FF VII was never fiished Aerth was to be (ya know)

[Fire_Emblem776]

I'm pretty sure she's not there until after disc one. If you go back just after she's kidnapped, those two kids are there and ask if they can look after the flowers - but Aeris' spirit isn't there until later.

THeir is a ghost their??!!!

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

It's not a ghost so much as it is Cloud's memory of her, and it's a minor thing. If Aeris were a ghost, I think she'd have better things to do than tend to the flowers in the old church.

[Raven Nox]

I remember reading these very words a long time ago! wow... still stuipd, but wow...

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Also, there's no such thing as the Crystal Rod.

[Big D]

You also can't get into Mideel during disc one. The geography just doesn't allow it...

[Squall of SeeD]

Barret doesn't see Marlene during the game after leaving her in Elmyra's care, nor would the church have looked the same if the scene had taken place after the game due to the damage rendered to Midgar and the church during Meteor's descent (as can be seen by comparing shots of the church during the game to shots of the church in Advent Children):

Barret and Marlene in Aerith's Church.
Aerith's Church in Advent Children.

actully he goes and see's her just before the final battle, when cloud and tifa have there time alone

Then he would have gone to Kalm and not Midgar. Marlene was in Kalm.

[Camanche]

*groans*

I can't take it anymore!

*shoots self*

Let it be people. Please, let it be. She's supposed to be dead.

[Squall of SeeD]

Alright folks, I started a new game of FFVII a few hours ago and I've gotten to the point where Aerith is kidnapped by Tseng. I can now confirm that, yes, the image of Aerith will briefly appear in the church while she is still alive. If any of you have saves near that point in the game, go back to the church and look at the middle of the screen when you enter. You'll briefly see her standing there in the aisle (or tending to the flowers according to some accounts, though it's believed by some that Cloud's affection level with her determines where she will be; I always intentionally have his affection level be higher for Tifa, so I'm not sure if it makes a difference).

In any case, you can exit and enter the church as many times as you want, and the image of Aerith will always be there when you enter at this point, and it will appear in the same fashion as it does on Disc 3 and disappear just as quickly. It's there while she is still alive. In other words, this means one of two things:

1) It's not her ghost at all and is just a glitch in the game's code.

2) It is intended to be her ghost, but for some reason, there's a glitch and it appears even while she's alive. This, however, is a bit of a stretch and seems unlikely to begin with. In any event, there's no reason for Aerith's ghost to be hanging around there in the first place and the image does appear even while she's alive.


I've also found that Final Fantasy VII Citadel reports this same phenomenon: Linkage.


With this in mind, at best, its Cloud's memories. Most likely, however, it's just a glitch.

[silentenigma]

As for the matter of that rod you mentioned, can't you go to Mideel using the Tiny Bronco before Aerith is ever killed? I never bothered with doing so, but I imagine that there's probably a beach on that island.

You can't make it to Mideel with the tiny bronco. the beach there is cut off from everywhere else.

[Squall of SeeD]

As for the matter of that rod you mentioned, can't you go to Mideel using the Tiny Bronco before Aerith is ever killed? I never bothered with doing so, but I imagine that there's probably a beach on that island.

You can't make it to Mideel with the tiny bronco. the beach there is cut off from everywhere else.

Yeah, you and Big D were right about that. While there are shallows that connect to beaches there, you can't access two of those beaches with the Bronco, and the third doesn't have a landing point from where one could access Mideel.

However, that's irrelevant, as Kawaii is right about there being no Crystal Rod in the first place. It just doesn't exist. Aerith has no weapons that are impossible for her to access before her death. There's no weapon for her in Mideel.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Tseng had captured Aeris, so it still makes sense that an image of Cloud's memory of her would show up in the church.

[silentenigma]

However, that's irrelevant, as Kawaii is right about there being no Crystal Rod in the first place.

Oops, didn't read kawaii's post. sorry.
That's weird because during my first runthrough the "rod" I thought I saw was the whole reason I thought that she would be revived by the end of the game. I only recalled seeing it before the earthquake.
Must've been actually been a spear or something. >_<*

[Squall of SeeD]

Tseng had captured Aeris, so it still makes sense that an image of Cloud's memory of her would show up in the church.

Possibly, but I'm inclined to think it a glitch. It's only present while the screen is loading, and when it's fully loaded, the image disappears.

Oops, didn't read kawaii's post. sorry.
That's weird because during my first runthrough the "rod" I thought I saw was the whole reason I thought that she would be revived by the end of the game. I only recalled seeing it before the earthquake.
Must've been actually been a spear or something. >_<*

Don't worry about it. Mistakes like this happen.

[Dolentrean]

Regarding ariths ghost or memory before she is dead, I simply think it is a glitch considering how quickly she disappears, I think the "ghost" was only meant to be seen after her death. She was never meant to be revived, case closed, the end, game over! the only argument one could make is that she was meant to die later in the game, and that is still far fetched.

[TurkSlayer]

I believe Aeris was intended to die at a later time (after the change from the original script, of course), mainly from the fact of her dialog after her death and evidence I've found on several websites. One is the fact that in the Debug Room, you can acess a secret cave that plays Aeris's theme in the back ground. However, ultimately, Aeris was meant to die, never to return, as Squall of SeeD has already proven. I believe the story was better for it, too. Its not just because I dislike Aeris. In fact, I recently began playing again, and have grown more attached to her. Currently, I'm stand in front of the Temple of the Ancients, but a small part of me doesn't want to keep going, but I know I'll lose her. But thats what the developers wanted. They wanted you to feel the pain of her lose, to mourn her, and to hate Sephiroth for it. And, after seeing all the people who wish to bring her back, it is obvious they suceeded.