Cloud's Two Worlds & the Multiple Aerith's | FF7 Rebirth Ending Theory

[@barisaxman2]

It's crazy, this game came out 6 months or so ago and I am having trouble moving on still. I'm playing other games, but still holding out for new news, I keep going back to the soundtrack too.

[@AlexCole272]

Same, I keep going to the Turks theme right in the arena.

[@EttrrA]

love this theory and i’m 95% agreeing with you. one thing i haven’t seen people talk about is when bugenhagen is with the party in the temple of og there’s dialogue that says "If our wish reaches the Planet, the White Materia will begin to glow a pale green.” kinda reminds me of the glow on clouds sword that blocked sephiroth

[@steffanoboin5060]

Omg God how did i not see that that means cloud had the white materia the whole and is wish is to save aerith omg omg (just so you know I haven't watched the vid yet I like reading people's comments ) but holybshit

[@mettatonneoex]

Yet the scariest part of them all is that Sephiroth wants Aerith to live in one timeline (for what purpose only he knows)

[@progrob27]

They nailed it with this game, I think it's the best of the whole series tbh. It manages to surpass the original whilst still including it and making it integral to the story. Absolute masterpiece, can't wait for part 3.

[@jdunc635]

It’s hard to make a singular theory about the ending because there’s different phenomena happening: 1.) Cloud’s own real-time repression of the events of Aerith’s death (Devs and Ultimania confirming). 2.) Livestream Aerith coming to help fight Sephiroth. 3.) A creepy Aerith appearing to Cloud at the lake (very possibly Jenova). 4.) Cloud’s ability to see two different worlds at once in the last scene. I do believe that the Jenova theory is going to be the biggest piece of the puzzle, but there’s a lot other things going on. The one question I have with this video is: How can Sephiroth make Cloud believe he killed Aerith when Sephiroth throws Aerith’s blood off his own sword onto Cloud?

[@garywood97]

Creepy aerith appearing at the lake can easily be interpreted as the same thing as #4. I think the creepy thing was probably just for effect, and not really supposed to be saying anything about Aerith. Also, this theory is totally consistent with the idea that Cloud's repressing the truth. It's just that he's repressing the fact that she died in the main world. He thinks she's still there with everyone else.

[@jdunc635]

@@garywood97 Fair points. After I posted my comment, I rethought no. 3. I agree that creepy Aerith is better explained by Cloud’s own repression. If Aerith was actually Jenova, everyone else would have seen her. Jenova is a real thing disguising itself in front of everybody, not a hallucination being channeled into someone’s brain. I don’t think the Jenova theory explains the ending of Rebirth, but I do think it’s very possible that Jenova might impersonate Aerith in pt. 3. I think Sephiroth’s words to Cloud in the end fight, as well as his laughter before he leaves, imply he might have plans to use the appearance of Lifestream Aerith against Cloud in some way.

[@4-kathryn]

I hope it's path 4 that's the phenomena happenings in the last FF7R game but we'll see.

[@Stephiroth008]

Thank you for the video! These are hard times for me and this game is keeping me going and I’m dying for more content until the third game

[@travisboswell261]

It's been 27 years and I still can't accept that she died 😭

[@garywood97]

This is pretty much my guess too. One more detail that adds to the 'multiple worlds' idea: There is that wall of whispers that Cloud passes through before getting to Aerith. That's almost identical to the same wall of whispers at the end of the first game, which Sephiroth then tells us is what lead to the new worlds being created (when he says that during the lore dump, he literally shows us an image of that wall of whispers, to make it clear that he's talking about that). However the major difference this time around is that only Cloud goes through the barrier, the others stay behind- which matches the outcome we see, where only he sees what happens in that new world.

[@trpike08]

Thats why I feel like cloud is the only one who can see Aerith is alive. He is the only one who walks through the wall of whisper portal that barrett held open before the scene where aerith is supposed to die. I believe it's just another one of the worlds and in one of those, she is alive. Will the worlds come together in part 3? probably not, but I don't believe she is an image, or lifestream aerith or a projection. She's alive in that world.

[@garywood97]

@@trpike08 I think this has all been more or less figured out in the last couple of months by the way. We basically know what's happening (it's literally explained in an optional dialogue in cosmo canyon). The other worlds we see (both zack throughout the game and aerith at the end of the game) are actually simulations within the lifestream. They're not actually real worlds, or different timelines, or anything like that. In other words, the whole thing has been a kind of bluff. Neither Zack or Aerith are really still alive.

