Romanticizing a Mental Health Crisis? Revisiting the Lifestream Sequence

The Lifestream sequence refers to an event late in Final Fantasy VII’s story that, after much disarray in Cloud Strife’s alleged background, serves to untaggle the truth of his past. Prior to this, Cloud leaves the party for the first time after he suffered a mental breakdown in Northern Crater and subsequently fell into the Lifestream. The team finds him after he washed ashore in the village of Mideel. At that point, Tifa, losing all will to fight, leaves the party as well to care for Cloud, who is in a near-comatose state due to mako poisoning. After a WEAPON attacks the village, Cloud and Tifa fall again into the Lifestream swirling under the crust of the earth, and a powerful a scene takes place within Cloud’s mind itself.

Cloud’s Breakdown

Cloud is not certain who – or what – he is. Having believed he was a first-class SOLDIER who accompanied Sephiroth to Nibelheim five years ago, Cloud is confronted first with Zack’s existence in the Northern Cave. During this sequence, Sephiroth taunts Cloud with images of the real SOLDIER, Zack, in Nibelheim and tells Cloud that he is nothing but an artificially-constructed clone created by Hojo five years ago.

Tifa, who is with Cloud, begs him not to listen to Sephiroth. At Sephiroth’s suggestion that Cloud was not the man he thought he was, an increasingly agitated Tifa shouts at Cloud to cover his ears and close his eyes.

Tifa wants to believe in her memories with Cloud, just as she desperately wants to hold on a real piece from her lost hometown. In reality, however, Tifa is lying. She knows Cloud was not the SOLDIER in Nibelheim, and she has known it all along.

Cloud tries to reassure a visibly anxious Tifa that he isn’t taking Sephiroth’s words to heart. He acknowledges that his memories have holes in them, but expresses his confidence that as long as Tifa knows he’s her childhood friend from Nibelheim, there’s nothing to worry about and no need to entertain the possibility of being just a Sephiroth clone. Yet the woman upon whom he is hanging the validity of his self-identity is also concealing the truth from him.

When Cloud thinks back to how he joined SOLDIER, he begins to falter. The holes in his memory become more glaring. Cloud says he’s fine – only to submit to JENOVA’s will and hand the dreaded Black Materia to Sephiroth, causing the summoning of Meteor, which condemns the Planet and everyone on it to death.

And Tifa, who held onto her own fantasies by lying to Cloud, now must be tasked with putting the pieces of his broken psyche back together.

(Re)visiting the Lifestream Sequence

The Lifestream event enlightens Cloud and Tifa’s relationship. We gradually unravel mistruth after mistruth about Cloud’s past, including the relationship he had with Tifa in their childhood. Despite being termed “childhood friends” throughout the game, we find out that the two weren’t close at all. Though he has presented himself as being nothing but cool, in reality, Cloud was an antisocial child, a social outcast who frequently got into fights with the other kids. Though he had a crush on popular-girl Tifa, the distance between them is emphasized.

After comparing dissonant memories of what happened in Nibelheim five years ago, Cloud digs deeper into his own psyche. Tifa suggests he explore a memory related to her, so that she can confirm whether or not it is a true memory. Cloud then identifies one memory that he posits as both exemplary of and foundational to his twisted failure complex.

Let’s look at the script. I’ll include both the Japanese lines and the English, since on occasion, the English skips or even misrepresents the original Japanese script.

