just been rendered in English the way it’s pronounced in its native language: “gaiden.” As is usually the case with these things.

But that’s neither here nor there.

What is here: hito’s generous summary of The Kids Are Alright, scans of its artwork, and your first introduction to Evan and Kyrie — two new characters who serve as this story’s protagonists.

Without further ado, let’s start with the artwork:

Excluding the composite image used for the front page of the article, the first two images after that are the dust jacket’s front and back covers, respectively. The third image is the front, bare cover. The fourth is the back, bare cover. Fifth is the title page for the first half of the book, “See Me, Feel Me.” Sixth is the title page for the second half of the story, “Who Are You?”. And, finally, the last image is the character introductions page.

If, by the way, you think you’re noticing a lot of references to English rock band The Who, you’d be right. “The Kids Are Alright,” “See Me, Feel Me,” and “Who Are You?” all refer to the music group. The references don’t end there either.

The Kids Are Alright’s narrator and main character, Evan Townshend (エヴァン・タウンゼント in Japanese), also shares his last name with band member Pete Townshend (ピート・タウンゼント).

Why all the references? Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Nojima’s a fan. Or maybe it has something to do with the main characters of this story running a detective agency — all three CSI television shows use songs by The Who in their opening credits.

Next up, a translation of the character intros page posted above:

Evan
A 19-year-old young man who was living in depression on Midgar’s plate until 2 years ago. Along with Kyrie and other friends from the slums he came to know, he opened the Mireille Detective Agency. It’s been getting considerable business. A crooked young man who can’t plainly express himself.

Kyrie
A 19-year-old girl from the slums. Her family is now gone, leaving her all alone in the world. Thanks to her parents being skilled pickpockets, and the lessons of her swindler grandmother, she also lived a life of crime until meeting Evan and taking up detective work. She’s easy to get attached to, but is easily misunderstood as well. This is often the case even with her friends.

Reno
The self-styled ace of the Shin-Ra company’s Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department (nicknamed the Turks), his eye is on the company’s revitilization. He values his comrades more than anything, particularly his partner Rude, with whom he shares a deep trust. He becomes embroiled in circumstances involving Evan and co., and watches over them from the shadows.

Rude
One of the Turk’s elite, he serves alongside Reno. Following the Meteor calamity, he operates as escort to the Shin-Ra company’s ill president, Rufus. A warm-hearted but silent man, he is watching over Evan and co., like Reno.

Cloud
The man who runs the Strife Delivery Service, which carries out a delivery for Evan. Unknown to Evan and co., he is one of the heroes who once saved the world.

Tifa
Owner of the Seventh Heaven diner, where Evan and co. often hold business meetings. For Evan and the members of the Mireille Detective Agency, it is also a place of leisure.

And, finally, the real jewel in this thread — hito’s summary of each chapter of The Kids Are Alright:

This is the summaries for the first half of the book (“See Me, Feel Me”):

Also, a little explanation of the character notes if it’s even needed:
- Characters Introduced/CI: First time a character appears in the story themselves (not just mentioned/referenced)
- Mentions: First time a character is mentioned by name in the story
- References: First time a character is indirectly (not by name) referenced in the story

1. Evan talks about his past and family, leading up to the Meteor disaster. Evan lived with his mother on the Sector 6 plate. His father had died in the Wutai war, and his mother hated him. One day she brings home a man, Nix Foley, who says that the three of them are leaving Midgar. Evan storms out of the house, hoping to come back after their intended depature date and ruin their plans. On that day, the Sector 7 plate falls, leaving Evan (in Sector 8 ) to walk through all the other sectors to get home. When he arrives, he finds that his mother has gone. She left him a large sum of money, and a letter saying she will contact him when she’s reached her destination. With no word from his mother and not wanting to spend the money she’d left, Evan started working to make a living until the day Meteor and the Lifestream destroy Midgar.
Characters introduced: Evan, Evan’s mother, Kuro the cat, Nix/Nick Foley
Mentions: Evan’s father

2. Skips to 2 years later, at Healin with Rufus and the Turks. A man called Fabio steals some Geostigma medication from the lodge.
CI: Rufus, Tseng, Elena, Throp, Fabio Brown
Mentions: Sephiroth, Jenova, President Shinra

3. Reno and Rude pay Evan (Townshend) a visit, mistaking him for Fabio. Once they’ve gone, Evan goes to see Fabio but finds his little brother Vits, who has Geostigma, home alone.
CI: Reno, Rude, ‘Rat-Face’, Vits Brown
Mentions: Doyle

4. Evan heads to Seventh Heaven to meet his friends. Evan and Kyrie head to meet a client.
CI: Tifa, Leslie Kyle, Kyrie Canaan
Mentions: Marlene, Keogh (Rat-Face), Marle
References: Kilmister, Reeve

5. Elena is displeased with how Reno and Rude handled the ‘Fabio’ situation.

6. On their way through the slums to see the client, Arde, Evan reflects on how their detective agency got started. The job is to look for Arde’s missing son Gould, a SOLDIER 2nd Class who went missing prior to the Meteor disaster.
CI: Tyran Arde
Mentions: Mireille, Gould Arde, ‘man in the biker clothes’, Ceddie, Aunt Liz

7. Elena visits the real Fabio to punish him for stealing the medicine.

8. As Evan is clearing up the mess Reno and Rude left his room in, Vits comes by in the middle of the night in pain. When they go back to Vits’s home, Evan sees Fabio on the floor, beaten to a bloody pulp.

9. Evan, Kyrie and Leslie go to Johnny’s Heaven, where Evan talks about what happened to Fabio.
CI: Johnny
Mentions: Mr. and Mrs. Chico, Dr. Drake

10. After two days without sleep, Evan collapses outside the Mireille Detective Agency’s office. Kyrie ends up going to Reno and Rude for help, but regrets it when the Turks say they’re going to take her and Evan somewhere. They make plans to escape from the Turks into the slums.

11. Their escape attempt ends in failure, with Rude leading them to the truck that will take them wherever it is they’re going on their ‘drive’. Kyrie asks if this is how the Turks got Aerith.
Mentions: Aerith

12. Reno reveals that they are taking Evan to Healin, and it has something to do with his mother, Annette Townshend. Kyrie talks about how she knew Aerith. Reno and Rude reveal that the photo Evan and Kyrie got from Tyran Arde of Gould was taken in Nibelheim.
References: AVALANCHE (FFVII)

13. Rufus and Tseng discuss Annette Townshend, a former secreterial worker for Shinra who was offered ten-times the standard retirement bonus when she quit.

14. Evan meets Rufus and Tseng, who tells him that he is the illegitamate son of the late President Shinra. They are interrupted when they hear an explosion from the woods.

15. Fabio, Doyle and Keogh attack the lodge to rescue Throp, a friend of Keogh’s who had helped Fabio to steal the medicine. When they run into trouble, Evan bargains with the Turks by threatening Rufus, who lets them go.
CI: Doyle

16. On the way back home, Evan ends up banging his head and losing consciousness. He’s taken to Dr. Drake’s to be checked out. By this time, Evan and Kyrie have fallen out.
CI: Dr. Drake

17. Evan returns home and checks on Doyle and the others. He doesn’t tell them the truth about what he talked about with Rufus (instead telling them they wanted to use him as Rufus’s double), and decided to leave and get away from everyone.

