Analysing The Chilling Parallels Between Aerith/Sephiroth 

And don't forget that Aerith possesses the White Materia and Sephiroth eventually gains the Black Materia

In short, Hojo, and to a lesser extent Lucrecia, are responsible for everything, and both Sephiroth and Aerith were done a huge disservice with the death of Professor Gast.

I think having Sephiroth and Aerith being siblings would’ve been so interesting. They were both experiments of Hojo so it would make sense if they were there at the same time and became close. Also would’ve added an extra layer of tragic when Sephiroth stabs Aerith. Jenova had corrupted him so much, we wouldn’t hesitate to kill his own sister

It is peculiar that Sephiroth maintained a human form for so long despite being injected with JENOVA cells while he was still in Lucrecia's womb.

Sephiroth admired Gast, Aerith's Dad. Aerith was emotionally scarred by Hojo, Sephiroth's Dad. Also how about Rith and Roth?

They were originally siblings but even in the full game they fulfill opposing themes and outlooks. And have similar origins as cross-species of Gast’s “devising”. Which is why I think the plot point that Sephiroth thought he was an Ancient is in the game- reinforces how he responds to his inhumanness differently from Aerith. Sephiroth represents consumption, fire, sky, and might making right while Aerith represents sacrifice, water, earth, and mercy. It’s borderline Old vs New Testament. Sephiroth even being a weird esoteric looking angel by the end and Aerith being a triumphant martyr.

Sephiroth and Aerith are the definition of Final Fantasy 7 series

Generations of being each others antithesis, from the Jenova vs Cetra conflict, to Gast vs Hojo, to Aerith vs Sephiroth. Even in time travel, the conflict continues. Even the conflicts around them, Gast and Hojo went against each other over Ifalna, and Cloud and Sephiroth cemented their hatred of each other over Aerith.

Seph also thought Professor Gast was his father after reading the notes in Nibelheim, though that line didn't make it into English. His admiration for Gast made it into English though.

Looking forward to Rebirth expanding on Sephiroth's backstory (hopefully). Would be interesting to learn more about whether Gast tried to tell Sephiroth about his origin and Jenova but Hojo intercepting. I'd like to think Gast tried to help Sephiroth. It doesn't sit well with me that he just left that child in Shinra, learned what he truly was, and did nothing to try to help him.

I always appreciated the dichotomy between Aerith and Sephiroth. Aerith is associated with the Ultimate White Magic, Holy whereas Sephiroth is associated with the Ultimate Black Magic Meteor. Aerith's status as Cetra ties her to nature, growth and healing whereas Sephiroth a product of the Jenova Project ties him to technology, science and destruction. I would argue that both Aerith and Sephiroth are equal but opposite not unlike the dichotomy we see in other FF games that feature Resplendent Light and Eternal Darkness as forces of nature

I've always seen Sephiroth as more of a tragic character. Brilliant but flawed, pushed to madness when he realizes his true origins at Nibelheim. I've so long wanted a game focusing solely on him, his thoughts behind actions, filling in the holes of his story. Hopefully some day! Great video. Love the breakdown and it makes you think of the whole overarching story just a bit differently.

During FFVII's development, Aeris and Sephiroth were originally designed to be siblings. That's why they have very simlar hair styles, especially in front.

Great video. I think my favorite is the parallel between Gast and Hojo as well since they are their respective biological fathers.

I hope Sephiroth in the remake gets to know thew whole story about Hojo and Lucrecia, I think that could lead to some interesting character development

Gast loved Aerith's mother. She was born from that, and raised as far from the giant city of Midgar as possible. Sephiroth was born in a cold, steel city, as the product of experimentation by Hojo. It's all nature/planet vs. science/man. Two scientists and colleagues put almost all of FF7 into motion, and the big difference, and what carried on in their progeny, were their outlooks on life, and the lessons they imparted with them.

