Today we feature translations from the Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII Ultimania, starting with the the Scenario Q&A interview with the game’s creators, which sheds light on some of the interesting plot points and events within the game. Some of it is very surprising.

Section 1 – Mass SOLDIER Desertion

Q1-1: Please tell us the full story behind the incident.

A1-1: Genesis, who had learnt the truth about who he was, was approached by Hollander who offered to save him from his deterioration on the condition that he assists him in his plot for revenge, which he agrees to. To build an army capable of opposing ShinRa, he took the SOLDIERs who would form the basis for the Copies to Banora… and that’s how it went.

Q1-2: Angeal seemed to have received word of the incident during Zack’s training, but did he realise at that point that Genesis have turned traitor?

A1-2: The only message Angeal received during the training was that a mass SOLDIER desertion had occurred, with Genesis at the head, and that operations in Wutai had been suspended. He expects that the reason for Genesis’ desertion has something to do with his ‘deterioration’. But with the other SOLDIERs making assumptions about what he was planning to do by deserting, he doesn’t come to the definite conclusion that Genesis has turned traitor on them.

He has known Genesis for a long time, so he’s conflicted between anticipating that Genesis may have betray them, while also wanting to trust in Genesis and denying his doubts, by not wanting him to have betrayed them and thinking he wouldn’t turn traitor. When he was deployed to Wutai, he didn’t assume that there would be Genesis Copies there either.

Q1-3: Please tell us about the events that lead up to Angeal’s disappearance during the mission in Wutai.

A1-3: As mentioned in 1-2, Angeal encountered Genesis while he was still unable to fathom Genesis’ true motives.

At this unexpected meeting, Angeal hears the details of what was happening from Genesis, and tries to persuade him to return to ShinRa. But Genesis refuses Angeal’s requests, and instead suggests that Angeal assist with the plans for revenge against ShinRa and invites him to Banora where their base is.

Angeal plans to persuade Genesis and solve the problem on his own, and wants to avoid getting Zack involved. So, judging that it wouldn’t be feasible to persuade Genesis before Zack returns, he consents to going to Banora with Genesis. Angeal has no intention of aiding Genesis, and accompanies him because he plans to gradually persuade Genesis in Banora.

Afterwards at the apple mill, Angeal hears about the situation from Genesis, and also learns the secret of his birth. Upon learning that he is a monster, Angeal loses the pride he had as a SOLDIER, and is driven to despair. Thus, despite having refused to aid Genesis and Hollander, he also cannot return to ShinRa, and begins to agonise over what course he should take from then on.

And as a result of Hollander and Genesis extracting some of Angeal’s cells, Angeal’s Copies appear during the attack on Midgar. Due to the timing, while Angeal had given in to despair and didn’t know what he should do with himself, the extraction of his cells went relatively trouble-free.

Q1-4: How far back was Genesis’ injury in the training room happen from the mass SOLDIER desertion? And was it this event that lead to Genesis learning the truth about who he is?

A1-4: His injury happened several months prior to mass desertion. Time passes from when Hollander sees Genesis’s injuries and begins his research into the deterioration and they until move into action.

When Hollander went to seek Genesis’ aid, he also revealed the secret of his birth. Thus, while his injury did lead to it, the exact timing of Genesis learning the truth was a little while after his injury.

Q1-5: Having being forced into a sinecure in the science department, does Hollander set his plans for revenge into action upon examining Genesis’ wounds?

A1-5: Yes. Despite losing the power struggle, Hollander couldn’t leave ShinRa and continued be employed for years by the science department while practically living in disgrace. So his evaluation of himself and his dissatisfaction towards ShinRa was building up. Then, spurred by Genesis’ injury, he learns of the ‘Copy’ phenomenon and he realises he can use this to get his own back on ShinRa and Hojo. However, the power he had (accidentally) obtained was greater than he had expected, and things soon escalated to not only getting his own back on ShinRa, but into a full-blown plot for revenge.

Q1-6: When did Hollander disappear?

A1-6: Roughly the same time as Genesis. After Genesis overthrows Banora, he sets up the equipment in village apple mill and begins producing Copies. The Copies that appear in Wutai were created in Banora, but their reason for being there was not to attack Wutai, but to seek the aid of Angeal, who was coming to Wutai.

