The following was compiled from interviews, official announcements and transcripts
of trailers and screenings. The information is accurate at the time of publish and
is subject to change as more is revealed about Advent Children. Be warned that
this plot summary contains spoilers. [Updated April 2005]
Set two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud now leads a solitary
life traveling the Planet as a transporter. The office of Strife Delivery Service
is located in 7th Heaven, which also functions as an orphanage for children stricken
with Geostigma.
Three new enemies make an appearance in Advent Children. Kadaj, their leader, is
in his teens, while Yazoo and Loz are known to be in their twenties. In them, Cloud
sees shadows of FFVII’s fallen hero, Sephiroth. The three are after “Mother” and
refer to Cloud as their “Brother”. Having obtained Jenova’s head, their purpose
appears to be to start another Reunion. Vincent suspects that with Jenova’s cells,
they may even be able to create another Sephiroth.
A non-contagious disease known as Geostigma is spreading across the Planet, with
Kadaj claiming that it is due to Jenova’s cells working hard in the Lifestream.
Children tend to show signs of Geostigma first, though adults are susceptible to
the disease as well. Symptoms of Geostigma include mental weakness, pain and even
death. Cloud is known to suffer from this disease though he hides his affected arm
beneath his sleeve. He is heard coughing and clutching his arm in some parts of
the trailers. Victims bandage affected regions and it was Cloud’s used bandage,
which Marlene found in the Church, that gave away his condition.
According to the creators, the Church will feature prominently in the movie. Besides
being the place Cloud calls home, it is also the stage for the fight between Tifa
and Loz. Despite her valiant attempts, Tifa is ultimately defeated and Loz makes
off with Marlene and the rest of the children. Cloud arrives late and brings the
barely conscious Tifa back to 7th Heaven.
Reno and Rude arrive at 7th Heaven, Cloud having been hired by Rufus to be his “bodyguard”
from the three new foes. The ShinRa President suffers from Geostigma as well and
is wheelchair-bound. Rufus has been reconstructing Midgar and searching for any
traces of influence that Sephiroth might have left on the Planet, to which he has
found none. He now resides at the Healin Lodge, also known as the Geostigma Sanatorium.
The Turks report that the three silver-haired youths have brought the children to
their headquarters, the City of the Ancients.
Cloud still carries emotional scars from the last time we saw him. Weighed down
by memories of loved ones he has lost and his physical condition, he now comes across
as devoid of hope. Ever the reluctant hero, it takes much persuasion from Tifa after
the children are captured for Cloud to decide to go after them. Perhaps it is only
during his dream-like encounter with Aerith on the way to the City of the Ancients
that he finally makes some progress. The two meet back-to-back in the flower field,
beneath a pure white sky. Cloud struggles to voice his desire to seek forgiveness,
to which Aerith says that she already has forgiven him. Consoled but still unconvinced,
Cloud sets out on his path of redemption.
Kadaj speaks to the children by the shore of the lake in the City of the Ancients,
rallying them to join forces with him against the Planet. They ambush Cloud and
the children form a circle around him, preventing his escape. Kadaj calls Cloud
a traitor and is about to execute him when Vincent swoops down and brings Cloud
to safety. Marlene escapes and rejoins Cloud and Vincent in the woods. They then
chase the silver-haired youths and the children back to Midgar.
Midgar is in chaos when they return. Kadaj has unleashed a swarm of Shadowcreepers
which attack the townspeople while Cid, Barret, Vincent, Yuffie and Red XIII fight
them off. Tifa is shown shielding Denzel, one of the orphans under her charge. Reno
and Rude battle Yazoo and Loz respectively. Kadaj is seen looking down from a damaged
building with Rufus, during which he summons Bahamut Sin. Cloud then practically
flies towards the dragon, kamikaze-style, as it prepares to launch an attack on
the city.
It should be noted that Tifa, Cid, Yuffie, Red XIII and Marlene have each been seen
carrying a ribbon. Cloud, too, has been spotted with one tied around his left arm
during what appears to be a flashback. Here, his arm is not covered by a sleeve,
presumably before he contracted Geostigma, and he is seen fingering the ribbon in
the rain. Whether the ribbons are simply a gesture of friendship or even a sign
of mourning remains uncertain.
The scene then shifts to Cloud scaling up the side of a building with a sword in
each hand while explosions go off. As the buildings collapse around him, he looks
up and we see Sephiroth in all his former glory. The line, “I won’t remain just
a memory.” is heard. From out of the debris, sword drawn, a familiar face is seen.
None other than Sephiroth has returned.
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