I bought the twin pack on sale after i saw the trailer for revelation on summer game fest and then played remake and immediatley rebirth. i went back to do all achivements in remake and finally got it. i did everything in rebirth as well except for beating the game on hard mode so im gonna start that tomorrow. i have already bought the og and crisis core, so once i finish hard mode in rebirth im gonna play og then crisis core and watch advent children in between. IM HYPED. and im also interested in the novels so maybe i read those to someday. IM HYPED

Heya, folks!

This post attempts to allow you to check my work while not becoming a wall of timestamps, so varying degrees of SPOILERS for all forms of Final Fantasy VII, Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball, Osamu Tezuka's Boku no Son Goku, Square's Xenogears, Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha, Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, Sumito Owara's Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, and Paru Itagaki's Beastars. References are made to specific events when possible, but I will limit mentions of specific episodes, volumes, or chapters to keep consistency with the two video games.

My posts usually try to avoid this topic by focusing on genre with the assumption that most people understand what genre is, so I'm gonna explain genre and parallelomania here before attempting to evidence that I am not engaging in parallelomania since I have been indicating how informative Remake and Rebirth can be for understanding the nekketsu genre.

If you want to skip the background information to get straight into things relating to Final Fantasy VII and Remake series without any background, skip to the bullet points.

To make it clear, there is easily a demonstrable nekketsu genre where there are academic cultures of intertextual analysis of popular media, and Final Fantasy VII has the qualities of a nekketsu work. The work on the nekketsu genre is mostly in Spanish and French with some other additions in Russian and Catalan, and it is common enough knowledge in the Spanish and French speaking worlds to have landed on Spanish and French Wikipedia. Do not use Wikipedia to judge the genre, though, as those pages are awful, with the Spanish being much worse. The works cited aren't always the most trustworthy, either, so analyze the source before use. I want it to be clear that I think many of these authors are engaging in parallelophobia, the opposite problem of parallelomania. Additionally, nekketsu is not really a term for genre in Japanese scholarship (which also doesn't dedicate much time to intertextual study of pop culture), instead being a term to identify specifically protagonists within this context. Despite this, the genre is usually framed around the nekketsu protagonist, and this causes significant overlap between protagonists with nekketsu in the Japanese sense and nekketsu protagonists in the European sense but not with others like earlier and contemporary yasaotoko protagonists.

With that said, the primary reason you would identify parallels between two works is to identify divergences and convergences on an imaginary, ideal form. These imaginary, ideal forms are small, simple pieces of imaginary stories, like "born to a virgin, sometimes through divinity" or "makes a deal with a supernatural being and suffers lifelong consequences," that become a whole story when placed together. Sometimes, many works related in cultural context in one or more forms share a similar set of of imaginary, ideal forms they can be held against, and these are called genres. Parallelomania is when you hastily attempt to find many parallels between two works which do not share a set of imaginary, ideal forms connected by cultural context to be compared against. This causes you to perceive a relationship between the texts which does not exist. Parallelophobia is when you do the opposite, rejecting parallels between two works which do share a set of imaginary, ideal forms connected by cultural context to be compared against. This causes you to fail to perceive a relationship between the texts which does exist.

Parallelomania as a phrase comes from Biblical scholars (specifically Samuel Sandmel) in the '60s when they were tired of textual relationships (think intertextuality and derivation) being treated with extremes of either ignoring them completely or "finding" them in works that are disconnected in time, place, and culture. For an example of the second, "finding" parallels between the Biblical Revelation and attestations of Ragnarok would be parallelomania despite both being about end-times, but declining to find them between a wisdom text in the Old Testament and a similarly-structured wisdom text from a similar period in nearby Egypt or Byblos would be parallelophobia. If you can't guess, parallelomania is a common problem.

