Cloud and Aeris’s date at Gold Saucer is iconic, plot-relevant, and.. optional. It is, of course, possible to date Tifa, Barret, or Yuffie – it all depends on who Cloud achieved the most “affection points” with.
But if one of these dates is the “true route,” there is no question on which it is. Aeris contracted Cloud to be her bodyguard in exchange for one date, so it’s natural that the promised date was able to occur. This isn’t really a matter of personal opinion – the game itself prefers that you date Aeris. She starts out with the most affection points by far, at a whopping 50 points – whereas Tifa only starts with 30 (and the other two candidates less than that.) If Aeris is ever tied for the lead, she will always be selected as Cloud’s date partner as well.
| Name | Starting Points | Priority (in case of tie) |
|---|---|---|
| Aeris | 50 | 1 |
| Tifa | 30 | 2 |
| Yuffie | 10 | 3 |
| Barret | 0 | 4 |
Final Fantasy VII spells this out – in a normal playthrough, if you aren’t deliberately cruel to Aeris, will result in an Aeris date. Dating Tifa requires Cloud to intentionally be unfriendly to Aeris but friendly to Tifa.
The case of Aeris: If you play normally, the partner most likely to come will be her.
Final Fantasy VII Dismantled, page 189
The date with Aeris is the most meaningful of the four: a warm moment with a character before she is lost to Cloud forever. The romance built upon by the date will make Cait Sith’s upcoming line predicting their marriage more natural to the narrative. Aeris will hint to Cloud about the existence of Zack and Cloud’s hidden true self. She will also utter her famous line, “I want to meet you” – which will be echoed by Cloud in the ending when he says “I think I can meet her there” – referring to his wish to reunite with her in the Promised Land.
The date with Aeris is essentially the canon, most narrative-appropriate choice.
The impact Cloud and Aeris’s date had is extraordinary: It was twice called one of Final Fantasy VII’s most “meaningful” scenes in Square Enix events.
In September of 2012, Square held a Final Fantasy VII Exhibition in Tokyo, Aeris’s line “Hey Cloud, I’m looking for you. I want to meet you” from her date scene was ranked third in a poll of most memorable lines in Final Fantasy VII.
In January 2022, at the Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Commemoration Event official stream, two scenes from the original game were played during the production’s “reminiscence” portion: Aeris’s date scene, and Cloud’s reunion with Aeris in the church.
Watch the stream on Square Enix’s YouTube channel here:
The number of times Square has referenced Cloud and Aeris’s date in official materials is impossible to count – but let’s see how many we can find!
Without cheating and using guidebook images specifically about Gold Saucer’s date scenario, which almost always feature Aeris’s date scene in story playbacks, I’ll try to limit it to additional highlights of the date not related to guide sections.
The Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania inside cover features a picture of Aeris praying, then scenes of mostly Aeris – including her date – under the words “FFVII is forever in our hearts.” 10th Anniversary Ultimania uses the Clerith date scene as its main visual in a section lauding Final Fantasy VII’s 3D models and CG movies.
In Final Fantasy VII Dismantled, Aeris’s diary entry on page 164 recounts her date with Cloud:
Oh, Cloud… Our date at the Gold Saucer was so much fun. The view from the gondola that night was really beautiful.
In Ultimania Omega, Aeris’s date with Cloud is considered a key event in her profile, and the book confirms that Aeris was able to see into Cloud’s true self during this time.
Aeris senses an overlap between Zack and Cloud, and detects that this Cloud isn’t his normal self. She saw into his true existence, which he himself wasn’t even aware of, so lines like “I’m searching for you” and “I want to meet you” have deep meaning.
Ultimania Omega
Aeris’s date with Cloud is the only one featured so far in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade, a Japan-only official mobile phone game.
When we were riding on the gondola, I’m sure Aerith was aware of the real me, whom I looked away from.
Cloud Strife, Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest x Final Fantasy 30th (Museum Gallery)
Aeris being able to see Cloud’s “true self” remains a constant in the Itadaki Street crossover event, where Cloud himself explains an understanding that Aeris knew the “real him” even when he subconsciously pretended to be someone else.
“Well… how about one date?”
Aerith Gainsborough card
(Payment for Cloud upon asking him to be her bodyguard)
“Hey, Cloud. I’m searching for you.”
(Speaking her thoughts with Cloud on their first and last date)
Sanctuary of Amusement
Final Fantasy Art Museum Trading Card #111 Gold Saucer Sanctuary amusement (VII)- English translation
The Planet’s largest amusement park is run by Dio. Cloud and company visit this place many times in their battle. They meet Cait Sith here. A promised date that ends in a magical night. In the city of desire that floats above the sands, the light memory of the two people is asleep even now…
“I think I must have seen him again, in you… But you’re different. Things are different… No, Cloud… I’m searching for you…“
(Aeris’s words while on the gondola at the end of the date)
Aeris’s card includes her date as a memorable quote. The “promised date” in the Gold Saucer card can only refer to Aeris’s date, of course, and her quote at the bottom seals the question. “City of desire” – wow. What happened that night?
Oh, maybe it was-
This silly comic drawn for the Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest x Final Fantasy 30th crossover event.
Uhh… Cloud does things like this?
Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest x Final Fantasy 30th comic
(Censored image of Cloud and Aeris’s date scene)
Cloud: S-S-STOP! DELETE IT!!!
Aeris, a character in Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, references her date at Gold Saucer during the Keeper of Fear Lost Chapter.
You can even watch the fireworks from a gondola. It’s such a beautiful sight to see.
Aerith, Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia
Aeris’s famous line from her date with Cloud is used in a promotion for the Final Fantasy Mobius x Final Fantasy VII Remake event.
Who awaits in the Promised Land?
“I’m searching for you. I want to meet you.”
FF Mobius x FFVIIR Event Promo
The website for the Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack Revival Disc uses a movie clip of Cloud and Aeris’s date as its background image. See it here!
The London Symphony Orchestra’s official “Final Symphony” concert included a three-movement tribute to Final Fantasy VII. Movement number 2 was titled “Words Drowned by Fireworks,” and featured a medley of Cloud’s, Aeris’s, and Tifa’s themes. However, Aeris’s theme is the one that shines – just read the concert program yourself here. (You can also listen to the track on Spotify or purchase the disc at the Square Enix Store!)
[“Words Drowned by Fireworks”] opens with a short introduction to Aerith via her theme, before the titular song begins, portraying her date with Cloud. Manifestations of “Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII” make appearances throuhgout, and the two characters hit it off while chimes flutter around like birds. Just as the conversation starts to go places, the interaction is halted by fireworks.
Final Symphony official concert program
Speaking of which, Nobuo Uematsu said that “Words Drowned By Fireworks” is the “song that plays during the date scene between the hero and heroine” during a promotional event for the BRA ★ BRA Final Fantasy VII concert in 2018. The scene on that showed while he said this was Aeris and Cloud’s date.
Likewise, at the 2018 BRA ★ BRA Final Fantasy VII concert, Aeris’s date is used for the pamphlet for the song “Words Drowned by Fireworks.”
So “Words Drowned by Fireworks” can describe either Aeris or Tifa’s dates, but the one whom it was really composed and performed for is Aeris.
Advertisements for the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Farewell Exhibit popped up in Tokyo, and included posters of Cloud and Aeris. Aeris’s poster has her date quote:
わたし、あなたをさがしてる
あなたに……会いたいI’m searching for you.
Poster Advertisement for the Final Fantasy 30th Farewell Exhibit
I want to meet… you.
The same quote also appears in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, as above!
Earth & Sky: A Cloud x Aeris Love Story 