I feel people forget Sephiroth didn't start off a maniac who was pure evil, he is a victim of Jenova and Hojo. He didn't go crazy till Nibelheim when he locked himself in the mansion and came across research docs that he and the research misinterpreted as Jenova being an Ancient thus making him as such. This caused him to think everything he knew to be true was a lie. Hojo gaslighted him in the name of science and Jenova manipulated him to finish her mission.

Thinking about it, they did the "rival villain has romantic backstory with the main heroine" with Seifer and Rinoa in FFVIII.

Imagine if Sephiroth and Aerirh actually ended up being siblings like it was first planned during development of the game... That would've been kinda neat ngl 🥹

Both their names end with "th". Can't believe I didn't notice that before.

Playing through the original final fantasy 7 the cheapest player punch is that aeriths party slot on the member select stays open and empty even when others join

"We're always with you, Cloud."

I would argue that Terra (VI) is almost an amalgam of both Sephiroth and Aerith. Born of Esper (alien/altered species), forced into war compliance (via the slave crown), experimented on by the ruling power, chased after post escape from said power, realization of ties to abstract beings leads to catastrophic results... I feel like I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg here, but she really does feel like some weird precursor for Aerith and Sephiroth's stories.

Aerith is Light and Sephiroth is Dark

Another fantastic topic from the best Final Fantasy Channel around

I remember after finishing FF7 back in the late 90s, I was hoping that Square would release some expanded content featuring Aerith and Sephiroth as young kids. I thought they would have some cool interactions as being the only kids in a corporation and share some sort of bond that gets loss. I also liked the idea of them being sibilings. Seeing them both cope with their backgrounds and treatment in different ways that created a conflict would be cool. Plus it gave off cool vibes like Jacen and Jaina from Star Wars legend stories. One last thing @FinalFantasyUnion, I approached this video with caution because I thought it might contain spoilers from "Traces of Two Pasts". I just started Aerith story and didn't want it to be spoiled. Glad it didn't...I think.

Cloud and Sephiroth are rivals. Aerith and Sephiroth are enemies. Much like Yuna in FFX, Aerith is the true hero of the story. She just dies before the story ends.

It was me, Barry. I sold flowers, fell for Zack, bumped into you, make you fall for me, and proceed to be killed by me. It was me all along, Barry.

I think you mean “Aerith’s death at the hands of Jenova, shapeshifted to look like Sephiroth”

the font used in background text and numbers just looks extremely cool

I remember thinking that as a teen playing og ff7. How similar in opposite ways aerith abd sephiroth were. Even rhe hairstyle which is different now but of aeriths hair spiked up un the front like sephiroths. I always felt they seemded like siblings. And i kinda still get that vibe.

An idea for a video would be the connection between magic and madness and how the more crazy/evil/insane characters are often mages or magic users. Kefka is an easy one, but also Shantotto and Cloud of Darkness, Golbez... Many villains cast magic.

Good video, but in my view the reason Sephiroth doesn't get absorbed by the lifestream is because he is primarily a product of Jenova, having been exposed to her cells as a baby. Jenova is an alien entity and therefore can not be absorbed by the lifestream and therefore sort of "floats" within it upon death, like oil in water.

Aerith is to me the most interesting FF character even if FF7 is not my all time fav FF.

sephiroth's story makes me wanna fucking cry

I'm glad they aren't siblings, too on the nose. I prefer the thematic paralells though I prefer thinking of Aerith as the Jenova of the good guys, the over arching good goddess who assists her followers (the team) against evil goddess Jenova unified with seph.

With the game focused on the topic of *legacy* its interesting to see how that developed and played out. Most of the characters are a product of and fighting for a legacy and the planet is the point of origin which circles back around. Its amazing to see how each character deals with and ascends from the result of their legacies.

I knew these two were opposing sides but it’s awesome seeing a more in depth explanation to how that came about. Excellent job!

As someone who just finished ff7 (original) the first time, and the story still being fresh in my mind, I agree to this!

