10 Jaw-Dropping Video Game Fan Theories That Make Everything Better

1. Final Fantasy VII: Aeris Wasn't Supposed To Die

Remember that artwork inside the Final Fantasy VII instruction booklet, with Aerith looking up at the flying ship Highwind? That never actually happens in the game, but why is that?

Could it be that the life-scar of an entire generation - the moment that changed evil villain Sephiroth from a total badass to someone who just had to be stopped - wasn't actually part of the game in the first place?

As has been compiled in many places online, there's a multitude of evidence that points to the idea that everyone's favourite Ancient was supposed to remain a part of your team all the way through. From things like the final battle area having an empty stone section where Aeris could have stood, to a certain conversation with Tifa mentioning how she was convinced Aeris would return, it seems like the decision to kill her off was added after the majority of the rest of the game was completed.

The aforementioned scene with the Highwind is actually sketched out in the instruction booklet too, giving away that maybe she was going to go all Gandalf the Grey on us and emerge as a resurrected version all along.

Still, we applaud Square for taking the risk and killing off one of the most loveable characters in gaming history, as even if it was done last minute it's one of many reasons everyone remembers FF7 so fondly.