User:Aerith34

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Aerith's story Aerith's storyline begins with her being born to the last full-blooded Cetra, Ifalna, and her researcher, Professor Gast Faremis. After recognizing his failures with the Jenova Project and becoming weighted by guilt, he would resign from his position as the head of Shin-Ra's Science Department, though he continued his investigation into the Cetra's history with Ifalna's voluntary cooperation at Icicle Lodge to the north. He met her there after relocating in an attempt to further his investigations, and during their interviews, they fell in love and began to live with one another. Within two years, Aerith was born to them.

When Aerith was only twenty days old, her family was attacked by Shin-Ra soldiers under the command of Professor Hojo—another Shin-Ra scientist, and Gast's former assistant—killing Gast and capturing Aerith and Ifalna so as to provide further research for Hojo. Seven years later, in Midgar, Ifalna was able to escape from the Shin-Ra headquarters with Aerith, the mother and daughter fleeing as far as the train station in the Sector 7 slums before a dying Ifalna entrusted Aerith to the care of Elmyra Gainsborough, a childless widow.

As time went on, Aerith's Cetra heritage would reveal itself in various ways, most notably the ability to hear the souls of the dead wandering the Planet. However, she was uncomfortable with these abilities and refused to acknowledge them or her ancestry.[1] Throughout the rest of her childhood and young adult life, Aerith would be a constant target of the Shin-Ra, who were seeking to recover her.

Appearances Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII

Aerith from Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII.In Before Crisis, several years before the main events of Final Fantasy VII, Aerith becomes the target of AVALANCHE, who seek to prevent the Shin-Ra from being able to make use of the last Cetra. They also intend to learn the whereabouts of the Promised Land from her for their own purposes. It is then up to a member of the Turks to protect her.

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core= At the age of sixteen, Aerith met Zack, whom she developed feelings for during his stay in Midgar. [2]. Between the five-year limit, Aerith helps her adopted mother with their livelihood by growing and selling flowers, a profession which results in her meeting Cloud during Final Fantasy VII.

Final Fantasy VII

Aerith selling flowers on the streets of Midgar, meeting Cloud for the first time.Aerith, now a flower girl, tries her best to lead a normal life despite numerous kidnapping attempts by the Turks. She retreats routinely to a local derelict church which serves as an ideal hideaway for her from the insanity of the outside world. According to her, it is the only place where flowers are able to grow in Midgar.[3]

Chronologically, the story's events begin for Aerith when she bumps into Cloud, who is fleeing from the scene of AVALANCHE successfully destroying a mako reactor. The two would later be reunited in Aerith's church, this time, under more tense circumstances. Faced with the possibility of being captured by Reno of the Turks, Aerith asks the mercenary to be her bodyguard for the cost of one date. She is eventually apprehended, but once again saved by Cloud and company. Aerith then joins them in the pursuit of the malevolent Sephiroth, as well as embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Although Aerith makes a point of putting on an image of innocence, she is in reality much less naive than she lets on. She takes the opportunity to showcase her coyer side around Cloud—with whom she is openly flirtatious—when possible, and generally remains optimistic throughout the journey.

Aerith's death in Final Fantasy VII.After a failed attempt to foil Sephiroth's stealing of a dangerous materia, Aerith ventures alone into the Forgotten City for an unknown purpose, incurring Sephiroth's wrath. Cloud and his companions give chase and eventually locate Aerith, praying at an altar. Sephiroth soon attempts to take possession of Cloud through his Jenova cells (as he has done before) and use him as a pawn to kill Aerith. Cloud resists the command with the help of his friends, whereupon Sephiroth reveals himself and slays Aerith with a single thrust of his sword. The materia given her by her mother, which she wore in her hair, falls from the altar into the water. Holding her body, Cloud rails against Sephiroth, who mocks him and states that he has no feelings and is merely "a puppet". Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE are not given time to grieve just yet, as Sephiroth summons a new incarnation of Jenova, Jenova-Life, which they must defeat. Cloud then carries Aerith's body out into a lake in the ancient capital city of the Cetra, and releases her back to the Planet. Aerith's sacrifice becomes one of the pivotal moments of the game's plot, and is one of the most well-known moments in any Final Fantasy game. As later events showed, Aerith still aided the others despite her death.

The party later learns the reason for Aerith being in the Forgotten City: through her White Materia—handed down from Ifalna—Aerith was able to summon Holy, the only force capable of repelling the Ultimate Destructive Magic, Meteor, which Sephiroth sought to call forth.[4][5] However, in order to learn of this spell—and, indeed, to use it—she needed to visit the City of the Ancients, to which she could feel herself being drawn.[6] Though she successfully called forth Holy before her death, in order to initiate its effect Sephiroth would have to be defeated, for his powerful will was holding the spell back at the heart of the Planet. Inspired by the hope Aerith had left to them, Cloud and the others set out to initiate a final showdown with Sephiroth, and Cloud ultimately succeeds in killing him, banishing him back to the Lifestream.[7]

However, Holy is freed too late to function as effectively as it should, for Meteor—already summoned by Sephiroth, and set on a crash-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.[8] In a climactic FMV, the Planet's Lifestream spews forth from within the planet and bands together, acting as a battering ram to push Meteor back, giving Holy enough room to properly destroy it. This showing is followed by a vision of Aerith within the Lifestream's energy, an indication of her final efforts to save the planet, as are detailed in Maiden who Travels the Planet.

Maiden who Travels the Planet Maiden who Travels the Planet is a novelization written by Benny Matsuyama, and appears in the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω Guide. It is the story of Aerith during Final Fantasy VII once she has returned to the Lifestream after her death at the hands of Sephiroth.

The story revealed that a Cetra's strength of will and understanding of the Planet allows their consciousness to exist within the Lifestream without being diluted. Aerith begins a journey through the Lifestream, encountering people who have died over the course of the game, including Biggs, Wedge and Jessie of AVALANCHE, as well as Dyne, President Shin-Ra, Zack and Hojo.