18. In order to get fuel for his truck, Evan decides to contact the number from a business flyer he found, the Strife Delivery Service. Using the phone at Dr. Drake’s office, he tells the boy who answers, Denzel, that he wants a letter delivered.
CI: Denzel, young girl (Marlene)

19: Reno complains about how Evan and Rufus had their ‘family reunion,’ and how Tseng and Elena are off doing something and he can’t get in touch with them.

20. While waiting for Cloud, Dr. Drake talks about the book/file he is reading: on Jenova, the subject of many Shinra experiments. Cloud arrives and Evan tells him that he actually wants fuel, to which Cloud replies that his choices are Shinra, the WRO, or Don Corneo in Wall Market. Evan mentions planning on heading to Nibelheim to find a lost SOLDIER. Cloud tells him to go ask about Nibelheim at Seventh Heaven.
CI: Cloud
Mentions: Don Corneo

21. Evan goes to Seventh Heaven to ask Tifa about Nibelheim. She seems reluctant for him to go there, but shows him the route. He tells her he’s going to find his mother. She had been in the picture with Gould Arde. The man who had brought that photo to Tyran Arde was Foley.

22. Kyrie goes to see Reno and Rude to ask what they’ve done with Evan, thinking they’ve taken him or hurt him, and waits by Evan’s car until he gets back.

23. Evan goes to Leslie’s house in the slums to ask how to get to Don Corneo’s. He meets Marle, Leslie’s pregant girlfriend, who looks troubled when Evan mentions Corneo.
CI: Marle

24. Reno and Rude notice that Kyrie is still scared of them, which reminds them of Aerith.

25. Evan goes to see Corneo, now an old-looking man in a wheelchair, about getting fuel. He agrees and says it will be delivered to Edge. Corneo recognises Evan from a picture one of his men took off a bullitin board, which had been put there by Foley while he was looking for Evan. Evan takes two pictures from Corneo’s walls: one of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith, and one of Marle. On his way out Corneo says Evan can take as many pictures as he likes, because he has copies of them all. Evan rips up the pictures.
CI: Don Corneo, Corneo’s doorman

26. Evan goes back to Leslie’s house to apologise for taking the picture of Marle from Corneo’s in case something happens to him and Marle because of it. Leslie tells him not to worry, and how it was meeting him that made Leslie (a former man of Corneo’s), Fabio (robber) and Kyrie (general life of crime) mend their ways.

27. Doyle arrives at the site of the monument being built by Shinra to tell Reno that he, Throp and Keogh will be helping out with the construction (as a way to make up for the damage they caused when rescuing Throp). Doyle notices Evan’s truck he left with Reno to look at while he’s gone. Rude tells Reno he’s going to Midgar, where Tseng and Elena are going to get a helicopter.

28. Evan goes back to Seventh Heaven and gives the same apology he gave to Leslie about the picture he stole from Corneo. Tifa tells him that Kyrie was there earlier, and that she told her about Evan’s Nibelheim plan. Evan returns to his car to find Kyrie there, who is set to go with Evan on his trip.

29. While Rude is fixing one of the helicopters, Tseng tells him and Reno of their new project: to find Jenova. However, Reno notices someone was listening in on their discussion, and Tseng sends Elena to capture whoever it was.

30. Evan and Kyrie spend the night in the car, waiting for the fuel to be delivered in the morning. They are surprised when it’s Leslie who drops off the fuel, as well as weapons for Evan’s trip. He went back to Corneo pretending to want his old job back, but instead burns down Corneo’s house (Corneo himself survives). Evan and Kyrie get ready to set off together to Nibelheim.

Rest of the summaries cover the second half, “Who are you?”

31. On their way to Under Junon, Evan reflects on how he met Kyrie, Fabio and Leslie.
CI: Mireille Dudley (Kyrie’s grandmother)

32. Evan and Kyrie encounter a girl on a chocobo, asking about the medicine for Geostigma.
CI: girl on the chocobo

33. Rude falls victim to a failed attack by two men (Keogh and Fabio) while fixing the helicopter. Reno talks with Doyle about Shinra until he gets a call from Rude: Fabio and Keogh are dead.

34. While taking a break at a pond on the wastelands, Evan and Kyrie come face-to-face with a ‘red monster’. Evan’s attempts to get rid of it backfire when he shoots and blows up their own truck. Then Kyrie starts to sink into the water, now seemingly turning black.
CI: red, dog-like monster (Red XIII)

35. While following Evan in the helicopter, Rude and Reno reveal that it had been Doyle who was listening in on them, thinking Shinra were up to no good. When Fabio heard about the helicopter, he decided to take it to help Evan. Meanwhile Tseng and Elena are at a beach house in the newly rejuvenated Under Junon when they hear commotion outside. A young girl has been brought to the town by a talking red beast, which Tseng recognises as Red XIII. Tseng goes to the office of the town doctor, Dr. Eugene, and recognises the girl as Kyrie.

When Tseng goes back to Dr. Eugene’s, Kyrie has left. He finds her talking to a young man behind the doctor’s office. The boy has the same silver hair and the same eyes as Sephiroth–he introduces himself as Kadaj. He goes to shake Tseng’s hand, and as Kadaj leaves, both Kyrie and Tseng collapse. When they come to, Tseng warns Kyrie not to trust Kadaj, who Kyrie saw as an old acquaintance she thought had died in a fire, if he should appear again.

Reno and Rude, having found Evan, are bringing him to Junon. Tseng will use Evan and Kyrie in their search for Jenova.
CI: Dr. Eugene, Kadaj
Mentions: the former Turks, Hojo

36. On the helicopter ride to Junon, Evan sees Nanaki outside and thinks back on how he saved Kyrie and him. When they reach Junon, Kyrie, who thinks the Turks had something to do with Fabio’s death, suggests they try to escape. Their plan is cut short as soon as it began when Elena shoots Evan in the shoulder. While in Dr Eugene’s, Evan has a ‘dream’ where he sees Fabio, who touches the site of his injury. When he regains consciousness, Kyrie explains that he had been in surgery for five hours and in bed for two days, and the doctor said he might never get the full use of his arm back. However, Evan feels no pain or discomfort in his arm at all.

37. Although Evan is ready to give up on looking for his mother, Reno suggests to Tseng that they just whip him over to Nibelheim in the helicopter. Tseng agrees to this, but it is himself and Elena who will be going. Reno and Rude are to take over Tseng and Elena’s duties and wait for their former coworkers to report in.

38. Dr. Eugene is surprised to see Evan out of bed. His shoulder had been shattered, he should be in tremendous pain moving around, and he was supposed to be in restraints that he couldn’t have gotten out of himself. Elena tells them that the Turks will take them to Nibelheim. Evan no longer cares, but Kyrie wants to go to look for Gould Arde.

