There are already a lot of ways that the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy has changed course from the original game. This comes in major ways, like Zack Fair’s largely increased involvement and the alternate worlds that we see. It also comes in smaller forms, like the inclusion of characters who originally appeared in Final Fantasy 7 spinoffs, who have been retroactively added into the original game’s continuity. Due to these changes, fans have been speculating since the first game’s release about how else the trilogy might alter the events of the original Final Fantasy 7 story.
Making changes to the original Final Fantasy 7 is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, presenting a new story helps legitimize the existence of the remake narratively as well as mechanically. One could argue that simply telling the same story as the original could risk making the remake trilogy feel bloated and unnecessary. On the other hand, you still want to preserve what fans loved about the original, and not depart too far from the overall themes of the story. I took this into consideration when deciding what theories I think might come true.
It’s also worth mentioning that it has been confirmed that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation has only one ending, regardless of the choices you make. This means I have discounted any theories I found that hypothesized about multiple endings, since we now know that those are officially off the table.
FF7’s Alternate Timeline Are Actually Just Worlds Within The Lifestream
One of the biggest new additions to Final Fantasy 7 in the remakes is the alternate timeline where we follow Zack Fair. This world features several characters, like Zack, Aerith, and Biggs, who are all dead in the original continuity, but not in this alternate world. This has led to a lot of speculation about what role this alternate timeline may play in the overall narrative. After all, we see Zack and Aerith help the party in their fight against Sephiroth at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, despite both being dead in the main timeline.
There have been a lot of theories about these alternate timelines, but the one I think is most compelling is the idea that they are simply worlds that exist within the Lifestream. We know when someone dies in the world of Final Fantasy 7 that their soul is returned to the Lifestream. These worlds that we’re seeing inhabited by characters like Zack may just be where the soul goes when a character has died.
Thematically, this idea really tracks with the idea of the Lifestream and the planet defending itself against Sephiroth. With Zack’s soul having returned to the Lifestream, him returning to fight Sephiroth is similar to how the planet manifests Weapons to fend off threats to its existence.
There are some questions raised by this theory, namely that we also see versions of living characters in the other world, meaning it can’t strictly be a sort of afterlife. Some have hypothesized that these other worlds are simply possible timelines that could have existed, but that they are still housed within the Lifestream, which I could see being a plausible explanation.
Tifa Was Saved By The Weapon Because The Planet Understands Her Importance
In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there is a scene where Tifa is swallowed by one of the Weapons, and held safely within its body. What’s strange about the moment is that, in the original Final Fantasy 7, the Weapons deem all of humanity a threat to the planet, not just Sephiroth. This has led some players to speculate as to why the Weapon in FF7 Rebirth would protect Tifa, then return her to the party unharmed.
One theory that makes a lot of sense is that the Weapons know that Tifa will play an integral role in the protection of the planet. It’s clear that the Whispers have a non-linear understanding of time and are attempting to shape events in a certain way. It’s also clear that the Whispers are connected to the Weapons. When Sephiroth cuts into a Weapon in FF7 Rebirth, Whispers pour out of its body as though they are a part of it.
If Weapons like Whispers understand what is to come and are actively trying to shape the future in a specific way, then it only makes sense that they would know Tifa will help Cloud and the others protect the planet. This would explain why it protects her, because the Weapon knows protecting her means protecting the planet.
Aerith Will Come Back To Life
Fan theories about saving Aerith are nearly as old as Final Fantasy 7 itself. Even back when the original game was released, there were plenty of rumors about how players might be able to save everyone’s favorite flower girl. With the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy clearly not afraid to make changes to the original story, fans’ hopes that Aerith can somehow be saved have once again been reawakened.
Most theories surrounding Aerith’s return surround her presence in the alternate reality, as well as her appearance in the final boss fight of FF7 Rebirth. Clearly, Aerith still exists in some form, despite her death at the hands of Sephiroth in the main continuity. While I do think it’s plausible we will get an ending that shows Aerith still alive in some form, I don’t think we’ll get one that reuintes her with the party.
If we look at the alternate worlds in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth from an abstract perspective, they seem to represent how someone can live on after death. This is what I think we’ll get for Aerith, whatever her specific fate within that alternate world happens to be. We’ll get some indication that Aerith is still alive in some form, perhaps within the Lifestream. This allows the FF7 Remake trilogy to preserve the tragedy of her death while still giving the character a happy ending of sorts.
FF7 Revelation’s Sephiroth Already Knows How The Original Story Ended
Depending on how steeped in Final Fantasy 7 lore you are, you may know that Sephiroth isn’t fully gone after the events of the original game. In Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, Sephiroth returns in the form of the characters Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo who seek to resurrect him and nearly succeed. Some fans have theorized that it is actually this version of Sephiroth that we face in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.
Like Aerith, there are moments where Sephiroth seems almost prescient about the events to come in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. Some fans believe that this is an indication that this version of Sephiroth is not one experiencing the events for the first time, but instead one who has traveled back to alter the course of history. This would explain why he is so antagonistic towards Whispers, as he wishes to alter his fate.
Fate is a consistent theme in the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trilogy. Aerith seems to accept hers, so it would be a meaningful contrast to have Sephiroth actively fighting against his. In a story that takes a non-linear view of time, it would make sense that a hero of the story would teach the lesson that we should accept our lives for how they are, whereas a villain would go kicking and screaming towards their ultimate demise. This teaches the idea not to get stuck in the past, and simply continue moving forward.
Tifa And Scarlet’s Iconic Slap Fight Will Be A Full On Brawl
Not all moments in Final Fantasy 7 are vitally important, and therefore not all theories about how the remake trilogy might change them are as dramatic. Still, I think it’s worth noting this theory because it is the one I find most likely to come true. This theory surrounds the original slap fight between Tifa and Shinra’s executive director of weaponry, Scarlet.
In the original game, the pair simply slap one another back and forth. While a somewhat comedic scene, it does feel dated, and even a little sexist. Tifa has, at this point, proven herself to be an incredibly capable warrior, so to resort to simply slapping someone back and forth seems very out of character. This has led fans to speculate that we will get a more substantial fight between the two in the remake.
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy has a history of fleshing out small moments from the original into more in-depth scenes. This makes it entirely believable that what was originally a cutscenes slap fight could be extended into a full boss fight. This wouldn’t just do justice to Tifa as a powerful warrior, but also make Scarlet seem like more of a genuine threat, which she has been built up as over the last few games.
- Released
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April 10, 2020
- ESRB
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t
- Developer(s)
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Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
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Square Enix
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 4