Her true feelings for Cloud and Zack are also revealed during the course of the story, and it is confirmed that it was she who called the Lifestream into action to aid Holy in defeating Meteor. It is further revealed that the deceased members of AVALANCHE, as well as Dyne and Zack, assisted her in this final defense of the Planet.[9] It is important to note that this novelization was a written work of Square done by another author, however this work has been accepted thus far by the writers of Final Fantasy VII.

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

Aerith in Advent ChildrenAerith's appearances in Advent Children run few and far between, but her actions profoundly affect the outcome of events once again.

Since Sephiroth's defeat, the party has had no time to rejoice. Though the planet has been saved by Aerith and the others' actions, a fatal illness known as "Geostigma" plagues many. Cloud, now infected with the disease as well, isolates himself from his friends. Though resolute, he is maddened by his failure to prevent the deaths of Zack and Aerith, believing himself unable to help anyone. Not wishing to be a burden on the family of sorts he has made with Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel—an orphan they've taken in—he secludes himself from them in Aerith's church.

Aerith makes several appearances throughout the course of the movie as Cloud's spiritual guide, urging him to move on in life and 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 poking fun at how he needlessly burdens himself with the past, but acknowledging his suffering and offering kind words of support.

Aerith in the credits of Advent Children.One of Aerith's greatest boons to Cloud during the film comes when each member of the original game's party lends their respective strength to Cloud's final attack against Bahamut SIN, an act symbolizing one of the film's primary themes of camaraderie—summed up by Cloud's final line in the film: "I'm not alone." Aerith makes an appearance as the last of the party members to lend a helping hand, giving him one final reassuring boost of his friends' faith in him. She also appears in the final scene of the movie, along with Zack, where she gives Cloud more words of encouragement, before she leaves with Zack.

Near the end of the film, it is discovered that water mixed with the Lifestream flows beneath the flowerbed in Aerith's church—thus explaining how flowers were able to bloom in a place as desolate as Midgar—this revelation coming after an explosion caused by Kadaj leaves a large hole in the soil. It is here that a cure for Geostigma is discovered: the very water that had been beneath the church. The film's developers also acknowledge that the water is a symbolic representation of Great Gospel, Aerith's final Limit Break from the original game. [1]

Aerith makes a brief appearance in the film's ending credits with the song "Calling", in which she is standing in a field of flowers.

Kingdom Hearts

Aerith, as she appears in Kingdom Hearts Aerith, as she appears in Kingdom Hearts IIDue to the allowances provided by Kingdom Hearts being an alternate universe independent of the continuity of both Final Fantasy and Disney, Aerith also makes a notable appearance in this series. She is member of a group — which includes Cid Highwind and Yuffie Kisaragi, also of Final Fantasy VII, as well as Squall Leonhart/Leon of Final Fantasy VIII — dedicated to defeating the Heartless. Her attire is mostly unchanged from its Final Fantasy VII design, the only changes being the absence of her red jacket, the ribbon in her hair being red as opposed to pink, her gold bangles being replaced with silver bracelets on her left wrist and the presence of a purple belt.

Early in Kingdom Hearts, Aerith makes her first appearance while encountering Donald Duck and Goofy in an allyway of Traverse Town, and afterwards escorts them to the Traverse Town hotel. It is there that she suggests recovering the scattered pages of Ansem's Report in order to find a way to destroy the Heartless. During the course of the game Leon, Yuffie, Cid and herself often give advice to the band of heroes, and she later presents them with the remaining missing pages of Ansem's Report. After Sora locks the keyhole of Hollow Bastion, Aerith returns along with her comrades to her home. She is shown in the credits reuniting with Cloud.

In the Kingdom Hearts manga, she first appears to Sora, Donald and Goofy when the trio search for Leon. Aerith is seen serving sweet beverages, drinks that Leon dislikes due to their sweet flavors.

After making a brief appearance in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as a perceptive figment of Sora's memories, she is only one of two people in that game who realizes that they are not what they seem to be.

Aerith returns in Kingdom Hearts II, wearing a modified version of the dress she donned in Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII. She now wears a pink skirt instead of the green from Before Crisis, one which has more white frills. Aerith, Leon and Yuffie are now responsible for restoring the town of Hollow Bastion to its former splendor, and it is from Aerith that Sora learns the true name of Hollow Bastion: the Radiant Garden. Despite her delicate appearance, she is quick to let others know that she is capable of defending herself. Aerith helps in the fight against the Heartless by healing others. On one visit, she tells Cloud she has faith in him and will wait, because his light will guide him back to her. In the end, Aerith was last to be shown in the credits, looking over Radiant Garden, possibly waiting for Cloud to return from his battle with Sephiroth.

Final Fantasy Tactics Aerith also makes her presence in Final Fantasy Tactics (as "Aeris"). During the course of the game, Aeris shows up offering to sell the characters a flower for one gil.

Later, after Cloud Strife is pulled through time and wanders around the streets of Zarghidas, he encounters Aeris, who offers him a flower for one gil, similar to his first encounter with her in Final Fantasy VII. Cloud doesn't respond, but instead stares at her, taken aback by her resemblance to the Aerith he knew. Aeris asks Cloud if she reminds him of someone, but he denies this and walks away.

Cloud and Aeris in Final Fantasy Tactics.A moment later, a group of criminals appear from the shadows and begin harassing Aeris for the 30,000 gil that she and her mother owes them. After pleading with them to give her a week to come up with the money, the criminals examine her and suggest that she sell her body instead of flowers.

Cloud, angered by what's taking place, tells the men to leave her alone and instructs Aeris to run away. Aeris does as she's told, leaving Cloud to fight off the group with assistance from the player's party. The flower girl is identified as being Aeris[10], through both name, occupation, basic personality, and appearance, yet she's out of place for the Aerith of Final Fantasy VII and displays no recognition of Cloud.

