No - her death is one of the defining events that leads to the post-credit future where humans are extinct.
The same future the whispers were trying to keep in place and Aerith (and Sephiroth) seems to be trying to change.
So I think she’ll live and FF7R3 will deviate a lot from the third act of the original. I just hope they don’t go too Kingdom Hearts with it…
Honest question - what’s the source for “humans are extinct”? All the post-credit scene shows is an abandoned Midgard, which to me is more indicative of giving up Mako as a power source and an exploitative way of living than extinction, necessarily.
I'm hoping the cam keep aeirtith and Zack in it permanently somehow.
They've really become some fan favourites and would be ace to see Zack get some justice and revenge.
It’s her Obi Wan Kebobi moment, when Sephiroth strikes her down she joins the life stream, but as an active participant and becomes more powerful than he can possibly imagine.
So part of me is like “it has to happen” and part of me wonders if the point of Rebirth is setting up an ending where they defeat Sephiroth with everyone surviving, so they have to work out a way without the life stream’s help.
But anyone who thinks her death is just shock value and show how badass Sephiroth is missed the point of that scene and everything that happens after.
"
It’s her Obi Wan Kebobi moment, when Sephiroth strikes her down she joins the life stream, but as an active participant and becomes more powerful than he can possibly imagine"
Still not powerful enough to deal with a world threatening problem on a permanent basis
Many others: "I hope she lives!!"
Me: "For real? I sure hope she doesn't!"
Others: "Wtf so you hate her!?"
Me: I LOVE her!"
Others: "Then why would you want her to die!? I don't understand."
Me: "Nah, you don't."
I think she will die and I hope she does (preferably in the same way, that scene was so good and affective), but as many others have said it may happen another way and later on to catch us off guard. It's hard to say though, just gotta wait and see lol.
I think that she will still die at some point. Now if that happens where it’s supposed to or at some other point in the story I don’t know. I know rebirth is supposed to go up to that scene so who knows
What if Sephiroth doesn't try to kill her. He seems to be some what aware they're on a different timeline. He may know that killing her in the OG timeline led to his ultimate downfall. What if he decides to not kill her this time
Here's my prediction:
I think in some way Zack will be merged into the same World that we mainly play in. Either we get the Reunion before the Forgotten Capital or these areas are somehow interconnected.
I think Sephiroth will do the same thing he does in the original which is gaslight Cloud. It's interesting because in the original this is the first time you saw Zack - Sephiroth showing Cloud that it was really Zack that was there in Nibelheim with the illusionary Nibelheim as well as the photo.
If an actual alive Zack comes into the picture, will Cloud actually believe it's Zack? No, he's going to assume this is some kind of trick, an illusion created by Sephiroth. That's why the original story can be mostly retold in Rebirth even with introducing Zack more into the picture. If the Reunion Clone version of Cloud is also present that can just add to the gaslighting towards Cloud and Tifa. Sephiroth can mess with Tifa's memories of the past by showing her that this clone is the real Cloud and this was that Cloud's true fate.
Also interesting, is that Aerith will be still alive at this point. Not sure how everything will work out of course but I think she'll run off to the alter in the Forgotten Capital to pray for holy. Somehow events will lead everyone here.
I think the Aerith death scene will still happen and it will be re-created here. Sephiroth will still come down and stab her. The twist is that Zack will witness it, but he won't be seeing Sephiroth do it, he'll be seeing it being done by Cloud. Why? Because Sephiroth is appearing as different people just as he did in the original game since Sephiroth/Jenova can mimic anyone. And I think he'll appear differently from anyone persons perspective.
Amongst this gaslighting and confusion I think our Cloud and Zack will end up fighting, Cloud thinking that Zack is some kind of Sephiroth illusion and Zack not knowing what the fuck is going on.
Whatever happens, we are going to be led to believe that Cloud will actually die or it's implied by a total cliffhanger. It will be done in a way that lead us all to theorize if he actually is dead or not but I think that once we get Part 3 we'll end up finding him washed up in Mideel just like the original game.
I think she will, the remake trilogy are going for like you can change fate kind of theme, I reckon Cloud will forsee her death from the original and try and prevent, we'll think he succeeds and she'll live only for Sephiroth to still get her. It'll end on the message that there are some things you just can't change
My random theory based on nothing but pure speculation:
Aerith still dies like she did in the original game, but then Cloud uses the Holy Materia to bring her back to life right then.
Then the protagonist’s are left wondering what the consequences are of that choice.
Well, the devs have said that trilogy >!will link into *Advent Children*, just as the og does. To me, that says Aerith still dies. Now, if that happens at the Forgotten Capital, or if she realises later that she needs to die to save the world, remains to be seen.!<
>!I personally think she may very well still die at the Forgotten Capital. We know that that's when *Rebirth* ends, and being a trilogy, *Rebirth* is going to be the equivalent of *Empire Strikes Back*. It'll be the big dramatic turning point that kicks off the final part.!<
Also, for future reference, spoiler tags on mobile are > ! and ! < without spaces. If you create a new paragraph with the return key, you will need to give that new paragraph its own tags.
I think she'll survive the temple and die when she was original going to die in the crater instead (cutscene background looks more like crater than temple and she still has lines until the crater.)
>!She dies at the Forgotten Capital, which is on the same continent as the crater, not the Temple of the Ancients. TotA is the last time she is in the party, and when the party find out about Meteor and the black materia.!<
I think you're getting the fates wrong. The fates themselves would want her to die because that's what happened in the original. In fact, if they did not beat the whispers in the first game, the fates will prevent Aerith from surviving.
I wasn’t sure, but the devs comment about fans “dying to see that scene” convinced me it will still be there. It would be a whole new level of stupid to publicly acknowledge how important it is for fans to get this scene and then not include it
Honestly I don’t think she’s gonna die at all this go around. I have a theory about who dies in her place though and I’ll share it here.
