Tacofoolio mentioned in the "couple MEANT to be" forum that Aeris' personality makes her a "true heroine". I think that's true. I mean, Aeris sacrificed herself for the good of the planet, she still fought in the end, she was brave, and true and emotionally strong. However, Tifa was alive until the end, fought in the final battle, and was by the hero's side the whole time. Which do you think was a true heroine? I personally vote Aeris, but Tifa's devotion to Cloud and her sacrifices for him kinda get her up there too.
What do you guys think?

I like and am a fan of both Aerith and Tifa but personally for me Aerith is "the heroine" of FFVII. Especially if she did know that she was *spoiler*
going to die but went ahead and prayed for Holy anyway :) Tifa was a heroine in her own right and ways but what she did I think she did for Cloud. What Aerith did she did for everyone :)

I agree that Aerith did what she did for everyone, and for the Planet... but I think in doing something like that, you are also doing it for the one(s) you love. Soldiers who fought in the World Wars, for example, would often fight not only for the people at risk, but also to make their own contribution toward making the world a better place for their families. Personal sacrifices are often made with the interest of loved ones at heart.

In fact, that's the way I viewed Tifa's sacrifice at the end of the game. She understood Cloud's love for Aerith and sacrificed her own happiness to let Cloud follow his heart. In a way, that was a sacrifice rivaling Aerith's own sacrifice.

Fighting in the battles and so forth makes Tifa no more a heroine than any of the other members of Cloud's party. They were all heroes/heroines in that sense. But I've always considered Aerith to be the main heroine of FFVII.

I totally agree with everything Anastar said. Being completely selfless, like Aerith, is what being a true heroine is all about. Aerith gave up her life without a second thought, smiling up until the very end. She was the epitome of the selfless, compassionate heroine. ^_^

I always thought that both Aerith and Tifa were the heroines of the game, but more so Aerith. Since she was a small child, she'd been wanted by Shinra and hunted down, but she survived that. She gave up the life that the planet had given her to save everybody else. She's not perfect, but she's a very selfless and caring person that would give up anything to see everyone else happy and that's what I love about her and that's why I thought she was the main heroine of the game. :D

I hate to label characters with titles such as hero and heroine, especially in a game that is filled with characters that all had important roles that made it sure that things ended the way they did.
Now without a doubt what Aerith did in the game was both heroic and extremely unselfish, but calling her the true heroine of the game takes a lot away from all the other characters that all did their part and would have most likely sacrificed their own lives just like Aerith did if it just would have had the same effect.
Now I'm not trying to take anything away from Aerith, not at all, I just want to spread the glory among them all. FF6 was quite nice when it came to this as it made all the characters seem equal without anyone (well perhaps Terra, sometimes) rising above the others.

Lately I've just been so irritated by RPG's and how they have all made in the same mold. There is always the hero, heroine, other characters who tag along for the ride, the main villain who always has to be evil and bent on either destroying the world or just conquering it. And then we get to the story that is pretty much always about saving the world. Gyah!

I want originality! I WANT to be surprised! I want the game to make me think, think if I really am the good guy here and if whatever I am doing is the right thing to do. And I do NOT want to get the bloody princess in the end and live happily ever after. <_<

But no, this world we live in has been built so that taking risks and creating something surprising and new is silly, so we are stuck with the same story that game developers keep recyling.
Now I love FF games, even though they do exactly everything I just listed here, but they do it so well that I do not mind all that much. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want them to try something else.

Egh! I just had to get that off my chest. :lol:

Actually, if someone made a game which made you doubt if you were doing the right thing nobody would want to play it but a choice few, it would leave the player with bad vibes. And if good doesn't always triumph over evil, then the story feels unfinished. Everyone knows that good will always win because that is the way the world WORKS. If you take that away, it destroys the hope that keeps humans going.
However, I'd like a villian who wants to take over the shopping mall so he'll get all kinds of discounts. Oooohoohooo the EVIL!*shudder*

I don't like labeling people "heroes" or "heroines" because it limits their roles to just being like that...
I believe that everyone's a hero/heroine in his/her own way depending on what he/she had contributed for the good of everyone and not just himself/herself.
Therefore... the true heroineS are Aerith, Tifa and Yuffie... and probably even Elena too XD (okay, so maybe scratch out the last part). :rolleyes:

Looks like your view of humans and the world is quite different than mine, that's all I'm going to say. :rolleyes:

We live in a world where the bad ones rule and the good ones suffer. Games where good always wins are always original cause that's just not true... I have friends that like books and movies that are really realistic and that have bad endings, like Titanic, for example! They like the fact that he died! I don't cause for realistic stuff I just need to walk cross the door.

