Aerith Gainsborough Explained | Final Fantasy VII Analysis
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- čas přidán 20. 03. 2020
- In this Aerith Gainsborough analysis we take a look back at the Aerith origin story in Final Fantasy 7, the uniqueness of her character arc, and how she's a crucial aspect to the central story beyond the Cloud, Tifa, Aerith love triangle for which she is often discussed.
The Tim Rogers Found in Translation segment regarding the Aeris translation and pronounciation and can be found here: • Let's Mosey: A Slow Tr...
In this Aerith Gainsborough Analysis I cover:
Aerith or Aeris Gainsborough the on-going debate around translation
Aerith and Cloud Strife
Aerith and Sephiroth as duality and binary
Aerith and Tifa Lockhart in the love triangle
Aerith Gainsborough FF7R changes
The Aerith Gainsborough story and the Final Fantasy 7 remake
#aerith #ff7r #finalfantasy7
Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoy my FF7 Analysis videos - Hry
![AERITH (Final Fantasy VII) - Who Dat? [Character Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zIDltjWuXp4/mqdefault.jpg)
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Cloud telling Sephiroth to shut up is poingant to me for 4 reasons:
1. It goes against the Trope of JRPG's, Animes and Cartoons etc. Characters are always allowed their bit in the limelight...taking turns speaking and delivering their grand speeches.
2. It breaks Clouds cool and collective facade. He doesnt care how he appears to others as he is consumed by emotion.
3. Its one of the only times he speaks positivley about someone else, him saying 'she will no longer cry, get angry...' etc, hes exclaiming that even he will miss her when shes displaying negative emotions.
4. He stands up to Sephiroth despite knowing Sephiroth could cut him down in an instant.
It always struck a chord with me.
I put Aerith in the party every playthrough. It's silly to say, but I'm sentimental and knowing she does just makes me want to spend more time with her.
Aerith's death does not closes the chapter of the love triangle at all. Even after her death we still get 2 versions of HW scenes. Everything is still left for interpretation, at least until now.
Gotta say that this video made me appreciate Areith's character so much more. Shes so subtly brilliant and I think the remake handles her perfectly.
Yeah, i'm not quite done with the remake yet (at Shinra HQ), but so far Aerith's been great, enjoying it.
I love ❤️ Aerith. She is the best character of Final Fantasy VII and all FF. Team Clerith. Aerith deserves a Happy ending in the Remake. Hear me once more. This time I will never let you go Aerith. 🌸🎀☁️ PS: Second best Lighting ⚡️😉
Good show, Redcoat. I do include Aerith in my playthroughs. In fact, in my current game, I've obtained her umbrella and leveled her to the point where I defeated the entire battle square sequence with her. Easily my favorite fictional character ever.
Ahh, the Umbrella! I am endeavoring to get this on my current playthrough too :)
Even though I was spoiled by the Aeris death scene in the original FF7, I was completely blown away how well they did it. The camera angles, the sad music, among other things took my breath away.
Of all of the FF content creators, I have to say you are my favourite. You give information instead of opinions for the most part, you are not condescending, and you are not loud and brash. Thank you.
Thanks john, I really appreciate that.
@@AlleywayJack I know how much goes into making videos, and how much work it is. Due to an illness, I've had to take some time off, but I'm hopping back in the saddle and remembering how much research it takes, let alone being engaging. I look forward to your next video.
@@johnst.baptiste3664 Thanks man, yes I've listened through some of your Gaiman stuff, big fan of his. Good luck getting back into it :)
@@AlleywayJack Thank you!
I would agree, best FF channel around. More FF fans need to know...
Dude you’re incredible. I don’t know how you don’t have more subscribers. Your content is so well thought out and eloquently presented. I absolutely love all of your final fantasy videos, along with all of your others!
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy it!
