Genesis Rhapsodos



Genesis Rhapsodos, originally known as G, is a mysterious character who appeares in both Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-. He appears to have exceptionally bright mako eyes, and he bears a single wing on his left side, in contrast to the one Sephiroth bears on his right. His age is thought to be around 25, and his signature weapon is a broadsword with a rapier-styled basket hilt. His link to the Deepground organization has been explained through the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania, since only the Tsviets which have 'colors' are injected with his cells. Genesis has the ability to cast magic without Materia. What is known is that he is the product of Jenova Project G (Genesis, in comparrison to Project Gillian that produced Angeal). Weiss and Nero of Deepground are referred to as his brothers in both Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core, however. Genesis' Digital Mind Wave's are Black Flurry and Apocalypse.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Following Genesis' birth, unique experiments began in the secret department beneath the Shinra building, Deepground. Childhood friend of Angeal Hewley, and product of Jenova Project G (Genesis). Angeal and Genesis grew up together in Banora Village since they were very young. Angeal's family was poor and common in comparison to Genesis' circumstances as the son of Banora Village's landlord. However, Genesis makes a remark that implies that he does not believe that his parents are his real parents. He was, either at birth or during his childhood, given Jenova Genes (as opposed to Cells, like Sephiroth) by Dr. Hollander, in an attempt to create the ultimate lifeform before Hojo. The attempt was a failure, resulting in Genesis' constant detenerioration, unless periodically exposed to Stagnant Mako. Genesis decided to join SOLDIER because he wanted the respect that Sephiroth had. He's always been good friends with Sephiroth, though ultimately became jealous of him and his status of a hero and less attention that he does. Sephiroth even willingly offered to give his blood to help Genesis's constant deteriorating condition. However, Dr. Hollander tells Genesis that Sephiroth's blood would be no good. What this means, and if it has anything to do with the later Jenova Project, is unknown. Unable to accept that he was both inhuman, and a failure, Genesis set out to accomplish the goals of a monster, which are, according to Angeal, "Revenge and world conquest."

At one time Genesis, Sephiroth and Angeal were all teammates and allies in Shin-Ra's special unit of supersoldiers, SOLDIER. Their relationship was a complex one. Originally it was because of Sephiroth Genesis wanted to join SOLDIER. Genesis, being extremely jealous of Sephiroth's "fame" was often prone to loosing control, however all he wanted to become was a hero. This "fame" seems to imply that there is something connecting them from before either of them joined SOLDIER. In a mid-game flashback sequence which happens a few months prior to the beginning of the game, we see that Sephiroth and Genesis came close to killing each other in a holodeck training exercise. Angeal managed to stop the fight before it went too far, but it suggests a great rivalry between the two SOLDIERS. Soon after Genesis is wounded by Angeal's destroyed blade, he is taken to be treated by Dr. Hollander. While being treated, he learns about his birth and the secrets of his body, and seeking to remedy his deterioration, allies himself with Hollander.

Only a few months after Genesis learns about his origins, he suddenly disappeares with Hollander, and a large number of 2nd and 3rd Class SOLDIERs. This was known as the "Mass SOLDIER Desertion Incident". During this period of absense, Genesis creates an army of Genesis Clones, similiar to Sephiroth Clones, only much more violent. These clones suffer from the same degeneration as their master. It is seen that showering the clones with mako seems to halt the deterioration for a short period of time.



The player first hears of Genesis in Chapter 2 when Lazard of SOLDIER gives both Zack and Angeal a mission to find and bring back Genesis. It is seen on Lazard's computer that he is currently "Missing In Action". They go to Wutai and see the first group of Genesis Clones. The Clones attack but are defeated. Later, Zack and Sephiroth both find out that the warriors that had attacked them were Genesis clones.



