Final Fantasy VII Remake Script Comparison: Chapter 3

They get off the train and cheer their success. Wedge gets a line in Japanese that’s vaguely similar to Barret’s speech upon getting off the train in the original, saying that the mission was a success (作戦は成功 ; sakusen ha seikou). The English reworks it into nice, snappy dialogue that gets the same point across.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
バレット
 うおっしゃー!
Barret
Hot damn, we are good!
ウェッジ
 全員 無事帰還
Wedge
Bombs detonated: one.
ウェッジ
 作戦 大成功ッス!
Wedge
Members lost: zero!
バレット
「今回の作戦は成功だ。
 だがな、気を抜くなよ」
Barret
“This mission was a success.
But don’t get lazy now.”
ビッグス
 星を救う でっかいはじめの一歩だ!
Biggs
And one step closer
to a brighter future!
「本番はこれからだ!
 あんな爆発でびびるな!」
“The hard part’s still to come!
Don’t y’all be scared of that explosion!”

Barret tells them to keep it down, reflecting the spirit of a line from the original where he tells Cloud to settle down if the player runs over to him fast enough. Rather than a direct reference (the wording doesn’t match up at all), this mostly serves to exhibit how even little character traits like this have been retained.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
バレット
 おまえら
Barret
Guys!
バレット
「へッ!!
 まあ、落ちつけよ」
(2) Barret
“Heh!
Jus’ calm down.”
バレット
 ぴーひゃら喋るんじゃねえ
 捕まるぞ?
Barret
Lower your voices, huh? People are listening.
「街のやつらにあやしまれると
 まずいからな…」
“Can’t have people suspectin’ us.”
バレット
 次の作戦まで 自由行動
Barret
Now get some R&R. You’ve earned it.
バレット
「アジトに集合だ!!
 いくぞ!」
Barret
“Meet back at the hideout!!
Move out!”

The rest of Avalanche heads back to Sector 7, but Cloud can stick around and listen to NPC chatter.

The couple by the train station steps makes a return from the original, with the exact same dialogue in Japanese. This time, with more context and the benefit of voice acting, the English does a great job of interpreting the lady’s vague ええs. ええ (eh) can mean “yes,” but depending on the intonation, it can also be used to express just about any emotion from enthusiasm to confusion or even disgust. In any case, the English translation gets a huge glow up here, sounding a lot more like a believable conversation.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
今夜は帰さないよHow about it, baby girl?「今夜は帰さないよ」“I’m not letting you go tonight.”
ええ~?How about what?「エェ!」“Wow!”
ねえ どっかで休んで行こうLet’s go someplace a little less crowded,
huh?
「ね、どっかで休んでいこう」“Isn’t there somewhere
we could go to be alone?”
ええOkay…「エェ!」“Wow!”
でもこのあたり
列車墓場しかないし
オバケ出るっていうし
Except…the only place around here is
the train graveyard. Which everyone says
is haunted. But that’s cool, right?
「でも、このあたり
 列車墓場しかないし。
 オバケでるっていうし」
“There’s only the train graveyard around here.
And they say there’s ghosts around too!”
しまった……Uhhh…rain check?「……しまった」“…damn.”
え……?Ugh.「え?」“What?”

As Cloud continues on, he runs into an undercity resident complaining about Avalanche’s posters. This is reminiscent of a line in the original where an NPC reads off an Avalanche poster after the bomb explodes. The wording isn’t the same, but the content is similar enough, declaring that mako is the planet’s life.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
スラム住民
 『魔晄は星を巡る血』って
 言われてもなぁ?
Undercity Resident
Hah. “Mako is the lifeblood of the planet”? The hell it
is.
『神羅にだまされるな!
 魔晄エネルギーは永遠ではない!
 魔晄は星の命!
 いつか終わりがやってくる!
Don’t be fooled by Shinra!
Mako energy doesn’t last forever!
Mako is the Planet’s lifesource!
The end is in sight!
スラム住民
 はがしてもはがしても
 すぐ元どおり
Undercity Resident
Goddamn eco-warriors with their dumbass posters.
スラム住民
 妄想じみた出張はともかく
 しつこさには 頭が下がるよ
Undercity Resident
I tear ’em down and they’re back up inside of an hour. Like I’ve got nothing better to do…

The undercity resident then goes on to talk about the pillar, which feels like a nod to the guy who was obsessed with it in the original, even if the dialogue itself doesn’t line up at all.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
スラム住民
 見ろよ あの美しい鉄骨
 たまんねぇな
Undercity Resident
I mean, look at all that steelwork…
You’re trying to tell me
that’s not progress?
「ほら……。
 なんだか、素敵で不思議な場所だろ」
“Hey…
This is a strange and wonderful place.”

