this whole game could've been avoided if vincent had just shot hojo back

The clashing themes of "protect the earth, don't pollute" and "if you dig a deep enough hole you can get superpowers" sits heavily on my mind.

I appreciate how you explained Cloud's first story as a combination of trauma and brain damage from unethical experiments rather than him deliberately lying. I don't know why so many people feel like it was all a conscious lie and Cloud actively knew the truth the whole time; if he had, he would have realized Tifa would have remembered things completely differently and wouldn't have tried to lie.

11:21 "but Tifa points out all the plot holes so it's deemed non-canon" That's legit the funniest way to explain that part possible

“Cause he’s Hojo dude, he’s crazy” I feel like that explains just about half of the story honestly

I like the headcanon that sepiroths comically long sword is called "natural causes."

Clouds hair poking out of...everything is just *chefs kiss*

A few things to mention: Jenova is heavily inspired by John carpenters movie The Thing, which features a shape-shifting alien. Sephiroth and jenovas powers are not necessarily magic, but are a part of jenovas actual organic material. Jenova is a parasite that live by feeding off of the lifestreams of different planets. Sephiroths character and reasons are a little more complex than just "hey bro", but i get that it fit the video. Sephiroth sees jenova for what she is, and, lacking ultimate purpose and motivation for existence, sees his mother as a role model. It is not a good purpose, but sephiroth wants any purpose, and sees replacing his mother as a planet eating demon as better than nothing. He also envies cloud for having an origin and purpose, and toys with him as a sadistic outlet. Lastly, sephiroth stylized himself as an angel, because of his mother's physiology of one wing and his metaphoric ascent into godhood/divinity. He also doesn't realize that life is what you choose for yourself, and doesn't require you to follow a "destiny" or purpose, so he doesn't see any other choice.

"Unfortunately nothing good ever lasts for our boy Zack." Right in the feels man....

Aight, a few things that weren't already mentioned in comments: -The planet has a name and is called Gaia -Sephiroth was injected with Jenova cells while still in the womb -Jenova was in Nibelheim so they could create soldiers/monsters in the reactor -Barret adopts Marlene because he thought Dyne was dead, not because he became unstable -You need a Keystone to get into the Temple of the Ancients, not another materia -The Black Materia isn't in the Temple, it IS the Temple. It shrinks because whoever is inside needs to solve a series of puzzles, which upon completing each one shrinks the Temple further, therefore killing whoever is inside. The Temple becomes small enough to be usable as a materia, but like...you're dead now -The snowboarding mini game is not fun that's just a fact -Specifically, Red is the one who gives Cloud the black materia in the crater because nobody else wanted to even touch it

I love how you do the origin of why the lore exists first, and then you start with the game story. Seriously, that helps organize and follow these over cooked plots!I absolutely love you, simple explanations and jokes of these CRAZY convoluted stories. I have legit watched your videos on repeat. I'm hoping you tackle the Metal Gear Solid series! Please post more videos. I hope all is well in your life!

For someone who didn't know much about the lore, just the overall picture, this was fantastic. I appreciate this and how funny it was and the lore is totally not confusing at times lol. Thank you

I love how sepiroth is flustered at inviting cloud to his party.

"However Hojo is still off his medication..." An excellent description and explanation for quite a few important events.

I didn't realize until you pointed it out, that Sephiroth could and was controlling Jenova. All of that text in the game over countless hours of grinding levels made it easy to forget a sentence or two! It all makes sense now how it just got out of the Shin'Ra HQ, murdering and leaving trails of blood along the way.

I can’t be the only one getting unreasonably irritated about “centra”, right?

Something tells me that sephiroth wants cloud to come to his reunion

You forgot about the part where Sephiroth T-poses on aerith after he kills her. Because he's crazy.

The animation of the Meteor meteria rolling off of Barret's arm made me laugh really hard. Great vid!