[@trpike08]

@@garywood97 lifestream worlds has already been disproven in some ways. we will see

[@garywood97]

@@trpike08 How has it been disproven? It's pretty much explained within the game, and it fits almost every single detail, as far as I can tell. Random details like the fact that Biggs wakes up in the leaf house at the end of Remake. That was always a completely bizarre detail, that never made much sense, until you assume the fact that it's actually Biggs being created out of Aerith's memories of him (it's implied she knew him from the leaf house as they had both volunteered there).

[@fattmusiek5452]

This is a really good analysis of the end of Rebirth. It feels like it's coming together. I'm with pretty much everything in this video!

[@KaosFell]

Regarding Red XIII, in the OG he was tricked by Jenova into giving up the black materia, so I would argue that him thinking that's Aerith at the end doesn't actually hold much weight.

[@KrakkaJax]

I feel like you could give the black materia to anyone in OG though, not just Red.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

​@KrakkaJax I think Vincent and Yuffie are the only characters you can't give it to. But, yes, you can give it to anyone else.

[@jdunc635]

It’s true that you can choose other characters, but it’s still significant that even Red 13 could be fooled, even though he has a strong nose, animal senses, and a deep connection to planetology unlike the others. He’s the best example of Jenova’s power of mimicry out of all the choices. So, it’s not unfounded to make this connection between OG and Rebirth.

[@darrenthomas325]

Doesn't Red have JENOVA cells like all the other numbered Hojo test subjects?

[@elfsong713]

I am of the theory that it is the real Aerith projecting herself to him, at least partially. She is appearing to him to comfort him and try to keep him from breaking. But Jenova is using this and erasing or rewriting Cloud's memories of her death so that he won't know what really happened. "You'll never see the truth with such Clouded eyes." Sephiroth is mocking him, but it's extra rude if it's Jenova that's doing it to him.

[@upon-fe2720]

She's not comforting him though, what she's doing is alienating him from the group, making him look extra mental. Psychology is my passion, it's what I've studied most of my adult life, Aerith's tone and choice of words post death scene are sociopathic at very best. The tone we hear from Aerith in the church scene, Aerith's true goodbye is absolutely spot on. She's softly spoken and has attentive focus on the fact cloud isn't doing well to the point Cloud thinks she's being weird. From a psychological point of view it all points towards denial, there is a high chance real lifestream Aerith is with the party at the end, it would make sense but she probably doesn't say anything apart from "goodbye" at the end. I'm near completely positive that this all points in the direction of Cloud v Sephiroth v Jenova. It's not a love triangle but a hate triangle. I think Sephiroth actually wants Jenova dead or at the very least Jenova may want to end Sephiroth as he's manifesting too much power. Jenova is the real villain. Like we often see at the end of the second part of a trilogy - the true villain, that being Jenova(Aerith).

[@elfsong713]

@upon-fe2720 I agree that some scenes make Aerith's ghost come across as really creepy. This is what led me to believe that it might be Jenova impersonating Aerith. But in the scene where she opens her eyes, it's the white whispers swirling around, which are being controlled by Aerith. Either way, whether it's Aerith trying to protect him and only delaying the inevitable, or Jenova tricking him so that he stays in denial of his grief, I think it is going to be used to further break Cloud. I wonder if we will see Sephiroth fight back against Jenova, once he realises he's being used by her too, and come to dominate her.

[@DJChamber]

I really like the idea you brought up that Sephiroth will trick Cloud, possibly the party, and definitely every single new player who didn't play the original ~ into thinking Cloud is the one who did it. As some have previously pointed out, Sephiroth flicked the blood off his sword all over Cloud right before the others got there, which might be to trick them into thinking Cloud did it (as he is covered in her blood when they walk in). It also potentially adds a bit of fuel to the theory that the person Cloud sees directly after is actually Sephiroth or Jenova ~ making Cloud seem as deluded and unhinged as possible to reinforce the other party members' beliefs that he could have done it. It could be an incredible scene to see the party all turn on Cloud and Cloud believe it himself, before the eventual redemption scene. Also, this might be absolutely nothing, but I noticed there's quite a strong similarity between the way Red XIII says 'Aerith' in the ending of Rebirth and the way Zack says it in the ending of Intermission when he goes inside the church. I wonder if there is any connection there.

