The Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy is the next best thing that has happened to the gaming industry, and we are here to discuss the best characters we’ll be able to play in the game.
There are a total of 9 playable characters in-game, and we will rank them from the worst to the best.
While we can’t play as Cid and Vincent yet until Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3, we’ll be taking a look at those where we CAN play throughout the game. Two of those characters are spoilers, so I won’t be mentioning them just yet. Oh, and we’ll go from worst to best playable character in that order.
9. Cait Sith
Here’s some story context for all of you FF7 aficionados here. Cait Sith is the fortune teller of the Gold Saucer and joins Cloud’s party to help him recover the location of the Black Materia. Now, I won’t tell you what Cait Sith does further in the story as it would be spoiler territory, but we’re here to discuss his gameplay aspects and my God, is it bad.
Cait Sith isn’t all that bad, but his dependency on luck and randomizers makes his gameplay excruciatingly painful to play. I mean, when it hits the perfect number, the damage increases, and so does his fighting prowess, it is rewarding, but in a fast-paced gameplay aspect, it is WAY too risky.
Slow and clunky movement, along with too much dependency on luck is the reason why he is placed at the bottom of the list, AND the fact that he is an average character as well.
If you’re someone who wants to try his/her luck, go for it, but I wouldn’t recommend Cait Sith all the time. I know I had difficulty playing this character in the game.
Cait Sith Strengths:
- A difficult All-Rounder where he is totally dependent on Magic Abilities, which can be great against magical enemies such as Bomb, Zu, etc.
- Random Support Abilities which can be advantageous in the heat of the battle, providing debuffs to enemies, buffs to allies, and unique ability charge.
- Provides Reraise, Resist, and Limit Level Increase when playing Lucky Slots, which can greatly help the party.
Choose Cait Sith if you like:
- To risk it all on luck and provide magical support to the party.
- To play defensively against most enemies and think about tactics.
- To make team gameplay the most effective part of your gameplay.
- To stay dependent on the Moogle Doll of Cait Sith since it grants almost all abilities to be made available.
8. Red XIII
Next up, we have Red XIII, or as you move forward to the story and reach the Cosmo Canyon portion, his real name is revealed, which is known to be Nanaki. He was part of Cloud’s party during the finale of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, when Cloud, Tifa, and Barret infiltrated the Shinra Building to free Aerith from Professor Hojo’s Captivity and help Red XIII along the way.
He wasn’t playable in Final Fantasy 7 Remake due to the directors’ decision. Still, he did become playable in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and oh, boy, let me tell you, he is one of the fastest party members to ever exist.
Sure, he may be fast, but he also has his own weaknesses. For instance, he can’t keep up with Airborne enemies, and his Vengeance Mode is pretty hard to activate, which is also one of the main reasons why he is in the eighth spot on the list. If he can’t do damage to airborne enemies, what’s the point? Thus making him an average player here.
Red XIII Strengths:
- His Vengeance Mode allows him to deal damage to enemies while also healing his HP.
- Supernal Fervor grants the whole party Haste, helping allies quickly fill up their ATB bars for more ability attacks.
- Taking damage while trying to fill out the Vengeance Gauge boosts the damage of Reapers Touch, which increases damage dealt based on lost HP.
Choose Red XIII if you like:
- To play it fast and provide physical support to your party.
- To act like a Tank and provide Magical Support as well.
- To just have fun and a blast with playing Red XIII.
7. Sephiroth
Bet you didn’t know that, but Sephiroth is also a playable character. Well … only partially. He’s a guest character, and just like the original Final Fantasy 7, you get to control him as a party member on a specific mission.
In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, it’s literally the first mission of the game, and his abilities with his prestigious Masamune is worth remembering it’s because of his skills that Sephiroth is a great character to play with, but for a very limited time.
Fast-paced and Overpowered, it showcases the extent of Sephiroth’s abilities before he went mad at The Nibelheim Incident. It's too bad we can only play him for one mission and a specific VR mission, which is why he is placed in the seventh spot on the list. If he were playable in more missions, he would have been placed higher on the list, I’m pretty sure.
Sephiroth Strengths:
- He is a fast-paced swordmaster who completely changes the party dynamic, carrying all the party weight on his shoulders.
- Octaslash and Prime Octaslash eliminate enemies in one sweep, making for a quick battle in-game.
- Hell’s Gate provides the perfect aerial attack to eviscerate enemies in one quick move.
Choose Sephiroth if you like:
- To have fun slicing and dicing enemies.
- To make the best use out of Sephiroth for a limited time.
- To harness the power of an elite 1st Class SOLDIER
6. Zack Fair
In case you have missed out on the story of the Remake Trilogy, the ending of Final Fantasy 7 Remake shows that Zack has survived, and this is a big tagline/selling point of the game, where you get to play Zack in an alternate scenario where he survives his famous and iconic last stand near Midgar.
After all, he is a fan-favorite character, and playing him in Crisis Core was wonderful. I can say the same for his gameplay in Rebirth, too. I won’t be diving into story details here, but whatever chances you get playing him, especially during the Interludes and Chapter 14, it is very rewarding. Especially because he is much faster in Rebirth compared to Crisis Core making him a good character to play with!
Too bad we can’t play him much except for in the infamous VR missions; that said, it’s a shame we can’t get to play more of Zack besides the Interlude chapters, Chapter 14, and the VR Missions as well, which is the main reason that he is placed in that spot.
Zack Fair Strengths:
- His Quick-Charge Ability allows him to unleash more powerful attacks as soon as he increases his Quick Charge Level.
- Abilities from Crisis Core, such as Meteor Shower, are making a comeback, and they are more powerful than ever.
