Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second part of the critically-acclaimed remake, premiered a new trailer at Summer Game Fest 2023's opening night presentation. Aside from snippets of gameplay, the trailer shows Cloud and his party exploring Gaia, having escaped Midgar to continue their pursuit of Sephiroth. Given the small bits of story given in the trailer, it seems that Square Enix is continuing with its vision to create more than a standard remake.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Remake.]
Square Enix decided to turn its Final Fantasy 7 Remake into a retelling of the original events filled with mysteries and misdirections, and while not all players were thrilled by this change, it looks like this new direction is continuing with the second part of what will be a trilogy. The first part has already left some players wondering how much will change and what story beats, if any, will be the same as the original. As a result, what will happen to Aerith has become a mystery. But in the end, Aerith's fate won't matter regardless of what it ends up being.
FF7 Rebirth Will Feel Fresh Even Without Plot Changes
While FF7 Rebirth could fix FF7 plot threads, it doesn't have to make significant changes to the plot of the original to keep the fresh feeling that it's already established with the first part of the remake. Square Enix has already redefined what a remake can be with FF7R, and at this point, making changes or keeping the same story beats can be equally impactful. With the mystery over how the original plot fits into the remake, and if certain characters know the events of the original game like it seems they might, it would be difficult for Aerith's fate to not end up surprising whether she lives or dies.
Consequences of Aerith Surviving in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
The way that FF7R sets up the plot makes it likely that Aerith might survive to the end of the trilogy of games. However, this raises a lot of possibilities for the story beyond that point and would allow Square Enix to explore new paths since Aerith dying let her help the party from the Lifestream at the end. Despite the significant plot changes that come with Aerith living, it would fit in with the overarching theme of fighting against fate.
Defying fate is a concept seen throughout FF7R, and it's highly likely that FF7 Rebirth will continue with this theme, especially since there are characters still alive who would be dead in the original timeline. But it seems there are consequences for fighting fate, and the Whispers are trying to keep destiny on its original path, even if that means attacking characters. If the Whispers are present in FF7 Rebirth, even after the party escapes from them in Midgar, then Aerith could be in more danger if she survives since these Arbiters of Fate would be targeting her, which also puts Cloud and the others at risk from proximity.
Aerith Could Die In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
It seems unlikely given the set-up of FF7 Remake, but Aerith could still die at Sephiroth's hands in Rebirth like she does in the original timeline. As far as themes go, this could be used to show that some fates can't be changed. However, Final Fantasy as a series tends to have characters successfully defy fate, and it'd be unusual for Square Enix to change that formula with Rebirth. At the same time, it could be a surprise to have Aerith die in the same manner as the original given how much work has gone into setting up Rebirth to be different from the original FF7 plot.
Aerith seems to expect that she'll die relatively soon, as shown in one cutscene between her and Cloud when she tells him not to fall in love with her. Overall, she seems to know about the original FF7 plot throughout FF7 Remake, although the extent to which she knows the original events is unclear. However, Sephiroth seems to have similar knowledge of the future, which could lead to him trying to kill Aerith before she prays for Holy, or letting her live, so she's unable to help stop him from the Lifestream. As a result, it's possible for Aerith to experience the same death in FF7 Rebirth as in the original FF7, but it seems highly unlikely at this point.
Aerith's Fate Ultimately Doesn't Matter
Whether Aerith lives or dies in FF7 Rebirth, Square Enix has already redefined what a remake can be. Her death could be used to show that some fates can't be changed, while her survival would show that fate can be defied. Her life or death isn't as significant as the consequences that come from her fate, and how that can further change the plot. Additionally, the trailer shown at Summer Game Fest doesn't tease Aerith's death. Instead, Tifa is put in the spotlight as a character who might not live to see the end this time.
With all the mysteries in FF7R already, Aerith's fate can feel insignificant. Rebirth is bringing with it questions about Biggs and Wedge, who would have died early on in the original game, but didn't in the remake. There's also the reveal that Zack is alive and at Aerith's church, though he dies before the events of the game in the original timeline, and his survival has to be addressed during Rebirth since it seems like he'll be searching for Aerith and Cloud. In the midst of these changes and their implications for the timeline, the events of Rebirth will inevitably be surprising to an extent, even with events that don't change drastically from the original.
Square Enix made its remake of a fan-favorite game into a retelling of the story, and it might connect to the story of the original game. FF7R is designed in a way that it's unclear if it's an alternate timeline, if Aerith - and possibly Sephiroth - have experienced the original events and returned to the past, or if this remake is something else entirely. Because of this unique take on what a remake can be, events that were impactful in the original timeline, such as Aerith's death, become insignificant with the number of surprises and mysteries that certainly await players in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Source: FINAL FANTASY/YouTube
