10 Final Fantasy 7 Characters Who Changed the Most from the Original

Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched in 2020, and for some people, it was their first exposure to the world introduced in Final Fantasy 7. That world has since expanded in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Ever Crisis, meaning the characters who debuted in '97 are very different from how they were originally intended to be portrayed.

The original Final Fantasy 7 was a technological marvel when it first launched, breaking new ground in how video games could tell a story. That being said, it was still limited by the hardware and memory constraints of the day, with characters represented as blocky 3D models and all dialogue delivered through text, as there was no room for voice acting.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched on much more powerful hardware, meaning the world and the characters were expanded to new levels of detail. Naturally, this changes the perception of certain heroes and villains when you go back and play the original, as some have changed drastically, thanks to their new interpretations.

10 Sephiroth

The Greatest SOLDIER Is Trying To Change Time

Sephiroth is one of the most famous villains in video game history, which is why he earned a spot in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, despite it already having a Final Fantasy 7 rep. He's usually one of the first characters to appear in a Final Fantasy crossover, being as much a face of the franchise as Cloud.

Sephiroth's fame contrasts with how he was treated in Final Fantasy 7, where he wasn't even seen until the Kalm flashback and was spoken of only in hushed whispers. He's more of a presence throughout most of the game, someone who manipulates people from the shadows, using Jenova bodies as agents.

The fame caused issues with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as the game only covered the Midgar section of the story, meaning he wouldn't have appeared until Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth if they had stuck to the story. This led to the developers shoving Sephiroth in after the first reactor mission, where he keeps appearing in visions, before having a major role at the end of the story.

Sephiroth's role in Final Fantasy 7 Remake was drastically changed simply to keep him in the story, meaning much of the dread and buildup to his eventual appearance was lost.

9 Wedge

The Badger Who Saved The World

Wedge was barely a character in Final Fantasy 7. Like the other members of Avalanche, he was just a sidekick for Barret, who would later die when the Sector 7 Plate was dropped.

The only interesting aspect of Wedge's character appeared in a non-canon novella, The Maiden Who Travels The Planet, which followed Aerith in the Lifestream, who helped the Avalanche members return to the planet, as the weight of their sins was preventing them from moving on.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake greatly expanded on Wedge's character, as well as letting him survive his original fate, and help with the attack on Shinra Headquarters, bringing in assistance from the old version of Avalanche in the process.

Fans had hoped that his off-screen death in Final Fantasy 7 Remake meant that he somehow survived, but Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth confirmed his demise. Still, he had a chance to be a greater hero in the new continuity, thanks to Midgar being expanded to a full game.

8 Mayor Domino

AVALANCHE Had A Spy All Along

One frustrating aspect of Final Fantasy 7 is how little is known about the world before the Shinra Corporation, which can be partly explained by Shinra's willingness to go to extremes to cover things up, like what happened at Nibelheim and Banora.

Mayor Domino is a hint at what life was like before Shinra: he was elected before the company came to power, but became a puppet of its regime. In Final Fantasy 7, Cloud encounters Mayor Domino in the Shinra Headquarters, and he'll give him a keycard due to his dissatisfaction with how he's being treated by the Shinra higher-ups.

In Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Mayor Domino is given a bigger role, as it's revealed that he's passing information along to Avalanche, and was aiding the party when they entered Shinra Headquarters.

Mayor Domino's larger role in Final Fantasy 7 Remake makes a lot of sense, as he is the perfect candidate to be an Avalanche spy, providing the information they needed for the Reactor missions.

7 Shiva

The Summon Who Stopped Jenova

The summon monsters were a popular aspect of Final Fantasy 7, as they allowed the developers to show off fancy attacks with cool-looking characters. Despite their popularity, the summons had no role in the story of Final Fantasy 7, and were all completely optional.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake brought the summons into the story earlier; otherwise, they wouldn't have appeared until Rebirth. This meant that Shiva could be acquired in Midgar, rather than Junon.

It turns out that Shiva now has an important piece of lore tied to her existence. According to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake loading screens, she saved the world by freezing the wound left in the planet by Jenova's arrival.

Hopefully, the last game in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy will flesh out the backstories of the summons even more, as they're a beloved part of the original game and deserve some more lore that ties them to the conflict with Jenova.

6 Biggs

The Man Who Lived

Biggs became one of the most important characters in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake franchise when it was revealed that he survived the events of the story, despite dying with the other Avalanche members in the fall of the Sector 7 Plate.

Fans were buzzing about how Biggs' presence could change the story going forward. Suddenly, this character with barely any personality was now in a position to help Cloud and the others. Maybe he'd rally the other Avalanche cells and overthrow Shinra during the confusion over Meteor's attack?

Then, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth dropped the ball, hard. See, it was revealed that Biggs had survived in an alternate timeline where he met Zack before being killed by Shinra.

