SPOILERS LTD Remake — It's like New Coke except ... no, it's exactly like New Coke

[GamerSkull]

A lot of girl NPC find him attractive. So that's why.

But yeah, main character syndrome it is surely.

But let's be honest. He's handsome as fuck lmao.

I mean… he does look attractive. Lot of NPCs find Tifa hot too.

 

[Yoru]

Lot of NPCs find Tifa hot too.

AS THEY SHOULD.

Long live the Queen.

 

[Stiggie]

No, it really is simple as Aerith saw Zack in him. Jessie is implied to just be playing around but she wouldn’t mind if it became real, and Tifa is seeking the boy she once knew that left Nibelheim long ago.

But yes, it is somewhat main character syndrome too. I don’t Jenova plays any part in any of this, aside from Cloud’s fake persona seeming more like Zack.

A lot of girl NPC find him attractive. So that's why.

But yeah, main character syndrome it is surely.

But let's be honest. He's handsome as fuck lmao.

For me the difference between it being understandable, and it being "main character syndrome" is if Aerith legit starts being presented as liking Cloud more than Zack. That I would find so god-forsakenly stupid that it would just shatter my suspension of disbelief. But then again, I don't find Cloud attractive, so that might be part of it. I'm more of a Zack kinda guy.

I mainly find Cloud short and girly XD One of my biggest, what-the-hells in the game was when Kyrie asked if Clouds brand was "TALL, blonde, and unapproachable" or something.

 

[GamerSkull]

For me the difference between it being understandable, and it being "main character syndrome" is if Aerith legit starts being presented as liking Cloud more than Zack. That I would find so god-forsakenly stupid that it would just shatter my suspension of disbelief. But then again, I don't find Cloud attractive, so that might be part of it. I'm more of a Zack kinda guy.

I mainly find Cloud short and girly XD One of my biggest, what-the-hells in the game was when Kyrie asked if Clouds brand was "TALL, blonde, and unapproachable" or something.

“Tall, blonde, and not interested”.

That makes me curious. What are all of the characters heights? I know the Ultimania has them.

I’m about 5’7 so I’m short but I wonder how I compare to these characters.

 

[CldS7]

For me the difference between it being understandable, and it being "main character syndrome" is if Aerith legit starts being presented as liking Cloud more than Zack. That I would find so god-forsakenly stupid that it would just shatter my suspension of disbelief. But then again, I don't find Cloud attractive, so that might be part of it. I'm more of a Zack kinda guy.

I mainly find Cloud short and girly XD One of my biggest, what-the-hells in the game was when Kyrie asked if Clouds brand was "TALL, blonde, and unapproachable" or something.

Cloud is canonically a fucking loser that’s why I love him so much

For the first half of the game when you think he’s this cool guy it makes sense

But honesty I really want them to lean in part 3 on the real Cloud

 

[GamerSkull]

Cloud is canonically a fucking loser that’s why I love him so much

For the first half of the game when you think he’s this cool guy it makes sense

But honesty I really want them to lean in part 3 on the real Cloud

Wouldn’t be surprised if Cody completely changes the pitch of Cloud’s tone. Have him sound like he does in Cissnei’s house when Tifa talks about the bridge.

Same for other languages.

 

[Stiggie]

“Tall, blonde, and not interested”.

That makes me curious. What are all of the characters heights? I know the Ultimania has them.

I’m about 5’7 so I’m short but I wonder how I compare to these characters.

There is some inconsistency I think.
I think I remember reading some stats that put Zacks height about Sephiroths but now he towers over him lol.
Anyway, I'm 6ft tall and I consider myself on the short side, so calling Cloud tall is a stretch imo, even if it's Asia.

 

[Stiggie]

Well, according to the gamer.com.
From short to tall:

Caith: 3'2"
Red: 3'9"
Yuffie: 5'2"
Aerith: 5'3"
Tifa: 5'4"
Cloud: 5'7"
Reno: 5'7"
Tseng: 5'8"
Cid: 5'9"
Rufus: 5'11"
Rude: 6'
Vincent: 6'
Sephiroth: 6'1"
Zack: 6'2"
Barret: 6'5"

I’m about 5’7 so I’m short but I wonder how I compare to these characters.

Grats, you're Cloud, also, sorry for calling you short

 

[GamerSkull]

Well, according to the gamer.com.
From short to tall:

Caith: 3'2"
Red: 3'9"
Yuffie: 5'2"
Aerith: 5'3"
Tifa: 5'4"
Cloud: 5'7"
Reno: 5'7"
Tseng: 5'8"
Cid: 5'9"
Rufus: 5'11"
Rude: 6'
Vincent: 6'
Sephiroth: 6'1"
Zack: 6'2"
Barret: 6'5"


Grats, you're Cloud, also, sorry for calling you short

Well, at least I’m as tall as Cloud.

