It was never a question that Final Fantasy 7 would have a place in Polygon’s celebration of the 100 greatest video game quotes of all time.

But there was some pretty spirited debate about which FF7 quotes were worthy of inclusion.

Barrett’s simple yet memorable “Planet’s dyin’, Cloud” made the cut, while the localization error “This guy are sick” did not.

But the quote that most bears closer inspection is not pithy, hilarious, or badass.

.

It is frantic, disjointed, and terribly sad.

Aerith’s death elevates Final Fantasy 7 from a merely excellent game to an all-timer, and this quote is Cloud’s reaction to that: Aerith is gone.

Aerith will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry......

or get angry......

.

What about us......

what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling.

My mouth is dry.

My eyes are burning! Sephiroth's attack is unexpected and disturbingly violent.

.

Cloud’s horrified reaction takes us through the flurry of emotions as they’re happening.

It's not a beautiful set of sentences at all, but a stream of consciousness narration that feels raw and real.

His blow-by-blow account of what’s happening to him physically is unusually childlike and vulnerable, especially from someone who’s gone to considerable effort to look like a hard-assed mercenary.

In this moment, he’s just a scared young man who loves his friend — and hates himself.

.

The 1997 version of this scene isn’t accompanied by voice acting, but if it were, you’d have to imagine it would be punctuated by ragged gasps and the viscous slurp of a runny nose.

Cloud’s real-time commentary makes this moment feel like an out-of-body experience.

It signals to the player that this is not a condition the party can fix with magic spells or a Phoenix Down.

This is permanent and final: Aerith will no longer be a member of your party from this point onward.

.

With these words, Cloud is realizing in real time, along with the player, that Aerith is truly gone forever ## Editor's Note The gaming community will surely have mixed reactions to this news. Source: [Polygon](https://www.polygon.com/final-fantasy-7-best-quote-aerith-death-ff7/)