(Spoiler) Was it Aeris or Aeris's theme that made her such a memorable character

[darkchrono]

Do you think it was Aeris or Aeris's theme that made her such a memorable character. I am sure they both had had an impact. But which do you think had the greater effect on giving many people their opinions on her.

During that scene, which do you think had the greater effect on making people sad. The actual character of Aeris. Or the music they were playing while that scene was going on.

So all in all. Do you think Aeris became one of the most memorable characters in video game history simply because of the way the developers made her. Or do you think that the larger impact on her popularity was the music they gave her and the timing that they had in choosing to express that music which made her so memorable and popular.

For those who cried during that scene or at least felt rather sad. Do you think you would have had those same feelings of sadness if that music was not playing at that time.

[Rostum]

Everything becomes memorable through music... although knowing this, it's also the characters in the game, it feels they have their own personality, and therefor making them memorable.

[aeris2001x2]

it was both. clearly the music was divine, but so was the charcter.

i mean celes is a great character in ff6 and aeris theme is derived from a song played during one of her scenes. but i dont worship celes, i worship aeris lol.

she was beautiful, playful, innocent and knowledable, mature and naive, and many other contridictory components that establish her as the personification of living, ff7's theme. you can rest assured if i ever have a daughter she will be called aeris.

[*ETERNAL FANTASY*]

i agree...music....and her charecter in genreal i mean whether it be in movies or games you dont expect a central character who is kind....to die....honestly this is what seperates ff7 towards the rest because of the whole....emotion factor...i also liked this game better than the others cause i could relate to these charecters hence you get so close to them....aeris was no different, that scence will always stay in my head....

the music and the character contribute to make this scene great....i love ff7...

[m4tt]

I don't even remember Aeris' theme... o_o

[SeeDRankLou]

They complement one another. The scene wouldn't have been nearly as good without Aeris' Theme and Aeris' Theme wouldn't have been as memorable had it been in another scene instead of that scene. It's very similar to the movie Titanic. Scenes in Titanic wouldn't have been as good without their music, and the music in Titanic wouldn't have been as good without the scenes from the movie. Had Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On just been another song on one of her albums, I doubt it would have done as well as it did being on the Titanic Soundtrack.

Aeris herself was a very memorable character, and she had a great dynamic with every other character in the game. She also had a lot of importance to the game. I think that in her death scene, had they played something by Metallica, it would have been much less impacting on the story. Had they played no music at all, I think it would have been sad, but not as sad or memorable as with Aeris' Theme.

[Mo-Nercy]

I don't even remember Aeris' theme... o_o
It goes something like this..."nah nah nah, nah nah nah..."
:p

[Blazer]

...Wow...i guess i'm the only one who pretty much disliked aeris...i mean the girl hung out in a run down church plantin flowers (what was she really trying to grow hmm? :tongue: ) I thought that the theme fit her really well (i'm partial to cloud's theme myself) and after playing all of the ff's so far(excluding cc)...i can't see the big deal about her...just can't, sorry :eek:

[aeris2001x2]

blazer...DIE! lol. ok u may live as long as you swear alligence to aeris lol.

actually if they had played metallicas fade to black or and justice for all it might have been memorable.

and you have no idea how i feel when u compared the greatest game to one of the worst films! lol i jest of course.

[Lord Chainsaw]

I honestly can't say what made her such a memorable character. She just has this sort of magic to her than no other character has ever had.

Her music was great. It was sad, and yes I did cry when she died. I have to say it wasn't the music though. The music was a nice touch, but the character had already been developed to me by then.

I can't put into words or find the reason why I like Aeris so much. It's not the music though, that's for sure.

[Azrael Gilchrist]

I think Sephiroth's sword made her memorable. I know I was laughing when it happened. I'm with you Blazer. I just didn't like her for some reason.

[zacks_clone]

I loved aeris fist time. The music, the blue colors,the death. All of it tired in

Second time, i hated her. She died. I liked tifa then. Tifa tifa tifa. aeris,boo...So...

so...the character really did it,but it couldnt have been done without the song

[PeTeRL90]

Her music was the most memorable. It was just so sad. :cry:

I mean, watching her body drift down in the water like that while her theme was playing... it really got to me. Knowing Cloud and I would never see her again.

The music always gets to me.

[ZellMog]

It was 100% music for me. I didn't care for the character much at all, but the music is always touching. Perhaps because it was derived Aria de Mezzo Caraterre?

