Final Fantasy VII timeline

Final Fantasy VII timeline comprises a timeline of events in the Final Fantasy VII series, with official and approximate dates given depending on sources.
;Notes
* Dates in the world of Final Fantasy VII are stylized as either "[ μ ] – εγλ" or "[ ν ] – εγλ", in the calendar format of the world. The changeover occurs from [ μ ] – εγλ 2000 to [ ν ] – εγλ 0001. Dates after [ μ ] – εγλ 2000 begin with [ ν ] – εγλ 0001. The change presumably occurs in the wake of the official announcement of the Wutai War ending in February of [ ν ] – εγλ 0001.
** This calendar format appears on wall calendars in Final Fantasy VII Remake walls and cutscenes for Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion.
** While the calendar does bear a resemblance to, and shares the month names of, the Gregorian calendar, the lengths of the months are not identical, with some events in the series stated to have happened on a February 30.
**The font originally used when the calendar format was introduced in the Making Movie video on the Final Fantasy VII: Perfect Guide bonus disc was stylized so that "εγλ" resembled the English word "Era", with the prefixes "μ" and "ν" designating two distinct calendar eras. These may refer to the Japanese word for "null" and the English word "new", rendering the two calendar eras as the "null era" and the "new era." In Remake, Rufus Shinra carries coins engraved with the phrase "a new era."
**The calendar format "[ μ ] – εγλ" is pronounced "M-E-G-L" in English, based on the first letter of the Greek letters mu, epsilon, gamma, and lambda. The Japanese pronunciation, "mū egiru," instead retains the Greek letter "mu" and then treats the Latin equivalent "EGL" as an acronym.
*The following years are the main dates of each entry of the series: 
** Final Fantasy VII begins December [ ν ] – εγλ 0007 and lasts [ ν ] – εγλ 0007 to [ ν ] – εγλ 0008.
** Final Fantasy VII Remake begins the same year as Final Fantasy VII. As Remake takes place over the course of a few days, and in the original timeline the entirety of Disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII takes place in [ ν ] – εγλ 0007, it can be reasoned that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth starts the same year.
**Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- lasts from [ ν ] – εγλ 0001 to [ ν ] – εγλ 0007.
**Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- lasts from [ μ ] – εγλ 2000 to [ ν ] – εγλ 0007.
**Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children takes place in [ ν ] – εγλ 0009.
** Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- takes place in [ ν ] – εγλ 0010.
**Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier takes place in [ μ ] - εγλ 1989, and the The First Soldier story in Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis takes place in [ μ ] - εγλ 1992.
*Only events with a known or approximately-given date are listed. A citation will be given for the source of the date, and for any release the event appears in, including in flashback form or described events.
*In cases where two events have a contradictory date, the latest release is used, and annotations will note discrepancies.
==Timeline==
===Before Final Fantasy VII ===
====Circa 2,000 years before Final Fantasy VII====
 
*An alien creature crashes into the north pole (present day Icicle Area). The impact creates the North Crater, and the planet's effort to gather energy to repair the damage causes the region to become barren and ice over.
*The Cetra at Knowlespole (present day Icicle Inn) hear the cries of the planet during a planet-reading, and discover the wound caused by the alien. When the Cetra leave the land, as advised by the planet, the alien spreads a virus, causing the Cetra's numbers to dwindle.
*The planet creates Weapons to combat the threat caused by the alien, while the Cetra combate the alien. The Cetra confine the alien, and as such, Weapons become dormant.
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*Geisel Bugenhagen is born.
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*President Shinra is born.
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*Palmer is born.
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*Professor Hojo is born.
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*Heidegger is born.
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*October:
**13: Vincent Valentine is born to Grimoire Valentine.
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*Nanaki (Red XIII) is born to Seto in Cosmo Canyon.
*The Gi tribe besiege Cosmo Canyon. They attempt to break in through a cave now called the Cave of the Gi, but are defeated by Seto.
*September:
**23: Shinra Manufacturing (later Shinra Inc.) discovers mako energy.
*In the nine years that follow, in addition to its applications in weapons manufacturing, the advent of mako energy leads to dramatic advancements in machinery and construction techniques, making the construction of Midgar possible.
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*Shinra chooses Nibelheim as its main research base, and starts constructing the Shinra Manor.Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts, Traces of Tifa, p. 3
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* Scarlet is born.
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*September: 
**1: The Nibel Reactor, the first mako reactor, is constructed near Nibelheim.
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*Shinra launches the "Midgar Project". Built from the success of the Nibel Reactor, it aims at "establishing a safe and prosperous way of life through mako energy (while furthering Shinra's expansion)". Because of the reactors' harmful environmental effects, Shinra plans to separate the lower and upper levels of Midgar via a plate to isolate the effects to the environment, contain dangerous monsters beneath the plate, and foster competition by establishing different standards of living.
*Year 0 of Midgar construction. After a mako hotspot is discovered (in the location Midgar was eventually built), Shinra begins work by building a wall around Midgar's perimeter to ensure safe and efficient construction with a large labor force undisturbed by wild beasts (although monsters had not yet turned excessively violent from environmental degradation). Construction workers travel to the nascent city from Kalm and other places. Mako Reactor 0 is built to supply energy for the project.
