Stop trying to delegitimize my ship:
Cloud x Aerith DID happen during disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII
Back in 1997, I heard about this amazing game Final Fantasy VII. My cousin watched her step-Father play it and then she, herself, played it. She told me about Aerith Gainsborough, the last remaining Cetra – a special race that possesses the ability to talk with and heal the Planet. I knew just from hearing about Aerith that she had a hidden power I couldn’t wait to experience. My cousin also excitedly told me she now wanted to grow up and become a Flower Merchant. We spent many months in 1997 playing Final Fantasy VII endlessly, always getting excited when we were able to re-start and experience disc 1 again. Though disc 2 and 3 are both amazing in their own right, disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII begins with a bang and keeps getting better and better, peaking with the most well-known and iconic moment of the entire game – Aerith Gainsborough’s death.
Everyone witnessed Cloud’s heart break when he was holding Aerith’s lifeless body in his arms. Cloud and Aerith had just received a romantic wedding prediction from Cait Sith, went on a ‘normally’ occurring date at Gold Saucer, and spent numerous romantic moments together. Cloud and Aerith’s entire star-crossed love story developed before our eyes – spanning all of disc 1. This clear-cut Clerith love story is why there has been an intentional and systematic campaign to delegitimize, discredit, and downplay disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII.
A convenient, fan-made theory has been created and crafted to remove Cloud and Aerith’s love story from disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII. This is done by delegitimizing all of Cloud and Aerith’s disc 1 moments. Cloti fans say that because Cloud adopted some of Zack’s memories/persona, all of Cloud and Aerith’s interactions during disc 1 automatically become illegitimate. According to them, it wasn’t Cloud developing feelings for Aerith – it was actually Cloud thinking he was Zack, Aerith’s first boyfriend. Following this logic, however, you could also say virtually anything and everything Cloud did during disc 1 was actually Zack. Ironically, this “Zack!Cloud” theory is [typically] reserved exclusively for the love triangle debate – exposing that this gross distortion of Cloud’s character is rooted in a bias hatred of the Clerith ship.
In a way, I don’t blame Cloti fans for trying to push this fan-made theory as fact. If disc 1 actually happened –meaning all 10 moments of romance between Cloud and Aerith– it becomes painfully undeniable: Clerith has been canon since the year 1997. This becomes especially true when we look at the official Yoshitaka Amano artwork that depicts Cloud and Aerith in 5 exclusive pieces together, or when we look at the Clerith cameo in Final Fantasy Tactics: two canon examples proving Cloud x Aerith has always been the intended pairing of the original game – Final Fantasy VII [despite retcons and their followers saying otherwise]
Cloud and Tifa fans say Cloud and Aerith’s love story was just another example of Squaresoft showing us Cloud’s jumbled memories. In other words… Cloud only fell in love with Aerith because he thought he was Zack. According to them, during the lifestream sequence, Cloud discovers he took on parts of Zack’s history/persona, which leads him to realizing he never loved Aerith because it was actually him thinking he was Zack, which then re-triggers his love for childhood crush Tifa.
Unfortunately, rediscovering an unreciprocated childhood crush that led to a strong-armed promise doesn’t automatically translate into present-day romance. Nor does it mean Cloud’s eternal feelings of love for Aerith suddenly vanish. Cloud can both re-discover a childhood crush *and* maintain eternal feelings of love for Aerith. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
If you can believe it, though, Cloud and Tifa fans go even further and say Square Enix declared the high affection Highwind scene canon due to largely unknown and unread books mostly sold in Japan. Admittedly, these books do give the high affection version of the Highwind scene preferential treatment in some places. However, nowhere is the high affection Highwind scene stated to be the ‘normal’ outcome like the Cloud x Aerith Gold Saucer date is. Preferential treatment doesn’t equal canon – being stated to be the ‘normal’ outcome does make something canon [like the Cloud x Aerith Gold Saucer date is]
The theory that Cloud and Aerith’s love story is a huge plot twist merely to show us Cloud thinks he’s Aerith’s first boyfriend [the boyfriend Aerith tells Cloud she wasn’t very serious with while on her date with Cloud at the Green Park in Sector 6 // the same boyfriend Aerith moves on from during her canon Gold Saucer date with Cloud // “I think I must have seen him again, in you… But you’re different. Things are different… No, Cloud… I’m searching for you… I want to meet… you”] doesn’t match “real” Cloud’s behavior. In order to see if the “Zack!Cloud” theory holds up, we must examine “real” Cloud’s behavior:
“Real” Cloud’s heart cracked when Aerith died:
“It was the sound of Cloud’s heart cracking. It was the cry of his heart that could never be healed of the grief he had towards Aerith’s death, the blame towards himself and the hatred he had for Sephiroth…” ~Maiden of the Planet; Square Enix
“Real” Cloud discovers he can find Aerith in the Promised Land
[note: Cloud’s discovery of Aerith’s existence in his ‘supreme place of happiness’ occurs after the [variable] Highwind scene]:
“An answer from the Planet… the Promised Land… I think I can meet her… there.” ~Cloud Strife; Final Fantasy VII
“Real” Cloud experiences his heart breaking for the second time while visiting Aerith’s grave at the Forgotten City in Case of Tifa:
“Delivery Item – Bouquet
Destination – The Forgotten City
Client Name – Elmyra Gainsborough
…
But, going back to the place where he parted from Aerith might mean that his sorrow and regret was going to tear his heart again.” ~Case of Tifa; Square Enix
After Tifa confronts and fights with Cloud over visiting Aerith’s grave, Tifa wonders if Cloud loves her. Later, Tifa strong-arms Cloud into telling her he believes Aerith lead Denzel to him – the root of Cloud’s new-found happiness with his ‘family of friends’:
“Hey, do you remember what you said when you brought Denzel here?”