The new recruit and senior officer also make a return from the original! And their roles are made clear with their nametags! The first three lines of their dialogue line up with what they’d say when you talked to the new recruit in the original, though mostly reworded even in Japanese. The senior officer’s line is the only one kept verbatim. 堂々 (doudou) is an adverb that means “brazenly/confidently.” Altogether, the line is roughly “Can’t you be more confident?!” The original translation played the line straight, but E Remake goes for something more military-sounding that still gets that same point across.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
新人兵士
 あの 現在緊急事態につき
 こちらは通行禁止に
 なっています すみません
New Recruit
Um, excuse me. Due to an emergency, entry into this
area is prohibited. Sorry for the inconvenience.
「あ、あ、あの……
 すいません。
 ここから先は、
 立入禁止なんですが」
“Ah…eh…uhm.
Excuse me. You cannot pass
without the proper clearance.”
先輩兵士
 もっと堂々とせんか
Senior Officer
You call that a warning!?
「もっと、どうどうとせんか!」“You gotta be tougher!”
新人兵士
 は……はい!
New Recruit
No, sir!
「え、で、でも……」“But, uh, I…”

Heading into Sector 7 proper, if you hang around the edge of the area you can avoid triggering the cutscene and listen in on more NPCs in the area. One of whom complains about being kicked out of the bar, just like an NPC in the original, though the dialogue itself isn’t the same. The other NPC also mentions how Tifa apologized to everyone, something you can briefly see her doing in the original if you run over to the bar fast enough.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
セブンスヘブン
変な時間に閉店したね
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Seventh
Heaven close that early.
「酒かっくらいながら、
 ニュースを見てりゃよ。
 突然、店を追い出される。
 たまんねぇよなぁ!!」
“I was jes sittin’ here drinkin’,
watchin’ the news by myself.”
もっとテレビ見たかったのに
途中で追い出すなんて ひどい
I know! All I wanted was to finish my
show. How dare they kick us out.
“‘n’ all of a sudden
I get kicked outta the &*%$ store.
What’s up with that!?”
怒らないの
ティファちゃん
すごく謝ってたでしょ
Aw, don’t take it personally. You heard
how much Tifa apologized.
「酒、飲みかけだったのによ。
 あっ、かんじょうもまだだ…」
“I wasn’t even done with my drink.
I didn’t even pay my bill…”

The gossip lady’s dialogue is back word for word in Japanese, just distributed between two ladies now.

E Remake adjusts some things to make it sound more like a conversation (like adding in “That can’t be good”), and basically does a fantastic job making the dialogue sound more natural. Interestingly, the “one billion gil” in the Japanese has been increased to “a couple hundred trillion,” perhaps to adjust for today’s inflation and really make it sound like an astonishing amount. Also, E Remake corrects the original’s mistranslation, affirming that most people died in their sleep.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ミッドガルの電力が
マヒしちゃったら
コンピューターとか信号とか
いろいろ止まっちゃうじゃない?
If Midgar loses power, aren’t computers and traffic lights and all that going to shut down? That can’t be good.「ミッドガルの電力が
 マヒしちゃったら
 コンピューターとか信号とか
 いろいろ止まっちゃうじゃない」
“If you knock out Midgar’s power,
then all of its computers and signals are going to be knocked out too.”
経済的損失は 10億ギルはくだらないわThe economic losses would be
staggering. A couple hundred trillion gil or more.
「経ざい的損失は、ん~~
 10億ギルはくだらないし」
“Financially there must’ve been about a billion gil worth of damage.”
それにたくさんの罪なき人々が
死んだと思うのよ
爆破が夜中だったから まだいいわ
And that’s nothing compared to the lives already lost. At least most people were sleeping at the time, so they went peacefully.「それに!!
 たくさんの罪なき人々が死んだと
 思うのよ」
“An’ that ain’t all!
A lotta innocent people got killed too!”
「爆破が真夜中だったから、
 まだいいわ。
 眠ってた人はそのまま目が
 覚めないだけね」
“If the explosion had been in the middle of the night, that woulda been one thing. At least the people coulda gone in their sleep.”
眠ってた人はそのまま目が
覚めないだけね
とにかく 魔晄炉の爆発で
ミッドガルは大混乱よ
But that doesn’t change the fact that Midgar has been thrown into a panic. We need to know what the
administration plans to do about this, and now!
「とにかく、魔晄炉の爆発で
 ミッドガルは大混乱らしいの」
“This Mako explosion has really
sent Midgar into a fit.”

