Why does it seem Aerith is so polarizing?

Right? I was surprised to see the is topic too. I thought she was just chillin

She's not always like that. For instance when you get to Nibel, after you meet her up on the water tower, she wants to be alone because she's upset she didn't have friends to grow up with and share memories with, and she doesn't want to take it out on cloud as a result. She's just really emotionally mature, especially for someone who didn't have any friends growing up.

Glad you're not too into the shipping scene, I feel it makes the fandom experience much more positive. I'd rather see discussion that isn't the same repetitive arguments about the girls and more character analysis!

I agree :) I just see more negative than positive opinions so I wanted to see why

Hehe, I'm glad she grew on you! I'd love to have that guide, I absolutely adore that kind of thing

Hmm, I guess your tastes changed. That's normal! I'm glad even though you felt pretty badly about her on rewatch, you've grown to like her again :)! Also I love Cloud and Zack too, Zack has such a fun personality I love seeing him on screen

Pff, makes sense😭

So happy to see someone who loves OG and Remake Aerith! Very nice to see, I find her loveable in both.

Also, I've noticed a lot of people in the comments (not to disregard any of the comments I've gotten that have done this, but it's a trend) bring up Tifa and insist how they believe Tifa is Cloud's before they even discuss anything about my main question, Aerith! Ship wars seem to have a big influence on people, that they must pledge allegiance to any one side before they speak, it's strange.

Aw, so sweet! I find Aeris such a beautiful name, and I think that'd be a lovely name for a child :)! I'm glad you love her so much, she's my favourite and I find her personality shines within the story as a beakon of hope and positivity in the face of a dreadful fate. I hope her death isn't permanent this time!

She's only 1-dimensional happy-go-lucky if you ignore all the parts where she isn't. Immediate examples that come to mind are her clear conflict and unhappiness with being the sole surviving ancient as shown in the Cosmo Canyon speech, her loneliness/jealousy of people with regular childhoods when she asks to be left alone on the water tower in Nibelheim, her whole reliving of her mom's death in the temple.

When people are bringing up Tifa (outside the context of discussing Aerith's friendship with her at least) it reveals their power level, as the OP is simply asking about Aerith as a character.

You can like both. One's existence doesn't negate or hinder the other's.

Edited for adjusted context below

I like both spellings :)

I feel that way about Tifa, lol

Loser? That’s so mean to say lol

Crazy take

they only exist in anime. i swear it's annoy a ton of people.

I guess its just my type haha

Most people probably haven't played tales of destiny 2, but there is a punk haired girl named merady or something, and she also has an anime pet companion.

I'm pretty sure she is the perfect example for this.

I agree, I've said it a couple times but her place in contrast of the doom of the Final Fantasy 7 universe is what makes her stand out and be so loveable to me. She has a joy in the face of so much darkness in her life, it's refreshing and makes me happy to watch

Oh, the irony

I like talking to people about their opinions :)

Love your wording, very eloquent! Aerith's death, sudden and without warning, that's what it is! But because her loss is so well known, why can't they try something new to convey a new feeling? Sadly, after two decades, you can't exactly say Aerith's death repeat would be sudden and without warning... With Rebirth, waiting for a loved one to return, the anticipation of wondering if they'll be okay, that is exactly how I feel about Aerith's place in the story as of right now. They did a fantastic job, and thank you for explaining that to me.

Complaining about the plot changing and perhaps not losing Aerith ignores the fact that we have already lost Aerith, and that there's so much new that could happen, why not be excited?

I guess I've seen a lot of varying opinions online! I feel as if the general consensus overall, outside of fandom spaces maybe, is a lot more positive; and i hope I run into that opinion more as I delve deeper into the fandom :)

Also yeah, I just love her so much! Love talking about her!

I was in a few groups on Facebook and the shippers can be the most insufferable groups, like honestly vomit inducing levels of cringe.

I agree, I find her positivity in the face of adversity and knowing she's not going to be able to fully live out her life very interesting and saddening. Bittersweet

Yep! Perfect way to put it. Some people just aren't interested in that :)

But we knew something like this would happen by the end of remake, with either some alt reality stuff or changing fate. I dont understand why people are so caught up on the fact thats shes been dead since 97 (I think thats when it came out off the top of my head) when we are experiencing something new and remade. Thats just my opinion on it though

It is a Remake though, the idea that she just. would be dead in a Remake doesn't make much sense. It's not like it's set in the same universe as the OG and she got revived. Unless that's not what you meant.

If you mean her dying at a different moment or the idea she might not die at all, I think it really adds to suspense and a plain flat out Remake wouldn't really work in investing people in the story all over again

I guess I can see that. Personally, I adore the kind of character who kind of permeates after death. Her death surrounding the entirety of the story is honestly really interesting and is a trope that I find really adds to the effect of loss in a story. Losing people is the theme of 7, why would the arguably most important moment in the game not linger in the rest of the story?

