“As a muslim… It’s reprehensible.”
By Ocean
To evaluate the morality of the reactor bombing mission we must first omit hindsight bias. While the mission served a causal role in the planet's eventual survival, an evaluation ought to judge the mission on its own moral merit. The essay prompt at hand presupposes terrorism as inherently unjustifiable. However, history and contemporary politics make evident the asymmetric application of the label "terrorist," which is often subject to power imbalance and varying perspectives. Avalanche likely considers themselves a resistance faction combatting ecocide and corporate villainy. Nonetheless, the bombing does meet the definition as laid out by the FBI: "violent, criminal acts committed to further ideological goals." While Avalanche would argue for its justification, I believe that it was morally reprehensible.
The difference lies in competing ethical frameworks, which interestingly FF7 makes a point to highlight. It portrays morality not as a black and white binary, but as a complex gradation of grey wherein the line separating heroes and villains blurs. For example, the game places the player not as a passive participant but the active agent (Cloud) who detonates the bomb, forcing us to immediately grapple with the ensuing repercussions.
On one end of the spectrum we have Barret, who represents Avalanche's consequentialist approach. In his Remake speech post-bombing, he states that "nothing worth fighting for was ever won without sacrifice." To Avalanche, the ends justify the means, and in their ideological framework driven by planetology they view themselves as the "good guys."
Conversely we have Tifa, whose views align more-so with deontology and virtue ethics, wherein the means themselves ought to be just irrespective of their ends. She expresses her discomfort of feeling "trapped" to Cloud. A fascinating notion is that this callback of feeling trapped, which Tifa made to Cloud in their childhood, did not just refer to physical endangerment but has eventually manifested as ideological entrapment—she's oppressed not just by Shinra's cruelty but by Avalanche's violent methods in combatting said cruelty. The game highlights this internal ethical tension not just within Avalanche, but also within Shinra with Reeve and the Turks’ moral stances.
My position coincides more-so with Tifa in that deliberately carrying out an act resulting in mass civilian loss is unjust. However, let's briefly evaluate potential alternatives. Targeting non-reactor infrastructure? That wouldn't mitigate Mako production. Peacefully challenging Shinra's propaganda? They control the media and market forces; and given Shinra's manufactured consent, the citizens of Midgar largely suffer from learned helplessness. Targeting leadership would perhaps have been the best alternative in minimizing potential casualties, an example of which is seen in Yuffie's attempt to assassinate Rufus in Rebirth.
While I can see the why behind Avalanche's methods, I cannot morally justify them, as I believe actions in and of themselves must be just. Drawing from my faith as a Muslim, we are taught to respond to oppression never with indiscriminate vengeance, but with patience and ethical restraint, seeking justice through means that don't mirror the oppressor’s cruelty, and ultimately entrusting matters to Divine providence.
“no easy answers… but technically terrorism.”
By C.D.
When looking at the aftereffects of the Avalanche Bombing mission, I think it's pretty obvious that it is terrorism. Even if Avalanche didn't intend for the amount of damage that occurred (no thanks to Shinra making it worse), it does meet the definition used by The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism(1] where we have a violent act committed outside of armed conflict for an ideological purpose intended to create extreme fear to compel a government to do or abstain from a particular act - in this case to dissuade Shinra from using Mako energy. But I'd argue despite this, it is justified due to the lack of other options.
While Shinra is a megacorporation, it is also a de facto government over Midgar and its other territories, complete with its own military with 2 known branches (Standard Army and SOLDIER). With the massive power Shinra wields, especially with SOLDIER and the machines Scarlet regularly crafts, other groups are inevitably bullied out of public discourse, leading to a Shira's way or else situation.
There are few newspapers besides those owned by Shinra (per Crisis Core), and the only TV stations we see in the compilation are Shira-owned. While we don't have direct evidence of the following, when we look at how little direct criticism we get toward Shira within Midgar outside of Avalanche, I would think the conjecture of Shinra not listening to, much less caring about, dissent of any kind is a pretty easy one to make. Even being on the board doesn't guarantee being heard, as Reeve himself shows us at multiple points in the compilation.
Therefore, when peaceful options are either ineffective or unavailable, what else can be done? "A riot is the language of the unheard™ after all, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often said. 2) Thus, the turn to violence is nigh inevitable at that point. If a populace is treated horribly for long enough, they will fight back to change that. A tragedy that could be averted if the people at the top would surrender any power.
