Surprisingly, a lot of the content in Final Fantasy 7 Remake remains faithful to the original game's contents in significant ways. The overarching story beats are largely the same. Many of the iconic regions from Midgar were beautifully remade in modern graphical fidelity. Basically all the characters in the original Final Fantasy 7, story critical or otherwise, were either reworked or recontextualized in Remake's story. But there are some exceptions and new content, specifically with a new character named Roche.
His screen time is certainly brief, more so than many likely expected, but Roche still had a relatively prominent part in the game. Roche fits into a lot of the sections of Final Fantasy 7 Remake's story quite well, considering it's mostly expanded side content not fully present in the original game. But Remake's first episode is just the beginning section of a very expansive upcoming story. Roche will likely return in the second episode more often, and there's a few reasons why.
Roche's Role in Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Roche is an original character to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, one who was marketed particularly prominently in the lead up to the game's release in April. Like Cloud, he's also a SOLDIER but part of Third Class even though he has the combat abilities and prowess to promote higher. His personality is the biggest reason why he's held back, as he's widely known by Shinra forces as being extremely brash, destructive, and unpredictable. This is immediately apparent when players meet Roche for the first time in-game. His crazy motorcycle antics make him not a formidable enemy, but an erratic one. Cloud tangles with him both during a motorcycle mini-game, as well as boss fight during Chapter 4's "Mad Dash."
But after that, he's gone. Roche doesn't show up again in Final Fantasy 7 Remake's first episode, despite him making a promise to Cloud that they would meet on the road again. Final Fantasy 7 Remake's co-director mentioned that Roche was supposed to appear during the last chapter, but his personality would've been a stark contrast to the final events. He was also initially planned to appear during Chapter 14 "In Search of Hope," but his motorcycle persona wouldn't fit there either given the tight corner of the slums. So as a result, Roche's screen time is cut short with less of an impact.
Roche's Potential as a Boss Character
If anything, Roche's place in the narrative without that context made his character seem strange. His relationship with Cloud is non-existent, built out of some kind of random rivalry that has no weight or significance. Roche's appearance in Chapter 4 almost feels shoehorned in, if not only for his boss battle being a genuinely fun duel. It's arguable that Roche sees Cloud as the only one fitting of a serious challenge to his combat skill, and thus is coincidentally chasing him. The circumstances are convenient, but now that he has a grudge for Cloud ruining his motorcycle, Roche will likely make a return in Remake's second part.
It would make more sense for Roche to show up more prominently in Final Fantasy 7 Remake's part 2. Cloud and the gang have to cover a lot of ground across the world, which means they'll be hitting the road Final Fantasy 15 style. Given what Roche's final words were before leaving Cloud, he did promise they would meet again on the road. Roche could be chasing Cloud and the party like a bounty hunter, as part of Roche's personal vendetta against him. While his role in the first episode was sparse, Final Fantasy 7 Remake's second episode could feature him a lot more prominently.
How He Could Return in FF7 Remake Part 2
Obviously he won't have a more significant role than what players have seen already, but Roche could be a reoccurring boss through some segments of FF7 Remake Part 2's story. Roche could show up in a similar fashion of the Turks, though in a less story-pertinent capacity. One theory is that Roche's pursuit of Cloud could potentially lead to him promoting to a higher class of SOLDIER. Roche is also the only SOLDIER-related supporting character in the Final Fantasy 7 canon that isn't First Class, which could mean there's still a possibility of him promoting later on. This could also serve as a story-centric justification for Roche becoming a more difficult boss battle in the second episode.
Hopefully, Roche becomes a more prominent character, otherwise it would be a shame. Not that he's a particularly complicated or interesting guy, but it'd be a shame for this brand new character to be so underwhelming after being so prominently featured. Roche was a bit of a one-note stereotype, but he could return as a worthy adversary if his grudge with Cloud becomes more developed.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 2 is in development.