There are already plenty of reasons to be excited for Final Fantasy 7 Remake's PlayStation 5 upgrade, the big one being the new DLC episode. Now titled Episode Intermission, it introduces ninja girl Yuffie to the remake and covers a side story, showing what she was up to during the main game. Back when the announcement was first made, however, die-hard Final Fantasy 7 fans learned that another character would be making an appearance. Not from the original game, but from one of its spin-offs; specifically Weiss, one of the main antagonists from Dirge of Cerberus.
For those not in the know, Dirge of Cerberus takes place three years after the original Final Fantasy 7. Instead of an RPG, it was a third-person shooter and put party member Vincent Valentine in the lead role. Weiss led the organization Deepground, a secret military organization initially created by Shinra which is also set to make an appearance in the Yuffie DLC.
Weiss and Deepground's role is still unknown, as it's suspected that they are more than just cameos and will have some kind of role to play in the story. Weiss' appearance is mostly unchanged (especially his hair), but he does appear to be slightly younger (which makes sense given the timeline) and now wears a white coat (he appeared shirtless in Dirge of Cerberus).
What's not a mystery is who will be voicing the character. Daman Mills, who has performed roles in various anime series' (including the villainous Frieza in several Dragon Ball Z media like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot) announced via his Twitter that he has taken over the role from Weiss' previous actor, David Boat, another long-running voice actor. Some of his previous roles include The Thing in several Marvel properties and Lexaeus/Aeleus in the Kingdom Hearts series.
The inclusion of Dirge of Cerberus elements appears to be part of a wider plan to condense the Final Fantasy 7 series' entire storyline and make it more accessible and cohesive. It's already believed that the remake incorporated aspects from the Advent Children movie, which is also receiving a 4K remaster later this year. This has prompted theories that other spin-off only characters like Genesis could make a reappearance as well after a years' long absence.
Square Enix is also releasing a mobile game titled Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis in 2022, which aims to adapt the entire Final Fantasy 7 storyline via episodic updates. It will start with a re-telling of the original game but will later adapt other media, including Dirge of Cerberus.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade launches June 10 for PS5.