Summary
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthdoes a great job of giving the old glow-up treatment to previously smaller NPCs.Final Fantasy 7 Remakedid this as well with characters such as Johnny. He was kind of nothing NPC in the original game who hung around the Honey Bee Inn. He was integral to helping Aerith and Cloud meet the Don of Wall Market in the remake though.
There are examples like Johnny inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthtoo. The entire game is brimming with great NPCs, but players probably want to know who they get to play in the game. There are nine characters in all, not counting Cid and Vincent. Presumably, they will be playable in the third and final game, but for now, they are there for support only. This will be aspoiler-freediscussion overall.
Updated On January 31st, 2025 By Joshua Leeds:This article has been further updated to include additional information on the best abilities and useful materia to help when you first start building the character. While every permanent party member can be built in many useful ways, the new sections will help give some guidelines.
9Zack
Strong When He Is Around
Zack is the first characterplayers will start with inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. He will enter Midgar with a catatonic Cloud, hand him over to Kyrie, and then Zack will charge into battle to save Aerith. This section is wild, but there isn’t much to it. Zack will be playable for short periods, around five to ten minutes, throughout the rest of the game too but he isn’t a big part of the playable roster. He does, however, play a big role in the story, which won’t be spoiled.
Since playing as Zack only happens during story-focused sections of the game, his stats are well above anyone from your party whenever you do play as him. While he doesn’t have as many combat options as other full-time party members, the sheer damage he does with his Buster Sword makes using abilities feel useless.
8Sephiroth
From Hero To Villain
Sephiroth is the second controllable characterin the game. Once Zack’s section is over, the game will go into Cloud reminiscing about a Shinra trip he took with Sephiroth to Nibelheim. After this initial battle, the gameplay will switch over to Cloud. Eventually, players can swap between Cloud and Sephiroth again on the battlefield, and Sephiroth is unsurprisingly very powerful. From long-reaching sword blows to powerful magic beyond Cloud’s reach, he is a powerhouse for a limited portion of the game.
Sephiroth is a powerhouse during the first chapter, with his stats being incredibly high compared to Cloud. Even his basic attack will deal way more damage than anything Cloud can do, and the monsters in Chapter 1 will barely be able to scratch him. While he’s not a permanent party member, his inclusion during this chapter clearly sets him up as a powerful enemy to face one day.
7Aerith
A White Mage With Bite
After the backstory, Chapter 2 is predominantly when everyone else in the game will get unlocked.Aerith was one of the weaker charactersfromFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, and she remains weak now. Even though she uses her rod as a melee weapon in the original game, Aerith shoots magic now and has to stand still while doing so. This leaves her open to enemies, and she can’t dodge well. At least she is a strong spellcaster and healer, but controlling her manually can be a pain.
Best Abilities & Materia For Aerith
Aerith is a backline mage, so giving her as many offensive Materia as possible will help you always hit an enemy’s weakness. Giving her both a Fire & Ice along with a Lightning & Wind Materia will give her access to most of the needed options in battle. Mix these with her Arcane Ward ability to greatly increase how much damage she deals for the usual amount of MP.
It’s also helpful to give her healing Materia such as the basic one or Prayer, since it covers the entire party. The Noble Sacrifice ability is also great for a backline character as she’ll usually be out of danger and can bring back the other two party members if they go down.
6Cait Sith
Difficult But Rewarding Combat
Cait Sith is one of the last unlockable party membersin the game. He won’t join until the start of Chapter 9, which is outside of Gold Saucer in the Corel region. In the original game, Cait Sith rode a giant mog, and he still does inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but it’s tied to an ability.
Normally he runs around as just his cat form which can be hard to navigate with on the battlefield. His techniques are also unpredictable, but Cait Sith can be fun once players get the hang of the mog form.
Best Abilities & Materia For Cait Sith
Cait Sith can be a tricky party member to utilize since a lot of his kit revolves around Luck. He’s also a powerful magic user, so giving him a backup Healing Materia is always helpful. Outside of that, try maximizing his luck with a Luck Up Materia, since Luck translates to damage for him.
For Abilities, his Moogle Magic and Moogle Knuckle can only be used while riding his Moogle, but both can deal a surprising amount of damage. Moogle Knuckle can be used in any battle, and while it may seem like a straightforward attack, the damage output can be quite surprising.
5Barret
A Giant Gun Arm Comes In Handy
Barret plays the same as he does inFinal Fantasy 7 Remakewhere he was a long-ranged specialist. He’s slow to control in battle, which is why players should defend as him instead of roll. What he lacks in speed, he more than makes up for in power from his Overcharged Triangle-based attacks to abilities like Focused Shot. Enemies won’t last long with Barret on the case, but there will be a bit of patience involved while using him.
