Original terms that appear in many of the games in the FFVII series. Here are some of the most important ones. The names of the related works are also given to help you understand the world of “FFVII”.
Table of Contents
Avalanche
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』
An organization founded by the planetologests of Cosmo Canyon to oppose Shinra’s use of mako. Their headquarters are in Wutai. At one time it was a huge organization that was a threat to Shinra, but it effectively disappeared due to internal schisms and the assassination of its leader. Later, Barrett, impressed by Avalanche’s ideology and actions, forms a new anti-Shinra organization under the name “Avalanche”.
Weapon
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』
Existences that eliminate “that which ills the Planet”. The Planet created them for self-defense. They were originally created for the purpose of erasing Jenova, the “Calamity From the Sky”, but because the Ancients succeeded in sealing Jenova, the Weapons have been sleeping ever since in the Great Northern Crater. However, when Sephiroth summoned Meteor, they sensed the crisis of the Planet and woke up. They decide that humans are “that which ills the Planet” and start attacking everywhere.
Sapphire Weapon
A bright blue weapon that swims in the sea. When it acquires a target, it opens its mouth and emits a surge of intense heat.
Diamond Weapon
A sparkling, brilliant white weapon that slowly advances over the ground. It fires countless light beams from its shoulders and other parts of its body.
Ultima Weapon
A jet-black weapon that prowls the skies at high speed. While flying, it generates a high-density energy field around it.
Ruby Weapon
A deep crimson weapon that inhabits desert regions. It has an extremely hard outer shell and two huge tentacles.
Emerald Weapon
An armored, greenish-blue weapon that sneaks through the depths of the ocean. It emits beams of light from the eyes on both shoulders.
Jade Weapon
A weapon shaped like a fighter plane. It flies around the world and drops objects called Cluster [Bombs].
Ancient Materia
『DC』
A unique materia that holds back Chaos’ arrival, and is essential for controlling Chaos and Omega. It was discovered at the same time as the Chaos [genetic] factor by Dr. Grimoire, a leading expert in Chaos Research. It is an antimatter-like substance that’s been refined over a long period of time. The Planet created it in order to prolong its own life. It was embedded in Vincent’s body, and DG, who planned to resurrect Omega, attacked Vincent to get this materia.
Omega
『DC』
When a Planet dies, a life-form is born from the Lifestream. Its role is to deliver the life unified into one by Chaos to the next Planet. Primarily, this being’s purpose is to protect the circulation of life on a cosmic scale, but if it is created intentionally, it becomes extremely dangerous. It robs the Planet of all life and flies off into space.
Chaos
『FFVII』『DC』
A life-form born from Stagnant Lifestream. When a planet approaches its demise, it takes on the role of hunting down all life on the Planet. The life unified into one by Chaos is delivered to Omega, who then flies off into the sea of stars to protect the circulation of life on a cosmic scale. Lucrecia, who had been studying Chaos, conjectured that the trait of Chaos to “unite life into one” would stop Vincent’s body from decaying in his state of suspended animation, so she implanted the Chaos [genetic] factor in his body.
TL Note: “Stagnant Lifestream” is called “terra corrupt” in DC. It’s the same JP term in both places…
Ancients
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』
A people who have lived on the Planet since antiquity, and who have the special power to communicate with the Planet. Also known as Cetra, they took on the role of cultivating the Planet to prosperity with their power; opening up veins of Lifestream in various places to facilitate the favorable circulation of life. However, the majority of them died about 2000 years ago when Jenova attacked, and in the present day, their lineage is nearly extinct. Aerith Gainsborough is the last Ancient.
Jenova
『FFVII』『AC』『CC』『DC』『LO』
A life form from another planet that flew in on a meteorite about 2000 years ago. Its true nature has yet to be fully explained, but it is extremely intelligent and has the ability to mimic any living creature. It has an instinctive intention to destroy the Planet, and was sealed away by the Ancients as the “Calamity From the Sky” because it was such a dangerous being. After being excavated by the Shinra Company, it was used as a precious resource for biological experiments. Now, together with the resulting Sephiroth, it is once again working to destroy the Planet. Although most of its body was lost during the Jenova War, its malevolent thoughts remain lurking in the Lifestream.