Also there’s a theory that aerith wasn’t all the way dead when they buried her, since dead bodies tend to float, and the location of the stab wound didn’t kill her, but the deceptively deep pool did 😅

Clouds hair stabbing through his hat and helms is something I didn’t know I needed

Red XIII was captured by Shinra because of his very long lifespan. Hojo was planning to breed him with Aerith to create an ancient with a long lifespan. It's not said clearly, but it is strongly implied, although you would probably miss this if you were a kid when playing the game.

I really enjoyed this. I’ve played through FFVII, Crisis Core, and even Dirge of Cerberus, and watched Advent Children a million times and still never know what’s happening. Breaking it down like this was very helpful. I wish we could get more videos like this.

Decent summary. Minor correction: *Cetra*, not "Centra". Would've been cool to see Vincent burst out into his Dirge-of-Ceberus Gargoyle-form when the narrator says "experimented on", and/or mention that he eventually is found by Cloud in a locked-up coffin in the basement of a Nibelheim estate (since AC/DoC/and everything else since the original makes finding, and keeping, Vincent and Yuffie as canon), and also that Lucrecia is talked to, whilst living as a female hermit (hermitess? spinster?) behind a waterfall in the middle of nowhere. Red XIII was the (almost; per Advent Children) "last" remaining descendant of another ancient race of powerful talking animals that had an affinity for guarding the planet and was kept for study out of similar curiosity for the past. Possibly -- knowing Doctor Fraudc-, er, MojoHojo feeling spurned by the attention Professor X gave the Powerpuff Girls -- for artificial repopulation of his species....not quite as real a repopulation as it would be naturally, in the wild. OH, and it would've also have been cool to expound a bit more on Crisis Core, in saying that the Buster Sword that Zack Faire gives Cloud Strife originally belonged to Angeal Hewley, something a pre-Cloud mentor to a younger Zack and even mentor and rival to a pre-crazed Sephiroth, when the local crazy-of-the-month/year was a wannabe poet-samurai named Genesis Rhapsody, partly responsible for Lucrecia blaming herself for said death of the father of a younger Vincent when he was part of the Turks, long before objecting to MojoHojo's machinations and idiosyncrasies. Producer's call on whether or not Before Crisis story/Turk backstory content is worth fleshing out. Original was only ever on select Sprint flip-phones that very few played, regardless of mobile gaming not ever taking off in the States as compared to across the Pacific in the "East". Same with whether or not the "vegetative state" clones in the original/Remake(s) are a combination of the three wannabe-Sephiroths in Advent Children or not (clarification on that?), or if those just came out of nowhere at that point in time for that particular "Reunion" (of those containing similar cells). Also would've liked the Don Corneo storyline included....with sexy Aeris/Aerith and Tifa illustrations! =) 11:55 in with the blushing cheeks on Sephiroth and party hats on the clones was lit AF! Reeve IS a total Chad, btw! Polycentric Law and private security firm "World Regensis Organization" to the rescue with Shinra's new management! 16:09 in, Aw, come on! Aerith' death was/is one of "the" seminal video game "moments" in history! (Loved how the materia falls off Barrett's gatling-arm, btw; but the "optimal" character set-up for the final boss battle is Cait Sith, Vincent, and Cloud, not only because they are the most powerful characters in-game, but also because two of the three were/are Turks, responsible for SOLDIERS, and one cosplayed as one for most of the game and showing up a real SOLDIER that hurt him and his friends is kind of the whole "Gohan-beats-Cell"/Ash-beats-Gary main character focus. Tifa's a cowgirl-bartender, Barrett's crippled, Red XIII is a dog/wolf or cat/tiger/lion, Yuffie is a little girl who thinks she's a ninja, and Cid is a chainsmoking mechanic. They can stay behind and fight the sub-final-boss in the "get everyone on the card" match, this player will take the Chad-magic-wielding robot with a Scottish accent, the real life Bat-man, and spiky-haired Tsundere who can lift swords bigger than his torso and has the most backstory and trauma any day! 17:42 in, respectifully disagree! The planet-summoned "WEAPONS" are a pivotal part of the broader FF7 storyline and are the Jurassic Park 1 Jeff Goldblum character moment, whereby "Life (Nature)....finds a way", and Nature overpowering Nurture. Humans concerned more with genetic- and social-engineering try to rebuke these Godzillas with technology, but are barely half-successful before needing to rely on the Nature-loving main cast to settle down the overreaction by the body, er, planet, as to not exhaust itself to death with these white blood cells, er, "WEAPONS". "Hojo turns green"....like he said "yuh wouldn't like him when he's angry!" LOVE how the spiky hairstyle exudes past headgear in the animation! =) But where's the Knights of the Round materia and chocobo breeding and racing??? *Old Egoraptor summary ending voice from Newgrounds* "...And that's why it's the best game ever!"

