Junon

South of this town past the Mythril Mine and far to the west is a Shinra harbor called Junon. They say there's a reactor and many tall buildings there.

Kalm resident

Junon is a major city and military installation in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Its location used to feature a peaceful fishing town, now designated Under Junon, before Shinra Electric Power Company built the city right beside it. The city's elevated airfield was built directly above the old town, blocking out the sun and polluting the surrounding seas. As a result, the once-thriving fishing industry has died out, but the economically deprived village soldiers on, dominated by its larger neighbor. Junon is the major vestige of the now-dissolved Republic of Junon.

The new city of Junon became the secondary headquarters for the Shinra Corporation and the central office for the Vice President, Rufus Shinra. Junon is heavily defended by retractable artillery batteries and its sizable Shinra garrison, as well as being the initial home of Shinra's major defense project, the Mako Cannon, a large long-range cannon powered by Huge Materia.

As well as being Shinra's primary airbase, Junon is also a major port, having a submarine dock in the Junon Underwater Reactor and being one of the ports of call for the cargo ship. There is also a B1-Alpha Helicopter that can carry the party to the different parts of the city, or even completely out of it to the world map.

History[]

Republic days[]

Junon was once the capital of the Republic of Junon, focused on maritime trade and spanning much of the world. It was a floating city based around several old wooden ships permanently moored in the nearby harbor. Despite being an industrialized power, the republic lost a war with the Shinra Electric Power Company and ceased to exist as a polity. The city was destroyed in the war, and Shinra decided to build a new city nearby to cement their authority over the region. Many Junon natives still resent Shinra for this military defeat.

Original continuity[]

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-[]

Junon is the setting of Episodes 2 and 3. Verdot, the leader of the Turks, ordered Reno and the player Turk to Junon to protect President Shinra from the insurgents known as Avalanche. The enemy was led by Fuhito, and they planned to kill President Shinra while taking control of the Mako Cannon and using it to destroy Midgar.

The player Turk defended the president, but Fuhito broke in far enough to shoot him. Desperate for the situation to be resolved, President Shinra called in Sephiroth. The player Turk made their way to the cannon, fighting Shinra's robots that, as security alert had been placed on its highest, had been programmed to target everything. When the Turk reached the cannon to stop Avalanche, their leader, Elfe, appears. Elfe easily beat the Turk, and when Sephiroth arrived, Elfe blocked his attack. Before a battle could take place, Avalanche retreated.

In Episode 9, Avalanche launched another assault into the city, hoping to take the airfield. The Turks were sent to defend the town, but were led by Heidegger, who was willing to destroy the city to defeat the Avalanche invaders. Verdot eventually retook command, and led the Turks to defeat Avalanche.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]

Junon appeared first in a flashback during Zack Fair's first mission with Sephiroth. In the Training Room on the 49th Floor of the Shinra Building, Sephiroth and his friends, Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos, snuck in and fought each other during their off time on a Virtual Reality System of Junon's recently-completed Mako Cannon. Sephiroth and Genesis started a friendly duel, but it escalated to a deadly confrontation and the cannon was sliced to pieces during the battle. The fight was stopped by Angeal and the simulation program shut down.

Later, Zack was sent on a mission to Junon with a good number of troops, and a number of Turks led by Tseng. Dr. Hollander was held in a prison in the upper city of Junon for interrogation, when Genesis and the Genesis copies invaded. Zack was dispatched to retrieve Hollander, and when he escaped, Zack chased after him across the city.

After Zack found the Turk Cissnei during this time by taking a lift up from the side of a main street, he discovered his fan club. Hollander ended up escaping from the Junon airport with the help of several winged Genesis Copies. Zack met up with Sephiroth, who gave him permission to return to Midgar, despite the continued chaos, to protect Aerith Gainsborough from the mounting monster attacks in the city. After everyone left, Genesis stood atop the Mako Cannon, quoting LOVELESS, his degradation even more severe.

Final Fantasy VII[]

In 0007, during "The Stowaway Strategy", Cloud Strife rode a dolphin up to Junon. The new President of Shinra, Rufus, came to Junon to celebrate his inauguration as the world's de facto leader, as the city was his former headquarters. The party hid in Shinra uniforms to avoid detection, and leave on Rufus's cargo ship.

