Wutai Village

Wutai Village is the primary settlement on the nation of Wutai in Final Fantasy VII. It is mentioned in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- but the village itself can never be visited, although there exist two Wutai shops the player can access from the menu.
Wutai Village is Yuffie Kisaragi's hometown. The village is located on the north of the island on the west side of the world map. Visiting Wutai is optional.
==History==
Some time after the capture of Fort Tamblin, the first Avalanche resistance group set up their headquarters in a Wutai Village Pagoda. During Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- the Turks discovered the base and attack, but Avalanche's lieutenants escaped after the group was warned by their financier and protector in Shinra, Rufus Shinra. Shinra defeated Avalanche forces at the base and destroyed the Pagoda, thinking they had defeated Avalanche. The surviving leaders regrouped on the Da-chao Statue and prepared for more attacks on the corporation.
After the Wutai War ended, Wutai Village was turned into a tourist destination, at the advice of its leader, the village elder Godo Kisaragi, who believed it to be the best thing to do to bring peace and prosperity to Wutai.
During Final Fantasy VII, after Cloud Strife's party escaped Rocket Town by crashlanding the Tiny Bronco in the ocean, she suggested heading west "for no reason at all". In "Homecoming of a Miserable Daughter", the party ventured to the western island, where Yuffie came out to distract the party. After they were ambushed by Shinra soldiers, she declared to not be responsible for "this one", but had stolen their materia.
The party tracked Yuffie down to Wutai Village, where the shops refused to sell to them, and the Turks Reno, Rude, and Elena were relaxing in the local bar during their vacation. Though Elena was alarmed by the party's sudden appearance, Reno and Rude told her to calm down as they were off duty. While the party hunted Yuffie, Don Corneo, a Midgar Slums crime lord, was spotted in the area; Reno and Rude also ignored the request because to investigate, but Elena, that unhappy the soldiers would report on them to the head office, left in a huff to search.
In an extravagant house the party found Yuffie confronting her father, Godo, about the state the village is in, having deteriorated into a kitschy tourist resort from the proud warrior town of ninjas of the olden days. Godo told her she was insufferable as she fled, and the party then cornered her hiding in a pot outside the bar and force her to show where she hid their materia. After pretending to cry and pleading that she only wanted to restore her nation's former glory, she trapped them in a cage using a switch on the panel.
They escaped and pursued Yuffie to a hidden passage, but Don Corneo and his lackeys took Yuffie and Elena captive. During the commotion, Corneo fled with Yuffie and Elena to the Da-chao mountains, and the party followed them, running into Reno and Rude, whom they temporarily joined forces with. At the top, Corneo unleashed a pet Rapps after the party which they defeated, and in a last-ditch attempt, Corneo threatened to drop Yuffie and Elena to their doom. Reno and Rude arrived and Rude shot Corneo, making him hang on the edge; while hanging, Reno asked him questions which Corneo could not answer, so Reno stepped on the Don's fingers, causing him to lose his grip and fall off the cliff. Reno received a call from the headquarters to hunt down Cloud and his friends, but ignored the order as they were off duty, and the Turks depart.
Yuffie takes the party to her house, grateful of having been saved, and returns their materia, but mixed up the order when placing them back to her comrades' weapons and armor. Yuffie began her long-winded apology during which the party walks out, and chased after them asking not to be left behind, brandishing the last materia on her palm, the MP Absorb materia she swiped from the party during their search for her in the village, finally willing to relinquish this one too. The shops opened for business and provide the party with equipment.
In the pagoda Yuffie fought through the guardians of the village to find Godo at the top floor as the ultimate challenge. Surprised the highest-ranking warrior in the town was her father, Godo, Yuffie fought him and emerges victorious. Afterward, she lectured the guardians of having given up on Wutai as their strength could be put to use to bring back the nation's glory days. Godo hasd a change of heart and relinquished the village treasure, the Leviathan materia, to Yuffie, and asked her to accompany the party in their quest to save the planet while he and the other guardians will watch over Wutai. As the others depart Godo caught Yuffie before she leaves, and encouraged her to take materia from the party after the quest was needed, as they may no longer need it.
In the novella On the Way to a Smile it was told that the lifestream had ravaged Wutai during Meteorfall, and many had contracted Geostigma. At the end of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the epidemic was cured.
During Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, when talking to Yuffie while aboard the Shera, she briefly mentions that Deepground had attacked Wutai, though the attack was halted by her father and the Wusheng.
== Geography ==
Wutai Village is located to the north on Gaia's western island mass. The village is located atop a river within a vast forest, and located near the large Da-chao Mountain, on which the Da-chao Statue is built. The pagoda, known as the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods for the gods of Power, Speed, Magic, War, and Omni, is located in the north end of town.
The village architecture, resembles Japanese architecture, namely that seen in Itsukushima (popularly Miyajima). This is seen in the bright red, wooden buildings, as well as the tiered pagoda building, and the bridges used to connect buildings situated over water in the south part of town. The buildings all use writing in kanji (characters borrowed from Chinese characters) and katakana; namely, the word "マテリア", or "Materia", can be seen written above the materia store.
The most notable site in Wutai is The Happy Turtle. The pub, which was visited by the Turks during "Homecoming of a Miserable Daughter", has ad campaigns all over the world.