Best Abilities & Materia For Barret
By far Barret’s best ability is Battle Cry, since it greatly increases ATB for a short time letting you use many other abilities and capitalize whenever a difficult enemy is staggered. Focused Shot is also his first and one of his best abilities, as it excels in staggering enemies.
Barret is also the party tank, so giving him an HP Up Materia helps make him even harder to take down. Since Barret will almost always stay alive in battle, give him a Revival Materia to bring back allies that aren’t as tanky, along with an ATB Boost Materia to further strengthen his abilities.
4Red XIII
He’s Not A Pet
Red XIII was a supporting characterbefore, as he entered too late intoFinal Fantasy 7 Remakefor the team to develop him fully. He will probably be the first character players will test out of the main party inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, who have been waiting since 2020. He is not as fast as one would assume, as he is shaped like a slender beast. His speed is average as he hits harder and has a good range of support abilities for the party.
Best Abilities & Materia For Rex XIII
By far Red XIII’s best ability is Stardust Ray, and honestly, he can be built around this ability and be a one-trick pony. This ability not only deals a ton of damage over a small area but also greatly staggers any enemy found inside.
For Materia give him an ATB Up Materia along with multiple Magic Up Materia, as Stardust Ray scales off magic damage. Also give him an HP Up Materia to make sure he’s not too much of a glass cannon, but otherwise build him solely around Stardust Ray.
3Tifa
The Lightning Fist Of Seventh Heaven
Tifa was one of the better charactersinFinal Fantasy 7 Remakethanks to her great balance in speed and power. She’s still quick in this sequel, but her attacks seem to hit just a bit softer, which is a bit of a shame for all of the Tifa stans out there. For non-covered enemies, Tifa can make short work of them given the right fist combos. She even has a decent air reach whether players use her uppercut ability or a Synergy technique to have someone throw her at enemies.
Best Abilities & Materia For Tifa
Tifa is great for staggering especially when you specifically play to do so. Give her a Precision Defense Focus Materia and upgrade it to deal with more stagger when attacking after a block. Also give her a Strength Up Materia since she’s a damage-focused fighter, with at least a Fire & Ice Materia to make sure he hits some weaknesses and opens enemies up for staggering them faster.
The Unfettered Fury ability is great for making her quick basic attacks stagger enemies faster, while Starshower is a great setup for True Strike, outputting great damage even when you’re main focus is staggering the enemy.
2Cloud
Midgar’s Number One EX-SOLDIER
Cloud, as was previously mentioned, will be the third playable character in the game, which is wild considering he is the protagonist. He will unlock in the prologue and Cloud can run around Kalm a bit before the rest of the party unlocks after the town portion Cloud was seemingly given a bit of Tifa’s speed because even in Punisher Mode, he is a fast swordsman.
He can take a hit, and he can dish it out ten times harder. Again, he is the star, so it seems only natural that the protagonist should be the best or near the top.
Best Abilities & Materia For Cloud
Cloud can be built in a few different ways, but his Attack is still slightly the better option. Giving him a Strength Up Materia will help further that lead, especially to take advantage of his many abilities that almost all build off his strength. It’s also helpful to give Cloud a Precision Defense Focus Materia as he’s fairly good at staggering.
The Blade Burst ability is great for making Cloud’s ranged damage output much higher, while also helping with dealing with crowds. Triple Slash is also a great option for groups of enemies or just one, as it will also almost always hit enemies even when they are moving around, while also having Cloud jump around and avoid damage.
1Yuffie
From A DLC Character To The Number One Ninja
Yuffie technically becomes playable in Chapter 4 right as Cloud and the others are accepting Rufus’ deal in Junon. Players can do some platforming, but that is it. She won’t become a permanent party member until the start of Chapter 7 when the team leaves Costa Del Sol. What makes her the best is her speed and range. She’s a nimble fighter who can easily dodge past enemies like Tifa. Yuffie also has the bonus of her giant shuriken to hit enemies from afar or to teleport to them for close-quarters combat. Versatility is the key to victory, even though she doesn’t hit as hard as Cloud.
Best Abilities & Materia For Yuffie
Yuffie can deal incredible amounts of damage, and she should be built as a glass cannon. No matter how you build her, the Doppelganger ability will mimic your actions and double your damage if used right. Her Elemental Ninjutsu ability also lets her cover every element and switch between them without the need for various Materia.
Because of this, having most of her Materia boosts her basic stats. Skill Master will also be useful since you’ll be jumping between different commands while playing as her along with ATB stagger. While built as a glass canon, Brumal Form can help you avoid taking damage all while furthering earned ATB.