Jenova War
『FFVII』『DC』
The war to stop Meteor from falling in FFVII. The term refers to the battle between Sephiroth, the champion of Jenova, and Cloud and his friends, who were trying to protect the Planet. Those who defeated Sephiroth and protected the Planet are considered the “Heroes of the Jenova War”.
The Jenova Project
『FFVII』『CC』
Based on the fundamental misconception that Jenova was an Ancient, Dr. Gast, the head of Shinra’s Science Department, started a project to bring back the Ancients. The main goal was to create a reborn race of Ancients that would inherit the power to lead the Planet to prosperity, but it resulted in reviving the source of the great calamity instead.
The Jenova Project consisted of Project G, headed by Hollander, and Project S, headed by Hojo. Only the latter, which created Sephiroth, was considered a success.
Zirconiade
『BC』
A legendary summon that can burn the world to the ground. Inside the materia used to summon it is a unique crystal shaped like a pyramid. Since the materia is damaged, Zicroniade cannot be summoned. It is also possible to summon Zicroniade if four pieces of materia (support materia) are collected to compensate for the missing sections. However, when it is summoned with support materia, Zirconiade is incomplete and cannot display its true power without the assistance of a simultaneously summoned beast (Zirconiade Guard).
Shinra Power Company
『FFVII』『АС』『BC』『CC』『DC』『LO』
A massive company that started out as a weapons development company, but grew rapidly after the discovery of mako energy and came to essentially control the world. By monopolizing the supply of mako and creating materia and enhanced SOLDIERs, the company has amassed wealth and military power that far exceeds that of any nation. However, its corporate policies are heavy-handed and inhumane. In particular, its research involving Jenova Cells spiraled out of control, ultimately bringing the world to the brink of destruction. Following the Meteor Disaster, it was all but dismantled as a company and lost its worldwide influence.
Geostigma
『АС』
A strange disease that has spread throughout the world since the Meteor Disaster. It causes black spots on the skin. There is no cure, and those who develop the disease gradually become weakened by the pain they experience randomly, eventually leading to death. This is a symptom of an overactive immune system that is eliminating the Jenova [genetic] factor from the body. Horribly, the spiritual energy of the dead who have Geostigma deviates from the normal circulation of life, and is incorporated into the Negative Lifestream – Jenova’s inherited thoughts lurking in the Lifestream – to become part of the power that is eroding the Planet.
Planetology
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』
The study of the circulation of life within the Planet. It is a sequence of events, systematized as follows: “When someone dies, spiritual energy such as the will and heart [心] does not perish, but returns to the Planet, and the Planet produces the next life.” From this perspective, the use of mako energy is considered a problem by planetologists as it interferes with the circulation of life and drains the lifeblood of the Planet.
World Regenesis Organization (WRO)
『DC』
An organization that works to restore the world after it was devastated by the Meteor Disaster. It was founded by Reeve, who used to be the head of the City Planning Department of Shinra, and he serves as its director. He is committed to fighting anything that harms the Planet, and played a central role in the war against DG. Although its sponsor has not been publicly disclosed, it appears that Rufus Shinra is funding Reeve through a proxy. WRO’s logo features Cait Sith.
Sephiroth Copy Project
『FFVII』『CC』
Hojo’s personal project to bring Sephiroth back to life after his death in the Nibel Reactor, using Jenova’s Reunion ability. He hypothesized that if experimental subjects who did not have the aptitude to be SOLDIERs were subjected to the same procedure that creates SOLDIERs, they could not resist the influence of the Jenova Cells and would become Sephiroth Copies who had lost their self-awareness and compulsively pursue the final site of Reunion.