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*Year 2 of Midgar construction: Mako Reactor 0 begins operating in the center of Midgar, later the site of the central pillar. With the establishment of the energy supply and weapons to maintain order, the construction of Midgar begins in earnest. Operating the mako reactor leads to vegetation dying out, and surrounding areas turn to wasteland.
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*Reeve Tuesti is born.
* December:
** 15: Barret Wallace is born.
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*Years 3-4 of Midgar construction: The Midgar perimeter and Mako Reactor 1 are completed. Sped up by the operation of Mako Reactor 0, construction concentrates on ensuring safety and generation of energy. More and more ground is leveled, leaving behind rocks and parts of the foundation difficult to remove, to allow for the construction of Mako Reactors 2 through 8, along with plate-supporting pillars and the plate itself. This leads to an influx of construction workers and the establishment of lodgings and small commercial and recreation facilities, which would go onto form the basis of Midgar's slums. Housing is constructed between the walls due to fears that proximity to reactors would lead to harmful effects on the human body.
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*Years 5-6 of Midgar construction: The Midgar train system and Sector 1 plate are completed. With the plate in the first sectors finished, traveling between the surface and upper part of the city becomes more important, and a switchyard is erected to facilitate this in a location that would eventually be known as the Sector 7 undercity. The train system facilitates more efficient movement of goods and people, accelerating constructions of additional portions of the plate. The plate construction leads to more people moving to the city and the number of lodgings increases, with the Sector 5 undercity taking shape around the same time. The outskirts are appropriated as a storage location for waste materials.
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*February:
**22: Cid Highwind is born.
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*Mako Reactor 8 commences operations, and migration to the top of the plate is in full swing, supported by bountiful supply of energy being generated by the mako reactors. The waste zone extends to other slums and expands further into each sector.
*Plate Number 6 collapses, due to weight in excess of its load-bearing capacity. There were few casualties as immigration to Sector 6 had yet to start, though the area beneath the plate became impassable due to debris. Shinra does not allocate funds to restore the area.
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*June:
**24: Construction of Midgar is complete, and Shinra relocates headquarters to the Shinra Building in the center of the city.
*The population of the city increases rapidly as a result of large-scale efforts to attract immigration, particularly to high-income potential taxpayers. The number of immigrants far exceeds the maximum capacity for those who can live on the plate, and Shinra opens former construction workers' housing quarters for the use of low-income citizens. The switchyard in Sector 7 is abandoned around this time.
*In the nine years that follow, Midgar sees stability as impact to the environment is still negligible. However, the poorer living environments, coupled with the significant income gap in comparison to those living topside, leads many to deride the undercity areas as "slums" (although Shinra still uses the term "undercity").
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*Professor Gast Faremis, Supervisor Director at the Shinra Science Division, discovers the mummified alien at the North Crater, mistaking the remains for a female Cetra, and gives it the name "Jenova".
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*July:
**7: Jenova is officially "verified" as a Cetra.
*September:
**13: The Jenova Project is approved. Mako Reactor 1 is authorized for use.
*The SOLDIER Project, Project: 0, is approved by President Shinra.
*Grimoire Valentine and Lucrecia Crescent find a crystalline cave filled with "terra corrupt". While rushing to prove her thesis on Omega and Chaos, Grimoire is struck by dark energy in the Shinra Manor laboratory and dies from his wounds.
*Rufus Shinra is born.
*Tseng is born.
*Rude is born.
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* Vincent works as a member of the Turks in Nibelheim. He visits Shinra Manor on dispatch to guard researchers, and meets Lucrecia Crescent. He grows close to Lucrecia and proposes to her, but is rejected. Vincent is shot by Hojo, and experimented on until entering a death-like state.
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*Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley are born. Both are products of Dr. Hollander's Project G, named for Gillian Hewley, a woman implanted with Jenova cells. Genesis had her genes mapped onto him during birth, while Angeal was bred inside Gillian's body.
*Sephiroth is born. A product of Professor Hojo's Project S, Sephiroth was born to Lucrecia, with Hojo as the father implanting Jenova's cells onto Sephiroth. In Project S, the remains of numerous failed experiments were used to create Sephiroth as the perfect monster.
*Upon birth of Genesis, the secret underground Deepground division, located beneath the Shinra Building, begins to experiment independently.
*Professor Gast Faremis resigns from Shinra and goes missing. Professor Hojo takes over his research.
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*Project: 0 experiments proceed, with Lucrecia Crescent, Hojo, and Hollander participating as scientists, but result in failure and the deaths of the test subjects.
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*Reno is born.
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*Following the discovery of mako in the Rhadore Archipelago, Shinra launches the Rhadore War to seize control of the islands. Less than a thousand native Rhadorans survive the Shinra assault. Shinra disengages following the initial onslaught, while a remnant of the Rhadoran Army hides out.Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, Chapter 8, Section 1, EP 1 - "On the Side of Justice"
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*Zack Fair is born.
