Name: Aerith
Surname: Gainsborough
Age: 22
Job: Flowe Seller
Series: Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
Aeris Gainsborough is introduced as a flower seller, when she briefly converses with Cloud Strife, a mercenary who is fleeing from the bombing of a Mako reactor by himself and AVALANCHE. The two later meet in Aeris' church in the Sector 5 slums, where she is faced with the possibility of being captured by the Turks. Aeris asks Cloud to be her bodyguard for the cost of one date. She is eventually apprehended, but once again rescued by Cloud and company. Aeris then joins them in the pursuit of Sephiroth, while embarking on a journey of self-discovery.
After a failed attempt to foil Sephiroth's theft of the Black Materia, Aeris ventures alone into the Forgotten City for an unknown purpose. Cloud and his companions give chase, eventually finding her praying at an altar. As Aeris looks up to smile at Cloud, 'Sephiroth' appears and kills her by impaling her through the torso. The materia given to her by her mother, which she wore in her hair, falls from the altar into the water. After fighting an incarnation of Jenova, Cloud carries Aeris' body out into a lake in the Forgotten City, and releases her back to the Planet. The party later learns the reason for Aeris being in the Forgotten City; through her White Materia, Aeris was able to summon Holy, the only force capable of repelling the ultimate destructive magic, Meteor. Though Aeris successfully casts Holy before her death, it is held back by the power of Sephiroth's will. When Sephiroth was finally defeated and Holy was released, it appears that it was too late to function as effectively as it should, for Meteor—already summoned by Sephiroth and set on a collision course with the Planet—has come too near the Planet's surface. While Holy clashes with Meteor, attempting to prevent its impact, the gravity of both Meteor and the Planet pulling on the spell in opposite directions weakens it, leaving it with too little room to take effect. The Planet's Lifestream then flows forth from within the planet, intervening with Holy and Meteor, and acting as a battering ram while aiding in the destruction of Meteor. This scene is followed by a vision of Aeris within the Lifestream's energy.
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
In Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, several years before the main events of Final Fantasy VII, Aerith becomes the target of AVALANCHE, who seek to prevent the Shinra Corporation from being able to make use of the last Cetra. They intend to learn the whereabouts of the Promised Land from her for their own purposes, and a member of the Turks tries to protect her.
Aerith makes several appearances in the CGI film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, as Cloud's spiritual guide, urging him to move on in life, to forgive himself for the tragedies that were beyond his control and that she never blamed him for her death. During their spiritual reunion, Aerith speaks to Cloud in an open meadow laden with flowers, cheerfully and kindheartedly poking fun at how he needlessly burdens himself with the past, but acknowledges his suffering and offers kind words of support. One of Aerith's interactions with Cloud comes when each member of the original game's party helps in Cloud's final attack against Bahamut SIN; she appears as the last party member to assist Cloud. She also appears in the final scene of the movie, along with Zack, where she gives Cloud more words of encouragement before she and Zack walk into the light. Near the end of the film, it is discovered that water mixed with the Lifestream flows beneath the flowerbed in Aerith's church, which manifested as a cure for the Geostigma disease.
Aerith also appears in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. At the age of 15, Aerith met Zack, for whom she developed feelings during his stay in Midgar. Aerith and Zack developed a romantic relationship, but Zack was killed at the end of Crisis Core after being held in a Mako chamber for four years in the Shinra Mansion basement. During those years, Aerith helped her adopted mother earn a living by growing and selling flowers, a job that results in her meeting Cloud in the beginning of Final Fantasy VII.
Other appearances
Aerith's character has appeared in games outside of the Final Fantasy VII continuity. In Final Fantasy Tactics, Aeris appears as a flower girl. Later, a group of criminals harasses Aeris for the money she and her mother owe. After pleading for a postponement, Aeris is told to sell her body instead of flowers. Cloud appears and the player engages in battle with the group, letting her escape. Itadaki Street Special features a playable version of Aerith, as well as other Final Fantasy VII characters Tifa Lockhart, Cloud Strife, and Sephiroth. She also appears Itadaki Street Portable with the same characters from Special, with the addition of Yuffie Kisaragi. Hoshi o Meguru Otome (Maiden who Travels the Planet), a novelization written by Benny Matsuyama and appearing in the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω guide, follows Aerith immediately after her death in Final Fantasy VII. While not fully playable, Aerith is set to appear in the fighting game Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy as an assistant character.
Aerith makes an appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series. She is a member of a group dedicated to defeating the Heartless; the group also includes other Final Fantasy VII characters and Leon of Final Fantasy VIII. The design of Aerith's attire had minor changes from Final Fantasy VII. In the plot of Kingdom Hearts, Aerith suggests and helps with a method for defeating the Heartless to protagonists Donald Duck, Goofy and Sora. Throughout the game, she gives advice to the player. She also appears in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as a perceptive figment of Sora's memories. Aerith returns in Kingdom Hearts II, wearing a modified version of her dress in Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII. Aerith, Leon, and Yuffie run a restoration committee for the town of Hollow Bastion.
