The metropolitan zone built atop the Sector 8 plate. Midgar's newest and and most picturesque sector is already a cultural hub, setting trends for the whole city. The district's playhouse is also home to the popular theater production Loveless.Final Fantasy VII Remake loading screen § Sector 8 Business District
Sector 8 is a location in the Final Fantasy VII series. One of the eight sectors that divide up the city of Midgar, the location features in Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, with a brief flashback in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-.
Sector 8 is a cultural hub home to Loveless Street, the sector's main area of business and art, located in the business district. There, the Genesis fan club meets and performances of the epic Loveless musical take place. Sector 8 gives a glimpse of life in Midgar that those who escape the poverty of the slums can enjoy. As a traditional training mission, all rookie Turks are sent to patrol Sector 8. The sector is also where Aerith Gainsborough sold flowers during her time in Midgar.
The Sector 8 slums below are visited in Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts.
History
Before Final Fantasy VII
Sector 8 is one of the newer sectors of Midgar.[1] As Midgar finished construction in 1976 and began attracting immigrants thereafter,[2] it can be presumed it was the last to be built.
On February 30 0001, during "Those That Lurk in the Night" in Before Crisis, the player's Turk was sent on the traditional patrol Turk mission through Sector 8. The forces of the eco-terrorist group Avalanche attacked Sector 8 to destroy Mako Reactor 8 and bring the entire sector with it. Tseng ordered the player Turk to use the opportunity to find out more about the group.
The player Turk fought their way through the enemy ranks and into the mako reactor to stop them, assisted by Reno when the fighting became intense. Inside the reactor, Reno and the Turk split up. While the player Turk diffused the bomb, Reno charged in to fight the enemy leader, a powerful fighter named Shears, who fought and defeated Reno and the player Turk. Despite the defeat, Avalanche moved to Junon to attack President Shinra.
In April of that year, during chapter 3 of Crisis Core, the army led by Genesis Rhapsodos attacked Sector 8, prompting the Shinra Electric Power Company to send two SOLDIERs, Sephiroth and Zack Fair, to defend them. While defending the sector, Zack encountered Reno and Cissnei. The group successfully defended the sector against Genesis copies until Sephiroth recalled them to Mako Reactor 5, reporting they had found Angeal Hewley.[3]
In years that followed, Zack returned to Sector 8 frequently on a number of quests, including finding Wutai spies there during chapter 5.[4] chapter 7, Zack went through Sector 8 while searching for parts for a flower wagon for Aerith. He retrieved wheels from a man's car on Loveless Avenue in exchange for a piece of the profits from the flower venture.[5]
At one point, Aerith began selling flowers in Sector 8 herself. Lonny, a person from her childhood, came to visit her to apologize for his past when he was with her in the Shinra Building, though she pretended not to recognize him.[6]
Original continuity
In December 0007, during "No. 1 Reactor Bombing" in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife encountered Aerith while running through Sector 8 after the bombing of Mako Reactor 1. Bumping into Aerith, she offered him flowers. Shinra soliders chased after Cloud, and after they surrounded him, Cloud jumped off the side of a bridge onto an oncoming train. He joined up with the rest of Barret Wallace' Avalanche cell on their way to their secret base in the Sector 7 slums.[7]
When the Sister Ray was moved from Junon to Midgar, a support beam for it was placed in the middle of Sector 8's train tracks. In January 0008, during "Mako Cannon Rampage", Cloud and company landed in Sector 8 after parachuting into Midgar following the defeat of Diamond Weapon. Upon arriving at the same street Cloud escaped from the Shinra guards prior, Cloud was forced into a battle with the Proud Clod, controlled by the Shinra executives Scarlet and Heidegger. Upon defeating them, the machine was destroyed and the party, including Vincent Valentine traveled up the Sister Ray support beam to stop it and confront Professor Hojo.[8][note 1]
Sector 8 was destroyed along with most of Midgar when Meteor falls onto the city. No remnant of it survives the calamity.