As for her being more shoved in your face, that's a matter of personal preference so I can't blame you for that! Sometimes you just want to see some other characters, not a problem. Her personality isn't for everyone

Well yeah, reviews after the OG was thst people wished there was more indepth focus per character.

More aint always better

T'is a fantasy game, not Requiem for a dream?

That’s dumb you haven’t even played Rebirth. It’s arguably one of the best game of all time and you spewed all that from a YouTube video so you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about

I agree so much! She's really so sweet, seeing a more carefree Aerith is nice. I also find her soft resigning into her fate sad yet beautiful as well. She has to accept that she's going to die, but holds onto her positivity for everyone else

I can see why you would say that. It seems everyone's opinions seem to change about Aerith depending on her iteration, which is pretty normal and completely fine. They're very different after all.

As for manix pixie dream girl, I can see that holding some water. I'm a victim of liking that kind of character (Ramona Flowers anyone?) however I feel as if she grows beyond that. She has a life outside of the main character, her character goes beyond just Cloud as someone with important duties and a devastating fate that she has to accept. She admits her dark moments, and I feel as if moreso has that cutesy happy persona to hide her feelings about what she's truly going through instead of just being like that to make Cloud go through a character arc

this is second post referencing the specific phrase "manic pixie dreamgirl" --- is this a popular concept, or are all the haters influenced by the same youtube video?

I do feel people are missing a very important point with Aerith in Remake: she is reliving things. Things she lost after her death. Say, it’s like being annoyed with your mom because she nags you all the time to “bring a coat with you so you don’t get a cold” but remember it fondly and actually have a great time with her nagging given the chance to relive these moments once they are gone.

Aw, I'm so happy that your opinion on her has changed. As a bit of a talker myself, that's something I love about her! I'm glad Remake has helped you really start to care for her, it's so sweet :)

I’m sorry you feel that way, but I absolutely adore her voice. Brianna White did an awesome job and she’s a big fan of FF7 herself.

Haha, sometimes you just don't gel with a specific character, nothing to be done about that!

I don't find her a Mary Sue, I've seen this particular criticism a couple of times and I can see it from some angles. However, I don't find her interest in Cloud off-putting or out of nowhere. Cloud is not rude to her in most cases, their first meeting he doesn't say anything rude to her and he's ALWAYS stand offish at first. If you're to wonder why she likes Cloud cuz he's rude sometimes, you'd have to wonder why.. anyone likes Cloud lmao. He has his moments, but he's never cruel to Aerith at all.

I also find the replacement argument untrue because sure, her initial interest in him is due to him acting and looking similar to someone she once loved, but that's not that strange. As the story goes on, it's abundantly clear that she is looking for glimpses of the real Cloud and brings out a more silly side of him in her time with him.

As for not finding her interesting, that's completely fine! Same with disliking her personality. It's all a matter of preference and sometimes we just can't find ourselves interested in a certain characters life or story :)

I haven’t played the remake , but in the original she seemed pure but was quite sassy, funny and played by knowing how cute she was, she was very human and seemed to understand people, I remember when in Gold Saucer Barrett was mad and she said something that meant “Let him be, he’ll calm down”.

I agree with this! In the dream date in particular where she pouts like Marlene (a literal child) was a little off putting to me. I do like Aerith prior to her memory loss more than her rebirth version but I think you hit it on the nail for me on why - like she tries too much to be too cute? When she isn’t like this though I find her stellar and poignant even.

I just don’t like how they elevated her character to almost “god like” but we’ll see how it’ll all wrap up I suppose but I’m still gutted at how everything turns out even years later.

LOVED the beach part, I've mentioned it a few times but it was such a significant moment and really showed that she isn't just a blank slate who's only emotion is happy. And yeah, her cutesy personality can be a turnoff to some, but overall she's incredibly likeable to me

I think she's fine to control IN a party. I don't think she's fun to control in her solo battles, though.

Radiant Ward

I've seen that a lot! Guess it's just a matter of gameplay preference :)

Skill issue

I love Barret too, he's actually really high up on my list. It's hard to say I dislike any of them really. She definitely stands out to me because of a lot of the things people dislike her for! Her pushiness, outgoing nature, and moments of wisdom/ mysteriousness only make her cooler to me

Fun fact, literally everyone around me growing up pronounced her name, "Aries", like, the Greek God.

What a shellshock going back and seeing it wasn't even spelled that way.

Still gonna die on "Aries" and "Tih-Fah" tho.

