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“ | So... I'm an Ancient. As in "a steward of the planet." One of those Ancients. Or to be more precise... the only Ancient. For the most part... it's been a source of pain. I've been held against my will. I've been watched. I've been ignored. Even hated. And it's been that way ever since I was little. My blood's been nothing but a curse. If I ever started to forget, something would remind me of what I was, and bring me crashing back down to earth. It was always the same. Time after time. I'd be shown a glimmer of hope, only to have it snatched away. I was never gonna be normal... that much was clear. So my blood's been a curse... but it's also been a blessing. It's brought some wonderful people into my life. Friends that I love. And for once... I think I'm okay. Happy, even. And all that pain... feels worth it. Even if I can't lead a normal life... there is one thing I can do: return their kindness. And try to make the most of what I've been given. | „ |
~ Aerith's speech as she reveals her true nature as the last Ancient. |
Aerith Gainsborough is the deuteragonist in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. She is the last of the Cetra, an ancient race with powerful magical abilities, and so the Shinra Electric Power Company hunts her throughout her life, seeking to exploit her powers.
In Japanese, she is voiced by Chihiro Tanaka as a youth in the Remake, and Maaya Sakamoto in all other speaking roles. In English, she is voiced by Mandy Moore in Kingdom Hearts, Mena Suvari in Kingdom Hearts II and Advent Children, Briana White and Capri Oliver in the Remake as an adult and a youth respectively, and Andrea Bowen in all other speaking roles.
Appearance[]
Aerith wears a shin-length pink dress that buttons up the front and a red bolero jacket. She wears brown boots and metal bracers on her wrists and around the edges of her jacket sleeves. In all her appearances Aerith's long light brown hair is plaited with a large pink ribbon. Segmented bangs frame Aerith's face, and she has emerald, green eyes.
Personality[]
Aerith is forgiving, as seen with Cloud after the Events at the Temple of the Ancients. She even shows compassion to people who might not deserve the gesture, like Tseng. Aerith is portrayed as an independent, outgoing, motherly and kind young woman who is deeply in-tune with nature. She's also flirty with both Zack and Cloud. Her extroverted personality is a contrast to Tifa's more withdrawn and guarded mindset.
Aerith is quite sentimental; she keeps wearing her pink dress because of the promise she made to her first love to use it despite his death. She also keeps wearing ribbon given by him on their first date and within the ribbon, she keeps the White Materia orb given to her by her mother right before she passed away. She always has a cheerful face to hide her sadness.
Story[]
Introduced as a simple flower girl living in the Sector 5 slums under Midgar, the player is formally introduced to Aerith after Cloud Strife, the game's main protagonist, crashes through the roof of the church where her flowers grow. Her first run-in with Cloud comes earlier, when the two temporarily cross paths while Cloud is on his way to 7th Heaven.
It is later revealed that the Turks, the special security arm of the Shinra Electric Power Company, is pursuing Aerith for the purposes of research. Aerith is the last of the Cetra, an ancient race with close ties to the planet's lifestream. The Turks succeed in capturing Aerith, and she's later put in the clutches of Professor Hojo, a deluded scientist researching the Cetra. Hojo puts Aerith in a sealed test tube along with Red XIII in hopes that the two will mate so their species lives on.
Aerith is rescued from Hojo's lab by Cloud and his allies, and they all escape Midgar together. After learning that Sephiroth intends to steal the Black Materia in order to cast Meteor and destroy the world, Aerith leaves the party and heads towards the Forgotten City where the Cetra originated from.
When Cloud finally manages to catch up with Aerith, he's too late, and watches as she's attacked and murdered by Sephiroth. As she dies, the materia that she wore in her hairpin that belonged to her mother falls off and into the water below. After fending off Jenova, Cloud carries Aerith's body into the water and allows her to sink into its depths.
Eventually, the party learns that the reason Aerith sacrificed herself was so she could summon Holy; the only spell capable of counteracting Meteor. Though she died, she managed to save the planet in the process.
Prior to meeting Cloud, Aerith became friends with and dated Zack Fair for four years. As depicted in the game Crisis Core, it is Zack that gives Aerith the idea to earn money by selling flowers, and assists her by building a flower cart. He also buys her a hair ribbon as a gift while the two go out on a date. Zack also notes that he thinks Aerith would look beautiful in a pink dress, though Aerith comments that she's not fond of pink. In her time together with Cloud, Aerith is reminded of Zack through Cloud's behavior; a result of Cloud's memories becoming muddled with stories Zack had previously told him about his own life.
Quotes[]
“ | I can hear it. I can hear the planet. | „ |
~ Aerith Gainsborough |
“ | You worry too much. I'm not some princess who needs to be coddled. | „ |
~ Aerith to Cloud. |
“ | Y'know... if you think about it, life and death are just two sides of the same coin. Our bodies may disappear when we die, but our spirits still live on. We return to the planet, rejoin the lifestream, and in time, give rise to new life. Knowing that the people we love aren't really gone? It doesn't make it any easier to let them go. It still hurts. So we just can't think of it as a "homecoming." 'Cause it's not that simple. We've all experienced pain. We all have our regrets. What we've done, what's been done to us, that's set in stone. The past is forever. But the future, even if it has been written, can be changed. It's true that the pain and the anger we carry can make us stronger. But at what cost? What toll does it take? I believe true strength doesn't come from any of that. True strength comes from our ability to forgive, to forge ahead in the hope of making things right. It comes from ourselves. So focus on the future, not the past. Do that, and not even Sephiroth will be able to stand in our way. Not even him. | „ |
~ Aerith |
Trivia[]
- Aerith's first name was mistransliterated as 'Aeris' in the English-language versions of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy Tactics. The correct spelling is given in all of her subsequent English-language appearances.
Gallery[]
Images[]
External Links[]
- Aerith Gainsborough on the Final Fantasy Wiki
- Aerith Gainsborough on the Wikipedia
- Aerith Gainsborough on the Pure Good Wiki
[]
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