Final Fantasy VII Remake Script Comparison: Chapter 9 – Part 1

Aerith leads the way…

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　道案内を頼む	Cloud Lead on, then.	「案内してあげる。さ、行きましょ！」	“I’ll take you there. Come on!”

As they’re walking she talks about how the Sector 6 plate is missing. It’s under construction in the original, too, but that’s never mentioned in any dialogue until the model of Midgar found in the Shinra Building. At first glance, you’d assume that the hole in the model is supposed to reflect the recent damage to Sector 7, but if you check it, Cloud explains that it’s Sector 6.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　上　工事中だからね　すこし　怖いね	Aerith They’re still working on the new plate. I don’t like this part of Midgar.	「この建設中の６番街が　完成したとき、神羅の　野望も完全なものとなる」	“When construction of Sector 6 finishes, Shinra’s plan will be complete.”
エアリス　ミッドガルを建設してるとき　プレートが落ちたんだって	Aerith Back when they were still building Midgar, there was an accident, and the plate fell.

They make their way through using mechanical arms to help them lower the ladders. There was a random mechanical arm in the background of this area in the original, as well.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
クラウド　あれは？	Cloud What’s that?
エアリス　ロボットアーム　かわいいよね	Aerith A big arm. Kinda cute, don’t you think?

Aerith mentions that she’s used to danger because she grew up in the slums. This reflects a line she had in the original when they were in Corneo’s mansion.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　モンスター　出るようになったから　塞いじゃったのかな	Aerith I wonder if someone blocked it off because of all the monsters that kept showing up.
クラウド　そんなところで遊んでたのか	Cloud Pretty dangerous place for kids to play.
エアリス　スラム育ちですから	Aerith Raised in the slums, remember?	エアリス「わたし、スラム育ちだから　危険なこと、なれてるの」	Aeris “I grew up in the slums… I’m used to danger.”
クラウド　たくましいな	Cloud You’re tough.
エアリス　う～ん　うれしくない	Aerith Hmm, that supposed to be a compliment?

They run into some thieves who stumble over big words. In Japanese, the word 弁償 (benshou ; “reimbursement / compensation”) is written out in katakana ベンショウ, emphasizing that they have no idea what it means. Also, the English does a great job of having Butch trip over other similar-sounding complicated words, spicing up the Japanese which only has him repeat ベンショウ three times.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ベグ　おい　見ろよ　ドロボウがいるぞ	Beck Lookie here, boys! Caught us some burglars!
バド　あーあー　ひとんちをアラシやがって	Burke Comin’ into our homes and stealing our shit—doin’ crimes!
ベグ　こりゃあ　ベンショウしてもらわねえとな	Beck I’d say we’re owed “compensatory damages”!
ブッチョ　ひひひ　ベンショウ　ベンショウ？　ベンショウってなんだ	Butch Yeah! Complementary—uh, composite— Uh, I don’t get it.
ベグ　バカ　おまえは　ホント　なんにも　知らねえなあ	Beck How stupid can you be? It’s crazy simple!
ベグ　ベンショウってのはな　その……	Beck Compensatory damages is like, uh…
ベグ　あれだ……	Beck It’s like…compensation…
ベグ　なあ！	Beck For damages!

Continuing on their way, Aerith asks Cloud if he had any friends in SOLDIER. It’s a minor thing, and may not even be intentional, but the English use of “friend” and then “war buddy” could be a callback to the scene in Kalm where Cloud talks about someone he knew in SOLDIER.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　ソルジャーのとき　仲のいい人とか　いた？	Aerith Um, did you have any SOLDIER friends? Any war buddies?	クラウド「戦友……かな。　俺たちは信頼しあっていた。　あのときまでは……」	Cloud “So I guess you’d call him a war buddy… We trusted each other. Until one day…”
クラウド　いや　いなかった	Cloud No…not really.

Eventually, they arrive at the park. (And can I just say that the way the opening note of the game hangs in the air here until you walk forward is just so perfect. Like the entire game is just exuding anticipation.)

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　あれ　七番街スラムへ　抜けるゲート	Aerith Alright, there it is. The gate to Sector 7.	エアリス「この奥に７番街への　ゲートがあるの」	Aeris “The gate to Sector 7’s in there.”

