Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will provide more details about Cloud Strife and his party's journey, as well as the roles of Zack and Sephiroth.
  • Creative director Tetsuya Nomura emphasized that Sephiroth will play an integral role in shaping the story of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
  • The idea of Sephiroth being referred to as a "protagonist" in the game raises questions about the narrative and the possibility of different timelines or alternate universes.

The release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second title in the FF7 Remake trilogy, is fast approaching. Details covering the game’s characters, mechanics, and even scope in relation to Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the original FF7 continue cropping up as the months go on. Leading up to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s launch, attentive fans can expect to gain a good idea of what Cloud Strife and his party's journey will be like, as well as what Zack and Sephiroth have to do with it.

The latter two characters have prompted the most fan questions surrounding FF7 Rebirth. While both were important in the PS1 original, the mysterious Cloud-lookalike Zack and the legendary hero-turned-villain Sephiroth were both kept mysterious for most of the game's runtime. In spite of that, later Final Fantasy 7 games gave them a lot of focus, culminating in their increased presence in the FF7 Remake project. The presence of Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth together on one of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s posters can't be ignored, and a comment on Sephiroth from the game's creative director has only raised further questions.

RELATED: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Seems to Go All-In with the Multiple Timeline Madness

New Sephiroth Details Throw Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Theories Into Question

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In a September interview with the news site Shacknews, creative director Tetsuya Nomura addressed Sephiroth’s presence in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. He emphasized that Sephiroth appears more often now, and will thus play an integral role in shaping the story. Nomura noted that players would have to see the end of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to appreciate how, but that wasn’t the end of his thoughts on the matter:

As far as Sephiroth being this extremely popular character, frankly, I'm very curious as to what makes him so attractive to users, because I hear this opinion very often. His appearance, firstly, I'm sure, but also perhaps there is something about his background that brings about a particular appeal to so many of the players that makes him this iconic character. And so, for Rebirth , I would think that besides Cloud, Sephiroth is also a protagonist that we can think of for this title.

The last sentence flew under the radar at the time, but fans rediscovered it recently. Referring to the former SOLDIER as a “protagonist” in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is baffling, especially since it contradicts Sephiroth's apparent role as Final Fantasy 7’s antagonist. It's possible that Nomura and his translator were simply referencing how Sephiroth’s actions are the main driving force behind the plot, but there's another reading of the statement that turns FF7 Rebirth's story on its head.

Sephiroth's Protagonist Role Could Mean Big Things For FF7 Rebirth

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Fans deep in FF7's community should be familiar with theories involving the Remake trilogy taking place in a separate timeline from the original game. Another common guess is that a timeline where Zack survives into FF7's present events was seemingly created at the end of the remake. With Zack's constant presence in FF7 Rebirth trailers, it makes sense that he would share marketing space with Cloud. However, the idea of Sephiroth as a protagonist throws another wrinkle into the increasingly complex narrative.

How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Could Introduce A Good Sephiroth

While the Sephiroth that Cloud fought in Final Fantasy 7 Remake seemed antagonistic, Zack may run into his own timeline’s Sephiroth, with a greater threat prompting them to join forces. This would explain why Sephiroth has become a fully developed fighter in Rebirth, as he could become a party member in Zack's playable sections.

Alternatively, Cloud and friends may have inadvertently traveled to a universe where the native Sephiroth isn't as bad as the invading one they’d been fighting. This is all based on a potential mistranslation, but whatever the case may be, theories like these can only make waiting for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth more interesting.