Section 2 – Jenova Project

Q2-1: What is the time difference between the start of Jenova Project S and Jenova Project G? And out of Genesis, Sephiroth and Angeal, is Genesis the eldest?

A2-1: Project S and Project G began at roughly the same time. They were lead by Hojo and Hollander respectively, and the department head Gast has little participation in either project.

The order of their births goes Angeal & Genesis > Sephiroth, but it’s fine to think of them as being around the same age. Angeal and Genesis were created at roughly the same time, and were deemed as failed projects when they were babies. Project S took the results from Project G and added further improvements, so Sephiroth’s birth was later than Angeal and Genesis’.

Q2-2: At what point in time was Project G deemed to be a failure?

A2-2: The verdict on the outcome of project had already been made when Angeal and Genesis were babies.

The Jenova Project was originally started with the aim of creating an Ancient. They didn’t get the data they had expected from Angeal and Genesis, and they were considered failures (although Hollander states in the game that Angeal was a success, at the time Project G was seen to be a complete failure). At the same time Project G was frozen, and abandoned.

On the other hand, Sephiroth showed the anticipated merit, and was deemed a success. Thanks to this Hojo seizes control of the science department, and Hollander loses his position within the department.

Q2-3: What are the crucial differences in the experimental processes for those born from Project S and those born from Project G?

A2-3: Put simply, it’s a difference between when the Jenova cells were injected into the body, and the concentration and purity of the Jenova cells.

Sephiroth was implanted with Jenova cells at the embryonic stage. Angeal was born from an ovum from Gillian, who has Jenova cells, and developed in her womb. Genesis was born from a fertilized egg cell unrelated to Jenova, and at the embryonic stage was implanted with genes from Gillian, who has Jenova cells.

In other words, because Sephiroth received Jenova cells with a high level of purity at an early stage of development, he ends up inheriting Jenova’s abilities the best.

Q2-4: Why did Gillian say “Genesis can’t kill me”?

A2-4: When Genesis, who wants to stop his deterioration, returns to Banora he kills all the villagers, but leaves Gillian alive. This was because he had heard from Hollander that they would need Gillian (her assistance) to stop the deterioration.

Genesis continued to request that Gillian assist them or cure the deterioration, but as Gillian considers the experiment itself a mistake, she obstinately refused. Because of this, Gillian concluded that they must not be able to kill her, as she can cure the deterioration.

As Gillian eventually takes her own life Hollander becomes, for all intents and purposes, the only remaining scientist who could stop the deterioration. Gillian is one of the scientists involved with Genesis’ birth, but as for if she could actually have stopped Genesis’ deterioration or not, we’d like to keep that a secret.

The aid from Gillian that Hollander was supposing to gain was not her genes, but refers to her scientific knowledge and information. But because he was unable to get any information at all from Gillian, researching it on his own becomes Hollander’s only recourse for stopping the deterioration.

Section 3 – Banora

Q3-1: – Tell us about the establishment of Banora village please.

A3-1: The history of Banora village and Jenova Project G is below.

• At first Banora village was a site ShinRa wanted for Mako mining. (Once ShinRa discovered Mako, it surveyed many places for mako, and this was one of their developments.)
• But under the circumstances was impossible to continue construction. In order to continue with the mako mine they would have to conceal it, so ShinRa constructed Banora village. ShinRa officials were instated on the board of town trustees to keep it under surveillance. Eventually, ShinRa loses interest, and the town is liberated.
• The Jenova Project begins.
• Project G is labeled a failure. Wishing to distance herself from ShinRa, Gilian is caught trying to flee with Angeal. After that, mother and child are transported to Banora, and are secretly kept under surveillance. At about the same time, Genesis was brought to foster parents in Banora, also secretly kept under surveillance.
• When Genesis was growing up, he found the remains of the mako mine under Banora by chance, and used it as his secret playground.
• Before Zack headed to Banora, Genesis and Hollander had converted the village to be the base for the production of copies. Hollander would conduct his research underground in “Cursed Jail Cells” and “The Screaming Fang”.
• After Zack returned from Modeohiem, Genesis used it as his base. In that space, he worked intensely to create more copies to re-organize his army. With Genesis as the leader, further remodeling was added to the facility.

