Current Events > Is Jenova basically... Lavos from Chrono Trigger? *spoilers for FF 7 and CT*

(+) Yeah! (+)

But the female version of Lavos?

They even both have silver haired fiends, sephiroth and magus

Kinda. She fell from space and is an alien lifeform.

But she is a shapeshifter and can take on human form.

i mean just that they were from outer space and that evildooers tried to use them for their evil doing.

Lavos was actively draining the planet i think? with the intent of blowing shit up?

Jenova was just kinda... there until Sephy got all emo.

They both ultimately have the same end goal. Only difference is that JENOVA didn't guide the evolution of the species on worlds it invaded just to them kill them all in the end anyway, and that she/it was technically dead before the events of the game proper.

_BlueMonk posted...

Jenova was just kinda... there until Sephy got all emo.

she's a parasitic lifeform. after she consumed the life stream, she will move on to another planet.
Cetra people managed to seal her until professor ghast mistaken her as a cetra.

so yeah, she's like lavos.

Ricemills posted...

after she consumed the life stream, she will move on to another planet.

Wait, what? That is not how it works at all. She came to Earth on an asteroid. There is no way off Earth for her

TheBrainbuster posted...

Wait, what? That is not how it works at all. She came to Earth on an asteroid. There is no way off Earth for her

With expanded lore there were ways. Not to mention you could just consider it like the whole Metroid Prime 3 explanation where after a planet is drained Jenova hitches a ride off a chunk of rock.

TheBrainbuster posted...

Wait, what? That is not how it works at all. She came to Earth on an asteroid. There is no way off Earth for her

from the wiki:

Jenova
EDIT
(, Jenoba?)
Alternate names: Calamity from the skies

Jenova was a Calamity that fell from the sky a long, long time ago, and tried to destroy the planet..

Jenova is an extraterrestrial life-form in the Final Fantasy VII series. Jenova serves as a major antagonist and experiments on its cells have produced many of the other antagonists as well, including Sephiroth.

Throughout Final Fantasy VII Jenova is often referred to as "she", though Ifalna calls Jenova "he" (or "it" in the PC version). Jenova has a feminine form and is said to be the "mother" of Sephiroth. The Cetra call it the "calamity from the skies" or the "crisis from the sky" (, sora kara kita yakusai?, lit. disaster which came from the sky), or "heaven's dark harbinger".

Jenova in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.
A dormant Jenova appears as a gray-skinned woman (shown as blue-skinned in Final Fantasy VII, or only appearing blue through its container in the mako reactor on Mt. Nibel in other games). Although Jenova appears feminine, its gender is ambiguous, being an extra-terrestrial life-form whom the Cetra never refer to with a feminine pronoun; Jenova is known as the "calamity from the skies" in the legends, and in Final Fantasy VII Ifalna refers to Jenova as either "it" or "he" depending on the version of the game.

Jenova is bare (other than what appears to be an external biological system), with something resembling a heart at its feet. Connected to the heart-like organ are a number of tubes that reach to different parts of the body, the largest of which, pinker in color and similar to an umbilical cord, inserts into its abdomen (or in Final Fantasy VII, an apparently empty space in its abdomen). On its back Jenova has appendages along with what resembles a wing protruding from its left, and a stub of a wing from its right.

Jenova has long silver hair parted through the center. Its left eye glows red and it has no right eye, often being covered by hair. Jenova's headgear links to her container and has an inscription that has had a different message between different depictions of the scene. Above the headgear, an exposed brain lies within Jenova's cranium.

As Jenova bears female anatomy, the body has two breasts. In the original depiction the right breast has what appears to be a nipple resembling an eyeball, but in the remake this is missing. The pubic area is obscured by the tube from the abdomen.

