Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will introduce Yuffie in a much less annoying way than the original JRPG

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And two legends are returning

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth characters
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has confirmed the return of a pair of legends, and major changes to how Yuffie is introduced to the game.

In the original Final Fantasy 7, Yuffie's introduction was a bit annoying. The thief would nick some of your Materia and bugger off into a forest, making you pursue her in the hopes of regaining your gear, and getting your hands on the prestigious Leviathan Materia. Don't want to chase her and convince her to join the party? Wave goodbye to your Materia.

In 2024, that's no longer going to be the case. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's playable demo at Tokyo Game Show 2023 (seen below) shows Yuffie meeting the party just outside of Junon when her boat is attacked by a very angry water monster and a dolphin rescues her.

But wait, that's not any dolphin - it's Priscilla's Dolphin! The character you're seeing shouting to the dolphin in the clip above with Yuffie is Priscilla, and the dolphin is her very close friend back in the original Final Fantasy 7. Well, technically the dolphin is a creature known as a "Cetacea," and Priscilla dubs the creature "Mr. Dolphin."

Priscilla bestowed upon Cloud a special whistle in the original Final Fantasy 7 that he could use to jump up and reach Junon. There was also a weird CPR minigame going on in the original game where you had to basically revive Priscilla, and after that, she sort of fell in love with Cloud (the feelings definitely weren't reciprocated). 

All of this is to say that two legends - a dolphin and a small child - are returning in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Our Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview actually sampled the section where Yuffie is introduced for the first time, so click the link if you want to see what we made of our time with Square Enix's sequel. 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches next year on February 29, 2024, exclusively for PS5.

Sorry Vincent fans, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth won't make Cid or Vincent playable characters in the new game. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

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.