How Final Fantasy 7 Remake Expands The Eternal Conflict
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- ► Subscribe to Final Fantasy Union!
bit.ly/1ARxUIG
► Want to support us? We have a Patreon!
/ ffunion
#finalfantasy7remake #ff7r #ff7remake
Now that the Final Fantasy 7 Remake has been out in the wild for some time, numerous theories have cropped up. Many of these relate to what the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Ending may mean... but others look more at the content housed throughout and how it relates to the wider Compilation.
Within this video, we wanted to run-through some thoughts we've been having over the past week or so that related to Aerith, Sephiroth and the Planet (Whispers) and what they are all working towards.
► KEY POINTS WITHIN THIS VIDEO
1. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Theories
2. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Sephiroth
3. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Aerith
4. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Whispers
5. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Ending
***
Website: www.finalfanta...
Facebook Page: / finalfantasyunion
Facebook Group: / ffunion
Twitter - / ffunion
Discord: / discord (we're a partner!)
Thanks for watching!
Discuss theories relating to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake on our Discord server! discord.gg/ffunion
Hey, may I ask a question?
As someone new to the franchise, what exactly does the FF7 remake encompass? To my understanding, there seems to be three games and one movie, with FF7 also having something akin to "DLC'S". Is this correct? And are they only going to remake the FF7 and its dlc's or are the other games (and perhaps even the movie?) also going to be remade with the remake?
@@Smithington_ You might want to watch the video again, as the remake is not a traditional "remake"...
Final Fantasy Union love every point I was thinking along the same track when I beat the game
Indeed. I felt in Remake that both Aerith and Sephiroth felt off. They both had a lot more knowledge of what was happening than they were letting on to Cloud and his party. Indeed the true conflict is the one between Jenova, the Calamity from the Skies, and the Cetra, both represented in the forms of Sephiroth and Aerith. One is the virus that seeks to destroy and spread and the other is the nurturer and preserver of life. Cloud is caught in the middle and the Planet itself is a background player using or taking advantage of these warriors to achieve its own desire.
@@Smithington_ this remake is a "re-imagining" of the first 7-10 hours of the original ff7. There are prequels and sequels around the original ff7 and the creators of this remake were heavily involved with most if not all of them.
I now want Square to take their time even more to ensure the story lives up to the creators' visions. I am okay waiting another year or two to give the game time to grow and represent the World of FF7
Danable Lector Same here
so from 2 years to 3 or 4? do you really want this to span 12 years not including the wait time for this installment?
2 years is a realistic expectation. Obviously the game is successful. If they stay true to the vision they have in mind they can get the next game out in 2 years.
Agreed. I think 2.5-3 years is reasonable with a trailer popping up in 1.5-2 years from now well into the PS5's development.
The problem with this stance (not that hurrying will help either) is that squeenix + time =//= quality. More time usually means looser less grounded ideas and more squandering of said time. I don't want them to rush but I do hope someone has tight leash on them otherwise not only will the game/s take forever to come out, they're going to be less cohesive with each entry. We're already walking that tightrope as it is.
I like the direction they're taking here. It's a game of chess where Aerith & Sephiroth are in the know, the planet is a neutral piece, and Zack is a potential wild card. If done well this could give us twists and turns that will be similar to the feelings when playing the original FF7. My only concern is that the story doesn't "Go off the rails" and become overly convoluted and nonsensical. Granted you can argue that only the very end really went off the rails, and all the major story beats where done extremely well.
Things always get a bit shakey when time travel of any form is involved. But I'm really glad they decided to switch it up. I still don't think Cloud will make it out of this alive though.
And the way to explain the ‘timeline’ stuff where people are so confused is easily explainable. This is a singurality
Yeah, my biggest fear is that Nojima and Nomura get too caught up in their usual bad writing habits, I.E. retconing a bunch of characters and plot points, adding time travel (usually with vague or inconsistent rules), and in general the belief that the more parts that you add/ the more “complex” you make the story, the better and more “deep” it is when in reality it just makes a beloved game/ franchise a convoluted mess. Kingdom Hearts and other parts of the VII compilation gives us the tools to understand this, and the more creative control that Kitase has over the project, the better IMO.
@@DizzyShark. which characters and plot points are retconned? Honesty curious.
Eddie Herrera Genesis is the biggest example, who was designed and added in after Gackt who wrote the theme song for dirge of cerberus. Omega is another example and big plothole, especially when compared in context to the original game and the function of the weapons, also the turks seemingly having a conscience for saving Zack (A huge loose end for Shinra) but are fine with dropping the sector 7 plate killing off at least 50,000 people. I could keep going on and looking for more, but when compared to the story, and lore of the original game, a LOT of the added material and characters presented in the future parts of the compilation just don’t really hold up.
I absolutely love the direction they're taking this. At the end of Advent Children, Sephiroth said he would never be a memory. This seems to be a perfect continuation of that promise. The final post credit scene of the original game showed Aerith looking at the camera through some lifestream particles... The exact same way as shown during her entrance to this game. I think she's at least sent information to her past self via the lifestream to counter Sephiroth.
Yeah im agree..the soul of aerith in the remake is somehow from the future, from the end of FF7 OG..she travel back the time through the lifestream..this FF7 story getting more interesting
"The final post credit scene of the original game showed Aerith looking at the camera through some lifestream particles... The exact same way as shown during her entrance to this game."
That scene is also in the original opening. Not saying that invalidates the theory but its certainly not strong evidence.
@@MrDezokokotar I'm aware that it's not super strong evidence, but Square's artistic choices are usually purposeful.
The best way to make sense of all this is that this is all a singurality
@@MrDezokokotar in the OG Opening her eyes are already open. In the ending scene she openes her eyes. Just as she does in the remake's opening ...
We'll just have to wait until Bugehagen, reveals all!
Bugenhagen: *takes a hit of greens* Let me tell you about time paradoxes
Unless OG Sephiroith kills him first this time.
level 3
DevilKaz he has legs, he’s just a tiny shriveled up old man. The blue part of his polygon model is his body and the green part is a ball/ orb that he sits or stands on to float around, you can check out his concept art on the final fantasy wiki.