You can find Kyrie for the second time (our first glimpse of her was on the train). She also seems to be spiritually inheriting the gossip lady’s role, especially with her 知ってる? (shitteru? ; “Do (you) know?”). It’s interesting to note that both translations go for “hear” instead of “know,” probably because “Have you heard?” sounds a lot more like something a gossip would say.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
????
 これは知ってる? なんと八番街じゃ
 駅前のハイウェイが崩れ落ちる大惨事
???
Anyone hear about this? You know the
expressway by the station in Sector 8? It
collapsed during the explosion!
「ねぇ、ねぇ、知ってる?」
   興味ないね
   知らないよ
“Did you hear?”
   Don’t care
   No, what?

The standard greetings are exchanged upon Cloud’s and Barret’s return to the bar. The English translation does a great job of immediately communicating Barret’s love for Marlene by having him call her “angel.” ただいま (tadaima) is the set reply for the おかえり (okaeri ; “welcome home”) greeting, and something that doesn’t always translate the best, considering English doesn’t really have a standard phrase for when someone returns home. In any case, E Remake deftly writes around this.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
マリン
 父ちゃん おかえりなさい
Marlene
Daddy! You’re home!
マリン
「とうちゃん、おかえり!」
Marlene
“Papa, welcome home!”
バレット
 ただいまぁ!
Barret
That’s right, angel, I am!
バレット
「おう、ただいま」
Barret
“Yeah.”
ティファ
 おかえり
Tifa
Welcome back!
ティファ
「バレット、ごくろうさま」
Tifa
“You all right, Barret?”

Cloud giving Tifa the flower is now canon. Like in the original, Tifa notes that real flowers are rare (めずらしい ; mezurashii), and the English translation references the original a bit by having her say she hardly ever sees them.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ティファ
 それ どうしたの?
 本物でしょ めずらしいね
Tifa
Where’d you get that?
I can’t remember the last time I saw a real one.
ティファ
「あら?
 お花なんてめずらしいわね」
Tifa
“Flowers?
How nice…”
「スラムじゃ、
 めったにさかないのよ」
“You almost never see them
here in the slums.”
ティファ
 意外だな
 クラウド こんなことするんだ
Tifa
How sweet. When did you get so thoughtful?
「プレゼントに、お花なんて
 クラウド、そうなんだ~」
“A flower for me?
Oh Cloud, you shouldn’t have…”

We then head into more new dialogue territory. The English writing here remains fantastic, making Marlene sound more like a child by having her refer to the mako reactor as “the mako place.” Barret also sounds exactly like a doting parent.

Marlene is scared of Cloud, like she is in the original, and this time around Barret gets to show his protective side. In Japanese, he calls Marlene えらい (erai) a bunch of times, basically meaning “that’s great (of you).” The English writes around this repetition, and has him praise her by calling her a “good girl.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
バレット
 てめえ マリンに なにしやがった?
Barret
Hey! The hell you think you’re doing scaring my
daughter like that!?
マリン
 しらないひととは しゃべっちゃダメって
Marlene
Daddy says never talk to strangers.
バレット
 えらいぞ マリン
 父ちゃんとの約束 忘れなかったなぁ
Barret
That’s right, honey, I do say that. What a good girl
you are, remembering Daddy’s lessons.
バレット
 えらい えらいぞ~
 じゃ おやすみの時間も守らないとな
Barret
You know what else good girls do? They go to bed on
time. C’mon.

Cloud insists on getting his money, like a good freelancer. The Japanese here is pretty much the same: 報酬の話をしたい (houshuu no hanashi wo shitai), “I want to talk about (my) money/payment.”  E Remake continues the pattern of getting that intent across without saying exactly that.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ティファ
 そうだ ごはん食べる?
Tifa
So, then! What can I get you?
クラウド
 いや 報酬の話をしたい
Cloud
My money. I’m still waiting on it.
クラウド
「俺は上で待っている。
 報酬の話がしたい」
Cloud
“I’m going upstairs.
I want to talk about my money.”

