Shinra Building

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The Shinra Building^{[note 1]} is a location in Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, and Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-. It is the head office of the Shinra Electric Power Company, a colossal skyscraper at Sector 0, the heart of Midgar, and the most dominating building in its skyline. The Shinra Building is the staging ground of many major events in the Final Fantasy VII series.

The Shinra Building houses the head offices of all of Shinra's business divisions. In addition to housing administrative offices, the Shinra Building acts as the army headquarters for the Shinra Public Security Division, contains highly classified laboratories used for nearly all of the Research and Development Division's projects under Professor Hojo, and is also the location of Midgar's governmental office for Mayor Domino. At the very top of the building is the executive office of President Shinra, who oversees the city from its highest point.

The building was protected by the Turks during several attacks early in its construction, and served as the home base of SOLDIER. Following the Nibelheim Incident, Professor Hojo housed Jenova within his own secret laboratories. After Aerith Gainsborough was taken back to the building to be studied by Hojo, Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace, and Tifa Lockhart infiltrated the building to find her. The group met Red XIII, who joined their cause.

The Shinra Building is a major dungeon in Final Fantasy VII. It is visited by a party of Cloud, Barret, and Tifa as they infiltrate the building. The player completes various puzzles in the building along the way to reach Hojo's laboratory, where Aerith and Red XIII join the party, and several boss battles are fought upon leaving. Later in the game, the player returns with a larger party to obtain rare items. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the Shinra Building serves a similar gameplay role, but makes up the final dungeon of the game, has altered events, and includes the Shinra Combat Simulator. In Crisis Core, Before Crisis, and Dirge of Cerberus, the building serves a smaller role in gameplay, visited for a few missions.

History

Before Final Fantasy VII

Midgar-construction — The Shinra Building under construction in *Crisis Core* opening.

The Shinra Building presumably began construction in 1976, when construction began on a plate above Midgar. As of 0000, 24 years later, it was still partly under construction,^{[note 2]} though most offices were complete. Mayor Domino, despite his role in Midgar's government, was given a small office in the Corporate Archives and effectively made into a librarian, a role he resented.^[1]

From February 27 of 1985, Ifalna and a recently born Aerith were held in Hojo's laboratory within the building. The two lived there until 1992, when Ifalna escaped with her. In 0006, a beast named Nanaki was taken into the Shinra Building, branded by Hojo as "Red XIII".

At some point, plans for a Neo Midgar were developed within the building.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-

During "Special Episode of Reno", Dr. Hollander stole important documents from floor 45, requiring Reno and Rude to investigate.

During Episode 10, Avalanche infiltrated the building, and released monsters from Hojo's laboratory. Because the monster research was highly classified, SOLDIER could not be deployed, and the Turks were called in.

Fuhito, a commander of Avalanche, used the monster infestation as a diversion to visit his hero, the fellow mad scientist Hojo. Fuhito wished to show off his creation, the modified SOLDIER members known as the Ravens. Hojo was more than willing to betray Shinra and join with Avalanche, caring for nothing other than his research, but was prevented from doing so by Sephiroth.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

The Shinra Building served as the home base for Zack Fair as a member of SOLDIER. From here, Zack was given assignments and challenges at the Shinra Building within the virtual training areas. Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley and Sephiroth used the training room during a flashback to the times the three were close friends. The building is attacked by Genesis's copies but the damage inflicted is minimal.

Following the Nibelheim Incident, Professor Hojo took Jenova to his laboratory in the building.

Original continuity

Final Fantasy VII

Four years later, after Aerith was captured by Shinra in "Prevent the Fall of the Plate", she was held once again in Hojo's laboratory. Hojo had difficulty researching her, as she was inferior as a specimen to Ifalna with an 18% difference. He predicted research on her to find the promised land would take 120 years, and prepared to breed her instead.^[2]

Once Aerith was captured, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa infiltrated the building, after climbing a wire from Wall Market to reach Sector 0. Barret guessed from what he had heard of the building that Aerith must be above the 60th floor.^[2] He suggested charging through the main entrance guns blazing, while Tifa objected and preferred avoiding the confrontation.

