Author Topic: Final Fantasy X and X-2 are prequels to Final Fantasy VII (Read 26214 times)

Topher · « **on:** 2003-05-31 07:57:59 »

According to the Final Fantasy X-2 Ultimania Guidebook (and Nojima himself), Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 are prequels to Final Fantasy VII.

Here's an online excerpt from the book: (EDIT It's in Japanese)
http://gameonline.jp/news/2003/05/30013.html

Qhimm · « **Reply #1 on:** 2003-05-31 16:33:06 »

Heh, interesting thought. I took the liberty of translating the first paragraphs, for those that are not fluent in Japanese language:

Quote from: gameonline

2003-05-30 (friday) 19:46
FF X-2 Ultimania - A connection between Shinra-kun and Shinra company?

From the staff interview in the "Final Fantasy X-2 Ultimania" which goes on sale tomorrow, we'd like to notify you about this rather eye-catching portion.

-- Does Shinra-kun have any connection to Final Fantasy VII?
Nojima: Actually, yes. Shinra-kun left the Seagulls, but received vast financial support from Rin and was using the otherworldy Vegnagun to extract Mako energy. In that age, however, the system to utilize that energy was far from perfected, but at some distant point in the future people people will have become skilled at it, and at some other point the Shinra company will be there... something like that.

(...)

Of course, I make no claims that this is properly translated (largely because I haven't played FFX-2...), so if you spot any errors just point them out.

Topher · « **Reply #2 on:** 2003-06-01 00:56:20 »

Thanks, Qhimm, that's a better translation that what I could do.
Another connection is that Shinra calls the MakÃ´ energy "the blood of the planet", just like in FFVII.

I found this on the GameFAQs SquareSoft Board:

-- Is there a connection between Shinra and FFVII?

Nojima: Yes, actually. After Shinra quit the Gullwings he got enormous financial backing from Rin and went to the Farplane to start extracting the Mako energy used by the Vegnagun. But the system for utilizing this energy could not be completed in his generation, so far in the future when space travel was possible, the Shinra Company was founded on another planet... or something like that. That would be a thousand years or so from this game's story.

-- And VII's story takes place after that?

Nojima: Well, you could say that's how I personally feel about it.

Qhimm · « **Reply #3 on:** 2003-06-01 09:43:36 »

Oh yes, I forgot the last sentence about the thousand years... One thing that perplexed me was the use of "hoshi" (star), so I took a guess and translated it as "point in time", but I guess the concept of space travel could fit better. Puzzling though that Shinra should be founded on another planet, one where they don't have space travel

Sir Canealot · « **Reply #4 on:** 2003-06-01 10:35:53 »

Pfft. BS. If this is true I'll remove FFX and FFX-2 from the FFVII timeline just like I've done with Star Wars Ep1/2.

Although.. if it is true... WHERE IN TIME DID THEY LOST ABOUT 500000 POLYGONS AND BECOME SO DAMN KAWAI? (or not)

eerrrr · « **Reply #5 on:** 2003-06-01 10:49:12 »

Lol, so if it's the same world where are all those... what are they called, little glowing things from the dead (Pyros?) in FFVII? I doubt 1000 years would alter the way you die...

Unless the farplane is in some way the lifestream.

Lieron · « **Reply #6 on:** 2003-06-01 14:47:54 »

hmm... as realted to the upper posts, it said that he WENT TO THE FARPLANE.... so maybe thats why, but i guess there would be even more floating thigns there... and then who were the ancients then? i thought they lived like 5000 yrs before ff7

Topher · « **Reply #7 on:** 2003-06-01 17:02:29 »

It would seem that, if in fact the Spirans were the Cetra, they existed less that 1,000 years prior to Final Fantasy VII.

According to Nojima, there is around 1,000 years between the end of Final Fantasy X-2 and the beginning of Final Fantasy VII. If, like I mentioned above, I am correct in assuming that the Cetra were the Spirans, travelling from planet to planet, studying and collecting MakÃ´ energy, then the following timeline (taking into account texts from Final Fantasy VII itself) should be fairly accurate.