Tifa leads Cloud to his new apartment, chatting with him on the way. We get some of Tifa’s old dialogue here, but in a new context. Some of the Japanese phrasing lines up a little bit, like 心配だったんだ (shinpai dattanda ; “(I) was worried”) and ケンカばかりしてた (kenka bakari shiteta ; “(you) always fought”). But for the most part these lines are rewritten in both Japanese and English. Tifa expresses concern/regret for sending Cloud on such a dangerous job, and Cloud brushes it off. She then asks if Cloud fought with the Avalanche members and comments that she was worried because Cloud often doesn’t get along with others.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ティファ
 だよね ごめんね 巻き込んで
 軽率だったって 反省してる
Tifa
Sorry for dragging you into all this. It was wrong of me to put you in danger like that. I promise I won’t
do it again.
ティファ
「なんだか、ほっとしちゃった。
 クラウドが無事もどってきて」
Tifa
“You know, I’m relieved you made it back safely.”
クラウド
 俺のことなら気にするな
 これは 仕事だ
Cloud
Danger’s part of the job. Don’t worry about me.
クラウド
「急にどうした?
 あのていどの仕事、
 なんでもないさ」
Cloud
“What’s with you all of a sudden?
That wasn’t even a tough job.”
ティファ
 うん わかった
Tifa
I’ll try not to.
ティファ
「そうね……」
Tifa
“I guess not…”
Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ティファ
 バレットたちと もめなかった?
Tifa
So, you make nice with everyone?
「バレットとはケンカ
 しなかった?」
   やっちゃった
   ガマンした
“Did you fight with Barret?”
   Yeah
   Not this time
クラウド
 ああ 向こうがどう思ったか
 知らないけどな
Cloud
Much as I could, all things considered. Maybe not
enough for them.
ティファ
 そう 心配だったんだ
Tifa
Good. You had me worried.
「……ちょっと、心配だったんだ」“I was worried.”
ティファ
 クラウドは ケンカばかりしてた
 からね
Tifa
You’re not exactly a people person.
「バレットはあんな人だし
 クラウドは子供のころから
 ケンカばかりしてたしね」
“He’s always pushing people around, and you’ve always been in fights ever since you were little.”

If you hang around in the area by the apartment building, you’ll find an NPC who has no idea what’s going on and is getting caught up on the news, similar to an NPC in the original. Though the Japanese doesn’t entirely line up, it still feels like something of a reference with the どうなってんだ (dou nattenda ; “what’s going on?”) and 思ったら (omottara) which means something like “I wondered what was going on, and then found out…”

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
どうなってんだWhat’s going on?「まったくよぉ!!
 今夜はどうなってんだかよ!!」
“Oh &$#&@!!
What the hell’s wrong tonight!!”
「さっきまでずいぶん長く停電してたから
 みょうだと思ってたらよ」
“I thought that long blackout
was strange.”
騒がしいと思ったら
爆破がどうとか言ってるし
Suddenly, everyone’s talking about some
bomb going off?
「上で、魔晄炉爆破テロがおきたって
 いうじゃねぇか」
“They say a Mako Reactor was
destroyed above.”

And now we’re in all new territory. After the Marco incident, the English translation has Tifa actually reacting to what just happened, instead of just info-dumping like in Japanese, which is roughly just “This is Marco who lives in 203.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ティファ
 この人は 203号室の
 マルカートさん
Tifa
What are you doing to Marco? This is his apartment.

The next morning, Cloud meets the landlady, Marle. “You up from on high?” is such a great line. Incidentally, in Japanese she specifies that Cloud arrived two days ago, but English forgoes this information in favor of a more natural question. We already know that Cloud arrived recently because he didn’t even have a place to stay, and the exact date of his arrival isn’t relevant to the story at this point.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
????
 おや あんたがクラウドだね
???
Well, now. You must be Cloud.
マーレ
 あたしは大家のマーレ
 で おととい来たんだって?
Marle
I’m Marle, your landlady. So how’d you like the place?
マーレ
 それまでは 上かい
Marle
You from up on high?
クラウド
 いろいろだ
Cloud
I’ve been around.

Now that we have free roam of Sector 7, we can hunt down some more NPC lines from the original.

First off is the kid by the apartment pretending to be a spy. You may have missed this line while playing through the original game, because it requires you to leave the bar after Avalanche descends into their hideout, something you wouldn’t normally think to do. In any case, the first line of the Japanese is exactly the same, and the second is tweaked a bit from なんか、でてきました (nanka detekimashita ; lit. “something came out/appeared!”) to なんか報告できました (nanka houkoku dekimashita ; lit. “I was able to report something.”). E Remake does a great job of making the dialogue sound more like actual spy-talk in comparison to the original.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
異常なし ただいまスパイ中
ああ なんか報告できました
Nothing to report. Maintaining
surveillance. Ohhh, being a spy is so
cool!
「異常なし!!
 ただいま、スパイ中!」
“All’s quiet!!
Shh, I’m spying now!”
夜まで待機
ああ はやく報告~報告~
Holding position until nightfall! Will
report any developments immediately if
observed!
「ああ!!
 なんか、でてきました!!
 報告~!! 報告~!!」
“OH!!
There’s something!!
DANGER!! ALERT!!”

