Aerith Gainsborough is one of if not the most otherworldly character ever created in any form of media ever.
aerith is a character who takes away your breath the moment you encounter her. just from purchasing a flower from her and seeing how happy it made her you can tell just how enduring she is.
she gives off warm, loving, strong, mature heavenly, and overall positive vibes that instantly make her appealing.
of course you can never forget aerith also has a sassy side to her even if an evil inc. keeps an eye on her daily she shows she can clearly hold her own without anyone telling her what to do! she’s just perfect! the perfect balance between sweet, sassy, strong, and independent.
her design also adds to her already perfect self it compliments her aura so well.
her personality is so bright it can make people smile from thousands of miles away. always being uplifting and overall a joy in everyones life.
i love aerith so much she’s so interesting in a number of ways and the fact that she doesn’t fall into the cliché “damsel in distress” trope despite all she goes through and has been through makes her all the more better.
many people like to sadly dismiss aerith’s character and blatantly ignore how interesting, strong, and amazing she is.
for example some have claimed that aerith has “white privilege” due to living in a nice house with her step mom despite it being in the slums or sometimes people will go as far as calling her a “home wrecker.” while it’s okay to dislike a character these things are completely false, take away from her character, and sadly most likely always have some hidden mysogyny behind them.

for one, part of what makes aerith so interesting is the fact that she is the last of her kind aka a Cetra.
due to this one fact aerith hasn't been able to live a normal life since she was born. being a cetra meant danger. not long after being born her father was murdered which lead to being taken away by a mad scientist named hojo and treated like a lab experiment along with her mother. only to lose her mother right before her eyes once they finally could get away. and even after all that aerith was practically still stalked her whole life by these horrible people all because of her being a cetra. having to live everyday in fear she may be snatched up again. who knows what else she was subjected to when being treated like a specimen. mind you this all happened when she was a child and continued to happen. aerith barely got to experience any privilege from the day she was born just because she was a different. to ignore the fact that she experienced disenfranchisement and oppression her entire life due to being part of a race considered a minority is just stupid and takes away from a big chunk of her character.
the fact that despite the trauma n’ hardships she’s undergone because of this one thing in her life + what comes with being a cetra she’s still able to remain strong is inspiring to me. as someone who’s part of a race that’s considered the minority i feel empowered seeing someone like aerith get by with a smile and full of determination for the future.
likewise aerith is a girl who’s very open affectionately, emotionally, and just overall not a closed off person at all. she isn’t afraid to express herself in the least and sadly people use this to say she’s a “home wrecker” because it gets in the way of a ship or something... this is yet another statement that is beyond false.
there’s nothing wrong with a woman being confident in themselves and expressing it however they see fit.
especially aerith, a girl who has lost many people in her life. its not hard to understand why she would at least have a little of an attachment to someone she meets who’s willing to help her and be her bodyguard despite her own strength. its just a realistic emotion to feel after going through so much turmoil. and the best thing about this is even though she has a bodyguard it never took away from her independence. aerith is truly one of the toughest, smartest, most inspiring fictional characters and women i know. i just wish people would appreciate her more often.
crisis core did somethings to her character that i’m not too much of a fan of but the OG + the remake handle her character just fine.
she’ll always be the astonishing aerith we all know and love.
it amazes how powerful she is. risking her life to save the planet and still being able to use her cetra powers from beyond the grave. she’s in a class of her own.
aerith is a great character with quite a bit of depth to her that isn’t acknowledged enough.
it may sound silly but this character has had such a a positive impact on me and how I deal with certain things. she means a lot to me.
she’s done so much for the people around + the planet and has been through so much, she shouldn’t be dumbed down to being something she is not.
she deserves only love and respect!