One of my all-time favorite games happens to be Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Not only is it a genuinely excellent open-world RPG that perfectly balances its plot and side activities, but it also features a genuinely enthralling narrative that manages to shift seamlessly and effortlessly between its goofy and somber tones. Rebirth isn't the first to do this - my favorite game, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, does this perhaps even better - but it does do a phenomenal job and, as a result, is a truly excellent JRPG.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the ending of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Final Fantasy 7, and the film Castle in the Sky.All of the game's excellent cinematic storytelling and worldbuilding culminate in one of the best JRPG endings that I can't get out of my head. However, as much as Rebirth's finale is forever ingrained in my memory because of how heartbreakingly beautiful it is, it is also there because it is practically identical to the ending of a legendary anime film. While I don't see that as a criticism - after all, we're all inspired by something - it is fun comparing the two and seeing just how anime has influenced a lot of Final Fantasy across the years.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Ending Is The Best Part Of The Game

It Is The Ultimate Climactic Finale

FF7 Rebirth's astonishing ending begins when Cloud and Co. reach the temple of the Ancients, a labyrinthine, ever-shifting construction that rises from the ground in a staggeringly beautiful CG cutscene. There is something almost daedalic in its construction, a seemingly unceasing, ethereal building that encomes not only the unknowable nature of the Ancients, but also the twisted and warped mind of Cloud by this point in the story. Its unpredictable, destructive nature clashes with its inner beauty and intricate architecture, not unlike the two sides of Cloud.

Exploring the temple of the Ancients in Rebirth is one of the many ways it improves over the original FF7, as it is not only more puzzling, both literally and mechanically, but it also gives players more time to explore each character's perspective of it and its storied history. There's a joy to uncovering every inch of its shapeshifting halls, especially as it feels so alien compared to the rest of Rebirth's environments. Of course, this all culminates with its complete destruction, the extremely emotional but fortunately temporary death of Cait Sith, and the hauntingly terrifying confrontation with Sephiroth.

I love this part of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's ending a lot, especially as it so perfectly leads into the final and seemingly endless boss fight against Sephiroth, which has to be one of the best in the series' history. While all of the game is genuinely incredible, the last two chapters of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth are what make it truly one of the best RPGs ever made, at least in my opinion. However, this section in the temple of the Ancients is what feels the most like the aforementioned legendary anime film.

FF7 Rebirth's Ending Is Just Like Castle In The Sky

There Are So Many Similarities

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's ending, specifically the sequence within the temple of the Ancients, is a lot like Castle in the Sky, the 1986 Studio Ghibli classic. That film follows Pazu and Sheeta as they attempt to escape the clutches of Muska and end up in the legendary floating city of Laputa, which belonged to an ancient race of people. It transpires that Sheeta is a descendant of the people of Laputa and the heiress to the Laputan throne. Muska wants to use her and her amulet to destroy the rest of humanity, as he believes they are beneath him.

Fans of Final Fantasy 7 may already see a lot of similarities, such as Aerith, one of the central female protagonists, being a descendant of the Ancients, much like Sheeta. Additionally, both FF7 and Castle in the Sky are environmental cautionary tales, and both feature very similar-looking airships. Frankly, if there were to be a full-blown FF7 anime, I wouldn't be surprised if people didn't immediately catch the obvious Ghibli and, specifically, Castle in the Sky influences.

Crucially, the sequence in the temple of the Ancients is very similar to when Muska and his soldiers are chasing down Sheeta and Pazu in Laputa. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Shinra soldiers arrive at the temple in airships before attempting to take it over. Similarly, in Castle in the Sky, soldiers land on the floating castle in their airships and begin plundering it. FF7 Rebirth also sees many Shinra soldiers killed while they navigate the temple. It rejects them in numerous ways, such as by moving the ground beneath their feet, thus throwing them into the abyss below.

These two endings are strikingly similar, but that's not surprising considering the Final Fantasy series was allegedly heavily inspired by the works of Studio Ghibli.

This happens in Castle in the Sky, too. The general's soldiers are killed by the castle rejecting them, falling into traps, and falling off the edge of the edge. They all end up dying as Laptua crumbles around them after Sheeta teaches Pazu the ancient destruction spell. Of course, the temple also begins to fall apart in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth after Cloud and his friends take the Black Materia. These two endings are strikingly similar, but that's not surprising considering the Final Fantasy series was allegedly heavily inspired by the works of Studio Ghibli.

Final Fantasy Is Likely Heavily Inspired By Studio Ghibli

From Chocobos To Airships

It isn't hard to imagine that Yoshinori Kitase was inspired by Castle in the Sky, especially considering that Final Fantasy 7 was released over a decade later in 1997. While there's little documented evidence stating outright that the creatives behind many of the Final Fantasy games were inspired by Ghibli, there is a lot to that theory. Many believe that the Chocobos that have appeared since Final Fantasy 2 are inspired by Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind's Horseclaws. They both look alike and are flightless bird-like creatures used as mounts for humans.

The airships seen throughout a lot of Final Fantasy are also believed to be inspired by those seen in the likes of Castle in the Sky, as aforementioned. In fact, a lot of the little details in FF7 Rebirth can be traced back to Ghibli films. An archived article by Edge magazine from 2006 claims that Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was inspired by both Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä. Additionally, in an interview with Forbes, Sakaguchi cites Nausicaä as one of his favorite anime films.

I'd like to stress that I don't think Kitase or Sakaguchi ever intentionally ripped off a Ghibli film or idea. There's always the possibility of parallel thinking, and it is also fine to be inspired by something. Frankly, if it is true that Kitase was inspired by the ending of Castle in the Sky for some elements of Final Fantasy 7, that would be amazing. I just think it is fascinating how there are so many similarities between Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's ending and that of Castle in the Sky, and, if anything, it makes me love both even more.

Source: Edge, Forbes