Analysing The Chilling Parallels Between Aerith/Sephiroth

[@Deathbringersora]

And don't forget that Aerith possesses the White Materia and Sephiroth eventually gains the Black Materia

[@Lordx718]

In short, Hojo, and to a lesser extent Lucrecia, are responsible for everything, and both Sephiroth and Aerith were done a huge disservice with the death of Professor Gast.

[@ardenskylark6235]

*murder

[@databattlesz]

What.exe

[@lloydnorval1989]

Plus wasn't Professor Gast Aerith's biological father?

[@dylanchristie7259]

@@lloydnorval1989 yup

[@PaintSplashProductions]

I think having Sephiroth and Aerith being siblings would’ve been so interesting. They were both experiments of Hojo so it would make sense if they were there at the same time and became close. Also would’ve added an extra layer of tragic when Sephiroth stabs Aerith. Jenova had corrupted him so much, we wouldn’t hesitate to kill his own sister

[@ari_nightroad570]

Thats what it was suppose to be in the original writing

[@FelixS.]

Sephiroth never stabbed Aerith at least not the real Sephiroth. It was a Jenova vessel. The real Sephiroth is within the north crater during the whole game. We meet him in person just in the end and even there it is highly debatable weither or not he is still „Sephiroth“. The real Sephiroth died in Nibelheim. From there on it is a parasitic lovecraftian shapeshifter who takes control of him.

[@SWIFTO_SCYTHE]

Man if Hojo got Lucretia Pregers with Sephy and then also Ifalna with Aerith that would be a pimp move.

[@panthekirb7561]

​@@FelixS. Das cap

[@FelixS.]

@@panthekirb7561 Tissue. Keep coping 🤡

[@seguuro]

It is peculiar that Sephiroth maintained a human form for so long despite being injected with JENOVA cells while he was still in Lucrecia's womb.

[@3Rayfire]

It may have been one in a million, but Sephiroth was injected with Jenova directly while in development letting Jenova grow into his growing body and genetics. Gillian Hewley, Angeal's mother was directly injected with Jenova cells. After they bonded to her, her cells were then infused into Genesis as a fetus, and were passed to Angeal via normal childbirth. From that we can postulate that receiving Jenova Cells second hand after they've fused to another human creates the anomalies. By contrast, normal Soldiers receive Jenova cells directly and are then infused with Mako radiation. That's why Zack and Cloud and the others don't suffer the same side effects. Another factor of course is mental strength, Cloud initially lacked the mental strength to undergo the process safely, which is why he broke.

[@kaiseralex96]

If i remember correctly, JENOVA's cells would follow her original plan/mission, which would be to reunite with the original body to continue the destroy/absorb all life from the planet, then travel to the next one. So I guess it would make sense for the cells to not transform him into a monster which humans would destroy at first sight.

[@corwinchapman8270]

i always thought it was the benefit of the fetus developing alongside the jenova cells taking root. the genes incorporated the cells and didnt perceive them as a foreign entity, rather than almost every other instance of jenova cells being used on already fully developed humans leading to the body rejecting it, which would necessitate the jenova cells overwriting the human cells in order to execute the biological imperative they were coded with.

[@lloydnorval1989]

And the fact that he is technically fully human biologically, merely enhanced by the Jenova Cells, and being injected whilst in the womb seems to have been what made him grow to acclimate to the cells and powers. To me, they're like a demon and an angel. Sephiroth is like the dark, demonic shadow of what Shinra thought Jenova really was. The Cetra are the spiritual race, in tune with the planet, giving them more "angelic" or "holy" traits :)

[@siresorb1419]

Sephiroth admired Gast, Aerith's Dad. Aerith was emotionally scarred by Hojo, Sephiroth's Dad. Also how about Rith and Roth?

[@siresorb1419]

@Edowin I'm still keeping the Rith and Roth discovery.

[@HydreiS2000]

@Edowin This comment took me back to 2006

[@KopperNeoman]

@edowin2700 It's not a mistranslation at all. The transliteration Earisu can be translated to either Aeris or Aerith. They're both equally valid. FFVII's debug menu uses the three interchangably! It's kind of how calling the NES the FamicoN is just as accurate as FamicoM.

[@kellceygreyzen5733]

​@Edowin but sephiroth's japanese pronunciation was sefirosu

[@siresorb1419]

@Edowin I'm cool with settling for risu/rosu. I'm just looking for coincidental similarities between them in the spirit of this video.

[@nickelback3360]

They were originally siblings but even in the full game they fulfill opposing themes and outlooks. And have similar origins as cross-species of Gast’s “devising”. Which is why I think the plot point that Sephiroth thought he was an Ancient is in the game- reinforces how he responds to his inhumanness differently from Aerith. Sephiroth represents consumption, fire, sky, and might making right while Aerith represents sacrifice, water, earth, and mercy. It’s borderline Old vs New Testament. Sephiroth even being a weird esoteric looking angel by the end and Aerith being a triumphant martyr.