Depending on player choice, the trio either used the entrance and took an elevator up as Barret suggested, or used a staircase on the back. Taking the front entrance, Barret threatened a receptionist and the three fought battles against Shinra forces, and the group took an elevator up to floor 59, being stopped along the way. While using the stairs, the three climbed 59 flights of stairs, much to Barret's objection, with Tifa running ahead of the group. Barret complained out of exhaustion throughout the trip, eventually causing Tifa to lose her patience, snapping at Barret to "stop acting like a retard and climb".^[2]

SecurityRoom-ffvii-fmv-shinrabldg — A security guard sleeping as the group entered the building.

After reaching the 59th floor, the group sneaked through guards to floor 61, where they obtained a keycard from an unsuspecting employee. On floor 62, the group met Mayor Domino, who bemoaned he was effectively "Mayor in name only" and his only role was to watch over Shinra's documents.^[2] He offered to give the group a keycard to the upper floors if they could guess his password. After doing so successfully, the keycard granted them access to floor 65, where the Conference Rooms were located.

At the Conference Rooms, Cloud, Tifa, and Barret used an air duct from the bathrooms to overhear a board meeting. In the meeting, President Shinra rejected rebuilding Sector 7, stating intentions to restart the Neo Midgar plans due to Aerith giving them a chance to find the fabled promised land, and announcing a 15% mako rate hike to be divided by Reeve Tuesti and Scarlet. Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith followed Hojo up to his laboratory, where they saw Jenova within a tank, and found Aerith held in another. Barret freed Aerith by shooting the tank, also freeing Red XIII, who agreed to help them. After defeating one of Hojo's monsters, the trio attempted to leave.

As they left through an elevator, the five were caught by Rude, beginning the events of "The Nightmare Beginning Anew". President Shinra taunted the group before sending them to a prison in Hojo's laboratory, in which Cloud and Tifa, held within a cell next to Aerith, asked Aerith about her Cetra ancestry. The next morning, Cloud awoke to find his cell door open, Jenova's cell empty, and a trail of blood leading up to the president's office.

Cloud-ffvii-fmv-bike — Cloud escaping on the bike.

At the president's office, the group found President Shinra dead, with the Masamune stabbed in his back, leading Cloud to conclude only Sephiroth could have done this. Later, Rufus Shinra, succeeding his father's position as president, arrived by helicopter. Cloud urged the rest of the group to flee while he handled Rufus himself in an attempt to protect himself, though Tifa remained behind out of concern for his safety. Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII destroyed two Shinra machines on the elevator trip down, while Cloud forced Rufus to retreat before meeting up with Tifa. He stole the Hardy-Daytona, while Tifa stole a Shinra pick-up truck, and the group fled the building on the Midgar Expressway.

Later, after the Meteor was summoned, Rufus planned Shinra's assault against Sephiroth in the Northern Cave inside the North Crater. With the Sister Ray relocated to Midgar so it may be powered by the city's seven remaining mako reactors, Avalanche assaulted the city in "The Nightmare Beginning Anew" to stop Hojo from destroying Midgar. The cannon fired and impacts the barrier surrounding Sephiroth while simultaneously destroying the Diamond Weapon. A moment before its destruction a barrage of energy is unleashed by the Weapon that destroys the Shinra Building's upper levels, Rufus Shinra presumably getting caught in the blast.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

Shinra-Building-Destroyed-FFVIIAC — Flashback of Shinra Building being destroyed.

The building was later a defunct ruin seen from the distance of the city of Edge. When Sephiroth fought Cloud, he used the building as a weapon for Sephiroth, cutting off chunks of the building's debris and sends them hurtling down toward Cloud. The also fought within the executive office.^{[note 3]}

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-

The Shinra Building became Deepground's home base during the battle between them and the World Regenesis Organization, and was the only way of access into Deepground. Vincent Valentine arrived at its remains after defeating Rosso the Crimson, needing to use President Shinra's private entrance through to the headquarters' basement.

Making his way through the corridors, Vincent used a lift down to the building's lower areas where secret research was carried out, and where the top-secret Deepground files were located. Many crystals and materia were located here in display cases, and during his time collecting the files and making his way through Deepground soldiers, Vincent faced off one final time against Azul the Cerulean on the lift before arriving in Deepground.

Remake continuity

Cloud and Tifa spy on the Shinra meeting from FFVII Remake — Cloud and Tifa eavesdrop on the directors' meeting.

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Geography

FFVIIR Midgar — Shinra Building amidst rest of Midgar.

