History TearJerker / FinalFantasyVII

-->--'''Aeris's''' parting words

!Aeris's Death
* The death of Aeris had many gamers literally bawling into their controllers. Japanese players allegedly sent a futile petition to Squaresoft begging for Aeris's revival.
* Aeris's fate was inspired by the death of a real person: Sakaguchi's mother, who died early in the production of ''Final Fantasy VII''. This made Sakaguchi, the man behind the entire series, include a realistic death in the game as opposed to the Hollywood-style deaths in earlier ''Final Fantasy'' games.
* WordOfGod says that Cait Sith's sacrifice was intentionally played up, only to be deflated in mere seconds, to desensitize players and make them believe that this is a world in which nobody dies. The next scene is Aeris announcing that she's going to go face Sephiroth alone. Well played, Squaresoft. You pricks.
* What really seems to get people, at a time where [[ItWasHisSled everyone in the known world with an internet connection knows it's going to happen]], is that it's so [[HopeSpot dragged out and emphasized.]] Cloud manages to overpower his programming and prevent himself from killing Aeris and she looks at him with a smile...and then the camera tilts up to reveal Sephiroth[=/=]Jenova-LIFE falling from the sky sword-first. The shots linger long enough that a player might expect someone, '''anyone''', to save Aeris from her fate, but no-one notices Sephiroth until it's too late.
* Anybody familiar with [=JRPGs=] has seen the clip of Aeris getting stabbed, but what the billions of clickbait videos and countdowns fail to mention is:
##Cloud has to fight against his own programming to stop [[SwordOverHead himself from executing Aeris]]. That's when Jenova/Sephiroth steps in and finishes the job.

* The game might be getting re-made for the new generation, but this scene has become so iconic and very important to the core story that there's just ''no way'' Square could ever remove it. Which means they probably will not create extra content to canonically prevent her death. ''Not even a remake can save Aeris.''

** Cloud catches Aeris as she falls, and cradles her broken body to him, murmuring to himself that '''this can't be real'''. Sephiroth, ignorant to the depth of Cloud's pain, tells him that Aeris will soon be part of the Lifestream before going on about his own plans for the future. Still grieving, Cloud cuts his speech off and tells him to "'''shut up'''", and that the cycle of nature and Sephiroth's stupid plan don't mean a damb thing because Aeris is gone. The way his shoulders move and his speech on how his eyes are burning heavily imply that he's crying. Even more heart wrenching is when he says "'''What about my pain?'''", because it makes it clear that at that point, Cloud cannot focus on anything -- not the impending doom of the planet, not even the fact that his archenemy is standing '''right there''' -- but his grief over Aeris/Aerith's death.
--->'''Cloud:''' Aeris is gone.\\
'''Cloud:''' Aeris will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry... or get angry...\\

** Even though they both had romantic interest in Cloud, Aeris had become Tifa's closest friend along the journey. So when she's dead, Tifa pays her respects by kneeling in front of the dead Aeris and caressing her face gently. Then she starts to sob, and then just stands up and runs out of the area sobbing her eyes out. Bear in mind that it takes a lot to make Tifa cry.
** Barret walks up to Aeris's body, looks for a second, and then simply places his hand on Cloud's shoulder. Having lost the woman he loved, as well, Barret's empathy was very appropriate for that scene.

** But for many fans, '''Yuffie''' of all people has the most unexpected reaction. Here we have a selfish little thief who tags along with your party for little reason other than greed... but when faced with Aeris's death you can see her struggling to maintain control of herself. Then she completely loses it and '''flings herself at Cloud crying'''. And Cloud just hangs onto her and lets her cry. And even when she leaves, her sprite is shaking to show she's still crying. It makes the scene afterward, when she basically bitch-slaps Cloud and tells him he's not going after Sephiroth solo (because ''of course'' they're all coming along) more impactful. It was this moment [[AdoptTheDog which convinced her doubters that Yuffie actually had a heart after all]].
** Vincent basically just silently glared at Cloud emotionlessly, though you can argue that he was disturbed by Aeris's death, but because of his own traumatic past and zombiefication, he's unable to express any emotions to convey it. And as you discover his past, this becomes even sadder: Vincent was there to witness his lover Lucrecia die and unable to do anything about it and he, along with Cloud, let a similar tragedy befall Aeris.
** Cid is unable to show his face to anyone, not even Aeris's. All he does is just stare upwards at the sky, as if silently asking the gods '''why''' they would do something like this, and then walks away without even looking at Cloud. Probably because he can't bear to let Cloud see his sad face.
* Even the interface gets in on it. When the player visits a shop, it shows all party members, arranged nicely in a square after you get all nine, so you can see how new equipment will affect them. Likewise, changing party members with the PHS also shows the six backup party members nicely arranged in two rows of three. After Aeris dies, her spot in the left column is simply left empty instead of rearranging the party members who joined after her, and the second row of inactive party members now has a conspicuous blank space. For the rest of the game, you are forced to stare at that empty spot, as if the party will never be whole again.
* Somehow it's worse knowing the NES Fan translation also has Aeris's death in it... it's just as heartwrenching as the real thing.
* There's a bit of meta manipulation at play here as well. Gamers are used to receiving rewards after working through long, complex levels, such as the Forgotten City. The game has you spending possibly hours going back and forth, solving puzzles and fighting monsters all for the purpose of finding Aeris and bringing her back to the fold. You finally reach your objective and there she is, everything's going to be alright. Then you have to watch as she's cut down before your eyes. You did all that work and ''it wasn't enough''!

