Genius Ending! Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Finale Reaction and Theories!

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[@thejudicator1082]

Behold…the true nature of the like button.

[@BLa-lq2bs]

I love that you notice things maybe other content creators don’t notice due to your background. That’s why I enjoy your perspective. Example, never saw Cloud laying Aerith down on the ground as the same shot as putting her in the lake. Also haven’t heard anyone else make that connection.

[@KirosanaPerkele]

Mind. Blown.

[@Cerealcasual]

Bro is like the Steve Irwin of FF7 lol You actually made me appreciate the design and subtle nuances in cutscenes from your reactions lol

[@fletchermoose7915]

Phil, your enthusiasm is so infectious! Thanks for everything you put into these playthroughs and reactions!

[@helix_9645]

I don't remember if you noticed this detail but when you start the Jenova battle, everyone in the party has their limit break bar fully charged, to signify their rage and despair they're feeling. The only one who coincidentally doesn't have his limit fully charged is Cloud, because his mind is rejecting what happened to aerith. They're definitely bringing cloud mental breakdown in the third game to the next level! Anyway, I'm excited to watch your theory talks or podcasts with the other creators!

[@thehoneybunempress1664]

Yeah he noticed.

[@helix_9645]

@@thehoneybunempress1664 oh, thanks

[@dii1314]

Is it Cloud himself rejecting what happened or is it Aerith from the lifestream trying to protect him? After all, she said "it's about saving the world... and him"

[@m.j.gallagher6756]

This just jumped to the top of my watchlist

[@PhilipHarts]

Welcome my friend. We will have much to discuss!!

[@noelcastillo3829]

This guy gets it, and as I see more reactions, I have come to realize this game really went over many peoples heads. That is ok with me, because the product was worth it.

[@Shiftaws]

Ya they took a massive risk with the story potentially alienating more casual gamers and people who dislike everything other than OG FF7. People who put in the time to read the books, play the games and watch the movie got heavily rewarded with this game.

[@thehoneybunempress1664]

"In the back - just like old times." Gotta love Sephiroth's need to have the last word/laugh. Really interested in how ever crisis ties into this and the relationship among Rufus, Glenn and Seph.

[@Alex_Lagogianis]

I adore this ending. I never saw this as a multiverse. The word is never used in this project, and for good reason. The events shown are sequentially parallel to the original game. The difference is that they are expanded, reimagined, re-contextualized; call it what you want. One of the biggest additions to the story is that certain characters are aware of the future - specifically Aerith and Sephiroth. This may just be a new feature of the lifestream itself. Given that these two characters are the most connected to the lifestream, I think this is a brilliant mechanic to add to the story. It allows the writers to raise the stakes in a way that wasn’t possible before. This ending has added a painful twist to cloud’s psyche. When Sephiroth reveals the truth to Cloud, he will be completely broken by it. I’m so excited.

[@kitten1591]

Tifa crying at the end always kills me. I can just imagine the thoughts going in her head: "Aerith...My best friend...she's gone. She can't be gone...No! Not her too! There's so much I didn't get to tell you." Not unlike what Cloud said before the Jenova fight in OG "this can't be happening/real". She lost her mom, she lost her dad, her hometown, her old life. She lost Jessie, her bar/house, and doesn't know what is going on with Cloud. My heart aches for her. Aerith wasn't just a companion on their journey, she was a friend, her bestie. They were close! And they weren't rivals; they supported each other "You got this!". They told each other their past in Traces of Two Pasts. They told each other secrets, confided in each other. Boys, Cloud, Cloud remembering Zack. They had fun in the Sun together at Costa Del Sol. She lost her closest confidant and one of the only people who understood her. It leaves an empty feeling in my stomach.

[@GainZzT]

This is by farrrrrr the best explanation I've heard! Thank you so much for this! This has been really awesome! This freakin' game is fantastic!

[@ETHomerin]

This really was the best game ever, but I think the real heartbreaker is yet to come. The lifestream sequence in part 3 may show us that the real person who made all this possible was Claudia Strife, the woman who single-handedly raised Cloud, and made him into a capable person who has these strong feelings and can share this love with others. Sephiroth tried to make him forget this. She was a wonderful woman just like Tifa and Aerith are, and was the opposite of Lucrecia.

[@hishouha]

I love your commentary !! Always so in depth and makes me appreciate even more the mastery behind the cinematography. It makes me sad that some people decided to just give up on understanding it and appreciating it because I find they managed to capture something really heartbreaking in these last scenes 😔❤️

[@AliyaWill]

This was so crazy I think I replayed the ending 5 times!!! Great video Philip!!

[@PhilipHarts]

So amazing, so glad we got to share this experience and talk about it. Can’t wait for our theory talk!

[@khileemyers3059]

@@PhilipHartsWe’re Goin Need More Extended Fighting Short films from you

[@Pur1st]

You have a sharp mind sir! So many great catches.

[@Rolaz]

At least someone understands that this is not a freaking multiverse. And this is the same story as OG but expanded and have more to it.

[@zacatkinson3926]

its 100% a multiverse

[@winshifter]

Yeah, it's not really a multiverse, or multi timeline, that's just a red herring. Sadly is poorly conveyed in the game, you have to sort of figure it out with very limited information that is basically removed on purpose mostly to "look cool" or "look smart" but actually looks dumb.

[@invaderkota2497]

Agreed. This game improves upon everything in the OG. People wanting a 1 for 1 i think are missing the forest for the trees but the wonderful thing is, they always have the OG to play.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

I don't think the people who wanted a 1:1 remake really want that. Even if they think they do. I have no doubt they would play it and then complain about what Square-Enix should have done with it.

