Current president of the Shinra Electric Power Company, he single-handedly raised the company from a small arms manufacturer to the massive conglomerate it is today. He employs cutthroat business tactics to secure profits, going so far as to eliminate any who oppose him. However, he's openhanded to those lucky enough to be in his good graces.
President Shinra is a major antagonist in the Final Fantasy VII series. He is a supporting antagonist in Final Fantasy VII, Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. He also appears in Hoshi o Meguru Otome and is mentioned in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
President Shinra is the president of the Shinra Electric Power Company. He is a ruthless businessman and a cunning politician, ruling Midgar with fear, manipulating the media in his favor, willing to eliminate any obstacles who oppose him, and rewarding those in his good graces. President Shinra seeks to locate the "promised land" and use its abundant mako energy to build a Neo Midgar. He is the father of Rufus Shinra, the vice president and heir to the company, and is the illegitimate father of Lazard Deusericus and Evan Townshend.
President Shinra is the overarching antagonist of the extended universe, his influence spread across the planet. Despite that, he is never fought in a boss battle.
History[]
Before Final Fantasy VII[]
Young President Shinra working on the prototype sun lamps.
President Shinra was born in 1940. He grew the Shinra Electric Power Company from a small arms manufacturer to a megacorporation.[2][1] At some point during that time, he worked on a prototype of the sun lamps eventually used to light the Midgar undercity.[3] President Shinra also approved SOLDIER Project: 0 in 1977.[4]
President Shinra married a woman, which led to the birth of Rufus Shinra. He also had mistresses that led to the illegitimate births of Lazard Deusericus and Evan Townshend.[note 1][5][7]
President Shinra established a museum in the Shinra Building dedicated to his life and the history of the company,[8] secretly commissioned Deepground to conduct human experiments and create an army surpassing SOLDIER,[9] and appointed Domino as mayor of Midgar before stripping his authority and relegating him to a file clerk.[8]
Original continuity[]
Wutai War and Avalanche Insurgency[]
During "In the White Light of Day, the Assassin Smiles" in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, President Shinra visited Junon for a military inspection and news conference, but was targeted for assassination by Avalanche. Reno and the Turks protected him, but his speech was sabotaged by Avalanche's leader, Fuhito, who shot him. He ordered Sephiroth to be called in before being taken to the hospital.[10]
During Chapter 3 of Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, President Shinra formally announced the end of the Wutai War and credited Sephiroth for peacefully resolving the war with minimal casualties. He stated the end of the war marked further distribution and development of mako throughout the world and Shinra was dedicated to achieving such goals by any means possible.[11]
During "This Night in an Untainted World", President Shinra called a meeting with Rufus, Reeve Tuesti, and Verdot to discuss Avalanche's attack on Junon. He was disappointed by the Turks' performance and ordered Verdot to find more recruits. The president became tense when Rufus questioned his leadership and suspicions grew about a possible Shinra insider leaking information to Avalanche.[12] During "A Light That Penetrates Through the Darkness", the president pressed Verdot for answers about the missing SOLDIER operatives at Icicle Inn. He received another update about the discovery of a secret Avalanche base and planned to have the Turks and military attack. He requested the deployment of Sephiroth, but settled for Zack Fair. At the Junon Airport, President Shinra gave a rallying speech to troops regarding the importance of the upcoming battle, wanting the base destroyed at any cost.[13]
During "One Step Further Toward Uncertainty", Rufus criticized President Shinra about the failed attack, who blamed and demoted Verdot to surveillance duty. During the chaos of Avalanche's raid on Junon, Verdot demanded reinstatement as Turks' director under threat of exposing Shinra's secrets. President Shinra agreed, warning of severe punishment for failure. They discussed who was leaking company information to Avalanche and the president suspected Professor Hojo, who had extensive data on SOLDIER.[14] During "The Lone Discerning Alignment", President Shinra heard Avalanche had abducted Hojo and urged the Turks to act fast, fearing the company's end if Hojo revealed anything. The president desperately ordered Verdot to call on Sephiroth.[15]