As to the resulting collateral damage, this is a question not really addressed properly by Avalanche themselves within the games. While yes, Shira increases the damage as a means of heaping further harm and blame onto Avalanche than intended, the mako reactors designated for destruction still provide power to the populace. Depending on the reactor hit, this could affect Jessie's father, who is on life support, as are many others within the city's hospitals. Jessie wants less collateral damage, as evidenced by looking for weaker explosives, but other innocents that would suffer due to lack of electrical power are still dismissed just as much.
While the terroristic actions Avalanche takes can be seen as justified, is the collateral damage? Not really. Not when innocents are still hurt regardless of Shinra worsening matters or not. With how corrupt Shinra is, there are no easy answers to getting them to stop their wrongs.
Citations:
https://icct.nl/sites/default/files/2023-03/Schmidt%20-%20Defining%20Terrorism1,pdf
https://time.com/3838515/baltimore-riots-language-unheard-quote/
Essay Response 1 – Not morally justified… What could have happened instead?
By W.S.
Avalanche's bombing of the reactor is an act of eco-terrorism which cannot be morally justified. Cloud, Barrett, and the crew destroy property and kill indiscriminately in an effort to stop Shinra’s destruction of the Planet and degradation of the Lifestream. While making for a memorable opening to FFVII and an engaging gameplay sequence, the party’s attack is a case of fighting Firaga with Firaga, taking innocent lives in the name of preserving the Lifestream. To defend this approach would be to argue that the ends justify the means; it is a claim at once logically incoherent, as Kant shows in hisGroundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, and pragmatically dangerous, as the history of violence in the name of ideology, however zealous, attests.
What Kant formulates rationally as the “categorical imperative” to treat human beings as ends in themselves, never as the means to an end, can be set right alongside the believer’s faith in the value of human life, seeing all people as images of God, as taught by the judeo-christian scriptural tradition. This is a view shared by the prophets and developed more recently by leaders such as Tolstoy, Gandhi, and King, in their writings, and the nonviolent movements for freedom and rights they helped spark have carried religious values through, despite politicized deformations, into still-vital contact with contemporary life and thought. By looking closely at great art, including video games, I hope we can spark the same realization of the abiding power of mythic truths alongside rational arguments. It is only by being an “extremist for love,” as King writes in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, that the power of hate, greed, and fear motivating oppressors and terrorists alike can be overcome. (More hardheaded observers looking at the history of postwar Japan and Europe might point out that economic investments in the devastated countries, whether lovingly charitable or simply self-interested in nature, have helped to cement alliances and to stave off another world war--so far.)
In FFVII, the bombing run leads to escalating violence, core to the gameplay loop of traditional RPGs, and foreshadows how this cycle of violence, played out to its conclusion, will lead to the ambiguous ending of the original game; we see (spoilers) the city of Midgar in ruins and the Planet at peace, but no sign of human life. Ironically enough, an alternative, ethical way of combating Shinra, of saving lives and transforming them so as to live in harmony with the Planet, is right there in the cutscenes and gameplay bookending the opening mission. The girl in the alley, her face lit by the glow of mako energy, is somehow able to grow flowers in a broken church; and girl-next-door Tifa, back at the bar/headquarters, wIll begin the slow process of restoring Cloud’s memory. Avalanche could have chosen to rely on cultivating growth and an ethic of care, raising the people's consciousness and reconnecting them with their roots. The Jesses, Biggses and Wedges of the group, spies and technicians, could have infiltrated Don Corneo’s organization sooner and exposed the links between the vices of the slums and the highest echelons of corporate power. The result would have been a very different game, of course. Perhaps Aeris herself could have realized the power of the Holy materia before it was too late. What matters in the end, though, is that players come away with a renewed reverence for the holy and for human life.
MLK quotes!
By J.M.
When the innocent are slain at the hands of the righteous, there is no heaven to be had, only hell.
Which means are justified when confronting evil and injustice? More so, does the end justify the means? These are two valid questions to ponder in a world where we are faced with evil and injustice every day and are forced to reckon with how we respond. Final Fantasy VII’s opening bombing mission causes us to grapple with these questions (both the original and the remake). While I have sympathy for the cause they are fighting for, Avalanche’s bombing of the reactor is not morally justified, but is an act of terrorism. An act of evil is still evil even if it was done to bring about good.