I read somewhere that an early concept for final fantasy 7 was to have Sephiroth and Aerith be siblings, hinted at in their similar character designs and hair styles. But I like your idea more of them as polar opposites- protector and destroyer, generic experimentation/abomination vs deep connection to the natural world etc but it’s interesting that Sephiroth believes himself to be an ancient at one point too 🤔. I also like the ethereal aspects of Aerith that other games play on like in Kingdom Hearts she’s the only person besides Maleficent who knows they’re just a projection of memory in Chain of Memories. I know you don’t cover other titles and stick to the games themselves but I just find those aspects of her character interesting
The twin thing would have been an interesting angle and I generally like that sort of thing, where you have one going irrevocably bad... but as you say, Sephiroth mistakenly believing himself to be an Ancient was a really interesting, slightly tragic angle for the game too.
And yeah, Aerith was great in Kingdom Hearts, oddly that's when I really started appreciating her more.
I remember watching my wife play kingdom hearts (I had never played it) and jumping off the couch in excitement when Sora and co encountered Aerith and Yuffie. Lol
Connor C yea. It's hugely apparent that they were meant to be siblings in conceptual stages. The illustrations by nomura of aerith and sephiroth give them identical faces and hair. I thought it was interesting that they looked so much alike in conceptual drawings
Man...I go back and forth between being a cloti or being a clerith depending on the day and the weather. They're both great characters.
I do the opposite of excluding aerith from my playthrough, I actually grind out leveling harder while she's in the party to get her final limit break. It's only right
I said this on other videos, but Aeris is like Jack from Titanic. Her death is what the made the story. She had to die. It wouldn't have had a deep impact if it had been someone else.
As for her death, I remember back in the 90s I actually didn't cry but was shocked. Now, 20 something tears later, I'm replaying this on the Switch with my 7 year old son. I had to rename all the characters except cloud to represent family members to make him happy. According to him, I looked like Aeris which was strange because I look more like tifa 🤣, so I had to rename her mom.😅
Well, when it came to her death, my son was completely shocked, mouth hanging open, and immediately said that cloud needs to do a quest to rescue mommy. And then at the end of the game, he yelled 'she's alive!!'
My point is, her death still has an impact today for the story.
Totally agree, good comparison with Titanic too 😅 hope your son wasn't too demoralised by that ending btw, I'm still scarred by the first time I watched Bambi.
Great video, I’m loving these more in depth analysis of the VII characters.
I think another interesting thing to note about Aerith is the fact that in a lot of media she is portrayed as almost saint like, when reality she is such a sassy and spunky character which I think made her more believable.
I especially like the juxtaposition between her and Tifa in the sense that stereotypically their personalities match the other’s appearance and “job class” rather than their own. I’m also really interested to see how they elaborate on their friendship in the remake as I always got the vibe that they developed a bond in the original, they would hang out together when the group split up etc.
In answer to your question, I still use her on playthroughs even knowing that she’ll be gone halfway through, which I think is testament to Square that they did such an effective job of her character creation.
They really did juxtapose Tifa/Aerith appearances with their personalities, I'd never noticed until you mentioned it but I can totally see it.
Yes this reminds me of final fantasy peasant's discussion of Aerith and Tifa in the framework of the three faces of Venus
Also, Digi Valentine does a great discussion and analysis of Aerith's design/appearance.
@@djdusk5050 Don't suppose you have a link to that video do you? Sounds like it could be an interesting watch.
@@djdusk5050 Sounds good, I'll check these out!
Nice in depht analysis as always
I may be wrong but contrary to what most of people are thinking it's not Sephiroth who kills Aerith - reason being he is stuck in the northern crater.
The one who did it is Jenova who from the shinra tower incident has taken the appereance of Sephiroth (as the game states Jenova has the power to change form) - reason why we are fighting Jenova parts each time we thought we had catch up with Sephiroth.
This is interesting cause the true (or first at least) ennemy of the planet is Jenova and the last protector of the planet (ancient) is Aerith.
The duality is maybe there too, Jenova killing Aerith is a powerfull symbolic act. Jenova hates the ancients cause they emprisonned her thousands years ago, preventing her from taking control of the planet.
