Final Fantasy 7 took the gaming world by storm in 1997. TheFinal Fantasybrand has diminished to a notable extent, but it’s still a relatively reliable seller, and more to the point, its fandom is every bit as feverish as it ever was. One of the inevitable perennial arguments we Final Fantasy fans have is whether Tifa Lockhart or Aerith Gainsborough is the better romance for FF7’s protagonist, Cloud Strife.
While my article’s title clearly gives away my stance on the subject, my real thesis statement is that the question largely misses the point of the story. Sure, the player’s actions dictate who goes on a date with Cloud at the Gold Saucer in both Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The latter even has an earlier sequence with a stroll through the amusement park with whichever character Cloud’s closest with at the time. But neither Tifa nor Aerith even necessarilyhaveto be the pick here.
Ultimately, however, FF7 tells the story it wants to tell. That story leans closer to Tifa than Aerith in this regard. Us fans are left bickering over who suits Cloud better for the duration of the plot in which the romantic tension bursts at its seams. With that in mind, then - andonlythat - here’s why I find Aerith the far more compelling character for Cloud for as long as she’s around to flirt with him.
Spoilers follow. Because of course they do.
7Aerith Brings Cloud Out Of His Shell Of Self-Isolation
To be fair, everybody does. The party is full of intriguing individuals who collectively press the jaded and perpetually cynical Cloud into overcoming his past pains and exhibit a certain wonderful measure of brightness which had characterized his youth before Shinra and Sephiroth took it all away from him.
But Aerith’s at the top here. Aerith can be bouncy, she can be thoughtful, she can be jovial. She can be insightful, or playful, or deeply curious about the people around her, Cloud chief among them. Importantly, Aerith can do all these things at once. Her personality is such that between two sentences she will flip the switch, keeping Cloud on his toes, pulling him out of that shell in the best of ways.
Tifa is a wonderful friend. Indeed, she may eventually become far more. She and Cloud will always share powerful romantic emotions, too. Yet for much of their adventure, Tifa reminds Cloud too heavily of their shared past, weighing down their potential to a sizable degree. Aerith doesn’t have that problem.
6Aerith Knows When Cloud Needs A Social Confidence Boost
Tifa and Aerith both recognize that Cloud desperately needs help. I don’t think that’s going to be a controversial statement. Cloud is haunted, and Sephiroth’s prolonged antics do continuous damage to his psyche throughout much of Final Fantasy 7’s storyline. They ache for him, and that can be a hard watch, but it’s a crucial one.
Whereas Tifa keeps her distance - except when she doesn’t, but then one or both of them awkwardly break off a difficult conversation mid-discourse - Aerith is often right there beside Cloud to help him speak with others. The last living Ancient will quickly and keenly recognize that he’s struggling to convey his thoughts, whether it’s to best friend Barret, a local shopkeep, or anyone in-between.
If you’re into Claerith, or whatever the heck people are calling it these days, it’s always a fun moment. Even if you aren’t, it’s a net positive for Cloud to have that backup lady to guide him, even when Tifa is (understandably) maintaining her distance from him. Which is by no means a constant thing, but it happens often enough, you know?
5Aerith’s Gold Saucer Gondola Scene Hits Harder
Every Gold Saucer date sequence is excellent in Final Fantasy 7. In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, it’s exponentionally cooler; we’re talking legendary stuff here. Yuffie’s and Red’s are funny. Barret’s is heartfelt. The “boys night” with Cid, Vincent, and Cait Sith is peak comedy in its own right.
Aerith’s and Tifa’s turns with Cloud are the talk of the town in Final Fantasy fandom, and rightly so; they’re the closest to “canonical”, and they play upon their feelings for Cloud (and his for them) in memorable fashion. There’s still that unspoken pain between Cloud and Tifa, even if, yes, it’s the only one which results in a kiss. And it’s a lovely kiss, and a lovely gondola scene, but Aerith has an even lovelier one.
Because Aerith is searching for Cloud. She says so herself, even. She wants to find him. She wants the real him. And she knows things he doesn’t, which she must factor into her every discussion with him, including this one. Cloud, in turn, does his best to show Aerith who he is. It’s never quite enough. One could easily label this just as distant as Tifa’s rendition; I mean, I pretty much betrayed that fact within this paragraph. But it’s a more melancholy sort of distance. It’s beautiful.
