FF7 ENDING! .............spoilers

[Ultimate99997]

After viewing the ending FMV for FFVII i was really shocked, squaresoft did a really good job of keeping us questioning even after we had completed the game because there are so many possible outcomes and meanings surrounding the final events.
I have worked out the basics - in the end meteor was summoned and is threatening the world whilst Holy (summoned by Aeris) is having the opposite effect and fighting meteor, as holy begins to lose the world begins to protect itself with lifestream which we see surround the source of devastation.
At this point we are guessing that midgar is destroyed, red XII announces that midgar is not what should be worried about, but the world itself.
After the credits we then see red XII and children (supposedly) run to the top of a cliff overlooking what looks like the ruins of midgar overrun with greenery. Did everyone die (probably)?
I have heard that the lifestream intentionally destroyed meteor AND midgar because it's purpose was to protect the world - did this include protecting the world from the mining of mako and the danger posed by humans? I would greatly appreciate any other views or possible explanations behind the ending's true meaning!!!

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

That scene with Red takes place 500 years after the other scenes, so of course, by then, everyone else has died. The fact that there are at least two upcoming sequels to FFVII featuring the same characters should be enough to make it perfectly clear that everyone didn't die in the Meteor mess, though.

[Heartless Shadow]

they couldnt of died if red is still alive and the upcoming advent children shows they couldnt of died.what i want to know is where did the otheir two reds come from if he was the only one of his species?

[Destai]

I loved the ending. Cliffhangers kickass and dont leave you dissapointed...well not that much.

[Shoden]

good question maybe clones?

[Black Chocobo]

Red isn't the only one of his species, b/c at the end of FF7 he has two cubs...They are in fact his...

Which leaves me guessing, if the same characters are in the sequel, and the sequel happens 500 yrs later...There must be a difference of time...

[DJZen]

The sequel doesn't happen 500 years later. The ending of FFVII happens 500 years later. Nanaki's species has a LOOOOOOOONG lifespan.

[Destai]

Still doesnt mean it was RedXIII at the end though. Not that it makes much of a difference. I just needed to post something...

[Shoden]

if you remember it was stated Nanaki WAS the LAST of his species his father was petrified by arrows (just use supersoft from ff9) and his mother died therefore they could be clones

[lord shishio]

Of course it was RedXII, no one else is cool enough to survive than him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Heartless Shadow]

yh they probably are clones.this shows everyone must of survived :)

[Destai]

Clones I dont know about. I guess AC or one of the new parts will shed light on the subject.

[Big D]

Please note:

HOJO THINKS THAT NANAKI IS THE LAST OF HIS KIND. HOJO CANNOT KNOW THIS FOR CERTAIN. HOJO IS ALSO SLIGHTLY MAD.
HOJO COULD BE WRONG.

Phew. Glad I got that out of my system.
I mean, how do you really know for certain that someone is the last of his kind? FFVII's world is vast and sparsely populated. Lots of space where Nanaki's kind could be dwelling in secret, away from human interference.

[Shoden]

Bugenhagan would of told nanaki anyway when does the old Kringle (ho ho hoooooooo) gadgy die?

[Destai]

Budenhagen died during disc 3 and gives Red his ultimate weapon. Who says Budenhagen knows?

[Shoden]

well he strangely knows a hell of alot of things hes strange very strange, who knows a 130 ( i tink) year old man in shape like that floating around everywhere knows loads of stuff and all he can say is "ho, ho hoooooooooooooooo"

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Before he dies, Bugenhagen tells Red to go out into the world and search for another of his kind. The game's ending shows that he succeeded.

[Shoden]

meh, im still prepearing for the final battle in the crater

[-Zohar-]

Omg...Honestly though, the FFVII -insert fancy name here project- is in between the ending and the Red XIII scene obviously, b/c AC is like...2 years after the crater battle and the end of Midgar/Meteor? So, just disregard the RedXIII scene 500 years later, its just an extra detail of the epic plot.
So its like this?
FFVII events>>>FFVII -fancy name- Project>>RedXIIIs conclusion as an elderly being with children (obviously he found another of his kind. Hojos insanity and tendency to be naive and Bugenhagens awesome knowledge hinting to another creature like him explain Red XIIIs aftermath scene...)
I will never forget when I beat FFVII and I waited 30 minutes at the scene of the cosmos where you are supposed to shut the game off after RedXIIIs scene...I didnt understand the term "CLIFFHANGER" when I was 9 perhaps? rofl... :tongue:

[amratis]

Probably not. ;) Watching the final scene with Red XIII and also knowing that VII:AC is coming out soon...well, it kinda makes things abit weird to me. I mean, Red see's Midgar in complete ruins, and by this point, the events of AC are 498 years beind. So, in an uncomfortable way it kinda makes the whatever the events of AC will be - obsolete. This has kinda depressed me abit, must go watch trailers again. ;)

amra

[Destai]

Filling in the gaps I guess.

[Cloud_Strife14]

In the scene after the credits, when you see Red XIII running with is (maybe) kids, if you look closely you can see his "XII" tatoo that Hojo gave him on his hind leg, but its a little blurry, but you can make it out if you look closely.

[Swordicanus]

it is most certainly red xiii because u can clearly c da tattoo on his leg at the end

[Zangan]

I'd like to point out there was NOTHING conclusive saying Bugenhagen died, especially since Red talks of him wanting to "travel the world". That being said, I imagine he probably did die from the context. What I do want to ask is this - I haven't watched the ending for a long time now. I am assuming there is something saying "500 years later . . ." before the scene with Red and his "cubs" because I have no recollection of being told that scene was 500 years later. I assumed it was 2 years later (i.e. AC era). Could someone confirm where the "500 years" comes from? Cheers.