Sephiroth could be seen as Jenova's puppet, from his deep loneliness, not being as the others, he found "his mother", something he could grab (after all he talks about him not having known his mother at Nibelheim) and almost instantly take part for her feeling betrayed by a humanity that made him an experimental monster. A fanatic son. But in the end i don't think he is just a puppet, maybe just a part of him, but for the most i think he acts on free will cause after all he IS Jenova's son - so half Alien - as the character design resemblance shows too, he has the same evil, domination will upon the planet.
Otherwise on Aerith I think there is something to dig about the Christ analogy - sacrificing herself to save the world despite humanity has contribute to destroy it (shinra etc...)
Can't wait to here your thoughts on the remake"s new content coming soon!
Hey, I like your points but you missed the mark slightly. Yes it is jenova who has the ability to take different forms, but it's sephiroth that takes her head then falls into the lifestream and ends up where we see him in the northern crater, pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Sephiroth is able to use jenova for his ends.
I guess, however, it could be ambiguous who the real villain is....is it sephiroth controlling jenova or is it jenova controlling sephiroth? Or are they perfectly evil for one another's goals and so form a symbiosis of sorts?
BUT, Sephiroth murdered everyone in nibelheim before he ever fell into the lifestream, which shows how much of a villain he is.
Furthermore, in OG ff7 the final boss is not jenova. There are several jenova fights throughout the game but the final fight is against 1 winged angel and then the mind battle where it's 1v1 cloud vs sephiroth. So I'd say sephiroth is the true villain and responsible for the death of aerith.
In the remake I believe we will see this contrast well with new plot details about cloud's mother, which maximilian dood mentioned recently on his channel. It's a spoiler, so I wont mention here.
Last thing, sephiroth isn't actually jenova's son. He thinks he is, which is a great plot point for his character. He has jenova cells while in the womb, but his parents are hojo and lucrecia. Vincent's side quest to get his best weapon reveals this in the original game.
Thanks for the comment. As Mike said here I think the question of whether it's Jenova controlling Sephiroth or the other way round that makes the situation so compelling, there's equal argument for both. The actual physical entity we encounter is of course Jenova, which is why it's discarding pieces of itself for us to battle (slightly re-written from the original when it was supposed to be floating limbs instead of Sephiroth we were fighting), but the debate is whether Sephiroth has full control of this thing from the Northern crater.
On your other point about Aerith, I agree about the Christ-like image via self-sacrifice, and the act of prayer... we meet her in a very Christian looking church at the beginning of the game too.
I maxed out aerith 99 and best equipment and sent her off in disc 1 feels sad man it's what she deserved
Good to see I'm not the only one that did that. That's a lot of time spent grinding, but she deserves it.
happy birthday aerith!!! :3
i really love her & tifa in remake and my biggest wish for the remake with how different it's take on the story will be is being given the option of saving her(just make it difficult to do with conditions for it.) as i remember once hearing her fate was going to be different originally,would be cool to see how the story would go with her in the events past it which i think they could do and just love what has been done/what was always originally there with her character and relationship with tifa & cloud so much.
To. This. Day. I still tear up at Aries Dying.
When I first played the game, I had no clue that Aeris will ***. I so liked her that I always made sure shes in the party, I kept grinding to keep her level up. equipping things to Increase her strength. I was so glad when new Staff/Rod is obtained. I was curious about her Limit Breaks.. then before the end of Disc 1, watching the scene, I was devastated, shocked, and I cried (I was 12 or 13 that time). So yeah, I must say I felt the Legit emotions that people behind this amazing game would like players to feel that time. (Lucky that I didnt have Nihilist friend)
Lol - I thought the guy from from 4-8 Productions was the only one that called her "Aries". Learn something every day
Loved the video Redcoat :D Aerith is my second favorite FF character just slightly behind Laguna
Thanks glad you enjoyed it! Yup, I'd say Laguna is my overall favourite too.
