Yuffie Kisaragi is the fiery driving force behind the main cast Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Whether she sets out alone in search of her beloved materia or makes a high-profile assassination attempt in front of the entire world, she simply remains undeterred. The Wutai warrior previously appeared as an optional character in the original version of the game. Now she’s included quite early on as part of the main story, and her addition is one of my favorite ways to do that Rebirth changes the story of the original game.
Yuffie first appeared as an optional playable character in the original Final fantasy 7. To get her, players had to adventure to her homeland of Wutai and complete her related quest. In that game, unlocking her was a completely optional part of the game, but now she plays a major role in the new trilogy of games that reimagines the original story. She is now playing the leading role in her own story Final Fantasy 7 Remakee’s DLC, Intergrade. There, she helped Avalanche infiltrate a Shinra facility and steal special equipment. Now in Rebirthwe see her team up with Cloud Strife and the main group of characters as the group sets out to save the world from Sephiroth.
As one of the youngest members of Avalanche and a goofball resident, it can be easy to ignore Yuffie. At several points she seems to be thinking one-sidedly about collecting her shiny, precious material. Yet the young warrior harbors lofty ambitions to help her homeland and defeat Shinra. There’s a lot more to her than meets the eye, and the developers have found ways to at least make her personality shine. The way they do this is by letting Yuffie be Yuffie.
With Yuffie everything is exaggerated. It’s not just about how she looks or says, but how we see her move around the world. In cutscenes, Yuffie often expresses herself with exaggerated movements, moving her arms while running or making a face by widening her lips and sticking out her tongue. Then there’s the fact that she can’t ride in a car or plane without almost throwing up. The Square Enix development team clearly put so much thought into every detail of her character, imbuing her with a unique, youthful physicality.
Yuffie consistently adds little moments of joy and whimsy to the proceedings. We see her face contort in disapproval during conversations or how she harasses Barret with fake punches during a short walk. At one point in the main mission, her English voice actor, Suzie Yeung, sings a very original song about materia while lounging on a couch. She’s a bored teenager, and moments like that show that.
She’s also just great to take with you on adventures. As far as combat goes, she has one of the most fun and versatile fighting styles, excelling in ranged and close combat using her giant shuriken. In the story she is a kind of loose cannon that can bring tension to any situation. This may appear as if she is immaturely pre-empting and causing trouble, or even at times when one of her hasty interventions threatens the stability of the entire world order.
To me, Yuffie’s portrayal embodies the best parts of Rebirth. While it has its fair share of bloat, the game really shines when it captures the quirks and emotions of the original game and its characters, rendering those moments in stunning detail. It’s clear that Yuffie was always a goofy girl, determined to find material, but now the developers can show us a lot more of what that girl is actually like.