Final Fantasy VII
A story centered on Cloud Strife, an ex-SOLDIER who joins the anti-Shinra group AVALANCHE, and his confrontation with Sephiroth over the fate of the planet. Alongside the original 1997 game, the 'Compilation of Final Fantasy VII' expanded the story through the prequels Before Crisis and Crisis Core and the sequels Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus.
- Genre:
- RPG / SF / ファンタジー
- Medium:
- Other / Film
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Final Fantasy VII — Timeline19 events
The First AVALANCHE Is Formed; Conflict with the Turks Begins
After the Wutai War ends, in [ν]-εγλ Year 1 the anti-Shinra group AVALANCHE is formed under the leadership of Elfe. Conflict begins with the Turks, Shinra's covert operations unit, laying the groundwork for the Shinra-versus-resistance dynamic that later involves Cloud and Zack.
— Based on the English Wikipedia article on Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII and the Japanese fan-compiled FF7 timeline (ffdic), which dates this to [ν]-εγλ Year 1. Before Crisis is described as taking place six years before the main game.
AVALANCHE Is Destroyed; the Turks Are Reorganized Under Tseng
After a final confrontation involving the summoned beast Zirconiade, the first incarnation of AVALANCHE collapses. Within the Turks, Veld and Elfe are officially treated as having disappeared from the scene, and the unit is reorganized under a new chief, Tseng — the structure that carries into the start of the main game.
— Based on the English Wikipedia article on Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII and the Japanese fan-compiled timeline, which lists AVALANCHE's destruction at [ν]-εγλ Year 2, January 16.
SOLDIER Second Class Zack Is Dispatched to the Wutai Front with His Mentor Angeal
Zack Fair, a young SOLDIER Second Class operative, is dispatched to the Wutai front alongside his mentor, First Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley. Around this time Zack also grows closer to First Class SOLDIER Sephiroth.
— Based on the English Wikipedia article on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The game is stated to begin seven years before the main game, but the exact date of the Wutai deployment itself is not specified in available sources.
Genesis Deserts Shinra; the Existence of Project G Comes to Light
First Class SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos deserts Shinra, reciting lines from the mysterious poem LOVELESS. It gradually comes to light that both Genesis and Angeal were subjects of Project G, a human experimentation program using Jenova's cells, and Zack is ordered to track down the deserter.
— The Japanese fan-compiled FF7 timeline (ffdic) explicitly lists '[μ]-εγλ Year 2000: Genesis's SOLDIER desertion incident.'
After a Battle Involving Angeal, the Buster Sword Is Passed to Zack
After a battle stemming from the physical degradation Angeal suffers due to Project G, Zack is entrusted with his mentor's beloved Buster Sword — a blade that later passes to Cloud and becomes an iconic symbol of the main story.
— Based on the plot summary in the English Wikipedia article on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII; details of the outcome are deliberately softened to avoid spoiling the specific fate depicted in the game.
The Nibelheim Incident: Sephiroth's Breakdown and the Village's Destruction
While investigating the Mako reactor in Cloud's hometown of Nibelheim, Sephiroth learns a shocking truth about his own origin and descends into madness. He burns the village and heads for the reactor core in search of Jenova's body, ultimately vanishing into the Lifestream after a clash with Cloud.
— Corroborated across the original game's chapter title 'The Tragedy of Five Years Ago,' Crisis Core's depiction of the event, and the Japanese fan-compiled timeline dating it to [ν]-εγλ Year 2, October 1.
Cloud and Zack Are Held Captive as Shinra Experiment Subjects
After the Nibelheim Incident, the surviving Cloud and Zack are taken captive by Shinra scientist Hojo and held as experimental subjects in the Shinra Mansion at Nibelheim. The two disappear from the wider world for roughly four years.
— The Japanese fan-compiled timeline lists the captivity as running from [ν]-εγλ Year 2, October to the escape on [ν]-εγλ Year 6, December 19 — roughly four years and two months.
Cloud and Zack Escape the Shinra Mansion; They Are Separated on the Road to Midgar
Freed from captivity, Cloud and Zack flee toward Midgar but are caught by pursuing Shinra troops along the way. Only the semi-conscious Cloud reaches Midgar alone, carrying the Buster Sword left behind by Zack.
— Based on the English Wikipedia plot summary for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and the timeline dating the escape to [ν]-εγλ Year 6, December 19. Details of what befalls Zack afterward are deliberately softened.
AVALANCHE Bombs Midgar's Mako Reactor No. 1; Cloud Joins as a Mercenary
A new incarnation of AVALANCHE, led by Barret Wallace, carries out a bombing of Midgar's Mako Reactor No. 1 in protest of Shinra's monopoly on Mako energy. Cloud Strife, claiming to be an ex-SOLDIER, joins the operation as a hired mercenary and reunites with his childhood friend Tifa Lockhart.