@@AlleywayJack I fell in love with him the second disc 2 started and we woke up as Laguna in Winhill, the music is so magical and the dialogue with Ellone is so cute :D
@@tonigrondahl4465 yeah that scene is a great example of FF8 pacing too, where the Squall icicle drama is immediately exchanged for this warm innocent Laguna sequence - driven by the music as you say. I may have to start a new game now 😅
@@AlleywayJack Yeah, the pacing is next to perfect until you wake up in the desert prison, that place still creeps me :D
@@tonigrondahl4465 one of my least favourite bits of FF8! But the game quickly recovers from it
Great video, man! I love these character analysis videos
Keep up the content 👍
The great and beautiful Aerith.
The one who saved us all.
I am doing my umpteenth playthrough currently, and she just helped me kaibosh Demon’s Gate with her awesome limit breaks.
I don’t dare load up the game again and do the Forgotten City, because I know exactly what is coming!!! :((
My favourite Final Fantasy character.
I watched the FF7 movie cutscenes a few months ago, I had no idea what the story line was or anything about or the characters. At first I didn't like Aerith but then I changed my mind. I questioned why things happened. The first time I see Aerith she is communicating with the life stream in the alley, she then runs to the plaza and waits for Cloud. Their meeting is NOT by chance and he is NOT attracted to her, he just wants to go home and get paid. She forces him to *ahem* "take her flower". Yup. He refuses it. Why would a kind, altruistic person like Aerith be attracted to a mercenary anyways? (he kills people and destroys property for money) because she needs him to get her out of Midgar and to the Forgotten City- that's why. The truth is that Aerith is the REAL hero of this story, she chooses the planet (over Cloud) and is willing to die for it. He sacrifices NOTHING for her. She deserved better.
First of all, I've never understood the big pronunciation debate. We all originally read these names/places etc. with no frame of reference, as well as many fans were young enough that they were just learning how to read as well. And honestly, I think that everyone having different pronunciations actually adds to the legacy of these great games. It drives home that everyone who played them had a personal experience and read the names and heard the voices they thought matched the scenario.
One aspect I deeply miss ever since voice acting replaced text dialogue, is the sense of personality I projected onto the characters just from hearing them in my mind. (Play FFX on mute, and you might not think Tidus is that annoying 😉, or in FFIX, I think Zidane would have come off much less likeable with a voice actor)
(Slight spoilers ahead)
It's hard to remember my first playthrough and how frequently I used Aeris, but ever since I knew her fate, I very rarely have her in my party. It's a combination of impending doom/loss, as well as it seems a waste of time to level her up or anything. Not only that, but to me she's the least useful character in combat, white mage or no.
There's one other, less tangible, idea that I can't explain properly but I always get the feeling that Aeris being around perpetuates and aggravates Clouds already severely damaged psyche. Her love for Zach(k) doesn't allow her to let him go, and she definitely sees aspects of Zach(k) in the way Cloud behaves and his personality. She (subconsciously) could be keeping Zach(k)s memory alive in Cloud, not allowing Cloud to fully be himself. And if I remember correctly, it's after the Aeris event, that Cloud finally snaps and begins his arduous road to recovery. There are of course other circumstances at play, but I believe these events are of great significance. Sorry for the long comment. Great video, as usual! 😺
Absolutely agree re. the pronunciation thing, and I think it does lend to the notion that these games are personal experiences - particularly for young players discovering them for the first time.
I also agree with the personality thing, and Tidus was a real baptism of fire for many FF fans being introduced to voice acted FF games.
I'm playing the Remake at the moment and it's amusing that my perception of Aeris gameplay-wise has carried over. i.e. not really using her... in fact I never really use white mages unless I'm forced to by story events. But as you say, it's more than simply character classes, and there's always been something divisive about Aeris that I think is down to subjective experience of the game story... I know people who think she's the best character in the game, and others who just outright dislike her.
I agree about the pronunciation but while i respect your opinion (it’s a valid take) i disagree about Aerith not allowing Cloud to be himself.
