By: Tyler Miller
Final Fantasy VII is a game that was iconic when it came out for a number of reasons. It was the first game in the series on the Playstation, the first one to be in 3D, and the first one to feature movie like cutscenes. That’s not even to mention it’s utterly unforgettable score, great cast of characters, engrossing world, and great combat. Perhaps it’s most memorable and iconic thing though is Aerith’s death (I refuse to call her Aeris).
At the end of Part One, Aerith meets her untimely demise by the blade of the game’s villain Sephiroth. It’s a moment that anyone who’s played the game before has never forgotten and remembers vividly, especially if they had no forewarning that it was going to happen. I’ve known that Aerith dies at this point in the game for years. Ever since I was a kid I knew this and understood why it was such big deal. I’ve seen the scene many times before, but I had never actually played the game and experienced it for myself.
Going through the game, I always had her in my party if I was able to even though I knew all my grinding with her would be for naught eventually, solely because I liked her a lot. Aerith was a sweet and charming girl who had a fun relationship with Cloud. She was playful with him like friends are, but she also had a very clear crush on him. Aerith was also not willing to just sit off to the side while everyone else did the dangerous stuff. She was more than capable of taking care of herself and wanted to fight with you and your party against Shinra. These character traits made it hard not to like her. Her Healing Wind limit was also really good too since it provided a nice boost of health to the whole party in fights.
I powered my way through fights with her against random encounters and bosses alike. Some were easy and others weren’t, but we made it through together. I became closer to her through all these fights and story beats, just like Cloud and the rest of the crew did. Still though, I didn’t think I would end up being emotional in any kind of way when she died. I figured I’d say “Damn that sucks” and keep it pushing, but that didn’t happen.
I stood in front of her, looking at her praying on her knees in peace, when Sephiroth dropped down from above and plunged his blade through her stomach. Her body fell forward as her eyes widened. A materia that was keeping her hair tied up in a ribbon fell off. Once it hit the ground and bounced away, Aerith’s Theme kicked in and the moment truly became sad and depressing. Right after the cutscene, Sephiroth leaves and you have to do a boss fight before you can even mourn her death. All the while, the music is playing in the background the entire time, underscoring the loss you just suffered. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get choked up and a bit teary eyed when her song started playing during the cutscene. It was the icing on the cake that was this tragic death.
To be fair, the game does telegraph her death a bit before it happens, starting when you’re at the Golden Saucer for the second time. Your party has to go there to find a Keystone that opens the Temple of the Ancients. While you’re there, Aerith and Cloud go on a date. It’s very cute, but it also foreshadows that things are going to go south for the two of them pretty soon. After getting off one of the rides, Aerith tells Cloud that the night was a lot of fun and that they should do it again sometime. The following morning before the group heads off to the temple, Aerith is all gung-ho about going and inserts herself in your party of three without taking no for an answer.
Fast forward to when you leave the Temple of the Ancients, and Cloud is having a vision of Aerith. She’s going to the City of the Ancients on her own to try and stop Sephiroth because she’s the last member of an ancient race called the Cetra, and they’re capable of putting a stop to his plan. In this vision, you also see that Sephiroth is going there as well to stop Aerith. If you chose to ignore the giant flashing neon signs that were spelling out Aerith’s death at this point, then you were futilely simply hoping that things were going to turn out for the best.
Even with the knowledge that it was going to happen and all the time in the world to prep myself, seeing Aerith die after all the time that I spent with her was incredibly impactful. I imagine I would’ve been more shocked and saddened had I not known it was going to happen, but that didn’t take away from the scene for me. It’s a moment that’s perfectly executed and one that I will never forget.
TheComfySpot 