Once again, Aerith convinces Cloud to take a break and chat with her, though the dialogue is mostly rewritten even in Japanese.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　閉まってるな　開くのか？	Cloud Looks shut. How do we open it?
エアリス　ね　少し座って話さない？	Aerith More importantly, how about we take a break? Sound good?	エアリス「ちょっと休もっか」	(end) Aeris “Can we take a break?”
クラウド　いや　そんな時間は	Cloud No. I don’t have time for—
エアリス　クラウド　こっち	Aerith Up there looks nice.	エアリス「クラウド、こっち！」	Aeris “Cloud, over here!”
エアリス　早く	Aerith C’mon!
エアリス　昔　ここでお花を売ったこと　あるんだ	Aerith You know, a long time ago, I used to sell flowers here.	エアリス「なつかしい、まだあったんだ」	Aeris “I can’t believe it’s still here.”
クラウド　そうか	Cloud Oh yeah?

This time, Aerith already knows what rank Cloud was because he mentioned it before, so she just brings it up as a topic of conversation.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　クラウドって　クラスファースト　だったんだよね？	Aerith So, Cloud… You were a SOLDIER: First Class, right?	エアリス「あなた、クラスは？」	Aeris “What rank were you?”
クラウド　ああ	Cloud Yeah.	クラウド「ああ、俺は……」	Cloud “Oh, I was…”
		クラウド「クラス…… 　１ST（ファースト）だ」	Cloud “First Class.”
エアリス　そっか	Aerith Weird.
クラウド　それが　どうかしたのか？	Cloud Really? What’s weird about it?

This leads to her talking about another SOLDIER she knows. In Japanese she says はじめて　好きになった人 (hajimete suki ni natta hito ; “the first person I liked/loved”) exactly like in the original. E Remake hews closer to the Japanese this time, as she technically never specifies that they were officially dating.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　ううん　同じだと思って	Aerith Nothing. Just that you were the same rank.	エアリス「ふ～ん。　おんなじだ」	Aeris “Just the same as him.”
クラウド　同じ？　誰と	Cloud Huh? As who?	クラウド「誰と同じだって？」	Cloud “The same as who?”
エアリス　はじめて　好きになった人	Aerith The first guy I ever loved.	エアリス「初めて好きになった人」	Aeris “My first boyfriend.”
クラウド　名前は？　たぶん　知ってる	Cloud What’s his name? I probably know him.	クラウド「もしかしたら知ってるかも　しれないな。　そいつの名前は？」	Cloud “I probably knew him. What was his name?”
		エアリス「もう、いいの」	Aeris “It doesn’t really matter.”

Aerith then looks into Cloud’s eyes. She mentions their strange glow in the original as well, but it’s back when they were traversing the rooftops. Cloud’s response is almost word-for-word the same in Japanese, while E Remake shortens the line a bit, most likely to match the Japanese timing. Also, by this point we already know that SOLDIERs’ eyes are different, because it’s brought up more frequently in Remake.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　きれい	Aerith Wow…
エアリス　瞳	Aerith Your eyes.	エアリス「……あなたの目。　その不思議な輝き……」	Aeris “…Your eyes. They have a strange glow…”
クラウド　ああ　魔晄を浴びた者の瞳　ソルジャーの証だ	Cloud Oh. It’s ’cause of the mako. All SOLDIERs have ’em.	クラウド「そう、これは魔晄を浴びた者…… 　ソルジャーのあかし」	Cloud “That’s the sign of those who have been infused with Mako…”
			“A mark of SOLDIER.”
エアリス　うん　知ってる	Aerith Yeah… I know.
エアリス　ごめんね　こんな話	Aerith Sorry, I’m bumming you out.
エアリス　もう　いこっか	Aerith We should go.

After chatting, Aerith shows Cloud a secret passageway into Sector 7 and they get ready to say their goodbyes. As before, Cloud worries about whether Aerith can get home by herself. The conversational beats are the same here, but the dialogue itself is rewritten. Interestingly, the first line in English is almost exactly the same as the original translation (“You gonna be okay/all right getting/going home?”)

