If you’ve been following the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, you’ve likely found yourself confused by the complex web of different worlds, timelines, and realities that the games have introduced. Terms like “Beagle world,” “Terrier world,” “world merging,” and “confluence of worlds” get thrown around in discussions, but what do they actually mean? How do these different worlds work? And why does any of it matter to the story?
The original 1997 Final Fantasy VII had none of this complexity – there was one world, one timeline, and one story. But Remake and Rebirth have fundamentally changed that. Now, the planet exists as what Sephiroth describes as “a multitude of worlds, ever unfolding,” and understanding how these worlds function is crucial to understanding where the story is heading.
This article aims to provide a comprehensive explanation of the different worlds concept in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth. We’ll explore how these worlds are created, how they’re connected, what evidence we have that they’re merging, and what Sephiroth’s plan actually involves. By the end, you should have a solid grasp of one of the most confusing aspects of the Remake trilogy’s story.
A few notes before we begin:
- This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Final Fantasy VII Remake, Rebirth, and the original 1997 game
- This article focuses on information from Remake and Rebirth, avoiding spoilers from other Compilation titles where possible
- Some analysis is speculative, as we won’t have complete answers until Part 3 releases
- This article builds upon concepts explored in my previous article about the “Shattered Planet Theory”
Now, let’s dive in…
The Nature of Multiple Worlds
The Planet’s True Nature
In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Sephiroth reveals a fundamental truth about the world that changes everything we thought we knew:
“The planet encompasses a multitude of worlds, ever unfolding.”
This isn’t just poetic language – it’s a literal description of how reality works in the Remake trilogy. The planet doesn’t exist as a single, fixed timeline. Instead, it’s a constantly shifting system of multiple worlds being created and destroyed through the Lifestream’s spiritual energy.
How Worlds Are Created
Worlds come into existence through two primary mechanisms:
1. Divergence from Fate
When someone makes a choice that defies the planet’s intended path – its “Fate” – a new world can be born. As Sephiroth says:
“When the boundaries of Fate are breached, new worlds are born.”
However, there’s an important timing detail here. New worlds couldn’t fully manifest while the Whispers still existed. The Whispers served as Fate’s enforcers, working to prevent divergences from becoming permanent realities.
We see this during Zack’s last stand in the Remake ending. Whispers surrounded him, seemingly trying to preserve his destined death. Only after Cloud’s party defeated the Whisper Harbinger at the Singularity was that restriction lifted. With Fate’s barriers finally broken, Zack’s survival became real – a successful divergence that created a new branch of reality.
Once the Whispers fell, the planet’s true nature was revealed. It entered a state of perpetual “unfolding,” continuously generating and dissolving realities through the Lifestream’s spiritual energy.
2. Dreams and Desires
The second way worlds can be created is even more fascinating: the Lifestream can manifest worlds from the hopes, dreams, and desires buried in people’s hearts.
The Lifestream isn’t just a flow of energy – it’s a living network made of consciousness itself. It contains every memory, feeling, and dream ever experienced by anyone who has lived. Once the boundaries of Fate were broken, the planet’s ability to generate worlds was no longer limited to physical divergences. It could now draw from thoughts and emotions as well.
Aerith’s “dream date” in Rebirth may be an example of this. Rather than being a literal alternate timeline, it appears to be a world manifested from within the Lifestream, shaped by her longing for connection and peace with Cloud. The planet, now unrestrained, materialized her emotional energy into tangible form.
These emotionally-created worlds blur the line between what’s real and what’s imagined, showing that the Lifestream can transform subjective experiences into objective existence.
Types of Worlds
Based on what we’ve seen in Remake and Rebirth, we can identify different worlds:
The Main World (Beagle Timeline)
This is the primary reality where Cloud’s journey takes place – the world we follow throughout most of Remake and Rebirth. It’s called the “Beagle” timeline by fans because Stamp, the mascot dog, appears as a beagle. This is the world where Zack died as originally destined, where Aerith falls into the Lifestream at the Forgotten Capital, and where the party continues their journey to stop Sephiroth.
Other Worlds: Born From Desires and Possibilities
When discussing the different worlds in Remake and Rebirth, it’s common to categorize them as either “divergent worlds” (like the Terrier timeline where Zack survived) or “dream worlds” (like Aerith’s dream date). However, I believe this distinction may not actually matter.
