What's the big deal? (spoilers)

[DMKA]

The overall direction of the scenes preceding, including, and following the actually impalement were rather heartbreakingly artful. Or artfully heartbreaking. Her stillness as she's locked in prayer, Cloud twitchingly holding his sword over her head all possessed with that creepy mind-control music, the abruptness of Sephiroth falling out of nowhere and his sword plunging right through her body, the way her eyes go wide and her hair comes undone and the White Materia falls to the floor with a clink and that sentimental music starts just as it does, the way Cloud trembles as he holds her in his arms while Jenovaroth indifferently gloats, the battle with Jenova-LIFE with the music still playing and Cloud killing it in one turn with Meteorain and righteous anger (well, the way I play), the rest of the party's individual reactions to it all, with Red mournfully howling and Yuffie breaking down and Cait Sith trying to cheer Cloud up before bowing both his heads and waddling away... That's more than enough to bring a tear to someone's eye, man, especially in 1997.

It couldn't be said better.

[Wuggly Blight]

I find rather she had great development and motives and unusally was still deveopled AFTER her death. I find her in battle very useful, people who say shes weak and bad just ain't any good at Final Fantasy and can't see anything past brute pysical strength, sod stong healing powers, ability to make everyone invisible and raise everyones limits to full and being the strongest magic user in the whole game, she can't take off damage like cloud, so she must suck! Geez...
Nobody cries for leo because he wasn't developed as a person, with Aerith you talked with her, helped her, saved her, had a bit of fun travelled the world and was murdered after a whole disk of being your teamate, so it was emtional to see her go, Leo came on twice did his "war is awful" Boo hoo, big loss.
I find most people who do say "I laughed!" are just trying to be diffrent and cool.

[Sasquatch]

It was a shock that she died as she was the first FF main party character to die.

If you're trying to exclude Leo, you're still forgetting (SPOILER)Tellah. And, kind of, some of the other characters in FFIV--Yang, Palom and Porom, and Cid.

General Leo was a very well-developed non-party member, you got to know quite a bit about his personality.

It doesn't matter how good her final limit break is, because the only reaonable way you get to it is if you already know she's gonna be killed off and work at it early in the game. And let's face it, if she didn't die, everybody would realize that she is simply mediocre--just like, say, JFK was made out to be a "great" president because he was assassinated.

I never laughed when Aeris died. I just sure as hell didn't cry. Just like I don't cry when somebody dies in a movie, especially when I expect it.

A.) It's a game.
B.) You had to see it coming.
C.) She was a sub-character, and not a very good one.
D.) It happens somewhat early in the game, not like you fight the whole thing with her and she's gone for the final battle.

[Seal Evil]

Well, some people are more in touch with their emotional side than others.

[Wuggly Blight]

I really find it hard that people burst out laughing, I think there trying to seem "cool"

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

she was the first FF main party character to die.

She was the seventh.

[Vyk]

If she didn't die she would most likely have been in my final party. Much like she was throughout the whole first disk. It was always Cloud, Tifa, Aeris. If she didn't have any personality then I don't know what it was I liked so much about her. I liked that she was care free and open about her opinions but not blunt. She always had an edge of kindness. Reminds me of a lot of people I've met online that tear themselves up when their friends are hurting because they'd rather be the ones in pain. I've had a lot of friends like that. And I get the impression Aeris was like that. It seemed to be just in her nature. Perhaps I just read a lot between the lines. Or I enfused her with feelings and quirks that weren't actually intended. But given her depictions in other areas (cameos in other games, fanfictions and what not) obviously I wasn't the only one to get those impressions so I don't feel that I wrong in those assumptions. But in a lot of ways I felt Tifa would have been the same way. She was kindhearted too. More independant, for sure. But I didn't see Aeris's attachments as a weakness. She just wasn't afraid to latch onto someone she felt a bond with. A lot of people are afraid. So really I kinda see it as a strength with her. I dunno. I don't know why people hate her. And I don't know why there's a rivalry between her fans and Tifa's. I love Aeris, and I think both FF7 girls kick a lot of ass in their own way. Personally (geek ensues) I'd be happy with either of them ^_^ And it would have hit me just as hard had Aeris died. Leo wasn't so much because I couldn't be a Leo fanboy like that ;P He was cool though.

[Squall of SeeD]

It was a shock that she died as she was the first FF main party character to die.

If you're trying to exclude Leo, you're still forgetting (SPOILER)Tellah. And, kind of, some of the other characters in FFIV--Yang, Palom and Porom, and Cid.

(SPOILER)Aside from Tellah, none of those characters died.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I guess that's why he said "kind of." But yeah, they don't count.

[Dante WolfWood]

umm, didnt palon and porom die if I remember correctly?

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

They turned themselves into stone and then the elder from Mysidia reverted them a while later.

[Chibi Angel]

I really find it hard that people burst out laughing, I think there trying to seem "cool"

you really shouldn't judge people you don't know. If you asked any person who knew me if they thought I would laugh at that they would nod there heads sadly and say yes she's a little odd.
It wasn't quite so much I was laughing at Aeris, me and one of my sisters had a bet going on whether Cloud would hook up with Tifa or Aeris, so I was more laughing at my sister cuz she lost big time so yeah. I actually did laugh and am not trying to make myself sound 'cool' what's so cool about that anyway? It makes me sound more like a freak than cool if you ask me but that's just me.

[Mercen-X]

I was just a little perplexed at Cloud almost cleaving her in half.

. . . and the term isn't plain out "freak." It's more to "psychotic bitch." I'm one every now and then so I know.

[Vyk]

I really find it hard that people burst out laughing, I think there trying to seem "cool"

you really shouldn't judge people you don't know. If you asked any person who knew me if they thought I would laugh at that they would nod there heads sadly and say yes she's a little odd.
It wasn't quite so much I was laughing at Aeris, me and one of my sisters had a bet going on whether Cloud would hook up with Tifa or Aeris, so I was more laughing at my sister cuz she lost big time so yeah. I actually did laugh and am not trying to make myself sound 'cool' what's so cool about that anyway? It makes me sound more like a freak than cool if you ask me but that's just me.

Why would you rather be called a freak than cool? O.o;; I think "cool" in this manner can also equate to "different". In which case so can your supposed freakishness. So really its the same thing. You just happen to have an excuse for it. But considering what you said about your friends' opinions of you, it doesn't sound like you'd really need a reason to laugh at it if it's just in your nature.

[ShunNakamura]

I was a little sad when she died, but not overly so.. I much prefered my party with cloud, yuffie, and vincent/cid.. I think yuffie and vincent/cid are cooler then the others(cid is more effective so i used him more often the first time round) :P. just personal taste.

Anyways Aeris is quite the power house if you give her some nice magic, unfortunately most "good" magic doesn't come till later in the game. And since in the end of the game limits play a big role, it doesn't really matter since Aeris holds up there as well. Overall I wish she hadn't died, I would have loved to use her up to her full potential, but you know.. no big deal.. a bit said, nice plot boaster and well intigrated. Good job on that scene.(though why you kill off the magic user before you get good(perhaps better is the word I am looking for.. or perhaps cooler) magic is odd to me.. almost saying "DON'T USE THIS PERSON"). Yuffie made a good enough auxilliry caster for me htough.

Oh yes I was just as sad when Leo died as I was one Aeris died... more great potential vanishing.