[@invaderkota2497]

@@drewtheunspoken3988 You're probably right haha

[@HeidiBullard]

I like how you called it a supplemental. It seemed to fill in a lot of extra little details that they maybe wanted in the original but weren't able to. I always thought Advent was the sequel to FFVII, so when I hear people call Rebirth the sequel I just get confused.

[@thehoneybunempress1664]

Yes, AC is the sequel to og ff7. The "sequel disguised as a remake" theory was because some of us thought Advent Children Sephiroth (as he's the only version of Sephiroth with the black wing) traveled back in time to og ff7 to change fate. Obviously things needed to play out the same so it can still be a remake, but we thought that once the main story beats were covered, we would get like a montage of the compilation as past memories, leading up to new stuff that leads to Sephiroth/Jenova's defeat for good. That's where the sequel part finally comes in. At least, that's how I saw it. But I think Phil's right. This is just a revision to make the comp cohesive and it's awesome.

[@HeidiBullard]

@@thehoneybunempress1664 thanks, that helped me understand more where people are coming from with the sequel talk.

[@CAeuJohno123]

​@@thehoneybunempress1664 100% I think all time is as one in the lifestream. Fate is set in stone, so all events of the planet have happened, and will always happen. When sephiroth died I'm nibelheim, he had a plan to wound the planet and reunite jenovas cells to essentially do what she planned on doing. I still think he wants that, but knows he will always lose because that's what is always destined to happen. My theory is that the black materia isn't some black magic called "meteor" it's more like a materia that allows your wildest dreams to become reality. Sephiroth initially used it to wound the planet, because that's what jenova did. Now, after realising that won't work, he's using it to merge all worlds with the lifestream, resulting in 1 world where he is in control of fate. Basically becoming a god. Safer sephiroth It's not a sequal to AC, AC is just a random event that happened in the timeline that has no real significance to sephiroths plans. Win or lose in AC, sephiroth still loses... the song one winged angel refers to a fallen warrior, resurrected to get revenge. The wing in AC is actually referring to the song from OG. It's just become a part of sephiroths character now that he wouldn't be sephiroth without the wing.

[@TheSteelers4190]

​@@thehoneybunempress1664 Like many of us have said over and over again......include the devs themselves 😂

[@Azureflame20]

After finishing Rebirth I'm 100% onboard with the idea this isn't a sequel. I think a full on directors cut and further massive elaboration on the main story is what we're receiving. There's almost something poetic to the fascination to how perfect even all the additional content lines up so well and maps onto the OG game when you fit some of the nuances in there. I love the way that you react and think about the subtleties during the ending here. The most interesting thing is the storytelling construct of the lifestream - It's both past present and future. Advent Children is both a sequel and a prequel in a way to remake Trilogy. Even taking OG 7 in the same vein, Sephiroth from AC could technically exist as the OG sephiroth we know, given the rules of the lifestream. Obviously it just wasn't an in your face narrative and plot device to the audience, but adapting those concepts still make sense in the original story just as much in a lot of ways. I think in the very least, they can certainly take liberties like finally ending Sephiroth as opposed to OG, which "kind of" makes it a sequel, but also kind of not. I'll be fascinated to see where they take all the crazy twists in pt 3.

[@TheSteelers4190]

Some of us have been telling people it's not a sequel from the beginning....but hey we were "coping" lol

[@zacatkinson3926]

they said it was a sequel

[@TheSteelers4190]

@@zacatkinson3926 they have never said such a thing.

[@zacatkinson3926]

@@TheSteelers4190 You bet they have

[@TheSteelers4190]

@@zacatkinson3926 they literally have not. If anything official statements from head developers have stated the opposite

[@Joshiepoo2525]

My interpretation of Tifa briefly seeing Aerith alive is that since both Cloud and Tifa are closely connected to the lifestream, their dreams of wishful thinking are more easily confused with reality. Tifa can tell it’s not real, but Cloud…

[@PhilipHarts]

That’s a cool way to look at it too, since these worlds are dreams similar to Zanarkand from FFX, it makes sense that his wish or dream was born when he tried to save her. And that dream world is still visible to him during advent children. He only finally moves on at the end of AC, but for now he has a window into the Zack and Aerith dream or spiritual Selves in the lifestream where Aerith now commands the white whispers like Sephiroth does the black.

[@Joshiepoo2525]

@@PhilipHarts Indeed. The whole thing is about wishes IMO. A direct response to the fan’s wishing Aerith could live. Fascinating.

[@qhodave]

After dozens of theories and explanations I finally found the video I needed. This is so good, your reactions and initial understanding are extraordinary. Thank you for sharing

[@CampfireGoth]

I believe Square is treating the REMAKE trilogy in the same vain that Blizzard is treating Season of Discovery, a remix of the original, classic, version of World of Warcraft but with new story bits sprinkled in but still considered canon and will still progress chronologically into the future expansions. That said, how it's handled from a story perspective is its labeled as "Found Footage" which I think aptly applies to the trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 remakes. It's the same timeline, cast, story, and will ultimately lead to Advent Children but we're just seeing and witnessing new parts of the story that were previously undiscovered. Again, "found footage". Or a better way to put it, the original FF7 was a retelling of the events of the game, after the fact, following the point where Cloud and everyone forgot about the whispers; leaving gaps in their memory. The remake trilogy is the director's cut where all the lost footage is unearthed and retold in a new light.