If the planet is constantly “unfolding” and creating worlds from the Lifestream’s spiritual energy – and the Lifestream contains ALL consciousness including memories, emotions, choices, AND unrealized desires – then all these worlds are fundamentally the same thing: worlds born from possibilities. Worlds of “what could’ve been.”
Whether that possibility comes from:
- An actual divergence in outcome (Zack surviving his last stand instead of dying)
- A desire never realized (Aerith’s longing for a peaceful date with Cloud)
- A hope buried in someone’s heart
- An alternate decision that was considered but not taken
…doesn’t change what these worlds ARE at their core. They’re all manifestations of the Lifestream’s energy, all expressions of possibility, all equally real in their own way. The Terrier world where Zack survived isn’t more “real” or “legitimate” than Aerith’s dream date world – they’re both worlds that the planet materialized from its spiritual consciousness.
The most prominent example is the “Terrier” world where Zack survived his last stand. In this world, Stamp appears as a terrier breed rather than a beagle – a visual shorthand to help players identify which world they’re viewing. We also see other worlds in the game with different versions of Stamp, confirming that multiple alternate realities exist beyond just the main Beagle world and the Terrier world.
Why do all these worlds exist? That’s where this theory comes in: they’re all born from desires, choices, and possibilities – different expressions of “what could’ve been” materialized by the Lifestream’s spiritual energy.
Dying Worlds
We see evidence of worlds in the process of dissolution. In some worlds, there are rifts or fractures visible in the skies, and people speak of the end of the world coming. Whether these are signs that the Lifestream is reclaiming these worlds, we don’t know for certain.
However, Sephiroth himself describes this cycle:
“When the boundaries of Fate are breached, new worlds are born. The planet encompasses a multitude of worlds, ever unfolding. Some quickly perish, while others endure. Yet even the most resilient worlds are doomed to fade. Nevertheless, their loss is not to be mourned, for it is not death but a homecoming that awaits them. In the planet’s embrace, all life is as one.”
From this, we can understand that dying worlds aren’t simply destroyed – they return to the Lifestream, absorbed back into the planet’s spiritual energy. The cycle isn’t just about creation; destruction and reabsorption are equally constant.
The Constant Cycle
The phrase “ever unfolding” in Sephiroth’s description is crucial. It suggests that this process is continuous and ongoing. New worlds are constantly being born while others are destroyed, all powered by the Lifestream’s spiritual energy. The planet exists in a state of perpetual creation and dissolution.
This has profound implications: if these worlds are made from the Lifestream’s energy, then their eventual unification would mean that same energy being reclaimed – potentially erasing everything those divergences produced.
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The Lifestream as the Connecting Thread
The Lifestream: More Than Just Energy
To understand how different worlds relate to each other, we must first understand what the Lifestream actually is.
The Lifestream isn’t simply a flow of energy or a natural resource to be harvested (as Shinra does with Mako). It’s a living network of consciousness – a spiritual reservoir containing every memory, emotion, thought, dream, and experience of everyone who has ever lived. When people die, their consciousness returns to the Lifestream, adding to this collective repository of existence.
As described in the original Final Fantasy VII, the Lifestream is both a stream and a reservoir. It flows through the planet, but it also accumulates – storing all the accumulated knowledge, hopes, and dreams of all life. This dual nature becomes crucial when we consider multiple worlds.
The Universal Connection
Here’s the critical insight: the Lifestream connects all worlds.
Since all worlds are created from and sustained by the Lifestream’s spiritual energy, they’re not truly separate realities existing in isolation. They’re more like branches of the same tree, all drawing from and connected through the same root system. The Lifestream flows through every world, carrying consciousness and memories across the boundaries between them.
This connection explains several phenomena we observe in Remake and Rebirth:
Cross-World Awareness
Cloud’s Visions of Other Worlds
Throughout Rebirth, Cloud experiences visions and perceptions that don’t match the reality around him. He sees glimpses of other worlds – realities where different outcomes have occurred. This isn’t random hallucination; it’s his consciousness traveling through the Lifestream’s connections between worlds.
The most significant example occurs near the end of Rebirth. Cloud can perceive Zack and Aerith in another world, even interact with them, because the Lifestream allows consciousness to bridge between realities.