JAPANESE	ENGLISH
TIFA	{Tifa}
「そうだ！　なにかしら私に関係のある	“That’s it! What about some memory
思い出は、どう？」	that has to do with me?”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「私がなにか言って、そのことを	“If I say something, you can’t remember it.”
あなたが思い出すんじゃなくて……」
「CLOUDがなにか言って、もし私も	“But if you say something,
そのことをおぼえていれば……	and I remember it, too…
それが、あなたと私の思い出……」	Then we’ll know that’s a memory.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ねえ、なにか話して。	“Talk to me.
なんでもいいから、あなたにとって	About anything,
大切な思い出を……」	some important memory to you…”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「そういえば、CLOUDはどうして	“Now that you mention it, why did you
ソルジャーになりたいって考えたの？」	want to join SOLDIER in the first place?”
「私には、あなたが突然決心したように	“I always thought it was a
思えたんだけど……」	sudden decision.”
『……悔しかった。	“…I was devastated.
……認めてほしかったんだ』	…I wanted to be noticed.”
「強くなれば	“I thought if I got stronger
認めてもらえる、きっと……」	someone would notice.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「認めてほしい……？	“Someone to notice you?
……誰に？」	…Who?”
『……誰に、だって？	“Who?
……わかるだろ？	You know who!
……TIFAに……だよ』	…You, that’s who.”
「TIFAに……」	“You…”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「……私？　どうして！？」	“Me? Why!?”
「TIFA……忘れちゃったの……	“{Tifa}…Did you forget…
あの時のこと？」	about those days?”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「あなたは……」	“Look…I…”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ごめんなさい……。	“I’m sorry…
なんのこと、言ってるの？」	But what are you talking about?”
「ううん……いいんだ。	“No…it’s all right.
TIFA、あの時は大変だったしね」	You were having a hard time back then.”
「自分のことで手一杯だったから	“You were so busy with your own things,
あの時のおれのことなんか	it’s only natural
おぼえてなくて当たり前だよ」	you don’t remember me then.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「……あの時？」	“’Then’?”
「おれにとっては大切な……	“It’s important to me…
悔しかったけど……	I hate to say it, but
すごく大切な思い出なんだ……」	it’s a very important memory.”
「……行ってみる？」	“Do you want to see it?”

Tifa asks why he wanted to join SOLDIER, and Cloud’s child-avatar admits he wanted to be noticed by Tifa. Tifa, naive to Cloud’s alienated childhood past, asks him why he wanted her to notice him. Cloud then seems deflated that Tifa doesn’t remember his hardships as a child (let alone how she represents his own failures and that being noticed by her might absolve him of his shame) but acknowledges that she was going through a tough time herself.

When branching into the path to Tifa’s room, Cloud describes the following memory as:

JAPANESE	ENGLISH
「………ふうじこめられた	“…A sealed up
ひそかな……ねがい……」	secret…wish…”
「大切な想いは……	“Tender feelings…
だれにも知られることなく……」	that no one can ever know…”

An initial assumption might suggest that his sealed-up secret wish and tender memories refer to his crush on Tifa. (Note that, while “tender” is a pretty word that can have romantic connotations in English, the Japanese word is just “taisetsu“, meaning “important.”) But in the ensuing scene, which Cloud reveals under this tagline, we see something deeper – and decidedly less romantic. Let’s dive into the scene to find out what Cloud is sealing up inside.