The inscription on Jenova's head can be read in a number of its appearances:

In Final Fantasy VII, it reads:
MADE IN HONG KONG
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1996
SQUER COMPANY LIMITED
In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children it reads:
||-Era 19591010 Hakken
||-Era 19670702 Fuuin
In Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-, it reads:
STRICT SECRECY
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY SECTION
SHIN-RA COMPANY LIMITED

At the Nibel Reactor Jenova's container is covered by what has been referred to as the "Jenova Cover" or "Jenova Doll". The effigy is a presumably man-made metal construct that resembles the torso of an angel that obscures Jenova while the wings cover the side of the container. Presumably connected to the roof are cables bearing the appearance of golden hair, offering cover to the higher areas of the container.

A tube links from the chamber's entrance to the effigy's abdomen, possibly meant to resemble Jenova who has a similar tube. Whereas Jenova's tube leads to a heart-like organ, the area the cover's pipe leads to has tubes that resemble ventricles. The tube linking to the cover can be used as a path to reach the container. At the entrance to the chamber lies a sign reading "JENOVA".

Nature

Jenova's genetic structure is a two-way conduit: it can both take in the traits of its prey, and insert its own genes to turn other organisms into violent monsters. Once Jenova lands upon a planet, it will destroy every form of life it finds. Jenova can absorb its prey's memories and form, hiding as their loved ones to destroy them.

As stated in Professor Hojo's Jenova Reunion Theory, once Jenova's cells have been separated from the main body they will seek to reunite. If they are inside a host body, they can influence its mind and body to join the Reunionsometimes so severely the host organism is killed. Lucrecia Crescent states in Final Fantasy VII that the "Jenova inside her" did not let her die though she sought death,[1] but Gillian Hewley in Crisis Core seems to not have felt this effect. Organisms affected by Jenova often grow a single wing capable of flight.

Once Jenova has destroyed a planet, it uses it as a vessel to travel the cosmos to another planet. Jenova's age is unknown, but since it can lay dormant for millennia if necessary, it might be older than the planet of Gaia itself.

Baha05 posted...

With expanded lore there were ways. Not to mention you could just consider it like the whole Metroid Prime 3 explanation where after a planet is drained Jenova hitches a ride off a chunk of rock.

Yeah, I'd think destabilizing the planet would allow her to find some rock to get off the planet.

Baha05 posted...

With expanded lore there were ways. Not to mention you could just consider it like the whole Metroid Prime 3 explanation where after a planet is drained Jenova hitches a ride off a chunk of rock.

well the "chunk of rock" is probably the husk of the dead planet it consumed.

Ricemills posted...

well the "chunk of rock" is probably the husk of the dead planet it consumed.

Pretty much though one can assume too that the planet in question would break up over time since well having a planet hit with even a husk of a planet would probably deal far more damage if not out right destroying the new planet.

_BlueMonk posted...

i mean just that they were from outer space and that evildooers tried to use them for their evil doing.

Lavos was actively draining the planet i think? with the intent of blowing shit up?

Jenova was just kinda... there until Sephy got all emo.

Jenova was actively killing the Cetra so they sealed it away. It's the direct cause the Cetra have for being almost wiped out. How is that an evildoer using them for evil things?

I always thought that once Jenova drained the Life Stream, the planet turned into a lifeless rock that couldnt even keep itself together and cracked into many smaller pieces that flies around in space. Jenova simply lays dormant on whatever piece of rock it was on when the planet is destroyed.

RetroGamer68 posted...

I always thought that once Jenova drained the Life Stream, the planet turned into a lifeless rock that couldnt even keep itself together and cracked into many smaller pieces that flies around in space. Jenova simply lays dormant on whatever piece of rock it was on when the planet is destroyed.

I think this is right. It's even shown in Bugenhagens planetarium, the planet doesn't explode, it breaks apart into lifeless space junk.

Ricemills posted...

she's a parasitic lifeform. after she consumed the life stream, she will move on to another planet.
Cetra people managed to seal her until professor ghast mistaken her as a cetra.

oh i didn't know that. ive only ever played ff7.

ok then yes shes lavos with boobs.

People say she is just Sin

Cause FF7 and FFX are in same universe

She's more like the Thing mixed with Lavos.

Jenova is Lavos but less cool

WingsOfGood posted...

