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THE ULTIMATE FANDOM NEWSLETTER

Next release: OCTOBER 11 | 4 PM EDT

The FHQ

FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH

WELCOME TO THE PLANET

First we got the remake, and now it's time for the rebirth. Are you ready for the second part of the trilogy? You will be after we take this Deep Dive into the world of Midgar and explore everything Shinra and Avalanche. Grab your Buster Sword and get ready to adventure through the Planet and all things FFVII with us.

MEET THE MAIN CHARACTERS

THE 'GOOD' GUYS

CLOUD STRIFE

Character image of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has blonde, spiky hair with a black turtleneck and shoulder armor on right shoulder.

He's a former elite soldier with a mysterious past. Donning his massive blade, “The Buster Sword” and his iconic “Spikey Head” hairdo, Cloud finds himself on a journey far beyond what he could have imagined that includes defending his friends, discovering the truth of his past while ultimately trying to save the world.

BARRET WALLACE

Character image of Barret Wallace from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has short brown hair and is wearing a brown jacket, sunglasses, a silver hoop earring and army tags.

A father first and a freedom fighter second. Barret lost his arm years ago when the Shinra Corporation betrayed his trust, so he replaced it with a super cool gatling gun and dedicated his life to stopping their evil plans. Now, as the head of Avalanche, he finds himself working with Cloud for that very goal.

TIFA LOCKHART

Character image of Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has long brown hair with brown eyes and is wearing a black and white tank top with black gloves and brown suspenders..

No damsel in distress here. Tifa trained in martial arts from a young age before a certain incident brought her from her small town across the world to the big city of Midgar. Running the local bar ‘Seventh Heaven’ which doubled as the hideout for Avalanche, she recruits Cloud, her childhood friend, to the cause.

AERITH GAINSBOROUGH

Character image of Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has long light brown hair pulled into a braid with a pink bow, green eyes and is wearing a red jacket.

Just a big town girl with a big secret. Arieth’s past is a mystery to all, but when Cloud comes crashing into her life, literally, he realizes that there is more to this flower girl than meets the eye. Then, when Shinra comes after her they team up not realizing they will start a series of events that will change the world.

RED XIII

Character image of Red XIII from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character is a large, red, lionesque cat with a flame on his tail, a red mohawk and yellow eyes.

Looking like a beast was his only crime when Shinra stole him from his home in Cosmo Canyon. Giving him the designation “Red XIII” and experimenting on him, he is broken from captivity by Cloud and company and joins their fight against Shinra for payback while trying to get home to his loved ones.

CAIT SITH

Character image of Cait Sith from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character is a black and white cat with a red neck handkerchief and a gold crown on his head.

No, he’s not a giant stuffed Moogle. This cat with a crown has more going on than you might think, and fortune telling is just one of his specialties. Armed with a trusty megaphone, he seems to have a strange relationship with Shinra that puts him into the heroes group as not quite a friend, but still maybe an ally.

CID HIGHWIND

Character image of Cid Highwind from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has short blond hair, goggles resting on his forehead, and is wearing a white ascot and blue collared jacket.

Cranky? Check. Loud? Yeah. Disgraced former rocket scientist? Unfortunately for him. A highway star ready to race these SOLDIERs down after the destruction of his beloved plane, Tiny Bronco. Cid Highwind dreams of blasting off into space but he figures there should probably be a planet to launch from first.

YUFFIE KISARAGI

Character image of Yuffie Kisaragi from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has short, chin-length, dark brown hair with a green turtleneck, headband, and shoulder armor on right shoulder.

Ninja/Materia hunter extraordinaire and the single white rose of Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi doesn’t endear herself to our heroes upon their first meeting. Who wouldn’t hold a grudge if all your Materia suddenly went missing? What she lacks in maturity she makes up for in heroics. A reliable and caring friend, Yuffie is trying to restore her homeland to its former glory so she might as well save Gaia along the way. Just get her off this ship.

VINCENT VALENTINE

Character image of Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has long black, spiky hair with a red headband across his forehead, a high-collared red cape with brown buckles covering his lower face and brown gloves

A man of mystery had Cloud and company not stumbled upon Vincent’s coffin. Maybe he would’ve preferred that, but fate had a different plan for former-Turk Vincent Valentine. In love with one scientist and betrayed by another, Vincent journeys across Gaia in search of Professor Hojo and helps uncover the truth of the SOLDIER program and the origins of Sephiroth’s motives.

ZACK FAIR

A name on the lips of everyone, none can escape the influence of Zack Fair. Soldier, 1st class and protégé of the famed Angeal Hewley, Zack has a moral compass that often sees him placing the needs of others and his honor above Shinra’s orders. Zack’s actions trigger a chain of events that intertwines Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth with the fate of the planet.

