Gaia (Final Fantasy VII)

Gaia is the fictional world in the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII and its subsequent metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Referred to as "The Planet" in the original game, the location was retroactively named "Gaia". Gaia is similar to that of the world of Final Fantasy VI insofar as it is a world with considerably more advanced technology than the first five games in the Final Fantasy series. Overall, Gaia's technology and society approximates that of an industrial or post-industrial science fiction milieu.

Geography
Gaia is composed of three land masses; the eastern, western and northern continents.

The eastern continent is home to the city of Midgar, an industrial metropolis that, at the time of Final Fantasy VII, served as Gaia's capital city and hosted the headquarters of the Shinra Electric Power Company, the planet's de facto world government. Midgar is situated in the middle of a large plain on the north-western corner of the eastern continent. Its prosperity came about as a result of the abundance of Mako in the vicinity, but due to the use of Mako reactors, the area around Midgar soon became lifeless and polluted. Within the city itself, there was no vegetation, except a few flowers kept by individuals, a small flower bed in a church in the slums, tended by Aerith Gainsborough, and a garden on the grounds of Aerith's house in Sector 5.

Midgar was composed of a large circular plate elevated 50 meters above the ground, and supported by both a central pillar and a system of smaller columns. A network of maintenance platforms were suspended beneath the plate. The plate itself was divided into eight numbered sectors with each sector punctuated by two walls and a Mako reactor. Each of these sectors once had a specific name, but by the time of Final Fantasy VII, no one remembers those names. Shinra headquarters (Sector 0) was located at the center of the plate, and was the tallest structure in the city, with 70 floors. Following construction of the plate, the land beneath was taken up by the poorer residents of Midgar, who couldn't afford property on the plate itself. This area quickly turned into a slum. Like the city above, the slums were divided into eight numbered sectors punctuated by walls and gates. The quality of life in the slums was very low due to the upper plate trapping all the pollution underneath it and blocking the sun from reaching the slums. The slums were strewn with wreckage, including pillars of Greco-Roman design, and components of various dismembered mecha. The majority of the buildings were made of scrap shaped into dwellings. There were, however, scattered buildings left behind from before the plate's construction, such as Aerith's church in Sector 5. At the commencement of Final Fantasy VII, the slums beneath Sector 6 were comparatively wealthy, having services such as restaurants, bars, shops, and clubs. This is because that part of lower Midgar had yet to be adversely affected by the construction of the upper plate, as the Sector 6 plate was still under construction. During Final Fantasy VII, Reno, under orders from President Shinra, destroyed the pillar supporting the plate above Sector 7's slums, where the terrorist group AVALANCHE was based. This caused the plate to collapse and crush the slums below, killing everyone trapped there.

At the end of Final Fantasy VII, Midgar was almost completely destroyed by Meteor, and a new town called Edge was built on its northern outskirts. Edge is the setting of both Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. It is where most of the inhabitants of Midgar relocated after the Meteor incident, including the protagonist of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife. Edge is also home to the headquarters of the World Regenesis Organization.

The second largest city on Gaia is Junon. During Final Fantasy VII Junon was Shinra's major military base, and the only port on the eastern continent. Junon was originally home to the powerful artillery cannon Sister Ray, before it was moved to Midgar. Another settlement on the eastern continent is Kalm, a small town inspired by medieval Europe. In addition to the eight Mako reactors in Midgar, Shinra also had two other reactors built on the eastern continent. One was located at Fort Condor, but was no longer operational as it had been colonized by nesting condors and the mercenary fighters who protected them from Shinra's attempts to destroy them. The other reactor was located on the seabed beneath Junon. The eastern continent is also home to a chocobo ranch.

The western continent features the Gold Saucer, a combined amusement park and casino, financed and built by Shinra in the middle of an inaccessible quicksand desert. As such, the only access to the Gold Saucer is via cable car. Corel Prison is located at the base of the Gold Saucer. Just outside the desert is North Corel, a shanty town built largely from scrap and other junk. North Corel is home to the surviving inhabitants of the former mining village Corel, Barret Wallace's hometown, which was razed to the ground by Shinra troops in reprisal after members of the original AVALANCHE attacked the new Mako reactor at the nearby Mt. Corel. The cable car to the Gold Saucer is accessible from North Corel.