Aerith’s Knowledge
Aerith demonstrates knowledge of events she hasn’t experienced yet in her own world. As a Cetra with a deep connection to the Lifestream, she can sense information flowing through it – including memories and knowledge from other versions of herself in other worlds.
This doesn’t mean Aerith is consciously aware of “other Aeriths” as separate individuals. Rather, the Lifestream carries echoes of experiences across worlds, and her Cetra sensitivity allows her to perceive these echoes as vague foreknowledge or intuition.
Sephiroth’s Omnipresence
Sephiroth’s awareness extends across all worlds simultaneously. After falling into the Lifestream and being saturated with Mako energy, he gained an unprecedented connection to the planet’s spiritual network. This allows him to perceive and influence events across multiple realities.
Whether Sephiroth exists as one unified consciousness experiencing all worlds at once, or as multiple versions sharing the same mind, the result is the same: he operates as if he exists both within and beyond individual worlds, using the Lifestream as the medium for his influence.
The Lifestream as a Highway Between Worlds
Think of the Lifestream as a highway system connecting different cities (worlds). While each world exists as its own distinct reality, the Lifestream provides pathways between them:
- Consciousness can travel through these pathways, allowing beings like Cloud to perceive other worlds
- Information flows through the network, letting Cetra like Aerith sense knowledge from other realities
- Spiritual energy moves between worlds, as we see when worlds are born or die
- Physical transfer is possible for those with sufficient power or knowledge, as demonstrated by certain characters moving between worlds
This connection through the Lifestream is why the worlds aren’t truly independent. They exist in a state of constant potential interaction, always capable of affecting one another through the spiritual network that binds them together.
Why This Matters
Understanding that the Lifestream connects all worlds is essential to understanding what “world merging” actually means. If worlds were completely separate realities with no connection, merging them would be impossible. But because they’re all sustained by and connected through the same Lifestream, they can be drawn together – unified back into a single reality through the very spiritual network that created them in the first place.
This is the foundation for everything that follows: Sephiroth’s plan, Aerith’s abilities, and the very real possibility that all these divergent worlds could collapse back into one.
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Evidence That Worlds Are Merging
The Central Question
Now that we understand what these worlds are and how they’re connected through the Lifestream, we come to a crucial question: Are these worlds actually merging? Or is this just speculation based on vague clues?
The answer is: Yes, we have concrete evidence that worlds are merging.
Let’s examine the three key pieces of evidence that confirm this phenomenon is actually occurring.
Evidence #1: Cloud Witnesses Two Worlds Merging in the Lifestream Portal
The most direct evidence comes from a moment where Cloud directly witnesses the merging process happening. Through a portal into the Lifestream, he sees two worlds colliding and combining – and the experience is horrific.
What accompanies this merging? Screams. Violence. Suffering.
This isn’t a peaceful unification. When worlds merge, the process is violent and traumatic. What exactly happens to the consciousness, lives, and memories within those worlds during the merge – whether they’re erased, transformed, or something else – we don’t know. But what’s clear is that the process itself causes immense anguish.
This confirms that merging is not theoretical – it’s actively happening, and the process is painful and violent.
Evidence #2: Sephiroth Reborn Attempted to Merge Fragmented Space-Time
During the battle with Sephiroth Reborn, he didn’t just fight the party – he actively attempted to merge the fragmented space-time around them. This isn’t background lore or implied threat; it’s a direct, observable action Sephiroth tried to take during the encounter.
Sephiroth Reborn represents a version of Sephiroth that had already absorbed significant power and tried to use that power to pull worlds together. His actions during this fight demonstrate that he has the ability to manipulate the mechanisms that separate realities.
The party defeated Sephiroth Reborn, stopping this particular attempt. However, this encounter confirms that Sephiroth has both the intention and capability to merge worlds.
Evidence #3: Zack and Cloud Fighting Together
One of the most significant moments in Rebirth occurs when Zack and Cloud – who exist in different worlds – fight together in the same space. This shouldn’t be possible under normal circumstances. They exist in separate realities (Cloud in the Beagle world, Zack in the Shiba Inu world), yet they’re able to interact and fight side by side.
How does this happen? Aerith brings them together through the Lifestream.