JAPANESE	ENGLISH
TIFA	{Tifa}
「この日、CLOUDが初めて私の部屋に？」	Was that the first day you came into my room?
「……そうだったよね」	“…that’s right.”
「家は近所なのに、私……CLOUDのこと	“We lived next to each other.
あまり知らなかったんだよね」	But I really didn’t know you that well.
「ずーっと小さなころから	“I’ve known you since we were children
仲良くしてたと思ってたのに……」	and always thought we were close…”
「そういえば……CLOUDが私の部屋に	“Now that you mention it…I don’t recall
いる風景って記憶に……ない」	you ever being in my room…”
「いっしょに遊んだ記憶も……ない。	[I don’t have any memories of us playing together, either…*
私のCLOUDとの思い出は	My memories with Cloud always begin at*
いつでも星空の給水塔が始まり……」	the water tower under the stars…]*
「TIFAはね、いつでも	“{Tifa} always used
この仲良し３人組といっしょだった」	to have her own group.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「……そうだったね」	“…That’s right.”
「俺は……	“I thought they were all…stupid.”
みんなバカだと思っていた」
TIFA	{Tifa}
「えっ！？」	“What!?”
「いつもどうでもいいようなことで	“You were all childish, laughing at
ケラケラ笑っててさ、子供っぽかった」	every little stupid thing.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「だって、子供だったんだもん」	“But we were children then.”
「……わかってる。	“…I know.
バカだったのは俺なんだ」	I was the stupid one.”
「本当はみんなといっしょに遊びたいのに	“I really wanted to play with everyone,
どうしても、仲間に入れてって言えなかった」	but you never let me in the group.”**
「そのうちさ……	“Then later…I started
俺はみんなとちがうんだ……」	thinking I was different…”
「あんな子供っぽいヤツらとはちがうんだって	“That I was different from
思うようになったんだ」	those immature kids.”
「でも……もしかしたら」	“That then…maybe…”
『もしかしたら	“Just maybe,
声をかけてもらえるかもしれない』	they would invite me in.”
『そう考えてみんなのまわりを	“I thought that might happen,
うろついていた……』	so I hung around…”
「どうしようもなくひねくれてた。	“I was so prejudiced.
そして……弱かった」	…And weak.”
『給水塔にTIFA呼び出したあの夜も	“That night I asked {Tifa} to come
俺は考えていた……』	out to the well…”
『TIFAはきっと来てくれない……	“I thought to myself {Tifa} would
こんな俺のことなんか嫌ってるって』	never come…that she hated me.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「そう……あのときは突然だったね。	“…It was so sudden.
私も……ちょっとビックリした」	I was a bit…surprised.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「でもね……」	“But…”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「たしかに私たちは	“It’s true we weren’t THAT close, but…”
それほど仲良しじゃなかったけど……」
TIFA	{Tifa}
「CLOUDが村を出てからは	“After you left town,
あなたのこと、ほんとによく考えたのよ」	I really thought about you a lot.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「CLOUDはどうしてるかな？」	“I used to wonder
「CLOUDはソルジャーに	“I wondered if you were
なれたのかなって」	able to get into SOLDIER?”
「CLOUDの記事、のってるかもしれないから	“I started reading the newspapers, thinking
新聞だって読むようになったの」	I might see an article about you.”
「ありがとう、TIFA」	“Thanks, {Tifa}.”
「あとで、こいつに言ってやって。	“Tell him what you told me, later.
きっとよろこぶよ」	He’ll probably be so happy.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「うん！」	“OK!”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「あれっ？」	“Huh?”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ねえ、この日、何があったの？」	“What happened on this day?
何か特別な日？」	Was it a special day?”
「この日はね……」	“This was the day…”
『TIFAのお母さんが……』	“{Tifa}’s mother…”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ママが……死んじゃった日……」}	“The day Mom died…”

One of these lines was skipped from translation in the English version, as noted above. Below, you can see the missing line.

We lived next to each other.
But I really didn’t know you that well.
I’ve known you since we were children and always thought we were close…
Now that you mention it… I don’t recall you ever being in my room…
I don’t have any memories of us playing together, either…
My memories with Cloud always begin at the water tower under the stars.

Tifa, Lifestraem dialogue including missing line (in bold)

It doesn’t change what was already established, even in the negligent English version of the game, but it does hone in the fact that not only were Cloud and Tifa not friends, Tifa doesn’t even really remember Cloud at all until they met under the water tower. She does not even recall if they even played together as kids, despite being neighbors.

This reality contextualizes the “tender memory” that Cloud finally reveals. It is the day that Tifa’s mother died, the first time he entered her room with her friends, and the day the boys all followed Tifa through the treacherous Mt. Nibel – only for Cloud to be blamed when Tifa is hurt.