Although there were several rumours of Aerith being a playable character in the game, it has been proved that she has no battle sprites and her character data is in the PEOPLE folder (which is where all secondary characters are stored).

Itadaki Street

Aerith in Itadaki Street PortableAerith also appears as a playable character in Itadaki Street Special and the upcoming Itadaki Street Portable, along with several other characters from Final Fantasy VII, including Tifa, Cloud and Sephiroth.

Characteristics Aerith is a friendly, upbeat and cheerful young woman, and often seems a rather simplistic character. Throughout the game, however, she reveals the deeper aspects of her personality (and its temperament), displaying her complexities. She is constantly mindful of the fate of the Planet, and concerns herself with issues dealing with her heritage as the sole survivor of the Cetra.

Despite her feelings of loneliness as the last of her race, Aerith puts on a positive and optimistic front. Though she is physically weak, she displays emotional strength, especially in carrying the responsibility of saving the Planet. Despite the dangers she has faced her whole life not only as an object of Shin-Ra's greed, but also from the dangers of growing up in the slums, she gives hope, support and encouragement to her friends. She also shows her bravery and strength when she decides to handle Sephiroth on her own.

Elmyra tells Cloud of Aerith’s stubborn determination and habit of stating what’s on her mind, and, indeed, once her mind is made up, it is hard to change it. She also tends to be a bit frank, but always tries to add joy to life and displays a stark understanding of others. This was exemplified in Advent Children, when she told Cloud that he should seek forgiveness from himself instead of her.

Aerith often puts on a naïve persona, but in reality, is a wise and understanding person who knows what’s going on with the Planet and its people—healing people and giving them encouragement and hope even after her death.

Concept and creation

Name Aerith is often referred to as "Aeris," due to translation issues. The problem may have originated due to the fact that the foreign sounds "s" (as a stand-alone consonant) and "th" are both represented in Japanese syllabary by "su" (ス), or it may have been a deliberate aesthetic change on Sony's part. However, as of English translation of Kingdom Hearts, the spelling "Aeris" is only used in games comprising the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

"Aerith"—and, consequently, "Aeris"—is a Japanese transliteration of the English word "Earth" (confirmed by the Final Fantasy VII: Kaitai Shinsho guide[11]). In katakana (the Japanese syllabary used for words that are not of Japanese origin), the name is written as "Earisu". Syllables in the Japanese language are normally open, that is, they normally end in a vowel ("n" being the only consonant allowed in syllable codas; thus, the "i" after "r") and the Japanese language has no "th" sound, instead using "su". It became "Aeris" as a result of writing it in romaji (Latin characters representing Japanese sounds) to represent how it sounds when spoken in Japanese ("Air-rees").

Resurrection?

Aerith in the Final Fantasy VII technical demo.A persistent rumor maintains that Aerith either could be resurrected in some versions of the game or that she was meant to be resurrected but the feature either could not be implemented or was dropped at a relatively late stage of development. The production staff, however, have stated that this is not the case. By their admission, Aerith's death was always intended to be a permanent and tragic event, a response to the dramatic clichés of heroic sacrifice and resurrection.[12]

Even after years of extensive research, no in-game method of resurrecting Aerith has been discovered. Nor is there an alternate version of the ending, which would be required in the event of Aerith returning to life. Various cheat programs can put Aerith back into the party, but there are very few specific lines or weapons for her afterwards, and this may cause the game to freeze at various points. Such programs, however, can be used also to do impossible things, such as the addition of Seifer and Edea to one's party in Final Fantasy VIII. Nevertheless, rumors of Aerith's resurrection are among the more widely known rumors in the history of video games. One of the earliest and most notorious of these rumors was produced by Ben Lansing [2], who unsuccessfully tried to retract it later [3] after his "authoritative" article had snowballed into a large debate.

Another source of debate is the "spirit" of Aerith. If the player backtracks to the church in the Midgar slums, a "spirit" of Aerith can be seen in the church tending to the flowers or standing in the aisle, and will vanish if approached. This can be seen any time from the addition of Aerith to the party onwards, including immediately after she and Cloud escape from Reno and after her capture by the Turks. Whether this is an easter egg created by the developers or a glitch in the game remains subject of much debate. However, it would seem that it is an easter egg by the developers, as an actual glitch in that part of the game will allow the player to run up to Aerith, and if one talks to the children there, they will say something completely different from when Aerith's "ghost" is gone. Interestingly, a similar scene appears in the Advent Children movie.

Some players argue that, if Aerith is returned to the party using cheats, the character will have unique lines. While this is partially true, the game errors resulting from adding her to the party manifest when any character is added who does not belong, and most of the lines are generic responses. She also has greatly spurred stat gaining when leveled (i.e 6 magic points every level she goes up when brought back). In addition, if Square intended the player to resurrect Aerith, they would have included some new content for the character after the resurrection. There are, as of yet, no cutscenes or dialogue found to support her resurrection.

Romantic issues The subject of Aerith's love life is of great debate among those who play Final Fantasy VII.

Prior to the events at Nibelheim, Aerith was apparently romantically involved with Zack, although she claims it wasn't serious, and comments that he probably just found somebody else. At this point, it has been at least five years since she heard from him. Zack, for his part, only mentions Aerith in passing, never actually saying her name; he merely comments that he has "a place" he can go in Midgar.[13]

During the course of the game, it is mentioned that one of the Turks, Tseng, was interested in Aerith. When the playable party enters Gongaga for the first time, Reno and Rude are seen talking about who they like. While Rude admits that he likes Tifa, Reno mentions that Tseng likes "that Ancient," meaning Aerith.