Using her Cetra abilities and control over the Lifestream, Aerith facilitates this cross-world connection, allowing the two warriors to unite and fight Sephiroth together at the Edge of Creation. However, after their battle, Sephiroth separates them. As he says, “Just as worlds unite, so too do they part.” He sends Zack to a different world – specifically, a dying world where the church in Sector 5 exists with Meteor looming overhead, close to destruction.
Whether Sephiroth created this separate world or simply sent Zack there is unclear. What matters is that he demonstrates he can also do what Aerith does: send people from one world to another through the Lifestream.
This event proves several things:
- Worlds can be connected and unified through the Lifestream
- Physical beings from different worlds can interact when properly facilitated
- Both Aerith and Sephiroth have the power to control these connections
- The boundaries between worlds are permeable and can be manipulated
What Is NOT Evidence of Merging
It’s important to clarify what we observe that isn’t actually evidence of worlds merging:
Aerith Sensing Zack – Aerith’s ability to sense Zack’s presence (such as when they’re on the boat with the Gi) is her Cetra sensitivity working through the Lifestream. Since all worlds are connected via the Lifestream, she can feel presences across worlds. This is about her special abilities, not worlds merging.
The Kalm Radio Broadcast – When Cloud hears the radio broadcast that mentions a tornado hitting Midgar, (which matches events from Zack’s world), this appears to be Cloud’s unique perception. Similar to how only he sees the rift in the sky at the ending. Cloud may be the only one hearing this broadcast from another world while everyone else hears normal news. This is Cloud perceiving across worlds, not worlds merging.
The Rift in the Sky – At the ending of Rebirth, Cloud sees a rift or crack in the sky that none of his companions can perceive. This is similar to the radio broadcast phenomenon – Cloud’s unique perception allowing him to see across world boundaries. Whether this is due to his damaged psyche, his connections to Jenova and Sephiroth, or some other factor, we don’t know for certain. What’s clear is that Cloud can perceive things from other realities that others cannot see. This is evidence of Cloud’s cross-world perception, not evidence of worlds merging.
Two Stamps in Junon – This was a developer error that was patched out in Version 1.030.
What World Merging Actually Involves
From the confirmed evidence, we can understand what the merging process looks like:
It’s violent and painful. The screams and suffering Cloud witnesses show that merging causes immense trauma – not just to individuals but to the planet itself.
It appears to be a natural process that can also be controlled. Sephiroth’s own words suggest that worlds naturally fade and return to the planet as part of the cycle: “Some quickly perish, while others endure. Yet even the most resilient worlds are doomed to fade… it is not death but a homecoming that awaits them.” However, Sephiroth Reborn demonstrates that this process can also be deliberately forced and accelerated by someone with power over the Lifestream.
It can be facilitated or prevented. Both Aerith and Sephiroth can manipulate the boundaries between worlds, either bringing them together or keeping them separate.
It’s already happening. These aren’t warnings about a future threat – the merging process is currently underway during the events of Rebirth.
The Implications
If worlds are already merging during Rebirth, this means Sephiroth’s plan is in motion. The process has begun. The question for Part 3 isn’t “will worlds merge?” but rather “can the merging be stopped, reversed, or will all realities collapse into Sephiroth’s desired unified world?”
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The Mechanics of World Merging
The Lifestream: The Medium of Merging
Now that we’ve established that worlds are actually merging, the next question is: How does it work?
The answer lies in what we’ve already discussed: the Lifestream.
Remember that all worlds are created from and sustained by the Lifestream’s spiritual energy. They’re not separate, isolated realities – they’re all branches of the same tree, all drawing from the same root system. The Lifestream flows through every world, connecting them through a shared network of consciousness and spiritual energy.
If the Lifestream is what creates and connects all worlds, then it follows that the Lifestream is also the mechanism through which worlds can merge. Just as it can generate new worlds by materializing spiritual energy into reality, it can also reclaim that energy, dissolving worlds back into itself and unifying separate realities into one.
Think of it this way: if worlds are like ice cubes floating in water, the Lifestream is the water itself. The ice cubes are solid and distinct, but they’re all made of the same substance. When they melt back into the water, they merge seamlessly because they were never truly separate – just temporarily solidified forms of the same thing.
Aerith’s Control Over the Lifestream
As a Cetra – one of the ancient people who could communicate with the planet – Aerith has a deep connection to and influence over the Lifestream. This connection becomes even more significant when we consider “Omni-Aerith” – the Aerith who exists within the Lifestream itself.