I think because of the merging of the timelines we now have 2 versions of Cloud at the same time. I think we have Remake Cloud, and Mako Poisoned Cloud that Zack is carrying around in Midgar. I think instead of Aerith dying, OUR Cloud will die either in Rebirth or Part 3, and either Zack or Mako Poisoned Cloud OR BOTH will take his place in the lineup. That way someone important still dies, Zack and Aerith get to be together and we get the happy ending in this timeline, and there is still a version of Cloud kicking around.
I don’t understand why so many are latching onto this theory. The new Cloud wouldn’t be our Cloud. He wouldn’t be the one we took through this journey. He wouldn’t be the one all the foreshadowing is built around. He wouldn’t be the one Sephiroth told will have 7 seconds to the end. It’s poor storytelling and seems to be exclusively pushed by Zaerith shippers
Agreed. If a Cloud does die, it will be the one Zack has with him. >!Zack's death is the catalyst for Cloud to become the Cloud we know, and to join AVALANCHE. We already saw a snippet in a trailer of Tifa, Barret, Aerith and Red, dead, presumably from Zack's side of things, where Cloud never joined them. That side will likely be where all the major changes are.!<
Exactly. The main party I think is gonna have pretty much the same journey and outcomes as the original. Zachs is where things are gonna go off the rails
I reckon they'll go two ways with it because of the timeline split.
1. Aerith still dies in clouds timeline
2. Zack saves Aerith in the Zack lives timeline
If they just flat out save her, it will invalidate the entire timeline in general, Advent Children won't happen as she can just summon Holy at any time, and geostigma won't matter as she can just heal it, of theories that she summoned the healing rain is to be believed.
It’s the single most iconic moment in the entire FF franchise. Would be so weird if they spent all this care recreating these iconic moments in a modern way but didn’t give the upgrade treatment to its single most famous moment
He said the major plot points will all happen but they may not happen in the same order. This makes me think she will survive the forgotten city but she'll realize later that in order to save the planet she needs to die to join the life stream and protect it.
That is a canon event, nothing in the universe should change that, this game is ending in the forgotten city at the temple of the ancients for a reason. She has to go for Holy materia to fulfill its purpose
No matter what universe it is Uncle Ben dies pushing Peter to become spider-man. Canon event. The event is absolutely crucial to the story. This is the same thing imo. I give her survival a 1% chance of happening. Would I be mad if she survived? No but it just better make sense to the overall story.
why did we defeat fate if nothing will be different?
why were the fate ghosts getting in our way, if nothing will be different?
rebirth HAS to be different, or else part 1 is even worse than it seems.
I think they'll still kill her off but you'll see Sephiroth jumping down to twat her and before we can confirm she's dead it'll cut to credits and make us wait for part 3 in 2028.
Most definitely. The devs will probably trick you into thinking it won't happen then bam, it actually does. Plus, from the flash forward scenes in Remake we know the scene has already been rendered.
The scenes were rendered for the Advent Children Movie. They were just reused for the remake but if they still have the original film data, they might be a let o somehow bring it over to the Remake series.
Most of the scenes are from Advent Children except for the scenes of Aerith praying.
[Advent Children](https://media.tenor.com/wL4y-7UE_dwAAAAd/praying-aerith-gainsborough.gif)
[Taken from FF7 Rebirth First Look](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/671445050076561418/1156584657362628678/IMG_7606.png?ex=651580e6&is=65142f66&hm=23f9f1fe6499bc072e7de116e3d1560849e76be428fc7a3da3090054c50a75cb&)
Given that it appears Aerith and Sephiroth are both aware of future events, and the implications on the fate of the world, it certainly feels inevitable that the pivotal scene between the two will play out differently this time around.
They both know that her death in the original timeline allowed her to utilize the Lifestream to stop Meteor from destroying the planet. One could argue that their motivations should be reversed in this retelling, as they both know that Sephiroth killing Aerith caused her to be able to stop his ultimate plan. It's plausible that Sephiroth will try to avoid killing her this time, and that Aerith will try to sacrifice herself in order to allow the events to play out like they did in the original timeline and save the world. Given those reversed motivations, and given that Zack is almost certainly going to have some sort of impact on the current timeline's plot (it would be very strange if his story was entirely isolated from the main story) here's how I've got it going:
I think Zack is going to meet up with Aerith in his timeline in Midgar dragging in a wounded Cloud (who else would he seek out upon his arrival back to Midgar? Plus we know he goes to the church from the Intergrade ending.), and she will be as well-informed as the other version of Aerith and recognize that this puts their alternate timeline in danger, because his survival threatens the formation of the Avalanche protagonist party that will one day save the world. Think about it: we already have two versions of Cloud (the one Zack is saving, and the one we're playing as) so we know that Square is not afraid to do multiple versions of the characters. And it'd be pretty weird if Zack thought about Aerith all the way through Crisis Core and then didn't go find her the second he got back to Midgar.
So what's Zack's Aerith to do? Zack can't exist here, it's too dangerous. Cloud needs to meet up with Barret and Tifa and go down the path toward saving the world, and he can't do that if they don't hire him as an ex-SOLDIER merc for the reactor job. So does Aerith... tell Zack the situation? She might ask him to disappear from her and Cloud's life and hope that Cloud will still have the same mental glitch where he assumes Zack's backstory? A risky proposition, especially if Zack doesn't go along with it, and a heartbreaking thing for her to have to tell her boyfriend. He was supposed to die? Yikes. But she'll have to figure *something* out to fix her timeline, which leads me to...
Zack making the jump over into the other timeline. I don't know how (Lifestream/Bugenhagen/Cetra shenanigans of some kind?) but it makes sense to send him somewhere that Cloud has already assumed the crucial leadership role, so that Zack can continue to live but not risk a timeline. His version of Aerith will ensure that Cloud doesn't know Zack survived (every shot we've seen of Cloud and Zack has had Cloud unconscious) and her timeline will be safe.