Hohohoho....
Maybe Cloud too is actually from a future timeline, seeing as he gets memories from future events, but seeing as his connection to the Lifestream is not as strong as Aerith & Sephiroth, he only gets them in painful flashes and not full memories. It also proves WHY he sees those flashes and get those feelings towards Aerith (the tear when he gets the flash of sad emotion and where he shows feelings towards Aerith even though he still does not really know her during that dream scene). =)
I'm pretty sure that Nomura confirms Aerith knows of events from the future in response to a question about her awareness. He doesn't deny it and tells the interviewer to wait and find out, or something to that effect.
Edit: It's in the Ultimania, if anyone was wondering.
I think that the Aerith we see in chapter 14 is not the same we saw in the rest of the game. The dream Aerith is one that fully knows the future. The Aerith the we normaly see, has visions, like Cloud (maybe better) but has not yet lived the future.
@@rsrocha1984 She showed glimpses of knowing certain events before chapter 14. Either every time she talks with the planet she gets information from future Aerith as part of the planet she would also be a singularity or maybe she is future Aerith. The beginning of ff7 remake and the end of ff7 shows Aerith in the same pose/face
@@aikenxenophanes7928 i think it's a "sent your consciousness back in time" for aerith.. where as sephiroth was actually able to manifest his original self in the past because of cloud.
@@user-wy1et9dk9w Absolutely.
@@user-wy1et9dk9w aerith choose not to try to materialize again bc she didn't want to change the way her friends remembered her.
I found out that when Aerith gives Cloud the flower in the remake she says : ‘lovers used to give these when they were reunited’. This is more evidence that Aerith is a continuation or from another part in the timeline
Andy Smith I took it as a reference to her and Zack being reunited as Zack exists ‘within’ Cloud.
@@tonya3144 I took it as Aerith being a CloTi shipper esp cause she seems to think she will die in this timeline
This seems to be only in the English. French simply mentions "retrouvailles" (reunion)
Others have noted that the English script deviates A LOT from the others. Some scenes play out differently even
Cosmo Canyon gonna be lit in the Remake. Hopefully we'll get the answers there.
KrazyBean14 and the Gold Saucer
You have to understand though we might now be getting those exact settings. Going forward by us killing the big whisper we acknowledge the anything can happen and the same events from the original game will now occur, that including locations or people we was meant to interact with. This game is for both the original fans and new comers to explain what was the beginning like but going forward it will not be the same.
Adam Dills he sits on a floating ball, look at his concept art.
lmao
Even if we don't get all the locations from back then i want to atleast see some old enemies making a return such as the 7 weapons.
Level 4 theory: Cloud must die in order to fully destroy Sephiroth
Yup I think the same, as long as sephiroth/Jenova cells exist he will keep coming back
I can see that being the denouement. The final tear-jerker will be him and Aerith reuniting.
Can you imagine if he did in place of Aerith and you just continue the rest of the game without him? Crazy...
@Mr. SaladSpork And all the toxic puritans will whine "THATS not how the game ended!"
@@emptymelodies3316 Lets just say I have capital D Doubt that that will ever happen.
In addition to Aerith reassuring Tifa that she would help Marlene, Aerith also hires Cloud as a mercenary before even Cloud even has a chance to tell Aerith what he does for a living.
To be fair, he has a 5 foot sword on his back with the mako eyes of soldier
@@JenovaGirzz She could have assumed he was an active member of SOLDIER. She didn't. Just jumped right to that. Upon my second playthrough, I found it suspect.
NathanJCaboose it’s really suspect when Cloud is referred to as a jack of all trades merc constantly and then when she meets him again, she calls him that same phrase before he tells her (at least in jpn, not sure about Eng)
@@Sage0130 I agree with you, I do, but I'm just pointing out it could also be obvious. Cloud looks like a SOLDIER, so he can fight, but shinra troops treat him as a hostile therefore its easy to assume he went AWOL and became a merc
Remake Aerith probably thought to herself "didn't I experience this all before?"
Aerith: Don’t fall in love with me. It’s not real.
For me, that line is everything. To me, it is as if Aerith is experiencing a new consciousness - a remade consciousness - that contains fragments of her self that is in a constant battle with Sephiroth to take control of the planet. That’s why she’s far more developed and in-tune with the planet this time around and actively rejects what she knows to be her destiny at the end. Also: Sephiroth brings Cloud to the edge of time, or something of that nature. That directly implies he can travel realities and times in my opinion. Basically, Aerith is granting everyone a second chance but it involves both her and the party recognizing the past mistakes which was, in essence, focusing on Sephiroth and not a bigger problem. And if this is a true continuation then Sephiroth is indeed remembering of everything and knows what he must do differently.
Aerith / life stream is gambling on changing the outcome of everything. But to do that they must also accept Sephiroth and defeat not just his body but his diffusion throughout the lifestream as well.
Mike Pelosi to me her telling sephi and how she told the gang about him earlier “every thing about you is wrong” says a lot that she knows who he is and how much of a problem he is. It’s gonna be something now because sephiroth in the final battle it seems he got access to whispers as he realized them in the final battle. Also the fact that this may be a future sephiroth oh boy idk how Aerith can try to put a dent in his plans
its possible that, that aerith is not the same as the one in the party, but the "original one".
@@marcosdheleno could be plausible. Though, i think shes her own but with a bit of a fragment(?) from the original. I dunno but this development really has me tingling for more.
@@marcosdheleno That ignores all the times in the Remake where Aerith is surprised or confused by something the OG Aerith would know, which happens very very regularly. She doesn't know everything.
@@telltellyn im not talking about aerith from the game, but the one that shows up to cloud in the "resolution", THAT aerith.
So...the entirety of FFVII has been about the cosmic battle between Aerith, Sephiroth, and the Planet. A Battle that transcends time and with the OG FFVII being the bad timeline, Aerith has now set out to get the timeline right this time, with Sephorith being her total antithesis and the planet neutral not for or against her efforts...
