Summary
- The Turks in FF7 Rebirth stand out with creative appearances and moments, adding additional charm to the story.
- The final FF7 Remake game needs to address and conclude the Turks' arc after the Sector 7 collapse.
- Absolving the Turks completely would be unrealistic, but exploring their narrative further, especially Elena's role, could be critical.
problem of overuse isn’t exclusive to Chadley, however, and even more engaging characters do sometimes wear out their welcome by the time the credits roll.
A few characters that don’t wear out their welcome can be found in the Turks, a Shinra branch who tend to pop in the field a lot more often than the office workers do. Unlike the many new or significantly expanded FF7 Rebirth side roles, the Turks follow a similar model in the original game, recurring throughout the story in a lightly antagonistic role. Although they’re responsible for the plate collapse on Sector 7, they become much less serious villains in the later parts of the story, moving closer to a sense of almost friendly rivalry.
FF7 Rebirth Sets Up A Huge Change To A Classic Location & One Character Benefits The Most
The final game of the FF7 remake trilogy is going to treat one area very differently, which is good news for fans of the associated character.
The Turks Stand Out In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Shinra's Strangest Division Is Consistently Memorable
The biggest thing that sets the Turks apart from other FF7 Rebirth characters is that their appearances always feel more inspired than obligatory, with plenty of creative ideas and moments following their path throughout. Some of these moments are purely comical, like Rude’s appearance at an exclusively bald bar in Junon. Others hint at their capacity for emotion that they aren’t supposed to betray in their roles under Shinra, especially when it comes to Elena and the way her ion for her work seems to struggle against a lack of certainty that the Turks are in the right.
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The Turks end up even feeling like the highlight in some major story sequences, like the Temple of Ancients that serves as the capstone dungeon for the game. FF7 Rebirth’s take on the location loses some of the mysticism of the original, but the involvement of the Turks offers its own charms. Elena gets to wield a bedazzled gun that might be the most memorable weapon in the game, and Rude and Reno get a fun interaction that stands out after Reno’s absence for most of the story.
The general lack of Reno in FF7 Rebirth is the result of his Japanese voice actor ing away, an unfortunate tragedy that occurred early in development.
All of that being said, there’s still a key element of the Turks that’s sitting on the sidelines, and that’s the incredible weight of their sin in having collapsed the Sector 7 plate. Elena wasn’t directly involved in this event, but Rude and Reno were, and it’s hard to believe that any of their charms would lead to someone like Barret ever coming close to forgiving them. The original game also shied away from ever completely reckoning with this contrast, even if it didn't work quite as hard at bringing out the lovable side of the Turks.
FF7 Rebirth's Sequel Needs To Reckon With The Turks
The Turks Can't Be Comic Relief Forever
The Turks ultimately bring enough to the table in FF7 Rebirth to make this approach forgivable, especially when there are plenty of other tonal shifts and lighthearted treatments of heavy narrative elements. When it comes time for the next game, however, finding a meaningful way to address and conclude the arc of the Turks will become a necessary part of bringing the timeless story home in general. The final title in the trilogy obviously has a lot of ground to cover and plenty of characters to highlight, but putting the focus on the Turks could be especially critical.
The remake trilogy has already sown some seeds that show the Turks' discomfort with having dropped the Sector 7 plate, particularly in an FF7 Remake scene where they directly reflect on the incident. For now, however, these concerns definitely seem to be on the back-burner for Rude and Reno, as the professional commitment to doing whatever Shinra asks continues to override any moral qualms.
What The Future Of The Turks Could Look Like
FF7 Rebirth's Sequel Doesn't Have To Stick To The Script
Attempting to completely absolve the Turks in the next FF7 remake game would end up being a bridge too far, as the extent of Rude and Reno's crimes shouldn't be ignored. Short of complete redemption, however, there are myriad possible avenues to take with the group. Elena's increased spotlight in FF7 Rebirth positions her as an interesting narrative tool to explore any potential breaking point for the Turks, and the expected return of Reno in a more substantial role after a new actor is cast brings just as many opportunities with it.
Another Turk-related figure in FF7 Rebirth is Cissnei, a character introduced in Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7 whose story could be explored further in the next title.
For the time being, FF7 Rebirth does take the interesting approach of having a moment of reconciliation between Aerith and Tseng, the leader of the Turks, who tends to be less involved in their antics than the other . Aerith has a personal history with the Turks, and although there are hints that Tseng did try to protect Aerith in some regards, the organization played a horrible role in her past. The details of the scene make for a pretty significant spoiler, but it showcases a more human side of Tseng and Aerith's personal capacity for forgiveness.
There's One Important FF7 Rebirth Character Moment That's Easy To Miss
Although most crucial moments for character arcs appear in the main story in FF7 Rebirth, one that's essential is found within optional content.
In any scenario, it's time for the story to take a turn from using the Turks for their memorable random appearances, and hash out an ultimate purpose for their place in FF7. It seems likely that there will be an ultimate confrontation involving them and Cloud's party that's bigger than any showdown between the two groups in the original game, as various fights throughout FF7 Remake and Rebirth build up a significant rivalry on the battlefield. Just where the Turks will end up falling in the greater conflicts involving Shinra and Sephiroth remains to be seen, but Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth makes it hard not to wonder.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Released
- February 29, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- PC Release Date
- January 23, 2025
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the sequel to Final Fantasy 7 Remake and will see Cloud and his friends set off beyond the walls of Midgar to explore the world, stop Sephiroth's machinations, and see the world outside their slum prison. Now that the whispers of fate no longer guide the characters along the pre-destined path set in the original PlayStation classic Final Fantasy 7, the heroes (and villains) will shape the future. The game will still visit prominent locales and revisit crucial story points, but it will be a more significant departure from the first game from the source material.
- Platform(s)
- PC
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