Square's Final Fantasy VII was one of the first major console role-playing games released for the Sony PlayStation and was Square's largest game at the time. A major critical and commercial success, the game remains arguably the most popular title in the series, and is often credited with allowing console-style RPGs to achieve mainstream success outside Japan. The ongoing popularity of the title led Square Enix to produce a series of sequels and prequels under the collective title " Compilation of Final Fantasy VII ". As of September 2004, Final Fantasy VII has sold more than 9.5 million copies worldwide, earning it the position of the best-selling Final Fantasy title.

The game's story centers on a group of adventurers as they battle a powerful megacorporation called Shinra, which is draining the life of the planet to use as an energy source. As the story progresses, conflicts escalate and the world's safety becomes the central concern as new forces, such as rogue scientists, ancient creatures and legendary soldiers emerge to challenge the original group. The main characters in Final Fantasy VII , Advent Children , and Last Order are Cloud and Sephiroth, while some sequels and prequels focus on two other major characters from the original game, Vincent and Zack. Each of these characters' story is explored in their own game, other than Sephiroth who is expanded upon in tandem with Cloud. The original Final Fantasy VII game had seven companions who journeyed with Cloud and Vincent, who was an optional character in the original game, and these nine are viewed by many as the main characters of the Compilation series. Their roles are however minor outside the original game. Nevertheless, each character has become extremely popular.