In Final Fantasy 7 fans accompanied Cloud and his friends from AVALANCHE in a journey to save the world from absolute destruction. In that time, players of the acclaimed Square Enix title also learned of Cloud’s history with the enigmatic Shinra Electric Power Company, as well as its mysterious SOLDIER Program. In turn, Final Fantasy 7 had some of the deepest lore throughout the entire series.
Despite having been around since 1997, fans still have questions regarding the world of Midgar following the events of the 2020 remake. In particular, fans may have questions surrounding the true nature of Shinra Electric Power Company. Interestingly, some of these questions may change the way fans perceive the game’s overall world and story.
10 Did Shinra Have A Rival?
Fans of the original FF7 are already familiar with Shinra Electric Power Company’s rise to global prominence. Back in its early days, Shinra Manufacturing Works discovered a refining process that transformed Lifestream into Mako, a form of energy. In turn, this new energy processing system had reaped massive financial and political gains for the company.
However, it’s interesting to note whether Shinra had rivals of its own back in the day. What were their respective niches and industries? How exactly did Shinra manage to quell its fiercest rivals? Understanding Shinra’s behavior in the early days would give incredible insight into the principles and events that shaped President Shinra.
9 How Does Shinra Affect The Economy?
On a related note, given Shinra’s monopoly over much of Midgar’s flow of natural resources and services, where exactly do people pay their bills? Despite the rather weird nature of the question, it’s interesting to take note of how the global economy works in a Shinra-dominated landscape. For instance, without competition, money would only flow around a single entity - Shinra.
Would it still make sense to have people work under Shinra-owned businesses to earn money to afford Shinra-owned commodities? In this case, how would Shinra measure its economic “growth”? Likewise, would Shinra need any form of “funding” if the money goes back to them, anyway?
8 Were There Unofficial Fan Clubs?
In Crisis Core, players - who play SOLDIER Zack Fair - eventually get acquainted with various fan clubs of his senior First Class SOLDIERs. Angeal had his Keepers of Honor, Genesis had his Red Leather and Study Group, while Sephiroth had the Silver Elite. As with typical fan clubs, they had teased gatherings, various merchandise, and activities in support of these powerful warriors. However, FF7 fans might soon realize that these fan clubs exist as a means of propaganda to steer public favor towards Shinra.
Fans might also ask: were there any unofficial fan clubs? As with today’s celebrities having various iterations of fan clubs, popular Shinra SOLDIERs might get unofficial fan clubs without Shinra approval. What was Shinra protocol in these cases?
7 What Triggered The Desire To Reach Outer Space?
Among Shinra’s many divisions lie the Space and Aeronautics Department. With Palmer at the helm, the Department sought to bring mankind into space. Thanks to the help of Dragoon-inspired Cid Highwind as a volunteer, Palmer and the Department managed to create the experimental Shinra No. 26 rocket. Unfortunately, a failed launch resulted in the abandonment of the project entirely. In the game, this failure forced Shinra to pull funding off the department.
One question worth asking is just what prompted Shinra’s desire to go to outer space? For instance, there’s no mention of a space station for Midgar’s astronauts to go to. Moreover, there’s no mention of a moon as a destination, either.
6 What Happened To Shinra Truths?
President Shinra came up with the idea of Midgar at the height of the nine-year Wutai War. In order to gain public support in both endeavors, Shinra started Shinra News as a propaganda device. Opposing Shinra News was Shinra Truths, an anti-Shinra service geared towards releasing exposes. Players get the chance to read some of their news in Crisis Core. Unfortunately, Shinra Truths disappears and never returns to the limelight.
As such, fans might also wonder just what happened to Shinra Truths. Did the Turks apprehend Shinra Truths’ editor? Moreover, did Shinra apprehend the supposed insiders of Shinra Truths? After all, organizations such as Barret’s AVALANCHE still exist in Midgar. All in all, it’s interesting to see a media dimension to Shinra’s global domination.
5 Why Do The Turks Exist?
Fans of FF7 know that behind SOLDIER’s action-packed adventures lie the Turks and their clandestine affairs. These suit-clad agents form the vast intelligence network of Shinra, performing reconnaissance, and even assassinations for the company.
However, it’s interesting to ponder just how exactly did the organization form in the first place. SOLDIER units may simply receive the same kind of training a Turk agent might need to conduct their operations properly. Moreover, in a world where Shinra SOLDIER units can get trained for reconnaissance work in a Shinra-dominated world, what need would the company require from an intelligence organization?
4 What Was Sister Ray For?
In the lore, these Weapons serve as the Planet’s primary defense system against various threats. Moreover, the Weapons first awoke when Jenova crashed in Gaia. However, the Cetra’s interference and sealing of Jenova forced the Weapons to go into hibernation. Unfortunately, Sephiroth’s summoning of Meteor woke up the Weapons once more. Due to Midgar’s vast Mako consumption, the Weapons deemed them a primary threat.
Thankfully, Sister Ray, the massive Mako-empowered cannon, helped in thwarting the Weapon threat. Thanks to Sister Ray, its Mako blasts can decimate entire cities and even Weapons alike. However, just what purpose did Sister Ray serve prior to Sephiroth’s summoning of Meteor? Did they prepare Sister Ray to fight groups and nations still against Shinra?
3 Was Shinra Aware Of Whispers?
Fans who played through FF7 Remake might find themselves surprised by the way events transpired in the game. The Remake adds its own twist by having the main cast stray away from the original story, creating a divergent timeline with various implications. Spoilers aside, this “tinkering” with fate forced Gaia to summon Whispers, cloaked beings who block and even attack those who try to defy destiny’s course.
Interestingly, some key points in the game had Whispers actively interact with people about to change the course of the story. For instance, Whispers take Hojo away when he was about to reveal Cloud’s true nature. As such, this implies Whispers have been present in FF7 for a long time. One interesting thing to note is whether or not Shinra is aware of Whispers.
2 Can Shinra Travel Through Time?
Given the existence of Whispers and the Singularity in FF7 Remake, it’s theoretically possible for Shinra’s Research and Development Division to discover signs of these anomalous phenomena. After all, Shinra did have access to the Emerald Weapon and even Jenova itself. However, what’s interesting isn’t if Shinra is aware of the Whispers. Rather, it’s if they’ve weaponized them as well.
For instance, Sephiroth seems intimately acquainted with the nature of Whispers, especially in the Remake. Granted, Sephiroth may have learned what he knew through off-screen study and training. It’s not that far-fetched of an idea to think that Sephiroth learned about Whispers from Hojo’s notes.
1 Is Shinra Related To Shinra?
Aside from FF7, it’s FF X that also made a huge mark in the previous generations of Final Fantasy games. Unlike FF7, FF X took place in the world of Spira with the looming threat of the creature Sin.
In the sequel X-2, the Al Bhed characters Shinra and Rin briefly discussed the potential of Farplane, the place that fuels the Summoners’ energies, as an energy source. Interestingly enough, Kazushige Nojima (scenario writer) said that Rin would initially fund Shinra’s efforts, but it would be Shinra’s descendants who will be applying this technology in Gaia’s Lifestream once they use space travel to get there.
Unfortunately, FF7 director Yoshinori Kitase said Nojima simply stated his claims to tickle the fans’ imaginations. However, Kitase didn’t confirm nor deny Nojima’s statement. If this statement turned out to be true, what would be the connection between the spiritual Farplane and the Lifestream?
NEXT: Final Fantasy 7 Remake: 10 Hidden Details You Didn’t Notice About Midgar