* Aeris's whole life is one long Tearjerker. Born the daughter of [[ASharedSuffering the sole remainder of an ancient race]] and her scientist lover, her only family was tortured and eventually killed at the hands of the Shinra Power Company, and she was left alone in the slums of Sector 7 before being adopted by Elmyra. She grew up on those mean streets and was endlessly stalked and watched by Shinra Inc. under the directions of Dr. Hojo, the man responsible for all her suffering. Even when she managed to meet her eventual first Love, Zack Fair, he eventually lost his life due to Shinra Inc. and she only discovered this years after his death despite hope he was still alive. She would eventually meet a new love in Cloud and have new friends, before being abused and captured to be experimented on by Dr. Hojo, who admitted he could have done so at anytime and simply waited for her to mature first. All of this before her infamous death in a bid to save the Planet from destruction. How she managed to keep a positive attitude in spite of all that horror is nothing short of miraculous.
* Cait Sith's faux HeroicSacrifice was still very touching... particularly when the moogle tripped and Cait Sith fell on the floor, then turned to the camera and made that adorably cute shrug. "Even I can save the world!" Some people, even the ones who are ambivalent about Aeris, started crying at this point even if they know the circumstances. The music [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfelCeKaaIE "Words Drowned by Fireworks']] and the moment when he swings his arms cheerfully, then stops and slumps over for a second... Jeez, that was AlasPoorScrappy at its finest, and could be considered RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap. You find yourself agreeing with what he said: Another Cait Sith body may (and does) come along, but there's only one of ''this'' Cait Sith... and you're going to miss him.
* Then there’s the part when Cait Sith tells Aeris that she and Cloud are perfect for each other. It's made even worse if you have Tifa in the party: When Cait Sith mentions that he doesn't want to tell their fortune in front of Tifa, who is clearly distressed, '''Aeris''' encourages him to, replying, "Oh don't worry, ''I'' don't mind!"
* To a number of people, the death of Aeris pales in comparison to the scene where Tifa finds Cloud after he falls into the Lifestream. ''Great!'', we all think, ''He's in this town! ... In a hospital... Wheelchair bound... Nodding his head in a comatose state... completely unresponsive''. It’s so despairingly similar to finding someone you know and deeply care about in a doddering or vegetative state: You know they’re 'alive', but you just can’t meaningfully communicate with them. Tifa is so devastated by it that she leaves the party to watch over him, and Cid has to step up as party leader. And considering this sequence comes fairly soon after Aeris's death, a new player may well assume that Cloud's not gonna get better.[[note]]And in ''Advent Children, he didn't really get better, and mentally cracked, thus leading to his change in personality.[[/note]] The moment Cloud rejoins the party may have you crying for two reasons: Either tears of joy because Cloud's back, or tears of sadness because we've just witnessed his traumatic origins.
** Cloud's HeroicBSOD at the Northern Crater. At this point, he's pretty much hit rock bottom. He's a puppet. He doesn't have a real past. All of his drives and motivations were just programmed into him (or so Sephiroth claims). He failed to save the Planet. He failed to save Aeris. He actually washed out of the SOLDIER program. Now he's begging to at least be numbered, to be recognized as '''anything''', and he begs Hojo to give him a number... and Hojo tells him he's a failure even as a puppet. Ouch!

** Like with Aeris's death, the piano reprise of the Cosmo Canyon theme really hits it home. The same music plays again... when you have Red XIII visit Bugenhagen on his death bed.

* Elmyra waiting for her husband to return, and finally finding out from Aeris that he died on the way back from the war. Later, Cait Sith mentions that he (as Reeve) told her of Aeris's death, and that Elmyra, along with Marlene, didn't take it well.

* The aftermath of the Ancient Temple, where after going through the effort of retrieving the Black Materia, Sephiroth manages to control Cloud, forcing him to hand over the Black Materia, and then forces him to beat up Aeris! Imagine Aeris, her face bruised, possibly bleeding, her eyes full of pain, shock and betrayal. This is how Cloud last saw her in person until they find her at the altar where she dies.

* ''Case of Tifa'' provides an in-depth look at Cloud and Tifa's relationship as they struggle to adapt to a normal life in the newly-founded city of Edge. Needless to say, there are many heartwarming moments, but also some very strong tearjerkers, as the two of them try and often fail to communicate their feelings to each other effectively. This is only exacerbated by Cloud's dwindling emotional state as a result of his having failed to save the lives of Aeris and Zack, thus further straining his relationship with Tifa.

* Though she manages it better than Cloud, Tifa herself struggles with her own bout with Survivor's Guilt at the start of the novella between Aeris, Sector 7, and the overall state of Midgar post Meteorfall.

