Set two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud now leads a solitary life traveling the Planet as a transporter. The office of Strife Delivery Service is located in 7th Heaven, which also functions as an orphanage for children stricken with Geostigma.

Three new enemies make an appearance in Advent Children. Kadaj, their leader, is in his teens, while Yazoo and Loz are known to be in their twenties. In them, Cloud sees shadows of FFVII’s fallen hero, Sephiroth. The three are after “Mother” and refer to Cloud as their “Brother”. Having obtained Jenova’s head, their purpose appears to be to start another Reunion. Vincent suspects that with Jenova’s cells, they may even be able to create another Sephiroth.

A non-contagious disease known as Geostigma is spreading across the Planet, with Kadaj claiming that it is due to Jenova’s cells working hard in the Lifestream. Children tend to show signs of Geostigma first, though adults are susceptible to the disease as well. Symptoms of Geostigma include mental weakness, pain and even death. Cloud is known to suffer from this disease though he hides his affected arm beneath his sleeve. He is heard coughing and clutching his arm in some parts of the trailers. Victims bandage affected regions and it was Cloud’s used bandage, which Marlene found in the Church, that gave away his condition.

According to the creators, the Church will feature prominently in the movie. Besides being the place Cloud calls home, it is also the stage for the fight between Tifa and Loz. Despite her valiant attempts, Tifa is ultimately defeated and Loz makes off with Marlene and the rest of the children. Cloud arrives late and brings the barely conscious Tifa back to 7th Heaven.

Reno and Rude arrive at 7th Heaven, Cloud having been hired by Rufus to be his “bodyguard” from the three new foes. The ShinRa President suffers from Geostigma as well and is wheelchair-bound. Rufus has been reconstructing Midgar and searching for any traces of influence that Sephiroth might have left on the Planet, to which he has found none. He now resides at the Healin Lodge, also known as the Geostigma Sanatorium. The Turks report that the three silver-haired youths have brought the children to their headquarters, the City of the Ancients.

Cloud still carries emotional scars from the last time we saw him. Weighed down by memories of loved ones he has lost and his physical condition, he now comes across as devoid of hope. Ever the reluctant hero, it takes much persuasion from Tifa after the children are captured for Cloud to decide to go after them. Perhaps it is only during his dream-like encounter with Aerith on the way to the City of the Ancients that he finally makes some progress. The two meet back-to-back in the flower field, beneath a pure white sky. Cloud struggles to voice his desire to seek forgiveness, to which Aerith says that she already has forgiven him. Consoled but still unconvinced, Cloud sets out on his path of redemption.

Kadaj speaks to the children by the shore of the lake in the City of the Ancients, rallying them to join forces with him against the Planet. They ambush Cloud and the children form a circle around him, preventing his escape. Kadaj calls Cloud a traitor and is about to execute him when Vincent swoops down and brings Cloud to safety. Marlene escapes and rejoins Cloud and Vincent in the woods. They then chase the silver-haired youths and the children back to Midgar.

Midgar is in chaos when they return. Kadaj has unleashed a swarm of Shadowcreepers which attack the townspeople while Cid, Barret, Vincent, Yuffie and Red XIII fight them off. Tifa is shown shielding Denzel, one of the orphans under her charge. Reno and Rude battle Yazoo and Loz respectively. Kadaj is seen looking down from a damaged building with Rufus, during which he summons Bahamut Sin. Cloud then practically flies towards the dragon, kamikaze-style, as it prepares to launch an attack on the city.

It should be noted that Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, Red XIII and Marlene have each been seen carrying a ribbon. Cloud, too, has been spotted with one tied around his left arm during what appears to be a flashback. Here, his arm is not covered by a sleeve, presumably before he contracted Geostigma, and he is seen fingering the ribbon in the rain. Whether the ribbons are simply a gesture of friendship or even a sign of mourning remains uncertain.

The scene then shifts to Cloud scaling up the side of a building with a sword in each hand while explosions go off. As the buildings collapse around him, he looks up and we see Sephiroth in all his former glory. The line, “I won’t remain just a memory.” is heard. From out of the debris, sword drawn, a familiar face is seen. None other than Sephiroth has returned.

Characters:

Cloud Strife Role in FFVII: Main Character [Playable] Role in Movie: Main Character Cloud makes a return as the main character in the movie. He is all alone in the world, wondering if they done the right thing in attempting to save the planet. He now sports a new look wearing a black outfit instead of the purple from FFVII. He carries his trademark buster sword.

Sephiroth Role in FFVII: Main Character [Non-playable, enemy] Role in Movie: Unknown Although it is currently unknown as to what role Sephiroth will play in the movie, it is now likely that he will appear as more than just a flashback. We come to this conclusion as Square-Enix has listed him under the characters section of the official site.