This Omni-Aerith can choose to intervene in the events of different worlds. She can take control of the various Aeriths that exist across these realities in certain situations, as we see at the Temple of the Ancients when she confronts Sephiroth directly. Many believe the Aerith in the Dream Date is Omni-Aerith herself, not just the living Aerith from the main world.
What can Aerith do with this power?
- Guide people between worlds – We see this when she brings Zack and Cloud together, facilitating their meeting across different realities.
- Facilitate connections and unions – She can create bridges through the Lifestream, allowing interaction between worlds that would normally remain separate.
- Sense across worlds – Her Cetra sensitivity allows her to perceive presences and events in other realities through the Lifestream’s network.
Aerith’s power over the Lifestream appears to be focused on connection and preservation – bringing things together, maintaining links between worlds, and protecting what exists within the spiritual network.
Sephiroth’s Control Over the Lifestream
Sephiroth also possesses power over the Lifestream, but his control stems from a different source and serves a different purpose.
After falling into the Lifestream, and being saturated with Mako energy, Sephiroth gained an unprecedented connection to the planet’s spiritual network. But his power was amplified even further when he absorbed the Whispers at the end of Remake. The Whispers were the arbiters of Fate – entities that enforced the planet’s intended destiny. By absorbing them, Sephiroth didn’t just gain their power; he gained control over the mechanisms of Fate itself.
What can Sephiroth do with this power?
- Manipulate Lifestream connections – He can control how worlds interact through the spiritual network.
- Separate worlds and send people to specific worlds – We see this when he separates Zack and Cloud after their fight, sending Zack to the dying church world.
- Push people out of worlds into voids – He can trap people in isolated spaces, cutting them off from the Lifestream’s connections.
- Create or manipulate worlds – Though the extent of this ability is unclear, he demonstrates power over the creation and structure of realities.
- Force worlds to merge – As Sephiroth Reborn, he tried to merge fragmented space-time, demonstrating that he can accelerate or control the merging process.
Sephiroth’s power over the Lifestream appears to be focused on control and unification – forcing worlds together, isolating individuals, and manipulating the boundaries between realities to serve his ultimate plan.
The Push and Pull
What we’re witnessing in Rebirth is essentially a conflict between two opposing forces, both wielding power over the same medium:
- Aerith uses the Lifestream to connect and preserve – bringing Zack and Cloud together, maintaining the separation between worlds, protecting what exists.
- Sephiroth uses the Lifestream to isolate and merge – separating people, forcing worlds to combine, pursuing his vision of unified reality under his control.
Both are manipulating the same spiritual network, but with opposite goals. Aerith works to maintain the distinctions between worlds while facilitating helpful connections. Sephiroth works to erase those distinctions entirely, collapsing all realities into one.
Why This Matters
Understanding that the Lifestream is the mechanism of world merging – and that both Aerith and Sephiroth can control it – is crucial to understanding the stakes of the story.
The battle isn’t just about stopping Sephiroth from doing something in the future. It’s about controlling the Lifestream right now, in the present. Every time Aerith facilitates a connection or Sephiroth forces a merge, they’re actively shaping reality through the planet’s spiritual network.
The question for Part 3 isn’t just “will Sephiroth succeed?” but also “can Aerith’s control over the Lifestream counter Sephiroth’s, or will his power prove overwhelming?”
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Sephiroth’s Plan
“Worlds Unbound by Fate and Histories Unwritten”
At the Temple of the Ancients, Sephiroth reveals his plan to claim his birthright, declaring that it shall encompass “worlds unbound by fate and histories unwritten.” He states that he plans to reunite not only the fragmented pieces of Jenova, but the “errant worlds” as well.
At first glance, this might sound like he’s advocating for freedom – liberating worlds from predetermined destinies and allowing new possibilities to emerge.
But this interpretation misses the crucial context of what Sephiroth has actually done and what he’s working toward.
The True Meaning
When Sephiroth says his plan shall “encompass worlds unbound by fate and histories unwritten,” he’s describing the current state of these multiple worlds and what he intends to do with them.
“Worlds unbound by fate” – This describes what these worlds already ARE. After the party defeated the Whisper Harbinger at the end of Remake, the Whispers – the arbiters who enforced the planet’s predetermined destiny – were destroyed. All these divergent worlds that now exist are “unbound” because there’s no longer a Fate enforcing a single predetermined path. They’re free-floating, uncontrolled realities.