[@jamuswe]

Very well said!!!

[@Thiago_Alves_Souza]

Also their names; Sephiroth is the tree of life in Jewish mysticism in the Sepher Yetzirat. Each aspect of divine manifestation through evocation of an angel and a Sephirat and becoming closer to the divine. Aerith evokes earth, the physical realm, humanity and frailty. Yet the irony is that through her humanity and her contact with the earth, she achieved oness with the divine while Sephiroth became a corrupt version of the divine. Satan so to speak, while aerith is a Messianic godlike figure.

[@jamuswe]

@@Thiago_Alves_Souza That's really awesome.

[@8Phoenix8]

Damnnn I never thought of it that way. 😮

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

I hope we can see more interactions between Aerith and Sephiroth in FF 7 Rebirth!

[@Travonne423]

Sephiroth and Aerith are the definition of Final Fantasy 7 series

[@KING-ZEAL]

This statement is actually accurate. Jenovah and her offspring have always been involved by the Nephilim, and the forbidden union of Angels and the daughters of men. Anyone who knows Nomura also knows its no secret he is well versed in the occult and the esoteric. Obsessed with it, even. The Versus Epic collection of games, starting with the canceled VSXIII (they did him dirty as hell; story was too dark, with Etro, goddess of death, blah blah) was going to take everything he loved to the next level. He also agreed to do FF7R when they promised to literally fire Tabata a s blacklist him for what he did to the story. They told him if he would do 7R, he could revive the VS Epic project, and that's what be has been secretly doing since KH3, and KH4 will bring it back with Verum Rex, then reintroduce Versus I itself by name. It's absolutely happening. - Zeal

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

Also Cloud.

[@victory7763]

​@@fernandozavaletabustos205 also Red XIII

[@billybatts8283]

No, Cloud is.

[@LordMalice6d9]

Pretty much, the entire plot of FF7 revolves around Aerith and Sephiroth. As well as Cloud.

[@3Rayfire]

Generations of being each others antithesis, from the Jenova vs Cetra conflict, to Gast vs Hojo, to Aerith vs Sephiroth. Even in time travel, the conflict continues. Even the conflicts around them, Gast and Hojo went against each other over Ifalna, and Cloud and Sephiroth cemented their hatred of each other over Aerith.

[@ProdigyAngel33_Nagichan]

I've always seen Sephiroth as more of a tragic character. Brilliant but flawed, pushed to madness when he realizes his true origins at Nibelheim. I've so long wanted a game focusing solely on him, his thoughts behind actions, filling in the holes of his story. Hopefully some day! Great video. Love the breakdown and it makes you think of the whole overarching story just a bit differently.

[@nickelback3360]

I always saw him as a massive prick like me tbh

[@ProdigyAngel33_Nagichan]

@@nickelback3360 lol amazing how theres different interpretations eh?

[@NihonNoMajin]

I completely agree with you! Whether bc Sephiroth has always been my idol or not, I've always seen him as tragic and Hojo the real villian. Like his basically Jesus in a way with how Jenova works and all that. I've always gotten the impression that he is lost. Maybe bc of Jenova is the reason he comes off emotionless and other worldly. I've also found it interesting how it never seems like he is giving it 110% in the end. I've always wanted there to be a conclusion, a redemption even if some may think he doesn't deserve it. I've heard rumors long ago that supposedly there was gonna be a game focused on him were you play as him and perhaps even a movie like a final showdown between him and Genesis. Who knows though with how Square is 😂, but still!! Always a pleasure to meet a fellow Sephiroth follower ;).

[@ProdigyAngel33_Nagichan]

@@NihonNoMajin yay. I felt the same. Also in Crisis Core...you can tell he's trying to be friendly with Zack in many instances but he's soooo awkward. Like he just can't quite get to the point of friendship. Replaying Reunion has been interesting to say the least.

[@NihonNoMajin]

@ProdigyAngel33_Nagichan Yes! That's something I really wanted is to go into Sephiroth's childhood and see more of his upbringing. To be in Crisis Core I wouldn't say he comes off as a asshole, perhaps abit arrogant bc he is put on a pedestal? But like you can tell he cares for his friends, but at the same time he comes off as very lonely. I'm really hoping that mobile game we are getting Ever Crisis? Really draws that out :).

[@PrismaticWolf]

Seph also thought Professor Gast was his father after reading the notes in Nibelheim, though that line didn't make it into English. His admiration for Gast made it into English though.

[@CheddarGetter]

Something that I thought didn't make it into English that I didn't realize until I played a retranslation is that until the Northern Crater, Sephiroth is actually Jenova. At least I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it.

