Aerith Gainsborough

Aerith Gainsborough, also known as Aeris Gainsborough, is one of the female protagonists in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. She uses a staff as her weapon and wears a pink ribbon in her hair. Having lived in the slums of Midgar for years, she has become street-smart, and has had to evade the Shin-Ra many times. She is portrayed as a independent, outgoing and kind young woman who displays an intuitive understanding of others at times.

In the original Japanese version of Final Fantasy VII, her name is Aerith, but it was translated as Aeris in the English version by SCEA. This is because the Japanese language doesn't have the "th" sound, and the closest thing is "su," the equivalent of the English-language "s" sound. The translators were mistaken when they spelled her name in English, and took the "su" sound in her Japanese name to mean an "s." However, since Kingdom Hearts, her name has been translated as Aerith in her appearances such as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, meaning that the Aeris name has been retconned.

Appearance
In Final Fantasy VII, Aerith wears a long pink dress with a slit up the front that buttons up. She also wears a red bolero jacket over this with metal gauntlets. She also wears brown boots and carries a staff as her weapon. Aerith's hair, in all her appearances, is draw back in a thick braid with a large pink bow tied around it. Her bangs are segmented and frame her face on the sides, and she has bright green eyes. Aerith roughly keeps this appearance in Kingdom Hearts, but her jacket is absent. She also retains this appearance in Advent Children.

Co-Director Nozue has said that Aerith's appearance in Advent Children was designed with particular detail, as although she didn't appear much, it was believed that fans would pay close attention to her when she did appear. Nomura stated that they knew from the beginning they wouldn't show her face until the final scenes, and when her face was finally revealed, he thought she looked "cuter than ever".

In Crisis Core, Aerith wears a blue and white dress with red trimmings, and it is in this game that her trademark pink ribbon is bought for her by Zack. In Before Crisis and Kingdom Hearts II, Aerith wears a more elaborate outfit, with a red and white dress held by a single strap around her neck, and a frilly white and pink skirt. In Final Fantasy Tactics, the Flower Girl wears a blue and black dress with a hood.

Character
Aerith is highly upbeat and cheerful, and several times in Final Fantasy VII cheers up the other party members. She is a bit of a damsel in distress, and in several appearances Cloud rescues her from whomever is troubling her. Aerith still maintains that she can take care of herself, having been raised in the slums, and goes out of her way to help Cloud rescue Tifa from Don Corneo. Aerith and Tifa can also be found spending time together when the party splits up on occasion. As a child, Aerith was reluctant to accept her Cetra powers, and in Final Fantasy VII she later admits to Cloud that she considers herself alone, as she is the only Cetra.

Aerith had a romantic relationship with Zack prior to Final Fantasy VII, although in the game she tells Cloud she didn't love him. Crisis Core examines their relationship in greater detail - when Zack falls into her church, he calls her an angel before learning her name. In Hoshi wo Meguru Otome, Aerith is stated to love Cloud: "she loved him much more than her first love...she wanted to stay by his side forever if she could". However, it is up for debate if Cloud feels the same way for Aerith. Beyond Cloud and Zack, Aerith in general is somewhat flirtatious and very outgoing. She spends a great deal of time with Leon, aka Squall in Kingdom Hearts, although their interactions are not romantic.

Birth
Aerith's backstory is given in Final Fantasy VII. Aerith was born from one of the last remaining Cetra, Ifalna, and her father was Professor Gast Faremis. However, when she was still an infant, Professor Hojo tracked down Gast, killed him and captured Ifalna and Aerith. The two became subject to numerous experiments by Hojo and Shin-Ra. At an unspecified point afterwards, Ifalna and Aerith escaped, but Ifalna was greatly wounded and only made it as far as Midgar. Dying on the train tracks within the slum, Ifalna gave the young Aerith to Elmyra Gainsborough just before she died.

Elymra raised Aerith through the years, and eventually Shin-Ra relocated her. Though Shin-Ra continues to try to capture her, they never can succeed. Tseng of the Turks, who considers her a friend, attempts to pursuade her to join Shin-Ra instead of kidnapping her. As Aerith grows, she continues to hear voices of the Planet speaking to her, and along with Tseng's visits is aware of her heritage as the last Cetra, although when she is younger she is reluctant to accept this.