To be morally justified, I believe an act must not cause undue suffering or consequences to the innocent. If so, the act cannot be considered such and must be considered evil. Intentions do not merit an act good. As the saying goes, “the path to hell is paved with good intentions.” Did the bombing of the reactor by Avalanche cause undue suffering or consequences to innocents? The answer is yes. Civilians are killed as a result of the explosion. In the original, an NPC comments, “A lotta innocent people got killed too! If the explosion had been in the middle of the night, that woulda been one thing. At least the people coulda gone in their sleep.” The NPC’s dialogue further accentuates that not only did innocent people die, they suffered more because it wasn’t done at night. The explosion causes blackouts. While I am not sure what the case is in a world like FF7’s where magic exists, but in our world, blackouts impact hospitals and may cause people to die that rely on treatment. There is then the property damage incurred in the surrounding areas. If said action was morally justified, so many innocent people would not have suffered.
The remake does color the story a bit differently. Shinra is the culprit behind the bomb’s devastating damage, not purely Avalanche. Jessie designs it to be surgical and limit impact on innocents. But they were, so to speak, “playing with fire”. There was always a risk of civilian harm, which was exploited. While Shinra holds the lion’s share of the guilt, there is still culpability on Avalanche for initiating violence and starting the chain of events that led to the death and destruction that followed. Furthermore, despite believing they were the sole cause of the destruction that followed the first reactor’s explosion, they still proceeded to attempt to bomb another, indicating their moral blindness.
We all want to live in a better world. I can feel Barret’s anger at the injustice of those who exploit and cause such evil. But we cannot repay evil with more evil. The only way to overcome injustice is to be steadfast in good. It pains me to say what they did was terrorism because my heart yearns for their cause. Had they only adhered to the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all.”
By J.S.
"Are the reactor bombings morally justified?' I don't believe so. There were just too many people innocent people getting caught in the crossfire for that to be justified. All of the private infrastructure that was damaged, like homes and business, make it a clear case for terrorism. They only ended up bombing two reactors and I counted 10 in the world that continued to operate; they could have bombed North Corel and Nibelheim instead where there aren't any civilians around and achieved the same effect. But, because they picked Midgar as the location, innocent people were injured and killed and ultimately, Avalanche members are accountable for criminal behavior as a result and have to face their victims and their families when all the dust settles. One thing people don't really discuss very much is how Tifa didn't seem to have an issue with involving Cloud in terrorism either. If she cared for him as a friend, then why involve him in terrorism at all? Just find him some regular work where he isn't going to be at risk for throwing his whole life away.
Taking action now before the worse days arrive.
By Fastesthe
I believe the bombing of the mako reactors is justified. In a way, the bombing of the reactors is a larger version of the infamous trolley problem. On the one hand, destroying the reactors now will save the planet, but it might come at the cost of innocent lives caught in the crossfire. But on the other, if left alone, the reactors will eventually drain the plant of its mako, killing everything that lives and will live upon it. While it might take years for the mako to be entirely drained, the innocent lives that would have been spared by not carrying out the bombings would instead succumb to the death of the planet itself. Ideally no one would be harmed in these attempts to save the planet. However, with the lives of everything and everyone at stake, damages from the bombings would be small in comparison to the destruction the reactors would bring.
Trying to convince Shinra—and the rest of the population, for that matter—to shut down the reactors would be an exhausting uphill battle. Like with many real-world businesses, Shinra is more interested with lining their pockets with money than dealing with the long-term consequences of their decisions. As seen when they decided to drop the Sector 7 plate, President Shinra and most of his executives have little regard for the lives of others, as they were willing to kill thousands just to destroy one tiny resistance group and to further their own propaganda. To ask them to consider shutting down the reactors to spare innocent lives would have them laughing in your face at best.