The Shinra Building is located in the middle of Sector 0, at the heart of Midgar. The monumental building towers over the rest of the city, far larger than any of the city's other skyscrapers. The width of the building covers most of the space of Sector 0. The building itself is surrounded by a large wall around its perimeter, with an empty moat from the wall towards the circular plate on which the building stands.

Around the perimeter are offshoot structures, highway bridges, immense pipes, and walkways. The offshoot tower-like structures appear to be extensions of the main building, built in the same aesthetic with dome roofs and chimneys emitting smoke in the middle. The winding highway bridges lead around the building towards its underground parking lot, though never above the first floor of the building. The pipes of the building, seemingly used for feeding mako energy, lead from the central structure itself to each of Midgar's surrounding plates. The metal walkways cross the moat at the building's perimeter and are connected to its surrounding wall.

The Shinra Building has two entrances, a front and a rear. The front entrance is a vast, curved, wide plaza beneath the front gates of the building, with a few Shinra trucks parked outside. Signposts outside read "shinra bldg." in white text,^{[note 4]} and plants are found between the staircases. This entrance is accessed via skybridges with curved roofs connected to the outer walls. The rear entrance, leading directly to the underground parking lot, is located beneath the building, with a few of the highways leading towards it.

As the Shinra Building is located in the heart of Midgar, each of the mako reactors of the surrounding city are connected to it directly.

Design

Shinra HQ model from Final Fantasy VII Remake — Model of the Shinra Building, as seen within the museum complex.

The Shinra Building is a colossal tower at seventy stories tall that looms over the surrounding city. It is an almost entirely metal construct, with a bulky lower portion connected to its surrounding pipes, a middle portion in which the Drum structure (named by its resemblance to a drum) is located, and a slim upper tower for the highest executive floors.

Offshoot tower structures adjacent to the building reach up to the Drum in its middle portion, and the pipes connect to its bottom portion. A helipad is located on the roof, adjacent to the president's office. Beneath the main floors is a parking garage complex with a service entrance to the lobby on the first floor.

The Shinra Building embodies the industrial aesthetic of many constructs in Midgar, with metal walls (resembling iron), large pipes, and a green hue from the emitted mako energy. The red Shinra logo is engraved above the front entrance, in the middle of the building, and near its upper tower. The building has large lamps at the bottom, similar to the larger sun lamps providing artificial light to the undercity.

Structure

Overview

FFVIIR Shinra HQ Entrance — Front entrance.

The Shinra Building is seventy stories tall, with elevators and an emergency stairwell used to navigate between them. The first three floors comprise the lobby, but the higher floors require an elevator or the emergency stairwell to visit.

The most important floors are located above floor 59, the Skyview Hall, as floors 60-70 restrict access to high-level employees. The standard elevators from the hall at the lobby stop at 59, and further floors are reached using an escalator hall or a restricted access glass elevator. Underground, the building has a parking lot and an underground research facility.

Much of the building retains the same metal look of its exterior. The walls and ceilings are almost entirely metal, especially those of the research facilities and offices where staff work at computers, and the floors are made of granite tiles. The rooms are mostly lit by small lights with a green, mako-like hue. Other rooms, primarily those for executives or visitors, are more decorated, with an exquisite design, red carpets, and a cleaner look. In rooms for visitors, such as the lobby and Skyview Hall, kiosks and billboards advertise Shinra, and decorative plants are found either in pots or glass tanks (contrasting with the otherwise entirely metal look of the building's exterior and interior).

Underground

Shinra Building Parking Lot from FFVII Remake — Underground parking.

Beneath the building is a parking garage complex that comprises multiple floors connected by spiral ramps, as seen in Final Fantasy VII Remake. It hosts aisles of parked Shinra trucks, cars, motorcycles, as well as containers and boxes for cargo. On the top floor of the underground parking garage is a storage room for cargo, as well as a service entrance to the top floor.

Turks Office in the Shinra Building from FFVII Remake — General Affairs: Auditing on B3.

The basement levels comprise a network of steel corridors twisting through the plate interior.^{[note 5]} Also below ground are rooms for general affairs, as an auditing room is located three floors below ground.^{[note 6]} This room is an office space used by the Turks, with granite walls, a desk for Tseng in front of a large screen, and a long table with blue tablet-like screens across it. Further below underground, a materia research facility is located 13 floors below ground.^{[note 7]} This facility, frequented by Scarlet, contains three large tubular reserve tanks filled with mako, in which Shinra develops materia types. The tanks are used to combine and cool the materia while testing.