Synaptic Net Dive (SND)
『DC』
To project and submerge oneself in a sea of information (network). This is the special ability of one of the Tsivets, Shelke the Transparent. It enables the user to interface with a virtual environment while retaining their awareness, and is mainly used to acquire information from computer networks. It is also possible to submerge oneself in the mind and senses of another person and directly examine their memories or share information with them, but this also puts a considerable strain on the person with the ability.
SOLDIER
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』『LO』
An enhanced soldier of Shinra, created by injecting Jenova Cells into a human body and exposing it to high concentrations of mako. While it is possible to acquire superhuman strength, endurance, and reflexes, those who have the strength to adapt to this procedure are rare. In the experimental phase, reckless human experimentation resulted in the loss of numerous subjects. SOLDIERs are categorized into 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Class according to their combat abilities, and the highest rank, 1st Class, has only a handful of members including Sephiroth.
Turks
『FFVII』『АС』『BC』『CC』『DC』『LO』
Nickname of the General Affairs Department: Investigation Section. The reality is that it is an elite unit that takes care of the dirty work of recruiting soldiers, espionage, cover-ups, and other specialized missions. All of the members are skilled professionals with outstanding physical abilities and specialized knowledge. They are not influenced by personal feelings or standards of right and wrong, but are thoroughly dedicated to carrying out their assigned missions. They are the back-up plan for the security forces, and as a result, have long been involved in a covert war with the anti-Shinra organization Avalanche.
Tsivet
『DC』
The title of the highest rank of DG Soldiers. Those who are considered exceptional among the Tsivets are given the color designation(nickname). The colored Tsivets are examples of the rare successes of special experiments, and most have unusual abilities. Many of them, such as Weiss the Immaculate, have outstanding combat capabilities, but others, such as Shelke the Transparent specialize in acquiring information.
Deepground (DG)
『DC』
Shinra’s top-secret testing facility built deep beneath Midgar. Very few people in Shinra are aware of its existence. Originally a medical facility for SOLDIERs, it gradually began to ignore all ethical standards and transformed into an extremely lawless research institute that investigates “How strong can humans become?” In the past, the “Restrictors” were in complete control of DG, but the DG SOLDIERs, led by Weiss, the strongest Tsivet, rebelled and broke free from their control.
DG SOLDIER
『DC』
Unique SOLDIERs affiliated with DG, who are compelled only to become stronger. As a result of the harsh experiments, some of them are unable to sustain their bodies without being flooded with mako, and many of them wear suits with a weak current of mako flowing through them. In the past, a microchip was implanted in the brainstem of each person brought to DG so that they would not be able to oppose the Restrictor’s control. In the present day, following a successful rebellion, they have all sworn allegiance to Weiss.
Holy
『FFVII』
The ultimate white magic spell that is the only way to oppose the black magic spell, Meteor. It has the power to erase what ills the Planet. The Ancients handed down the White Materia from generation to generation. It is said that the White Materia materia will be activated when an Ancient who bears it prays at the Water Altar in the Forgotten City and communicates their thoughts to the Planet.
Mako
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』『DC』
The energy resource pumped up by Shinra from the interior of the Planet using its mako reactors. In addition to being consumed to power everything that makes life convenient, it has also been used as the foundation for the latest military technology, such as the creation of materia and the production of SOLDIERs. Mako is synonymous with spiritual energy, the energy of existence that makes up the Lifestream. Its overuse will ultimately mean the collapse of the Planet in the not-too-distant future. Therefore, after Shinra was broken up, people are searching for a way of life that does not rely on the convenience of mako.
Mako Overdose
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』『LO』
The symptoms of the spiritual collapse caused when a living being falls into the Lifestream or is exposed to high concentrations of Mako for an extended period of time. The Planet’s memory, a vast amount of information, is condensed into Mako. If a person continues to be exposed to Mako, a large amount of knowledge will flood the brain beyond its capacity to handle, making it difficult to maintain normal spiritual activity.