!Aerith's Death
* The death of Aerith had many gamers literally bawling into their controllers. Japanese players allegedly sent a futile petition to Squaresoft begging for Aerith's revival.
* Aerith's fate was inspired by the death of a real person: Sakaguchi's mother, who died early in the production of ''Final Fantasy VII''. This made Sakaguchi, the man behind the entire series, include a realistic death in the game as opposed to the Hollywood-style deaths in earlier ''Final Fantasy'' games.
* WordOfGod says that Cait Sith's sacrifice was intentionally played up, only to be deflated in mere seconds, to desensitize players and make them believe that this is a world in which nobody dies. The next scene is Aerith announcing that she's going to go face Sephiroth alone. Well played, Squaresoft. You pricks.
* What really seems to get people, at a time where [[ItWasHisSled everyone in the known world with an internet connection knows it's going to happen]], is that it's so [[HopeSpot dragged out and emphasized.]] Cloud manages to overpower his programming and prevent himself from killing Aerith and she looks at him with a smile...and then the camera tilts up to reveal Sephiroth[=/=]Jenova-LIFE falling from the sky sword-first. The shots linger long enough that a player might expect someone, ''anyone'', to save Aerith from her fate, but no-one notices Sephiroth until it's too late.
* Anybody familiar with [=JRPGs=] has seen the clip of Aerith getting stabbed, but what the billions of clickbait videos and countdowns fail to mention is:
##Cloud has to fight against his own programming to stop [[SwordOverHead himself from executing Aerith]]. That's when Jenova/Sephiroth steps in and finishes the job.

* The game might be getting re-made for the new generation, but this scene has become so iconic and very important to the core story that there's just ''no way'' Square could ever remove it. Which means they probably will not create extra content to canonically prevent her death. ''Not even a remake can save Aerith.''

** Cloud catches Aerith as she falls, and cradles her broken body to him, murmuring to himself that ''this can't be real''. Sephiroth, ignorant to the depth of Cloud's pain, tells him that Aerith will soon be part of the Lifestream before going on about his own plans for the future. Still grieving, Cloud cuts his speech off and tells him to "shut up", and that the cycle of nature and Sephiroth's stupid plan don't mean a damb thing because Aerith is gone. The way his shoulders move and his speech on how his eyes are burning heavily imply that he's crying. Even more heart wrenching is when he says "What about my pain?", because it makes it clear that at that point, Cloud cannot focus on anything -- not the impending doom of the planet, not even the fact that his archenemy is standing ''right there'' -- but his grief over Aeris/Aerith's death.

** Even though they both had romantic interest in Cloud, Aerith had become Tifa's closest friend along the journey. So when she's dead, Tifa pays her respects by kneeling in front of the dead Aerith and caressing her face gently. Then she starts to sob, and then just stands up and runs out of the area sobbing her eyes out. Bear in mind that it takes a lot to make Tifa cry.
** Barret walks up to Aerith's body, looks for a second, and then simply places his hand on Cloud's shoulder. Having lost the woman he loved, as well, Barret's empathy was very appropriate for that scene.

** But for many fans, ''Yuffie'' of all people has the most unexpected reaction. Here we have a selfish little thief who tags along with your party for little reason other than greed... but when faced with Aerith's death you can see her struggling to maintain control of herself. Then she completely loses it and ''flings herself at Cloud crying''. And Cloud just hangs onto her and lets her cry. And even when she leaves, her sprite is shaking to show she's still crying. It makes the scene afterward, when she basically bitch-slaps Cloud and tells him he's not going after Sephiroth solo (because ''of course'' they're all coming along) more impactful. It was this moment [[AdoptTheDog which convinced her doubters that Yuffie actually had a heart after all]].
** Vincent basically just silently glared at Cloud emotionlessly, though you can argue that he was disturbed by Aerith's death, but because of his own traumatic past and zombiefication, he's unable to express any emotions to convey it. And as you discover his past, this becomes even sadder: Vincent was there to witness his lover Lucrecia die and unable to do anything about it and he, along with Cloud, let a similar tragedy befall Aerith.
** Cid is unable to show his face to anyone, not even Aerith's. All he does is just stare upwards at the sky, as if silently asking the gods '''why''' they would do something like this, and then walks away without even looking at Cloud. Probably because he can't bear to let Cloud see his sad face.
* Even the interface gets in on it. When the player visits a shop, it shows all party members, arranged nicely in a square after you get all nine, so you can see how new equipment will affect them. Likewise, changing party members with the PHS also shows the six backup party members nicely arranged in two rows of three. After Aerith dies, her spot in the left column is simply left empty instead of rearranging the party members who joined after her, and the second row of inactive party members now has a conspicuous blank space. For the rest of the game, you are forced to stare at that empty spot, as if the party will never be whole again.
* Somehow it's worse knowing the NES Fan translation also has Aerith's death in it...it's just as heartwrenching as the real thing.
* There's a bit of meta manipulation at play here as well. Gamers are used to receiving rewards after working through long, complex levels, such as the Forgotten City. The game has you spending possibly hours going back and forth, solving puzzles and fighting monsters all for the purpose of finding Aerith and bringing her back to the fold. You finally reach your objective and there she is, everything's going to be alright. Then you have to watch as she's cut down before your eyes. You did all that work and ''it wasn't enough''!

