Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has arrived to fanfare from many, including us. In adapting the middle stretch of the 1997 original, it ends with a section dealing with the fate of one Aerith Gainsborough. The pink-bowed healer accompanies your party across the world, hoping to save the planet with one last-ditch gambit. In the original game, it doesn’t go as planned. But how does Final Fantasy VII Rebirth retell Aerith’s fate? Does Aerith die in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, as she did in the original game? Well, that’s a complicated answer, as you’ll see.
Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth to follow.
In the original game, Aerith dies. Yep, the plucky florist attempts to cast the spell Holy to protect the planet, but the nefarious Sephiroth really sticks it to her. Literally. While it’s an incredibly well-known scene at this point, it is quite sad. Players have spent much time with Aerith by this point. And her death happens suddenly and with no warning. So how does Rebirth tackle this momentous event in gaming history?
Alright folks, I mean it. I’m about to spoil Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, okay? Unlike Aerith, you have been warned.
In Rebirth, Aerith’s fate gets a bit more… complicated. Does she die? Yes, but also no. It has much ambiguity. Cloud goes to stop Sephiroth, and as their swords clash, it seems like Cloud saves the day. However, reality “glitches,” showing two scenes: one of Aerith surviving and one of her dying. Is one reality and one an illusion? Are they two different realities? Is this all a dream had by Chocobo Sam? Here are four explanations for what happened, because the game never outright says.
Explanation 1: OG Aerith
Aerith dies but her spirit lives on through the Lifestream.
The first explanation essentially follows the plot of the original game. Aerith dies, but as post-game material like On the Way to a Smile and Advent Children explains, her spirit lives on in the Lifestream. Producer Yoshinori Kitase previously explained that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth would still lead into Advent Children, so this theory would check out.
This also explains how only Cloud can see Aerith at the end of the game. Since she’s dead, she appears as a kind of “force ghost” to help him rally the others to save the planet. Nevertheless, it doesn’t explain why Cloud seemingly experiences a reality where she never dies at all…
Explanation 2: Aerith Variant 2.0
Aerith dies in one reality, but not in another.
For our second theory we dive into the multiverse. While the original Final Fantasy VII has only one timeline, 2020’s Remake introduces the concept of multiple timelines. At the end of the game, the party battles the Arbiters of Fate, or Whispers, creating a second timeline where Zack Fair, who previously died, lives. At the end of Rebirth, these Whispers return once more, and it seems like once again multiple realities diverge from this focal point. The screen flashes back and forth between two scenes, one of Aerith dying and one of her surviving.
Notably, rainbow lights show up whenever a character appears to cross through realities. This happens with Zack a number of times, including when Sephiroth crosses through realities to battle Zack in one and the main party in the other. Shortly after, Sephiroth goes to battle Cloud, but an Avengers: Endgame-like rainbow portal sends Aerith through. After they defeat Sephiroth, she goes away. She turns up later—but only Cloud can see her. Is she projecting herself across realities? Or is that her ghost, with her alternate reality self back with Zack? It’s unclear, but perhaps deliberately so…
Explanation 3: Aerith To Be Determined
The third game will confirm one of the previous two options.
Our third explanation plays a bit more into the meta-narrative of players wanting to know Aerith’s fate. If Final Fantasy VII Rebirth delivers a vague ending, players will want to pick up the third part of the remake trilogy to get answers. Essentially postponing the answer to the question of Aerith’s fate keeps a section of the playerbase invested. Square Enix may even want to see how players react before choosing an answer.
I have no doubt there are players who feel strongly about one of the prior two options being canon. But it really doesn’t seem like Rebirth wants to give a straight answer yet. When Cloud asks Aerith if she’ll have trouble “getting back,” she simply says, “Don’t worry. It’s like a second home.” Is she referring to the Lifestream or the alternate timeline? Find out next time! But there is still one more interpretation that may shed some light for now.
Explanation 4: Schrödinger’s Aerith
Aerith is both alive and dead.
However you look at it, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth doesn’t clearly explain what happens with Aerith. We see her alive, dead, traversing through reality portals, and showing up to one character as a vision. A more generous interpretation of the previous theory is that Aerith is both alive and dead. Until the developers say otherwise, no theory can conclusively prove one or the other. Each of the first two theories has evidence and holes.
That said, this paradox could go entirely out the window (or out of the box) if the developers clarify Aerith’s fate. But it seems odd that a game in development for so long would have an ambiguous ending on accident. Having Aerith both alive and dead ensures that fans of the original can have their timeline preserved while those hoping for a happier fate for their favorite flower seller can have that resolution too.
For Now, Aerith’s Fate is for You to Decide
Personally, I’ve decided to subscribe to this last explanation. Admittedly, it is an amalgamation of the others, but the cleanest interpretation. If one of the first two proves correct later on, it means that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth lacks a clear ending. And the third explanation makes the ending feel a bit too much like a marketing ploy. But the fourth one makes the ambiguity intentional for players. Is Aerith alive? Or is she dead? That’s for you to decide. And you can very well choose any of the other three explanations!
Of course, the third part of the remake trilogy may put this to rest. But, I wouldn’t be totally surprised if it also never really explains what happened to Aerith either. It wouldn’t be the first Tetsuya Nomura game to retain an ambiguous fate for a character. And the Advent Children movie technically never says how Cloud gets to see Aerith. We’ll have to wait for part three to learn more. Until then, her fate lies in the hands of the player.
