Final Fantasy VII Remake Script Comparison: Chapter 1

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Straight away, we can see that the Japanese line is unchanged here, while English tweaks things a little. “Get down here” is a great way to show that Barret is in an authority position, and is not particularly close to Cloud. “Merc” serves to clearly introduce Cloud’s role as an outsider who isn’t necessarily invested in what’s going on, though admittedly it does lose the “this person is completely new to this group” nuance. That fact is established pretty quickly in the scene with Jessie and Biggs, though, so it isn’t particularly necessary to squeeze that nuance into this line.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　行くぞ　新入り！	Barret 　Get down here, merc.	「行くぞ、新入り！ 　オレに続け！」	“C’mon newcomer. Follow me.”

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The security officer banter is great, sounding natural and not making itself beholden to the Japanese.
Interestingly, the English “Who goes there!?” references a line that was cut from the original game, meant to be said by a guard at the station. Though the Japanese doesn’t actually line up with this unused line at all. It could be that the English translators were going for a deep cut, but it’s more likely that this was used just because it’s standard security officer jargon.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original (Cut)	English Original (Cut)
警備兵 　止まれ！	Security Officer 　Halt!
警備兵 　何者だ？	Security Officer 　Who goes there!?	神羅兵 「なんだ、おまえたちは！」	“Who goes there!?”
バレット 　出番だ	Barret 　You’re up.

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Instead of talking directly to Cloud, Biggs and Jessie now talk to themselves about him, skipping the line where Biggs comments on Cloud’s capabilities. Though Wedge uses the Japanese word さすが (sasuga; lit. “as you’d expect,” often used when impressed with someone) right before this, perhaps as a reference. And their prior comments in general show that they recognize his skills.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English PSX
警備兵 　抵抗はやめろ	Security Officer 　Drop the weapon!
ビッグス 　作戦どおり	Biggs 　You got this!
ウェッジ 　さすがッスね	Wedge 　Yeah, what he said!	ビッグス 「さすが、ソルジャー！ 　でもよ、反神羅（しんら）グループ【アバランチ】に 　ソルジャーが参加するなんてスゲエよな！」	Biggs “Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER all right! …Not everyday ya find one in a group like AVALANCHE.”

In any case, the Japanese doesn’t exactly match the original here either, but instead follows the same general development, like asking his name and emphasizing that he isn’t in SOLDIER anymore. As an interesting note, the English actually swaps the order of the lines in order to make more conversational sense. Instead of answering Jessie’s question of “What was his name?” with “He USED to be in SOLDIER,” in English he instead answers with Cloud’s name and then reminds her that he’s not part of that organization anymore.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English PC
ジェシー 　で　ソルジャーがなんだって 　うちらの仲間になるの？	Jessie So what’s SOLDIER boy’s deal? Is he one of us now?	ジェシー 「どうして、そのソルジャーが 　私たちアバランチに協力 　するわけ？」	Jessie “What’s he doing with us in AVALANCHE?”
ジェシー 　その人　キャリアを捨てるわけ	Jessie He’s got balls, this, uh…
ジェシー 　ええと　名前なんだっけ？	Jessie Uh…what was his name again?	ビッグス 「まだ名前聞いてなかったよな。 　教えてくれ」	Biggs “I didn’t catch your name…”
ビッグス 　”元”ソルジャーだとよ	Biggs Cloud. Cloud Strife.	ビッグス 「早とちりするな、ジェシー。 　元、ソルジャーなんだってさ」
	Jessie Right.
ビッグス 　名前は　クラウド・ストライフ	Biggs And he isn’t a SOLDIER anymore.		Biggs “He WAS in SOLDIER, Jessie.”
ビッグス 　武装路線で行くとなれば 　プロフェッショナルの参加は 　不可欠だ	Biggs Still, he’s a professional⁠—unlike the rest of us.
ビッグス 　俺は歓迎するね	Biggs I’m glad to have him.

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Cloud’s response to this obviously also isn’t exactly the same as the original, though the Japanese structure does line up a little bit with 仕事が終われば / 仕事が終わったら (shigoto ga owareba / shigoto ga owattara) Both meaning “when this job is done” but using slightly different grammar for “when.”