* Aerith's whole life is one long Tearjerker. Born the daughter of [[ASharedSuffering the sole remainder of an ancient race]] and her scientist lover, her only family was tortured and eventually killed at the hands of the Shinra Power Company, and she was left alone in the slums of Sector 7 before being adopted by Elmyra. She grew up on those mean streets and was endlessly stalked and watched by Shinra Inc. under the directions of Dr. Hojo, the man responsible for all her suffering. Even when she managed to meet her eventual first Love, Zack Fair, he eventually lost his life due to Shinra Inc. and she only discovered this years after his death despite hope he was still alive. She would eventually meet a new love in Cloud and have new friends, before being abused and captured to be experimented on by Dr. Hojo, who admitted he could have done so at anytime and simply waited for her to mature first. All of this before her infamous death in a bid to save the Planet from destruction. How she managed to keep a positive attitude in spite of all that horror is nothing short of miraculous.
* Cait Sith's faux HeroicSacrifice was still very touching... particularly when the moogle tripped and Cait Sith fell on the floor, then turned to the camera and made that adorably cute shrug. "Even I can save the world!" Some people, even the ones who are ambivalent about Aerith, started crying at this point even if they know the circumstances. The music [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfelCeKaaIE "Words Drowned by Fireworks']] and the moment when he swings his arms cheerfully, then stops and slumps over for a second... Jeez, that was AlasPoorScrappy at its finest, and could be considered RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap. You find yourself agreeing with what he said: Another Cait Sith body may (and does) come along, but there's only one of ''this'' Cait Sith... and you're going to miss him.
* Then there’s the part when Cait Sith tells Aerith that her and Cloud are perfect for each other. It's made even worse if you have Tifa in the party: When Cait Sith mentions that he doesn't want to tell their fortune in front of Tifa, who is clearly distressed, '''Aerith''' encourages him to, replying, "Oh don't worry, ''I'' don't mind!"
* To a number of people, the death of Aerith pales in comparison to the scene where Tifa finds Cloud after he falls into the Lifestream. ''Great!'', we all think, ''He's in this town! ... In a hospital... Wheelchair bound... Nodding his head in a comatose state... completely unresponsive''. It’s so despairingly similar to finding someone you know and deeply care about in a doddering or vegetative state: You know they’re 'alive', but you just can’t meaningfully communicate with them. Tifa is so devastated by it that she leaves the party to watch over him, and Cid has to step up as party leader. And considering this sequence comes fairly soon after Aerith's death, a new player may well assume that Cloud's not gonna get better.[[note]]And in ''Advent Children, he didn't really get better, and mentally cracked, thus leading to his change in personality.[[/note]] The moment Cloud rejoins the party may have you crying for two reasons: Either tears of joy because Cloud's back, or tears of sadness because we've just witnessed his traumatic origins.
** Cloud's HeroicBSOD at the Northern Crater. At this point, he's pretty much hit rock bottom. He's a puppet. He doesn't have a real past. All of his drives and motivations were just programmed into him (or so Sephiroth claims). He failed to save the Planet. He failed to save Aerith. He actually washed out of the SOLDIER program. Now he's begging to at least be numbered, to be recognized as ''anything'', and he begs Hojo to give him a number... and Hojo tells him he's a failure even as a puppet. Ouch!

** Like with Aerith's death, the piano reprise of the Cosmo Canyon theme really hits it home. The same music plays again... when you have Red XIII visit Bugenhagen on his death bed.

* Elmyra waiting for her husband to return, and finally finding out from Aerith that he died on the way back from the war. Later, Cait Sith mentions that he (as Reeve) told her of Aerith's death, and that Elmyra, along with Marlene, didn't take it well.
* Just about everything pertaining to Vincent, and let’s look at the facts. First, he falls in love with a woman who doesn't return his affections, but instead shacks up with a mad scientist. Instead of holding it against either of them, he states "[[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy As long as she's happy... I don't mind]]". When she becomes very unhappy very fast (i.e. knocked up with his baby, which she has injected with alien cells but comes to regret later on), he does his best to avenge her, but is shot (and possibly killed, depending on what fanon you hold to). He's further subjected to an untold number of horrific experiments for an untold amount of time, and is cursed to transform into hideous creatures the moment his health get low, so he can't even put himself out of his misery. Once Hojo gets bored with it, he locks Vincent in a coffin for thirty years, the entire time spent unaging, unchanging, trapped in a perpetual nightmare state, until AVALANCHE frees him (and even THAT depends on [[GuideDangIt the player's ingenuity/walkthrough]]). And the kicker? ''He believes he deserves it all''. But the icing on the cake is showcasing his lover insane, encased in crystal, and still not caring whether Vincent is alive, and it's no wonder he manages to out-{{Woobie}}s even Cloud.

* The aftermath of the Ancient Temple, where after going through the effort of retrieving the Black Materia, Sephiroth manages to control Cloud, forcing him to hand over the Black Materia, and then forces him to beat up Aerith! Imagine Aerith, her face bruised, possibly bleeding, her eyes full of pain, shock and betrayal. This is how Cloud last saw her in person until they find her at the altar where she dies.

* ''Case of Tifa'' provides an in-depth look at Cloud and Tifa's relationship as they struggle to adapt to a normal life in the newly-founded city of Edge. Needless to say, there are many heartwarming moments, but also some very strong tearjerkers, as the two of them try and often fail to communicate their feelings to each other effectively. This is only exacerbated by Cloud's dwindling emotional state as a result of his having failed to save the lives of Aerith and Zack, thus further straining his relationship with Tifa.

* Though she manages it better than Cloud, Tifa herself struggles with her own bout with Survivor's Guilt at the start of the novella between Aerith, Sector 7, and the overall state of Midgar post Meteorfall.

-->--'''Aerith's''' parting words

* Even the interface gets in on it. When the player visits a shop, it shows all party members, arranged nicely in a square after you get all nine, so you can see how new equipment will affect them. After Aerith dies, her spot in the left column is simply left empty instead of rearranging the party members who joined after her. For the rest of the game, you are forced to stare at that empty spot, as if the party will never be whole again.

