Aerith Gainsborough's Origins ► Final Fantasy 7 Lore 

A character that brings heart Her line from Advent Children “I never blamed you, not once. You came for me, that is all that matters” Bring tears to my eyes and solidified her, as a guardian of all

This Aerith Origins video has, more than any other video, shown me just how rich the setting and just how in-depth each character's biography truly is. I'm ecstatic to see how FF7R will bring this lore into fruition.

Aerith will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry...... or get angry......What about us...... what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!

We could really use Aerith praying for the world with the Holy Materia right about now.

Hojo is definitely on my list of most hated video game characters lol

I'm glad to see you guys covered Aerith. She's my favorite character! Everyone always just sums her up as the innocent flower girl, but she's got more depth to her. Right away she flirts with cloud, she pokes fun at him when trying to find him lady's cloths and she's even shown to have a bit of a tough demeanor (threatening to rip Don Corneo's junk off). Despite Aerith having such a tragic backstory pretty much all of her life she still remains positive, which I think has a lot of strength. And with her having the highest amount of magic you really feel the blow when she's gone from your party. Other characters can heal, but there was no one else who could replace Aerith. As strange as this sounds I think it would be really interesting to see an origin video about Moogles. They've played different roles in the series and I think it would be fun to see what you guys could do with that!

Aerith was always in my eye, the vision of the purity and goodness of humanity, always encroached upon by the dark end of life, and yet still emerging with Will and determination with a positive outcome in the end. I cry every time I think of Aerith, because it reminds me of all the purity in life we've lost and it stays with me because what I learned growing up as a child. We need more people all over to be like Aerith, especially in these times.

Aerith is truly my favorite character in ff7 universe, whenever I start a new game I always keep her in the party, no matter what. The time with her is just so little that I grind for hours whatever I can, so I can be with her more. Just a few days ago I finished the first disc and I cried a lot again, I haven't continue the game cuz its still hurts. It's a shame that fans don't truly appreciate her character, and it bothers me often that they even make fun of her. Maybe those people didn't actually understood her growth as a person and its really sad. Anyways, thank you so much for this video 💜

Contrary to my avatar, I am now 67 years old but remember very clearly FF7 when we first brought it home for our children to play. We were all devastated by Aerith’s death and have kept the story alive in our memories. Your video was the perfect resolution to so much that we never knew about her. You covered her entire story with such intelligence and compassion that I will always be grateful for your work. I’ve also gotten to see a play-through of FF7: Remake and got to experience more of Aerith. I will treasure these videos for a long time as I don’t have the money to play these games, nor do I have the stamina necessary to play them all the way through. Thank you very much.

I know this is video is about Aerith's backstory, but what I love about her connection to Cloud is the fact that they are both lonely people and connect through that. Cloud was isolated in his youth, and Aerith was too growing up in Sector 5. Even though they are polar opposites, they managed to forge a unique bond and allow themselves to open up and be comfortable when around each other. What's funny is that the third main character in the story, Sephiroth, also had this aspect to him. He always felt different to other people, like Cloud did, and how Aerith did. Another thing tying the main trio of FFVII together.

I didn’t cry through this I swear Such a strong character, too many remember her for dying or mistakingly think she’s just there to be cute and innocent - but underneath she’s so well written! Amazing video as always

Tseng is such a weirdo and Hojo is straight up nasty. To this day, I wish Zack made it back Aerith and they stayed together

I think what hit me the hardest during my first playthrough of FFVII wasn't so much the death of Aerith but rather the particular screenshot the game chose as a prompt to insert disc two. Out of ALL the screenshots they could have picked, guess which one they used? Right. The one of Aerith looking at the Highwind! I was like: SERIOUSLY?!

I was a big time FFVII kid. I remember a connection to Aerith. Perhaps because I was a dorky teen. I remember when she died I called my best friend across the street (on the land line- LOL) in tears to tell him she was dead. “Just use a potion or whatever on her.” He didn’t get it 😐 Anyway, thank you for an incredible video.

I say this as well that Aerith is an even deeper foil to Sephiroth than Cloud is to him. When you mention the fact she was a prisoner of Shrina it really also gets me thinking about Sephiroth as well was a prisoner, but one who took a different path than Aerith. Also one thing that really connects Sephiroth and Aerith is Gast. Even though I know that people have long paired Aerith with Sephiroth (and in canon they were once going to be lovers or siblings), however, I do think in another world they could have become surrogate siblings if Seph found out about her before he went nuts.

Aerith is the perfect character ever made. She is brave, determined, independent and thoughtful. That's why people like her so much.

19:42 This so true, unfortunately... She's so much more than that. Her backstory, life and personality have so much depth to it. I can't wait to get to know her better in the remake!