As for the rest of the population, many of them have been under Shinra’s influences for so long that they believe the mako reactors to be a modern miracle. Mako energy has drastically improved the lives of many individuals, allowing easier access to electricity and even creating marvels like Midgar and the Gold Saucer. But for these people, the idea of “the miracle of mako” destroying the planet feels so far-fetched that some would even mock Avalanche and their supporters openly in the street. While some people can be convinced that the reactors are a danger, as seen in the Cosmo Canyon, most would be adamant for the reactors’ benefits or unwilling to go extreme lengths against the tyrannical Shinra and their elite military. Perhaps with time and extreme effort the world can be convinced it is best to have the reactors shut down, but time is a luxury that the planet does not have. With every passing moment, mako is permanently used up and discarded, never to again fulfill its purpose of continuing the cycle of life. So with such little time left—perhaps even only a few remaining years—it is better to take action now than to hope some Shinra executive will listen and hit the off switch some unknown time in the future.
Justice because what Shinra was doing is worse
By D.C.
I consider Avalanche's actions to be just, because as we go throughout the game we see how Shinra's actions negatively affect both the planet and the people of Midgar; especially those who live in the slums. Which is why I can understand why Barrett 's cell did what they did, even if it meant bring exiled from the rest of Avalanche. Because while we don't know what methods Avalanche used to fight against Shinra before the events of the game, we can assume that overtime it got to the point where violence was necessary.
That said, I do feel there could've been ways to at the very least minimize the amount of casualties as I do believe that there would've still been collateral damage regardless.
By R.O.
In the beginning of FF7, Barret’s cell of Avalanche bombs Shinra’s mako reactor located in Sector 1 of Midgar. FF7R muddles Avalanche’s culpability by incorporating a false flag operation. Regardless, Barret’s team, unaware of this nuance, downplays the collateral damage and moves on to their next target. Many are critical of Avalanche’s methods, labeling them terrorism. While the party later experiences guilt for causing civilian casualties, the reality of their world renders their resistance morally justifiable. To corroborate this claim, three conditions must be evaluated: what is said reality, were there other options, and what was Avalanche’s intent?
Shinra’s transgressions exceed the depletion of the Lifestream and the resulting long-term planetary destruction. It is engaged in imperialism and ghettoization worldwide. Armed resistance is justified against such entities, as enshrined in real-world international law.1 Shinra has militarily occupied the former capital of the Republic of Junon and has committed atrocities, including genocide, in places such as Wutai, Corel, and Rhadore. Locally, the proverbial “pizza” built over the slums is akin to occupation, stripping its people of their basic freedoms like the freedom of movement.2 People’s energy bills fund two of Shinra’s imperialist programs: 1) weapons development and 2) the discovery and building of “Neo Midgar”3, a colonial metaphor that is eerily relevant to our world today.4
“In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience.”5 In an ideal world, Avalanche could have remained an advocacy organization,6 preaching planetology to Midgar’s denizens and weaning them from Shinra’s mako. Shinra, however, cannot be reformed, and President Shinra himself makes that very clear.7 Shinra is a hyperbole of corporate fascism with a liberal façade spread via propaganda billboards and impassioned speeches by their middle managers.8 There is no democracy in Midgar and no grassroots movements on the plate working to change Shinra’s practices. Shinra’s incorrigibility is central to the character arc of Reeve Tuesti, the inside man who fails to sway his fellow executive board members9 and, by the end of the original game, is instrumental to a surgical strike on them that Avalanche could not have performed in their nascent state.
Within international legal frameworks,10 terrorism is the infliction of harm on civilians to spread fear with the goal of coercing a government to comply with demands. Terrorism is therefore delimited by the target and the intent of its perpetrators. Avalanche’s actions do not reasonably qualify as terrorism. With their knowledge and limited means, Avalanche chose the most direct target to disrupt Shinra’s operations: the sources of their profit and power. In Remake, Jessie took great pains to ensure the next bomb is limited in radius.11 Tifa was anxious over her involvement and the impending blowback from Shinra, prioritizing the minimization of collateral damage when around Shinra’s civilian employees.12 Randomized serial bombing of each mako reactor was likely Barret’s plan had the mission in Sector 5 been successful. Rather than fear or coercion, their intent was sabotage of Shinra’s exploitative infrastructure to both free the people and save the planet.