** Vincent basically just silently glared at Cloud emotionlessly, though you can argue that he was disturbed by Aerith's death, but because of his own traumatic past and zombiefication, he's unable to express any emotions to convey it. And as you discover his past, this becomes even sadder: Vincent was there to witness his lover Lucrecia die and unable to do anything about it and he, along with Cloud, let a similar tragedy befell on Aerith.

--> '''Tifa:''' “Even though we’ve been together for some time?”

* Once the party revisits the Forgotten Capital, Tifa finally allows herself to grieve and promptly breaks down, again wracked with sorrow and guilt for the tragedies of the game proper

!On the Way To a Smile

--> ''Of course, there was no answer. I only heard the sound of him sleeping. I wondered if the fact that he was sleeping here meant that he was part of the family.''

--> ''Tifa waited for his answer, though she couldn’t hear it even if she waited until the morning.''

* Just about everything pertaining to Vincent, and let’s look at the facts. First, he falls in love with a woman who doesn't return his affections, but instead shacks up with a mad scientist. Instead of holding it against either of them, he states "[[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy As long as she's happy... I don't mind]]". When she becomes very unhappy very fast (i.e. knocked up with his baby, which she has injected with alien cells but comes to regret later on), he does his best to avenge her, but is shot (and possibly killed, depending on what fanon you hold to). He's further subjected to an untold number of horrific experiments for an untold amount of time, and is cursed to transform into hideous creatures the moment his health get low, so he can't even put himself out of his misery. Once Hojo gets bored with him, he locks him in a coffin for thirty years, the entire time spent unaging, unchanging, trapped in a perpetual nightmare state, until AVALANCHE frees him (and even THAT depends on [[GuideDangIt the player's ingenuity/walkthrough]]). And the kicker? ''He believes he deserves it all''. But the icing on the cake is showcasing his lover insane, encased in crystal, and still not caring whether Vincent is alive, and it's no wonder he manages to out-{{Woobie}}s even Cloud.

*** After being tormented and mind-fucked by Sephiroth since the start of the game, he ''still'' turns to Tifa and sadly tells her "I hope you find the real Cloud". Made worse by the fact that Tifa, the only one who could snap him out of it, had been rendered mute by Sephiroth for the moment.

** Red XIII's mournful howl. ** Cait Sith's half-hearted attempts to cheer Cloud up. His reaction may seem out of place but it's in-character to try and do what he does best...but even he realizes it's no use, and he simply looks at him as he orders his Moogle to walk away. Even worse is if you think about it is that Reeve must have been watching the entire thing via the feed. Imagine how he feels on the other side of the moogle he's controlling?

* WordOfGod says that Cait Sith's sacrifice was so blatantly played up, only to be deflated ''in mere seconds'', intentionally to desensitize players to dying characters, making the player believe that this is a game in which nobody dies. The next scene is Aerith announcing that she's going to go face Sephiroth alone. Well played, Squaresoft. You bastards.
* What really seems to get people, at a time where [[ItWasHisSled everyone in the known world with an internet connection knows it's going to happen]], is that it's just so dragged out and emphasized. A ton of people have seen the clip of Aerith getting stabbed, but what the billions of clickbait videos and countdowns fail to mention is:
##Cloud has to fight against his own programming to stop ''[[SwordOverHead himself]]'' from executing Aerith. That's when Jenova/Sephiroth steps in and finishes the job.

##Cloud letting her sink away into the water. It all lasts for a good ten minutes to the point where even when you know full well it's coming, it still punches you in the gut with how uncompromising it is. ''She is gone''.
* The game might be getting re-made for the new generation, but this scene has become so iconic and very important to the core story that there's just ''no way'' Square could ever remove it. Which means they probably ''will not'' create extra content to canonically prevent her death. ''Not even a remake can save Aerith.''
** It never could: ''Advent Children'' made it absolutely crystal clear that she's dead. And unless they write such into any possible GrandFinale as a ThrowTheDogABone to everyone, or render the ''Compilation Of FF VII'' non-canon, not that a lot of people would complain if they did, then she's never coming back. On the lighter side however, she doesn't seem to mind her existence right now, and she's finally [[TogetherInDeath reunited with Zack]].

** Cloud catches Aerith as she falls, and cradles her broken body to him, murmuring to himself that ''this can't be real''. Sephiroth, ignorant to the depth of Cloud's pain, tells him that Aerith will soon be part of the Lifestream before going on about his own plans for the future. Still grieving, Cloud cuts his speech off and literally tells him to ''shut up'', and that the cycle of nature and Sephiroth's stupid plan don't mean a thing because Aerith is dead. The way his shoulders move and his speech on how his eyes are burning heavily imply that he's crying. Even more heart wrenching is when he says "What about my pain?", because it makes it clear that at that point, Cloud cannot focus on anything -- not the impending doom of the planet, not even the fact that his archenemy is standing ''right there'' -- but his grief over Aeris/Aerith's death.

** Even though they both had romantic interest in Cloud, Aerith had become Tifa's closest friend along the journey. So when she's dead, Tifa pays her respects by kneeling in front of the dead Aerith and caressing her face gently. Then she starts to sob, and then just stands up and runs out of the area crying her eyes out. Bear in mind that it takes ''a lot'' to make Tifa cry.

** Red XIII's mournful howl and Cait Sith's half-hearted attempts to cheer Cloud up.
** Cait Sith's reaction may seem out of place but it's in-character to try and do what he does best...but to no avail. Even he knew he couldn't cheer up Cloud and he simply looks at him as he orders his Moogle to walk away. Even worse is if you think about it is that Reeve must have been watching the entire thing. Imagine how he feels on the other side of whom he's controlling?