Lobby

The lobby is a vast open space to the height of three floors reached via parallel staircases. Several balconies across the upper floors also overlook the lobby. The lobby is illuminated by a large lamp high above with smaller lamps hanging from it to light up the exhibition on the bottom floor, and the scaffolding around the pillars.

FFVIIR Shinra HQ Exhibit Room — The exhibit in the back of the first floor.

The reception desk is on the bottom floor. Near the back is an exhibit showroom exhibiting cars, motorcycles, and locomotive parts on display stands, though this portion is locked behind a forcefield when closed off. The second floor contains an item store along with a video showcase of Shinra's vehicles in Final Fantasy VII, but little of note in Final Fantasy VII Remake.^{[note 8]}

The third floor allows access to further floors via the elevator hall and emergency stairwell. The Hardy-Daytona is stored here on a display stand just in front of the elevator hall at the back, and there is a cafeteria for visitors. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the emergency stairwell is located to the west of the cafeteria, providing an evacuation route from the upper floors, and to the east is an exhibition hall similar to that at the back of the first floor.

Floors 4-58

What floors 4-58 entail is largely unknown. Floor 10 is used for general affairs, floor 20 is for research and development, floor 30 for urban planning, floor 40 for space and aeronautics, and floor 45 for advanced weaponry.^{[note 9]} Floor 45 also contains archives for the building, where important documents are kept.^[3]

Floor 49 serves as the SOLDIER Floor, seen only in Crisis Core. It houses the SOLDIER Training Room, the Materia Room for materia development, the mission briefing room, and a lounge area for off-duty SOLDIER operatives. The Training Room also has a Virtual Reality System capable of projecting holographic interactive elements of a pre-programmed surrounding, complete with digital enemies to fight. Health experts also train and supervise the mako-enhanced SOLDIER members. The floor's residents get free equipment from the company for missions and sign up for extra missions in the briefing room antechamber.

Floor 51 contains the SOLDIER director's office.^{[note 10]} The office holds the director's work station as well as a small library. The floor is accessible at will by SOLDIER 1st Class members, and is used by Sephiroth after Director Lazard Deusericus goes missing.

Skyview Hall

Located on the 59th floor, the Skyview Hall is a space for visitors named after the view it provides of the entire city from its large windows. A holographic receptionist begins a tour guide, giving tourists access to floors 60-64. At the back, with access granted by keycard, an escalator hall provides access to the upper floors by escalator or by the restricted glass elevators.

Memorial Museum

Golden statue of President Shinra from FFVII Remake — President Shinra exhibit.

Seen in Final Fantasy VII Remake on floor 60, the Memorial Museum exhibition focuses on the life of President Shinra, Business Division operations, and on the invention and use of mako energy. The museum's entrance resembles a real-world outdoor museum with its stone walls and Greek pillars, both on the walls outside and within the President Shinra and Business Division exhibits. Between the exhibits, metal rooms feature large screens with videos for tourists to watch while waiting to enter the next room.

Business Division Exhibit from FFVII Remake — Business Divsion exhibit.

The President Shinra exhibit reflects his own self-pride,^[4] and features a golden statue of him, images of him throughout his life and his major accomplishments. The Business Division exhibit showcases the work of each Shinra Company department, with a holographic recording of their respective dorector: Scarlet with Shinra robots at Advanced Weaponry, Palmer with rockets for Space and Aeronautics, Hojo with mako projects for Research and Development, Heidegger with Shinra soldier models for Public Security, and Reeve with a robot arm crane as well as design blueprints with Urban Planning.^{[note 11]}

Mako Energy Exhibit from FFVII Remake — Mako Energy Exhibit.

The mako energy exhibit contains a model of the city of Midgar, recreated in 1/1000th scale,^[4] and a staircase to floor 61.

In the original Final Fantasy VII, on floor 60 is a single guarded room with rows of golden statue in the shape of President Shinra, vaguely resembling the Memorial Museum. The mako energy exhibit instead comprises the contents of a separate floor on floor 65.