REFERENCES
1. UNGA Resolution 37/43, https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-185486/
2. FF7R, Chapter 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTcSGhq73QY
3. FF7R, Chapter 16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEfZqixZ8cM
4. https://x.com/Schrodingersba4/status/2014395905143906377?s=20
5. Quote by Kwame Ture, circa 1966
6. Various sources, namely TOTP: Traces of Tifa and Barret’s character quest in FF7 Ever Crisis
7. FF7R, Chapter 17 https://youtu.be/TwDgV-QqkGs?si=4U6uom0_2WBtEGPL&t=157
8. FF7R, Chapter 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cpEnyacUqI
9. See #3.
10. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “Introduction to International Terrorism” (Vienna, 2018), Pages 1-2, https://www.unodc.org/documents/e4j/18-04932_CT_Mod_01_ebook_FINALpdf.pdf
11. FF7R, Chapter 4 https://youtu.be/bwHiPuhbqbs?si=vY_5jXFYEhlStKsF&t=91
12. FF7R, Chapter 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp3waBjoWDU
Avalanche harmed their own goals
By Aqua0185
Although Avalanche believes their actions are justified, it can be argued that a different and less destructive approach could have been taken. Regardless of intention, a bomb remains a bomb, and the way Avalanche used it ultimately constituted an act of terrorism, no matter how small they believed the explosion would be. Jessie carefully calculated and researched the bomb’s potential impact to avoid a large-scale catastrophe, yet the resulting destruction still exceeded expectations. While this outcome was not entirely her fault, the consequences highlight the inherent danger of using violent methods, even when the goal is believed to be morally right.
It is understandable why Avalanche chose such an extreme approach. Shinra is a powerful corporation with immense influence over the government and society, making it incredibly difficult to challenge through conventional means. From Avalanche’s perspective, drastic action may have seemed like the only quick and effective way to draw attention to the damage Shinra was causing to the planet. Their logic is rooted in desperation, as they believed time was running out and that peaceful efforts would be ignored or suppressed. However, choosing violence not only risked innocent lives but also undermined their cause by fostering fear and resentment among the public.
The world is divided in its support. Many people rely on Shinra’s energy to survive and maintain their way of life, which makes them naturally inclined to support the company despite its environmental harm. At the same time, there are those who sympathize with Avalanche and recognize the long-term damage Shinra is inflicting on the planet. By resorting to bombings, Avalanche alienated potential allies and reinforced Shinra’s narrative that they were dangerous extremists rather than concerned activists fighting for planetary survival.
A more effective and ethical approach could have involved Avalanche taking a strategic stand focused on public awareness and accountability rather than destruction. By exposing the environmental damage caused by Shinra, Avalanche could have gradually built public recognition and support. This might have included investigating laws being broken, uncovering illicit activities, or identifying whistleblowers willing to leak critical information. As public opinion shifted, Shinra’s reputation could have been diminished, putting pressure on the company through social, political, and legal channels.
While this approach would undoubtedly have been slower and required patience, it would have avoided unnecessary destruction and potential loss of life. Change achieved through awareness and collective action tends to be more sustainable than change driven by fear and violence. Ultimately, although Avalanche’s intentions may have been rooted in protecting the planet, their methods caused harm that contradicted their goals. A nonviolent, strategic resistance could have preserved their moral high ground while still challenging Shinra’s power in a meaningful and lasting way.
What is the alternative??? No resources?
By Spaurtan
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. From the player’s perspective, it is easy to see Avalanche as inherently good; they are our protagonists, their ideals favor the long term survival of the planet, and Shinra is just comically evil. While Avalanche’s end goal of saving the planet is admirable, they go about it in a dangerous way that will fail to send the right message to most people. Remake may show that Avalanche ultimately did little damage to the reactor, but the group believes that it was their work that caused the massive explosion that severely damaged parts of Sector 8 (and presumably Sector 1), and they were more than ready to do the same with the other reactors in Midgar and the world beyond.
This type of destruction comes with the deaths of many innocent lives, and the survivors have to deal with loss of loved ones, their homes, their places of work, and if enough reactors are destroyed, their entire way of life. In Gaia, infrastructure, transportation, entertainment, and creature comforts revolve around mako. The average individual will see the threats to all of these things and the message will not be “we should find an alternative to mako”, it becomes “Avalanche will sacrifice us for their vendetta against Shinra”. Once Avalanche is named as the perpetrators of the bombing, we see NPCs referring to Avalanche fearfully or aggressively (“you can’t hide forever Avalanche” “this bombing screwed me over something fierce), and get defensive over the use of mako (“they blew up a reactor so they could save the planet? More like they want us to give up our way of life”) .