* What's worse is that her death is a ''cruel, cruel HopeSpot.'' Cloud, through HeroicWillpower manages to overpower his programming and prevent himself from killing Aerith and she looks at him with a smile... ...and then the camera tilts up to reveal Sephiroth[=/=]Jenova-LIFE diving down to ''impale her.'' The shots linger long enough that a player might hope desperately for someone, ''anyone'', to save her from her impending fate, but no-one notices Sephiroth until it's too late.

* Cait Sith's faux HeroicSacrifice was still very touching... particularly when the moogle tripped and Cait Sith fell on the floor, then turned to the camera and made that adorably cute shrug. "Even I can save the world!" Some people, even the ones who are ambivalent about Aerith, started crying at this point even if they know the circumstances. The music [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfelCeKaaIE "Words Drowned by Fireworks']] and the moment when he swings his arms cheerfully, then stops and slumps over for a second really make it... Jeez, that was AlasPoorScrappy at its finest and could be considered RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap. You find yourself ''agreeing'' with what he said: Another Cait Sith body may (and does) come along, but there's only one of ''this'' Cait Sith... and you're actually going to miss him.

* To a number of people, the death of Aerith pales in comparison to the scene where Tifa finds Cloud after he falls into the Lifestream. ''Great!'', we all think, ''He's in this town! ... In a hospital... Wheelchair bound... Nodding his head in a comatose state... completely unresponsive''. It’s so despairingly similar to finding someone you know and deeply care about in a coma: You know they’re 'alive', but can’t do anything for them. Just imagine someone you grew up with your whole life and shared lots of happy moments together being effectively brain-dead. Tifa is so devastated by it that she leaves the party to watch over him, and ''Cid'' has to step up as party leader. And considering this sequence comes fairly soon after Aerith's death, a new player may well assume that Cloud's not gonna get better.[[note]]And in ''Advent Children, he didn't really get better, and mentally cracked, thus leading to his change in personality.[[/note]] The moment Cloud rejoins the party may have you crying for two reasons: Either tears of joy because Cloud's back, or tears of sadness because we've just witnessed his traumatic origins.

* Though she manages it better than Cloud, Tifa herself struggles with her own bout with Survivor's Guilt at the start of the novella concerning Sector 7. She clearly blames herself for all the death and destruction as the plate was destroyed in an attempt to wipe out AVALANCHE, referring to it as her "sin".

* Tifa herself struggles with her own bout with Survivor's Guilt at the start of the novella concerning Sector Seven.

Starting with the "iconic scene" on the right, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' may very well be the embodiment of FromBadToWorse when it comes to {{Tear Jerker}}s in video games. You'd better equip tissues instead of swords, really.

** Speaking of the Sector 7 plate collapse, there's also watching the plate start to fall... from the point of view of the people looking up in horror; a TV broadcast from inside Sector 7 is abruptly cut off; and then we pan out from the horrific devastation until we see it from the point of view of President Shinra, who orchestrated the mass murder and is watching it [[WhileRomeBurns while listening to some mellow opera]]. Repugnant.

** Like with Aerith's death, the the piano reprise of the Cosmo Canyon theme really hits it home. The same music plays again... when you have Red XIII visit Bugenhagen on his death bed.

** And then Barret has to watch his best friend fall into a chasm ''again'', arriving too late to prevent it. Just like the last time.
* Barret's complete breakdown after the Sector 7 plate collapses and crushes everything under it should receive a mention, especially since Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie -- all of whom were likable characters with well-developed personalities -- got killed in the disaster.
** Speaking of said breakdown, just watch the scene of him shouting hopelessly at the wreckage... That kind of body language only became possible (or, rather, memory-practical) when they made the switch to polygons, but this moment showed just how powerful it could be.

* The moment where Nanaki learns the truth about his father, Seto. When Nanaki starts referring to himself as "Nanaki, son of Seto!", he says it with such ''pride''. This causes the petrified Seto to start weeping. (Even though he's paralyzed and in stone, Seto is somehow still conscious and trapped like that forever, unable to go home or reunite with his son.) Bugenhagen can't even finish stating the obvious, just trailing off after a broken response, and Nanaki stands and gives his mournful howl until the fadeout. The fact it's easy to time this scene to the most poignant part of "The Great Warrior" only turns on the waterworks more.

** Cloud's HeroicBSOD at the Northern Crater. At this point, he's pretty much hit rock bottom. He's a puppet. He doesn't have a real past. All of his drives and motivations were just programmed into him (or so Sephiroth claims). He failed to save the Planet. He failed to save Aerith. He actually washed out of the SOLDIER program. Now his begging to at least be numbered, to be recognized as ''anything'', and he begs Hojo to give him a number... and Hojo tells him he's a failure even as a puppet. Ouch!

* What seems to really get people, at a point where [[ItWasHisSled everyone in the known world with an internet connection knows it's going to happen]], is that it's just so dragged out and emphasized. A ton of people have seen the clip of Aerith getting stabbed, but what the billions of clickbait videos and countdowns fail to mention is:

* What seems to really get this scene for people, even ten years after the game came out, at a point where [[ItWasHisSled everyone in the known world with an internet connection knows it's going to happen]], is that it's just so dragged out and emphasized. A ton of people have seen the clip of Aerith getting stabbed, but what the billions of clickbait videos and countdowns fail to mention is:

##Her theme punctuates the ensuing boss fight.