39. When they reach Nibelheim they are confronted by suspicious villagers and a bearded man with a guy–who Kyrie soon recognises as Gould Arde. He explains that Tyran Arde is his step-father, his real father having died in the war. They had never really been that close, and Gould has no plans on reuniting with Tyran.

As Evan is ready to leave, Kyrie asks Gould about Annette Townshend. He reveals that Foley had been distressed because, while he had feelings for Annette, she would not accept him because her son didn’t like him. Annette had stayed in Nibelheim not even a week before leaving due to work, before the day the Lifestream destroyed Meteor. Annette had been in charge of tending to the test subjects living in the village. Gould gives them a letter sent to Foley by Annette. The letter had been sent from Icicle Inn. Evan and Kyrie return to the helicopter and head north.
CI: Gould Arde

40. Back in Junon, Reno and Rude are still waiting for the old Turks when Doyle and Leslie arrive. They’ve come looking for Evan. The day before he died, Fabio had taken Vits to the doctor where he was told that Evan needed to be looked at urgently. Fabio considered Shinra the reason for his parents’ death, so would not just ask them for the helicopter and instead tried to steal it. Rude says they are going to go look for Evan.

41. While Tseng and Elena wait in the helicopter, Evan and Kyrie visit Icicle Inn. They go to the guesthouse to enquire about Annette Townshend, but the lady at the desk doesn’t know anything. However, she says the proprietress might, but that she isn’t in today. Evan and Kyrie stay at the guesthouse, and while Kyrie goes to get some things from the shop, Evan reads the letter from Annette. It reveals that the money she left at home was for Evan to have an operation. Annette had taken the job of being a ‘villager’ in Nibelheim for one year, with the possible penalty of death if she disclosed any secrets she learnt, in order to get money to pay for Evan’s operation. She sent her contract back to Foley when it seemed she was going to be staying away from Nibelheim for longer.

When Kyrie comes back, there is a knock at the door. The proprietress, Windey, has come to talk with Evan. Back in the helicopter, Tseng and Elena are listening in through a bug planted in Evan’s bag. Windey tells them about the strange people in black who appeared in the village two years earlier. Annette had come to take them back, but by the time she got there they had all headed further north. But two months later, Annette returned, saying she needed to carry out her work, and headed into the snow fields. She never came back. Windey tells Evan he shouldn’t go looking in the snow fields, as the eruption of Lifestream has left crevasses all over, many hidden by the snow.

Meanwhile Reno and Rude ask about Evan and the others at Nibelheim, but are met with an unwelcoming reception. As they are taking off, Reno notices another set of landing marks on the ground. He tries to contact Tseng, but to no avail.

Back at Icicle Inn, Tseng and Elena are now in the room adjacent to Evan and Kyrie’s, listening in on their conversation. Kyrie suggests Evan goes to Junon to find the doctor his mother mentioned, Dimitri. Tseng recognises the name–Dr. Eugene Dimitri.
CI: Windey, receptionist

42. When Evan and Kyrie seem to have come to the end of their conversation, Elena suggests Tseng gets some rest. He refuses and suggests Elena do so instead, but she seems to have little intention to do so. Tseng goes to the window and looks out… And there is that silver-haired young man looking directly at him. He makes up an excuse and goes outside.

While Kyrie is in the shower, Evan hears a knock at the window. Thinking it must be Tseng or Elena he goes over and wipes the condensation away to find ‘Fabio’ standing there. He tells Evan to come outside and talk to him, or else he’ll kill Kyrie. Evan goes, unarmed, out of the guesthouse. Elena soon follows him. Tseng makes it to the spot he saw Kadaj, but there are not even footprints where he was.

‘Fabio’ leads Evan to a small guards’ hut, where he says he wants to show Evan something. It’s the picture of Jenova he had seen in Dr. Drake’s office. There’s dark stains all over the picture–blood. Suddenly it’s Dr. Drake standing before him. He tells Evan how he had learnt Jenova was in the Shinra Building from the real Drake, only to find nothing there. He returned to Drake, feeling betrayed. For a second he saw in front of him a silver-haired man. He says it was him who took away Evan’s pain, thinking he would know something about Jenova. Taking the form of Evan’s mother, Kadaj undoes what he did before, leaving Evan in agonising pain.

Tseng finds Evan on the floor of the guards’ hut, but is attacked by Kadaj. Kadaj disappears when he realises that Tseng doesn’t know where Jenova is either. Elena follows the footsteps in the snow to Tseng and Evan.

43. With Tseng and Elena going to search for Kadaj, Evan rushes back to the guesthouse to check on Kyrie. Outside the room he hears voices coming from inside. Kyrie is talking with her old friend, Kadaj. But then there’s a gunshot, and Evan opens the door to find the silver-haired boy he’d seen before on the floor. Kyrie fires again and the man on reception comes rushing to see what is happening. Out of nowhere, Kadaj now has a sword in his hand, threatening to kill them. They manage to get out of the building, but Kadaj is right there, outside and in front of them. They start running but Kyrie stops. The guesthouse is on fire. Evan pulls Kyrie back up and heads for the entrance to the village.

Tseng and Elena had returned to the helicopter. Tseng is checking a rocket launcher as he asks Elena to contact Reno and Rude; turns out she already had let on where they were, and that the other helicopter is on its way now. Elena takes off towards the village, where Evan and Kyrie have just reached the guards’ hut as the helicopter reaches the village, when suddenly Kadaj leaps from the ground and onto the helicopter. As the helicopter begins to move north, Evan suggests that they can beat Kadaj.

44. Over the snow fields, Tseng and Elena are still fighting Kadaj, while Evan and Kyrie try to keep up. Evan has a plan to get Kadaj using the crevasses as a trap. But when looking up to find him, they hear a voice in front of them. Kadaj is standing there, and provokes Kyrie to lunge at him. Kadaj leaps out of the way, and Evan grabs Kyrie’s hand before she slipped. But suddenly, the snow beneath her feet crumbles away, leaving her hanging on to Evan’s hand. Just then Kadaj offers to help. Evan, unable to pull Kyrie up on his own, agrees. But Kadaj simply stabs Evan in the shoulder, as Kyrie falls to the bottom of the crevasse.

In the helicopter, Tseng is looking down on Kadaj, standing over Evan. He tells Elena to fire a missile. Elena hesitates and asks Tseng if he is serious, but Tseng gives the same reply.

Reno and Rude, along with Doyle and Leslie, arrive at their destination. Elena tells them to get ready to attack. Reno sets up a machine gun, but when he finally sees that Evan is down there, he is not willing to follow Tseng’s orders to fire. After Rude says a ‘malfunction’ cut off the radio, Tseng tells Elena that they will attack alone. He tells Elena to preform the attack, but she instead insists on piloting the helicopter.

Down on the ground, Evan hears Kyrie’s voice calling him. After Kadaj removes the blade from his shoulder, Evan slides himself towards the crevasse.

