The conversation surrounding Cait Sith, one of the most contested names within the Final Fantasy 7 extended universe, has taken a dramatic turn. On the social media website that I insist on calling Twitter, Square Enix posted the following clarification:
“In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Cait Sith is pronounced ‘Kate Sihth.’”
For some Final Fantasy fans, this statement may read along the lines of calling water wet. In fact, I imagine many who played Final Fantasy 7 back in 1997 naturally pronounced the name like that. However, many (naturally) believe the name “Cait Sith” to be a reference to the corresponding Celtic folklore creature “Cait Sidhe.” This is typically pronounced like “Ket-Shee,” which some have since applied to the remote-controlled Shinra machination. But with Square Enix’s clarification, it appears that in an effort to be as correct as possible, some fans have argued themselves into an incorrect pronunciation instead.
Note that Square Enix specifically says that Cait Sith is pronounced this way in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Clearly, this opens the door to pronouncing Cait Sith as “Ket-Shee” in the original Final Fantasy 7, since the post offers no clarification on that front. I’m not team “Ket-Shee,” I just enjoy chaos.
Easily in the top 5 of most controversial pronunciations in Final Fantasy 7
Honestly, arguing over how to pronounce things in Final Fantasy 7 is a time-honored tradition at this point. If you were on a message board during the mid-2000s, saying “Aeris” instead of “Aerith” was tantamount to saying that you hated everyone with three or more toes.
Also, calling Tifa “tih-fuh” instead of “tee-fuh” could start wars. At some point, I caught the “tih-fuh” bug and still say that even though I know “tee-fuh” is correct. I have been nearly punched in the face at least once for this reason. No, hearing it pronounced in Final Fantasy VII Remake has not helped.
So, as silly as it may seem, Square Enix’s clarification here does have context. And while the voice acted script of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth would naturally answer this question, at least we can put this one to rest early. Now we just need Square Enix to clarify whether “Safer Sephiroth” should actually be “Sefer Sephiroth” or “Savior Sephiroth” to sate fans once and for all.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches on February 29, 2024 on PlayStation 5.
