[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for the original Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.]
In defense of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s polarizing ending
15.03.2024 - 10:51 / digitaltrends.com / Zack Fair / Giovanni Colantonio
This article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Midway through 1997’s Final Fantasy VII, Cloud Strife walks up a small staircase and finds his companion, Aerith, kneeling on a small platform. She’s locked in prayer as holy-looking light streaks in through the windows around her. That serene moment gives way to a shocking tragedy. Aerith looks at Cloud and calmly smiles before the camera pans above her head. A black shadow bursts out of the light above her; it’s the villainous Sephiroth, massive sword in tow. Before Cloud can process what’s happening, Sephiroth plunges his sword through Aerith’s back, killing her.
Her body goes limp as Sephiroth pulls his blade out. There’s no long goodbye. There’s no closure. Aerith dies.
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It’s a moment that traumatized an entire generation of gamers. No matter how many times you play Final Fantasy VII, the outcome never changes. Both Cloud and the player controlling him are left feeling like they’ve failed their most valuable party member, a healer who has spent the adventure heroically protecting everyone. It’s a cruel twist of fate, one that leaves a grief-stricken Cloud wondering if could have done anything to save her. Maybe if he’d shown up one second sooner, she’d still be alive.
Rather than dancing around that moment, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth makes that dramatic irony the focus of its story. The remake sequel uses Aerith’s impending fate as a fuel for an emotional, character-driven story about heroes overcoming self-doubt to fight for a better future. That approach comes with a major — and very polarizing — change to the original ending. While it’s sure to infuriate some purists, the grand finale is the exact payoff that Rebirth’s subversive story called for.
A future without destiny
Right from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s first chapter, it’s clear that the sequel is entirely built around Aerith’s well-known fate. That’s made abundantly clear right from the start. Its shocking first chapter sees Zack Fair, miraculously alive after escaping his Crisis Core death, trying to rescue Cloud and the gang from Shinra custody. The operation goes all wrong when a helicopter crashes. Zack pulls Aerith out of the wreckage and holds her as her body goes limp, just as it did in the original Final Fantasy VII. For a moment, it appears that Aerith is, once again, dead.
And then, whiplash.
Suddenly, we’re back with Cloud and his pals, including a very much alive Aerith, as they continue their journey to stop
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