* To a number of people, the death of Aerith pales in comparison to the scene where Tifa finds Cloud after he falls into the Lifestream. ''Great!'', we all think, ''He's in this town! ... In a hospital... Wheelchair bound... Nodding his head in a comatose state... completely unresponsive''. It’s so despairingly similar to finding someone you know and deeply care about in a coma: You know they’re 'alive', but can’t do anything for them. Just imagine someone you grew up with your whole life and shared lots of happy moments together being effectively brain-dead. Tifa is so devastated by it that she leaves the party to watch over him, and ''Cid'' has to step up as party leader. And considering this sequence comes fairly soon after Aerith's death, a new player may well assume that Cloud's not gonna get better.[[note]]And in ''Advent Children, he didn't really get better, and mentally cracked, thus leading to his change in personality.[[/note]]
** The moment Cloud rejoins the party can have you crying really hard: Either tears of joy because Cloud's back, or tears of sadness because we've just witnessed his traumatic origins.
* Cloud's HeroicBSOD at the Northern Crater. At this point, he's pretty much hit rock bottom. He's a puppet. He doesn't have a real past. All of his drives and motivations were just programmed into him (or so Sephiroth claims). He failed to save the Planet. He failed to save Aerith. He actually washed out of the SOLDIER program. Now his begging to at least be numbered, to be recognized as ''anything'', and he begs Hojo to give him a number... and Hojo tells him he's a failure even as a puppet. Ouch!
** After being tormented and mind-fucked by Sephiroth since the start of the game, he ''still'' turns to Tifa and sadly tells her "I hope you find the real Cloud". Made worse by the fact that Tifa, the only one who could snap him out of it, had been rendered mute by Sephiroth for the moment.

* The game might be getting re-made for the new generation, but this scene has become so iconic and very important to the core story that there's just ''no way'' Square could ever remove it. Which means, they probably will not create extra contents to canonically prevent her death. ''Not even a remake can save Aerith.''

##Cloud has to fight against his own programming to stop ''[[SwordOverHead himself]]'' from executing Aerith. That's when Sephiroth steps in and finishes the job.

!Aeris's Death
* The death of Aeris had many gamers literally bawling into their controllers. Japanese players allegedly sent a futile petition to Squaresoft begging for Aeris's revival.
* Aeris' fate was inspired by the death of a real person: Sakaguchi's mother, who died early in the production of ''Final Fantasy VII''. This made Sakaguchi, the man behind the entire series, include a realistic death in the game as opposed to the Hollywood-style deaths in earlier ''Final Fantasy'' games.
* WordOfGod says that Cait Sith's sacrifice was so blatantly played up, only to be deflated ''in mere seconds'', intentionally to desensitize players to dying characters, making the player believe that this is a game in which nobody dies. The next scene is Aeris announcing that she's going to go face Sephiroth alone. Well played, Squaresoft. You bastards.
* What seems to really get this scene for people, even ten years after the game came out, at a point where [[ItWasHisSled everyone in the known world with an internet connection knows it's going to happen]], is that it's just so dragged out and emphasized. A ton of people have seen the clip of Aeris getting stabbed, but what the billions of clickbait videos and countdowns fail to mention is:
##Cloud has to fight against his own programming to stop ''[[SwordOverHead himself]]'' from executing Aeris. That's when Sephiroth steps in and finishes the job.

* The game might be getting re-made for the new generation, but this scene has become so iconic and very important to the core story that there's just ''no way'' Square could ever remove it. Which means, they probably will not create extra contents to canonically prevent her death. ''Not even a remake can save Aeris.''

** Cloud catches Aeris as she falls, and cradles her broken body to him, murmuring to himself that ''this can't be real''. Sephiroth, ignorant to the depth of Cloud's pain, tells him that Aeris will soon be part of the Lifestream before going on about his own plans for the future. Still grieving, Cloud cuts his speech off and literally tells him to ''shut up'', and that the cycle of nature and Sephiroth's stupid plan don't mean a thing because Aeris is dead. The way his shoulders move and his speech on how his eyes are burning heavily imply that he's crying. Even more heart wrenching is when he says "What about my pain?", because it makes it clear that at that point, Cloud cannot focus on anything -- not the impending doom of the planet, not even the fact that his archenemy is standing ''right there'' -- but his grief over Aeris's death.

** Even though they both had romantic interest in Cloud, Aeris had become Tifa's closest friend along the journey. So when she's dead, Tifa pays her respects by kneeling in front of the dead Aeris and caressing her face gently. Then she starts to sob, and then just stands up and runs out of the area crying her eyes out. Bear in mind that it takes ''a lot'' to make Tifa cry.
** Barret walks up to Aeris's body, looks for a second, and then simply places his hand on Cloud's shoulder. Having lost the woman he loved, as well, Barret's empathy was very appropriate for that scene.