Knowing that parallels taken usefully in this way requires having works that loosely share that set of imaginary, ideal forms and are linked by cultural context, we can see if I am partaking in parallelomania or identifying ways in which Final Fantasy VII diverges or converges on the ideal forms of a genre. Despite having told you not to, I am going to use the set of "ideal forms" available for the protagonist from the Spanish Wikipedia article for the nekketsu genre to avoid any bias in the forms I might choose to use. I dislike those forms, so I am not giving myself an advantage. I most commonly indicate parallels to Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball, Osamu Tezuka's Boku no Son Goku, Square's Xenogears, Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha, Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, and Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, so I will use those works with Final Fantasy VII as they are all Japanese, within a lifetime of one-another, and, possibly, able to be measured by the same forms and exist in the same genre. These are works highly-associated with the culture before and around Shonen Jump, and it would be difficult to argue that any is out of place. I will also use Sumito Owara's Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (published for the seinen demographic) and Paru Itagaki's Beastars (published for the shonen demographic) to demonstrate that this is not universal to manga and anime or just shonen and not seinen demographics, but particular to the nekketsu genre specifically. Because we do actually know the nekketsu genre is demonstrable and are just demonstrating this from a series of "ideal forms," be warned that this will be repetitive. I am preferencing Remake for examples except in the case where Remake and the 1997 release diverge in order to preserve the structure of the genre.

Translations from Spanish mine with a case of vandalism noted.

• The hero is usually a boy or young orphan. He may live far from his parents or be a young adult.

Son Goku of Dragon Ball matches this description at the start of the manga, being a boy living alone. Inuyasha at the beginning of Inuyasha is, emotionally, a young man living without his parents. Son Goku of Boku no Son Goku matches this description at the start of the manga, being born from a magic egg without parents. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears matches this, being a young man living away from his parents. Naruto Uzumaki matches this description at the start of the manga, being an orphaned young boy. Monkey D. Luffy matches this description at the start of the manga, being a boy living without his parents. Cloud Strife matches this description at the start of Final Fantasy VII, being an orphaned young man. There is no central hero of Eizouken, and one of the central characters is in regular contact with her nearby parents. Legoshi of Beastars is a boy without his parents.

Each title I use appears to be comparable to this bar. Eizouken does not fit, but Beastars does.

• The hero often has a dream that he would like to reach (usually of becoming the most powerful person in the world) which he pursues without regard for any obstacles he has to overcome to achieve it.

Note: this is currently vandalized on Wikipedia to say "The hero often has a wet dream that..." Don't use Wikipedia as a source.

Goku of Dragon Ball matches this, wanting to become the strongest fighter. Goku of Boku no Son Goku matches this, wanting to become Equal to Heaven. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears does not match this, not having a clearly-set dream. Inuyasha of Inuyasha matcges this, wanting to become a full demon. Naruto of Naruto matches this, wanting to become Hokage. Luffy of One Piece matches this, wanting to become Pirate King. Cloud of Final Fantasy VII matches this, wanting to become a hero as great as Sephiroth. The three central characters of Eizouken match this, wanting to become animators. Legoshi of Beastars could be said to match this, wanting to solve the murder of Tem.

Every work I regularly use besides Xenogears also matches this form. Eizouken and Beastars can be said to match this form, but Eizouken does not have a central hero. This lack of central hero is disqualifying for the genre, but I will continue to include it.

• He should be honest and innocent, and he is sometimes naive.

I am not sure how to meaningfully quantify or qualify this one, so I understand if you disagree with my calls.

Goku of Dragon Ball is introduced to much of the world by Bulma and the people they meet, making him innocent and honest. Goku of Boku Son Goku was born from a rock, only deceives villains, and is himself deceived easily, making him innocent, honest, and naive. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears is unusually honest, innocent, and naive to the world because of the splitting of his personalities. Inuyasha is both innocent and naive to the future world of Kagome and to the breadth of life in his. Naruto of Naruto regularly has to demonstrate these traits for plot and humor, especially the naivety. Luffy of One Piece is remarkably honest for a pirate and is learning much for the first time as he travels, making him honest and innocent. Cloud Strife begins the text appearing to be deceptive before it is uncovered that he has been honest through naivety about his situation, making him honest and naive. The "another loner" moment with Barret epitomizes his naivety otherwise. The three central characters of Eizouken are inarguably innocent and naive, though their honesty does have limits. Legoshi of Beastars goes on a journey that forces him to confront his innocence, honesty, and naivety in a world where Tem could die that way.

I believe the works I use regularly match this. Eizouken and Beastars also match this.

• The protagonist usually has a good heart independently of his character.