[@phrofile3613]

After replaying this game . I see a theme of "Hopes and Dreams" that can defy fate. Also in the 2015 trailer "at last, the promise has been made" is what the Gi said to Red after he promise to bring the black materia to them.

[@k2d271]

Aerith only speaking in previously uttered phrases.. Facial mannerisms mimicking Sephiroth', Red being experimented on by Hojo, possibly sharing the same Jenova cells as Cloud and to a lesser degree being affected by Jenova.. The visual storytelling and undertones during the last cutscene.. The wait will be excruciating.

[@bellkins]

Thanks for the great video! Another thing is when we see the other party members, we see that Cloud is holding Aerith's hand up to his face and they see her dead.

[@Halfwarlock69]

It's great to see that so many people think the same way ,I have a theory that as the directors said they would link the story up to advent children and how cloud could see both zack and aerith in AC that Cloud ,maybe due to mako poisoning or whatever else Hoko did to him,can see more than one world and certain people at the same time ,imagine how frazzled his brain would be seeing both outcomes happen at the same time,I certainly would get migraines ,so abit like him accessing that other plane of existence or thought or whatever you want to call it ,I think it will finally explain what he has been seeing and what's real and what isn't

[@nosleepforme2242]

Do you think we’ll really go through 3 games just to have the ending be the exact same as the OG FF7 where Aerith and Zack are dead but the only difference is a happier Cloud? I don’t think so. I’d like to believe the ending will have them both alive, there’s SO MANY loopholes and different ways they can do it. Why introduce the concept of diverging paths and changing fates, only to have the same ending? It has to lead to something more. For once we have the ability to prevent things from happening the way they originally did, and even now with the biggest event in FF7 (Aeriths death) we see the differences. From the beginning we knew this wasn’t just some remake of FF7, and I don’t think it’s going to end the same as the OG did. Things are left obscure for a reason, we’re presented with so many possibilities for a reason. Why? Because it gives them so much room to do what they want with the characters and it would make sense. Converging realities would make almost anything possible, I just don’t think they would waste three games of world building that excessively stresses different endings only to have the game end the same. It would be a waste of everything that makes the remakes what they are in my opinion. I think there’s a reason we see her alive, and it isn’t just to have her dead at the end of it all.

[@mettatonneoex]

I think it would be a really interesting idea if he started getting Sephiroth Backstory Flashbacks while Cloud has the Black Materia. "Refusing to accept fate he is no different than Sephiroth" very carefully has sown that desire within the party Including Aerith (especially her). Only this Sephiroth has seen the Ultimate outcome of FF7 OG

[@perunarieska9182]

It's definitely fitting for Aeris' character to try and protect Cloud from breaking further. They've already agreed with Tifa not to inform him about the things he's misremembering, and the whole team hasn't mentioned his deteriorating mental state and his Sephiroth-projecting episodes to him.

[@ExploitedWorker]

Thank you for acknowledging that this isn't a multiverse/multiple timeline thing. I've generally stopped listening to fan theories because they've gone off the rails in that aspect. Well done.

[@Sarafara7]

I hope that this direction doesn’t change Advent Children. I liked the movie. I liked that it was about Cloud struggling with the loss of Zack and Aerith. Hopefully the ending of the remake trilogy smoothly ties into AC

[@trpike08]

Can the fact that Cloud is the only one who can see Aerith be as simple as him being the only person who walked through the wall/portal of whisps that Barrett held open while Aerith was praying?

[@martinaguiluz4063]

Good video man. I'm pretty sure that the reunion of worlds is not a "Rebirth only" plot line, so this concept will get revisited in part 3 (I'm guessing because that's probably the way characters like Zack and Aerith are going to get into the main plot of the game).

[@Rydiculous]

There are definitely multiple Aerith’s because of that moment she spoke with multiple voices to Sephiroth in the city of the ancients.

[@Rhomagus]

3:16 When the lack of Aerith's dress reacting to the engine starting was first set forth I didn't really think much of it because I was looking at the grass and chalked it up to a big "maybe". It isn't until reexamination just now did I notice that while Barret is further away, his jacket responds far more than Aerith's dress.

