Who is Cloud in love with?

[Mirage]

No you see Bob, this is what you need to do. You gotta read the lines between the lines between the lines.

[Loony BoB]

So what you're saying is... Cloud is actually in love with JENOVA?

[Karifean]

I think the whole point behind saying "Cloud is in love with Aerith" is that had she not died, they would've been a couple. Cloud x Tifa is what happens in the end (hello deleted scene) but you know, hypothetically...

[Skyblade]

I think the whole point behind saying "Cloud is in love with Aerith" is that had she not died, they would've been a couple. Cloud x Tifa is what happens in the end (hello deleted scene) but you know, hypothetically...

Hypothetically, this would have happened.

Aerith would have continued digging at the inconsistencies and problems with Cloud's psyche, trying to push him out of his Zack-Persona to reveal who the actual Cloud really is.

Upon Cloud's true self finally being revealed, she'd have been happy, acknowledge that he no longer needs her, and moved on.

And he would have wound up with Tifa anyway.


Aerith has no romantic feelings towards Cloud almost anywhere in the story. She sees him as a hurt child who needs comfort and fixing, or a puzzle to be solved, nothing more. If there's any romantic interest, it's because she sees Zack in him, and she did (and, due to her knowledge of the Lifestream and the cyclical nature of life, probably still does) love Zack.

[Jinx]

I think the whole point behind saying "Cloud is in love with Aerith" is that had she not died, they would've been a couple. Cloud x Tifa is what happens in the end (hello deleted scene) but you know, hypothetically...

Hypothetically, this would have happened.

Aerith would have continued digging at the inconsistencies and problems with Cloud's psyche, trying to push him out of his Zack-Persona to reveal who the actual Cloud really is.

Upon Cloud's true self finally being revealed, she'd have been happy, acknowledge that he no longer needs her, and moved on.

And he would have wound up with Tifa anyway.


Aerith has no romantic feelings towards Cloud almost anywhere in the story. She sees him as a hurt child who needs comfort and fixing, or a puzzle to be solved, nothing more. If there's any romantic interest, it's because she sees Zack in him, and she did (and, due to her knowledge of the Lifestream and the cyclical nature of life, probably still does) love Zack.

I don't think Aeris knew that Cloud was living with Zack's memories. She never made any indication that she was aware.

[DMKA]

I dunno, the end of Advent Children sure made it look like they wanted Aeris to be with Zack.

[Matthewtheman]

Actually, the LTD was *not* left up for interpretation. The developers have said the only thing thet left up,for interpretation was the fate lf humanity in the ending, abnd even that's not up for interpretation anymoar.And had Aerith lived, Cloud wouldn't have ended up with Aerith *or* Tifa, because Aerith and Tifa would've ended up with each other.

[maybee]

Tifa

I mean Cloud wanted to impress her and join Solider and become the next Sephiroth because of her and also because he wanted to fit in and belong, but also because of Tifa.

Then in the Lifestream Cloud says something like " The real Cloud would be so happy when you tell him that " when Tifa tells Lifestream Cloud that she's grateful that young Cloud wanted to do all these things for her.

Aeris or Aerith still loves Zack. I mean come on. She wrote like 90 letters for him or something and then she leaps on the nearest guy that reminds her so much of Zack because he's like Zack. Aeris is more about wanting to know the real Cloud but having a huge crush on Cloud at first meeting because of the Zack in him at the time.

I think Aeris begins to love Cloud for Cloud like during at the Temple of the Ancients, but yeah Sephiroth puts a sword through her and everything. But I think that Aeris just loved Cloud as a good friend and wanted to be his support because she knew that something wasn't quite right with him.

Then in Advent Children Cloud is depressed and feels like trout for feeling like she let Aerith die and it causes some awkwardness between Cloud and Tifa and it doesn't help that in Case of Tifa, Tifa is like annoying as trout " ho ho Cloud you don't know what a Vegetable is, ho Cloud you fail " !

I don't like AC/ Case of Tifa, Tifa at all. I miss the shy and supportive Tifa. That's why AC doesn't exist same with DoC right, right ? )=

[Loony BoB]

It should also be noted that all that sadness Cloud has over the death of Aeris is also displayed in AC for Zach, so unless Cloud's bisexual... I think people don't really get how much sadness Cloud feels regarding Zach's death because people are too focused on the Aeris stuff (which is natural given that Zach doesn't really feature much in the original game).