Also on the Western continent are Costa Del Sol (a seaside resort), Rocket Town (the location of Shinra's failed space rocket launch), Mt. Nibel, and the nearby village of Nibelheim, hometown to Cloud and his childhood friend Tifa Lockhart. Mt. Nibel is home to another Mako reactor. There is also a reactor at Gongaga, Zack Fair's birthplace, but it suffered a meltdown three years prior to the beginning of Final Fantasy VII. Another location on the western continent is Cosmo Canyon. The tribe inhabiting the Canyon emphasize living in harmony with nature and dedicating themselves to Gaia's well-being. Their settlement features an observatory and serves as a research facility for those who wish to participate in a philosophy known as the "Study of Planet Life", a lifestyle that encourages deference for nature and teaches that the Planet has a life and energy of its own.

Occupying a large island off the westernmost continent is the city of Wutai, hometown of Yuffie Kisaragi. Several years prior to the beginning of Final Fantasy VII, Yuffie's father, Godo Kisaragi, led the city in a struggle for dominance against Shinra, but they ultimately lost. This conflict serves as the background for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Wutai is based upon pre-modern Japan and China, and features a pagoda and a large Buddha-like statue called "Da Chao".

The northern continent is heavily glaciated, except for the southernmost areas, which are temperate enough to support boreal forests. This area contains an excavation site at Bone Village and beyond that, the mysterious Sleeping Forest. Beyond the forest is the Forgotten City, the capital of Cetra (also known as the Ancients) civilization. North and west of the Forgotten City are mountains, beyond which is a polar region. The only settlement in this area is Icicle Lodge, a ski resort town and Aerith's birthplace. Beyond Icicle Lodge is the Northern Cave, also called Northern Crater, the impact site of Jenova. Here, the WEAPONs slept under the ice, encased in frozen Mako for thousands of years following their creation. The remaining portion of Sephiroth's body emerged here after traveling through the Lifestream and became encased in a Mako crystal. The crater is also the site of the Jenova Reunion and is where Final Fantasy VII's climax takes place.

Located on an island in the southern ocean of Gaia is the Temple of the Ancients, a large structure into which the Ancients transformed the Black Materia to prevent its use. Whoever wishes to turn the building back into the Black Materia must sacrifice their life by solving a series of puzzles that ultimately shrinks the temple back to its original size, crushing whoever is inside. To the south-east of the Temple lies the only other inhabited island on Gaia, Mideel, a sub-tropical area where the Lifestream sometimes breaks through to the surface.

The Promised Land is a place sought after by the Cetra. Aerith told Cloud that the Promised Land may not be a specific place, but Shinra believed otherwise and were intent on using Aerith to find it. President Shinra believed the Promised Land would become a "Neo-Midgar", a land abundant in Mako to such an extent that it would flow out of the ground, without the need for Mako reactors to siphon it, which would, in turn, increase Shinra's profits exponentially. Upon reaching the Northern Crater, Rufus Shinra believes they had found the Promised Land due to the vast quantity of natural Mako. In actuality, both the game and the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω guidebook suggest that the Promised Land is not a specific place or thing, but rather something unique to each individual, which brings that individual supreme happiness.

Overview and Background
The Shinra Electric Power Company (神羅電気動力株式会社), or simply Shinra (神羅カンパニー), was a powerful megacorporation which acted as a government figure for much of Gaia. During the war with Wutai, Shinra began to manufacture weaponry, and developed a means of mass-producing Materia, small spheres which allowed one to use magical abilities. In the wake of the war, the public became extremely dependent on Shinra for its Materia and the Mako energy they provided for electricity for nearly all of Gaia. In addition to their monopoly over Mako, the company created a large military wing to secure their control over Gaia. However, the company collapsed following the Meteor Crisis.

Shinra name comes from the first two characters of Shinra Banshou (神羅万象, Everything Covered by God), a Japanese four-character idiom and homophone variant of Shinra Banshou (森羅万象, All-Covering Forests and Ten Thousand Things), a Buddhist idiom which has come to mean "All of Nature" or "All of Creation". This refers to the Shinra Company's status as global superpower, monopolizing industry and governing most of the Planet.