Character image of Zack Fair from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has black, spiky hair with a cross scar on his left cheek, and is wearing a black turtleneck and shoulder armor on both shoulders.

THE 'BAD' GUYS

We couldn't write this article without acknowledging the epic bad guys that Square Enix has given us - Who doesn't know the name Sephiroth?

SEPHIROTH

Character image of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Character has long silver hair with a black shirt and white shoulder armor

A hero and inspiration across Gaia, Sephiroth of Nibelheim is as elite as a SOLDIER 1st class can get. How else could he wield Masamune? His calm, professional, and in control demeanor comes crashing down upon learning of the circumstances around his birth. Descending into madness and with delusions of godhood, Sephiroth vows to reclaim the planet and it all begins with a reunion.

SHINRA

Game image of Shinra soldiers marching in formation past a brown brick building with red banners.

An industrial enterprise with an iron-grip on the citizens of Midgar, Shinra and the refined Mako energy they produce has given them a measure of power and influence unseen on Gaia. With a hand in every pie and elite SOLDIERs at their command, it would take a cataclysmic event to bring this titan down. Unbeknownst to them, a calamity from the sky landed nearly two millennia ago and their rediscovery of it and the start of the Jenova Project would be theirs, and the planet’s, ultimate doom.

THE TURKS

Character image of Tseng, Reno and Rude from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. From left to right, characters are all wearing black suits and have long dark hair, spiky red hair, and a shaved head with sunglasses and a short beard.

An elite group of spies led by the level-headed Tseng, The Turks engage in reconnaissance and espionage for Shinra. Though they operate under the Department of Public Safety, the loyalty of this intelligence bureau isn’t as clear-cut as it appears to be.

CLOUD STRIFE

If everything's a dream, don't wake me

FAVE FINAL FANTASY GAMES

With over sixteen Final Fantasy releases, we asked some of our gamers here at FAN EXPO which ones were their faves.

FINAL FANTASY XIII TRILOGY

Image of cover art from Final Fantasy XII. Includes 6 characters in foreground with blue dystopian sky in background.

The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy has to be one of my all-time favorite set of games from Square Enix. It takes a lot of risks you don't often see from the series and has a few pitfalls but showcases a unique sci-fi reframing of mythological archetypes and a battle system that I never tire of. The art direction and world design of all three games is out of this world, and certain areas still hold up to competitors fifteen years later. Coupled with Masashi Hamauzu's soundtrack, I sometimes just boot-up the game to hang around my favourite spots and be immersed in its unique settings and sounds.

- Nowreen Haque, Programming Coordinator

FINAL FANTASY VII (ORIGINAL)

Cover art of Final Fantasy VII. Foreground is backside of Cloud Strife with  Buster Sword looking up to the left towards towers in a city.

Final Fantasy VII was my gateway into RPG's, the story, the action, the CGI graphics (for the time), the love story, all of it. It was my first time playing a game that was as much about the story as it was the gameplay. There is a reason that it has been re-visited over and over as the years go by, and it is because the characters and themes remain as enjoyable now as they did in 1997.

- Chris Carruthers, Programming Coordinator

FINAL FANTASY VII/X

Image of characters from Final Fantasy X. Blue overlay with yellow highlights on characters facing each other in an embrace.

I know it might be a little cliche, but I was hooked on Final Fantasy VII the first time Cloud jumped dramatically from that train. The graphics back then were top notch, and the story was so immersive! My brother and I would play for hours and read out the lines in the character voices. Next has got to be Final Fantasy X (minus the uncomfortable Tidus/Yuna laugh scene). This was the first one with actual voice acting which meant my little two-man stage was closed, but it was well worth it. I still find myself watching that blitzball opening cut scene to this day.

- DD, Client Relations Coordinator

FUN FACTS

TV and Movies

Rather watch than play? The Final Fantasy franchise has eight TV shows and movies for you to watch, including the FFVII Advent Children movie from 2005.

THE MORE THE MERRIER

It's been around for over 30 years, but did you know the franchise has 16 mainline games, and over 100 spin-offs and sub-sequels? That's a lot of gameplay time, if you're looking for a new gaming obsession.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth already won an award ahead of its release. You may have already seen it on the Game Awards, but it won the Most Anticipated Game Award in 2023.

OFFICIAL VIDEOS

Release Date Announce Trailer

Check out the official game play trailer from Square Enix to get ready for the release.

Theme Song Announcement Trailer

Love the music from the games? Check out the official theme song trailer that was released during the 2023 Game Awards this past December.