Degradation

Degradation is a term given to the slow deterioration of the body as a result of having the incomplete powers of Jenova, as seen in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. A similar phenomenon is illustrated in Final Fantasy VII remake project, which appears related to the robed men.
According to the Crisis Core Complete Guide, degradation stems from the ability to create copies of oneself; this is an ability that comes from Jenova's powers, which allow her to convert her targets into monsters by implanting their bodies with cellular matter acting as a virus that she generates from inside her body. As Jenova's cells are not fixed in their bodies, the specimens produced via Project G succumb to degradation as time passes. There is no known cure for this condition, but Genesis Rhapsodos believes his degradation can be halted with the gift of the goddess, or with cells from specimens produced by Project S.
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==Effects and origin==
A person suffering from degradation appears to age; the sufferer's hair first turns silver, then white. The afflicted's skin takes on a grayish hue, and cracks appear on one's face and neck. The degradation process makes the body weak, brittle, and susceptible to injury. According to the Crisis Core Complete Guide, degrading impedes one's ability to control their anger.
One who suffers from degradation cannot withhold brutal outbursts, increasing the chance of devolving into a monster. A sufferer's combat potential increases, as well. These symptoms could partially explain the brutality and instability that Genesis and Angeal display, as well as their belief that they are monsters. It is thought that degradation eventually leads to death. Degradation has only been observed in specimens produced through Project G, a part of the Jenova Project led by Dr. Hollander and funded by the Shinra Electric Power Company.
The only known cure is by being exposed to the lifestream, and specifically to Minerva, although Genesis also believed that having genetics passed on from a member of Project S (i.e. Sephiroth) could cure him.
==Story==
In an attempt to create a person with the powers of an Ancient, Dr. Hollander injected a fellow scientist, Gillian Hewley, with Jenova's cells. Gillian's cells were then injected into the fetus that eventually grew into Genesis Rhapsodos. In the end, the results of Project G were not favorable, and Shinra cut its funds. Gillian's son Angeal, who had received his mother's cells and Jenova's traits naturally, eventually joined SOLDIER alongside his childhood friend Genesis, the two oblivious over their involvement with Project G.
Genesis's degradation was triggered by an injury during a training session; while the wound was superficial, the mako energy that seeped through it stopped it from healing. When Genesis learned the truth about his birth and Project G, he discovered he can imprint his DNA on others, causing his victims to take on his appearance, but appears to degrade faster the more copies he creates. As a "failed" experiment, Genesis also cannot absorb others' traits. Genesis Copies degrade at varying rates, their degradation speed being influenced by the condition of Genesis's cells; when they begin to degrade, the copies also degrade faster.
Unlike Genesis, Angeal can absorb others' DNA and pass on his traits to others. However, he still begins to suffer from degradation; whereas the onset of Genesis's degradation can be traced back to the wound he suffered while training, what set off Angeal's degradation is less clear. By the time he passes on the Buster Sword to Zack Fair in Modeoheim, cracks have appeared on the corner of Angeal's face, signifying degradation. Following Angeal's death, his copies, most notably the winged beast that Zack Fair and Aerith Gainsborough see in the Sector 5 slums church, as well as Lazard Deusericus, suffer from the same degradation as well.
When Genesis learns the truth about his past and discovers that his body is slowly degrading, he teams up with Dr. Hollander to find a cure for his condition. Dr. Hollander cannot procure one, and ends up being made a degrading Genesis Copy himself. Disappointed in Dr. Hollander's failed efforts, Genesis sets out to find the cure on his own.
As an avid fan of the epic poem LOVELESS, Genesis begins to pursue the "gift of the goddess", a term that refers to divine salvation, as he believes this can heal him. At first Genesis pursues Jenova's cells, for he believes them to be the "gift", but this search is in vain. When Genesis learns of Project S, which produced his friend Sephiroth, a man who, as a superior specimen of the Jenova Project, cannot spread his genes or degrade, he begins to seek Sephiroth's cells as well.
At the Nibel Reactor Genesis tells Sephiroth the truth about Jenova and the experiments that made him. This shocks Sephiroth, who thought he and his thought-to-be-deceased mother were ordinary humans. Sephiroth refuses to aid Genesis and in the aftermath of the Nibelheim Incident, Sephiroth's apparent death in the mako pit below the reactor leaves Genesis without a cure for his degradation once again.
Four years after his confrontation with Sephiroth on Mt. Nibel, Genesis learns that Zack and Cloud are on the run after having been detained by Professor Hojo in an attempt to clone Sephiroth in the same way that Genesis and Angeal had done. Genesis hunts the fugitives down, knowing of the S Cells inside their bodies. A Genesis Copy eats a lock of Zack's hair after Genesis corners him. Instead of halting the Genesis Copy's degradation, the S Cells in Zack's hair transform it into a monster. Genesis presumes this is because Zack's body survived Hojo's experiments and absorbed the S Cells; at this point, the S Cells have mutated and are useless to Genesis. Cloud is different, however, as his body is rejecting the S Cells.
When Zack realizes that Genesis Copies are after Cloud, he sets out to protect his friend. Zack decides to find Genesis and eliminate him. In the caverns below the scorched remains of Banora, Genesis finds what he seeks: a gigantic, natural materia that he calls the "Goddess Materia". Genesis fuses the Goddess Materia with his rapier and transforms into Genesis Avatar. Zack defeats him in battle and the Goddess Materia shatters. Genesis returns to human form and finds himself healed by the power of the lifestream. He leaves the cavern with Zack, and the pair discovers the last of the Angeal Copies, a winged beast and a man who was once Lazard Deusericus, suffering from advanced degradation. The two soon die and fade away.
==Final Fantasy VII remake project==
President Shinra appears to allude to the phenomenon in Final Fantasy VII Remake when he says the mako infusion process SOLDIER candidates undergo greatly reduces their lifespan due to accelerating cellular degradation. However, only products on Project G degraded in Crisis Core, rather than regular SOLDIER members. Throughout Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, frequent mention is made of degradation in this fashion, but this is shown to be at least in part an intentional mislabeling of the Reunion instinct to hide Jenova's involvement in the SOLDIER program. Cloud comes to believe he suffers from degradation as a result of being a former SOLDIER member, attributing it as the reason for the gaps in his memories.
After Roche undergoes further Jenova cell injections at the hands of Professor Hojo, he begins to degrade, losing his sense of self and his hair beginning to turn gray, the same way that degrading subjects' hair turned gray in Crisis Core. Cloud later witnesses Roche turn into a "robed man" and lose all humanity beyond blindly following the "Reunion instinct".
==Citation==
Category:Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Category:Final Fantasy VII remake project