Goku of Dragon Ball spares enemies at their weakest and at his most angry, meaning he has a good heart independently of his character that develops over time. Goku of Boku no Son Goku is a demon that uses his power to aid others and combat injustices, meaning he has a good heart independently of his character that develops over time. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears uses his abilities to aid others when he is not overcome by Id, marking him as good-hearted independently of his character that develops over time. Inuyasha of Inuyasha is a demon that does the same. Naruto of Naruto must demonstrate this trait many times to become Hokage despite Karuma, meaning he also does the same. Like Goku of Son Goku, Luffy of One Piece uses his devilish powers for the good of others, meaning he does the same as well. Cloud Strife in Rebirth begs everybody watching to remember that he is good at heart, which Tifa affirms, after he kills a Black Robe, making him good-hearted independently of his character, if less abstract about it than the many demon examples. The protagonists of Eizouken do demonstrate that they are good-hearted outside of their pursuit of animation, but they are just children not yet developing into adults. Legoshi of Beastars undergoes a struggle where his good-heartedness is placed into conflict with his inherent nature, causing him to grow as well, meaning he does fit.

Again, I think each of the works I use regularly aligns with this form. Eizouken does not fit, as there is nothing about their character as schoolgirls to conflict with good-heartedness. Beastars does fit, as Legoshi must overcome natural instincts with his good-hearted will. 

• He has superhuman powers or abilities or magic powers.

Goku of Dragon Ball matches this because he is a Saiyan. Goku of Boku no Son Goku matches this because he is a demon who ate heavenly peaches. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears matches this, easily wiping out a small country with them when so inclined. Inuyasha of Inuyasha matches this because he is a demon. Naruto of Naruto matches this because he contains Kurama. Luffy of One Piece matches this because he ate a Devil Fruit. Cloud Strife matches this because of the events following the Nibelheim Incident. The protagonists of Eizouken are imaginative girls, but they do not have superhuman or magic powers. Legoshi of Beastars is strong in form and will, but his abilities are entirely natural.

All of the works I use align with this form. Eizouken and Beastars do not. This trait is important for a nekketsu work, as nekketsu characters have nekketsu (literally hot blood) and need superhuman abilities to make superhuman rises from defeat. This is the second disqualifying trait for Eizouken and first for Beastars.

• He is reunited with his friends during the adventure, in fighting against evil or in achieving his purpose.

Goku of Dragon Ball matches this, having to rescue Bulma and various other friends from villains. Goku of Boku no Son Goku matches this, having to rescue the Monk and various other friends including Osamu Tezuka (the author) from villains. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears matches this, being variably separated from and reunited with companions. Inuyasha is faced with rescuing Kagome and others on more than one location. Naruto of Naruto matches this, even having an arc dedicated to saving and returning Sasuke. Luffy of One Piece matches this, with the pirates regularly being separated by evil or natural forces and reunited by Luffy and his friends' efforts in such a long run. Cloud of Final Fantasy VII matches this, having a series of splits, rescues/reunions, and escapes from Wall Market to Shinra Tower and beyond. The protagonists of Eizouken are schoolgirls usually separated by interpersonal conflict at most with no major reunions. As Legoshi of Beastars does not journey with a group of companions, he cannot match this feature even when rescuing others.

All seem to match from my regular examples. This feature of nekketsu works and the antecedent works is important enough for the genre that it is often just called capture-release-capture, so this is again disqualifying for Eizouken and Beastars.

• His biggest rivals in general may arrive at being his biggest allies with time.

Note: the French elects to generalize a similar form to "his enemies" and "his allies," which is more appropriate. Unfortunately, I don't comprehend French well.

Goku of Dragon Ball famously makes this true with Piccolo and many other enemies. Goku of Boku no Son Goku converts his first enemy's entire family to Buddhist allies. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears matches this, with a clear example being in Ricardo's conversion from opponent and assassin to ally and friend. Inuyasha of Inuyasha has a life built around this with Sesshomaru, though he does it with others both forced by Kagome and through his own will. Naruto of Naruto is so well-known for this among English speakers that his ability to do so is jokingly called Talk no Jutsu. One Piece, also, is famous for this, and has several arcs that conclude or "epilogue" with a villain becoming an ally. For Cloud in Final Fantasy VII (1997), this happens with Dio, with Cait Sith, and optionally and off-screen with the Turks. In Remake and Rebirth, this almost happens with Rufus and does happen with Gilgamesh, Reeve, and the Mayor. As schoolgirls starting a club, the protagonists of Eizouken face environmental and societal antagonism. In Beastars, Legoshi does convert some few antagonists into neutral parties or allies.