Banora village was like the freezer for Project G, functioning as a place to keep those involved with Project G confined.

Banora was given subsidized funds to hide the construction of the mako facility and as well as for the surveillance of Gillian, Genesis, and Angeal. As they were expected to demonstrate special abilities, it wasn’t only to survey the progress of Project G but also to conceal the information about the inhumane experiments being conducted.

The villagers were not told that Gillian, Angeal, and Genesis were connected to ShinRa, though a few people knew of it such as Genesis’ foster parents and the town trustees.

As for Angeal and Genesis, the secret of their births was concealed from them. The papers of the Jenova Project were important secrets of ShinRa, and the very existence of the project needed to be concealed.

As for Gillian, ShinRa attempted to offer her hush money, but she refused to accept. She considered her involvement in the experiment to be a mistake and wished to distance herself from ShinRa, including her past as a ShinRa scientist and the secret of Angeal’s birth, even hiding it from Angeal’s step-father. Angeal’s step father had a weak constitution, made a poor wage, and acted very compulsively, but Gillian still refused the money from ShinRa.

Q3-2: There are those called “G Series SOLDIERS,” are these other children created within Project G besides Genesis and Angeal? Were they all born in Banora, and were they monitored with the anticipation of them joining SOLDIER when they were older?

A3-2: Of the children born because of Project G, Genesis and Angeal were the only survivors.

It was Genesis’ foster parents duty to observe him, and to stay in communication with ShinRa. It is feasible that Genesis received an education from ShinRa because of his parents. However Genesis’ feelings had changed, and it can be surmised that they came to a point where they didn’t mind deceiving ShinRa for the sake of their son. On the other hand, since Gillian considered a relationship with ShinRa to be foolish, she completely refused to allow Angeal to go into SOLDIER’s special training. At any rate, they weren’t given the systematic specialized education for becoming a SOLDIER and their relation to ShinRa was still kept secret.

However, through ShinRa’s information management, public opinion came to be “ShinRa should undertake protecting our livelihood” and “SOLDIERs are the allies of the citizens, fighting to protect their peaceful way of life.” Particularly, Banora as a village closely connected to ShinRa had many supporters of the company. For that reason, not only Genesis and Angeal, but many of the villagers took jobs related to ShinRa, recognizing it as making them a success in life and a winner.

Following that trend, Genesis volunteered for SOLDIER and as his close friend, Angeal volunteered as well.

Q3-3: Please inform us about the creation of the cave under Banora that serves as the Last Dungeon. We could see some remnants of the human testing that went on there, were these experiments the vestiges of Project G, or from a different set of experiments?

A3-3: As we said in Answer 3-1, the underground cave was originally the site for a ShinRa mako mine, and Banora village was established to conceal this.

Genesis found the cave by chance during his childhood, and used it as his “secret base.” However, it was only used as a child’s playground at this point, as Genesis didn’t have any type of ambition at this point. And after Genesis joined ShinRa as a SOLDIER, it wasn’t used at all.

Just before the start of the game, when Hollander and those who wanted revenge against ShinRa started mobilizing, Genesis suggested to use this cave as a base, and they started consolidating there. As Zack and Tseng were investigating Banora village, Hollander was advancing his research to make even stronger copies. Those traces of human experiments are not part of Project G, but are traces of the research used to organize the army of copies that would take revenge on ShinRa. However, after Hollander was captured by ShinRa the experimental facility was abandoned.

Just before Zack arrives on the scene at Modeohiem, Genesis attacked Hollander, trying to get the medical process to treat degradation out of him. Up to that point Genesis had only cooperated with Hollander under the condition that he would give him the medical treatment for degradation, and once he found this out, their positions were reversed. Genesis put Hollander under his control. From thereafter Genesis would use the underground cave as his base, and under his command it would be remodeled and have additions built into it, at last reaching it’s current design.

Section 4 – Actions of Holland and Genesis’ Army

Q4-1: In Modeoheim, Holland says that even Hojo doesn’t know where the Jenova cells are hidden. However Hojo does actually know where they are; was he deceiving Hollander?