*Lucrecia implants the Chaos factor into Vincent, restoring him to life, and goes on the run. Viewing the modifications to his body as punishment, he slumbers in a coffin in the Shinra Manor basement.
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*February:
**7: Aerith is born to Gast Faremis and Ifalna in Icicle Inn.
**27: Professor Hojo murders Professor Gast. Aerith and Ifalna are confined to the Shinra Building and used as test subjects.
*The Wutai War begins, due to Wutai refusing to permit the construction of a mako reactor on its land.
*The Wutai War leads to increased mako energy construction in Midgar in the seven years that follow as Shinra operates the reactors at higher output than originally planned, leading to rapidly deteriorating environment, destabilized foundations, and more aggressive monsters invading the the city. Because Midgar's economy is predicated on maintained a gap between rich and poor, Shinra takes no substantive measures to rectify the situation, providing bare minimum essential services of security to the undercity but making no effort to reinforce the perimeter or exterminate monsters. A weapon production plant is also constructed beneath the city.
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*August:
**11: Cloud Strife is born.
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*May:
**3: Tifa Lockhart is born.
*Mr. Holzoff treks north to Great Glacier, without returning.
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*Shinra Security Officers face off against a pair of Behemoths. Glenn Lodbrok saves Matt Winsord from a Behemoth and the pair are subsequently saved by Lucia Lin.
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*SOLDIER candidates engage in virtual reality combat against each other and monsters as training.
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*Rosen embarks with his dog Refu to the island of Sijad to begin his duty as the Eye of Rhadore.
*November:
**20: Yuffie Kisaragi is born.
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*Elmyra Gainsborough receives a letter saying her husband is coming home on leave. Elmyra goes to the Sector 5 Undercity Station every day in hopes of being reunited with him.
*Ifalna and Aerith escape from the Shinra Building. Upon arriving at the Sector 5 Undercity Station, Ifalna collapses and soon dies. Elmyra finds the pair at the station while looking for her husband, and Ifalna asks her to take care of her daughter. Elmyra adopts Aerith.
*With the Wutai War dragging on, Shinra pushes the mass production of materia and SOLDIER operators to end the war once and for all. This causes management of the undercity to fall by the wayside as resources are devoted to the war effort. People in the undercity create neighborhood watches to protect their environment.
*After the Rhadore War has been on pause for a decade, Shinra dispatches Glenn Lodbrok, Lucia Lin, and Matt Winsord to the Rhadore Archipelago to search for a suitable site to construct a mako reactor. A battle is fought with the Rhadoran resistance, which ends with the complete genocide of the Rhadoran people at the hands of Sephiroth. Shinra engineers start constructing a mako reactor on the island of Sijad, but they accidentally ignite a mako torrent that destroys the island.
*September
**Sephiroth and Angeal are sent to Wutai on a search and rescue mission alongside videographer Russ Bachman. There, they encounter a blademaster named Masamune and rescue Alissa Goldie, the sole survivor of a mission to investigate the ruins of Robio.
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*Shinra, having found Aerith, sends Tseng to retrieve Aerith from the Gainsborough house. Aerith tries unsuccessfully to conceal her identity as a Cetra. Tseng offers to leave Aerith alone permanently if she tells them the location of the promised land, and Elmyra makes a deal that she will watch over Aerith and tell them as soon as Aerith knows its location, on condition that Shinra does not come near.
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*Tifa's mother dies.
*A grieving Tifa climbs Mt. Nibel. Cloud follows her, and both fall from a suspension bridge. Tifa suffers injuries and remains in a coma for seven days, while Cloud suffers minor injuries.
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*Kalm is mistakenly destroyed by Shinra during a bombing operation to take down a weapon trafficker. The Turks are charged to cover up the incident, while the few survivors are brought to Hojo's lab to be experimented on. Among the survivors was Verdot's daughter Felicia.
*Following the death of his parents in the Kalm bombing, SOLDIER operative Broden retires to inherit their old inn, continuing their business when the town is rebuilt.
*Before retiring, Broden is subjected to a new experimental procedure, and is tattooed the number 6 on his left shoulder.
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*Zack leaves Gongaga for Midgar, having resolved to become a SOLDIER operative.
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* Beginning events of "Special Episode: Legendary Turk" from Before Crisis. Legend and Tseng collaborate on a mission to rescue a kidnapped arms merchant, but circumstances lead Legend to abandon his duties and see him placed under long-term house arrest.
*May:
** 3: Tifa is gifted her cat, Fluffy, for her twelfth birthday.
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* Cloud calls Tifa out to the village water tower. He proclaims his desire to join SOLDIER, and Tifa makes him promise to come to her aid if in trouble.
*Tifa encounters Rashard Zangan training in a river on Mt. Nibel and becomes his disciple. She begins teaching his calisthenics lessons to the other villagers.
*Zack sends a letter back to Gongaga, saying he has "found a girlfriend".
*Late summer: Genesis is injured at the training room, where he learns from Hollander about his body degrading due to his Project G origins. The two joins forces to search for a way to stave off the degradation. Lazard Deusericus, contacted by Hollander, agrees with the plan to rebel against Shinra, offering financial support.