[@raikoh121]

Good watch! Thank you, always enjoy your insight

[@mathewstafford7943]

I watched this live and really appreciated your obvious love for the game, the lore and attention to detail. When I played, I could tell right away what we were seeing was a lot of crazy Cloud. But then all these crazy time theories and things started popping up and I was wondering if I played the same game as everyone else! You came to all the same conclusions that I had, and of course, there's still room for Square to do some crazy stuff and surprise us. But it was definitely nice to see someone explain things from an Occam's razor sort of view rather than trying to think of the craziest thing possible.

[@robertjones3489]

Trolls when Cloud sees Seph: "He's alive." Trolls when Cloud sees Aerith: "She's dead. He's imagining her. He's in denial." Trolls when Zack is alive yet again: "..."

[@joshuamorgan1646]

Always enjoy your videos! Idk how this game hasn't sold as good as they expected. Really hoping ppl are watching videos like yours to be able see how great of a game this really is!

[@xcom54]

IMO this is why your interpretation/theory is more convincing: you have more trust and faith in the FF7 dev. A lot of people online have gone too far in coming up with crazy theory that come out of nowhere, then convince themselves that terrible theory must be the case, and then proceed to bash the developers for the theory they themselves created. I find that sort of view really unhealthy, especially when the developers clearly show a lot of care toward their own creation. After Rebirth, I am more convinced to let them cook, and whatever they come up with in part 3, it's going to be entertaining & awesome. 👍

[@rationalbeast]

Watched your breakdown video first, now seeing this it's wild how much you picked up in real time on first watch! Professional skills on display.

[@seank7227]

Phil I have not seen many people make your observations right as you watched. You noticed Cloud holding Aeriths hand to his face and him blocking out what really happened. The blood splatter on his glove is likely from when Sephiroth threw the blood at them. The water burial scene I feel is supposed to be when Cloud and Aerith fight Sephiroth at the end. They are fighting on water. That was not an accident!

[@zacatkinson3926]

huh no

[@irishspuds5894]

i loved your reactions to a game i have loved since my childhood. dude you were just like me with the emotions and thoughts loved watching your reactions

[@verussadap]

YES completely agree with you! The whole FFX connection hit me when Aerith did her 'Yuna dance' in the Temple of the Ancients. I immediately thought of Zanarkand too when Sephiroth started his villain explanation monologue. Also Sephiroth's line "However, you'll never see the truth with such clouded eyes" almost seems to have multiple layers. For me personally it just confirms that the FFVIIR project is just fully realising the concepts that were always in the OG. I finished Rebirth last week so I'm catching up on some reactions / ending theories and I was definitely curious about your reaction. Your thoughts pretty much align with mine. Anyways great video and reaction man! Gonna watch the video with you and Babyseal next.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

Another connection with X happens in the Temple of the Ancients when 2 of the downed Shinra troopers turn into fiends.

[@milystaz673]

I love this game to no end. But how is the story the same as the og? Some things are but we have to acknowledge that there's some very different things compared to og's story and that's ok. It isn't meant to be the same as the og and that's ok.

[@ardiganm697]

Agreed, but it is more like and references to the OG than many are willing to see.

[@TheSteelers4190]

It is still very much like the OG. There are many new elements, but they've struck this incredible balance of being faithful yet adding new elements that only add to the overarching plot of VII.

[@The_Psychotropic_Demigod]

I wish I can like this more than once. Your perspective is on point as always.

[@dashannsche8460]

Great video! You sure have a deep understanding of the lore! I owe you my respect for this! ⭐ Your passion about the game is more captivating and entertaining than the game itself ... 😅

[@Wingedspace22]

Also, when he is walking back to Aerith's body, he actually looks sad.. until he gets to the white whispers, in which is like a place of safety to keep him from going over the edge. Aerith pretty much made a safe space for him

[@SuperTrailerz]

loving the FFX theories and parallels!

[@av_8596]

I might be stretching this, but there's one thing I'm curious about. (18:02) When the glitching is constantly switching between bloody and clean, (18:13) it ends by cutting to Tifa's face and reaction. I think this means that shot is meant to be Tifa's POV. Does this mean that she has the power to see other timelines/worlds/outcomes, like Cloud does?

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

I think she was struggling to accept what she was seeing rather than seeing a different world.

[@88Mikelang]

Amazing analysis. Truths, feels the same emotion as the original, just amplified

[@stikzlevel857]

Dude, you should change the thumbnail to ending explained instead of film maker reacts and you'd have over a million hits on this vid. Great breakdown of what was going on! Made me appreciate the game more.

[@notevenclose10]

This is definitely some of my favorite breakdowns that you've mentioned throughout this entire video. Originally I was thinking that Cloud would see Aerith's death when we go back to the Forgotten Capital, which would then make him finally accept that he didn't save her. But I do think it's highly possible that Sephiroth would show him during the Nibelhiem scene.

[@jk844100]

The Aerith in that final cutscene is at least partially Cloud’s delusion and not a “force ghost” (the reason I say partially is because Nanki seems to acknowledge her presence). But through most of the game Aerith is trying to reach the “real cloud” right? And part of that is cloud focusing on himself and not Sephiroth. Her speech after the trials is pretty much about not fighting sephiroth. And in the forest she specifically says to let her deal with Sephiroth. She doesn’t want cloud anywhere near him because she understands how dangerous that is because of clouds mental state, right? But at the very end Cloud says he’s going to fight Sephiroth and what does “Aerith” do? She turns around and say “you promise? UwU” the exact opposite of what she’s been saying this whole time, “you’ll fight him just for me? That’s great”, thats pretty much what she’s sayings She’s Cloud’s delusion telling him exactly what he wants to hear.

