Wall Market

Wall Market is a location in the Final Fantasy VII series. A lawless part of Midgar's undercity, it is a shopping center and the foremost entertainment quarter of the undercity, located in Sector 6. It is infamous for its dangerous "red light district" atmosphere run by the local crime lord, Don Corneo.
==History==
===Before Final Fantasy VII===
During construction of Midgar, traders built an entertainment district to relax after work. The area began developing from brothels and other businesses catering to the laborers involved in the city's construction, leading to a boom in business, but also attracted organized crime. Rather than solve the problem of organized crime, as public order deteriorated, the government walled it in, giving it its name.
The Sector 6 undercity was once as large as other slums, but over time, people only lived near Wall Market.
When Plate Number 6 collapsed around 1976, Wall Market was spared, as the collapse was centered around the edge of the plate closest to the outer wall, meaning areas around the main pillar were largely unaffected.
Elena of the Turks worked as a bartender in Wall Market in her high school years. Two Guns of the Turks used to work in Don Corneo's mafia within the Wall Market, before quitting and going under the employment of Shinra.
VIIBC Wall Market.png|Wall Market in Before Crisis.
VIIBC Wall Market 2.png|Wall Market in Before Crisis.
===Original continuity===
In December 0007, "To Corneo Hall" in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife and Aerith Gainsborough came to Wall Market after seeing Tifa Lockhart transported there by chocobo, Tifa coming to investigate Corneo. Seeing no way into Corneo's mansion, Aerith suggested Cloud disguise himself as a woman. After gathering the items for Cloud's dress around town and entering the Don's mansion, after the Don's audition, the three interrogated Corneo and forced him to reveal that the Shinra Electric Power Company intended to drop the Sector 7 plant to destroy Avalanche. After revealing the plan, Corneo sent the three plummeting through his trap door to the sewers in an attempt to feed them to his pet Aps. 
Later, during "Aeris's Secret", Cloud, Tifa, and Barret Wallace climbed a wall in Wall Market to reach the Shinra Building in search of Aerith.
===Remake continuity===
In December 0007, during "The Town That Never Sleeps" in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cloud and Aerith came to Wall Market after seeing Tifa, with Aerith insisting Cloud find Tifa inside. At the entrance, they saw Chocobo Sam, who had arranged for Tifa's transport knowing she would be a perfect candidate for Corneo's bridal audition. The two asked him where Corneo was, only for him to blow them off. Later they found Corneo's mansion, but Leslie Kyle, a guard at the door, told them the only way inside was approval for one of Corneo's trio to enter the bridal audition, and warned them against it. Outside, Johnny, eager to help Tifa himself, tried his luck at getting their approval.
Though Sam was uninterested in helping and Andrea Rhodea was unavailable, the third at the trio, Madam M, was intrigued by the prospect and agreed to help them if Cloud and Aerith won 1,000,000 gil for her at the Corneo Colosseum to pay for a dress for Aerith. The two won the tournament as expected, but only Aerith was able to enter the mansion. As such, Aerith dragged Cloud to the Honeybee Inn as Andrea had taken interest in Cloud from the colosseum. Inside, Andrea told Cloud he "understood" Cloud wanting to be dressed up, and after a performance there, Cloud was given a dress to enter the mansion. Inside, the two united with Tifa and were then sent to the audition; though Corneo took interest in Tifa at first, Cloud's insults to Corneo turned Corneo to choose him instead, unaware he was crossdressing. Corneo revealed Shinra's plan to drop the plate, and then sent them to the sewer system to meet Abzu, his pet.
After revealing Shinra's plan to them, because Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith escaped to the Sector 7 slums and were able to evacuate some, Shinra's relationship with Corneo soured, and he was no longer invited to participate in a new and improved Wall Market in Neo Midgar. In "In Search of Hope", Cloud, Tifa, and Barret Wallace returned to Wall Market, believing Corneo would know a way up the plate. After finding Leslie Kyle there, at Leslie's behest, they entered the sewers below. Corneo did not reveal a way topside, instead sending Abzu to fight them again and fleeing, though Leslie, satisfied he had confronted Corneo, gave them a way out.