After Aerith and Cloud meet during the game, she appears to be very flirtatious with him. Among the fandom, it is said that she was only attracted to Cloud because of Zack, as she directly mentions that it bothered her how much they were alike and that she thought she was seeing Zack's personality in Cloud.[14] However, the comment was followed by Aerith acknowledging that Cloud and Zack were two different individuals.[15]

In Benny Matsuyama's novel Maiden Who Travels The Planet, it has been revealed that while Cloud and Zack shared similarities, she preferred Cloud.[16]:

"At first, she thought he somehow had some similarities to her first love. Even so, his looks, voice and personality weren't similar, and he also made her think of him as a mysterious person... But it soon didn't matter. She loved him much more than her first love."

Later in the work, it is revealed that some of what she saw in Cloud had actually been emulated from Zack.[17]:

"But she couldn't figure out the truth. Her thoughts just went in circles. Aerith delved into her memories again. Memories that showed Cloud's individuality. The way he walked. She remembered all his actions one by one...

Most of those thoughts merged into the Sea of Mako and awakened a character. The character recognized the image she recalled and "he" woke up."

After Tifa helps Cloud reconstruct his memories, Aerith sees Cloud for who he truly is.

Due to extremities within the fanbase there is no official confirmation on either romantic relationship with either Aerith or Tifa, Square-Enix has been deliberately vague over the matter, and perhaps wisely so, as an official statement to either effect may alienate some among Final Fantasy VII's fanbase.

"Aerith's Theme" A musical theme, or leitmotif, associated with Aerith is played several times throughout the game. It is first heard during the flashback scenes with Aerith's mother at her house, and is repeated as she is struck down by Sephiroth. The piece Flowers Blooming in the Church is based on this theme. This piece is extremely popular among Final Fantasy fans, and has inspired an orchestral version, a piano version, and a vocal version performed by the artist Rikki, who also performed Suteki Da Ne for Final Fantasy X, in the form of 'Pure Heart'. It is composed by famed Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu.

A piano arrangement of the theme appears twice in Advent Children, and the track Water also echoes shades of the theme (as well as Tifa's, if one pays attention to the fast-pace "bells" in the song). The opening phrase of Aerith's theme appears just prior to the climax of the track Divinity II which, shortly after—arguably in reference to her—includes as its final line the Latin phrase "Sola Dea fatum novit," or "Only the goddess knows fate." Aerith's Theme is also featured during the end credits of the movie.

Interestingly enough, Aerith's theme contains a similar leitmotif to Final Fantasy VI's (formerly III in North America) theme for Celes Chere, another heroine whose love story is central to the story's plot. They are hardly similar in terms of their playability, where Aerith's primary role is that of a White Mage archetype and Celes plays similarly to a Mystic Knight. However different these characters are from one another, their character themes are some of the most often used in their respective games. The opening bars to Aerith's theme also closely match the opening to another track from Final Fantasy VI, Aria De Mezzo Carattere, an opera song sung by the character Celes. The first three bars of both Aerith's Theme and Aria De Mezzo Carattere are almost identical. Aerith's theme is also similiar to "Timber Owls", a Final Fantasy VIII track, only set to a much faster pace.

References ^ Tseng: "Aerith, you're a very special child. You are of special blood. Your real mother was an 'Ancient'. ... The Ancients will lead us to a land of supreme happiness. Aerith will be able to bring happiness to all those in the slums." ... / Aerith: "He's wrong! I'm not an Ancient! I'm not!" / Tseng: "But Aerith, surely you hear voices sometimes when you're all alone?" / Aerith: "No, I don't!"(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Aerith: "What a shock..... I didn't know Zack was from this town." / Cloud: "You know him?" / Aerith: "Didn't I tell you? He was my first love."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Aerith: "They say you can't grow grass and flowers in Midgar. But for some reason, the flowers have no trouble blooming here."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Bugenhagen: "It says, when the time comes, we must search for 'Holy'." / Cloud: "Holy?" / Bugenhagen: "Holy... the ultimate White Magic. Magic that might stand against Meteor. Perhaps our last hope to save the planet from Meteor."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Cloud: "Aerith has already prayed for Holy. ... She said, she was the only one who could stop Sephiroth...... And to do that, there was a secret here... That was Holy...... That's why, she had the White Materia."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Aerith: "The secret is just up here. At least it should be. ...I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Cloud: "How come Holy isn't moving?" ... / Bugenhagen: "Something's getting in its way." / Cloud: "......Him...... He's the only one that could do it. ...Sephiroth."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ (2005) Studio BentStuff: Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square-Enix, 591. ISBN 4-7575-1520-0. ^ (2005) Studio BentStuff: Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω (in Japanese). Square-Enix, 591. ISBN 4-7575-1520-0. ^ Town Knave: "I've been looking for you, Aeris... Selling flowers for your mom? Good for you..."(Final Fantasy Tactics) ^ (1997) Famitsu: Final Fantasy VII Kaitai Shinsho (in Japanese). Famitsu, 14. ISBN 4-7577-0098-9. ^ (2003) Editors of EDGE magazine: EDGE May, 2003 (in English). Future Publishing, 112-113. ^ Zack: "I got a place I can crash for a while. No wait, the mother lives there, too..."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Aerith: ".........first off, it bothered me how you looked exactly alike. Two completely different people, but look exactly the same. The way you walk, gesture..."(Final Fantasy VII) ^ Aerith: "I think I must have seen him again, in you...But you're different."(Final Fantasy VII)

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Cloud's story The game's character designer, Tetsuya Nomura, has revealed that the original parameters of Cloud's character design called for slicked-back, black hair with no spikes. This was to serve as a contrast to the long, flowing silver hair of the game's lead antagonist, Sephiroth. However, to make Cloud stand out more and emphasize his role in the game as the lead protagonist, Nomura altered Cloud's original design to give him spiky, bright blond hair. It would seem that the original black hair was given to Zack instead.[1] However, Nomura used the concept years later for Angeal in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. It's mentioned during the game that Cloud's hair resembles a Chocobo head.

