Nomura Explains Why Yuffie Stars in the FFVII Remake DLC

The PlayStation Blog featured new details from Director Tetsuya Nomura about Final Fantasy VII Remake. Namely, it talks about Yuffie, the star of the FFVII Remake DLC, and why she ended up being the central figure for FF7R Episode INTERmission. In short, she is the person who would have been available and “able to move freely.”

Here’s Nomura’s exact response going over why Square Enix picked Yuffie as the star for the FFVII Remake DLC instead of Cid or Vincent.

The overarching story follows the original, so considering where this lies in the storyline, Vincent is still in his slumber and Cid is on Shinra’s side, so Yuffie was the only one who would be able to move freely.

As a reminder, Yuffie is able to join fairly early on in the original FFVII. After you get to Junon for the first time, go outside and wander around the forests. Eventually, you will fight the Mystery Ninja. Once the battle is done, you get a chance to talk to her. Giving the right answers adds her to your party.

In addition to explaining her starring role, Nomura talked about other things related to Yuffie in the FFVII Remake DLC. For example, he again reminded people her outfit is inspired by her Dirge of Cerberus appearance. He also said that she uses a shuriken because prior to that entry, “the shuriken was especially powerful” when it came to the series’ ninja weapons.

Nomura also talked about making sure Yuffie retained a specific look. For example, he mentioned keeping “signature elements, such as her shorts, as close to the original as I can.” He also had the following to say about her general appearance.

I would say I was most particular about whether or not she looked her age. Yuffie is younger than the other main members, as she is still in her teens.

While Cloud and company do have youthful looking faces too, I wanted to make Yuffie look even younger and not fully grown up, so that compared to her, Cloud and crew would look more mature to an extent.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will come to the PlayStation 5 on June 10, 2021 and include the FF7R Episode INTERmission add-on. People who are upgrading a PS4 copy can buy the FFVII Remake Yuffie DLC separately for $19.99.