During "The Dash to Freedom", President Shinra received reports on Aerith Gainsborough's movement, tasking the Turks with capturing her, but questioning their past failures. He denied Rufus's suggestion to send the army after her, emphasizing her safety, importance as the last Ancient, and the key to finding the "promised land".[16] During "The Scar that Sunders the Calm", President Shinra praised Verdot for covering up the Nibelheim Incident. He asked for updates on Avalanche's HQ and was annoyed to learn they were based in Wutai. Verdot also revealed to him that Rufus was the Shinra insider leaking information to Avalanche.[17]
During "All of Our Resolve and Longing", President Shinra commanded Verdot to send the army to Wutai and crush Avalanche's headquarters. He frequently requested updates and was pleased with Avalanche's destruction. Afterward, he ordered Verdot to prepare for Shinra's first rocket launch, to be broadcasted worldwide.[18] During "Onward to the Distant Heavens", he insisted on proceeding with the Shinra No. 26 launch despite Avalanche's sabotage, and planned to showcase Shinra's power to regain public trust upon its failure. He ultimately suspended the space program in a board meeting with Rufus and Heidegger.[19]
During "The Muddy Course of Inexorable Fate", President Shinra praised Verdot for arresting Rufus. Following Verdot's resignation during the Corel conflict, he directed Tseng to link up with the Turks' secondary division and promoted him to director of the Turks, tasking them with finding and killing Verdot.[20] During "The Choices We Made in the Beginning and the End" , he was angered by reports of the Turks' betrayal by Scarlet, ordering their deaths for insubordination but felt conflicted due to their ties to Rufus, instructing Scarlet to capture Verdot alive.[21] During "Resolve to Reach the End", the president reassigned capturing Verdot to Scarlet and insisted on the Turks' execution, planning to use Verdot's capture to reclaim Rufus and disband the Turks.[22] During "The Threat that Pierces the Heavens", he cursed the Turks for rescuing Verdot and vowed to eliminate them.[23] During "Veering Wildly Towards an Unstoppable End", President Shinra discussed the Turks and the company's future with Rufus.[24] During the epilogue of Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, he met with Scarlet about the Turks' fate and spared them for their loyalty at Rufus's request, declaring the company's prosperity was unshakable.[25]
Reactor bombings and Jenova War[]
During "At the Hideout in the Slums" in Final Fantasy VII, President Shinra addressed the citizens about Avalanche's bombing of Mako Reactor 1 and reassured them with the mobilization of SOLDIER.[26] During "To the No. 5 Reactor", he confronted Avalanche in Mako Reactor 5, taunted them, recognized Cloud Strife as a SOLDIER, praised Sephiroth's brilliance, and unleashed the Airbuster on the terrorists.[27] During "To Corneo Hall", President Shinra asked Heidegger about Sector 7 preparations, coldly dismissed Reeve Tuesti's concern for the citizens, and declared Shinra's plan to drop the plate, intending to frame and destroy Avalanche. He laughed about sending the company's rescue operation care afterward.[28] During "Prevent the Fall of the Plate", President Shinra watched Sector 7 collapse from his office atop the Shinra Building.[29]
During "Storming the Shinra Building", President Shinra held a board meeting where he rejected the rebuilding of Sector 7 for the Neo Midgar plan, vowing to claim the "promised land". He ordered an increase in mako rates everywhere, assigned Scarlet and Reeve to divide the extra income, and disregarded concerns about public opinion. The president questioned Professor Hojo about his research on Aerith Gainsborough before concluding the meeting.[30]
Cloud's party find the president dead.
President Shinra was confronted by Cloud's party about Aerith's location. He assured her safety, and explained her significance as a Cetra related to the "promised land". He told an angry Barret Wallace that dreams come true with money and power, ended the conversation, and had Rude of the Turks capture them. President Shinra was later killed by Sephiroth, which was witnessed by Palmer.[30]
Post-death[]
During Hoshi o Meguru Otome, President Shinra was sent to an afterlife where the lifestream flowed improperly. He met Aerith and recognized her as the Ancient, overjoyed by their reunion. He scoffed at Aerith for rejecting luxury and refusing to cooperate with Shinra, choosing to live in the slums instead. A pitying Aerith realized the president was unable to join the lifestream because he clung to his achievements in life and was angrily told to leave. As she left, a terrified President Shinra was sucked away by Sephiroth absorbing the lifestream.[2]
Remake continuity[]
President Shinra appearing as a hologram to the party.