My impression of them is the opposite, actually! Yes, Aerith probably sees a lot of Zack in Cloud and it may be why she is initially attracted to him (same for Cloud towards her) but I think she also recognizes that Cloud is putting up a fake stoic/macho personality and purposefully tries to break through it to bring out his true self. She plafully teases him and encourages him to express himself; even convincing him to crossdress to help Tifa (she also manages to make him laugh once!). So yeah, i think if anything she was deliberately trying to get him to drop his defensiveness and emotional detachment
Cloud also probably is attracted to Aerith at first because he believes he is Zack and all that; but I think the reason he gets attached to her and is so distraught when she dies is because she actually understands him (or tries to).
While Tifa is the one to accompany him on the road to re-finding himself, I think Aerith is the one that plants that idea in him.
Sorry if i didnt explain myself very well lol, english is not my first language (also you don’t have to agree with me, just thought I’d share my perspective. The game gets ambiguous with a lot of things :D )
@@andreee123123 You have an interesting perspective and some very good points. I hadn't considered Cloud and Aerith's relationship from that point of view.
And to add to your idea, it does seem like Cloud was "all" Zack(h) during the reactor bombing missions.
Then, after he meets Aerith and spends some time with her adventuring through the slums, we start to see the first few glimpses of the "real" Cloud, not just the mercenary.
@@andreee123123 Actually Cloud never thought that he was Zack. If he would have thought that he was Zack than he wouldn't have called himself as Cloud. Cloud made up false stories of him being a 1st class soldier. To create his own soldier persona he used only Zack's soldier persona for reference. And he made up his own version of Nibelhiem incident story in which he replaced Zack with himself. That was all about it. Cloud was always on his own in FF7 and there was no such thing as "he think he is Zack". That is a common misconception.
And Aerith don't see a lot of Zack in Cloud, she only initially did, and she was actually bothered about it.
The rest of what you said is perfect.
Oh my god, your friend sucks. I was shocked when she died, and actually cried!
Yup, I reluctantly forgave him for his long history of spoiler transgressions.
I think she should die in the remake, and here are two reasons.
1. She needs to die so that she can save the planet by entering the life-stream and controlling it do that it can push back meteor so that holy can destroy it, even though certain events could (and probably will) change in the remake
2. It teaches the player about loss and how to manage it.
3. It shows Aerith's personality and how she would throw her life away for the sake of others and the planet alongside the fact that she would do this so that she can complete her role as the last remaining ancient.
Don't get me wrong I love Aerith and their is a part of me that wants Aerith to live in the remake, but in my opinion it would be better that she dies so that she can save the planet. (sorry for my typo's last time I wrote this)
I did not know that there was a choice between. Aerith and Barret between who would die. That kind of makes one particular scene in the remake much more interesting
Yeah they seemed to reference that in the Remake at near the end, interesting about where the story might go from here!
I never really payed much attention to the date mechanics in the OG until recently where I'm going for the platinum trophy on it. Never realized how complicated it is to get Barrett, I just always thought that if you were just negative to both(all three counting Yuffie) you would get Barrett - now I know better. I have to follow a guide after speed running up to the date scene and failing both times.
Yeah I also had to follow a guide. I don't think I've ever done the Yuffie date either.
Great video! For the remake, I wonder if they considered the option of rather than just Aerith dying, have either Tifa or Aerith die. Depending on what choices you make in the game, would depend on who lives.
It has to be Aerith. Tifa is not a cetra and therefore cannot commune with the planet to help summon holy. I believe Aerith knew she would have to die in order to achieve this which is why she's smiling and content during her attack and not surprised or despairing.
@@off-meta-michael I neglected to take that into account. That would make my scenario quite difficult then.
@@kylep4991 I think it would be cool as like a new game + non canon scenario. Or here's a thought....if you save aerith she never can summon holy and sephiroth wins. You have to replay the story....
Now, they would never do that. But holy crap would that be amazing if you chose to save her somehow and you lose like 100 hours later in part 3 of the remake. Haha
@@off-meta-michael that would be a pretty cool idea. Usually at the end of every video game you win. How many people would pick to save her despite know that? If this FF game is like any of the others, I would be happy to replay them. I've played 7, 8, and 9 all 3 times.