Aerith lived with Elmyra in Sector 5 in the Midgar Slums for the rest of her life up until the beginning of Final Fantasy VII. Even though people claimed nothing could grow in the slums, because the Mako Reactors drained all the life out of Midgar's surrounding areas, she managed to grow her own flowers in the Sector 5 Church due to the presence of the Lifestream there. Aerith tended to the flowers on a regular basis, selling them about Midgar to help Elmyra make ends meet. So great was her connection to the church, that even after her death children play there, and a spectre of Aerith can be seen there tending to the flowers after her death.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-
A younger Aerith appears in Before Crisis. She first shows up in Episode 6, selling flowers to Rude when he goes on his date with Chelsea, although she is not called by name.

In Episode 11, her role is the same as it would be later on in the series; as the last Cetra, she was caught between AVALANCHE and Shin-Ra, both parties attempting to capture her. A Turk in the area tried to protect Aerith from the AVALANCHE forces in the area and helps her flee. Aerith told the Turk she had been out late because the wind was calling her, and she wants to go on a journey but knows nothing of the outside world. Eventually, she was captured by Sears

Aerith was taken to her church to meet Elfé, who gave her a proposition. Elfé told Aerith that AVALANCHE wants to bring down Shin-Ra and protect the Promised Land from them, and thus it is in her best interests to ally with them. Aerith noticed an "old voice" coming from Elfé, and this inadvertently led to the discovery of a Turk spying on them. They attacked the Turk, but Aerith intervened to delay them. Elfé was then stricken by a sudden weakness, and AVALANCHE retreated. Tseng arrived, and the Turk allowed Aerith to flee while they distracted him.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-


Aerith first appeared when Zack 'falls from the sky' into her church. When he awoke, Zack at first mistook himself as being in heaven, but Aerith quickly corrected him. As a repayment for saving him, Zack suggested a date, but Aerith brushed him off. All the same, Aerith showed him around, and Zack bought her her trademark pink hair ribbon.

They go to the park afterwards. During this time, Aerith said that she is afraid of SOLDIER and believes that they are not normal, and that being "normal" is the greatest happiness. Zack then said he was from SOLDIER and she apologized. To break the awkward silence, Aerith said that his eyes are beautiful. Zack let her have a closer look, and as they drew nearer, Aerith became aware of their close proximity and pushed him for teasing her. He then commented that his Mako eyes are like the sky. Aerith smiled and said, "If that's the sky I'm looking at, then I'm not scared." Aerith and Zack continued to speak frequently over the telephone, and after Angeal's death, Zack returned to see her and she held him as he cried. Zack later returns and helps Aerith build a wagon to carry flowers around to sell to people. Aerith then asked Zack for "a few little luxuries", and Zack had her write them down for him. The two later headed out to the slums to sell flowers, although it doesn't go well. It is shortly after this that Zack is sent to Nibelheim.

In the game's final sequences, it is revealed that Aerith has been doing well selling flowers in Midgar, and she has written Zack 89 letters that he never recieved. In the ending scenes of Crisis Core, Aerith is seen tending the flowers, then turning and looking skyward and clasping her hands. It is at this time, outside Midgar, that Zack was gunned down by Shin-Ra forces. Although Final Fantasy VII makes it clear that Aerith is unaware of Zack's fate, it has been interpreted by some that Crisis Core's last scenes have retconned this to her sensing his demise.

Final Fantasy VII
Aeris continued to sell flowers on the street for one gil after Zack's death, when she met Cloud Strife, who bears a striking resemblance to Zack. Cloud warned her to get to safety after the destruction of the Sector 1 Mako Reactor, but Aeris didn't heed his words. Later on, Cloud fell into her church on a failed attack on the Sector 5 Reactor, and woke up on the flower bed. Reno of the Turks came to apprehend Aeris shortly after, and Aeris offered to date Cloud if he became her bodyguard - he agreed and helped her escape.