Looking back, maybe Square Enix should have kept Biggs in the same role he had in the original game: a soldier who falls in a heroic last stand, rather than hyping people up, only to die anyway.

5 Reno & Rude

​​​​​​​The Turks With Consistent Characters

The Turks had some of the biggest personality shifts in the original Final Fantasy 7 continuity, specifically Reno and Rude. This is because in Final Fantasy 7, they were serious secret agents who did the Shinra Corporation's dirty work, including spying, intimidation, and assassination.

Then, Advent Children came out. This animated film was a sequel to the original story, and for whatever reason, Reno and Rude were turned into the comic relief, despite the atrocities they were party to in Final Fantasy 7.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake added an incredible scene before the destruction of the Sector 7 Plate, where they are given the orders to make sure it drops, even though it'll kill everyone beneath it. The scene shows them grappling with what they're about to do, only to decide it's too late to develop a conscience.

The extra scene gives Reno and Rude some much-needed extra depth, even if that goes to waste in Advent Children, where they start clowning around, even though the fate of the world is in the balance.

4 Cait Sith

​​​​​​​The Robots Were Finally Likeable

Cait Sith is the worst party member in Final Fantasy 7. He's not the worst character in the entire franchise (that title goes to Genesis in Crisis Core), but he definitely got worse over time, when the spin-offs gave him an obnoxious Scottish accent for no reason.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has its flaws, but if there's one thing the developers did amazingly well, it was making Cait Sith likable. Sure, he's fighting for party member space with the likes of Tifa and Aerith, but he's nowhere near as obnoxious as he was in the original.

In Final Fantasy 7, Cait Sith was a giant robot combo that stood out in a crowd, yet somehow managed to worm his way into a secretive terrorist group. He then betrays the party in a horrible way, threatening Barret's daughter, but is welcomed back later on.

In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Cait Sith is actually charming and helps the party with his technical know-how. His betrayal didn't involve threatening the child of one of the main characters, which makes it more likely the party would give him a second chance. If only the original version of Cait Sith was this good.

3 Gi Nattak

​​​​​​​A Random Boss Became Vitally Important

No character received more of a lore update in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth than Gi Nattak. Back in Final Fantasy 7, Gi Nattak was just the boss with a genuinely scary face-morphing animation, but who could also be killed with a single Life spell/Phoenix Down.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth completely remade the Gi Tribe. In Final Fantasy 7, they were just enemies of Cosmo Canyon that were defeated by Red XIII's father.

In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the Gi are revealed to be aliens, and their interstellar origins mean they cannot truly die, as the planet won't accept them. This is also true of Jenova, who is also a creature from beyond the stars.

It's also revealed that the Gi created the Black Materia, as they wanted to use the Meteor to destroy the world and escape from undeath. This answers a major question from Final Fantasy 7: why a world-destroying artifact would exist in the first place.

2 Jessie

​​​​​​​The Shy Girl Became A Badass

While Biggs and Wedge had their characters expanded in Final Fantasy 7 Remake (mostly because there wasn't much there to begin with), Jessie was almost totally changed.

In Final Fantasy 7, Jessie was shy and reserved, especially around Cloud, whom it was hinted she was attracted to. She perished along with the other Avalanche members when the Sector 7 Plate fell, lamenting the deaths she had caused. Like Wedge, her soul was put to rest by Aerith.

Remake completely changed Jessie, turning her into a fiery and flirtatious action hero, one who was quick to jump on the back of Cloud's motorcycle and go toe-to-toe with Shinra troopers.

Jessie's backstory was also fleshed out, with her acting career at the Gold Saucer and her father's accident adding many dimensions to her character. This makes her death hit even harder, especially as Biggs was spared, at least in one timeline, while Jessie was unable to escape her fate.

1 Aerith

​​​​​​​What Would You Do If You Could Do It All Over?

​​​​​​​A popular Final Fantasy 7 fan theory is that the story is cyclical: the final shot before the credits, where Aerith is surrounded by green light, is actually the first shot of the game. The theory states Aerith is witnessing the events of the story at the start, thanks to her Cetra powers, but is unable to determine their meaning straight away.

The theory explains why Aerith starts acting strangely after the Temple of the Ancients: she knows she has to die to save the world, having seen it in the vision, and that she needs to be in the Lifestream to aid Holy against Meteor.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth run with this idea, with Aerith being aware of the events of the original timeline and using that knowledge to try and stop Sephiroth. It's a fascinating take on the character, as she's aware of her fate and can now do something about it, but will she?

It would have been easy for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy to be straight adaptations, but they took a risk with the new direction, and it paid off, at least with Aerith. No other character is as defined by their death as Aerith, and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy showed fans what she would do with her life after being given a second chance.