Wow: *when the plot thickens*
I still cant see how the original timeline is "bad" if Aerith pourpuse is to save humanity. Humanity was spare by the planet at the end of the OG game and was recovering in AC, and would survive centuries in future as simbolize as we hear children laughting after we saw Red running. So, what exactly is Aerith trying to avoid?
Rodrigo Rocha
Because of the old FFVII books, we know the planet doesn’t care for any specific creature that lives in it and it will kill out of self-preservation. If you remember from the ending, 500 years after Aerith’s death, humanity ended because the problem was only *temporarily* solved by Aerith’s death. Future Aerith, could see this from within the livestream, traveled along the planet’s timeline, the same way Sephorith did, and enacted a plan to not just save the planet, but *humanity* as well. Aerith, in short, is on a mission to save humanity not only from Sephiroth, but from the planet’s self-preserving nature as well.
In short:
Aerith sides with humanity
Gaia sides with itself
And Sephorith sides with destruction
@@rsrocha1984 bro.. At the end of 7 it said 500 years later.. And in that time theres no more human.. Human extinct from the gaia.. Thats the end of 7. For me thats a bad ending.
And AC is 2 years after.. The meteor fall.. Its not recovered after AC.. Human still dead later on..
Aerith want humanity can be saved
Gaia doesnt like human.. They only love their ancient (thats why aerith can live in Livestream and she can comeback if she want to u can read the novel if u want to know)
And sephiroth want to succedd what jenova wants
Or so they make you think, only to take everything away from you again.
jinhong91 Not likely 😂
I feel like Aerith wouldn’t go back in time just to get killed again, humanity dies off 500 years later and she goes round again, it wouldn’t make sense.
Also I feel like they’ve been planning this for years because they have Sephiroth summon the whispers all the way back to Advent children. *If you go to advent children to where Sephiroth appears you will see him summon dark clouds, pause a few seconds later and you’ll see the pre-design for the whispers (the black ghost-like figures on the screen).*
They also hint that Aerith and Sephiroth are total opposites at the end of FFVIIR with Aerith opening a path of light with Sephiroth’s portal of darkness, possibly negating the harmful effects it would’ve had on the party. It is likely that they have the same powers and are a duality of each other by nature. They already seem to know each other, *too* perfect😂👌🏾
Remake can be to "Remake" the world. That is my understanding.
Or remake the future.
Nah, remake characters’ destinies
The word "Remake" was written and presented as part of title since the announcement
So the fact that it’s called “Remake” isn’t just because the game is updated with more features and a new coat of paint, but also because it’s a power struggle between Aerith and Sephiroth to remake a new timeline.
Bingo
Marlene is mentioned in the train graveyard before Aerith says her name.
True, but Tifa said nothing about Barret being Marlene‘s father, and Aerith knew that as well. So the point still stands. She also said to Marle „there‘s still time“ for the evacuation that is, because she absolutely knew when the plate would fall.
She also told Cloud not to fall in love with her
@@Andy-qr3hu yeah not disagreeing that Aerith knows things she shouldn't just that she had no way of knowing Marlene's name
if you go back through the game in the train graveyard all tifa says is marlene that is all nothing of who she iss or what she saw in fact she dismisses it and tells aerith and cloud they need to hurry.... but then aerith knows that marlene is in 7th heaven.... along with looking at marlene and saying you must be barrets daughter.... so no she should no know anything about her lols
@Santi R there is a theory / real theory that the rider steals sadness from children who enter the graveyard and keeps it in the graveyard forever leaving a piece of you.... MARLENE tells a story about going to the train graveyard and being sad because she wants to be with her father more and aerith was left right next to the graveyard with her mother as she was dying..... if you understand that you can put the rest together
Spot on analysis! I think, in some ways, this game is more representative of the original than people think. I just replayed through the og FF7 Midgar segment as I am playing back through the game right now, and Aerith definitely has a similar sense of knowing more than she lets on. I don't think there is any literal time travel going on, but rather some use of the lifestream to communicate through time to their past selves, sorta like the movie Frequency, if anyone remembers that one.
Also, with Clouds little "episodes", those happened during the original game in even as far back as Midgar, but they were more vague. I think Aerith has been communicating through the lifestream with her future self or something to that effects, and I think Sephiroth has navigated the lifestream to affect things he shouldn't be able to like inhabiting his clones in order to manifest himself and invade Clouds mine through his connection with mako poisoning and Jenova cells.
I expect the future segments to play out very similar to the way this one has with similar embellishments to the story. And rather than being a tragic tale of accepting death and loss, it will be a counter to that as a triumph of defying fate and destroying the notion of destiny, therefore giving more agency to the characters to remake themselves rather than follow their preset paths.
Explains why they had Advent Children cutscenes in FF7R. look at the flash backs closely in the game.
Ahhh, a particular line from the original keeps popping up in my head! "The Planet is in a crisis, a crisis beyond human power and endless time."
I just can't believe how good and well scripted your videos are, just so satisfying and interesting. + 1 sub
This is by far the most comprehensive, fact-driven theory assessment out there for the FFVII Remake! So many different sources pulled in to make sense of the situations presented. Please, PLEASE continue to provide this type of content! It is exceptionally insightful!
Thank you so SO much for making this video.
Personally, I really love the narrative foil between Sephiroth and Aerith, and I find it very interesting how their goals in the Remake are essentially the same.
The Remake has gotten me extremely excited and theorizing again, and this is all I could ask for!
"As long as Cloud remembers me, I can continue to exist" KH Fans activate
Seriously, Axel must be Sephiroth's biggest fan, lol.
This is exactly what I was thinking, playing the game. Every time there was a flashback, a little change, a sign that Aerith might remember things from the previous game etc, I was telling myself: Wait... it's not a remake! Or not the kind of remake they usually do!
And I love it. I didn't see the parallel between the whispers and Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz and I find it so amazing... So many theories can be made with this game and I love it!