Company Ethos
Prior to and during much of Final Fantasy VII, Shinra acted as a world government. At the time of the game, the company was headed by President Shinra, who followed a rigid doctrine which involved using Shinra's vast reserves of money to maintain control over the world's populace, a "Bread and Circuses" theory of control; by providing the people with food and entertainment, they remain reasonably happy. Early in the game, however, President Shinra was murdered by Sephiroth, and succeeded by his son Rufus. As President, Rufus felt his father's methods were outdated, and decided a change in policy was required. Rufus argued that establishing a climate of fear and using that fear to maintain public loyalty would be far more effective than the appeasement method of his father. During Diamond WEAPON's attack on Midgar, Shinra HQ was badly damaged, and Rufus apparently killed, allowing Heidegger and Scarlet to seize control of the company. However, before either was able to instigate any policy changes, they were both killed by Cloud and his allies. At this point, it was presumed that the company was dead, but it is revealed in Advent Children that Rufus survived, and is now set on a new policy concerning Shinra's direction - rather than controlling Gaia, they must now help to heal it.

Departments
The Department of Public Relations and Public Safety Maintenance was Shinra's largest department, and was headed by Heidegger. This department controlled Shinra's military and policing service as well as the elite SOLDIER unit. SOLDIER was originally a separate entity, but, during the events of Crisis Core, it was brought under the auspices of the Public Safety Maintenance Department by Heidegger, after the demotion of SOLDIER's previous director, Lazard. SOLDIER was an elite branch of Shinra's military forces and was composed of specially trained, highly skilled fighters divided into Third, Second, and First Class branches. Sephiroth, Zack Fair, Angeal Hewley, and Genesis Rhapsodos were First Class members of SOLDIER who were all active prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII.

During the period of Crisis Core, the Department of General Affairs was also incorporated into the Department of Public Relations and Public Safety Maintenance by Heidegger, after he seized control of the department from Veld. However, it maintained semi-autonomy through the "Investigation Division of the Department of General Affairs", better known as the Turks. This division formed Shinra's special security force, under the leadership of Tseng, who reported directly to Heidegger. The Turks performed covert operations on behalf of the company, including espionage, kidnappings and assassinations. They also acted as scouts for potential candidates for SOLDIER, and served as bodyguards for the Shinra executives. After the demise of the company, the Turks remained loyal to Rufus and acted as his personal bodyguards. As well as Veld and Tseng, other Turks featured in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII include Cissnei, Reno, Rude and Elena.

Prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII, the Department of Science and Research, was headed by Dr. Gast, but he was replaced by Professor Hojo. This department dealt with research into the Cetra, Mako energy, biochemistry and genetics. It was also in charge of the Jenova Project, which was used to create Sephiroth and other genetically enhanced, Mako-infused "perfect" SOLDIERs. Under the Jenova Project, SOLDIERs were not only infused with Mako, but were also injected with Jenova cells. These cells, together with Mako, gave the SOLDIERs far greater strength and cognitive ability than ordinary humans, provided they were mentally strong enough to handle the Mako infusion process without suffering from Mako poisoning.

The Department of Weapons Development was led by Scarlet and was tasked with the development and manufacture of new technological advancements to aid Shinra's forces. This department was behind the creation of Shinra's robot guards, the Sister Ray cannon, and it originated the plan to use Huge Materia to destroy Meteor. The Department of Urban Development was in charge of maintaining the cities under Shinra's control, and controlling the Mako reactor network. Reeve Tuesti was the Director of Urban Development and de jure administrator of Midgar, who outranked any public officials, such as the Mayor. The Department of Space Exploration was created as part of Shinra's aspirations to explore outer space. However, upon the realization of just how profitable Mako energy could be, Shinra shifted its focus towards manufacturing it and conducting research into Mako technologies, cancelling their space program. However, the Department was never abolished and it played a major role in the efforts to destroy Meteor.

World Regenesis Organization
Two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, Reeve Tuesti founded the World Regenesis Organization with the primary objective of helping to heal Gaia from the Meteor Crisis and to protect it against those who would wish to do it more harm. To help accomplish this, the WRO developed both an administrative and a military wing. It is financially backed by an unknown benefactor, who may be Rufus Shinra, hoping to help undo the damage he and his company caused to the Planet. Members of the WRO include Cait Sith (an animatronic cat designed by Reeve), Shalua Rui (a researcher searching for her lost sister), Yuffie Kisaragi (drafted into the WRO and placed in charge of espionage and intelligence) and Cid Highwind (in charge of the airship division).