[@upon-fe2720]

She's also completely tone deaf whenever conversing with Cloud. It's such a weird, eery ending. In my head I can't help but juxtapose how Aerith is in the date/church/goodbye scene with how she is in the credits scene, even in the Sephiroth fight as lifestream Aerith she has gravity and softness to what she says. All that emotion is lacking, she's not borderline but full sociopathic at the end. Completely disconnected and screwing with Cloud. I just pray its not just bad writing and voice acting.

[@garywood97]

Except her dress and hair do then react when the propellars start a minute later, when she's talking to Cloud. I actually think that might be a continuity error.

[@Rhomagus]

@@garywood97 Could be. I see it as three, possibly four, different depictions of Aerith. When Cloud can't "see" her, to the viewer and the rest of the group she's, "There but not there." Her presence lingers. While Cloud is indulging the hallucination, the viewer is being convinced that she actually is there when she's not. Depicting her presence as being free of environmental continuity flaws. When she's interacting with Cloud we're confused. When she's with the rest of the group it's a visual metaphor. The only exception being Nanaki. He actually does sense her presence but not through sight, since his animal instincts are so keen, she is depicted as being there as if she was there. His connection to the planet being more in tune than the others in the group. The fourth would be a JENOVA induced illusion. So there's the spirit (Nanaki), the memory (the group), the illusion (JENOVA), and the delusion (Cloud).

[@Gaymerjock420]

Aeriths ghost haunting him throughout the second half was scraped in the original due to time constraints...I think

[@gregmoldovan5921]

I never noticed that meteor is in the sky during the Zack portion of the Sephiroth fight! Woah!

[@andrewcastro4450]

I’m calling it right now….Next game we are going to get evil cloud and Aerith/Jenova psycho team up when he separates from friends. Cloud will fully brake when Aerith tells him: “You can’t save anyone, not even yourself”

[@dreamphoenix]

Great video overall and theory! Thank you 🙏

[@salmark9080]

what i still don't get, are the whispers at the end making Cloud hit aerith or trying to prevent him?

[@RyanOstrowski-eh6ft]

why is tifa getting mental flashes in rebirth

[@KaosFell]

Because Tifa is the biggest threat to Sephiroth when it comes to repairing Cloud's mental state. He needs to stop both girls to break Cloud properly.

[@kingkarlo9587]

@@KaosFell i think the question was more, "Arent the mental flashes exclusive to those with Jenova cells i.e. SOLDIERs? why is Tifa having them

[@user-re8jn7iz3f]

because she was in the lifestream after cloud attacked her and a wapon took her underground

[@takehirolol5962]

It was obvious since Aerith was introduced....

[@lifeinnahole1081]

Cid leads the party......

[@TheBf666]

I think that aerith is completely dead. Sephiroth merged all the worlds to ensure her death. There is no world where she lives. The aerith we see is either lifestream aerith or a projection by cloud. I am leaning more towards lifestream aerith.

[@garywood97]

If he already merged all worlds, then that would mean the crack in the sky is in the main world. Which means that world is also going to be destroyed.

[@DrewRoshambo]

Cloud has his psyche split because of SOLDIER degradation, which renders him half-dead. This is extra poignant on a meta level, given the player's connection to Cloud: FF7 fans from '97 returning to Rebirth are equipped to fight Sephiroth with two decades of extra wisdom, but have commensurately lost that many years to time. In other words, the player is stronger at the cost of being more in-touch with death. Likewise, Sephiroth's plan in the Remake Series is to elevate Cloud, make him stronger, and topple him in a move that undermines humanity's virtue across all realities.

But what importance could this " energy worlds" inside the lifestream have if they aren`t " material" or " life" ?? in my opinion, it only serves to the writer and his objective to maintain the players`s interest about what is going on...just an excuse as that fact won`t have any impact at the end of the story. The end will be the same as the OG.

[@nicholasbloom1]

wow sephiroth tricking cloud ould be dark

[@nathanstruble2177]

Didn't the dev's say this still leads in a logical way TO Advent Children??

[@CuriousCorduroy]

They worded it a bit weird by saying it “link’s up with Advent Children.” So anything goes at this point.