JAPANESE	ENGLISH
TIFA	{Tifa}
「あの山の向こう	“…I wonder if there’s anything
……何があるのかな？」	beyond that mountain?”
「ニブル山はこわいよ。	“Mt. Nibel is scary.
何人も人が死んでるからね」	Many people have died there.”
「生きては越えられない山……」	“No one crosses that mountain alive…”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「じゃあ、死んだ人は？」	“How ’bout those that died?”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ママは山を越えていっちゃったの？」	“Did mama pass through the mountains?”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「私、行ってみる！」	“I’m going!”
『どこをどう歩いたのか	“I don’t remember the path I walked.”
覚えてないんだ』
『TIFAが足をふみ外して	“{Tifa} missed her step.
俺はあわててかけ寄って	I ran to her…but didn’t make it in time.”
でも間に合わなかった』
『ふたりとも……ガケから落ちたんだ』	“We both fell off the cliff.”
『この時はヒザすりむいただけで	“Back then, I only scarred my knees
すんだけど……』	but…”
TIFAパパ	[Tifa’s father]
「CLOUD！	“{Cloud}!
どうしてこんなところへ	Why’d you bring {Tifa}
TIFAを連れだしたりしたんだ！」	to a place like this!”
「まったく！	“What the hell’s the matter with you!?”
おまえが何を考えてるのか
ぜんぜんわからん！」
TIFAパパ	[Tifa’s father]
「TIFAにもしものことがあったら	“What if she dies!?”
どうするつもりだったんだ！！」
『TIFAは７日間	“{Tifa} was in a coma
意識不明だった』	for seven days.”
『死んでしまうかと思った』	“We all thought she wouldn’t make it.”
『俺がちゃんと助けていれば……』	“If only I could’ve saved her…”
『悔しかったんだ……	“I was so angry…
何もできなかった	at myself for my weakness.”
自分の弱さに腹が立った』
『それからはTIFAが	“Ever since then,
いつも俺を責めているような	I felt {Tifa} blamed me…”
気がしてさ』
『俺は荒れていった……	“I went out of control…
誰かれかまわず	I’d get into fights
ケンカをしかけて……』	with anyone.”
『そんな時だ。	“That was the first time
セフィロスのことを知ったのは』	I heard about Sephiroth.”
『セフィロスのように強くなりたい。	“I thought if I were strong
強くなれば、みんな俺のことを……』}	like Sephiroth, then…”

This is a beautiful but bitter scene. A young Tifa, grieving the death of her mother, begins to climb Mt. Nibel, believing that she might be able to chase down her mom’s soul. She is trailed by her friends – and Cloud. One by one, Tifa’s friends turn back, afraid of the dangerous hike. Cloud is the last one left following when they cross a rickety old bridge, which snaps, causing both kids to fall to the ground. Miraculously, Cloud only scrapes his knees, but Tifa is seriously injured and falls into a coma. The adult villagers find them (perhaps after receiving warning from one of Tifa’s friends?) and Tifa’s father, Brian, screams at Cloud, blaming him for bringing Tifa to the mountain.

To note, of course – Brian Lockhart is being cruel and unfair to an 8-year-old child. The accident isn’t Cloud’s fault. But remember that Brian just lost his wife, and was afraid he was going to lose his young daughter. Perhaps he can be excused for lashing out. Still, while Tifa woke from her coma a week later, the damage this event wrought on Cloud’s psyche was irreparable.

JAPANESE	ENGLISH
「………ふうじこめられた	“…A sealed up
ひそかな……ねがい……」	secret…wish…”
「大切な想いは……	“Tender feelings…
だれにも知られることなく……」	that no one can ever know…”
『強くなりさえすれば……	“If I could just get stronger…
TIFAだって、俺のこと	Then even {Tifa} would
認めてくれると……』	have to notice me…”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「そうだったの……、CLOUD」	“So that was it?”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ゴメンね、CLOUD」	“Sorry, {Cloud}.”
「あの時のこと	“If I had only remembered
私がちゃんとおぼえていれば	more clearly what happened,
もっと早くに……」	I could have done something sooner…”
「TIFAのせいじゃないよ。	“It’s not your fault, {Tifa}.”
俺のせいだ」