Visual Entertainment Hall

Seen in Final Fantasy VII Remake, floor 61 contains the Visual Entertainment Hall, linked to the Memorial Museum below. The Cosmos Theater is a dome-shaped virtual reality theater with a movie on Shinra's knowledge of the Cetra civilization, how Shinra are upholding their legacy as stewards of the planet, as well as their plans for Neo Midgar. When Cloud, Tifa, and Barret visited, the theater was experiencing problems.^[4]

Corporate Archives

Located on floor 62, the Corporate Archives, seen in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake, is a library where Mayor Domino's office is also located. The appearance of the archives changes between releases.

In Final Fantasy VII, the archive is separated into four rooms in the center, each of which is categorized by one area of research conducted by Shinra, and Mayor Domino's office is located left of them. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the archives is contained in a single large, wooden, circular chamber with bookcases lining the walls. The area is set up as a series of concentric rings, with each inner ring being set in a lower recessed space. The largest outer ring connects to the mayor's office on the south end, and to the middle ring through small sets of stairs. On the level below, the middle ring connects to the inner area, where a series of desks and chairs stand around a short central pillar.

The mayor's office is a secluded, dimly-lit room with a wooden desk, where he keeps a computer as well as several trophies. The office also contains several large screens with security footage.

Storage area

Seen in Final Fantasy VII, a storage area is located on floor 63. It is a metal area comprising four rooms between a network of locked gates. Access to these rooms is provided by a security process from a computer terminal to allow a single person to enter. However, air ducts connect two of the rooms, allowing one to somewhat bypass the process and obtain the rare items within.

Recreational Facility

Floor in Final Fantasy VII (top) and Final Fantasy VII Remake (bottom).

The Recreational Facility appears on floor 64 in Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core, and on floor 63 in Final Fantasy VII Remake (adjacent to the Urban Planning Administration on the same floor). The facility serves different purposes between appearances.

In Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core, the facility of floor 64 includes a small rest area and a gym, with an associated locker room, showers, and restrooms. The gym includes treadmills, benches, and vending machines, while the rest area contains small beds used by employees.

In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the facility contains a large food court across two levels linked by a spiral staircase, where food is served from a cafeteria across both levels. The upper level has a lounge outside the Shinra Combat Simulator, located in a dome at the back of the room. The lower level has a large atrium with a tree held within, along with tables for the cafeteria, and a projector screen that shows news. Similar to the Skyview Hall, large windows provide a view of the entire city.

The cafeteria around an atrium, as seen in the Recreational Facility on Final Fantasy VII Remake, are instead located separately on floor 61 in Final Fantasy VII.

Urban Planning Administration

Located on floor 63 in Final Fantasy VII Remake, adjacent to the Recreation Facility, the Urban Planning Administration is directed by Reeve Tuesti. His office is located on the floor itself, secluded from the rest of the administration room, a busy and hectic room where rows of desks with computers are used by the regular staff.

Conference Rooms

Located on floor 66 in Final Fantasy VII, and on floor 64 in Final Fantasy VII Remake, the Conference Rooms hall contains smaller rooms for administrative board meetings, around one larger room in the center for the Business Division executives. The hall also contains a small kitchen with vending machines and tables, as well as two bathrooms.

The hall in Final Fantasy VII Remake has an exquisite design, with many decorative plants and well-polished granite tiles around the hall and in the bathrooms, notably cleaner than those in the city below.^[5] The smaller conference rooms have clean carpets with screens and whiteboards around inner tables. The larger conference room has much more grandeur, with red drapes and Greek pillars in between the granite tiles on the walls. The larger conference room has a long table with tablet-like screens across it, placed on a red carpet in front of a display screen.

Close to the board room is a metal stairway passage leading to the floors above where Hojo's laboratory is located, which requires a keycard to access.

Hojo's laboratory

FFVIIR Shinra HQ mako room — Hojo's laboratory sublevel.

Hojo's main laboratory is spread across two floors, floors 67 and 68 in Final Fantasy VII, and floors 65 and 66 in Final Fantasy VII Remake. The lower floor contains the sublevel, while the floor above contains the main level on floor 66. Disconnected from the other floors of the Shinra Building, the laboratory floors are connected from a freight elevator with an industrial appearance, and the laboratory is accessed through a metal staircase passage from the Conference Rooms floor.