In their quest to find the rogue SOLDIER, Zack and Tseng make their way to Genesis's hometown of Banora. It would turn out that Genesis had converted Banora Village into a stronghold for his army. When they do find him in his house, Genesis recites a part of LOVELESS, which is a well-known work of literature in this world, and has had many cameo appearences in Final Fantasy VII, and later the Compilation, on posters and neon signs. Genesis easily defeats Tseng and moves to Zack. But Angeal enters soon after, pointing his blade at Genesis. Genesis asks Angeal if he can live in the world where he killed his friend, and then retreats with Angeal following. Afterward, Zack checks if Angeal is at his mother's house, but to his horror, he finds Angeal standing infront of Gillian Hewley with an emotionless face, and she is dead on the floor, murdered by her own son. In rage, Zack throws Angeal out of the house in rage for this heinous act. Genesis then reappears up at the doorway. Zack runs out of the house, but Genesis moves out his leg, tripping Zack. Genesis summons Bahamut, which Zack defeats. He asks him what happened to Genisis's pride as a SOLDIER. Telling him that he is a monster, Genesis moves his hand over his face, and his large wing speads out to his left. Finally telling Zack that both him and Angeal have lost both their dreams and their pride due to becoming monsters, he flies off with his wing. The evidence of Genesis' clone army within Banora Village is destroyed by an airstrike at the hands of Shinra. Due to this, both Genesis and Angeal were announced dead by Shinra.



During the same day that Zack becomes 1st Class, parts of Midgar are suddenly attacked by Genesis clones, but are stopped by the Turks, Sephiroth, Zack, and many members of SOLDIER. After this conflict is resolved, Zack meets with Sephiroth in Dr. Hollander's study. As they speak, Sephiroth talks about what happened a few years ago. During the flashback, he challenges Sephiroth to a fight in the Training Room due to the antagonism he feels, but gets hurt. As his wound is being treated, he learns the secret of Sephiroth and himself.

Zack and Sephiroth both find Hollander's reports on a project known as "Project G", and learn of Genesis's deteriorating condition. As Hollander suddenly enters, Genesis swoops down, and speaks more lines from LOVELESS. After listening, Sephiroth tells Genesis that he has not changed a bit, reading LOVELESS and quoting it often. Angeal enters, and Genesis speaks that the three friends are now here, and that one becomes chased, one takes flight, and the last remaining friend becomes the hero. The idea itself came from the story of LOVELESS, and the idea being that Angeal was the one being chased, Genesis being the one who takes flight, and finally Sephiroth being the one who becomes a hero. Sephiroth comments on his short quote, and Genesis questions who is the hero: himself, or Sephiroth. Sephiroth willingly says that Genesis can be the hero, and Genesis states that Sephiroth's fame should have originally have been his.



Moving onto the next stage of his plan, Genesis and Angeal arrive in Hojo's laboratory where both Hojo and Zack are. Genisis plans to kill Hojo but Angeal tells to stop what he is doing, and to convince the maddened SOLDIER, Angeal quotes from LOVELESS. As Genesis states that the quote was from Act 4, Hojo comments that he too remembers LOVELESS, and states that it is a very old story. Angeal then asks if there was an end to it, but Hojo tells them that is is unknown whether there is or not. However, Genesis claims that there is an end. He then asks them all what they think the 'Gift of the Goddess' means for them, and then flies off through the wall. Angeal and Zack chase after him, and eventually catch up to him, only to have Zack fight the summoned beast, Bahamut Restu, as Angeal follows Genesis.



Genesis moves onto a warehouse in Modeoheim. His appearance during this time shows that he had been deteriorating, and to his belief to stop it, Genesis begins to search for the "Gift of the Goddess" by re-creating the world of LOVELESS. He is found holding his sword to the neck of Dr. Hollander. Zack quickly swings, and knocks Genesis' sword out of his hand, allowing Hollander to escape, but is caught by Cloud Strife. Hollander breaks free, and knocks down Cloud, and explains to Genesis that he does not know where the Jenova Cells are stored, so he is useless to him. Never the less, Genesis tells him he will keep on deteriorating, and he will keep living that way until he finds them. Dr. Hollander runs off, and so Cloud runs after him, leaving Genesis and Zack alone to duel. Instead of summoning a beast, this time Genesis decides to test out his own skills against Zack. However Zack manages to win the duel and defeat Genesis. As he falls, Genesis quotes a few lines of LOVELESS, before jumping down to the darkness bellow in the pits underneath the warehouse to a presumed death.



