This article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has just been rated by the ESRB, and there are hints that it will contain one of Aerith’s most shocking and well-remembered moments. The original Final Fantasy 7 is considered by many to be one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and fans had hoped and dreamed for a modern-day update for years before Square Enix finally released Final Fantasy 7 Remake in 2020. Far from being a simple retelling of the classic 1997 PlayStation hit, Remake expanded on the tale of Cloud Strife and his friends so much that the first installment was merely the first chapter of a planned trilogy.

The second installment of this trilogy will arrive next year in the form of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which will pick up where Remake left off with Cloud and his crew leaving Midgar in search of answers to the mystery of the Ancients and Sephiroth. Previous trailers have revealed that classic Final Fantasy 7 characters like Vincent Valentine and Cait Sith will make their debuts in Rebirth, and Creative Director Tetsuya Nomura has confirmed that the game will end in the Forgotten Capital - where one of the original Final Fantasy 7’s defining moments took place.

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History might repeat itself in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as some new information suggests that the game could end with Aerith's death. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has just put out its rating for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, as reported by MP1st. The game has been given a “T for Teen” rating, with the description text citing “Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Violence" as the reasons. More specific acts describe certain characters having "deep cleavage" and references to said characters' bodies, characters being depicted as drunk, characters fighting monsters and soldiers with swords, staffs, guns, and magic spells, and “pools of blood.”

While most of this is to be expected in a game like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, one particular line could give diehard fans pause. The ESRB’s description also mentions characters being “slashed and impaled with swords,” which could be a reference to Aerith’s infamous death at the hands of Sephiroth midway through the original Final Fantasy 7. This moment has gone down as one of the saddest and most shocking events in gaming history, and Aerith's fate was a key moment in not only the original game but the rest of the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 expanded universe.

Although Final Fantasy 7 Remake has already featured plenty of departures from the original Final Fantasy 7, Aerith’s death was heavily foreshadowed throughout the new trilogy’s first installment - with the implication that Aerith herself is fully aware of her eventual fate. The ESRB’s new rating for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth doesn’t outright confirm that Sephiroth is going to kill Aerith in the new timeline, but fans should probably prepare themselves to experience one of Final Fantasy 7’s most shocking moments once again on February 29.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the second chapter of Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. Once again, the story follows Cloud Strife and other members of Avalanche as they take on Shinra and Sephiroth, a mission that takes them out of Midgar.

Franchise

Final Fantasy

Platform(s)

PlayStation 5

Released

February 29, 2024

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

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