I’ve been talking about these parallels with my friends for years. I’m sure something will come if they in the remake series. Can’t wait to see how they take the narrative.

Also their names; Sephiroth is the tree of life in Jewish mysticism in the Sepher Yetzirat. Each aspect of divine manifestation through evocation of the angel in each Sephirat, and becoming closer to the divine. Aerith evokes earth, the physical realm, humanity and frailty. Yet the irony is that through her humanity and her contact with the earth, she achieved oness with the divine while Sephiroth became a corrupt version of the divine. Satan so to speak, while aerith is a Messianic godlike figure. One point, the Cetra are human though, I don't know why the distinction. The Cetra are the original humans while the rest were Cetra that left and lost connection with the planet.

There are a ton of Biblical themes here. Jehovah/Jenova. Sephiroth effectively being a Nephilim, which the Bible (in Genesis) describes as the offspring of humans and fallen angels - He's a one winged angel, and that angelic half of him has a dark wing. Aerith sacrifices herself for the others, and succeeds ultimately as Sephiroth is conquered, making her a Messianic figure. The Cetra are effectively the Jews, as the chosen people, with their promised land. Not to mention Angel/Angeal with his white wing, and Genesis. Very interesting.

I have a sort of internal meter that calculates how interesting a video title and thumbnail look based on the number of seconds it takes for me to decide to play the video after reading the title and seeing the image. This video scored something on the order of a fraction of one second

I am always eagerly waiting for your new videos

Great video!

Loved the video. Surprised you didn't go into the novels though the maiden one or on a way to a smile

I find it funny how the translator can properly translate “Sephirosu” into “Sephiroth” but couldn’t do the same from “Aerisu” to “Aerith”

SUPER excited to see the kind of character development they introduce for Aerith. Whether or not her fate remains the same in the end, in Rebirth it's all but confirmed that Aerith already knows she's supposed to die. But what will happen if Sephiroth chooses not to make the same mistakes, and keeps her alive? She will feel lost, confused, and maybe even afflicted with survivor's guilt if someone else dies instead. I know everyone is completely against Rebirth killing off another character, but it's gonna happen. The trailers have hinted at some confusion with Tifa, but I think it's a red herring for what will actually happen: Barret is gonna be the one to die. Remake has shown Barret dead twice, once in the Shinra presentation room (an actual fakeout since no one actually got hurt), and then in front of the president. They've now conditioned the fanbase to think he's unkillable, which will make it WAY more shocking. Barret's promise to Marlene, "I'll come back" immediately made me cry upon seeing the ending because I KNEW that was foreshadowing something. Aerith also looks concerned when Tifa asks "so... what now?" Why would they make Barret say a line like that if we all know he's gonna survive and the stakes are low? That entire conversation tells me Aerith knows that what they've done is no small feat. They distract from the conversation by making Cloud talk about Sephiroth, but it seems like Aerith was concerned about something else entirely.

I love Aerith character the most

Thinking about it now, it would have made sense if Aerith were to be Sephiroth's love / hate interest. Like, he deeply respected Aerith's Dad and knew of her Cetra background. It might have been a cool switch up if Sephiroth secretly wanted to be with Aerith even if it was to have children. So that they could recreate the "old planet", but when Aerith clearly showed signs of love for Zack and wanting to go against Sephiroth thats when he snaps and unalives her.

I never read Sephiroth as "pure evil". To me, he was more of a "fallen angel" kind of character, who could have been a hero if only things had turned out slightly differently.

Could you do a video on what influenced the Final Fantasy series. Checkout Twin Perfect's "TRSHE Part 16A & Part 16B - Silent Hill Inspirations" to get an idea what I'm suggesting.