During "In a World Approaching Its End", after Sephiroth had summoned Meteor and the planet called upon the Weapons to defend itself, Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace were imprisoned by Shinra in Junon, to be publicly executed as scapegoats for the crisis. Scarlet personally oversaw its worldwide broadcast, and Tifa was sent in to be executed after Barret asked to be executed first.^[1] Cait Sith, disguised as part of the broadcast team, disrupted the execution and saved Barret, but Tifa was stuck inside the chamber and strapped to a chair.

Scarlet activated the gas chamber to kill Tifa even after the broadcast stopped. Tifa freed herself from the restraints, and then Sapphire Weapon's attack breached the gas chamber, saving Tifa from the fumes as she escaped onto the Mako Cannon. Scarlet reached her, but after a brief cat fight, Tifa jumped off the cannon and onto the Highwind airship piloted by her friends, allowing the party to leave.

Rufus sent out troops to attack the Weapon, but to no avail. Shinra eventually destroyed the Weapon by firing the Mako Cannon at it at point-blank range. However, many citizens were killed in the Weapon attack and cannons' crossfire. Junon's economy was heavily damaged destroyed as some store and bar owners tell the party, due to the lack of customers.^[2]

After Shinra's Huge Materia to destroy Meteor, the cannon was rendered useless due to the loss of its primary power source. Scarlet had the cannon transferred to Midgar and converted it to run on mako energy from the mako reactors so it can be used against Sephiroth.^[3] During "Clash in the Deep Sea", Cloud and his party later returned to Junon to make their way to the Junon Underwater Reactor, where they learned that the cannon had moved.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-[]

While traveling through the Midgar Wasteland to Edge, Reeve Tuesti told Vincent Valentine that, contrary to the public report, which states twenty to thirty people have gone missing, a total of 1,200 people had suddenly vanished without a trace. Despite the World Regenesis Organization's efforts, their search turned up nothing. This was only the beginning of what would become a series of attacks by Deepground.

Remake continuity[]

In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, "Dawn of a New Era", Cloud Strife and his party followed the trail of robed men to Under Junon where the local mayor, Rhonda, clocked them as the wanted members of Avalanche for whose capture large rewards were being given out. Rhonda was no fan of Shinra Electric Power Company, however, as Shinra's mako reactor had caused an ecological catastrophe across the coastal region and destroyed the locals' old way of life, forcing them to live in the shadow of Shinra's massive fortress and mako cannon. Rhonda gave them passage with a plan of profiting off this turn of event somehow.

The party met Yuffie when she was attacked by a sea monster. After learning Cloud and his friends saved her, she introduced herself as a ninja from Wutai and marveled at Cloud's friends, Barret Wallace and Tifa Lockhart, being members of the infamous "splinter cell" of Avalanche responsible for bombing Midgar's mako reactors. They were invited to stay at the local inn and made plans for finding a way to Shinra's fortress despite the local elevator being tightly monitored, as Rufus Shinra was slated to arrive for an inauguration parade for being made president of the Shinra Company. The next morning, Yuffie revealed she was on a mission to hunt for materia for her homeland, the rebel government that was looking to renew hostilities with Shinra. However, Rufus's visit to Junon was a prime opportunity to assassinate him and so she had been hired to carry out this task. The party considered her too young and reckless and Yuffie headed for her mission alone.

A SOLDIER member drove into Under Junon with his motorcycle: Roche on a supposed mission to capture Aerith Gainsborough, following after a tip off from Rhonda (who planned to use the bounty to arrange a ninja to assassinate Rufus), but his real goal was to rematch against Cloud and so departed after issuing his challenge. Priscilla, a local girl, knew a way to get topside without needing to use Shinra's elevator. Cloud rode a dolphin to the cargo lift that he could use to bring everyone to Shinra's airport up top where they glimpsed at the Highwind stationed there.

