There was good news for Final Fantasy 7 fans at Summer Game Fest as the second part of the FF7 Remake Project made a surprise appearance. While Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth came with the sad news of a delay, there was plenty to get fans excited, such as a gameplay preview, hints toward the project's greater plot, and more. Even though fans had to wait a while for more information, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth didn't disappoint at Summer Game Fest.
However, something that fans likely didn't expect a certain character to steal the spotlight. Despite the lingering questions in the air regarding Zack Fair and even Aerith, the FF7: Rebirth trailer takes a sharp turn to hone-in on Tifa Lockhart and if she's truly the childhood friend Cloud's known ever since he was a child. While the trailer almost demands fans to doubt who Tifa is, this may be a case of misdirection for both future players and even Cloud himself.
How Sephiroth's Words About Tifa Could Be a Red Herring For Cloud
What players see in the Nibelheim reactor in the Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth trailer is certainly concerning, but fans who have experienced the original game might be well aware that there's very little to actually worry about. While Sephiroth aims - and likely succeeds if the previous FF7: Rebirth trailer is anything to go by - to have Cloud doubt that the Tifa in the party is the real deal, the truth is already out there. What Sephiroth is referring to is when Tifa tried to attack him in a rage over killing her father, to which he deflected her with his sword and sent her careening down the steps.
In the original timeline, Tifa was injured, but she certainly didn't die. While Cloud originally believed he saved Tifa from her fall in the reactor, Zack Fair was really the one who was there to help her. It could be very possible that due to the Jenova cells within Cloud, as hinted at in the very same trailer as Cloud's seen in a cloak muttering "reunion" at one point, Sephiroth is using the gaps in his memory to force him to doubt his teammates.
Why Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth's Trailer is a Red Herring For Players
As many players can likely see through Sephiroth's lies just by remembering the events that occurred before FF7R, the same fans are likely asking as to why Rebirth seems to be insisting Tifa died when there's a much more questionable member of Cloud's party that should be questioned instead. This is, of course, Aerith Gainsborough, who has made many a player wonder if she's the same Aerith from the original game, or one who seems to be aware of the events that have happened previously. FF7 Remake seemed rather insistent that Aerith knew a lot more than she should've.
Even though the English trailer may be vague as to who Sephiroth is talking about, it is undoubtedly about Tifa as her supposed death is mentioned directly in Japanese, even going so far as to use her name specifically. Square Enix could still surprise players when the full game launches early next year. There could be far more lurking in that shadows regarding Tifa, Aerith, or anyone else in their party that hasn't been made exactly clear just yet. All that fans need to know is the Sephiroth is likely trying to sneak something by Cloud in plain sight.
No matter what Sephiroth's words truly mean, be it something to distract Cloud and the player or something the swordsman has done in regard to changing previous events after the Arbiters of Fate were destroyed, there's definitely more behind it than what the trailer shows. While fans are within their right to be concerned about Tifa's fate, it's very likely that her fighting spirit won't be leaving permanently anytime soon.
Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth releases for PS5 in early 2024.
