"OHHH BROTHER I HATE THIS THEORY" Ik people use timelines, multiverse, astral planes and worlds interchangeably, but it only works in a case by case basis. So far, Square has mainly used "worlds" (and Aerith has used "dream") since it's more vague, and they can't give EVERYTHING away before the 3rd game. What do you think?

In the world of Final Fantasy VII, the lifestream is the essence of the planet, embodying its hopes and dreams. When Jenova disrupts this harmony, it introduces despair and nightmares into the cycle of events. Rather than existing on separate timelines, these events repeat with slight variations, as certain characters become aware of past memories and strive to alter outcomes. The white and black materia symbolize hope and despair respectively, serving as powerful forces in the struggle for the planet's fate. Aerith embodies hope, while Sephiroth embodies despair. Cloud, with his complex journey, is uniquely positioned to balance these opposing forces.

This is a beautiful theory. Especially Aerith’s recognition that Cloud has a tender heart and her attempts to block him from seeing her death, so he doesn’t shatter.

02:16 In the ending of remake before the Whisper fight Aerith talks about this, how Sephiroth is kinda impeding these souls to past on. When the party heard the screams of Gaia, you go directly to the image of Zack's Last stand, this links directly to your Reason 2, this can truly mean that Zack is in that "purgatory" (I don't really like the term but it kinda suits it well), and this can explain what happened with Aerith at the end of Rebirth as well. Due to Sephiroth they all can not pass onto the lifestream until Sephiroth is dealt with.

I've had this theory since Remake's ending. There were some doubts heading into Rebirth but after completing it, my thoughts were only given more credibility. That being said, it's not without surprises. I remember reading shortly after Remake someone had basically called out Rebirth's ending almost exactly. When I read it, I had just thought it was cope, as the writer justified the perception of timelines as a way to identify Cloud's denial. Little did I know how prophetic that post would look in retrospect. I've always been a proponent of the no timelines theory but I'm in no denial that a large part of the community seems resistant to it. To be completely honest though, the author is keeping his bag of tricks by allowing avenues for a multitude of theories by purposefully being vague and leaving things up to interpretation. He's not hand holding the audience but instead respects their intelligence.

After watching your vid my mind was blown. I refuse to think this was another marvel multi worlds. I knew it had to be the lifesteam and you cleared a lot of what I couldn’t make sense. Thank you! I can’t wait for part 3!

I think you do a wonderful job in this video. I need to get a copy of On A Way to A Smile. I always felt that if a Planet really was like an individual person with thoughts like a human being, its workings would go over our heads. What would look like another reality to us, might just be a thought in the Planet's mind. It could be a could thought that it wants to push on and go through with, or maybe an intrusive thought that it would want to forget or push out. You did great explaining the benign lie that Aerith is doing for Cloud until Tifa works him out. Sephiroth brutally murdered Cloud's mother, the woman who raised him single-handedly right in front of his eyes. I feel like Cloud believes he delivered his mother, Tifa, and hometown to Sephiroth. In his mind, he brought this. Now with Aerith dead he will come to believe the same thing. There is another way other than time travel for Sephiroth to have all this knowledge. The entirety of the Cosmic Lifestream itself has repeated but Gaia reemerged the same, because Sephiroth is the last piece of that cosmic cycle that refuses to go away, like a plug in a drain.

Excellent video! Found this at the gym, and it was a great listen during my workout

Awesome video and theory! Coincidentally just bought this book a few days ago cannot wait to read it. On a cool related note, Remake hints at Jessie's thoughts on some of this. Wedge tells Cloud as they're walking that her interest in planetology led her to Avalanche, and she thinks her dad's spirit is stuck "between his body and the heart of the planet."

So, I'm a little confused about the before or after Advent Children part. In the beginning of the movie, it gives dates that place it two years after the end of FFVII. Tifa says that it was two years ago, and the Edge city that they live in was built next to the ruins of Midgar from Meteor. Cloud and Kadaj even fight in the ruined Midgar. I was under the impression that FFVII Remake and Rebirth were just HD remakes of the original with some added points and expansion of a few things that the PS1 just wasn't capable of. Great video, BTW, very thoughtful and insightful.