==Geography==
===Overview===
Wall Market is a vibrant shopping center in Sector 6, joined by the S7-6 road to Sector 6's Evergreen Park and its gate to the Sector 7 Slums, and joined to the Sector 5 Slums by the S5-6 Road. It is home to many stores inside buildings and tents set up around the market. Neon lights advertise the market's many attractions, including a diner, a gym, a bar named Drunkards, and the Honeybee Inn. Don Corneo's mansion is also located at the far end of the market.
In contrast to the rest of Midgar's slums, Wall Market's buildings are in better shape, appearing better maintained, and very decorated. It has fewer piles of scrap outside of those owned by the weapon store owner. The buildings vary wildly in aesthetic, taking inspirations from a variety of architectural style from, oriental Asian styles to American Western false from architecture. Dazzling neon signs are also typical in Wall Market, and a contrast to the rest of the slums. 
Between Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake, all the major landmarks are present in both versions. However, the layout of the landmarks is altered, and new attractions are added in the form of Sam's Delivery Service, Madam M's hand massage parlor and the Corneo Colosseum. In addition, the Honeybee Inn changes entirely, a large central tower is added to mark its location, and large billboards can be seen around the market with both English and Japanese writing advertising shows. Some ramschakle shacks are still be found, with more organized construction tending to be found closer to Don Corneo's Mansion. The roads are paved for the most part, though with several loose stones and brown hardy grass and shrubs growing out of the cracks. 
===Sam's Delivery Service===
Seen only in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Sam's Delivery Service is a chocobo-drawn delivery service ran by Chocobo Sam, one of Corneo's henchmen. It is located outside the south entrance to Wall Market. The Delivery Service has a main building and a few other warehouses, resembling Western false front architecture. Adjacent to the main building are chocobo stables, and a chocobo carriage at the front. It is bound on the eastern side by the ruins of the collapsed expressway. 
===Inn===
The inn is a hotel located directly at Wall Market's entrance from the Sector 5 Slums. It is a mostly concrete building with a metal roof. Inside, it has a vending machine that sells items, as well as several hostel-style rooms to stay in containing multiple beds, including bunk-beds, meaning they do not offer much privacy.
===Item store===
The store marked "Item" out front is a small metal cubicle not run by a human clerk. Though it has shelves with items around it, none are available for purchase. Inside is a computer terminal, which is guarded by a machine gun turret at the top. There is a barker hawking the shop who acts confused when Cloud confronts him after attempting to use the shop. 
The store offers nothing during Cloud's first visit, but in Final Fantasy VII, the Premium Heart, Tifa's ultimate weapon, is obtained after returning with the Highwind.
===Diner===
The Diner is a food joint that resembles a standard American diner. It sells a Korean B.B.Q. Plate, Sushi Plate, or its own special.
===Pharmacy===
The Pharmacy is a small, modest store with a single room, and shelves of medicine by the counter. It sells medicinal items in the form of deodorant, disinfectants, and digestive, as well as restorative items. The store also gives free items in the exchange for a Pharmacy Coupon.
===Boutique===
The Boutique is a clothing store inside a brick building, run by the store owner's son. It sells clothing and produces custom-made dresses, and clothes are seen hung up on mannequins around the store. In Final Fantasy VII, it is here that Cloud obtains his custom-made dress after fetching the shop's owner from a bar; in Final Fantasy VII Remake, it is involved in sidequests.
===Materia store===
The Materia store is a well-decorated store in a tent. It has antique vases on shelves and ornaments, and is lit by candidates. The store clerk lays on a rug in the back of the tent, with more decorations behind him. In both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake, the merchant is involved in optional quests.
===Madam M's parlor===
Seen only in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Madam M's parlor is a building in the style of Japanese-Western Eclectic architecture. It is a hand-massage parlor ran by Madam M, one of Corneo's henchmen, offering a "poor man's course," a "standard course," and a "luxury course" to clients. The building has well-decorated wallpapers with flower patterns keeping with its Japanese aesthetic, and is lit by Chinese lamps and candles. The Neon Sign on the building lists it as 'Temomiya Massage'. 
===Honeybee Inn===
The Honey Bee Inn is a brightly lit building, marked by honeybee mascots lit up as well as bright billboards. The Honeybee Inn changes drastically between versions.
In Final Fantasy VII, it is a members-only adult club in the original version, visitable on initial visit to Wall Market when Cloud received a membership card. Inside are several brightly-colored, themed rooms occupied by different guests, with keyholes that can be used to peep into them. Depending on the room chosen, Cloud obtains either Bikini briefs or Lingerie for Cloud's disguise.
