Compilation of Final Fantasy VII | Advent Children
Pre-Release Speculation | Unconfirmed Characters

Ever since Advent Children was unveiled, screenshots and video of characters have been tricking out of Japan at a steady rate. However, there remains a few major players we have not yet seen. Some of these characters are rumored to be dead, others are simply absent, while still others have been suspected of being the mystery person in the wheelchair! Last updated: October 7, 2004

Cait Sith and Reeve Elena Elmyra

Tseng Palmer

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Cait Sith and Reeve
As of this writing, Cait Sith is the only party member from the original FFVII that has not been revealed to be in Advent Children. Similarly, Cait's controller Reeve, the last known surviving Shinra executive at the end of FFVII, is nowhere to be found.

Interestingly enough, Cait Sith has been spotted in a screenshot for Dirge of Cerberus, which takes place a year after AC, and Reeve is all but confirmed to be in this game as well. So now that we know they're alive, why haven't they surfaced in AC?

Recently, Mum (aka Diamond Weapon) posted this theory as to Reeve's whereabouts on the messageboard:

I just had a thought - What if Reeve was running the Healin Lodge? He was always wanting to help people, and that would explain the Shinra picture on the wall (assuming that the [wheelchair person's] room was in the Healin Lodge) - And if the WCM (Wheelchair Man) was Rufus, there would be that connection.

Note that although Reeve is one of those suspected of being the "Wheelchair Person", Rufus is currently the most likely candidate. Anyway, the Healin Lodge that Mum is referring to is a home for people suffering from Geostigma. Here are a couple of pictures:

Elena
When the first shots of Reno and Rude surfaced, the first question that popped into many fans' minds was, "Where's Elena?" This absense is especially baffling since she was with Reno and Rude during the Turks' final battle against your party in the Midgar train tunnels. Did she not escape with them? Where is she now?

Early on, it was rumored that Elena died when Meteor hit-- however, the same rumor held for Reeve, and we're sure he's alive (for the reasons stated above). Recently, messageboard member Kosamuji made a tongue-in-cheek speculation that she's holed up somewhere with either Tseng or Reeve; besides being two of the characters who are often romantically paired with Elena in fanfics, both men are also not yet confirmed to be in AC. The idea that she's with Tseng holds greater weight, as her crush on him is FF7 canon; Abi believes that Elena went out looking for Tseng after the Meteor disaster.

Elmyra
One overlooked character in all of this has been Aeris' foster mother Elmyra. Although she is not seen again after you leave Midgar for the first time, Cait Sith tells you later on that Marlene is in her care. It's reasonable to assume that Elmyra was somehow transported to Kalm along with Marlene before Meteor hit. What has happened to her since then?

Tseng
Though any appearance by Tseng is a long shot, it's worth noting, only because his final scene in FFVII was so vague: injured by Sephiroth, he gives you the Keystone needed to enter the Temple of the Ancients, then stumbles off to one side. If you talk to Tseng after that, the only thing that he'll say is, "I am... still alive..."

It is entirely possible that Tseng survived the attack and has been hiding out ever since. Whether or not we'll be treated to a surprise visit from him in AC remains to be seen.

Palmer
The only Shinra executive besides Reeve who we did not witness the death of, it is not known what has happened to Palmer since he oversaw the launch of the Shinra No. 26. Did Palmer somehow survive Meteor, and if so, where is he now?