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　帰りは　大丈夫なのか？	Cloud You gonna be okay getting home?	クラウド「わかった。　じゃあ、ここで別れようか。　ひとりで帰れるか？」	Cloud “Thanks. I guess this is goodbye. You gonna be all right going home?”
エアリス　大丈夫じゃないって言ったら？	Aerith And if I said I wasn’t?	エアリス「いや～ん、　帰れない～！！　って言ったら　どうするの？」　　　家までおくる　　　７番街までいっしょに	Aeris “Oh no! ‘What ever will I do!?’ …Isn’t that what you want me to say?” 　　　Take her home. 　　　Go on to Sector 7.
クラウド　家まで送ろう	Cloud I’ll go with you.
エアリス　それって　変じゃない？	Aerith Thought you needed to get back?	エアリス「それってなんだか　おかしくない？」	(1) Aeris “Isn’t that a little out of the way?”
エアリス　大丈夫	Aerith Don’t worry.
エアリス　実は　もっと安全な近道が　あったりして	Aerith I have a backup route for emergencies. And it’s safer too.
エアリス　それじゃあ　もう行く？	Aerith Guess this is it, then. Ready?
クラウド　ああ	Cloud Yeah.

Before they can part ways, a carriage comes out of Sector 7 and Cloud notices that Tifa is in it. This time around, Cloud and Tifa chat a bit, and Cloud almost decides to let her go because she can handle herself, until Aerith convinces him otherwise.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　ティファ？	Cloud Tifa!?	クラウド「ティファ！？」	Cloud “Tifa!?”
ティファ　クラウド！　よかった　無事だったんだ	Tifa Cloud! You’re alive! I thought we’d lost you!	「あ、それより　あれからどうしたの！？　身体はだいじょうぶ！？」	“Never mind, what happened to you after the fall!? Are you hurt!?”
クラウド　どうなってる？	Cloud What’s going on?
ティファ　事情は　あとで説明するね	Tifa I’ll explain everything later.
ティファ　私　これから　コルネオのところに行くから	Tifa But now, I’m on my way to see Don Corneo.
ティファ　クラウドは　アジトに戻って　バレットたちと合流して	Tifa You should head back to Seventh Heaven, meet up with the gang.
クラウド　でも	Cloud But—
ティファ　こっちは　大丈夫	Tifa I’ll be fine.
ティファ　私の蹴り　見たでしょ？	Tifa You’ve seen how much ass I can kick.
クラウド　わかった	Cloud I have…
エアリス　ダメ　ティファが最優先	Aerith Oh no you don’t. You’re going after her.

They talk to Chocobo Sam, a new character, to try to figure out where Tifa is. Cloud starts to say that they want to save her, but Aerith butts in with a cover story, knowing that it would be better to keep that detail secret. The English translation gives her a better recovery, working off the word “save” to claim that they want to save her from a life without Cloud. In Japanese, she just talks right over him, so it doesn’t feel as convincing.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
サム　なんだ　見ねえ顔だな	Sam Hmm… I don’t know you. What’s your story?
エアリス　そのチョコボ車に乗ってた娘　探してるんだけど	Aerith We’re looking for a girl who took one of your carriages. Can you help us find her?
サム　探して　どうするつもりだ	Sam Depends. What d’you want with this girl of yours?
クラウド　もちろん　たすけ——	Cloud Guess. We want to save—
エアリス　その娘がタイプなんだって　だから	Aerith Save her from a life without this handsome guy!

Sam realizes that they’re talking about Tifa and explains that she’s gone to Don Corneo’s mansion, fulfilling the role of the guy (manager?) outside of the Honeybee Inn in the original.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
サム　もしかして　ティファちゃんか？	Sam Wait a minute, you talking about Tifa?	「おっ、あなた、聞き耳　はやいねえ。　ティファちゃんは　ムチムチの新人さんだよ」	(1) “Hey, you’re pretty fast. Tifa’s our newest girl.”
クラウド　そうだ	Cloud That’s her.
サム　兄ちゃんも　撃ち抜かれちまった口か	Sam Oho, looks like someone’s got a bit of a crush!
サム　でも　残念だったな　あの娘は当分　出てこれねえよ	Sam Hate to break your heart, but it’s gonna be a long while before she sees the light of day again.	「でも、残念です。　ティファちゃんはいま面接中」	“But, unfortunately, she’s having an interview right now.”
クラウド　どういうことだ	Cloud What do you mean?
サム　あの娘は　特別よ	Sam She’s a real pretty girl.
サム　コルネオさんの屋敷に入って　オーディションを受けること　になってる	Sam Corneo’s hosting another audition, and Tifa was chosen as a candidate.
エアリス　オーディションって？	Aerith An audition for what?
サム　コルネオさんが　嫁を選ぶオーディションさ	Sam For the title of the next Mrs. Corneo.	「ドン・コルネオは有名な　独身貴族。　そろそろ身をかためるってんで　おヨメさんさがしに熱心でねえ」	“Don Corneo’s a famous dilettante. Now he wants to settle down and is in the market for a bride.”