The team behind FF7R have stated that even though FF7R is a "remake" they still consider it a part of the FF7 compilation. So in theory FF7R might actually be a sequel
@@soraxstacy1477 Yes, That's what I understood too. Plus, they said it in the video.
The theory I got that stood well from people is that this is a singurality rather than multiple timelines/universes. It mixes or adds the best to what we’ve seen so far.
Gotta give credit to Maximilian Dood to realize upon deep analysis that was Yazoo, Kadaj and Loz. Also, even he realized that was Advent Children Sephiroth before the Ultimania release.
He didn't come up with that stuff, it was brought to his attention from some of his "top men". He was most people's resource for the information as he's got a large audience and did some podcasts with other audiences, but he didn't do that particular bit of detective work. So no you don't have to give him credit for it. You can give him credit for bringing it to your attention though, as he was mine.
You actually made things make more sense, thanks
The Advent Children references give me hope that the story doesn’t deviate too much from the original...both Aerith and Sephiroth trying to defy fate might actually mean that the original main plot points still happen...meaning that I do hope Tifa does not die prematurely and Aerith still has the same impact in the remake at the end of it all as the original
There is literally no reason to think they would change things like that lol it's a story of defying fate, you think you can change things until you realize that what you change doesn't matter and things play out the same way no matter what
Well said enough there
Edward Liu plus if anything I think sephiroth will be gunning to take aerith down. As of now she’s his biggest threat because she knows stuff and mix that with holy....one thing I think they’ll change is the way aerith will die. They might have cloud actually kill her like he almost did before sephiroth did in the original. I don’t see them killing tifa but honestly never know (hopefully they don’t tho)
Yeah, based on the roles that Aerith and Sephiroth still play in the remake, I also feel that Aerith has more of a target than Tifa does. It doesn’t make any sense why Sephiroth would kill Tifa, especially once all of the other aspects of the story get revealed and the main plot points still stick. So yeah, remaining optimistic than Tifa is fine throughout the remake series and will still play her role in the end
The theory I got that stood well from people is that this is a singurality rather than multiple timelines/universes. It mixes or adds the best to what we’ve seen so far.
Basically, Aerith and Sephiroth are like kids fighting over their favorite Chocobo plushie, but on the scale of Cosmos vs Chaos in the Dissidia games.
Aerith section “not to fall in love with me” in past tense, I believe it’s This Aerith from Advent Children from the livestream
Same, I dont that "dream Aerith" was the same Aerith that we have being playing with. The presente Aerith has only sparse visions of the future, but is not fully aware of it.
I dont think aerith from AC.. But she knows because planet is telling her what happen in lifestream..
Pretty sure that wasn't Aerith, but Sephiroth manipulating us with her imagery. Go back and watch and you'll see the black feather flutter through, a key indicator of Sephiroth's presence.
The theory I got that stood well from people is that this is a singurality rather than multiple timelines/universes. It mixes or adds the best to what we’ve seen so far.
I dont really care for that think actually, who give that dream to cloud. We still dont know until what coming next. I think that dreams will give cloud to have strong feeling for loving aerith even aerith tell better not to love her. Its my opinion what i think
I like this theory a lot. It also gives the word "Remake" another level of depth. It's actually Areith, Sephiroth and Gaia's remake of what happened. That said, what is Aerith's motive to have to redo this... she doesn't absolutely lost, she just didn't get the perfect outcome. Humanity survived, all her friends survived.
This makes it SO much more hype than a simple remake!!!
I’m ALL ON BOARD for a continuation of the compilation!
Let's not forget about Genesis when he carried Weiss's body and said that they have so much work to do.
Maybe genesis is the true threat to the world.hence maybe that is why Seph wants Cloud's help as well.
The end of the remake makes more sense after watching this. I was so confused as to what was going on, but this all seems to click.
Yeah, from the incident with the whispers and Jessie in sector 7, I was certain this was a sequel too. I really like how they played with the word Remake. Aerith/Sephiroth are literally trying to remake the events that happened into something that works for them. I still don't think OUR Cloud will make it out alive though...
DUDE! from all the theories made, yours makes a lot more sense!
Ah, it's nice to think that all these corollary short stories and guides + FFVII Compilation games + FFVII Remake contents have been produced to render a cohesive narrative that will neatly, logically pull together all FFVII lore threads in the end... But let's be honest, how likely is it that with the amount of a) people involved in the creative aspects of anything FFVII-related, and b) stuff being produced across more than 20 years, the writers/directors have always, collectively had their shit 100% together in the aftermath of FFVII?
When you get a project this size, with all this prequels/sequels/spinoffs/expanded universe material, you bet details get forgotten, small creative decisions snowball into pretty divergent scenarios, stuff gets retconned like it's nobody's business, and so on on and so forth... Once you start getting on board a bunch of different authorial voices across long stretches of time in a series, on average you end up with people making/unmaking things up as they go (Nomura already seems the type to do that on his own if you ask me lol) more or less loosely within a common core knowledge frame
(Evidence of this happening can be observed, imho, in how varied the interpretation of Aerith and Sephiroth's actions in the original FFVII game can be based on this textual reference alone versus what is presented in the each of the subsequent games or novellas or whatnot)
goopho Yup good points. This is exactly what scares me. Let's just hope they stay focused on tying together those loose ends!
I always had doubts that the little specters at the end of the game where Cloud Tifa and Barrett and man you just gave it all the more reasons to backup my doubt!! Good job with this!
At the beginning of chapter 6 or 7, I can’t remember which one, Barrett and Tifa mention Marlene’s favorite book. Life in an endless maze. Later in the story Aerith mentions that she’s lost in an endless maze and about how when the whispers touch her she loses part of herself. Then the line about following the yellow flowers.
Jenova already took control of some of the Cetra's bodies & fused with their dna back then..The misconception of Sephiroth being an (indirect) Ancient might be true because of his Jenova's genes (because he's still an offspring of the extraterrestrial being). That could be also be why Aerith & Sephiroth have some similar capabilities within the afterlife.