[@martinaguiluz4063]

They also said that this remake trilogy would put an end to the entire compilation of FF7. That's why we're seeing so much from the other games in these remakes. Recently, they also said that they're aiming for a "happier ending" this time. So, who knows at this point?

[@xcom54]

I will stick with JENOVA manipulation theory for now. Makes more sense. 😏

[@Gaymerjock420]

Her spirit is so strong that she can recreate reality as she chooses on that plain of existence.

[@punkpop101]

I still think Aerith survived in an alternate world and also that all the worlds are not lifestream worlds but real ones. At the very least they're as real as the Beagle world. The devs also never talked about them being lifestream worlds. They jusst said they'd not timelines and it makes sense since as you have seen when you get to a world you inhabit said worlds character and not co exist with them like Marvel.

[@OnlyHopeRemainsTTV]

The unsettling music that plays when Aerith appears is Jenova's theme in reverse.

[@SamuelSabharwal]

It’s not

[@phrofile3613]

It fits jenovas theme chords progression.

[@FVD]

Hmm, maybe the rip in the sky at the end could be an indicator that Zack is definitely back in the Beagle timeline. Obviously he cannot stay so he'll have to fulfil his objectives then he can finally return to the planet (with Aerith).

[@fredjones2541]

Didn't Clerith shippers attack MaxDood for suggesting that this Aerith is Jenova?

[@fearlesscheshirecat1411]

Didn’t Cloti’s harass and send death threats to Nomura and Nojima after the Main Theme dropped?

[@phrofile3613]

Lol what​@@fearlesscheshirecat1411

[@fearlesscheshirecat1411]

@@phrofile3613 Yah….when No Promises to Keep came out, dozens of Cloti’s sent death threats to Nomura and Nojima. As well as harass them because these “fans” didn’t understand something that’s been a thing for 27 years now. There’s a big difference between saying somebody’s theory is stupid (Even though I think Max is right. I said the same thing when I first saw it), and flat out harassing members of the staff over something that’s been a thing for decades now.

[@DonShotta24]

@@fearlesscheshirecat1411no.

[@fearlesscheshirecat1411]

@@DonShotta24 Yes, that absolutely happened.

[@TravaillesDuChanson]

This is just my belief, but I don't think Zack has to die. I do believe that Zack and Aerith will be able to live but just not in the same world or perhaps universe. Perhaps the next time it will actually be a parallel universe. I do think in part 3 more of the compilation characters will come into play, especially Genesis, Minerva, and possibly Angeal. Not to mention Deepground and possibly characters from Before Crisis (If you look at the commander in Junon, she looks like Gun aka Emma, Elena's older sister) and don't forget Evan, Rufus' little brother. In order to truly tie up all the loose ends, they need to really address all of the characters within the compilation. I think part 3 will cover the main story beats of the original but then we will get the true unknown journey, and I also believe we will definitely get DLC after part 3.

[@LindsayTotty]

I don't think Aerith is trying to prevent Advent Children from happening. The devs have said that the game will still lead into Advent Children. Rather, I think that what happened at the end of Rebirth is that Cloud created a "world where Aerith was saved," and that Zack is now in this world, not the real world/Beagle world. I think that this world will eventually become the Promised Land, and once Cloud is able to accept Aerith's death, this will be the Aerith that he talks to in Advent Children. So it's not about preventing AC, it's about creating the condition where Cloud is able to eventually pull himself out of despair and not blame himself for Aerith's death by the end of AC. I do agree with the theory that the Aerith sitting next to Cloud by the pool in the Forgotten Capital is probably a Jenova-illusion, which Sephiroth will use to manipulate Cloud and try to further drive a wedge between Cloud and Tifa. Personally, I think the Whirlwind Maze scene and the Mideel/Lifestream scene are about Cloud realizing his identity, and solidifying his relationship with Tifa, and trying to shove in a beat about Cloud accepting Aerith's death would make these scenes feel too busy, so if they do go that route, I hope they can find a way to put that beat elsewhere.

[@trpike08]

They do NOT say it will lead into Advent Children. The dev says it "links up" with Advent Children implying they are connected in some way. It is NOT clear if it's prior, post or anything else.