Meh. In either case, the only emotion I had during that scene for the character herself? Anger when I realized I spent way too much time leveling her up for nothing. :mog:

[Blackmage]

It was the music, hands down. It ain't everyday someone can nail the right music for the right time like that. It's just...beautiful. And the orchestrated version of it really makes it shine.

I must say, I'm on the same boat as Zell: I was kinda pissed when I realized I went through all that effort to go out and get Great Gospel when she ends up dead. They should've just let her come with that limit break innately.

[Lord Chainsaw]

I think the fact that you COULD go out and get her ultimate weapons and ultimate limits and work so hard for them is what made it so great.

The fact that they could make you do all that work, and just kill her off so quickly really added to the emotion of it. It helped create a sense of feeling that your character is ultimately human, and not impervious to being killed off. It is so great because it really is a loss. Someone you worked so hard and grew with was suddenly taken in an instant.

I think that reason alone is why the death of Legend of Dragoon's character wasn't very memorable. He was replaced by an identical character with the same weapons, level, and addition. There was no loss to it.

[CrimsonD]

Metallica isn't all head bashing stuff. They have some good slower stuff like One and Unforgiving II. Those might have fit the moment, though without the lyrics, they aren't as good.I think Sephiroths theme should have been Master of Puppets ( The best god damn song ever ).

[darkchrono]

when they force you to fight that boss after aeris dies and they are playing that music. Did the music playing and what just happened make it difficult for you to concentrate on the guy.

I know I died when I fought him and I had to go through that whole scene again.

Also, lol, just my little Aeris story on the way I acted the first time I played the game.

I had hintings that something might happen to her later on the game (wasn't sure if she died or she just left the group for some reason) because of some walkthrough I was looking at decided to talk to much, lol.

But I remember while playing it for the first time and after I saw that blurb on the walkthrough that something might happen to her. Because of that I decided to start putting her in my group so I would have a little more time with her just in case she was not in the game for its entirety for some reason or other.

And when the death scene finally came I am not sure because I already had suspicions that something might happen to her that it affected me more or less than if it came totally unexpected for me.

I didn't shed a tear or anything but I did feel pretty sad.

Looking back on it it does kind of make you shake your head on how you let a video game character get to your emotions so much.

But the fact that they do get to you so well shows how great the character development was in ff7.

The creators obviously new what type of personality to give a character in order to hit an emotional accord with the audience.

Looking back on the entire time Aeris was in the game. It seems they were setting everything up from the very first time you talk with her to really make an impact on your emotions when she leaves the game.

They gave her the type of personality that alot of people in real life are kind of looking for. And when they actually find a personality like that (even though it is just in a game)they tend to grow somewhat fond of it. And just when they are starting to really get attached to that personality it is snagged away from them.

I wonder when developing the game and trying to decide what kinds of personalities to give the characters. When they came to Aeris I wonder if they discussed with eachother on what type of personality do people find very appealing and can grow very attached to.

And they came up with the personality that Aeris had

[Rinoabella]

I believe it was both. Aeris was such a real character. The way she talked, the way she looked, the clothes she wore, even how she moved! The music added on to this, and when her lifeless body floated through the water, it made it all sad, thus making her memorable. :(

[Teh_Sephiroth]

I never really liked her that much.
I always try to get Cloud with Tifa ;)

I think it was just that SHE DIES!!! that made her memorable.
Nothing to do with any music for me, my favourite music from FF7 all has to do with Sephiroth.
~Go teh sephy~ :D

[Flamethrower]

I think it was just that SHE DIES!!! that made her memorable.


I agree. Had that event not happened, she wouldn't stand out more than any other typical Final Fantasy heroine.

The music definately made her death much more sadder.

[Cybele]

I honestly can't say what made her such a memorable character. She just has this sort of magic to her than no other character has ever had.

Her music was great. It was sad, and yes I did cry when she died. I have to say it wasn't the music though. The music was a nice touch, but the character had already been developed to me by then.

I can't put into words or find the reason why I like Aeris so much. It's not the music though, that's for sure.

I completely agree. It wasn't the fact that she died that makes her memorable either. It was her character that made her memorable for me. I knew about her death before I even knew her character or even played the game because my brother had the FMV on our computer and showed it to me. I didn't cry because I didn't know the character. Before I even played the game and only saw Aeris, I kind of already knew what she would be like and that she would end up one of my favorites. I wasn't disappointed with her character at all. She was amazing. Her music was a very well designed piece. It set the mood for her funeral. They only play Aeris' Theme at one other time in the game and that's when she gets kidnapped by the Shinra and you go to her house. I think Aeris must've been one of their first characters that they designed for FFVII. She wasn't lacking in anything, her background was well done, and her character was even better.