Shortly after, Aeris and Cloud discovered Tifa Lockhart had been kidnapped by Don Corneo, and through an idea of Aeris, she and Cloud infiltrated the Don's mansion and rescued Tifa. Don Corneo told them that Shin-Ra had learned where AVALANCHE's base of operations is, and was planning to drop the plate covering the sector to destroy the entire area. The party's attempts to stop Shin-Ra failed, and Aeris was captured while taking Barret Wallace's daughter Marlene to safety. Cloud, Tifa and Barret attempt to rescue her from Shin-Ra Headquarters, but are captured themselves. At this time, from several sources, Aeris' heritage and Shin-Ra's interest in her are fully revealed. Traveling with Cloud and his friends as they pursued the renegade Sephiroth, Aeris became increasingly close to them, and following a visit to Cosmo Canyon, fully came to terms with her powers and duties as the last Cetra.

Eventually, the party tracked Sephiroth to the Temple of the Ancients, and Aeris accompanied then, using her innate powers to help decipher the temple's mysteries and enter the inner chamber. Here, Sephiroth revealed his plan to use the Black Materia to call Meteor, the ultimate black magic. The temple itself became the Black Materia, but Sephiroth manipulates Cloud into giving it to him. And Aeris attempted to stop Cloud, he attacked her and passed out. While unconscious, Cloud dreamed of Aeris, who told him that she can stop Sephiroth. When Cloud awoke, he was told Aeris was gone, and followed the clues she leaves him to find her. The party arrived at the Forgotten Capital, where Aeris was praying. Sephiroth took control over Cloud again, and instructed him to kill Aeris. Cloud was stopped by his friends, but then Sephiroth fell from the ceiling and killed in an iconic scene. Enraged, Cloud turned on Sephiroth, but he fled and left Jenova LIFE to fight them. After Jenova was dispatched, Cloud carried Aeris to the pool of water in the center of the city and laid her to rest.

Later in the game, it was revealed that Aeris was praying to cast Holy, the ultimate white magic that can defend against Meteor. However, Sephiroth was blocking Holy from working within the core of the planet. After Sephiroth was defeated at the end of the game, Holy was able to begin to move, and together with the Lifestream, Aeris' Holy spell was able to fight off Sephiroth's Meteor.

Novella
Aeris' role in the Lifestream fending off Meteor was expanded in the novella Hoshi wo Meguru Otome, which depicted Aeris in the Lifestream helping to fight Sephiroth's influence over it as well as consoling other dead characters from the game. She also met with Zack again, and helped Tifa and Cloud when they fell into the Lifestream. When Holy failed to defeat Meteor, Aerith commanded the Lifestream to push it back and help Holy destroy it.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children


Aerith appears in the CGI-movie, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, at a few points of the movie, to Cloud in a vast space of light, usually without background (presumably the Lifestream.) Cloud blames himself for her death, and asks her for forgiveness. Aerith, however, tells him that it's time he did the forgiving. She eventually convinces Cloud to forgive himself via these meetings - she even manages to leave a message on his cell phone telling him that his coming for her was all that really mattered, and that she never once blamed him for her death. Throughout these meetings the audience can only see the bottom half of her face. It is only in Cloud's fight against Bahamut SIN that her face is finally seen, though very briefly and distorted due to the curvature of Cloud's eye. In this scene, each member of the original game party helps Cloud in his final attack. The last to appear is Aerith - she is reflected in Cloud's eyes as a bright light shines. He takes her outstretched hand to renew his strength in the face of Bahamut's attack, and Cloud is able to defeat Bahamut.

Aerith encourages Cloud on in his fight against Kadaj, and some images of her are seen, along with a few of Tifa's and Zack's, when Sephiroth asks Cloud who the people closest to him are. Rain begins to pour and heal the people of Geostigma and Marlene wonders if it's the 'flower girl'. Tifa thanks her, saying she knew Aerith was there somehow. Kadaj hears her voice in his dying moments, mistaking her for the Mother he was seeking. Cloud, too, calls her Mother, when he floating in a blank space after being caught in an explosion. This makes Aerith comically wonder why everyone's calling her that. Zack's voice tells her that it's probably because everyone is so fond of her. Aerith sends Cloud back, with Zack telling him that, unfortunately, there is no place for Cloud 'here' yet. Waking up again in Aerith's church, Cloud sees her sitting beside some children, with Zack leaning against the doorway. Aerith heads towards the door, and just before exiting, turns and smiles at Cloud, telling him that everything is all right now. This is the first proper view given of her face. Aerith then turns and leaves, walking into bright light along with Zack. Cloud, smiling, agrees that he's not alone anymore. Aerith is seen in the ending credits, standing in a huge field of flowers, seemingly waiting for Cloud's arrival.