At the end of Chapter 7, Genesis, clearly alive, is standing at the end of Junon Cannon with his wing out, and holding a White Banora Apple in his right hand. After quoting another line from LOVELESS, he watches the sunset until moving onward.



Genesis does not appear in Chapter 8 since he and his clones were searching in Mako Reactors for Jenova Cells. However, he gains a major role and a part in Sephiroth's madness, even before he visits Shin-Ra Mansion in Nibelheim. During Zack Fair and Sephiroth's visit to Mt. Nibel's Reactor, Genesis (Off-screen) sends two Firas at both Zack and Sephiroth. Zack is floored, but Sephiroth easily deflects it. Walking on-screen, Genesis begins to tell Sephiroth that he was born from the Jenova Project, thus making Sephiroth the biggest monster of all. As Zack gets up, he is suprised that Genesis is alive after the events in Chapter 6. Genesis can only state what he thinks, and explains that how can he even be called alive in his current condition. Moving on, Genesis goes on to tell Sephiroth about the Jenova Project, and its general term which uses Jenova cells for the experiment. He then begins to tell Sephiroth than all he has heard was her name, and it would be hard for Sephiroth to remember her, thus making it painful and hard for him. As he continues, Genesis begins to state that Jenova is a stratum discovered over 2000 years ago, and calls Jenova a monster. He then tells them both that Angeal was born out of Jenova Project G, as well as himself, and Jenova Project S was designed to create the perfect monster. Finally, Genesis tells Sephiroth that he does not have the power to create clones, thus the deterioration doesn't happen. Genesis asks Sephiroth for his cells, since Jenova Cells can halt his deterioration, and finally quotes a line of LOVELESS. Confused, Sephiroth questions all of this as being something Genesis had thought up, or the truth he had been searching for. Genesis, in an act denoting his desire for Sephiroth to join him offers him a Banora Apple, apples being the classic symbol for seduction. The "perfect monster's" response, however, is rejection. He casts the apple aside and tells him to rot away elsewhere. Genesis talks to himself, claiming that he now knows that it was used to create the perfect monster, and so walks out of the reactor leaving Zack. After a few seconds to digest the information, Zack chases after them both, but he finds no one in or outside of the reactor.

It is then that Sephiroth goes insane and destroys Nibelheim in the fires of his rage. Zack and Cloud are captured and injected with the Jenova Cells.



After 4 years of captivity, Zack and Cloud finally break free from Shin-Ra Mansion's laboratory, and take a bike to escape. He leaves Cloud in a safe place as he drives onward, but he is persued by two Genesis Clones. As he prepairs to face off with them, the real Genesis soars down from the sky, and knocks Zack down. Genesis explains that he heard he was being used for one of Hojo's experiments, Project S, so Zack holds Jenova Cells. Genesis tells him that those cells to him are the 'Gift of the Goddess', and with them, his deterioration will stop. However the attack ends in failure.

When Zack eventually makes his way back to Gongaga, more Genesis Clones attept to kill him, wanting S Cells, but are stopped by Dr. Hollander, and the real Genesis. The villain is now after Cloud, since he only needs regular SOLDIERs carry Sephiroth's S Cells to stop his degeneration. Zack soon realizes this, and runs towards them in hope of taking one or two of them down, but Genesis stops him as they take flight. As he stops him, Genesis asks Zack if he knows what the last 4 phrases of LOVELESS are, but Zack does not care about the story. Genesis quotes another line of LOVELESS, but Zack says he finds it all too depressing. Of course, Zack does not understand, and so Genesis explains that it is unfortunate for him not to understand the lines. He even claims that he himself has difficulty understanding it sometimes, and goes on to quoting another line. Finally, he states to Zack that the final chapter is lost and with it exists dismissals of its existence, but claims that the correct version is his own interpretation. Zack, now fed up of LOVELESS and Genesis, dives at him but Genesis flies away, leaving Zack with nothing more and nothing less than the Banora apple.



