Aeris has awesome Limit Breaks

[Carl the Llama]

To be fair, Aeris will be one of your biggest physical attackers if you're savvy enough to steal a Mythril Staff(?) from the chariot enemy while going through the train graveyard. Cloud gets a similar weapon (Hardedge?) from the SOLDIER: 3rds on the upper floors of the Shinra tower before you get caught.

Just that Aerith leaves you 3 metres later.

That is entirely beside the point, the point is she is a viable character for both physical and magical attack when it gets down to it.

In actual fact if you really wanted to use her as an attacker you could get the Umbrella from the Gold Saucer which has an attack power of 58, weapons the likes of which do not have the same attack power till you get to the Icicle Inn so lets think about how long you could have her doing more damage then your average attacker:

Gold Saucer > Desert Prision > Gongaga > Cosmo Canyon > Niblheim > Rocket Town > Wutai *Note: You can get Nanaki's Hairpin which gives him an attack of 57* > Gold Saucer > Temple of the Ancients.

That's right the rest of the game she is in our party, so all this trout about her not being a good fighter is exactly that: trout.