*October:
**Mass desertion from SOLDIER occurs in Wutai, as Genesis leaves, taking a large number of Second and Third Class SOLDIERS with him. The period also sees an increase in use of materia and SOLDIER operators, tilting the war in Shinra's favor.
**Sephiroth tries and fails to contact Genesis. Glenn Lodbrok informs Sephiroth of a planned air raid to take out the SOLDIER defectors. 
**Hollander steals Shinra Science Division's classified documents and disappears.
*November: Events of Chapter 1 of Crisis Core: The mass desertion causes Shinra to dispatch a squad, headed by SOLDIER First Class, to Wutai. Zack takes Genesis's place and accompanies Angeal, where he single-handedly takes Fort Tamblin, meeting Yuffie inside. Sephiroth joins the operation, but Angeal flees.
*December: 
** Rufus Shinra is appointed Vice President. He departs on a long-term business trip.
**Events of Chapter 2 in Crisis Core: Zack is sent to Banora with Tseng. After encountering Gillian, Genesis, and Angeal there, Banora Village, which has been transformed into a base for Genesis' forces, is subjected to an aerial raid by Shinra to conceal evidence.
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*January: Events of "Special Episode: Legendary Turk" in Before Crisis. Verdot dispatches Tseng to Costa del Sol to search for Legend.
*February: 
**Wutai War ends.
**Avalanche is formed by planetologists in Cosmo Canyon. They establish themselves in Wutai as it was the land of a nation that lost the war, and sympathy among many who held negative sentiments toward Shinra. 
**Although mako reactors were meant to return to pre-war production levels, both Shinra and the general population became accustomed to their increased energy supply, and reactors as well as their environmental damage increase. Shinra uses excess energy to begin restoring the topside parts of the city, but no improvements are made in the slums. This causes anti-Shinra sentiment to become more widespread, but only up to a point; public anti-Shinra demonstrations are few and far between due to the mutual dependence between the undercity and plate, and action is mostly taken by terrorist groups such as Avalanche. Weapon production plants are demolished and their remains are abandoned.
**30: Events of "Those That Lurk in the Night", "In the White Light of Day, the Assassin Smiles", and "Swords Clashing in the Evening Shadows". Avalanche intensify their terrorist efforts. Avalanche had planned to blow up Mako Reactor 8 and assassinate President Shinra, but their efforts were thwarted by Sephiroth and the Turks. Sephiroth crosses swords with Elfe, their leader.
*March:
**Angeal and Genesis are declared to be killed in action. 
** Events of "Proof of a Scar Filled Existence". At Costa del Sol, the Turks search for recruits and then battle Shears.
*April: 
**Events of Chapter 3 of Crisis Core: Zack is promoted to SOLDIER First Class, and Genesis's army attacks Midgar. Cissnei of the Turks, having secretly taken on the mission to observe Zack, meets Zack outside the Shinra Building in battle. Zack and Sephiroth pursue Angeal and Hollander to Mako Reactor 5.
**Events of Chapter 4 of Crisis Core: After falling from Mako Reactor 5, Zack lands in the Sector 5 slums church and meets Aerith. After their meeting, the Shinra Building is attacked yet again, with Genesis's forces targeting Professor Hojo. Zack, Sephiroth, and Angeal fend off the attack.
*Shinra's efforts to bolster its SOLDIER ranks results in the kidnapping of candidates (including Azul and Shelke Rui) from around the world. 
*June 28:
**Events of "The Dreams of a Nameless Soldier". The Turks are sent on assignment to guard Professor Rayleigh. Cloud, a Shinra infantryman, operates with them. They are raided by Avalanche, which leads to the theft of classified data on SOLDIER.
*Autumn: Events of Chapter 5 of Crisis Core: Zack heads to Modeoheim on a survey mission, where he meets Cloud. There, Zack finds and battles Genesis, knocking him to the lifestream, while the group apprehends Hollander. Zack defeats Angeal, inheriting the Buster Sword. Angeal perishes and Hollander is confined at Shinra's Junon branch.
*December 22: Events of "This Night in an Untainted World". 
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*January:
**14: Events of "The Darkness Obscuring the Light". The Turks are sent to investigate the abduction two SOLDIER members, Essai and Sebastian, in Icicle Inn, and then discover an Avalanche facility in the snow.
**16: Events of "A Light That Penetrates Through the Darkness", a unit including Zack marches on Icicle Inn to destroy the Avalanche base. All members are exterminated with the exception of Zack and the Turks, Zack witnessing the deaths of Essai and Sebastian.
* February: 
**1: Events of "Special Episode: Legendary Turk" and "One Step Further Toward Uncertainty" in Before Crisis. Verdot is let go from his post and replaced with Heidegger. Avalanche attack Junon, and Heidegger sends the military, causing friction between them and the Turks. The attack causes Legend to return to the battlefield.
*Late April: Three days before Tifa's 15th birthday, she is given her final training course before becoming an initiate of Zangan's.