Love it when you post ff7 content!!!

they are both in love with Сloud

at least he mentions dirge of cerberus here

Thanks for making a follow up video from the external struggles of these two. I seriously feel rebirth is gonna be amazing. :)

All I can say is that there were probably about five thousand blog posts on this topic around twenty five years ago

yeah i remember playing the ps1 game and just to see her sudden death from seph was just shocking I never felt more hatred for a villan in a game . But yeah looking back its more to both of those characters than i realize. One represents good in life gods way of life in harmony with nature,the. Other represents the ambition of man to conquer and dominate over natural wayof life .

Vivi/Zidane/Kuja parallels!

Love your work where can I order your book?

Sephiroth was a broken hero, one of many. But except many he had the skills and power to change the world. But being discarded and kinda alien clone, he haven't found self worth and took to the dark side. We all have been there. You got to learn to be a part of others people world. Being the strongest is the lonesome road, broken ppl with no hope and light to guide them, never recover... He's only flaw was that he was in fact a human. Ailment not many can manage in real life.

I always envisioned that in a preivous draft of the game, Aerith and Sephiroth were brother and sister.

It's like they're the gods of chaos and order, like in the storyline of Dissidia. Always at conflict over supremacy of their realm

Goddam I love Final Fantasy

Have you made a comment regarding Matsuno's denial of Basch being the original main character of FFXII, a rumor that you stated as fact in videos?

In early drafts of 7, they were siblings. Which explains their similar character models.

Amazing

I suspect that Aerith's death was more of a shock to the younger fans who had not seen Final Fantasy kill off playable characters in previous games. I could be wrong. Maybe they got more upset over Aerith than Tellah, Galuf, or the four characters in Final Fantasy II because she was a clear romantic interest.

Also, Sephiroth and Aerith were, and still are, major driving forces in Cloud’s life. Cloud left Nibelhiem with the hope to join SOLDIER because he admired Sephiroth and wanted to be like him. The first major turning point in Cloud’s arc in Midgar happens when he meets Aerith and quickly befriends her. He left Midgar to pursue Sephiroth and help Aerith learn more about her heritage. He was a key witness to Sephiroth and Aerith’s deaths, and their deaths still have a deep personal impact on him years later. After the events of the game Aerith and Sephiroth show they are still connected to Cloud, and vice versa. The “Remake” project feels like a battle of wills between Aerith and Sephiroth, both of whom focusing their attentions on Cloud and trying to coax him into joining their, currently unknown, separate end goals.

I always had a feeling that Aerith and Sephiroth are either two halves of the same entity which being Jenova or they're possible siblings who both reside and the live stream as centra and are in this constant battle against each other, especially now with the Final Fantasy 7. Remake it almost feels as if both entities are trying to rewire the anthology as a whole Though, my theory is a bit of a reach and then some

I always enjoyed when two characters from a series that are unrelated and never met or have much interactions have so much parallels that you feel like they could have been friends in a different life

I wonder how things would turn out had aerith and sephiroth had met in their childhood

I knew something was up way back when I noticed their hair looked the same in the front

So I have a question if Hojo and that other lady are sephiroth's parents how the hell did he get to thinking Jenova was his mom??

What about the chilling parallels between Ruby and Emerald Weapon? Red vs Green, water vs dry desert, impossible to beat without trickery, and before the internet and seeing how to beat them I suffered for WEEKS before figuring it out myself and why... WHY? *sob* Damn you Ruby weapon!! Damn you to hell!

This video reminds me it may be a plot hole in ff7 story. Because Sephiroth and Aerith both was subjects under hojo around the same time when they was kids so they should of meet at least once. I doubt hojo kept them in totally different parts of the shinra building to do his test on them

Aerith secret ending Remake final part boss, calling it here.

They are connected though Chaos! He is always behind everything, scheming.

The remake number 7 reveals this story.

They both love Cloud but to be fair, so does everyone else.

Your thumbnail remind me of baron ashura from mazinger z

I find it interesting how at one point during development they where siblings.

they were brother and sister in pre production development. in the early, early stages.

