Aerith Gainsborough, also known as Aeris Gainsborough, is one of the female protagonists in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. She uses a staff as her weapon and wears a pink ribbon in her hair. Having lived in the slums of Midgar for years, she has become street-smart, and has had to evade the Shinra many times. She is portrayed as a independent, outgoing and kind young woman who displays an intuitive understanding of others at times.

In the original Japanese version of Final Fantasy VII, her name is Aerith, but it was translated as Aeris in the English version by SCEA. This is because the Japanese language doesn't have the "th" sound, and the closest thing is "su," the equivalent of the English-language "s" sound. The translators were mistaken when they spelled her name in English, and took the "su" sound in her Japanese name to mean an "s." However, since Kingdom Hearts, her name has been translated as Aerith in her appearances such as Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, meaning that the Aeris name has been retconned.