Warning: this article contains full spoilers for both Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the original Final Fantasy 7.
The story of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is pretty easy to follow… until you get to the end, that is. Much like its predecessor, the final chapter of Rebirth heads into weird, uncharted territory, and it can all become a bit confusing. To save you from befuddlement, we’ve studied the ending and the storylines that lead up to it over and over to make sense of it all. And where we can’t make sense of it, we’ve theorised on what it means. Read on for all those answers, but be warned: it’s all spoilers from here on out, for both Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the original game.
Zack and the Multiverse
In the finale of Final Fantasy 7 Remake it was revealed that there are two timelines; the one in which the main events of the game unfold, and a second reality in which Zack Fair survived the attack by Shinra guards. Rebirth goes one step further and reveals there’s not two realities, but multiple. Infinite numbers of them, in fact. Yup, welcome to the Final Fantasy 7 multiverse.
Sephiroth explains that “when the boundaries of fate are breached, new worlds are born.” And so when Cloud and the party defeated the Whisper Harbinger in the finale of Remake, they created the reality in which Zack survives.
But Rebirth demonstrates that even the smallest decisions can create new worlds. Towards the end of Zack’s storyline, he has to make a choice: will he save Biggs, Cloud, or Aerith? His choice creates three branching realities. Each unique universe is identified by its version of Stamp, a dog mascot who pops up everywhere. In the main reality, Stamp is a beagle hound wearing a helmet. In the second reality created at the end of Remake, the one that’s home to the majority of Zack’s story, Stamp is a border terrier with a cap. The version of Zack who goes to save Biggs creates a world where Stamp is a bulldog with a bucket hat, while the version who chooses Aerith manifests a reality where Stamp is a corgi with a collar. Follow the dogs, and you’ll know the reality you’re in.
While these different realities are the stages for different stories, Rebirth does suggest that everyone has a destiny that’s hard to outrun. In the realities where Zack chooses to save Cloud and Biggs, both versions of him are hunted down by squads of Shinra soldiers – echoing the way he died in the main reality. We see this with an alternate version of Aerith, too, where it’s implied that Sephiroth will always hunt her down. This, along with the return of the Whispers (the arbiters of fate we met in Final Fantasy 7 Remake) suggests that the party didn’t totally break the concept of destiny in Remake, and that there’s still a canon path that the multiverse expects its inhabitants to tread.
Homecoming
So what’s the deal with these multiple realities? Well, unsurprisingly Sephiroth wants to mess it all up. In the original Final Fantasy 7, Sephiroth’s plan was to cause a meteor to collide with the planet. The impact would cause the world’s spiritual energy, known as Lifestream, to leak out, which Sephiroth could then absorb to fuel his ascent to godhood. Rebirth’s version of Sephiroth plans something similar, but his goal is now greater than becoming a mere god. He wants to rule over infinity – to lay claim to the entire multiverse. To do so, he plans what he calls a ‘Homecoming’, the union of the multiverse’s many realities.
Sephiroth explains that all worlds are doomed to fade from existence. We see this in a couple of instances, with the skies of some realities torn asunder. When these worlds die, they apparently return to the “planet’s embrace”. Essentially, it’s the Lifestream on a multiversal level. Sephiroth doesn’t speak plainly about his plans for this convergence of realities, but since he still seeks the meteor-summoning Black Materia, it’s logical to assume he wants to unite the multiverse and then obliterate it. If absorbing the Lifestream of one reality can make him a god, then absorbing the Lifestream of multiple realities would likely help him achieve that whole ‘King of Infinity’ ambition.
Aerith’s Fate
For Sephiroth to destroy the multiverse with meteor, he’ll need to ensure nothing stands in his way. And so that means killing Aerith, the last of the Cetra and the only person capable of using White Materia to pray for Holy, a magical barrier that will protect the planet. And so that’s exactly what he does.
But let’s rewind, because there’s a lot that happens leading up to Aerith’s death. As revealed in her trial in the Temple of the Ancients, Aerith was given the White Materia by her dying mother. But across the events of the first game, her every encounter with the Whispers sapped the White Materia of the knowledge and memories that power it. By the time Aerith left Midgar, it was nothing more than an empty, useless globe. As such, if Aerith is to protect the planet, she needs a new White Materia.
Thankfully, the multiverse means there are multiple Aeriths, each with their own materia. Through the guise of a dream, an alternate Aerith pulls Cloud into her reality – a world where the sky is crumbling and there’s no hope of salvation. This version of Aerith gives Cloud her White Materia and sends him back to his reality, just before Sephiroth arrives to stop her. Returned to the main reality, Cloud gives Aerith this new White Materia, putting destiny back on track.
