More About Cloud and Tifa’s Relastionship
By FF_Goddess, Angelalex242, and Anastar
Many aspects of the relationship between Cloud and Tifa as shown in Advent Children and Case of Tifa are discussed on this website in the essay Cloud and Tifa’s Relationship in Advent Children. However, there are several other common arguments used in love triangle debates by advocates of the CloudxTifa relationship that have yet to be discussed. Those will be addressed in this essay.
One such argument often used by CloudxTifa supporters is that they claim Square Enix has actually confirmed that Cloud and Tifa are a couple. There are actually several reasons they believe this, including their interpretation of certain passages in the novella's Maiden of the Planet, Case of Tifa, and Case of Barret. CloudxTifa supporters also use certain quotes from the Ultimania's and from the Reunion Files when making this claim. One such quote is the following statement made by Nojima in the Reunion Files:
Nojima explains, "Inside, I felt one thing was for
sure: Cloud and Tifa would be together. Everybody would be back home where they
belonged. Two years is too short to forget the past completely, but it's still a
pretty long time... And two years older was a good age for Marlene to start
talking a little." The reason Nojima narrowed the location down to the area
surrounding their house, he says, was to create a sense of crisis close to home.
CloudxTifa advocates assume that, when Nojima said that Cloud and Tifa
would be “together” in Advent Children, he meant they would be together as a
couple. However, those who believe this are taking Nojima’s comment in the wrong
context. If you look at the actual context of his statement, the page on which
Nojima says this in the Reunion Files is talking only about locations in Final
Fantasy VII and Advent Children, such as the Forgotten City, Aerith’s Church, the Northern Crater,
and more. That page and the next are discussing locations, not relationships.
Therefore, Nojima wasn’t speaking about Cloud and Tifa’s relationship when he said that. Instead, he was only speaking about where they would be located. By saying that Cloud and Tifa would be together, Nojima simply meant that they would be in the same area. After all, Cloud and Tifa are the only two members of Avalanche who are located in the city of Edge when Advent Children starts. Barret had left the Seventh Heaven temporarily to dig for oil in Corel, or he would have been there, too. The other members of Avalanche are all living in other locations.
Another thing
used as evidence by CloudxTifa supporters when they claim that Square Enix has
confirmed Cloud and Tifa to be a couple is a few lines from Case of Barret.
Some claim that Barret called Cloud and Tifa a couple in that story. Once again,
what Barret says is being taken out of context. Here is the passage from Case
of Barret:
Barret: "I left Marlene with Tifa. Since she's
taken to her and all."
Cid: "Good for you. Whole world's clappin' you on the back. So Cloud's with Tifa?"
Barret: "Yeah. Tifa opened a bar, just like the old days. Cloud was helpin' out,
but it sounds like he's got his own business keepin' him tied up now. A delivery
service."
Neither Barret or Cid mention Cloud and Tifa’s relationship. Once again, Barret was speaking only of locations - Cloud is with Tifa in Edge at Seventh Heaven, running a delivery service out of the new bar that Tifa is managing. He only means that they are together in the same location. In fact, later in the conversation, Cid and Barret go on to talk about where Red XIII, Yuffie, and Vincent are and what they're up to. The relationships of these people aren't mentioned at all.
Other evidence used by CloudxTifa supporters to claim that Square Enix has confirmed Cloud and Tifa to be a couple will be covered in other essays on this website, including: The Ultimania’s, Commentaries on the Novella's, and Is Tifa Really Cloud’s Sweetheart?
Another piece of evidence used by CloudxTifa
supporters is that they often claim that Cloud and Tifa are raising Marlene and
Denzel together while acting as their parents. Actually, in the quote cited
above from Case of Barret, Barret specifically tells Cid that he left
Marlene with Tifa, not Cloud. Barret says nothing about Cloud raising Marlene.
Would Barret give up his beloved daughter so easily?
Furthermore, it’s also quite obvious that Marlene still considers her father to be Barret, rather than Cloud. After all, Barret is still part of the “family” living together in the Seventh Heaven, even though he has left temporarily to dig for oil in Corel. This is actually confirmed in Barret’s profile in the FFVII Compilation Ultimania:
In order to afford help for people around, Barret entrusted Marlene to Tifa and started his journey of searching for energy in substitution of Mako. In the middle of his journey, he was informed that the city, Edge, was under attack; so Barret runs to the crisis of his friends and family.
~ FFVII Compilation Ultimania
This passage specifically states that Barret runs to help in the crisis of his
friends and family when Edge came under attack. Who would they be referring to
as Barret’s family other than Marlene and his friends living at the Seventh
Heaven? Besides, when Dirge of Cerberes takes place about a year after Advent
Children, Barret has come back and seems to be living at the Seventh Heaven
again as part of the “family”. Notice also that this passage again states that Barret has entrusted Marlene to Tifa's
care, rather than to Cloud's.