A game that has a really tragic feel to it and a somewhat sad ending does not stand for realism, as far as I know. But perhaps I should explain myself further as what I really wish from role playing games.
I have so much so say but finding the right worde to express myself is sometimes bit difficult.
I want the game to force the players to make moral choises. I do not want to play in a game world where good and evil have been clearly defined and we are always forced to play on the side of the so called good guys.
There should be several sides that are neither good or evil, but each of them have their own goals and ways to achieve what ever those goals might be.
Like so many like to say, there really is no good or evil in a way we think there is, just different opinions, beliefs and ways to see this world. And that is what I want game developers to reflect in their game worlds.

Does every story need to be a fairy tale? Not in my opinion, 90% of the games on the market today are just these, fairy tales what follow the same basic storyline that hasn't really changed for years. A good game in my view is a game that makes you think and really consider what would be the best course of action. And perhaps, sometimes you might even have to sacrifice something for greater good.

Yes, that would be nice, and very interesting. But I doubt anybody's gonna be brave enough to try it(save you, go make some great games!)
Edit: I was just thinking about that, and doesn't FFIX get pretty close? I mean, I really did NOT want to kill Kuja, simply because of his motivation. And if Kuja hadn't been jealous of Zidane, the HERO, Zidane would have done what Kuja did, and better. There's something else, that's floating just beyond my ability to grab it, but if I think of it I'll let ya know

That would actually make a very interesting game. I would love to be the person that kind of sits on the fence, kind of straddles over the boundary between good and evil. Something that is a bit different where you don't always have to be the good guy or the bad guy.

I really like games with the whole tragic feel. Although I love games with a "happy" ending, and the hero finally gets to be with his love, that sort of the thing, my most favourite games tend to have a tragic ending, like FFVII, FFX and Kingdom Hearts. :wub: There's just something about those games that appeal to me. Although I would never get sick of games with the "fairy tale" type storyline, I would like to try playing an "evil" person for a change. (GTA is actually quite a relaxing game to play after being stressed out... hehe. :lol: )

And I totally agree with Sephie, hehe... you should go make a game where there is no good and evil, Andina. I would definitely buy it, hehe... it would be very different and interesting to play! Which kind of reminds me... I should go finish FFVIII, I started it like four-five months ago and I'm barely passed the first disk!

Ah, if only it would be that easy. :rolleyes:
I'll make a deal with you, if you lend me few million dollars then I think I could begin to consider making a game of my own. And even that wouldn't be enough. :lol:

Aeris was definitely a heroine. She was benvolent, fearless, faithful, she did everything in her power to save others. Surely, someone who wasn't a hero, wouldn't do that. She gave her life, and expected nothing in return. How selfless can you get? Aeris is a true heroine, and should be more respected than she is.

~ I meant no disrespect to Tifa when I stated that I thought Aerith was "the heroine", I also didn't mean that Tifa and what Tifa did wasn't important by stating that what she did was for Cloud, I think that she and what she did was important :) Tifa is a heroine too but I thought we had to choose one for this thread :blink: If I had to choose I'd choose Aerith but if we didn't I'd say both were heroines, just in different ways :)

I don't mean to take anything away from the other members of the team either, I think each and every one of them was important in their own ways.