*Early summer: 
** Lazard flees Shinra, expecting a whistleblower to report him and Hollander.
**Zack, ordered to take a vacation at Costa del Sol, has his vacation interrupted by Genesis copies, before Junon and other places are simultaneously attacked. Zack reunites with Cloud at Junon while chasing Hollander, who escapes Shinra.
*June: 
**17: Events of "The Lone Discerning Alignment". Fuhito and Shears cause an outbreak in the Shinra Building to capture Hojo. From the Shinra Building, Sephiroth bisects a helicopter commandeered by old Avalanche, and rescues Hojo right as they are about to abduct him.
*July: Lazard and Hollander are reported as killed in action. Genesis's army begins to attack mako reactors around the world.
*August:
**9: Events of "The Dash to Freedom". Avalanche attempt to coerce Aerith into cooperating; she rejects them, and is saved by the Turks.
*September:
**18: More frequent and more dangerous monster sightings, including dragons, led Nibelheim's neighborhood watch to make participation mandatory for able-bodied men and women twenty years or older to enroll in shifts unless involved in duties crucial to the community's survival. Shortly after, monsters that villagers recognized as having the "appearance of a man" were sighted.
**21: Events depicted in "The Awakening of the Dark Harbinger" and described in Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts. A female Turk comes to investigate after a string of disappearances at the Nibel Reactor. Tifa becomes the guide for the investigation team after the Turk saves her while she is looking for her cat Fluffy, and she volunteers.
**22: Lead-up to Nibelheim Incident depicted in multiple media. An investigation unit comprising Sephiroth, Zack, Cloud, and another infantryman are sent to conduct a formal investigation of the Nibel Reactor.
**23: The day after arriving, Tifa leads the formal investigation group through the mountains to Nibel Reactor. Inside, Sephiroth sees the makonoids and begins to question his own origins.
**In days following, Sephiroth confines himself to the Shinra Manor basement and thoroughly reads the documents left by Professor Gast, discovering that he is a creation of the Jenova Project.
*October: 
**1: Events of Nibelheim Incident depicted in multiple media. Sephiroth lays waste to Nibelheim and travels to the reactor. Tifa, avenging her murdered father, Brian Lockhart, and Zack, both attempt to stop Sephiroth but are struck down. Cloud inflicts a fatal wound on Sephiroth while sustaining a significant injury of his own, while the latter falls into the reactor.
* After the incident, Rashard Zangan recovers Tifa, while Cloud and Zack are taken by Hojo for his Sephiroth-clone experiment. The entire investigation team is declared killed in action, while the incident is covered up by the Turks, who oversaw the village's reconstruction.
*Sephiroth, having fallen into the lifestream, absorbs knowledge within it, and with the power of Jenova's head and his own will, begins to construct a new body for himself.
*November: Following surgery and time spent in recovery, Tifa comes to in Dr. Dhamini Oranye's clinic in the Sector 8 slums.
*December 4: After skin grafts work properly, Tifa recovers from her injury and leaves the clinic, but in severe debt. She is given a temporary fake ID card that gives access to the Sector 8 slums, but lists her as a Corel resident.
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*January:
**3: Events of "All of Our Resolve and Longing". The Turks infiltrate and destroy Avalanche's base within Wutai. Yuffie is caught up in between, and discovers the existence of materia.
*April:
**12: Events of "Onward to the Distant Heavens". The Shinra No. 26 launch sequence is prepared. The captain, Cid Highwind, aborts the launch after activating the rocket's emergency shutdown to protect Shera.
*May:
**8: Events of "The Muddy Course of Inexorable Fate" and "An Eruption of Fanged Chaos". An explosion occurs at the unfinished Corel Reactor, due to attacks carried out by remaining Avalanche villagers. Barret, a miner at the village, guides the Turks to the unfinished reactor. Meanwhile, Rufus Shinra's funding of Avalanche causes him to be sent on a "lengthy business trip" by President Shinra as punishment.
**Marle becomes a patient of Dr. Dhamini Oranye, and meets Tifa at the clinic.
*Corel Reactor is completed. Shortly after, Corel Village is razed at the hands of Shinra, and the Gold Saucer is built on its remains. Barret loses his wife Myrna Wallace and one of his arms, vowing revenge against Shinra thereafter.
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*An explosion occurs at the mako reactor at Gongaga.
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*May: Tifa is directed to the Sector 7 slums and reunites with Marle, then is introduced to the Seventh Heaven bar and begins working there.
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* October:
**30: Events of "The Howl That Shook Heaven and Earth". Nanaki participates in the once-in-50-year "Planet Pacification Ceremony". Shortly after he is captured by the Turks as a member of an endangered species, taken to the Shinra Building and branded "Red XIII".
*December: 
**19: Events of Cloud and Zack's escape, depicted in a flashback in Final Fantasy VII, "The Choices We Made in the Beginning and the End" in Before Crisis, and Chapter 9 of Crisis Core. Zack awakens in Shinra Manor lab, and takes the mako poisoned Cloud with him. Cissnei discovers that Zack was her target, but after seeing Cloud's state, reports that Zack has left the forest and allows him to escape, and instead she returns to Nibelheim to investigate the mansion and finds Verdot poring through its archives.
