With the next section of Final Fantasy 7 Remake officially in development, fans have been excited to see what Square Enix plans to include in the upcoming installment. One aspect that fans have been wondering as they burn through everything that the remake has to offer is who will appear as a playable FF7 character in the next episode.
The choice of party members in the upcoming parts of Final Fantasy 7 Remake will shape the remainder of each subsequent episode, as after the party formation becomes much more free after Midgar in the original. So when it comes to attempting to figure out what to expect in FF7 Remake part 2, it all starts as who the players will be allowed to control in the next installments.
Surprisingly, less than half of the available cast from the original is actually present by the end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the characters' escape from Midgar. With so many characters waiting in the wings, and the pacing of the next few installments still in development, it's hard to nail down exactly who will make the cut for part 2. And some characters like Cid or Vincent Valentine are also so far in the story, it's hard to say if they'll appear in part 2 or a later sequence. However, one inclusion that should become available right away should be the reinstatement of a fan favorite character from support to playable.
Red XIII
One common complaint from longtime fans of the original Final Fantasy 7 was that Red XIII wasn't a playable character after appearing in the remake, instead being relegated to a support role. While some of the leading developers have talked about why Red XII wasn't playable before, with him arriving so late in the game, this won't hold up in the part 2. As a result, it's fairly likely that players are going to get a chance to jump into his shoes, or paws, and control the fan favorite character throughout the rest of the remake.
Of course, Red XIII's mechanics will likely be tweaked, both from how he behaves in Final Fantasy 7 Remake right now, as well as in relation to how combat works with other characters. He will likely have some sort of speed boost, allowing him to move quickly across the battlefield, likely outpacing every other character. Additionally, bringing in his original limit breaks into the triangle button's functions, as was the case for other characters like Cloud and his Braver limit, he could be given a rush command that has him charge and quickly close the distance.
Yuffie Kisaragi
Everybody's favorite ninja, Yuffie, is likely to appear in episode 2 of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, as the first chance to find her in the original comes not long after leaving Midgar. Normally an optional character, some fans assume that she may be a regular party member in the remake, joining as a matter of fact, rather than a matter of chance and solving her mechanic defying puzzle. However, her inclusion could mean more than just adding a new, long-range character to play as and could involve turning some otherwise optional questlines from the original into mandatory canon.
One of Yuffie's most notable moments comes from when she steals every piece of materia from the party, including powerful summons, magic, and basic commands and buffs. This leads to the party storming through Wutai, the nation that Shinra fought a war with that earned characters like Sephiroth the title of Hero, and chasing after the ninja to recover their stolen items. With the changes made in Final Fantasy 7 Remake including a heavy implication that tensions with Wutai are still high, this could land her a much more integral role in the story than she previously had.
Cait Sith
This might actually be the most unlikely option, as Cait Sith's introduction and eventual inclusion into the party doesn't start until fairly later in Final Fantasy 7 than the others. In fact, it's entirely possible that the entire Gold Saucer section may not be coming until part 3 arrives, which would put the lovable doll and his companion Mog pretty far out into the future. That being said, it's still yet to be seen exactly where part 2 of the remake is going to end, so it is entirely possible that players will make it all the way to meeting Cait Sith, although at that point he may be relegated to support like Red XIII.
Of course, Cait Sith did make a cameo appearance in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, looking on at the destruction of Midgar's Sector 7 for a quick few seconds. So, this could be an indication that there is a plan to introduce him as a party member sooner rather than later, which might mean something for the pacing of part 2. This could mean some major changes coming to Gold Saucer and the surrounding areas that make up Corel being sped up in order to keep pace and get the players meeting Cait Sith in time.
Sephiroth
Hands down, one of the biggest questions in Final Fantasy 7 Remake's part 2 is whether or not players will get to play as Sephiroth, or at least have him join the party. This mostly comes from players curious as to how the remake intends to tackle the flashback sequence that occurs once players arrive in Kalm, shortly after leaving Midgar. In the original, Sephiroth joins the party for a short time and even has a special limit break that can only be seen at this moment, offering a unique look at his fighting style and the extent of his power early on.
Unfortunately, in the original Final Fantasy 7, Sephiroth isn't actually playable in this section, instead he joins the party and chooses whatever attack he wishes, often killing enemies in one hit. So, it's likely the players won't get the chance to take control of the legendary villain during the Kalm flashback in the remake, although they may still have him behaving as a support similar to Red XIII. This doesn't mean that the sequence won't still be a chilling dive into Sephiroth's psychosis, with the burning of Nibelheim being one of the most iconic scenes in the game, but sadly it does mean that playing out power fantasies might not be on the menu.
Final Fantasy Remake Part 2 is currently in development.