Scenario Writer Kazushige Nojima has expressed that the dynamic of the relationship between the player and the main character in a Final Fantasy title is something that he always puts thought into, and that with Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's subdued nature led him to write scenes with the character in such a way that the players would be placed in the position of deciding for themselves what the character was thinking.[2] This character-player dynamic is reflected by the many opportunities the player is given to choose Cloud's way of interacting with other characters in the game's story, particularly where potential romantic-interests are concerned.

[edit] Final Fantasy VII In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is the central force around which the narrative is constructed. In the beginning, the player is introduced to him as a mercenary and former member of SOLDIER that carries a disinterested air about him. During a mission in which he worked with the anti-Shin-ra organization AVALANCHE, he encounters a young woman by the name of Aerith Gainsborough, who is wanted by the Turks for being the last member of an ancient tribe known as the Cetra. Later, the player is introduced to Sephiroth, a former SOLDIER 1st Class.

Early in the game, Cloud's past is a mystery. He claims that he was in the city of Nibelheim with Sephiroth when Sephiroth, after discovering his true origins as a Shin-ra experiment, went berserk and massacred the local population. After finding Tifa wounded, Cloud confronts Sephiroth. Yet, when examined closely, Cloud's memories of these events and others are filled with holes that prevent them from making sense.

As it turns out, Cloud suffers from a mixture of amnesia and mind control. Although he had been in Nibelheim during Sephiroth's rampage, he was not there as a top ranking member of SOLDIER, but a grunt under the command of both Sephiroth and another man named Zack. Following the incident, Cloud and Zack were captured by Shin-ra and experimented on with Jenova cells for several years. Upon their escape, Zack was killed, and Cloud was left for dead in a confused stupor, believing himself to have been the SOLDIER Zack was.

Cloud's predicament is not entirely unlike that of Terra Branford of Final Fantasy VI. Whereas Terra was raised to become a magic-wielding soldier under the control of the antagonistic Empire, Cloud's mind is manipulated by Sephiroth, using his Jenova cells to make use of him as a puppet. Under Sephiroth's influence, he presents his enemy with the Black Materia capable of summoning Meteor and destroying the world. In addition, where Terra was eventually able to regain her memories and learn to be her own person, Cloud spends much of the game atoning for his mistakes, including his own perceived failure to save Aerith from Sephiroth when she leaves the party in order to cast Holy; the only spell capable of directly countering Meteor.

By the end of the game, Cloud regains his sense of self, but due to the abrupt nature of the conclusion, his development as a person after the defeat of Sephiroth was left as a mystery.

[edit] Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children In Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, it is revealed that in the two years following the conclusion of the game, Cloud lived with Tifa and Barret in the city of Edge, and following Barret's return to his hometown of Corel, he helped Tifa raise two children, Marlene, Barret's adopted daughter, and Denzel, an orphan and new character to the series. Cloud's new occupation is that of a delivery boy for the "Strife Delivery Service" that Tifa set up in her new tavern.

Over time, Cloud began suffering symptoms of the disease Geostigma, keeping his left arm cloaked to hide the disfiguration caused by the disease. Cloud became more distant from the others out of the guilt for the deaths of Aeris and Zack. As a result, he moved out of the tavern and took refuge in an old church in which Aerith once raised flowers. Cloud's confusion in Final Fantasy VII has given way to severe grief, in which he cannot forgive himself for failing to save those he loved.

Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.Around the time Cloud received a call from Tifa that Reno has a job for him, he was attacked by a mysterious trio of young men: Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo; remnants of Sephiroth left behind before Sephiroth himself could diffuse into the Lifestream completely. The three begin kidnapping children that possess Geostigma, intending to have them lead them to Jenova's head. Upon confronting them for a second time, Cloud finds himself outmatched and is rescued by Vincent Valentine.

These conflicts form the basic plot elements of the film, as Cloud struggles to find faith in himself and achieve personal closure to the more painful events of his past. Finally coming to terms with his self-imposed guilt at having failed to save Zack and Aerith, Cloud shows the villainous trio his true power, but not without some help of his friends and motivation provided by Aeriths spirit.

Confronting Kadaj and his brothers once more, the battle eventually takes him back to Aerith's church, where the Lifestream-influenced water cured him of his Geostigma. However, his skills are put to the ultimate test when Kadaj manages to merge with the last remaining traces of Jenova, and Sephiroth is reborn. The ensuing battle is fierce, and nearly ends for Cloud as Sephiroth impales him through the shoulder with the Masamune. However, an arrogant Sephiroth makes the mistake of asking what is most important to Cloud and how he can take that away from him. In that instant, images of Zack, Aerith, Tifa and all his loved ones flash through his mind and an enraged Cloud rips the Masamune from his shoulder, declaring that everything is important to him before he defeats sephiroth with his new limit break: Omnislash version 5.

As the film approaches its end, Cloud spots Aerith talking to a couple of kids and then getting up and walking towars the doorway - where his best friend Zack is waiting for her. Before she exits, Aerith turns around and asks "You're okay now, right?" This is followed by Zack giving Cloud a friendly wave and his trademark smile. Then the two of them disappear into a bright light as Cloud stares on. Cloud finally manages to sanp out of it and replies to Aeriths question by saying "yeah." He then smiles and realizes that he's not alone.

[edit] Other appearances

[edit] Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

Cloud in Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-.Cloud is one of the main characters in the Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-. This OVA shows Cloud in two events that were shown in flashbacks in Final Fantasy VII; one at Nibelheim, and the other escaping from Shin-Ra with Zack.

In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, there are currently few details of Cloud's purpose within this game. Though there is the possibility that the reason why Cloud obtains the Buster Sword is explained (as it's original owner Angeal is featured within the game).

Cloud appears in a small supporting role in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-. A year after the events of Advent Children, he offers his help to the WRO in their siege of Midgar and counterattack against the rogue Shin-Ra military unit known as Deep Ground. Cloud's brief screen time limits him to only a few lines of dialogue, but he is at one point seen clashing with Rosso the Crimson, one of the game's primary adversaries.

