FAQ Roundup #4

I’m late on answering some of the questions you submitted me! Thanks for sending me questions, I love hearing from all of you.

What are your thoughts about the rebirth/remake where Cloud seems to “save” Aerith. The jumping of timelines. Do you have any idea or theory on what’s about to happen in Clerith at part III

I’m hesitant to make too many predictions about part 3 on this blog, as I don’t want theory-crafting to dilute my arguments. I do feel that part 3 is anyone’s guess at this point.

That said, it seemed relatively straightforward to me that Cloud saved Aerith in one timeline but she appeared to perish in another. I do personally think the alternate worlds – whatever their true nature – will be used as a device to keep Aerith as a character actively participating in the plot in part 3.

I’m so sorry if this has been asked before! You have a lot of posts, and I haven’t been able to go through them all yet. But I was wondering about Cloud and Tifa’s Lifestream sequence. I’ve never played Final Fantasy VII—everything I think I know is just from consuming fan content online—but I always see Cloti fans bring up the Lifestream scene to ‘prove’ their ship is canon or to show that Cloud and Tifa have a deeper connection than Cloud and Aerith. So, I was wondering: what exactly happens in that scene, and why is it so significant?

I’m also a little nervous about Part 3 & what it will mean for Clerith. I’ve heard it will focus more on Tifa and will likely include the Lifestream and Highwind scenes. Does that mean Cloti will be pushed more? And where does Aerith fit into all of this? I’d be disappointed if she’s absent for a big part of the game. Also, do you think Part 3 might include an optional Clerith kiss, like how Rebirth had one for Cloti?

I just have a lot of thoughts, and honestly, I find Final Fantasy pretty confusing—there’s so much about lost memories, Cloud being experimented on (?), and different timelines. Are there any good ways to learn the lore without playing the game? (I’m broke lmao)

Sorry this was so long—I’m such a yapper 😭😭

Hey there! I have plenty of opinions on the Lifestream sequence, and if you’re interested, here’s an article I wrote awhile back on the matter. In the context of the original game, the scene is very specifically about Cloud proving his own existence as a human and not a “clone” made from Tifa’s memories via Jenova’s mind-reading. Cloud, at this point, has been told by Sephiroth that he was created by Hojo and was not actually the boy from Nibelheim.

To prove his own existence, Cloud must delve into his past to find a memory about himself that Tifa was not aware of in order to assert his existence. Cloud admits he had a childhood crush on Tifa – and I feel this is where many Cloud/Tifa fans stopped paying attention. The crush is used as a the foundation for a shameful memory that solidified feelings of failure and inadequacy in his psyche. More than that, it’s not only about Tifa – Cloud is able to reveal he was a friendless loner as a kid, and wanted to play with the others, but wasn’t able. This emotional isolation was the seed that grew into his severe psychological issues, which made him weak to Jenova’s influence (and the fantasy that he was actually a cool successful SOLDIER, and childhood friends with popular girl Tifa.)

That is to say, the Lifestream sequence is not about romance. It’s about Cloud’s mental health and childhood loneliness. I have no idea how this will be handled in part 3 because part 2 essentially already covered the OG’s Lifestream plot in Gongaga, complete with Tifa finding out that Cloud followed her up the mountain the day her mother died, and was blamed for her coma – which was the core memory Cloud used in the original game to rediscover his true self.

As for part 3, I’ll avoid predictions. But I will say that the devs have stated that they endeavored to give Tifa and Aerith equal content in previous Remake installments. In order to equalize Tifa’s role with Aerith’s in Rebirth, they had to invent a new subplot for her that was not present in the original game. If I had to guess, we’ll see the devs follow the same formula in part 3, with Aerith having a much expanded role – whether it’s in another world or the Lifestream – and we will be able to unlock romantic scenes with either Aerith or Tifa depending on our player choices.

Hi, I’m a foreigner so I’m using Google Translate. Hope you can understand.
My name is Hugo and I read your post about Aerith and Cloud, from Final Fantasy. I’m very interested in your current opinion, like Final Fantasy Rebirth, do you still think Aeris really loves Cloud? Even with Zack’s “return”? And do you believe that Aeris can return in some form, in a living body, to the franchise? and possibly have an official relationship with Cloud.

Thanks for reading! Yes, I do think Aeris really loves Cloud. Or should I say – that’s not my opinion, that’s established canon. Here’s a relevant article I wrote a few years back. In the context of Rebirth, I was actually surprised at how vehemently the game went out of its way to emphasize that, while Aeris’s lingering nostalgia for Zack did initially complicate her feelings for Cloud, it’s Cloud who she loves now. This is the focal point of both their Chapter 12 Gold Saucer date, as well as their Chapter 14 dream date.

It’s hard for me to predict anything in part 3, but all I can say is the narrative would be rendered dramatically inconsistent if Aeris reunites romantically with Zack at this point.

