The Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania is an Ultimania setting, scenario, and art book that compiles information on the collective plot of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and the original Final Fantasy VII. The book was originally made for the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary campaign, released on September 13, 2007 (the same day as Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-). It included brief mentions of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (released two years later). 77777 were sold as bonus items with Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Potions.
A widely sold revised version of the book titled Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Revised Edition (増補改訂版, Zōho Kaitenban?) was released on April 16, 2009 to coincide with the release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, and including additional information from Crisis Core and Advent Children Complete as well as some other additions. The book features numerous small alterations, with some removal of information to make space for new information, but with 32 new pages added in. This version was also released digitally on June 1, 2019.
The book was released in French as the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania by Mana Books on October 4, 2018.
The book features detailed explanations of the events of every piece of media in the Final Fantasy VII series up to its release, as well as extensive biographies of characters, locations, and more.
Contents[]
In the bottom left of almost every two-page spread is a "Title Index" which has segments for Final Fantasy VII, the four Compilation titles, and Last Order. The segments are highlighted when the pages make reference to that specific title.
Chapter 1: What is "FFVII"?[]
- (『FFVII』とは何か？, Fainaru Fantajī Sebun to wa Nani ka??), Original p.006, Revised p.006
- The creators talk about FFVII
- 制作者が語る『FFVII』 (Seisakusha ga Kataru Fainaru Fantajī Sebun?), Original p.008, Revised p.008
- Interviews with director Yoshinori Kitase, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima, and character designer Tetsuya Nomura.
- What FFVII brought
- 『FFVII』がもたらしたもの (Fainaru Fatanjī Sebun ga motarashita mono?), Original p.014, Revised p.014
- Brief discussion of the legacy of Final Fantasy VII.
- Final Fantasy VII History
- (『FFVII』HISTORY, Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Hisutōrī?), Original p.016, Revised p.016
- Timeline of Final Fantasy VII products, starting with the Final Fantasy VI: The Interactive CG Game in 1995 up until the release of the book. Advent Children Complete is listed as having an indeterminate date.
- The Revised Edition edits the timeline from p.019, adding July 23, 2007 as the release of CC-FFVII- inner ear earphones and 2007-08-31 as the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Gallery event with an image of the scale Midgar model. An additional inserted page includes an expanded entry for the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Potion entry, and new entries up until the release of the Revised Edition book.
- Final Fantasy VII series list of works
- 『FFVII』シリーズ作品紹介 (Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Shirīzu Sakuhin Shōkai?), Original p.020, Revised p.021
- Lists each media entry to the Final Fantasy VII series, with details of genre, console, date, and price. It specifically identifies the four Compilation titles. The list is numbered but not entirely chronological, and Advent Children Complete has its own entry after Advent Children.
- The Revised Edition places Lost Episode after Dirge of Cerberus, with new title Dirge of Cerberus International between them. The entry for Advent Children is reduced, and Advent Children Complete is moved after Crisis Core and expanded. Unlike with Last Order, On the Way to a Smile -Episode: Denzel- Final Fantasy VII is featured only as a small mention beneath Advent Children Complete.
- World of Final Fantasy VII
- (『FFVII』舞台となる世界, Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Botai to naru Sekai?, lit. The world that is the stage for Final Fantasy VII), Original p.026, Revised p.028
- List of locations in the series. The first section covers areas of Midgar in all titles, the second covers other areas of the world in Final Fantasy VII (along with an annotated world map), and the third includes Compilation-originating areas.
- The content of this section remains the same in both editions, however for Banora a screenshot is changed from Zack fighting the Guard Spider to Zack in the orchards.
- Final Fantasy VII series story timeline
- 『FFVII』シリーズ物語年表 (Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Shirīzu Monogatari Nenpyū?), Original p.030, Revised p.032
- A general page-long timeline of the events of the series.
- Final Fantasy VII series glossary
- 『FFVII』シリーズ用語解説 (Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Shirīzu Yōgo Kaisetsu?), Original p.031, Revised p.033
- Glossary of terms and the series titles they are most relevant to.
- The Revised Edition additionally notes Weapon, the Sephiroth-clone experiment, and the Promised Land as Crisis Core related entries. The Protomateria entry is revised. The Jenova Project entry is expanded with Crisis Core information. The Tsviets, Deepground, and DG Soldier, and mako reactor entries are reduced. The Mako Poisoning and SOLDIER entries received superifical edits. The Chaos, Tsviets, and DG Soldier images are removed. An image of Cloud battling Sephiroth in Advent Children illustrates the Jenova War, and an image of Kadaj holding Materia from Advent Children Complete illustrates Materia. New entries for LOVELESS and Degradation are added.