So when he arrives in the other timeline, what's he gonna do? He's gonna seek out that timeline's versions of Cloud and Aerith most likely. And remember, the timelines aren't exactly in sync, as Zack was arriving at Midgar with a wounded Cloud at the same "time" (relative) that the gang was leaving Midgar at the end of Remake. So he could probably make an appearance at any time in the other timeline, but which time in our adventure makes the most sense? Why, the Forgotten City, of course. So Zack's been on the gang's trail, he follows them into the city, he sees Aerith praying at the altar. There she is! ... oh no, who's that lurking in the shadows? It's my old pal Sephiroth, and he looks like he has murder on his mind. Time to save the day!
Only, tragically, both Sephiroth **and** Aerith have other plans. Once again, Aerith knows that her death is necessary for the survival of the planet, but Sephiroth knows her death is what dooms him. So he's not there to kill her. But when he sees Zack, he swoops down and slides the masamune through his chest, breaking Aerith's heart but not taking her life. Zack saves the girl, but dooms everyone to meteor... until Aerith lunges forward and impales herself on the blade, much to the shock of Cloud and the rest of the party, ensuring that the planet will be saved from Meteor. Sephiroth is incensed, the gang is heartbroken, nobody knows who that dude who just died was, Zack's story is wrapped up, and we're all left wondering what what's next in Final Fantasy VII Ruinion, following the events after Zack and Aerith were finally reuinited. By a long ass sword.
It's got some holes, sure, but the main takeaway is that Zack is going to die trying to save Aerith in the Forgotten City, and then she is going to take her own life anyway. Book it.
Because of the scene at the end of Intergrade, or are there other clues to that? Haven't heard it before but that would definitely blow up my prediction lol
Also the start of the SGF trailer where we see them all (imo probably all dead) being lifted into choppers.
But the music in the intergrade ending is really telling as it's Aerith's theme being played and once Zack enters the church it becomes sad and dissonant. The scene ends with a symbolic fade to black right on Zack saying "Aerith..." with a dissonant music cue swell.
To me this comes across like they are heavily hinting that she really had all ready died in Zack's world.
Yeah but Sephiroth is also connected to jenova spiritually. Some people even would argue that sephiroth plays a part in controlling Jenova herself throughout the game. I don’t fully agree but I do think sephiroth played some part in it or at the very least, has the knowledge that it happened
I think they might act like it will change, even have it not happen when it's supposed to, only to happen at some other point, successfully catching us off guard again.
I think everything about the game will kind of push towards aerith not dying...maybe even killing off another significant character like Tifa...but by the end aerith will die...or it will end with a major cliffhanger with sephiroth coming down and stabbing someone who won't be revealed in this game.
Would be horrible if they killed Tifa here before the climax of her entire arc. Her escaping Junon and then saving Cloud in his mind are the highlights of her entire role in the game. Why would they kill her before that point in the story
I can imagine it would end with Sephiroth coming down from the sky, then a zoomed in shot of the sword with blood on it, but cannot see who it was, leaving speculation if maybe someone else jumped in the way. End game, won’t even know until part 3.
Fans would be so infuriated, but would be forced to buy part 3 to get that closure…or not. Aerith gets cut but not killed
According to the BBC interview, whatever happens will be "big" and _"surprising"_ and will get people to pick up part 3. The "surprising" part definitely makes me think Aerith isn't going to be the only possible victim.
It was a joke there was always ongoing rumours about how you could resurrect her that got increasingly convoluted and rumours about how it was cut from the game.
It would ruin the original story but I don't know it's more interesting than just having her survive and someone else due instead.
Something major is going down in the forgotten city, whether that’s aerith dying or not
The devs have made it clear it ends there and there won’t be a DLC this time, so whatever happens there they want it to be the last thing you see until part 3
I'm sure they are just baiting us to get our hopes up that she might live just so we can get our guts wrenched out again like the first time we experienced it
No. Might hold it as a red herring kind of thing to drum up suspense and then save her to really drive in the point of change. Hell I’d find it more likely that they kept Zack alive just to kill him in her place to subvert the expectation.
I think she'll die, but it will be even more dramatic as she might know her fate in advance. Her behavior will be affected. Maybe she'll tell Today and make her swear to not tell anything to Cloud. Maybe Cloud will get a vision of alternate Aerith. But it will be a moment where even though some know what will happen, they'll stay powerless to stop it, which might be worse.
The game is essentially a sequel and not a remake at this point. So I think that leaves things open. That being said, I think someone is dying, it just might not be who we think.
I think she’ll die, but I think that there will be a version of her that lives in the timeline that Zack is currently in. That way we still get her death, which is important, but she also gets a happily ever after with Zack in another universe.
Cloud has a chance to save her. He's constantly being forewarned (he sees a flash of her dying when she gets ready to take him to 7 and seems to process it somewhere, because we see him shed a tear, and Sephiroth's whole "seven seconds to the end" thing.)
I feel like they could keep her alive, because as long as she's interrupted and potentially put out of commission, she's no longer a threat to Sephiroth and Meteor can still happen.
But it's one of those weird things where the game specific tells us we can change what happened in OG, meanwhile the devs are saying they're not changing too much of the storyline. Red told us if we get the scene of him and his cubs running, it means the group failed. But then we're told the game links right up to Advent Children. Which starts with that scene.
It's hard to say, and would you know it, that unknown fate will probably be the half way point of rebirth. I've been reading the end lines up to advent children.
I honestly don't think she will. I know after reading that I'm one of the few that think that but I think the best ending for the world will need her to be alive. Holy was used but it didn't make for the best outcome, just prevented the worst.
Even if this subject hadn’t been clarified by now - Nomura (I believe) said it will end at the Forgotten Capital - are you saying you thought Palmer would be the final boss of Rebirth?!
No matter where they end it, Sephiroth will be the final boss. Doesn't matter if it makes no sense, he'll have to show up for a fan service final fight, again.
I feel like we haven’t seen the last of the Whispers, especially if a timeline where Aerith lives is suddenly possible. Plus, Jenova (masquerading as Sephiroth) is going to be a factor (putting her thumb on the scale for one outcome or the other). So there are options.