“What did I say?”
“A lot of things. Even if I opposed it, you would bring him back with you. I could just feel it.”
“That…”
Cloud was making a face like a kid who thought he would get scolded.
“Tell me. I’ll decide whether I’m angry or not after I listen.”
Cloud nodded and continued.
“Denzel had collapsed in front of Aerith’s church. That’s why I thought Aerith lead him to me.”
Saying all that in one breath, Cloud looked away.
“You went to the church.”
“I didn’t intend to hide it from you.”
“You did hide it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not saying you couldn’t go. But next time, I’ll go with you.”
“I understand.”
~Case of Tifa; Square Enix
After this conversation, Cloud leaves Tifa to live in Aerith’s Church – the place we see Cloud living in during the beginning of Advent Children [the same time frame in which Cloud wouldn’t return Tifa’s calls]. Some say this is because of Cloud developing geostigma. Yet Final Fantasy VII creator Kazushige Nojima tells us Cloud and Tifa’s problems likely have nothing to do with Sephiroth or geostigma:
Episode Tifa: Case of Tifa – first off, there’s the premise that things won’t go well between Tifa and Cloud, and that even without geostigma or Sephiroth this might be the same.“ ~Final Fantasy VII Creator, Kazushige Nojima; On the Way to a Smile interview; Square Enix
When Tifa discovers Cloud had been living in Aerith’s Church, she is shown to become jealous Cloud isn’t just dragging around the past, but that the reason might perhaps be related to her “love rival” Aerith:
“The thing which she is unable to hide in her irritation towards Cloud is the fact that he isn’t merely dragging the past around, but because that reason might perhaps be related to Aerith.
Final Fantasy VII: Seeing Cloud and Aerith developing their world together before her eyes, she inadvertently lets slip her peevish feelings.
Advent Children: Upon knowing that Cloud had been residing in Aerith’s church after leaving the place they had been living in together, her expression becomes complex.”
~Tifa’s character profile; 10th Anniversary Ultimania; Square Enix
“Tifa was close to Aerith, who can also be called a love rival. With that point in mind, they were also good friends.
Nevertheless, it is not hard to imagine that she carries complex feelings as a woman toward Aerith, who had built up a special bond with Cloud that was different from Tifa’s.
Tifa’s complicated feelings continue even in Advent Children, two years after Aerith had departed the world.”
~Tifa’s profile; Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania; pg. 42-47; Square Enix
I can’t help but believe Tifa’s jealousy is [some] of what Kazushige Nojima is alluding to when he said Cloud and Tifa’s problems have nothing to do with Sephiroth or geostigma. The problems he’s alluding to likely have to do with Cloud’s heartbreak over Tifa’s “love rival” Aerith.
We need to look at these three factors not in a vacuum, but as a whole picture:
1. Examples of “real” Cloud’s heartbreak over his failure as Aerith’s bodyguard throughout Case of Tifa and Advent Children: A) Cloud’s heart breaking for a second time while visiting Aerith’s grave at the Forgotten City B) Cloud believes Aerith led Denzel to him, the root of his new-found happiness with his ‘family of friends’ C) Cloud going to live in Aerith’s Church after fighting with Tifa D) Cloud and Aerith’s hand reach/Promised Land “homage” in Advent Children.
2. Tifa’s continued and admitted jealousy over Cloud and Aerith’s relationship in both Case of Tifa and Advent Children. For example, if Cloud living in Aerith’s Church wasn’t coded with eternal feelings of love for Aerith, why does Tifa harbor feelings of jealousy when she finds out? Did Square Enix just want to make Tifa a delusional, stereotypical, jealous woman? Or was Tifa actually jealous of something real? Could Tifa perhaps be jealous of something that actually happened during disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII and continues throughout the entire compilation, exploring themes of life and love beyond death?
3. Final Fantasy VII creator Kazushige Nojima’s premise that things “won’t go well” between Cloud and Tifa, and that their problems likely having nothing to do with Sephiroth or geostigma.
Based on these three factors, it becomes clear Cloud and Tifa’s problems have, at least in part, something to do with Cloud’s eternal feelings of love for Aerith – the woman he wants to reunite with in the Promised Land [his ‘supreme place of happiness’]. Cloud and Aerith’s relationship extends beyond the physical world and reaches Cloud’s consciousness, the lifestream, and the Promised Land – connecting numerous Final Fantasy VII themes of life beyond death, the lifestream, and the Planet. Death doesn’t stop love from continuing in ones place of ‘supreme happiness’ – ones Promised Land.