Chapter 2: Character in FFVII World[]
- (キャラクターin『FFVII』ワールド, Kyarakutā in Fainaru Fantajī Sebun Wārudo?), Original p.034, Revised p.036
This section covers the main characters of the series first, and then gives smaller sections for minor characters divided by game.
The characters to get their own section are the nine playable characters, Sephiroth, Zack, the Shinra, and the Turks.
Each character has a "Profile" with details of gender, height, bloodtype, birthday, hometown, weapon, Japanese first-person pronoun, and their voice actor and the titles in which they voiced them. The character's age or age range is listed in each sections dedicated to the character's appearance in each title. Characters are also given a timeline of events they are related to, and a map pointing out locations especially relevant to the character.
Marlene and Denzel's Advent Children Complete voice actors are added in the Revised Edition, as are profile notes relating to Weiss and Nero being in Crisis Core. Some Crisis Core-related edits are also made to timelines, revising the order and adding new ones.
- Cloud Strife
- Original p.036, Revised p.038
- Tifa Lockhart
- Original p.042, Revised p.044
- Aerith Gainsborough
- Original p.048, Revised p.050
- Barret Wallace
- Original p.052, Revised p.054
- Red XIII (Nanaki)
- Original p.056, Revised p.058
- Cait Sith
- Original p.060, Revised p.062
- Yuffie Kisaragi
- Original p.064, Revised p.066
- Vincent Valentine
- Original p.068, Revised p.070
- Cid Highwind
- Original p.072, Revised p.074
- Sephiroth
- Original p.076, Revised p.078
- The Revised Edition changes a quote on his page from "2nd" to "2ND".
- Zack Fair
- Original p.082, Revised p.084
- In the Revised Editon his bio for Crisis Core is slightly revised.
- Shinra Company
- Original p.086, Revised p.088
- The Revised Edition uses the normal colored game-icons on Hojo's list of experiments.
- Turks
- Original p.092, Revised p.094
- Final Fantasy VII - Character
- Original p.095, Revised p.097
- Advent Children - Character
- Original p.098, Revised p.100
- Dirge of Cerberus - Character
- Original p.100, Revised p.102
- Before Crisis - Character
- Original p.102, Revised p.104
- Crisis Core - Character
- Original p.104, Revised p.106
- In the Revised Edition, "CC" is placed left of the voice actor names. Cissnei has been noted to appear in BC, and Genesis has noted to appear in DC.
Chapter 3: Story Playback[]
- (ストーリープレイバック, Sutōrī Pureibakku?), Original p.106, Revised p.108
This section details the plot of each game. They use the named chapters in the titles to segment the plot, and for titles that do not have chapters (the original Final Fantasy VII), new ones are invented. These do not match those used in the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega.
Sections also feature character relationship diagrams.
- Final Fantasy VII
- Original p.108, Revised p.110
- Final Fantasy VII
- Advent Children
- Original p.120, Revised p.122
- Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
- Original p.132, Revised p.134
- The Revised Edition adds two pages covering the Multiplayer Mode.
- Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
- Original p.144, Revised p.148
- The Revised Edition reduces the content for Tseng and Legend's bonus chapter, and adds Reno's bonus chapter to the page.
- Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-
- Original p.156, Revised p.160
- Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
- Original p.160, Revised p.164
- This section serves only as a single-page teaser in the original edition, but is replaced with a full section in the Revised Edition.
- Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete
- Revised p.176
- A page (designed similarly to the original edition's Crisis Core teaser) explaining the minor changes the film offers, the Episode: Denzel OVA, and On the Way to a Smile.
Chapter 4: Secret[]
- (シークレット, Shīkuretto?), Original p.162, Revised p.178
- Takahiro Sakurai interview
- (櫻井孝宏インタビュー, Sakurai Takahiro intabyū?), Revised, p.180
- An interview with Cloud's Japanese voice actor. Only features in the Revised Edition.
- Material
- (開発素材, Kaihatsu Sozai?, lit. Development Materials), Original p.164, Revised p.184
- Concept art. The Revised Edition adds Zack's Before Crisis concept art and adds a caption for Tifa's Crisis Core artwork.
- Official Art
- (オフィシャルアート, Ofisharu Āto?), Original p.180, Revised p.200
- Promo art. In the original version, the Dirge of Cerberus key visual #2
has a black background and is captioned as the Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack packaging artwork. In the Revised Edition it has a white background and is additionally noted as the artwork for Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- International. The original version had three key visuals for Crisis Core, while the Revised Edition adds four more. The Revised Edition additionally adds two Advent Children Complete key visuals, and the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Image CG character promo renders. - Advertisement
- (広告, Kōkoku?), Original p.186, Revised p.213
- Ads for various Final Fantasy VII series titles. The Revised Edition has an extra page covering Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus International, and Advent Children Complete
- TVCM
- (テレビコマーシャル, Terebi Komāsharu?, lit. Television Commercial), Original p.190, Revised p.218
- Trailers represented as frame storyboards. The Revised Edition also includes two Crisis Core trailers.