- His Synergy Abilities with Cloud is mesmerizing and powerful in itself, like throwing two birds with one stone.
Choose Zack Fair if you like:
- To have a fast-paced combat with a mastery in swordplay.
- To relish in the camaraderie shown between Cloud and Zack towards the end of the game.
- To take full advantage of Zack’s full strength and abilities.
5. Barret Wallace
We’re finally making our way to the main stars of the story. The head of the AVALANCHE Splinter Cell, Barret Wallace, makes his return, where he, too, has his own demons to face within the game.
I kid you not; he is literally the tankiest character of the whole party, and he can stagger enemies pretty fast, thanks to his attached handgun. Though his movement may be slow, he makes up for it with his firepower. Not only that, he provides such great Support for the party and Stagger to the enemies that he is a valuable member to add to the journey, making him a great character to play with and the reason that he is placed in this spot.
Barret Wallace Strengths:
- His Steelskin ability lets you become a literal tank and take damage while going on against enemies.
- His Overcharge ability is a game-changer where he can quickly Stagger enemies in just a few shots.
- Turbulent Spirit can help increase his ATB regeneration rate to release more abilities.
Choose Barret Wallace if you like:
- To be the ultimate Tank and provide Support to the Party.
- To Stagger enemies quickly.
- To be able to take on damage while fighting against enemies.
4. Aerith Gainsborough
The star heroine of the game, Aerith Gainsborough, plays a VERY significant role in the whole game, ESPECIALLY in the last moments. And no, I am NOT spoiling you that, either. It’s for your own good.
She is the only one in our party who is the Mage of the group; thanks to her Cetra lineage, she is the magician/healer of the group as well. It’s safe to say that her skills are not to be trifled with, making her a great player.
While she is a playful and sweet girl, mess with her, and you’ll get zapped into oblivion by her magic abilities. She may not be physically strong, though, and she is easily susceptible to attacks, making her an easy target for enemies, hence why she is placed in the fourth spot. If you know what you’re doing with Aerith, you’ll be an unbeatable mage here.
Aerith Gainsborough Strengths:
- Radiant Ward enhances her basic physical attacks, providing a boost in damage.
- Thanks to her Pray, ability, the whole party is healed.
- Ward Shift allows her to teleport to locations wherever she has spawned a circle and cast double the Magical spells at the cost of one Magical spell.
Choose Aerith Gainsborough if you like:
- To play ranged and focus on magic-based gameplay.
- To act as a healer of the group.
- To showcase all the magical prowess that Aerith has up her sleeve.
3. Cloud Strife
Our main hero and troubled protagonist, Cloud Strife, makes a poignant return in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy, and he has a lot of additional moves to show in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
With the master swordsman that he is, he’s the perfect all-rounder for the party, with proper support spells and abilities present in his arsenal. Not to mention, he is now able to Counter or Parry the attacks that oncoming enemies deliver. He is fast, but the other characters that I will mention are much faster than him, making him take the third spot; he’s a great character to play with, no doubt, but you’ll know why he is placed here in just a bit.
Cloud Strife Strengths:
- A perfect All-Rounder of the party, where a balance of Physical and Magical Attacks work in balance with one another.
- Counterstance and Punisher Mode help parry attacks and give a beating which increases Stagger Rate.
- Prime Mode is the newest ablility that Cloud has which adds Berserk to his status and increases overall damage.
Choose Cloud Strife if you like:
- To have mastery on your swordplay in-game.
- Want to have the perfect balance between Magic and Physical Damage.
- To counter and parry those oncoming attacks.
2. Tifa Lockhart
The best girl of the series, Tifa Lockhart, never fails to amass any more fans. She’s back again in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and her Staggering Skills are still top-notch.
Another fast-paced player of the party, Tifa never fails to blow some steam away with her unique skills and her dodging ability is what helps her remain as the last member standing, useful for revivals.
What makes her a great player is the fact that she has an AMAZING Stagger Rate that she can inflict on enemies, and her fast movement makes her a great player to play with, making her take the spot of number 2!
Tifa Lockhart Strengths:
- Unbridled Strength increases her attack power in general as well as increasing her dodge window, too.
- Overpower, along with Focused Strike, increases the Stagger Meter of the enemy, easily being able to knock them out.
- Unfettered Fury is the last stop in increasing her Staggering capabilities.
Choose Tifa Lockhart if you like:
- To lay a smack-down on all your enemies.
- To increase the Stagger Rate of your enemies.
- To experience fast-paced combat gameplay
1. Yuffie Kisaragi
Hate to break it to you, but Yuffie’s taking the top spot for the best characters, and she kinda deserves it, to be honest. Introduced back in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Episode: Intermission, Yuffie was the main character of the DLC portion of the game, and her skills were pretty fast.
The same can be said here in-game. She may be an optional character in the original Final Fantasy 7, but here, she’s one of the main ones. Here’s the great thing about her: she is proficient in ANY fighting style, whether it’s ranged or close, making her the best character to play with.
Not to mention, imbuing Elemental Magic along with her physical attacks while being fast as the wind is definitely a worthy addition, which is the reason she takes the top spot on the list.
Yuffie Kisaragi Strengths:
- Her Ninjutsu provides magical abilities without the expense of using the Magic Bar.
- Assess enemies by using only one ATB Bar.
- Make Doppelgangers to increase attack effectiveness and get yourself out of risky situations.
Choose Yuffie Kisaragi if you like:
- A mix of fast-paced ranged or close-quarter gameplay.
- Variations in combat, mixing up new combos.
- Break free from perilous situations by using your Ninja Arts.
And that’s about it with the best characters in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to play with. See ya.