Rude spots Kyrie in the crevasse about 3 metres down, still alive. Leslie and Doyle try to shoot down Kadaj with the machine gun, hoping that with him gone they can save Evan and Kyrie. The bullets hit Kadaj, but have no effect, then he disappears. Reno and Rude turn to find him standing on the nose of the helicopter. He stabs the windscreen, shattering the glass. Rude veers the helicopter to the side and throws Leslie and Doyle out. He then takes the helicopter up higher, but Kadaj has gone. He’s now sitting in the back of the helicopter. Reno and Rude both jump from the helicopter. Once they’ve escaped, Tseng fires a missile at the other helicopter and explodes it.

45. Evan reaches Kyrie, but the force of the explosion cracks the ice apart and they both fall into the depth of the crevasse. However, they find themselves in a strange, bright white place surrounded by voices–the Lifestream. Eventually Evan wakes up to find himself and Kyrie in a pipe-like tunnel of ice, made two years ago when the Lifestream erupted. They make their way through this maze, looking for a way out.

Tseng tells Reno that he and Elena are going back to Under Junon, while Rude is going to Healin to get the third helicopter, in order to collect Reno, Doyle and Leslie who are looking for Evan and Kyrie.

Evan and Kyrie hit a dead-end, but Kyrie notices several shapes just ahead. They are bodies, all dressed in black, frozen and preserved. Also there is the body of Annette Townshend. When Kyrie checks her, she finds some letters she was carrying: a report to Foley about the escapee test subjects, a personal letter to Foley, and a note to Evan. Just as they are leaving, they notice one more item, a small warm mass wrapped in Annette’s handkerchief.

But as soon as they’ve turned around, they hear Kadaj’s voice behind them. As they try to outrun him they pass a hole leading into the Lifestream. Evan suggests that they jump in, but then the handkerchief falls to the ground and unravels. Inside is a piece of Jenova’s flesh. As Kadaj tries to grab it, Evan kicks it into the Lifestream. Kadaj jumps in to get it, but eventually is consumed by the Lifestream and vanishes into particles of light. Not long after, Leslie, Doyle and Reno find them.

Mentions: Vincent Valentine, Cid Highwind, Barrett Wallace
Test subjects: Kaitlin Starks, Edmond Starks, Trevor Shaun, Ezra Monty, Ian Modeus, Rick Fergus, Lisa Tutti, Senna York

46. The epilogue started off straight where the last chapter left off, but soon moves ahead to the end of/just after AC. Evan, Kyrie and Vits are now living together, and when the Lifestream spring appears in the church, they take Vits there to get cured.

No real cliffhangers, story over.

Also, a brief addendum: Cloud, Tifa, Marlene and Denzel briefly appear in the epilogue, where they converse with Evan, Kyrie and Vits outside the church. It’s mentioned that Cloud and co. will be holding a get-together at Seventh Heaven (AVALANCHE’s reunion party, when the new photo from AC/C’s ending was taken).

And with that, the summary is concluded.

We hope you enjoyed it, and have gained something of a handle on the new story. We also hope your appetite has been whet for hitoshura’s upcoming complete translation.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned. =)

And if you've wondered why Cloud hasn't smiled much in the Compilation, here's your answer.

Forum member Brooke dug up some old FF7 previews from August of 1997 and was kind enough to share them with us. If you were already a Final Fantasy fan then, you might enjoy the nostalgia of the excitement that had been absolutely ravaging the West after the game’s January Japanese release. If you were not, it’s a pretty fascinating look at just how beside themselves people were to play this game. Also included is the preview of Final Fantasy Tactics, another imminent release at the time, as well as a truly prophetic piece about gaming and the third dimension.

Well, it would appear that fanfics haven’t gotten any better.

I’ve never seen that shirt anywhere in my travels, it’s too bad “Sears Funtronics” doesn’t exist anymore, I’d try it out – expiration date notwithstanding. Also, it never occurred to me before how identical Alucard is to Sephiroth! And look how much Sony’s focus on 3D games hurt them through the PS1 generation and beyond… That said, it is rather interesting, considering how hard Sony just pushed a new kind of 3D at E3 in 2011.

  This is especially interesting, though. It’s an interview with all the big names (Sakaguchi, Nomura, Hashimoto, Naora, Uematsu) about FF7. It’s neat to just see how young they look, much less the thoughts behind the improvements the North American release saw over the Japanese. I’m amazed they mention the “resurrection of a certain character,” and how about VII’s development time (3 years) and that the next entry would be finished “sometime next year.” Those were the days, all right.

We hope you enjoyed this nostalgia trip and/or history lesson, and again a big thanks to forum member Brooke for providing us with it.

Tis the season folks. No, not that silly stuff with the trees and the lights and the what have you, but the season of FF7! Today marks the beginning of the story of Final Fantasy 7. It started on December 9th, and lasted until the sometime near the end of January. Don’t believe me? Check out our FF7 timeline, it’ll set you straight.

So, to commemorate the season, Tennyo, Forcestealer, and myself, Ryushikaze, naturally decided to ignore the game entirely and skip two years into the future for Advent Children Complete!

That’s right, we’ve recorded a full length audio commentary track for Advent Children Complete. This two hour treat is ready and waiting for download. Everything from philosophy, to continuity shout outs to just plain nonsense can be found in this commentary for the low low price of free.

So what are you waiting for? Download the commentary, load it up, and get ready to enjoy Advent Children Complete in a whole new way.

It won’t hurt. We swear.

Download the commentary now!

Read this article, that’s what!

I’m going to take all the work out of it on your end and lay everything out for you, the fans, to digest in a simple, easy-to-follow manner. So, the next time you’re in a debate about FFVII with HeartlessAngel527 or FlowerGoddess777 and they begin to reference Cloud’s wing, Aerith waiting around for a certain spikey-haired emo kid, or other stuff you know doesn’t belong, you can go all Phoenix Wright on them.

So, click “Read the rest of this entry” and let’s get started.

The Canon
First, let’s list in order of publication all the FFVII games that have come out since 1997 and the release of the original FFVII:
-Before Crisis (2004)
-Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding (2005)
-Dirge of Cerberus (2006)
-Dirge of Cerberus Lost Episode (2006)
-Crisis Core (2007)

Next, we’ll list all FFVII movies, also in their order of publication:
-Advent Children (2005)
-Last Order (2005)
-Advent Children Complete (2009)
-On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel (2009)

Next up, a list of FFVII novels and novellas:
-The diary-like entries by several characters in the FFVII Kaitai Shinsho The Complete guide book (1997)
-Maiden Who Travels the Planet (2005)
-On the Way to a Smile:
Case of Denzel (2005)
Case of Tifa (2005)
Case of Barret (2007)
Case of Tifa (revised edition; 2009)
Case of Yuffie (2009)
Case of Nanaki (2009)
Case of Shin-Ra (2009)
Case of the Lifestream Black (2009)
Case of the Lifestream White (2009)
-Lateral Biography TURKS -The Kids Are Alright- (2011)

Finally, a list of other games that include FFVII characters or plot elements also found in FFVII:
-Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)
-Ehrgeiz (1998)
-Chocobo Racing (1999)
-Final Fantasy X (2001)
-Kingdom Hearts series (began in 2002)
-Final Fantasy X-2 (2003)
-Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special (2004)
-Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable (2006)
-Dissidia Final Fantasy series (began in 2008)

Before going into the whys and wherefores concerning some titles being canon and others not, I will now give you the list of titles that are canon to the FFVII story:
-Before Crisis
-Dirge of Cerberus
-Crisis Core
-Advent Children Complete
-On the Way to a Smile (all of them)
-Lateral Biography TURKS -The Kids Are Alright-
-Final Fantasy Tactics
-Final Fantasy X
-Final Fantasy X-2
-Dissidia Final Fantasy series

Now, let’s move on to those whys and wherefores. First, let’s refresh on what the term “canon” means.

