Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console and the seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series. Square published the game in Japan, and it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first game in the main series to have a PAL release. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop a world-controlling megacorporation from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Ensuing events send Cloud and his allies in pursuit of Sephiroth, a superhuman who seeks to wound the planet and harness its healing power in order to be reborn as a god. Throughout their journey, Cloud bonds with his party members, including Aerith Gainsborough, who holds the secret to saving their world.
Cloud Strife is the protagonist of Square Enix's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII (1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024) and the animated film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005). He acts in a supporting role in other Compilation of Final Fantasy VII titles, and is featured in several other games in the wider Final Fantasy series. He has also made guest appearances in various titles outside the franchise, such as the Kingdom Hearts series by Square Enix and Disney and the Super Smash Bros. series by Nintendo.
Sephiroth is a character from the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square, appearing as the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VII. A former soldier of the megacorporation Shinra and the coworker of Zack Fair and superior of Cloud Strife, he possesses superhuman physiology as a result of an experiment in which Shinra injected him with cells from the extraterrestrial lifeform Jenova when he was still a fetus. Upon discovering this, Sephiroth becomes consumed by rage and decides to take control of the Planet by harnessing its life force and annihilating all life on it in order to become a god amidst the destruction. Sephiroth's background and role in the story are expanded upon in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Additionally, he appears as a guest character in other video games and media, such as a recurring boss in the Kingdom Hearts series and as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Vincent Valentine is a character in Square's 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. He is designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and also appears in various titles from the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a metaseries set in the Final Fantasy VII continuity. He is the protagonist of the 2006 third-person shooter Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and its mobile phone tie-in Dirge of Cerberus: Lost Episode. Vincent is voiced in Japanese by Shōgo Suzuki and in English by Steven Blum and Matthew Mercer.
Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII is an action role-playing video game developed by Square Enix and originally released for the FOMA mobile service on September 24, 2004. It was later released for SoftBank Mobile and EZweb in 2007. Before Crisis is a prequel to the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII and forms part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a metaseries expanding on and continuing the story established in Final Fantasy VII. It takes place six years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII and focuses on the adventures of the Turks, a group of covert operatives working for the Shinra Electric Power Company, and their fights against both rebel group AVALANCHE and their corrupt employers.
Barret Wallace is a character in Square Enix's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. He was created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, and has since appeared in the CGI film sequel, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children as well as other games and media in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series. As of Advent Children, Barret is voiced by Masahiro Kobayashi and Masato Funaki in Japanese, while Beau Billingslea and John Eric Bentley voice him in English.
Tifa Lockhart is a character who debuted in Square's 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII and is one of the heroines and main party member. She was created by members of the development team, including director Yoshinori Kitase and writers Kazushige Nojima and Tetsuya Nomura, who also contributed to her visual design. She has since appeared as a playable fighter in Ehrgeiz and the Dissidia Final Fantasy series and made cameo appearances in several other titles, such as Kingdom Hearts II and Itadaki Street. Beginning in 2005, she has been featured in sequels and spin-offs as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, including the animated film Advent Children and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Yuffie Kisaragi is a character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. She was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and was first introduced in the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII as a young female ninja princess and thief. She is an optional party member, and can be recruited through a sidequest. Yuffie reappears in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series, which expands on her background and shows her after the events of the original game.
Aerith Gainsborough, transliterated as Aeris Gainsborough in the English releases of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics, is a character in Square's role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. She was designed by Tetsuya Nomura with influence from Yoshinori Kitase, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yoshitaka Amano.
Zack Fair is a character in the Final Fantasy role-playing video game series by Square Enix. He is first introduced as a non-player character in Final Fantasy VII (1997) and later appears in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII works Before Crisis, Last Order, Advent Children and, most prominently, Crisis Core, a prequel to the original game which focuses on him and expands on his backstory.