[@PrismaticWolf]

@@CheddarGetter That's in English but super unclear. All the Sephiroth manifestations are Jenova heading for the Crater to answer the Reunion. And when you fight Jenova after each Sephiroth encounter it's because Jenova tore off a piece of itself and dropped it (they usually look like tentacles). The real Seph is controlling Jenova though.

[@CheddarGetter]

@@PrismaticWolf yeah, when I played the retranslation it was almost like I'd never played the game before. It was my 22nd time beating it. And it gave be an even bigger appreciation for the story.

[@Krizzah47]

@@CheddarGetterretranslation?

[@PrismaticWolf]

@@Krizzah47 The Reunion Mod includes a top to bottom fan retranslation of the game that is more accurate to the original Japanese. Certain parts of the story are way more clear.

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

Looking forward to Rebirth expanding on Sephiroth's backstory (hopefully). Would be interesting to learn more about whether Gast tried to tell Sephiroth about his origin and Jenova but Hojo intercepting. I'd like to think Gast tried to help Sephiroth. It doesn't sit well with me that he just left that child in Shinra, learned what he truly was, and did nothing to try to help him.

[@WayToDawn72]

I always appreciated the dichotomy between Aerith and Sephiroth. Aerith is associated with the Ultimate White Magic, Holy whereas Sephiroth is associated with the Ultimate Black Magic Meteor. Aerith's status as Cetra ties her to nature, growth and healing whereas Sephiroth a product of the Jenova Project ties him to technology, science and destruction. I would argue that both Aerith and Sephiroth are equal but opposite not unlike the dichotomy we see in other FF games that feature Resplendent Light and Eternal Darkness as forces of nature

[@ry2950]

Great video. I think my favorite is the parallel between Gast and Hojo as well since they are their respective biological fathers.

[@Forever_Zero]

I hope Sephiroth in the remake gets to know thew whole story about Hojo and Lucrecia, I think that could lead to some interesting character development

[@sencrew5293]

My theory is that he knows his outcome, so he's trying to manipulate cloud and the others to change it for his advantage.

[@simonpugh3731]

Me too, I'm extra hopefull that the story diverges somewhat as those whisperer guys are gone now so they aren't their to keep the original plot on track anymore.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

I hope we can see more interactions between Aerith and Sephiroth in FF 7 Rebirth!

[@77wolfblade]

I think he already does.

[@sencrew5293]

@@77wolfblade he doesn't know, not yet. But even if he did, jenova did enough damage to his psyche that he wouldn't care anyway.

[@dobrozner7784]

Gast loved Aerith's mother. She was born from that, and raised as far from the giant city of Midgar as possible. Sephiroth was born in a cold, steel city, as the product of experimentation by Hojo. It's all nature/planet vs. science/man. Two scientists and colleagues put almost all of FF7 into motion, and the big difference, and what carried on in their progeny, were their outlooks on life, and the lessons they imparted with them.

[@Sableye666]

During FFVII's development, Aeris and Sephiroth were originally designed to be siblings. That's why they have very simlar hair styles, especially in front.

[@sid98geek]

Man, I get chills whenever I hear that. Imagine how crazy the plot would have been if Square Enix (erstwhile Squaresoft) went through with this? Imagine if Sephiroth was Aerith's brother. It would make him stabbing Aerith even more ruthless than it already is!

[@daltonoakleyjr391]

I mean even Lucretia looks like she could’ve been Aerith’s mom

[@donarthunaraz9361]

IT'S AERITH NOT AERIS!

[@twelfthknight]

Thinking about it, they did the "rival villain has romantic backstory with the main heroine" with Seifer and Rinoa in FFVIII.

[@jamesgravil9162]

Both their names end with "th". Can't believe I didn't notice that before.

[@RenHeng_canon]

Imagine if Sephiroth and Aerirh actually ended up being siblings like it was first planned during development of the game... That would've been kinda neat ngl 🥹

[@Skyset_angel]

If only Gast had stole him from maniac Hojo away to Ifalna and she could be his stepmother. They should have stayed together imagine the story in that timeline if they lived and he found out about jenova later on. That would have some interesting personal conflict though I don’t think he would have been so evil in that timeline. 🤔

[@kaage8780]

Weren't they planned to be lovers at first? Tifa and Vincent were planned to be siblings. That's why their coloring is the same.

[@AnimeProfilePicture]

I feel people forget Sephiroth didn't start off a maniac who was pure evil, he is a victim of Jenova and Hojo. He didn't go crazy till Nibelheim when he locked himself in the mansion and came across research docs that he and the research misinterpreted as Jenova being an Ancient thus making him as such. This caused him to think everything he knew to be true was a lie. Hojo gaslighted him in the name of science and Jenova manipulated him to finish her mission.

