Aerith Gainsborough

Aerith Gainsborough, alternately known with the first name Aeris, is a playable character in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake. She is one of the lead protagonists of the novel Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts, and a major character in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, appearing in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-. Aerith is the last of the Cetra, an ancient race with powerful magical abilities, and so the Shinra Electric Power Company hunts her throughout her life, seeking to exploit her powers. She meets Cloud Strife in Midgar, and the two become close, leading her to join his quest to fight Shinra and hunt down Sephiroth. Aerith is upbeat, carefree, and joyful, being flirtatious towards Cloud and compassionate towards others. Aerith wields staves in battle, and is in the back row by default, as she primarily uses magic from equipped Materia in battle. Her Limit abilities are defensive, either providing restorative powers, healing other party members, or bestowing status enhancements. Aerith plaits her long light-brown hair with a large pink ribbon; within the ribbon, she keeps the White Materia orb given to her by her mother. Segmented bangs frame Aerith's face, and she has emerald green eyes. She is 163 cm tall. Aerith's typical attire, first seen in Final Fantasy VII, comprises a shin-length pink dress that buttons up the front and a red bolero jacket. She wears brown boots and has metal bracers on her wrists and around the edges of her jacket sleeves. In subsequent appearances, Aerith's attire is more detailed. Her jacket, button-up in Final Fantasy VII, is zip-up in Advent Children onwards, and has zipper pockets and a belt at the bottom. In Advent Children, she wears leather belts in place of metal bands, and in Remake, her original cord necklace is replaced with a flower necklace Aerith necklace from FFVII Remame merchandise with a pearl in the center on a leather ribbon, and a trio of bracelets (gold, silver, and bronze) replace the metal bracers. Aerith's choice of color for her dress was likely influenced by Zack Fair, who on their first date bought her a ribbon and later suggested she wear pink whenever they go on a date. During "To Corneo Hall" in Final Fantasy VII, Aerith wears a red spaghetti-strapped formal gown with frill designs and red heels. Her long light brown wavy hair is let loose but retains her pink ribbon. In Remake, the equivalent "The Town That Never Sleeps" chapter sees her wear one of three dress variants. The first is a knee-length pale pink sundress and off-white heels, the second is a darker pink dress with an asymmetrical skirt and pink gladiator-style heels, while the third is a re-imagined version of her Final Fantasy VII dress. Aerith has different variations on her dress in different stages of her life. During Crisis Core, she wears a blue and white dress with a red camisole underneath and white wedge sandals with pink straps. During Before Crisis, Aerith wears a pink, white, and red top tied around the neck with buttons up the front, and a frilly white and green skirt. As a child, Aerith wore a dark blue denim jumper dress with a light teal turtleneck, white socks, and brown shoes, with a light teal ribbon. After her adoption, she wore a burnt orange loose collar shirt with a yellow collar, brown shorts, and a matching short boots. In the original game, she had a yellow ribbon Aeris-ffvii-ypink. In the remake, she already wore her signature pink ribbon. Aerith is compassionate, upbeat, and joyful, as well as street-smart with a spunky and cocky attitude. Aerith maintains a hopeful and positive outlook in the face of danger, cheering the others on when she can, and always tries to see the good in people. She is nonetheless still able to identify an unequivocal evil, in the form of Shinra and Sephiroth. Against such threats, Aerith wishes to help however she can, but is morally opposed to violence and sees it as a last resort. She is not above harboring resentment for those who wrong her, although she puts on a front of cold defiance and conceals her weaknesses when distressed. Aerith loves nature, particularly flowers, and tries to commune with them. Aerith craves freedom and the ability to make decisions for herself. Raised in the slums of Midgar, she is almost entirely unfazed by the danger of monsters or Shinra. Aerith is familiar with the slums, imparting her knowledge to Cloud, and has grown to love her surroundings for the few flowers that grow, as well as the passions of the denizens, to the point she wants to stay. In spite of this, Aerith still loves adventure and trying new things, craving one day to ride on an airship. Coupled with Aerith's adventurous nature is her stubbornness, with both Elmyra and Cloud recognizing they cannot talk her out of something after she has made up her mind, regardless of how much danger she is putting herself in. Aerith is quick to make friends, as can be seen with Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, and Red XIII. Aerith supports them and pushes them forward, though also relies on them to have her back when she is unsure of herself. This can be seen in her friendship with Tifa: Aerith helps put Tifa's mind at ease when she is distressed, while Tifa in turn promises to protect her and help find a way through her struggles. Aerith flirts with Cloud, able to see through his hardened persona, and gets him to open up a little more. Though Aerith cherishes having Cloud as her bodyguard, she does not appear too reliant on him for physical protection so much as she simply enjoys his company. Aerith has apparent romantic feelings for Cloud, and remarks he reminds her of her first love, Zack. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Aerith appears to have deeper knowledge of unfolding events before they happen, leading Tifa to question her behavior. She emphasizes a wish to live in the moment and cherish the present, and believes that the future is a blank page that can be made right. This belief motivates her to ultimately defy the Whispers' fate, despite hesitating due to the potential risks. She hates Sephiroth for his selfish desire to defy destiny without care for the consequences. Aerith acts incensed when insulted over her appearance, though tends to take Cloud's early rude remarks in stride, even reciprocating with her own good humor. She coldly defies Hojo though distressed upon learning of the treatment of her mother's remains. Despite the hardships she endures, Aerith returns to her friends with as much emotional strength as ever before.