Andine you bring up an interesting point by saying the other characters would have likely sacrificed their own lives. An interesting discussion would be about would they have really though? For example would the revenge driven Cloud have sacrificed his life for the planet? Although not in accordance with my own beliefs I once read an interesting theory where the author of the theory stated that the only real heroes in FFVII were Aerith, Cid, Red XIII and Cait Sith and the others though some of their intentions were good were not heroes because of some of their motivations and actions were quite non-heroic :blink: The author had Tifa, Cloud and Barret on the not real heroes list I think and I can't remember where he placed Yuffie and Vincent :blink: If anybody is interested then maybe I could try and find the post at Advent Children Net that contained the theory and post it here :)~

Well as shortly as possible, in my opinion they would have IF they would have known as much as Aerith did. In other words if they woud have known what kind of an impact their death would have and how much it really would help the planet and every living being. How can you doubt our little heroes? They all have a good heart and are trying to save the planet throughout the game anyway. ^_^

I am interested, Fury brand, do try to find the link and post it up ^_^ thankies

Hmm, for me it has always been Aerith, in the sense that she sacrificed her own individualistic-kinda happiness (for eg, being with cloud) for everyone else, for the planet. Tifa, on the other hand, did sacrificed quite a bit too, that lady, but mainly for Cloud. So there. :unsure:

Aeris was the first character you see when you start a new game and she is also the last person (besides Red XIII) you see in the end. I think the creators are trying to stress something important here...

Even though I still do not want to label any of the characters, that is a good point that I completely seem to have missed. ^_^
It is very sweet that she is the first and last person you see in the game...besides Nanaki, of course. :rolleyes:

That's also how it is with Rinoa, Garnet, and Yuna. Hmm, gee whiz. :rolleyes:

With Garnet, yes...but Rinoa and Yuna are not seen first and last in their games. As far as I remember, that is. Feel free to prove me wrong, dear. :P

Yeah, in the opening FMV of FFVIII, you see Squall's face first. However, immediately afterward, you see Rinoa. I guess you could say that it is true that she is the first FEMALE character shown. :P In FFX, I honestly don't remember who is seen first... :blink:

As for shown last... Squall and Rinoa were BOTH shown last, just as they were BOTH shown first. In FFX, Yuna was shown last (I think) until the credits were over, then you see Tidus. ^_^

Unless you count the huge audience at the Blitzball stadium, then the first one you actually see is our dear Tidus, then shortly after him comes Auron.

Yeah, but there is more before the first FMV. They are all sitting around the campfire on the outskirts of Zanarkand and Tidus talks about wanting to tell his story. Which character around the campfire is shown first?

But wasn't that as the opening movie before you start a new game? Does that really count? The first character you see after you press the New Game option, is Tidus.

Or am I full of it again? :unsure:

Gawd! Looks like I need to find my FFX disc and just check it out... :rolleyes:

The campfire scene plays twice, Andina. If you let it play through before getting to the title screen you have to sit through it all over again after you select a new game. :lol: Then there's the FFX logo, then it switches to Zanarkand and you see all of Tidus' fanboys and girls waiting to get their blitzballs signed.

I've heard some fans say that they think Aerith was actually the hero of FFVII, rather than Cloud because of what she did, what she sacrificed. If Aerith had never met Cloud and joined the party, they wouldn't have been able to save the Planet because the Lifestream wouldn't have saved the day. While that's a valid point, I don't agree with that view because y'know, it is possible to have more than one hero, non? Everyone did their part. However, I do think that Cloud, Aerith, Tifa and Sephiroth were the main characters. The others were 'supporting' characters, really. The player didn't pay as much attention to them as to the other four.

In FFX, you see the backs of everyone, and the side of Tidus, but Yuna's face is the first you see, I guess that's what I meant, but I wasn't clear. I couldn't remember on FFVII, I could've sworn you saw Rinoa first..*trying to remember* Hmm, anyways, all the love interest/main heroines are seen in the beginning movie.

I read that "hero" theory too. I agree with it to a point, but only to a point. At the moment I'm not sure what that point IS(post-work stupor), but maybe later I'll remember.

In my eyes someone is a true hero/ine if they are willing to make any sacrifice needed to protect the greater good even if that means thier lives. Aeris is a heroine because she gave her life to protect everyone elses. That is what I think makes Aeris a true heroine.