As they explore Wall Market, we find some familiar NPC dialogue. There’s still a barker outside the inn who tries to convince Cloud and Aerith to get a room, though his dialogue is rewritten in Japanese as well.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
客引き　そこのご両人　本日の宿はお決まりですか？	Barker You two! Yes, you! Do you have a place to stay this enchanted evening?	「ちょっと、そこのおふたりさん。　少し休んでかない？」	“Hey, you two. Why don’t you get some rest?”
客引き　おふたりにぴったりなお部屋を　ご用意してますよ	Barker We have the perfect room for a sweet-looking couple like you!	「きれいな部屋があるんだけど　どうだい？」	“We have a beautiful room, how ’bout it?”

The machine that’s supposed to run the item shop is still broken, but this time Aerith comments on it instead of Cloud.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
エアリス　壊れてる？	Aerith Maybe it’s broken?	クラウド「壊れてるぞ！」	Cloud “…Broken.”

If we take a turn down one of the back alleys, there’s still a group of women complaining about all the garbage the weapons shop guy collects. The Japanese is basically exactly the same except for a few changed words and an extra line about how the guy claims it’s his “collection.” And as usual, E Remake fixes up the rather literal original translation and does a great job of getting their disdain across.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ここのゴミどうにかならないのかしらねえ	Look at this garbage. Can’t someone do something about it?	「ここのゴミ。　どうにかならないのかしらねえ」	“All this trash. Can’t we do anything with it?”
これって全部例の人が拾ってきて溜めこんでるんでしょ？	Well, I guarantee you our favorite weapons collector wouldn’t call it “garbage.”	「これって全部、あの、ほら…… 　武器屋の、あそこのご主人。　ひろってきては、　ためこんでるそうよ」	“All this belongs to the owner of the Weapons Shop. He keeps picking things up and saving them here.”
ゴミじゃなくてコレクションだって言ってるみたいだけど	Oh yes, didn’t you know it’s his “collection”?
どう見ても　ゴミですわよね	I dunno, looks like a pile of crap to me!	「でも、どうみても　ゴミですわねえ」	“But any way you look at it, it’s just trash…”
あれはなんていうんでしたっけミサイル　ロケット？	This thing here, it’s called a…a missile—that right?
それって　違うものなの？どっちでも邪魔だけど	Like to know what I call it? In the gosh-darn way, that’s what!
だからゴミですよ　ゴミ！	That’s what I’ve been saying—it’s garbage!

The diner is back, and with the same three menu options:
焼肉定食 (yakiniku teishoku ; “yakiniku set meal/special”)
さしみ定食 (sashimi teishoku ; “sashimi set meal/special”)
今日のおすすめ (kyou no osusume ; “today’s recommendation”)

The English keeps mostly the same translations too, with “today’s special” and “barbecue.” Though the “sushi plate” seems to have turned into the “mystery fish set.” To be fair, the original translation’s “sushi” isn’t really the same thing as the Japanese’s “sashimi.” The translators probably only went for “sushi” because that would be more familiar to a Western audience.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
定食屋のオヤジ　らっしゃいませ！　お好きな席へどうぞ	Restaurant Owner Hey there, friend! Grab a seat, any seat that’s open.	「いらっしゃい！　どうぞ、お好きなところへ」	“Welcome! Sit wherever you like!”

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
定食屋のオヤジ　もちろん　魚のさしみだ	Why, it’s a set meal with some fish!	クラウド「そうだな………」　　　焼肉定食　　　さしみ定食　　　今日のおすすめ	Cloud “Hmm…” 　　　Korean B.B.Q. Plate 　　　Sushi Plate 　　　Today’s Special
焼肉定食　お願いします	I’ll…have the barbecue.
『今日のおすすめ』ってなんですか？	Um…what’s “today’s special”?