Remake continuity
In "Fateful Encounters" of Final Fantasy VII Remake, Shinra Emergency Operations Center issued a disaster warning throughout Sector 8 and Sector 1 following the bombing of Mako Reactor 1, causing ongoing fires and multiple explosions. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie Rasberry were horrified by the damage caused by their bombing, Jessie in particular feeling immense guilt. The group then split up, headed for the Sector 8 Station to take the final train back to the Sector 7 Undercity Station.[9] A portion of the Sector 8 Freeway collapsed, forcing Cloud to find an alternate route to reconnect with the rest of Avalanche.
Cloud followed a path similar to Jessie's at first, before taking a detour after seeing a vision of Nibelheim burned down and seeing Sephiroth appear, leading him down alleyways and taunting him.[10] Cloud then headed back to Loveless Avenue, where he saw Aerith struggling with Whispers. They left as Cloud approached her, prompting her to give him a yellow flower for free. They returned once again, and Cloud could see them when Aerith grabbed onto his arm, although their meeting was cut short after Shinra soldiers attacked.[11] The soldiers chased Cloud over rooftops and around the sector, until Cloud eventually jumped onto the train on the tracks below a street, where he met up with Avalanche.
Geography
Overview
Sector 8 uses notably European-style architecture, in the form of brick buildings, stone pavements, streets lit by flickering street lamps, and some landmarks representing European monuments. Along the sides of its streets are houses, cafes, and other stores. The streets feature red phone boxes, parked bikes, as well as speed limit signs showing a 25 mile per hour limit. Between the streets are narrow alleyways, some of which have visible graffiti markings on the walls, and above the streets in many areas are higher roads suspended on bridges.
In its thriving Business District is a center of art and culture, home to theater buildings with many posters advertising performances. The most notable of these is the Loveless theater, seen on Loveless Street located in the center of the district. The Business District is also home to its notable Fountain Plaza landmark.
Surrounding Sector 8's lived areas are the plate partition to its east, connecting it to Mako Reactor 1 and Sector 1, and a tunnel underground below that is used to reach the sector from Sector 0.
Plate partition
The plate partition is an area connected to Mako Reactor 1 and Sector 1. The area is a stone tunnel lit by a few lights, with dangling live wires from the ceiling, and large water pipes. After Avalanche destroy the reactor, the partition is heavily damaged, and covered in rubble.
Just after the plate partition is a small warehouse zone outside, which after the reactor is destroyed, is filled with debris, destroyed construction material, and is partly in flames. From here, a staircase leads up to the rest of the business district.
Business District
The main attraction of Sector 8, the Sector 8 Business District is a center of art and culture where performances of the Loveless musical take place. The district is marked by large theater buildings, with billboards and posters along their side, as well as large monitors with Shinra insignia. It is here where Cloud meets Aerith while she is selling flowers in its Loveless Street.
Sector 8 Station
In the northern end of the district, the Sector 8 Station is located. Leading towards it is Station Avenue, a populated avenue with larger residential and theater buildings found along the side. The avenue is located just west of the Mako Reactor 1, which can be seen from the railings, and an alleyway halfway along to the station leads west to the more central Loveless Street. The station itself is a grand, stone building located west of a building with red trucks that appear to be for emergency services.
Loveless Street
Located just north of the Fountain Plaza, Loveless Street, also known as Loveless Avenue, is an avenue with a large theater in which performances of the epic Loveless play take place. It is also the avenue where Aerith and Cloud met. The avenue is also home to other attractions: as seen in Final Fantasy VII Remake, this includes a pharmacy store named One Shot, a Loveless Grand Hotel, and a fashion store named MiNes, a meat market, a cafe selling pizza, and has signposts leading to the Sector 8 Station and the City Hall.
Fountain Plaza
Near the center of the district is the Fountain Plaza, marked by the tall fountain located in the middle. Either side of the fountain are tall, stone bridges with clocks in their center. Surrounding the plaza are several tall buildings with neon signs and wide rooftops to traverse. The plaza is a major attraction of the district: as seen in Final Fantasy VII Remake, a bakery cafe named 8th Street is located there, along with menus for many cafes, and a bus stop on the side of a fountain. Town Hall is located here.