We also find some kids hanging around the beginner’s hall who tell Cloud that he looks like he needs more sleep. This definitely feels like a reference to the kid from the original, though we’ll get a more direct reference to him later.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Remake
おじさん 表情固いな
疲れたら休む
スラムの心得そのいちだぜ
Someone looks like they’re having a bad
day. Try getting more sleep—that’s the
best cure-all down here!
「チッ!!
 おっさん、しけたツラしてんな。
 もしかして、つかれてんじゃないの?」
“You dried up old geez.
You tired?”
おじさん その顔……
疲れてるんじゃなくて
カッコつけてるのか
Hold on—don’t tell me you’re making that
face ’cause you think it looks cool, are
you?
「強情だな!もうっ!
 休めるときに休む」
(2) “Tough guy, huh!?
You’d better sleep when you can.”
「これがタフに生きてく基本だぜ!
 おっさん、覚えときな」
“That’s the trick to being tough.
Remember that, old dude.”

There’s a couple tucked away in a corner who say stuff like “Not gonna let you sleep a wink tonight!” which is reminiscent of the train station couple’s “I’m not letting you go tonight.” Followed up with a comment about snoring impeding sleep, which feels like a little wink at a dialogue option from the original. Perhaps a bit of a stretch, but still.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
今日は寝かせないぞNot gonna let you sleep a wink tonight!「今夜は帰さないよ」“I’m not letting you go tonight.”
あんたのイビキで 毎晩眠れないYour snoring keeps me up every night!「よく、眠れた?」
  バレットのイビキがうるさくて…
  ティファがそばにいたから…
“Did you sleep well?”
  Barret’s snoring kept me up……
  Next to you, who wouldn’t?

Then there’s an NPC by the train station that has a line that’s similar to one that was cut from the original game. At least, the かわいいな (kawaii na ; “(you’re) cute”) is the same, and both English translations use “cutie pie.” Which could be a coincidence, but I thought it was interesting.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese Original (cut)English Original (cut)
君はかわいいなあ
ボク 君にラブラブだよ
How could I not? I love you so, so much,
my darling cutie-pie…
やっぱ、かわいいなぁ。
マイラブリーエンジェルちゃん…
Say, you’re kinda cute.
Cutie pie...

You can talk to Johnny’s father at this point, too. His lines don’t really match any of his old dialogue, but he refers to Cloud as “Tifa’s childhood friend” something the Sector 7 NPCs often called him in the original. And if you talk to him enough, he’ll mention ordering grappling guns, which suggests that he deals with Avalanche under the table. This is consistent with an unused line from the original where he says that he’s secretly rooting for Avalanche.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ジョニーの父
 あなたが 噂のティファちゃんの幼馴染で
 なんでも屋さんですね
Johnny’s Father
Hello there! You must be that friend of Tifa’s I’ve
heard so much about. The mercenary?
「やい!幼なじみ!
 ティファちゃん
 を大切にな!」
“Hey! Childhood friend!
You better take
good care of Tifa!”
ジョニーの父
 私 いろいろ商売をしておりまして
 セブンスヘブンとも取引があるんですよ
Johnny’s Father
I’ve got fingers in a few pies myself. Worked with a
lot of businesses—even Seventh Heaven on occasion.
ジョニーの父
 つまり あなたとも
 まんざら他人じゃないってことだな
Johnny’s Father
What I’m saying is, you and me, we’re not so
different—and certainly not complete strangers.
ジョニーの父
 私のことは 遠い親戚のおじさんとでも
 思ってくれていいですよ
Johnny’s Father
In fact, I want you to think of me as family. You
know, an uncle or maybe a distant relative.
ジョニーの父
 そうだ あなた
 高いところからササーッと降下できる
 ワイヤーリールに興味はありませんか?
Johnny’s Father
Oh, while I have you here, you wouldn’t happen to be
interested in grappling guns, would you? Great for
getting up or down in a jiffy!
ジョニーの父
 顧客に頼まれて仕入れたんですが
 数をひとケタ 間違えましてね
Johnny’s Father
I ordered some for a client, but I accidentally added a
zero, and now I have a ton to spare.

Anyway, moving on with the story, Cloud meets up with Tifa at the bar. Again, the English adds so much personality with “These water filters won’t replace themselves. Although, the next batch probably could, if Jessie put her mind to it.”  Versus the Japanese which is more like an info dump: “I want to go replace filters. Jessie made them. They’re generic toxic substance removing filters.”

