The whole sequence us probably my favorite scene in the game. In any other story Tifa would have reassured Cloud, proved Sephiroth wrong, and saved the day. That's not what happens though; Cloud's story is inconsistent, Sephiroth is RIGHT as far as she knows. She has no idea what to do, she's stressed and scared and uncertain. All she can do is say "shut your eyes, don't listen!" It's a very human moment.
Designed by Tetsuya Nomura, the concept of Tifa was first created when the idea was suggested that, at some point within the game, a character would be permanently killed off. When it was decided to have Aerith die, attention went into developing her character and her relationships with the other characters; this resulted in the idea to introduce Tifa as a rival for Cloud's affections. The notion of having two concurrent heroines and the protagonist torn between them was something director Yoshinori Kitase liked, describing it as something new in the Final Fantasy games.[12]
I know I got that shit on pre order... along with all the other ones.Creating Tifa was like the best decision SE ever made, she's made them so much money over the years.Her Play Arts Kai figure is selling like hotcakes apparently.
Creating Tifa was like the best decision SE ever made, she's made them so much money over the years.Her Play Arts Kai figure is selling like hotcakes apparently.
Oh someone pointed out earlier (ok way way earlier) that there's no clerith scene after Aerith's resolution scene (unless I'm missing some, feel free to correct me). It's to note too that the overarching plot takes place and so the ships in general take a step back but cloti still gets some after this. I find it interesting because it shows that Aerith is more tied to the overall plot, she has to act there as she did when her role as a Cetra was calling for it in the OG - the change from the Aerith from ch8 to 12 and 15+ is just... huge and leave the romantic scene, whereas Tifa's role, not being tied to that same plot, can still allows some shippy moments with Cloud, even in those dark times. The two ships are very much contrasted here.
Now that they have defeated destiny itself though, will Aerith still have this feeling about her death, or will she feel more free like she used to be in the OG? That remains to be seen in the next game, but I'm guessing that to develop clerith, they would have to revert her a bit. Because at the end of Remake, she looked like the leading hero more than the hero himself. That struck me very deep, and probably added to that feeling that she was not as interested in Cloud as she used to be in the OG.
I ordered all of em tooI know I got that shit on pre order... along with all the other ones.
Where's my Jessie PAK, square!?
Currently writing a long analysis on this (don't judge to harshly I'm in month 3 of quarantine where I live and going insane), it won't be ready in time for posting to relevant discussion here but basically there are almost no Clerith scenes after chapter 14.
I've seen a few people claim that there are, so here is a summery of the moments I've seen posted on tumbr/twitter:
The look/smile between Cloud and Aerith in her bedroom following Wedge telling them to get to the roof
Her grabbing his arm at Destiny's crossroads
After you beat the Whispers Cloud asks Aerith where they are and then looks at her when he hears Sephiroth's voice
The ending scene where Cloud says he has to go after Sephiroth and Aerith tells Cloud that they can beat him
Edited to add: There are a good number of both "ship" moments and subtle C/T moments after Chapter 14, which is really interesting. The big ones being Cloud saving Tifa after the heligunner fight, Tifa going to Cloud during his headache in front of Jenova, Tifa by Cloud's bedside, Tifa saving Cloud on the roof, Cloud saving Tifa when the Whisper Rubrum attacks her.
I somewhat disagree with this. Obviously we won't ever know for sure what would happen if Aerith lived (unless she somehow does in the Remake), but if we're going by narrative intent and logic, then Cloud and Tifa would still end up together by the end of the story. In fact, Aerith living would actually improve Cloud and Tifa's relationship, because then they'd have no guilt to deal with post-game.
Say Aerith did live, but everything else in the game plays out in the same way. At some point, Sephiroth still breaks Cloud, Cloud falls into the Lifestream, and winds up catatonic in Mideel. Tifa is still the one to stay by his side (maybe Aerith does too, but she has more planetary issues to take care of, so I doubt it) and falls into the Lifestream with him. Tifa puts Cloud's mind back together in the most intimate sequence in the story, and Cloud realizes he left Nibelheim to impress Tifa and that he's liked her since childhood.
Post-Lifestream sequence, I don’t see a route for Cloud and Aerith to develop a relationship. What, Cloud's going to remember his past, realize Tifa reciprocates his feelings, and then he's going to tell her, "Well, I've loved you for a long time and left town to impress you, but I've actually realized that we're better off being friends and I love Aerith now so bye."
If we're being indulgent, maybe they date for a bit, but at that point, Cloud and Tifa’s bond is so strong and entangled that — narratively speaking — it wouldn’t make sense for Aerith and Cloud to be together. Aerith wouldn’t be able to breach that same level of understanding that Cloud and Tifa have with each other; there would always be a barrier. When Cloud’s memories return, so does his old flame for Tifa. There's no "moving on" with Tifa, because Tifa was always the one Cloud loved in the first place — he just couldn't remember that for a short 2 months.
This is all under the assumption that the writers of the story understand basic story structure and character development, which they definitely do. The Lifestream sequence kills any ambiguity in my opinion — everything after that is just gravy.
Cloud breaking is the crux of his character arc — it's the lowest point of his hero's journey, it would happen regardless. Aerith's death is a large part of his decline, yes, but the actual thing that breaks Cloud is Sephiroth telling him that he's just a clone and that his memories of his childhood are all fake. That revelation is independent of Aerith.
What is Aerith going to say in that moment to comfort Cloud? She doesn't know his past, she doesn't know if he's a clone or not. Any words coming from her would sound empty to Cloud's ears. Tifa's the only one who can corroborate that Cloud actually existed as a human being before the whole Jenova situation.
If every time Tifa touches Cloud is going to be used as a shipping moment of course people are going to do the same in the other case ?
If every time Tifa touches Cloud is going to be used as a shipping moment of course people are going to do the same in the other case ?
Please no lol. Do pro Tifa do that as well?
Didn't Aerith drive the car originally?
Yes they do (and I am totally guilty of this lol). There are some arguments to be made in favour of it, but also it is very true that not every single touch between Characters is meant to be a ship moment.
There are also some arguments to be made about how frequent physical touching and looks are exchanged in establishing a relationship dynamic between specific characters as well, but more often then not both sides take moments out of context.
A good example might be, I saw an argument that when Cloud is on the bike and looks back at Tifa in the car and says "lets go" to be how he talks to Tifa before anyone else..... but like she is the one driving the car, of course he is going to be speaking to her right then.
Likewise Cloud looking at Aerith after the whispers battle, when he hears Sephiroth's voice is not a ship moment. Cause of course Cloud is going to look in the direction of the voice he just heard....
I can't believe people have that much of an inflated perspective when it comes to things like this. "OMG, Cloud looked at Tifa! That's such a ship moment!" Lol wtf?
I think it has always been Tifa driving the truck.