Spoilers for the original FF7 (and possible FF7 Rebirth) Ahead
The tentative timeline ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthhas opened up all new paths for the upcoming title to take, with even the most important narrative moments of the original game. While this could mostly be a minor attempt at obscuring a previously revealed story, this could equally be an opportunity to make amajor change from the originalFinal Fantasy 7with the most iconic character moment this plotline has to offer.
This diversion would take place near the logical conclusion ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, a moment that has already been foreshadowed in several trailers for the game. However, even as this change might heavily alter the story ofFinal Fantasy 7, it could make good on a 27-year-old rumor involving Tifa and Cloud, should the player push their relationship to a breaking point.
Final Fantasy 7’s Most Notorious Rumored Death
How and Why Tifa Could Take Aerith’s Place
The original rumor from all the way back when the originalFinal Fantasy 7released claims that if the player manages to tick the relationship status between Cloud and Tifa too far toward the negative, then Tifa will push Aerith out of the way when Sephiroth kills her. This was often supported by the fact that an internal affection system was always ticking away in the background, which is what led to thevarious date options inFinal Fantasy 7’s Gold Saucer. Additionally, there exists a final Limit Break for Aerith that can only be obtained after her death, implying that there was at least originally a plan for her to survive long enough to learn and use this final attack.
These hidden mechanics and unused items then fueled a theory from fans that there might be a way to keep Aerith alive after the encounter with Sephiroth in the City of the Ancients. However, since a character would still have to die, the theory then posits that the hidden affection system would require Cloud to have grown close enough to Aerith and distant enough from Tifa to change the outcome of the scene. While this never proved to be the case in the originalFinal Fantasy 7, theend ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthhas a golden opportunity to subvert expectations by making good on this old rumor.
A Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Without Tifa
A change like swapping Aerith’s death for Tifa’s would have major consequences for theremainder of theFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogyto come. Most obviously would be the fact that Tifa wouldn’t be around to fill in Cloud’s memories after he falls into the Lifestream anymore, but more important is how Aerith’s death acts as a catalyst for the original’s ending. This is because Aerith’s death doesn’t happen in a vacuum, with a random killing, and is instead framed by her leaving the party stemming from her need to pray for the activation of the Holy materia to stop Meteor.
As is shown in the scene when Aerith is put to rest in the waters of the City of the Ancients, it is her own death and return to the Lifestream that activates Holy and sets the course for the planet to defend itself from Meteor. So, her survival might prevent the activation of Holy, as well as leave Cloud’s mind trapped in the Lifestream as he’s unable to confront his true memories of theevents of Nibelheim inFinal Fantasy 7’s history. These could then be exactly the consequences that were mentioned inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, as the protagonists spent the finale fighting off the Whispers that had been working to maintain the previous timeline.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Setting Things Right
If these major deviations are the type of direction that Square Enix is looking to take forFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,then this could set the third game in the trilogy to be less about retreading old ground, and more about setting things right. In this case, players would be forced to play more of a hand in the death of Aerith and saving the planet. It could lead to a heartbreaking finale that would stay true to the original while hitting the necessary notesharder than the PS1Final Fantasy 7ever could. Of course, it remains to be seen if the game even goes in this direction.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