Also Cloud could see the future only because of Jenova's abilities.
Lucrecia had saw the future of Sephiroth's dark outcome after giving birth to him; regardless she wanted to see her son.
SE: All questions will be answered
Me: Doubt
I highly recommend that everyone here go listen to spoiler mode with Maximilian Dood, The man’s theories will make you question everything in this game and give it another go.
i thought of max while watching this too. but i think this video pretty much neatly summarizes what max's theories are. if anything, i'd say one of the things that max has said in one of the podcasts he's been on was that playing the game multiple times expands your perspective on what's actually going on is encouraged and that even the game "wants" you to play more and then people can come to their own understanding and theories. which to me is really just good game design.
Max is ahead of time, he already knew most of the things even the ultimania not being out yet..he absolutely a huge fan of FF7
The theory I got that stood well from people is that this is a singurality rather than multiple timelines/universes. It mixes or adds the best to what we’ve seen so far.
Camilo Calderon I feel like multiple timelines have been created and they’re going to collapse onto each other as the story goes forward. This is kind of the reason why I feel like Tifa will die instead of Aerith, I think that when it comes to the critical point Zack will save her at the last minute, only for it to reveal that she was never the true target. Sephiroth will then kill Tifa, because he realizes that she matters to Cloud more than Aerith. The way they emphasized on Cloud and Tifa’s relationship just screams she’s going to die imo.
@@camilo0calderon I agree. There's no evidence much less hints that there are multiple timelines. However, the ending strongly hints that with the destruction of the Whispers and Sephiroth's meddling, the timeline has been altered. The future obviously has been changed ("The unknown journey will continue"), the history has been changed (Zack lives, there are survivors from the Sector 7 plate collapse, Biggs is alive, etc). The only thing they haven't shown you is how the PRESENT has been changed. That .. is what awaits us in the next installment, and i can't wait .. :)
As a person who comes to Final Fantasy as a watcher of the movies, theories, origins, I really like these pieces. They fill gaps that are left. I only knew the ending of the original FFVII because of your Cloud origins and various other things I'd heard/read. So, seeing the end of the remake I was like Whhaaaaattt???? (Mostly because I'm a novelist and I'm expecting a nice link to Advent Children!
But.... the theories you talk about here gave me pause for thought, and a re-look at the story I 'know'. I love that you opened my eyes (and I can't say how stunning FFVII (and XV) is from a novelist's point of view in terms of character and plot) and really appreciate being encouraged to think outside the square. Thumbs up to plot twists.
What about Marlene and Aerith? Marlene's pose in the train graveyard is the same as when she's hiding under the bench at Seventh Heaven when Aerith finds her. And when they hug there's a 'moment'. I originally thought 'ohh Marlene's got Ancient blood' but I wonder now if it was more that Aeirith somehow let Marlene know through touch/thought that everything was going to be alright with her dad, Cloud, Tifa etc.
And... just watching Cris Core again and I notice that the number 49 shows up prominently in the training room scene with Angeal, Sephiroth and Genesis - the same number on the strange guy living beside Cloud.
(OMG - sorry for the length. Did say I was a novelist.....)
Lovely video!
Personally, I think they are going to kill Cloud instead which worries me deeply. Our poor boy can't catch a break...
Has anyone just sat down and thought “Isn’t Sephiroth just a silver haired, male version of Aerith?”
Zph I kinda had that same feeling a long time ago. Sephiroth is basically an evil, twisted, male version of Aerith. However, it could also be vice versa.
I like the theory of them being two sides of the same coin. Both seeking to save the Planet, but through different means. (Even though it's pretty clear Sephiroth only wants to destroy humanity so that he and Jenova can live on for eternity)
They were originally designed to be brother and sister. This has been revealed by Nomura some time ago. They dismissed the ideia eventually, but the concept is still there: they bear a lot of similarities but are the opposite of each other.
Nomura literally designed Sephiroth to look like Aerith to show their connection
Zph they were originally supposed to be siblings
Well, originally, she was supposed to be his sister.
Great video, this made me even more excited to see where they take the story. On a side note, I'm very interested see how they make the other characters play. I have this feeling that Yuffie could potentially be one of the best characters to experiment with. Given her narrative obsession with materia and that thing on her arm with all those materia slots.
To be fair there is such a bigger spotlight on the entire Shinra-Wutai-conflict that it would surprise me if Yuffie hasn't got a much bigger role.
This game was the perfect combination of interesting story, amazing cutscenes, & great gameplay 👏🏽 hope they stick the landing at the end of this 🙏
FFVII will live forever
FFVII will never be a memory...
@@peekaboojujitsoo525 Nah the original is a kiddy game with kiddy graphics. This new one makes the old one obsolete. Google search optimization and time I general will push FF7 2020 up in search results and the 1997 garbage will fade into obscurity.
@@cf3304 I meant FFVII as a whole will never be a memory, not just the original game which all compilations are based on including FFVII Remake
@@cf3304 Not really. If anything, more people are buying the original because the new one is a sequel.
@@cf3304 ok troll
Such a great video, so almost got the platinum and while playing through Hard Mode, I was noticing all these little details with Areith and was also thinking, she’s from the a future or she’s already dead because she knows sooo much and I’ve wondered why no one else has been speaking about that, so it’s incredible the way you articulated it in this video. Please do more series like this, my favourite of your videos so far.
Personally, I suspect Sephiroth went back in time himself first. After that, either Aerith went back after him or sent her memories back to present day Aerith in order to combat what he wants to do. I lean more toward she went back herself, but it’s all theories on that end.
Either way tho, I enjoyed this format and hope for similar at a later date. o7
This is probably the most in-depth analysis of Remake I have yet to see. Wonderful job friend #subbed
I'll have to really explore the feeling, but I always had the hunch that the Harbinger wasn't what we thought it was. It's three arch henchmen being those goons from Advent Children only furthered the hunch. Great video!
I enjoyed this video and I hope you'll consider making more of them :)
I enjoy so much to hear you talking. Clear thoughts, nicely structured speech, great voice colour.
