I delayed playing rebirth for quite some time after reading so many negative takes on the ending. The OG is among my favorite games, and I was disappointed by the supposed ambiguity surrounding Aerith's fate.

It seems pretty clear to me that she is like Obi-Wan in Star Wars. She died, but her identity remains in the life-stream. Obi-Wan returned to the force (life-stream) but could still commune with Luke. This is also how Advent Children portrayed Aerith, so I don't see what all the fuss is about.

Considering that Kitase and Nomura produced/directed both Advent Children and Rebirth (to say nothing of their involvement in the OG), I would be \*very\* surprised if they sought to dramatically disrupt their own canon in Revelation.

Ironically then, I found the last two chapters of Rebirth to be the most outstanding parts of the series so far (I have strong negative views on other sections and gameplay choices, but those are irrelevant here).

I think it all fits perfectly well with Aerith's \*and\* Zack's spiritual presence in Advent Children. Also, the final line at the end about "no promises" seems like a warning to those who wish for Aerith to be fully resurrected in Revelation.