I love when people know the FF7 lore and refer to their sources! I definitely have never agreed with "multiverses" or "timelines". I think those semantics framing the discourse in the West are a result of people being so influenced by Marvel and American culture, when the writer Nojima grew up in a culture that was influenced by Shinto and Buddhism, so the framework is more centered around that. Videos like this help give pushback to those erroneous views! Excellent job! I also can't wait for Zack and Aerith's reunification in the lifestream, something we never got to see. (Maiden lost relevance long ago, so I don't count it as part of canon lore) About your note: I have to say, never apologize for your point of view! Screw the noise and put out what you want, as it's your channel. The people that will gravitate towards you will find you! 😊 There will always be naysayers no matter what you do. Plus we need more women being outspoken.

That novel is absolute spoiler honestly XD the 30 years of them COOKINN

Damn, this video gets suggested to me exactly when I'm working on an Advent Children video. This content is definitely food for thought.

The editing is so good!!!

I'm with you on this theory & loved how you structured and explained it so articulately. Quickly clicked subscribe!

I actually need that shirt haha I’ve also been thinking about the life stream since when Aerith touched it she felt a link to the other world. ~ ALSO my partner has noted that they play the “advent children” Sephiroth’s theme in remake I think? So it would make sense for it to be post Advent Children

Best theory video yet, it confirms my own theories as well, even the whole thing about aerith not wanting cloud to feel negative emotions. Loved it, I think you are right on the money

Not sure why people are violent when they don't agree with theories. This series and especially Rebirth was crafted to inspire discourse. Also kudos to you as a fellow female melanin-blessed fan.

5 minutes in I already like this theory. The multiverse stuff never sat with me because it feels like a cop out to what's actually happening. I actually really appreciate that the "alternate worlds" are just the lifestream manifesting memories and experiences; the crack in the sky is emblematic of that lifestream breaking down from Sephiroth (or even Shinra's depletion of the lifestream). Begs the question about Cloud seeing the cracking sky at the end and whether or not all of the remake is ALSO taking place in the lifestream, which i'm a little not thrilled about that idea but if it's executed right it could be ok; but i think it's more Cloud's mental state is deteriorating and Sephiroth is continuing to manipulate him.

Ahhhh, thank you for this. I've been trying to say stuff like this since Remake, but everyone's so quick to jump to conclusions and then attempt to cement them as 'undeniable fact', when we still don't have the full picture. Ultimately, it matters much less to me how they tell the story, as long as it's thematically strong and coherent. But if so many people are going to try and act like the remake is 'terrible' just because they've decided a specific theory is the only there that makes sense and they believe it's a mess... then it kind of forces me into the weeds of discussing the alternatives that - to me - are kinda obvious if you have the original game fresh/cemented in your mind. Personally, my assumptions about certain things are a bit different from yours. For example, I believe we don't get to see the pivotal moments in full at the end of Rebirth, because Cloud is compartmentalizing his trauma, as he's done with Zack and the Nibelheim incident. That makes more sense to me than Aerith doing so for him, since one of the major thematic elements of Cloud's characterization that is positioned on top of the themes of loss, is learning to properly grieve. I think a much more major part of Cloud's struggles going forward (compared to the original), are going to be his refusal to grieve, which is part of why he wasn't allowed into his own little memory segment in the Temple of the Ancients, and is also his thematic arc in Advent Children. And so in order to finally see first hand Aerith's death and sendoff, will require him to first be able to admit that she's gone, but that that doesn't mean she's not still with them. He'll have to come to terms with the spiritual aspects of the Lifestream, and the oneness that comes with it for all life borne from it. But that's a minor difference, and either one of us could be right or wrong about that obviously. Either way, I think this video really shows an abundance of open-mindedness and understanding of the source material, which I really appreciate. I'm actually currently in the editing phases on my own video on the game as a whole. It's big, so it's slow goings, lol. The voiceover is unfortunately already done, but I hope it's okay if I put a note in that mentions this video, and then a link to it in the description, to show support? Also, you English goodly, lololol :D

