Over the course of the story, AVALANCHE begin to pursue the game's antagonist Sephiroth, and the player learns that she is the last surviving Cetra, or "Ancient", one of the planet's oldest races.

Aerith and the events surrounding her death in Final Fantasy VII have been met with overall positive reception from critics and fans.

Nomura modified her dress in Before Crisis, adding white and green colors; this version was also used as the basis for her design in Kingdom Hearts II.

He said: "When I reflect on Final Fantasy VII, the fact that fans were so offended by her sudden death probably means that we were successful with her character.

[16] Mena Suvari explained that for Advent Children, Aerith was given a mothering feel with an ephemeral presence, and expressed joy for her role.

[23] Aerith Gainsborough is first introduced as a flower seller, when she briefly converses with Cloud Strife, a mercenary working for the anti-government group AVALANCHE, who are fleeing from the bombing of a Mako reactor.

Reeve Tuesti, the head of Shinra Urban and Development, brings the news of her death to Elmyra Gainsborough, Aerith's adoptive mother.

When Sephiroth is finally defeated and Holy is released, it appears that it is too late to function effectively, as Meteor is approaching the Planet's surface.

In Before Crisis, which is set several years prior to the events of Final Fantasy VII, Aerith becomes the target of the original incarnation of AVALANCHE, led by Elfé, who seek to prevent Shinra from acquiring the last surviving Cetra.

Aerith makes several appearances in the CGI film Advent Children as Cloud's spiritual guide, urging him to move on with his life and forgive himself for the tragedies that were beyond his control, telling him that she never blamed him for her death.

During their spiritual reunion, Aerith speaks to Cloud in an open meadow laden with flowers, poking fun at how he needlessly burdens himself with the past, but she acknowledges his suffering and offers kind words of support.

[28] Near the end of the film, it is discovered that water mixed with the Lifestream flows beneath the flowerbed in Aerith's church, which manifests itself as a cure for Geostigma.

During those years, Aerith helped her adopted mother earn a living by growing and selling flowers, a job that results in her meeting Cloud at the beginning of Final Fantasy VII.

Itadaki Street Special features a playable version of Aerith, as well as other Final Fantasy VII characters Tifa Lockhart, Cloud Strife, and Sephiroth.

In the plot of Kingdom Hearts, Aerith suggests a method for defeating the Heartless to protagonists Donald Duck, Goofy and Sora, and gives advice to the player throughout the game.

[36] Aerith and the restoration committee return in the Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind expansion, helping Riku search for the missing Sora.

[7] RPGamer's Stuart Hoggan opined that although Aerith "represented the token damsel in distress", she "broke the mould in terms of personality", possessing "an admirable pluck that was not brassy nor off-putting".

[41] In a This American Life episode, titled "Save the Girl", reporter Lina Misitzis described the character as one-dimensional and lacking in personality.

She and Kotaku writer Mike Fahey conclude that had the character been anything other than a pretty girl she would have needed much more development in order to elicit an emotional response from the player.

[43][44][45] In a retrospective, Polygon analyzed several arguments fans have made about Cloud's preferred partner and how each side misrepresents the other's chosen heroine.

Polygon concludes that there is no winning couple as, after killing Sephiroth, Cloud has a vision of Aerith when Tifa tries to help him and the duo agrees to meet her again.

[53][54] Brian Taylor, writing for Kill Screen, described a cottage industry of fan theories for how to return Aerith to life or prevent her death.

He compared these efforts to the letter-writing campaign to convince Charles Dickens not to let Nell, the endearing protagonist of The Old Curiosity Shop, die at the end of the book.

[55] In A Feeling of Wrongness: Pessimistic Rhetoric on the Fringes of Popular Culture, Aerith is seen a highly developed character due to Cloud visiting her mother and how often the protagonist and the heroine often talk.

[56] Benjamin Banasik from Heidelberg University noted the impact of Aerith's death is mostly seen in Cloud's characterization in Advent Children as he seeks redemption for her, leading him to his transformation into a heroic leader in the process.

[57] In The World of Final Fantasy VII: Essays on the Game and Its Legacy, Aerith's death is described as a disastrous traumatic reminder of the eventual war.

[61] Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences also wrote about the specter that interacts with a confused Cloud about their potential relationship was noted to stand out in the game as the former tells the latter not to fall in love with him as if Square Enix is reacting to the player's constricted conditions, potential desires, and narrative expectations when compared with the original Final Fantasy VII.

This is highly notable when Aerith interacts with Cloud or Barret and expresses comfort to them or she lives inside the dangerous areas from Midgar.