An important point is that when Sephiroth is explaining to Cloud what "really" happened in Nibelheim, *Sephiroth doesn't actually know* what really happened. He's just extrapolating based off of the consequences he saw at the reactor. This is important because he assumes that Cloud was a puppet who was just following him around, and that idea led him to overconfidence in his control of Cloud that is eventually exploited. It's a key plot point that explains why Sephiroth's entire plan unravels because of toying with Cloud.

The Sephiroth "akwardly flying offscreen" is actually somewhat accurate lmao

This is so good. The detailed explanation while also being a little tongue in cheek about how goofy some aspects of the story are. Chefs kiss 💋

This has got to be my favorite FFVII plot explanation video. I love watching it whenever I need a memory refresher (and I'm always quoting the stuff about Hojo for some reason). Good news, the next part of the remake is coming this winter and I can't wait to see what you'll do!

Red wasn’t supposed to become a sephiroth clone - his species has incredible longevity (he’s like 50 in the game, which is the human equivalent of 12) and so Hojo wanted to breed him with Aerith to try to create a Cetra who could essentially live “forever”…long enough to withstand their testing

When Cloud drops the black materia onto Barret's gun arm and it just rolls off...I'm dying, dude. Well done.

i like how clouds nemesis is just like hey bro there's a reunion you should come *then causally floats away*

ayy bro, dude you MADE my morning with this. I believe I was blessed by some Higher Power to have experienced this as ONE of the FIRST games I ever played, back on my older brothers PlayStation with the disc cleaner and the cords and gray controllers....ahhh man, now I am 31, but I am so grateful homies like you create content like this. Incredibly entertaining for any audience, but those few little inside "you-were-there-so-you-know" jokes throughout the video, I felt like I was back with my old friends, feeling superior to all in our nerdy inside knowledge of the game hahaha Thank you homie, you got me to subscribe!

Oh my gosh he’s back. These makes my day every 4 months.

Just some clarifications: 1 - Jenova takes the form of the host they are infecting, she didn't arrive as a naked lady, at the time of its imprisonment Jenova had the form of a naked cetra lady. 2 - Sephiroth went mad a Nibelheim because he thought Jenova was an Ancient and therefore he too was an Ancient.

I like the fact you put in the detail of zack using the dull side of the buster sword.

20:00, I was dissapointed for not having the third "He is hojo dude, he is crazy"

It’s a damn shame Sephiroth never came across Vincent’s coffin in the shinra mansion and got all the answers of his origin.

However, Tifa does not actually point out anything. She doesn't confront Cloud. She keeps to herself, and his story is taken for granted by the group, and by the player. Tifa's psychology is a key component of the story, as she alone holds the truth at that point and chooses to hide it from everybody .

The jenova research always took place in nibelheim. Vincent’s flashbacks all took place in the Shinra manor. Ironically, it turns out nibelheim is Sephiroth’s hometown, too. Jenova wasn’t moved to Midgar till after the nibelheim incident

This is incredibly well done. A difficult story to tell without being the one who played it, but you made it very lucid! Subbed.