There’s also a guy who talks about how it’s the don who allows them to eat so well. The Japanese is exactly the same here (except for an added bit at the end), which is pretty cool.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
こうやってメシが食えるのもドンのおかげだよ大将　焼肉定食とルチル焼酎追加で	Got nothing but love for the don. He’s the man putting food on my plate. Hey—lemme get another order of barbecue and a glass of luchile!	「こうやってメシが食えるのも　ドンのおかげだよ」	“It’s thanks to the Don that we can eat like this.”

You can still find the clothing store owner drowning his sorrows in the bar, though his dialogue is different. At least it’s clear now to English speakers that he’s lamenting his situation and not the state of the world in general.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
服屋のオヤジ　”いんすぴれーしょん”が返ってくるまでは　放っておいてくれ	Clothing Store Owner Leave me alone. I’m nothing but a hollow shell of a man without my inspiration.
服屋のオヤジ　ワシは　もうおしまいだあ	Clothing Store Owner Dig a hole and throw me in. I’m already dead.	「ふ～　うまくいかんもんだのう」	“Man, times are bad.”

And of course, there’s the guy desperately waiting for the bathroom. His dialogue has been rewritten except for the 我慢 (gaman ; “endurance/patience/self-control”).

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
待つ男　もう　我慢の限界だ	Man in Line Shit! These are high stakes, man!	「おい、どうにかしてくれよ。　誰かが入ったきり出てこないんだ。　もう、ガマンできないよ」	“Hey, could you do somethin’ for me? Someone’s been in there all day and they’re not comin’ out. I can’t hold it anymore!”
待つ男　おい　早く出てきてくれよ！	Man in Line C’mon, asshole! Hurry the hell up!

And the person having a bad time in the bathroom returns, too.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
患者　うう　気持ち悪い……	Patient I feel like shit.	「う………あんたなに開けてんだよ…… 　見てんじゃねえよ…………」	“HEY…someone’s IN here… Don’t look!”
		「ねえ、あんたなんか薬もってないかい？　はしゃぎ過ぎちゃってさ……う………」	“Got any medicine on you? I’m too hyper…and…ugh.”

Moving on to the gym, there’s some more dialogue straight from the original in Japanese. The English translation keeps the “bro” and “How’s this!?” at least.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
はい　１　２　３！スクワットは　リズムですよ	Find the rhythm, boys! One, two, three… Keep it up! C’mon now!	「はい、１、２、３　スクワットはリズムですよ」	“All right… 1, 2, 3. Squats are all in the rhythm.”
アニキ～　がんばりやすぜ～！	I am doin’ it, bro. I’m doin’ it!	「あにきー！　がんばりやすぜー！」	“I’m doing my best, bro’!”
これでどうだ！	How’s this!? And this?	「これで　どうだー！」	“How’s… this!?”

There’s also a brief reference to Cloud wearing a wig in the original game, with a couple of NPCs talking about wearing a wig to get access to a certain area.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
カツラかぶって客になれば？	Put on a wig. That might work.	エアリス「やっぱり、ちょっと変。　かつら、必要だね」	Aeris “It’s still not right. A wig! That’s what you need!”
その手があったか！	Oh, that’s brilliant!
本気にするなよ	I was joking…

Cloud and Aerith can run into Johnny at the Honeybee Inn. He rambles on about whether or not he should go in, with his first few lines basically taken straight from the original in Japanese. The English translation adds the Shakespearean “That is the question,” which, let’s be honest, is absolutely called for here. In fact, the Japanese use of 文学的 (bungakuteki ; “literary”) may imply that this reference was always intended. (Though that’s just pure speculation.) Speaking of that use of “literary” though, considering the context of the scene, it feels like it’s supposed to mean something more along the lines of “philosophical” as E Remake has here.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
ジョニー　入るべきか　入らざるべきか？　俺ってこんな時　文学的になっちゃうんだよな	Johnny To enter, or not to enter. That is the question. Wherefore does this philosophical quandary torment me!?	ジョニー「ああ……。　入るべきか……　　入らざるべきか？」	Johnny “Man… Should I go….or not?”
		「ああ……俺ってこういうとき　なんか文学的になっちゃう　んだよな。まいるぜ！！」	“…I get so mental at times like this. I’m hopeless!!”