The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is a metaseries produced by Square Enix. A subseries stemming from the main Final Fantasy franchise, it is a collection of video games, animated features and short stories set in the world and continuity of Final Fantasy VII (1997). Officially announced in 2003 with the reveal of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the series' core products are three video games and one film release. Alongside these are tie-in products and spin-offs including books, mobile games, and an original video animation. Advent Children and the mobile title Before Crisis are a sequel and prequel to VII respectively, focusing on Cloud Strife, the original game's main protagonist, and covert operatives known as the Turks. Crisis Core follows Zack Fair, a minor character in VII, while Dirge of Cerberus, a sequel to Advent Children, follows Vincent Valentine, one of the original's optional characters. The series has since been expanded to include more products, most notably a planned trilogy of games remaking the 1997 original; the first installment in this trilogy, Final Fantasy VII Remake, was released in 2020, while the second installment, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, was released in 2024.
Final Fantasy VII, a role-playing video game developed by Square, now Square Enix, and originally released in 1997, features many fictional characters in both major and minor roles. VII has been followed by multiple sequels and prequels, grouped into the multimedia series Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. These include the 2004 mobile game prequel Before Crisis, the 2005 movie sequel Advent Children, the 2006 shooter spin-off sequel Dirge of Cerberus, and the 2007 action game prequel Crisis Core. Other media include spin-off books and the original video animation Last Order. The setting of Final Fantasy VII has been described as industrial or post-industrial science fiction. It is referred to as "the Planet" in most games, and was retroactively named "Gaia" in some Square Enix promotional material.
Masahiro Kobayashi is a retired Japanese actor and voice actor from Yakumo, Hokkaido. In 1995, he enrolled in the Seinenza Theater Company. Kobayashi's notable roles include Barret Wallace, and Ryid Uruk from the Final Fantasy video game series. He retired from the acting industry sometime after the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Motomu Toriyama is a Japanese game director and scenario writer who has been working for Square Enix since 1994. He initially worked on cutscenes in Bahamut Lagoon and Final Fantasy VII before serving as one of the three directors on Final Fantasy X under Yoshinori Kitase where he was in charge of events.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. The game was first released in 2007, and serves as a prequel to the 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII. It is part of the metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which includes other products related to the original game.
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a 2020 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4. Released in April 2020, it is the first in a planned trilogy of games remaking the 1997 PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII. An enhanced version, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in 2021.
Tetsuya Nomura is a Japanese video game artist, designer, producer, and director working for Square Enix. He was hired by Square initially as a monster designer for Final Fantasy V (1992), before being shifted towards secondary character designer alongside Yoshitaka Amano for Final Fantasy VI (1994). Final Fantasy VII (1997) had him working in the original story alongside Hironobu Sakaguchi, and marked his debut as the lead character designer, a capacity he would retain for several future installments of the series, as well as other Square Enix titles such as The Bouncer and The World Ends with You. He also created well-known Cactuar, Gilgamesh and Tonberry characters.
Final Fantasy VII G-Bike was a free-to-play video game for Android and iOS platforms. Available between October 2014 and December 2015, the title was a racing game with role-playing elements. Based on Square Enix's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII, the player controlled the protagonist of that game, Cloud Strife. While riding on a motorcycle, Cloud battled enemies with melee weapons and magic with help from other Final Fantasy VII characters. Players could modify Cloud's weapons, clothing and motorcycle, and perform powerful attacks known as limit breaks.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a 2024 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The game is a sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and the second in a planned trilogy of games remaking the 1997 PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII.
Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier was a 2021 free-to-play battle royale game developed by Ateam Inc. and Square Enix Creative Business Unit I, and published by Square Enix. It was released for Android and iOS on November 17, 2021. The First Soldier is a part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, a collection of spin-offs related to the original 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII. Set 18 years before the events of Final Fantasy VII, the game takes place in the world of Midgar, where the players took on the role of SOLDIER candidates in a battle-for-survival simulation.
