Wrestler and avid gamer Kenny Omega has sat down to talk with Final Fantasy 7 Remake producer Kitase Yoshinori in a video posted by Square Enix.
Omega, who's vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AWE), sat down to talk to Kitase about everything from who he thinks is the best JRPG villain, to what his best and toughest memories have been working on various games throughout the years.
Calling Kitase a "gaming legend", Omega begins the conversation by asking the original director of Final Fantasy 7 if it's true that Cloud is his favourite character.
"When it comes to characters, the games I am working on at the time becomes my favorite," Kitase explains. "When I was making Final Fantasy 10, Tidus and Yuna were my favourite; when I was working on Final Fantasy 13, I really liked Lightning. When it comes to Cloud though, there are lots of Final Fantasy 7 projects so he keeps coming back. Right now, working on the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, I see Cloud a lot again. I feel very close to Cloud, so yes, Cloud is my favourite."
Omega asks if it has anything to do with Cloud's appearance and his massive sword. "Yes, his appearance and of course the iconic Buster Sword he carries," Kitase replies. "In the original Final Fantasy 7, Cloud carried the Buster Sword due to limitations of the hardware at the time. Cloud couldn't carry it on the field. With the Remake, he is always carrying his Buster Sword making him even more cooler than before."
In the interview, Kitase also points to Final Fantasy 7 antagonist Sephiroth as the greatest JRPG villain in terms of the Final Fantasy series, saying, "Final Fantasy 7 was the first time I could control the scenario and create a villain. It is for this reason I choose Sephiroth, and I believe in him. We have created a truly legendary villain."
As a big Final Fantasy fan, Omega has been known to use wrestling moves that reference the games, such as the famous One-Winged Angel finisher, which is a moniker associated with Sephiroth.
Kitase has worked on various Final Fantasy games throughout the years, as well as other great JRPGs like Chrono Trigger. Omega asks Kitase about his time working on the games, and what his toughest and best memories are. "I want to talk about the best memory. It is the best but also [the] hardest," Kitase begins. "This is going back to when we were mastering the final copy of Final Fantasy 7. The release date was January of 1997. So while working long nights and pulling overnight shifts to finish the game, my wife was pregnant with our first child.
"It was a race to see if the game would be finished first or if my son would be born first. If the game were to get delayed, I would not be able to be in the delivery room. I did my best to finish the game." Happily, Final Fantasy 7 was ready to launch the week after, and Kitase could see his son being born. "Thankfully I was able to be in the delivery room and so my son and Final Fantasy 7 share a birth year." Kitase went on to say that he always knows what anniversary Final Fantasy 7 is having because of his son's birthday.
You can watch the rest of the video above to see Omega pose more questions about Kitase's career and his thoughts on all things Final Fantasy.
Check our handy guide on how to pre-order Final Fantasy 7 Remake, or read more about the Remake in our hands-on preview.
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