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド 　勝手に仲間するな	Cloud This is a onetime gig.
クラウド 　仕事が終われば　他人だ	Cloud When it’s done, we’re done.	クラウド 「あんたたちの名前なんて興味ないね。 　どうせこの仕事が終わったらお別れだ」	Cloud “I don’t care what your names are. Once this job’s over…I’m outta here.”

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Then we get a bit of extra dialogue which quickly establishes Jessie’s budding crush on Cloud, which was hinted at in the original a few times where she talks about putting extra effort into making Cloud’s ID and wonders why her heart beats so fast around him. Though you’d be forgiven for missing this detail on PSX since it’s all optional dialogue and the English translation messes some of these lines up.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ビッグス 　ちょっと面倒くさいやつかもな	Biggs Real joy to work with though.
ジェシー 　見た目がいいから許す	Jessie Real joy to look at too.
ビッグス 　はじまった	Biggs Here we go…

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Wedge insists that Cloud must care about the planet on some level, prompting Cloud to say his catchphrase: 興味ない (kyoumi nai). This was translated as both “Don’t care” and “Not interested” throughout the original game, and here we see the English carrying on the tradition with “Not interested.”

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ウェッジ 　ただの金目当てなら 　ここまで来ないッスよね	Wedge C’mon, nobody’d do something this crazy just for money.
ウェッジ 　クラウドさんだって 　星の未来を思う気持ちは　オレたちと	Wedge They may not think you’re a true believer, but you know what I think?
クラウド 　興味ないね	Cloud Not interested.

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Barret then comes over, as he did in the original, but expresses his distrust in a more natural way, instead of outright declaring it. The change also serves to further clarify the kind of arrangement they have: Avalanche is paying Cloud a lot to help out on this mission.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English PC
バレット 　高い金払うんだ 　がっかりさせんじゃねえぞ	Barret You’d better be worth the money, merc. Every last gil.	「元ソルジャー……。 　チッ、信用できねえな」	“Ex-SOLDIER, huh? I don’t trust ya!”

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As we continue on, Wedge breaks off from the group to guard the bridge. His line here is very close to the original in both Japanese and English, just changing the word for “escape passage / route”. E PSX/PC added a sentence telling Cloud to concentrate on the mission, which Remake’s “Go on and catch up with the others” sort of echoes. In the original he comments on the mission, almost sounding excited about seeing the explosion, but in Remake he just tells Cloud to keep everyone safe. The developers did express in an interview that they wanted to make the mission and its impact weightier, which is likely why this was changed.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ウェッジ 　逃げ道を確保しとくッス	Wedge I’ll secure our escape route, okay?	ウェッジ 「俺は脱出口を確保して 　おくっす！」	Wedge “I’ll secure our escape passage. You concentrate on the mission, Cloud.”
ウェッジ 　クラウドさんは 　みんなを追ってください	Wedge You go on and catch up with the others.
ウェッジ 　ビッグスたちを頼みます	Wedge Keep them safe—please!	ウェッジ 「しっかし、この大きな魔晄炉 　（まこうろ）を 　爆破するなんて…… 　みものっすね！」	Wedge “Geez, we’re really gonna blow this huge furnace up? This’ll be somethin’ to see!”

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As they get further in, Barret stops and confronts Cloud. His second line is basically word for word the same in the Japanese. And E Remake rightfully renders it as a statement, as opposed to E PSX/PC. Barret isn’t asking; he’s assuming Cloud has seen reactors before.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　泣く子の腕さえひねる 　ソルジャーといやあ　神羅の番犬	Barret SOLDIERs may attack on command, but I hear they make good guard dogs too.
バレット 　魔晄炉は初めてじゃねえんだろ？	Barret Bet you’ve seen a few reactors.	バレット 「……おい。 　おまえ魔晄炉（まこうろ）は 　初めてじゃないんだろ？」	Barret “Yo! This your first time in a reactor?”
バレット 　オレを魔晄だまりのブリッジまで 　案内してくれ	Barret So how do we get to the bridge above mako storage?
バレット 　教えたくねえってか？	Barret Ain’t holding out on me, are you?