Tifa see’s exactly what is right in-front of her and what is common sense to everyone that played disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII back in 1997: Cloud [not Zack] fell in love with Aerith. You can choose to have Cloud also love Tifa through one of two versions of the Highwind scene – choosing on an optional basis to rekindle a one-sided childhood crush. But Cloud’s non-optional behavior throughout the entire compilation is quite clear: Cloud and Aerith have a mutual romantic attraction that is undeniable, magnetic, and eternal.
Given the romantic nature of Cloud and Aerith’s relationship during disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII, it is no wonder Cloud and Tifa fans have attempted to systematically eliminate it. They diminish and downplay the importance of Cloud and Aerith’s 10 romantic disc 1 romantic moments, declaring them meaningless to “real” Cloud. And by doing so, everything we had just witnessed during disc 1 between Cloud and Aerith is now off the table, thus making Cloud and Tifa the default winner of the love triangle debate. What a clever tactic with a clear agenda. If only we didn’t have Cloud’s behavior after he regaining his memories to examine and see if this “Zack!Cloud” theory holds up.
Shockingly, despite Cloud’s “real” behavior, Cloti fans would actually look you in the face and say Squaresoft thought up an entire love story for fans say in the end, “Oh, that’s just Cloud thinking he’s Zack!”
These same Cloti fans attempt to say Cloud and Aerith’s relationship was too quick to actually mean anything. But what isn’t taken into consideration is that Cloud and Aerith’s love story plays out throughout the longest disc of the entire game – disc 1. We actually see Cloud and Aerith’s entire love story develop, progress, and play out before our eyes during the very best disc of Final Fantasy VII [rather than observing a one-sided childhood crush evolve into a one-sided adult romance]
The very proof that disc 1 makes Clerith canon is shown by how hard Cloud and Tifa fans try to discredit it. And what becomes painfully obvious is that “real” Cloud feels something for Aerith based on their disc 1 interactions – interactions that stem from a romantic agreement where Cloud agreed to be Aerith’s bodyguard for the price of a romantic date.
In other words, don’t ever let anyone tell you Zack makes Clerith illegitimate. He doesn’t. “Real” Cloud is shown to be heartbroken over Aerith – something Tifa is acutely aware of and becomes jealous of throughout the entire compilation. Cloud’s love for Aerith –the very thing that breaks his heart over and over again-- is the root of his guilt. For Cloud and Tifa fans to say this is solely “guilt,” is both a superficial and simplistic look at the surface of Cloud’s emotions. What we observe is a bodyguard that is heartbroken over not being able to fulfill a romantic agreement to a woman he fell in love with at first sight – Aerith Gainsborough.
The fact that Aerith remains such a heavy weight on Cloud’s heart during Case of Tifa and Advent Children, which is based on the interactions that took place during disc 1 when Cloud’s memories were jumbled, shows even more how much Aerith meant to the “real” Cloud. For Cloud to continue to harbor such emotions towards Aerith, despite his memories being jumbled when he was getting to know her, tells us Aerith was able to reach through to Cloud’s core. And she reached through to his core despite all of his memory issues, and she stayed with him in his heart long after he regained all of his memories. The fact Aerith was able to reach through and leave an eternal impression on Cloud despite his memories being jumbled is a testament to how much Aerith means to the “real” Cloud.
The guilt Cloud feels towards Aerith during Case of Tifa and Advent Children is rooted in disc 1 interactions that started with a love at first sight, and ended with a bodyguard failing his romantic agreement to protect his flower girl. Cloud’s heart breaks when Aerith dies and is torn again when he visits her grave.
At the end of the day, Cloud and Tifa fans wouldn’t be working so hard to discredit disc 1 if it didn’t make Clerith canon. However, due to the 10 romantic disc 1 Cloud x Aerith moments, which canonized Clerith back in 1997, Cloud and Tifa fans also love to say it was too fast of a relationship to mean anything. But that’s actually the point. It was a star-crossed love story between two soulmates that was given to us just as quickly as it was taken from us. That’s what made it so painful, and is exactly what Squaresoft wanted to convey through Cloud and Aerith’s non-optional, star-crossed love story.
But they also wanted to convey that though love can touch one time, it truly can last for a lifetime – especially in a world where we discover Cloud can find Aerith in the Promised Land.
Cloud and Aerith’s love story is essential to the main themes of Final Fantasy VII – themes of love and life beyond death and within the Planet, the lifestream, and – the Promised Land. I can’t wait for the Final Fantasy VII Remake to expand on Clerith moments that are microcosms of much bigger themes explored throughout the compilation.
Square Enix; On the Way to a Smile:
JAPANESE: クラウドは女の友人であり、恋人であり
FRENCH: “Cloud avait ete son ami, et son amant.”
GERMAN: “Cloud war ihr Freund, ihr Geliebter.“
ENGLISH: “Cloud was the woman’s [Aerith] friend, and *KOIBITO* [“lover” in Japanese].”
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