[@briansilva4165]

One aerith survived for sure, the one cloud saved and is also the one that wakes up. When the worlds converge an alive Aerith and Zack will join the party. Then there will most likely be 2 endings a happy one where everyone lives together in one world and the sad one which will be like the OG version. The real issue will be who will cloud end up with Aerith or tifa? One ship will be overjoyed at the ending and one will sink harder than the titanic. Lol. If Aerith dies than they don’t have that issue Aerith and Zack, cloud and tifa. Maybe happy ending be cloud and both, Zack with cissnei

[@upon-fe2720]

That's not the real issue dude. Holy moly. Jenova is the real issue, how do you get rid of Jenova FOR GOOD. Please also comprehend that the Aerith "cloud saved" wouldn't need waking up, she was awake and conscious. The only reason Aerith would be down on the floor is if she'd been impaled. Please explain why she decided to just have a little sleep once the blade got deflected. There's a reason it's all directed the way it is. Trauma, PTSD, Denial. This is trauma playing out in real time. It's genius. I don't think people realise how bad the writing is if that is really Aerith waking up. I don't care what happens as long as the writing adds up and pays off, if I'm wrong they've got to fill in lots of gaps.

[@Kitth3n]

@@upon-fe2720Yeah it’s not “saved” aerith talking to us. That’s almost certain. If so that would be really silly, having her lying in clouds arms like that. That’s not to say she didn’t survive in that other world for now, but that’s not what were seeing.

[@slayer1156]

​​@@upon-fe2720trauma or not, it's a fact she has spoken to him through the Lifestream in AC. There are green particles floating around and then white whispers. Now the one at the lake, just after the water burial, that one is intentionally creepy, Jenova is messing around in that one scene.

[@LelanWellz]

I want to see Zack outside of Midgar.

[@lajazziamacklin8418]

Hold up. HOLD UP. I remember watching the 'Aerith Death Scene' and I figured it out {AFTER playing the video back in slow motion a THOUSAND TIMES Friday night}: Rebirth Sephiroth DID in fact, MURDER AERITH. I mean he pulled the freakin' BLADE out of her back WITH BLOOD coated all over it. NO ONE CAN SURVIVE SOMTHING LIKE THAT! {I did NOT WATCH a THEORY video, lol. GUT instinct and my imagination! I had that feeling ever since REMAKE. To prove I was right after watching the 'Aerith Death Scene', I watched Explaining FFVII Rebirth’s Ending - Breaking Down What It Shows Us, Moment by Moment- Episode 1 and it DID REVEAL that Sephiroth 100% KILLED AERITH {the freakin' BLADE went THROUGH HER BACK, KILLIING HER INSTANTLY}. Cloud is going to be SOOOOOOOO OUT OF IT in the finale in 2027 and I'm ALL for it! In my FFVII Remake fanfiction, I even talked about that Sephiroth MAY even REVEAL that Cloud killed Aerith and NOT him. But EOC {Edge of Creation} Sephiroth from Remake has piqued my interest, since he made a surprise return at the end of Rebirth, messing with Rufus. PS: What's going to happen to the OTHER knocked out Aerith in the REMAKE timeline/Part 3 AKA the FINALE? What IF Remake Edge of Creation Sephiroth, NOT JENOVA/Rebirth Sephiroth WANTED AERITH TO LIVE? Just my THEORY.

[@leneil46]

The story is bull shit

[@KJ-4496]

This is what happens when the writers don’t have a clue what they are doing and are making shit up as they go along. Anyway only 2.5M sales. The fans aren’t interested in this non canon KH version of FF7.

[@jdunc635]

So, if it merely sold more, then you would think that the writers know what they are doing?! And how does building intrigue and suspense, for a story that has been around forever no less, mean that the devs don’t know what they are doing? How can you say that before Part 3 comes out?

[@PeachBootyPoppin]

I find it hilariously ironic that this comment is 100% made up. 😂

[@Kitth3n]

@@jdunc635his has gotta be an engagement bot Lol. Channel created one week ago. But regardless, this sales talking point is so lazy disingenuous. Plenty of good games sell poorly. Plenty of bad games sell well. It’s funny they harp about sales but never explain how the game got 9s and 10s everywhere.

[@Redknight535]

@@Kitth3nand also rebirth is only sold in ps5. The 7 million number includes pc/ps5 sales from intergrade.

[@wmen48]

The thing I never liked about Zack post og is he took away from other characters. I hope your theory doesnt happen. Let Tifa and Cid have their moments. No need for stand in for Cloud.