The plan was to pose as infantry soldiers to get close to Rufus, as Barret agreed with Yuffie that Rufus could make for an easy assassination target. In his Junon office Rufus was approached by a mysterious robed figure: a ghost from Rufus's past, Glenn Lodbrok, who sought assurances that Rufus intended to honor President Shinra's arrangement with Viceroy Sarruf to procure the magnus materia. Glenn mocked Rufus's obsession with finding the promised land and agitated for renewed war between Shinra and Wutai as a means to restore the planet's lifestream. As Glenn left, Rufus decided to fire the mako cannon in a ceremonial display that would effectively end the ceasefire.

Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith disguised as infantry soldiers while Barret and Red XIII found their own ways of blending in. Cloud took charge as he used to work for the Shinra military. They were mistaken as late-comers, and Cloud was put in charge of Midgar's Seventh Infantry and needed to round up his troops for the parade, his goal to perform so well he would win a personal commendation from the new president. When Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith were brought before Rufus, he wanted to make a pact: he would let Avalanche go un-apprehended if they promised to stay away from Midgar and to "deal with" Sephiroth. Cloud initially found the deal appealing, but Rufus was attacked by a disguised ninja from the rooftops: Yuffie. Heidegger took a hit instead, Rufus believing Cloud's party was behind it. Rufus was led to safety while every soldier scampered to hunt for the mystery assassin. Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII made it to the ferry bound for Costa del Sol, Shinra-8, and Yuffie stowed away disguised as a robed man, all of whom were swarming to come aboard.

Geography[]

Overview[]

Junon is located to the west on the eastern continent of the planet. It is directly adjacent to Under Junon, located at the foot of its right side, and is situated on the side of a vast cliff overlooking the ocean. The terrain and walls surrounding the city mean it must be reached only through an elevator from Under Junon, which itself is well-guarded.

Junon is dominated by its Mako Cannon in the center. With the cannon splitting the city down the middle, the city is divided into two halves: Lower Junon, where the dock is located, and Upper Junon, where the airport is located. The center of Junon includes the Junon Branch, the cannon, and a path down beneath Junon to the submarine dock and the Underwater Reactor.

Both Lower and Upper Junon comprise rows of houses with European architecture, a road running along them, and an alleyway in-between them. Large flags for Shinra are dotted along the roads, and a wall along the road on the bottom way separates the city from the ocean.

Lower and Upper Junon[]

Both Lower and Upper Junon comprise rows of houses with European architecture, a road running along them, and an alleyway in-between them. Large flags for Shinra are dotted along the roads, and a wall along the road on the bottom way separates the city from the ocean. Each of the city is home to a number of shops, a bar, and a barracks.

Lower Junon is located on the left side of the cannon, and connects to the docks. Along this half of the city is the Shinra Member's Bar and the Junon Inn, as well as struggling stores selling items that are of lower value than those in Upper Junon. In the basement of its barracks is the Respectable Inn.

On the right side of the cannon is Upper Junon, which connects to the airport. This half has stores that sell more valuable items, as well as a weapon store and bar with drunkards in an alleyway. Being connected to the airport and the Under Junon elevator, this half of the city greets visitors first.

Junon Underwater Reactor[]

The Junon Underwater Reactor, located near the coast, is connected to the city's submarine dock, which itself is attached to Junon Path at the city's center.

Around here, Shinra uV Submarines, manufactured at Junon Shipyard Dock 3, are deployed are manufactured.^[4]

Society[]

A strict class divide exists between Upper and Lower Junon, most of Lower Junon has a struggling economy and resent the presence of Shinra, in particular protests over use and control of the lift that connects the two are common in Lower Junon, and the anti-Shinra Crows openly recruit here. While Upper Junon wholeheartedly support Shinra, with many people enlisting in its Security Forces. However the Junon and Midgar branches of the Security Forces have a competitive rivalry between them.

Much of Junon's population are military personnel, with the largest buildings of both Upper and Lower Junon being barracks, and a major military presence throughout the entire city. Said personnel are a mix of those who struggle to keep up with life in Shinra's army, or who aspire to become members of SOLDIER. A few residents are also former SOLDIER members.^[5]

Throughout the rest of Junon are largely struggling small businesses. Many shopkeepers talk about their inability to attract customers, and one materia store is forced to hire girls to beckon customers so the business can compete, though doing so means the owner makes less than the girls.^[5] Between the two halves, Lower Junon sells less valuable items than Upper Junon, suggesting that Upper Junon may be better-off. Junon is an important hub for air and sea-travel, running passenger liners to Costa del Sol.

