A creation from Project G, Genesis Rhapsodos carried the hopes and dreams of Dr. Hollander to surpass Sephiroth. He grew up in Banora with Angeal Hewley, the biological son of Gillian and Hollander. Together, they made a promise to someday join Soldier. They left for Junon when they were sixteen and after years of hard work, eventually worked their way up to being First Class Soldiers alongside Sephiroth. During a training session, Genesis lost control while attempting to best Sephiroth. He was injured and rather than heal, the wound worsened over time.

Hollander claimed to know he alone knew how to stop the process that he called 'degradation'. But to move forward, Genesis would have to leave Shinra. Hollander convinced Genesis to take entire battalions of Soldiers and go rogue. In truth, Hollander wanted to use Genesis to prove once and for all this his experiment was superior to Hojo's and planned to use Genesis' hatred of Shinra Electric Power Company to do it. Angeal eventually joins in their cause, abandoning the Company and leaving the young Soldier, Zack Fair, at a loss for any explanation.