I have played ff7 several times since my childhood, but never clearly understand the whole story. Thank you for the simple and fun video

You forgot the best part of the game where palmer is hit by a truck

The planet is called Gaia

This was a very good explanation. There were always some things about final fantasy vii that I couldn't piece together. Now things kinda make sense

actually ''the naked alien lady '' was not jenova .... jenova was an alien organism,which infected a female ancient and used her corpse as host. the host body is how the player sees Jenova , as ''naked alien -lady '' hope this explanation helps :P

I love how clouds hair pierces every hat he wears

I remember first seeing my college buddy playing it back in like 98' or so. He was actually fighting Hojo at the Sister Ray and trying his best to explain the story while trying to beat him

This is my new favorite youtube channel. Thank you for your hard work.

I thought they were called the Cetra, and Centra was from FFVIII.

Ff7’s story sounds so weird on paper, but really amazing in game

5:34 This is incorrect. Sephiroth's research leads him to believe Jenova is an Ancient and that humans were enemies of the Ancients. He goes to free his "mother". Later, when he's in the lifestream, he fuses with Jenova and realizes what Jenova truly is (and by extension, what he is). So he begins to try and finish what Jenova started. (Jenova is an alien that goes around consuming planets, fusing their existence with its own)

3:21 and thus, the one winged angel was born

I like how about 5% of this story got through to me while playing the game, but the overall themes and mystery of everything made the story very compelling.

The worst case scenario happens "Another Cait Sith appears"

I was thinking why did you skip the giant materia arc?

8:22 Hojo is not making a clone. He is breeding Aerith with Nanaki (Red xiii) to create a long living Cetra offspring. No human will be alive for long enough to complete the research. Nanakis race live for a relatively long time. Hojo has some problems

btw, Safer Sephiroth is a mistranslation. His ACTUAL name is "Seraph Sephiroth" as in Seraphim.

Honestly I feel like the music in FF7 is at least 50% of why the game is so captivating - the music makes me cry to this day, even something like the standard battle theme has such a powerful story to it

Such a great explanation. Played OG 20 years ago, I totally forgot the story and I missed many parts because I didn't ingest what was happening well. This video clearly explains the whole saga, and it shows how brilliant the story is.

Watching this on 2024 a couple weeks before Rebirth comes out is odd.

Man, Hojo must be fun at parties.

The materia rolling off Barret's "arm" made me choke on my dinner.

"SOLDIER!!!" will never leave my brain about FF7

The sarcasm at 12:12 is funny after Rebirth because Cait Sith actually is the best character now

“But Tifa points out all the plot holes in his fan fiction so he’s deemed non-canon”. Can’t stop laughing!!!!! Great video mate!!!

The "because he's Hojo and he's crazyyy" has me dead every time 😂😂 That man is both smart and fucked in the head lol

I love your humor and story telling. It is detailed.

00:55 Jenova took the form of a Cetra. She likely looked different back then than how she appears now, after 2000 years. Also, the Cetra didn't just die, they went mad and turned into monsters. 1:50 Materia also forms naturally. It's not only man-made. 3:05 The Turks aren't just "elite bodyguards". They are the special task force of Shinra. 3:20 Hojo injected the Jenova cells into Sephiroth while Lucrecia was still pregnant. So not just human experimentation on a baby, but an actual foetus. 5:38 Sephiroth didn't "realize his mom was actually a naked alien lady". He actually believed Jenova was a Cetra, and that he was one as well. 6:40 Hojo experimented on Zack, Cloud and others because he wanted to test his "Jenova Reunion Theory": that divided Jenova cells would seek to reunite. 7:30 Barret didn't leave Dyne behind on purpose. He believed he was dead. Barret didn't create AVALANCHE either. He was just the leader of a cell of AVALANCHE. 8:35 I don't think there's such a thing as "slightly comatose"? I think calling him catatonic would be more appropiate? 9:05 I get that this is meant to be humorous, but Cloud didn't just "create a fanfiction". Because of his mako poisoning, Jenova cells infusion, Zack's death and trauma, Cloud impressed Zack's memories and fighting abilities into his own. It's an important distinction to make, because some people think that Cloud is lying on purpose, but he's not.

THE LORD OF HILARIOUSLY WELL-EXPLAINED AND OK-LY DRAWN GAMES IS BACK

15:30 You forgot the part where Cloud beats the crap out of Aerith.