And just as before, there’s a choice of whether to sympathize with Johnny, though his responses are different now because he isn’t aware that Cloud knows Tifa.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
		ジョニー「あ！！　あんたは？」	Johnny “Hey!! Aren’t you?”
ジョニー　わかるか　この感じ？	Johnny You totally get where I’m coming from, right?	「エェ！！　あんたも？」　　　ああ、俺もだ　　　おまえといっしょにするな	“What?? You mean you’re…too?” 　　　Yeah, me too. 　　　Don’t bring me down to your 　　　level.
ジョニーの気持ちがわかる？　わかる　いいや	Agree with Johnny? 　Yeah. 　No.
ジョニー　おお　同類かよ！	Johnny Hah! I knew it!	(1) 「ティファちゃんの幼なじみ　でありながら　あ、新しい彼女を連れて　こんなところへやってくる」	(1) “You’re Tifa’s childhood friend, and you brought a new girlfriend to a place like this!?”
ジョニー　もしかして　楽しいことのあとは　罪悪感やら自己嫌悪で　滅入っちゃうタイプか？	Johnny Lemme guess—after you’ve had your fun, you fall into a spiral of shame and self-loathing.	「なんという人なんだ、　あんたは！！」	“What kind of guy are you!!”
ジョニー　でもそれは一時のことで　すぐにまた——	Johnny But it only lasts a moment, doesn’t it? Next thing you know, you’re right back here again…
ジョニー　なんだ　質問か？	Johnny Huh? Gotta question for me?
クラウド　ティファを見なかったか	Cloud Seen Tifa around?

Also, as usual the English dialogue is so great here. (The Japanese is roughly just, “Wait, Tifa’s here? Why? Why?”)

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ジョニー　ティファ！　愛しいその名を知る　あんたは誰だよ	Johnny Tifa? My love, my light!? Who are you, and how do you know her!?
ジョニー　てか　ティファがここにいるのか　なんで　なんでよ？	Johnny No, shut up. I don’t care! Tifa’s here? Why!? Tell me why!

They head to Don Corneo’s mansion. In Japanese, Aerith reads the Japanese kanji phonetically and realizes it’s Corneo’s name. E Remake writes around this by having her make an educated guess based on the general appearance of the place.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
エアリス　あれ見て	Aerith Check it out!
エアリス　『こ・る・ね・お』　あそこだね	Aerith I think we might’ve found our man…and he’s a gaudy one.

Don Corneo’s lackeys once again prevent them from entering the mansion. The dialogue is rewritten, but the general flow of the scene is the same: telling them that men can’t enter, calling Aerith cute, etc.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	E PSX
レズリー　おい　それ以上近づくな　男に用はない	Leslie Not so fast, buddy. Back it up. Got no need for pretty boys here.
クラウド　人を探している	Cloud We’re looking for someone.
レズリー　おまえ　ウォール・マーケットは　初めてか	Leslie Lemme guess. First time in Wall Market.	「ここは、ウォールマーケットの　大物、ドン・コルネオ様の　お屋敷だ」	“This is Don Corneo’s mansion. He’s a big shot here in Wall Market.”
クラウド　だったら　なんだ	Cloud Yeah, so?
レズリー　屋敷は立ち入り禁止だ　とくに男はな	Leslie So people can’t just walk through the don’s front door. Especially men.	「いいか、ドンは男には　興味ないんだ。　さっさとどっかへ行ってくれ」	“Listen, the Don’s not interested in men. So just get the hell outta here.”
エアリス　はいはい　じゃあ　わたし	Aerith How ’bout me, then? Can I go inside?
レズリー　女の場合は　もっと面倒だ	Leslie Maybe, but you’re gonna wish you didn’t.
コルネオの手下　でも　レズリーさん　なかなか可愛いっすよ	Corneo Lackey Y’know, Leslie, she’s kinda cute. Homely, but cute.	「ああっ、よく見たら　きれいな姉ちゃんも　いっしょ！」	“Hey, and you got another cute one with you!”
エアリス　なかなか？	Aerith Excuse you?
レズリー　なかなか程度じゃ　難しい	Leslie “Kinda cute” is not gonna cut it.
エアリス　どうにか　ならない？	Aerith Come on, can’t you help us out?
レズリー　ここがどういう場所なのか　知ってるのか	Leslie Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?	クラウド「ここは……その…… 　……わかるだろ？」	Cloud “You DO know…what kind of…place this is, don’t you?”
クラウド　エアリス	Cloud Aerith.
コルネオの手下　レズリーさん　やっぱり可愛いっすよ　スタイルはともかく	Corneo Lackey Seriously, Les, she’s not half bad! With a little work, I bet she’d clean up real nice.
エアリス　クラウド　わたし　暴れていいかな	Aerith Cloud…requesting permission to kill.

