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| Aerith Overrated Or Just Hated?; hard bein' a girl that's loved by Cloud | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 13 2009, 12:00 AM (907 Views) | |
| Jon Snow | Jan 13 2009, 12:00 AM Post #1 |
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khaleesi ♥
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Well, on the FINAL FANTASY FORUMS a thread was started. It was about whether Aerith is overrated or not. A lot of people said yes, others said no. Bashing of her character was brought up, and some how *someone* (you know who you are) couldn't help but utter Tifa's name and spout -yet again- nonsense about the LT. Naturally, the mods seeing this, closed the thread before somebody started a LTD -which they were clearly wanting to do- So sadly no one got to reply to their lame posts. What I'm asking here, is do you think Aerith is overrated? I know most of us don't think that -we're not stupid- But these people actually gave reasons to why they think she's overrated. A few of them said she shouldn't even be liked because she did nothing for the story of FFVII. A couple of them said Aerith's death was useless -I guess they're lucky Cloud's just a game character, huh ;) - But I want to know if any one here thinks Aerith is "overrated", "useless" or any other senseless claim the haters say she is? These are facts I gave to prove Aerith has a HUGE part in both Cloud's life and FFVII's story. 1. Cloud would have never opened up to people at all. (He was mean before, then nice(er) after meeting her.) Proof;"At first he has little interest in their goal of 'protecting the planet'. But after meeting Aerith, an Ancient, and reuniting with his fated rival Sephiroth, he throws himself fully into the battle to save the planet." 2. Cloud wouldn't have stuck around with AVALANCHE. Look above for that quote^ 3. Marlene would have been killed by the explosions of the plate if it wasn't for Aerith. (Barret asked Aerith to take Marlene to a safe spot) 4. Because Cloud would have never found Tifa in the Honey bee in. (Aerith brought Cloud to the park which led to them seeing Tifa.) 5. Cloud would have never seriously got involved with ShinRa without being Aerith's bodyguard. (When Aerith got kidnapped by one of the turks, Cloud decided that he was going to break into SHinRa's headquarters -with lots of guards-and take her back. Leading him to find Sephiroth. And if Cloud never would have saved Aerith there would be no Cloud VS Sephiroth.) 6. We would have never met Red XIII without Cloud becoming Aerith's bodyguard and going to Shinra to save her. (An other character gone without Aerith. Not to mention if Red XIII was gone, we would have never found out the information about the Anciants in Cosmo Canyon. A huge chunk of the story gone, again.) 7. If Cloud never met Aerith he probably wouldn't have been forced out of Midgar. Causing Cloud to never meet any other future AVALANCHE members. (ShinRa started chasing Cloud because Cloud stole the Anciant -Aerith- back. Cloud did so because he met Aerith.) 8. The Anciant's history/information would have probably never been spoken of -during Cosmo Canyon- without Aerith existing. (Actually it wouldn't have any reason to come up at all without Cloud and Aerith meeting) 9. Aerith held the Holy materia, which -at the time; to her- was the only thing that could have saved the planet from Meteor. 10. Aerith's death was a huge push in Cloud to defeat Sephiroth. 11. Tifa wouldn't have EVER been able to help Cloud in the Lifestream without Aerith guiding her into Cloud's mind. (And without Aerith helping Cloud with his mental state in the Lifestream, Cloud would still be in a coma sate of lies he was fed by people around him.) 12. Aerith's death led Cloud to realize that Holy was prayed for and was going to try and save the world. (Remember, Cloud and Co. were trying to find Holy, so they could prey with it and attempt at saving the world? But then Cloud saw that Aerith had already prayed, so she did the hard part for the world.) 13. Without Aerith, the Lifestream would have never saved the world from Meteor. (Which means everyone would have died, including Cloud. And if the world got destroyed there would be no story/life of FFVII.) Immediately after the thread was closed. So what is everyone's views of Aerith here? To any mods, if this thread is already existing, sorry. |
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| Vixie | Jan 13 2009, 02:19 AM Post #2 |
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Sicker than the rest
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Among the remarkably few who seem to think Aerith is overrated there are a couple of rabid Cloti/Tifa fans (a lot of Cloti fans seem to like her there, so I'm not targeting them) who can't handle the fact that in terms of large scale importance, Aerith > Tifa. This has nothing to do with the LT, and I'm not dissing Tifa, it's simply a fact. Tifa was important to Cloud's story (so was Aerith), but that was not the be all and end all of the game. There was the very small matter of the huge fuckin rock that was going to wipe out the Planet. Was killing Sephiroth going to stop it? No, Holy was not effective enough. So then what? Is Cloud going to hack it up with his big sword? Maybe Tifa can kick it to death? It's inescapable, no Aerith, no Planet. Again in Advent Children people seem to think that Cloud's flashy fights with Sephiroth solve everything. More like eye candy I'm afraid. Sephiroth on his own is not as much of a threat as what he brings with him. In FFVII it was Meteor, here it's Geostigma, which if left would have slowly killed the Planet. Again, killing Sephiroth didn't make it go away, Aerith did. I think the real battle of good vs evil is between Aerith and Sephiroth. Now to be petty. If Tifa helping Cloud to snap out of his delusion makes her the most important female, then surely Aerith tops that in AC what with being the one who lifts his despair/heals him of a terminal disease/brings him back to life (and all that while being dead). See, Aerith's actions can solely revolve around the main hero too.
