The INTERmission segment of Final Fantasy 7 Remake featured Wutai’s young ninja superstar Yuffie Kisaragi, but the Yuffie portrayed in the DLC mission is a much more tragic take on the youthful Materia thief when compared against the original FF7. The original Yuffie was played mostly for laughs, which the early sections of INTERmission mirror. Yuffie displays an endearing combination of bravado and naivete that makes the character feel in line with a more developed take on the existing character, but as the story unfolds, players see that Yuffie is a child who grew up too fast because her homeland was a battlefield. The Remake series makes the war between the nation of Wutai and the Shinra Corporation much more than a footnote of the setting’s lore. Yuffie’s youth was marked by the “smell of gunpowder,” and she is no stranger to loss. While some fans may grapple with the differences between FF7R Intergrade and INTERmission, for veterans of the franchise it's evident that the new Yuffie hides more sorrow behind her smile than the original did.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7 Remake INTERmission.]
Along with Cait Sith, Yuffie was something of a comic relief character in the PlayStation original game. Like Vincent, Yuffie was an optional character, rather than one required by the story. Players could encounter Yuffie in forest areas of the overworld, and after besting the “Mystery Ninja” enemy, selecting the proper dialogue responses caused her to join the party. Her primary character trait was her greed for Materia, an element that returned for INTERmission as Yuffie’s goal was to steal an experimental “Super Materia” from Shinra headquarters. Players who recruited Yuffie could explore the optional Wutai area of the FF7 world map, where a sidequest allowed them to learn a bit more about Yuffie’s history and motives. Just as how Barret Wallace was significantly improved in FF7R, the new Yuffie’s role as an espionage agent, trying to steal an enemy prototype weapon to help even the odds in a war, improves on the formerly petty and selfish Materia thief.
Yuffie retains her surface level pluck and optimism, but her greatest ninja disappearing trick is how she hides her feelings. She befriends the members of Avalanche, and particularly bonds with Nayo, a kind and intelligent young woman. After partnering with Sonon, a fellow agent from Wutai, the two discuss how distant they feel from the Avalanche sect. The group opposes Shinra, but does not want to resort to drastic measures that might damage the city of Midgar or harm its residents. Yuffie comments that she feels more drawn to the militant Avalanche “splinter cell” led by Barret, foreshadowing her future alliance with those characters. Many players looked forward to the way the INTERmission DLC set up FF7R’s sequel, but the self-contained story did much more than act as a teaser for the next full installment, by making Yuffie a more complex and interesting character.
Yuffie's Desperate Grabs For Normalcy Are Coping Mechanisms In Final Fantasy 7 Remake
The story of INTERMission sees Yuffie and Sonon split off from the Avalanche sect to infiltrate Shinra. They fall into a trap laid by Shinra weapons designer Scarlet, before a final confrontation with the experimental soldier Nero. Sonon gives his life to save Yuffie, seeing in her the little sister that he could not save in the past. Yuffie escapes, sorrowfully crying out, “I’m not your sister.” While the Wutai side-mission of the original FF7 did give some development to the character, it was less tragic in tone. Yuffie detested the commercialization of Wutai, a nation turned into a tourist attraction in the aftermath of war. She confronted her father and his ideals, walking away stronger for the experience. The original Yuffie was not without depth, but INTERMission turned a supporting character into a star.
Yuffie is now defined by loss and tragedy, a young woman who knows more about death and killing than she does life and love. She makes desperate attempts to sustain normalcy, such as her habit of sharing a local delicacy from Wutai, or showing interest in the Happy Turtle, a Wutai-style pub in Midgar. These actions only serve to highlight the sorrow of a teenager whose homeland was torn apart by war, reaching for an idealized Wutai that no longer exists. Final Fantasy 7 Remake moved Yuffie past her shallow origins in a single DLC mission, giving fans good reason to look forward to her joining the party in future installments of the series.