Cloud is hesitant about letting Aerith go in there, but they can’t think of any other options right now. This is the point in the original where Aerith suggests that Cloud dress up, but we won’t get to that until later in Remake.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　エアリス　本気なのか？	Cloud Aerith. You sure about this?
エアリス　他に　方法ある？	Aerith If you’ve got any better ideas…	エアリス「じゃあ、どうする？　あなたもはいる？」	Aeris “Then what am I supposed to do? You want to go in with me?”
クラウド　でも……	Cloud Not really.	クラウド「かといってエアリスに　いかせるわけには…… 　いや、しかし……」	Cloud “But, I just can’t let you go in alone… Oh, man…”

Incidentally, there’s a good translation of one of Johnny’s lines as he dashes away, determined to help Tifa somehow. The Japanese is roughly just “Wait (for me), Tifa!” This sort of expression seems to come up a lot in games and anime, and while something like “Just you wait!” is serviceable in English, there are so many other ways it can be rendered depending on the context. For instance, here, the main gist is that he’s declaring that he’s going to save Tifa, so E Remake focuses on that instead and changes it to “Help is on the way!”

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ジョニー　いいか　ティファを助け出すのは　俺だ	Johnny Meaning! I now know what I must do to save her!
ジョニー　よおおおおし　待ってろ　ティファああ！	Johnny Stay strong, Tifa! Help is on the way!
ジョニー　いま行くからなああ	Johnny Johnny’s comin’, baby!

Cloud and Aerith travel around Wall Market trying to get a recommendation so that Aerith can enter Corneo’s mansion. Eventually, they come to the Honeybee Inn, where Cloud again declares that he’s going in alone. Unlike in the original though, this time Aerith insists on going with him, using the excuse that Cloud isn’t much of a people person.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	English Original
クラウド　ここか	Cloud This the place?
エアリス　だね	Aerith Think so.
クラウド　俺が話してくる　エアリスはここで待て	Cloud Lemme handle this. You wait out here, okay?	クラウド「ここに女装に必要な　なにかがある。　俺にはわかるんだ」	Cloud “Looks like I need to go inside to complete my disguise.”
エアリス　どうして　わたしも行くよ	Aerith And why would I do that? No, I’m coming with.	エアリス「…………ふ～～～～ん。　そうやって、ごまかしますか」	Aeris “…Hmmmm. Sure, good excuse…”
クラウド　でも	Cloud I’m not really sure that—
エアリス　だってクラウド　交渉できないでしょ？	Aerith You’re a man of many talents, but “talking” isn’t one of them.

Finally, they go to see Madam M, who starts out with a polite facade that quickly crumbles when she realizes that Cloud and Aerith aren’t paying customers. This is reflected in Japanese with her starting out in keigo, an ultra polite way of speaking, and then quickly descending into casual verb conjugations. English may not have rigid levels of politeness like that, but we do use different vocabulary and tones when speaking respectfully, and the translation does a fantastic job of showing Madam M’s two different attitudes that way.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
マム　そんなお客様の疲れを　もみもみと	Madam M It is our pleasure to relieve our patrons of that tension.
マム　手と手の濃厚なスキンシップで　解消させていただきます	Madam M And what better way to seek relief than through the skilled ministrations of a professional?
マム　というわけで　本日は　どういった　揉みにいたしましょう	Madam M So now that we understand each other, what manner of massage do you desire?
クラウド　俺たちは　客じゃない	Cloud We’re not customers.
マム　と言いますと？	Madam M Then you are…?
エアリス　わたしを　コルネオさんの　オーディションに推薦してもらいたくて	Aerith Hoping you can help us get an invite to an audition with Don C—
マム　待った待った　ちょっと黙りな　勝手に口開くんじゃないよ！	Madam M Oh for the love of— Say another word and I’ll shove this fan right down your throat!