People say she is just Sin

Cause FF7 and FFX are in same universe

It is called easter egg.

WingsOfGood posted...

People say she is just Sin

Cause FF7 and FFX are in same universe

That makes no sense. We know the origin and nature of Sin, and it wouldn't fit with Jenova.

Nah, Jenova is more like the Thing. Shapeshifting and killing

Lavos is closer to the ark of the covenant/Judeo Christian God. It set the entire course for human evolution in the CT world, and it's presence is what allowed magic (aka miracles) to happen. Also likes to kill stuff.

Ricemills posted...

Once Jenova has destroyed a planet, it uses it as a vessel to travel the cosmos to another planet. Jenova's age is unknown, but since it can lay dormant for millennia if necessary, it might be older than the planet of Gaia itself.

Well color me surprised, I did not know that

harley2280 posted...

Nah, Jenova is more like the Thing. Shapeshifting and killing

Lavos is closer to the ark of the covenant/Judeo Christian God. It set the entire course for human evolution in the CT world, and it's presence is what allowed magic (aka miracles) to happen. Also likes to kill stuff.

Lavos isn't the shell, it's the creature inside that's a common misconception

Forget Jenova, what were the Cetra? The gist that I got was that they were space faring angels that fertilized planets. I wanna see how they did that.

Seaman_Prime posted...

Forget Jenova, what were the Cetra? The gist that I got was that they were space faring angels that fertilized planets. I wanna see how they did that.

Mistranslation, it is "land", not "planets" in the Japanese version.

Jenova is The Thing
Lavos is Galactus

Seaman_Prime posted...

Forget Jenova, what were the Cetra? The gist that I got was that they were space faring angels that fertilized planets. I wanna see how they did that.

Cetra is roughly the equivalent of elves in FF VII.

Tbh I always considered Jenova the main antagonist more than Sephiroth

Seaman_Prime posted...

Forget Jenova, what were the Cetra? The gist that I got was that they were space faring angels that fertilized planets. I wanna see how they did that.

They're just humans that are more in touch and have more control over the lifestream.

Super Slash posted...

Tbh I always considered Jenova the main antagonist more than Sephiroth

I'm pretty sure Jenova's dead by the time of FF7 though.

pegusus123456 posted...

I'm pretty sure Jenova's dead by the time of FF7 though.

It is. The whole game it's Sephiroth controlling Jenova to do stuff for him until he gets freed at the end of disc 2.

Yes, TC, they're essentially the same thing except Lavos wasn't turned into a diminished zombie virus form like Jenova

Lavos is more like Giygas

Jenova is like Lilith in Evangelion

Both are magic aliens that are linked to human evolution ideas and are draining the planet or exist in an apocalypse time vortex

Very Lovecraftian

Basically Satan, but still

Quick bump

Lavos is a bit more techy, but it's all supposed to be biological and of its own creation. Lots of green. Lavos as a machine is really only a big element towards the end of the game, where its design resembles something of a spaceship. Whereas Jenova is an organism who was briefly imprisoned in machines at the beginning of the game, but the more we see of her, she looks like a cross between an angel, a demon, a flower, and genitals. Lots of red. Jenova is related to a power to summon another object from space to destroy the planet, but Lavos intends on destroying it from within, and grows like a disease, but Jenova has literally embedded itself into the core of the planet both in the ancient past and again through Sephiroth.

One is arguably a native of earth in its own way, the other invaded long after life here had set a course

Jenova is arguably the more evil of the two, whereas Lavos is just a kind of force of nature, although arguably Jenova's personality is overshadowed by Sephirtoh, so we aren't sure what she is really like on her own, and Lavos might not be a big sinister bad guy with speeches, but his actions employ a far less sympathetic lot of henchmen. The catch? Magus becomes your friend. Sephiroth used to be your friend.

Lavos and Jenova are the perfect characters to compare in this capacity

saspa posted...

Lavos isn't the shell, it's the creature inside that's a common misconception

Okay? I didn't say it was.

The Ark of the covenant isn't God. God is housed within the Ark. Which works perfectly with my comparison.