What does “canon” mean?
The word is derived from the Greek word “kanon,” meaning “rule,” “standard” or “measure.” Itself derived from the Hebrew word “kaneh,” it first came into use in its modern meaning from the councils who decided the ecclesiastical laws and official texts of the Catholic Church, those becoming the canon laws and texts.

Eventually adapted from that concept, canon for a fictional universe — or the franchise that depicts it — is what is considered to be the official continuity. For an illustration of this concept, let’s turn to the franchise that pioneered criteria for determining such matters where fictional universes are concerned.

Meet George Lucas, or Your Lord And Savior as he likes to be called

“Star Wars” is George Lucas’s creation, and — being officially licensed creations as they are — while he might take elements added to the so-called Expanded Universe of “Star Wars” by other authors, only those titles with direct involvement or approval from Lucas himself are considered the “absolute canon, the real story of ‘Star Wars’” as Stephen J. Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm, has referred to it. Though distinctions may become difficult at times due to the Expanded Universe featuring a great many products that are all officially licensed by Lucasfilm even while Lucas himself has no direct involvement in their creation (consequently, the overall franchise has a tiered hierarchy with levels of canonicity rather than a strictly in-or-out policy), comments from Lucas in the May 2008 issue of “Total Film” magazine make the matter quite simple: “… the movies and TV shows are all under my control and they are consistent within themselves.”

With that comment as the basis for determining absolute “Star Wars” canon, the overall definitive canon of the franchise is the seven films (“The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones,” “The Clone Wars,” “Revenge of the Sith,” “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”), as well as the animated series “Star Wars: Droids,” “Star Wars: Ewoks,” and both the “Clone Wars” and “The Clone Wars.”

Information from interviews with Lucas or his production notes also fall under this umbrella, as do any deleted scenes from the films that are not in conflict with the final products. In the event of new Lucas-involved media — including rereleases of past films — that introduce new material or contradict previous facts, the newer material is considered to replace the old, and the most current vision of events becomes the new canon.

Though there is disagreement among fans about the exact mechanics of it all where Expanded Universe titles are concerned, a simple standard often followed is that EU titles can be considered in-continuity so long as they do not contradict established facts from the Lucas-involved works. However, due to his lack of involvement, they are at risk for being written out of continuity altogether — “decanonized” is the term often used — in the event that Lucas puts out a new work with elements that don’t correlate to those in the EU material. Without the overall protection of being a work from Lucas himself, those elements of contradiction call into question the rest of the work, and — unless otherwise afforded a place in the official continuity by a comment to that effect from Lucas — the entire work itself is considered struck from canon, or decanonized.

Lucas himself keeps the concept even more simple than that. As far as he’s concerned, there’s two “Star Wars” continuities — the universe he works on, and the parallel Expanded Universe, which includes all the details of his own continuity, as well as those added by other authors. As he put it in an August 2005 interview with “Starlog” magazine, “When I said [other people] could make their own ‘Star Wars’ stories, we decided that, like ‘Star Trek’, we would have two universes: My universe and then this other one.”

I know a fast way to increase the Midichlorian count in your bloodstream

Due to examining the “Star Wars” franchise, we’re unavoidably getting a bit far afield of the idea in its most general terms, so the concept of canon as it applies to fiction is best summarized as follows: it is the official continuity of a fictional universe as recognized by the franchise’s owners and/or creators, in which the most recent depiction of events is considered to be the current version.

Obviously, it can become a bit tricky for situations where the original creator no longer holds ownership rights to the creation and it’s then taken in different directions than the creator intended, but these standards generally work pretty well. Also, while one might think it becomes more difficult to make determinations about canon when dealing with products such as Final Fantasy VII, where the finished product was the work of several core creators and is also owned by a company that they merely work for, it can actually be much easier, for reasons we’re about to see.

Now that we have a standard for determining canonicity, we’ll begin applying it to the various FFVII-related media in order to establish why the list given earlier is the definitive canon of the franchise.

Entitled Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu, the album will commemorate Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu’s music with a wide range of creative and evocative piano arrangements. The album promises to demonstrate Nuss’ virtuoso technique and will transfer his emotional connection with the music to the audience. To be released this summer, it will be the first time game music has ever been commemorated by a major classical label and promises to be the greatest game music piano album ever released.

While still at the start of a promising career, Nuss already has several eminent recordings behind him. Last year, he recorded Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G with the WDR Radio Orchestra and performed Shimomura’s Kingdom Hearts fantasia at the game music concert Symphonic Fantasies – Music from Square Enix. Now 21, he is signed to the world’s biggest record label, Universal Music, and aims to appeal to game music fans and classical listeners alike with his most momentous production to date.

Classics from Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy VI to Final Fantasy IX will headline the album. The composer’s latest RPG scores will also feature, alongside a surprising tribute to one of his first composition works. While the majority of the arrangements are dedicated to specific pieces, listeners should also expect three expansive suites, dedicated to Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and, of course, Final Fantasy VII. Readers should check back in coming days for full details on the track listings for the album. Featuring wonderful melodies, pioneering arrangers, and a passionate pianist, Benyamin Nuss Plays Uematsu is the most ambitious game music piano production of all time and looks set to at last bridge the worlds of classical and game music. The album will be released by Universal Music on September 17, 2010.

A big thanks to Square Enix Music for bringing us this interesting bit of info. This album sounds like pure awesomesauce to me. Check out the link to their site for more info on Benyamin Nuss and his career.

Actually, this post might better be characterized as a follow-up to the “Love Triangle Debate- over” article that Ryushikaze posted a couple of days ago. That article included selected translations from the section which I am now posting a translation of in its entirety.

I think you’ll find that the ramifications for the Love Triangle Debate are even more obvious when you can read the entire page. Do enjoy.

FOR THE ONE I LOVE
Through the long journeys, the love of the protagonists develop. Occasionally they become separated, but the two’s value to one another gives them the great strength to overcome whatever crisis may come.

III – The diligent soldier and the meek princess
The love between the soldier and princess of Sasune Castle was divided by social status; Ingus tried to supress his feelings, but Sara would not hide hers.

IV – World just for the two of us
When rescuing Rosa, Cecil frankly declares his true feelings. The two reunited, they tightly embrace for all eyes to see.