Madam M sends them on to the colosseum to win enough money to pay for Aerith’s dress. This section is entirely new, but I just wanted to note that Kotch and Scotch’s names are actually a bit of a pun in Japanese. こっち (kocchi) and そっち (socchi) mean “this person/way” and “that person/way” respectively. E Remake opts to stick with their established English names, but in any case does an amazing job with their dialogue. They really do sound like tournament announcers.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
ソッチ　眠らない都市ミッドガル	Scotch In the city that never sleeps!
コッチ　中でもひときわ輝く綺羅星　ウォール・マーケット	Kotch In the paradise of debauchery and sin—of pain and pleasure!
ソッチ　あなたの欲望を受け入れ叶える街　ウォール・マーケット	Scotch Where your every desire can be indulged for the right price—Wall Market!
コッチ　あまたの誘惑に目移りすることなく　集いし皆様	Kotch To you esteemed connoisseurs of chaos and bloodshed—
コッチ　ようこそ　お越しいただきました	Kotch we bid you the warmest of welcomes!
ソッチ　ご安心ください	Scotch Are you sitting comfortably?
ソッチ　今宵　世界で最も熱い場所は　ウォール・マーケットのまさに今　ここ！	Scotch For tonight, the most gruesome spectacle anywhere in Wall Market or beyond shall be yours to witness!
ソッチ　地下闘技場で間違いありません	Scotch Here in the Corneo Colosseum!
コッチ　優勝賞金は　なんと１００万ギル　ルールはたったひとつ　相手を叩きのめす！	Kotch Tonight’s grand prize is no less than one million gil! And there is only one way to get it: brutalize your opponent!
ソッチ　完膚なきまでに	Scotch Thoroughly and utterly!
コッチ　ぶちのめす	Kotch Viciously!
ソッチ　ようしゃなく	Scotch Without mercy!
コッチ　血ヘドを吐かせ	Kotch Until they vomit blood!
ソッチ　なめさせた者だけが	Scotch Only the most ruthless fighters—
コッチ　最後まで立っていた者だけが	Kotch The savages still standing here at the end—
ソッチ　賞金と名誉を得るのです	Scotch Shall claim the gil and the glory!

Cloud and Aerith fight their way through the tournament, and just when it seems like they’ve won, it turns out they have to fight an extra round. Madam M is…frustrated by this. In Japanese she gets a bunch of bleeped out dialogue, but in English she gets to swear outright, in a rare case of reverse “censorship.” As an aside, this isn’t the only example of this in J-E translation: Kaine from Nier Replicant/Gestalt is also bleeped out in Japanese while getting to be fully foul-mouthed in English. For more information, see this interview about Nier’s translation.

Japanese Remake	English Remake
エアリス　話　ちがう	Aerith Hey! That wasn’t the deal!
マム　それはあたしが言いたいよ！	Madam M Don’t you think I know that!?
マム　ごうつくばりめ　くそ———！———！———！	Madam M You greedy bastard! Scum-sucking piece of shit festering asshole!
マム　でも　しかたないのさ　この街では　コルネオがルールだからね	Madam M But that’s the way it is. Corneo’s the one who makes the rules around here.

For the final fight, the Hell House makes a dramatic return from the original, getting an expanded boss battle.

After the tournament, Madam M helps Aerith get changed into her dress, and in the meantime Cloud is sent off to do sidequests.

Japanese Remake	English Remake	Japanese Original	E PC
マム　服だけじゃないさ　その素人くさい化粧と髪も　ガッツリ手を入れるからね	Madam M The dress is part of it, sure…but we’ll also need to do something about that plain-Jane makeup and hairdo. This is gonna take some work.
エアリス　わお！	Aerith Ouch!
エアリス　じゃあ　クラウド　あとでね	Aerith Well, I’ll see you later, Cloud!
マム　のぞくんじゃないよ	Madam M Peek and I’ll poke out your eyes.	エアリス「……のぞいちゃダメよ」	Aeris “…No peeking!”