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the Honeybee Inn is a VIP night club run by Andrea Rhodea. The staff wear themed bee costumes, and the club is frequented by Corneo's staff. The club puts on shows nightly, and Andrea Rhodea takes appointments, but has a tightly booked schedule.
Many of the Honeygirls have dedicated fans, including Ms. Folia. 
===Drunkards===
Drunkards is a bar is a wide room with a kitchen, several stalls around wooden tables, a screen, a karaoke booth, and a dart board. Several patrons visit the bar, including the owner of the boutique, and a sick patron in the bathroom.
===Weapon store===
The weapon store, advertised by a neon sign reading "Machine & Gun", is located close to piles of scrap that belong to the store owner. It is a concrete building that has two offices located behind metal fences. While Cloud can only buy weapons and items for civilian use, the owner buys and sells military grade vehicles and heavy weapons as well, with tanks, helicopters, missiles, and artillery pieces surrounding the store. The right office is a counter, situated in front of machine guns with ammunition on display. The store owner is in the left office, and contains posters, a computer, as well as a tank on display.
===Gym===
The gym is a large tent building. It contains workout equipment, such as dumbbells, barbells, and pull-up bars, and a large boxing ring. Trophies can be seen on shelves. It is frequented by a variety of patrons who compete with one another.
In Final Fantasy VII, the gym is named Men's Hall, and also serves as a gathering point for cross-dressers led by a man named "Beautiful Bro." It is visited by Cloud to obtain a wig for his disguise, and a squatting minigame determines the wig achieved. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, no references to cross-dressing are included at the gym outside of the owner Jules (brother of Andrea Rhodea) wearing makeup, and it is visited both for a squats minigame involving Cloud, as well as a pull-ups minigame involving Tifa. In this version, the building is marked by a large building with Japanese writing.
===Corneo Colosseum===
Seen only in Final Fantasy VII Remake, the Corneo Colosseum is a grand building in the style of Japanese architecture, with large statues located both outside and within its reception. The building hosts major tournaments such as the Corneo Cup as rare events, and in-between, smaller matches take place, with a variety of competitors. There is a vendor that sells both commemorative clothing merchandise and explosive stuffed animals. 
The Japanese aesthetic is consistent inside the building. In the reception, patterns are engraved in gold on the walls, ink paintings hung on posters, and kanji symbols written on doors.
The Colosseum arena itself is located deep underground. Several large gold statues of warriors and dragons surround the central arena, and a large screen gives information on competitors for the audience watching from the podiums. Backstage, the area is less inviting, with a few undecorated concrete rooms for challengers to rest in between matches.
===Corneo's mansion===
Corneo's mansion is a grand building in the style of Japanese architecture, located at the end of Wall Market. In Final Fantasy VII, it is located behind walls. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, it is located behind a moat with a bridge across to it, with several lamps lighting the way to its entrance, and statues by the front door. The entrance is guarded by a bouncer who only lets women enter.
The mansion is home to many scenes of debauchery and perversion. Like its interior, much of the mansion has an oriental Asian aesthetic in terms of ornaments and decorations, and is primarily colored with bright red colors and gold engraving. This is prominently showcased in the entrance room, the central foyer, as well as Corneo's office and bedroom. After taking the stairs, the office where Corneo chooses his bride can be entered through a grand door at the back, the lackey room through a door on the right, and a door on the left leads to the torture room. Rigged underneath Corneo's personal chambers lives the monster Abzu in the sewers.
Corneo's office has many statues by the entrance, a long red carpet leading to Corneo's desk, and at the back is a door to his bedroom. This room is brightly lit by a Chinese lantern and disco ball, and the top of his king-sized bed has a statue of a Chinese dragon. The room also has a trap door on the carpet in front of the bed that will send unsuspecting visitors plummeting to the sewers where Don Corneo's pet Abzu will try to devour them.
The torture room, in contrast to the rest of the mansion, has a medieval aesthetic and is a stone dungeon lit by a single candle. The room has several torture devices around a red table in the center. The lackey room is a less decorated room than the rest of the mansion, a room with a few wooden tables and a TV. The Don also has a vending machine made in his own likeness in this room. 
