After Aeris contracts Cloud to be her bodyguard (in exchange for one date), she brings him to her house in Sector 5, where she lives with her mother, Elmyra. It’s a quaint, homey cottage surrounded by flower gardens – a sharp visual contrast from the rest of the cyberpunk junkyard of Midgar’s slums that Cloud has previously been confined to. The warm, welcoming atmosphere is a special refuge for both the player – who until this point, only seen an industrial wasteland and Lifestream-burning power reactors – and Cloud, who hasn’t been home (or even had a home) in five years.
Being led here by a cute girl and having a comfortable bed to sleep in causes Cloud to dream of his own home, and his mother, Claudia. In his dream, he remembers a scene that took place when he visited home five years ago as a Shinra grunt, in the days before the bloody Nibelheim incident that destroyed his past. In this dream, his mother – named Claudia in Final Fantasy VII: Remake – dotes on her wayward son, before nagging him to settle down with a nice girlfriend.
She contemplates who the perfect partner for her son would be, and describes this hypothetical girl as this.
| Japanese (Original Final Fantasy VII) | English (Official translation, 1997) | English (Literal translation) |
|---|---|---|
| 「都会にはいろいろ誘惑が | “There are a lot of temptations in the city…” | There are a lot of temptations in the city, don’t you think? |
| 多いんだろ？」 | ||
| 「ちゃんとした彼女がいれば | “I’d feel a lot better if you just settled down | I’d get some peace of mind if you had a nice girlfriend. |
| 母さん、すこしは | with a nice girlfriend.” | |
| 安心できるってもんだ」 | ||
| 「あんたにはねぇ……」 | “You should have…” | For you… |
| 「ちょっとお姉さんで | “an older girlfriend, one that’ll | A sorta older-sister type |
| あんたをグイグイ引っ張っていく」 | take care of you.” | who will lead you around without hesitation. |
| 「そんな女の子が | “I think that would be the perfect type for you.” | A girl like that would be a perfect match, I think. |
| ピッタリだと思うんだけどね」 |
After this dream concludes, Cloud wakes up in Aeris’s house. Aeris is visible sitting on her bed in the next room – in case the player is at all confused whether or not the narrative purpose of this dream was to introduce Aeris as Cloud’s love interest.
In the official English translation, Claudia describes a girl who is older than Cloud. Aeris, who is 22, is older than Cloud, who is 21 (Tifa is only 20, so cannot be the girl described.) The Japanese text has a little more nuance than that. Instead of “older,” Claudia describes a “nee-san (older sister).” No, Claudia’s not referring to anything incestuous – this could refer to either an older girl, as the English suggests, or a personality type (that is, a girl who watches over and takes care of someone like an older sister might.)
A more interesting contrast between languages is the second part of Claudia’s suggestion. The official translation says “[someone] that’ll take care of you,” suggesting a nurturing personality. This does fit Aeris, certainly, but the Japanese version carries a different meaning. Claudia says this perfect girl is “グイグイ引っ張っていく (guigui hippatteiku)” – someone who would pull Cloud along or lead him without hesitation. Rather than nurturing, she describes a strong personality – maybe even a little bossy.
This description is what really cinches that Claudia is talking about Aeris – who the player just met and already led Cloud to her house before willfully deciding to lead him on to Sector 7 in the morning, despite both Cloud’s and Elmyra’s protests. Aeris seems to have a habit of jumping head-first into danger, and though she contracted Cloud as her bodyguard, you might think she were the one set on protecting him.
This phrase cannot describe the reserved and cautious Tifa at all. And though the game is already not exactly subtle, this phrase, グイグイ引っ張っていく (“[someone] who pulls/leaders [you] around without hesitation”) is used to describe Aeris a number of times in her official profiles.
Aeris may seem delicate, but in reality, she has an unshakable will. Once she’s made up her mind, she has the power to lead others around.
Final Fantasy VII Remake World Preview [Japanese Version]
はかなげでか弱い印象が、実際は確固たる意志を持った女性。こうと決めたら周囲を引っ張っていく強さがある。
A woman with a rather mysterious aura that appears in a story of a spiritual world circling with the Planet’s life force. She lives and sells flowers in Midgar, the City of Mako. She is known for her long braided hair tied with a large pink ribbon. At first glance, she might seem meek, but she is the type to express her feelings directly and clearly, and sometimes also displays a core strength that pulls Cloud along.
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Aerith’s profile
星の命をめぐる異界の物語に登場する、どこか神秘的な雰囲気をまとった女性。魔晄都市ミッドガルで花売りをしながら暮らしている。編み込んだ長い髪に、大きなピンク色のリボンを結んだ姿が特徴的。清楚で一見おとなしそうだが、自分の気持ちを素直にハッキリと伝えるタイプで、時にクラウドを引っ張っていくような芯の強さを見せることもある。
And of course, the Ultimania guidebooks really spell it out as well.
