Aeris: Is she the Jesus of FF7

[EurAsianGirl]

I've noticed alot of this refrenced alot in other forums, but a common name for Aeris I've noticed is FF7-Jesus. And now that I think about it she is very Jesus like.

1.She's an Ancient/Cetra the last survivor of her race, and only her powers (aka summoning holy) can save humanity. This makes her sound like the Messiah or God's child, plus the whole "Promised Land" schtik sounds alot like how humanity will be saved after the apocalypse or a form of heaven/salvation

2. The fact that she dies/is killed to save humanity and it's through dying that Holy is able to be activated very closely refrences the whole, "Jesus died for our sins."

3. The symbols they use to represent her is very Christian like, I mean seriously Cloud officially meets her at a church, A CHURCH!! 0_0 Wtf, is with Aeris and Churchs being her "special place." Also some of her limit break attacks are just...wow..I mean Great Gospel for example. Really?? Great Gospel?? jeez seems like Square is trying to tell us something about Aeris.


4. Finally the whole Aeris is light/pure/otherworldy aura they give her, that's basically from what the Messiah/Jesus is supposed to be like in Christian religions. The fact that they put this in her profile in the FF7 official strategy guide sure says alot. "Aeris is a bright light in a dark and dreary place." Also the fact that she's the only one of the party to wear bright colors....Seriously, isn't it strange they're really throwing the whole "Aeris represents light" at you.


So yeah basically discuss, what you think of the whole "Aeris is supposed to represent Jesus." Do you agree with it, disagree with it, why or why not.


Note: This is NOT an LTD thread so please no comments on why you think Cloti or Clerith is canon (LOL at the latter) or which girl is better for Cloud. I had a problem like this happening in my last thread. Which was also not an LTD thread so I'll make sure it won't happen again.

 

[Tetsujin]

The fact that she dies/is killed to save humanity and it's through dying that Holy is able to be activated very closely refrences the whole, "Jesus died for our sins."

Holy didn't activate through her dying though.

Aerith didn't make a sacrifice, she just got murdered.

 

[Vendel]

I thought the "Materia Jesus" thing was a derogatory term for the Mary Sue some make her out to be?

 

[Ite]

Japanese media loves to use Christian images because they are very gloriously obnoxious in an end-of-days kind of way. Do not read too much into any Judeo-Christian references (no matter how subtle) made in anything done by Gainax or Squeenix.

It can be argued that Aeris needed to die in order for the Planet to realize she was serious about summoning Holy, but that idea seems stupid to me. If Jenova/Sephiroth knew what Aeris was up to, why not do everything in their power to keep her alive? Seems like a stupid villain move to me, I don't care how "dramatically ironic" it is. A planet-eating alien and the world greatest tactician would not fuck up that bad.

The other theory is that Aeris needed to pray at the Forgotten City but due to Jenoviroth blocking Holy it couldn't work right away, and then she was senselessly murdered because the bad guy(s) meant business.

When in doubt, look at the two FFVIIs.

OG Final Fantasy VII: Dark and unforgiving. The world is a dying place full of corrupt backstabbers and unsettling scenery. A villain who (for the first disc and a half) plays the main characters like fiddles. The story has an ending that leaves the fate of humanity ambiguous at best. This lends itself to the senseless murder scenario.

Compilation Final Fantasy VII: Bushido-land. Over-saturated with ostentatious scenery porn and less-than-eloquent speeches about honour and pride. Villains that cry and challenge the heroes earnestly to duels. If this is your bag, sure, Aeris is Jesus and the villains are fucking morons. I will agree to disagree.

 

[Ⓐaron]

One of the most important characteristics of a Jesus figure is absent from Aerith's character. She does not resurrect. Once she dies, she stays dead. She may give messages to the heroes at various points in the compilation, but she very clearly does not ever come back to the Planet in corporeal form. That alone indicates to me that if Squenix were intending to portray any messianic archetypes with her character, they did not work terribly hard at doing so. Or, more likely, they simply intended her character to subvert messianic archetypes.

I have never seen anyone compare Aerith in seriousness to Jesus. I have heard people compare certain misguided individuals' overinflated perceptions of Aerith to Jesus, but that's an entirely different thing altogether; it's an example of a certain group being unwilling to acknowledge flaws in their favourite character, and thus whitewashing her personality. Their perception of Aerith is compared to Jesus, and called a Mary Sue, etc. But I don't know of anyone apart from that group of sad, misguided individuals who seriously thinks Aerith is intended to be a flawless character or a messiah figure. If anything, Aerith is intended to be a deconstruction of a Jesus- or Mary Sue-type figure; initially we are indeed led to believe that she is pretty close to flawless, but as the game progresses we come to see that she's just as human as everyone else. (Well, except biologically, being half-Cetra).

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Got nothing to add, aside from some fannish waffle about the greatness of FFVII lying in the fact that all the characters are so fucking human; the good guys sometimes cheat and steal and lie and murder; the bad guys are sometimes intelligent and heroic. Aerith was a girl who wanted to live a normal life and was kinda hoping she could do her Cetra thing and then go home.

The genius of FFVII was that it managed to convey such richly human and complex characters in a script that doesn't really give them much in the way of developed dialogue.

 

[Octo]

Yes she is exactly like Jesus in that she is not real!

 

[Alex Strife]

Quick answer to the threat title question: No.

Oh, and Vendel, your picture, "new" name and signature is just a freaking great combination!

 

[Ite]

If anyone were to fit the messiah archetype, it would be Cloud. Because he's the protagonist in a fantasy story, and as such must go through the whole fantasy-protagonist gambit. You know, refusing/heeding the call, facing the 'dragon', temptation/wilderness, death/rebirth, that whole lot.

