The Final Fantasy 7 story is neither simple nor for the faint of heart. It spans multiple games and a feature film. With the Remake trilogy reaching its conclusion sometime in the next few years, there’s never been a better time to care about this world and its characters. While there are a tremendous number of them to follow and remember, the game can often focus on three in particular.
The main protagonist, Cloud Strife, is the person whose arc we are meant to follow. The main antagonist, Sephiroth, is the instigator of the original game’s main conflict. The woman in between them, Aerith Gainsborough, holds the key to the resolution of the entire tale.
Cloud Strife
Cloud opens and closes the main arc of Final Fantasy 7. He must be in your party for most of the original game, so it is his perspective from which you understand the world and will eventually save it. Cloud has lost much, with his hometown being destroyed by Sephiroth. Unbeknownst to new players at the time, he has also lost another friend.
This greatly shapes his behavior for the majority of the story. Cloud is a reluctant hero, struggling with self-doubt and a legitimate identity crisis. It is only through the intervention of his friends that he can overcome this. One woman in particular becomes the center of his journey of learning to accept pain.
Aerith Gainsborough
She is the 1990’s original JRPG manic pixie dream girl. She is also so much more than that. A chosen of the planet, she is destined to save it but also destined to be a target. Many would seek to use her power for their selfish ends, but Aerith has no interest in that. Of all the characters in Final Fantasy 7, she has the most balance between selflessness and selfishness.
She loves her friends and wants to journey with them. They give her a life she could’ve never had otherwise. However, the joy of the journey is a pretext to her destiny. The sacrifices she must make thus become a trauma for the others to overcome. All she wants, however, is for them to be okay.
Sephiroth
In many ways, Sephiroth is Aerith’s opposite, defined by his selfish belief that he is the only one with the right to rule the planet. He believes that all other life is inferior and will extinguish them or convert them to his cellular design. Fueled by his alien mother JENOVA, he contrasts Aerith and her descendance from the Ancients.
While he too has suffered pain, he turns his pain into destruction. He brings it to bear upon the world and will punish the innocent for his grievances. It is only by believing in himself and accepting Aerith’s sacrifice that Cloud can stand up to him and end his quest. Sephiroth knows this and tries to manipulate Cloud to prevent it from happening.
Final Thoughts
It is the connections between these three characters that bring Final Fantasy 7’s story into focus. While others like Tifa and Barret add so much to the gameplay and narrative, none can replace the meaning behind these characters. Cloud seeks vengeance for what Sephiroth does to Aerith, but his journey to overcome Sephiroth begins first with his ability to overcome his demons.
Aerith wants only for Cloud to be alright, to not doubt or blame himself. It is this pain that he struggles with until the end when he finally realizes that he is capable of moving on. First, however, he will have to put a stop to Sephiroth’s plans. You’ll have to wait until the end of the Remake trilogy to see how it happens.
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