The way that you explain this to me, the story diversions of the FF7 Remake seem less like edgy fan fiction, and more like a well thought out expansion of the FF7 universe. You honestly got me more excited to see where this new story goes.
That caution at the beginning reminded me of law an orders opening when they advise caution for adult content
For a theory video all the information given was spot on to what we think is happening within the universe of Final Fantasy 7. Aerith and Sephiroth within this game do know more then they let on. Aerith being subtle about it, but still was kind of out of context with what was happening during curtain points of the game; and Sephiroth being himself and not caring about anything but his own objectives within the plot. I love how this is turning out to be a sequel and a reimagined Final Fantasy 7. I cant wait for the other parts to come out and see where this rollercoaster with end up. Each time I find out something knew I havent thought about and each time it makes a lot more since. Thanks for the video.
What I find "annoying" the most is the information given in the game is "just enough" to form a simple story, leaving behind many unanswered questions. For the true and full plot, the players have to look around on Internet. And while we have so many explanations from the internet there is always a lingering question if these explanations are just fan theories.
In the end, the player experience is never truely complete. With this remake, the unknown is opened once again.
Here's the problem with Tetsuya Nomura games: they're designed to make you speculate and theorize about what will happen in the next game and what the answers will be, but the answers are NEVER a logical conclusion to the clues you're given in the current game. The answer is a brand new concept that Nomura creates in the NEXT game. This has been the case with every Kingdom Hearts game. Players will theorize about what will happen and what will be revealed based on the information they're given, but when the next game is released the answer has nothing to do with the information you were given to begin with.
Kingdom Hearts 3 has A LOT of narrative problems (mostly because it's execution is awful), but that game concludes and explains basically all of the open plots and mysteries past games had, and it does it in the way (in general, obviously) the fans theorized.
I don't have any faith in Nomura as story creator, but I think your affirmation it's a little unjust. In any case, I have the feeling that this game's story has been and is going to be supervised and discussed by several people and I feel Nomura has more to do with how things are presented, the direction of the scenes and things like these. Nojima is probably the most important figure when we talk of "what is going to happen and where is the story moving".
I understand why most people feel like Nomura will fuck this up but from reading the Ultimania most of the ideas in the remake are from Nojima (story writer/scenarios) while the idea of the Stamps was made by Nomura.
Expo Oh i so hope you're right!!
Very respectful analysis. This is 5th installment of the compilation as Nomura said... if it is a continuation then the rest of the compilation will still be considered cannon after the remake is complete then?! Lol... looking for a happy ending where everyone is alive here xD
Its amazing how complex the story is. Hands down probably the best Final Fantasy story in history
In the german translation (which I heard was a lot closer to the japanese phrasing and use of words), Sephiroth actually tells Cloud in Chapter 2 "Very good, you shall never forget about me". Which perfectly fits this theory.
This concept is so interesting.
The only thing that bothers me is that they advertised a Remake not a retailing/continuation/reboot/alternate timeline/changing the past, whatever this new story is.
Also a lot of RUclipsrs that posted the ending are getting copyright strikes.
I only found out about the fact that this was a alternate timeline when people told me about it before the game came out, they put together hints from devs that this was not the original story.
Pretty sure a lot of people are pissed they didn't get what they were promised with the trailers that said it was the original story in HD.
Even then I wish to see how this new story unfolds.
Loooooove this analysis/theory! It's so deep, so crazy, so complex.
I think that they are both from the future in some capacity. The black feather kind of gives it away for Sephiroth. Aerith is less deliberate it seems. She reminds me of Gandalf from the lotr books. Mysterious and powerful. She shows insight in a way that seems like she only vaguely understands. I also like it when she communicates with Marlene and red with her mind. Also I like these kinds of videos. I think if you guys do them it would be good because of the great research and writing you do. Even if it has been covered elsewhere, your style will be good.
Cloud and Sephiroth's conflict in a nutshell:
- "I have the super long sword."
- "Oh, yeah? But mine is super thick."
Basically, their conflict has always been a d%ck measuring contest.
Alucard J.B M.P 😂😂😂😂😂
Oop- well that ruined it for me even tho I know that's not what it's actually about 😂😭
Man, I am so stoked to see where they head with the next game. I for one loved this ending and how open it left the story. Definitely wasn't expecting them to take it in this direction. I wouldn't be surprised if Aerith survives and Cloud ends up sacrificing himself in some way. Cloud was rescued from quite a few edges and drops in Remake. Maybe it's foreshadowing?
Why would they show the OG Buster sword? I only remember Cloud holding it during Advent and during CC when he stabbed Seph with it.
Also is it just me, or the Flashback of Zack's last stand starts from Cloud but end with Aerith has some meaning to it?
I know its the wrong vid. to ask but am I the only one who wonders on those things?
Something interesting about the Black Robed Sephiroths is that I’m fairly sure that’s the present day one that’s still in the Northern Crater trying to do his original plan. All the times he appears he only talks about the reunion or is doing what happened in FF7 with taking Jenova from the Shinra building.
When the last thing you expect, the planet, messes up your plan.
Actually at the end I think Cloud noticed the evident: that's not "his" Sephiroth (the one he hates). Eveen if Aerith set it clear before entering the portal ("he's different). I just want my baby boy back in his true being
Speaking of Marlene.
There emwas that moment, where like Red XIII, she seemed to also glimpse something.
A something Aerith asked her to keep secret for now, which interestingly may be unique to Marlene goven that weird moment in the ending where she and Barret resonated towards eachother.
As for your analysis. I liked it. It makes s lot of sense if you consider the series as a whole and the Lifestream's power to affect reality even retroactively.
I personally felt that this Sephiroth, or at the very least, the one at the end *was* the post AC Sephiroth.
I feel like he's pulling a Caius in using not just the clones, but an earlier version of himself too. It's pretty doable if you consider that, in the original, Sephiroth is still recovering in the Lifestream at the Northern Crater.
As for Aerith, I think she's getting messages from her future self and indeed acting indirectly.
