A character referencing World of Warcraft’s Aerith from Final Fantasy 7 was found impaled with a large sword following the release of The War Within

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Final Fantasy 7.

World of Warcraft has long paid homage to Final Fantasy 7’s darling Aerith Gainsborough with an in-game character named Aerith Primrose, who wears the same reddish-purple attire and normally sells flowers next to a church-like building. Now, that same Aerith can be found under a fat greatsword.

World of Warcraft’s proxy Aerith has been living happily in Dalaran for years, but the chaotic new expansion The War Within is living up to its name, bringing destruction to the floating city. It’s also forcing Aerith to live by her own destiny, as you can see her impaled with a long sword in the video below.

Saving Aerith in “The War Within” in World of Warcraft – YouTube

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It’s kind of funny (and kind of twisted) that Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy 7 is so iconic that you’d be hard-pressed to find an Easter Egg for the game that doesn’t reference the scene where Sephiroth swoops down from above and breaks all our hearts (and I’m guessing Aerith’s spine, too).

But unlike his iconic ending in Final Fantasy 7, World of Warcraft’s flower seller survives this fight with a big, sharp sword if players choose to save him.

This wild scene was also widely discussed in the recently released remake/sequel/alternate timeline game Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Fans were left ‘confused’ and divided and while the scene was being remade for the JRPG’s finale, it was still in the spotlight, with many wondering what this meant for the third installment of the trilogy. Even Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s walkthrough couldn’t properly explain what was going on.

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