He was always the "cool" one. In the original 1997 release of Final Fantasy 7, Biggs was basically just a collection of blocky polygons and a few lines of dialogue. You knew he liked a stiff drink. You knew he was the strategist of Avalanche. And then, tragically, you knew he was gone—crushed when the Sector 7 plate came screaming down.
But the Remake trilogy changed everything. Suddenly, Biggs wasn't just a background extra waiting to die. He became a fully fleshed-out human being with a backstory, a dry sense of humor, and a fate that has kept fans arguing for years. Honestly, the way Square Enix handled Biggs Final Fantasy 7 is one of the weirdest, most polarizing parts of the new timeline.
If you're confused about whether he's alive, dead, or stuck in some cosmic waiting room, you aren't alone. Let’s break down what actually happened to the man behind the bandana.
The Biggs You Remember vs. The One You Got
In the original game, Biggs (along with Jessie and Wedge) existed mostly to raise the stakes. Their deaths proved that Shinra wasn't just a corporate villain—they were monsters willing to commit mass murder to stop a few rebels. Biggs died on the pillar, defending the Sector 7 slums. It was quick, brutal, and final.
Fast forward to Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Biggs gets a major glow-up. Voiced by Gideon Emery (who you might recognize as Balthier from FFXII), he’s reimagined as a veteran who’s a bit more cynical than his peers. He’s the one who teaches Cloud about the "Leaf House" orphans. He feels like a real person, which makes his "death" during the plate collapse hurt way more.
Except, he didn't die. Not exactly.
That Shocking Remake Ending
At the very end of Remake, after the party defeats the Whispers (those ghostly arbiters of fate), we see a shot of Biggs waking up in a bed at the Leaf House. His gloves are on the nightstand. He’s bandaged, but breathing.
The fans went wild. If Biggs survived, did Jessie? Did Wedge? It felt like the "Defy Fate" theme of the game actually meant something. But as we learned in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, destiny is a stubborn thing.
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What Really Happened in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?
If you’ve played Rebirth, you know Biggs shows up in Zack Fair's "other" world. This is where things get messy. Basically, the Biggs we see in these sequences is a man out of time. He remembers the Sector 7 plate falling. He remembers Cloud. But he’s stuck in a Midgar where the Mako is gone, the sky is torn open, and everyone is waiting for the end.
There's a really somber moment where Biggs and Zack sit outside a bar, just talking. Biggs is depressed. He’s lost his purpose because his world is dying. He tries one last "heroic" act—attempting to blow up a reactor to "wake up" the planet—but it’s a futile gesture.
The "Pug" Timeline and the Final Goodbye
Rebirth introduces the idea of multiple worlds, marked by different versions of the Shinra dog mascot, Stamp. In the "Pug" world (the one where Zack chooses to go after Biggs instead of helping Cloud or Aerith), Biggs meets his end.
- He stands atop a reactor.
- He confronts a group of Shinra soldiers.
- He gets shot.
It’s sudden. It’s almost unceremonious. For a lot of players, it felt like a slap in the face. Why bring him back just to kill him again? The game seems to be making a point: even if you cheat death once, the universe (or the Lifestream) eventually demands payment. Biggs couldn't find a new reason to live, so he fell back into his old pattern of "dying for the cause."
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Why Was Biggs Saved in the First Place?
There's a deep-lore reason why Biggs survived while Jessie and Wedge seemingly didn't. In the novel Traces of Two Pasts, it's revealed that Aerith and Biggs actually knew each other as kids.
Biggs once protected a young Aerith from a bully in the slums. This connection is vital. Many theorists believe that because Aerith had a personal bond with him, her "will" or her influence within the Lifestream was able to pluck him from his fated death when the Whispers were defeated. Jessie and Wedge didn't have that same tether.
Biggs as a Foil to Zack
Narratively, Biggs exists in the sequel as a mirror to Zack Fair.
- Zack is the ultimate optimist. He refuses to accept that his world is doomed. He keeps fighting, keeps choosing, and keeps moving.
- Biggs is the voice of the defeated. He represents the part of us that wants to give up when things get too confusing or painful.
By showing Biggs failing to change his fate while Zack continues to struggle, the writers are setting up a massive theme for Part 3. It’s about the power of will. If you give up, fate wins. If you keep swinging, maybe—just maybe—you can carve out a new future.
Key Facts About Biggs You Might Have Missed
If you're looking for the nitty-gritty details to impress your friends at the next Seventh Heaven meetup, here they are:
- Age: He’s 25 years old.
- Design: His Remake look is heavily inspired by Charlie Sheen in Platoon. The olive shirt and red bandana are a dead giveaway.
- Role: While he's a "strategist," he's also the guy who handles the tech. He's the one who sets the timers and manages the hardware for Avalanche's raids.
- Voice: In Japanese, he’s voiced by Shuhei Sakaguchi. In English, Gideon Emery gives him that signature "cool but tired" vibe.
The Future of Biggs in Part 3
Is he gone for good? In the world of Final Fantasy 7, death is rarely the end. Since we know there are multiple timelines (or "worlds of the Lifestream"), there’s a chance another version of Biggs is still out there. However, his arc in Rebirth felt very much like a "closure" arc. He got to say his piece, and he got to see that someone (Zack) was still fighting.
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Actionable Takeaways for FF7 Fans
If you want to fully understand the mystery of Biggs and the branching timelines before the final game in the trilogy drops, here is what you should do:
- Read Traces of Two Pasts: This book explains the childhood connection between Biggs and Aerith. It makes his survival in Remake feel much less like "plot armor" and more like a deliberate choice by the planet.
- Watch the "Stamp" logos: Replay the Zack sequences in Rebirth and pay attention to the dog on the snack bags. It tells you exactly which "reality" you are in. Biggs only appears in specific ones.
- Check the Leaf House: In Remake, go back and talk to the NPCs around the orphanage. The flavor text about Biggs’ involvement with the kids adds a lot of emotional weight to his later scenes.
- Analyze the Whispers: Notice that the "White Whispers" (Aerith's) seem to be trying to preserve some people, while the "Black Whispers" (Sephiroth's) are trying to force the original ending. Biggs is the tug-of-war rope in the middle of that conflict.
The story of Biggs in the Final Fantasy 7 remake project is a tragedy about a man trying to find meaning in a world that already wrote his ending. Whether you loved his return or thought it was "unnecessary bloat," you can't deny that he's become one of the most interesting symbols of the series' new direction.