On Cloud's first visit, the district is filled with rubble and debris from the explosion, with windows broken, residents frantically fleeing the sign, and entire streets are blocked off by flipped cars. Explosions fired by Shinra pursuing Cloud blow up the central fountain of the plaza. On returning later, the site is dominated by the Sister Ray.
Residential Area
The Sector 8 Residential Area comprises tall multi-story residential buildings on the side of brick streets. The streets have with stone pavements and are lit by street lamps, and in addition to the residential buildings are pubs and cafes on the side, as well as vehicles parked by residents.
Railroad runs through the residential district. A gap between a street on the southern end of the residential area observes railroad below, which Cloud uses to escape.
Tunnel
Underneath the Sector 8 plate is a series of winding underground tunnels through which the sector is reached.
Undercity
Below the Sector 8 plate, the undercity is far removed from the plate culturally and geographically. The slums are home to shady and mostly run by gang leader Mr. Manson, while residents of live in settlements such as those in Container Row that are repurposed from old shipping containers used during Midgar's construction.[12] The undercity is also home to the clinic of Dr. Dhamini Oranye, a doctor who maintains close ties with Shinra to give her access to the latest medical technology.[13] Its Sector 8 Undercity Station, distinct from the plate's Sector 8 Station, is home to many merchants who sell food from carts at the station.[14]
Society
As with other sectors on Midgar's plate, Sector 8 is a residential district for the middle and upper classes of Midgar, with a high standard of living. Topside sectors have carefully managed populations with balanced age demographics (in contrast to the overcrowded slums below), and comprise a melting pot of people of all backgrounds and ethnicities.[15]
Sector 8 is unique in particular for the culture and entertainment hub in the Business District, where entertainment sets trends for the city.[1] Loveless, the play adaptation of the literature work,[16] is performed at a theater in Loveless Street,[17] and advertisements suggest other dance performances take place in theaters nearby.[18] The Sector 8 theater draws acting talent, and is implied to be more prestigious than the Gold Saucer theater.[note 2]
Gameplay
Final Fantasy VII
Cloud first visits the sector in "No. 1 Reactor Bombing," which takes place after the No. 1 Reactor is destroyed. The gameplay section is brief, as Cloud runs through the sector, meets the "Flower Girl", and then battles guards before boarding the train.
The second quest occurs when returning to Midgar for "Mako Cannon Rampage". Here, Cloud returns with the party to fight Professor Hojo, and access Sector 8 from the underground. The party fights Proud Clod, and then progress through the Sister Ray located in the fountain.
In "No 1. Reactor Bombing", he entire field comprises only a few screens: the rubble underground (the plate partition), a screen outside Sector 8 (known as the "warehouse zone"), LOVELESS Avenue, the Fountain area, and the residential area where Cloud catches the train. In "Mako Cannon Rampage", the fountain area and the residential area are revisited at the end, the party also lands a street after parachuting in from the Highwind, and the party enters the plate infrastructure underground.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Sector 8 is seen in Chapter 2, "Fateful Encounters," which comprises events similar to the Sector 8 portion of "No. 1 Reactor Bombing" from the original game. Much like the original game, Cloud passes through the sector on his way to rejoin Avalanche at the train station, running into Aerith along the way. A new segment is added in which a vision of Sephiroth appears before Cloud and taunts him in the alleyways, and the section in which Cloud must fight through and escape Shinra soldiers is greatly expanded compared to the original.
The Sector 8 field in Final Fantasy VII Remake is much larger than in the original Final Fantasy VII, but retains the same core landmarks. The residential area is greatly expanded, and Cloud will travel along rooftops and in between alleyways that could not be explored in the original game.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Sector 8 is the sector just outside of Shinra Building. It leads to the Sector 1 Station, where travelers can go down into the slums of Sector 5. It has two notable areas: the Loveless Avenue and the Fountain Place. Zack Fair can join the Genesis fan club here on his first visit.