So the “tender memory” isn’t “tender” as in “sweet,” but “tender” as in “bruised.” Cloud finally entered Tifa’s room and stood alongside her coveted circle of playmates. He made a brave attempt to be included, driven perhaps by a desire share condolences and offer support Tifa, his crush and the queen bee of his peers whose acceptance would represent social inclusion. But his courageous efforts backfired spectacularly. Rather than win friendship, he is further pariahed by the village, castigated for Tifa’s injuries instead of lauded for chivalrously accompanying her. Tifa does not remember what happened, and though she doesn’t seem to personally bear him any ill-will, she is not able to remove his incrimination.

By centering Tifa in this memory, Cloud isn’t revealing Tifa being his “one true love interest.” He is identifying the Mt. Nibel incident as the impetus for his identity complex: his desperate desire to become strong in order to rewrite the narrative of his shameful failure, and finally be noticed and therefore accepted.

The troubled young Cloud then makes joining SOLDIER his metric for success. If he can become like his hero Sephiroth, he is sure everything will change. He won’t be a social outcast, a loser, or a weakling any longer – he will be someone worthy of love and admiration. Unfortunately, Cloud fails to make SOLDIER as well, exacerbating his self-doubts. After Sephiroth, the object of his hero-worship, sets Nibelheim ablaze, murders his mother, and seems to murder Tifa, Cloud cuts loose and incredibly succeeds at defeating Sephiroth, tossing his body into the Lifestream.

Unfortunately for Cloud, an unthinkably terrible situation only became worse when Hojo captures him and injects his gravely injured body with Sephiroth’s cells in a science experiment. After five years in captivity – during which Cloud is minimally self-aware – Zack is able to rescue him and bring them both to the outskirts of Midgar.

Zack, the young man who really did make SOLDIER, is Cloud’s first real friend. Cool, suave with the ladies, confident, and strong, Zack represents all the things Cloud wanted for himself. With alien cells swimming in his body and a shattered psyche, when Zack is murdered in front of him, a mentally unstable Cloud takes his sword. Thoughts swirling aimlessly in his head, he picks the ones he likes best: daydreams that it was he, Cloud Strife, who made SOLDIER.

When Tifa finds him collapsed in the slums of Midgar, JENOVA’s cells slam the chaos to a halt. With their magical ability of mimicry, Tifa’s vague recollections of Cloud as the last remnant of her lost hometown are exaggerated. Now it is he, Cloud Strife, who was friends with cool-girl Tifa Lockhart.

As Cloud’s true past dawns on both of them, they focus on Cloud’s strength in defeating Sephiroth – thus, saving Tifa’s life and fulfilling their adolescent promise on the water tower that he would save her if she were ever in trouble. The fragments of Cloud’s fractured mind are able to come together, and the two wake up.

JAPANESE	ENGLISH
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ね、BARRET……私……	“{Barret}…I…
ライフストリームのなかで	When I was in the Lifestream,
ほんとのCLOUDを見つけたんだ」	I saw the real {Cloud}.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「ううん、私が見つけたんじゃない。	“I mean, I didn’t really find him.
CLOUDが……彼が自分自身の力で	{Cloud}…he found himself…”
見つけだしたんだわ……」
BARRET	{Barret}
「ああ、わかってる……。	“Alright, I know…
うたがったりして悪かったな」	I shouldn’t have doubted.”
BARRET	{Barret}
「しかし、おまえにゃ負けたよ。	“But I can’t win against you.
たいした女だぜ、まったく」	You’re some kinda lady.”
TIFA	{Tifa}
「人間て、自分のなかに	“People have so many things
なんてたくさんのものを	pent up inside of themselves…”
しまってるんだろう……」
TIFA	{Tifa}
「なんてたくさんのことを	“So many things they
忘れてしまえるんだろう……」	can never forget.”
「ふしぎだよ……ね……	“Strange…isn’t it?”
…………」

Did Tifa Repair Cloud’s Mind?