The laboratory comprises metal chambers dimly lit. Most rooms contain tanks with mako for use in Hojo's experiments, while others contain specimens normally in blue cylindrical tanks, such as those holding Aerith and Red XIII. Some rooms contain human-sized boards to strap subjects on, along with robotic arms holding syringes, likely used by Hojo for torture.^[6] Larger specimens, such as Specimen H0512, are kept in metal tanks; in Final Fantasy VII, Jenova is kept in such a tank on the sublevel, but in Final Fantasy VII Remake she is located in the Drum.

Both floors have a larger area, lit by red lights. On the main level floor, above this area, is a control bridge with terminals from which Hojo can remain at a distance while tests are ongoing, and a tubular elevator at the back to the Executive Suite. The main level also contains an employee break room with a Shinra Combat Simulator dome.

Aeriths old room in the Shinra Building from FFVII Remake — Aerith's room in the specimen enclosures.

The sublevel of the laboratory also contains the specimen enclosures, which includes several small rooms across a hall. In Final Fantasy VII, these rooms are used as a prison. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, the rooms including Aerith's room where she lived as a child.^[7] Her room is a tight, enclosed metal chamber that resembles the rest of the laboratory. However, it has basic furniture, several books, sticky notes, and colorful drawings (likely by Aerith of what she knows of Cetra civilization).

The Drum

The Drum is seen in Final Fantasy VII Remake. It is a highly classified extension of Hojo's laboratory that few employees are aware of,^[8], filled with the most advanced technology in Midgar.^[9] The Drum is located within the structure of the Shinra Building resembling a drum, and its top level is connected to floor 68, a restricted floor above Hojo's laboratory.^{[note 12]} The Drum is a vast, wide, circular chamber around an immense central tank housing Jenova at the top. The facility's research involves the enhancement of lifeforms and machines by applying Jenova's biological data.^[10] It contains several wards housing and training test subjects, and is dimly lit by a few lights and a green hue emitted from the mako. Throughout the facility, makonoid subjects are held in mako pods along the walls, and cooling devices are located behind fences. PHS terminals provide communication between separate parts of the facility.

The central tank is filled with mako, and large wires and pipes connect to the tank, as well as bridges to access it. Below the tank housing Jenova is a central control terminal around a circular walkway, with a control for each pipe leading to the four wards. Several metal walkways surround the outskirts of the Drum, connecting to the four wards across nine different levels.

The four wards comprise long hallways and chambers, which are more brightly lit by blue and red lights. Many wards house medical equipment, including drugs and robotic medical arms used to dissect or enhance the subjects,^[11] while others house storage containers. The first two wards have training areas with combat robotics, designed to pit Hojo's creations against one another to optimize their capability.^[10] Debris from destroyed robots is strewn across the floors of the second ward, suggesting it has never been cleared, and a control deck is located above for Hojo to watch the combat tests. The third ward houses nurseries for refining and breeding the subjects, with storage containers for feeding specimens in large rooms, as well as stashes of metal cages containing them. Most cages are empty while others contain ferocious beasts, including the bloodhounds that have been genetically modified,^[12] and the zenenes created as a synthesis of other lifeforms.^[13] Finally, the fourth ward contains a chamber for synthesis between subjects. The ward is wider and hollow, with large draining pipes either side and smaller pipes across the ceiling.

The Drum Bottom from FFVII Remake — Bottom levels.

Large cooling fans and cylindrical test subject pods with makonoid remains are situated between the walkways for the ward entrances across the walls. Adjacent to many wards are small break rooms, though these, too, contain computer terminals, mako container tanks, and cooling systems alongside the benches. The fourth level has a monitoring area, a room with large terminals locked behind a forcefield, and the floor above has a room with filing cabinets and desks.

The bottom levels of the Drum are heavily damaged, with rubble from fallen walkways and bridges, likely left from various rampaging test subjects. At the very bottom level, white metal pods are arranged over a mess of wires in a pattern circling the central tank, with a walkway around them. This floor, too, has been hit by rubble, as several pods are knocked over, and parts of the walkway are impassable.

Executive Suite

The Executive Suite, located on floor 69, is a grandiose room directly beneath President Shinra's Executive Office. A long red carpet leads from the elevator hall through the suite to the grand staircase up to the Executive Lobby. The floors, ceilings, and walls are of polished granite, as well as the large pillars with gold-plated edges that are located across the suite. Electric chandeliers hang from the ceiling to light the room, and at the back, tall windows overlook the city.