But Sephiroth’s plan is to “encompass” these worlds – to gather them, merge them, and unify them into ONE single world. And in that unified reality, there won’t be freedom or multiple possibilities. Instead, HE will control Fate.
“Histories unwritten” – Once all worlds merge into one, all those divergent histories – all the different outcomes and possibilities that existed across multiple realities – will be erased. There will be only one unified present with one future – the future Sephiroth will write. No alternatives. No other possibilities. Just his singular vision made manifest.
So Sephiroth’s declaration means: “My plan will bring together all these currently-free worlds and consolidate them into one reality where I alone control destiny.”
After defeating the Whisper Harbinger and absorbing their power, Sephiroth didn’t free the worlds from Fate. He took control of Fate’s mechanisms for himself. Now he seeks to use that control to merge all “errant worlds” – all the divergent realities that shouldn’t exist according to his design – into one reality under his absolute dominion.
Why Sephiroth Wants This
Sephiroth’s plan to merge all worlds serves multiple purposes:
1. Absolute Control
In a multiverse where countless worlds exist with countless different outcomes, Sephiroth can never achieve total victory. There will always be a world where Cloud defeats him, where Aerith survives, where his plans fail. Alternative realities mean alternative possibilities – and alternatives are threats to absolute power.
But in a single unified world? There are no alternatives. No other timelines where things turn out differently. No parallel versions of events that could undermine his control. Just one reality, shaped according to his will, with no possibility of escape or resistance from another world.
2. The Power of Suffering
The merging process itself generates immense suffering. We see this directly when Cloud witnesses worlds colliding – the screams, the violence, the agony of consciousness being torn apart or transformed. This isn’t just an unfortunate side effect; it may be part of the appeal for Sephiroth.
Sephiroth has always drawn power from negative emotions and energy. In the original Final Fantasy VII, his plan involved wounding the planet with Meteor so the Lifestream would gather to heal the wound, which he would then absorb to become a god. The suffering and death caused by Meteor was essential to his plan – it was the injury that would make the planet vulnerable.
Similarly, the suffering caused by merging worlds may empower Sephiroth. Every world that dissolves, every consciousness that experiences that dissolution, every scream that reverberates through the Lifestream – all of it feeds negative energy into the spiritual network that Sephiroth has learned to tap into and control.
The merging process isn’t just a means to an end. The pain it causes may be a benefit in itself, strengthening Sephiroth as he works toward his ultimate goal.
3. Eliminating the White Materia
There’s another strategic reason for Sephiroth to merge and destroy worlds: eliminating all versions of Aerith and all versions of the White Materia before they can reach the unified reality.
In the original game, Aerith prayed using the White Materia to cast Holy – the ultimate protective magic meant to save the planet. However, Sephiroth was able to block Holy, delaying its release. Only after the party defeated Sephiroth in the Northern Crater was Holy finally released, but by then Meteor was already too close. Aerith ultimately had to use the Lifestream itself to stop and destroy Meteor, working in conjunction with Holy.
The White Materia and Aerith’s ability to use it represent one of the greatest threats to Sephiroth’s plans. If multiple worlds exist, that means multiple Aeriths exist, and potentially multiple White Materias that could threaten him.
By merging worlds and destroying the Aeriths within them before the final unification, Sephiroth aims to ensure that no White Materia – no Holy – exists in his unified world. Without the planet’s ultimate defense, nothing can stop him from achieving godhood.
However, this plan ultimately fails. Despite Sephiroth’s efforts, Cloud recovers the White Materia and returns it to Aerith in the main world. The potential for Holy still exists in the reality Sephiroth is trying to control, meaning his attempt to completely erase Aerith’s influence did not succeed.
The Ultimate Goal
Sephiroth’s ultimate goal is the same as it was in the original Final Fantasy VII, but with an expanded scope:
To become a god by absorbing the Lifestream – not just of one world, but of all worlds merged into one.
By collapsing all realities into a single unified existence, Sephiroth creates a scenario where:
- All spiritual energy is concentrated in one Lifestream
- There are no alternative realities where he fails
- No White Materia exists to summon Holy against him
- The suffering of the merging process empowers him
- He controls the mechanisms of Fate itself
In this unified world “unbound by fate,” Sephiroth would be the one who writes history – as a god, unchallenged and unopposed, with all of reality under his absolute control forever.