I thought that Sephiroth couldnt return to the life stream because he's not of the planet....kind of the same reason the guys who made the black materia, cant return to the lifestream? I do feel like the worlds are created because of the different timelines.....and thats why I think Sephiroth is trying to created different timelines so that he can create a world where he wins. Then by him winning he will eventually consume other worlds as well. My off theory is that Aerith is trying to do the same thing that Sephiroth is doing and create a world where her friends live and minipulating Cloud just like Sephiroth is doing. Thats why at the end (after she died) she's playing with Clouds head and trying to make him believe he saved her and give him hope! Love the video and cant wait for PT 3

This is my favourite theory for what is happening. It makes perfect sense that it's all happening in the life stream and Aerith is trying to stop cloud feeling anger after her death, I feel like Sephiroths end goal my be to merge with cloud and be reborn through his body.

i love this theory you made its fantastic

I like this theory a lot better than separate timelines, the “reunion of worlds” would be too much like time compression in FF8 which doesn’t tie in with og FF7 at all, dreamworlds of the souls in the lifestream is way more thematic.

I've seen this theory a lot recently and even if I believed it, I don't really see how the alternate realities being essentially like a LOST flash-sideways purgatory experience would negate them being other physical space-time continuums. The worlds were created from the Lifestream, they're an untold number of them and most of them are incomplete in some way, doom to fade and upon their destruction, they return to the Lifestream and enrich it. These realities were created at the end of Remake after the party defied their fate and defeated the Whispers.They defied the concept of destiny and gave birth to possibility, this is what Sephiroth tells us at the end of Chapter 13/beginning of 14. This idea of possibility is then further shown when Zack is shown creating more alternative worlds via the choices he makes, that's the many worlds principle. Every choice you make creates an alternate world where you made that decision instead (this is why I struggle to fully believe in the purgatory theory because I don't really see the point for multiple worlds being created if this is a purgatorial experience). Sephiroth's plan in these games is the same as his plan in the original, to absorb enough Lifestream energy to become an all powerful being, he's just multiplying the power of the Lifestream to increase his own power. That's why he wants the reunion - when worlds merged - to happen. I had a friend send me translated scans of specific moments in the game, and there are actual uses the Japanese character for many worlds/multiverse in places like the Sephiroth Reborn bestiary and I don't really see how you can argue against that. Hell, when Sephiroth obtained the Black Materia, he specified that its true location was between worlds, a physical space between realities. Just because the worlds aren't parallel (as said in the Ultimania) and actually stem from the Lifestream itself (as said by Sephiroth), doesn't really negate that. They're alternative realities that make up a multiverse. But I guess we'll just see in Part 3.

Wait hold on keep cooking, you’re onto something

People had this idea that there are possible multiple Aeriths. An almost "God-like" Aerith, and then our current Aerith. She was protecting certain characters and giving Cloud visions of the future. However, the more I thought about it. I'm starting to believe that Remake and Rebirth is Cloud reliving the past in his mind. We are reliving these games in a Cloud that is in the lifestream and his mind is shattered. Every fracture is a new world and memory Cloud wishes was true. The "God-like" Aerith is her trying to heal Cloud in the lifestream and make him whole and aware of reality. So we are still getting the main story beats, with an unreliable Cloud hoping certain characters lived creating a new splinter (rainbow) when he saves himself the trauma by making them live in a new "world". We will get to a point that Tifa penetrates lifestream Cloud, clears up what is true and fiction, and bring him back to the real world. Empirical reality.

This makes a lot of sense but there's one problem with it which I'll state at the end of my post. It brings a lot more weight to Sephiroth's: "your hopes, dreams, these things I will destroy" line. Or did Kefka say that? Great misdirection from the creators with the Whispers showing up during Zack and Biggs' deaths, as we think they're getting saved, but no, the Whispers are just there. Hearing those passages from On the Way really explains so much. Thanks for putting this out! I do wonder how Marlene knew about Sephiroth killing Aerith tho since she's not dead (at least not that we know of).