Cloud was seen at the end of a technical demo shown at the 2005 E3 made to show off the PlayStation 3's capabilities. It is a remake of the opening sequence in Final Fantasy VII, and as in the original, Cloud is shown jumping off the train, this time wielding his Buster Sword.

[edit] Kingdom Hearts series

Cloud, as he appears in Kingdom HeartsIn Kingdom Hearts, Cloud appears in the Olympus Coliseum world. He wears a claw and a crimson cape which Tetsuya Nomura stated are not Vincent Valentine's, but rather that the KH version of Cloud was designed in a similar "dark" style as Nomura put it, thus they will have similarities as a result. This is noted by Nomura in the Kingdom Hearts Ultimania Guide. See the exact differences here[1] He also bears a black demon wing on his left shoulder (meant to offset the black angel wing on Sephiroth's right shoulder). Cloud has been hired by Hades to kill Hercules, but fights Sora as a prerequisite. When he refuses to kill Sora during their battle, or when Sora defeated him depending on whether the player won or lost the battle, Hades sets Cerberus on Cloud and Sora, who are only saved by Hercules' timely intervention. Cloud meets with Sora afterwards and explains that he lost the light within his heart, and is searching for it, hence his willingness to work for Hades. Cloud appears later in the Coliseum's battle tournaments: in the Hercules Cup, on his own, and in the Hades Cup, where he teams up with Leon. During the credit roll at the end of the game, Cloud is shown reuniting with Aerith Gainsborough in the library at Hollow Bastion.

In Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix it is revealed that he is also searching for Sephiroth, whom he can be seen battling. Cloud's appearance in Kingdom Hearts is merely a cameo, and there is no mention of significant details from Final Fantasy VII, such as Jenova or SOLDIER. This is due to the fact that the Final Fantasy characters in Kingdom Hearts are versions from an alternate reality and not the same characters that appear in their respective games.

Cloud continued his role in the series in the GBA sequel Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as a boss and later, as a summon card for Sora. However, Cloud is only a fragment of Sora's memory in this game.

Cloud's part continues in Kingdom Hearts II where he is in his Advent Children attire, with more elaboration on his activities offered: to seek and overcome his darkness. He is searching for Sephiroth, and is himself being sought out by Kingdom Hearts' version of Tifa. Cloud fights along side Sora during the Heartless invasion of Hollow Bastion. Also, in Kingdom Hearts II, Jiminy's journal states that Cloud is a SOLDIER. Cloud's exploits in this game are a part of a small side story within the game about his inner conflict between darkness and light, in which he fights Sephiroth once more, with help from Tifa, Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy.

Through each game in the Kingdom Hearts series, Cloud is portrayed as being especially stoic and melancholic compared to his usual personality in Final Fantasy VII, although he exhibits similar behaviour in Advent Children.

In both Kingdom Hearts games, Cloud's sword is wrapped in cloth. In the first Kingdom Hearts, the blade is the same as the one he has in Final Fantasy VII, but in Kingdom Hearts 2, the blade is similar to his Advent Children sword, with a few minor differences.

[edit] Final Fantasy Tactics

Cloud's facial portrait in Final Fantasy Tactics.In Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation, Cloud is one of the bonus playable characters. Cloud is accidentally pulled into the world of Ivalice by an ancient machine called "the Celestial Globe," which was activated by Ramza Beoulve in Goug Machine City. His comments after arriving in Ivalice seem to indicate that the Celestial Globe pulled him from the Lifestream, during the period in Final Fantasy VII when he was adrift in it.[3]

Cloud is disoriented after arriving in Ramza's world, seemingly remembering only bits and pieces of his life before coming out of the portal. After a short exchange with Ramza and the others, he is racked by a seizure, like the ones he suffers from during the course of Final Fantasy VII. As it fades, he exclaims, "I must go...must go to that place...," before running out, Ramza and his friends close behind him.

He wanders into Zarghidas Trade City, where he encounters a parallel counterpart to the Aerith from his world, a flower girl bearing the same name. Cloud is still confused, presumably from his trip to Ramza's world, and is further confused by the encounter.

As Cloud is leaving, Aerith is accosted by an apparent loan shark looking to collect on a 30,000 gil loan. Cloud returns to help Aerith escape but suffers another seizure as Ramza and his party catch up to him. After they save him, he joins Ramza's party, while Ramza agrees to help get him back to his own world. However, the subplot ends there, and Cloud remains a playable character for the rest of the game.

[edit] Itadaki Street series In Itadaki Street Special (released exclusively in Japan), Cloud is one of the playable Final Fantasy VII characters, along with Aerith, Sephiroth, and Tifa. He and the rest of the FFVII crew (including newcomer to the series, Yuffie) also make an appearance in the upcoming Itadaki Street Portable for the PSP. In this series, there are one or two brief mentions of Cloud's brother, Rain Strife, though this is not considered canon.[citation needed]

[edit] Chocobo Racing

Cloud in Chocobo RacingIn Chocobo Racing, Cloud is the fifth of ten unlockable characters (Bahamut, Squall, Cid's Tank, Mumba, Cloud, Cactuar, Aya, Classic Chocobo, SS Invincible, and Jack respectively). In the game, he rides a motorcycle and appears much like he did during the bike chase scene in Final Fantasy VII. He is playable in all modes except the story mode.

[edit] Ehrgeiz Cloud is a playable character in the PlayStation version, but like the other Final Fantasy VII characters present in the game, has no storyline, though he can be used in the arcade mode, versus mode, and minigame events. Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth, Yuffie, and Vincent Valentine are the only Final Fantasy VII characters with alternate costumes.

