Tifa & Aerith Have A Stronger Friendship In FF7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth makes a number of tweaks to the original story and characters, and Tifa in particular receives some new attention that could set up a fresh approach to her character arc in Ff7 Remake Part 3. As a powerful fighter, a key member of the Avalanche splinter cell, and a principal love interest for Cloud, Tifa has always had a major slice of the spotlight. The story of FF7 has a lot of ground to cover, however, and the original game didn't necessarily have time to dwell on all of her nuances or relationships with other characters.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the FF7 remake games is that the expanded runtime makes delving deeper into each character more feasible. Some of this time is spent on elevating figures who previously had only minor appearances, like Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge in FF7 Remake, but those who were always a major part of the story also get bigger roles than ever before. When it comes to Tifa, that extra time is spent in several places, but one particular focus is her relationship with Aerith.
Tifa Confiding In Aerith Is A Major FF7 Rebirth Change
As Reddit user shadowqueen15 points out, a particularly big change comes in how Tifa reckons with the incident involving Sephiroth that occurred in Nibelheim when she was younger. Her memory of what happened differs significantly from Cloud's confused recollection, as his version of events places him in a role that Tifa knows he was never in. In the original Game, this is a burden she bears herself, and her unwillingness to confide in any other party members when it comes to the event leaves Cloud and everyone else lost in the dark.
FF7 Rebirth makes the significant change of having Tifa relay the story to Aerith, who's every bit as sincerely interested in figuring out what actually happened as Tifa is. It's a narrative alteration that's largely made possible through the Remake Trilogy's lack of interest in withholding reveals, as a lot of twists and turns from the original are established in a much more upfront way in the new games. This approach could make elements of the story weaker for those experiencing it for the first time, but it does open new possibilities like this one.
FF7 Remake Part 3 Can Give Tifa More Depth Than Ever
This also means Tifa is relying on Aerith more than ever before, as the party healer's support extends far beyond the battlefield. Consequently, Aerith's death at the end of the game is a more personal blow than it was in the original FF7, and it forces her to return to reckoning with Cloud's past without her ally. This could open up a way to explore her doubts in more depth in Ff7 Remake Part 3, and considering how much she does for Cloud in the final chapter of the story, she certainly deserves the increased attention.
The changes to FF7 Rebirth's climax also point to the fact that Tifa's reaction to Aerith's death could be an essential part of the Story's final chapter. In the new version, Cloud hasn't yet truly acknowledged Aerith's death, and the crucial moment of him lowering her body into the water is missing entirely. It seems weird to completely abandon that iconic moment, and Tifa might very well be the key to ultimately bringing it to the screen.