Demography
The Ancients are an ancient nomadic people who called themselves the Cetra, and were the first species to inhabit Gaia. Their culture's goal was to find the Promised Land, and they believed in living in harmony with the Planet. As such, they cultivated Gaia's life energy and fought and defeated the alien Jenova when it landed 2000 years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII. Some time after the defeat of Jenova, some of the Cetra abandoned their close relationship with the Planet and their search for the Promised Land, and became the ancestors of modern day humans. Aerith Gainsborough was the last Ancient, although she was also of Human descent on her father's side.

Lifestream
Housed below the Planet's surface, the Lifestream (ライフストリーム) is considered the lifeblood and the very spirit of Gaia. A river of green ethereal energy (called "Spirit Energy"), the Lifestream is composed of the souls of those who have lived and died in the past, a collective consciousness with strong similarities to the over-soul of transcendentalism, the Atman-Brahman God concept of Hinduism, or certain Gaia theories. The Lifestream is also similar to the Gaia Theory depicted in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, in which all living things (plants, animals, and human beings) are bestowed energy by the spirit of the Planet prior to birth. They then live out their lives and die, at which point, the energy returns to the Planet. In Final Fantasy VII, it is explained that during an organism's lifetime, they have experiences from which they gain memories, and once they die, their Spirit Energy returns to the Planet, taking with it those memories, which in turn give rise to more Spirit Energy, allowing the Planet's spirit as a whole to grow, and the cycle of life to continue.

Mako
Whereas Spirit Energy in its raw form is ethereal, Mako is a liquid, taking this form after settling at the surface of the Planet and condensing. The terms Mako Energy (魔晄エネルギー) and "Spirit Energy" was often used interchangeably, as one is derivative of the other, but by the time of Final Fantasy VII, the use of the term "Spirit Energy" is widely opposed, due to its negative connotation.

At the time of Final Fantasy VII, Mako was the most common source of electrical power on Gaia, with the various fossil fuels (oil, coal, etc.) having become obsolete. The process of generating energy via Mako was pioneered — and monopolized — by Shinra. Those who research the "Study of Planet Life", a philosophy that regards the Planet as a living entity and seeks to understand it, consider Mako extraction and its usage to be environmentally unfriendly. Mako serves as Shinra's main source of profit, as well as the basis for many of their weapons and inventions, including Mako powered vehicles for the public. Combined with powerful computer technology, Mako can also be used to create powerful and efficient robotic soldiers. As an example of the potentially devastating power of Mako when harnessed as a weapon, the Sister Ray cannon was moved to Midgar during the Meteor crisis, and was connected to the Mako reactors in an effort to enhance its power; the result was a massive beam of raw Mako energy that destroyed Diamond WEAPON.

Prolonged exposure to Mako can lead to genetic mutation, cognitive disability and even death. Individuals who have had such prolonged exposure are identified by a glow in their eyes, referred to as "Mako eyes". All members of SOLDIER bear this distinguishing feature, and, as such, it is considered to be a "mark of SOLDIER." However, exposure to Mako in its concentrated form can be dangerous to humans, and typically results in a psychological disorder known as "Mako poisoning". This causes a surge of memories flooding one's mind to such an extent that the person can no longer distinguish between real memories and memories belonging to others, to which they were once privy. Cloud Strife experiences severe mako poisoning twice; once upon being a subject of Hojo's experiments, and again upon falling into the Lifestream after being forced to give Sephiroth the Black Materia.

Materia
Materia (マテリア) are small spheres of crystallized Spirit Energy which allow their users to cast various magic spells and use special abilities. Materia is created from crystallized Mako, either naturally or artificially, although finding a natural source of materia is extremely rare. One such "Mako fountain" exists in the mountains above Nibelheim. Within materia reside the knowledge and memories of those who have lived and died in the past. Materia functions by acting as a conduit between its wielder and the Lifestream, allowing the memories associated with that materia to be manifested in a physical sense, i.e. as magic.

Black Materia is used to cast the spell Meteor, the "Ultimate Destructive Magic", which is capable of destroying Gaia itself. Much of the plot of the original Final Fantasy VII revolves around the pursuit of the Black Materia, both by the game's heroes (in order to safeguard it from those who would misuse it) and Sephiroth (who plans to use it to call forth Meteor as part of his plan to become a god-like being).

