There are loads of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth characters for you to meet in part two of this remake trilogy. From familiar friends such as Cloud, Tifa, and Barret to new faces such as Elena and Bugenhagen, we’re here to give you a rundown on everyone we know you’ll encounter soon enough.
While you wait for the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth release date, why not take a look at why the latest trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth featured the party dead? The game is likely to make it onto our best PS5 games list when it comes out, so you will want to jump into the remake trilogy while you read on and get a debrief of what to expect from the game’s characters.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth characters
The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth characters we can expect to see in the second part of the remake trilogy are:
- Cloud Strife
- Tifa Lockhart
- Aerith Gainsborough
- Barret Wallace
- Red XIII
- Yuffie Kisaragi
- Bugenhagen
- Vincent Valentine or Cid Highwind
- Sephiroth
- Jenova
- Elena
- Rude
Cloud Strife
Everyone knows Cloud. Whether you’ve played a Final Fantasy or not, this spiky blond chap with a massive sword is iconic in the video game world, and for good reason. He’s the handsome hero of Final Fantasy 7 who has a mysterious background as a SOLDIER and a love of being aloof.
In Rebirth you can expect to learn more about his backstory, watch him open up to his teammates, and, of course, slay many a baddie on the plains of Gaia.
Tifa Lockhart
My pick for the best love interest in Final Fantasy 7, Tifa is Cloud’s childhood friend from Nibelheim and a member of the eco-terrorist group Avalanche. She’s a prominent playable character in part one of the remake and you can expect her to feature just as much in Rebirth.
Aerith Gainsborough
Aerith is another potential love interest for Cloud and a very integral part of the story to come. As the last remaining Cetra, an ancient race that can speak with the planet, she has a history with Shinra’s dodgy public security group, the Turks, as she’s seen as a valuable research tool.
Spoilers for the original FF7: Aerith has one of the most well-known deaths in video game history at the hands of Sephiroth. As of now, it’s unclear as to whether Rebirth will follow the OG’s story, but if so, you made need to keep a box of tissues handy.
Barret Wallace
Other faces you’ll remember from FF7R part one are Barret Wallace and his daughter Marlene. Much like Tifa and Aerith, Barret is actually a potential ‘love interest’ in the original Final Fantasy 7 and a member of Avalanche.
Spoilers for the original FF7: If Rebirth follows the original’s story you can expect to learn all about how Barret came to hate Shinra, why he has a gun for an arm, and take part in a solo battle between him and Marlene’s birth father under the Gold Saucer.
Red XIII
The Summer Game Fest trailer gave us a big clue about elements from the original that will return in Rebirth, and Red XIII’s hometown of Cosmo Canyon is a definite feature. This certified good boy is set to be a playable team member in Rebirth as well, after his unplayable appearance in part one.
Spoilers for the original FF7: If our trip to Cosmo Canyon is anything like in the OG, we’ll get to fight ghosts of Red’s past in the caves below the canyon and shed a tear over his father who was turned to stone.
Yuffie Kisaragi
The best Final Fantasy character of all time and I won’t hear any other opinions on this. Yuffie is the main character in the Intermission DLC and features in the Summer Game Fest trailer alongside Cloud and co. She was an optional character in the original game, so we don’t think you’ll hear much more about her past until the final part of the remake.
Spoilers for the Intermission DLC: Yuffie’s partner Sonon dies at the end of Intermission after fighting enemies from Dirge of Cerberus and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. Her interactions with DoC characters are interesting and mean the story may branch drastically from the original to accommodate these new characters.
Bugenhagen
An older gentleman who loves a good chortle, Bugenhagen is a human man who Red XIII affectionately calls Grandfather. As an elder of Cosmo Canyon, Bugenhagen is incredibly wise and acts as somewhat of a spiritual guide to the party for the rest of the game and even fills them in on more about the Cetra.
Cait Sith
Despite not seeing this anthropomorphic moogle-riding cat in any Rebirth trailers, we’re very sure he’ll make an appearance. The Summer Game Fest trailer shows that we at least reach Cosmo Canyon in Rebirth, and by this time in the original, Cait Sith is a well-established part of the gang.
Zack Fair
After making a couple of quick appearances in part one, we can make an educated guess that Zack may pop up again in cut scenes or as an easter egg after the credits. Zack got his own remaster last year with Crisis Core: FF7 Reunion and we highly recommend you play that to learn about his full background and even some bits and pieces about how Sephiroth became the way he is.
Vincent Valentine or Cid Highwind
We’re on the fence about whether these two will make an appearance in Rebirth. In the original both are available shortly after Cosmo Canyon, so depending on how much longer the game goes on, you may get one or both of these gentlemen as party members by part three.
Sephiroth
The primary antagonist in Final Fantasy 7 and a man with the most gorgeous gray locks we’ve ever seen. You can expect him to pop up frequently throughout Rebirth, though you may fight Jenova in his stead after most encounters with him. He should also be a playable during the Kalm flashback sequence, allowing you to see his true devastating power.
Jenova
Oh boy is it hard to explain Jenova without getting into deep spoiler territory… You fight this bizarre creature in the Shinra building during part one and she shows up once again in the Summer Game Fest trailer aboard a boat from Junon to Costa del Sol.
Spoilers for the original FF7: Sephiroth believes Jenova is his mother and we should see him come to this realization during the Kalm flashback sequence in Rebirth.
Elena
Elena is the newest member of the Turks and we’re shown a boss battle with her during the Summer Game Fest trailer. She’s relatively inexperienced in her role and could be considered a little bumbling at times.
Rude
Another member of the Turks, Rude is a smooth operator and is almost always seen with his trademark sunglasses and pal Reno. A cute easter egg we love about Rude is that he has a secret crush on Tifa and will refuse to attack her in most battles unless absolutely necessary.
Reno
Rude’s best bud a colleague, Reno is a red-haired firecracker that attacks with a shock rod. Unlike Elena and Rude, we haven’t seen Reno in a trailer just yet, however, we’re almost 100% certain you’ll see this chap on your trip to Junon or when you take a trip to Gongaga.
Rufus Shinra
We’re yet to see Shinra’s president in any Rebirth trailers, but he’s definitely going to feature going forward alongside other important Shinra staff, such as Heidegger, Scarlet, Reeve, Hojo, and Palmer. In the original game, the team doesn’t battle against him again after the fight in Midgar, but who knows how he’ll appear in Rebirth.
Well, that’s it for our list of every Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth character. We know that even more heroes and villains are sure to pop up in the coming months so keep an eye on this guide. Until then, here are the best PS5 RPG games and if you want to get a taste of the franchise, read our Final Fantasy 16 review to see why the latest entry earned a 10 out of 10 score.