===Urban advancement district===
Adjacent to Corneo's mansion is a detour through an urban advancement district, littered with piles of scrap, rubble, and construction material. Though there were plans to develop this area between Sectors 6 and 7, it has gone untouched for years. On the other side of the wall is the Sector 7 slums. At the end of this, is a damaged stone wall, painted with graffiti, that once climbed can lead up to Midgar's upper plates. The Sector 6 sewers can be accessed from here. 
==Society==
Wall Market is the foremost entertainment district of the undercity. It is home to clothing stores, brothels, eateries, bars, restaurants, and other shops. This makes it one of the only areas in the slums where restaurants for tourists and handmade food are found, with endless options, including authentic Wutaian cuisine, which is unpopular topside.
Many of the top store owners, including the Materia Shop, Pharmacy, Diner, and Clothing store are close friends who often have friendly gambling games that they bet shares of their stores rather than money on. 
Wall Market is lawless, and Shinra's Public Security officers are ineffective. Scams and illegal trade in drugs go unchecked. A form of order is kept by Don Corneo and his lackeys, but as long as this order is not disturbed, business can be conducted free of threats. The Bank offers predatory loans to those looking for money in Wall Market, particularly after having blown through what they have in Wall Markets services. Don Corneo has three major lieutenants whom he has look for bridal candidates each night: Chocobo Sam, Madame M, and Andrea Rhodea.
==Gameplay==
===Final Fantasy VII===
Wall Market is visited first by a party of Cloud and Aeris in "To Corneo Hall," as they must find a way to enter Corneo's mansion. The event involves Cloud acquiring parts for a dress in order to infiltrate the mansion, beginning with a boutique store. Depending on the quality of the items gathered for the dress throughout the market, Corneo will choose Cloud, Tifa, or Aeris as his bride.
Wall Market is later returned to briefly during "Aeris's Secret" as Cloud, Tifa, and Barret search for a way to reach the Shinra Building. The three eventually use a rope near the wall at the back of Wall Market.
===Final Fantasy VII Remake===
The player first visits Wall Market in Chapter 9, "The Town That Never Sleeps", where Aerith Gainsborough and Cloud Strife are trying to find a way to enter Con Corneo's mansion. The town is depicted in nighttime, and a set of Odd Jobs is available to the player during this segment. Depending on player actions, a questline will be set be either Madam M's or Chocobo Sam's. In both questlines, a minigame allows Cloud to compete in squats at the gym.
Wall Market is later revisited during Chapter 13, "A Broken World" by a party of Cloud, Tifa Lockhart, and Barret Wallace, as the group run through. It is visited more thoroughly by the three in the following chapter, "In Search of Hope," with a wide variety of sidequests involving the group. This includes another minigame at the gym, this time involving Tifa, as she competes at pull-ups against other patrons.
In both chapters, the Corneo Colosseum is also available as a battle arena after the storyline-mandated visit there to take part on a tournament. By succeeding in the battles, the player can win manuscripts for the characters' new limit breaks, among other rewards.
==Musical themes==
Wall Market has several musical themes. The theme that plays in the main section of the town is "The Oppressed" . "Honeybee Inn" plays in Honey Bee Inn, while "Don of the Slums" plays in Don Corneo's mansion. "Shinra's Full-Scale Assault" plays during the climb up to the Shinra Building.
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, a different theme called "Wall Market - The Town That Never Sleeps" plays while in the Wall Market. While near Madam M's massage parlor or Chocobo Sam's delivery service, different arrangements of the theme play. An arrangement of "The Oppressed" is a music disc playable in jukeboxes bought from a vending machine in the sewer system for 50 gil.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade===
==Behind the scenes==
===Final Fantasy VII===
There are signs that indicate the player would have been able to buy the batteries required for climbing to the plate separately, instead of getting all three at once, but this was changed for the final version of the game. When asking for the batteries the weapon shop seller's dialogue says "how about 100 gil each", but the player must always spend 300 gil and get all three. Unused text in the game data exists for a situation where Cloud would run out of batteries while climbing.
The dungeon in Don Corneo's cellar was, at some point during development, intended as a location for a Turtle's Paradise flier. The data for a flier discovered there is marked flier #2, but the text is the same as for the flier #3, found in Gold Saucer.
Ffvii-wall-market-prerelease.jpg|Pre-release shot of the gym where the sign is partially in English.