White Materia casts the spell called Holy, the only spell strong enough to protect Gaia against Meteor. Whilst Meteor is the Ultimate Destructive Magic, Holy is the pinnacle of "Ultimate Defensive Magic". It is for this reason that the party seeks out the White Materia during the latter part of the game, after Sephiroth has used the Black Materia to summon Meteor. Like all materia, the White Materia links its wielder to the Lifestream, and if their request to the Planet to release Holy is granted, the White Materia will glow pale green.

Materia has also appeared in other Square Enix video games. In Ehrgeiz, materia is the source of magical abilities. Also, in the game's backstory, the Ehrgeiz sword is said to have a materia set in its hilt. In Final Fantasy Tactics, materia can be found as treasure on missions accepted at various bars in Ivalice. However, the materia is not usable in the game. In addition, the Materia Blade is the only weapon in the game that allows Cloud, who appears as an optional secret character, to use his Limit Break abilities. In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, materia is the substance produced from materite. There are two pieces of equipment made from materia in the game; the Materia Blade (which teaches "Ultima Sword" to Gladiators and "Ultima Charge" to Mog Knights) and Materia Armor (which has one of the highest defensive stats in the game).

Geostigma
Geostigma is an infectious disease which features in Advent Children. When Sephiroth and Jenova were defeated deep within core of Gaia at the conclusion of Final Fantasy VII, their destruction released Jenova cells into the Lifestream. When the Lifestream emerged from the Planet to aid Holy in defeating Meteor, the people of Midgar came into close proximity with it, at which time they were infected with the Jenova-tainted cells. Over the next two years, they began to suffer the effects of Geostigma, a syndrome in which the body's Spirit Energy exerts itself to expunge the foreign Jenova cells, wreaking havoc on the body itself. The souls of those that died from Geostigma formed a new kind of Spirit Energy, bent to Sephiroth's will, and which he intended to use to seize control of Gaia, although he is ultimately prevented from doing so by Cloud. In Dirge of Cerberus, Deepground go about attempting to call forth the WEAPON Omega by kidnapping those who were unaffected by Geostigma and throwing them into the Lifestream, in an effort to make Omega think Gaia was under threat. All those who were affected by Geostigma, but who survived, Deepground simply planned to murder.

WEAPON
In the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, there are seven WEAPONs; Jade WEAPON, Sapphire WEAPON, Ultima WEAPON, Diamond WEAPON, Emerald WEAPON, Ruby WEAPON and Omega WEAPON. These entities were created by Gaia as self-defense mechanisms to deal with any threats capable of destroying or severely damaging the Planet. The WEAPONs were created during the original Jenova Crisis, 2000 years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII. However, once Jenova was contained by the Cetra, the WEAPONs were no longer needed and entered hibernation beneath the ice at the Northern Crater. When Sephiroth summoned Meteor, the WEAPONs were reactivated to fulfill their purpose; protecting Gaia by targeting every potential threat and "reducing everything to nothingness." Specifically, they were tasked with destroying all that exists on the Planet, to allow the life of all organisms to return to the Lifestream. Once that was done, Omega WEAPON, whose purpose is evacuation, would absorb the Lifestream within itself and leave Gaia to find another planet, whereupon the Lifestream would be implanted, and life would start over.

Jade WEAPON was chronologically the first to be activated, as a result of the events in Before Crisis, where it was destroyed by the Turks. The final WEAPON to be activated was Omega, three years after the destruction of Meteor, during the events of Dirge of Cerberus, where it is destroyed by Vincent Valentine.

Only three WEAPONs were featured in the original Japanese release of Final Fantasy VII; Sapphire, Diamond, and Ultimate. The Western release (and the later Japanese International release) added the Ruby and Emerald WEAPONs as optional battles. Sapphire WEAPON was destroyed by Shinra's Sister Ray cannon at Junon after it emerged from the ocean and attacked the town. Diamond WEAPON was destroyed by a Mako infused blast of the Sister Ray after it was moved to Midgar. Cloud and his allies fought Ultima WEAPON in Mideel, but were unable to destroy it. However, they chased it down and fought it several times before finally defeating it over Cosmo Canyon. Emerald and Ruby WEAPONs were both optional battles for Cloud; Emerald was fought under the sea and Ruby in the desert surrounding the Gold Saucer.