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*Barret founds his Avalanche cell based out of the Sector 7 slums.
* Insufficient supplies of goods and technology lead to the Midgar undercity developing its own culture and rules, as systems for waste repurposing and neighborhood watches operate in each slum.
*Jenova within the Shinra Building and the Sephiroth-clones around the world are called for Reunion. 
*February:
**10: Events of "The Consequences of Our Choices". Cait Sith infiltrates the mako reactor ruins in Gongaga along with the Turks, searching for support materia for the Zirconiade summon.
*Early autumn: Events of Chapter 10 of Crisis Core. Zack settles things with Genesis, but Genesis is recovered by Deepground.
*End of September: Zack's death, as depicted in Chapter 10 of Crisis Core and flashback in Final Fantasy VII. Having escaped the Shinra Manor, Zack is gunned down right before reaching Midgar. Cloud, suffering severe mako poisoning, is overlooked by the Shinra troops, and left to take Zack's Buster Sword.
*October:
** 1: Events of "Resolve to Reach the End". The Turks learn that Avalanche are attempting to break into Corel Prison and search for what they presume is a materia placed there. They bring Shalua Rui into shelter in the caverns beneath the desert, and find the final support materia there. Ravens attack, and Shears and Verdot arrive to support the group, Shears and Shalua making out alive, while a Turk and Verdot are captured by Scarlet. Verdot turns himself in and is taken to Midgar for execution.
**4: Events of "The Threat that Pierces the Heavens".
**5: Events of "Veering Wildly Towards an Unstoppable End" and "The Concerto: Played Out to its Straining Point". Fuhito is assassinated. The Turks battle the summon Zirconiade, which threatens to obliterate the planet, but no official records are made of it.
*November: 
**3: Barret's cell intensifies terrorist activities.
* Cloud arrives at the Sector 7 Undercity Station. While under care of a station attendant, he reunites with Tifa, having constructed a new personality based on Zack due to the Jenova cells and his guilt. Tifa, noticing something inexplicable about his behavior, invites him to Avalanche so she can observe him for the time being. 
===Original continuity===
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* December 
**9: Events of "No. 1 Reactor Bombing" and "At the Hideout in the Slums". Barret's Avalanche cell, sending himself, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie Rasberry, and employing Cloud as a mercenary, blow up Mako Reactor 1. The group return to the hideout via train, Cloud meeting Aerith on the way, and at the hideout in Seventh Heaven, Tifa secures Cloud's future cooperation.
**10: Events of "At the Hideout in the Slums" and "To the No. 5 Reactor". The following day, the group take the train to Mako Reactor 5 and plant a bomb. Thereafter, they are confronted by President Shinra and Cloud falls to the Sector 5 slums below, landing in the church.
**Events of "The Woman at the Church" and "To Corneo Hall". Cloud meets Aerith, and helps her escape from the Turks who attempt to retrieve her, returning her to her house with Elmyra. They leave but spot Tifa in Wall Market, who is investigating Don Corneo after a henchman sent goons to Sector 7 asking about Barret. Corneo reveals Shinra's plan to drop the Sector 7 plate before sending them to the sewer system below where the three return to the Sector 7 slums.
**Events of "Prevent the Fall of the Plate" and "Aeris's Secret". The group are unable to prevent the fall, as the plate kills many in the sector, including Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie. Aerith takes Marlene Wallace to Elmyra's house but the Turks take Aerith back to the Shinra Building. Cloud, Barret, and Tifa travel to Elmyra's house where she reveals Aerith's origins as a Cetra, and the group resolve to rescue her.
**Events of "Storming the Shinra Building" in Final Fantasy VII. The trio infiltrate the building and confront Professor Hojo, freeing Aerith while also meeting Nanaki (introducing himself by his branded name Red XIII). The five are captured after attempting to escape. Meanwhile, hearing the call for Reunion, the headless Jenova within the Shinra Building awakens, transforms into Sephiroth, and murders President Shinra. Cloud's group awaken to find a trail of blood, and a path out. The group flees Midgar.
**Events of "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago" and "Going After Sephiroth". The group meets up in Kalm, where Cloud explains his version of the Nibelheim Incident (casting himself in Zack's position due to his constructed personality). Meanwhile, the headless Jenova fells a Midgar Zolom while passing through the wetlands to the Mythril Mine. Cloud's group see this felled Midgar Zolom as they travel through the Mythril Mine themselves, heading toward Junon on their pursuit.
**Yuffie Kisaragi joins the party, with her eyes set on stealing their materia. 
**Events of "The Stowaway Strategy" and "Dangerous Voyage". The group infiltrates Junon, stowing away aboard a cargo ship to the continent west. Meanwhile, Jenova, having killed Shinra soldiers at Junon, encounters Cloud, and transforms its arm into Jenova∙BIRTH against them. The party defeat it and land at Costa del Sol. 