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| Asuka | Jan 13 2009, 03:13 AM Post #3 |
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O Hai!
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urgh! "that person" is the biggest show off/know it all... <_< *copies and pastes what she wrote on FFF...because she's lazy* I don't think Aerith is overrated at all, Sephiroth's the one that's overrated. Don't get me wrong here, Aerith is my favourite character but I do dislike it when some of the hardcore fans make her out to be some perfect angelic being. Which she isn't, Aerith has flaws just like the rest of the cast in VII. Aerith definately isn't any of the bad thing haters make her out to be (Slutty, useless, weak etc) heck, she saved countless lives when she was dead Aerith is more helpful than any of the people that are alive. |
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| Rena | Jan 13 2009, 03:30 AM Post #4 |
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Member
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Aerith overrated? What's with the hate towards Aerith? Really. I don't even know why they ask this silly question when she's not even the one with the major fanbase here in NA (I believe she has the major fanbase in Japan, though) She IS the heroine in FFVII just because she IS...there's no way the plot could've worked without Aerith...however, it could've worked just fine without any other Character aside Cloud & Sephiroth. Like her on not, anyone with an IQ above 20 can see this. Whether Cloud ends up with Tifa or her...Aerith is still the main heroine in FFVII. Really..."Overrated"??? She's even one of the most hated characters in this side of the world, while OTHER female character in the game does nothing else but complain & dwell upon her misery & still everyone thinks she's the best thing since sliced bread. Seriously...I don't know what's with this question. |
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| reexchan | Jan 13 2009, 06:50 AM Post #5 |
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Member
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i don't really think she's overrated either. cloud fighting sephiroth would be overrated i guess. XD IMO i think it's unfair to say that Aerith is overrated. you can use her in the game only on the first disc. i mean DISC ONE ONLY. she didn't get the same gameplay time like the other characters, cmon. i wasn't satisfied with AC either. they only showed her full face, ONCE. [is there something between Aerith and the number 1?] and how come she's overrated? D: i don't see how they could end up with such a thought.
i agree, some people tend to say that 'she's too perfect' blabla when she's actually not. did they honestly play ff7... as Cloud said, "she'll no longer cry, laugh or get angry" she's not an angelic perfect being. D: although i think wings look good on her. XD
i know... it's kind of disappointing. but i also believe that she's got a major fanbase in Japan. i agree that no matter what happens, she'll always be the main heroine of FF7. thus showing her face at the last moment on the game ending. :D... and maybe on AC too. |
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| Vixie | Jan 13 2009, 08:53 AM Post #6 |
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Sicker than the rest
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I wouldn't say Aerith is a hated character, there wouldn't be such controversy over her death to this very day if she was. If she was not well received, or did not have a strong fanbase she would not appear in FFVII merchandising (not everyone seems to) or receive as much attention in the compilation and in spin offs as she does. I mean, she only appeared in one disc of the game and she's dead, yet she still gets more significance than others who are seemingly just ignored (like Nanaki, Cid, and poor Barret) I think if she was hated SE would not bother with her. |
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| Anastar | Jan 13 2009, 10:02 AM Post #7 |
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To touch the light I see in your eyes...
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Oh, there are still Aerith haters around. <_< You used to hear a lot of Aerith hate-talk in the LTD's. Thank goodness, that's not as prevalent as it used to be - but there's still Aerith hate-shrines around and so forth. Here's some examples: Aeris Haters United Aeris Haters on Deviant Art Evil Under All that Pink But I don't think she's hated worldwide, nor do I think she's hated by the creators. Uematsu said at the AC film festivals that Aerith is his favorite character. Nojima defended some of Aerith's actions in the CC Ultimania. Nojima also said in the Reunion Files that if Sephiroth exists, then Aerith must exist. That statement right there shows that Nojima understands Aerith's significance as the main heroine of the game, since Aerith is the main force of good that counteracts the evil of Sephiroth/Jenova. Aerith was the one who brought Holy, who understood the purpose of Holy, the one who summoned Holy, and the one who helped defeat Meteor by summoning the Lifestream. SE considering Aerith as the main heroine of the game is also shown by things such as Disks 1, 2, and 3 of FFVII International showing Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth while the other members of Avalanche (including Tifa) are shown on Disk 4. IMO, anyone who denies Aerith's role as the main heroine of the game is pretty blind to the plot of FFVII and AC. Aerith's not over-rated. She's just getting the credit that she deserves.