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He then expresses doubt that Cloud has cut all ties with Shinra. His use of 未練タラ～リ (mirentara-ri; “to have lingering attachment”) here echoes a later line of his from the original when he and Cloud are arguing in the hideout. In fact, it seems like this scene in Remake replaces that scene, in a way. English instead goes for a natural turn of phrase, since this is also where Stamp (a new aspect of the world) is introduced.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　神羅に未練タラ～リじゃねえか	Barret Stamp scared to bite the hand that fed him?	「どうやら神羅に 　未練タラタラらしいからな！」	“Looks like he still misses the Shinra!”
バレット 　”忠犬スタンプ”かよ	Barret Or is he a loyal little doggie!?

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Barret goes on to declare that they don’t need Cloud. A closer reading of this line in Japanese would be “(We) originally created this plan without you,” revealing that Cloud’s addition was last minute and unexpected. Though the English is very nicely written and can imply this, as opposed to stating it outright. The use of “mutt” also really emphasizes how much Barret dislikes and mistrusts Cloud.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
バレット 　拒否したって意味ねえぞ 　もともと　おまえ抜きで立てた作戦だ	Barret Have it your way, mutt. We can do this with you, or we can do this without you.
クラウド 　魔晄炉は建造された時期によって 　構造が違う	Cloud Different reactor, different layout. Depends when it was built.
クラウド 　この型式は初めてだが 　なんとかなるだろう	Cloud Never seen one like this, but I’ll manage.

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Barret’s English line (“I’m watching you.”) after his rant vaguely reflects the “You’re coming with me!” line from the original (basically saying he wants to keep tabs on Cloud), whereas the Japanese Remake line is roughly “You’d better guide us properly.”

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English PC
バレット 　ちゃんと案内しろよ	Barret I’m watching you.	「よし、ここからはオレといっしょに 　行動してもらうぜ」	Barret “Alright! You come with me from now on.”

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When unlocking the door, the original’s コード解除 (ko-do kaijo; lit. “code cancellation/release”) has been changed to ロック解除 (rokku kaijo; lit. “lock cancellation/release”), and the English now renders it naturally as the characters just exclaiming “I’m/We’re good!” instead of stating the obvious.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ビッグス 　ほい　ロック解除	Biggs Damn, I’m good!	ビッグス 「コード解除」	Biggs “Code deciphered.”

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Rather than saying that many people died to get the door-unlock code, in Remake Jessie instead reveals that there are different branches of Avalanche and that the main branch isn’t happy with them.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ジェシー 　パスコードの情報は 　分派の同志が手に入れたの	Jessie It’s a good thing I know someone who can get us the passcodes.	ビッグス 「ここの暗号を入手するために 　何人の仲間が犠牲になったことか……」	Biggs “Think how many of our people risked their lives, just for this code…”
ジェシー 　分派は　こっちが 　活動方針で　もめちゃって	Jessie Pity no one else at command will talk to us, but what can you do?

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Jessie still asks Cloud to push the button. The Japanese is the same, but English changes the tone a bit from the original translation, since Jessie isn’t the type/isn’t in a position to order Cloud around.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ジェシー 　そこのボタン　押して	Jessie Mind pushing that button?	ジェシー 「さ、そこのボタンを 　押して！」	Jessie “Push that button over there!”

