Few images in gaming are as emotionally resonant as the flowers that grow insideFinal Fantasy 7’s Sector 5 church, blooming amidst broken hardwood and dilapidated rubble. Despite Midgar’s steel sky, the light from the church’s windows casts a glow on the small patch of nature, illuminating both its flowers and the one who tends to them. A steward of the planet herself, and the last of the Ancients,Aerith Gainsboroughhas come to be known for her tragic end, but she deserves to be celebrated for so much more than that. Today, her birthday, is a reminder of Aerith’s legacy, which should be honored both in her reverence for nature and for life itself.
InFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Aerith tells of the hardships of her past. Speaking to the people of Cosmo Canyon, she explains that her “blood is a curse,” an inescapable fate that has mired so much of her past, resulting in her being taken, watched, and ignored. As she looks out in the crowd and sees Cloud, however, she is encouraged by his smile; “my blood’s been a curse… but it’s also been a blessing,” she says, as the camera pans on her allies. Despite the pains of the events that led her to this moment, Aerith states that she is, for once, happy, surrounded by her friends and the faint glow of the lanterns that are released into the night sky.
Final Fantasy 7’s Aerith: A Legacy That Lies in Life as Much as Death
A Legacy Beyond Tragedy
Aerith is a character who has transcended her place withinFinal Fantasy 7’s story, making waves in gaming history itself. Her death has cemented itself as one of the medium’s most impactful, and the traumas of her past are not understated, withRebirth’s modern imagining being especially harrowing. The game does not dismiss the pains of her backstory; Aerith and Cloud’s water tower scene in Nibelheim is evidence of that, as Aerith laments the loneliness of her upbringing and the lack of someone she can reminisce with. Still, her strength is consistently made known, punctuated byRebirth’s moments of levity, which work to further demonstrate her liveliness.
How Aerith’s Personality Plays Off the Team’s Dynamic
Aerith is fun, cheerful, at times sassy. Her brightness in life is one that plays off the team’s dynamic, challenging Cloud’s stoicism and Tifa’s reservedness, demonstrating just how well she is able to connect with and bring out the best in others despite her isolated past. BothRemakeandRebirthgive her these small, intimate moments that hone in on this; from her awkward high-fives with Cloud onMidgar’s collapsed expresswayall the way up to their photographing the constellations of Cosmo Canyon together, where Cloud can snap a few candid pictures of her as she prays. It is in moments like these that the beauty of her personality is accentuated, asRebirthgives prominence to even the quieter side of its story.
Rebirth’s synergy abilitiesare another way that Aerith’s personality and bonds with the team are exemplified, highlighting her interactions even in the frenetic nature of combat. Sure, she might not have to do a cool pose with Barret’s sunglasses before the two of them send a barrage of bullets and magic toward enemies, but she’ll do so all the same. This playfulness is woven into so much of her design, used not as a way to mask her traumas or pain, but rather as a complement to the inherent liveliness of her nature. Aerith doesn’t exist without the pains of her past or the fate of her future, but as she says in her Cosmo Canyon speech, she will strive to make the best of what she’s given.
‘Someday We’ll Look Back At These Hard Times and Laugh’
Some might look at Aerith’s optimism as even more evidence of her tragedy: a life cut too short after so much loss and hardship. ButFinal Fantasy 7and its remake entries take care to consider what makes life worth living in the first place. The bonds that Aerith cultivates withFF7’s partyare a testament to how much she cherishes those around her, helping them to grow just as much as her flowers. In turn, her ability to move forward, to continue to appreciate the small moments in spite of it all, is emblematic of just how beautiful of a character she is. Though her legacy has become synonymous with her tragic ending, her life is worth celebrating, now on her birthday and for all the days to come.
