Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Long before the release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth , veteranFinal Fantasycharacterdesigner Tetsuya Nomura weighed in on the Cloud - Aerith - Tifa love trigon , and he had an excellent tip . The public debate over who crap the best partner for Cloud - either the crunchy - granola , felicitous - go - golden Aerith or the hard - working , down - to - earth Tifa - has raged on for literal decade . FF7 Rebirth ’s changes to the Gold Saucer romance prospect , along with its more in - profoundness approval and human relationship system , has n’t helped the situation . Today , as almost thirty year ago , citizenry still debate overFF7 ’s love triangle .
But what they break to consider is thatNomura himself put an effective final stage to the FF7 shipping wars- English - verbalize fans just have to look in some pretty unknown places to recover it . Nomura ’s words are as relevant today as they were when first spoken . And when you view the wholesale changes that have already been made toFF7 ’s tale , they may have some serious implications forFF7 Remakepart three .
Players Have Been Debating Cloud’s True Love Since 1997
Team Aerith Or Team Tifa?
The Aerith vs. Tifa argument is as sometime asFinal Fantasy 7itself . Both characters have claims to fame : Aerith help land a traumatized , post - SOLDIER Cloud out of his plate , and seems to have access to parts of his personality he normally enshroud from the eternal sleep of the squad . Tifa is his former protagonist , and while they were n’t as close in their youth as Cloud might care to trust , she knows some of his deep , dark secrets he ’s reluctant to let on .
For a retentive clock time , I stay away from RPGs that did n’t let me customize my lineament , but Final Fantasy VII Rebirth finally showed me the appeal .
Ultimately , most hoi polloi ’s position in the debate depends on which romanticism in particular makes them faint . Tifa ’s a source of consolation for Cloud in the former hours of the secret plan , in effect serve as his caretaker by finding him a home and a job after he finish his military table service . Aerith is an unusual person in Cloud ’s biography : bubbly , candid , and in touch with nature , she forces Cloud to turn over things from a perspective he ’s totally unfamiliar with .
Now , we could sit here for time of day and deliberate what makes a good romantic spouse , FF7characters ' love oral communication , the unfair burdens often placed on charwoman in relationship with men - but really , there ’s no incorrect side to this love trigon . That ’s what Tetsuya Nomura has been hear to say for decades , even if some stubborn actor still struggle to realize it .
Nomura Says It’s Up To Player Interpretations
The Player Decides
What many players do n’t realise is that Nomura has already press in on the idea of a " canon " love interest for Cloud - in theKingdom Hearts UltimaniaGuide , of all places , per an English version share by the ( apparently biased)clerithluvron Tumblr , Nomura is quote as saying thatit does n’t matter - the choice is altogether up to the player .
By the extra quote above , you’re able to see that this is a persuasion Nomura has reprise multiple times . He does n’t really think about the character ’s romantic life outside the confines of theFF7story , and consistently pass up even to state his own personal orientation of partner for Cloud . To take things further , he ’s often utter at length about the robustness of various fan interpretations , even if they altogether differ from the writer ’s intent - a conception that Roland Barthes call " the death of the writer . "
It’s Good That There Isn’t A Canon Answer For This (Yet)
FF7 Remake Part 3 May Change Things
love affair , too , is equivocal inFF7- even the Gold Saucer date panorama does n’t have to be see as explicitly romantic . There ’s a reason Cloud does n’t kiss Aerith or Tifa in either of their engagement scenes inRebirth : even at maximal affinity , each one ends in a squeeze . It ’s completely up to the player and what they ’re read into the characters ' relationships to decide what they mean . And that ’s not even to mention thatit ’s the actor ’s decisions that prefer which eccentric Cloud spends that time with , and how far it run .
Personally , I ’m totally fain to agree with Nomura . The beauty ofFF7 , to me , has always been in its equivocalness . The continued confusion about Cloud ’s background , Jenova and Sephiroth ’s lawful personal identity , the unusual , haunt doubt posed by its epilog - these aspects have boggle my psyche and held my stake since the first fourth dimension I bring the original game .
One of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ’s side quest in Cosmo Canyon is at the same time brilliant and also uncover its narration ’s greatest fault .
Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic
However , this trouble is only complicated by video games- and story selection - based RPGs - as a culture medium . The image of the lovemaking Triangulum is about as old as time itself , and fans have argued about the canonicity of various fabricated couples since the day of Kirk and Spock . But only in games and inChoose Your Own Adventurebooks can each private hearing member decide which theatrical role are in love with one another , and in reality have that play out on concealment .
Rather than see that as a limitation , an inability to be determinate , I regard it a unique chance afforded to video recording game developer . Only in interactive media can you create such an uncertain canyon , allowing every instrumentalist ’s approach to a game to limit their ongoing experience of it .
[ Warning : The come section of this clause containsspoilers for FF7 Rebirth.]Now , to me at least , Cloud and Aerith ’s relationship has all the furnishing of a romance ; it ’s easy to see why so many have interpreted it that way . It quite literally start out with her handing him a flower , and , especiallyinFF7 Remake , she ’s constantly coquette with him as they run around the Midgar slums - although that could just be part of her personality .
However , I also have to acknowledge thata Cloud - Aerith romance is undeniably doomedbecause of Aerith ’s unavoidable death at the last of Disc 1 / FF7 Rebirth . That , along with the intimate connotation of the under - the - airship scene ( which has n’t made it into theRemaketrilogy yet ) have led many to reason that only a Cloud - Tifa love affair could be canon .
FF7 Remake part three is underway , and manufacture trends suggest it needs to leave PlayStation exclusivity behind . Here ’s why it go on Xbox .
But that could change in the sequel , the way theRemaketrilogy ’s changes to canyon have been sheer . FF7 Rebirthdidn’t let us transpose over ourRemakesaves , for one reason or another - but what ifPart Threedid ? It could carry over Cloud ’s affinity with his various political party member , and continue tracking associate approval , eventually coming up with a canon romance partner in the ending ground on his allies ' opinion of him .
Of of course , this is all just … whatever the opposite of wishful thought is , but it is a fear of mine . I ’ve often worried that the third part of theRemaketrilogy would cheapen one of the more interesting , if equivocal , plot of ground dot like this one by overexplaining it , as much of the first two first appearance ' side content has been apt to do . I just hope that , whatever the continuation toFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthlooks like , it maintain the love story as canon - resistant and open to interpretation as it ’s ever been .
