Shinra Electric Power Company

The Shin-Ra Corporation is the powerful company which holds political, social, and military power in the world of Final Fantasy VII. It supplies electrical power, protection, and some stability to the world, while also holding a somewhat totalitarian rule and slowly "killing" the Planet by sucking out its energy supply, the Lifestream.

Story
Shin-Ra was originally a small weapons company. When they discovered how to use Mako energy from the Lifestream as an electrical energy source, they exploded in power. They began spreading power to the entire world, setting up Mako Reactors to refine Lifestream energy all over, and expanding rapidly, quietly taking over every aspect of the Planet. With their ever-increasing finances, they began expanding into many areas, including space exploration, weapon development, etc. As people became more dependent on Shin-Ra's power and supplies, President Shinra, company owner and leader, became the unofficial President of much of the world.

Starting its own private army, using Mako energy to power the elite SOLDIER class and funding an undercover corps called the Turks, Shin-Ra began ruling with an iron fist. They even began performing human experiments to create supersoldiers. When the people of Wutai disagreed with setting up Mako Reactors, Shin-Ra sent in their army to overwhelm them and force their influence.



Shin-Ra constructed the metropolis Midgar, which housed the headquarters for all their actions as well as 8 large Mako Reactors. It ultimately has control over the city and lives of its people, although it introduced a figure-head mayor.

Downfall
Dissent had long been felt amongst the people under Shin-Ra's rule. As the Mako Reactors destroyed wildlife and outcast villages, people began to despise their work. Many began researching Mako, and realized that Shin-Ra was ripping life out of the planet. Some Shin-Ra employees began to desert as they discovered the truths of the company, such as 1st class SOLDIERs Zack and Genesis. Anti-Shin-Ra groups such as AVALANCHE and the Wutai Crescent Unit began springing up to combat the army and the Turks, though never had large effect.

Shin-Ra's final downfall came with Sephiroth's successful casting of Meteor and the arrival of the WEAPONS, the Planet's defense mechanism. In an attempt to destroy the WEAPONs, they fire the Sister Ray, destroying Diamond WEAPON. Diamond fires off a salvo of energy before dying, and causes heavy damage to the Shin-Ra building. President Rufus Shin-Ra only lives due to a daring rescue and evacuation process by Vincent Valentine and Yuffie Kisaragi. As Meteor fell on the city, it proceeded to rip apart what remained of Midgar and their army. When the Lifestream ejected itself from the Planet, the people realized how important the Lifestream was, and Shin-Ra could no longer use it popularly as an energy supply.

Hierarchy
Shin-Ra was led by President Shinra (who after his death, was replaced by his son Rufus Shinra) and its multi-affairs were divided into several departments:


 * The Space Exploration Department

Led by Palmer. The Space Exploration Department planned on using rockets to launch men into space, their first being the ever-willing Cid Highwind. They cut the funding right before Cid was to be launched, and his dream was crushed.


 * The Weapons Development Department

Led by Scarlet. It developed most of Shin-Ra's weapons of war. Some weapons developed by the department include the Sister Ray, the Proud Clod, and the Gelnika.


 * The Public Safety Maintenance Department

Led by Heidegger, this is basically the Shin-Ra army and police force. After SOLDIER Director Lazard Deusericus left the company, the previously independent organization was placed within this department.

Led by Professor Hojo. The Science Department was the main manufacturer of the army's Materia. It also conducted secret human experiments, heading the Jenova Project (birthplace of Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis), and Deepground. Other scientists include Professors Gast, Hollander, and the late Grimoire Valentine.
 * The Science Department


 * The Urban Development Department

Led by Reeve Tuesti


 * The Investigative Division of General Affairs Department,

Also known as the Turks, led first by Verdot and later by Tseng, with members Elena, Cissnei, Rude and Reno, as well as 8 unnamed members featured in Before Crisis & Last Order, and Elena's older sister. Many years ago, Vincent Valentine was a member of the Turks before being turned into a monster by Hojo.

Experiments
Shin-Ra has been involved in many immoral human and animal experiments during the course of their existence. Professors Hojo and Hollander competed in the Jenova Project in creating the perfect soldier, Hojo injecting an embryonic Sephiroth with Jenova cells (in Jenova Project S), while Hollander injected Jenova's cells into Gillian Hewley, then placing her cells into a fetal Genesis Rhapsodos and impregnating her which resulted in Angeal Hewley, in Jenova Project G. The results of project G did not get complete Jenova genes, and thus degrade, while Sephiroth was the perfect hybrid of Human and Jenova.

Hojo also performed shape-shifting experiments on Vincent Valentine, after he had been shot by Hojo. This gave Vincent a nearly indestructible body, allowing him to house the Chaos gene, by Lucrecia Crescent to save his life along with the Protomateria to control it. These experiments allow him to change his form into his many different creatures.

After the Nibelheim incident, Hojo injected Zack Fair, Cloud Strife, and the other Nibelheim survivors with Jenova cells and Mako, to test his Jenova Reunion Theory. The result of this experiment were the Sephiroth Clones.

The Deepground underground medical facility also slowly transformed into an experimental soldier site after the Birth of Genesis. This madhouse were experimentation went on without the interference of morality produced such monstrosities as Azul the Cerulean,Rosso the Crimson, Shelke the Transparent, Nero the Sable, and Weiss the Immaculate.

Hojo also does some to Red XIII, planning to cross-breed Red XIII's species with the Cetra to increase their life-span for study.

Shin-Ra