The next in a series of translated character profiles from the 2005 Ultimania Omega. Please see the first post for more details.
Today we have Aerith Gainsborough. Next up will be Red XIII.
The next in a series of translations of character profiles from the Dismantled guidebook. Please refer to the first post for more details.
Aerith Gainsborough
Age: 22
Height: 163cm
Blood Type: O
Birthday: February 7
Hometown: Icicle Inn
Weapon: Staff
(See p. 70 for weapons; p. 100 for Limit Breaks)
Aerith makes a memorable entrance as a flower seller from the slums. Her fateful encounter with Cloud sends the sole surviving Ancient spiraling into a conflict of epic proportions. Where is the Promised Land located? Caught in the throes of destiny, Aerith struggles to fulfill her role as a βCetraββone who nurtures the Planet. Undaunted by the hardship that awaits, she soldiers onβ¦.
Hair
She puts a lot of effort into her hairstyle, adjusting her bangs after every battle. In the ribbon fastened to the back of her hair, sheβs concealed a materia her mother passed down to her.
Hands
For ripping?
Name Origin
A play on the [English word] βearth.β
Initial Equipment
Weapon: Guard Stick
Armor: Bronze Bangle
Materia: None
Skin
Compared to Tifa, her skin is less exposed and therefore not as tan. Thereβs a cute moment in Costa del Sol when she canβt quite hide her delight after Cloud tells her he likes fairer skin.
Cetra
βA people who are born from the Planet, speak with the Planet, and cultivate the Planet. The Cetra return to the Promised Land, a place of supreme happiness granted by the Planet.β What is the meaning behind these words Aerith heard from her mother? The Cetra (also known as the Ancients) and how they pertain to Shinra, Sephiroth, and Cloudβs party are inextricably bound up with the main narrative of Final Fantasy VII.
Long Skirt
βI had a relatively easy time deciding on the design for this tragic heroine. However, the people in charge of graphics seemed to have difficulty rendering her long skirt with polygons. I donβt usually consider things like polygons when creating charactersβ (Tetsuya Nomura, Character Designer).
The long skirt is Aerithβs trademark look, but she changes into a red dress to go along with Cloud when heβs crossdressing in Wall Market. Note how her bearing changes when she lets down her hair, which is normally tied up.
Selected Quotes
βAlright, thenβ¦ how about one date!β - At the church, suggesting a reward after asking Cloud to be her bodyguard
βRiiightβ¦ Good excuse
... keep reading on reddit β‘
So everyone has long wondered how the heck Aeris and Elmyra lived in such a beautiful house in the Sector 5 slums. Well, the Tale of Two Pasts finally gave us an answer (novella spoilers ahead):
Elmyra has mafia ties. She married into the "Gainsborough" family, which was headed by a nicer version of Don Corneo, and they have lots of money and own property. Elmyra ended up distancing from them after her husband died but kept the house, and her social circle seems entirely made up of mafia types. She is actually pretty damn metal, too, and fearlessly protects Aeris. She was the one who pulled strings and convinced Tseng to let Aeris live a normal childhood for awhile, too. (Probably helps that Shinra was focusing on the Wutai war at the time so couldn't prioritize recapturing Aeris either for the Neo-Midgar project, which was put on hold.)
I always figured Elmyra was tough and must have some clout to own that kind of house and manage to keep the Turks away from her kid.
Oh and... apparently flowers were growing in Elmyra's yard AND the abandoned church before Aeris even showed up. That somehow feels like a crazy retcon but I guess that's what Nojima's going with now LOL.