Definetely both Aeris and Tifa are heroines, but if you're thinking of only one of them, then Aeris is probably the one you're thinking about.

The obvious reason is that she died to pray for Holy (but according to Tifa, Aeris apparently didn't know that she was going to die, which would completely take away the self-sacrificing part...). Then most fans recognize the inner strength, the seldom appreciated ability to smile and to be alive when there's really nothing that good about the situation (I mean, she's been chased by the Turks her whole life! Plus, she spent some years as a captive, before she and Ifalna escaped. Her mother died before her eyes. And I'm sure that the part of her that she doesn't show is really lonely at being the only Cetra left). Despite all that, she does such a convincing job of acting carefree! That's why her qualities so outweigh her flaws, and that's what makes her a true heroine.

Tifa... even though I actually let Scarlet slap her for a while just for the satisfaction of seeing her getting bullied... is actually a strong character. Unfortunately, it seems that nearly all her important bits are tied to Cloud, one way or another. I always think of her as 'the one who likes Cloud' and not some title of her own. Anyway, she seems too... human to be a true heroine. She loves a guy and would do anything and everything for him, but that's about it. She never actually had a chance to prove that she had emotional strength equal to her physical. (Also, I do not think that she's optimistic! The manual lies! :mad: Tifa's always caught in some web of confusion or another! Sinking into depression and maybe even despair at times.) Without Cloud, I'm sure that she'll crumble.

So, Aeris is a stand-alone pillar of strength, but Tifa, although admirably strong, still needs Cloud to be her driving factor! My opinion, for all it's worth.

hmm...I am going to have to say Aeris was a true Heroine. She was smart, cute, and thoughtful. She was helping the planet, by stoping sephiroth from trying to destory it, alos trying to stop the shinra from sucking the mako out of it. She went to any length to stop them both, putting her life on the line many times, and actually lsoing it one of thsoe times. She died trying to save the planet from those who wish to destroy it. Thats a true heroine.

Both Tifa and Aerith are heroines, of course. :D The word "heroine" doesn't only mean "better female who saves the world". Aerith prayed for the world and fought for it--makes her a heroine in that sense. But Tifa fought for the world, too, and you have to admit that she (tried saving) Cloud's butt more than once. And why exclude Yuffie? In some sense, she's a heroine for trying to help her country rise from poverty.

Yeah, people always forget about the Yuff-puff!! :angry: Just because she's an optional character doesn't make her any less of a heroine. Heck, physically she was the strongest of the lot (default, anyway), she was, as Zhakeena said, helping her country try to rise from poverty, and she was cute and spunky!! Definitely worthy of the big 'H'!! ;)

::waves Yuffie flag:: :woot:

well yuffie was party of the party yes, but i dont think she was a heroine her whole goal was to steal your teams mateia and then run home...doesnt sound heroly to me ¬.¬

YUFFIE WAS A HEROINE AND I WILL NOT HEAR ANOTHER WORD ON THE SUBJECT!!!!! :angry:

Ahem. :lol:

::surrenders to Seii's mind controlling powers about Yuff-Puff:: :lmao:

I think all of them were heroines, but Aerith was the main one. The whole group that fought Sephiroth were heroes/heroines, but Cloud and Aerith were the main hero and heroine. That's why they're so canon! :huggle:

Amen to that, sista!! ;)

everyone in the game is a heroin each gave somthing to save the planet
but whats more important giving up your life or your love? :ermm:

:P Sorry, my head is all spinny right now @__@. Can you elaborate EOF??

Well, while that was her primary motivation to join the party. Just think about it, even after she steals your materia and you get it back, she continues on the adventure with you. Also, when everyone leaves at the end of the game, knowing that if they come back and go through with it the chances of their survival were slim to none, everyone returns, including Yuffie. ^_^ *waves little Yuff-puff flag with Seii* :lol:

But anyway, while I think that all three of them were heroines (Aeris, Tifa and Yuffie), I believe that Aeris was the 'primary' heroine. The one which would merit the title most if you could only pick one. She makes the ultimate sacrifice, giving up her life to try to save the planet.