Hello! I am sorry, I’m a spanish speaker. Today I read a magazine that says that recently (I guess December 2024) Nojima says that Cloud and Aerith’s relationship is like brother and sister. Do you now something about that?

Ha! Well, I wasn’t timely in responding to this question. Had I answered on time, I would’ve told you those articles are clearly misunderstanding Hamaguchi’s words, and that “sisterly” is a personality archetype in Japan – and in no way was Hamaguchi saying Cloud and Aerith are familial/platonic and not romantic. I would’ve pointed out that we do the same thing in English (“She’s the mom of our friend group!” doesn’t mean anyone thinks she’s their mother.) I would’ve pointed out that Claudia specifically tells Cloud to date a “sisterly” type girl who can pull Cloud forward, which is a phrase Hamaguchi seemed to use verbatim in the article.

But then Hamaguchi himself cleared it up – which is both nice and incredibly embarrassing. Arguments that Cloud and Aerith are “like brother and sister” are not in good faith. If you want to read more, here’s my article on the matter!

Does Aerith really have feelings for Cloud?

Yes.

In the 25th ultimania, I think on Tifa’s page they talked about her and Cloud having long lasting romantic feelings and confirm their feelings during the highwind scene. Is this true or is there evidence stating it’s optional?

Yes. In every Ultimania that mentions them confirming feelings for one another, it is also mentioned that there are two versions of the Highwind scene. Note that the quote you’re thinking of in the 25th Ultimania specifically would’ve come from the “For the One I Love” page – in which Aeris is also featured as Cloud’s other love interest. By going to the page number in the subtitles to read more, the fact that there are two Highwind scenes and the high affection version is only one option is underscored.

Do you have a list of all your source materials? There are some places like Shinra Arch and Lifestream Forums that uses Cloud vol. 1, Reunion Files and Crisis Core the Complete guide (not Ultimania) as sources for their CT or ZA ships. I know these books are put together by Sony / Soft Bank / Media Works. Though they feature interviews with the devs, the summaries are not written by BentStuff or the Square Enix staff. And these works seems to contradict information that is in the Studio BentStuff books.

I’m afraid I don’t keep a running list of all my sources – I use whatever source I can find. (I have a very very messy and very very massive folder with scans, screenshots, official images, and so forth.)

Here’s the thing about sources (and I’m not talking about shipping in particular): they can be contradictory. They are written by numerous third party people and it’s unlikely that the devs review everything personally. More than that, even dev comments can be contradictory. We think of a team of “core devs” like Nojima, Nomura, Kitase, and so forth being in charge of FF7, and they themselves don’t agree on everything. But the truth is, FF7 wasn’t even created by just them. FF7 is a product of hundreds of creators. It’s not the baby of one single author.

That’s somewhat tangential, but it’s worth keeping in mind when we look at sources.

Hey firstly I want to say your analysis are the best I’ve found, and I wanna say thank you for taking your time to make and share them.
I recently got into ff7 starting with the original, and quickly fell in love with the characters especially Aeris and Cloud, and their story.
My question(s) are:
If Aeris ends up surviving/being ressurected in part 3 and having a happy ending, does it in your view cheapen their story, or the story of OG? And if she does, would the ability for the player to choose an Aeris or Tifa ending for Cloud be a bad thing?
I haven’t made up my mind on this myself yet, but i really respect your knowledge and views on this blog, and the way you present your thoughts and appreciation of the devs intentions, so I’d like to hear your opinion.

Thanks for the kind words!

Here’s my opinion about the OG and the Remake trilogy. I’m an OG superfan. It’s my favorite game, and I think it’s pretty near perfect. I would’ve never latched on to Aeris so deeply had she not died, and I would’ve never been as moved by Clerith if they weren’t star-crossed lovers. I dreaded a remake of Final Fantasy VII because I think the game, in its original form, doesn’t need replacing. But it’s because of that that I’m eager to see something new done with the story – and some alternate what-ifs explored rather than a direct overwrite of the 1997 game.

So no, I don’t think Aeris’s resurrection would cheapen her death – especially not after the new Remake-exclusive elements of fate, Aeris’s knowledge of the future, and the tagline of “defying destiny.” I think it would be wonderful to see a timeline where Aeris is saved.

I’m not sure about multiple endings based on shipping. I could see it as the best way to make shippers on both sides happy, and affection mechanics altering scenes has been core to the game since the OG days. That said, I think I’d prefer one ambiguous ending that allows for players to interpret things as they prefer – with any optional romance scenes happening prior to the ending – since, believe it or not, I think FF7’s incredible story is about so much more than who Cloud romances (though his feelings for Aeris are central to his character and the finale.) But it’s hard to have an opinion about something that doesn’t exist yet!