At the end of Final Fantasy X-2, Shinra discovers MakÃ´ energy in the Farplane and studies how to extract it as a power source.
Several decades later, Shinra dies and his child and/or other Spirans continue his research.
Between 150-250 years later, space travel is invented and the descendant of Shinra at that time, with other Spirans involved, travel to various worlds, including the Final Fantasy VII world.
After researching the Final Fantasy VII world for some years, the Spirans decide to move on. Shinra's descendant and/or some other Spirans refuse to move to the next planet, and stay on the Final Fantasy VII world. The other Spirans leave the Final Fantasy VII world, and leave the remaining Spirans without the possibility of space travel.
Throughout the course of several years (or decades), the remaining Spirans use their knowledge to create the MakÃ´ reactors throughout the Final Fantasy VII world. They use that energy to create many villages as they spread throughout the land.
Many, many decades, or even several centuries later, the Shin-Ra Corporation is founded, it's name coming from the founder of MakÃ´ energy, Shinra. The Shin-Ra Corporation is deemed the owner of any and all MakÃ´ products, including the Reactors, and any research belonging to Shinra (or his descendants).[/list:u]
I based the timeline from part of the game where Sephiroth elaborates on the subject of the Cetra. He states that they moved from planet to planet, using an amount of the MakÃ´ energy the planet provides. He also says that some of the Cetra became lazy, and refused to move on in their quest (this is where the part about the Spirans staying behind comes from).

Another theory is that almost all of the "true" Cetra were wiped out by Jenova, when she crashed into the planet. The "lazy" Cetra survived because they were hiding, and the "lazy" Cetra eventually became the inhabitants of the Final Fantasy VII world.

Sir Canealot · « **Reply #8 on:** 2003-06-01 18:41:42 »

Quote

He states that they moved from planet to planet, using an amount of the MakÃ´ energy the planet provides

Umm.. are you sure about that? As I've read it a dozzen times they move around from place to place on the Planet not from planet to planet.

Qhimm · « **Reply #9 on:** 2003-06-01 20:23:51 »

Uhm no, it's definitely other planets...

Sir Canealot · « **Reply #10 on:** 2003-06-01 20:26:49 »

I'll have to play though FFVII again... not that I trust the USA Psx version I'm trying to play (diffrent script to PC Version).

I've been planing to note down EVERYTHING that dosent make sense about FFVII as I go though the game and post it on here anyway

Rubicant · « **Reply #11 on:** 2003-06-02 01:03:47 »

I just love the way they attempt to link a crappy portion of the series (FFX) to FF7. It's interesting, but some things should just remain a mystery (the origin of the cetra).

Sinister Heaven · « **Reply #12 on:** 2003-06-02 16:06:06 »

It doesn't end up at all... Even the world map is totally different, and so much doesn't change in 1000 years. Besides... The last full Ancient (Ifalna) died when Aeris was 6... Aeris during FF7 was 22, so she died about 16 years ago...

You are NOT going to tell me the last Ancient BEFORE Ifalna died more than 984 years BEFORE that... So where are the Cetra in FFX?

Rufus stated somewhere that his father created Shinra. His dad ain't no whooping thousand years old.

Somewhere in Wutai somebody (could be yuffie herself) said Wutai was hundreds of years old... Wouldn't there be traces of it then in FFX?

And where is the Northern Crater? jenova created that when falling from space... Calamity From The Stars, remember?

It all just doesn't connect, and I agree with Rubicant this is a sorry attempt to get some more depth into a disappointing game like FFX... And FFX-2, for that matter.

Topher · « **Reply #13 on:** 2003-06-02 16:20:38 »

You're forgetting one thing... Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy VII take place on two different planets.

Threesixty · « **Reply #14 on:** 2003-06-02 16:50:38 »

You could even link FF9 with FF7 if you look hard enough....