Back to the ruins of Banora in the Final Chapter, Zack travels down a tunnel into a cave where a deteriorating Genesis is standing. Earlier on, Genesis had descovered the Goddess Materia was within this cave, and was certain that this was the real "Gift of the Goddess". He had also made a statue of the Goddess, and had it placed within the cave. Above him is a huge tree of which holds the gigantic red Materia known as the Goddess Materia. On the way, he finds a journal of a younger Genesis. He expresses a desire to share a Banora White with Sephiroth, his hero, who was the same age as him. He quotes another line from LOVELESS, and tells Zack that he had inherited Angeal's will, and received a part of Sephiroth, thus LOVELESS has been reproduced. Zack shouts to Genesis, telling him that he is wrong, and to open his eyes to reality. With nothing to say to him, Genesis speaks another line from LOVELESS, as Zack tells him that he came to save him from himself. Not listening to him, Genesis continues to quote more and more lines. Zack questions one of the quotes, and Genesis explains that a gift was born of the nature that surrounds Banora, which is a referance to either the Banora Whites, or the Goddess Materia. A confused Zack asks that wasn't the gift the Jenova Cells, but Genesis tells him that there are several interpretations. Zack begins to tell Genesis that he does not understand it all, but he is interupted by him, and is told that the feelings that surround Zack are also the gift. Genesis' plan to re-create the world of LOVELESS slowly comes into action as he begins to gather the lifestream from the Goddess Materia, which surrounds him, and transforms him. Seeing as the Lifestream is the planet's protection, Genesis, in his own way received the Divine Protection of the Planet, furthering his belief that he represents the hero of LOVELESS.



Zack still wants to help, but now he stands infront of a new Genesis, a true monster named Genesis Avatar. Prepairing for battle, Zack readies himself for Genesis. Throughout this brutal battle, Genesis casts multiple spells, and creates clones of himself to kill Zack, but eventually, after a long battle, Zack defeats the monster that is Genesis. Genesis is transformed back after his defeat, but reborn, showing no signs of his deterioration, and the Goddess Materia gone. He quotes one of the same lines from LOVELESS once more. Zack finally figures out that all Genesis ever wanted was to regain his pride. Gathers up the last of his energy, Genesis charges at Zack with the little strength he has left. After he misses him, he turns around and calls to him, telling him to fight. Now wanting to have one last battle with him after regaining his pride as a SOLDIER, they face off for the last time inside the cave at Banora Village.



After an intense battle, Zack strikes down Genesis, sending him up into the air along with his sword falling out of his grasp. He was knocked out after this battle. Genesis quickly lands on his feet, but finds that he suddenly appeared in a place that is seemingly flooded by the Lifestream. As he looks around, he sees his statue of the Goddess in the distance. Suddenly, the small round object within its hands begins to glow, and so Genesis walks towards it. The statue begins to morph into a female figure who is named Minerva, the Goddess of Gaia, who bears a slight resemblance to Safer Sephiroth. She bears rings on her back which have multiple wings on them, and carries a staff. Genesis was fascinated at the appearance and beauty of the Goddess. As Genesis stands in front of her, she turns her head in a way of telling him that he still has much left to learn, disappears, and everything turns black. Genesis begins to fall into the darkness, and the lifestream follows and gathers with him. Minerva knew of Genesis' strong desire to 'complete the duty of a SOLDIER,' thus she decided that it would not be time for him to leave the planet. And so he was accepted by the Lifestream, in a way of giving him the chance to complete it. Also by doing this, she had helped Genesis to achieve his goal of 'surmounting death'. This action by Minerva would change Genesis' future actions.