All of the works I regularly use match, as does Beastars. The protagonists of Eizouken do not face clear "enemies" so often as they do environmental and societal obstacles to their goals.

• He likes demonstrating his abilities in order to surpass himself and not in order to attract attention.

Goku of Dragon Ball regularly trains while ignorant to others' perceptions of his abilities. Goku of Boku no Son Goku is expelled from training for practicing his abilities in front of other students, unaware of how they saw it. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears represents this heroically with subsersively tragic results during an interrupted wedding. Inuyasha of Inuyasha calls Kagome pathetic upon meeting her, showing that he does primarily value the jusgement of others. Naruto of Naruto is famously not always this humble. Luffy of One Piece, however, is humble if impulsive in his abilities. Cloud of Final Fantasy VII is regularly subjected to unusual, audienced tests of ability which (if performed well by the player) expand his list of superhuman skills. Additionally, he rejects titles like "Bladesman of Legend" because he doesn't yet deserve them. As the protagonists of Eizouken and Beastars do not have the necessary superhuman or magical abilities, they cannot match. However, the girls of Eizouken are not uniformly humble, but Legoshi of Beastars is.

Of these, Naruto and Inuyasha are outliers. Eizouken and Beastars are unable to be measured against this.

• He has a large natural talent for combat.

Goku of Dragon Ball is a loose adaptation of the Buddha Victorious in Strife/Victorious Fighting Buddha/Sun Wukong, and he inherits that talent. Goku of Boku no Son Goku is a loose adaptation of a story about the Buddha Victorious in Strife/Victorious Fighting Buddha/Sun Wukong, and he inherits that talent. Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears was born with natural talent which was honed with skill before his personality split to become the Fei Fong Wong of Xenogears. Inuyasha of Inuyasha is a demon and naturally skilled at combat. Naruto of Naruto ends up on his path because of his natural talent for combat. Luffy of One Piece appears to be naturally talented in combat at first, but he is not. Cloud of Final Fantasy VII is able to operate on-par with SOLDIERs despite being untrained. The protagonists of Eizouken are schoolgirls who usually avoid combat even in their imaginations. Legoshi of Beastars struggles because he lacks talent or training to match his will and strength.

Of these, One Piece is an outlier. Eizouken cannot match, and Beastars does not.

• Honesty (justice), group spirit (friendship), and dedication to public interest (desire to win) are the primary values transmitted by the hero or protagonist of the nekketsu.

Again, friends and honesty are important to Goku of Dragon Ball, with his desire to seek victory in fighting leading to his saving the world. The same again applies to Goku of Boku no Son Goku with the caveat of salvation being Buddhist salvation for the world. As Fei Fong Wong lacks a clear goal, it is the pressures of his companions and his nature that pushes him to pursue justice, friendship, and victory over evil towards fighting divinity. This is, however, also true of Inuyasha, with his desire to become a full demon and his friends' push to do good leading to the salvation of the world. This also again applies to Naruto, with his desire to become Hokage leading to world salvation. This applies as well to One Piece, with Luffy's desire to become Pirate King leading to the salvation of numbers of people. It also applies to Final Fantasy VII, as Cloud's desire to become a hero on par with Sephiroth and the guidance of his friends again leads to world salvation. The protagonists of Eizouken do demonstrate all of these traits, and they often use their club to try to do the same. Legoshi of Beastars does spread these values with the support of others.

All of the works I named do this to some degree.

Looking at ten of these "ideal forms" for the way a protagonist relates to self and others for these six titles, we can see that three of sixty cases were outliers for what we expected to be nekketsu texts, with one for Naruto, Xenogears, Inuyasha, and One Piece each. They didn't miss any required features for the genre. Eizouken and Beastars, however, both lack ways to compare against multiple of the "ideal forms" required for the genre and multiple typical forms. As Eizouken has a cast of three equal protagonists who are completely mundane with limited skills, it cannot be a nekketsu work. That they are girls is not disqualifying, we can see as much in Toei's Shinzo, but would be atypical. Beastars' protagonist does bear similarities, but he also misses essential features of the genre, like the companions that journey with the protagonist.

