This article contains MAJOR spoilers for the original 1997 Final Fantasy 7 , Final Fantasy 7 Remake , and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth .

The original 1997 Final Fantasy 7 is home to some of the most beloved video game characters of all time, most of whom join the player directly in their fight against Shinra and Sephiroth. From the strong and determined Barret Wallace to the sweet and caring Aerith Gainsborough to the vulnerable yet tough Tifa Lockhart, Final Fantasy 7 has no shortage of iconic party members, and a few more are sprinkled into the fray with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

Remaking the original game's second act, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth cements Red XIII as a fully playable character this time around, complete with his own unique moveset and abilities, while also adding Yuffie Kisaragi and Cait Sith to the team. Though they all have distinct personalities, motives, and purposes within Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's main story, they share one common theme, and that's a mysterious origin - some of which Rebirth explores, some it doesn't.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Minigames
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Cloud Strife's Origin Explained

Born in Nibelheim, Cloud Strife developed feelings for his next door neighbor, Tifa Lockhart, at a young age. After the death of her mother, Tifa believed that she could find her again by crossing Mt. Nibel. Cloud follows her up the mountain in an effort to bring her back to safety, but the two end up falling off a cliff together. Longing to be stronger for those he cares about, Cloud researches the war hero Sephiroth and decides to become a SOLDIER, leaving Nibelheim at age 14.

Unfortunately, Cloud fails to become a SOLDIER, and instead enlists as just a regular Shinra infantryman. During his time with Shinra he meets Zack Fair, a newly recruited SOLDIER, and the two bond over their similar upbringings. A little while later, Cloud accompanies Zack and Sephiroth to his hometown of Nibelheim, but embarrassed by his status, Cloud hides his identity from those in town.

After discovering some research that leads him to believe he's the son of Jenova, Sephiroth burns Nibelheim to the ground, killing Cloud's mother. Cloud rushes to the Mt. Nibel Mako reactor where he finds a mortally wounded Tifa, an unconscious Zack, and a crazed Sephiroth. Cloud catches Sephiroth unaware and impales him with Zack's Buster Sword, and after a brief tussle, he manages to throw Sephiroth into the Mako reactor below.

Cloud's Shattered Mind

But that's just the beginning of Cloud's story. After the Nibelheim incident, Cloud and Zack are taken by Shinra's Professor Hojo, who proceeds to experiment on them, injecting them with Jenova cells and exposing them to Mako. This process essentially turns the two into "Sephiroth clones." Four years later, Zack manages to break the two out of confinement, but Cloud is left paralyzed by severe Mako poisoning.

Zack takes Cloud to Midgar but is forced to sacrifice his life when ambushed on the outskirts of the city by Shinra forces. Cloud finally comes to as Zack lies dying on the floor, and with his last words, Zack says that his legacy will live on in Cloud. Suffering from extreme trauma, emotional stress, and Mako poisoning, Cloud's mind shatters completely, and he develops a new persona that merges his own memories with Zack's. Just before the events of Final Fantasy 7, Tifa finds Cloud lying on the ground in the Sector 7 Slums.

Tifa Lockhart's Origin Explained

After Cloud left their home village of Nibelheim, Tifa Lockhart was left without a sense of purpose, but soon found one by training under the martial arts master Zangan. During the Nibelheim incident, Tifa is mortally wounded by Sephiroth, but thankfully, Zangan arrives just in time to save her, taking her to a surgeon in North Corel, and then a surgeon in the Midgar Slums. After recovering, Tifa meets Marle and Jessie, and winds up working for the Seventh Heaven bar, where she eventually meets Barret and Marlene, along with Biggs and Wedge, all of whom decide to join Avalanche.

Aerith Gainsborough's Origin Explained

Born in the Icicle Inn, Aerith was the daughter of Ifalna and Professor Gast Faremis, the former being one of the last Cetra alive, and the latter being an ex-Shinra scientist. Just weeks after her birth, Professor Hojo tracks the family down, kills Aerith's father, and kidnaps her and Ifalna. For the next seven years or so, Aerith and Ifalna are experimented on by Hojo, but they eventually manage to escape thanks to the help of a fellow Shinra scientist, Faz Hicks. Unfortunately, Ifalna and Aerith only make it to the Sector 5 Slums before Ifalna collapses due to the years of torture. Elmyra Gainsborough sees Ifalna, and after a brief exchange, she agrees to adopt Aerith and take her to safety.

Many years later, when Aerith is 16, she meets Zack Fair after he falls through the roof of the Sector 5 church. Over the next few years, the two spend quite a bit of time together and eventually develop strong feelings for one another, but Zack is called away on a mission to Nibelheim. For the next four years, Aerith continues to send Zack letters, but he dies before he can ever make it back to her.

Final Fantasy 7 Heidegger Laugh
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Barret Wallace's Origin Explained

Born in the coal mining village of Corel, Barret spent the first few decades of his life working in the mines alongside his best friend Dyne. With the advent of Mako, coal quickly becomes viewed as an outdated power source, and Barret advocates for Shinra to build a reactor in Corel, against Dyne's wishes. After the Corel Mako reactor explodes, Barret's hometown of Corel is burned to the ground by Shinra, killing his wife Myrna and Dyne's wife Eleanor. In the attack, Barret loses his arm after trying to prevent Dyne from falling to his death. In the rubble of Corel, Barret finds Marlene, Dyne's daughter, alive, and adopts her.

With a newfound hatred for Shinra, Barret joins Avalanche and heads to Midgar in an attempt to take the battle straight to the source. But with no money at his disposal, Barret and Marlene end up sleeping on the streets of the Sector 7 Slums, where they eventually encounter Tifa and Marle, along with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, who Barret convinces to all join Avalanche alongside him.

Red XIII's Origin Explained

Born in Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki was just a cub when his father, Seto, fled in the face of a Gi tribe invasion. Though he didn't know it at the time, his father actually sacrificed himself to save the village. His mother died in the same battle, and Nanaki was left in the hands of Cosmo Canyon's Elder, Bugenhagen. A few decades later, the Turks are sent to retrieve a member of Nanaki's endangered species for Hojo's research, and he sacrifices himself to save his friend Deneh. In Hojo's lab, Nanaki is branded with his Red XIII tattoo, giving him his new name.

Yuffie Kisaragi's Origin Explained

Born in Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi spends the first decade of her life practically on the frontlines of the war between Wutai and Shinra. At nine years old, Yuffie meets the SOLDIER Zack Fair near her hometown. After losing the war to Shinra, Wutai is left to pick up the broken pieces, and Yuffie's father ends up turning her hometown into a tourist attraction. Seeking honor and glory, Yuffie sets out at age 16 to hunt down more Materia and become a stronger warrior.

Cait Sith's Origin Explained

A robot cat, Cait Sith is actually controlled by Shinra's head of Urban Development, Reeve Tuesti. Just a little while before the events of Final Fantasy 7, Reeve begins prototyping a robotic avatar that can spy on Shinra's enemies. This avatar becomes Cait Sith, which Reeve then uses to meet Avalanche during Final Fantasy 7.