Sec.8 Materia Shop is available after completing "M6-2-1: Slum Development Plan 1".
| Name | Cost |
|---|---|
| HP Up | 1,000 gil |
| MP Up | 1,000 gil |
| AP Up | 1,000 gil |
| Drain | 5,000 gil |
| Osmose | 4,000 gil |
Other appearances
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Sector 8, Part 1
Sector 8, Part 2
Musical themes
In Final Fantasy VII, the background music that plays in Sector 8 after the Sector 1 Reactor explosion is "Anxiety" (不安な心, Fuan na Kokoro?, lit. Anxious Heart). Later, the background music that plays during AVALANCHE's infiltration on Midgar after the defeat of Diamond WEAPON changes to "Opening - Bombing Mission" (オープニング~爆破ミッション, Ōpuningu ~ Bakuha Misshon?), which also plays in the underground area.
In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, the background music that plays in Sector 8 is called "Mako City".
Behind the scenes
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the depiction of the devastation in Sector 8 after the Mako Reactor 1 bombing is greater, as can be seen from interactions with non-player characters and a greater depiction the destruction. This was done as the developers considered it important in conveying the internal strife that the characters experienced towards their actions, and the dialogue with the non-player characters was intended to create the atmosphere for later story developments.[20]
In Japanese hanakotoba, the number eight shares significance with the gods and the divine, and is seen as a symbol of luck. Sector 8 may express this in many ways, one being where the high class and well to do live. Being near where the Sector 1 mako reactor is blown up and where Cloud and his party parachute in to stop the Sister Ray from overloading and destroying Midgar are also evocative of "the rude awakening of the gods" to "the descent of the gods", in context of Japanese spirituality.
Notes
Annotations
- ↑ Though the player can choose to fight Hojo with any two party members accompanying Cloud of their choice, the flashback sequence in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- includes Vincent Valentine climbing the flight of stairs to face Hojo on the Sister Ray, suggesting Vincent's inclusion in the party is canon. Additionally, including Vincent in the party leads to some additional optional dialogue.[8]
- ↑ Jessie chose to pursue the Gold Saucer theater over the Sector 8 theater, though Jessie's mother argued that if all Jessie was going to do was to be a stagehand and not act, she may as well return home and be a stagehand for the Sector 8 theater.[19] This would suggest it is difficult to act at the Gold Saucer theater, but even more difficult at Sector 8's.
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Final Fantasy VII Remake loading screen § "Sector 8 Business District"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania § "Midgar Timeline", p. 258-259
- ↑ Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- script § "Chapter 3"
- ↑ Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- script § "Chapter 5"
- ↑ Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- script § "Chapter 7"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts § "Sector 8: Aerith", p. 372
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII script § "No. 1 Reactor Bombing"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Final Fantasy VII script § "Mako Cannon Rampage"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Use the Escape Route"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Follow Him"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Taking a Detour"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts, p. 87-90
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts, p. 76-77
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts, p. 100-101
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania, p. 251-253
- ↑ Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- script § "Chapter 2"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania, p. 117
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania, p. 193
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "The Jessie Job"
- ↑ Boxer 2020
References
- Video games
- Square Co., Ltd. (1997). Final Fantasy VII [Game]. Square Co., Ltd.. PlayStation.
- Square Enix (2004). Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- [Game]. Square Enix. NTT DoCoMo FOMA 900i Series.
- Square Enix (2008). Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- [Game]. Square Enix. PlayStation Portable.
- Square Enix, Monolith Soft (2006). Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- [Game]. Square Enix. PlayStation 2.
- Square Enix (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake [Game]. Square Enix. PlayStation 4.
- Books
- Studio BentStuff (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania [Book]. Square Enix. ISBN 978-4-7575-6869-3.
- Kazushige Nojima (2023). Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts [Book]. Square Enix. ISBN 978-4-7575-7348-2.
- Websites
- Boxer, Steve (2020, July 6). "Final Fantasy VII Remake's creators on updating one of the world's most-loved games". From The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020.