Remember there are no duplicates of the living characters but only the ones who passed into the next or dead. Living characters can connect to the life stream like tiFA did via direct physical contact and later cloud. Marlene got connected via aeris giving Marlene some of her memories.

This is great!

Love this video-- verbalizes a lot of what was floating around in my head. After having a really bad reaction to the ending of Remake, I was very optimistic but still cautious by the end of Rebirth precisely because I felt that they might actually be going in this direction based on the hints in the game. It is the only path forward that justifies any of the more seemingly nonsensical elements of the game (timelines/"resisting fate" being the true objective of the trilogy would really really suck and be completely antithetical to the original game's themes, which is actually a little closer to "accepting fate and how it's beyond your control, but moving forward anyways"), in my opinion. I'm crossing my fingers hard that this is what they're doing.

This is good and I agree it’s not multiple people or multiverse. In these worlds of memories or lifestream everyone still meets their fate how it was intended to be in prime. Example Aerith in the church after she pushed Cloud and Sephiroth walking through the door. It’s very implied she died right there. I do think Zack is alive and may appear in the “Prime” world. Don’t think I like that much but I think it’s what’s going on.

This is the only theory i accept as truth 🙏

Thanks for the run down but if you pay attention everything you said was communicated to the player in game. I was watching you and saying yeah, I know lol, did no one else get it lol? Although, I had just rewatched advent children so clouds despair was still fresh in my head. When I saw Aerith speaking to cloud I immediately knew what she was trying to do. There’s even lifestream wisps around her if you were unsure lol. She’s trying to keep him strong and focused.

I have a weird theory about Cloud seeing Aerith after her demise, and being the only one capable of doing so. What if what we're seeing isn't a bad thing? What if Cloud is slowly rising to the same level of power in that situation as Sephiroth and Aerith? Sephiroth and Aerith are basically splicing together memories to shape what we perceive as the current realities. What if Cloud is learning to do the same? Honestly, I never thought it was time travel because of two small details in Remake: 1.) The sound effect that plays when Aerith gets Marlene to cooperate is the same as when Sephiroth screws with Cloud. 2.) The ghosts in the trainyard somehow knew to show the party an apparition of Marlene. I won't bore you with the details, but it lead me to believe that everything we see is in the lifestream and taking place after the 400 years later stinger of OG FFVII. What we're looking at isn't a time loop. We're looking at a planetary therapy session.

I think this is a really well thought out theory, though i do have a question. If this theory turns out to be true, what do you think is the significance of the dog mascot being different in the Zack scenes (and i believe even a different one in the Aerith date scene?) than it is in the main storyline?

Being bilingual, I see that there's a few ways to interpret this story's plot. I played rebirth with Japanese and English subtitles and noticed a few places that are not exactly the same. To be fair with English subtitles I noticed a few places where I missed something they said in Japanese (you trying watching a movie with subtitles while being bilingual, it's tough) now I'm playing fully in Japanese, and I'm noticing I missed a lot while watching the English subs. If you think this theory (I would say hypothesis, I use theory in the scientific sense myself as it's not the same as "I have a theory") is valid, I'll say that's possible because things get lost in translation as well as it COULD have a slightly different meaning with the translation even using the same videos

Timelines may be the wrong wording. Worlds. When Zack has a choice to go save Aerith or Biggs he chooses Aerith. It shows a rainbow thing happen on the path he chose. Signifying a world was created. But then you see him again and he’s with Biggs. So 2 existences are shown happening at once. Cloud is experiencing multiple existences at the same time. He is the only one who stepped into the “Destinys crossroads” portal this time in this game. The whole party stepped into it last game and merged with Zack’s world when they did. There’s all sorts of multiple realities and shenanigans going on and multiple Zacks, Aeriths and Sephiroths. Timelines is just what people started calling it it can be called worlds as Sephiroths refers to it or it can be called anything.