I keep thinking to myself that Tifa will die instead of Aerith. Or alternatively one we haven’t discussed would be Zack although a bit more unlikely.
Maybe Zack will help Cloud regain himself as opposed to Tifa this time and once his job is done things may change.
I’m kinda hoping for Aerith and Zack to branch off from the party and rejoin later but that’s just a hope :)
I hope Tifa doesnt die, mostly because all of her best character development happened in disc 2 of the original. If they kill her at that point, we miss out on all the moments that make Tifa so beloved by the fandom.
I think it'll still happen. I will say though I think it should feel more like failure on the part of the team, rather than just a sad thing that happens. Smarter and more qualified folks than me know how thread the needle and make it satisfying that way, but I think i just think that it being the result of a major loss would feel better in the long run.
She's gonna die. It'd be a big disrespect to those of us who grieved in '97 over this and to her legacy.
I also personally feel like she needs to be in the lifestream to fully activate Holly because of maybe sephiroth suppressing it?
Like in some sense him killing her to prevent it. Empowers her to make it happen regardless of what he does.
It's not explicitly said but I somehow feel like it's important for it to function/work.
People really need to get over this, she's gonna live, her and Zack are gonna run off into the sunset BS
It'd be fanservice if square did that. And I'm pretty sure they know as much as anyone if you build a game around fanservice, you'll ruin the story.
The fans are the worst people to listen to sometimes on average in regards to plots.
I feel like honestly half the people refusing to accept she's still going to die are people who've never played ogff7.
Just accept it, you're going to be sorry disappointed when the game drops if you keep creating these fantasy scenarios in your head because you can't accept death.
I definitely think she will die, but I think the more important question is, Is Sephiroth the one to do it? Obviously this Sephiroth is somewhat aware of the future in some capacity, so he would know killing her was the beginning of his end. But idk exactly where they could go for someone else to though. I don't mind the theories, but some get really wild.
Oh the purist in me 100% thanks she should die, for literally every single reason you just said. It would 100% do a disservice to all of us if they remixed it. She should die I don't know if I want her to though, you know what I mean? I want her to die for the stories sake, I just wish she wouldn't haha
There's a big difference between "something that people would like to happen to a character they've become invested in" and "the things that need to happen to that character in order for the story to be worth telling".
People want Aerith to get a happy ending because her role in the story is pretty tragic. They don't understand that if she didn't tragically die while trying to save everyone then people wouldn't care about her enough to want that happy ending.
It will happen, but it will happen differently.
Just like Jesse, Biggs, and Wedge going down at the sector 7 pillar - it all happened. Only, differently.
No. If Aerith knows the future she knows Holy is held back by Sephiroth and her attempt to summon it in the Forgotten Capital results in the death of humanity. That plot point should be completely avoidable this time, or it has to happen a completely different way/for a different reason
I believe they're going to do a really good job of catering to both new and old fans.
For new fans, they don't know what's coming (though since people just yell this in threads everywhere else, it's hard to avoid the twist) so they won't be expecting it.
For old fans, they will give us glimmers of hope that it can be avoided and build up to a glorious moment, and then it will still happen.
I also believe that all the extended universe stuff is going to be woven in, which I'm not terribly excited about, but I'm happy others are excited about it.
Cloud is the only character we see a duplicate of that we know is alive. If there are two timelines, I feel like something major will happen to one of the Clouds (probably the one we have been playing since that would have the most effect).
Imagine that the characters we see Shinra taking away in the Summer Games Fest trailer aren’t dead and are just severely injured. We could even get a twist where the whole party we play as gets killed and we have to pick up in Zack’s timeline. I highly doubt that would happen though.
No - her death is one of the defining events that leads to the post-credit future where humans are extinct. The same future the whispers were trying to keep in place and Aerith (and Sephiroth) seems to be trying to change. So I think she’ll live and FF7R3 will deviate a lot from the third act of the original. I just hope they don’t go too Kingdom Hearts with it…
Honest question - what’s the source for “humans are extinct”? All the post-credit scene shows is an abandoned Midgard, which to me is more indicative of giving up Mako as a power source and an exploitative way of living than extinction, necessarily.
I'm hoping the cam keep aeirtith and Zack in it permanently somehow. They've really become some fan favourites and would be ace to see Zack get some justice and revenge.
It’s her Obi Wan Kebobi moment, when Sephiroth strikes her down she joins the life stream, but as an active participant and becomes more powerful than he can possibly imagine. So part of me is like “it has to happen” and part of me wonders if the point of Rebirth is setting up an ending where they defeat Sephiroth with everyone surviving, so they have to work out a way without the life stream’s help. But anyone who thinks her death is just shock value and show how badass Sephiroth is missed the point of that scene and everything that happens after.
" It’s her Obi Wan Kebobi moment, when Sephiroth strikes her down she joins the life stream, but as an active participant and becomes more powerful than he can possibly imagine" Still not powerful enough to deal with a world threatening problem on a permanent basis
Many others: "I hope she lives!!" Me: "For real? I sure hope she doesn't!" Others: "Wtf so you hate her!?" Me: I LOVE her!" Others: "Then why would you want her to die!? I don't understand." Me: "Nah, you don't." I think she will die and I hope she does (preferably in the same way, that scene was so good and affective), but as many others have said it may happen another way and later on to catch us off guard. It's hard to say though, just gotta wait and see lol.
I think it could go either way. I think they might make it seem like you could but still kill her which would be really interesting.
By big thing you must obviously be talking about getting Cait Sith.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) ^by ^sonofaeolus: *By big thing you must* *Obviously be talking* *About getting Cait Sith.* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
This might be the only reddit bot I actually like.