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ティファ
 じゃあ さっそく働く?
Tifa
Let’s get down to business, shall we?
ティファ
 『JSフィルター』の交換に行きたいんだ
Tifa
These water filters won’t replace themselves.
ティファ
 ジェシーが作った
 汎用毒性物質 除去フィルター
Tifa
Although, the next batch probably could, if Jessie put
her mind to it.

As they’re making their rounds, Tifa tells Cloud to be more friendly. The Japanese here (愛想 ; aisou; amiability/friendliness) is similar to how the dressmaker in Wall Market described Cloud in the original: 無愛想 (buaisou ; “unsociable, surly” or basically “having no 愛想”).

Also, I just love Cloud’s “I’ve got skills” in the scene after this.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ティファ
 もう少し 愛想よくする?
Tifa
Well… You could try being a little nicer.
「なんと!
 あんな無愛想なやつがか?」
“What!?
A tough lookin guy like that?”
クラウド
 おまけ目当てで? ありえない
Cloud
To get free shit? Not my style.

They finish distributing filters and Tifa tells Cloud that he’ll need to make connections if he wants to be a successful mercenary. The Japanese word here is なんでも屋 (nandemoya), referring to someone who does literally any kind of work. We don’t really have a good equivalent for this in English. “Handyman” is somewhat similar, but focuses more on someone who repairs things as opposed to someone who both finds cats for little girls and fights deadly monsters. “Freelancer” could work, but that also doesn’t necessarily imply doing multiple types of jobs. We have the concept of doing “odd jobs” at least, but I’m not sure if there’s really a good noun version of that. “Jack-of-all-trades”? In any case, I feel like “mercenary” does work here, since that fits with Cloud’s aesthetic. He emphasizes that his specialty is fighting, not fetching cats or finding kids; he just begrudgingly does that other stuff because he needs the money (and he’s secretly a softy).

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ティファ
 あのね アイデアがあるんだけど聞く?
Tifa
In that case, I’ve got a suggestion. Wanna hear it?
ティファ
 本格的になんでも屋を始めるなら
 まず 縁をつくるべきだと思う
Tifa
If you’re serious about becoming a merc, then you’re
going to need to start making connections.
ティファ
 ご縁は お金より大事だから
Tifa
“It’s not what you know, but who you know,” y’know?

Tifa and Cloud meet up with Biggs and Wedge, who tell Cloud about the neighborhood watch. Interestingly, Wedge’s line was originally from an NPC in the Sector 5 slums. Here, it’s adapted into a rule/lesson that everyone in the slums knows.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ウェッジ
 もしかして クラウドさん
 入団希望ッスか?
Wedge
Oh, hey, Cloud. Looking to join the neighborhood watch?
クラウド
 場合によってはな
 自警団は なにをするんだ?
Cloud
That depends. What does this neighborhood watch do?
ビッグス
 色々あるけど まず
 居住区に紛れ込むモンスターを退治したり
Biggs
Umm…lots of stuff, really. But our top priority is taking care of any beasts that wander into town.
ビッグス
 住民に自衛法を教えたり
 それがメインだ
Biggs
That and teaching the locals how to defend themselves.
ウェッジ
 自分の身は 自分で守る
 これ スラムの心得ッス
Wedge
Like they say: “The only one who’ll look out for you is you.”
「自分の身は自分で守る。
 こいつがスラムの常識よ!
 そのためにはまず強え武器!
 だろ?」
“Take care of yourself. It’s the
law of the slums. But to do that,
first you need weapons, right?”

If you do all the sidequests, you’ll get an extra scene with Tifa. A couple of Cloud’s lines here are similar to what he says before his flashback at Kalm.

(Mild spoilers for the original post-Midgar story, if that concerns you.)

