Canon (or hypothetical) party members?

[jazzflower92]

Aerith's role as main female character/main heroine/-teh- heroine was never really taken from her. She's Materia Jesus and saves the world ya know At the end when all seems lost Aerith ultimately saves the day.

Her role as main love interest (if that was originally intended) was and went to Tifa who is teh main love interest/Cloud's main support

The FFVII medias advertise this as such, Cloud (teh hero), Aerith (teh heroine), Sephiroth (teh villian) For Advent Children and such it's Tifa

Yeah,now that I think about it does make sense.Aerith is not the main love interest but she is the main heroine because of her greatest threat against Sephiroth.Its times like this they should have made Aerith and Sephiroth brother and sister like in the early drafts.But I could have settled for them being stepsiblings at least.

The position of main heorine and main love interest by Aerith and Tifa shows a compare and contrast with their roles.Aerith is the light of the game while Tifa is the heart.Aerith is the light to keep Cloud from the darkness while Tifa is the heart that keeps fighting for a cause.

The two girls serve their purpose with Cloud for different reasons and it infulences him as a person.

 

[Sikozu]

It says in the 15th anniversary interview with Nomura(I think) that he suggested having either Aerith or Tifa die. I guess it was meant to say Barret, then?

 

[jazzflower92]

It says in the 15th anniversary interview with Nomura(I think) that he suggested having either Aerith or Tifa die. I guess it was meant to say Barret, then?

So,that is where the rumour started from.If he meant to say Barret then that would make sense.

However,I still wonder if they ever considered killing off Tifa instead of Aerith.I can see how killing off Tifa could work in a way.I can see Sephiroth killing off Tifa in order to mess with Cloud's mind even more.In a way it could hit Cloud harder than Aerith's in a way.Mainly here is the girl that was behind the reason for him to become a soldier and hero now she is dead.

 

[Kermitu Kleric Katie]

After the decision to make Aerith die, they gave the archetype they were going to give Aerith to Tifa and gave Aerith a different archetype. And I honestly don't see Aerith as the main heroine since she FUCKING DIES HALFWAY THROUGH THE GAME. If one wants to be main hero or heroine, they must wait at least until the end of the game to die.

 

[jazzflower92]

After the decision to make Aerith die, they gave the archetype they were going to give Aerith to Tifa and gave Aerith a different archetype. And I honestly don't see Aerith as the main heroine since she FUCKING DIES HALFWAY THROUGH THE GAME. If one wants to be main hero or heroine, they must wait at least until the end of the game to die.

If I remember from TV tropes Aerith is a case of the Lost Lenore.Which is a lover interest that dies during or before the story.Often times their death is a key part in how the main character is affected emotionally and mentally.With his failure to protect Aerith, Cloud will fight even harder to keep his promise to Tifa to be a hero.Cloud's failure to protect Aerith probably draws him more to Tifa because its combination of wanting to not see anyone else he loves get hurt or die again.Tifa has already gotten hurt by Sephiroth and saw Aerith get killed by his hands so it would be why he would be even more protective of the girl he loves as time goes on.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'm inclined to agree with jazzflower. Another good example is [spoiler="X" anime spoilers]Kotori, who dies halfway through the series, but is easily one of its most important characters.[/spoiler]

 

[Geostigma]

It says in the 15th anniversary interview with Nomura(I think) that he suggested having either Aerith or Tifa die. I guess it was meant to say Barret, then?

Nomura makes up bs on the spot in interviews anyway, hes not one to be believed

We should make a Nomuras Lies meme related to the ondores lies series xD

 

[Kermitu Kleric Katie]

Aerith isn't really a case of Lost Lenore, since he and Aerith were never lovers to begin with, and Cloud managed to get over her death rather quickly, but when he got the 'Stigma he also developed depression and started feeling really guilty for Zack and Aerith's deaths and seeking forgiveness.
For Aerith to be a Lost Lenore, Cloud would have had to have actually been in love with Aerith, and would have to mope about her death after she died. But Cloud didn't fall in love with Aerith, and it wasn't until he got depression that he started moping about her death, and even then he was moping about Zack's death as well.
Someone needs to edit that TVTropes article.

 

[Kermitu Kleric Katie]

Yes Aerith is important, but she isn't prominent enough to be the main heroine.

 

[Captain Jack Harkness]

well, i see Aerith a better heroine than tifa (unless you think Yuffie is the main heroine )

 

[jazzflower92]

well, i see Aerith a better heroine than tifa (unless you think Yuffie is the main heroine )

Yuffie is only the main heroine in her own little world.

But yeah I still think in my opinion Aerith even after death is the main heroine and Tifa's role is the main love interest.

Tifa took the role of main love interest from Aerith but Aerith's role as the main female protagonist still affected the story after she bit the dust.

Like I said before Aerith is the light in Cloud's life while Tifa is the heart that keeps him going.

 

[Selphie Tilmitt]

Well it fits in with the themes "Pure Heart" and "Locked Heart/Anxious Heart" doesn'it?