Nostalgia for the win 😭

Both spellings are pretty to me

Love the way you described this. Her death leaves a lot of people perhaps feeling as if they shouldn't become attached to her because she is going to die anyway, which means there's a small chance they'll open their heart to really investing themselves.

Also yeah, the love triangle will forever make things difficult between Aerith and Tifa. As the two main heroines and love interests, I guess it's something that never goes away

I haven't played Rebirth yet so I can only speak about the og game, but she's kind of setup as the "supposed to be" love interest, although the game utlimately let's the player decide, and a lot of people didn't really like her that much so it kind of falls flat for some. Luckily this aspect wasn't forced upon us like it was in FF8.

Rebirth, however makes you realise that the party wasn’t powerless to stop her death after all

Her contrast is really the most stand out thing about her. She's needed in the group, an optimistic yet still realistic person who can brighten the mood and still bring something important to the plot. And yeah, her relationship growth with Tifa is very sweet, and I think helped soften people towards her who may be very hard-core Tifa fans

Yep! Both important to Cloud and have their own strengths, you can't fault either character for being close with and having a significant relationship with Cloud. Whether romantic or platonic, you can't erase their significance and hating them due to that is a downfall of fandom

Shipping war is the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard of

The most important thing to me in media is the characters. No matter everything surrounding it, if I'm pulled in by a character I will stick by the series. That's what I believe makes Final Fantasy 7 so great. If I didn't love Aerith (and the others) so much, I likely wouldn't be here at all.

And I agree, Aerith's route really creates the most flow within the main story considering her "romantic" (if you choose to see it that way) scenes are often not optional

Yep, I've seen a lot on Twitter. It seems like a lot of people project the idea she's an obstacle in the way rather than an option who is just as important to the plot as anyone else, if not more so due to her role

It's especially funny since Aerith and Tifa are basically portrayed as each other's strongest shippers because of the openness in their friendship. So by being anti-one, they actually go against the feelings of the one they support.

I agree. Both the girls can coexist outside of the romance subplot, and hold no resentment towards each other

Yeah :D

I've seen the Mary Sue thing, I think it's attributed to the fact she dies, and it's meant to hurt you, so you kind of have to love her and the game will do its best to show you her good qualities instead of risking detachment. I don't see it as a flaw, she's simply doomed by the narrative and making her potentially unlikable would be a weird choice (in OG, in Remake as you mentioned it's different)

Also with the Cloud thing, I never minded because Cloud doesn't seem to mind her leading the way. However I have friends who hate physical touch so I can get feeling uncomfortable with her pushiness

I always took it that her dragging Cloud along was because she knows he actually wants to do whatever it is but is too self conscious to do so. Notice that every time he gives in, he ends up GOING for it (like the speech to the 7th Squad). She pushing him to get out of his own head (the same way she does to Tifa a lot too).

And I also feel that her “cutesy” stuff (which I also find a bit frustrating at times, I head cannon as her trying her best to be positive and light despite how bad things seem. Everyone has their way of doing so, and I think that’s how Aerith chooses to do it.

Shipping definitely makes a huge problem. In the Remake, I've seen people hate her so much because of the love triangle, but people forget that she isn't an "obstacle" to Tifa and Cloud, she's an option and a fully realized person with her own feelings for Cloud. Remake did a better job at establishing a Tifa Aerith bond at least.

And Yuffie is fun and cute too, can't blame you, I love her

Idk. In the original any time tifa and aerith both werent with you, they were together. Cheering in mt corel. Drinking in cosmo canyon, at the beach at del sol. They were basically dating. Honestly, still are - square literally calls some of their time together dates.

It's just because shipping is almost always the most toxic part of EVERY fandom.

Her theme.. her theme evokes a visceral reaction from me, it's so hard to listen to but it's so beautiful. And I've seen that take, knowing she dies can really spoil your emotional attachment to her. That's not anyone's fault, I understand you

I think her VA did a great job, it honestly probably helped with how much I enjoy her character. I also agree about rebirth, I did cry (I am very easy to trigger, plus I love her so much) but it definitely felt so fast?? Maybe that's just me, but it never felt like it was the end of her so I'm sort of like iffy on how I'm meant to feel as of now? At least, it didn't evoke the same feeling as her death in OG.

And hey! Personality preference is different for everyone, I loved to see how she handled knowing her fate

I've seen a lot of people mention this, it comes down to personal preference and I can't blame you for not liking her actions

Can you elaborate?

I personally do not read her as this at all. The love triangle shit was definitely more of an emphasis in Remake, but I don't read her actions as malicious and I don't see any ill intent in the way she talks. She's pushy with Cloud, but Cloud doesn't mind and I think it genuinely helps him come out of his shell. When she messes up with Cloud, she admits her mistakes and apologizes, and other times he needs her extra push.