— The opening of the original 1997 Final Fantasy VII. Treated as estimated since exact εγλ-calendar dating varies slightly between sources.
Meeting the Flower Girl Aerith; the Second Reactor Operation and Shinra's Pursuit
Cloud meets Aerith Gainsborough, a flower-selling girl in the slums. After AVALANCHE's second reactor bombing, Shinra's pursuit intensifies, and following the catastrophic collapse of Sector 7, the group is forced to flee Midgar.
— A summary based on the early chapters of the original game. The full circumstances behind Sector 7's collapse are omitted here for brevity.
Pursuing Sephiroth's Shadow and Uncovering the Mystery of the Ancients
Having left Midgar, the party travels the world — through Junon, Costa del Sol, Corel, Cosmo Canyon, and beyond — tracking the trail of mysterious incidents left in Sephiroth's wake. Along the way, it is revealed that Aerith is a descendant of the Ancients, the Cetra.
— A summary of events across Discs 1–2 of the original game. Exact in-story dates for individual events are not specified in the source material.
A Decisive Confrontation with Sephiroth Occurs at the Forgotten City
Arriving at the Forgotten City, sacred ground of the Cetra, the party faces a decisive confrontation with Sephiroth. The event leaves the group — Cloud especially — with profound shock and a deep sense of loss, marking a major turning point in the story.
— In line with this site's spoiler policy, the specific details of this pivotal, highly spoiler-sensitive scene (who is involved and what happens to them) are deliberately omitted and described euphemistically.
Sephiroth Summons Meteor; the Guardian Weapons Awaken
Having gathered his power at the Northern Crater, Sephiroth summons Meteor, a colossal comet capable of devastating the planet. In response, the planet awakens the ancient guardian Weapons dormant across the world, and Midgar along with other regions falls into chaos.
— The Japanese fan-compiled timeline groups the summoning of Meteor and the Weapons' awakening together under [ν]-εγλ Year 7.
The Final Battle at the Northern Crater; the Story Concludes with the Invocation of Holy
Cloud and his companions face Sephiroth in a final battle deep within the Northern Crater. Holy, the planet's own will manifested as magic, is invoked against Meteor, bringing the story to its conclusion.
— The Japanese fan-compiled timeline explicitly dates 'the conclusion of the main storyline' to [ν]-εγλ Year 8, January 21.
The Spread of Geostigma and the Machinations of Kadaj's Group, Remnants of Sephiroth
About two years after Meteorfall, an unidentified illness called Geostigma spreads across the world, and the World Regenesis Organization (WRO) begins reconstruction efforts. Cloud runs a delivery business while unable to fully confront his past. Meanwhile, a trio calling themselves remnants of Sephiroth — Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo — begin scheming in search of fragments of their lost 'mother.'
— Advent Children is officially described as taking place two years after the main game. However, the Japanese fan-compiled timeline lists it under [ν]-εγλ Year 9, only one year after the main story's recorded conclusion at Year 8 — a discrepancy that likely stems from a gap between the exact date of Meteorfall itself and the dated 'conclusion' of the main story.
Kadaj Partially Revives Sephiroth; Cloud Confronts Him with Omnislash Version 5
Having obtained Jenova's head, Kadaj serves as a vessel through which Sephiroth is partially resurrected. Cloud unleashes his new ultimate technique, Omnislash Version 5, and after a fierce duel with the Fusion Sword, drives Sephiroth back.
— Based on the events of the film Advent Children (2005; Advent Children Complete, 2009).
A Healing Spring at the Ruined Church Purifies Geostigma
A mysterious spring wells up at the ruins of the church, and its power purifies the Geostigma afflicting Cloud and the children. The spring is tied to the planet's life force, and through it Cloud finds a measure of closure regarding a past loss.
— The origin of the spring's power is directly tied to Aerith's fate; per this site's spoiler policy, the details are deliberately omitted and described euphemistically.
Deepground Forces Emerge from Beneath Midgar; Vincent Confronts Them
About three years after Meteorfall — roughly one year after the events of Advent Children — forces from Deepground, a secret military organization Shinra had hidden beneath Midgar, emerge into the open. Vincent Valentine, once a member of the Turks, rises to confront this new threat.
— Based on the English Wikipedia article on Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, which states it takes place three years after the main game and one year after Advent Children, and on the Japanese fan-compiled timeline dating it to [ν]-εγλ Year 10.
Vincent Defeats Weiss and Averts the Threat of Omega
After a battle with Weiss, who stands at the pinnacle of Deepground, Vincent prevents the awakening of Omega, a threat that would absorb the planet's life force and depart into space. With this battle, the story arc of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII reaches a close.
— Based on the plot summary in the English Wikipedia article on Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.
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