**Events of "Barret's Past", "Sanctuary of Amusement", and "The Desert Prison". The party arrive in North Corel, the remains of Corel Village, where Barret is ashamed to confront his past. At the Gold Saucer, the group meet Cait Sith, who joins the party to spy on them. Shortly after they are thrown out by the Gold Saucer's Dio due to a massacre carried out by a man with a gun-arm, which Barret is mistaken for, and tossed to Corel Prison below. There, they find the real culprit is Dyne, whom Barret reluctantly defeats. Dyne entrusts Barret with Marlene. Dio gives the group a buggy as an apology.
** Events of "In the Land of the Study of Planet Life" and "Unnatural Hometown". The party stop at Cosmo Canyon on their way and meet Geisel Bugenhagen, who tells them more about the planet and the lifestream. Red XIII learns there the truth about his father Seto, and resolves to carry on with them. The group pass through Nibelheim, where Cloud and Tifa are stunned to find their home still standing as if it had never burned down, and the group find a number of Sephiroth-clones. Jenova, still appearing as Sephiroth, tries to urge Cloud to join the Reunion, and departs telling Cloud to pass through Mt. Nibel and proceed north. 
** Events of "A Sleeping Village Dreaming of Outer Space". The group arrive at Rocket Town and meet Cid Highwind, but arrive the same time as Shinra, who request to borrow the Tiny Bronco for their own pursuit of Sephiroth. Cid refuses both until Palmer attempts to steal the rocket, and with Shera's help, Cloud's party secure it for Cid. Cid chooses to join their quest against Shinra, harboring hatred for them. 
**Events of "Secret Date". Hearing rumors about the Temple of the Ancients, the group travel to Gold Saucer to obtain the key to it, where they do so successfully but have it stolen and returned to Shinra by Cait Sith, who forces them to keep him by threatening Marlene.
**Events of "Within the Temple of the Ancients". At the temple, Jenova sneaks behind Tseng and cuts him down, with Cloud's group finding the fallen Tseng at the entrance to the temple. Inside, Cait Sith sacrifices his body to obtain the Black Materia, returning with a second body. Jenova manipulates Cloud to give Jenova the Black Materia and knock out Aerith. Sephiroth is trying to summon Meteor with it.
**Events of "Parting with Aeris". Cloud's group resolves to find Aerith, worried for her safety. Aerith travels to the City of the Ancients and prays for Holy to stop Meteor. Though her prayers are successful, Jenova kills Aerith, and changes a part of its body into Jenova∙LIFE to fight the party. They prevail against it and then mourn Aerith.
========
thumb|Northern Crater battle with Sephiroth depicted in Advent Children.
*January 
** Circa 14:
*** Events of "What Aeris Left Behind". Lost to find direction, the party meet up with Bugenhagen and explore the City of the Ancients, where Bugenhagen learns that Aerith was successful in casting Holy, but that Holy is being blocked from stopping Meteor by Sephiroth.
***Events of "Mako Cannon Rampage". Diamond Weapon attacks Midgar. The Sister Ray defeats it, also destroying a barrier around the Northern Cave. Diamond Weapon's attacks destroy the Shinra Building, Rufus barely escaping. Cloud's group attack Midgar and effectively defeat the Shinra Company and defeat Hojo before he can use the Sister Ray to empower Sephiroth, Vincent claiming revenge on him.
**21: Events of "The Planet's Judgment". With the barrier around Northern Cave destroyed, Cloud's group attack to defeat Sephiroth before he can bring about Meteorfall. With Sephiroth defeated and no longer able to block Holy, the power of Holy and the lifestream save the planet. Sephiroth is swallowed up by the lifestream, but his consciousness remains intact, and he continues to harbor resentment toward the planet. Immediately after defeating Sephiroth, Yuffie and Vincent take charge of rescue efforts to save those who were injured. Because of the Meteor calamity, the roads to the underground of Midgar are blocked off, and Deepground is isolated for three years thereafter.
==== ====
*Geostigma disease spreads throughout the planet. 
*Cloud finds the orphan Denzel in the Sector 5 slums church, bringing him home to live with him, Tifa, and Marlene as four.
*Yuffie conducts a solo investigation on the disappearances of children, and phones Cloud to ask for more.
* Cloud begins to exhibit symptoms of Geostigma so he leaves Tifa and the family, beginning living alone in the Sector 5 slums church.
*Events of Advent Children. Sephiroth calls upon Kadaj and the Remnants of Sephiroth to begin a Reunion and become revived. Rufus, receiving treatment at Healen Lodge, sends former Turks to recover Jenova's head from North Crater. Loz, a remnant, defeats Tifa and kidnaps Marlene. Cloud travels to the City of the Ancients to recover Marlene, and is helped by Vincent. Kadaj summons Bahamut SIN in Edge, but Cloud's old group reunite aboard Cid's new ship, the Shera, and defeat it. Sephiroth is revived, but is defeated by Cloud in a rematch and disappears. Aerith, from in the lifestream, lends her strength and provides a cure to Geostigma; she and Zack see to Cloud's recovery.
*The World Regenesis Organization is founded by Reeve.
==== ====
 
*Cid joins the World Regenesis Organization's airship division at Reeve Tuesti's beckoning.
*Deepground SOLDIERs begin appearing aboveground.