I recognized alot of this when i was younger. I never saw cloud as sephiroths rival. I saw aerith as the batman to sephiroths joker. Cloud physically fights him with the rest of the party but the final fight is meteor vs holy and the lifestream. Literally the final clash is 2 summons. 1 from aerith 1 from sephiroth. And i always felt like cloud and the party and what they did was not nearly as important as aeriths part. Cloud and the gang go to crater to fight sephiroth but to me it almost felt unnecessary from a a lore point. As if they were beatinf him simply because they didn't know what else to do to help I mean even alot of the message at the end of the game is about simply doing your best. Bugedin or however you spell it even talks about life and being old and wishing he could do something more which inspires the party. But at.the end of the day it was holy vs meteor that determined the fate of the planet. I feel cloud and the party coulda failed and still potentially won the war simply because of aerith and holy. Almost as if what cloud and them did was like back burner stuff. Like not nearly as important. Almost reminds me of star wars. Yea its a way out there stretch lol but like how obi won was the light side and said to darth vader. Strike me down and i will become more powerful than you could ever imagine. Which is essently what happened to aeirth. Alive her power was limited to the physical realm. But once she was part of the life stream she was no longer bound to the normal world. Like her power was unleashed. Anyways thats what i remember thinking way back. I feelnlike the old ff7 benefited a bit from reading it in that you had to think more. I feel like reading all them chatboxes made you kinda construct the story in your imagination more like a book.

What if they were supposed to procreat? Hoji was f ing wierd guys.

Deliberate storytelling is "chilling parallels" now?

I mean it makes sense why clouds cant get his mind of both of them so

Anyway, we're about close to Rebirth release. I wonder why none of the update though.

I shipped them as a couple after I heard that they were supposed to be former lovers but they chose Zack for her instead. It makes so much sense as they turn up to be complete opposites. Imagine him being her first love and then ending up killing her. Would’ve been a huge emotional roller coaster, twist in the game.

My brain will POP OPEN 🤯 if Sephiroth refers to Aerith as his “sister” at some point in FF Rebirth 😂😂😂😂😆😆😆

hell even their hairstyle is similar

What's funny is that after Rebirth the parallels are even stronger

This just in: water is wet

So they’re parallel opposites?

I was literally told by a Japanese/Australian writer, lifelong friend from Square Honolulu Pictures, later moved to SE DIvision 1, and working on the 4 FF7R games (there WILL be four, not three) -- Straight up "Aerith will be the main antagonist of the story". And that it will be revealed that she in fact was responsible for Sephiroth "liberating her soul in the original timeline, through death" so that she could begin her generational plan to become the "successor of Jenovah" and that she wws the "original Seer of the Ancients that betrayed her people and sunmoned Jenovah from the stars." Sounds exactly like some Nomura shit, so I totally believe it. And he's never told me wrong. PS- I am the real Zeal. The one that revealed the entire secret ending and Versus connections in KH3, a year before it happened, via 4Chan. It is a known fact amongst Nomura's team that he also plans to fully revive the Versus Epic Saga first through Verum Rex in KH4, finally, and then relaunch Versus itself, fully in name and the original narrative. Believe none of this, believe nothing. Either way, it's happening.

Given they were meant to be siblings originally it makes sense they would have similiarities

You really need to install the mod that fixes the open mouth problem. 😅

Some people say that Vincent is Sephiroth's biological father. They have similar physical features and they both were strong enough to survive being experimented on by Hojo. Can you discuss the theory of Vincent being Sephiroth's father? They should ret con the story in FFVII Rebirth and make Vincent Sephiroth's father. Then they can say that Vincent locked himself in a casket believing that he lost both Lucrecia and their child to Hojo. Once Vincent realizes his son is alive and sees what his son Sephiroth has become, he joins the party to stop his son from destroying the planet while keeping it a secret from the rest of the party.

I think one reason why Sephiroth didn't die in the lifestream was because of his Jenova cells.

In FF7R the two are Metagming like they are in NG+