Kadaj Role in FFVII: Not in game Role in Movie: Main character [Enemy], Leader of Silver Haired Men One of the three Silver Haired Men [SHM]. He is in opposition to Cloud and appears to be the leader of the group. Nomura has said that the story will begin to revolve around the SHM. It has been noted that he bares a striking resemblance to Sephiroth. He uses a weapon which has been confirmed as being a refined double sword and has exceptional sword skills.

Loz Role in FFVII: Not in game Role in movie: Main Character (Enemy) One of the three SHM, although the oldest of the group, he is a crybaby. His combat skills have been noted for his fight in the trailer with Cloud, and he has an extremely fast attack. He uses a weapon called "Dual Hound" which is both a shield and a gun.

Yazoo Role in FFVII: Not in game Role in movie: Main Character (Enemy) Another of the SHM, however, as with all of them, little is known about what role he will play in the movie. His weapon appears to be a kind of gunblade, and is most likely the weapon confirmed to have the name "Velvet Nightmare".

Barret Wallace Role in FFVII: Playable Character Role in Movie: Unknown Leaving Marlene in Tifa's care, Barret is searching for a new energy to replace Mako. It has been confirmed that the function of his right arm has changed. Only one small scene showing him has been shown so far.

Tifa Lockheart Role in FFVII: Playable Character Role in Movie: Unknown Tifa made her first appearance in Jump magazine fighting Loz. Her wardrobe has been updated with her appearing to wear something similar to Rinoa in FFVIII. She now looks after Marlene and other orphans while working at Seventh Heaven.

Vincent Valentine Role in FFVII: Playable Character [hidden] Role in Movie: Unknown Vincent has been living in solitary, studying the world and knows something of the current events that are taking place. Trailers appear to have made references to "Jenova" in relation to him.

Reno Role in FFVII: Non-Playable Character [enemy] Role in Movie: Unknown It is unknown if Reno is still working for ShinRa, or working independently with Rude. Recent images show him fighting Yazoo, and he is shown talking with Cloud, which seems to indicate opposition to the SHM.

Rude Role in FFVII: Non-Playable Character [enemy] Role in Movie: Unknown Rude made first his appearance with Reno in the April Jump magazine. More recent images show him fighting Loz and with Reno, talking with Cloud.

Marlene Role in FFVII: Daughter of Dyne, Adopted by Barret Role in Movie: Unknown Tetsuya Nomura has hinted that she and her "friends" would play an important role. She is living with Tifa and appears to be unaffected by Geostigma, unlike many of the other children.

Aerith Role in FFVII: Playable Character Role in Movie: Unknown Aerith has been shown as part of a flashback scene showing Cloud lowering her into the lake after her death. She also is shown in a dream sequence with back to back with Cloud standing in a field of flowers.

Denzel Role in FFVII: Not in Game Role in Movie: Unknown Denzel appears to be one of the orphans who lives with Tifa. He has been affected by the Geostigma disease and is one of the children who Kadaj gathers with him in the Forgotten Capital.

Cid Role in FFVII: Playable Character Role in Movie: Unknown Cid has been shown in several images holding his trademark spear weapon. Further trailers showed him battling the Shadow Creepers, and Bahamut as well.

Red XIII Role in FFVII: Playable Character Role in Movie: Unknown Like Cid, Red XIII has appeared when Midgar has been overrun by the Shadow Creepers. He has been shown leaping into the air, to attack Bahamut.

 

Yuffie Role in FFVII: Playable Character [hidden] Role in Movie: Unknown Possibly the last of the FFVII main characters to be released, Yuffie has been shown meeting with Tifa and Denzel as well as parachuting out of the sky.

 

Zack Role in FFVII: Non-playable character, flashback Role in Movie: Possibly a flashback One image of Zack has been released which shows him in the back of a pickup truck. This indicates that this character is likely featured as a flashback only due to events that took place in FFVII.

 

Unknown Characters

Wheelchair Person Role in FFVII: Not in Game Role in Movie: Unknown Kadaj is shown bowing down to a person in a wheelchair. They are covered completely in a white sheet or robe and only their hand can be seen. Who this is has been revealed in the 25 min preview. As this is a spoiler, we will not put their name here.

Shadow Creeper Role in FFVII: Unlikely Role in Movie: Cause havoc in Midgar Although not really characters, these creatures are shown in a battle with Cid. They appear in Midgar just before Kadaj summons Bahamut, so there may be some connection with him in that case.

 

Bahamut Role in FFVII: Summon Role in Movie: Summoned by Kadaj Bahmut is summoned by Kadaj and attacks innocent citizens of the city. In the trailers, it is the old gang from FFVII [Barret, Cid, Yuffie and Red XIII] who are shown attacking this monster.

FFVII: Advent Children

Q4 2004 Q1 2005 Q2 2005