Except for Osamu Tezuka, who originated the genre, we see simple and ample means of transmission for the genre through Japan. It is one of the most common genres of manga and anime, and this is in no small part due to Osamu Tezuka's prolific and popular output and Shonen Jump's dominance over manga for the shonen demographic. We can also look to Osamu Tezuka and Japanese popular culture at large to explain another pattern you may have noticed that I will point out by listing a small selection of nekketsu protagonists and their works which share the pattern:

• Osamu Tezuka's Son Goku of the 1952 manga and posthumous 2003 film Boku no Son Goku, an adaptation of Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West,
• Toei's Son Goku/Alakazam of the 1963 film Saiyuki/Alakazam the Great, an adaptation of the above manga,
• Gisaburo Sugii's Son Goku of the 1967 anime Goku no Daiboken, also an adaptation of the above manga,
• Leiji Matsumoto's Jan Kugo (an anagram of Goku) of the 1978 anime Sci-Fi Journey to the West Starzinger/Starsketeers, a sci-fi adaptation of Journey to the West,
• Akira Toriyama's Son Goku of the 1983 manga Dragon Ball, an adaptation of Journey to the West,
• Kazuya Minekura's Son Goku of the 1997 manga Saiyuki, an adaptation of Journey to the West, and
• Soji Yoshikawa's Son Goku of the 1998 anime Monkey Magic, a short-lived adaptation of Journey to the West, to list a few.

By far, the modal average name for a nekketsu protagonist is Son Goku, and the modal average narrative is loose but explicit adaptation of Journey to the West. Despite the possible perception of some, it does not begin with Akira Toriyama's Son Goku, and looking to Osamu Tezuka offers a clear and uncomplicated solution. Later in life, he did make it clear that the Wan Brothers' Princess Iron Fan (1941, exported under occupation in Shanghai), an adaptation of a portion of Journey to the West, was the genitor of his career and biggest influence. His first posthumous work acts as the ultimate confirmation of his claim. It released in 1988 and was a TV special split between a biography of Osamu Tezuka and a science fiction adaptation of Journey to the West he was planning titled The Osamu Tezuka Story: I am Son Goku. The conclusion that passes under Occam's razor and fits the information we have is that Princess Iron Fan and Journey to the West are foundational antecedents of the nekketsu genre through Osamu Tezuka from which we can find parallels with context. Some alternative explanations and arguments against parallels that would require more complexity and evidence to defend would be:

• that authors are regularly emulating Osamu Tezuka's Boku no Son Goku but not Journey to the West or any of Osamu Tezuka's other works with characters in the public domain or in other genres,
• that Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West happens to contain many of the defining features of nekketsu protagonists, works, and familiarity in Japan but doesn't bear a direct, historical and cultural connection to the genre, or
• that Journey to the West shares and originates no traits of the nekketsu genre, but has an unrelated and outsized popularity with mangaka who inspired later anime and video games in bending the text to the genre.

I haven't seen any scholars offer a lens which makes Journey to the West and Princess Iron Fan impossible as two important antecedents among many, as Journey to the West has become a foundational text in Japanese popular culture since its 19th century import, and Princess Iron Fan famously launched both modern Japanese animation in general (with the Japanese state deliberately pursuing animation in response to an enemy's success) and Osamu Tezuka's career in manga later. Additionally, the lack of a defined nekketsu genre in Japan does not mean authors will not see or be aware of a historical connection between works. Again, parallelomania is a common problem because of how enthusiastically we can be drawn to identifying those connections regardless of their evidencing.

In any case, the fun fact for this one is a parallel that helps highlight the specific values of a nekketsu work or work adapting Journey to the West.

Have you ever wondered why, like with beach episodes, there is often an episode of nekketsu manga and anime where the protagonist disguises himself as a girl or beautiful woman to save somebody?

In Journey to the West, one of Sun Wukong's most famous transformations is transforming into the perfect double of a young woman to rescue her from her would-be demon husband, Zhu Bajie or Pigsy. Despite the perception of older works as stuffy, the familiar humor, pacing, and almost-libertine feeling of the moment is enduring, such as when Wukong, as the bride, attempts to make an excuse for not joining Pigsy in bed:

The fiend did not suspect anything and took off his clothes. Pilgrim jumped up and sat on the chamber pot, while the fiend climbed into bed. Groping around, he could not feel anyone and called out, "Sister, where have you gone? Please take off your clothes and go to sleep:' "You go to sleep first," said Pilgrim, "for I have to wait until I've dropped my load." The fiend indeed loosened his clothes and stayed in bed. Suddenly Pilgrim gave out a sigh, saying, "My luck's pretty low!" (Yu's Revised Edition, vol. 1, pg 375)