While it’s true that the world needs to get away from its reliance on mako, you cannot instantly make the change without setting up some form of alternative infrastructure. In On A Way To A Smile, the world is struggling to make the most of what little processed mako power is left as they try to come up with a new way to power the world. Quality of life has fallen significantly, and while geostigma was not caused by the loss of mako directly, the people being affected feel despair as a result of the changes to the world around them. In an ideal world, a replacement to mako could have been created, a strategy to implement it written up, and people could be convinced to make the swap without too much intervention from Shinra. It would be slower, it would be a very different kind of difficult, but should it work, it creates a version of events where the future is safe without all the losses in the present. Assuming Avalanche were to succeed in its mission as presented at the beginning of OG/Remake, and removing Sephiroth and Jenova from the equation, they would end up creating a scenario very similar to OAWTAS, minus the illness that preys on the feelings of despair.
No resources, there has to be something to replace it
By Towtansua
The Avalanche mission was justified -- because they lived in a world with Mako Reactions and The Lifestream. Their urgent, existential fears for their planet seem to be authentic and accurate.
But the real world doesn't quite have those things so I don't even have patience for environmentalists that try to vandalize precious works of art or try to block traffic.
Marlene said, "Thanks to the Shinra, we were able to lead very comfortable lives. But isn't that because we were taking away from the planet's life?" For Avalanche it's reasonable to compare standard of living to literally killing the planet. In our world we do need to think about the same tension, but the pros and cons of various environmental proposals are more complex. And for all we know the human race will invent cold fusion during my lifetime anyway.
It was just… until it wasn’t
By John
The question that we set out to answer today is whether the actions of the group “Avalanche” from Final Fantasy 7 should be regarded as terrorism or resistance. Which is, really, to decide whether their actions can be considered moral. On the legal front (and an important distinction is that legal and moral are not synonymous), assuming that Midgar has similar laws to Japan then we can certainly say that Avalanche’s actions are illegal; punishable with life in prison or the death penalty, even. However, many storied accounts of righteous resistance have been in defiance of legal authority, such as the civil disobedience of the Civil Rights movement and the much bloodier resistance of the American Revolution. So, we have now established that the defiance of legal authority – even when violent – can be defined as moral resistance rather than immoral terrorism.
That being said, the kind of violence matters. In the case of the American Revolution (and other similar cases), the violence was largely confined to combat between military forces comprised of willing participants (although there is almost always violence against civilians anytime wars are fought near population centers). In the operations that Avalanche undertakes, two kinds of violence are committed – against official forces of the government, the Shinra military personnel that guard the reactor, and against civilians, who are caught in the explosion of Mako Reactor One. Let us pause for a moment, as I am sure any reader familiar with the plot of the game is now objecting that it is Shinra, not Avalanche, that trigger the larger, more destructive explosion. This is true, but our protagonists do not know that so we must judge their actions based on how they operate while under the belief that they are responsible for the wider death and destruction.
It is here that we begin to run into moral problems. When the conflict is confined to attacks against the property and representatives, who have voluntary placed themselves in positions that are inherently dangerous, of a government perceived (rightfully) to be authoritarian, then it can be well argued that such actions are legitimate resistance. However, once those actions expand to cause harm to innocent bystanders, and the leadership of the group in Barrett deems this to be acceptable; well, the waters get murkier. This is especially the case when the group decides to go forward with the same plan on Reactor Five under the assumption that the same mass casualty event will occur. This willingness to inflict large scale, collateral damage on unconnected individuals puts them well within the terrorist camp.
In short: the bombing of Reactor One, as originally planned, can be defined as legitimate resistance. Once the larger explosion occurs, the group accepts the mass casualties as tragic, but necessary, and plans to carry the plans forward, their actions progress into being definable as terrorism. The willingness to harm those that are neither voluntarily involved nor knowingly complicit with Shinra can be defined only as immoral and terroristic.