Wasn't the world called Gia in FF9 and Terra was the other world in FF9. The world where (forgot the main character's name) Zidane was created?

Terra could have been the planet from FF7...

...Think anyone can make any sense, out of "Kingdom Hearts"?

Qhimm · « **Reply #15 on:** 2003-06-02 16:53:42 »

The connection between FFX and FFVII should in no way be seen as definite or "official", it is merely an interesting what-if scenario Nojima amused himself with while drawing up some story elements for FFX. It was never meant to fit perfectly into FF7, rather a thought that it could have been something like this. If you really need to draw parallels, think of it as Nojima's tribute to the FFVII story, feeling it was so unique he incorporated similar elements into FFX-2.

However, with some work, I'm sure it could be made to fit into FFVII. I'm just not sure it would be worth it, as it would probably degrade the integrity of both storylines. For example, the following points are hard to dispute:

The Cetra prospered about 5000 years ago, IIRC. But by Nojima's logic, only about 1000 years have passed between FFX-2 and FFVII. Add to the fact that the Spirans would first have to invent space travel, and the equation clearly doesn't add up. The Spirans can't be the Cetra.
If the Spirans instead came to FFVII's planet long after the Cetra, but still long enough for people to forget their heritage, it could explain the rather advanced Mako technology Shinra uses. However, would the space travel technology so easily be forgotten? (remember, Shinra still struggles with simple rockets). It is unlikely that the people of FFVII are all aliens and just happened to "forget" every single detail about their rather recent (much less than 1000 years ago) origin.

Sinister Heaven · « **Reply #16 on:** 2003-06-02 18:27:43 »

I agree with you there as it being Nojima's tribute or something alike that.

I'm a type of guy that says: Let Final Fantasy stand on it's own... Do not combine different parts together as one... Each has their own sense of reality and possibilities, and it would be a shame if all, or some, could be linked together... It would remove the word 'Final' in Final Fantasy...

ye-roon · « **Reply #17 on:** 2003-06-02 21:31:10 »

damn i gotta learn japanese :/

ye-roon · « **Reply #18 on:** 2003-06-04 20:50:04 »

btw when i try to read that site i get all sorts of weird signs, but not japanese signs.....

can someone point me out so that i see the japanese signs ??

i use win2k

Caddberry · « **Reply #19 on:** 2003-06-04 22:26:28 »

to the best of my knowlege it depends on the browser your using.. use internet explorer, and have the japanese language pack installed.. same with other languages.. if you cant see the characters and get weird glyphs you dont have it installed and you need to do so..

The SaiNt · « **Reply #20 on:** 2003-06-06 08:55:23 »

Quote from: Qhimm

If the Spirans instead came to FFVII's planet long after the Cetra, but still long enough for people to forget their heritage, it could explain the rather advanced Mako technology Shinra uses. However, would the space travel technology so easily be forgotten? (remember, Shinra still struggles with simple rockets). It is unlikely that the people of FFVII are all aliens and just happened to "forget" every single detail about their rather recent (much less than 1000 years ago) origin.
[/list:u]

Provided the Spirans need to use spacecraft to travel.
They could very well use "magic" to create portals.
With the emphasis of technology, magic is forgotten so they cannot travel to other planets anymore?

Wait a second...that sounds like FF6.

On second thought, could the Cetra & Spirans be a single race with different emphasis? Like the Cetra were more of the "magic" kind of people while the Spirans were more technology oriented?