[@semi6544]

I love Final Fantasy 7 and the further I get away from when I played it and watched Advent children; it is a crazy idea that Sephiroth could ever lose.

[@DuffmanChess]

Aerith simply can not be dead. They confirmed in the Ultimania that Cloud did actually deflect Sephiroth's strike. Plus there is too much evidence pointing in the direction of her survival. I'll give some examples. One thing that people bring up to prove it's Cloud going off the deep end, is when Aerith says to Cloud that she will handle Sephiroth in the forest, but then suddenly changes and asks him to promise to beat Sephiroth in the ending. However, Aerith only said she would deal with Sephiroth BEFORE Cloud deflected Sephiroth's blow. Before he deflects the attack, it is entirely possible that Aerith thought her death was inevitable, so she meant she'd handle Sephiroth from the Lifestream. Yet that all changes when she is actually saved by Cloud. This would also explain why she thanks Cloud for "what he did back there". Aerith wouldn't say cloud did something, if he didn't actually do it. We know that this isn't just Cloud imagining Aerith in that fight, because Sephiroth himself acknowledges her and even has a back and forth dialogue with her during the fight. Another thing people like to say is, Aerith at the end is actually Jenova messing with Cloud's mind. But that doesn't make sense. Sephiroth deliberately tries to get Cloud to see Aerith as dead when he says to Cloud "You'll never see the truth with such clouded eyes." He also tries to play with Cloud's mind during the last phase of the boss fight. When Aerith joins Cloud he says "What do you make of this Cloud? Is any of this real? Or just a fever dream?" This comes right after Aerith appears and Sephiroth admits he underestimated her. He also says to Aerith "begone, your part is played" during the fight. Why would Sephiroth be trying this hard to have Cloud accept the fact that Aerith is dead, and have Aerith split from Cloud, only for Jenova to suddenly want Cloud to think everything is fine and dandy and Aerith is actually alive? It doesn't add up. Especially since Cloud is in such a bad state, that Aerith actually being dead would have made him crack. It wouldn't make sense for Jenova to use Aerith's appearance and deliberately slow down Cloud's mental deterioration. It's also entirely possible that Aerith knew she'd be saved this time around and lost that knowledge when the Whispers took her memories. We have the conversation between Zack and Marlene in which Marlene says it's a good thing that Aerith hadn't woken up, because when she does a "Scary man was going to kill her." So Zack needed to help Cloud get better so Cloud can save Aerith. We know Aerith gave this knowledge to Marlene, as during Marlene's conversation with Zack, we see a flashback to Seventh Heaven when Aerith saved Marlene before the plate fell. Also, during Remake, Aerith gave Red XIII knowledge of both the Whispers and her death. We know this as Red XIII said he found the knowledge of the Whispers when Aerith "reached out to him", while they were in the Shinra building. Also during the chapter 12 "date" sequence in Rebirth, if you end up with Red, he will tell Cloud that both he and Aerith knew the future before they left Midgar and the Whispers took those memories from them. He Then warns Cloud that Aerith specifically was in danger, and asks Cloud to keep her safe. Zack also tells Cloud to "save her" in the end. So we have Marlene, Red, and Zack all saying Cloud needs, or is needed to save Aerith. Why would they include all of that, just for it to be entirely redundant? One piece of evidence that nobody is talking about, is the flowers that Elmyra shows Zack. She says "Zack, did you see? Look, they're blooming." She then goes on to ask Zack "Do you think this means she (Aerith) will wake up soon?" That world is supposedly dead, yet flowers are blooming in it. Why would flowers bloom in a dead world? It's obvious that the Aerith of the "Terrier" world will have a major role to play in the next part. Then there is the lyrics to both Hollow and No Promises to Keep. Both point towards a reunion of Cloud and Aerith. Then the Loveless play is factored in. We know Aerith is the canonical character that plays Rosa as we see this in the end credits. The entire play of Loveless is about Rosa (Aerith) and Alphreid (Cloud) finding their way back to each other. There is also the dialogue between Cloud and Aerith on the beach. Aerith tells cloud that she doesn't know when he'll meet her future self, but he'll love her. There is also the state of play trailer that had the tagline "The world will be saved, but will you?" And in that very same trailer, the developers mentioned that they focused on the bonds between the party and it will ultimately decide Aerith's fate. Even Kitase said he wanted to give the characters a happy ending. There is simply too much evidence pointing towards Aerith being alive. So much so, that any other outcome would make almost no sense, and make the entire "Re-trilogy" story redundant. Take the Whispers for example, their entire inclusion was to keep fate on it's predetermined course. At the end of Remake, the party "defeat/defy" fate. So what would be the point of including entities that have the sole purpose of defending the course of fate, only for them to be defeated, if no matter what the outcome is inevitable? Even if you try and wave it away by saying "the Whispers were always there in the OG" There would be no need for the Whispers to get involved if no matter what the outcome would always happen the same way. They'd be an entire redundant addition to the plot if Aerith is to die. Then there is the fact that Aerith, Sephiroth, and to some extent Cloud have knowledge of the OG events. As I've already stated, Aerith gave Marlene and Red XIII knowledge of her death in Remake. Cloud and Sephiroth are shown to have prior knowledge early on in Remake. Cloud clearly sees visions of Aerith's death, which is either visions of the future, or visions of a past. I'm inclined to believe the later. This is because when Cloud meets Aerith for the first time in Remake, Sephiroth appears and tells Cloud he is "Too weak to save anyone". To me, this is a clear nod to Aerith's death in the OG. Plus Aerith mentions a line not said in the original which is "Lovers used to give these, when they were reunited." A clear nod to a reunion between Aerith and Cloud. There is also the scene where Cloud first sees and follows Sephiroth, they then have an exchange of words. Cloud says "You're not real. You're dead. I killed you with my..." To which Sephiroth replies "Oh, you need not remind me." There is also the moment just after Aerith is taken by Tseng, and the Sector 7 plate fell. Cloud sees Sephiroth, and Sephiroth says "You have failed again, I see." Which is either talking about Aerith being captured, or failing to stop the plate from falling. Either way, to have failed *again* means to have tried before, which Sephiroth clearly knows about. So this shows that they both have prior knowledge of events. So why would Sephiroth kill Aerith for a second time, when Aerith was the ENTIRE reason he failed in the OG? It is explicitly stated in the OG that it was too late for Holy and that Meteor was going to destroy the planet. Then Aerith was able to use the fact she was within the lifestream to manipulate it and stop Meteor. For Sephiroth to clearly know what went down in the OG, then repeat the same mistake twice makes him look so incredibly inept. Finally, people say this is "just like the original" when it clearly isn't. There are far too many changes that would ruin the original story. For example, Cloud and Zack fighting Sephiroth. Cloud took on Zack's persona when Zack died in the OG. That now falls flat on it's face as Cloud now knows that Zack is alive in some capacity. The hollow white materia is an entirely new addition, and it has already been confirmed to play a major role in part 3. That alone changes everything. The introduction of characters that never interacted in the original. Entire plot points that didn't exist in the OG. Plus, if they were going to have it end in the exact same way, why make all of these additions for no real purpose other than to make the story more convoluted than it was before? They may as well have made a 1:1 copy of the OG with updated Graphics and battle mechanics, and it would have been a licence to print money considering how many people love the OG game. In conclusion, with all of the obvious hints about Aerith surviving. The entire plot of the first game being about changing and defeating fate/Destiny. Plus all of the marketing material, It's either very shoddy writing, or the more likely outcome is that Aerith is not actually dead.