An argument against terrorism toward the Shinra Company
By Sephiroth1204
At the start of Final Fantasy VII, the protagonist, Cloud, is hired to join an extremist branch of the Avalanche organization. This mission is to bomb one of 8 Mako Reactors in the City of Midgard. The justification given is that these reactors draw upon the planet’s very life energy (a fact which is not exaggerated, as displayed later in the game) and that destruction of these reactors gives the planets a little more time before it is sucked dry of its very lifeforce.
The aftermath of this bombing mission, along with a second one on another reactor, is a crackdown by Shinra on any and all resistance within the city, culminating in the dramatic destruction of the entire Sector 7 and all within. The question to deal with, is this truly justified? I would like to argue that it is not, for several reasons.
First, the Avalanche splinter headed by Barret Wallace is already an extremist fringe of Avalanche, and is not in good favor with the main organization, as seen in Remake. Avalanche shares the same goal of saving the planet, but not at the cost of human life that Barret allows (He is devastated by the plate destroying Sector 7, but cares not at all for those killed in his own bombings). The vigilantism here endangers not only the resistance fighters of Avalanche, but those they are trying to protect who are also victims of Shinra. At the end of the day, Barret’s motivations are selfish.
Second, as we see from the aftermath, the means did not justify the ends at all. Shinra only changed because the president was killed and his son took over with a different idea of control. Midgar does not change. Gaea does not change. All that changes is that our heroes have higher stakes on their conscience that causes them to keep fighting. Midgar becomes a side note in the story, being returned to later no worse for wear, aside for the attack from the Diamond WEAPON on the Mako Cannon. Shinra does not change. Avalanche does not change. The balance of power does not change. Barret changes in that he has the deaths of even more loved ones on his conscience. The mission was a failure.
We as the player feel hate for Shinra. After all, their reaction to the bombings was out of proportion and showed how truly villainous this organization is. However, the measure of their evil does not justify the collateral damage and lack of regard for the innocents caught in between. And what was the alternative? Lay down and let the planet die? Not at all. However, the fact that our heroes save the world without resorting to further terroristic activities shows the pointlessness of their original actions. There was a better way, filled with its own hardships but far less pain to those who were just trying to get by.
Avalanche in the "Gray Zone"
By Rexona
In fact, it's neither terrorism nor resistance that drives Avalanche to their actions. Rather, it's the motivations tailored to each individual character. Cloud's group - Barret, Tifa, Aerith - live in the slums of Midgar. They are acutely aware that something is amiss with the world order. Plants and animals in the regions where Mako is mined are dying out. Each member of Cloud's group has had their own personal experience with Shinra, consistently triggered by their negative emotions of "hatred," "greed," and "delusion." Shinra manipulates the population to satisfy their "greed" for power and wealth. They don't care what happens to the planet or its people; only their status and their goals (the Promised Land, Neo Midgar) matter.
Now I would like to discuss each character individually and explain why it isn't always advantageous to delve too deeply into the past and allow oneself to be influenced by it.
Barret lost his home and his wife to Shinra's greed in the past. He seeks revenge against Shinra, and in doing so, he gives in to his greed, essentially denying and repressing his true self into his subconscious. He becomes, to a certain extent, the very thing he swore to fight. His motivation is his thirst for revenge. Avalanche is essentially just a facade to satisfy this thirst.
Tifa lost her home and her father to Shinra (Sephiroth was part of it). Because of this, she essentially denies and represses her true self and her feelings into her subconscious, which often causes her insecurity. Tifa is a prisoner of her emotions, which often makes her doubt herself and her actions. However, this also makes her the rational voice of Avalanche, as she doesn't focus solely on her ego like Barret. Indeed, she often reminds Barret of Avalanche's true purpose. Her motivation is her hatred for Shinra, Sephiroth, soldiers, and Mako. Avalanche is merely a facade.
Aerith lost her mother and home to Shinra in the past. She is the last descendant of the Cetra, and therefore Shinra is determined to convince Aerith to work with her, even if it means resorting to violence. During her childhood in the slums, Aerith was constantly on the run and under pressure from Shinra. This, however, "unconsciously" fostered an extremely strong self-confidence that radiates from her. Because Aerith possesses the White Materia, she also possesses the all-encompassing memories, dreams, and desires of the planet. With the events unfolding for the group, Aerith's destiny (gray) will soon be fulfilled. However, Aerith is afraid of her destiny (gray), so she flees and represses it into her subconscious, suppressing the White Materia. This allows the Whisperers to steal the White Materia and the dreams, desires, and memories associated with it. A dream (Zack) arises in the lifestream (Rebirth). Aerith thus "denies" her destiny. Avalanche itself is not important to her; only the people at Avalanche and her finally found home matter.
