Secrets & Mysteries | Errors, Mistakes, and Contradictions

Despite Square spending millions of dollars on Final Fantasy VII, errors and oversights have managed to slip through their fingers, especially in the FMV sequences. These errors can be tricky to detect in the course of the game, but a few have been found. For reference, they are listed below.

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Error #1 - Midgal Motor Group

A spelling 'mistake' exists in this particular screenshot. If you look closely, you can see that the text on the truck's door reads "Midgal's Motor Group". Of course, Midgal should be Midgar. However, a very logical reason exists for this error. The pronounciation of 'L' and 'R' is similar in Japanese. Clearly, the creators of this FMV made a slightly different translation of the city's name.

Error #2 - Sephiroth's Gloves

Glance at the upper screenshot of Sephiroth. Notice he has no gloves. Now peek at the lower screenshot, and you'll discover he has gloves. Somehow, midway through this FMV, Sephiroth managed to gain gloves for no reason at all! Credit goes out to A. Chong who made the discovery.

Error #3 - Tseng's Age

Remember finding Tseng in the Temple of the Ancients? Aeris says "...Tseng's with our enemy the Turks, but I've known him since we were little...". However, this is a contradiction with what we see earlier in the game, when Elmyra recounts Aeris' childhood. In this particular scene, we see Tseng in Aeris' house, demanding Elmyra to give him the child. Tseng is clearly an adult, so how can Aeris say she knew him when they both little!? LinkZero217@aol.com is responsible for this observation, so thanks. Update (May 2005): Citadel visitor Irreleventuality has pointed to Cathy Okada's translation of this line from the Japanese version of the game (go here for the full list of her translations), which reads, "...Zwong (Tseng) is a Tarx (Turk)... he's the enemy but I knew him since I was a child." Note the "I" in Aeris' words, which explains why Tseng would be an adult in Elmyra's story. Chalk this one up to another mistranslation...

Error #4 - Aeris' Position

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After Aeris is killed by Sephiroth, we see Cloud lifting Aeris with her head to Cloud's right (and her feet to his left). However, when we see Cloud dropping her into the lake, Aeris magically changes orientation. Her head is to Cloud's left and her feet are to his right. Hats off to Psi-Master for this report.

Error #5 - Ropeway Propellers

When you visit the Gold Saucer, the propellers on the cable car change position during your first visit. Hats off to... just about everybody that e-mailed me in the last nine months.

Error #6 - Lettering on Rocket

As the Shinra No. 26 launches into space, a close-up of the rocket momentarily reveals that the lettering on its side ("Shin-Ra Type 26") has been flipped!

Error #7 - Altar Staircase

When we first see Aeris at the altar, she is facing the stairs, with her back to the railing. However, when Sephiroth comes down with his sword, both he and Aeris have their backs to the stairs. Once the FMV ends, they are again facing the stairs. Hats off to Mark Foy for the tipoff about the latter two scenes, which led to my finding the former one. Update (March 2009): Eden Shumate has also observed that when we first see Aeris at the alter she is kneeling on black and white tiles, which is replaced with a single colour when the FMV ends.

Error #8 - The Sister Ray's Misalignment

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When the Sister Ray is fired from Midgar, it destroys the barrier over the Northern Crater. However, if one flies (in the Highwind) from the cannon in a straight path toward the Northern Continent, they will miss the crater by a number of degrees. That Diamond WEAPON might have redirected the Sister Ray's shot is unlikely, since the related FMV shows the shot going straight through the WEAPON, without changing direction (there's also the matter that Shinra wouldn't have planned for the WEAPON's presence). Thanks goes out to Courtney for pointing out this error.

What doesn't constitute as an error?

The following 'errors' actually aren't errors at all. Rather, these have been added by Square deliberately.

Some people have reported Red XIII's cubs in the ending sequence were added by mistake. However, there is actually a real reason for this. Recall Bugenhagen's death? Before he dies, he says to Red XIII, "It's a wide world and you must go out and see it... You may even find your life's mate. You never know." Bugenhagen hints other members of Red XIII's species exist somewhere in the world. Hence, Red XIII has a mate to make cubs for the ending sequence. Makoknight must be thanked for making the report.

During Aeris' death, you should have noticed Sephiroth's sword lacks blood when he stabs her. The most likely reasons for this are censorship, technological limitations, or both. Square didn't add blood in fear of receiving a Mature Audience rating for Final Fantasy VII. A. Ryan should be credited for the initial observation. An alternative theory has been provided regarding the properties of the Masamune blade. Click here to read.

This third 'error' is grey. You should have noticed that Cloud isn't anywhere to be seen after dropping Aeris. Surely he didn't withdraw himself that quickly from Aeris' body to completely disappear from view. Secondly, by judging the camera depth, the water must be at least 10 metres deep. How did Cloud manage to walk in such deep water while holding Aeris? I personally believe these oversights were deliberate. It would have damaged the romance of Aeris' death had the laws of physics been obeyed. (If the laws of physics had been obeyed, we would have seen Aeris floating in only 1 metre of water, and Cloud would have casted an imposing shadow, ruining the majestic halo around Aeris.)

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A 'mistake' supposedly exists in the clock puzzle at the Temple of the Ancients. We all know the roman numeral representing the number 4 is IV. Well, in the game we see IIII in the puzzle instead. I've been told the ancient Romans had actually used IIII to represent 4, and it was only changed to IV during recent times. Thanks goes out to Brandon W. for this revelation (and A. Lee for the original discovery).