[@goodintentions8106]

Playing through the original final fantasy 7 the cheapest player punch is that aeriths party slot on the member select stays open and empty even when others join

[@LucienYT]

I would argue that Terra (VI) is almost an amalgam of both Sephiroth and Aerith. Born of Esper (alien/altered species), forced into war compliance (via the slave crown), experimented on by the ruling power, chased after post escape from said power, realization of ties to abstract beings leads to catastrophic results... I feel like I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg here, but she really does feel like some weird precursor for Aerith and Sephiroth's stories.

[@KING-ZEAL]

Tina was completely inspired by the forbidden union of Angel and the daughters of men. The Nephilim. The mind of a mortal, but the powers of a 'god'. Nomura has always been deep into the occult. Anyone who knows him knows it's not a secret.

[@cultistsash]

@@KING-ZEAL That's not even occult. It's literal bible stories.

[@KING-ZEAL]

@cultofsash it's apocryphal, but Nomura is very much down with the occult. Everyone who's met him knows. You should see his fucked up "photography", but I digress. Anyway, worked on VS in the PS3 prototype stage with Roberto Ferrari.

[@KING-ZEAL]

@@pastellghost I know him, professionally.

[@LiminalMan777]

Another fantastic topic from the best Final Fantasy Channel around

[@clinthazzard7397]

"We're always with you, Cloud."

[@farawaygaming9675]

I remember after finishing FF7 back in the late 90s, I was hoping that Square would release some expanded content featuring Aerith and Sephiroth as young kids. I thought they would have some cool interactions as being the only kids in a corporation and share some sort of bond that gets loss. I also liked the idea of them being sibilings. Seeing them both cope with their backgrounds and treatment in different ways that created a conflict would be cool. Plus it gave off cool vibes like Jacen and Jaina from Star Wars legend stories. One last thing @FinalFantasyUnion, I approached this video with caution because I thought it might contain spoilers from "Traces of Two Pasts". I just started Aerith story and didn't want it to be spoiled. Glad it didn't...I think.

[@finalfanvii6822]

Aerith is Light and Sephiroth is Dark

[@SimonSaysDeath]

Summary of the video in 7 words, good job

[@AssaultSpiral]

And they were both F'd over by Shinra.

[@sarahdanvers1076]

An idea for a video would be the connection between magic and madness and how the more crazy/evil/insane characters are often mages or magic users. Kefka is an easy one, but also Shantotto and Cloud of Darkness, Golbez... Many villains cast magic.

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

Kefka was an original magi-tech knight, right? And the experiment went too far and broke him? It might be that magic, being based on magic and not science, requires you to have a mind that questions reality in order to use it.

[@lucinathegreat1248]

Aerith is to me the most interesting FF character even if FF7 is not my all time fav FF.

[@ericramirez2608]

Cloud and Sephiroth are rivals. Aerith and Sephiroth are enemies. Much like Yuna in FFX, Aerith is the true hero of the story. She just dies before the story ends.

[@elizabethchint2391]

No she's not, she's the main heroine and that's it.

[@fendelphi]

She is the hero/heroine. She is the one with a high sense of commitment and the will to do what she believe is right, even through sacrifice(another aspect that she shares with Sephiroth). But Cloud is still the protagonist(the character we are following). Which is fitting, since he is a "nobody" who eventually becomes an actual hero, once he finds/defines himself, based on the actions of the other characters around him(including Aerith and Sephiroth).

[@elizabethchint2391]

@@fendelphi Go tell that to the creators of the game. You guys come on here with headcanons, not facts. Aerith is not the hero.

[@fendelphi]

@@elizabethchint2391 I dont have to. They have said so themselves in interviews. Cloud is a "not-hero" for a large part of the story, following the lead of others surrounding him(because he has no real will of his own yet). He "reacts" to outside stimuli, rather than act due to his own conviction(for the most part). Tifa asks for help, so he bombs the reactors. Aerith asks for help so he tries to save the world. Everything in an effort to live up to his own idea of being "heroic", based on his, somewhat naive, idolization of Zack. Being "heroic" is not the same as "being a hero". And being "a hero" does not make you "the hero", either. He fails at being a hero so many times during the story. After Aerith dies, he tries to be "the hero", and almost immediately dooms the world. It is only after recovering his memories and rejoining the others after the Mideel incident that he truly becomes "the hero". Now it is his choice. He is the protagonist all along, but that is not the same thing as being the hero. And with the Remake, Aerith being "the hero" for half the story is made even more clear, when we learn that she is doing all of this in spite of knowing what is going to happen. She knows what is at stake, including her own life and the lives of those surrounding her, yet she goes forward. It is even suggested that hers and Sephiroth's souls have been battling through timelines due to the lifestream, making them a unique pair of rivals.