Yes – in (large) part. Many Clerith supporters might diminish Tifa’s role in helping Cloud come to terms with his past. In reality, she’s a major source of Cloud’s failure complexes, and thus, her role in accompanying him through his memories is undoubtedly crucial in Cloud’s recovery.

Indeed, bearing “testament” to Cloud’s childhood is Tifa’s primary – if not only – role in the game. Unlike the other characters, Tifa does not have a standalone sequence about her past, and instead, her backstory serves to complement and offer perspective on Cloud’s own past. To treat Tifa as a bystander to Cloud’s crisis-counseling is a disservice to her character.

On the other hand, in Tifa’s own words, she did not “find” Cloud, but rather, Cloud “found himself.” Thus, it isn’t fair either to assign Tifa sole responsibility for Cloud’s recovery. Cloud was able to do his own soul-searching (if you will), with her support.

However, it is worth noting that Aeris too is implied to play a role in Cloud’s well-being. When chatting with the villagers of Mideel, one man shares his amazement that Cloud even survived being submerged in the Lifestream at all, and comments that “that boy must have one powerful guardian angel watchin’ over him.” While it may be a throwaway line, it’s likely an intentional reference to Aeris, who herself is currently in the Lifestream.

In the novella The Maiden Who Travels the Planet, this suggestion is made official. The story includes a scene where Aerith is able to guide Tifa into Cloud’s consciousness, while Tifa herself has been floundering within the chaos of the Lifestream.

Meteor’s pending impact and the planet’s release of colossal sentient Weapons was wreaking havoc with the Lifestream’s main current. Energy made to flow backwards erupted from the surface with unprecedented force, engulfing Cloud—who was convalescing in the village of Mideel—and Tifa—who was desperately trying to nurse him back to health. Enveloped in mako, the pair descended into the planet’s interior—Cloud for a second time, and Tifa for the first.

Gambling everything, Aerith seized this one-in-a-million chance. As Tifa floundered in confusion amid the highly concentrated mako, Aerith did everything in her power to reach out and guide her consciousness into Cloud’s closed-off heart.

Being honest with herself, Aerith wished she could be the one to help Cloud. But this was a role she couldn’t fulfill. Therefore, she would entrust the task to Tifa. She would leave everything to the love of Cloud she knew resided within her—to the woman who would go on living beside him.

And Tifa indeed pulled through. Comparing Cloud’s memories with her own, she managed to discover things only the true Cloud would know. With these as proof, Cloud’s closed door was opened. His true identity was extracted from the depths of his heavily fortified memory. A regular infantryman who was never able to become a SOLDIER, Cloud duplicated his best friend Zack’s mannerisms using the abilities of the Jenova cells implanted inside him. Now he was restored to his proper, original self, not some fake personality concocted to preserve his own fragile ego.

“You’ve done it, Tifa,” Aerith rejoiced. “I can’t thank you enough…. It makes me a little jealous to ask, but please take care of Cloud. Not just him but the rest of the world up there.”

Smiling with a motherly sort of affection, Aerith looked on as Tifa snuggled close to Cloud and returned to the surface with him, his true self regained at last. 

Maiden Who Travels the Planet, fan translation

Did Cloud and Tifa Reveal Their Mutual Love in the Lifestream?

No.

That Cloud, as a child or teenage boy, had a crush on Tifa, is not really debatable. To split hairs and focus on the text suggesting she was a symbol for social acceptance is rather disingenuous when the takeaway for the vast majority of players is that he had romantic interest in her. Undoubtedly, this was the intention of the scene.

However, the Lifestream scene deals specifically with Cloud’s childhood and adolescence. It does not comment on Cloud’s present-day feelings at any point.

A popular Cloti piece of evidence is the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimania, of which was translated – often erroneously – into English by Dark Horse. A section titled “True Desire Made Clear” suggests that Cloud and Tifa’s love is brought into present-day light in the Lifestream; however, that does not match what the Japanese translation says.

