"The new capital city of humanity, built beneath Cocoon. Rapid urbanization has taken place under the leadership of the Academy and this highly automated information city stands at the center of a new civilization. But, how many years, how many centuries, must it take to create such a wonder? This is truly a city of the future--brilliant electronic signs, neon lights, aircars whizzing between towering skyscrapers."
—Online description.
Academia(アカデミア,Akademia?), also identified as City of Academia on the official site, is a location in Final Fantasy XIII-2. Other than being Hope Estheim's new hometown, it replaces Eden from Final Fantasy XIII as the new capital city, and is run by the Academy.
Academia is the capital city of the settlements that have sprung up around the base of Cocoon's pillar, and the location of the Academy Headquarters.
Construction of Academia began approximately four hundred years ago. Later, the artificial fal'Cie Adam was completed and set to oversee the running of the city.
Academia is protected by a highly advanced security system. In the event that intruders enter the city, a range of countermeasures will be set in motion to contain and eliminate the threat.
Area Information Academia is the capital city of the settlements that have sprung up around the base of the Cocoon pillar.
In the east is the merchant's area, with Grand Avenue running down the middle, and in the west is the residential district called New Town. To the north stands the headquarters of the Academy organization, a popular sightseeing spot for visitors and locals alike.
From the Editor's Desk: After a full day of shopping, we recommend heading to the Academy HQ building and checking out the night views from the restaurant on the top floor. The restaurant is run directly by the Academy, and it serves up dishes that tickle the intellect as well as the palate.
Due to the creation of the Proto fal'Cie Adam and its role in the slaughter of the Academy's personnel in 13 AF, the history of humans being manipulated and branded by the fal'Cie is repeated. Arriving in 400 AF, Noel, Mog, and Serah helplessly watch as countless citizens are transformed into Cie'th when Adam detects their presence. Sending a duplicate of Caius to represent it, with Serah and Noel mistaking it for the real Caius, they learn that they are contradictions in the timeline due to something that would happen in their future, which has already occurred 200 years in the past involving them learning something forbidden sealed within a tower.
Fighting their way through streets of Cie'th, Serah and Noel eventually find Yeul under attack before being mortally wounded by Zenobia. While Yeul explains that her death was meant to happen this way, Serah collapses to the ground while blaming Noel and herself for ultimately sealing the seeress's fate. Yeul dies leaving an artefact to lead them to Augusta Tower 200 AF, where they learn the forbidden history that gave rise to the time they previously came from.
By managing to erase Adam from history, in the alternate timeline Academia becomes a peaceful utopian society. Finding Hope and Alyssa there due to a time capsule he devised, Hope tells Noel and Serah about his change of plans for a new "man-made" Cocoon that will be powered by five Graviton Cores. After traveling through time searching for the cores, Hope brims with excitement as he begins to set up preparations that would take a century to complete. Manipulated by Caius through her desire to continue existing, Alyssa gives Noel and Serah the Vagabond Artefact for a recently repaired gate to make them fall into Caius's trap. Serah and Noel escape Caius's trap, however, and upon fixing the time paradoxes, Alyssa is erased from history, with only a few people retaining faint memories of her.
By 500 AF, the streets of Academia have been infused with chaos, transforming them into a labyrinth of floating blocks, and the city is mostly abandoned as everyone is transferred to the completed Bhunivelze. Noel and Serah have to navigate through the city while being haunted by Yeul's voice, telling them to stop and turn back and warning them of fighting Caius.
In a scenario interview with Toriyama and Watanabe in the Final Fantasy XIII-2 Ultimania Omega, it is revealed that the Caius that Noel and Serah meet in Academia is the same Caius from Noel's time who has arrived from Valhalla; even if Caius can't normally travel in time the same way Noel and Serah can, because Academia is so strongly affected by chaos at this time, Caius is able to make his way there from Valhalla.
Noel and Serah reach Caius and a battle breaks out in the abandoned city where Caius transforms into Chaos Bahamut and Serah and Noel ride on an airship piloted by Sazh Katzroy. After losing, Caius opens a wormhole on the sky and flies into it, and Serah and Noel jump in after him.
After defeating Caius in Valhalla, Noel and Serah emerge out of the final gate back to Academia 500 AF. The city is no longer affected by chaos and has returned to normal. However, after Etro's death chaos consumes the world and Academia is replaced by the city from Valhalla that surrounds Etro's temple.
Academia is a futuristic city with high scyscrappers and platforms for citizens to move around the town. There are also quick-travel passes for citizens that move in straight lines easening citizens' foot travel across the town.
When the city is in peaceful times, the dominant color of neons is blue, but at the times of conflict the neons turn red.
Director of Final Fantasy XIII-2, Motomu Toriyama, has explained that the large Cocoon as it appears in Final Fantasy XIII was built on fal'Cie technology, but in Final Fantasy XIII-2, the power of the fal'Cie is no more and Academia is a city based on human technology. When designing Academia the developers experimented with visionary architecture, suggesting how city planning may appear on Earth in the future.[1]
When Academia is first visited battles occur under dramatic conditions, in the evening and during rainfall. These choices were made in order to enhance the sense of tragedy and the developers consider this setting a visual reference, and a symbol of Final Fantasy XIII-2.[1]
Youji Iio, Environment Technical Artist, says that initially the developers started on the map's day version as this is where the player has access to all areas. The designers realized that a large metropolis with lights and skyscrapers can be visually impressive in the evening, and so moved on to the 400 AF version in order to work on the lighting, and then continued on implementing the rain and all of the finer details and features. In the end, the 400 AF version of Academia was the one that was finished first.[1]
Once the developers had decided to allow the main character to jump on the field, they knew they wanted a game location where the level design would offer a platform challenge.[1] Thus the idea for Academia 500 AF was born.
"Threat Level Omega" and "Chaotic Guardian" play in Academia at 400 AF. At 4XX AF, Academia has an eponymous theme, titled "Academia", composed by Masashi Hamauzu. "Yaschas Massif" and "March of the Dreadnoughts" from Final Fantasy XIII also play at 4XX AF.
"Labyrinth of Chaos" plays in Academia 500 AF, the game's final dungeon.
In the minigame Brain Blast, exclusive to Academia 4XX AF, Academia is revealed to be the best place to live by scientists in the Academy.
Academia and Eden share many traits. Both of their names come from their protector, they are both capitals, they are both at some point being controlled by a fal'Cie, and their populace have to evacuate in order to start living on a new planet.
Although there exists concept art of the Academia Headquarters of what appears to be the 400 AF version, the location is unvisitable in-game.
The 500 AF version shares resemblances with Orphan's Cradle in the way that there are many platforms that change positions.
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Added by Aihrtu
Concept art of 400 AF.
Concept art of 400 AF.
Concept art of 500 AF.
Concept art of 500 AF.
Concept art of Academy Headquarters.
Concept art of Academy Headquarters.
Concept art of Academy Headquarters.
Concept art of the buildings in Academia.
Concept art of the buildings in Academia.
Concept art.
An early concept art for Final Fantasy XIII looks remarkably similar to the Academia 400 AF and may have been an inspiration.
Serah in Academia 400 AF, examining a walkway control panel.
Academia 400 AF (2).
Academia 400 AF (3).
The Cie'th outbreak in Academia 400 AF.
Caius leaves Noel and Serah with the Cie'th.
Academia 4XX AF.
Academia 4XX AF.
Academia 4XX AF.
Academia Research Facility.
Academia Research Facility.
Academia 4XX AF Map.
Academia 500 AF.
Academia 500 AF.
Academia 500 AF Map.