She feels more in line with a present version of herself still trying to make sense of things rather than an Aerith who already lived through it.
This is highlighted in her characterization, which feels closer to her ber Crisis Core self over her original Compilation FF7 version.
Honesrly, and unless you know your lore, it's easy to miss so much.
Even I was surprised by the Remnants connection in the Arbiters of Fate boss rush. But it makes sense and would fit in line with this being a 3 way war between the planet, Sephiroth, and Aerith with the Lifestream as the catalyst for it all.
I kinda feel like the Whispers are a representation of the fans who dont want the plot changed
oh damn that would be some sick symbolism.
but Cloud fucking killed all of them so those ghost can´t do shit anmore!
i mean they are definitley that. but that's only a level 1 reading of the plot. the whispers work on several meta levels.
Promised Land is not the only Advent Children song in the game. In Chapter 17 (possibly elsewhere) you can hear "Sign" from the film play for a bit when the party gets into the elevator toward the Drum, and a black feather falls to the floor. I just been replaying the game and noticed that track.
In the original game, Sephiroth calls Cloud and humanity a traitor in the Nibelheim mansion due to them settling down and rejecting their Cetra calling to be stewards of the planet which ultimately lost them their Cetra abilities. Since then, I always had the impression that humanity's Cetra abilities (the Thaumaturge) could be reawoken if people grew a closer connection with the planet. I always thought of this as meaning humanity needed to reclaim their "Ancient" roots which would reestablish their powers but it's interesting that you bring up SOLDIER acquiring these traits, which would make sense since they are showered with mako (refined lifestream) and that would technically reestablish their connection to the planet and reawaken the Thaumaturge but artificially rather than my take on it being a natural process like I had always assumed.
This could also explain why Cloud can also glimpse the future in the Remake since he he's had so much mako exposure. It would be interesting if Zack were to be shown to have some additional abilities in future installments as well since he's the only other person to have such a level of exposure aside from Sephiroth, at least in the original game. I never play Dirge of Cerberus so I don't know whether there would be any bearing on characters from that game. My take on the "Marlene is a Cetra" theory is that she somehow has a more innate draw to the planet which is awakening her Thaumaturge as she grows despite being a human genetically speaking. I always understood it as the game suggesting that humanity's only chance for ultimate survival was this reawakening in the greater population as a whole.
i'm new to this channel. I LOVE your content! 👏🏽 It gives me a lot of daydreams about FF7/remake and how it will continue. Pls 🙏 keep it up! u have a new subscriber in me!
It definitely helps going in to know this is intended as a kind of meta In-Continuity game with the original, and not, as we were originally all thinking, an actual remake. It makes it easier to take the game in as it is and not be constantly in your head going "that's different" "it wasn't like that" etc. I fell into that a lot while playing, even though I did enjoy the game. I want to play Intergrade now with that in mind so I'll have an overall better experience.
Looooove that you picked up on the Promise Land music. This is probably the most reasonable theory I’ve heard. So how do you think it’ll work with Kitase and Nojima stating they aren’t drastically changing the story and scenarios are being written that flow the general flow of the original just with slight difference? Can the the two effectively co-exist?
My view is these elements are going to be additive to the originals core narrative and not transformative as the end appears to suggests. All the normal story beats will happen but there will be more going on to the side with Advent Sephiroth and Zack. This might slightly change how scenes come about similar to the whispers.
The first time the team sees Sephiroth and it isn't just cloud is in Hojo's lab in front of Jenova. This is also the point where the story really started to diverge from the original and is the same point the Whispers start amassing around Midgar. Events was getting too far off course and the planet was reacting.
I dont care what they do I'm just happy to be in this world with these characters again. If you want the regular game go play the original, there are mods to make it look better, if you want a REMAKEing of the story, world, and characters play this!
12:53 somebody has been watching Maximilian Dood
Amazing video. I think even amongst the most diehard fans of FFVII there is a good portion who were unaware there was a whole FFVII novel series published. You did a great job in summarising and contextualising these in regards to the events FFVII:Remake.
Personally I think theory videos will ultimately be what sustains me until the second part of the Remake is released. Looking forward to more content!
Your theory really makes sense. I found myself nodding and agreeing so many times while watching your video. Nice one!
Playing FF VII Remake felt like nostalgic as well as refreshing. Still so many mysteries to unfold, but I will wait patiently for SQE to build the necessary plots while replaying the game again and again hahaha
I think this sephiroth is the one from AC he travel back o the last via the livestream. And try to change the past but with an unique approach he knows he can’t defeat cloud in the usual way, that’s the reason why he want him to join him, and we see cloud doubt for a second, I hope we can see sephiroth meeting lucrecia and redeem himself. Te real villain is hojo.
As far as Aerith knowing about Marlene, Tifa actually says Marlene’s name out loud after seeing a ghostly vision of her in the train graveyard. I had just assumed that Aerith heard that and put two and two together.
in FF7 Rebirth and Part 3 after the Whisperers were Absorbed by Sephiroth Causing the Timeline to Change, So the Events of the Compilation of FF7 Would Played out Radically Differently Compared to the Original Since Zack is Still Alive in This New Timeline, He Will be Played a Quite Similar Role to Aerith and Meet up With Cloud and the Group and They Also Would be Joined by Yuffie, Cid and Vincent in FF7 Rebirth and Part 3
Hmm...I gotta wonder. Sephiroth is seemingly immortal because of his ability to come back because of memories. Which means it's feasible for him to keep coming back for centuries because Red XIII is still alive 500 years later. Gotta wonder if the main plan for this series is to eliminate Sephiroth permanently.
Also, I noticed something a little unusual. When Cloud has the Buster Sword on his back, the bladed edge faces to the left. But when Zack has it on his back, the bladed edge aims to his right. I don't think it means much, but I never noticed it til now.
I agree with this analysis completely! I had some of the same thoughts floating around and you were able to take most of them and structure them into a nice clear narrative. The big one I missed is that the Harbinger is Jenova and because remake has used purple so strongly as a signifier of her presence and the Harringer being purple as well then of course that must be her in a similar form as Loz, Kadaj and Yazoo.