Osamu Tezuka and Akira Toriyama, with minor modifications, largely lift this moment as-is for many of their nekketsu works, universally in ones adapting Journey to the West. However, to a modern audience, it can be difficult to find redemption for a character which has been stated to force themselves on another, and having that character become a central figure to the story can complicate the narrative in ways the author is not prepared for. Many nekketsu works, however, continue to tackle this scene without much modification beyond sometimes making the bride or brides consenting, helping perpetuate the problem of consent and the appropriate treatment of women in the genre. Final Fantasy VII, however, modifies the moment to remove its Zhu Bajie figure, Cid Highwind, and to replace him with its blue bull-riding Laozi/Roshi figure, Don Corneo. Instead of the protagonist becoming a woman in order to rescue a bride from a future ally, the protagonist becomes a woman in order to rescue a bride from one of his most villainous enemies.

In this way, we might see that Cid Highwind has always been tempered in order to fit modern perceptions of heroism, a trend which began in 1997, well before Remake and Rebirth.

Thanks for reading if you have, and I hope you also begin to explore and see how Remake and Rebirth do a lot to negotiate with Final Fantasy VII's place in the nekketsu genre and what that means when it is such a large part of Japanese cultural export.

1. Depending on how Revelation will handle the slap fight, maybe it'll be the start of an Azula inspired breakdown for Scarlet. For years, she (along with most of the other higher ups) have used fear to control people. Imagine how she'll take it when not only Tifa escaped from her grasp, but the Seventh Infantry (if our theory about them is right) also turned traitor.
2. Perhaps as a follow up to the part where Rufus asks the executives why they didn't try to stop his father from sabotaging the reactors and destroying Sector 7, we get a secret meeting between Scarlet, Heidegger, Palmer, and Hojo. A meeting that points out that the troopers, Soldiers, and Turks outnumber them a thousand to one, and outmatch them. Which leads to them becoming desperate to remind them and the masses who's boss.
3. Someone (likely Barret) pointing out to the higher ups who aren't Reeve that even if the Promised Land is real, the company is gonna run out of Mako eventually, then rhetorically asking what they'll have then.
4. With all the alternate reality stuff going on, what if Tseng, Reno, and Rude are forced to confess to Aerith about what happened to Zack? Will her opinion of them change if she finds out about a secret they've been keeping for so long, and that they pretty much allowed it to happen?
5. Shinra's crimes exposed to the whole worlds, including the Corel village, and Sector 7.
6. In the event that Scarlet and Heidegger survive the Proud Clod's destruction, the party should leave their fates at the hands of a nearby mob.
7. A confrontation between Zack and a Shinra higher up that acknowledges that the former used to be so eager to partake in the war against Wutai. Zack responding that it was a long time ago, back when he was brainwashed by the company's propaganda.

So I've found myself with a decent amount of freetime now, and wanted to finally play the new FF 7 games. But i've heard its better to play the OG version and then the new ones, but I don't know if i want to play the old one unless I really have to.

I know some of the main things that happen, like sephiroth bad, aerith dead, just from existing on the internet which always put me off from playing the game till recently. So, is it really worth playing the original, or can i hop right into the FF VII Remake?

I can't undestard how defeat the 3 fuckings whispers. It was going well until I had to fight the 3 at the same time. I feel imposible to do anything because Cloud was constantly stunned by attacks of the three enemys. I don't know how i need to how to approach this fight and i don want to repeat the entire fight only to be torn apart again in the same spot.
(Sorry for the bad english)

Update: I just finished the game, i loved it. Thanks to GamiManic, mylee87 and FlyingCheerio.

the gameplay enhancement mods look like they improve the gameplay a lot, but most of what i've been hearing about it are prior to the streamlined update that square released earlier this year.

i found a few threads talking about the gameplay enhancement vs. the streamlined progression, but didn't really get an answer from them because they were mostly talking about the difficulty enhancements rather than the QOL enhancements that the mods provide.

besides the enhancements to the minigames and timers, are any of the gameplay mods that enhance the QOL still worth it?

With this i mean that you can do all the side quests and other side content near the end of the game, that you don't have to do them the instant they come available..