Well I think Aerith was symbolised in Advent Children with Light and Water what with the random flashes between "light" Aerith (Aerith praying, sunbeams in Aerith's church, etc) and "dark" Sephiroth, and of course Aerith''s holy light materia jesus cleansing water of healing Especially with "Water" I think they were even going to have/originally had a music theme called funnily enough "Water" lined up for the movie as well, dunno what happened to that/there There's also this statue, with the light in Aerith's church, dunno/can't remember if it's official or not though -

http://kotaku.com/5127134/a-sulky-expensive-cloud-strife-statue

**

Cloud loves Aerith in the same way he loves Zack!

Seriously though both of their deaths affected Cloud deeply even if he doesn't always show it straight away -

Cloud
"That's why I should quit this journey."
"Before I do something terrible."

(He raises one fist. He is shaking.)

"Cloud
"But I am going."
"He destroyed my hometown five years ago, killed Aerith, and is
now trying to destroy the Planet. I'll never forgive... Sephiroth."

(He stops shaking but does not lower his fist.)

Cloud
"I... I must go on."

He mentions Aerith here, what Sephiroth did to her mattered to him. Cloud didn't get over anything, it's not just Aerith but she was part of it, but what happened in the Black Materia/puzzle room the Temple of the Ancients, what happened with Aerith outside of the Temple of the Ancients with the break down he had, and the whole City of the Ancients Arc from Cloud trying to chase after Aerith in the Sleeping Forest to him freaking out at the altar, Cloud was barely holding it together "that's why I should quit this journey, before I do something terrible" even as he tries to pull it together and states his resolve to follow Sephiroth (and as we all know he was being led the whole time) he;s shaking and still struggling to hold it all together, that's why he asks the others a favour, to come with him/promise to save him from doing something terrible. Cloud was ready to shatter and the whole Cloud you are a clone thing/illussion of Nibelheim with Sephiroth and Tifa, with Sephiroth taunting them and Tifa's memories of Cloud/making out Cloud's past with Tifa wasn't real and Tifa unable to set his mind at ease/sort out the truths from the illussions proper for Cloud to believe (not her fault, she couldn't go in his mind without the lifestream) thing was the last straw. Nobody just "got over" Aerith's death though - it was more they still had a mission to do/planet to save and they didn't have time for grieving at the time. as in Case of Tifa they tried to channel their grief into anger/for resolve to fight Sephiroth.

Of course Aerith/what happened to Aerith mattered to/affected Cloud - I mean "I remember Aerith a lot" and "Memories of Aerith, we've got to set her free" and "An answer from the Planet ... the Promised Land ... I think I can meet/find her there (find in Reminense/FFVII Playback)
*Note I am not specifying romance here though - simply that Aerith was an important person to Cloud/somebody he cared about/remembered a lot =) (obviously he thought about her in the ending, caring about/feeling guilty about what happened to her and he wanted to meet her again for resolution to that, this special/dear friend whom he'd built up a special bond with - remember Square Enix says Cloud and Aerith built up a special bond - so yeah I think it makes sense people thinking they were dear/special friends

(and no though they weren't "friends with benefits" though sorry! )

*And I was going to dig in/get more into the ins and outs of main heroines/love interests and the difference between them again and what the official stuffs say but now I can't be assed

*goes to bed* *yawn* ^-^

 

[S and G]

After the decision to make Aerith die, they gave the archetype they were going to give Aerith to Tifa and gave Aerith a different archetype. And I honestly don't see Aerith as the main heroine since she FUCKING DIES HALFWAY THROUGH THE GAME. If one wants to be main hero or heroine, they must wait at least until the end of the game to die.

Eh, we are all clearly forgetting the case of Pulp Fiction and the character of Vincent Vega. Important enough to play a significant role in all three stories but dies halfway through the movie...

Ahem, joking aside. I would have to support the idea that Aerith is the overall heroine of FF7. I don't doubt that Tifa is also a heroine, but I believe she is more the heroine of Cloud's story (ie the greater love interest - THAT'S RIGHT, I WENT THERE! - and the one who rescues him from the brink of his own insanity). Aerith is able to influence the Lifestream into stopping Meteor. And was the love interest of Zack who played such a pivotal role in the eventual world peace. And was a contender for love interest with Cloud. AND almost single-handedly cured Geostigma. The overall heroine of both FF7 and the Compilation must therefore be Aerith.

Tifa had a bar. Twice.

 

[jazzflower92]

Another thing to note is the fact that Aerith's effect on the story deals with world wide issues while Tifa effect deals with personal issues.Aerith's effect is that she is the one who will heal the worldy issues that involve the story while Tifa heals the personal issues that Cloud has to overcome.

In a way both girls have something that can help Cloud from being consumed by the darkness.

Another thing that Tifa and Aerith have in common is the fact that both were slashed by Sephiroth.Tifa of course survived while Aerith died.This shows how their roles work because Tifa's encounter with Sephiroth effects only Cloud on a emotional level.Aerith's death at the hand of Sephiroth is even bigger because her death effects more people and even the world.