http://ff7citadel.com/efiction/viewstory.php?sid=12According to Death FRB (a mate of mine), he discovered in a Japanese mag what the producer of FF7, Hironobu Sakaguchi, thought about the ending. According to the script, Holy wiped out Humanity, which may partly explain why Aeris said she'll be 'coming back.'
Has anyone ever seen the original source for this? A lot of people back in the day honestly assumed that the ending showed everyone dying (I also assumed this) but with this interview it appears that Sakaguchi really did mean for the ending to mean everyone died. I've been looking for what this Japanese magazine is but the site owners have yet to respond. At the time it was said, nobody even questioned the authenticity of this Sakaguchi interview so I'm assuming that back in the day everyone just knew the source and accepted it as fact because it was authentic.
So can anyone tell me if what the FF7citadel says is true or just hearsay?
To me, everyone dying in the end makes absolute sense and always has. I believe that's why the game's final moments is Cloud closing his eyes just as the Lifestream and Meteor clash, and then the screen fades into blackness and then Aerith is shown looking up at the screen as if she's welcoming someone/people.
To me, if you consider the fact that Cloud told Tifa that the Planet told him he can find Aerith in the Promised Land, the ending makes it appear as if Cloud (and the others) died and Aerith is welcoming him (them) to the Lifestream.
Especially if you consider this Ultimania quote...
その瞬間、 彼らは感じ取る、緑色の光が星のようにまたたくなか、静かにほほえむエアリスの存在を。
Roughly, it says,
"(In) that moment, they sense (or "feel"), twinkling within (the) star's green light, (the) presence of Aerith's peaceful smile."
* If my translation is wrong please be kind with corrections, I am only a beginner. Parentheses added to indicate words that are implied in Japanese, but since the Japanese language lacks words like them they need to be added.
* The Japanese word that I translated as "they" is actually"karera / 彼ら" and refers to only a group of men. So I'm assuming this is either a typo or it's referring to Cloud as "they".
Either way, this quote from the Ultimania Omega makes it seem like they/Cloud all died and now they're looking at Aerith.
So, do y'all think they died at the end?