BrokenAntiMatter · « **Reply #21 on:** 2003-06-07 08:30:52 »

:love: i have an idea

FF7:
it says in ff7 that there are other planets
it also says the cetra have unknown origins and that the came from the earth and will return from the earth it never ends
when a person dies they are sent back to the earth until they can be reborn

FF10:
It says in ff10 that aeons come from heaven(many retarded races refer to outerspace as heaven)
In ff10 people are sent to heaven(another world)

My Theory:
Perhaps the people of ff10 are sent to the ff7 makostream when they die
Perhaps the summoners/holy people are sent to the planet to live
If this was true then the summoners/holy people (those who rejected mecha) became the cetra (there technology and housing structers are similiar in many ways.
The unholy/comman people came forth from the mako stream later in time. They used also kept their former knowledge. This would explain why some places in ff7 have super advanced technology(midgar/zanarkand) others have some (midell and corel/al-bhed race) and those with none (costa de rica and cosmo canyon/all those little crappy places in ff10)

ff9 takes place after ff8
(many refrences are given to ff4/ff8/ff7)
ff8 takes place after ff7
(it just does)
ff7 takes place after ff6
(the technological advances of all the towns and technology brought on by mako can be show in ff7 where ff6 places still function technology is old ect)

Rubicant · « **Reply #22 on:** 2003-06-07 15:21:34 »

Quote from: BrokenAntiMatter

ff9 takes place after ff8
(many refrences are given to ff4/ff8/ff7)
ff8 takes place after ff7
(it just does)
ff7 takes place after ff6
(the technological advances of all the towns and technology brought on by mako can be show in ff7 where ff6 places still function technology is old ect)

I'm sorry, but you're dead wrong on that one. It's not a continuing series. I could almost buy the whole "ff8 after ff7" thing, considering on the back cover of ff8(psx) it says "an epic story based on the theme of love, set in a massive new world". Perhaps the people on the ff7 planet finally got their act together (500+ years later) and started back up with civilization. Their skinny-elbow arms grew into polygon-rich limbs. But where's the midgar ruins in ff8? ff9? If these games are in the same world, then the time where the games take place must be tens of thousands of years apart. Still..no way.

I actually could probably buy "ff7 after ff6". In both games, some idiots are trying to synthesize magic. And in the end it comes back and bites them in the ass. Considering at the end of ff6

Spoiler: show

, it would make sense that after a hundred or so years the story in FF7 could happen. But where do the cetra come in? And that's where you realize that they can't be linked. FF7 seems to be a "lighter side" of FF6, if you think about it. Let's combine Sephiroth and Kefka for a second. We'll call them "Lenny". In FF7 Lenny attempts to destroy the world for his own powers, but manages to fail. In FF6, Lenny

Spoiler: show

. So I might consider that FF7 is almost a FF6 remake. Do you?

FF8 and FF9 are in no way linked whatsoever. FF9 was more of a mixture of several of the FF games into one. FF9 was more similar to FF7 than anything else, however. To be honest, the way the story was presented in FF9 kind of made FF7 make sense to me.

And please, people, there is no way in hell that FF9 is in the same world as FF4. Except for wooden-style airships, of course. But do you see any stupidly-clothed idiots leading a party of blind fools to defeat some big bad guy in both FF9 and FF4? Of course you do! But that doesn't make them equal. But let's face it, Cecil looks like a total fruit after

Spoiler: show

. Zidane just belongs in a zoo, period.

By the way, AntiMatter, have you even played any of these games you're talking about? It kind of sounds like you don't.

BrokenAntiMatter · « **Reply #23 on:** 2003-06-08 03:40:40 »

ff9 and ff4 are the same world you fru weapons/people/items/events that occur in ff4 are found in ff9 and it relates them all to ff4 and zidane even mentions squall and cloud in ff9.

FF7 does have alot of the same story and places

the divine yevon/cetra who i pointed out are magic users from ff10/ff7
could be the thasma people from ff6 and espers/summons/aeons could all be the same.

the world of ruin bears some major resemblence to ff7
(given the time period you have to include some continetal drift, flooding, volcanic activity a possible iceage)

ff8 follows alot of the same land mass as ff7
(given the time period you have to include some continetal drift, flooding, volcanic activity, possible nuclear winter and green house effect)

Aaron · « **Reply #24 on:** 2003-06-08 03:42:11 »

I think it makes more sense if you just say they're all on different worlds and not connected, cause thats how it seems to be intented to be interpreted anyway. Although making up theories from the facts available can be interesting.