Aerith (Dress).jpg|Concept art of Aerith's Wall Market dress.
Tifa Dress Sketch.jpg|Concept art of Tifa's Wall Market dress.
Miss Cloud Artwork.png|Concept art of Cloud's Wall Market dress.
Wall Market FFVII Sketch.jpg|Early concept art of Wall Market.
Midgar Wallmarket FF7 Art 8.jpg|Concept art of the Wall Market inn.
Midgar Wallmarket FF7 Art 7.jpg|Concept art of the Wall Market food joint.
Midgar Wallmarket FF7 Art 5.jpg|Concept art of Wall Market pharmacy.
Midgar Wallmarket FF7 Art 3.jpg|Concept art of the Wall Market Materia Shop.
Midgar Wallmarket FF7 Art 1.jpg|Concept art for the house where Tifa's Premium Heart is found.
Midgar Wallmarket FF7 Art 6.jpg|Concept art of Wall Market weapon shop.
Midgar Wallmarket FF7 Art 4.jpg|Concept art of Wall Market gym.
Midgar_Wallmarket_FF7_Art_2.jpg|Concept art of the Wall Market bar.
Don Corneo Mansion FF7 Art 1.jpg|Concept art for the area outside Don Corneo's mansion.
Don Corneo Mansion FF7 Art 3.jpg|Concept art of Don Corneo's mansion.
Don Corneo Mansion FF7 Art 2.jpg|Concept art of Don Corneo's mansion.
===Final Fantasy VII Remake===
When remaking Wall Market for Final Fantasy VII Remake, the developers decided to give it an Asian theme. They felt the need to modernize the area, as a lot had changed in the 23 years since the original game had released. Co-director Motomu Toriyama was heavily involved in this, having also been heavily involved in designing the events there in the original game. The developers wanted to create a familiar yet new feeling with Wall Market, depicting it as an entertainment district attractive to people from a wide range of cultures and ages while dialing back on the "adult" aspect of it. Honeybee Inn thus became a dazzling dance production in the vein of French Moulin Rouge, the Corneo Colosseum was added as an exciting underground battle arena for grown-ups, and Madam M's massage parlor was intended to embody the area's tantalizing aspect.Thang 2020Juba 2020 Toriyama also wished to give Wall Market a noisy and hectic atmosphere, where music can be heard from all angles.Godhania 2022
The developers wished to make an entirely new song for Wall Market that would transition between different quarters. Meanwhile, the original track, "The Oppressed", was given a more modern, upbeat arrangement as it was used for comedic effect. When making this design choice, Mitsuto Suzuki tried to build background music that would capture the atmosphere of Wall Market; he attempted to sweep away preconceptions and solely express things he felt from the location, though he still had Don Corneo in the back of his mind.
The developers had originally not planned to include the Wall Market gym's squats minigame from the original, but the on-site game creators viewed it as something that players would be looking forward to and thus wanted to include it.
In the Japanese version the blues singer in the bar is an enka singer. Toriyama wanted to add him to show how Wall Market is unique, not just to Midgar, but in the entire world. After spotting the karaoke set in the bar in the original game , he thought they should have someone using it and thus included an "out-of-place" singer.
Only Cloud is ever chosen as Corneo's "bride" in the remake, whereas in the original it could have been any of the three candidates: Tifa, Aerith, Cloud. The choice was narrowed down to only Cloud because having all three scenes would have increased work load too much. Thus only Cloud has a scene with Corneo, while a new section was added for Tifa and Aerith teaming up against Corneo's lackeys.
The chocobo bean popcorn is similar to real-world popcorn, but is made by frying chocobo-shaped "chocobo beans" in oil, which maintain their shape even after popping.Square Enix 2020
Wall Market artwork for Final Fantasy VII Remake.png|Concept art for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Wall Market artwork 2 for Final Fantasy VII Remake.png|Concept art for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Corneo's Mansion artwork for Final Fantasy VII Remake.png|Corneo's Mansion exterior concept art for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Corneo's Mansion interior artwork for Final Fantasy VII Remake.png|Corneo's Mansion interior concept art for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
==Etymology==
The name Wall Market (), is, in Japanese, a play on the word "Walmart" ; only the end of the Japanese writing has been changed. 
==Notes==
===Annotations===
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de:Wall Market
ru:Рынок у Стены
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Category:Locations in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
Category:Towns