A4-1: The hiding place of the Jenova cells is confidential, so information about it is strictly controlled. Therefore even the fact that Hojo knows where the cells are is concealed. So rather than saying Hojo was deceiving him, it’s more that ShinRa was hiding the information.

Q4-2: In the later stages of the story SOLDIER members are dispatched to mako reactors around the world; was the Genesis Army attacking the mako reactors in search of the Jenova cells to stop the deterioration?

Q4-2: At the time of the Junon attack the Genesis Army were searching for the Jenova cells, and when Zack escapes from the ShinRa manor they were working to distract ShinRa and scatter their military forces.

Genesis begins to act to find the Jenova cells after the events in Modeoheim, but as he was standing by while upgrading his base and producing Copies and such, there were no actions publicly.

By the time Zack is taking his break in Costa del Sol the Genesis Army’s preparations are complete and they begin their search for the Jenova cells. As part of their strategy, they start rebellions across the globe to distract ShinRa and scatter their military forces.

Section 5 – About Angeal

Q5-1: Angeal is in fact Hollander and Gillian’s son by blood, which makes Hollander and Gillian very similiar to Hojo and Lucrecia, but were they married? Or, did Gillian only provide the experiment with her egg and womb, which means that they were only working together? So, in truth which man was “Angeal’s father” in terms of Gillian’s actual marital status?

A5-1: “Angeal’s father” was Gillian’s husband. They met after she escaped to Banora with Angeal, and then married. Gillian kept the truth about Angeal’s birth and the related research a secret from her husband. Angeal, being young and having no memory of that past, considered the father he had growing up to be his real father.

As far as any marital relationship between Hollander and Gillian is concerned, that is a secret.

Q5-2: After Genesis’ wound, Angeal helps stop Sephiroth from donating blood. From the looks of things, could it be that at the time of the wound that Angeal knew about his and Genesis’ birth?

A5-2: At the time of the blood donation, Angeal did not know the secret of their birth. In the production, it seems as though when Angeal stops Sephiroth and volunteers himself, Sephiroth and Angeal are both making their requests, “I’ll do it” “No, I’ll do it” in effect each blocking each other.

Finally, Hollander declines with, “Sephiroth can’t preform the blood transfusion” and instead selects Angeal. with Angeal not thinking that, “He selected me because I’m a G-Type SOLDIER,” but rather coming to the conclusion of, “Sephiroth can’t preform the blood transfusion so he selected me.”

Section 6 – About Genesis

Q6-1: Please tell us about the parents who raised Genesis, the land owners of Banora.

A6-1: As was answered in A3-1, Genesis was sent to be fostered by the landowners of Banora, who were affiliated with ShinRa.

Despite being under observation, after living as parents and child for so many years Genesis’ ‘parents’ eventually become attached to him, and are willing to betray ShinRa to protect him. However, his foster parents’ true intent doesn’t get through to Genesis, and kills even his parents.

Q6-2: What was Genesis’ objective?

A6-2: His objective was to cure the deterioration. He looked for the way, and as mentioned in A4-2 and A4-3 he took various actions towards that goal. However, as he was unable to take Cloud’s cells, and with the death of Hollander, he lost the way to stop his deterioration, so as his final recourse he turned to the Lifestream.

Q6-3: After Genesis is collected in the ShinRa helicopter you can see a sheet of paper saying “To become the dew that quenches the land; to spare the skies, the seas to sands; I shall become an unspoken offering.” Is this phrase from the lost final chapter of LOVELESS?

A6-3: The final chapter of LOVELESS is missing, and nothing official exists in the world of FFVII. Experts study it, and there are currently various theories about it. The phrase you mentioned is the final chapter of LOVELESS as Genesis conceived it, and reflects Genesis’ state of mind.

By being defeated by Zack, Genesis is able to regain the pride he had as a SOLDIER, and with Sephiroth and Angeal now dead, he decided that it is up to him, who has being left behind, to protect the world. And so, in order to prepare for the day when a crisis threatens the world, Genesis seals himself in the flooded chamber on his own volition. This is the true meaning of Genesis’ version of the phrase from the final chapter of LOVELESS, and at the same time the true meaning of the secret movie in DC (see A7-3).