Equipment & Stats
Using a variety of poles and staves in battle, Aeris is severely lacking in the physical stakes but makes up for it with her high magic stats and is thus more suitable for wielding Magic and Summon Materia. As well, her weapons tend to have several Materia slots and boost her Magic, again making her suitable as a Mage-type character. One of her weapons, the Fairy Tale, can be acquired in Gongaga and has seven Materia slots, the most of any weapon up to that point, and for some time after.

Final Fantasy VII
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Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Zack's Digital Mind Wave technique activates various powers based on the character portraits that appear. When Aerith's portrait appears, Zack performs a technique similar to Great Gospel, involving praying in a field of flowers. Called "Healing Wave", the technique fully restores his HP, MP, AP, heals status ailments and makes him invincible.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
In Advent Children, Aerith is symbolically connected to water. In a battle between Cloud and Kadaj, a spring of luminous green water springs from the flowerbed of the Sector 5 Church, and heals Cloud's Geostigma. After Cloud defeats Sephiroth, Aerith calls down healing rain to heal the people of Edge of their Geostigma as well. Tetsuya Nomura has stated that the healing rain is meant to be a reference to Great Gospel.

Music
Aerith's leitmotif is simply called "Aerith's Theme". Two other pieces focusing on Aerith, Flowers Blooming in the Church and Water, are derived from this central piece.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
A poster of Aerith can be seen hanging in multiple places around the main square in Edge, such as at points J-9, H-6, and G-5.

Final Fantasy Tactics


Aeris made her cameo appearance in Final Fantasy Tactics, where she is initially referred to as a Flower Girl and later as Aeris by the ruffians that Ramza and Cloud fight off. Apparently Aeris and her mother owe a 30,000 gil debt with the ruffians. The criminals go so far as to suggest Aeris could make the money by selling her body - but it is at this point that the player intervenes with Cloud.

In the PlayStation Portable release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, she was referred to first as the Flower Peddler and then as Aerith by the ruffians that harass her.

Kingdom Hearts
She is first met in Traverse Town with Leon and Yuffie. The three of them, plus Cid and Cloud all lived in Radiant Garden before it was taken over by the Heartless and re-named Hollow Bastion. She, along with Leon and Yuffie, assists the player throughout the game and eventually gives them the powerful Curaga spell. In the ending credits, Cloud and Aerith reunite in Hollow Bastion. This scene implies it was Aerith that Cloud mentioned he was looking for earlier in the game.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
A memory-based version of Aerith appears in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. She seems to be the only person in Traverse Town made from Sora's mind who knows that she is just a memory, and why they have forgotten what happened in Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts II
In Kingdom Hearts II, Aerith is part of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, together with her friends from Traverse Town, wearing the dress from Before Crisis. She and Cid are the only ones that do not fight alongside or against Sora in the game. She shares a close relationship with Yuffie, Leon and Cloud and assists Leon in the restoration of Hollow Bastion and encourages Cloud to settle his grudge with Sephiroth.

In Kingdom Hearts she is voiced by Mandy Moore. In Kingdom Hearts II, she is voiced by Mena Suvari.

Itadaki Street series
Aerith appears in Itadaki Street Special along with Cloud, Sephiroth, and Tifa.

She also made an appearance in Itadaki Street Portable as a playable character.

Etymology
Aerith's name is a transliteration of the Japanese word for "earth".

Trivia

 * Aerith was, along with Cloud and Barret, one of the first three characters designed for Final Fantasy VII before more were added. An early demo of the game includes her in the attack on the Sector 5 Reactor, although she only appears in the party and does not speak to anyone during the attack.
 * Aerith, along with Cloud, appeared in the PS3 demo which recreated the opening sequence of Final Fantasy VII. As in Advent Children, her face is never fully shown from above the mouth, and although she is shown from the side early in the video, her hair blocks the viewer from seeing her clearly.
 * Aerith is the only character in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII to bear more than two different English voice actors.