Dude, this really made my day.

at 5:20 you have a wrong info its not only because plot but because under nibelheim ist the strongest flow of life to extract more to make more mako energy. and they used it to make better experiements

Lot of important details that need to be mentioned: * Jenova isn't actually the woman with the heart/umbilical cord growing out of her. That is actually a cetra that Jenova infected and uses as a host. The actual Jenova is the microorganisms in the host, which are more like the "The Thing" from John Carpenter's interpretation of the classic horror story "Who Goes There?", a collection of alien microorganisms capable of a form of parasitism and mimicry, imitating other life forms by consuming them, copying their genetic material, and integrating it into its own, and then morphing into the form of the creature they consumed in order to better hunt and consume prey. * It is suspected that Hojo first began experimenting with Jenova cells on himself, infecting himself with the alien parasite, which resulted in him becoming mad, because Jenova has a form of telepathy that affects anyone infected with her cells and allows her to influence them. In effect, Jenova has a form of mind control/persuasion similar to the Reaper Indoctrination of the Mass Effect games. * This form of Telepathic Influence/Partial Mind Control also explains why Sephiroth went mad, because he has a high content of Jenova cells within him and getting exposed to Jenova directly affected them and through them, him.

So, in short: everything goes to shit because one guy can't stop experimenting on people.

Cait Sith being a bad character is something rebirth did a really good job of repairing

This is awesome. Haven't played and watched this fully since like 1998. Every attempt aftewards I ignored the story. Great to wrap this all up right to the point.

I love that Cloud's hair cannot be contained by anything!

Actually Hojo wanted to reproduce Aerith with Red XIII because his species live for 500 years, so he wanted a test subject that would live enough for an extensive research

Amazing video mate. Great work.

This was amazing! So easy to digest. Thank you!

"...Lucrecia blamed herself for the death of Vincent's father, soooo she started a relationship with butt-ugly Hojo." I literally had tears from laughing at this so hard and rewinding it 10 times.🤣🤣🤣

Sephtiroth: "Hey Jenova mind if I can kill people" Jenova: "Only a Swords length" Sephtiroth: *Unsheathes a Comically large sword*

Lmao clouds hair slicing through his hat & sticking out was a super funny detail dude

I am so glad I discovered your channel! This is amazing content 😂❤

23 minutes well spent - epic work!

When you realize that ff7 literally the whole story could’ve been avoided with just hojo not existing or dying

Chase Kip, Wow, this made my day brighter! Thank you!

Cloud's hair poking through all his hats is great.

ok but can we talk about that adorable drawing of sephiroth

Ok, but where's the part where the superhuman named Sephiriath causes tension with Aeriath Gainsborough?

out of all the timeline or recap videos that i hav watch about FF7, this is the best 1 yet!

Minor detail the ancients didnt name the alien jenova. The scoentist guy that fount her and thought she was an ancient gave her the name

okay. im gonna need that image of Cloud in a wheelchair on a t-shirt.

2:12 *Cetra 6:05 Sephiroth is powerful, but he did just fight with Zack and after fighting with Zach was so consumed and distracted by the majesty of Jenova, Cloud was able to shove the buster sword through Sephiroth. Don't you remember Sephiroth limping and acting weak? I dunno about you, but having a buster sword in your torso is probably fatal. In Sephiroth's wounded and bewildered state, Cloud was able to overcome him.

I just finish rebirth and tbh I had no idea of all this lore although I finished the original 7 like 3 times at the time, THAAANKS so much for this great animation and explanation.

Awesome explanation! As someone who’s never followed Final Fantasy games, I’m glad I know what started it all 🎉

“Arrives just in time to be turned into a shish kabob” The most tragic event I ever witnessed in a video game

I kinda miss when this series could be called “poorly drawn...”

I love how clouds hair sticks through the helmet

I'm very late to this video but the shot of Barret just holding Marlene by the head started as a giggle and devolved into uproarious laughter.