[@PhilipHarts]

All of this is guessing from esoteric side material while ignoring the actual game scenes and what it’s telling you. The church scene is Aerith’s farewell. Promises to keep is tribute to Aerith because she’s going to die. Aerith also lets cloud go romantically and physically in the church and realizes it is not ethical for her to love him or her to act on that love since he thinks he’s Zack, it’s taking advantage of cloud.

[@DuffmanChess]

@@PhilipHarts So the introduction of entities that only have the purpose in Remake of keeping "fate" on course, for them to be defeated, which before they were defeated it was said by Aerith herself that doing so would change fate. Character dialogue throughout both games pointing in the direction of her survival, showing characters survive their original death, like Zack for example. Plus Aerith, Cloud and Sephiroth having clear knowledge of the OG game, only for Sephiroth to commit the very same mistake that caused him to fail in the first place. Would you call all of that "esoteric side material"?

[@UltimaLuminaire]

"More like Yuna" Yea a lot of the ideas in 8 and 10 were expanded from content they couldn't implement in 7 or thought of too late and now to see them... re-integrated (heh) is wild. Of course, it never goes full Yuna. Aerithsth is her own person and everything lines up with who she is at the end of OG and in AC. "It's Zanarkand" Yup, this was the prototype. Gaea has always had the theme of dreams and JENOVA has always had the theme of nightmare. JENOVA is the ultimate enemy of the Gaea. Something FFX was missing, tbh. In rebirth we get some spice added to Gaea's dreams. Since the planet is dying, the dreams are quickening, like a revolving lantern before death. Every rainbow is a limit break within the dream, trying to break free, but not always succeeding. It's tragic and evokes imagery similar to the dying reality in Donny Darko or FGO's lostbelts. Not the same as a traditional multiverse. "He's Yunalesca" I feel like Yunalesca wishes she were this potent. 38:03 YES, that is the expression. The mix of confusion, disgust, and comprehension wrapped into one. "He's hiding it from them" Yup, so he, too, can burn his world to the ground, just as Sephiroth once did. Cloud is going to be bamboozled into thinking this reality is a branch/fallen one, and that he needs to "end the dream" to return. Shit's gonna get real dark.

[@karson1214]

Max NEEDS to check this out

[@coldogno7]

i see his face i already know hes a genius....he will figure out the ending

[@timoftelucian4635]

I don't know if anyone picked it up but just when you enter the jenova fight, cloud says : You've done this before, can do it again.....that shot gives me the idea that his concioussness is talking to him and he knows that aerith is actualy dead and that he already saw that in the OG ( might be a refference to the OG). The fact that his mind is fucked up is just cherry on top.....the voice acting raised this game to new heights imo. I like to think that the multiverse part is just cloud's concioussness trying to get back to him...and until he realises the pure truth, we will keep seeing the multiverse things. ( take into account that he doesnt realy know that zack is dead , he plays like: owww hello, how come you are here.....again his brain and jenova playing tricks with him.....just repressed memories after some traumatic experience.) again this is how i like to interpret this game, it seems more poetic than multiverse bullshit. Also i think that we will see her burrial when he faces the whole truth, just before he breaks down.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

I think he's referencing killing Sephiroth in Nibelheim. I might be wrong.

[@KirosanaPerkele]

14:59 And call me crazy, but I could swear there are slightly different versions of this cutscene. Pay attention to the green lights just under Sephiroth's feet. I could swear I've seen some let's plays where they are not there, some where there is less.. Different amount of rings around him in the background (you have one), different pattern of feathers... Am I actually going crazy or can someone confirm that I'm not just seeing things?