He talks about how by the time he made it into SOLDIER, the war was already over and there was no need for heroes anymore. Then he hesitates to describe the work he was forced to do. In the original, he just comes out and says that they put down anyone who resisted Shinra. I like him being a little more reluctant to talk about it though, because he’s with Tifa who’s specifically a resistance member.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
クラウド
 戦争中 ソルジャーは英雄扱いだった
Cloud
Well, when we were kids…everybody wanted to be a SOLDIER, right?
ティファ
 うん 毎日 ニュースを見てた
Tifa
Yeah, I remember they were on the news every day during the war.
クラウド
 でも 俺がソルジャーになった頃には
 状況が変わっていたんだ
Cloud
Thing is, by the time I finally made it in, they didn’t need heroes anymore.
「それなのにクラス1STに
 昇格したのと同時に
 戦争が終わってしまった」
“But by the time I made First Class,
the war was already over.”
クラウド
 憧れていたような仕事はなくて
 神羅のために働く ただの……
Cloud
It was nothing like what we’d dreamt of. It was just…working for Shinra. Just…
クラウド
「戦争終結後のソルジャーの任務は
 神羅に反抗する人たちを……。
 ゆううつな仕事が多かったな」
Cloud
“After the war it was SOLDIER’s
duty to put down any resistance
against the Shinra.”
ティファ
 ごめん 話したくないよね
Tifa
I’m sorry. I know it’s a touchy subject.
クラウド
 剣を使う仕事だ
Cloud
Not exactly small talk.
クラウド
 ひさしぶりに会って
 するような話じゃない
Cloud
Especially with someone you haven’t seen in a while.
ティファ
 わかるよ
Tifa
I get it.

Johnny gets some more scenes this go around, this time being introduced as he’s hauled away by Shinra soldiers.  In Japanese, Tifa just says she’s going to go help Johnny, possibly because she assumes Cloud wouldn’t want to come, whereas in English she expresses more hesitation, implying that she might still be disturbed over last night’s incident with Marco and isn’t sure that she wants Cloud to come along. This makes a lot of sense, honestly. She hasn’t seen Cloud in forever and he recently had a violent confrontation with one of her acquaintances, so she wouldn’t want to risk that happening again.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
ティファ
 ジョニーを助けなくちゃ
Tifa
We’ve gotta save him, Cloud!
クラウド
 アバランチなのか?
Cloud
Is he Avalanche?
ティファ
 ちがう
Tifa
No.
ティファ
 ジョニーは 私たちがアバランチだと
 薄々気づいていて
Tifa
He doesn’t really know what we do…but he has his
suspicions.
ティファ
 そして
Tifa
And…
ティファ
 口が軽いの
Tifa
He’s a talker.
ティファ
 なんとかして助けなくちゃ
 私 行くね
Tifa
Actually, you know what…maybe I should go alone.
クラウド
 俺も行く
Cloud
I’m coming.
ティファ
 でも……
Tifa
Uh…are you sure?

They rescue Johnny, and he once again leaves town, but under very different circumstances this time. Afterward, you can talk to both of his parents. The mother’s dialogue doesn’t line up much with the original, now showing genuine worry instead of a mix of relief and regret. The father’s dialogue, on the other hand, matches up quite a bit in the Japanese, especially the 若いうちはね 好きなことをやればいいと思います part (roughly, “I think kids should do what they want while they’re young”). E Remake touches up the translation a bit to sound more natural. Also, the “defying the Man” part seems like a nod to an unused line in the original where he admits to being anti-establishment when he was younger.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalE PC
ジョニーの父
 息子が急に旅立つと
 言いだしましてね
Johnny’s Father
My boy up and declared he was leaving town to go on a journey.
「ハッハッ……。
 息子はもう旅立ちましたかな?」
“Ha! Ha! ……
I wonder if my son’s already left?”
ジョニーの父
 若いうちはね
 好きなことをやればいい
 と思いますよ
Johnny’s Father
We only live once. I say while he’s young, he should follow his heart.
「ハッハッ…… 若いうちはね
 好きなことをやらせてみよう
 と思っていても
 やっぱり心配なのは、
 いけませんなあ」
“We want him to be happy and do other things while he’s young, but we can’t help but worry…”
ジョニーの父
 神羅に頭を下げてるだけじゃ
 手に入らんものもある
Johnny’s Father
Even if it means defying the Man. Playing by the rules only gets you so far.

Cloud and Tifa head back to the bar and Barret calls a meeting downstairs. While waiting for the rest of Avalanche to assemble, Tifa offers to make Cloud a drink like she does in the original (just on a different day). The dialogue choices in particular here line up quite a bit, even in English with the “something hard.” Though this time around instead of getting mad at Cloud for refusing her offer, she just rolls with it and makes one for him anyway, still commenting on how most people have a high opinion of her.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ティファ
 どうぞ 座って
Tifa
Grab a seat.
ティファ
「どうぞ、すわって」
Tifa
“Sit down.”
ティファ
 なににしましょう?
Tifa
What’ll it be?
ティファ
「ねえ……」
Tifa
“How about…”
なににしましょう?
  キツイの
  そんな気分じゃない
What’ll it be?
  Something hard.
  Not in the mood.
「何かのむ?」
   いまはそんな気分じゃないな
   キツイの、くれないか
“…something to drink?”
  I don’t feel like it
  Give me something hard
クラウド
 今は そんな気分じゃない
(2) Cloud
Not really in the mood right now.
ティファ
 では お客様のイメージで
Tifa
But if you were, then maybe…
ティファ
「も~う!!」
(1) Tifa
“OHH!!”
「私だってちゃんとお酒ぐらい
 つくれるようになったのよ」
“I can make a drink just
as good as anyone else.”
クラウド
 キツイの くれないか
(1) Cloud
I dunno…something hard and bitter.
(end branch) ティファ
 どう? 好きって言ってくれる
 お客さん 多いんだ
(end branch) Tifa
Well? Most people would say something sweet right
about now.
「お客さんだって、
 ティファちゃんの
 つくるお酒はおいしいよって
 いってくれるんだから!」
“Everyone says my drinks taste the best!”