- CD
- (コンパクトディスク, Konpakuto Disuku?, lit. Compact Disc), Original p.195
- A single page listing the soundtracks and singles. This page does not appear in the Revised Edition.
- Goods
- (グッズ, Guzzu?), Original p.196, Revised p.224
- A selection of merchandise. The black-silver Sephiroth pendant; new Play Arts for Yuffie, Vincent, Sephiroth, Red XIII & Cait Sith, and the Play Arts Arms; Static Arts figures; Sephiroth, Midgar, and Edge t-shirts; chibi Trading Arts figures, tumbler cups, various Crisis Core goods, and the Final Fantasy VII Potion goods.
- The original version had an advertisement for the official shop and also the official shop showcase. The showcase event featured displays of Gackt's Genesis clothes and Sephiroth in a container.
- The end of this section in the Revised Edition features an empty page with just the Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary logo on it.
- Staff Voice
- (スタッフボイス, Sutaffu Boisu?), Original p.202, Revised p.234
- This section lists staff members, their work on Final Fantasy VII series titles, other related games they were involved in, their comments of their memories working on the Final Fantasy VII series, and their message about the 10th anniversary.
- And Next?
- Original p.206, Revised p.238
- A two-page spread storyboard of the Final Fantasy VII Technical Demo for PS3 with the text "We Hope to Meet Final Fantasy VII Again!"
Credits[]
These credits have been adapted from both the original and Revised Edition. Some additional context has been added to clarify specific involvement when credits only apply to one version.
- Planning/Production
- Square Enix Co., Ltd.
- Editing/Writing
- Studio BentStuff
- Akira Yamashita (director/interviewer)
- Benny Matsuyama (Series Glossary/Advent Children Story Playback)
- Yuko Ono (大野優子) (sub-director/Character in FFVII World/Dirge of Cerberus & Crisis Core Story Playback)
- Yoshiyuki Otsu (大津佳之) (List of Works/World of Final Fantasy VII/Final Fantasy VII & Last Order Story Playback/Material/Official Art)
- Masayuki Sawada (澤田真之) (List of Works/Story Timeline/Series Glossary/Character in FFVII World/Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus Multiplayer, & Advent Children Complete Story Playback/interview composition)
- Keita Ode (大出啓太) (History/List of Works/interview composition/Takahiro Sakurai interviewer)
- Tomoko Kusakabe (日下部智子) (CD/interview support)
- Shinta Suganuma (菅沼愼太) (List of Works/original Crisis Core Story Playback)
- Naoki Yamanaka (山中直樹) (Advertisement/Goods)
- Masahiro Kimura (木村昌弘) (TVCM)
- Ryosuke Sakuma (What FFVII Brought)
- Munehiko Inagaki (interview composition)
- Toshimitsu Itaba (Editorial Support)
- Design/DTP
- Wan, Inc.
- Naoko Kanda (神田奈保子)
- Kazu Doo
- Mako Kaneko (金子真呼)
- Jun Imura (井村旬)
- Ryoko Okuno (奥野良子)
- Sayaka Atsumi
- Interview photography
- Handmade Co., Ltd.
- Shibaizumi Hiroshi
- Mari Kurihara
- Cover design (both editions)
- Banana Studio co., ltd. (now Blanket Project Co., Ltd.)
- Tadashi Shimada
- Norie Kadokura
- Collaboration/Supervision
- Suntory (Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniverary Potion distillers)
- Dentsu, Inc. (advertising for Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary)
- Stellavista Ltd.
- Kazushige Nojima
- Square Enix Co., Ltd.
- Compilation of Final Fantasy VII publicity staff
- Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary logo illustration
- Tetsuya Nomura
Other versions[]
- Final Fantasy VII Ultimania
- Language: French
- Format: A4
- Pages: 240
- Published by Mana Books
- Published on October 4, 2018
- ISBN 979-1-0355-0041-2
External links[]
- Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania (Accessed: April 28, 2020) at Studio BentStuff
- Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Revised Edition (Accessed: April 28, 2020) at Studio BentStuff
- Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Revised Edition (dead) (Accessed: April 28, 2020) at Square Enix Game Books Online
- Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Revised Edition (Accessed: April 28, 2020) at Square Enix Magazine & Book
- Final Fantasy VII Ultimania (French) (Accessed: April 28, 2020) at Mana Books