She really looks like a helpless damsel, but in reality, she is extremely strong-willed. Once she has made up her mind, she will relentlessly lead those around her without hesitation.
Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania, pg. 50
いかにもか弱い乙女を見えるが、実際はとても意志が強い。一度これと決めたら絶対に曲げず、周囲も者をぐいぐいと引っ張っていく。
Is Cloud’s mom recommending a girlfriend like Aeris?
Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega, pg. 77
クラウドの母がすすめる女性は、エアリスのようなタイプ？
[Dialogue (Cloud’s Mom):] “An older-sister type who’ll lead you around without hesitation!”
「ちょっとお姉さんであんたをグイグイ引っ張っていく」
When Aeris tells Cloud she is taking him to Sector 7 and won’t listen to any objections, that’s グイグイ引っ張っていく. When she rushes first into Wallmarket to save Tifa and Cloud tails behind her, that’s グイグイ引っ張っていく. When she tells Cloud to cross-dress to infiltrate Don Corneo’s mansion (and he does it), that’s also グイグイ引っ張っていく. I can’t emphasize enough that this is exactly how Aeris was written, and this description does not apply to Tifa at all.
So there is no question about it. The scene is meant to suggest that Aeris is the perfect match for Cloud – according to his own mother. Of course, this isn’t the only time that Aeris is suggested to be Cloud’s soulmate – check this out:
English: “I think that would be the perfect type for you.
Final Fantasy VII
Japanese: [ピッタリだと思うんだけどね]
English: “Looks good. You are perfect for each other!”
Japanese: [おふたりの相性、ぴったりですわ！]
Claudia describes an Aeris-type girl as “perfect” (or, in Japanese, ピッタリ). Cait Sith later predicts the compatibility between Cloud and Aeris, and comes to the same conclusion – they are “perfect” (ピッタリ) for one another. The word choice is identical in Japanese and English.
One question that has stumped fans is why Claudia would recommend a hypothetical girl with a very specific personality, when the village girl, Tifa, on whom Cloud had a childhood crush. Claudia’s description is the opposite of Tifa, after all. According to the upcoming novel, Traces of Two Pasts, Claudia was even aware of the potential romantic interest between the two teens. We can only wonder why Claudia did not believe Tifa was a good match for Cloud. Perhaps the reason is related to how Cloud’s crush on Tifa only gave him a complex, how Cloud wasn’t invited to join Tifa’s group of friends, or Cloud being unfairly accused of leading Tifa to Mt. Nibel and causing her to have a concussion – an episode that led Cloud to be even further alienated by the Nibelheim community, in which neither Tifa nor her friends defended Cloud from. Or, perhaps Claudia just sees a better future for Cloud away from the village.
Claudia has seen her introverted, sullen son isolate himself from his peers, develop a bad attitude, get into fistfights with the other kids, and – worst of all – feel lonely and unwanted. It’s no wonder Claudia envisions that a girl who can warmly take his hand and pull him out of his shell is the perfect fit.
At any rate, the episode positions Aeris as a love interest for Cloud and the player – complementing Tifa’s introduction, which uses the water tower promise scene as a similar narrative device.
But here’s something interesting. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Cloud’s dream of his mother is recreated almost identically, with one key difference: the Japanese word Claudia uses for “girlfriend” changes.
| Final Fantasy VII: Original Game | Final Fantasy VII: Remake |
|---|---|
| ちゃんとした彼女 | ちゃんとした恋人 |
Claudia, in the original game, uses the word 彼女 (kanojo) – a casual word meaning “girlfriend.” For some reason, in Remake, she uses the word 恋人 (koibito) – a more serious word meaning “lover.”
While this isn’t reflected in the English translation, this change is an intentional shift in nuance. Why was it changed? Is Aeris’s status as a partner elevated somehow? We can only guess, but it is worth noting that koibito is exactly how Aeris describes her relationship to Cloud in the sequel novel, On the Way to a Smile.
クラウドは女の友人であり、恋人でありーー大切なものの象徴であり、守るべき存在だった。
On the Way to a Smile, Case of Lifestream (White)
Cloud was her friend, her lover – he represented something precious, an existence that she must protect.
Update (March 2024): Rebirth Edition
Turns out, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth offered yet another example of Aerith being described in the exact same terms Claudia uses!
そんでもってあなたは
ぐいぐいと引っ張っていくタイプでっしょ？Literal translation: And so you’re the “lead around without hesitation” type, right?
Costa del Sol Date Sidequest
This NPC, who has chosen Cloud and Aerith as a romantic couple to inspire them, clocks Aerith as specifically the type of girl that Claudia told Cloud to date – using that exact phrase.
Can’t be more clear than that!
Earth & Sky: A Cloud x Aeris Love Story 