Of course, as we well know from the original Final Fantasy 7, that destiny involves being impaled on Sephiroth’s sword. And, perhaps as expected, that’s exactly what happens. But it’s more complicated than that. We see Cloud deflect Sephiroth’s blade, saving Aerith from the killing blow. We even see moments of her alive in Cloud’s arms. And yet, she still dies. As far as I can tell, there’s no concrete answer to what’s exactly happening here. The burst of rainbow colour in this scene suggests another branch of fate (this motif is used in other scenes in which the multiverse is crossed or adjusted) and so this could be Cloud catching a glimpse of a reality where Aerith survives. Meanwhile, the tiny green lights around Aerith ‘alive’ in his arms points to her spirit communicating via the Lifestream, offering Cloud a moment of reassurance from the beyond. But the glitch editing in this sequence suggests it could all just be a result of Cloud’s degrading mind. As hinted at throughout the entirety of Rebirth’s story, Cloud’s body is gradually breaking down, causing him to be something of an unreliable narrator. We’ll return to this topic a bit later if you want to know more.
Aerith’s death is immediately followed by an incredibly long, multiphase boss battle. And in the final phase, none other than Aerith arrives to help defeat Sephiroth. While Rebirth features multiple versions of Aerith, it seems that this is actually our Aerith… well, her spirit form, at least. Following Sephiroth’s defeat, we see Aerith fade away in those little green lights – a sure sign that she’s returned to the Lifestream. But while she’s returned to the planet, that doesn’t mean she’s gone forever.
Promises
The final cutscene shows the party mourning Aerith’s loss. Yet, in almost all of these scenes, Aerith is clearly standing among them. Sadly, she’s not miraculously alive – this is just her spirit. But while the majority of the party cannot see her, Cloud can. Not just that; he can even talk with her.
In Rebirth’s final moments, Aerith makes a promise to Cloud. “I’ll put everything I’ve got into my prayers. I’ll stop the meteor.” Cloud makes his own promise to stop Sephiroth. This is an echo of the original game’s ending, in which it’s hinted that Aerith’s spirit protects the planet using the Lifestream while Cloud defeats Sephiroth in battle.
Over in another reality, Zack also makes something of a promise to himself. Sephiroth explained that worlds unite and part, and Zack witnessed this when his reality overlapped with Cloud’s, allowing them to fight Sephiroth Reborn together. Their worlds are now separated, but Zack wonders if they could be reunited once more. It’s a spark of hope for him, as in his universe Cloud is terminally ill from mako poisoning and Aerith is in a long-term coma following the disaster in Midgar. If his world can merge with another, then there’s a chance he can be reunited with healthy versions of Cloud and Aerith once again.
Reunion
While the ending suggests that Aerith will be able to stay by Cloud’s side as a spiritual guide for the rest of the journey, it’s not all roses for our spikey-haired protagonist. He’s the only person able to see the tear in his reality’s sky, perhaps as a result of having travelled across multiple worlds himself. More ominously, it could be related to Cloud’s mental connection to Sephiroth.
As Cloud discovers he has the Black Materia in his pocket, his mind glitches for a moment. He mutters “the reunion”, and fits the apocalyptic materia into his Buster Sword. What all this means will almost certainly be covered in the final game of the Remake trilogy, but if you want more context now, we need to look at the full events of the original game. As hinted to in Rebirth’s Shinra Mansion basement scenes, Cloud was experimented on by Professor Hojo, who injected him with Jenova cells. The robed figures seen all throughout Rebirth are also victims of the same Jenova trials. The Reunion of which both they and Cloud speak is the reunion of Jenova’s cells – a ritual triggered by Sephiroth himself from a crater far in the north. That’s where the robed men are headed, and that’s why Cloud miraculously knows that Sephiroth is north; he’s being subconsciously summoned to the Reunion. You can probably now see why Sephiroth wants Cloud to keep that Black Materia safe…
Shinra vs. Wutai
The other significant reveal in the finale is that Glenn Lodbrok is actually a puppet of Sephiroth. As revealed earlier in the game, Lodbrok is attempting to reignite the war between Shinra and Wutai. In a public address he blames the murder of several Wutai soldiers on the company, as well as the emergence of the Weapons from the mako reactors. But the reveal that Lodbrok is actually a manifestation of Sephiroth lays clear the whole purpose of the conflict: it’s a ploy to distract Rufus Shinra.
As noted in the scene between Rufus and Glenn, it was Rufus’ fathers dream to discover the Promised Land; a place overflowing with mako energy where he could build the city of Neo Midgar. After President Shinra was killed, Rufus continued his father’s work, tailing Aerith in hope of discovering this fabled place. But Sephiroth also wants to find the Promised Land – in the original game he needs its abundance of energy to use the Black Materia and summon meteor, and presumably that remains true in Rebirth. And so by creating the manifestation of Glenn Lodbrok, Sephiroth can brew a conflict between Wutai and Shinra that will distract Rufus away from the Promised Land. Rufus works it all out and guns down the robed man who took Glenn’s form, but it seems like it’s too little too late. The Shinra Resistance Committee is ready for war, and it looks like it’ll all get messy in the final game of the trilogy.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.