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Barret rants about Shinra in the elevator, combining the pre-door rant and elevator rant from the original and expanding on them. It isn’t a word-for-word recreation, but the same concepts are still there, and “lifeblood of the planet” is still used. The line “You do realize what mako is, don’t you?” is reminiscent of a line in the original that was removed in English, which roughly reads: “But no one knows what mako really is. Do you know?” This time around Barret doesn’t specify that no one knows what it is, suggesting that people do know, but don’t care.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　てめえが　メシ食ってるとき 　眠りこけてるときも	Barret This pump’s sole purpose is to drain the planet dry.	バレット 「魔晄炉（まこうろ）のせいで、この星の命は 　毎日けずられていく。 　そしていつの日か……ゼロだ」	Barret “Little by little the reactors’ll drain out all the life. And that’ll be that.”
バレット 　このバカでかいポンプが 　魔晄を　ガンガン吸い上げるわけだ	Barret While you sleep, while you eat, while you shit⁠— it’s here, sucking up mako.
バレット 　休みなく　ようしゃなくよ	Barret It doesn’t rest and it doesn’t care!
バレット 　おまえ　魔晄の正体を知ってるか？	Barret You do realize what mako is, don’t you?	「でも誰も魔晄の本質を知らねえんだ。 　おまえ、知ってるか？」
バレット 　魔晄は　この星の”血”だ	Barret Mako is the lifeblood of our world.	バレット 「魔晄はこの星を流れる血だ。 　それを神羅（しんら）って会社は 　ガンガン吸い出していやがる。 　このへんちくりんなスクラップでな……」	Barret “It’s the life blood of this planet. But Shinra keeps suckin’ the blood out with these weird machines.”
バレット 　オレたちの体を流れる 　真っ赤な血と同じ	Barret The planet bleeds green like you and me bleed red.
バレット 　ってことは 　このまま吸い続けたら　どうなるよ	Barret The hell you think’s gonna happen when it’s all gone, huh!? Answer me!

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In the original, Barret exclaims: “The planet’s dyin’, Cloud!” Whereas here he talks about it screaming out in pain, a concept that wasn’t originally introduced until reaching Cosmo Canyon. While the rest of the line is different, the Japanese retains クラウドさんよ！(kuraudo-san yo ; basically just emphatically calling out his name) in the Remake as Barret makes his appeal to Cloud. (Also, the banter here is just so good. Especially the “Get help” line.)

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　星の悲鳴が　聞こえねえか	Barret You gonna stand there and pretend you can’t hear the planet crying out in pain?	バレット 「星が死んじまうんだぞ。 　えっ、クラウドさんよ！」	Barret “The planet’s dyin’, Cloud!”
バレット 　クラウドさんよ！	Barret I know you can!
クラウド 　あんたには聞こえるのか？	Cloud You really hear that?
バレット 　おうよ	Barret Damn straight I do!
クラウド 　医者に行け	Cloud Get help.

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Finally, as in the original, Cloud also expresses more concern about completing the mission than the future of the planet, just in different words.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド 　星の未来より 　５秒後の自分を心配するんだな	Cloud I’d worry less about the planet and more about the next five seconds.	クラウド 「俺が考えてるのは、さっさと仕事を 　終わらせたいってことだけだ。 　警備兵やガードロボットが来ないうちにな」	Cloud “The only thing I care about is finishin’ this job before security and the Roboguards come.”
クラウド 　あんたの悲鳴なんて　ゾッとする	Cloud Save the screaming for later.

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Barret then joins the fight. Cloud’s がっかりさせるなよ (gakkari saseru na yo; “don’t disappoint me”) here is a call back to Barret’s earlier Japanese line:
高い金払うんだ  がっかりさせんじゃねえぞ Roughly, “(I’m/We’re) paying a lot of money. Don’t disappoint (me).” The connection isn’t as clear in English, which has “You’d better be worth the money, merc. Every last gil.”  and “Should’ve asked for more money.”  Though it’s better to go for something that sounds natural and in-character instead of forcing a word-for-word call-back, especially when the reference isn’t that important.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ジェシー 　クラウドの剣じゃ　苦戦は必至	Jessie There are some places a sword just can’t reach…
ジェシー 　うるさくても　我慢してね	Jessie Just…bear with him for me, would you?
クラウド 　がっかりさせるなよ	Cloud Should’ve asked for more money.

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They finally reach the reactor core.
In the original Barret talks about being excited to blow up the reactor, which Remake expresses in previous banter.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　震えてきたぜ	Barret My heart’s pounding like a jackhammer!
クラウド 　おじけづいたか	Cloud Scared, huh?
バレット 　んなワケあるか 　長年の夢がかなう　喜びだ	Barret Hah! More like excited. I’ve been dreaming about this for years!	バレット 「ここもブッ壊しちまえば 　ただのガラクタだぜ」	Barret “When we blow this place, it ain’t gonna be nothin’ more than a hunka junk.”