TL Note: “Overdose” is literally “poisoning/addiction” in JP, but no *actual* poisoning/addiction to mako is taking place. Calling it “poisoning/addiction” is also confusing given that many DG SOLDIERs *really are* addicted to mako physically, but don’t necessarily have the symptoms described here. Given what is being described, it might be even better to call it a “mako overload”.
Mako Reactor
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』『DC』『LO』
A facility for pumping mako out of the ground. Shinra has been building these facilities at mako-rich sites around the world to monopolize the supply of energy resources. There are many doubts about safety regulations, especially in the case of the reactors built in remote areas, which have been confirmed to be involved in large-scale accidents.
Materia
『FFVII』『АС』『BC』『CC』『DC』
A high-density condensation of mako energy in a solid and stable form. In some cases, it is formed naturally in places where mako energy is abundant, but most of the time it is artificially manufactured using technology developed by Shinra. Many of them, such as magic materia like “Fire” and “Blizzard”, can be combined with weapons to give the user enormous combat power. Materia is a condensed form of the knowledge remembered by the Planet. Because of this, the longer a materia is used, the stronger the forces are that can be retrieved from its memory.
Meteor
『FFVII』
The ultimate destructive magic that summons huge meteorites drifting through space to crash into the Planet. This was one type of black magic told to the Ancients, but the Ancient themselves, fearing its power to destroy the Planet itself, kept it securely sealed as a forbidden art. The Black Materia needed to activate Meteor was sealed by transforming it into the Temple of the Ancients itself.
Meteor Disaster
『FFVII』『АС』『DC』
The incident when Sephiroth summoned Meteor to attack the Planet. With the aid of Holy, which activated after a short delay, and the Lifestream, which had gathered to defend the Planet, the collapse of the entire Planet was averted, but Midgar, where Meteor was falling, was almost destroyed in the conflict between Holy, Lifestream, and Meteor. Midgar was no longer a viable place to live after the disaster, so people moved to the nearby city of Kalm and the newly built city of Edge.
The Promised Land
『FFVII』『BC』『CC』
The place the Ancients strive to reach over the course of their lifetimes; the place where supreme happiness is said to lie. The Shinra Company interpreted this tradition to mean that the Promised Land is a land rich in mako, and decided to carry out the Jenova Project to resurrect the Ancients in the modern era in order to locate it. However, for the Ancients that took on the role of cultivating the Planet, the place where their lives will return – the Lifestream – is the Promised Land. Furthermore, there is conceptual theory that says, “Any place you are willing to die to reach can be called the Promised Land.”
The Lifestream
『FFVII』『АС』『BC』『CC』『DC』
The vast flow of spiritual energy that a Planet dwells in. Like the bloodstream flows through the human body, it circulates through the Planet and eventually becomes the source of birth for new life. All living things born in this way will ultimately die and return to the Lifestream. When this circulation of energy happens normally, the Planet is cultivated prosperously.
LOVELESS
『FFVII』『CC』
A classic epic poem in five acts. The final act is missing, and although experts are conducting research on it, the ending has not been revealed. It has been performed as a drama in Midgar for many years, and is so familiar to people that the area around the theater is called LOVELESS Avenue.
Reunion
『FFVII』『АС』
One of the properties Jenova possesses, it refers to the phenomenon in which scattered parts of its body call to each other on a cellular level to regenerate and consolidate into their original form. This implies that the effectively immortal Jenova and its son, Sephiroth, will eventually revive themselves even if they are destroyed.
Degradation Phenomenon
『CC』
A phenomenon that occurs in those created by Jenova Project G: Genesis and Angeal, and those that have their cells. It causes a decline in the body’s healing capabilities and metabolic functions. External changes also occur, such as the hair and skin turning white. Degradation manifests when a person’s genetic code is compromised because of the ability to duplicate one’s physical data onto another person’s.