[@fattmusiek5452]

Blessss

[@mitchplaysriffs]

Damn, you and Maximillion dude need to get in a room together.

[@reddragooner]

One thing I think will happen instead of Sephiroth showing him Aerith's death, is that Cloud and Tifa will have to confront it together when she puts him back together in the lifestream. It will be an additional moment he has to come to terms with. In the OG we are given essentially rehashings of things Tifa and Cloud have both seen minus Cloud looking up at Tifa's window and her falling. That has been clarified with the new Gongaga sequence showing the bridge moment between the two of them and Cloud letting her know what actually happened. Tifa hasn't seen the moment Aerith is killed. She'll be shown, with Cloud, him deflecting the blade and the reality of what happened there - he was frozen in place and helpless to stop Sephiroth from killing her. Not sure if it will come before or after they expose Cloud in the true Nibelheim memory but I really feel it won't be weaponized against Cloud but used as a way to show him he's been blocking things out and pretending to be someone else.

[@EddieGDXB]

I would agree it's not a kind of sequel if it weren't for the whispers keeping fate in line.... whatever it is, it is simply amazing

[@EddieGDXB]

Also, Wedge's death scene... completely different place but in the same way

[@TheSteelers4190]

That doesn't mean it's a sequel.....could literally just be an addition.....not every change, deviation, or expansion means it has to add up to a sequel of some kind. It could literally just be to expand on an existing story while creating context to tie all of the compilation together.

[@EddieGDXB]

@@TheSteelers4190 true, but think of this: Why use whispers to keet fate in line if this was not a sequel? If there hadn't been an OG game, we would not know what fate they are trying to keep or prevent. Forget everything you know about the OG and think about this. Also all the flashbacks to future events by Cloud in Remake. I might be wrong of course 😅

[@TheSteelers4190]

@@EddieGDXB you are wrong, of course.

[@EddieGDXB]

@@TheSteelers4190 🤣🤣🤣

[@sjneow]

I think they won't put Aerith's death at the Northen Crater, that seems like there is too much being lay out at once. I think it will come later, Northen Crater will still be the same, but maybe it will happen during the repairing Cloud's memory. Or much later in the story, during/after the ending.

[@mrmasj]

My theory is that we have the convergence of worlds. Barret sees her with blood but he has never touched the lifestream. Tifa sees her with and without blood like Clouds flashes we see her switch back and forth several times blood ... no blood ... blood just like from Clouds perspective. I think Cloud created a world where she lives, and for a short while we experience all worlds at the same time, but the one where she is saved is not the one we are following at the end.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

I think Tifa was just struggling to accept what she was seeing. It reinforces the idea that Cloud hasn't accepted it.

[@Wingedspace22]

My thoughts are we will see what really happened at the forgotten capital. I was saying the same thing when he laid her down , it was the same way she was put in the water.

[@MrNighNight]

