Summary
The PS1 version ofFinal Fantasy 7had seven core party members consisting of Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barret, Red 13, Cait Sith, and Cid. There were also two optional party members, which was a popular mechanic in 90s RPGs, meaning players could also recruit Yuffie and Vincent in their adventure, bringing the maximum up to nine.
Even though not everyone is playable inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the original gang finally gets assembled. The next and last game should prove to be a massive conclusion with plenty of winks and surprises. For now, let’s go throughhow these characters have changed in the past few decadesleading up toFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’sconclusion.
There arespoilers aheadforFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth
9Cloud
Unhinged From The Start
Cloud was always kind of a cold characterin the originalFinal Fantasy 7game and didn’t open up until a big revelatory moment. He was stoic inFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketoo, but by the end, he was more open to provocative things like dressing up as a woman.
While still brooding, Cloud is even more open inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,but there is a better character change at play here. Sephiroth is always haunting him, and giving Cloud suggestions makes him an even more unreliable narrator. By the end of the game, some players may even feel weird having to play as him in the final part of this trilogy.
8Aerith
Still Pining For Zack
Aerith, besides her attraction to Cloud, always seemed like a downer in the original game. That was changedto make Aeritha breath of fresh air inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. While still fun, she’s a bit more serious inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthand there’s a good reason for it. It’s like she knows what’s coming next and is mentally preparing for the end.
The best change about Aerith, though, is that she isn’t just in love with Cloud and is actually resisting her feelings for two reasons. For starters, it seems like she wants Tifa and Cloud to end up together, and, more importantly, she is still in love with Zack.
7Tifa
Scars Of The Past
In the original game, there was a big plot hole when Cloud discusses his backstory involving Sephiroth in Kalm.Tifa knows thathe wasn’t in Nibelheim when this happened, yet she keeps her mouth shut until much later in the game. InFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Tifa tells Aerith that Cloud wasn’t there and even confronts Cloud privately.
Tifa’s suspicions of Cloud creates a rift that the two try to repair throughout the adventure. It gives Tifa a greater stake in the story, along with her almost near-death experience, which was also new.
6Barret
Kind Of A Hippie
Barret was kind of like a more gruff version of Cloud in the original game. He was loud and opinionated, and he’s like that in the remake games too, but he’s also sillier and softer. A great example is Barret loving the sailor suit in the Junon chapter ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
There’s not too much of a change, but two things in this game improveBarret as a character. First, they show what he looks like without a gun arm attached, and second, they show his wife Myrna who was only hinted at in the original.
5Red 13
Two Voices?
Red 13 kind ofgot the short end of the stick inFinal Fantasy 7 Remakebecause he wasn’t playable. His playable build inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthis great though, as a good defensive character, which is kind of a change from the original. The biggest swing this game takes, though, is that Red 13 has two voices.
Red 13’s first voice makes him sound wiser to everyone, which was his plan all along. In truth, his real voice is softer, which comes out officially in Cosmo Canyon, much to everyone’s surprise except for Aerith, who knew.
4Yuffie
Acts More Like A Ninja
Yuffie, out of all the charactersin this remake series, got the biggest glow-up. She was one of two optional characters, originally meaning that she didn’t make any big contributions to the story. To make up for that, she got her own DLC for the PS5 version ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketo help flesh out her character.
Best of all, Yuffie was given more ninja moves outside of combat and during combat to make the Wutai connection make more sense. That direction was made stronger inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthas was her cause for Wutai. She almost assassinates Rufus Shinra, which was a bold move.
3Cait Sith
More Cat Than Moogle
Cait Sith wasalways one entity: a cat on top of a giant Moogle. It was unclear which character was the real Cait Sith in the original game though, since there was no voice acting. That was made abundantly clear inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthas the cat was Cait Sith all along.
The Moogle ends up not even a staple of Cait Sith’s character, as they can make it appear and disappear at will. That was a good change as constantly animating a big thing like that would probably have taken extra time in the development cycle.
2Cid
Not A Total Jerk
Cid plays a completely different role in this game than in the original. InFinal Fantasy 7, players meet him after Nibelheim in Rocket Town, where he is obsessed with space. He’s also a condescending jerk to his assistant Shera, and 2024 is a different time period where that kind of character is frowned upon.
Instead, Cid comes across as a good country boy who loves flying planes and having adventures inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth,kind of like the Kingdom Hearts rendition of him. Also, he’s not a party member just yet and players will meet him in Gongaga.
1Vincent
His Galian Beast Form
Vincent was the other optional party member in the originalFinal Fantasy 7and was even more brooding than Cloud, but contributed less than Yuffie. He’s still a cryptic-looking vampire inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthwho hasn’t officially joined the party yet, like Cid.
The cool change they did make though was having him be a gatekeeper in the Shinra Mansion. There’s a boss fight with him wherein Vincent transforms into his Galian Beast form, which is a lot more massive than the Limit Break inFinal Fantasy 7. This display of power is amazing and hopefully, the developers will make good use of that form in the next game.