Yesss you read Nojima’s Writing!!!! 💯

Finally somebody who has the same theory. I totally agree with you. I've never felt the multiverse theory myself. It's always been the 'real' world and the 'spirit' world (lifestream) for me. And it makes total sense to me. Aerith = connected to the Lifestream due to being a Cetra. Sephiroth = connected to Jenova because of the S cells. But he lives within the Livestream but doesn't want to be controlled by it, his goal is to control it instead. Which was already the case before he was send to the Lifestream. What connects them with Cloud is because Cloud has both Mako (which is the Lifestream blood substance), and S cells from Jenova. I think a lot of people seem to forget the Mako and the S cells in Cloud what makes the 'it's like there are multiple people inside of me'. It makes perfect sense Cloud has different abilities due to Mako, and idk but I do feel that's why he can see Aerith and the rest can't. He's got the Lifestream in his vains.

One fun, random little thing about the worlds each being someones dream, is that it would imply that whoever is the dreamer/host for that world knows stamp is a dog but can't remember what kind.

good stuff

KZfaq brought me to your channel oh yeah i like ya theory followed

This sounds pretty likely, especially since you are engaging from expanded source material that they do indeed seem to be drawing from. Good for you.

I really like your theory, but there are two scenes that I find significant to the timeline theories. 'The wind, it was you' Zack to sleeping Aerith after He and Biggs realise a wind saved them. And Aerith literally 'pushing' Cloud into another world or timeline in the church as Sephiroth enters to kill her.

I’ve loved other theories but I’ll admit that they’ve felt more like a “Just go with it/hear me out” kinda thoughts while your thoughts actually feel like the puzzle piece that fits. Great video! I believe this now.

Great video. By and large i agree with you about most of it. I definitely think this is more lifestream than timeline. However, and put down the pitchforks please, i dont think it happens after AC. While i do concede that the sequel theory has great points, i have a different idea. The lifestream exists as a physical presence, it contains thoughts, memories, hopes and dreams. Now with the idea it follows a similar concept of the buddhist reincarnation cycle, what if the lifestream isnt a collection of these things added over time? What if the lifestream itself transends time? It contains all the life and memories of all that has been and ever will be? Otherwise how did the first materia come into existence without the knowledge having already been known? Also im kinda with max dood. At the end in the sleeping forest aerith tells cloud to leave sephiroth to her and not get involved. Then after a 12 part boss gauntlet, she 180's on that message? Theres also the imagery to consider. Clouds static and headaches are normally indicative of jenovas influence, though there are times it doesnt seem to be so. Likewise the rainbow effect shows up seemingly when worlds are born, but sometimes it shows up when they are not. Then theres the area known as the edge of creation, which is remeniscent of where cloud faced sephiroth in OG when he was pulled into the deepest recesses of his mind for the final omnislash. Maybe all these things were theoretically present in OG, but due to hardware contraints couldnt be fleshed out. I think the remake is taking all the compilation material and weaving it into a single cohesive story, since the books and spin off games and movies all contradict each other in some way.

This is incredibly thought out and I now believe your theory to be correct. I honestly think half the reason they are portraying this the way they are is to basically stop people from being able to predict the ending. Just from reading how Sephiroth's capable of reincarnating because of Cloud, and how he has been trying to feed Cloud bad thought and get him to focus on anger and rage since the start of the remake leading up to the point he does come back to life reaaaally seals the deal for me. Zack and Biggs are just dead. Biggs finally becomes dead dead seemingly after he finally accepts his death. After Zack gives him a pep talk about how he really mattered to people and whatnot. I'm thinking maybe that's when Biggs finally got accepted into the lifestream maybe? Albeit abruptly as f**k. 😂

We seem to have very similar interpretations. 🌝

I'm your 200th sub!

Love the KH necklace!!

is 'on the way to a smile' the same as the novel that comes with AC collectors edition ?

To me, it's simply one grand story told from the perspective of different characters from various epochs of civilization, with similar events and elements presented each time slightly differently, just like in Crisis Core Rebirth, OG, and Remake. All the games are connected by the theme of life and death, the cycle of rebirth, called the 'cycle of souls' in FFIX, with their catalyst being the crystal/materia/sphere. Even many interviews with theorists point to this possibility, so here's an edit embracing that possibility and vision: Project ReVersus kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nLKSd6l9vpaleKM.html

This is so excellent!