VI – Result of the chance encounter
The imperial general and the anti-empire organization member — Celes and Locke’s relation to one another is like ships passing in the night; it’s a long period before they get to communicate their feelings completely.

VII – Secret date
At the Gold Saucer, Cloud receives an invitation from one of his companions. Who comes around with the invitation is dependent on Cloud’s behavior.

VII – The night before the final battle
Thanks to Tifa, Cloud regains himself, and before the final battle with Sephiroth, without using words, he confirms with her that their feelings match.

VIII – Witch Rinoa’s knight
Just before she can be sealed due to being a witch, Squall retakes Rinoa. “I don’t care that you’re a witch” are his words to her, putting her mind at ease.

IX – For the one I must protect
Beatrix becomes the woman to whom Steiner will let no harm befall. For his homeland’s protection and for hers, Steiner brandishes his sword.

IX – Guidance on an investigation of life
Zidane left the company of his companions in front of the Iifa Tree. He survived for the sake of going back to “the place I’ll return to someday,” where the one he loves was waiting for him.

X – Macalania Spring
Yuna is betrayed by the temples she had completely believed in and had made the foundation of her life. Tidus decides to comfort her in this way.

Extra Thread
Scenes involving “love” other than romantic love
In the “FF” series, there’s not just the romantic love between men and women; there are various forms of love depicted. In “FFV,” there’s familial love between Galuf and Krile, as well as the brotherly love between Edgar and Sabin depicted in “FFVI”; and in “FFIX,” there’s an instance of love between Eiko and Mog that goes beyond race. Also, in “FFVI,” there’s the scene where Terra recovers her ability to fight and comes to understand the emotion called “love”; when talking about “love,” this is a scene that shouldn’t be left out.

During the event where Terra recovers her ability to fight, she regains her power and says “I’ll fight to protect the people I love”; she then throws herself back into battle.

Final Fantasy Seven’s love triangle debate has been raging for the better part of twelve years now, and caused no end of interfandom tensions. For those of you unfamiliar with the whole debacle, I first congratulate you on your luck in remaining free, and I next explain that it is the debate over which of Tifa or Aerith Cloud Strife loves. Many a year, and countless hypotheses have been spent trying to argue that Cloud and Tifa are not a couple despite all the best evidence, and that Cloud and Aerith have a relationship despite the latter’s unfortunate condition. For some time, the love triangle debate has been in what could aptly be described as its death throes. Today, hopefully, we can perform a mercy killing.

Just this morning, our translator Tres dias, who is translating the FFVIII keywords and character profiles, who co-wrote the Dissidia FAQ with Mako Eyes, and who has written a comprehensive FAQ on this subject, received the Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Ultimania Scenario in the mail. He wanted me to be the one to make this post, and it is my honor to now provide you with his scans, and translations, of page 394 of the guidebook, on ‘For the one I love.’

The header to this section reads

Of direct interest to we fans of Final Fantasy Seven, however, are two images and their associated text, which we have provided, zoomed in on, so those playing at home can check our work.

First, is a picture discussing the Gold Saucer date. The text describing it reads

Secret date

At the Gold Saucer, Cloud receives an invitation from one of his companions. Who comes around with the invitation is dependent on Cloud’s behavior.

Nothing so amazing, no, all it tells us is that the date itself is up to player control, so no one version is ‘official,’ but the next section is not only what hopefully will make for a swift end to the LTD, but also confirms a scenario I have been arguing in favor of for quite a number of years.

As you can see, the image is of Cloud and Tifa’s night under the Highwind. That on a page entitled ‘for the one I love’ is very conclusive in its own right. The text, however, takes it a step further, and reads

The night before the final battle

Thanks to Tifa, Cloud regains himself, and before the final battle with Sephiroth, without using words, he confirms with her that their feelings match.

Read that again. ‘without using words, [Cloud] confirms with [Tifa] that their feelings match.’ So, not only can we unequivocally state that these matching feelings are those of love, but that these feelings of love are confirmed without words. In other words, physically. So, yes, there was almost certainly sex under the Highwind that night. I do not wish to bore everyone with a regurgitation of all the related materials, but this does confirm  that yes, Cloud and Tifa’s relationship past this point are that of lovers. And that, my friends, settles the Love Triangle. Even if you don’t want to believe it.

Also of note is that this page shows all the other ‘canon’ couples in the main parties, Ingus and Sara, Cecil and Rosa, Locke and Celes, Squall and Rinoa, Steiner and Beatrix, Zidane and Garnet, and Tidus and Yuna in their moments of revelation. So Cloud and Tifa are certainly in good company, hugging together underneath the Highwind along all the other canon couples of Final Fantasy.

One last thing, before I go. I have one thought, from Tres himself, that he asked me to relate to everyone. That thought is, “All that’s left to say is: Abandon ‘ship!” Wise words indeed, since that ship has been undeniably sunk, if you’ll pardon the pun, by canon.

UPDATE: If you wish to see the translation of the page as a whole, please follow this link to Tres’s translations of what the rest of this page says about revelation of romantic feelings in other games, and what the box in the lower right says about displays of non-romantic feelings.

The final round of voting has ended, and the most memorable moment of the Compilation of FFVII has been decided. Throughout the contest, there seemed to have been a decisive struggle between Zack and Aerith’s death vying for the number one spot in each bracket of voting. Now, a decisive winner has emerged from this…..lover’s postmortem rivalry. (A big thanks to our forum user Glaurung for this hilarious and adorable fanart XD)

In the end, Zack’s death and Cloud’s inheritance of the Buster Sword was voted the most memorable moment of the Compilation of FFVII.

Aerith’s death was a close second.

Zack’s DMW destruction in Crisis Core was third place.

And Cloud tossing Sephiroth into the Mako Pit in the Nibelheim Reactor was fourth place.

Were these the results you were expecting? I for one am a bit surprised, but then again not really. Favorite character death usually ends up as one of the most memorable moments in a fan’s perception of a franchise. A big thanks to our users for voicing their opinion and participating in this amusing and rather surprising look into the tastes of FFVII fans here. What will our next vote and contest be about next? Hmm… I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.

So the final vote for the most memorable moment of the Compilation of FFVII begins now. Which moment has had the most impact amongst the fans of the Compilation? Well…it’s now a final match between these four events. Below you’ll find the ranking results of the previous vote. Now we’ll see which moment is most memorable of all.

Zack’s Death and Cloud taking the Buster Sword was number 1 again.

Aerith’s death in the Forgotten Capital was number 2 once more.

Zack’s DMW destruction during the final battle against the MPs in Crisis Core made it to 3rd.

Cloud throwing Sephiroth into the Mako pit in Nibelheim was 4th place.

All these moments are truly memorable..but it looks like this is shaping up to be a match up of death between Zack and Aerith. It’s almost something like…a lovers’ quarrel here!

But with the vote only being between 4 moments, it really can’t be decided so easily, can it? Any moment could steal it at this point.

If you want your vote counted, be sure to register at the forums and let your voice be heard!

