Aerith’s death is one of the most iconic in gaming history, so surely Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth replicates it. Surprisingly, there’s a major change.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake proved that Square Enix was not afraid to make some big changes to the original story. This led many fans to speculate that even bigger changes were to come in Rebirth, the game’s sequel. One such speculated change was Aerith’s death, a key event in the original game. Unfortunately, for those who were hoping Square Enix would remain faithful to that element of the game’s story, you’re going to be disappointed.
Warning: There are spoilers for the end of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth below.
Does Aerith Die in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth?
Yes, Aerith dies at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Much like in the original game, she is killed by Sephiroth while attempting to prevent him from using the Black Materia. The main difference is that, in Rebirth, Cloud attempts to fight off the Whispers, who want to maintain the canon events, in order to get to Aerith. He fails, and she is stabbed in the back.
However, after she is killed, Cloud is suddenly able to see multiple realities. In some of them, Aerith does not die. In Rebirth’s reality, the rest of Cloud’s party stands over Aerith’s body, crying. However, Cloud instead holds her body and tells her to wake up. She does, although only Cloud can see this, implying that he’s seeing the other reality’s version of her. She tells him that she’s going to remain in the Forgotten Capital. Cloud and the rest of the party then leave her behind.
This leaves a lot of questions, including whether Aerith will return for the third and final game in the remake trilogy. While her death was permanent in the original game, it’s very likely that the alternate-reality version of her will return in the third game. While she’s unlikely to return as a party member, it’s possible that she’ll come back in the final moments and help Cloud and his friends. For now, however, Aerith is dead in Rebirth’s reality, and that version of her is never coming back. That’s everything you need to know about Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. For more guides just like this one, be sure to check out our Guide Hub.