[udsuna]

I wonder if her death wasn't an afterthought, though. The Final Fantasy series is infamous for things that were either put in or taken out when have the game was already programmed and structured. The only one thus far that was NOT full of those little tidbits was 10- and I personally think it suffered for it.
But, I don't think it was her music that made the impact. Any other music that "fit" the character- which would have to be soft and sweet and sad all at the same time- would have worked admirably. Music would be necessary, not because of the scene itself, but because we're all so used to mood music in games that NOT having any would be incredibly weird.

[anima977]

I think the reason that Aeris consistently gets talked about as a favourite game character, behind only possibly Sephiroth and Kefka, is because she was unlike any game character that has ever been before her. She wasnt like your typical female videogame heroine where she was injected full of testosterone ala Lara Croft. She had a gentle innocence and shyness that i think most people see in themselves.
As for her music, the simplicty of it complemented her because she was beautifully innocent and completely at one with herself, right up til 'the end'
or maybe im looking too much into it.
Aeris was the best,

[TheAbominatrix]

There were lots of soft and shy video game girls. In fact, a good deal of them were like that. Rosa, etc.

I dont know why everyone says she's so shy... it's not to knock her, but she was way forward. She never hesitated to something and she always stated her feelings. Everyone's always saying she's so shy... really, Tifa was the shy one.

And yes, I agree that it was her death that made her so memorable.

[Del Murder]

Yeah, for me it was the stabby. Otherwise she was sort of meh.

[Zante]

I didn't find her memorable at all. The whole thing with her death was rather strange, as I don't see how it was important and such a big sacrifice.

[Rednikcam]

Same here. I wasn't bothered at all by it.

[Joshkabob]

I couldn't wait until she died...couldn't stand her.

[Chris]

Aeris was a great female lead. She had it all; heart, soul, passion and most importantly: loyalty.
That being said; her theme probably did have a huge impact on her popularity.

Reina's still the greatest female lead, remember her sacrifice for the Dragon? I still sob when I think about it.

[gismo]

well the story sets emotions goin but the music pushes them emotions to breaking point, i no when i saw her ending i was annoyed coz she was sucj a good character but the music is what made me cry, but them i am a very emotional person wer i carry all my feelings just under the surface an anything can trigger them off str8 away!

[rubah]

The Abominatrix is right. She definitely wasn't shy.

That's what surprised me the first time I played. 'Hmm, this must be aeris. She seems to be a quiet type, look at all that pink.'

Then after she had quite a bit of dialog (and I had her fight off all those monsters 'cause cloud is a dork with barrels) I was thinking more 'what the crap, she actually says this stuff? What were those people on about.'

I have to admit though, since I got her death spoiled for me before I played, I had an entirely different scene figured up in my head.

I sorta wished it would've been more like that though, even if it wouldn't've made any sense in the game^_^;

[Raistlin]

I think it was the fact that she was extremely annoying that made her so "memorable."

[ffrinoa8]

Do you think it was Aeris or Aeris's theme that made her such a memorable character. I am sure they both had had an impact. But which do you think had the greater effect on giving many people their opinions on her
for from 1-100 aris herself rates an 82 while the song rates a 93!!!
so the song it is!!!!!! :cry: listening to it now. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Dolentrean]

what made arith memorable I think was she did something unique. yes she had her anoying momunts I agree, yet she along with a few of the other charecters in VII seemed vary human, the song helped us understand Arith, but it was the fact that she had a human apeal that made her memorable. without her the game would not be the same game, look at it this way, most games were about stoping a villan. Sepheroth was diffrent because he was cool, but it wasent untill he killed her that you really had something against him. It made the hole ordial more personal and that was something few games had ever done before.

[TheAbominatrix]

Final Fantasy games have been doing that for quite some time, with the villian killing and important person, even a party member, to create animosity for the player.

[Lucca]

Aeris was so divine. I just like her. Unlike, let`s say, Rinoa or Dagger. She wasn`t helpless or struck by something, she was there, there with everyone else, helping, supporting, always on the side, and yet she had a higher role. But I really didn`t see the end of her like that...

Yes, I cried. Because of her.

[Aeritho]

both are great,but I think that Aerith is more popular because of her personality