Executive Office

Shinra Building - President's Office from FFVII Remake — President's Office.

The Executive Office on floor 70 is the office of President Shinra. Continued from the room below, a red carpet leads to the President's desk in front of tall windows at the back. The room has wooden black pillars and electric candlelights hung on the side. The President's black metal desk is elevated and has a golden Shinra logo at the front, and blue screens in front of the President's chair.

A heliport is located outside on the roof, with a metal walkway from the Executive Office leading to it. The heliport is suspended at the top of the building high above the rest of the city.

Gameplay

Final Fantasy VII

Main article: Shinra Bldg. (Final Fantasy VII field)

The Shinra Bldg. is visited during "Storming the Shinra Building" by a party of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret as they must infiltrate the building. Aeris and Red XIII join later in the quest, which leads to "The Nightmare Beginning Anew" as the party attempt to flee.

The Shinra Bldg. is a dungeon with a variety of minigames and objectives across 11 different floors that can be visited. Among these are the Elemental Materia, Poison Materia and Enemy Skill Materia.

The entire party return to Midgar for the Raid on Midgar during "In a World Approaching Its End". During the return, Cid's Grow Lance and Cait Sith's HP Shout can be obtained.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Main articles: The Belly of the Beast or Deliverance from Chaos

Infiltrating the Shinra Building happens at the end of the game and can thus be considered the game's final dungeon.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

Shops

Items in the locker

At the start of chapter Zack can inspect the locker in the SOLDIER Floor and find new items. If the player fails to collect an item from the locker before the end of chapter, the item will be lost.

This section about a location in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.

Floor 67 - SP Recovery Devices

During Chapter 4 when Shinra Headquarters is being attacked by Genesis's forces, Zack can find Professor Hojo in his lab. There is a device in the room, the 'SP Recovery Device'. A counter initiates and shows the rhythm up to three whereupon the player must count down and press the button at 0. If timed correctly, the player can earn 10-100 SP. If not timed correctly, the player will lose 50 SP.

The sample tube in the middle will give several options and the player earns SP based on their answers.

Question	Answer
1st Question	Option 1 = 300 SP Option 2 = 100 SP
2nd Question	Option 1 = 200 SP Option 2 = 400 SP
3rd Question	Option 1 = 200 SP Option 2 = 300 SP

Floor 67 - Stealing Keys

For this the player must have the Steal Materia equipped. The player must head down and battle the six Experiment No. 97s in the Cell Area. The player can steal a Key from each and use the keys to open the six cells, which hold three treasure boxes per cell. There is a timer of three minutes which does not count during battles.

The first cell has an Ether, a Silence Materia, and an ATK Up Materia.
The second cell has a Cure Materia, 2000 gil, and 500 gil.
The third cell has a Potion, an HP Up Materia, and a Blizzard Materia.
The fourth cell has a Hi-Potion, 2 gil, and a Remedy.
The fifth cell has a Fire Materia, a Potion, and a Hi-Potion.
The sixth cell has a Soma, a Thunder Materia, and 3000 gil.

Squats minigame

In Chapter 6, the player can play a squats minigame at the Training Room where the player must perform as many squats as possible within a time limit. This mimics the minigame played in Final Fantasy VII at the Wall Market, where Cloud is trying to win a wig off "Beautiful Bro". The most the player can do within the time limit is 58 squats.

The player must tap when Zack is going down. After five squats he will become faster, until he reaches max speed after gaining speed for three times. If the player misses one, their speed slows down again. The items obtained from the minigame are used to make a flower wagon for Aerith later. The player needs 21 squats for Shinra Lunch Cart Specs, 29 squats for Shinra Ceramic, 41 squats for Shinra Treads and 52 squats for Shinra Solder. Each opponent is faster than the one before.

Musical themes

"Infiltrating Shinra" from Final Fantasy VII

In Final Fantasy VII, the background music for the outside of the headquarters is "Shinra, Inc." (神羅カンパニー, Shinra Kanpanī?, lit. Shinra Company), and in the inside the music is "Infiltrating Shinra" (神羅ビル潜入, Shinra Biru Sennyū?). After Jenova escapes her capsule and the party escapes the prison, the background music switches to "Trail of Blood" (血の跡, Chi no Ato?) on the field and in the battle screen.