[edit] References ^ Shella (2003). Tetsuya Nomura 20s. FLAREgamer. Retrieved on 13 April 2006. ^ Square-Enix North America Site Staff (2001). Behind The Game The Creators. Square-Enix North America. Retrieved on 12 April 2006. ^ Cloud: "What happened? Last thing I remember was getting caught in the current."(Final Fantasy Tactics)

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vincent's story

Vincent appears as a tall, brooding man with long, unkempt black hair wearing a ragged red cloak over black clothes. His left arm below the elbow is covered by a metal gauntlet terminating in formidable claws.[1] His cloak covers the lower half of his face and is held closed by a series of buckles. His eyes are distinctly coloured red. As of Advent Children, his weapon of choice changed to a triple-barrel revolver named "Cerberus", reflected in the silver charm that hangs from the hilt of the gun as well as the gun's three barrels also the three dogs heads on the side of each barrel as shown in Dirge of Cerberus.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura has explained that Vincent Valentine's character shifted from that of Horror researcher, to detective, to chemist, finally arriving at the figure of a former member of the Shin-Ra Company's Turks with a tragic past, only part of which involves being used as a human test subject. It has been further explained that his crimson mantle was added to symbolize the idea of Vincent carrying a heavy weight — related to death — on his shoulders.[2]

[edit] Biography Vincent was once a member of the Turks 30 years before the game of “Final Fantasy VII.” He was assigned to supervise the Jenova Project in Nibelheim, he fell in love with a scientist named Lucrecia Crescent, an assistant to Professor Gast.

1 At first unknown to Vincent, Lucrecia once was an assistant to his father Grimoir Valentine on the discovery of Chaos and Omega but he died saving her life when the tests of the experiment went wrong. Vincent later discovered her link with his father’s death and asked Lucrecia why she never told him. She fled from Vincent but Vincent wanted to find her so he could tell her his true feelings for her. When he spoke to Lucrecia later, she didn’t want to be with him as she felt too guilty about his father’s death and she told him it was all her fault. She fled again ultimately entering a relationship with her associate Hojo instead. Lucrecia became pregnant afterwards, and her unborn child was to be part of the next Jenova experiment of Hojo’s which was an investigation into the effect of Jenova cells on an unborn child. Vincent was very against this and confronted Hojo to ask him if what he heard was true. Hojo told him it has nothing to do with him. Lucrecia entered and Vincent asked if Lucrecia if she was sure it was what she wanted and she retorted that if it concerned her then yes, she was sure. So, in the interest of science she decided to proceed with the treatment. After a while Lucrecia became very sick and started to get visions of what would become of her unborn son. Outraged, Vincent confronted Hojo in the Shinra Mansion's underground laboratory. Hojo being angered with Vincent’s approach pulled out a gun from his lab coat and shot Vincent in the stomach. He proceeded to use his unconscious body as the subject for experiments. Hojo experimented with Jenova cells and also with transformation which also made Vincent able to change into various monsters. After a while, Vincents body started to reject the experiments and it started to attack to cells in his body. Lucrecia who had been unable to help him went into the lab where Vincent was to try to find a way to save him. Lucrecia started to look through her unfinished thesis on Chaos, Omega and the lifestream. Hojo caught her looking at her files and said to her that she just wanted to use him so she could finish her thesis because of how people thought her thesis was so “unrealistic”. Lucrecia didn’t want to believe she was doing it for that, so she persisted so she could try to save him. But Lucrecia injected him with an infected “G” substance which made Vincent turn into Chaos because of Hojo’s previous experiment on him. As Vincent burst out into rage as Chaos, Lucrecia put a materia inside him that was able to control Chaos. Lucrecia left and tried to kill herself because she was not allowed to see her son and she wanted to punish herself for the pain she has caused Vincent, but she was unable to because of the Jenova Cells still in her body, so she went to the cave and trapped herself within Mako crystals. Vincent awakened on the operating table – Hojo and Lucrecia nowhere to be seen - and responded to his modified body with both anguish and rage. He believed that this was his punishment for his “Sin” and not being able to save Lucrecia, so with that, he punished himself further more by putting himself in a coffin in the Shinra mansion basement where Hojo then locked the door. Vincent was found 30 years later by Cloud in “Final Fantasy VII”

[edit] Characteristics and abilities Vincent, while not the most physically powerful character in Final Fantasy VII, is a skilled gunslinger and can cast magic well, making him an ideal distance fighter. His weapons include various firearms, each described in-game as "Long-Range Weapon".

Chaos in Final Fantasy VII. Chaos in Dirge of Cerberus.Due to Hojo's anatomic reconstruction of Vincent and the presence of Chaos within him, he does not age[3] and possesses a number of supernatural abilities, including metamorphosis and the ability to fly. In "Dirge of Cerebus" his melee attacks took on the form of purple auras. In Final Fantasy VII, Vincent transforms into four different creatures as part of his limit breaks: a bipedal version of a Final Fantasy VII Behemoth, the Galian Beast; the Frankenstein's monster-like Death Gigas; Hellmasker, a homage to Jason Voorhees; and the devil-like Chaos. In Dirge of Cerberus, the Galian Beast was remodelled into a more humanoid form with the ability to shoot homing fireballs and unleash seismic shockwaves, and Chaos was altered to resemble Vincent with demonic features, such as pale skin, yellow eyes, spiked-black hair, monster fangs, and frayed bat-like wings. Chaos had many powers such as a red/black beam that he used to kill Azul; was able to magically recreate his Death Penalty weapon which shot black/white death-rays; a melee attack that would release a red aura wherever he struck and ended the combo with a strange ball of energy, and an ultimate attack that he used to charge into Omega and destroy him.

[edit] Other appearances

[edit] Ehrgeiz Vincent is a playable character in the PlayStation version of Ehrgeiz along with Tifa, Cloud, Sephiroth, Yuffie and Zack, though — like the other Final Fantasy VII characters featured in the game — he has no storyline in the game. His alternate costume is his Turk uniform seen in flashbacks in the original game.