After much voting, and a few delays, the results of our first poll have been tallied and gathered. And some of what users nominated and voted for the most memorable moments of the Compilation are quite surprising.

The moments that made it into the top ten will proceed to the next tier of voting to see which moment is the most memorable of all. Below you’ll find the results of which moments made the cuts, the moments that didn’t, and the personal commentary of members who picked out these events for their memorability. So enjoy, and see what ends up making the cut next time, when only the top four are selected.

Moment Number 10: The heroes return to the Highwind after being ordered by Cloud to discover their reason for fighting.

“Recall a time when you had never played Final Fantasy VII before. Remember how it felt to experience the story as it unfolded for the first time, knowing what lay ahead no more than Cloud and the others did. Think back to the thrill of the highway escape from Midgar, the pleasure of countless hours at the Gold Saucer, the sadness of Aerith’s death, the lump in your stomach as Cloud was forced to face his past at the Northern Crater, and the heart warming emotions as the real events of Nibelheim were discovered.

Do you remember?

Do you remember how it felt that first magical time?

It was a journey of the mind, not just for the characters, but for ourselves. Connecting with them as if we existed in that world? Breathing as they breathed, learning as they learned, feeling as they felt.

These people we have come to know and love so well over the last decade were once upon a time stranger to us. But, that first time we lived through their struggle; their loss was our loss; and we were side by side with them when Aerith died, when Cloud was lost, and when Shinra fell.

Remember now Cloud’s speech on the Highwind. Meteor was one week away from destroying them, and Sephiroth stood between them and the Planet’s salvation. Recall that first time you saw it. You didn’t know how things would end. You didn’t know how the party would react. Cloud sent each of them away to rediscover what they fought for. Was it a person? Was it a memory? Was it a heritage?

The journey had seen many changes for the characters;
- For Barret, the Shinra were no more, and he yearned to be with his daughter.
- For Nanaki, his role as protector of Cosmo Canyon was all the more important with the passing of Bugenhagen.
- For Reeve, the evacuation and survival of the citizens of Midgar held priority.
- For Yuffie, Shinra’s defeat and inheritance of Materia signaled the
restoration of Wutai’s pride.
- For Vincent, getting his revenge on Hojo and being reunited with a lost love was all that had mattered.
- For Cid, he achieved his dream of flying into space, discovering at the same time how valuable his relationship with Shera was.

Only Cloud and Tifa remained with their goal unfulfilled. Sephiroth was still alive. He had killed their families, their friends; he had even killed Aerith. He had to pay for his crimes.

Now, as the sun rose on that fateful day, the Highwind hovered silently above the plains, empty but for two childhood friends who were prepared to go on alone. Prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the Planet.

Remember how it felt to see them alone on the bridge, realizing then that the others had fulfilled their dreams; had achieved their goals. Then remember how it felt to see them reappear, one by one, swearing their allegiance to the cause, determined not to give up on their friends.

Determined not to give up for the ones they loved.

Remember that first time. When you couldn’t help but grin as the characters you had come to know and love reunited, strengthening the theme of companionship of which you had become a part of. Remember how it made you feel.

Now all that remained was Sephiroth, and the climax to the journey that had captured your very heart.

That i why I nominated this moment as the most memorable of Final Fantasy VII. ” -S&G

Moment Number 9: The ending of FFVII where Red XIII appears 500 years later with two cubs looking on a Midgar.

“What happened?! I saw Holy and Meteor react, our fallen comrade’s face…and then credits? Did Holy kill all the humans or not?!” These are the thoughts that raced through the heads of those beating FF7 for the first time. After the credits rolled they saw the words ’500 Years Later,’ to the familiar tribal beat of the Cosmo Canyon drums.

As the camera descends from the heavens, we see movement across a rocky landscape that is quickly clear to be Nanaki, but what are those behind him? The camera pulls in and we get a closer view of Nanaki, clearly aged, but he still exudes power and now with a generous dose of wisdom. Behind him follow cubs. The cubs of the creature thought to be the last of his kind. For any fan of Nanaki, this alone is cause for the scene’s memorability. Soon the family bounds up the cliff face and roars at the top. The camera sweeps around similar to how it did around the petrified Seto to reveal Midgar.

The polluted capital of the Shinra Empire is now covered with foliage and greenery, the cold metal is only visible at parts. So, are all the humans dead? Did they learn to live with nature? Did they simply abandon Midgar and live elsewhere? A flock of birds swoops above to the laughter of children. This laughter seems to suggest humankind is still around but it was still debatable until the release of the Compilation.

This scene is so iconic that Final Fantasy VII Advent Children opened with it in beautiful high quality graphics and the rest of the Compilation has added to it. Firstly, Before Crisis revealed the likely source of the cubs, Deneh, another member of his tribe.

However, perhaps the most significant addition to the meaning of the scene comes from the Case of Nanaki in On the Way to a Smile. In it Nanaki laments that he will outlive all his friends to which the ageless Vincent Valentine tells him that he’ll be around just as long, at least. Then the two heroes agree to meet once per year on the outskirts of Midgar. This instantly directs our thoughts to one of those days 500 years into the future as Nanaki travels with his children to meet his very old friend.” -Forcestealer

Moment Number 8: Red XIII learns the truth about his father and sees Seto shed tears while petrified.

“The scene of Nanaki learning the truth of his father from Bugenhagen was one of the most emotional and defining moments of Nanaki’s character in FFVII. As Nanaki’s entire understanding of his family’s past were changed in that instant, the grief, pride, and love exhibited in that scene were palatable. What once was hatred and loathing for a cowardly father, turned to love, admiration, and pride towards a warrior who sacrificed his own life to ensure the safety of his mother and all the residents of Cosmo Canyon. The heartfelt scene was only punctuated by the silent tears shed by Seto’s petrified body, as if Seto’s soul found peace in knowing that his son finally understood and accepted him as his father.”

Moment Number 7: Cloud’s Crossdressing escapade in Wall Market

“The cross dressing sequence in wall market is a memorable scene in the compilation of FF7, but mostly, for all the wrong reasons. People focus on the humor of Cloud being in drag, which is memorable, but it’s memorable for the same reasons ‘This guy are sick’ is memorable for. Why it should be memorable, is what it tells us about Cloud. No, not that he enjoys dressing in drag. He’s actually quite opposed to the idea, only agreeing to it because it’s to save Tifa.

What this scene does is tell us, in a lighthearted way, that Cloud is a man who will do anything for the people he cares about, no matter how personally he dislikes it, that he will go the extra mile for his friends and family, doing everything he thinks he can. It gives us a peak into the mindset of the true Cloud that we will get to meet later, the Cloud hiding behind his true self, and provide as an introduction to the mindset that guides his action throughout the compilation. In short, it is memorable because it is funny, but it deserves to be memorable because it tells us in a very sly, and yes, amusing factor, that Cloud is someone who will go all out to help those he cares for if he’s able, in stark contrast to the military hard-ass he is pretending to be.”

Moment Number 6: Cloud throwing Sephiroth into the Mako pit in Nibelheim.