A better translation might be this:

明かされた本当の願い
幼いころのクラウドは、同年代の者たちから孤立し、自分は特別だと思いこもうとする、ひねくれた子どもだった。そんな彼にとって大切だったのがティファ——淡く幼い恋心が、 精神世界にて明かされる。

A true wish revealed
When he was young, Cloud was an ill-natured child who was isolated from his peers and tried to think of himself as special. Someone important to him was Tifa – his fleeting, childish love is revealed in the spiritual world.

Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Ultimania

As you an see, Dark Horse actually invented some of the language and it distorts the original meaning. The Japanese says nothing about Tifa being the “only one close to his heart”. It only says she was important to him. The love revealed in the Lifestream in Japanese is called “fleeting” and “childish/young” – and only describes fourteen-year-old Cloud’s feelings, not present-day Cloud’s. Dark Horse inserted the word “their” – implying Cloud and Tifa’s present-day love was revealed.

The Japanese only describes what happened in the game itself: we saw that Cloud was an alienated, friendless child who had a crush on Tifa, which young-Cloud’s avatar suggests. It does not speculate on anything further than that.

The real purpose of the Lifestream sequence isn’t to validate Cloud and Tifa as a romantic pairing, but rather reveal the distance between them. It cautions that Tifa did not know Cloud well as a child. Cloud only admired Tifa from afar – how could he know her, either?

Furthermore, a common criticism that Cloti shippers have of Clerith is that Aeris has only spent time with Cloud’s “false persona” – a premise I reject, but it ought be noted that Tifa, too, has only spent time with Cloud’s persona and did not have Aeris’s abilities to sense Cloud’s “true self.” Thus, even in the situation of a Cloud and Tifa coming together romantically, they must still close this distance between them and get to know one another without pretenses.

Cautioning Against Romanticizing Mental Health

An incredible musical detail takes place at the beginning of the Mideel sequence. When Tifa overhears some villagers discussing a man with a sword washing ashore, Tifa excitedly presses them for more details. During this time, the romantic theme “Words Drowned by Fireworks” begins to play – the same theme that plays during the Gold Saucer date, and when Cait Sith predicts Cloud and Aeris as a perfect romantic match. It seems this time, it’s Tifa’s turn to have her romantic moment.

She rushes into the clinic to reunite with the man she loves, but..

..the theme abruptly stops. Cloud is in a wheelchair, swaying and babbling nonsense. His body is here, but his mind is not.

It’s a brilliant and cruel moment of audio storytelling. A potentially romantic scene is subverted: Tifa’s own feelings for Cloud and dreams of an amorous reunion are shattered. This is not a romantic scene and cannot be a romantic scene. “Words Drowned by Fireworks” is torn away, and “From The Edge Of Despair” begins to play instead.

Concluding that the Lifestream is a romantic sequence is an uncomfortable insinuation. Cloud has had a psychiatric breakdown: with his mind hostage by cognitive knots and poisoned by mako overdosing, Cloud is physically in a drooling, vegetative state and psychologically in monstrous turmoil. Too vulnerable to even broach the subject of romantic love, what Cloud really needs is help from a friend who believes in him.

The ethics of treating Cloud’s mental breakdown as an opportunity for romance to blossom aside, Cloud’s adolescent crush on Tifa is a rather tertiary detail. What the Lifestream sequence’s true purpose is, is affirming Cloud’s identity as a real human – not just a Sephiroth clone – and one that must accept his failures and insecurities. Only then can Cloud dismantle his false persona of a cool, first-class SOLDIER and finally move forward from the doubts that haunt him.

Reducing the scene to being some answer to the love triangle debate not only cheapens Cloud’s mental health crisis, but ignores what actually happens within the Lifestream, and how Cloud concludes the episode on the Highwind in front of all of his friends.

As Tifa herself says:

“You’re sure messed up, Cloud!”