Why We Love Final Fantasy VII

by Michael Cooke 

I know that by now, Final Fantasy VII is somewhat old news. By now everyone and their grandmother has played it, beat Sephiroth twice, and even tried to prove and/or disprove all the Aeris resurrection myths. And with the upcoming of the next generation of Square games, like Parasite Eve, Brave Fencer, Xenogears, Bushido Blade 2, and Final Fantasy VIII, it's really lost alot of attention. But, regardless of that, many still find it intruiging. Part of that is its replay value. The first time I went through the game, I missed most the extra events in Midgar (Honey Bee Inn, many things in the Shinra Building), totally bypassed Fort Condor, didn't get Yuffie and Vincent till the second disc, missed their subquests, didn't get the date I wanted, never got a Gold Chocobo or KotR, and many other little things. I realized this was one reason for our continued interest in the game recently while searching for the legendary "Barret date." But I think it must be more than that. And so, while pondering it, I was reading over Andrew Vestal's "Why Final Fantasy VII is Complete." And I realized that what he said was true. The reason their was so much outcry and denial about the death of Aeris, and the reason why we still love Final Fantasy VII, is because we love these characters.

Not without reason. They are easily the most well developed characters in any RPG that has been released in America (with the exception of Vincent, who had so much potential to be interesting, but fell short because he was not developed enough... perhaps if he had been given a real subquest like Yuffie). And not only are they highly developed, but they are realistic. No more perfect heroes here. Let's look at Cloud.

As a child, he was something of an outcast. He was not very well liked by the other children of Nibelheim, and he tried to rationalize this by telling himself that he was more adult and serious, while they were immature. The truth is, Cloud was just kind of a loser. Not to say he didn't have good intentions, but he just wasn't cut out to be with the "cool crowd." I'm sure many of us can relate to this. Furthermore, he had a crush on Tifa, the prettiest girl in town. And she paid no attention to him. Again, many of us can relate. So, to prove himself to Tifa and the rest, Cloud heads for the big city, Midgar, to become a hero. And what happens? He fails to join Soldier because he is too weak, not cut out to be in the military elite. Instead, he ends up as one of those blue suited grunts of Shinra. Only after the Nibelheim incident, when he is radiated with Mako and infused with Jenova, does he become strong enough to become the "hero" of our game. After this, despite having many of Zack's memory, he keeps much of his own personality. Zack, from what we see, was a excitable, cheerful young man. Bouncing around in the truck ride with Sephiroth, acting like a kid, showing off and being happy all the time. Cloud on the other hand, is moody and introspective. He tends to keep quiet, and he is not exactly a selfless hero. He is selfish, sometimes mean, and imperfect. But all in all a basically nice guy, who usually means well. Pretty much like any average guy.

Now, as to our heroines. Everyone loves Aeris. No one has ever uttered a bad word about the girl. Kind, compassionate, happy, friendly, playful. Very open. She always says exactly what is on her mind. She hold back nothing, and is not afraid to say anything to anyone. Very sure of herself. Very independent. We all loved her. And when Sephiroth parted her flesh with Masamune, it struck a cord in all of us. Everyone kind of liked Sephiroth before that. Even if he was the villain, we all thought he was kind of cool. He was a bad ass, he looked cool, and he was powerful as hell. But when he killed her, our hearts all screamed bloody murder. We wanted his head on a platter. We wanted to tear him apart with our bare hands. Had the TV screen not been in the way, I'm sure many would have tried. How many people saved the game on a seperate slot right before her death scene, and never erased it? Cloud expressed it best:

Cloud: "...Aeris. This can't be real!"
Sephiroth: "Do not worry. Soon the girl will become part of the Planet's energy. All that is left is to go North. The 'Promised Land' waits for me over the snowy fields. There I will become a new being by uniting with the planet. As will this girl....."
Cloud: "...Shut up. The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing. Aeris is gone. Aeris will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry......or get angry...... What about us......what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling. my mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!"

I think we all felt a bit like Cloud. Many screamed out to Square "This isn't right! Bring her back!" They were in denial. Many who have lost loved ones have screamed the same things to whatever God they beleive in. But they don't come back. We must accept it as Cloud did. Aeris Gainsborough is dead. And she will never come back. But what this shows us is that we love her. We cared enough to be outraged. How often do movies or television, or any other more respected media elicit such passion? And certainly no other game has done so. Did any of us cry over Tellah's death? Only a masterpiece like this could evoke such a response. Another example of how well developed the characters are.

Tifa Lockheart. I think she is the most misunderstood heroine in video game history. I have heard many a FF 7 fanatic praise Aeris to no end, only to then say how much they hate Tifa, wish she had died instead, say how unrealistically she acted, and how the only depth of her character was in her chest. And I know I'll take alot of flak for this, but I like Tifa better than Aeris. Not to say I don't like Aeris. Go back and read the last two paragraphs. But Tifa is in fact more realistic than Aeris. Tifa is much closer to the average, intelligent, attractive, and good natured woman than Aeris is. Aeris represents a rare breed of woman. Outspoken, highly independent, etc.

Tifa on the other hand, is reserved. She has a low self esteem, and is unsure of herself. She wishes she could be more like Aeris. She rarely speaks her mind. Take for example, Fort Condor. Take Aeris and Tifa in there the first time you climb up. If you refuse the old man, Aeris says to Cloud, "What a jerk! I'm disappointed in you." Tifa, true to form, says "Well...." She feels the same as Aeris, but isn't outspoken enough to come out with it. She is independent to a degree. She runs her own bar. She could take most men in a fist fight. But at the same time, she is very emotionally dependent. She likes to be cared for. She wants to feel like a fairy-tale princess, who is saved by her knight in shining armor. She loves Cloud with every inch of her heart, and needs to be by his side. She is a great woman, but just as behind every great man is a great woman, behind every great woman is a great man.

And though these three characters are, as I see it, the most important, that's not to say the rest are any less developed. Barret, I hope, has changed something in the mind of any racist members of the gaming community. Though at first many complained that he was an example of racism in the game, because he speaks in slang, or ebonics. People said that Square was stereotyping african-americans. But its not exactly stereotyping, because many african-americans speak like this. Furthermore, this character, who speaks and acts like many members of the african-american community, is one of the most admirable, likable characters in the game. Doesn't this say something. Doesn't this show us that just because someone may act in that fashion, doesn't mean they are any less of a person, and are just like anyone else, in the heart, where it counts.

Even Red, Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Cid are developed characters. I know the scene where Red discovered the truth of his father after the Gi Cave tugged on my heart strings. Yuffie, theif and pain in the ass she may be, can be sympathized with. Her feelings of nationalistic pride can be understood. Plus, down deep, she's just a fun loving kid. And that's something everyone can relate to. Cait Sith, or Reeve, can be just as likable. A spy, and a betrayer, yet he seems to truly care for the companions, and be touched by their actions. His conversion to their cause is a reminder to us all that those in positions of power must not be blind to the people. And good old Cid. Man of a thousand faces. What happened to his short fat gruff form... or the nerdy yellow raincoated scientist? Who knows? But I think we all know someone like Cid. Foul mouthed. Aggresive. Irritable. But underneath it all a big sap. Sort of like your favorite uncle.

Cloud is lucky to have such great friends. And we are lucky that Square shared them with us.