Section 7 – Connection to Dirge of Cerberus

Q7-1: In DC’s G Reports, it says that “G”, one of the ‘two taboos’, bears an epithet signifying ‘unique’. What does this mean?

A7-1: The ‘two taboos’ refers to Sephiroth and Genesis. In comparison to Sephiroth, the strongest and worst SOLDIER who tried to seize the life of the planet, Genesis was considered a unique SOLDIER who sealed himself away to protect the planet.

The ShinRa Company, in an effort to conceal the relationship between the company and Genesis who had threatened the world, relegated information regarding Genesis to the highest level of secrecy and forbids even the use of the name ‘Genesis’. Thus some of the scientists who knew detailed information on Genesis began to refer to Genesis as “G, to whom has been added a word signifying ‘unique'”. This is just like how Weiss, Nero, Rosso and Azul were given codenames corresponding to colours.

As for what exactly the name meaning ‘unique’ is, that’s a secret at present.

Q7-2: In DC it is said that “the appearance of G changed the course of Deepground (DG)” and “SOLDIERs branded with epithets of colour are the hell spawn of G”. Does this mean that Weiss and the other Tsviets with colour epithets who were created in DG were created using the results of Project G for reference?

A7-2: Yes. Only the DG SOLDIERs who have been injected with Genesis’ genes could become a Tsviet with a colour epithet.

Q7-3: You call tell from the voices that the two men who appear by helicopter and recover Genesis are DC’s Nero and Weiss, but what do they mean when they say “apparently he’s a brother of ours” and “however… will he agree to it?”? From DC’s hidden movie you can interpret that Genesis has been laid to rest in the cave under Midgar up until he awakens, but…?

A7-3: The ‘elder brother’ is used in the figurative sense. If they are injected with Genesis’ genes, that creates a connection, a bond between the cellular units. That is what is meant by ‘brother’.

In CC Nero and Weiss are on a mission to recover Genesis, so in this case “will he agree to it?” means “will he agree to join us or not?” But, as in the response for A6-3, Genesis rejects it and decides to have himself sealed in the water-filled chamber below Midgar.

To someone who has only played DC, when they watch the secret movie in that game they will take it as “an ominous being sealed in a water-filled chamber has been release onto the world”, but if you watch the movie again after having completed CC then one could go 180 degrees and interpret it in a completely different way.

Section 8 – About Lazard

Q8-1: Consolidating what you hear from people and the contents of his emails, is Lazard the illegitimate child of President ShinRa and a woman from the slums, and Rufus ShinRa’s older half-brother?

A8-1: Yes. Because his mother was abandoned by President ShinRa, Lazard holds a grudge towards him. So he joined the ShinRa Company and continued to be on the lookout for a chance to get his revenge on President ShinRa. This is his motive for cooperating with Hollander.

Q8-2: Was Lazard’s rare visit to the battle field, when he normally only does desk work, so he could make contact with the Genesis Army?

A8-2: It was to evaluate Zack. Officially, it was to evaluate his abilities as a SOLDIER 1st Class, but in actuality it was a secret investigation into the risk of Zack standing in the way of his plans for revenge against ShinRa.

Q8-3: When did Lazard ally himself with Hollander?

A8-3: Right after Hollander treated Genesis’ injuries.

Lazard’s motive was to get revenge for his mother who had been ignored, but he had no actual means of putting it into action. He’s thought of using SOLDIER in some way, so I think he would have make use of his position and visited the science department on several occasions. There he discovered Hollander, who was moping around and moaning, constantly hoping to regain his status, but he too was powerless.

It was at that time that Genesis’ injury occurred. By treating Genesis’ injury Hollander became aware of the Copy phenomenon, and he reported this to Lazard. Taking advantage of Hollander making contact with him, Lazard decides to use him in his revenge, and reveals his plans for revenge against ShinRa to Hollander. So in this way it is in Hollander and Lazard’s mutual interests, and so they align with each other.

Q8-4: At the end of mission 8-5-6 “Treasure Info #6”, Yuffie says that a blond haired man brought a list of SOLDIER members to her father. Is this referring to Lazard? Or is it Rufus ShinRa, in light of the events of BC?

A8-4: We’ll leave that to your imagination.