Final Fantasy 7 Remake is, very intentionally, not anywhere near a full remake of the original Final Fantasy 7. It expands on the story in many different ways, but it also explores new story elements entirely. There's no greater example of the way Final Fantasy 7 Remake is changing than in two key characters, Aerith and Sephiroth. And if a new message from the motion capture actor for Aerith means what it says, players are going to learn much more about these two in the next Final Fantasy 7 Remake episode.
Actor Asuka Yoshikawa does the motion capture for Aerith in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as well as for the upcoming sequel episode. She shared a message for her fans on Twitter recently discussing just that. In the message, she explains that she's just finished a four-hour shoot with another character's mocap actor, that character being Sephiroth. She adds that the staff doing the recording praised the two of them for their work.
Those familiar with spoilers from the original Final Fantasy 7 know that there's only one big scene from the original game involving both Aerith and Sephiroth, that being the scene where Sephiroth kills Aerith. Yoshikawa could be implying that she's doing mocap for the recreation of this scene, but the tone and language of her post implies something else entirely. Like with many of the other relationships in Final Fantasy 7, Aerith and Sephiroth may get more screentime together in the next chapter of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
This isn't necessarily a big surprise to those who have played through Final Fantasy 7 Remake. After all, the game's biggest divergence in the story from the original game revolves around teases for Aerith's death. Not only do Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Whispers, ghostlike harbingers of destiny, appear to seemingly push Aerith toward a fate well known by fans, but Cloud has many glimpses of that destiny and the scene in which Aerith dies specifically. Of course, that's the future that Cloud and friends fight, quite literally, against.
No one knows what's in store on Final Fantasy 7 Remake's next chapter. It may be that, regardless of what's happened, Aerith's fate is inevitable. It may completely reverse and have Aerith killing Sephiroth. As Sephiroth himself says in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, "that which lies ahead... does not exist." All fans know is that Aerith and Sephiroth both have major roles to play, even if those roles are entirely unfamiliar and incomparable to what was in the original game.
Part of what made Final Fantasy 7 Remake's first episode so great is that even in moments pulled from the original game, the remake expands on them. Players see and hear new interactions from the characters. Regardless of what's coming for Aerith and Sephiroth, fans can very likely expect it to be expanded on in meaningful and enjoyable ways.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now on PS4.
