What did Cloud mean when he said this?

[Edley]

I love the other side of the mountain line, but maybe they thought it was too vague/poetic to make the final cut. What they put in the game (pronouns aside) felt a bit too philosophical for hanging on a ledge right after the biggest battle of your life. I'm probably in the minority, but the whole ghost Aerith disembodied hand reaching out has always rubbed me the wrong way. If I saw that in a film, I'd roll my eyes.

 

[KindOfBlue]

If I saw that in a film, I'd roll my eyes.

It happened in Advent Children now that you mention it...

It didn’t occur to me initially that Cloud had already accepted that he was going to die since at that point Meteor would still wipe out the planet even if Sephiroth was defeated if not for Aerith’s intervention. With that in mind, it made more sense to me that he might reassure Tifa that they’re about to reunite with their loved ones.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Square Enix have never shied away from the corny and the sentimental....

 

[rkss]

I honestly think hand reaching scene means to be a metaphor, like the one in AC. SE would have showed the Aerith's bracelet otherwise or maybe they forgot about it.

Both interpretations are correct and cringe in their own way, mind.

 

[KindOfBlue]

Both interpretations are correct and cringe

Maybe the real Promised Land was the friends we made along the way after all...

 

[Stiggie]

This is currently being discussed on Twitter, in the comments as well:
What still obscures the meaning is that there are no pronouns in the original Japanese lines, but nowadays the common agreement seems to be that basically the dialog means the following: Cloud wonders what's going to happen next; the planet reveals the Lifestream; Cloud is sure they all are going to die and reunite with all their dear ones in the afterlife; Tifa agrees.

Question, reading it like this, another interpretation sounds extremely plausible to me.
If the context is Tifa and Cloud dying, and reuniting with loved ones in the afterlife, could they be talking about each other?


Could Cloud be saying that he and Tifa might die, but that they will be reunited again in death?

 

[a_apple 2.0]

Question, reading it like this, another interpretation sounds extremely plausible to me.
If the context is Tifa and Cloud dying, and reuniting with loved ones in the afterlife, could they be talking about each other?


Could Cloud be saying that he and Tifa might die, but that they will be reunited again in death?

Nah, just think about it Cloud fucked Aerith up at the temple of ancients and almost again at the forgotten city plus letting her die, it makes sense that he probably wants to see her again and tell her that he is sorry for how that shit went down, which we then see 2 years later in AC anyway, where he finally meets Aerith again, but I do think he is including Tifa too in that scene just because of her reaction

 

[wildestdream]

Wow didn't know those lines will start a thread here. It had me curious as well when I heard Cloud saying it, but I'm not good with deep-meaning words as English is not my native language so I had it passed LOL.

 

[Stiggie]

Wow didn't know those lines will start a thread here. It had me curious as well when I heard Cloud saying it, but I'm not good with deep-meaning words as English is not my native language so I had it passed LOL.

Yeah, after looking into it a bit more and looking at other sources I think he is talking about Aerith specifically, however. He doesn't mean himself specifically, but him and Tifa, and while Aerith is the focus of the line, she's not the soul intention. It does still refer to the concept of them getting to meet their loved ones again in death, with Aerith just being the most recent and obvious example.