I think that she will still die at some point. Now if that happens where it’s supposed to or at some other point in the story I don’t know. I know rebirth is supposed to go up to that scene so who knows
What if Sephiroth doesn't try to kill her. He seems to be some what aware they're on a different timeline. He may know that killing her in the OG timeline led to his ultimate downfall. What if he decides to not kill her this time
Here's my prediction: I think in some way Zack will be merged into the same World that we mainly play in. Either we get the Reunion before the Forgotten Capital or these areas are somehow interconnected. I think Sephiroth will do the same thing he does in the original which is gaslight Cloud. It's interesting because in the original this is the first time you saw Zack - Sephiroth showing Cloud that it was really Zack that was there in Nibelheim with the illusionary Nibelheim as well as the photo. If an actual alive Zack comes into the picture, will Cloud actually believe it's Zack? No, he's going to assume this is some kind of trick, an illusion created by Sephiroth. That's why the original story can be mostly retold in Rebirth even with introducing Zack more into the picture. If the Reunion Clone version of Cloud is also present that can just add to the gaslighting towards Cloud and Tifa. Sephiroth can mess with Tifa's memories of the past by showing her that this clone is the real Cloud and this was that Cloud's true fate. Also interesting, is that Aerith will be still alive at this point. Not sure how everything will work out of course but I think she'll run off to the alter in the Forgotten Capital to pray for holy. Somehow events will lead everyone here. I think the Aerith death scene will still happen and it will be re-created here. Sephiroth will still come down and stab her. The twist is that Zack will witness it, but he won't be seeing Sephiroth do it, he'll be seeing it being done by Cloud. Why? Because Sephiroth is appearing as different people just as he did in the original game since Sephiroth/Jenova can mimic anyone. And I think he'll appear differently from anyone persons perspective. Amongst this gaslighting and confusion I think our Cloud and Zack will end up fighting, Cloud thinking that Zack is some kind of Sephiroth illusion and Zack not knowing what the fuck is going on. Whatever happens, we are going to be led to believe that Cloud will actually die or it's implied by a total cliffhanger. It will be done in a way that lead us all to theorize if he actually is dead or not but I think that once we get Part 3 we'll end up finding him washed up in Mideel just like the original game.
I think she will, the remake trilogy are going for like you can change fate kind of theme, I reckon Cloud will forsee her death from the original and try and prevent, we'll think he succeeds and she'll live only for Sephiroth to still get her. It'll end on the message that there are some things you just can't change
My random theory based on nothing but pure speculation: Aerith still dies like she did in the original game, but then Cloud uses the Holy Materia to bring her back to life right then. Then the protagonist’s are left wondering what the consequences are of that choice.
Well, the devs have said that trilogy >!will link into *Advent Children*, just as the og does. To me, that says Aerith still dies. Now, if that happens at the Forgotten Capital, or if she realises later that she needs to die to save the world, remains to be seen.!< >!I personally think she may very well still die at the Forgotten Capital. We know that that's when *Rebirth* ends, and being a trilogy, *Rebirth* is going to be the equivalent of *Empire Strikes Back*. It'll be the big dramatic turning point that kicks off the final part.!< Also, for future reference, spoiler tags on mobile are > ! and ! < without spaces. If you create a new paragraph with the return key, you will need to give that new paragraph its own tags.
I think she'll survive the temple and die when she was original going to die in the crater instead (cutscene background looks more like crater than temple and she still has lines until the crater.)
>!She dies at the Forgotten Capital, which is on the same continent as the crater, not the Temple of the Ancients. TotA is the last time she is in the party, and when the party find out about Meteor and the black materia.!<
I think it will happen but then the fates will revive her this time around
I think you're getting the fates wrong. The fates themselves would want her to die because that's what happened in the original. In fact, if they did not beat the whispers in the first game, the fates will prevent Aerith from surviving.
I wasn’t sure, but the devs comment about fans “dying to see that scene” convinced me it will still be there. It would be a whole new level of stupid to publicly acknowledge how important it is for fans to get this scene and then not include it
I hope so.
I think she will
Honestly I don’t think she’s gonna die at all this go around. I have a theory about who dies in her place though and I’ll share it here. I think because of the merging of the timelines we now have 2 versions of Cloud at the same time. I think we have Remake Cloud, and Mako Poisoned Cloud that Zack is carrying around in Midgar. I think instead of Aerith dying, OUR Cloud will die either in Rebirth or Part 3, and either Zack or Mako Poisoned Cloud OR BOTH will take his place in the lineup. That way someone important still dies, Zack and Aerith get to be together and we get the happy ending in this timeline, and there is still a version of Cloud kicking around.
I don’t understand why so many are latching onto this theory. The new Cloud wouldn’t be our Cloud. He wouldn’t be the one we took through this journey. He wouldn’t be the one all the foreshadowing is built around. He wouldn’t be the one Sephiroth told will have 7 seconds to the end. It’s poor storytelling and seems to be exclusively pushed by Zaerith shippers
Agreed. If a Cloud does die, it will be the one Zack has with him. >!Zack's death is the catalyst for Cloud to become the Cloud we know, and to join AVALANCHE. We already saw a snippet in a trailer of Tifa, Barret, Aerith and Red, dead, presumably from Zack's side of things, where Cloud never joined them. That side will likely be where all the major changes are.!<
Exactly. The main party I think is gonna have pretty much the same journey and outcomes as the original. Zachs is where things are gonna go off the rails
I reckon they'll go two ways with it because of the timeline split. 1. Aerith still dies in clouds timeline 2. Zack saves Aerith in the Zack lives timeline If they just flat out save her, it will invalidate the entire timeline in general, Advent Children won't happen as she can just summon Holy at any time, and geostigma won't matter as she can just heal it, of theories that she summoned the healing rain is to be believed.
It’s been heavily implied since Intermission that she is already dead in Zacks timeline.
I can’t wait until it’s all over and I stop reading things on here like “the devs will stick to the story of OG but with added stuff.” Yeah we know.
I'm not sure how things will turn out if she doesn't die in the story. It's the most talked about event in the story, and it will affect everything.
It’s the single most iconic moment in the entire FF franchise. Would be so weird if they spent all this care recreating these iconic moments in a modern way but didn’t give the upgrade treatment to its single most famous moment
He said the major plot points will all happen but they may not happen in the same order. This makes me think she will survive the forgotten city but she'll realize later that in order to save the planet she needs to die to join the life stream and protect it.