Where can I get that shirt 😅

A fantastic explanation of concepts and theory. Thank you.

How do you explain all the different dogs then?

I am mostly onboard with this theory, but I have a few discrepancies that I think differ from your interpretation. I do think Cloud was able to create a new world and actually did block Sephiroth's killing stab on Aerith. The reason we don't see it is explained if you use assess on Sephiroth Reborn. It says he is in control of the Black Whispers, and this would be a consequence of beating the Harbinger of Fate in Remake which was in control of the Whispers before. What Sephiroth did after Cloud blocked the shot is he changed the World using the Whispers to his own accord similar to how the Whispers saved Barret in the first game only in this case they were used to kill Aerith. The consequence of that was splitting off a new World from Beagle where Aerith lived, and Cloud was the ONLY one outside Aerith and Sephiroth to witness this.(Aerith says "I saw what you did back there", and she's making reference to this during her fight with Cloud. There is really no other good explanation for that comment.) He was the only one who could get past the Whisper wall thanks to the party to enter the Forgotten Capital. Secondly I think there is this misconception that "Beagle World" or "Prime World" is the real world and that it takes precedence over the others. I'm not really sold on that yet, and it's mainly because Sephiroth has proven to be able to exert quite a bit of control on Beagle World. He's able to take Beagle World and Merge it with the indecisive Zack world where he's waiting in front of the church. He's able to take Cloud out of Beagle world at will and show him the "true nature of reality" which is a blank space where all the worlds are taken place seemingly. I think there is no doubt that Prime World happens (or has Happened some time in the past). but the Lifestream still has the exact same impact on it as it does the others. I also think the crack in the sky does have to do with Worlds that have accepted their fates as Sephiroth mentions. The post Masamune block living Aerith that only Cloud can see is in one of those newley created worlds, and Cloud can see her along with the crack. It's shown in the ending that Zack can create these worlds too, but I don't know what that means yet. Every decisions he makes during the ending sequence results in a spin off world. I counted I think 5 of them including Aerith's "dream World" and I think if you add Beagle and the new Aerith world you get seven. (how convenient) I think everything Sephiroth is telling Cloud is accurate, but there is an end game at work that we just don't have a complete picture of yet and it isn't one that is good for the Planet, Lifestream, Cloud or anyone. It's good for Sephiroth, and Jenova and thats it. To me what the devs seem to be leading up to is this idea that Cloud is going to be able to save Aerith's world and possibly Zack's world through Sephiroth's reunion.(this is why Zack tells Cloud to save her, even though it's POST Cloud blocking Masamune) There is a problem though! It gives Sephiroth what he wants if he does which is a Reunion of worlds which he is able to devour. For some reason or another he isn't able to absorb the Beagle world yet, and I suspect Cloud and company have a lot to do with that. That world seemingly still has hope to endure, but Sephiroth wants the Black Materia and a war with Wutai to sap the hope from that world. He wants that world to accept it's fate like the others but it hasn't yet. I really hope part3 doesn't backload a lot of the story elements they've been bolting on to the end of Remake and Rebirth. They have lots of opportunities to make sure the game plays out similar to the OG, but they also have time to spread out the changes. One major change in Rebirth was Gongaga's reactor, and introducing part of Tifa's Lifestream sequence early. It also shows that Sephiroth has a keen awareness that Tifa is a big threat to his plan to break Cloud down. They show this part at the end where Cloud follows Sephiroth, and Tifa is unable to reach Cloud. I found that particularly interesting and probably significant to game three. I think Aerith's role is going to be much bigger to the chagrin of the Cloti people here, and in The Maiden Who Travel's the Planet it's Aerith who brings Tifa and Cloud together during the Mideel sequence. There is going to be some pretty big changes with all of that, and I think Aerith's role with Mideel won't be left out even though the aforementioned book is considered non-canon. (it's been borrowed from heavily in places in both Remake and Rebirth) That's just my 2 cents on this. I think the rest of the theory is pretty much right.

good theory, makes sense

I love this theory a lot. And I think the reason why the whole multiverse/timeline theory is even mentioned is because modern media *cough*Marvel*cough* has made that so prevalent it's the only comparison that people can think off. And now the Lifestream Theory just makes Gilgamesh's cameo more baffling because now I'm like, "Wait, is actually the same Gilgamesh from FF5 or...is he actually the Gilgamesh from somebody's 'dream' based on that Mini-game at the Gold Saucer!? ARE ALL THE FF GAMES, 1-6 and 8-16 JUST DREAMS OF THE LIFESTREAM NOW!!?!?!??!!?" Like, I haven't had this much of a mind break since the last 10% of Final Fantasy 4: The After Years when I played that on the Wii when that was still a thing.

This is the best "theory" I've seen, I'm going with this one

This is by far the best theory I've seen and makes all the craziness of Rebirth make sense.

Do you think they might do something dumb and do a casual loop scenario? But my favorite FF game is still FFVI.

Oh my gaaaaaaawd - you're blowing my mind here lol. I'm now suddenly thinking that the next game is gonna try and explain what an afterlife could be INSIDE the lifestream! And that they might do the thing where you can bring back Aerith but only by dying/diving into the lifestream in order to do so. So many wild ideas...

Yep this is it!

The ripple in the sky is also shown in ff original in the background of cloud and tifas dream sequence. Making me believe the whole of remake is in a dream that takes place either after crisis core , but before ff7og orrrr after adventure children.

Just remember its cannon to FF10. With farplane and shit like that.....

Cloud at McDonald's lol should I read on 😂way too a smile tifa and aerith story?

I think your theory is what Square MEANT but they screwed up (as all lazy multiverses do). 1--) Neither Zack nor Biggs remembers many characters in Zack's world such as RED XIII so your theory would only work if you assume Terrier world is based on Aeriths memories or something like this instead (still doesn't work as you will see below). 2-) Your theory assumes Zack from Terrier, Pug and Shiba are all 1 spirit which begs the question: what were the authors trying to say with the ribbon in Zack's hand? (Terrier only). 3-) On top of the point above, if you assume instead that Zack is inside many worlds based on Aerith's memories then explain what were the authors trying to say by making Cloud and Aerith wake up in a world where Aerith still has her ribbon and Cloud's Buster Sword is missing. The only logical explanation I can see here is that Spitz world is NOT the same as Zack's worlds (so how does he sees RED XIII at the beginning?). 4-) If there is a main world and only one "spirit" per person then why do we have 2 physical copies of the white materia in the same world? At bare minimum, this would require the main world to ALSO be in the lifestream at which point I see no distinction between this and MCU lazy multiverses without any stakes. It is also worth noting that: A-) Square messed up by having Terrier stamps on Beagle world and they patched them out. B-) All clocks in Zack' worlds have no handles BUT in beagle world it's all over the place (Kalm clocks all have handles, Gongaga's have none, Tifa's room has both, etc) so whatever they were trying to communicate here, they have failed hard. My conclusion is that Square doesn't know what they are doing and wrote themselves into a corner...AGAIN (how did their multiverses in Chrono Cross and FF13 ended up again? Oh yeah, improvised nonsense).

I wish they never did this fate ghost, mutli timelines, paraellel universe stuff. It never works out.

Great video! I'm more likely to believe now that Aerith did create a 'dream world' or 'illusion world' for Cloud at the end of Rebirth (illustrated by the fragment in the sky) where she survived so his mind doesn't break completely over her death (and he's inbetween that world and reality somehow). Something that has been bugging me, though, is if in the third game Tifa is supposed to repair Cloud's memories in the lifestream and we get the lake scene with Cloud lowering Aerith into the water and him coming to the realization he didn't save her, then isn't that just undoing Aerith's plan? She doesn't want Cloud to break, hence why she created the dream/illusion world. How is he supposed to come back from that unless Aerith makes another appearance and tells him everything's going to be okay?

What’s the link?

