FF7 Remake Chapter 9 Side-Quests Guide: How To Unlock And Complete Every Side-Quest

The ninth chapter of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is one of the biggest highlights of the game, and part of it is because of all the fun side-quests you get to do. It's a lot of fun, but there's a little more to this particular chapter's side-quests than others. Below you can find a detailed walkthrough of each Chapter 9 side-quest and the rewards you get for completing them.

Chapter 9 Side-Quests Walkthrough

Burning Thighs

It's squat time. Head to the gym on the south side of Wall Market, near the weapon shop, to engage in a squat minigame. It's pretty straightforward, and you only need to beat the first competitor to complete the quest for three mega-potions. If you stick around and challenge the other two, you can earn a Luck Up materia and a Champion Belt accessory (plus the "Sultan of Squat" Trophy).

Important Branching Pathway

Chapter 9 includes a branching pathway between two sets of side-quests that are broadly either aligned with Chocobo Sam or with Madam M. The set of side-quests you get are based on the decisions you make during three pivotal moments. The first is your encounter with Johnny after seeing him sprint past you as you're heading towards Don Corneo's mansion, the second is the coin toss with Chocobo Sam, and the third is the massage course you choose at Madam M's.

To get the Chocobo Sam quests ("The Party Never Stops" and "Dynamite Bodies"), agree with Johnny at the Honeybee Inn, choose heads or tails at the coin toss, and choose the "poor man's" option for 100 gil at Madam M's.

To get Madam M's side-quests ("Price of Thievery" and the "Shears' Counterattack") disagree with Johnny at the Honey Bee Inn (or don't follow him there), choose not to play at the coin toss, and choose the "luxury" option for 3,000 gil at Madam M's.

If you mix and match your responses, the side-quests you receive will be based on whichever set of answers you favored most. So disagreeing with Johnny, for example, but calling the coin toss and choosing the poor man's massage will still get you Chocobo Sam's quests.

Other items may also factor into which set of quests you get, but based on our experiences, it's still hard to say how much. Talking with Johnny's dad in the inn and outside Corneo's Colosseum seem to count toward Chocobo Sam's quests. How you describe Tifa also may influence the decision; saying Tifa is in great shape seems to count for Chocobo Sam, while saying Tifa is a great bookkeeper seems to count for Madam M, with the "great fighter" option being neutral. In general, it seems that if you want to access the Madam M set of quests, you should side against Chocobo Sam and generally pick options respectful of women.

On your first playthrough, you can only experience one of the two sets. If you're eager to experience the other pair, you'll need to replay Chapter 9 using the Chapter Select menu that becomes available once you finish the game. Regardless, both sets are required to complete the "Best in the Business" Trophy. We've detailed the different quests below.

The Party Never Stops (Chocobo Sam Route)

Just north of the gym on the same side of the street is the clothing shop. Talk to the owner, who will dispatch you to go find his father at the bar across from the gym. You mostly just need to follow Johnny around Wall Market, talking to people. Your performance will be based on the quality of your materia: Assess, elemental materias like Fire and Ice, and Cleanse. If you've leveled them up, you'll earn Moogle Medals at each step.

The Materia Shop owner will send you to the Inn to use a vending machine, where your Assess materia will be tested. After that, drop by the restaurant and help the owner with whatever your best elemental materia is. Finally, the Item Shop owner will send you to deliver medicine; depending on the level of your Cleanse materia, you'll deliver more medicine for more rewards. Check the bathroom at Drunkard's for your first delivery to get a sedative. The second goes to the alley behind the gym, accessible from the northwest side of the map, and gives you a celeris. The third is for the narrow alley just north and east of the Item Shop, which will earn you a pack of three Big Bombers. After you're done with the medicine, the Item Shop owner will give you the "Inspiration" to bring back to the dressmaker and complete the quest for a Turbo Ether.

A Dynamite Body (Chocobo Sam Route)

After speaking with Sam, go to the Colosseum for more fights. If you can, combine a Fire and Elemental materia on your armor to give yourself additional protection. You'll fight two Bomb enemies, which don't have any major weaknesses, but are strong against Fire attacks. How you fight these guys is the key, though--you'll want to catch them with attacks while they're in the middle of doing attacks of their own, like the Flamethrower or Fireball, to raise their stagger meters. The best way to do this is to stay out of range, flinging Blizzara spells at the Bombs when they blow fire your way.

Avoid hitting the Bombs when they do the Inflame move, because that'll cause them to grow in size, making their attacks more potent and expanding their range. Do your best to keep away from the Bombs and keep pushing their stagger meters up until you can close the gap and take one out with Punisher attacks and ATB abilities. At that point, finishing off the other should be pretty simple. You'll get an Arcane Scepter weapon for Aerith for your trouble.

The Price of Thievery (Madam M Route)

Head just outside of Wall Market and talk to Mirielle. Return to Evergreen Park and enter the Collapsed Highway again, where you'll find Beck's Badasses. This time, they've got a big Grungy Bandit backing them up, who will like to charge at you and pick you up. He's slow and weak to fire, however, so just avoid him and hit him with magic attacks or Punisher strikes until you put him down. You'll obtain a Turbo Ether and a Real Calling Card upon completion.

Shears' Counterattack (Madam M Route)

Once you finish both "The Price of Thievery" and "Burning Thighs," head to Madam M's to get a new challenge in the Colosseum. You'll face the Jury-Rigged Cutter in the battle. It's a powerful but slow opponent, and at this point, you'll have fought through a bunch of Sweepers and Cutters--deal with this one the same way, with Lightning magic and Punisher melee strikes. Keep clear of its attacks by dodging and you shouldn't have much issue. Upon completion, you'll be rewarded an Arcane Scepter weapon for Aerith.