[@propermint1]

@@fendelphi bravo, that is the right answer :)

[@bradyhayes7911]

There are a ton of Biblical themes here. Jehovah/Jenova. Sephiroth effectively being a Nephilim, which the Bible (in Genesis) describes as the offspring of humans and fallen angels - He's a one winged angel, and that angelic half of him has a dark wing. Aerith sacrifices herself for the others, and succeeds ultimately as Sephiroth is conquered, making her a Messianic figure. The Cetra are effectively the Jews, as the chosen people, with their promised land. Not to mention Angel/Angeal with his white wing, and Genesis. Very interesting.

[@AnimaVox_]

Personally, I wouldn't say they're 'themes,' but more that the story is appropriating biblical imagery without context. I've seen some Japanese media do this before, actually-Evangelion being a rather infamous example considering none of the biblical terms that anime uses make sense in the way it uses them. It seems Nomura/whoever else has made the same mistake other non-Christians make in trying to separate the Old and New Testaments instead of viewing them as parts of a whole. But I'm open to being proven wrong.

[@qxz9p]

I think you mean “Aerith’s death at the hands of Jenova, shapeshifted to look like Sephiroth”

[@rus.t]

It was me, Barry. I sold flowers, fell for Zack, bumped into you, make you fall for me, and proceed to be killed by me. It was me all along, Barry.

[@mixnutz23]

As someone who just finished ff7 (original) the first time, and the story still being fresh in my mind, I agree to this!

[@specialnewb9821]

I'm glad they aren't siblings, too on the nose. I prefer the thematic paralells though I prefer thinking of Aerith as the Jenova of the good guys, the over arching good goddess who assists her followers (the team) against evil goddess Jenova unified with seph.

[@Thiago_Alves_Souza]

Also their names; Sephiroth is the tree of life in Jewish mysticism in the Sepher Yetzirat. Each aspect of divine manifestation through evocation of the angel in each Sephirat, and becoming closer to the divine. Aerith evokes earth, the physical realm, humanity and frailty. Yet the irony is that through her humanity and her contact with the earth, she achieved oness with the divine while Sephiroth became a corrupt version of the divine. Satan so to speak, while aerith is a Messianic godlike figure. One point, the Cetra are human though, I don't know why the distinction. The Cetra are the original humans while the rest were Cetra that left and lost connection with the planet.

[@TheBeanMan263]

the font used in background text and numbers just looks extremely cool

[@ardenskylark6235]

With the game focused on the topic of *legacy* its interesting to see how that developed and played out. Most of the characters are a product of and fighting for a legacy and the planet is the point of origin which circles back around. Its amazing to see how each character deals with and ascends from the result of their legacies.

[@martynadams754]

Good video, but in my view the reason Sephiroth doesn't get absorbed by the lifestream is because he is primarily a product of Jenova, having been exposed to her cells as a baby. Jenova is an alien entity and therefore can not be absorbed by the lifestream and therefore sort of "floats" within it upon death, like oil in water.

[@arbeione]

I’ve been talking about these parallels with my friends for years. I’m sure something will come if they in the remake series. Can’t wait to see how they take the narrative.

[@colonelradec5956]

I remember thinking that as a teen playing og ff7. How similar in opposite ways aerith abd sephiroth were. Even rhe hairstyle which is different now but of aeriths hair spiked up un the front like sephiroths. I always felt they seemded like siblings. And i kinda still get that vibe.

[@m_1230]

sephiroth's story makes me wanna fucking cry

[@ahobimo732]

I never read Sephiroth as "pure evil". To me, he was more of a "fallen angel" kind of character, who could have been a hero if only things had turned out slightly differently.

[@joshuariddensdale2126]

In early drafts of 7, they were siblings. Which explains their similar character models.

[@pandaeyez]

Yeah he already stated that.

[@tnygma0717]

They could retcon that back in if they wanted in the remake and I wouldn't hate that

[@odavies94]

Classic case of commenting before watching the video.

[@OfficialMetaSinMusic]

No shit sherlock

[@SnowWhiteTheU2]

i never knew this !!! amazing

[@Harukurochan]

Also, Sephiroth and Aerith were, and still are, major driving forces in Cloud’s life. Cloud left Nibelhiem with the hope to join SOLDIER because he admired Sephiroth and wanted to be like him. The first major turning point in Cloud’s arc in Midgar happens when he meets Aerith and quickly befriends her. He left Midgar to pursue Sephiroth and help Aerith learn more about her heritage. He was a key witness to Sephiroth and Aerith’s deaths, and their deaths still have a deep personal impact on him years later. After the events of the game Aerith and Sephiroth show they are still connected to Cloud, and vice versa. The “Remake” project feels like a battle of wills between Aerith and Sephiroth, both of whom focusing their attentions on Cloud and trying to coax him into joining their, currently unknown, separate end goals.