In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, the theme of the Shinra Building early in the game is "Mako City", which later on changes to the "Skyscraper of Pipes and Iron". After Zack changes his hair style, the music at the Shinra Building is "The Organization That Controls Mako (from FFVII "Shinra Company")".

Other appearances

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

Midgar (Final Fantasy VII) dissidia arcade 2 — Shinra HQ in the background.

The Shinra Headquarters appears on the background of the Midgar arena.

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade

This section about a location in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper

The Shinra Building appears as a dungeon in several Final Fantasy VII Challenge Events. All seventy of its floors served as the sole location for Of Shinra and Legends. The Jenova Project, Lost Memories, and Blood Madness all featured a few select floors. In Aspiring Hero a virtual reality version of the building's entrance and 68th floor could be conquered.

World of Final Fantasy

The towering building built over Nibelheim town resembles the Shinra HQ from Final Fantasy VII.

Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances

Super Smash Bros. 4

SSB4 - Midgar — Shinra HQ inSuper Smash Bros 4.

Shinra Headquarters appears on the background of a Midgar-themed level in Super Smash Bros 4.

Behind the scenes

Original

Mayor domino japanese password — Solving the puzzle in the Japanese version.

The password guessing game is slightly different in the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VII, where instead of picking a word of four letters, the player picks a sentence, each made up of four kanji characters. In the English and Japanese versions the correct password is randomized, although ORBS and HOJO (and the corresponding sentences in the Japanese version) are never the correct answer. In the French, German or Spanish versions of Final Fantasy VII, however, MAKO is always the correct answer.

English	Kanji	Translation
So, what's the password?!	「合言葉は？」	So, what's the password?
BEST	市長最高！！	Mayor-Aw(e)-Some!!
KING	神羅最低！！	Shin-Ra-Aw(e)-Ful!!
ORBS	魔晄最高！！	Ma-Ko-Aw(e)-Some!!
BOMB	市長爆発！！	Town-Mayor-Explo-Sion!!
MAKO	魔晄爆発！！	Ma-Ko-Explo-Sion!!
HOJO	神羅爆発！！	Shin-Ra-Explo-Sion!!
Wait a second	ちょっと待ってくれ	Hold on a sec.

^[14]

Unused data salvaged from the game disc reveals that Mayor Domino's puzzle was originally going to be more difficult, with 256 different possible answers. In the original version, the player would have had to construct the entire sentence (or word in the overseas versions) themselves, instead of picking from six different options as given in the final game. Multiple different responses to wrong passwords are also found within the game data.^[14]

In this more difficult version, Hart, Domino's deputy, would have had the option of giving out the password if the player paid him 70,000 gil. In another discarded scenario, if the player were to ask Hart hints until he has no more hints to give, he would be so fed up with the player's hopelessness he would give the party his own key card. In this version, the hints would have been much more costly, the price going from 2,000 gil for the first hint, 5,000 for the second hint and 15,000 for the final hint; doing this would still have been cheaper than paying 70,000 up front for the password, but if the player were to get the key card from Hart they would miss out on the Elemental Materia from the mayor. If the player were then to tell the mayor they got the card from Hart, he would be disheartened and reveal his own key card also doesn't allow access beyond floor 65, so the player may as well use Hart's key card. In the final version, Hart will just repeat his last hint if the player pays him again after hearing all the hints.

Additionally, the game has some books that exist in the game data, but which cannot be read. Confusingly, some of them are available in English that weren't in Japanese, and vice versa, and there are also books that are missing from both versions. Interestingly, Gast's full name was mentioned in one of the books available in the Japanese version, but is never mentioned anywhere in the English version.^[14]

There is unused dialogue found in game data that would have taken place outside the Shinra Building, before the party head in for the first time. Barret would suggest that Cloud knows the place well, to which Cloud would have answered it to be his first time there. Barret would then have said that he has been at the headquarters before, back when he still had both his hands.^[14] This bit was cut off the final game and nothing in the finished version suggests that Barret would have ever visited the Shinra Building before.

Remake

The exterior of the Shinra Building was kept relatively untouched, because it could affect players' memories of what Midgar should look like. The floor structure on the inside has seen major rearranging, however.^[15]