Gameplay[]

Final Fantasy VII[]

Junon is first visited during "The Stowaway Strategy" by a party led by Cloud. After reaching it via Under Junon, Cloud must participate in a parade minigame in order to sneak through Shinra's security and board the Cargo Ship.

Later, Junon is returned to by a party led by Tifa during "In a World Approaching Its End", when the party must escape execution. This is one of few instances in the game where the player is required to control certain party members for a few segments. In escaping Junon, Tifa is involved in two minigames, one in which she must escape a gas chamber for execution, and another in which she must win a slap fight against Scarlet.

After the player has the Highwind, a number of useful weapons are available at Junon.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]

Shop[]

Shops in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- can only be visited from the menu. Junon Souvenirs opens after finding the shop info from a treasure in Mission 2-4-1.

Name	Cost
Chocobo Stomp	10,000 gil
1000 Needles	10,000 gil
Murderous Thrust	10,000 gil
Courage Boost!	10,000 gil
Moogle Power	10,000 gil
Item Mugger	10,000 gil

Musical themes[]

During the first visit to Junon, the music that plays is "Rufus's Welcoming Ceremony" (ルーファウス歓迎式典, Rūfausu Kangei Shikiten?), a fanfare played for Rufus's inauguration. "Turks' Theme" (タークスのテーマ, Tākusu no Tēma?) plays during the return to Junon, specifically before Sapphire Weapon attacks. After the Weapon attack the music changes to "Hurry Up!" (もっと急げ！, Motto Isoge!?).

The music changes to "Attack of the WEAPON" (ウェポン襲来, Wepon Shūrai?) after the first shot is fired at the Weapon. Finally, when Tifa attempts to escape the gas chamber, the music changes once more to "Who...Am I?" (俺は...誰だ, Ore wa...Dareda?). Later on, after the Weapon's demise, the music changes to "Shinra's Full-Scale Assault" (神羅軍総攻撃, Shinra-gun Sōkōgeki?).

Other appearances[]

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call[]

Upper Junon appears as the background for the DLC Field Music Sequence for "Rufus's Welcoming Ceremony."

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]

Behind the scenes[]

The Japanese names of Lower and Upper Junon are likely intended to be "L-Junon" and "R-Junon", with "L" and "R" representing "left" and "right". This refers to the sides of the city in relation to the cannon. To support the notion that it is referencing "L" and "R", the game files are named "junonl*" and "junonr*" for the respective areas. Outside Junon Branch on right side are the letters "SRJ-R 80e", while on the left side are the letters "SRJ-L 59e" (here "SR" likely standing for Shin-Ra, and "J" for Junon).

In Final Fantasy VII, a number of lines in the script make reference to a "Great Sephiroth Plan" in the endgame, though what ultimately becomes of the plan is unknown. Additionally, a man who keeps a shop in the top floor of the building when first visited will mention that he was previously in SOLDIER, and later will be dressed in a black cape, showing that he is a Sephiroth-clone.

There is a sign found in Junon in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- that displays the Square Enix official website on the corner.

The BradyGames guide mixes up the area names and refers to Upper and Lower Junon as "Lower Junon", Junon Branch as "Upper Junnon", and Under Junon as "Junon Harbor".

"Crow's Nest" is a new area added to the Junon Region in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. When the team started designing the Junon Region quests, they wanted to differentiate them from the Grassland Region's by not having Junon as the central hub of quests like Kalm was for the previous area. They designed a quest where accompanying a dog from Under Junon would unlock a new town to have the player feel like their actions were affecting the game world. A dolphin-jumping minigame was devised for Rebirth, as per the original Final Fantasy VII, but it ended up not being fun to play and so was cut in favor of riding the dolphin through a course instead.^[6]

Gallery[]

Final Fantasy VII

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Etymology[]

Junon is the French name of the ancient Roman goddess Juno.

Notes[]

Annotations[]

Citations[]

References[]

• 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 (2018). Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive Volume 2 [Book]. Dark Horse Books. ISBN 978-1-5067-0662-7.