Zack and Sephiroth definitely seems like a discrepancy. Also 6’2 to Aerith’s 5’3. Tall-short couple.

 

[Eerie]

Cloud is 172cm which is short for a boy, but I always wondered if Hojo experimenting on him at an age he should have grown more was a side effect of this. It’s ok, Tifa and him have a 5cm difference which is cute

 

[Stiggie]

Well, at least I’m as tall as Cloud.

Zack and Sephiroth definitely seems like a discrepancy. Also 6’2 to Aerith’s 5’3. Tall-short couple.

My favorite look, ironically my Gf is 6'2" XD

 

[CldS7]

I might be really really fucking dumb but I just realised Aerith and Clouds gondola date is supposed to be the first time she sees Cloud as Cloud as his own individual person

And the dream date is just an extension of this, of her trying to spend time with the real him but still realising it’s not what she thought

She was thankful she got to see the real him like she wanted to

 

[liuliuliu]

I actually agree Jenova cell might have done something to cloud’s appearance…there is no way a guy who has been living in a pod for 5 years has abs like Cloud does

 

[GamerSkull]

I actually agree Jenova cell might have done something to cloud’s appearance…there is no way a guy who has been living in a pod for 5 years has abs like Cloud does

Yes, that’s the mako and the cells definitely. But as I understand it, Cloud was pretty good as far as physical condition went prior to the experiment. He passed the physical test for SOLDIER but failed the psych exam.

In short, Shinra thought Cloud would become a drooling mess because of the surgery, and denied him. Which is indeed what happens to him later.

As far as Aerith goes, I think his similarities to Zack is what drew her. Physical appearance was secondary to that (at least specifically, his appearance as a SOLDIER was primary)

 

[overheat28]

Well, at least I’m as tall as Cloud.

Zack and Sephiroth definitely seems like a discrepancy. Also 6’2 to Aerith’s 5’3. Tall-short couple.

Zack and Aerith height and physique difference is bloody chef's kiss. They look so damn good together.

 

[liuliuliu]

Yes, that’s the mako and the cells definitely. But as I understand it, Cloud was pretty good as far as physical condition went prior to the experiment. He passed the physical test for SOLDIER but failed the psych exam.

In short, Shinra thought Cloud would become a drooling mess because of the surgery, and denied him. Which is indeed what happens to him later.

As far as Aerith goes, I think his similarities to Zack is what drew her. Physical appearance was secondary to that (at least specifically, his appearance as a SOLDIER was primary)

Yah, I think he was physically good before the experiment…but he should loose all his muscles after floating in a pod for 5 years for sure.
that abs he has, that is definitely either Hojo gave him plastic surgery or Jenova

 

[GamerSkull]

Yah, I think he was physically good before the experiment…but he should loose all his muscles after floating in a pod for 5 years for sure.
that abs he has, that is definitely either Hojo gave him plastic surgery or Jenova

Yeah, mixture of mako and Jenova cells.

 

[Yumelinh]

Ehh, I never understood why people thought rukia and ichigo were a thing tbh, to me that was exactly the same experience I've had with FFVII, people shipping something that in my eyes clearly wasn't romantic while the real love interrest was right there

Ohh, Let's not get into this discurssion hahah. The other ship won, and it's all good! The only thing I'll say is that IR was the most popular ship in that fandom, so Kubo must have done something right to make so many people believe in it (or wrong, in this case, since it was never his intention in the end, lol).

 

[Yumelinh]

Pretty much yeah.

But again, I don't think it's really comparable with FF7. Most of the time, in manga, the ship's resolution comes at the very end, a bit on the author's whim. There's almost never any forshadowing. You pick a side and you pray lol. Even more in romance manga. Their goal is to keep it secret until the end. So they're not giving you too much answers during the story.

In FF7 the ship war can't exist anymore in the first half of the story. And the second half pretty much explains that a war wasn't even possible to begin with because the main love interest had already made his choice a long time ago.

Yeah, you're absolutely right! I see your point about how romance plays out in mangas, it's definitely like this

As for FFVII, I completely agree with you when it comes to OG. However, with Remake being three parts, there's room for things to play out differently IF the devs want. Do I think they will do that? Not really! Can I be 100% sure before part 3 comes out? Unfortunately, no :/

 

[LNK]

I still think "our normal" Aerith doesn't know Zack is dead. Of course she's not dumb and knows something is wrong, but again, she still hopes he's fine. That's why she's searching news in Gongaga.

I think there is only one Aerith. But I do think she knows, or at least she did know prior to ch 18 in remake. As a kid, she knew that Elmyra's husband was dead before official word came.

