Aerith Gainsborough - Final Fantasy
Aerith Gainsborough is a character first introduced in Final Fantasy VII, an RPG game developed by Square and released on the Playstation 1 in 1997. Aerith was designed by Tetsu Nomura. Since her introduction in Final Fantasy VII, Aerith Gainsborough has appeared in the feature film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and many other spin off titles, remakes, and derivative titles such as Kingdom Hearts and the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. On March 3rd, 2020, Aerith will return in better than ever graphics in the much anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake. Aerith Gainsborough was a great critical success in the media, with many praising her as a legend of the series and the token of a damsel in distress.
Profile
In Final Fantasy VII, Aerith Gainsborough is the target of the Shinra Electric Power Company and hunted throughout her life. She is the last and only person left of the Cetra, an ancient race that had the ability to produce powerful magic. She is hunted for this power by the Shinra Electric Power Company that wants to exploit it. As a character that fights with magic, in battle, Aerith wields staves and is positioned in the back row as her attacks mainly consist of magic and is a highly valuable defensive member of Cloud’s party as she can heal, restore abilities and grant status enhancements to other characters.
Backstory
Aerith was born to parents Ifalna and Professor Gast Faremis in Icicle Inn on February 7th, 1985. She is half-human and half-Cetra. When she was still an infant, Professor Hojo tracked Gast down and murdered him, capturing Ifalna and Aerith. The two became subjected to a number of experiments under Hojo and Shinra as they researched the Cetra.
Seven years later Ifalna and Aerith eventually escaped the Shinra Headquarters. However, Ifalna was wounded and could only make it to the train platform in the slums before collapsing. Elmyra Gainsborough was there waiting for her husband's return from the Wutai War, and before passing out, Ifalna asked her to keep protect Aerith safe, so Elmyra brought Aerith home with her.
In Final Fantasy VII, Aerith is first encountered selling flowers, where she is met by Cloud Strife, who is escaping the imminent bombing of a Mako reactor. They later reconvene in a sector 5 slum, where she is being pursued by The Turks. She asks Cloud to be her bodyguard, and though she is eventually captured, she is rescued by Cloud and his party. She eventually joins them in their fight against Sephiroth and, after failing to stop his theft of the Black Materia, Aerith travels alone into the Forgotten City. Cloud and his party follow her and eventually find her praying at an altar. As Aerith looks up to Cloud, Sephiroth shows up and impales her, leading to her death. Aerith is the last member of her race, the Cetra. The Cetra are an ancient civilization who appear like humans with magical powers.
Creation
Aerith Gainsborough’s character was contributed to by game director Hironobu Sakaguchi, and writer Yoshinori Kitase and conceptual artist Yoshitaka Amano. Initially, she was formulated as being the first lover of Sephiroth, but it was decided that the role should instead be taken by Zack Fair. Her character design itself with Aerith having a long dress and green eyes were made to portray a more ladylike personality, to be a contrast Tifa Lockhart’s short skirt and blue eyes.
Aerith was one of the original three characters envisioned for the game, the other two Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace. After much debate about which character should die, either Barret of Aerith, the producers decided on Aerith.
Appearance and Personality
Aerith wears a long pink dress, brown boots, and a red bolero jacket. She wears metal bands around her wrists and biceps. She also wears a pink ribbon and a flower necklace. She has long brown hair that reaches far beyond her shoulders and has beautiful green eyes. With an optimistic and upbeat personality, she is often cheering up her friends. Aerith also has a strong sense of forgiveness and is often flirtatious with Cloud expressing her carefree and often naive nature. However, when Aerith has made up her mind about something she displays a stubborn side to her personality.
Death
The death of Aerith Gainsborough at the hands of Sepiroth in a temple at the Forgotten city was the final climax of the first CD disc in Final Fantasy VII. In the aftermath of a battle between Cloud and Sepiroth, Aerith falls victim to Sepiroth’s blade. After the scene, the climax is concluded with Cloud holding Aerith’s body as he laid her to rest in a lake, vowing to avenge her death and settle the score with Sepiroth.
This event of the death of Aerith Gainsborough, a main character of the storyline generated a tremendous amount of controversy, even leading for a petition to be signed and sent to Yoshinori Kitase requesting her to come back to life. Her death is often credited as making Final Fantasy VII a popular game, and it is often considered and cited as one of the greatest cinematic and emotional moments in the history of video games. In 2011, IGN ranked her the scene of her death at No. 1 in its list of “top video game moments”.