FF7 from the beginning has always been Aerith vs Sephiroth with Cloud pulled along on their fight against one another. I'm so happy they decided to really delve deeper into this conflict for the remake. Years and years ago I thought if there was a sequel it would be awesome to have Aerith and Sephiroth still in the lifesteam undissolved trying to influence events. The remake seems to be in that theme.
I just hope Aerith survives the entire game and is able to defeat Sepheroth with Cloud's help on the material plane. I really do love a happily ever after story.
Spin-off idea: Zack, Biggs (maybe Wedge and Jesse if they are somehow alive) have their own game, dealing with stuff that indirectly helps Cloud & co
Tifa did actually mention Marlene by name with Aerith at the train graveyard when she saw the crying ghost girl.
Fascinating. FF7R has been a delight for me. I don't know if they'll end up ruining it or not, but I'm really looking forward to the next episode.
I love this! This is so much more than just a remake and I can't get enough of it even after Platniuming the game.
Yes, it's a sequel. The OG already happened and AC Sephiroth ( i guess) has gone back in time and "Remakes" the past.
The developers already said that the remake won't replace the OG.
Another theory I've heard that I think is viable is that Aerith and Sephiroth have used their Lifestream powers to see into the future. They then both try to change the future to their desired path. Aerith looks to defeat Sephiroth in way that won't doom humanity to extinction while Sephiroth looks to actually succeed in his goals.
What cause have they to look into the future that they didn't have in the original game? This is where "theories" (hypotheses) like these fall apart. Without something from the future giving them cause to wield this heretofore unseen ability, they would not use it or would have done so in the original as well leading to no change. Therefore if they are indeed doing the time shenanigans the future has to be the impetus, not the present.
At the end of the original game there is a glimpse of Aerith illuminated by the mako leak in the alley of Loveless Ave like at the beginning of the game. It is the last thing the end cinematic sequence shows prior to the credit roll. This is something that seems to have been overlooked by huge swaths of the community complaining about this game and the narrative direction they seem to be taking it and the series. Personally I hope this was intentional and that even in 1997 someone had the thought that due to her connection with the lifestream Aerith could in some way influence herself at the beginning. This is made even more likely by the knowledge of things that Aerith seems to have despite the lack of any way she could know them in the new game.
I thought Aerith brought up Marlene because Tifa called out to her in the Train Graveyard. I originally was like “wait, Tifa never...” but Tifa saw Marlene in the ghost that Aerith was trying not to communicate with.
Correct, but she did know Barret was her father which was never mentioned.
I'll say it again: Aireth hears Marlene's name in the train graveyard from Tifa when one of the ghost takes on the form of Marlene.
The theory overall is sound, but this data point is being repeated by other content creators, and is false.
Aireth may not have known who Marlene was, but she did know OF her.
Quite pointless to single out one point when there are plenty of other hints or theories that could make the Marlene theory quite sound to fit the narrative.
@@vtn05001 As they said, the overall theory is sound, but that one data point doesn't fit it. We can't act like Aerith has never heard the name before when she has, in fact, heard the name before, and given context clues in the surrounding events, could easily guess who she is in relation to the rest of them. That doesn't mean Aerith doesn't know more about the original story than she's letting on, it just means that one specific thing isn't something she only knows for that reason.
Yes, but she didn't know where she was to go find her, so her suddenly saying "You want me to get Marlene to safety, right?" was a bit telling, since she WAS told in the original.
@@TailsFan I'm pretty sure after she says that Tifa tells her to go to Seventh Heaven, though.
@@gorimbaud I'll have to rewatch the playthrough to know for sure.
With the luxury of time since I've beaten the game and digested the story and realized that it was more than the "remake" we all initially thought it to be, I had a thought that I feel could be accurate. So if you're familiar with the ending of the 1997 game, just before the credits roll, the final thing you see is Aerith looking up and opening her eyes. This is both a bookend to the first time we see her in the beginning of the game and a confirmation to the player that she is responsible for both Holy and the Lifestream saving the planet. But now with these new revelations, I had the thought of what if her opening her eyes at the end of the 1997 game is actually her opening her eyes at the beginning of Remake - as if the planet has sent her back to that point to stop Sephiroth's plan!! Especially now when she first gets up and she immediately senses Sephiroth's presence, which wasn't there in the original.
I love the fact we are now in a FF multiverse. Cloud and Zach in a battle together would be crazy. Plus I love the narrative of them being at war with Wutai, that would be awesome if we get a Yuffie origin story because we know if they're at war she is a key element of it plus shinra would be sending over there best soldiers, mako enhanced monsters, there could be a lot of content there. I would love to have Sephiroth origin DLC..but first things first let's make Red XIII playable!
What would be nice is that Yuffie and Vincent will have a fully fleshed out story line, as compared to the original one where and they were only optional characters. Red would be playable for sure in the next Installment.
@@jacquiejeanconway7541 well they did give Vincent a stand alone game already that touched on some of his past in flashbacks in that FPS post-meteor, and he was pretty awesome in Advent Children, makes me think we won't get a deep story with him moving forwards, but that's the beauty of fate being changed to "unknown" now, almost anything can happen. I'm still hope to travel to Nebelheim and see him pop out of his coffin in the basement. Bet they'll even make that twisted stairwell look insane!
@@kasontime6039 So true! I am very excited!
I feel that Marlene was mentioned before Aerith said her name. I'd have to go back and replay the whole game to be sure but I felt she was brought up at least once before that scene in front of Aerith.
Also, yes, please do more theories.
it's like different parts of who marlene is are mentioned at different parts. like one part is saying barret has a daughter while another part is tifa seeing a ghost take on her form and saying her name (and aerith not shown reacting to this and cloud didn't see the ghost). it's that they never show aerith somehow connecting the dots to who marlene is before saying she's going to get her from 7th heaven so her knowing exactly who marlene is at that point is logically unexplained unless she knew all along.