Every time I listen to Aerith’s theme tears come to my eyes! She is my favorite character in FF7

Great work once again! Aerith is absolutely my favorite. And I really did scream that something had gone wrong, that there HAD to be a way to save Aerith, when that death scene happened. I threw myself into the game, playing through it probably a dozen different times, searching for secrets and trying to figure out that way that just HAD to be there. Of course eventually I accepted that her death was in fact the way the game was meant to play out, but it took a good long time. And the more I learned about her the more I just loved her. There are so many things about her personality that were things I wanted to claim as my own - to be kind, to help people, no matter what, that was a big deal for me. Still is. I'm in the throes of Final Fantasy 14 these days but I still sometimes think to myself that Aerith is exactly what the Warrior of Light is - in terms of the essence of that being's purpose and overall philosophy. I can't hear her theme music without getting a little misty eyed and it's been more than twenty years since the evening that I stood up and yelled at my then boyfriend "YOU SCREWED UP! SHE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE! GIMME THAT CONTROLLER!" I think that's a pretty damn good indicator of the power she has as a character and as a piece of what makes me love Final Fantasy 7, and all the games in the Final Fantasy universe.

People are utterly obsessed with Tifa and her, uhm, assets, but I’ve always preferred the cute mystique and innocence of Aerith.

I still want Crisis Core Remastered! Damnit square!

Something about this lore reminds me of vivi in a way. They were both fairly young and fragile. And they both in a way search for their heritage. And both of their deaths put a devastating yet meaningful feel where we as gamers only regret not spending more time with the character no matter how many times we play the game. I will say I always shipped aerith and Zack since i played crisis core but seeing both origins and not Zack and aeirth's individual perspectives made me have a stronger feeling in their relationship. I do hope aerith has more screen time so we can almost in a way forget she dies and as gamers have a personal effect getting to see the aspects of aeriths feelings.

I am impressed by the content of those videos, amazing job! I cannot forget that cutscene of Zack's death in Crisis Core. Zack and Aerith really matched. Actually watching everything before the FFVII remake. Thank you so much.

I think Briana white will do a great job as aerith.

Watching this video with her theme makes me cry so bad. She's such a wonderful character. I see so much of myself in her. Thank you so much for making her story justice. Also, I'd love to see a origin story of Pain from FFX 2. I'm currently re playing the game and I can't remember her full story. She's complex. Kinda like Cloud in a way. If you can do an origin story, I'd be so darn thankful.

Anyone got a Hyper? This gave me Sadness...

I have to disagree. Her death is of such significance BECAUSE of her character. Because she was that good of a character. Several different characters passed in Final Fantasy History before VII. And none of them impacted the way she did. Because she was a character everyone knows. They can engage with, sympathize with, and in a way grow to love like a missing best friend. THAT is what made her death so significant.

The connection between Aerith and Cloud is so genuine in remake. They are both Yin-Yang, they complement each other. Hopefully this time Cloud will save her and they will have their ending together. After 24 years, they will finally be together.

Aerith is the one of the characters that I don’t want to die in the remake and in all time. I hope there is a way they don’t kill her off cause she is a massive part to the whole story and she’s one of my favourite all time characters in the whole final fantasy franchise.

She will forever be one of the best characters in the ff franchise. Her character ark was very well put together.

I cried, multiple times during this video... Aeris, as I always will call her, Is such a powerful character. And the fact that even after she died in her physical form, she continued to assist the world and have faith on her friends makes me think of her like a goddess, Forever aiding the planet.. And the end of Advent Children seeing her with Zack is sooooo fulfilling, that even today remembering it some tears rolls in my face.

I teared up so badly through this, big thanks for making such a great video. Aerith was a really rich character, despite passing away at the end of disc 1. One of the most memorable characters ever. And one of my favorites too.

"In the real world things are very different. You just need to look around you. Nobody wants to die that way. People die of disease and accident. Death comes suddenly and there is no notion of good or bad. It leaves, not a dramatic feeling but great emptiness. When you lose someone you loved very much you feel this big empty space and think, 'If I had known this was coming I would have done things differently.'"

A beautiful tribute to one of my favorite characters of all time. Thank you! Aerith lives! In our hearts, always.

Putting this in my history so I can watch it later. Love y’alls Origin videos.

My dad named me Aeris coz he loved FFVII so much and after so many years, FFVIIR is coming out soon! I am very excited for it :)

You just made a 30 year old very happy. Thank you for this video.

You get a like from me just for getting the part about her death right. A lot of people, when telling the story of her death, state erroneously that Sephiroth killed her. It was Jenova disguised as Sephiroth.

“Aerith will never laugh, cry, be angry” I became her anger and destroyed that Jenova boss after.