Back to the cave in Banora, Zack carries Genesis' body out of the cave on his back, and find Lazard who aided him when he needed him at the end of Chapter 10. On the next day, Zack decides to find 4 Banora apples: one each for himself, Cloud, Lazard (Who had passed away), and Genesis. Unfortunately for Genesis, they weren't the Banora Whites, but never the less were enjoyed. As Zack takes a bite from the blue apple, Genesis, sat by the side of the chair of which Cloud is sat on, and opposite to Lazard, asks if it tastes good. Zack compliments the Banora apple, and Genesis questions it as to being the 'Gift of the Goddess'. Zack then questions Genesis as to the apple being the 'gift', but Genesis shakes his head. Thanks to his battle with Zack, he was able to truely see what the gift really was: The Pride of a SOLDIER. This about the Banora apple is interesting because the general theory about receiving the 'Gift of the Goddess' is youth and longevity which in turn is connected to theories regarding the health benefits of Banora Whites. He tells the lifeless Lazard (Who he thinks is Angeal) that the dream has been fulfilled, which is infact Genesis' childhood dream: to eat an apple with Sephiroth. But since Sephiroth is gone and that Zack and Cloud both hold Jenova Cells inside them, they was the next best thing. Genesis has accepted Zack as a hero in the role of Sephiroth. Zack shared the apple with him as he desired that Sephiroth would, alluding to his actions in Nibelheim. Content, Genesis passes out.



Shortly after Zack and Cloud's leave, a Shin-Ra Helicopter lands a few meters away from where Genesis' body is located, and two 1st Class SOLDIERs in their black uniform with Deepground symbols on their belts jump out of the helicopter. One of the two SOLDIERs has black hair (Nero), and the other has spiky white hair, (Weiss, Nero's brother). As they walk towards Genesis' body, Nero finds this mission important, having being sent to Banora. Weiss, on the other hand, states that this mission has something to do with their older brother. They both question each other if Genesis would join them, before Weiss takes ahold of Genesis, carry him into the Helicopter, and from there, they fly to Deepground.

It is revealed in the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania that Genesis was brought to Deepground momenterily, and that Weiss and Nero attempted to persuade him to join in their rebellion against the Restrictors, current leaders of Deepround and 14th Lost Force of SOLDIER. During his time in Deepground, he gains new clothes. Tetsuya Nomura explained that Genesis ends up declining this offer, and decides to seal himself in the flooded cavern beneath Midgar (as seen in Dirge of Cerberus). With both Sephiroth and Angeal dead, he decides that it is up to him, who has being left behind, to protect the world. In order to prepare for the day when a crisis threatens the world, Genesis seals himself in the flooded cavern. This is possibly a "thankyou" to Minerva for fulfilling his goal.

Dirge of Cerberus
In the G Reports, the text mentions that he draws his power from "G Substance" (a.k.a., the Stagnation of the Lifestream) If one talks to one of the personnel aboard the Highwind later in the game, he reveals that according to Scarlet's private files, the Deepground Soldiers are a result of his evolution. This is because of his birth that the Tsviets are injected with his cells, and not all people in Deepground are injected with them, only the 'colored'. The G Reports were written by Dr. Hollander.

The G Reports also state that the Tsviets are the spawns of his evolution. Genesis was said to be pursued and taken down by a 1st Class SOLDIER known as Zack Fair. However, in the Secret Ending of the game, Genesis is shown to be still alive and reclaims Weiss's lifeless body, proclaiming that their work is not done. However, in the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania as Nomura explained, it now seems more likely that he's appearing to protect the Planet, not take revenge on it, as some players may have originally thought. At the same time, his final lines in Crisis Core explain his return, but in more of a riddle.

Design
Genesis is voiced by Gackt, one of the more famous Japanese Pop/Rock idols, in the Japanese version of the game. Genesis' physical appearance is also completely based off of Gackt's. Finally, Gackt wrote and performed the game's theme song, Redemption. He actually wears his Genesis costume in the music video, though his hairstyle has changed.

Etymology
His name is derived from the Greek term Genesis meaning "origin", and Rhapsodos meaning "one who performs an epic poem", a rhapsody. His name may be interpreted as meaning "the original performer of the epic poem"; the epic poem being a metaphor of the advent of Sephiroth.

Genesis's last name could also refer to the book he commonly quotes in the game Crisis Core called LOVELESS. It is a book of poetry that he usually quotes before, "Losing his mind."