Review: Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa and Aerith Shine in Traces of Two Pasts

I’ll be the first to say that I’ve given Final Fantasy VII Remake a hard time over the years.

When I played it back in 2020, it left me wanting SO much more from the characters, and I was definitely vocal about that on a podcast episode or two.

Final Fantasy VII Remake’s structure didn’t allow the cast much room to grow. It took place over the span of a few days! Without the context from playing the original game, I had a tougher time understanding the characters’ thoughts and motivations save for Tifa Lockhart, who I liked from the jump.

Since then, I’ve played Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, which completely turned me around on my initial reactions to the cast. The second entry of the Remake trilogy provided meaningful content that delved into what they’d been through.

(Cloud Strife, I’m sorry brother. I misjudged you, and I had NO idea how much you’re dealing with.)

In fact, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and its handling of the cast had so much of an impact on me that I sought out Final Fantasy VII Remake: Traces of Two Pasts, a companion novel that explores the backstories of the game’s heroines: Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough.

The book released back in 2023 in the West, was written by Kazushige Nojima and translated by Stephen Kohler. It features Tifa and Aerith opening up to each other about their pasts before they joined up with Cloud and company.

What these women reveal to each other and how the book tells their stories helped me see them in a whole new light and appreciate who they are so much more.

I Thought I Couldn’t Love Tifa More. I Was Wrong.

Traces of Two Pasts begins with Tifa’s story, starting with her childhood in Nibelheim and how she ended up in Midgar. She recounts her journey as the party travels on foot from Midgar to Kalm with Aerith, Barret Wallace, and Red XIII interjecting throughout her retelling.

Tifa’s account first covers how her hometown changed over the years due to Shinra’s involvement leading up to the Nibelheim Incident and how martial arts became a cornerstone of her life.

After a chance encounter with the enigmatic instructor Zangran, he notices Tifa’s talent and shares his knowledge with her. It’s here Tifa’s life changes for good. Martial arts become an integral part of who she is and how she sees the world.

From that point on, Traces of Two Pasts expertly weaves in this perspective from Tifa as she deals with setback after setback. After the Nibelheim incident, she’s gravely injured and must recover in a hospital in the Midgar slums. Then, she’s saddled with debt, must work long days to pay it off, and navigate a new and unforgiving place.

The novel doesn’t lose momentum when focusing on Tifa’s dire situation. There’s a constant push and pull of hope, and Tifa is so relatable in these moments. She experiences despair due to her circumstances, but she works so hard to try and get herself out of it.

Eventually, Tifa meets Jessie, and I absolutely loved seeing them bond as friends in this book. It provides satisfying and much needed context to their relationship, which I felt was missing in Final Fantasy VII Remake due to its focus on Cloud’s perspective.

Now I better understand the love that Tifa had for Jessie Rasberry. Their friendship came at a perfect time for both of them, much like Tifa and Aerith’s bond.

Before reading Traces of Two Pasts, I was already a huge fan of Tifa and related to her deeply, and this novel only amplifies those feelings. Seeing her resilience through multiple hardships had me in awe of her strength, much like Zangran was when he first noticed her potential.

I Didn’t Fully Understand Shinra’s Hold on Aerith Until Now.

Speaking of resiliency, Aerith Gainsborough also has it in spades. Her journey, like Tifa’s, is fraught with hardship, and I’ll admit I didn’t understand the extent of it until now.

In the book, she recounts her past to Tifa while they hide together on the Shinra-8 ferry during Chapter 5 of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Aerith’s portion of Traces of Two Pasts begins with her early years at Shrina, as the company keeps her and her mother Ifalna captive as research subjects. The book chronicles their escape from the company, which see play out in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in a flashback, but the novel makes the sequence even more heartwrenching because we’re inside Aerith’s head the whole time.

Reading the thoughts of 7-year-old Aerith as she watches her mom get weaker and weaker is nothing short of brutal. She knows her mom is sick. She’s disgusted when she sees Ifalna inject herself with pain meds to keep going, and then she feels immense regret. The book doesn’t pull any punches, and I appreciated that. It’s needed to show the gravity of Shinra’s actions and the ripple effects of their cruelty.

Aerith eventually is taken in by Elmyra Gainsborough in the Sector 5 slums, and Traces of Two Pasts also details their life together as mom and adopted daughter. This section of the book lost a bit of steam. It involved Elmyra’s family business and the inner workings of it, which I think could’ve been paired down a bit.

Let me just say though, Elmyra is an absolute queen! Obviously I knew she was a good person because she took in Aerith, but Traces of Two Pasts sheds light on her strength, as she navigates raising Aerith to become her own person while also trying to keep her safe.

It’s a tough job. Aerith never can fully evade Shinra’s presence, and after reading her innermost thoughts about her lack of freedom, I have a deeper understanding of her personality, attitude and motives.

Final Thoughts and a New Final Fantasy VII Book

In addition to Tifa and Aerith’s stories, Traces of Two Pasts also includes a shorter, third anecdote from a Shinra soldier who’s trying to make peace with his past. He goes down a wild goose chase, and the mystery has some pretty interesting reveals tied in with Final Fantasy VII lore.

All three perspectives provide compelling narratives and valuable context to the larger Final Fantasy VII story and universe. It’s also well written and translated thanks to Nojima and Kohler, respectively, keeping a solid momentum that made it tough for me to put down.

Traces of Two Pasts provides a satisfying supplemental journey that gives Tifa and Aerith more time to shine, which they both wholly deserve. This won’t be their last appearance in a novel either. A sequel is on the way!

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Dear Destiny will continue telling the life stories of Tifa and Aerith and include a bonus chapter from Cloud’s perspective. It will arrive on March 16, 2027, in the West. (It released back in January in Japan.)

With that release date, I have no doubts that Dear Destiny will be a great way to prepare for Final Fantasy VII Revelation‘s release on April 8, 2027. I can’t wait to see what other tales these ladies have in store and how they’ll inspire me along the way!

NEW SERIES ANNOUNCEMENT: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: Dear Destiny ☄️

The life stories of Aerith Gainsborough and Tifa Lockhart leading up to the main narrative of Final Fantasy VII continue in this sequel to the global hit novel Traces of Two Pasts. pic.twitter.com/mS5NnRNsLs

— Square Enix Manga & Books (@SquareEnixBooks) July 2, 2026