Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Fans Are Split On Red XIII's Voice Change

thegamer.com:

Shortly before launch, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi confused many fans of the series by explaining that the development team made two versions of each side quest all because of Red XIII. We didn't know why at the time, as we weren't aware of the voice change that Red XIII goes through a little ways into the game itself, first hinted at in Under Junon and then again in Costa del Sol.

Upon reaching Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII casts aside his gruff, serious voice in favor of his natural voice, which is much higher and childish to represent his actual age. It's a lovely moment to show how Red XIII has become comfortable with the group, and a nice little callback to the original games, as Red XIII's language changes slightly after the Cosmo Canyon section in the PS1 title. Unfortunately, not everyone is a fan.

Now that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has been in the hands of fans for a couple of weeks, we're starting to get more and more opinions on Red XIII's drastic voice change, with people on both ResetEra and Reddit sharing their opinions. For the most part, they appear to be almost split down the middle, with some preferring his gruffer voice, others enjoying his new voice, and some are fine with either one.

Most of the complaints surrounding Red XIII's new voice are due to him feeling a little less wise and intelligent, almost as if his personality has completely changed. He's a lot more excitable, curious, and generally acts like a teenager would in most situations, and his previously stoic and contained personality was more than likely deliberate, as he was acting like an adult on purpose to not be underestimated. Still, that hasn't stopped some fans from calling this new voice "character assassination" and permanently benching him.

We then get to the people on ResetEra, who seem to be a lot more forgiving about Red XIII's voice, admitting that it's rather jarring but quick to get used to. For example, Tohsaka prefers his younger voice as it's Red XIII