Tifa heads down and Jessie walks in. She brings up the news as she does in the original, and her attitude’s a bit different now than in Chapter 2. The excitement she displays here is more in line with the original than her previous apprehension, even if the dialogue itself isn’t the same.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalE PSX
ジェシー
 ニュース 見た?
Jessie
Hey! You see the news?
「見てよ、このニュース……。
 こんなに爆発してる」
“Hey, look at the news…
What a blast.”
ジェシー
 『魔晄炉の爆発は 市民の敵
  アバランチの仕業だ』って
Jessie
“The reactor bombing was the work of the eco-extremist group ‘Avalanche.'”
ジェシー
 ガンガン流れてるの
 ゾクゾクするよね
Jessie
Public enemy number one! Gets your heart racing, doesn’t it?
ジェシー
「でも、私の爆弾の晴れぶたい。
 ちょっと、うれしいんだ」
Jessie
“Hey, that was my bomb’s debut.
Makes me kinda proud.”
ジェシー
 顔バレしてないから
 ここは安全だろうけど
 いろいろ 急がなくちゃ
Jessie
They don’t know our faces, so we’re in the clear for now, but we’ll wanna capitalize on this momentum.

After the meeting, Barret decides to cut ties with Cloud. This actually seems to reflect a scene cut from the original, where Barret gives Cloud his money and tells him to get out.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese Original (cut)English Original (cut)
バレット
 次は オレたちだけでやることにする
 おまえは 仕事探しでもしてろ
Barret
We won’t be needing you for this next job. Feel free
to look for work elsewhere.
クラウド
 元々 そのつもりだ
Cloud
Fine by me. That’s how I like it.
クラウド
 契約がなければ 手伝う義理はない
Cloud
No contract, no obligation.
バレット
 そう言うと思ったぜ
Barret
Figured you’d say that.
バレット
 ほら 残りの報酬だ
 気持ち 上乗せしといてやった
Barret
Here—the rest of your payment, along with a little
extra for your exemplary service.
ほ、報酬はやったんだ。
もう用はねぇぞ!
There’s your money.
Now get the hell out!
バレット
 これで 晴れて契約終了だ
Barret
And thus concludes our business.
バレット
 さあ 悪いが席を外してくれ
 身内だけでやりたいんでな
Barret
Gonna have to ask you to leave now. This here’s a
private affair.

None of the banter in the bar really matches anything they say in the original, except for maybe Biggs’ continued love of alcoholic drinks.

Japanese RemakeEnglish RemakeJapanese OriginalEnglish Original
ビッグス
 んぐんぐんぐ……
 だは~ ゴクラク~!
Biggs
Glug, glug, glug, glug…
Ahhh! That hit the spot!
ビッグス
「ああ~!!
 仕事の後の一杯はこたえらんねぇなぁ」
Biggs
“Aaah!!
Nothin’ like that first drink after a job.”

Cloud then runs into some hoodlums outside the bar. This scene is fleshing out the idea that Don Corneo is sending his cronies to Sector 7 to find out more about Avalanche, as per Shinra’s orders.

Japanese RemakeEnglish Remake
クラウド
 あいつら なんだ?
Cloud
What’s up with them?
あやしげな男
 兄ちゃん 近所の人かい?
Hoodlum
Hey brother! You from around the way?
クラウド
 まあな
Cloud
I guess.
あやしげな男
 右腕が銃になっている大男を知ってるか?
 このあたりに 根城があるらしい
Hoodlum
Know a big man with a big gun strapped to his right
arm? Heard he’s set up shop somewhere in the
neighborhood.
クラウド
 どうだろう
Cloud
That depends…

After the scuffle, Cloud goes back to his apartment and runs into Jessie, launching us once more into new territory and a new chapter…

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