[mike without a hat]

at the end there is a huge screen that clearly states that the red scene is 500 years later

go to this site and scroll down, its got pictures
http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/psx/c/ff7_5.htm

and you can also tell that it is red by his markings

[Zangan]

Cheers! I would agree it was Red XIII - Hojo gave him his tattoos. Why would any other of his species have them?

[mike without a hat]

he also has those ankle things in the picture

[Big D]

I'd like to point out there was NOTHING conclusive saying Bugenhagen died, especially since Red talks of him wanting to "travel the world". That being said, I imagine he probably did die from the context.If you return to Cosmo Canyon during disc three, Bugenhagen does indeed die right before your eyes - just after giving Red XIII the Limited Moon, his ultimate weapon.
What I do want to ask is this - I haven't watched the ending for a long time now. I am assuming there is something saying "500 years later . . ." before the scene with Red and his "cubs" because I have no recollection of being told that scene was 500 years later. I assumed it was 2 years later (i.e. AC era). Could someone confirm where the "500 years" comes from? Cheers.That's already been answered, so I won't bother:pCheers! I would agree it was Red XIII - Hojo gave him his tattoos. Why would any other of his species have them?I think that only the "Red XIII" tattoo was Hojo's work. That's what I understand from Nanaki's statements during the game.

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

I need to find my old fan fic about Red XIII. I assumed that humankind died out, so everyone was stuck in the Lifestream, but they each had their own paradise. Bugenhagen tours Red around the Lifestream showing what happened to each character and what their paradise is, and who they are with. Another issue is I don't tell you who the names of his kids are until the very end.

It'll probably be another week before I find it, b/c it's at my mom's.

[AkiraMakie]

ok, another thing about that little scene at the end is that, its kinda shows you that the planet healed itself. if you reremeber, that whole midgar area was barren and black. But it shows how flowers and grass bloomed. it was probably another hint at something about aeris too. but i wont get at that.

[viet-cong111]

Red XIII has the tattoo on its actully a tattoo of the 13 sign but maybe just maybe red XIII produces babies A sexually so therfore he would not need a partner so they are probably not clones :D

[limallama]

well seeing as red refers to hohohoooooo as grandpa, and his mothers never seen, it seems to me that his kind can crossbreed with humans.
would also give a possible explanation as to why he can talk, but then, thats just my theory

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

Even though I have not played the Japanese version, "Grandpa" could be a mistranslation. If you say the Japanese word that usually means "Grandpa" in English, it doesn't always literally mean Grandpa. That's even true in English, but under different circumstances, like adoption. The game doesn't say if he was adopted or someone crossbreeded, so the player can believe what he wants. Unless of course my translation idea is valid. If it's valid, then something along the lines of adoption would be the case.

Also, if they did indeed interbreed, can you cite me other examples of this? In FFIX, Zidane is attracted to a rat-woman, Freya, but can you find an example of this in FFVII? Its civilzation does not strike me as savage enough to practice bestiality.

[limallama]

you're probably right, i was just trying to sound clever really.

[Squall of SeeD]

Also, if they did indeed interbreed, can you cite me other examples of this? In FFIX, Zidane is attracted to a rat-woman, Freya, but can you find an example of this in FFVII? Its civilzation does not strike me as savage enough to practice bestiality.

Hojo attempts to interbreed Aerith with Nanaki. Whether this means it was possible or not, though, isn't known. It's not implied that Hojo had ever initiated such experiments in the past, but he seemed to believe that it would work.

[Weimar Pluto Knight VII]

Oh yeah. Okay, so maybe Shinra or Hojo cross-breeded a canine animal with a human before, and that's how we get Nanaki. Well, hmmmm. Nanaki is 48. If that was Hojo's doing, shouldn't he be retiring about now? Gast was his predecessor, and he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would subject humans to crossbreeding in the name of his experiments.

[Squall of SeeD]

Oh yeah. Okay, so maybe Shinra or Hojo cross-breeded a canine animal with a human before, and that's how we get Nanaki. Well, hmmmm. Nanaki is 48. If that was Hojo's doing, shouldn't he be retiring about now? Gast was his predecessor, and he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would subject humans to crossbreeding in the name of his experiments.

Well, you're forgetting that Nanaki wasn't the only kind of his species. His father Seto looked very much like him and it's not implied that there was any differences in them genetically, nor was it implied that Seto was incapable of speech. As far as the implications go, he sounded every bit as intelligent as Nanaki.

Personally, I imagine that "Grandfather" was either just a term of endearment in regard to Bugenhagen, or -- perhaps more likely -- possibly a title he bore the same way Japanese folks -- or Native American folks, which there seems to have possibly been a basis for in regard to the people of Cosmo Canyon -- would refer to their village's elder as such.

[GibsonGoth131]

they couldnt of died if red is still alive and the upcoming advent children shows they couldnt of died.what i want to know is where did the otheir two reds come from if he was the only one of his species?

In the ending scene everyones dead EXCEPT for Red XIII, because AC takes place 2 years after like the scene where the planet destroys meteor and Midger. Although, there's a chance Vincent would still be alive. In AC Vincent hasn't aged at all, he's still 27, while everyone else has aged two years.