Aerith Gainsborough/Dissidia

Aerith Gainsborough is the bonus fourth representative for Final Fantasy VII in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. She appears as an Assist-only character and a tutor for those who purchase Dissidia Duodecim Prologus Final Fantasy. In Prologus, she gives advice on how to play and signs off by announcing her inclusion in the game as an Assist-only character.

Aerith was added to the game when it was decided there would be an Assist-only bonus character, and discussion began on who it should be. Aerith was chosen from her high ranking in a Square Enix member character survey and because her status as an Assist-only character meant her lack of combat abilities could be overlooked.

Appearance
Aerith's default costume is identical to her original Final Fantasy VII appearance; a shin-length pink summers dress that buttons up front with a red lining and a red bolero jacket. In addition to brown boots she wears metal bracers on her wrists as well as leaving the lower portion of the dress unbuttoned to allow for easier movement.

Aerith's first alternate outfit is based on Yoshitaka Amano's artwork of her. She wears a pink bandeau dress with silver linings and a frontal split, a cropped, shoulder-less jacket with puffed sleeves, and pink and silver pointed high-heeled boots. Her hair ribbon is pink with blue-green polka dots, and is a different shape than her other outfits and tied differently.

Aerith’s second alternate outfit is based on her summer dress as seen in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, a blue and white thigh-length dress over a red camisole and white wedge sandals with pink straps. The dress is adorned by blue lace bows at the breast and waist as well as possessing a small corsage of flowers lining the left shoulder string. Her hair ribbon is the same shape as her original ribbon, but is a deeper shade of pink closer to red.

Battle
As an Assist-only character, Aerith is able to perform two of her Limit Breaks from Final Fantasy VII when called; Seal Evil and Planet Protector, along with Cure and the ultimate white magic spell, Holy.

Allusions

 * In Final Fantasy VII, Aerith possessed the White Materia, which is the only way to summon Holy.
 * Seal Evil and Planet Protector are both Limit Breaks used by Aerith in Final Fantasy VII.
 * Aerith's animation while charging Holy mirrors her prayer stance before her death. When fought as an AI opponent, Sephiroth is apparently programmed to use Hell's Gate on Aerith should she be called to perform Holy, mirroring her death in Final Fantasy VII.
 * In the first in-game manual screen in Prologus, Aerith introduces herself with the lines "Hey, do you want a flower? They're only a gil," echoing the line she said to Cloud upon meeting him for the first time in Final Fantasy VII.
 * The staff Aerith uses is the Guard Stick, her initial weapon in Final Fantasy VII.

Trivia

 * On the assist selection screen, Aerith's last name in this title is spelled "Gainborough," dropping the S. It is spelled correctly in the credits.
 * Since Prologus is a paid demo, the developers gave Aerith's attacks unique properties that other characters' attacks do not have; such as paralyzing the opponent or granting the player invincibility, to make buying Prologus a worthwhile purchase.