The Stakes
Understanding Sephiroth’s plan makes clear what’s actually at stake in the Remake trilogy:
This isn’t just about saving one world from Meteor. It’s about preserving the existence of multiple worlds – multiple possibilities, multiple futures, multiple chances for hope and resistance. It’s about preventing all of reality from collapsing into a single nightmare where Sephiroth reigns as an unchallengeable god.
The party isn’t just fighting to save their world. They’re fighting to save the very concept of alternatives – the possibility that things can be different, that other outcomes are possible, that hope can exist in more than one form.
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Unanswered Questions
What We Still Don’t Know
While we’ve established a solid understanding of how different worlds work in the Remake trilogy, many crucial questions remain unanswered. These are the mysteries that Part 3 will likely need to address.
What Happens When Worlds Merge?
We know that the merging process is violent and painful – we’ve seen the screams and suffering that accompany it. But what actually happens to the worlds themselves and everything within them?
Is it erasure? Do the merged worlds simply cease to exist, with everything in them being dissolved back into the Lifestream as raw spiritual energy? Are all the lives, memories, and experiences in those worlds completely erased from existence?
Is it transformation? Do the worlds combine in some way, with elements from both realities blending together to create something new? Could people, places, or events from the merged worlds persist in some altered form?
Is it selective? Does merging affect different things differently – perhaps erasing some elements while preserving others based on some unknown criteria?
We simply don’t know. Cloud witnesses the violence of the process, but we don’t see the aftermath. We don’t know what remains after two worlds merge into one.
What Happens to People When Worlds Merge?
This might be the most important unanswered question, and it has profound implications for characters we care about.
When a world merges with another, what becomes of the people living in it?
Do they cease to exist? Are they erased along with their world, their consciousness dissolving into the Lifestream?
Do they continue existing in the unified world? If so, do they retain their memories? Their identities? Or are they fundamentally changed by the merging process?
Does it depend on the person? Might some people survive the merging while others don’t, based on factors like their connection to the Lifestream, their spiritual strength, or their role in the story?
The answer to this question determines the fate of every person living in the worlds that Sephiroth plans to merge. It’s not just about whether Zack survives – it’s about whether entire populations across multiple realities will live or die.
What Happens When a Divergent World Merges With the Main World?
Most of our discussion has focused on worlds merging with each other in general terms. But there’s a specific scenario that deserves special attention: What happens when a divergent world merges specifically with the main Beagle world?
The main world is where Cloud’s journey takes place, where most of the story unfolds. If Sephiroth’s plan succeeds and all worlds merge into one, presumably many divergent worlds will be absorbed into this main reality.
But what does that absorption look like?
Does the main world change? If a divergent world merges into it, does the main reality suddenly incorporate elements from that other world? Could events that happened in the divergent world suddenly become part of the main world’s history?
Does the main world stay dominant? Perhaps the main world serves as the “base” reality, with divergent worlds simply dissolving into it without fundamentally altering it?
Is there even a meaningful distinction? Maybe once worlds start merging, the concept of a “main” world becomes irrelevant, and all worlds are equally subject to transformation?
This question is crucial because it affects our understanding of what the party is fighting to preserve. Are they fighting to keep their specific world intact, or are they fighting to prevent ALL worlds from being destroyed and reformed according to Sephiroth’s design?
What Becomes of Multiple Versions of the Same Person?
Perhaps the most philosophically complex question: What happens when there are multiple versions of the same person across different worlds, and those worlds merge?
We know multiple versions of Aerith exist. Multiple versions of Zack. Presumably multiple versions of Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and everyone else. When worlds merge, what happens to these duplicate individuals?
Do they merge into one person? If so, does that person retain all the memories and experiences of every version? Would that even be psychologically possible, or would it create a fractured consciousness?
Does only one version survive? If so, which one? The version from the world that serves as the “base” reality? The version with the strongest will or connection to the Lifestream? A random version?
Do they all continue existing separately? Could the unified world contain multiple versions of the same person existing simultaneously? How would that even work?
This question is particularly important for Zack. If his world merges with Cloud’s, what happens? Do we end up with both Zacks – the one who died in the Beagle world and the one who survived in another world? Does one version replace the other? Do they somehow merge into a single Zack who remembers both dying and surviving?
