Final Fantasy 7 Remake made a host of changes to the original game's plot, with some being more cryptic than others. While many new characters and scenes expanded or fleshed-out Cloud's adventures in Midgar, other additions seem to be foreshadowing mysteries that have yet take shape. But given the length of the original Final Fantasy 7, and the comparatively small amount of the story that Remake has covered so far, it is unsurprising that an effort to foreshadow things in the first installment could read as completely random.
One particular incident that likely perplexed newcomers to the Final Fantasy 7 universe was the cameo of an anthropomorphic black and white cat wearing a cape and a crown, looking upon the devastation caused by the Sector 7 plate collapse. The cat is a strange, jarring presence in an otherwise tragic and solemn scene. Veterans from the original title and people familiar with other materials from Square Enix's "compilation" of Final Fantasy 7 were sure to recognize the humanoid cat as Cait Sith, an eventual party member. And while he may appear to be pure comic relief, Cait Sith hides almost as many secrets as Cloud Strife. SPOILERS AHEAD for those who did not play the original.
FF7's Cait Sith, the Oddball
Cait Sith's cute appearance is at odds with most of the Final Fantasy 7 cast, whose designs are comparatively solemn and grounded. Even the talking "lab rat dog," Red XIII seems more at home with the other human characters. This disparity is especially odd in the plate collapse scene since it is never contextualized or explained to new players in any way.
But for returning fans, it is a potentially intriguing addition, as Cait Sith is a character that operates behinds the scenes, intervening to suit the needs of the secretive, ever-scheming Shinra Electric Power Company—at least initially. In many ways, Cait Sith is like a nesting doll of proxies. The cute cat seen at the plate collapse is actually a robot controlled by a mysterious third party, and it usually rides around on a huge, magically animated, moogle toy which acts as both a vehicle and combat chasis. It is worth noting that in the original game, Cait Sith also shows up with the Manipulate materia equipped, which allows the user to hijack control of enemies in combat.
Players do not get a glimpse of the cat or his moogle mount until much later in the original game, however. At least, not in-person, which begs the question: what was Cait Sith doing in Midgar at the beginning of the game? Was he helping the Turks catalyze the collapse or hoping to avert the disaster? And is this another retroactive change to the original Final Fantasy 7's canon, or just a means of addressing a plot hole?
The Man Behind Cait Sith
The latter possibility seems more likely, as Cait Sith is (usually) controlled by Shinra's Head of Urban Development, Reeve Tuesti. Remake establishes Reeve as a bleeding heart early on, portraying the character as guilt-ridden due to Shinra's destructive actions and eager to lead a reconstruction effort that will serve the people of Midgar. His pleas for decency fall on deaf ears, however, with President Shinra, Heidegger, Scarlet, and Hojo dismissing his concerns in the board meeting that players eavesdrop on.
Reeve has been controlling Cait Sith robots for a long time—at least as far back as Final Fantasy 7: Before Crisis, which serves as a prequel to Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core, which is itself a prequel to Final Fantasy 7. It should also be noted that each Cait Sith robot has some limited form of sentience and personal agency, as it often refers to itself in first person, and Reeve specifically calls himself out to be controlling Cait Sith when he is addressing the party remotely. So it is possible—albeit unlikely—that Cait Sith was acting independently from Reeve.
The most likely reason for Cait Sith's early appearance, however, is to develop Reeve, and to further demonstrate the character has a conscience despite working for Shinra. In the original title, one has to wonder why Reeve allowed Shinra to go forward with the plate collapse, sacrificing thousands of lives for a selfish agenda, while Remake seems to be implying that he at least attempted to intervene.
What's in Store for FF7 Remake Part 2
Cloud and co. don't run into Cait Sith until the party arrives at the Gold Saucer for the first time. Posing as a fortune teller, Cait Sith asks to tag along with the party after delivering a cryptic prediction. In actuality, Reeve is spying on the party on Shinra's orders. He even goes so far as to hijack the Keystone required to enter the Temple of the Ancients, and hands it over to Tseng, the leader of the Turks.
The robotic cat eventually earns his redemption, however, after Reeve witnesses the party's battle to save the planet and has a change of heart. Cait Sith even sacrifices himself to allow the party to circumvent a critical trap—though this tragic sacrifice is somewhat undercut by the fact that a replacement with a seemingly identical personality shows up immediately after his forerunner is destroyed. There is no guarantee that Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 will progress far enough, however, to introduce Cait Sith, and there are a number of other party members, like Cid, Vincent, and Yuffie who need to be fleshed out. It seems like a safe bet that he'll further appear with more characterization, given the fact that Cait Sith is a required party member who factors heavily into the game's plot.
With any luck, Cait Sith will see more satisfying implementation than Red XIII did in the first installment of Remake. But there is no denying that magically-animated-moogle-riding, robotic cat proxy is an odd addition in terms of mechanics as well as narrative. His Limit Breaks are heavily based on RNG, and his signature manipulate materia is only situationally useful at best.
There will also likely be a long wait for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2, seeing how the title faces a unique, console generation gap predicament amid a pandemic. Given the numerous hanging story threads from the first game, the hidden meaning behind Cait Sith's appearance in Remake may fall to the wayside, unless the sequel employs a flashback, or explicit exposition to explain the cameo. Hopefully, however, Square Enix manages to pay off its cryptic foreshadowing in a satisfying way.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake is available now for PlayStation 4.