After watching this I think you may need to a update for the FFVII characters. Been playing the remake and holy heck it is amazing. Not going to spoil it and I look forward to your thoughts after playing the FFVII Remake.

I'm just so excited for the Remake - only 16 days left. I really hope they go way deeper into her tragic past and I'd love to See more of Zack. He's my favorite character ever and everytime I think about him and his bubbly, charming, cheering, caring personality and his heroism, bravery, honor and dedication to those he loves, I feel so sad knowing his fate (*price of freedom and why playing in my mind*) 😢😭 "I have letters for Zack. 88 of them." And also him realising it has been 4 years since he's been away 😢😢

Could you make Laguna Loire in the future ? :D he is my favorite FF character

Aerith is literally the greatest FF character of all time no argument

Beautiful, funny, caring, and graceful...she was such a great character!

Why Hojo so evil? What's his backstory? If you ask me he is worst than Sephiroth.

I want a ff7 character to have an origins video after the remake is release as there will be a more in-depth lore and facts

When I painstaking acquired Aerith’s final limit break not knowing that she was gonna die earlier in the game😑 now its just a reminder in my inventory

This video brought tears to my eyes. Aerith has always been my favorite character and I always aspired to be brave and good like her. Whenever I replay FF7, she’s always in my party and I’d max her out on the first disc before the inevitable but I also always find myself having a difficult time playing past the 1st disc for this reason

Love Aerith, such a great character. Love these origins videos too, keep it coming!

I know it's a bold statement to make, but I feel that Aerith is a character who is impossible to hate if anyone actually gets to know her as a whole.

I cried the first time. Felt really bad because I left her out of my party a lot up until that point. I noticed on my second play through that she gains new limit breaks quite faster than the other characters. Love this game.

Her story is full of sadness...poor aerith

She really was an Angel.

I don't know why but she is My favorite Character, I think I love that despite her tragic backstory she still enjoys life to the full and is just so kind.

Though I did not know it at the time, when I first played FF7 23 years ago, Aerith is the most underrated character in all of FF7. She is FF7’s version of “The Chosen One”, “The One to bring the Force back into balance”. I see where SquareEnix gets their inspiration from. Thank You, your videos are well research, thoughtful, insightful, and inspirational to new and old FF7 fans from around the world in a time of dire need, to take our minds from reality into the fantasy world.

CELES CHERE!! Please please please!! Nobody ever covers her character and she’s my favorite in all of FF!

The research conducted by Aerith's father helped Hojo create Sephiroth, and Sephiroth killed Aerith. Gast unintentionally and unknowingly assisted in creating a man who would kill his daughter. That is irony right there.

she is for me a representation of a pure heart

i'll never forget i spent so much time leveling aerith to make her a bad bitch healer and then she was just gone i was like :o

Aerith 💙💙💙

Recently I've been wondering if Aerith gained through compassion the power Sephiroth tried to take by force.

"We can change it make it right"... Aerith FFVII Remake

Never played FF7. My only exposure to it (until FF7R) was Advent Children. Even without context, her significance in the story was strongly felt. Her total screen time was probably less than a minute, but she stayed in my heart for the next decade and more. I'm so excited to see what her new destiny would be. Whatever happens, I just wish for her to find happiness. Thank you for this wonderful video!

By the way, I would love to see a Yuffie Kisaragi origin video.

So Hojo was going to mate her with that dog? I can’t stand Red 13 or Cat Sith.

I dispute the notion that her death overshadows her place in the narrative. Her place in the narrative is the reason her death is so impactful, even nearly 25 years later.

Tbh, I hope Square Enix does such a good job with FF7R's characterization that this channel does a Jessie's Origins > Final Fantasy 7 Lore

Well, now you gotta do one for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, considering the first part of the game came out and the ending has some very interesting changes moving forward that could or could not alter the way how some characters turn out.

thank you for this beautiful video! But how was Aerith's Mum Ifalna able to hang on to the Holy Materia? Shinra knew what Materia is, and even tho they may not have known that her accessory is materia, why would they let her keep a personal belonging when all they wanted was to use her as a testsubject? We don't know that Ifalna wore that Maria in her hair like Aerith did, but how could they not have figured out that the marble she keeps on her ALL THE TIME may carry some importance for the Cetra?

Why not do a character origins video on final fantasy 8's main antagonist ultimecia?