 

[GamerSkull]

I think there is only one Aerith. But I do think she knows, or at least she did know prior to ch 18 in remake. As a kid, she knew that Elmyra's husband was dead before official word came.

I think she knows, she’s just been in denial. Same for the OG tbh. She’d rather imagine him running off with another woman because he’d at least be alive. At least that’s how I see it.

 

[LNK]

anyway the issue is once again the devs cant really write good relationships and dynamics between women

Is it they can't do that, or they're merely choosing to write the relationship in that way?

 

[Stiggie]

Ohh, Let's not get into this discurssion hahah. The other ship won, and it's all good! The only thing I'll say is that IR was the most popular ship in that fandom, so Kubo must have done something right to make so many people believe in it (or wrong, in this case, since it was never his intention in the end, lol).

Eh, I think it's worth pointing out, because I think there is something we can learn from it.

People ship characters they like, not necessarily characters that are written to be love interests. Inoue was written with her feelings for Ichigo very central to her character. Rukia was written as doing her own thing and being her own person, and through that process naturally helping Ichigo grow and becoming important. People really like that, so they want her to be the love interest. But if Inoue wasn't meant to be the ultimate love interest I'd have no idea why she was even there.

There is a sort of irony there where a girl being written as the love interest makes people not really like them, and then wanting the girl who is not written to be it to instead be it. But they then get upset when the "not love interest" girl turns out to not be the love interest. The irony being that people hate characters for whom "being the love interest" is seen as being their main value, while they themselves seem to only value the characters they do like if they're also the love interest, seeing as how Rukia being or not being romantic changes absolutely nothing about the importance and depth of the bond she had with Ichigo. This stance both undermines the role of love interest, and yet overvalues it.

I think the exact same thing is happening in FFVII. But unlike with FFVII the people who shipped Rukia with Ichigo gracefully accepted they were wrong. It didn't help that with bleach the anime really poured fuel on the fire. Same thing happened with Naruto and Hinata as well come to think of it.

 

[CldS7]

I might be really really fucking dumb but I just realised Aerith and Clouds gondola date is supposed to be the first time she sees Cloud as Cloud as his own individual person

And the dream date is just an extension of this, of her trying to spend time with the real him but still realising it’s not what she thought

She was thankful she got to see the real him like she wanted to

Aerith wants to meet the real Cloud & Tifa wants to save the real Cloud… confuzzled

 

[Yumelinh]

Eh, I think it's worth pointing out, because I think there is something we can learn from it.

People ship characters they like, not necessarily characters that are written to be love interests. Inoue was written with her feelings for Ichigo very central to her character. Rukia was written as doing her own thing and being her own person, and through that process naturally helping Ichigo grow and becoming important. People really like that, so they want her to be the love interest. But if Inoue wasn't meant to be the ultimate love interest I'd have no idea why she was even there.

There is a sort of irony there where a girl being written as the love interest makes people not really like them, and then wanting the girl who is not written to be it to instead be it. But they then get upset when the "not love interest" girl turns out to not be the love interest. The irony being that people hate characters for whom "being the love interest" is seen as being their main value, while they themselves seem to only value the characters they do like if they're also the love interest, seeing as how Rukia being or not being a romantic changes absolutely nothing about the importance and depth of the bond she had with Ichigo. This stance both undermines the role of love interest, and yet overvalues it.

I think the exact same thing is happening in FFVII. But unlike with FFVII the people who shipped Rukia with Ichigo gracefully accepted they were wrong. It didn't help that with bleach the anime really poured fuel on the fire. Same thing happened with Naruto and Hinata as well come to think of it.

People don't hate girls being written as love interests, people hate badly written relationships. You can't just add character A to your story, have them love character B, and expect that to be enough to move the plot forward. You have to mutually develop it and convince your fandom why they should support your intended pairing. If done right, I can guarantee many people will support it, personal preferences aside, ofc. I'm not even speaking about Bleach specifically here, but in general.

Plus, there are so many variables. A character whose central focus is their feelings for another character can have as their main resolution in the end to finding their own path by moving on from their past feelings, just like a character who is already their own person or has their own importance to the main plot can also be a love interest. It all depends on how the story is told in the end.

And this is where FFVII differs, imo. I would even go further and say that this is probably why CA was more popular when OG first came out, but CT gradually gained ground and became much more popular as the time passed. It might have been difficult for a good portion of the ppl who played OG to see CT as the ending pairing when CA was so strongly pushed in disk 1. However, the creators put a lot of effort into explain their initial vision and further developing them in all the subsequent material to make sure we, the fandom, understand why Cloud and Tifa should be together, and it all paid out in the end for them.