In the wake of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's success, what can we expect from the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy part 3?

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth stands proud as the second entry in Square Enix’s remake trilogy. There’s twists and turns aplenty, not just for Cloud and his motley crew, but for the wider world and the villain Sephiroth, with huge implications for the final, climactic third instalment in the JRPG trilogy. 

Considering the Earth-shaking events of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, here are our predictions for the third instalment of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, and how the story of Rebirth will factor into the future game.

Warning: full story spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to follow

Tifa will further connect with the planet and the Lifestream

One of Tifa’s big character developments in Rebirth is when she gets unceremoniously chucked into the Lifestream, courtesy of Cloud. This entire sequence has Tifa coming into contact with the planet itself via the two Weapons, and it’s arguably one of the biggest departures from the original source material. 

Simply put: I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of this from Tifa in Final Fantasy 7 remake part three. Tifa’s newfound knowledge never really ends up coming full circle in Rebirth, sort of just being dropped the closer you get to the Temple of the Ancients and the Forgotten Capital. I think this sets up Tifa for a much bigger role with the planet in the next game.

Zack will return!

I’d be shocked if Zack didn’t make some sort of reappearance in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s sequel. His last lines are pretty much setting up just that: “But who’s to say they couldn’t?” he ruminates over the joining of the alternate realities, which puts him, and us really, full of hope for the future. 

It’d be pretty puzzling if Square Enix just left Zack high and dry in the hope of seeing his friends again. I bet he’ll factor in again when Cloud and company go to take down Sephiroth and save the world.

Rufus Shinra will play a huge role as a big bad 

Rufus had a bit of a departure from the source material in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, with Glenn visiting him like a weird ghost of Christmas future. Shinra’s war with Wutai will surely factor into Rebirth’s sequel in a pretty big way, and so it’s logical to assume Rufus will be playing a pretty big role alongside the conflict. 

Aside from that though, I think it’s clear Rufus has a lot of road left in his journey. He’s clearly still trying to step out from under his father’s huge shadow, which Glenn is urging him to do with the war, but outside of that, he’s still one of the big overarching villains against Cloud and company. It certainly seems like Rufus will be a huge antagonist in Square Enix’s sequel.

Don’t worry, we’ll be seeing Aerith again

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s closing moments had Aerith bidding farewell to Cloud as he departed in the Tiny Bronco to pursue Sephiroth northwards. This can easily be read as Aerith saying goodbye for good, but when the fight with Sephiroth comes to a head in Rebirth’s sequel, it’d be a huge surprise if Aerith wasn’t around to see it through. 

Original Final Fantasy 7 players will know we’ve still got Cloud’s journey into the Lifestream to come in Rebirth’s sequel. Given this and the final fight, and the fact that Aerith already showed up after she was gone in Rebirth’s final scene, I’d be really surprised if she didn’t reappear in Rebirth’s sequel in some form. 

Check back in roughly four years from now to see if we were on the mark, or wildly off base with our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sequel predictions. 

Need the skinny on Cloud and co's latest adventure? Check out our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth review