Final Fantasy 7 Reveals High School Versions of the Characters (and Fans Love Them)

The cast of Final Fantasy VII might be one of the most popular in all of gaming. Since 1997, characters like Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth have delighted fans around the world. Square Enix tends to be careful about making sure that the depictions of these characters remain largely the same across various media, from movies like Advent Children, to the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy.

However, that all changed today, as the publisher has come up with some fun variants based on the cast, reimagining them away from the bleakness of Midgard, placing them instead in a high school setting. If you’re wondering what the heck is going on, Rival Fantasy: Ever Crisis Academy Seven appears to be an April Fools’ Day gag on the part of Square Enix and the developers of Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis. The prank imagines the heroes of the Final Fantasy VII world as students at Midgard Seventh High School, while the villains all attend Shinra Private Academy.



The game’s official website features fun new profiles that detail the differences between these versions and the real ones, and how their relationships have evolved in this alternate universe. even characters like angeal and sephiroth have gotten the teen treatmentThis new take on Final Fantasy VII is set in a world “where young delinquents fight day and night, their lives governed by one rule: might makes right.” Cloud has swapped his traditional Buster Sword for a baseball bat, which he’s using to beat up rivals on his quest to become Midgard’s Brawler: First Class.

Meanwhile, Zack Fair is the current top brawler, Barret is the intense Phys. Ed. teacher, and Tifa is just trying to keep Cloud out of trouble.

Oh, and Aerith is “Seventh School’s big bad.” So far, the Rival Fantasy concept is going over quite well with Final Fantasy fans. Across social media, many fans have shared their approval of the concept and the designs the developers have come up with; there’s even fan art already! Since this does seem to be timed to coincide with April Fools’ Day, it’s hard to say if this will actually play out as an event in the mobile game, or if it’s just a fairly elaborate prank.

Regardless, a lot of fans are hoping these designs actually make it into an event in Ever Crisis, or even in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Clearly a lot of care went into this concept, and it would be a shame if nothing actually came of it. RELATED: Square Enix Teasing “Various Projects” Related to Final Fantasy 9 This YearSince tomorrow is April Fools’ Day, we should soon have a better idea of what Square Enix is planning for Rival Fantasy: Ever Crisis Academy Seven.

It’s possible the developers of Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis were not prepared for how much fans would be into the whole alternate universe concept, but hopefully this isn’t the last we’ve seen of it! Are you a fan of this Final Fantasy VII alternate universe? Do you want to see these designs end up in other games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!The post Final Fantasy 7 Reveals High School Versions of the Characters (and Fans Love Them) appeared first on ComicBook.com..