I really think we'll get demolished with the burial scene. Philip has a very keen eye for cinema, for catching these nuances and the creative crew is so incredibly aware of how important the goodbye scene is. So I practiced trying to create that moment, writing in a way that when the actual situation happens I can compare and learn from it. It was a pretty fun writing exercise. I will clarify about a certain concept by the end, so here it goes: The party is around Aerith and Cloud. "Aerith, wake up," he says. The others, appalled, keep staring at Cloud. "I'm so glad you're okay," Cloud says, his hand on her face. "Thought you were gone..." He smiles. A tear falls down his face. The rest of the party knows that Aerith is no longer with them. Tifa, shocked, murmurs, "Cloud..." "Thought you were gone forever." Cloud caresses Aerith's hair. Barret frowns, angry, then shooks his head and looks down. "There ain't nothing we can do." Starts crying. "Tifa... We lost our girl." Yuffie falls on the floor crying loudly, then hugs her knees. Nanaki slowly goes towards Yuffie to comfort her. She hugs him. Cloud starts carrying Aerith, lifting her off the floor. Barret quickly tries to impede, getting off of Tifa's embrace, but she goes and hugs him once more."No, please, Barret. I beg you." "They don't know yet," Cloud continues as he walks towards the others. "They think... I couldn't have saved you. But... I--I did, Aerith." A small beat. Vincent arrives with Cid. "Dear God," Cid says sorrowfully. "Why?" Cloud asks, looking at Aerith. "Why would you want that? Aerith, don't ask me that. Please. I can't." Yuffie, weeping and looking frightned, glances at Cloud. Barret falls on his hands and knees. Tifa is trying her best to fondle him. "No. I can't." Cloud starts tearing up again. As Cid gets near, he hears Cloud muttering, "If I leave you there, promise you will return to me soon." Cid gasps. Barret looks up gritting his teeth. "It's okay," Tifa says softly to Barret. Grabs his face gently, making him look straight at her. "Listen to me..." Cid says to Vincent in an incisive tone, "We can't allow that to happen. She deserves a proper burial. The boy lost his goddamn mind. Her mother wouldn't want her body to be snubbed like this, like it was nothing, I guarantee you that." Vincent retorts, "Aerith was an ancient. In these sacred grounds, her body will remain as part of its... history. She will belong to its life in a way we will never fully comprehend." Small pause. "And we shouldn't." Still wailing, Barret goes angrily toward Cloud and snatches Aerith from him. Cloud falls sitting down, and crawls backwards a short distance, scared. Barret falls on his knees again. But then Tifa, Yuffie and Red gather collectively hugging Aerith. Cait approaches, trying to join the hug, but gives up before getting there. Lowering his head, he sadly walks toward Vincent's side. "We should've been stronger," Barret murmurs. "Done more while we could. I'm so sorry, baby girl..." Cloud lets out a giggle that rapidly disappears. Now he looks disturbed, petrified. Everything starts turning white. Cloud gets blinded for a second. He tries to close his eyes, but is useless. He blinks a few times. His eyes keep hurting for a second. Instantly the strong brightness vanishes completely. Cloud gets an intense headache. Cloud gets up, and gets close to the others. "I need to do it. She wants it." For a moment no one reacts, but a few beats later, Tifa gets up carrying Aerith. She stares at Cloud for a second. They don't say a word to each other. Cloud is only looking at Aerith now. He tries to take her, but Tifa is holding her tightly. Cloud is not looking at Tifa's face, but since she doesn't let Aerith go, he hesitates to look at Tifa in the eyes. However he ends up doing it. This instant feels eternal. Tifa painfully gives in. Cloud stares deeply at Aerith."I will make them see you... as I can." (Player starts moving Cloud that heavily trudges toward the lake.) "I will make them see you... as I can," he says. Aerith's body is hovering over the water. She slowly opens her eyes, smiling, looking at Cloud. "Do this for me. For them" Cloud hesitates, then nods. She slowly closes her eyes. (Player needs to hold R2 and L2 to let her go) Her body starts sinking, taking its time. A moment later Cloud saunters to the party, smiling. He then falls to the ground, unconscious, blocking that entire sequence from his head. This whole scene would've been cronologically before the one where the party is sitting by the lake at the ending of Rebirth. We know that Cloud probably blocked a few more scenes like the one before getting to the Tiny Bronco, for instance. Well, the part where the light blinds Cloud before his head hurts alludes to a concept that I think would be awesome regarding Cloud's "ability" from Advent Children starting to bloom, where he starts being somehow able to connect with the white space/White lifestream and interact with Aerith and Zack. Cloud's eyes hurt because he is not used to it. It also harks back to the scene in Remake before he falls on the church, where he talks to his "real self" or "subconscious self" that turns into Sephiroth. In that scene Cloud has his eyes closed. He opens it when all around him turns to black, as in Sephiroth corrupting the Lifestream White with the Lifestream Black. So I hope they expand that "white space" somehow. Cloud's hinted unlimited potential and the empty materia at the end of Rebirth needs to be given a very specific ability that encapsulates his specialness without ruining the "special" theme. There's a huge chance the empty materia will be filled with Cloud's repressed, traumatic memories, the full revelation and embrace of his true self. But we know that Cloud has a quite mysterious ability that is very unique, which in my opinion has something to do with the white space, linking perhaps to the 7 seconds meaning, where Cloud could like freeze time to eliminate Sephiroth or something. All in all, unbelievably excited for the third game. Thank you if you read all of it lol

[@LPianapitham]

I think, it is how cloud memory is rebuilt. …..

[@KirosanaPerkele]

4:08 One thing that came to my mind after watching this scene again.. Why not try to fight off Sephiroth here? Cloud and Aerith together could have a shot, considering they fight him in the end. Aerith might be playing it safe, taking no chances at getting the white materia off of Sephiroth's reach, but in the next scene Sephiroth is with Cloud so that doesn't seem to hold water. Could be that there is no point to struggle in a world that's about to return to the planet anyway? Or if that was our Aerith, could be that she was about to jump worlds, leaving behind the comatose Aerith? I mean, they made it look like Cloud had risen off the wheelchair in the beginning of this date.

[@robertjones3489]

She's alive. They're separated but not gone forever. Aerith tipped off Marlene that Cloud needs a cure, which resulted in (Terrier) Zack going to Hojo, who had access to (cured) Genesis in Deepground. That's why Cloud remembered Zack much earlier in the story than OG. Plus, Cloud wasn't the puppet Seph expected. He was free to move to block Seph from killing Aerith. That's why he said he underestimated her. Trolls when Cloud sees Seph: "He's alive." Trolls when Cloud sees Aerith: "She's dead. He's imagining her. He's in denial." Trolls when Zack is alive yet again: "..." Cissnei said she doesn't feel like Zack is gone either. That's how Cloud acts. Foreshadowing: Cait Sith saying he doesn't know if Seph is alive, dead, or something in between, but he intends to find out. So what happened? Cloud protected Aerith, and Seph did his usual thing of moving everyone into another world: the OG world, the world where he killed Aerith, the world between worlds where the true black materia is, the world where the Temple is in the Southeast unlike Beagle's which is in the North, a doomed world having a crack in the sky. But (Beagle) Aerith was alive after the final battle when Cloud said to wake up. Also note OG Aerith dropped Holy in the water but Beagle Aerith still has it and intends to use it. That was another successful strategy Tifa didn't see "a fake unharmed Aerith" and "a real Aerith covered in blood." She saw Beagle and OG Aerith, because the worlds were merging just like Seph said outside. Kudos to @seank7227 for spotting that Seph threw blood on them, to make the puppet appear wounded -- faking her death. But Seph still killed OG Aerith, which is where that blood came from. They didn't show the OG attack, only the aftermath where OG Cloud monologues without a tear. The story begins and ends showing that dying in one (dream) world doesn't mean real death. Red and Avalanche "die" in the beginning in Terrier. Biggs and Aerith and Zack "die" at the end.