*At Junon, groups of residents disappear in various incidences. The World Regenesis Organization reports it as the disappearance of "several dozens", but in reality as many as 1,200 people are abducted by Deepground.
*Events of Chapter 1 of Dirge of Cerberus: in Kalm, while meeting with Reeve, Vincent subdues Deepground soldiers who attack during the recovery festival. Vincent joins the World Regenesis Organization and leads the attack against Deepground.
*Events of Chapter 5 of Dirge of Cerberus: Vincent comes to Shinra Manor to investigate Chaos, Omega, and his connection to them. After suffering serious injuries when Rosso rips out Vincent's Protomateria, he is rescued by Yuffie. Meanwhile, Cait Sith infiltrates Mako Reactor 0 to investigate Deepground's movements, but is discovered and destroyed by Nero the Sable.
*Events of Chapter 7 of Dirge of Cerberus: the World Regenesis Organization launches an all-out offensive in Midgar to stop Deepground. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret lead a ground assault while Cid, Yuffie, Vincent, and Reeve lead an air assault from the Shera, aided by Shelke. Omega comes to existence in Midgar's Mako Reactor 0, trying to escape to the sea of stars to populate another planet, but is stopped by Chaos.
*Events of Final Chapter of Dirge of Cerberus: Vincent thwarts Deepground's ambition to destroy the planet, defeating Omega and Weiss, and sending it alongside Chaos into space.
* In an underground cave in Midgar, Genesis reawakens. 
====500 years after Final Fantasy VII==== 
*Midgar, the former City of Mako, is overgrown with greenery. Red XIII, with his kids in tow, runs up the rocky mountains and overlooks the city.
===Remake continuity ===
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*Events of "The Destruction of Mako Reactor 1", "Fateful Encounters", and "Home Sweet Slum". Barret's Avalanche cell, sending himself, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and employing Cloud as a mercenary, blow up Mako Reactor 1. The group return to the hideout, Cloud meeting Sephiroth and Aerith on the way. After returning to the hideout, Tifa helps Cloud get settled in at the Sector 7 slums in his apartment, Stargazer Heights. 
* Events of "Home Sweet Slum" and "Mad Dash". Tifa helps Cloud find work, goes her separate ways from Barret's cell, and Barret refuses to re-hire Cloud. Later that night, Jessie hires Cloud to steal from her house and a Shinra warehouse in upper Sector 7 to get Jessie a new blasting agent.
* Events of "Mad Dash", "Dogged Pursuit", "Light the Way", and "A Trap Is Sprung". After returning to the slums, whispers attack Seventh Heaven and injure Jessie, forcing Barret to hire Cloud and bring Tifa along to bomb Mako Reactor 5. The group eventually make it there, only to find Shinra has sprung a trap for them, broadcasting the event live and their public execution, which they escape from. Cloud falls to the Sector 5 slums.
*Events of "Budding Bodyguard", "The Town That Never Sleeps", "Rough Waters", "Haunted", "Fight for Survival", "A Broken World", "Wutai's Finest", and "Covert Ops". 
**Cloud awakes in the Sector 5 slums church to find Aerith, escorting her to Elmyra's house, but Elmyra asks her to leave. Aerith accompanies Cloud to direct him back to Sector 7, but the two find Tifa on her way to Wall Market and join her there to interrogate Don Corneo about Shinra's plans. Corneo reveals Shinra will destroy the Sector 7 pillar, and drops them in the sewer system, where they make their way to Sector 7 only to find it already under attack.
**In Sector 7, Aerith helps evacuate the slums before being kidnapped, and Cloud, Tifa, and Barret barely escape before the sector is destroyed. The next day, after Elmyra refuses to let them chase Aerith, they travel to the rubble beneath the destroyed sector to find the Shinra Underground Test Site and find Wedge, bringing him back to Elmyra's home. 
**Meanwhile, Yuffie Kisaragi and a Wutai ninja named Sonon Kusakabe meet an Avalanche group to infiltrate the Shinra Building and obtain a hidden materia. Though they infiltrate successfully, they are unable to find what they are looking for, and have a battle with Deepground that leaves Sonon killed, and Yuffie flees just as Sector 7 is destroyed.
*Events of "In Search of Hope", "The Day Midgar Stood Still", "The Belly of the Beast", "Deliverance from Chaos", and "Destiny's Crossroads". Convincing Elmyra to let them go to the Shinra Building, the group find their way there and rescue Aerith, as well as Red XIII, from Professor Hojo's lab, navigating through his laboratory known as the Drum, only to emerge to find President Shinra killed by Sephiroth (manifesting though Marco, a Sephiroth-clone) and Jenova gone from Hojo's lab. Rufus Shinra is promoted to president, and the party flee the building. They find Sephiroth on the outside, who opens a portal to the Singularity. Aerith hesitates but encourages them to battle and destroy the whispers, freeing the timeline.
==Notes==
===Annotations===
===Citations===
== References==
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==External links==
*Complete Timeline of the Compilation of FFVII on TheLifestream.net
ru:Хронология Final Fantasy VII
Category:Final Fantasy VII series
Category:Chronologies