4Cloud Isn’t Zack
Well, duh. My point is that the aforementioned things Aerith knows which Cloud does not, are vital to Final Fantasy 7’s tale in ways which add texture to Aerith’s every interaction with him. Cloud is trying so desperately to be Zack Fair. He doesn’t know he’s doing it, but he’s doing it. Aerith met Zack. She loved Zack. Tifa met Zack, too, but suffice it to say, it’s hardly the same thing.
First-time players will puzzle over Aerith’s behaviour when Zack is mentioned. Again, ditto with Tifa, but Aerith has that resonant core connection to the black-haired lad. It makes the tension between Cloud and herself all the more meaningful, because instead of being rooted predominantly in past traumas, as with Tifa, it’s a larger portion of the game’s central mysteries. I think that’s rad.
3The Childhood Friend Angle Just Isn’t As Interesting
Everything I’m saying in this article is subjective. Trust me, I know. This part’s arguably the most subjective of all. But I’ve always loved large-scale scopes in storytelling, from the breadth and depth of fantasy and sci-fi worldbuilding to the expanded horizons of its principle cast. In this particular case, that means that I find romance to be inherently more interesting when the prospective partners come from separate walks of life.
Cloud and Tifa are both from Nibelheim. They both grew up there. They have only so many united memories; after all, Cloud very rarely spent time with Tifa. There’s a lot going on here, and it does make for good writing. If Aerith, or someone more akin to her, wasn’t in Final Fantasy 7, I’d be all over it, but her markedly different origin makes for fresher dialogue with Cloud on a more frequent basis. More to discover about each other; more to learn from one-another.
2Aerith’s Tragedy Is Further Heightened Via Ill-Fated Romance
I’m a total sucker for tragedies. Mind you, I like melancholy endings, bittersweet endings, maybe even bittersweet ones that emphasize the sweetness, over complete downers. I’m not in it for an ultimate loss. But I want to feel pushed and shoved by sad circumstances that will compel casts of characters to fight further and overcome their grief.
In other stories, Aerith’s death could be construed as “fridging”, especially if she and Cloud are viewed through a romantic lens. Yeah, I get that; “man pain” and all that jazz. I can see it. Not only does Aerith’s sacrifice play a critical role in everything which comes after, however, but there is far too much going on elsewhere in FF7’s character dynamics for this to feel so lame.
Aerith’s friendship with her fellow members of Avalanche should not be discounted in the slightest. Her death is more than amply meaningful for every single one of them, but it’s all the more poignant when she might have experienced a future with Cloud, but was cruelly robbed of that end. Such thoughts certainly flitter through Cloud’s mind more than once, so it’s all quite sad in the best of ways.
1Aerith Dying Does Not Delete Tifa’s Own Potential Destiny
This is the big one. This is what I think about whenever I’m asked which of Cloud’s possible suitresses (that is an archaic word, but whatever, I’m using it) is “right” for him. Truth be told, my answer isboth. It’s Aerith for much of the game, though, and that’s never changed.
You see, just because Aerith and Cloud are almost a thing, that doesn’t mean Tifa and Cloud isn’t eventually a real thing. There’s no full-fledged choice here. If you’ve played the original Final Fantasy 7 to completion, then you’ll know that Cloud and Tifa share a scene together right near the end of the game which heavily implies some, um, well,thingshappen between the two of them. This is canon content to its core.
It’s easy to dismiss my stance as a weird “why not both, wink emoji” rebuttal, but seriously, enough time passes between Aerith’s departure from this mortal coil and Tifa’s dramatic sunset embrace with Cloud just outside the airship. Tifa’s story doesn’t end with Aerith’s death. Why would it? It comes into sharper focus, and she’s the one who gets Cloud through his psychological funk for good and all.
Those who don’t think of Aerith and Cloud as a couple in the least bit, or as a could-have-been, as I do, would justifiably say that Tifa is the real “pick” because of what she does for him inside the Lifestream, when he must confront his demons. Ialmostagree in full. Tifa is most probably the woman who Cloud is fated to be with, and that’s cool. It truly is. For the duration of the game’s first disc and its Remake trilogy two-chapter equivalent, though, I believe that Aerith is the far more fascinating person for Cloud to be around.
