EXCLUSIVE: Voice of FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH Yuffie Talks About Balancing Comedy and Tension

In the midst of the excitement for the next game, we had a thrilling opportunity to interview Suzie Yeung, the voice of Yuffie in the FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH as we discussed her character portrayal.

As the token comic relief character, Yuffie has somehow become even more lovable in the latest FINAL FANTASY VII games, capturing the hearts and minds (and materia) of players. With the release of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE in April 2020 and FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH in February this year, fans have been waiting patiently for the next and final installment of the saga, which is currently in development.

The Many Faces of Yuffie

Yuffie was unavailable in the initial release of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE and made her first appearance in Episode INTERmission of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE. We wondered how Suzie managed to bring a fresh energy to the role while retaining Yuffie’s characterization from the original game. “I tried to maintain some of her more subtle traits we saw in Episode INTERmission,” she explained, “but I’m only really able to showcase what the scenario presents.

“In FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, Yuffie has boundless youthful energy. Her dynamic has changed because she has a role to play in the team now. In Episode INTERmission, she’s “the leading lady” with one other teammate, so we really got to zoom in on more intimate details about her. Besides her snarky and upbeat attitude, we also got to see her serious and mature sides- how she can tuck away her pride for the sake of her mission, her insecurities, doubts, and fears.”

“While these sides are also present in FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, I feel like her more playful and younger sister vibes were highlighted, since the story focuses more on how the team interacts and plays off each other. She comes in with the feeling of a kid in a candy store for the first time, where everything seems colorful, new, and fun.”

“In INTERmission, she was a covert operative focused on her mission. In FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH, she’s still on said mission, but there are so many more things to see and do, and many more people to share the adventure with, so she much more openly shows that childlike wonder.”

Situational Balance

Thanks to her demeanour, Yuffie oftentimes can be relied on to provide comic relief in otherwise tense situations, which can be a breath of fresh air. We asked Suzie how she approached the delivery of some of these more humorous lines while not disrupting the tension of the situation.

She answered that a balancing act had to be considered and maintained between comedy and seriousness, figuring out how much to lean into one side without upsetting the other. “While Yuffie is extremely energetic, the localization team, my voice director Kirk Thornton, and I tried to find ways to not be too over-the-top at all times, and we liked to err on the side of being grounded where we can. That’s not always possible with Yuffie though, being as expressive as she is!”

“We settled on an attitude that skewed towards tomboyish with a hint of an edge. While she is bright and bubbly, some of the funniest parts in my opinion are kind of understated, when she can slyly deliver the stink to her fellow teammates. I feel like this approach made it easier to transition into her more serious moments.”

“There are times when she has a tendency to not read the room, so her silliness comes across as naive, but still endearing. She’s in her own world where she is the main character, so she says pretty much everything with earnest and genuine intention. I think that in itself lends to the comedic moments. Yuffie’s just being herself!”

Clowning Around

Fans of Yuffie adore her for her sense of humor and the fun energy she can bring to almost any situation, and it certainly was equally enjoyable for Suzie. When questioned about her personal favourite comedy scene, she mentioned that, “There are so many charming and funny moments with Yuffie, it’s hard to pick just one!”

“There was one line I improved by plugging my nose while saying to Barret, “Permission to *blow my nose, sir*!” I’m really glad they kept that take. That time she tries to join the party and gets rejected is pretty funny too. Honorable mentions are her motion sickness scenes and singing her little songs.”

Materia Where, Are, You~?

Last but not least, we can’t discuss the self-proclaimed materia hunter without mentioning her love of materia. So, we asked Suzie if she had a personal favourite materia out of all the ones in the game.

“Magnify materia is super useful! I always pair it with Cure materia so I don’t have to expend too much MP while healing my team.”

Here concludes the interview. We would like to thank Suzie Yeung for taking the time to answer all of our questions. If you wish to see (and hear) more from her, you can visit her X and Instagram

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