Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer has Tifa fans very worried

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's latest trailer has fans seriously worried about Tifa.

Earlier today on June 8, Square Enix debuted a new trailer for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, showing off some alternate reality-bending nonsense. Crucially though, near the end of the new trailer, it looks as though flashback-era Tifa is actually cut down, or at least seriously injured, by Sephiroth during the Nibelheim incident.

This section has Tifa fans seriously concerned about whether Rebirth is going to kill her off, or at least really hurt her. As the fan below points out, Sephiroth utters "who is she?" after he slices at Tifa, almost indicating that the person we're seeing there, or have been journeying with the entire time, isn't actually Tifa.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN SEPHIROTH KILLED TIFA?SEPHIROTH WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN "WHO IS SHE"? pic.twitter.com/SJPVNqPjiVJune 8, 2023

Others are worried Square Enix is about to save Aerith at the cost of killing Tifa. If the original timeline has been averted - as the new trailer seems to allude to - then Aerith dying might be off the table entirely. Could Final Fantasy 7 then kill off another character like Tifa to take her place?

I want Aerith to live but not at the cost of Tifa.What's going on? pic.twitter.com/ulQEyx2HJUJune 8, 2023

There really are a lot of wild theories going around right now, and the dust has barely settled from the new trailer. It sure looks as though Rebirth is about to be a serious departure from the Final Fantasy 7 we've known all these years, as it takes us into uncharted territory.

I said this a YEAR ago that the thing about Tifa being an imposter was Sephiroth trying to convince Cloud that Tifa was not real!!I SAID IT A YEAR AGO, I FCKING KNEW IT!!!Sephiroth knows the key to breaking Cloud is TIFA LOCKHART!#FFVIIRebirth #FFVII pic.twitter.com/xDBxOFzeQaJune 8, 2023

Finally, Square Enix confirmed Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is now launching in early 2024, which is technically a delay out of its original Winter 2023 release window. The remake sequel is so big that it'll be arriving on two discs, keeping one of the older traditions of the Final Fantasy 7 series well and truly alive.

Head over to our Summer Game Fest 2023 liveblog for a full look over all the other reveals from today.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.