But in the end, her OG and Remake seem so different that I can see completely how you'd hate one and love the other. You can interpret her actions differently from me

If you get Yuffie's date in Rebirth during chapter 12, she talks to Cloud about a lot of stuff. One of those things is how Tifa has said she used to have feelings for Cloud, but after Cloud left Nibelheim for Midgar, those feelings went away.

We know this is a lie, but this is what she is telling people who ask. Because of this, I think it is fair to say Tifa has told Aerith the same thing. Since, they are obviously closer friends and have been traveling together for longer and all.

I don't really think it is fair to say Aerith is rubbing it in Tifa's face that she and Cloud were on a date. I think she was just excited and happy and had no reason to believe anyone would care or that Tifa wouldn't be happy for her. Especially after Cloud and Tifa literally had a fight the night before, Aerith probably thought that Tifa was done with him romantically after their talk on the roof at the inn where Tifa came back to their room visibly upset. Despite that, Aerith still asks Cloud about that fight and encourages him to not take Tifa for granted.

You can even see it on Aerith's face in the tunnels under Kalm when she talks about the date, and she looks at Tifa, Aerith looks confused at Tifa's reaction. She's not being malicious, Tifa has likely said that she and Cloud are just friends, and Aerith is just following her heart. Nit like Tifa being quiet or lying about something that upsets her is out of character for her at all. Not to mention Aerith and Tifa visibly have an amazingly strong friendship in Rebirth. Just look at the cute little conversation they have in the cargo hold on the ship to Costa Del Sol. Or their little girl date in Costa Del Sol.

As to Aerith being mean and nasty, I genuinely do not see any evidence of her being that way. Like, at all. She wants Cloud to come out of his shell and drop the too cool for school SOLDIER shtick because she knows that's not the real him. She's never really confrontational to anyone, with the closest being that she "poses questions" when someone says something that she gets offended by (Barret saying anyone who believes the news is stupid). Yeah, there are times when she says something hurtful without realizing it, but she apologizes for it as soon as she understands she did so. Like when you do to sidequest to gather seashells in Costa Del Sol, and she says "this date is DoA" if Cloud doesn't say the romantic thing about not wanting to go back uet. He calls her on that immediately, and she immediately apologizes.

Huh? In OG you can literally have her ask Cait in front of Tifa if shes a good fit with Cloud. I dont think shes rubbing it in Tifas face at all. How exactly is she passive agressive to Cloud? She knows how to get him out of his comfort zone and he clearly enjoys it since he smiles the most around her

You can like both, we have TWO hands

Aw, that's really the best way to do it. Give each character their time to shine, while still picking your own favorites! I love Yuffie too, she's similar yet different to Aerith in a way they're both infectious positive.

And I agree, Cloud loves both women and it all depends on player choice. Tifa is the reason he started doing any of this at all, and Aerith is the reason he can keep going and change. Both women hold significance throughout the story, there is no one love interest

I think because Aerith grew up in an isolated and lonely environment and never had friends growing up she tries to compensate by being outgoing and overly friendly. If you really think about everyone's back stories, Aerith is the one who had a lonely and tragic childhood. I think she craves friendship more than lost that's why she can come off as "trying too hard"

This is it. In the original, I always favor Tifa because - aside from being my favorite character - I feel her date still compliments the game’s plot, and does not create any particular narrative dissonance. But in the Remake I feel like Aerith’s date is the only one that really makes any sorta of narrative sense with that whole ending shenanigans. The punch is much harder.

I do believe he is in love with both women

He is in love with whomever the player chooses for him to be in love with.

Mean while

Zack shows back up, both women immediately drop cloud.

Bro ships better with sephy

I love her English voice actor personally! I think her Japanese voice is ultra cute though

Not me actually. There's a few odd comments but I've found a lot of interesting discussion

I never considered that knowing she dies may effect your ability to get attached to her. Knowing you're gonna lose her can make it really difficult to fully love her, so I understand your point.

Also I never knew of the phrase burikko! I guess I don't mind that sweet idol personality

Her interactions with Cloud are peak chemistry bruh

I couldn't agree more with this comment. Her positivity is a toxic form, where she dismisses the feelings of others in favor of them remaining upbeat. I think she is pretty passive aggressive in a lot of scenes, also, and her overly cutesy personality comes across as more passive aggressive than I think was intended, in terms of the English personality. There's just something annoyingly nerve-grating about her. I'm not a fan.

And her game play feels awkward and clumsy. I don't enjoy using her in combat in either Remake/Rebirth. When I had to use her for the cactuar minigame, I found myself frustrated with just how clunky she feels - and the repetitive comments and sounds she makes during doesn't help.