I'm deliberately leaving Cloud out of this discussion because it would take far too long to explain his motivations and reasons. I can at least say that he harbors hatred, greed, and delusion, but he barely perceives them in his dream. I'm also leaving Red out, as he only appears at the end of the remake.
Looking too deeply into the past also means confronting our subconscious. Our dark, evil, and warlike primal instincts are awakened in our "self," in our consciousness. It's like our ancient human nature, which was necessary for survival in prehistoric times. The problem is that if we aren't honest with ourselves—that is, each and every "self"—as I've already explained regarding Tifa, Barret, and Aerith, then this dark subconscious consumes our consciousness. Hatred, greed, and delusion take over our thoughts and actions. We are controlled by others and become nothing more than a facade driven by our emotions.
Through the unconscious (the lifestream), the "Jenova" within us literally rises up, which the Cetra hid 2000 years ago in the lifestream at the end of the world and at its lowest point. Jenova clings to and feeds on these emotions in the form of Jenova Birth (white), Jenova Life (gray), and Jenova Death (black), and is thus immortally bound to the thread of fate (gray) of the world. This is also reflected in the Whisperers. However, if one is honest with oneself and confronts these toxic emotions, then the members of Avalanche are capable of doing the right thing, for themselves and the world. For that is what life is like; it is not black or white, but gray, like the thread of fate that shapes the lifestream.
In principle, Avalanche is acting correctly because they are preventing the death of the planet. Avalanche must not let their selfish feelings blind them, otherwise they will become like Sephiroth and Shinra – the planet will be saved, but what about the people and all living beings?
A Tale of Two Bombs
By Rowshin
Was the bombing of the Mako reactor justified or an act of terrorism? This is a complicated question that requires one to to look past the surface level observations and instead look at the layers of political and social commentary that make up the act. This is also the case with a similar act that occurred in South Africa during the Apartheid era. This act is also layered with complexity, and depending on your perspective, could be seen as an act of terrorism instead of a justified act. However, once dissected, both of these acts are shown to be clearly justified. In 1982 the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station in Cape Town was rocked by bomb blasts set by operatives from the African National Congress (Nossiter, 2026). What this blast did was severely set back the Apartheid regime’s nuclear weapons program, and it ultimately led to the abandonment of the program completely. One of the key operatives, Renfrew Christie, was arrested and charged with terrorism by the regime and spent years on death row before being released at the end of Apartheid (Nossiter, 2026). When asked about if he regretted his actions in aiding the ANC to bomb the facility, Christie stated, “I was working for Nelson Mandela…I am very proud of that. We won. We got democracy” (Nossiter, 2026). The Apartheid regime argued that Christie was a terrorist, and its supporters held that perspective too. However, when you analyze past these surface level observations you see that the Apartheid regime was a brutal and oppressive force, where the native African populations held no basic rights and were at best second class citizens of the land they were indigenous to. Such a regime gaining a nuclear bomb would be emboldened to never back down from their brutality; the desire for equal rights anddemocracy would become futile in the face of a nuclear bomb. Such is the case with North Korea and its own brutal regime, no one, not even the US dares to challenge the Kim regime due to their possession of nuclear weapons. The act of bombing the nuclear facility prevented that scenario from occurring in South Africa, and paved the way to freedom and democracy. When you look at the bombing of the Mako reactor, the similarities are clear. The idea was to halt and cripple Shinra’s ability to access Mako and prevent the death of the planet, much like how the operatives in South Africa sought to cripple the regime's nuclear infrastructure. Of course Shinra takes advantage of this and the destruction that followed to aggressively push the idea of the group as a terrorist cell, but it is all about perspective. The act was done with the intent to save the planet and to guarantee a better future. While the powers that were in place then disagreed and controlled the narrative, it is clear that these acts are justified in that they did just that, allowing for the chance for a better and more equal and safe future to be carved out for the next generation.
References
Nossiter, A. (2026). Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’ s Nuclear Program.
New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/world/africa/renfrew-christie-dead.html