Waifu Wednesday: Jessie Rasberry (FFVII Remake)

I don’t know if it’s unfair to draw comparisons to the original Final Fantasy VII, but I don’t think I have ever seen a more stellar definition of a glow-up than with Jessie Rasberry. That’s right, today I am going to be talking about a girl that I don’t think anyone was truly expecting to become quite so important in the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Jessie shoved her way right into the hearts of many fans in a way that made the events involving her so much more impactful. 

When you’re done here, don’t forget to look back over the archives for Waifu Wednesday and Hump Day Husbandos here on Rice Digital! First, however, let’s go crazy for FFVII’s favourite thirsty girl!

Who is Jessie Rasberry?

Jessie is a resident of Midgar, a giant steel city known for its advanced technology, particularly with regard to harnessing the power of mako — the lifeblood of the planet. The city is home to the company known as Shinra, a financial powerhouse that embodies all the problems within Midgar, such as poverty, environmental hazards, and a complete lack of morals as they push forward with their pursuit of superior technology — even if that means sacrificing lives or the planet itself. 

In Final Fantasy VII’s world, there exists a group of eco-terrorists called Avalanche, and their sole purpose is to hamper the extraction of mako — our lovely Jesse belongs to their Midgar cell. Alongside her comrades Barret, Biggs, and Wedge, Jesse takes on the role of the technical expert of Avalanche, providing the team with explosives and other pieces of equipment they need for their missions. 

Before joining Avalanche, Jesse had big dreams of traveling outside of Midgar to the Golden Saucer — the peak of entertainment in the world of Gaia — and becoming an actress. Although things didn’t go exactly the way Jesse would have hoped, she still hones her skills as an actress in hope that one day she may finally achieve her dream. 

Why we love Jessie

In the original Final Fantasy VII you only spend around four or five hours inside Midgar, which means that just as you’re starting to get familiar with the Avalanche members, you’re suddenly heading off somewhere else to do other things and meet other characters. It was definitely a brave move for the development team working on Remake to dedicate an entire game to the Midgar section, but I honestly loved it. 

This is what allowed us to fall in love again with someone like Tifa, the best girl ever created in video games, in a way that felt both nostalgic and unique. It also gave us a chance to love characters that we never got a chance to really get to know in the original, like Jessie! Some may say this stuff is unimportant in comparison to the larger plot of the game, but that’s not the point; that was never the point of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Instead, Final Fantasy VII Remake was designed to explore a relatively short part of the original Final Fantasy VII in considerably more depth, helping us to better understand the characters involved, and the real stakes at play. The establishing of these relationships, the way in which they are far more deeply explored than in the original game, and the emotions we begin to feel towards the characters involved make the events that happen further down the line all the more powerful. 

Jessie is without a doubt one of the most standout examples of exactly that feeling; we learn so much more about her as a character that when certain plot points do happen… All I will say is that emotions run a hundred times higher than they did during the original. 

Why you’ll love Jessie

If Tifa has the childhood crush who hasn’t mustered up the courage to get her feelings out yet covered, and Aerith has the fresh-faced, bubbly girl covered, then Jessie has the pure, aggressive, heart-on-her-sleeve approach covered. Good Lord, there are parts of the game where Jessie is very obvious with her feelings and it’s both endearing and an adorable part of her character — she’s a bit of a tease, too, so if you like that, then you’ll love Jessie. 

Everyone likes to call her the thirsty girl and it’s honestly true. There is a part of the game where Jessie invites you back to her place after a successful mission — you won’t be able to turn her down, no matter how die-hard you are for either one of Tifa or Aerith. She is aggressive in ways that only make her more likeable, even some of her passing comments during gameplay are great!

Truly a fine waifu, and one of the best bits of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

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