Near the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods is a stone plaza resembling a Japanese Buddhist or Shinto site. It features a shrine with gold engravings around a gong to the left, Godo's home to the right, and the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods behind it. Godo's home has a tropical pond with fish near the beds, and also resembles that found in rural Japan. The gong activates a secret passageway to a basement below the shrine.
== Society ==
In Wutai legend, the village is protected by Da-chao, the Water God (also known as Leviathan), and the Five Mighty Gods. The Five Mighty Gods are the gods of Power, Speed, Magic, War, and Omni (who has the best characteristics of each). However, their loss to Shinra shook their faith.
Following the Wutai War, Wutai Village was kept alive by the tourism industry. Many of the villagers speak in proverbs, such as one saying "Life is like the dew on the leaves of the trees. Whether that planet falls or not is no more than a fleeting glimmer." Similar to Yuffie's belief, a few villagers believe that materia could make the village more exciting. 
== Gameplay ==
Wutai is mainly visited for the optional chapter "Homecoming of a Miserable Daughter". As long as Yuffie is in the party, quest can be begun at any time after acquiring the Tiny Bronco (including when Tifa or Cid are party leader, and they have unique dialogue if they are leader at the time). Though the quest can be completed whenever, it is advantageous to do it earlier for the rewards.
During the quest, the player's Materia will be stolen by Yuffie after reaching the island, and the player must come to the village to retrieve it from her. The quest culminates in a battle with the boss Rapps, which must be fought without Materia, after which Yuffie will return all the player's Materia in addition to new ones.
The village is also home to a second quest in the chapter, in which Yuffie must fight the five Pagoda bosses. The reward for this is her ultimate Limit, All Creation.
==Musical themes==
The eponymous theme "Wutai" plays in the Wutai Village. The "Turks' Theme" plays at the Turtle Paradise bar when the Turks are there, and in other Turks-related scenes. "Stolen Materia" plays after Yuffie locks two party members in a cage in her house, and once again when she and Godo agree to steal the party's Materia at the top of the pagoda. "Descendant of Shinobi" is Yuffie's theme and plays in other scenes associated with her. "Don of the Slums" plays when Don Corneo makes an appearance in Wutai.
"Wutai" is included on the third disc of Final Fantasy VII Vinyl Limited Edition compilation album.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
==Behind the scenes==
According to the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, during early plans for Final Fantasy VII, Wutai was much different from how it appears in the final product: Wutai was to be a town built around the Temple for the "Wutaia faith", a religion dominated by female hierarchy that worshiped a female deity. The current hierarch was to be the young Sasame-no-Himemiko, the 89th in line. Due to Sasame being only 15 years old, the real leader would be the high priestess, Izayoi. Godo would not have been the leader, but rather the head of the Kisaragi family, the servants to the Wutaia leader.
Shinra's goal in the town would have been to build a Reactor to harvest the rich mako below "Ten Faced Mountain", as Da Chao was originally called. Presumably the Wutai War would not have occurred, but the leaders of the Wutaia faith and the townspeople would have opposed to Shinra's plans of building the Reactor, and in turn, Shinra would have imposed high custom charges on goods entering Wutai, to make the people of Wutai suffer.
Sera, a spy for Shinra, would have tried to lure the leaders of Wutaia faith to Shinra's side and corrupt Sasame against Yuffie, who was trying to help out the town by stealing the party's money. However, with Izayoi's assistance, Sera is found out and defeated. She runs off to Ten Faced Mountain to try to blow it up, thus freeing room for the mako reactor. The party would then rush off and presumably stop her.
There is a sign for "Adamantoise Paradise" in the town of Lestallum in Final Fantasy XV in allusion to the Happy Turtle's original name tranlation, Turtle's Paradise.
Wutai Turtle's Paradise FF7 Art.jpg|Turtle's Paradise concept art.
Wutai Weapon Shop FF7 Art.jpg|Weapon Shop concept art.
Ff7-wutai cat house.gif|Cat House concept art.
Wutai Godo's House FF7 Art.jpg|Godo's house concept art.
Wutai FF7 Art 4.jpg|Godo's house concept art.
Wutai FF7 Art 3.jpg|Godo's house concept art.
Wutai FF7 Art 1.jpg|Town concept art.
Wutai FF7 Art 2.jpg|Town concept art.
==Gallery==
Pagoda.png|Pagoda.
Godos house.png|First screen of Godo's home.
Wutai village.png|Village grounds.
Pagoda-ffvii-floor1.png|Wutai, Godo's Pagoda (Floor 1).
Pagoda-ffvii-floor2.png|Wutai, Godo's Pagoda (Floor 2).
Pagoda-ffvii-floor3.png|Wutai, Godo's Pagoda (Floor 3).
Pagoda-ffvii-floor4.png|Wutai, Godo's Pagoda (Floor 4).
Pagoda-ffvii-floor5.png|Wutai, Godo's Pagoda (Floor 5).
VIIBC Wutai.png|Wutai Village in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-.
VIIBC Wutai 2.png|The Pagoda in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-.
VIIBC AVALANCHE Wutai Base.png|AVALANCHE Wutai base in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII.
VIIBC AVALANCHE Wutai Base Secret Passage.png|AVALANCHE Wutai base secret passage in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII.
==Etymology==
==Notes==
===Citations===
===Annotations===
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Towns