[@Tardigradient]

I have a sort of internal meter that calculates how interesting a video title and thumbnail look based on the number of seconds it takes for me to decide to play the video after reading the title and seeing the image. This video scored something on the order of a fraction of one second

[@dannysimion]

I knew these two were opposing sides but it’s awesome seeing a more in depth explanation to how that came about. Excellent job!

[@botzbankai]

I knew something was up way back when I noticed their hair looked the same in the front

[@monalisacarido6573]

I love Aerith character the most

[@iam4026]

I find it funny how the translator can properly translate “Sephirosu” into “Sephiroth” but couldn’t do the same from “Aerisu” to “Aerith”

[@kaltar4656]

They thought aeris was better. The meaning of it suits her role. The heir of the ancients.

[@simonblanjean6538]

I guess it's because Sephiroth is the plural of Sephirah, and is a pre-existing word

[@iam4026]

@@simonblanjean6538 yeah but Aerith is supposed to be an anagram of “Earth” where the “th” is also there

[@SimonSaysDeath]

As far as I know it defaults to Aerith if you never open the name select screen by cheating, so they kind of got it

[@SimonSaysDeath]

​@@iam4026bro doesn't know what an anagram is

[@ubergamer2010]

SUPER excited to see the kind of character development they introduce for Aerith. Whether or not her fate remains the same in the end, in Rebirth it's all but confirmed that Aerith already knows she's supposed to die. But what will happen if Sephiroth chooses not to make the same mistakes, and keeps her alive? She will feel lost, confused, and maybe even afflicted with survivor's guilt if someone else dies instead. I know everyone is completely against Rebirth killing off another character, but it's gonna happen. The trailers have hinted at some confusion with Tifa, but I think it's a red herring for what will actually happen: Barret is gonna be the one to die. Remake has shown Barret dead twice, once in the Shinra presentation room (an actual fakeout since no one actually got hurt), and then in front of the president. They've now conditioned the fanbase to think he's unkillable, which will make it WAY more shocking. Barret's promise to Marlene, "I'll come back" immediately made me cry upon seeing the ending because I KNEW that was foreshadowing something. Aerith also looks concerned when Tifa asks "so... what now?" Why would they make Barret say a line like that if we all know he's gonna survive and the stakes are low? That entire conversation tells me Aerith knows that what they've done is no small feat. They distract from the conversation by making Cloud talk about Sephiroth, but it seems like Aerith was concerned about something else entirely.

[@777dragonborn]

yeah i remember playing the ps1 game and just to see her sudden death from seph was just shocking I never felt more hatred for a villan in a game . But yeah looking back its more to both of those characters than i realize. One represents good in life gods way of life in harmony with nature,the. Other represents the ambition of man to conquer and dominate over natural wayof life .

[@DrBjamin]

What about the chilling parallels between Ruby and Emerald Weapon? Red vs Green, water vs dry desert, impossible to beat without trickery, and before the internet and seeing how to beat them I suffered for WEEKS before figuring it out myself and why... WHY? *sob* Damn you Ruby weapon!! Damn you to hell!

[@PrinceOfKings55]

I always enjoyed when two characters from a series that are unrelated and never met or have much interactions have so much parallels that you feel like they could have been friends in a different life

[@wiffmastermase]

It is common knowledge that they were originally intended to be siblings. What would be interesting to see in any lore expansion is if Aerith an Sephiroth have ever known about eachother when under Hojo's..... supervision.

[@M_Alexander]

All I can say is that there were probably about five thousand blog posts on this topic around twenty five years ago

[@D.IronsWorld]

Sephiroth was a broken hero, one of many. But except many he had the skills and power to change the world. But being discarded and kinda alien clone, he haven't found self worth and took to the dark side. We all have been there. You got to learn to be a part of others people world. Being the strongest is the lonesome road, broken ppl with no hope and light to guide them, never recover... He's only flaw was that he was in fact a human. Ailment not many can manage in real life.

[@8Phoenix8]

Thanks for making a follow up video from the external struggles of these two. I seriously feel rebirth is gonna be amazing. :)

[@takotako808]

Og ff7 chocobo racing was next level!!!! Loved it as a kid

[@picklechips1483]

Thinking about it now, it would have made sense if Aerith were to be Sephiroth's love / hate interest. Like, he deeply respected Aerith's Dad and knew of her Cetra background. It might have been a cool switch up if Sephiroth secretly wanted to be with Aerith even if it was to have children. So that they could recreate the "old planet", but when Aerith clearly showed signs of love for Zack and wanting to go against Sephiroth thats when he snaps and unalives her.

[@DotPone]

I would love to see more videos like this one! Such a good series 👏

[@mario_maniac9368]

Loved the video. Surprised you didn't go into the novels though the maiden one or on a way to a smile

[@thomasmuscat6527]

Especially considering the bearing the information in the novels seems to have on Advent Children and FVII Remake.