"Gast, along with Hojo, was behind the decision to inject Jenova cells into the unborn child of Lucrecia Crescent; an experiment which saw the birth of Sephiroth. However, because Gast has no interest in gaining wisdom for power, he regrets his decision and decides to leave both the Jenova Project and ShinRa. Gast decides that he wishes to continue his research on the Cetra in his own time, using his own lab. He moves to the Icicle Inn where he ironically meets one of the last remaining legitimate Cetra: Ifalna. Ifalna allows Gast to use her to further his research and during the project something unexpected happens; the pair fall in love. They continue to live happily in Icicle Inn for many years and even have a child, who they called Aeris." -I bet Gast injected Jenova cells along with Hojo -Hell maybe Lucrecia, Hojo and Gast all injected themselves at the same time!

Could you do the lore for the Turks?

**rolls out me Red carpet** Ahem... *AERIS!*

My headcanon, because Cloud can't keep a straight story and they pick up on it early: is that Aerith and Tifa definitely compared notes sometime during the story without bringing up Cloud's discrepancies. Reading Aerith's dialogue with Cloud during the Gold Saucer date scene (the fireworks moment) reveals a lot, not to mention when Tifa helps Cloud regain his memories later.

We will always remember you Aerith "Aerith lives"!!!!!!!!

Excuse me sir, do you have a moment to talk about Aerith, our savior?

Thank you so much for this video. I really appreciate the effort and time you put in for it. You've really shown a deep inside into her character and why we all feel so connected. I can't wait for the remake experience. Hopefully we will get an even deeper connection to her and the other characters.

Aerith is my favourite character from FF7. Her story was beautiful. The last of her kind, but instead of trying to save her kind she chose to give her life to save us all.

Ok so, I've always thought that Midgar is actually the Promised Land. It's saturated with Mako etc. But since it was taken over by Shinra Corp it became a toxic urban wasteland. All this obsession with finding the promised Land and it was right under their feet the entire time. It's where the meteor fell and where Holy came from/together to stop the meteor. Just wondering if anyone else got that impression.

I'm kinda surprised this one took so long...

Can we get an origins for Genisis Rhapsodos plz? I'm really interested in his story and if we'll ever see him post Dirge of Cerberus

Using Aerith's theme through the video is plain cheating

So much back story that I didn't realize thank you for sharing

I remember when I played FF7 the first time and leveled up Aerith so high because her Magic powers was very strong and then she just left and I was so shock that I was literally panicking and looking for her so she could reunite with the party, then when I found her praying, I told myself “Finally”, to my surprise Sephiroth came down with strike to my back and I shouted “noooooooooooo”

Aerith will always be my favorite of Final Fantasy 7...my first exposure to her was in kingdom hearts 1..and she stood out soo much to me compared to the other final fantasy characters. Then I watched Advent Children (still haven't played final fantasy 7 at this point) and her character became even more clear to me. She was an innocent person doing an innocent thing and dies in a cruel irony. Her innocence is what I've aspired to be growing up. I'm 24 now, and ff7 remake will make happy because I trust Square Enix understands what makes these characters tick.

The best heroine in Final Fantasy history. No female character comes close to her. Cloud!!! Save her man!!!

last time i came this early my ex was shaking her head

I want to know about Aerith's mother, how she became the last Cetra.

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

Beautiful video for a beautiful character. Aerith is amazing, Throught all her appearences, we only get to like her more and more. And her death is arguably the first time a videogame make me cry.

One of the most beautiful characters, inside and out, created in games in general.

I've been waiting for Aerith's origins so thank you for such a beautiful tribute. Aerith was always my favourite... I love her spirituality and her kind heart. She was a breath of fresh air to the story and I sobbed when I first saw her death scene. I remember reading and trying the theories about bringing her back because the pain of her loss was so impactful. She was so integral to saving the planet... only Aerith could've had the strength of spirit and kindness to do that. This video brought tears to my eyes, thank you for making this.

Aerith's story reminds me of a poem by Tupac called the Rose that grew from concrete.

Thanks for the video! I just finished the remake and has a lot of questions of who Aerith was.😊

I would love to have a Red XIII or his real name Nanaki origin story...I always wondered how he got caught by Shinra and how his granpa came to care for him.. It was wierd for me to see an old granpa with no legs raising a four legged (cat/fire tiger) creature lolll What was the relationship between human(that lives in his hometown) and creature before the war? Was it the same war as Wutai and they just fell upon those creatures and killed them to extinction? Hummm... so many questions🤔

If aerith is dead how the fock is she in traverse town with squall and yufi and cid Nomura explain pls 👀

i ship Aerith x zack after both dead happy in heaven

This video is so moving ❤️

What? can you pls make it clear, I know that Aerith didn't know Zack died until she saw him in the Lifestream. It was implied that she felt uneasy and worried about Zack at the time of his death but didn't really show that she felt his death that time. She was also surprised when she heard Zack's parents in Gongaga that he didn't even show up to visit them.

“Lovers used to give these [flowers], when they were reunited.”