Please see the published works of Joseph Campbell and every myth in history for more information.

 

[Elisa Maza]

If anyone were to fit the messiah archetype, it would be Cloud.

Or at least a holy man who baptizes.

Seriously, Aerith is the image of the Planet, she symbolizes the ancient (c wat i did thar) goddess of fertility that existed in many ancient religions, since it's from Earth that life comes.

On the contrast of any claim out there, I'd say that the whole FFVII world is a huge middle finger to Christianity: the "angel" Jenova that came from the sky and gave people wings is evil, while whatever comes from the Earth is good. This brings forward the power of nature as the catalyst and the number one force: it was the Lifestream that saved the world in the OG, and there is the speculation that "Earisu" (Aerith = Earth) brought it forward. Add to that that the church denounced such beliefs of the Earth as a "mother" and a "power" as paganism and said that within the Earth Hell exists and nothing good and you have yourself a "FUCK YOU!" from Square to Christianity with this game.

So, the "angels" from the sky are evil, while Earth is good and in it, no hell exists; just a resting place.

Oh, and let's not forget reincarnation. Christianity is totally against it, but the FFVII world says it exists and it's natural and it comes from the Earth.

So, to anyone believing that Aerith is some kind of Jesus... way to miss the point!

 

[EurAsianGirl]

Yes she is exactly like Jesus in that she is not real!

See I actually do believe Jesus existed, however I believe he was just a scizophrenic, loony toon who heard voices in his head and haluccinations.

And the reason why people believed he was the son of God was because back in those days they didn't have technology or science so they believed him since they had no other explanation.

 

[Scias]

What happened there wasn't part of the plan, she didn't intend to sacrifice herself. Her actual plan was to summon the thing, go home, and sell more flowers or something like that. She did go alone because she didn't want to endanger her friends. That's one of the things that made her death such a player punch for many players. It could be avoided. An exquisite Troll Move from Sephiroth.

Her Cetra powers were special because she was the last of them, everything Aerith did was just common knowledge of the Cetra. Also, aside from all that; she's as human as everybody else.

So... No, she's not FFVII-Jesus. Of course, she's pretty special and all that, but she doesn't fit the archetype... It's more of a subvertion.

One of the most important characteristics of a Jesus figure is absent from Aerith's character. She does not resurrect. Once she dies, she stays dead.

 

[Alex]

....

Religious minefield

 

[Dashell]

See I actually do believe Jesus existed, however I believe he was just a scizophrenic, loony toon who heard voices in his head and haluccinations.

And the reason why people believed he was the son of God was because back in those days they didn't have technology or science so they believed him since they had no other explanation.

I don't see this post causing any trouble at all

Nice to know the internet would have proven Jesus a fraud

 

[Splintered]

On the contrast of any claim out there, I'd say that the whole FFVII world is a huge middle finger to Christianity:

I wouldn't go that far. I think every FF games love placing all kinds of mythology there, Christianity imagery was used in both good and bad. But the substance was given to reincarnation/lifestream.

I think the Aerith is Jesus is a very tongue and cheek reference to Aerith's post mortem role, but it's not exactly accurate. I think what she's suppose to be afterwards though, is something of a spiritual guide. I think there are very clear instances in which she represents the Earth, or that her presence is suppose to symbolize healing and that everything is going to be alright.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

See I actually do believe Jesus existed, however I believe he was just a scizophrenic, loony toon who heard voices in his head and haluccinations.

And the reason why people believed he was the son of God was because back in those days they didn't have technology or science so they believed him since they had no other explanation.

but what are your thoughts on yaoi

 

[Kobato]

OG Final Fantasy VII: Dark and unforgiving. The world is a dying place full of corrupt backstabbers and unsettling scenery. A villain who (for the first disc and a half) plays the main characters like fiddles. The story has an ending that leaves the fate of humanity ambiguous at best. This lends itself to the senseless murder scenario.

Compilation Final Fantasy VII: Bushido-land. Over-saturated with ostentatious scenery porn and less-than-eloquent speeches about honour and pride. Villains that cry and challenge the heroes earnestly to duels. If this is your bag, sure, Aeris is Jesus and the villains are fucking morons. I will agree to disagree.

I wish I could thank this part, over and over again. It's made of so much awesome and truth.

 

[Shademp]

I wish I could thank this part, over and over again. It's made of so much awesome and truth.

I agree wholeheartedly.

We need a topic where memorable quotes about the compilation can be posted and then be immortalized on a "Memorable Quotes on FFVII" frontpage article...or something like that.

It would be flooded with hate against the Compilation but whatever. The truth is true.

 

[Dashell]

I'd say 10 was more of a middle finger than 7,

 

[Masamune]

She's not the messiah, she's a very naughty girl.

 

[Lord Noctis]

In anwser to the thread, no. ABsolutely not.

@mr.Ite:I only remember CC actually being all bushido like with the honor and stuff. AC/C still seemed pretty harsh to me, with perhpas one or two scenes being the exception. Still, I'm being off topic here so whatever.

 

[jammi568]

Jesus, I don't like to think she is. That's insulting to the guy himself.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

She's not the messiah, she's a very naughty girl.

HOW DOES THIS NOT HAVE MORE THANKS

 

[Zee]

Any illusion the player may have had about Aeris being pure and holy should have been crushed when she started dressing up her male companion as a female prostitute.

Also, doesn't the game itself try and prevent you from putting her on a pedestal through Cloud and Tifa's conversation? He thinks she went there to sacrifice herself for the planet, but Tifa says Aeris wanted to come back all along.

 

[Celes Chere]

Is this thread for real?