But yeah, the more I read about what the developers and SE have to say about Cloud's relationships, the more I see a repitition of "It's up to the user" "we wanted it to be a triangle" "it's a high school romance comedy thing", all suggesting they intended on it being open to interpretation. This is actually also why they made the sex thing 'suggested' rather than blunt - the original intention was to have them quite obviously having sex (which they didn't think would have been an issue at the time) but it was toned down.

[Matthewtheman]

Actually, the reason the sex scene was toned down was because they were afraid of an M rating. And yeah, I hate it when people ignore Cloud's guilt for Zack during AC/C. And maybee, it's for those same reasons in the first two paragraphs of your poast that I've thought it obvious from the beginning that Cloud is in love with Tifa.

[Skyblade]

I think the whole point behind saying "Cloud is in love with Aerith" is that had she not died, they would've been a couple. Cloud x Tifa is what happens in the end (hello deleted scene) but you know, hypothetically...

Hypothetically, this would have happened.

Aerith would have continued digging at the inconsistencies and problems with Cloud's psyche, trying to push him out of his Zack-Persona to reveal who the actual Cloud really is.

Upon Cloud's true self finally being revealed, she'd have been happy, acknowledge that he no longer needs her, and moved on.

And he would have wound up with Tifa anyway.


Aerith has no romantic feelings towards Cloud almost anywhere in the story. She sees him as a hurt child who needs comfort and fixing, or a puzzle to be solved, nothing more. If there's any romantic interest, it's because she sees Zack in him, and she did (and, due to her knowledge of the Lifestream and the cyclical nature of life, probably still does) love Zack.

I don't think Aeris knew that Cloud was living with Zack's memories. She never made any indication that she was aware.

Not specifically aware that he was living in Zack's memories, no. Aware that he is not himself, that he's living in an alternate persona, yes.

She constantly bugs him about his memories and past, prompting him to ask questions about things (such as, where was Tifa 5 years ago).

And she does realize how similar he is to Zack, mentioning it several times. Heck, she mentions it during the Gold Saucer date.

".........first off, it bothered me how you looked exactly
alike."
"Two completely different people, but look exactly the same."
"The way you walk, gesture..."
"I think I must have seen him again, in you..."

Now that's romantic. "Yeah, it's really freaky, but you're acting like practically a carbon copy of my old boyfriend."

In fact, while I'm at it...

Aerith
"Cloud..."
"I'm searching for you..."

Cloud
"............?"

Aerith
"I want to meet you."

Cloud
"But I'm right here."

Aerith
(I know, I know... what I mean
is...)
"I want to meet..... you."

During the date she's taking notice of Cloud's freaky similarity to Zack, and stating that she wants to meet the real Cloud, thus indicating that she knows that Cloud's current persona is just a facade. This is during the Gold Saucer date, which is pretty much the most romantically intimate the two get, and she's spending the entire time indicating that she knows how broken he is, and that she wants to reveal his true self.

Pursuing My True Self. Sorry, I couldn't resist. The name of that song is just too perfect for this discussion.

[the_best_noob]

GILGAMESH

How did nobody else vote it?

I think Sephiroth was subliminally Gilgamesh, therefore Cloud loves Gilgamesh

[maybee]

Actually, the reason the sex scene was toned down was because they were afraid of an M rating. And yeah, I hate it when people ignore Cloud's guilt for Zack during AC/C. And maybee, it's for those same reasons in the first two paragraphs of your poast that I've thought it obvious from the beginning that Cloud is in love with Tifa.

Yeah Cloud and Tifa were going to get it on in the Chocobo stables on the Highwind supposedly.

Oh thanks ! Yeah I thought that it was damn obvious that Cloud loved Tifa and Aeris was in denial over Zack's death. I remember saying when I was 10 " Oh Aeris is dead, but she can be with her ex- boyfriend now " !

If a 10 year old can get it, it shouldn't be that hard.

[black orb]

>>> Cloud love his mommy..

[Bloodnight]

I believe it's Tifa.

Never was a fan of Clerith, her obsession over Cloud just because he reminded Aerith of her ex boyfriend Zack, it was just plain stupid and disgusting. Screw love triangles.