Man I wish there were a way. So sad I only get to play my favorite ff character for 1/3 of the game! Better to have loved and lost than never loved at all, huh? Makes u want to treasure all the moments with ur loved ones all the more.
Excited to watch! Definitely consider Jenova as well
I second this request of Jenova analysis, can't leave her/it out!
The most important
9:50 isnt demon's gate regarded as one of the toughest bosses in the game? you're forced to have aerith in the party for that dungeon/fight, and she learns stuff like limit breaks... quite a bit quicker compared to other party members. the only grinding i had to do for great gospel was to get pulse of life
When cloud cutting off sephiroth monologue, restating that she's gone forever..., It's like the second emotional attack from the game.
Forget the translation mistakes...... How does she look like the divine incarnation of war to you?
5:48 I too have a friend like that. He told me what happened at the end of RDR1...a week after it came out 😑
I feel your pain
Aerith stays in the party till the last minute on every playthrough. She has always been dear to my heart from the moment I was introduced to the game at 4 years old and that has always prompted me to cherish every moment with her
Cloud is with tifa by default but its always been aerith
Air-ree's like the god of war? I don't think that the spelling even suggests that E sound at the end. IRIS / EYE-RIS is the sound I see from the spelling.
Ive always seen it as heir-ress like an heir to a throne but a ress being an female inheritor being the last cetra an all but i still call her aerith very anagram of i earth
Epitome is pronounced ep-it-oh-me not ep-ee-tome fyi
Great vids sir
They weren't even friends when they were younger ugh
Yes exactly! Tifa mostly avoided him/hung out with other people, until Cloud was leaving to join SOLIDER.
I for sure stopped using Aerith as much after my first play thru and she died lol
Did Aerith really love Cloud or was she still wanting to be with Zack?
That is the question :)
@@AlleywayJack well it seems to go both ways when it comes to Aerith loving Cloud or Zack? At first you think she loves Cloud because he reminds her so much of Zack, and Aerith say’s Zack is the first guy she ever loved but then she says gotta look forward not backwards meaning she wants to be with Cloud?
A final canonical answer is yet to be provided, but my personal interpretation from everything that happens is that the mutual memories of Zack start things off, but then Aerith and Cloud eventually fall deeply in love with each other (Aerith first, Cloud later). They are then horribly torn apart by Sephiroth’s act of extreme and prejudiced violence. Aerith and Cloud’s love, however, is the catalyst for both characters completing their arc: Aerith finding the inner peace that leads to her willingly sacrificing herself to summon Holy, and Cloud being driven to complete his journey of personal vengeance by destroying Sephiroth. Both of these hugely emotional and meaningful acts together ultimately save the Planet. So Aerith and Cloud’s romantic and unconsummated love for one another is the tragic human story which facilitates the grand narrative of the Planet being shielded and continuing to exist, thereby protecting both the life cycle and the natural order of things. This is why Cloud has a vision of Aerith saving him in the Northern Crater, and why Aerith’s face bookends both the opening and closing frames of the story. Is how I see it all! :)
@@busydad4858 excellent theory, but I say Tifa is for Cloud and Aerith is for Zach and all four of them are best friends.
Well, I would answer no, and the remake is even more obvious abt it. In the Gold Saucer she's honnest with Cloud and told him that at first she saw similaries, but that now she knows that they are different person, if she says that it's mostly bc she probably saw the part of Cloud, and she says that she wanna see this part only, means she isn't interesting by Cloud fake persona anymore, she wants to see him, only him.
In the remake, it's even more obvious as I said before, exept for the clothes, the soldier rank and the eyes, Cloud and Zack are like day and night, they litteraly have different persona, like Cloud isn't really joking with Aerith for example.
Aerith consciousness lived in Cloud after her death (it has been said in an interview), and she was still helping him a lot, while she could easily join the lifestream and stay with Zack, so imo she really loves Cloud
find better friends.
Dear CLERITH shippers..
It won't happen
It CAN'T happen..
-from a Zack Fair devotee
Dear Zack Fair devotee
Zerith is the past.