Furthermore, Tifa herself states in Case of Tifa that this “family” consists of friends working together and encouraging one another, which can only mean that the relationship is purely platonic. For another thing, Tifa makes a comment to Cloud in Advent Children which makes it evident that she doesn't consider this family to be "real". If it’s not a “real” family, then it’s not based on the same principles as a family formed by marriage. In other words, Tifa considers “real” families to be formed by a bond of love and marriage, and realizes that this “family” isn’t based on that kind of foundation. For more information on these statements made by Tifa and further discussion of what is meant by "family", please see the essay Friends vs. Family: Cloud Living with Tifa
Another thing often used for evidence by CloudxTifa supporters is the Cloudy Wolf ring worn by Tifa. Fans of CloudxTifa like to claim that Tifa is wearing Cloud’s ring, which must mean that Tifa and Cloud are either engaged or married. In the first place, Tifa is not wearing Cloud's ring. Cloud actually gave his Cloudy Wolf ring to Denzel, who wears it on a chain around his neck. For another thing, Tifa is wearing the Cloudy Wolf ring on her right hand, while engagement and wedding bands are worn on the left hand. Furthermore, Barret also wears a Cloudy Wolf ring. Why would Barret be wearing the same ring if it represents a love relationship between Cloud and Tifa? It was also never confirmed who bought the rings or where they came from. For all we know, Tifa may have bought the rings, or even Barret. Therefore, the Cloudy Wolf ring is not an indication of love between Cloud and Tifa.
CloudxTifa supporters also like to talk about a picture of Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel that sits on Cloud’s desk at the Seventh Heaven. CloudxTifa fans like to think that the picture shows them all together as a happy family. However, the picture in question shows Tifa leaning down with her arms around Denzel and Marlene while Cloud is standing away from them, looking uncomfortable and morose. In that picture, Cloud is turned away from Tifa and the children, looking down at the ground with a frown on his face. Cloud doesn’t appear to be happy at all, and in fact, he looks downright depressed. It’s hardly a picture of happy family. Take a look at this picture below:
At the end of the
movie, another picture is shown on Cloud’s desk. This time, the picture is of
all the members of Avalanche, not just Cloud, Tifa, and the two children. The
implication is that all of Avalanche is really Cloud’s family, rather than just
Tifa and the kids. The picture is bright and full of life, in contrast to the
dark and somber picture shown above. In fact, the picture shown above has been
pushed to the back, behind the new photo of Cloud and all his friends.
In that ending scene, the front of Cloud's desk is scattered with literally
dozens of pictures of the very flower field in which Aerith was seen standing
during the bonus video, Calling. Not only that but, directly in front of all
of the pictures, right where their bright yellow color is sure to draw the
viewer's eye first and foremost, are flowers picked from that very flower field.
The number of flower field pictures along with the picked flowers implies that
Cloud has made many visits there, which can only mean that Cloud considers Aerith to be part of his family, too.
CloudxTifa supporters also like to think that Advent Children makes it clear that Cloud is now living in the present, rather than being "lost in memories of the past". At the beginning of the movie, this is certainly not true. Tifa's official profile from Advent Children even states that she is "disappointed in Cloud, who has closed off his heart and is lost in memories of his past". Granted, Cloud does manage to resolve issues during Advent Children that kept him mired in the past, such as his guilt over Aerith's death, but CloudxTifa supporters interpret this to mean that Cloud is now ready to "move on" with Tifa.
If the movie's creators had indeed wanted to portray that Cloud has now chosen to "move on" with Tifa, the end of the movie would have shown Cloud going back to the Seventh Heaven with Tifa and taking her into his arms. Instead, the bonus video Calling at the end of the movie shows Cloud going out to a flower field to be with Aerith. In addition, the very last scene also shows flowers from the flower field on Cloud's desk as well as numerous photographs of the flower field, which clearly implies that he visits the flower field often to be with Aerith. This can only mean that Aerith continues to be a part of Cloud's life in the present, which was confirmed by Nomura in "Distance" when he made the following statement:
The words “memetic legacy” are used a lot in the film…but in Advent Children, rather than focusing on memories we wanted to show that consciousness is what lives on. We took the ending of the game and expanded on that idea. Even if they’re dead, their consciousness is still with us. As for Cloud…he sees Aerith several times throughout the film. It’s not that he sees her because he feels her presence. He sees her because her consciousness…lives on inside him.
~ Nomura; Distance Interview
Nomura words tell us that Aerith lives on inside of Cloud. It's not that Cloud is "mired in the past" and "lost in memories" of Aerith. Instead, Cloud is actually able to see Aerith and to be with her because her consciousness lives on inside of him. This would be a very intimate relationship that introverted Cloud would never be able to have with anyone else. Aerith continues to be with Cloud in the present. There's no need for Cloud to "move on" when Aerith will always be with him.
Advent Children Love Triangle FAQ
See these essays for more discussion of Cloud and Tifa in AC:
Cloud and Tifa's relationship in Advent Children
Friends vs. Family: Cloud Living with Tifa
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