[@Storm1Trooper5]

People don’t get that after AC people still have geostigma in fact even after dirge people have geostigma so if this is just goes to AC after part 3 the ending is pretty shit

[@gustavgrun6074]

So much to unfold. Die you See yuffy as a robe Guy! When sephiroth teaches Cloud about the world merging and so on you can See it had to Pause it to verify. At this Point almost anything can Happen im looking forward to it😊

[@cammG123]

I’m pretty sure that’s just taken from the end of chapter 5 where she’s disguised as a robed man

[@CAeuJohno123]

Yea give us a full breakdown man. 100% need to hear your thoughts after properly analysing the ending. I still think sephiroth got her, we see the sword is in a different part of the ground when we see the blood, and its at a different angle... when he pulls it out, he smiles at cloud. Hes not pulling it out of the ground, hes pulling it out of aerith. And i think well see an alternative angle of that, when cloud comes to. Also like you said, the gang didnt see anything happen. They rock up and see cloud holding aeriths body, with blood on his hands. Ngl i think were gonna see an even darker side to cloud in part 3, and its gonna cause tifa to think cloud killed aerith. Under sephiroths control obviously, but tifas witnessed cloud do some horrendous shit in this game already. I think the blood on clouds hands is square hinting to us that tifa might think cloud killed aerith.

[@ocean_0602]

I just realized after reading your comment about the angle difference in the sword... incredible. On my playthrough I definitely noticed it was in a different place but never pondered the implications. This means Sephiroth didn’t only push the sword far enough to kill her, but he impaled it with enough force that it jammed into the ground, all right in front of Cloud. The Masamune is a long enough weapon for this to make sense, and this explains the pool of blood being so close to the sword. Then like you said this means when he's pulling it out, it's not just from the ground but also from Aerith, after which he flicks the blood off the sword. If all this is true it’s definitely much more darker and nuanced than the original. They really did the scene so masterfully; clearly indicating her death yet at the same time keeping it vague enough to allow speculation, while also highlighting not just Cloud's horrific state but the party's as well.

[@theodorerigopoulos6509]

I will defend Nomura till the end of time. Kingdom hearts and Final fantady vii universe are the best and he is my favourite!!!

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

Nomura doesn't need defending. He's been one of the voices keeping the Remake from diverging too much from the original.

[@deathmaster666devil]

Tell that to the haters that blame him for everything!!!​@@drewtheunspoken3988

[@yourfriendlymrvllkr]

Next you should try Assassins Creed trailers

[@ardiganm697]

Dude...how are you so fast at picking up story themes!? A lot of this stuff is obvious but you even snatch up the evasive, subversive meanings sooo fast!!!! I studied the OG Game and it took me multiple viewing to catch what you saw right away! Would love to see your theory crafting because your brain is much bigger than mine. Something you didn't mention...Gongaga Cloud has a breakdown and Slashes Horizontally at Tifa, it's the same swipe he takes to block Sephiroth's Hells Gate murder of Aerith. Watch as Sephiroth Shows Cloud that he is the one who murdered Aerith, just like a "Puppet". I say this because I remember the OG Game having Sephiroth Toy with Cloud in a very weak way, toying only with his identity, what if Seph also now has the Guilt of his loved ones death to use against Cloud. I agree with you. There is no timeline stuff, this is lifestream, Memory, hard-core OG Lore. These guys know what they are doing. Remember, in the OG Sephiroth is encased in Materia at the Northern Crater, however we also see that almost exact copy(reference) at the Temple of the Ancients. No one seems to see it, no one has mentioned it yet.

[@BigKieth420]

Put simply it’s his film making knowledge, no matter how much you know of ff7 og your’re limiting yourself in a box. In film making they all use similar techniques to tell stories and it can give you a good idea on the meaning in certain shots, structure etc etc. which is why he sees direction and picks up on the stuff you didn’t/don’t see

[@Storm1Trooper5]

I’d say because this is doing a lot of AC stuff way better than AC they should change the course of the story and have the guilt arc in part 3

[@FineWine-v4.0]

Remember when you reacted to Astartes Well now I reccomend you react to TheParryGod's animations of Half life He's the "Astartes" to the Half-Life games

[@HF-cy9ng]

You say “it’s the same as OG” in every video you made, but the truth is, ffvii remake and rebirth are different from OG

[@UltimaLuminaire]

You're taking him literally. He's talking from a thematic writing perspective. Chill

[@HF-cy9ng]

@@UltimaLuminaire still it’s not the same, they are not the same at all

[@UltimaLuminaire]

@@HF-cy9ng Holy shit. Then will you just fucking elaborate or are you done?

[@TheSteelers4190]

​@@HF-cy9ngthey're very similar......good grief.

[@laithamekir5778]

Dude you keep saying "its ff10" and "its ff10s world." No.. ff10 was made as a part of ff7s world. It came first so the universe is 7s not 10s. just saying

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

In his defense, X-2 was the first game to suggest the connection. Remake was the first VII project to also suggest it. He might have it backward, but so do the games.

[@LordMalice6d9]

The ending is terrible. Multiverse stories are usually the result of desperate writing.

[@PhilipHarts]

Good thing it’s not a multiverse then!

[@LordMalice6d9]

@@PhilipHarts Yeah I see what you mean, I am hoping that at the very end of it all in FFVII part 3, it doesn't end up being just another multiverse story. Kazushige Nojima is the main story writer for this FFVII trilogy and he is a bit too clever of a writer to write just another multiverse story. Especially in a modern era where every major tent pole superhero cinematic universe has tried but failed to deliver on a multiverse story. The Marvel cinematic universe tried but ultimately failed with Antman: Quantum Mania. and the DCEU didn't even get it off the ground with The Flash.

[@jk844100]

@@LordMalice6d9Spiderverse and No Way Home are great multiverse stories.