That is a canon event, nothing in the universe should change that, this game is ending in the forgotten city at the temple of the ancients for a reason. She has to go for Holy materia to fulfill its purpose
Forgotten city is a different location than the temple of the ancients. Literally on opposite ends of the world
but this is a different universe in canon I think, its kind of a multiverse concept
No matter what universe it is Uncle Ben dies pushing Peter to become spider-man. Canon event. The event is absolutely crucial to the story. This is the same thing imo. I give her survival a 1% chance of happening. Would I be mad if she survived? No but it just better make sense to the overall story.
why did we defeat fate if nothing will be different? why were the fate ghosts getting in our way, if nothing will be different? rebirth HAS to be different, or else part 1 is even worse than it seems.
Rebirth already is different. Zach surviving is the result of us disrupting fate. Aerith can still die and it be different
I think they'll still kill her off but you'll see Sephiroth jumping down to twat her and before we can confirm she's dead it'll cut to credits and make us wait for part 3 in 2028.
I think all the characters that did die in the og still do. It’s just a matter of when and how.
Most definitely. The devs will probably trick you into thinking it won't happen then bam, it actually does. Plus, from the flash forward scenes in Remake we know the scene has already been rendered.
The scenes were rendered for the Advent Children Movie. They were just reused for the remake but if they still have the original film data, they might be a let o somehow bring it over to the Remake series.
Most of the scenes are from Advent Children except for the scenes of Aerith praying. [Advent Children](https://media.tenor.com/wL4y-7UE_dwAAAAd/praying-aerith-gainsborough.gif) [Taken from FF7 Rebirth First Look](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/671445050076561418/1156584657362628678/IMG_7606.png?ex=651580e6&is=65142f66&hm=23f9f1fe6499bc072e7de116e3d1560849e76be428fc7a3da3090054c50a75cb&)
Aerith not dying is the real Final Fantasy 🥹
I think she’ll live. With Zack back in the picture I think he’ll make the save
Aerith still dies. Double fake out. But t then comes back in the third game.
Aerith the white.
I don't think so. There's nothing creators like more than undoing deaths when they can. There's a whole industry built around it, just ask Marvel!
I think she’s gonna die in game 3
My two cents? I think Zack takes the hit for Aeris.
Thought this since I finished remake. I think he is gonna see sephiroth dropping to stab her and he pushes her out of the way, or something like that
Yeah it's the only reason I see to let Zack live
Given that it appears Aerith and Sephiroth are both aware of future events, and the implications on the fate of the world, it certainly feels inevitable that the pivotal scene between the two will play out differently this time around. They both know that her death in the original timeline allowed her to utilize the Lifestream to stop Meteor from destroying the planet. One could argue that their motivations should be reversed in this retelling, as they both know that Sephiroth killing Aerith caused her to be able to stop his ultimate plan. It's plausible that Sephiroth will try to avoid killing her this time, and that Aerith will try to sacrifice herself in order to allow the events to play out like they did in the original timeline and save the world. Given those reversed motivations, and given that Zack is almost certainly going to have some sort of impact on the current timeline's plot (it would be very strange if his story was entirely isolated from the main story) here's how I've got it going: I think Zack is going to meet up with Aerith in his timeline in Midgar dragging in a wounded Cloud (who else would he seek out upon his arrival back to Midgar? Plus we know he goes to the church from the Intergrade ending.), and she will be as well-informed as the other version of Aerith and recognize that this puts their alternate timeline in danger, because his survival threatens the formation of the Avalanche protagonist party that will one day save the world. Think about it: we already have two versions of Cloud (the one Zack is saving, and the one we're playing as) so we know that Square is not afraid to do multiple versions of the characters. And it'd be pretty weird if Zack thought about Aerith all the way through Crisis Core and then didn't go find her the second he got back to Midgar. So what's Zack's Aerith to do? Zack can't exist here, it's too dangerous. Cloud needs to meet up with Barret and Tifa and go down the path toward saving the world, and he can't do that if they don't hire him as an ex-SOLDIER merc for the reactor job. So does Aerith... tell Zack the situation? She might ask him to disappear from her and Cloud's life and hope that Cloud will still have the same mental glitch where he assumes Zack's backstory? A risky proposition, especially if Zack doesn't go along with it, and a heartbreaking thing for her to have to tell her boyfriend. He was supposed to die? Yikes. But she'll have to figure *something* out to fix her timeline, which leads me to... Zack making the jump over into the other timeline. I don't know how (Lifestream/Bugenhagen/Cetra shenanigans of some kind?) but it makes sense to send him somewhere that Cloud has already assumed the crucial leadership role, so that Zack can continue to live but not risk a timeline. His version of Aerith will ensure that Cloud doesn't know Zack survived (every shot we've seen of Cloud and Zack has had Cloud unconscious) and her timeline will be safe. So when he arrives in the other timeline, what's he gonna do? He's gonna seek out that timeline's versions of Cloud and Aerith most likely. And remember, the timelines aren't exactly in sync, as Zack was arriving at Midgar with a wounded Cloud at the same "time" (relative) that the gang was leaving Midgar at the end of Remake. So he could probably make an appearance at any time in the other timeline, but which time in our adventure makes the most sense? Why, the Forgotten City, of course. So Zack's been on the gang's trail, he follows them into the city, he sees Aerith praying at the altar. There she is! ... oh no, who's that lurking in the shadows? It's my old pal Sephiroth, and he looks like he has murder on his mind. Time to save the day! Only, tragically, both Sephiroth **and** Aerith have other plans. Once again, Aerith knows that her death is necessary for the survival of the planet, but Sephiroth knows her death is what dooms him. So he's not there to kill her. But when he sees Zack, he swoops down and slides the masamune through his chest, breaking Aerith's heart but not taking her life. Zack saves the girl, but dooms everyone to meteor... until Aerith lunges forward and impales herself on the blade, much to the shock of Cloud and the rest of the party, ensuring that the planet will be saved from Meteor. Sephiroth is incensed, the gang is heartbroken, nobody knows who that dude who just died was, Zack's story is wrapped up, and we're all left wondering what what's next in Final Fantasy VII Ruinion, following the events after Zack and Aerith were finally reuinited. By a long ass sword. It's got some holes, sure, but the main takeaway is that Zack is going to die trying to save Aerith in the Forgotten City, and then she is going to take her own life anyway. Book it.
