Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reuniongives players the opportunity to get to know the elite, genetically-enhanced military group known as SOLDIER better than ever before. Owned by the Shinra Electric Power Company, SOLDIER has played a key role in the lore ofFinal Fantasy 7, and players have been introduced to several of its members throughout the franchise’s various projects.Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 ReunionseesZack Fair, himself a member of SOLDIER, working alongside several other highly-skilled combatants within the elite group on a variety of missions at Shinra’s behest.
SOLDIER itself is divided into three classes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class. 1st Class is reserved for the most elite, capable SOLDIERs, who are given all of Shinra’s most difficult and challenging missions. 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs are given less important missions, including often personally assisting the 1st Class troops either in combat or in a chaperone capacity. All SOLDIER members are privy to inside information regardingShinra’s operations, meaning it is very difficult for any of them to leave the organization voluntarily. Even if they manage to do so, it is highly likely that Shinra will keep tabs on them to ensure company information doesn’t leak. The experiments and enhancements done to SOLDIERs using mako energy also leave each of them with a green glow in their eyes, making them easy to identify.
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Final Fantasy 7: SOLDIER’s Most Celebrated Members
The entireFinal Fantasy 7universe consists of multiple video games and even a couple of movies too. Throughout all of these, fans are introduced to a number of SOLDIERs, some more important than others. The most prominent and powerful SOLDIER isSephiroth,Final Fantasy 7’s primary antagonistand one of the most well-recognized villains in video game history. A brutal and dangerous individual,Sephirothwas seen as a hero in his days as a 1st Class SOLDIER, and his skill with the Masamune blade, which he wields with ease, is unrivaled. He eventually defected from SOLDIER upon learning the truth about his creation and went on to pursue the destruction of the planet.
Serving as a prequel toFF7,Crisis Corealso shines a spotlight on two more high-profile members of SOLDIER’s 1st Class:Angeal Hewleyand the controversialGenesis Rhapsodos. Angeal is Zack’s mentor, teaching him all about honor and loyalty. A highly skilled swordsman, Angeal is the first owner of the Buster Sword, but he refuses to use it for fear of it becoming damaged or dirty. He eventually defects from SOLDIER, following his friend Genesis, after learning the truth about their origins.He passes the Buster Sword on to Zackjust before passing away.
Genesis Rhapsodos is one ofFinal Fantasy 7’s most highly revered and skilled SOLDIERs, loved by many citizens of Midgar, who have even devoted a fan club to him. As articulate as he is lethal, Genesis has a complex mind which begins to crumble upon learning the truth regarding Shinra’s experiments on him. Eventually defecting, he forms an army of copies, serving as the primary enemies and antagonists ofCrisis Core.
One of the most well-known members of SOLDIER isZack Fair, the protagonist ofCrisis Core. Zack is highly enthusiastic and extremely keen to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Angeal by becoming a world-renowned SOLDIER. An agile, skilled fighter, he is quickly promoted to 1st Class and is able to hold his own against any of SOLDIER’s best, including Sephiroth and Genesis. He forms a close bond with Cloud Strife, an infantryman, who looks up to Zack and aspires to be a SOLDIER like him one day.
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Final Fantasy 7: Other Minor Members of SOLDIER
Not all of SOLDIER’s crew are of equal importance, andFinal Fantasy 7has also introduced players to lesser members who play minor roles in events.Much ofCrisis Core’s narrativetakes place at Shinra HQ, where Zack meets two more helpful members of SOLDIER who assist him on his journey:KunselandLuxiere, two 2nd Class operatives who help Zack on his journey. Kunsel proves to be a useful source of information and seems to know all about Shinra’s various shady activities. Luxiere looks up to Zack and respects him a great deal, idolizing him and offering to help in any way he can.
Not much information is known aboutRoche, a mysterious member of SOLDIER who was introduced in 2020’sFF7 Remake. Reckless and cocky,Rocheis a 3rd Class SOLDIER, but he possesses impressive fighting skills, even able to hold his own against Cloud in battle. His love for swordplay is matched by a love for motorbikes, and he comes to see Cloud as a worthy opponent for him, growing to respect his counterpart.
Two lesser-knownFinal Fantasy 7projects,Final Fantasy 7 The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side StoryandBefore Crisis- Final Fantasy 7, introduce a couple of other minor SOLDIERs.Goulde Aardeis a 2nd Class SOLDIER who was in charge of Nibelheim’s security at one point.EssaiandSebastianwere two SOLDIERs who were being experimented on and eventually had to be killed with help from Zack.
There are other characters whomay or may notbe considered members of SOLDIER, depending on differing fans' opinions.Cloud Strife, who announces himself as an ex-1st Class SOLDIER and certainly has the skills of one, discovers his memories are blurred with his friend Zack’s, and he never actually became one himself.Brothers Weiss and Nero, the antagonists fromDirge of CerberusandFinal Fantasy 7 Remake DLC INTERmission, are the powerful results of Shinra’s mako experiments. They are seen during the climax ofCrisis Corewearing 1st Class SOLDIER uniforms, albeit with slightly different logos, leading many fans to question whether they are genuine SOLDIERs or not, as this is never brought up or discussed.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
