Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth fixes devs’ biggest Tifa & Aerith ‘regret’

One of Final Fantasy 7’s writers revealed his regrets over how Tifa and Aerith’s relationship was portrayed in the original and how it impacted FF7 Rebirth’s development.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has released to largely positive reviews in part because of how it depicts its iconic cast of characters and their developing relationships.

Setting aside the game’s romantic options – which further fuel the decades-old Cloud-Tifa-Aerith love triangle – Rebirth emphasizes the connections Cloud and his allies make on their journey to stop Sephiroth.

A new Square Enix blog post gives new insight into why the developers chose “connectedness” as the core theme of Rebirth – and it has to do with the writers’ regrets over how Tifa and Aerith were portrayed in the original.

FF7 Rebirth writer reveals origins of “connectedness” theme

In the post, writer Kazushige Nojima told the story of how a comment from a programmer on the original 1997 game ultimately influenced Rebirth’s development.

“Around the time that we finished making the original FINAL FANTASY VII, a senior Programmer turned to me and said, ‘It sure seems like Aerith and Tifa don’t like each other, don’t you think?'” Nojima shared.

While the comment shocked him, Nojima realized he “wasn’t too confident” that the game portrayed the “close friendship” he’d intended. He goes on to say, “I regretted this for a long time.”

This made conveying Tifa and Aerith’s friendship a personal challenge for Nojima – one that ultimately impacted Rebirth’s core theme.

“As I undertook this challenge, the word ‘connectedness’ came to the fore as a key concept for the story. It’s because of this connectedness that the characters and the planet on which they live were born,” he explains.

Nojima goes on to share how this revelation “is how the character of ‘The Planet’ … came to be portrayed.”

Based on reactions to Rebirth since its release, it seemed Nojima succeeded in portraying Tifa and Aerith’s relationship. The two are a highlight of the game, feeling like genuine friends rather than mere traveling companions vying for the protagonist’s affection.

Though Nojima doesn’t name the programmer, and we may never know who they are, it’s clear their comments from over 25 years ago have had a lasting impact on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.