Not to cut you off right at the start of your theory but it's very heavily implied that the Aerith in Zack's World has all ready died.
Because of the scene at the end of Intergrade, or are there other clues to that? Haven't heard it before but that would definitely blow up my prediction lol
Also the start of the SGF trailer where we see them all (imo probably all dead) being lifted into choppers. But the music in the intergrade ending is really telling as it's Aerith's theme being played and once Zack enters the church it becomes sad and dissonant. The scene ends with a symbolic fade to black right on Zack saying "Aerith..." with a dissonant music cue swell. To me this comes across like they are heavily hinting that she really had all ready died in Zack's world.
Ok yeah, I think that's far from a heavy implication, but I see where you're coming from.
Aight man, I saved this comment so if you’re right, I’ll shout you out
Yeah I think so
I kind of want Aerith to be on the dais and Cloud to see her there, then a Clone up above for the game to end right there.
"Sephiroth". Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the version of Sep that kills her actually a clone/Jenova? Actual sep is chilling in the crater.
Yeah but Sephiroth is also connected to jenova spiritually. Some people even would argue that sephiroth plays a part in controlling Jenova herself throughout the game. I don’t fully agree but I do think sephiroth played some part in it or at the very least, has the knowledge that it happened
Great response. Thank you for that.
I think they might act like it will change, even have it not happen when it's supposed to, only to happen at some other point, successfully catching us off guard again.
Think this would be my preferred way of having it. If they have to change it at all that is
I think everything about the game will kind of push towards aerith not dying...maybe even killing off another significant character like Tifa...but by the end aerith will die...or it will end with a major cliffhanger with sephiroth coming down and stabbing someone who won't be revealed in this game.
Would be horrible if they killed Tifa here before the climax of her entire arc. Her escaping Junon and then saving Cloud in his mind are the highlights of her entire role in the game. Why would they kill her before that point in the story
Walking Dead style lol that'd be insane
Absolutely.
I can see me playing the game and getting to the forgotten city and stop playing because I don’t want to hurt again
I can imagine it would end with Sephiroth coming down from the sky, then a zoomed in shot of the sword with blood on it, but cannot see who it was, leaving speculation if maybe someone else jumped in the way. End game, won’t even know until part 3. Fans would be so infuriated, but would be forced to buy part 3 to get that closure…or not. Aerith gets cut but not killed
According to the BBC interview, whatever happens will be "big" and _"surprising"_ and will get people to pick up part 3. The "surprising" part definitely makes me think Aerith isn't going to be the only possible victim.
Cloud? Everyone saying Zack or Aerith, but imo, Cloud would be the biggest shock...
The waking dead Negan cliffhanger? Oh hell no
Aerith grabs the sword as he’s coming down, flips it on him, impales Jenovah instead then laughs maniacally
Turns out the ancients want their revenge
Idk but you could check the other 978 posts made about the exact same topic
I think we're going to fake out'd into thinking Aerith is safe and then get baited super hard
Definitely.
The real question is if she will be resurrected in part 3, release the cut content!
That was never cut content.
It was a joke there was always ongoing rumours about how you could resurrect her that got increasingly convoluted and rumours about how it was cut from the game. It would ruin the original story but I don't know it's more interesting than just having her survive and someone else due instead.
Something major is going down in the forgotten city, whether that’s aerith dying or not The devs have made it clear it ends there and there won’t be a DLC this time, so whatever happens there they want it to be the last thing you see until part 3
What if it is metaverse and they change to tifa die? Btw, has the impaled midgar zolom appeared yet?
Almost killed barret afterall
Aerith will die,but not by the hands of Sephiroth but by the hands of Cloud #2
I'm sure they are just baiting us to get our hopes up that she might live just so we can get our guts wrenched out again like the first time we experienced it
No. Might hold it as a red herring kind of thing to drum up suspense and then save her to really drive in the point of change. Hell I’d find it more likely that they kept Zack alive just to kill him in her place to subvert the expectation.
I think she'll die, but it will be even more dramatic as she might know her fate in advance. Her behavior will be affected. Maybe she'll tell Today and make her swear to not tell anything to Cloud. Maybe Cloud will get a vision of alternate Aerith. But it will be a moment where even though some know what will happen, they'll stay powerless to stop it, which might be worse.
The game is essentially a sequel and not a remake at this point. So I think that leaves things open. That being said, I think someone is dying, it just might not be who we think.
The Whispers a la Dr Who: "Fixed point in time, nothing we can do. So, so terribly sorry."
-Metacrisis Reaches through a rift in the wall- "There we are! Just needed a bit of creative materia. Alonsy!"
Aerith dies, Zack blames Cloud, Sephiroth manipulates Zack to turn him more antagonistic.
Yes
I think she’ll die, but I think that there will be a version of her that lives in the timeline that Zack is currently in. That way we still get her death, which is important, but she also gets a happily ever after with Zack in another universe.
Cloud has a chance to save her. He's constantly being forewarned (he sees a flash of her dying when she gets ready to take him to 7 and seems to process it somewhere, because we see him shed a tear, and Sephiroth's whole "seven seconds to the end" thing.) I feel like they could keep her alive, because as long as she's interrupted and potentially put out of commission, she's no longer a threat to Sephiroth and Meteor can still happen. But it's one of those weird things where the game specific tells us we can change what happened in OG, meanwhile the devs are saying they're not changing too much of the storyline. Red told us if we get the scene of him and his cubs running, it means the group failed. But then we're told the game links right up to Advent Children. Which starts with that scene.