The answer to this question could fundamentally change our understanding of identity, consciousness, and what it means to be “yourself” in a multiverse.
Why These Questions Matter
These unanswered questions aren’t just intellectual curiosities – they’re central to understanding the stakes of the story and what the characters are fighting for.
If merging means total erasure, then Sephiroth’s plan is essentially genocide on a multiversal scale, with countless lives across countless worlds being annihilated.
If merging means transformation or selective preservation, then the moral calculus becomes more complex. Is it wrong to merge worlds if people survive the process? What if they survive but are fundamentally changed?
And if we don’t know what happens when multiple versions of someone exist in a merged world, how can we even predict what victory or defeat looks like? If Cloud defeats Sephiroth but the worlds have already merged, what world does he end up in? What version of himself is he?
My Personal Take:
Personally, I lean toward the total erasure interpretation. It makes the most sense to me and simplifies things considerably. If worlds are created from the Lifestream’s spiritual energy, then when they merge back together, that energy is simply reclaimed – returning everything to the Lifestream as raw spiritual essence. The world dissolves, the people dissolve, everything returns to the source.
This interpretation aligns with Sephiroth’s description of worlds fading as a “homecoming” to the planet. It’s not death in the traditional sense, but it is the end of individual existence – consciousness returning to the collective whole of the Lifestream.
It also raises the stakes to their maximum: if merging means erasure, then every world Sephiroth destroys represents countless lives being snuffed out, even if their spiritual energy continues to exist in some diffused form within the Lifestream. The party isn’t just fighting to prevent change – they’re fighting to prevent annihilation.
However, this is ultimately speculation on my part. Part 3 will need to answer these questions – or at least provide enough information for us to understand what’s truly at stake in this conflict over the nature of reality itself.
Conclusion
Bringing It All Together
The concept of different worlds in Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth is complex, but it follows a coherent internal logic once you understand the key principles:
The Foundation:
- The planet exists as “a multitude of worlds, ever unfolding”
- These worlds are created from and sustained by the Lifestream’s spiritual energy
- They’re all essentially “what could’ve been” – possibilities made manifest, whether from actual divergences or from dreams and desires
The Connection:
- All worlds are connected through the Lifestream
- This connection allows consciousness to travel between worlds
- It also provides the mechanism through which worlds can merge back together
The Evidence:
- Cloud witnesses worlds merging (with screams and violence)
- Sephiroth Reborn attempted to merge fragmented space-time
- Zack and Cloud fought together across worlds (brought together by Aerith, separated by Sephiroth)
The Mechanics:
- The Lifestream is the medium through which merging happens
- Both Aerith and Sephiroth can manipulate the Lifestream to control world interactions
- Aerith focuses on connection and preservation
- Sephiroth focuses on isolation and forced unification
The Stakes:
- Sephiroth wants to merge all “worlds unbound by fate” into ONE world where he controls destiny
- This would eliminate all alternatives, all other possibilities, all resistance
- The merging process itself causes immense suffering
- What happens to people and consciousness during merging remains unknown
What This Means for Part 3
Understanding different worlds and how they function sets up the central conflict for the trilogy’s conclusion:
The party isn’t just fighting to save their world from Meteor – they’re fighting to preserve the existence of multiple worlds, multiple possibilities, multiple futures. They’re fighting against Sephiroth’s vision of a single unified reality where he reigns as an unchallengeable god with absolute control over Fate.
Whether they can prevent the complete merging of all worlds, what happens to people like Zack who exist in divergent realities, and whether multiple versions of the same person can coexist – these are the questions Part 3 must answer.
Final Thoughts
The Remake trilogy has transformed Final Fantasy VII from a story about saving one planet from one villain into a story about the nature of reality itself – about choice and destiny, about what makes a world “real,” about whether multiple possibilities can coexist or must collapse into a single truth.
It’s ambitious, complex, and sometimes confusing. But beneath the complexity lies a story about the same fundamental themes as the original: the value of life, the importance of memory, and the question of what we’re willing to sacrifice to protect the people and world we love.
Only now, “the world we love” might be multiple worlds, each containing lives worth preserving, each representing possibilities worth fighting for.
Part 3 will determine whether those possibilities survive – or whether Sephiroth succeeds in collapsing them all into his singular, terrible vision of eternity.