[edit] Trivia The brooding, lovelorn Vincent is named after Vincent Price and Saint Valentine, the former being a horror film legend while the latter was a crusading martyr who has come to be associated with romance. (Also the Latin verb "vincere" translates into "to conquer, outlast, defeat". To "outlast" would be the most fitting translation for ‘vincere’ since Vincent sleeps in the basement of the Shinra mansion for 30 years.) Due to the fact that Vincent and Yuffie Kisaragi are optional characters in FFVII, they are not featured in any FMVs, including the ending sequence. The phone Vincent carries in Dirge of Cerberus is a reference to a couple of points of comedy relief in Advent Children, in which Cloud tells the phone-less Vincent that he'll give him a call, with Vincent later asking Tifa where he can find a phone shop. In the Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII featurette, he speaks on the phone with Cloud, telling him to pass a message on to Yuffie; "This is my phone, and she has no right to call it". Cloud's look in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories share similarities with that of Vincent's FF7 look. Specifically, he bears a red cape that covers the lower half of his face, and has golden claws on the fingers of his left hand. Concerning the claws, Tetsuya Nomura has stated that they were indeed modelled after Vincent's, because Cloud shares many of the "dark" traits that Vincent shows in FFVII. There are subtle differences in the cape and claws as worn by Cloud, which can be seen here: [2] Nomura further commented in the Kingdom Hearts Ultimania interview that he wanted Vincent to appear in Kingdom Hearts. [4]

[edit] Footnotes ^ It has been previously suggested that this is an entirely mechanical prosthetic, but the refined character design used in Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus shows that there is likely an ordinary, albeit gloved, hand underneath the golden claws, presumably attached to a similarly ordinary arm. It is also interesting to note that brass claws are an ancient Greek chararacteristic typical to monsters (such as a gorgon, with brass claws and wings), which would be in line with Vincent's monstrous associations. ^ Shella (2003). Tetsuya Nomura 20s. FLAREgamer. Retrieved on 13 April 2006. ^ Vincent's age, as provided in official materials, never changes: It remains fixed at 27, which is presumably how old he was when Hojo altered him. In contrast, the other main characters do age, which can be easily confirmed by comparing their ages in the game to those provided for Advent Children, which occurs two years after Final Fantasy VII. Further, Vincent's character designer, Tetsuya Nomura, has stated that Vincent was left immortal due to the experimentation conducted on him.(link) However, following real time chronology, Vincent is said to be approximately 60 years old as of the events in FF7: Dirge of Cerberus ^ http://www.khinsider.com/info/nomura2.shtml

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Zack's story

Zack was born in the town of Gongaga, where he lived until he join Shin-Ra's militant forces.

[edit] Crisis Core The events of the game depifct more of Zack's past: How he met Aerith, he obtained the Buster Sword, and became friends with Cloud. After the Genesis incident, as recaped in FFVII & FFVII:Last Order, Zack was among those sent to the town of Nibelheim, accompanying Sephiroth to check on its Mako reactor. When they arrive at the reactor, Sephiroth quickly dispatches the monsters infesting the area. However, when he goes inside the reactor, he finds out much more than he bargained for and goes insane. Everyone returns to Nibelheim to rest, but Zack meets Sephiroth in the basement of the Shinra Mansion. Sephiroth storms off after the confrontation, and sets the whole town on fire. Zack is unable to do anything.

Cloud saves him among others prior to chasing Sephiroth to the Nibelheim reactor. There, Tifa attacks Sephiroth in an attempt to avenge her father and Nibelheim and is seriously wounded. Cloud tends to her while Zack goes on to confront Sephiroth. Zack, however, is eventually defeated, and Sephiroth leaves while Cloud stands by mortified. Cloud rushes to Zack's aid, who gives him his Buster Sword and tells him to go after Sephiroth. Cloud confronts Sephiroth on a high gangway inside the reactor, where he is impaled by the officer's Masamune. Cloud manages to summon the power to throw him off the gangway into the depths of the reactor. Cloud then collapses.

[edit] Last Order

Zack with Cloud in Final Fantasy VII: Last Order.Zack and Cloud are retrieved by Shin-Ra forces and kept in custody. They are subjected against their will to biological experimentation involving genetic material from Jenova, under the supervision of Professor Hojo. Eventually, Zack broke out and literally drags Cloud with him during their escape. Zack gives Cloud some of his clothes and gets them transport to Midgar. During this time, Cloud is weak, groggy and somewhat delirious, as he had reacted more strongly to the experiments than Zack did, though he was unknowningly driven by the Reunion. However, Zack talks continuously to the unresponsive Cloud about his life and his plans to become a mercenary in Midgar, get rich and be with his girlfriend, though he never revealed her name. When they finally arrive outside of Midgar, the Shin-Ra security force that have been searching for them finally catch up. They try to detain the escaped prisoners, but Zack fights back to defend both Cloud and himself. The Shin-Ra troops, armed with machine guns, shoot Zack to death and leave Cloud for dead after seeing his vegetative state. However, Cloud manages to recover. The combined weight of all this trauma finally makes him snap, and he adopts Zack's persona, combining it with his own. He believes that he was successful in joining SOLDIER, and that he fulfilled Zack's role in the fateful mission to Nibelheim. Cloud took Zack's buster sword and continues on to Midgar. Upon his arrival, Cloud seeks work as a mercenary, just as Zack said he intended to do. This is where Final Fantasy VII begins.

[edit] FFVII Much of Final Fantasy VII's story revolves around Cloud's battle to reclaim his memory, to accept his true identity rather than relying on his constructed "Zack" personality, and to validate himself in a world that has rejected him. When the party of playable characters visits the now depressed town of Gongaga they learn that it was Zack's hometown. Aerith also reveals at one point that Zack was her first boyfriend, and that Cloud resembles him.