[@ralucamirabela7368]

I shipped them as a couple after I heard that they were supposed to be former lovers but they chose Zack for her instead. It makes so much sense as they turn up to be complete opposites. Imagine him being her first love and then ending up killing her. Would’ve been a huge emotional roller coaster, twist in the game.

[@Soulasiangod]

This video reminds me it may be a plot hole in ff7 story. Because Sephiroth and Aerith both was subjects under hojo around the same time when they was kids so they should of meet at least once. I doubt hojo kept them in totally different parts of the shinra building to do his test on them

[@Edward-W]

Why would he not? Aerith lived in 1 room and stayed there when her mother was taken away to experiment on. Sephiroth wasn't just held in a room. He was grown into a supersoldier. All that aside they do seem to both know the other exists at least. I don't see why it should be any more than that.

[@ПатрикКейн-к6д]

they are both in love with Сloud

[@philotaaveti]

at least he mentions dirge of cerberus here

[@devanshsinghrawat47]

I am always eagerly waiting for your new videos

[@sterlingkart9562]

I always had a feeling that Aerith and Sephiroth are either two halves of the same entity which being Jenova or they're possible siblings who both reside and the live stream as centra and are in this constant battle against each other, especially now with the Final Fantasy 7. Remake it almost feels as if both entities are trying to rewire the anthology as a whole Though, my theory is a bit of a reach and then some

[@TheGraviox]

I always envisioned that in a preivous draft of the game, Aerith and Sephiroth were brother and sister.

[@Nukemoth]

That’s exactly right. They were originally siblings

[@t0m532]

I'm pretty sure they were, it explains their similar hair too

[@tungmiyaynusnbahls8936]

He literally said that was the case in the video.

[@thomaskent9818]

Isn’t professor fast both their fathers?

[@seankkg]

​@@tungmiyaynusnbahls8936 People just post comments immediately when they see the title. It's goofy.

[@georgehouliaras7239]

They are connected though Chaos! He is always behind everything, scheming.

[@billybatts8283]

They both love Cloud but to be fair, so does everyone else.

[@jakobh6257]

Great video!

[@illamerica]

I find it interesting how at one point during development they where siblings.

[@Blackness101]

It's like they're the gods of chaos and order, like in the storyline of Dissidia. Always at conflict over supremacy of their realm

[@makotoamamiya2442]

So I have a question if Hojo and that other lady are sephiroth's parents how the hell did he get to thinking Jenova was his mom??

[@gavyncarter9461]

They needed to experiment after conception of the baby I think. So lucrecia was his biological mother in the sense that she gave birth to him. But jenova is what they used for his genes.

[@tommyfraz.]

Sephiroth read between the lines, and made his own definition. Sephiroth likely believed that the Jenova cells took over the DNA, and erased Lucrecia and Hojo. So in his mind, Jenova is his mother.

[@Skyset_angel]

I think Hojo was preparing him to go crazy.. why else did he go to that reactor and have his “mother’s” name prominently displayed and confusing with half backed truths in the library. The question I have is why Seph would want to kill everyone else and not Hojo?? He had Jenova why didn’t he just get rid of him at the building?

[@cloudialee8400]

@@Skyset_angelbecause Sephiroth didn’t know everything is hojo’s plan

[@Willchannel90]

The remake number 7 reveals this story.

[@finalfanvii6822]

Goddam I love Final Fantasy

[@literally_leo]

Aerith secret ending Remake final part boss, calling it here.

[@Elder_Keithulhu]

I suspect that Aerith's death was more of a shock to the younger fans who had not seen Final Fantasy kill off playable characters in previous games. I could be wrong. Maybe they got more upset over Aerith than Tellah, Galuf, or the four characters in Final Fantasy II because she was a clear romantic interest.

[@daltonoakleyjr391]

And a lot of those characters from ff2/ff4 got revived later on too

[@dalejennings2677]

What if they were supposed to procreat? Hoji was f ing wierd guys.

[@TheBlackDeck]

they were brother and sister in pre production development. in the early, early stages.

[@dynaman7329]

Could you do a video on what influenced the Final Fantasy series. Checkout Twin Perfect's "TRSHE Part 16A & Part 16B - Silent Hill Inspirations" to get an idea what I'm suggesting.

[@charlesedwinbooks]

More people should really read the book square enix released about Tifa and Aerith's childhoods. It's really good, and oddly, is a "sequel" / "prequel" at the same time. As Tifa is sharing her story as the group goes from Kalm to Chocobo Farm, and Aerith shares her story as they've stowed away from Junon.