** But for many fans, ''Yuffie'' of all people has the most unexpected reaction. Here we have a selfish little thief who tags along with your party for little reason other than greed... but when faced with Aeris's death you can see her struggling to maintain control of herself. Then she completely loses it and ''flings herself at Cloud crying''. And Cloud just hangs onto her and lets her cry. And even when she leaves, her sprite is shaking to show she's still crying. It makes the scene afterward, when she basically bitch-slaps Cloud and tells him he's not going after Sephiroth solo (because ''of course'' they're all coming along) more impactful. It was this moment [[AdoptTheDog which convinced her doubters that Yuffie actually had a heart after all]].
** Vincent basically just silently glared at Cloud emotionlessly, though you can argue that he was disturbed by Aeris' death, but because of his own traumatic past and zombiefication, he's unable to express any emotions to convey it. And as you discover his past, this becomes even sadder: Vincent was there to witness his lover Lucrecia die and unable to do anything about it and he, along with Cloud, let a similar tragedy befell on Aeris.
** Cid is unable to show his face to anyone, not even Aeris'. All he does is just stare upwards at the sky, as if silently asking the gods '''why''' they would do something like this, and then walks away without even looking at Cloud. Probably because he can't bear to let Cloud see his sad face.
* Even the interface gets in on it. When the player visits a shop, it shows all party members, arranged nicely in a square after you get all nine, so you can see how new equipment will affect them. After Aeris dies, her spot in the left column is simply left empty instead of rearranging the party members who joined after her. For the rest of the game, you are forced to stare at that empty spot, as if the party will never be whole again.
* Somehow it's worse knowing the NES Fan translation also has Aeris's death in it....it's just as heartwrenching as the real thing.

* Aeris' whole life is one long Tearjerker. Born the daughter of the sole remainder of an ancient race and her scientist lover, her only family was tortured and eventually killed at the hands of the Shinra Power Company, and she was left alone in the slums of Sector 7 before being adopted by Elmyra. She grew up on those mean streets and was endlessly stalked and watched by Shinra Inc. under the directions of Dr. Hojo, the man responsible for all her suffering. Even when she managed to meet her eventual first Love, Zack Fair, he eventually lost his life due to Shinra Inc. and she only discovered this years after his death despite hope he was still alive. She would eventually meet a new love in Cloud and have new friends, before being abused and captured to be experimented on by Dr. Hojo, who admitted he could have done so at anytime and simply waited for her to mature first. All of this before her infamous death in a bid to save the Planet from destruction. How she managed to keep a positive attitude in spite of all that horror is nothing short of miraculous.
* Cait Sith's faux HeroicSacrifice was still very touching... particularly when the moogle tripped and Cait Sith fell on the floor, then turned to the camera and made that adorably cute shrug. "Even I can save the world!" Some people, even the ones who are ambivalent about Aeris, started crying at this point even if they know the circumstances. The music [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfelCeKaaIE "Words Drowned by Fireworks']] and the moment when he swings his arms cheerfully, then stops and slumps over for a second really make it... Jeez, that was AlasPoorScrappy at its finest and could be considered RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap. You find yourself ''agreeing'' with what he said: Another Cait Sith body may (and does) come along, but there's only one of ''this'' Cait Sith... and you're actually going to miss him.
* Then there’s the part when Cait Sith tells Aeris that her and Cloud are perfect for each other. It's made even worse if you have Tifa in the party: When Cait Sith mentions that he doesn't want to tell their fortune in front of Tifa, who is clearly distressed, '''Aeris''' encourages him to, replying, "Oh don't worry, ''I'' don't mind!"
* To a number of people, the death of Aeris pales in comparison to the scene where Tifa finds Cloud after he falls into the Lifestream. ''Great!'', we all think, ''He's in this town! ... In a hospital... Wheelchair bound... Nodding his head in a comatose state... completely unresponsive''. It’s so despairingly similar to finding someone you know and deeply care about in a coma: You know they’re 'alive', but can’t do anything for them. Just imagine someone you grew up with your whole life and shared lots of happy moments together being effectively brain-dead. Tifa is so devastated by it that she leaves the party to watch over him, and ''Cid'' has to step up as party leader. And considering this sequence comes fairly soon after Aeris's death, a new player may well assume that Cloud's not gonna get better.[[note]]And in Advent Children, he didn't get mentally better and cracked, thus leading to his emo-ness.[[/note]]

* Cloud's HeroicBSOD at the Northern Crater. At this point, he's pretty much hit rock bottom. He's a puppet. He doesn't have a real past. All of his drives and motivations were just programmed into him (or so Sephiroth claims). He failed to save the Planet. He failed to save Aeris. He actually washed out of the SOLDIER program. Now his begging to at least be numbered, to be recognized as ''anything'', and he begs Hojo to give him a number... and Hojo tells him he's a failure even as a puppet. Ouch!

** Like with Aeris's death, the music here, the light piano reprise of the Cosmo Canyon theme, really helps drive it home. The same music plays again... when you have Red XIII visit Bugenhagen on his death bed.
** Another, though much more low-key, moment is after Bugenhagen dies. Nanaki/Red XIII comes out to rejoin the others. Something about the cliche euphemisms (he'd left, gone on a journey, was tired and had to rest) seemed much more poignant coming from the well-spoken, rather innocent Nanaki.

* Elmyra waiting for her husband to return, and finally finding out from Aeris that he died on the way back from the war. Later, Cait Sith mentions that he (as Reeve) told her of Aeris's death, and that Elmyra, along with Marlene, didn't take it well.

* ''Case of Tifa'' provides an in-depth look at Cloud and Tifa's relationship as they struggle to adapt to a normal life in the newly-founded city of Edge. Needless to say, there are many heartwarming moments, but also some very strong tearjerkers, as the two of them try and often fail to communicate their feelings to each other effectively. This is only exacerbated by Cloud's dwindling emotional state as a result of his having failed to save the lives of Aeris and Zack, thus further straining his relationship with Tifa.