Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is around the corner and it’s mentally pleasing to say that I literally can wait, but it’s an exciting time nevertheless. This game helped break Japanese role-playing games in the West for a very good reason: it has a truly wonderful cast of characters.
They populate the world and make it feel so vibrant in addition to driving such an iconic story so relentlessly forward. So with apologies to Vincent and Yuffie, we are purely going on how they are in the original and the Remake, as we rank the best characters throughout Final Fantasy VII.
10. Jessie Rasberry
If there’s one character that emphasises how thorough Remake was across the board in bringing old and new characters to life it is Jessie. Part of the trio of ill-fated members of Avalanche away from leading characters Cloud, Barret and Tifa, their deaths form part of the first real emotional gut punch of the original.
In the Remake, Jessie is particularly fleshed out. She gets a lot more time on screen and her character is vastly more developed. The fourth chapter of the Remake gives an insight into her family life and develops the bond between Cloud and the other members of Avalanche. There is doubt over whether they do die with the post-credits scene of Remake and trailers for Rebirth but any sort of return would be a welcome one.
Yes, this could easily be Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Johnny or Chocobo Sam but credit where credit is due, Andrea was the best of the bunch.
9. Cid Highwind
No aspect of getting older hits harder than realising Cid is supposed to be 32 years old. This writer is supposedly on track to age quite a lot in the next three years before he turns 32 and the main reason will be out of fear of being like Cid when he’s that age.
Now this is no higher than 10 for two crucial reasons: Cid will likely be very different in Rebirth and he is also a horrendous person. Yet he is very memorable, from the sequence of recruiting him to his very blunt attitude he is charming in a rather horrible way.
He is also one of the more unique Dragoon-type characters in the series but loses a lot of marks for the way he treats his wife Shera. If there’s one thing you can bet on for Rebirth, thankfully, it’s that it feels likely Square Enix will have changed that aspect rather significantly.
8. Reeve Tuesti
One of the more fascinating characters in the game, Reeve is in charge of Urban Development within Shinra. He is also morally ambiguous, working within Shinra and against the party, but then later aiding them via controlling Cait Sith.
His morality is made clearer during Final Fantasy VII Remake, protesting against the plan to drop the plate, but still working within Shinra. He will likely be a bit more prominent during Rebirth and his characterisation since the original has been more heroic.
Always intriguing and easily takes a spot on this list.
7. Aerith Gainsborough
This character can’t avoid controversy, but it’s why she’s so far down on this list. Aerith is easily one of the most influential characters in the original and you-know-what is one of the most memorable scenes in gaming. It is even questionable if VII would have achieved the success it did without it. In addition to that her voice actor, Briana White, does a brilliant job at bringing her to life in Remake and the prequel Crisis Core: Reunion and will surely do so again in Rebirth.
She is a poster child of Rebirth, but why does she feature so far down on this list? Well, it doesn’t matter where you stand on the changes, Aerith’s seeming knowledge of the future in Remake was controversial among fans. While this writer personally enjoyed the changes, a journalist being biased against himself – it’s a brave new world folks, the controversy can’t be ignored.
6. Sephiroth
The most arguable case on this list: Is Sephiroth a victim of a calamitous breakdown that makes him a villain or an outright psychopath? The latter is less distinct, the former is much more arguable. Still, his iconic nature can’t be dismissed and his appearance in Crisis Core did humanise him a great deal.
He is the seemingly unstoppable icon of Final Fantasy VII, he is evil well-personified. It’s sometimes easy to forget how difficult pure evil is to do well but Sephiroth is a great example of it.
5. Barret Wallace
The arguable heart surrounding the fight to save the planet from the overuse of mako, he’s yet another character who benefitted hugely from the voice acting in Remake. John Eric Bentley is superb in how he characterises Barret. The intimidating tough man was always there, but widening the softer side to Barret added so much to the character in Remake. This includes a very blunt sense of humour, and not censoring out the swearing helps emphasise this.
Much of the attention goes to Sephiroth et al in terms of the plot in VII, but Barret is always there reminding you of the threat of Mako overuse to the planet.
4. Rufus Shinra
If Sephiroth is the brawn side of the villains in VII, then Rufus is the brains. He is a consistent antagonist who actively seeks to outsmart and foil the heroes in VII, by no means as much of a seemingly unbeatable threat as Sephiroth but no less dangerous.
His clouded morals in later parts of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII also add a lot of depth to his character. His surely expanded role in Rebirth will be intriguing to see and he already makes an impression at the end of Remake.
Rufus’s versatility is what ranks him above Sephiroth, even if he is far less iconic.
3. Cloud Strife
This might seem a touch obvious, but he fulfils a tried and trusted literary device in the original game: the unreliable narrator.
In the original, this isn’t a spoiler given what Remake and the trailers show, Cloud is proven to be an unreliable narrator. He doesn’t tell the truth and struggles to realise what the truth is, before his mind is eventually cleared.
Remake added a lot to his character, he has a dry sense of humour and genuine warmth. His interactions with every other cast member make him feel much more human and the same can be said for almost everyone in Remake.
Humorous, dry and damaged, there’s a reason so many later JRPGs took inspiration from Cloud. He worked well, but within the context of VII, there are better characters.
2. Zack Fair
If this writer is being really honest, Zack’s existence in the original VII is a better twist than you-know-what. It is a genuine shock when his appearance is revealed, barring the one reference to his name in Gongaga, and his appearances in Remake, and the trailers for Rebirth have raised eyebrows.
He is arguably the biggest question ahead of Rebirth: Is he dead? If there is anything other than a simple no, which the trailers do seem to imply, it’ll be a huge twist. This writer will be damned if he spoils himself by reading a review. He’s also such a good foil to Cloud, the kind of character you expect to be the hero in a JRPG but for which it’s good he isn’t.
1. Tifa Lockhart
No, this writer is not one of those fans, be quiet. Tifa takes the top spot because of the impact voice acting had on her and the fact she is ever-present in the plot, and in the original is arguably the human face of it.
Britt Baron, her voice actor, did a stunning job in Remake’s third chapter. Throughout it, you accompany Tifa on requests around Sector 7, where you sense she is holding something back but aren’t quite sure. Her revelation at the end that she feels trapped was just expert characterising backed by some extremely on-point voice acting. It was an extremely promising performance that we can surely look forward to more of in Rebirth.
Tifa plays a huge role in the story, both in quietly watching and worrying over Cloud before aiding him later on and is one of his love interests. Cloud is the damaged leader, Tifa is the one who takes the emotional burden and the quiet struggles.
She is, quite simply, the best character throughout Final Fantasy VII.
