In the lead-up to Final Fantasy VII Remake, many fans expressed their disappointment that it would only cover the early Midgar section. That meant some beloved characters such as Vincent Valentine wouldn't even be encountered while Red XIII would only join as an unplayable guest. The party was just Cloud Strife, Barret Wallace, Tifa Lockhart, and Aerith Gainsborough.

Thankfully, Remake's battle system was amazing with each character feeling unique with their own pros and cons. Later on, a DLC for Remake was released offering a preview of how Yuffie Kisaragi would play in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Now that Rebirth is out, the playable cast has now been expanded with a fully playable Red XIII, Yuffie, and Cait Sith. Sadly, no playable Vincent or Cid Highwind just yet. However, there are two playable characters that are a fun surprise. With nine total playable characters, who are the best playable characters in Rebirth?

This contains spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

9 Sephiroth Is Really Cool But Is Barely Playable

Sephiroth is playable? That's right, he is, albeit briefly just like in the original Final Fantasy VII. Sephiroth is only really playable in the story for one flashback sequence with Cloud, which could skipped over if the player always played the demo.

Sephiroth is playable in the final VR Simulation challenge that sees him team up with Cloud. Sephiroth is a fun and, at times, overpowering character. Sadly, there are so few opportunities to play as him. It would've been fun to mess around with his Materia to see just how powerful he can really get.

8 Zack Fair Is Fun To Play As In His Brief Opportunities

Likewise, Zack Fair has limited playable opportunities. At least those limited opportunities are more abundant than with Sephiroth. Zack is even the first character players control at the start of their Rebirth playthrough, and it was amazing to fight as him during the final chapter.

Zack is also available through the VR Simulation challenges, although managing him is a bit more frustrating than Sephiroth as he's not as strong. Despite that, Zack gets the edge simply for having more opportunities to play as him and having a bigger playable presence in the story.

7 Cait Sith Is Awkward To Play As

Cait Sith is one of three new characters to join Cloud's party. A small chatty cat riding a giant plush Moogle makes for one of the most unique character designs in the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy VII fans were curious to see how the showman fortune teller would play.

The answer is complex. Cait Sith needs to spend an ATB segment on summoning the Moogle, but doing so rewards the player with an extra attacking body on the playing field as Cait Sith can hop off and fight on his own. Cait Sith also has luck-based attacks like a Dice Roll or casino-like Slots that can yield benefits or harm. Overall, Cait Sith is an awkward character to play and the only character that has a noticeable learning curve. Mastering Cait Sith can be highly rewarding, though.

6 Red XIII Might Not Be The Best Fit For Someone Who Enjoys Offense

Remake players were understandably disappointed when Red XIII wasn't playable. It makes sense as he arrived past the point of no return, but it still would've been fun to play as him in the postgame.

Red XIII definitely isn't a bad character to play — no character is. He's very fast, has some powerful attacks, and his Vengeance Mode improves his attack and speed. The key to playing Red XIII is balancing out his defensive and offensive capabilities. Playing as Red XIII means always having an eye on his Vengeance meter and executing the right moves to build that up as fast as possible, especially since some moves are locked behind Vengeance Mode. It can be activated whenever, but it's best to do so when the meter is as full as possible. Red XIII may not be the best for overly aggressive players, but he's at least easier to play as compared to Cait Sith.

5 Barret Wallace Is An Absolute Tank

Balancing offense and defense is much easier when a character is a tank. Barret Wallace has a lot of HP and defense, which can allow him to withstand powerful enemy attacks. Barret has numerous moves and abilities that can increase his defense and take hits from other characters.

This does come with the caveat of his slow speed and his ranged attacks may not be as fun as close-quarters combatants like Tifa Lockhart. Barret does have some powerful attacks like Maximum Fury that are always satisfying to use and battle. Barret provides a safety net for aggressive players with his increased survivability and the support he can provide to other characters.

4 Cloud Strife Is A Strong All-Around Character

Cloud Strife is a good, balanced option. He's a flexible character that's easy to build with strong attacks, strong magic, or a good mix of both. As the character players will default play has, and will likely use the most in combat, he has a wide range of abilities that can fit any playing style.

In short, Cloud is a very safe character. He can fit any playing style whether offensive or defensive. He's great for button mashing and great for his defensive Punisher countering ability. He doesn't do any one thing truly special and he never reaches broken levels of ability like other characters. Overall, Cloud is a fun and straightforward character who will likely be a fixture in most players' parties.

3 Aerith Gainsborough Has Powerful Magical Abilities

Aerith Gainsborough is a character that can get overpowered really fast if the player knows what they're doing. She may move and attack slowly, but she more than makes up for it with her magic stats and abilities.

Aerith can lay down an Arcane Ward, which allows her to cast two magic spells for the MP price of one. She can cast a Radiant Ward, which enhances her regular attacks while also preventing enemies from interrupting her magic casts. She can cast ATB Ward, which can increase ATB build. When coupled with the Genji Gloves, which allows characters to surpass the 9,999 damage limit, Aerith is one of the heaviest hitters in Rebirth.

2 Tifa Lockhart Continues To Be Overpowerful In Rebirth

Tifa was already the most overpowered character in Remake and Rebirth honors that by carrying over what makes her so powerful. Tifa is fast, hits hard, and can easily build up ATB.

One of the best aspects of Tifa's gameplay is her ability to increase the enemy's Stagger %. When an enemy is Staggered, attacks do 160% more damage. While all characters have a means to inflate that number, Tifa can do so incredibly quickly through her unique core ability Whirling Uppercut, which can be upgraded with Unbridled Strength to Omnistrike and Rise and Fall. Not to mention her True Strike ability can also increase the Stagger %. This is even stronger when using Stop, with the Time Materia, as soon as an enemy is Staggered, which prolongs the enemy's Stagger. It's not difficult to get the Stagger % of an enemy to over 300%, which when combined with, say, Aerith's powerful magic attacks, can yield massive damage.

1 Yuffie Kisaragi Has Some Extremely Busted Abilities

Players got a taste of how Yuffie plays thanks to the INTERmission DLC. It was clear from the get-go that Yuffie was going to be one of the most powerful characters in Rebirth. Players just didn't know how powerful.

Like Tifa, Yuffie is fast and can quickly build ATB. Her Shuriken can hit enemies from a distance and can be imbued with different elements thanks to Ninjutsu. Her Brumal Form can dodge almost any attack. It's that move that's the subject of one of Rebirth's most powerful strategies. Yuffie, with Haste, can build up ATB extremely quickly with Brumal Form. With the ATB Assist Materia, which grants ATB to other party members when using the same ability repeatedly, and with Aerith's ATB Ward, Yuffie can produce a constant and almost unlimited amount of ATB for the entire party. This means Aerith can unleash her most powerful magic at just about any time.