The big question everyone has why did Aeris have to die? Was she meant to stay
dead? The ending of FF7 seemed a little rushed. The first time playing through,
you might feel that Aeris did have to "die" the way she did on disc one, but would
somehow come back maybe even as the embodiment of Holy to fight Sephiroth in the
final battle. The evidence is below.
The Incomplete Game Theory:
Everyone knows about the Aeris resurrection theory. If you look at the game
there is a vast amount of empirical evidence that Aeris's resurrection was
originally supposed to be part of the game, perhaps if only in the original
script or in early versions of the game. There is absolutely no way to
resurrect her. However, under this theory, FF7 is incomplete. The evidence
that can be found to support this theory is listed below.
- The presence of Aeris's ghost in her church is a very small plot point in
the game. In fact, it's barely discussed by any one in the game itself. Why
else would it be in the game?
- Before the final battle there is an extra ledge that no one is standing on.
- For the battle against Bizarro-Sephiroth, if you have obtained the "secret
characters", Vincent and Yuffie, then when prompted to make three parties,
you will notice one party can have only two characters. Each party should have
three members.
- Throughout the game Cloud is in situations in which he must pick Aeris over
Tifa or show that he is an uncaring or a caring guy. However, after Aeris's
death, this entire point is dropped. Considering the number of decisions you
are forced to make you would think it would have more bearing than who you date
at the Gold Saucer.
- In the Japanese version, Aeris speaks at certain points after you use the
GameShark to get her back. She has dialog in certain points in the game on
Disc 2 and Disc 3 (She dies at the end of Disc 1), and this shouldn't be so if
she was originally meant to be revived at some part in the game.
- Aeris's best weapon has only seven Materia holders and it can gain AP, while
everyone else's best weapon has eight linked slots and gains no AP.
- Aeris's Umbrella has a higher Attack Power than her best weapon, the
Princess Guard, whereas everyone else's best weapon has a higher Attack Power
than all of their other weapons.
- When you get Aeris's fourth limit break she has most likely already died.
If you actually do what you need to do to get it before she dies you waste vast
amounts of time (taking several hours of intensional getting her Limits leveled up).
The point is that if you get it before she dies, it doesn't seem like you
should have her Limit Level 4 yet.
- Right before the pillar steps in the Forgotten City before Aeris dies there
is doorway in the background. If you look at the patterns on the pillar, the
doorway is somewhat similar but markedly different. Programmers usually don't
put extra stuff like that in a game: it's a waste of time and effort. There is
no way to reach the door.
- If you look at the floor before Sephiroth kills Aeris, there is a spiral
staircase leading downward. If you think about the way the City is shaped
it should be the reflection of the stairs above, but if you think on how the
glass around Aeris is shaped, it physically couldn't be so.
- In the game manual there are FMV drawings of the characters. Every
character's drawing except Aeris (she is looking at the highwind you see it
where disc 1 is in) actually occurs in the game, or could realistically occur.
Aeris's cannot, as she wasn't with Cloud when he first saw the Highwind on the
first trip to Junon. She had already died when Barret and Tifa made their
escape on the Highwind later. In the picture she also dressed in white, and the
entire game she dressed in red.
- The strongest empirical evidence for this lies in a conversation Cloud has with
Tifa on the bridge of the Highwind:
Tifa: I wonder what Aeris felt... when she was on that Altar...
Cloud: I'm sure she wanted to give her life for the planet...
Tifa: Really? I wonder? I don't think that's it at all.
I think she didn't think she would die at all, but that she planned on
coming back all along. She always used to talk about the "Next Time".
She talked about the future more than any of us.
- - - - -
Disclaimer: Once again, I need to add that Aeris cannot be resurrected.
GameShark codes naturally alter gameplay depending on the code you input. GameShark
is the exception. As for actual non-cheating gameplay, it is impossible.
- - - - -
The Incomplete Game Theory Rebuttals:
- In the final showdown with Sephiroth, there is a party of two.
People assume that there is one person missing, but you should look at
it as there are two people too many. Considering that Yuffie and Vincent
are both "secret characters", this would make the third party nonexistent.
- The whole reason Cloud and the others kept fighting was because they hated
Sephiroth even more for killing Aeris. If Aeris was resurrected, the plot
line would have become very slow and harder to develop.
- In the previous Aeris resurrection theory, one of the reasons mentioned
is concerning Aeris having a level 4 limit break. First, this could just be
a challenge for more serious gamers. Most people don't beat Ruby weapon,
just like most people don't take the effort to get Aeris' level 4 limit
break. Also, if she didn't have a level 4 limit break, people would be
suspicious when they viewed her limit breaks in the menu.
- Concerning the choices you have to make about Tifa and Aeris from
Cloud's point-of-view, though this aspect of the game is quickly forgotten
after Aeris' death, the whole point of the questioning is to give character
development. When you are forced to take the position of a character and
respond to questioning, you feel closer to the characters. Therefore, the
questions are not needed later on in the game, as character development
slows and plot development takes a stronger hold.
- For Aeris' ultimate weapon having only seven materia slots, the creators
most likely did not want to give away the fact that Aeris' end was near by
giving the player her ultimate weapon that early.