[@colonelradec5956]

I recognized alot of this when i was younger. I never saw cloud as sephiroths rival. I saw aerith as the batman to sephiroths joker. Cloud physically fights him with the rest of the party but the final fight is meteor vs holy and the lifestream. Literally the final clash is 2 summons. 1 from aerith 1 from sephiroth. And i always felt like cloud and the party and what they did was not nearly as important as aeriths part. Cloud and the gang go to crater to fight sephiroth but to me it almost felt unnecessary from a a lore point. As if they were beatinf him simply because they didn't know what else to do to help I mean even alot of the message at the end of the game is about simply doing your best. Bugedin or however you spell it even talks about life and being old and wishing he could do something more which inspires the party. But at.the end of the day it was holy vs meteor that determined the fate of the planet. I feel cloud and the party coulda failed and still potentially won the war simply because of aerith and holy. Almost as if what cloud and them did was like back burner stuff. Like not nearly as important. Almost reminds me of star wars. Yea its a way out there stretch lol but like how obi won was the light side and said to darth vader. Strike me down and i will become more powerful than you could ever imagine. Which is essently what happened to aeirth. Alive her power was limited to the physical realm. But once she was part of the life stream she was no longer bound to the normal world. Like her power was unleashed. Anyways thats what i remember thinking way back. I feelnlike the old ff7 benefited a bit from reading it in that you had to think more. I feel like reading all them chatboxes made you kinda construct the story in your imagination more like a book.

[@KING-ZEAL]

I was literally told by a Japanese/Australian writer, lifelong friend from Square Honolulu Pictures, later moved to SE DIvision 1, and working on the 4 FF7R games (there WILL be four, not three) -- Straight up "Aerith will be the main antagonist of the story". And that it will be revealed that she in fact was responsible for Sephiroth "liberating her soul in the original timeline, through death" so that she could begin her generational plan to become the "successor of Jenovah" and that she wws the "original Seer of the Ancients that betrayed her people and sunmoned Jenovah from the stars." Sounds exactly like some Nomura shit, so I totally believe it. And he's never told me wrong. PS- I am the real Zeal. The one that revealed the entire secret ending and Versus connections in KH3, a year before it happened, via 4Chan. It is a known fact amongst Nomura's team that he also plans to fully revive the Versus Epic Saga first through Verum Rex in KH4, finally, and then relaunch Versus itself, fully in name and the original narrative. Believe none of this, believe nothing. Either way, it's happening.

[@Amanofan7777]

Deliberate storytelling is "chilling parallels" now?

[@sweetwizzle]

Have you made a comment regarding Matsuno's denial of Basch being the original main character of FFXII, a rumor that you stated as fact in videos?

[@TheMrMRsmoke]

I mean it makes sense why clouds cant get his mind of both of them so

[@bitsuuuuuu]

01:50 What? What version is this? Is that mod?

[@Fabian-bp1pm]

Vivi/Zidane/Kuja parallels!

[@boomlove3454]

I wonder how things would turn out had aerith and sephiroth had met in their childhood

[@caesarhiro3630]

Anyway, we're about close to Rebirth release. I wonder why none of the update though.

[@bronwynecg]

My brain will POP OPEN 🤯 if Sephiroth refers to Aerith as his “sister” at some point in FF Rebirth 😂😂😂😂😆😆😆

[@RetreatHell518]

I think one reason why Sephiroth didn't die in the lifestream was because of his Jenova cells.

[@CreamerOfTheDairySquad]

Given they were meant to be siblings originally it makes sense they would have similiarities

[@BlackWing4151993]

Your thumbnail remind me of baron ashura from mazinger z

[@Soohable]

5:50 Aerith is not entirely human

[@longliveartimus]

Love your work where can I order your book?

[@josephd8129]

What's funny is that after Rebirth the parallels are even stronger

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

I hope we can see more interactions between Aerith and Sephiroth in FF 7 Rebirth!

[@Sephiroth144]

Everytime I heard about the petition or fans in general "demanding" that there should be a way to revive Aerith, I am 100% on board- WITH ONE CAVAET. Reviving her dooms the planet. Her being part of the Lifestream is why the planet was able to/decided to defeat Meteor and not just erase humanity- you can rescue her, and be all happy, but make that shit have consequences.

[@KopperNeoman]

But if she were alive, she would be able to cast Holy before Meteor got too close. Aerith's death was pointless and meaningless: that's the entire point. It makes no sense why you can't resurrect her (it wasn't until the ports that Death status was renamed KO) and it does nothing to doom the planet like Sephiroth and Jenova wanted.

[@Sephiroth144]

@@KopperNeoman Holy WAS cast- and became corrupted by Meteor/Sephiroth. Also, can't forget that the Weapons were also part of Gaia's defense system (immune system); and one of those headed straight for the largest human settlement. The Planet seemed pretty much done with humans... It was only the intercession of the Lifestream that saved the people of the world (if not The Planet itself)- and Aerith being a part of the Lifestream is why that happened.