I spy a kingdoms hearts walk through let's play I first played it in matric when it came out yay for good taste

Also, how would Sephiroth time travel? And if he knows everything from the start how could the events of the Nibelheim flashback play out the same way? Wouldn’t Sephiroth just destroy everything at the start if he always knew? My theory is that when Sephiroth went into the life stream here he saw the memories of the original world. Because this world is a remake of the original after it died.

Something about Aerith referring to Sephiroth as having fine and handsome features is hilarious to me 😂. I'm sorry I love FF7, but God so much of the writing in square games comes off as bad fan fiction. Maybe it's translation issues, but it definitely gives it a certain charm lol

I love your theories here but I have one criticism. If Aerith can appear to anyone as a spirit due to her connection with the life stream, how come she only appears to Cloud and not everyone else who’re mourning her loss? Everyone should be important to her and I just don’t see Aerith being the kind of person who’d willingly create a situation where Cloud’s friends would distrust him even more. Like, how uncomfortable would it be if Cloud just suddenly saw smoke being sent up (as Aerith says at the end) and then told everyone to get to that location only to see nobody there? Who does that benefit? What gets accomplished by further encouraging Cloud’s mental instability like this? Also, wouldn’t she have noticed Cloud hiding the black materia in his Buster sword? Or warn him about going up north to find Sephiroth when that can only create a worse scenario? Given all these hints I think that Sephiroth is creating an illusion of Aerith to screw with Cloud’s mind. It’s all just a trick to get Cloud to think everything’s okay and to get him to play right into his hands only to drive him into even deeper despair when he reveals a twisted version of the true events of Nibelheim and Aerith’s fate.

It's before advent children and will end up at the beginning advent children just my opinion

But what about Johnny? Zack never met him.

I completely share the concept of yours and how brilliantly you analyze it in your film. I also believe it's a very accurate path. There's also an interesting observation in a videos I made on my channel, which adds value to your overview. The concept of the Lifestream that you've presented not only seems to be valid but also likely to expand not only throughout the entire Compilation of FFVII but also across other main installments of the Final Fantasy series, including films like AC and even The Spirits Within from 2001 and further, guiding the direction and future of the franchise. Every game from the series is connected via “cycle of the souls” concept, which i explore on my channel aswell, heres is example: kzfaq.info/sun/PL3i3SG6FVUGpyNw25pBGs7psPC-aTM2Z4&si=rYMxq1mKYRronRuS

YES!!! i thought about this last night while i was having trouble sleeping at 5 am and it kept me up til 8. im so glad other people independently have such a similar theory of it all being memories. it ties everything together SO neatly. i think we are in the lifestream after cloud dies when he dies at the end of advent children. it would be such a neat wrap up to end with the end of AC. its not different physical realities its just the lifestreams memories and ppl like cloud, aerith, sephiroth, zack, and even hojo ad gi arent dissolved into the lifestream yet and can only appear conscious one place until they dissolve. we are predominately in clouds memory but its really everyone whos dead. and the world is split when ppls memories are altered and start to contradict. the whispers dont change time, but change memory, thats why its the planet protecting itself. when tifa fell into the lifestream, we see the flashbacks from CLOUDs perspective. theres no reason why the lifestream would have knowledge of what happened when they were kids at nibelheim. and there was a scene in remake where clouds arm is in pain where he had geostigma, it has to be after or during AC.

This is my theory

Wierd i can not add a comment

I wish part 3 could reveal that cloud actually killed Aerith at the alter. That’s the only shock twist that would put the remake series on par with the OG for me. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen

Srs. My real thoughts, none of that stuff actually matters. Its fluff and filler to get to the same end.

Oh no,not the absurd lifestream/purgatory theory again. There are dozens of reasons this cant be, not the least that Sefirot himself says so several times, gives concrete unfirmation, and one of the worlds is destroyed with Metheorite at the end of the Game.

Please don't say unaliving

Tifa is virtually worthless, so I don't know why everyone thinks she can free Cloud. I mean did anyone finish the OG and watch AC???? It didn't end well, except for Aerith saving them all twice. Hopefully you are wrong, or this Remake is a bust.

I like this theory best. 🥲🥲💖💖