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| Beatrix | Jan 13 2009, 10:25 PM Post #8 |
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Advanced Member
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Well, to be honest, she may be overrated, just as the rest of the "top characters" of this game and the game itself ( really, when I first played FF7, I was like "WTH !? Is this supposed to be the best FF of the series ?" I was disappointed because the game had obvious flaws, just like other unknown games, while other fans were all "This game is the best in the video game history." Though, the story itself is very good, it's not SO complex and the game has horrible quests (just my opinion, I can't bear the Gold Saucer or the chocobo quest *I just really REALLY enjoyed the snowboard game, but the others were irritating or boring to me, too bad). And I didn't like the fact that the characters aren't really shown as a team like in FF8 for example ( yes, FF8 characters's aren't developed but they're still have normal interactions... in FF7, characters are almost all developed BUT I think that something was off in the interactions, I mean, why Tifa didn't even say something when they all entered Nibelheim. It was full of weird cloaked men, the town was strange and creepy and Cloud was the only one who felt that something was off ? I just didn't feel like they were a team in that first CD, but CD2 was better ( the entire team had more scenes and it was better ). I guess that FF7 was more like a GAME than a movie-game, you know (FF7 was one of the first movie-game in a way, it was a start, and Squaresoft little by little improved their skills with the other FF games, and since I discovered FF7 after FF8, 9, 10 and after having read a FF7 novelization, I was kinda disappointed with the actual game *now, I like it a lot for what it is, still it's still not the best game I ever played* ). About Sephiroth, I think that HE is the one who is clearly the most overrated character of FF7. I dislike him, I can't feel for him, he's just... well, how can I say it... he's all "I'm a god ! Worship me !" but I just think that he's a plain haughty villain with a lame Oedipus Complex (well, just like Seymour in fact, a SM outfit instead of the ugly robe... as far as now, Seymour isn't really worshipped by FF fans... since I'm on it, I dislike Jecht as well, just for the same reason that I dislike Sephiroth "I'm a big star ! Worship me !" "err no, you're not awesome, just annoying"), not a classy, hot or touching one like his fans like to describe him (it's just my own opinion, of course).About Aerith, there is a thing for sure. She may be overrated but she's absolutely not useless to the plot. I even think that she's a fascinating character... one rare heroine who dies and who still acts beyond death, creating some nice paralleles with the antagonist of the game ( Sephiroth is dead after all, but his death didn't stop him ) and saving the world and Cloud's life twice ( maybe three/four times for Cloud, FF7 ending + Bahamut fight + Geostigma curing + AC ending ). And Tifa must be grateful to her as well, Aerith saved the boy she likes, cured her and helped her find her way towards Cloud's heart in the Lifestream scene. Concerning Aerith fighting skills, they're more underrated than overrated IMO. I use her and she's as useful as everyone else. Only her Limits can be considered useless ( Yuffie has a curing Limit too and Aerith has no offensive Limit and she dies too soon for people to learn all of her Limits *you can do that, but you have to be patient, and the game is a piece of cake after that, maybe that's why some people don't fully use Aerith*, which is probably why people say that she's useless in battle *since the other characters all have offensive Limits*, but really... I always use her until her death and NEVER have to complain about her in my team ). And concerning how Aerith is liked or hated by people... To be fair, I think there must be 50/50 of Aerith haters/lovers. There are a lot of people who cried when she died, but a lot who did the happy dance too ( or not, I have heard that you may lose her equipment or materias, so some people were mad ). You know, Aerith is not that different than Yuna, Rinoa or Garnet... because I've seen harsh bashing of them as well. But since there is a Aerith/Cloud/Tifa love triangle in FF7 as well, I guess that it added fuel to the fire. |
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| Angelalex242 | Jan 13 2009, 11:43 PM Post #9 |
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Keeper of the Intimacy of Aerith's soul living in Cloud
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I think that most of the time, Aerith is actually underrated. Not as a character, but in terms of the fact that the Planet wouldn't be there at all without her. Or, in some cases, they say she herself is a MacGuffin...only there to make the plot go, with no further importance then that. In which case, she IS underrated as a character. But most often, I think, her character is simply distorted, and people then proceed to hate on the distortion. |
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"err no, you're not awesome, just annoying"), not a classy, hot or touching one like his fans like to describe him (it's just my own opinion, of course).

12:30 AM Jul 11