“‘No way.’

That was my reaction the first time I saw Cloud defeat Sephiroth in the original Final Fantasy VII.

Not when he defeated him at the end of the game, where he fought with the strength of a SOLDIER. Rather, this reaction was to the revelation of the truth of what had taken place in Nibelheim five years ago.

It’s not even like I didn’t know it was coming. Like so many others playing their first Final Fantasy, I was using the official strategy guide, published by BradyGames and written by David Cassady.

I’d spoiled myself on some of the upcoming details by reading ahead. I’d seen the line that reads, ‘He bested Sephiroth and saved Tifa and Zack’s lives.’ I knew Cloud was able to beat Sephiroth somehow.

I didn’t know yet that he threw him into the bottom of Nibelheim’s mako reactor, though — and I definitely didn’t know that the two actually fought. My assumption was that Cloud simply took Sephiroth by surprise and wounded him, leading to Sephiroth fleeing, not to be seen again for five years.

After all, the strategy guide had also said, ‘Sephiroth defeats Zack, but Cloud grabs his sword and sneaks up on Sephiroth as he’s reaching for Jenova.’

The Mideel Sequence was already significant before this revelation. At that juncture in the story, the mystery of who Cloud really was still lingered, but was finally being unraveled. Sephiroth’s lies at the Reunion were being revealed for what they were.

Until this point, it had seemed they may be true. At any rate, neither Tifa nor Cloud could dispute them. Hojo even corroborated them. Cloud certainly believed them.

This portion of the story was already resolving the game’s primary mystery — but the biggest surprises lay ahead.

My expectations for what was coming were completely blown away. Tifa gets wounded by Sephiroth, as we’d seen before in the Kalm flashback, but then — instead of Cloud arriving on the scene, as shown prior — his friend Zack, SOLDIER 1st Class, shows up … only to be defeated as well. A particularly intense moment follows in which Cloud runs Zack’s sword through an unsuspecting Sephiroth and reveals that he’d been there all along, his face hidden behind the helmet of a regular Shin-Ra soldier.

The mystery of Cloud’s identity was solved — he was real, and he’d been in Nibelheim. As exhilarating as this sequence was, an even more intense development awaited players just two minutes later.

Cloud mistakenly believed he’d delivered a killing blow to Sephiroth. To his surprise, the villain emerged from Jenova’s room a moment later, her head in tow and his attention focused on escaping. Not even attempting to fight, Sephiroth, though severely wounded, made for the exit.

As this comrade who had turned on him left the room, the injured Zack made a request: “Cloud… Kill Sephiroth….” And with that, the regular Shin-Ra soldier, who lacked both Jenova cells and mako enhancement, set out to finish what the 1st Class SOLDIER could not.

And he succeeded.

As Cloud confronted Sephiroth on a catwalk overlooking the bottom of the mako reactor, Sephiroth quickly turned and impaled Cloud with the Masamune. He then lifted his “defeated” foe, who still dangled on the blade, into the air, confident of his victory — but only for a short moment. Activated by Cloud’s rage over the loss of his hometown, the loss of his mother, and the injuries to his friend as well as his secret love — what could only be called a Limit Break emerged from Cloud as he grabbed the blade of Sephiroth’s sword and pulled himself back to the ground.

The blade shaking as he wrested control of the weapon from his nemesis, Cloud then lifted Sephiroth himself into the air — the music accompanying the scene rising to a swell as he did. So in disbelief was the legendary SOLDIER at this unexpected turn of events, Sephiroth didn’t even think to let go of the Masamune’s handle.

With a final effort before his body gave out, Cloud used the Masamune to hurl Sephiroth through the air and into the reactor wall. From there, humanity’s self-declared enemy plummeted into the heart of the mako reactor — defeated. Cloud had killed the most powerful man in the world — the man who walked through flames in that commercial from 1997 and captivated so many of us in the West who had never heard of Final Fantasy before.

“No way.”

He’d really done it. Cloud had achieved a feat that he’d thought impossible when relating the earlier flashback in Kalm. Even after he’d gained his SOLDIER enhancements while a captive of Hojo, Cloud didn’t believe he could have beaten Sephiroth. Yet he’d it done while still a normal kid — if, indeed, he could be considered ever having been normal after doing such a thing.

Suddenly, Cloud coming through the accident that had left Tifa in a coma and him with only scraped knees made a lot more sense. He had been something special all along — and the only one who knew it was the man who hated him for it.

The fact that no one in the game comments on it afterward only serves to underline its significance. The characters didn’t have to tell us how amazing this was — it spoke for itself.

There was something in Cloud that one finds often in true heroes of fantasy and fiction — a reservoir of strength that emerges in desperate times to meet the need at hand and save lives. This was no Punisher or Rorschach — this was someone more akin to a Spider-Man or a Gohan.

Though presented to us for much of the game as an uncouth, cold antihero, Cloud’s mind deteriorated and the typically lauded role of the antihero went without endorsement. It was, in fact, heavily deconstructed. The strong badass was revealed to be a mental weakling unable to face who he really was for most of the game.

Ultimately forced to confront the truth, however, Cloud had to square with his worst enemy — himself. And when this process was finished, what were we left with? A hero.

One who possessed flaws, as any good hero should, but a hero nonetheless.

Though this climactic clash between Sephiroth and Cloud in the bowels of the mako reactor has been re-envisioned on multiple occasions, no iteration since has captured the magic of the original telling — at least, in this author’s opinion. Simple though it was in execution and limited though the graphics were by today’s standards, this scene from the original FFVII stands as an example of powerful storytelling — demonstrating what can be done with a good script, fitting music, and appropriate timing.” -Squall_of_SeeD

Zack’s final moments on the outskirts of Midgar.

Aerith’s rescue from the Shinra Building.

The final confrontation between Cloud and Sephiroth high above Midgar.

Vincent and Lucrecia’s moment after the climactic ending of Dirge of Cerberus.

Out of all the moments of the Compilation of FFVII… Which moment stood out to you the most?

That’s what TheLifestream.net wants to know, and with that, we’re holding our first contest on which moments of the Compilation of FFVII are the most memorable.

The forum community has nominated twenty-one of the most memorable moments of the series, and we want to know which is the most popular and memorable of all. The first round of voting will be for the top 10. After that, the next voting bracket will be for the top 4. And from there, we will look for which single moment from the Compilation of FFVII has stood out most in the hearts of fans.

So if there’s a moment you want to win, be sure to vote for it here! If you haven’t registered for the forums, be sure to do so, so that you can have your vote counted. We will publish the results of each vote bracket on the front page, so be sure to check back, and above all else, vote and have fun!

Because nothing says you’re SO CASH, than smelling like an JRPG hero from 1997! Although I am curious as to what this stuff would smell like…Thanks to Tennyo for bringing this.. rare gem of S-E news to our attention. Oh, and don’t worry female fans, the cologne is apparently unisex, so you can get in on Cloud’s sexy aura too. Glad to know Cloud’s still swinging both ways 12 years later.

Source: Destructoid Site