During "A Trap Is Sprung" in Final Fantasy VII Remake, President Shinra projected himself to Avalanche in Mako Reactor 5. He exposed them live, acknowledging Cloud's background as a SOLDIER and their operatives' inevitable death by cell degradation. He rudely dismissed Barret's accusations, called them allies of Wutai, and thanked them for stoking the people's patriotic fever before unleashing the Airbuster.[31] During "Rough Waters", the president inquired with Heidegger about the progress of the Sector 7 plan and coldly disregarded Reeve's plea for an evacuation warning, asserting that progress demands sacrifice.[32] He later watched the destruction of Sector 7 from his office during "Fight for Survival".[33]
During "The Belly of the Beast", President Shinra questioned Heidegger about the Wutai-Avalanche conspiracy narrative, advising him to stay the course, and was given a message from Palmer. At a board meeting, he dismissed Reeve's proposal to rebuild Sector 7 in favor of the Neo Midgar project, disregarding further input from him. He requested a research update on Aerith from Hojo, granting him clearance to proceed as necessary, and warned him not to make another mistake before adjourning the meeting.[8]
The president is eventually killed by Sephiroth.
During "Deliverance from Chaos", President Shinra was nearly killed by Sephiroth and was found by Cloud's party hanging from the side of the Shinra Building while yelling for help. They rescued him when he deceitfully agreed to clear their names only to hold them at gunpoint and mock their principles. The president was killed by a black robe controlled by Sephiroth and Rufus succeeded him as the company's president.[34] The news of his death took awhile to spread, some believing he had caught an illness and had to step down.[35]
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Close-up.
In Final Fantasy VII, President Shinra is an older man with a short and stout build, fair skin, blue eyes, thinning blond hair, and a mustache. He wears a dark red suit, a white dress shirt, a purple tie, and dark brown dress shoes.
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, President Shinra is an older man with a thinner build, fair skin, blue eyes, short graying blond hair, and a mustache. He wears a burgundy suit with black pinstripes, a white dress shirt, a dark blue tie with white dots, a black vest, a white pocket square, and black dress shoes. He also wears a wristwatch on his left hand.[36] He is frequently seen smoking a cigar and has a gold Shinra handgun 
that he keeps in the drawer of his desk in his office.
During his youth, President Shinra had shorter and blonder hair; his son Rufus greatly resembles him in his younger days.
Personality[]
Truth...justice, honor, freedom! Vain indulgences, every one. Picture it! Picture a world without Shinra. Without mako energy. A stagnant, impotent world. Now picture a natural disaster. Who would help the people? Help them recover and rebuild?
President Shinra, Final Fantasy VII Remake § "The Ominous Trail"
President Shinra smiles and observes the destruction of Sector 7.
President Shinra is an ambitious and influential businessman who holds total control over his company. He is greedy, coldly rational, and ruthlessly cruel, willing to eliminate any obstacles to Shinra's profit.[37] He is a cunning politician, skillfully manipulating the people by deceiving them with a respectable image, ruling with fear, relying on the company's finances and his power over the media for support.[2]
President Shinra believes money is essential to winning hearts and dominating the world. He caters to the rich while neglecting the poor. He is dedicated to advancing the company, believing in Ancient lore and seeking the "promised land" to build a profitable Neo Midgar.[1]
President Shinra has a complicated relationship with his son Rufus. He appears to genuinely love him, plans to have him inherit the company, and his passkey is Rufus's birthday.[38] However, President Shinra disagrees with Rufus's views, considers him dangerous, and limits his involvement in Shinra's general affairs.[2] Despite being their father, he never acknowledges his illegitimate sons Lazard and Evan, but did appoint Lazard as director of SOLDIER.[39]
President Shinra maintains a business relationship with the company's executives, merely approving or disapproving their ideas, sometimes with threats.[28][32][8] However, he is close to Heidegger who has been his right-hand man since the early days of the company.[28][32][40][1]
Musical themes[]
In Final Fantasy VII, the appearances of President Shinra are accompanied by "Shinra Inc.", composed by Nobuo Uematsu and featured on the Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, a rearrangement of the same theme, "Shinra's Theme", arranged by Shotaro Shima and featured on the Final Fantasy VII Remake Original Soundtrack, plays in various scenes with President Shinra.
