Final Fantasy 7 character will get less screen time in Rebirth due to death of Japanese voice actor

Reno, a beloved character from the Final Fantasy 7 series and notably Final Fantasy 7 Remake, will have less screen time in the upcoming sequel Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as his Japanese voice actor sadly passed away. 

Reno’s voice actor, Keiji Fujiwara, tragically died from cancer aged 55 on Apr. 12, 2020. In a recent interview with Japanese outlet Dengeki Online, creative director Tetsuya Nomura revealed that Fujiwara will still be the voice of Reno in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, primarily using old audio recordings, but that the character would have fewer appearances.

Nomura also informed fans that Fujiwara passed away before the development team started recording for the upcoming game. The team couldn’t recast the character immediately, so they rewrote scenarios involving Reno out of respect to the voice actor and decided to use past recordings instead.

Nomura also reassured fans that while they may be disappointed by the news, the character will have a more significant role in the third installment of the Final Fantasy 7 remake series after Reno is recast.

Reno is a prominent recurring character in Final Fantasy 7 and a member of the anti-hero group The Turks. Players fight him several times alongside other notable members like Tseng and Rude.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will launch on Feb. 29, 2024. Several details were revealed during PlayStation’s recent State of Play livestream, including a few characters set to appear, like the fan-favorite Vincent Valentine.

While it’s unfortunate that Reno will play a lesser role in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, it sounds like he might be more prominent in the third game.