Then he tells Cloud to set the bomb, sparking confusion from our protagonist. In Remake he directly expresses his distrust of Cloud (once again), making it clear why he’s insisting that Cloud do it. The third line feels like a call back to one of Barret’s lines from the second mission in the original, where he says he can’t trust Cloud just because he’s an old friend of Tifa’s. The Japanese doesn’t particularly line up, aside from the use of だけじゃ (dake ja; “that alone”), but J Remake reads something like, “I can’t trust you just from the sole fact that you’re Tifa’s friend.” The English translation chooses to imply this instead, suggesting that Tifa talked Cloud up but Barret didn’t buy it.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　さーて　神羅が送り込んできた 　犬じゃないってことを証明してもらおうか	Barret All right. Let’s see if little Stamp really can bite the hand that feeds…
バレット 　爆弾は　おまえがセットするんだ	Barret Go on. Do the honors.	バレット 「クラウドさんよ 　この爆弾をセットしてくれ」	Barret “Cloud, you set the bomb.”
バレット 　ティファのツレってだけじゃ　信用できねえ	Barret Prove to me you’re the man Tifa says you are.	バレット 「ティファの幼なじみ…… 　それだけじゃ不安なんでな」	Barret “Tifa’s old friend… That ain’t good enough.”
バレット 　仲間になりてえなら	Barret That you’re one of us.
クラウド 　何度も言わせるな 　俺は雇われただけだ	Cloud Never said I was. I’m just here for the paycheck.
バレット 　だったら　黙ってやれよ	Barret Then do the damn job!

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Cloud then blacks out and hears a voice in the original. In Remake he just sees a black feather floating down. This is just a guess, but they may have wanted to avoid using a voice here since it could reveal too much too soon. Also, it’s a small thing, but Barret’s “What’s wrong?” is exactly the same as the original in both Japanese and English.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
バレット 　どうした？	Barret What’s wrong?	バレット 「…………うした？」	Barret “What’s wrong?”
クラウド 　問題ない	Cloud I’m fine.	クラウド 「え？」	Cloud “Huh?”

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After laying the bomb, the first major boss appears. In the original Barret’s the one who first yells about it, whereas Cloud gets that line in Remake. “Heads up!” is a nice nod to the original English line.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English PC
クラウド 　来るぞ	Cloud Heads up!	バレット 「本格的にやってくるぜ」	Barret “Heads up, here it comes!”

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There’s a lot of nice banter during the boss fight, reacting to almost every situation you can think of. And, for what it’s worth, it’s finally clear to English speakers what to do when its tail goes up. (You do NOT want to attack while the tail is up.)

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド 　レーザーが来る 　サソリの尾に気をつけろ	Cloud Watch the tail! You don’t want to be hit by that laser!	クラウド「バレット、気をつけろ」	Cloud “Barret, be careful!”
バレット 　どうすりゃいいんだ	Barret Huh!? So, whadda we do!?	「しっぽをあげている間に攻撃すると	“Attack while it’s tail’s up!
クラウド 　直撃したら　ただじゃすまない 　鉄骨に身を隠せ	Cloud Don’t get hit! Take cover behind that debris!	レーザーで反撃してくるぞ」	It’s gonna counterattack with its laser.”

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The crew then has to escape the reactor before the time runs out. Jessie’s leg gets stuck as they’re escaping, as in the original. The Japanese lines up word-for-word here, but E Remake goes for something more natural than just stating the obvious, because the graphics now make it clear exactly what she’s struggling with.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド 　大丈夫か	Cloud You okay?	クラウド 「だいじょうぶか？」	Cloud “You all right?”
ジェシー 　うかつ！　足がはさまって	Jessie Do I look okay!? Help a girl out, would ya!?	ジェシー 「うかつ！！足がはさまって……」	Jessie “My leg got stuck.”
ジェシー 　サンキュー	Jessie My hero!	ジェシー 「サンキュー！」	Jessie “Thanks!”

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And the chapter closes with more good banter. Also, it’s worth noting that Jessie does in fact fall a second time on the bridge as they’re escaping in the original as well.

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9 – Part 1
• Chapter 9 – Part 2
• Chapter 10+11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14+15
• Chapter 16 – Part 1
• Chapter 16 – Part 2
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18