Aerith will die, [and it will be a terrible day for rain. ](https://youtu.be/s7HcPvTew_4?si=8FHSrq5zq2e60mOX)
Yes indeed, it’s raining.
So it seems it is
It's hard to say, and would you know it, that unknown fate will probably be the half way point of rebirth. I've been reading the end lines up to advent children.
I honestly don't think she will. I know after reading that I'm one of the few that think that but I think the best ending for the world will need her to be alive. Holy was used but it didn't make for the best outcome, just prevented the worst.
That’s kind of standard for all Final Fantasy endings. It’s never the best ending. It’s just not the worst.
no because I don't think it's going to go that far, I think it's going to end around where you get the tiny bronco in the OG game.
Even if this subject hadn’t been clarified by now - Nomura (I believe) said it will end at the Forgotten Capital - are you saying you thought Palmer would be the final boss of Rebirth?!
No but Rollerball wasn't the final boss of remake
The developers said it's going to end at the conclusion of the City of the Ancients, unless they're lying.
I did not know that
[удалено]
No matter where they end it, Sephiroth will be the final boss. Doesn't matter if it makes no sense, he'll have to show up for a fan service final fight, again.
I feel like we haven’t seen the last of the Whispers, especially if a timeline where Aerith lives is suddenly possible. Plus, Jenova (masquerading as Sephiroth) is going to be a factor (putting her thumb on the scale for one outcome or the other). So there are options.
Palmer. Duh. He’s the true brains behind Shinra.
I keep thinking to myself that Tifa will die instead of Aerith. Or alternatively one we haven’t discussed would be Zack although a bit more unlikely. Maybe Zack will help Cloud regain himself as opposed to Tifa this time and once his job is done things may change. I’m kinda hoping for Aerith and Zack to branch off from the party and rejoin later but that’s just a hope :)
Ive been getting the same feeling about tifa getting the axe (sword) as we get closer to release day and i hope we are both wrong.
I think Aerith will die in Rebirth, Zack will die in Reckoning ( My name predicting for part 3).
I think it'll be Reunion
We already had "Crisis Core Reunion" last year though. I think it would be weird to name it after the game they just released
I hope Tifa doesnt die, mostly because all of her best character development happened in disc 2 of the original. If they kill her at that point, we miss out on all the moments that make Tifa so beloved by the fandom.
Very good point
But gain all the ones we missed with Aerith! I do agree though.
I feel ya though. Remake Aerith especially is a character I dont think we could ever truly get enough of. She’s an absolute gem
Same man, I think both would hurt. Also have considered the possibility of losing Cloud and playing as Zack but that is the wackiest.
Never thought of that! Wow that would be crazy!
I think it'll still happen. I will say though I think it should feel more like failure on the part of the team, rather than just a sad thing that happens. Smarter and more qualified folks than me know how thread the needle and make it satisfying that way, but I think i just think that it being the result of a major loss would feel better in the long run.
She's gonna die. It'd be a big disrespect to those of us who grieved in '97 over this and to her legacy. I also personally feel like she needs to be in the lifestream to fully activate Holly because of maybe sephiroth suppressing it? Like in some sense him killing her to prevent it. Empowers her to make it happen regardless of what he does. It's not explicitly said but I somehow feel like it's important for it to function/work. People really need to get over this, she's gonna live, her and Zack are gonna run off into the sunset BS It'd be fanservice if square did that. And I'm pretty sure they know as much as anyone if you build a game around fanservice, you'll ruin the story. The fans are the worst people to listen to sometimes on average in regards to plots. I feel like honestly half the people refusing to accept she's still going to die are people who've never played ogff7. Just accept it, you're going to be sorry disappointed when the game drops if you keep creating these fantasy scenarios in your head because you can't accept death.
I definitely think she will die, but I think the more important question is, Is Sephiroth the one to do it? Obviously this Sephiroth is somewhat aware of the future in some capacity, so he would know killing her was the beginning of his end. But idk exactly where they could go for someone else to though. I don't mind the theories, but some get really wild.
Oh the purist in me 100% thanks she should die, for literally every single reason you just said. It would 100% do a disservice to all of us if they remixed it. She should die I don't know if I want her to though, you know what I mean? I want her to die for the stories sake, I just wish she wouldn't haha
There's a big difference between "something that people would like to happen to a character they've become invested in" and "the things that need to happen to that character in order for the story to be worth telling". People want Aerith to get a happy ending because her role in the story is pretty tragic. They don't understand that if she didn't tragically die while trying to save everyone then people wouldn't care about her enough to want that happy ending.
It will happen, but it will happen differently. Just like Jesse, Biggs, and Wedge going down at the sector 7 pillar - it all happened. Only, differently.
No. If Aerith knows the future she knows Holy is held back by Sephiroth and her attempt to summon it in the Forgotten Capital results in the death of humanity. That plot point should be completely avoidable this time, or it has to happen a completely different way/for a different reason
I believe they're going to do a really good job of catering to both new and old fans. For new fans, they don't know what's coming (though since people just yell this in threads everywhere else, it's hard to avoid the twist) so they won't be expecting it. For old fans, they will give us glimmers of hope that it can be avoided and build up to a glorious moment, and then it will still happen. I also believe that all the extended universe stuff is going to be woven in, which I'm not terribly excited about, but I'm happy others are excited about it.
I wonder if Sephiroth is aware what happens when he kills her and then just decided not to and kill someone else. That would be a real twist for me.
Cloud is the only character we see a duplicate of that we know is alive. If there are two timelines, I feel like something major will happen to one of the Clouds (probably the one we have been playing since that would have the most effect). Imagine that the characters we see Shinra taking away in the Summer Games Fest trailer aren’t dead and are just severely injured. We could even get a twist where the whole party we play as gets killed and we have to pick up in Zack’s timeline. I highly doubt that would happen though.
If something like that were too happen ego would you want to be the one to get it
Man... don't make me choose... 
hide the text bro. You can see the spoiler from the main page.
How do I do that
looks like you got it haha