Xethuminra posted...

Jenova is related to a power to summon another object from space to destroy the planet..

Where did you get this from? Jenova has nothing to do with meteor. That was Sephiroth using the black materia which was made by the planet itself.

Holy_Cloud105 posted...

It is. The whole game it's Sephiroth controlling Jenova to do stuff for him until he gets freed at the end of disc 2.

You mean Jenova controlling Sephiroth? Wasn't Sephiroth once a sane hero before slowly going insane

saspa posted...

You mean Jenova controlling Sephiroth? Wasn't Sephiroth once a sane hero before slowly going insane

He didn't slowly go insane, he fuckin' cracked overnight when he learned of his origin.

There has been a discussion of exactly who was controlling who since the game was launched.

saspa posted...

You mean Jenova controlling Sephiroth? Wasn't Sephiroth once a sane hero before slowly going insane

No. The Ultimania states Sephiroth was controlling Jenova the entire game. He thought he was one of the Cetra because ShinRA thought Jenova was part of them. He just had the wrong information and was acting on that because he thought his people were robbed and killed. When he fell into the lifestream he absorbed the planet's knowledge. Sephiroth doesn't give one shit about Jenova afterwards so he just uses her to further his goal.

Holy_Cloud105 posted...

Sephiroth never went insane

I mean, it's quite a leap from learning you're a Cetra to deciding to wipe out all life on the planet and turn yourself into a god.

pegusus123456 posted...

I mean, it's quite a leap from learning you're a Cetra to deciding to wipe out all life on the planet and turn yourself into a god.

In the context of the Nibelheim incident I mean. Afterwards, sure, but he was also missing the lower half of his body. Maybe he thought that was the only way to keep living. He also isn't one of the Cetra either. He knows that after he falls into the lifestream.

Holy_Cloud105 posted...

In the context of the Nibelheim incident I mean

It's also not a mark of sanity that you murder an entire town and burn it to ashes though.

Lavos ate the planet so it could grow and reproduce. It would send out Lavos spawn to other planets. It basically lived on instinct like an animal or a tapeworm.

This has me thinking, was it ever stated or confirmed if Jenova was the only one of their kind? Is it possible that there's a whole planet of aliens just like Jenova and it was just never explored?

ChrisTaka posted...

This has me thinking, was it ever stated or confirmed if Jenova was the only one of their kind? Is it possible that there's a whole planet of aliens just like Jenova and it was just never explored?

I don't think it's ever been said where Jenova came from aside from "space."

pegusus123456 posted...

I don't think it's ever been said where Jenova came from aside from "space."

That's what I remember as well, I always found it strange how vague Jenova's true origin is. Aside from the fact that we know that they came from space, they kinda just showed up out of nowhere

No, Jenova isn't pointy enough.

_____Cait posted...

Lavos ate the planet so it could grow and reproduce. It would send out Lavos spawn to other planets. It basically lived on instinct like an animal or a tapeworm.

Lavos manipulated the course of human history in order to make the planet a better meal for itself, I don't think it's accurate to call it on the level of an animal. Chrono Cross basically confirms this because in that Lavos actively has a plan to use Schala and the Dragon God to resume where it left off

she has much mroe in common with the thing

ultimate reaver posted...

Lavos manipulated the course of human history in order to make the planet a better meal for itself, I don't think it's accurate to call it on the level of an animal. Chrono Cross basically confirms this because in that Lavos actively has a plan to use Schala and the Dragon God to resume where it left off

This part was always weird. In Trigger, we never saw Lavos do anything except sleep and suck the life out of the planet. Then when he absorbs Schala, things get weird.

I felt it was either the result of Zeal, Schala fusing with it, or outside forces, that made Lavos do the dragon stuff.

theres a pretty strong suggestion that hes making zeal crazy, or at least thats what i took away from that whole arc

i also think its interesting that going inside of lavos' shell seems to reveal that the exterior is almost like a biomechanical ship or machine of some kind and at least part of its core is a weird little dude in a spacesuit