At the center of Final Fantasy VII and its Remake, there is an extraterrestrial entity known as Jenova. Jenova is as much an antagonist to the series as Sephiroth or his contemporaries prove to be. Central to understanding how Shinra, SOLDIER and many of the characters fit together, it's crucial to know where Jenova came from and how it relates to Final Fantasy VII's story as a whole.

Jenova first appeared in the original 1997 Final Fantasy VII, but has been mentioned in nearly every Final Fantasy title and spinoff since then. Jenova was encountered as a boss in both Final Fantasy VII and its Remake, and it is the source of Professor Hojo's infamous Jenova Project.

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FFVII Remake Jenova

Though Jenova is often referred to as a female, this changes with the source material. Jenova has a feminine body, but has been referred to as "he" and "it" several times through the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. She has a heart-like external biological structure at its feet and only a left eye. Jenova has long silver hair and a grey or blue skin tone depending on the game. The Cetra, or Ancients, knew Jenova as the "calamity from the skies," referring to her alien origin.

Some 2,000 years ago, the entity that would eventually be known as Jenova crashed into the planet on a meteorite, creating North Crater. The creature came into contact with the Cetra race and introduced a virus that would mutate the majority of their people into monsters. The few remaining Cetra banded together and ultimately sealed Jenova away in North Crater, but the victory wasn't without its cost. The Cetra civilization dwindled until there were nearly none remaining, paving the way for the humans that came after.

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Around 30 years before the events of FFVII, Shinra was looking for ways to expand its Mako energy business and was captivated by the accounts of the Cetra's "promised land." While investigating the ancient civilization, Shinra scientists uncovered the alien entity's remains and mistakenly identified them as a member of the Cetra race. This would lead to the Jenova Project, an attempt to produce a human-Cetra hybrid that could ultimately lead Shinra to the promised land of legend.

FFVII Remake Jenova Sephiroth Clone

Though Shinra's experimentation never led to the desired hybrid it sought, it did prove useful in producing super-soldiers. It would go on to infuse Jenova's DNA into SOLDIERs after creating Sephiroth, its ultimate success. Sephiroth was simply told that his mother's name was Jenova and that she'd died during childbirth; it wouldn't be until years later that he'd come to learn the horrible truth. After uncovering the facts about his creation, Sephiroth became unstable and went on to terrorize the planet.

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Even after Sephiroth's defeat, Jenova's legacy persisted. Her DNA became part of the Lifestream and resurfaced as the disease known as Geostigma. Geostigma played a pivotal part in the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. The plague ultimately leads to Sephiroth's revival when one of the physical manifestations of his will comes into contact with Jenova's DNA. It takes Aerith's intervention from beyond the grave to dispel Geostigma and heal those inflicted.

Though Jenova appears to have been decisively eliminated, her adaptability and resilience may prove that she's still lurking in one form or another. If that's the case, it'll be up to Cloud and his allies to ensure they rise to the challenge wherever and whenever she may rear her head again.

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