changing entire characters' fates will remain untold until the second entry releases.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 and Crisis Core.]
Square Enix premiered a new trailer for FF7 Rebirth on opening night at Summer Game Fest, along with a new early 2024 release window, resulting in a lot of buzz about what some of the trailer's details signify. Fan theories are many and varied; some point to minor changes and potential inclusions from the wider FF7 continuity, while others indicate possible major, Gaia-shaking revelations appearing in Rebirth. With the new trailer's revelations, one of those major story changes is looking more and more likely.
FF7 Rebirth Trailer Suggests A Parallel World
Minor details in the FF7 Rebirth trailer suggest that the sequel will establish two parallel worlds: one in which the protagonists live, and another in which they die. The trailer opens with news footage of multiple of AVALANCHE, including Barret, Tifa, Red XIII, and Aerith, being loaded onto an ambulance. The newscaster explains that they're among the casualties of a tornado that struck several of Midgar's sectors.
This is entirely new to the FF7 continuity - while Sephiroth does draw them to a wind-themed dungeon late in the game, the party survives, and it's nowhere near Midgar. Instead, this is probably a reference to an event caused by FF7 Remake's Whispers, mysterious entities that seek to maintain a particular timeline. The Whispers have already been seen in Remake to create tornado-like effects. If the characters did something they weren't fated to - like, for example, survive an event that was supposed to kill them - the Whispers could've kicked up a high wind in order to finish the job in FF7 Rebirth.
The trailer also shows a flashback of Sephiroth attacking - some have speculated, killing - Tifa, but this is probably a red herring. The same thing happens in the original FF7 and, according to its sequence of events, this flashback would fit right in with FF7 Rebirth's timeline. Although severely injured, Tifa does not die in the original FF7, so this doesn't the fan theory that Sephiroth will kill Tifa instead of Aerith in FF7 Rebirth. Instead, this could become a point of contention between the two timelines: Maybe Tifa wasn't supposed to survive the attack in one of them, and the Whispers will attempt to rectify the error.
FF7 Remake & Crisis Core Reunion This Theory
The respective endings of FF7 Remake and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion further - and add a new twist - to this parallel world theory. FF7 Remake ends around the same place in the story where the PS1 version of FF7's first disc comes to a close. However, it adds several new lines of dialogue, in which the characters comment on their newfound freedom from the Whispers, whom they've just defeated, allowing them to choose their own destiny going forward. That could represent the moment at which the two timelines diverge: one in which the party doesn't defeat the Whispers, causing the "tornado" spoken of in the FF7 Rebirth trailer, and one in which they do.
Crisis Core Reunion's ending also s FF7 Rebirth establishing a new timeline. In both the original and the remake, protagonist Zack Fair dies in a heroic final stand with Shinra troops, having narrowly saved Cloud's life. As a prequel, it sets up the events of the original FF7, showing Cloud's first steps into Midgar with Zack's Buster Sword. However, the final moments of FF7 Remake demonstrate that Zack is still alive. This could be another way in which the two parallel worlds differ: in one, Zack survived the Shinra attack, and in another, he didn't.
How FF7 Rebirth's Story Could Change
The most obvious way in which the timeline split could affect the events of FF7 Rebirth - and the final chapter of the trilogy - is that they may cause the two divergent timelines to butt heads. Exactly how that might happen is open to interpretation, although it may relate to Sephiroth’s awareness of the timeline split. He obviously exerts some measure of control over the Whispers in FF7 Remake, so he appears to have a vested interest in keeping the original FF7's timeline stagnant. This may be because, without Aerith and Zack on AVALANCHE's side, he has a better chance at achieving godhood. Perhaps that’s only his secondary goal in FF7 Rebirth; his primary aim may be maintaining the original timeline.
Zack's survival could also have a major impact on FF7 Rebirth's story. As Aerith's old flame, he may prove an influence on her. If Aerith also survives the events of Rebirth and continues to pursue a romantic relationship with Cloud, Zack could be worthy competition - after all, Aerith's first impression of Cloud is that he reminds her of someone. This would be a creative way to carry over FF7's love triangle plot while still keeping Aerith alive.
A timeline split would also give Sephiroth new means to manipulate Cloud in FF7 Rebirth. If the two timelines do come into conflict, it's possible that Cloud will become confused about which events he actually experienced, and which are mere intrusions from the other timeline. This would further muddy the waters of his past, a complication that Sephiroth could easily capitalize on by feeding Cloud's doubt. Sephiroth is heard in the trailer saying, "You know that I killed her. So, who is she?" A likely conclusion is that Cloud has discovered forbidden knowledge of the other timeline - whether through Sephiroth or by other means - and Sephiroth is exploiting that confusion to persuade him into ing the Reunion cause.
There's a lot to dissect in the latest FF7 Rebirth trailer, and some conclusions are bound to be false. While a timeline split is entirely possible in the sequel, this could be yet more deception, another popular fan theory that the developers are playing up. It would be an interesting way to revive elements of FF7's plot that would be lost to the remake's other changes, while also taking the story in a unique direction. Whatever the case, it seems a forgone conclusion that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will make changes to the story; the mystery remaining is exactly how they'll play out.
Source: FINAL FANTASY/YouTube