During the scene when Sector 7 is destroyed in Final Fantasy VII, President Shinra observes the events from his office and listens to Joseph Haydn's "The Creation", synthesized by Masashi Hamauzu.[41]
Voice[]
President Shinra is voiced by Genzō Wakayama in the Japanese releases of Final Fantasy VII remake project. In the English releases, he is voiced by James Horan.
Etymology[]
In a March 4, 2020 interview, Yoshinori Kitase explained that the word "SHINRA" derives from the word "myth" in Japanese (神話, shinwa?) because SHINRA was about becoming god and controlling everything.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ President Shinra's lovers included Lazard's mother, who was a woman from the slums,[5] and Evan's mother Annette Townshend was originally his secretary.[6]
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania, p. 55-65
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, p. 56-65
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania, p. 170
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Ultimania
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "The Belly of the Beast"
- ↑ Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "In the White Light of Day, the Assassin Smiles"
- ↑ Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Shinra News
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "This Night in an Untainted World"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "A Light That Penetrates Through the Darkness"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "One Step Further Toward Uncertainty"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "The Lone Discerning Alignment"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "The Dash to Freedom"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "The Dash to Freedom"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "All of Our Resolve and Longing"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "Onward to the Distant Heavens"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "The Muddy Course of Inexorable Fate"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "The Choices We Made in the Beginning and the End"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "Resolve to Reach the End"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "The Threat that Pierces the Heavens"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, "Veering Wildly Towards an Unstoppable End"
- ↑ Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII script § "At the Hideout in the Slums"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII script § "To the No. 5 Reactor"
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Final Fantasy VII script § "To Corneo Hall"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII script § "Prevent the Fall of the Plate"
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Final Fantasy VII script § "Storming the Shinra Building"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "A Trap Is Sprung"
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Rough Waters"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Fight for Survival"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Deliverance from Chaos"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Incidental dialogue with NPCs in Kalm in chapter 2, "A New Journey Begins": "You know why Rufus had to step up, don't you? Everyone's saying it's 'cause his dad caught something—the man's on his deathbed."
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho The Complete, p. 28-29
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, p. 144
- ↑ Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Mail § "SOLDIER"
- ↑ Final Fantasy VII Remake script § "Destiny's Crossroads"
- ↑ (n.d.) . "Square Enix Music Online". From Square Enix Music. Archived from the original on 23:25, May 01, 2024 (UTC).
References[]
- Video games
- Square Co., Ltd. (1997). Final Fantasy VII [Game]. Square Co., Ltd.. PlayStation.
- Square Enix (2004). Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII- [Game]. Square Enix. NTT DoCoMo FOMA 900i Series.
- Square Enix (2008). Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- [Game]. Square Enix. PlayStation Portable.
- Square Enix (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake [Game]. Square Enix. PlayStation 4.
- Movies and television
- Bibliography
- Studio BentStuff (1997). Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho The Complete [Book]. ASCII Corporation. ISBN 978-4-8936-6678-9.
- Studio BentStuff (2005). Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega [Book]. Square Enix. ISBN 978-4-8936-6678-9.
- Studio BentStuff (2007). Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania [Book]. Square Enix.
- Studio BentStuff (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania [Book]. SE-Mook. ISBN 978-4-7575-6586-9.
- Studio BentStuff (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake Material Ultimania [Book]. Square Enix. ISBN 978-4-7575-6869-3.