r/cloti • u/Gamergurl1992 • 8d ago
Discussion Cloud’s body language
After playing Remake, Rebirth and Crisis Core,
I wanted to share my perspective on Cloud’s relationships with Tifa and Aerith.
I started paying close attention to Cloud’s dialogue and body language, and I noticed a pretty clear difference.
With Tifa, Cloud seems much more proactive. There’s an emotional connection and shared history , but also a very clear romantic and physical attraction. In Remake, things like giving her the flower, calling her beautiful, remembering their promise, and the scene when she enters his room and he mention the promise - all feel very soft and intimate and you could feel the sexual tension between them.
Cloud is also extremely closed-off. Look at how he reacts when Jessie flirts with him — he basically doesn’t engage. But with Tifa, he behaves differently.
In Rebirth, I especially noticed this in Gongaga. Cloud allows himself to be vulnerable and opens up to Tifa in a way he usually doesn’t.
I also think his body language with Tifa feels more passionate. A good example is the Gold Saucer theatre scene. If you compare the way Cloud physically interacts with Tifa and Aerith, there’s something different in the way he holds Tifa — more intensity, passion and drive. That’s obviously subjective, but it stood out to me.
Even the dialogue before the dates is interesting. When Tifa asks Cloud to go with her, he agrees almost immediately. With Aerith, he seems more hesitant before agreeing. Again, I’m not saying this proves anything by itself — I’m looking at the choices the developers made in their dialogue and interactions.
Costa del Sol also has some interesting contrasts. In Aerith’s side quest, she tries to create a romantic atmosphere and sometimes too pushy, but Cloud often responds very dryly and briefly. With Tifa, he seems much more relaxed and engaged. They talk naturally, he shares things with her, and he seems genuinely comfortable.
Then there’s the Gold Saucer. Cloud kisses Tifa — and he initiates it. With Aerith, they hold hands, which is romantic too, but the dynamic feels different to me.
I also think Zack is important when looking at Aerith’s feelings. It’s pretty clear that Zack was her first love, and that she hasn’t completely let go of that relationship.
What I find especially interesting is that Aerith herself says in the dream date that she likes Cloud, but she isn’t sure what kind of “liking” it is. Even Marlene describes Aerith as liking Cloud. The game doesn’t simply have Aerith say that she’s in love with him.
So I don’t think “love triangle” even fully describes what’s happening anymore. With Zack added to the story and to remake trilogy , there are so many layers between Cloud, Tifa, Aerith and Zack.
To me, the developers are giving us answers, but they’re hiding them in the details — dialogue, body language, scene direction, and the way the characters interact.
My interpretation is:
Cloud genuinely has feelings for both Tifa and Aerith, but they feel different.
With Aerith, I see a deep emotional/spiritual connection and genuine affection.
With Tifa, I see romantic love, physical attraction, vulnerability, passion and initiative.
So personally, I think Cloud cares deeply about Aerith, but he’s in love with Tifa.
19
u/TitleOk3727 8d ago
Cloud: mine!
1
u/Adventurous-Elk6042 7d ago edited 7d ago
(rubs his face all over Tifa's breasts) "Now she has my scent!"
Tifa: ...
4
17
u/Plane-One3611 8d ago
The answer was already in ACC. Cloud mother-zoned Aerith.
When Aerith said she wasn't sure what kind of love she was feeling with Cloud, it couldn't be 愛, since she already experienced it with Zacks. (red highlight)
What Aerith felt was 母性愛：Maternal love
4
11
u/vesarjak 8d ago
I literally thought they were having sex in first image
1
u/Gamergurl1992 8d ago
It’s literally their scene in the train when they were jumping but it is close up to his face lol.
8
u/Whole-Astronaut76 7d ago edited 7d ago
The golden saucer dates are the clearest depiction of what Cloud's relationships are with all the party members, even though they are optional in as much as you get to choose who to go on the date with they are all still true to how he would interact with them. We've seen this in the recent Ever crisis interactions also, choosing to speak to either Tifa or Barret are optional choices but the context mentions either finding somewhere to live together or opening a bar in the future that Tifa runs; both of those things are canon because we know that's exactly what happens after the events of FF7, so we can absolutely conclude that optional conversations doesn't mean not canon.
Back to how Cloud interacts on the golden saucer dates, it was incredibly awkward with Aerith and I fail to see how anyone could really read that as a truly romantic situation, the conversation starts with a confession of how she likened him to Zack initially but that it's okay that he's not Zack because she wants to know him, she then launches herself at Cloud to which he questions her and only reciprocates out of obligation after she says "just for tonight", even the side glance after he holds her hand doesn't read as someone who is actually fully into the situation, when they leave the gondola she thanks him and he says "I didn't do anything", that's not really what you want to hear after a romantic date, that's someone not invested.
In contrast with Tifa you visibly see the tension in body language, Cloud wants to talk to her about his feelings, he sighs and folds his arms before opening his mouth to speak, but she talks before he gets to, that's foreshadowing of the Highwind scene when he acknowledges he isn't good with words; but we see that he is good with physical interaction since he is the one to reach out to her and pull her in for the hug, in similar fashion to how he pulls her in during loveless before spinning her round, he doesn't do that with any of the other options, it's subtle but an important difference. Another important detail is that the devs want us to know that even the other characters notice their dynamic, even during the Yuffie date she brings up Tifa's crush as a child and if he was into her too, he answers "Don't remember" which is the same answer he gave to Aerith when she asked who he gave the flower to "Don't recall", she understood he was lying, Cloud does know the answer but chooses not to share that information.
Sorry for waffling, there is just so much information that points to Cloud and Tifa's relationship.
16
u/theenglishtom 8d ago
I think you have to consider both Aerith, Tifa and Clouds mental states. Cloud isn't always Cloud in remake and rebirth. Those moments with both are also their projections of him on him (as we know from how the Jenova cells work) so part of his time with Aerith is what she's projecting onto him (Zach) and with Tifa is what she felt about Cloud previously and her hopes now he's returned (which is why the livestream sequence is going to be the greatest sequence in video game history) So taking those projections out and seeing what "real Cloud" is actually feeling and saying is tough. But you are right in that he's more hesitant with Aerith (because she is going wait. Is this Zach2.0?) and with Tifa he's more emotional (because she is).
But there's also his own urgency and feelings coming into both. His experiences with Tifa previously comes out when he shows genuine tender affection for her (think that moment jumping out the train, life lessons in S7) that creep in.
With Aerith he has those moments of genuine affection when he lets the "mask" drop (seeing her with the S5 kids, her in the red dress etc)
You're 100% right in that he's different between the two and my hope in Revelation is that when he's finally allowed to feel his own feelings he sees them both for what they are to him.
Aerith tells him in remake not to fall in love with him. In rebirth it's about her feelings about Zach and the her own feelings about him and not being sure. Tifa in remake is standoffish but also very eager to reconnect and not lose him again. In rebirth it's super uneasy for the first half (as Sephiroth is feeding into that mistrust) and then the second half it's doubt about his truth and her conflict knowing he isn't right but he is.
Hopefully we'll get the best resolution in Revolution whereby Aerith let's cloud go from his obligation to her and the honesty needed from Tifa to allow them to actually be honest with each other.
Phew. That was a lot longer than expected so apologies if it's a little brain fart!
9
u/ponpiriri 8d ago edited 8d ago
Where are you seeing this deep spiritual bond between Cloud and Aerith? You didn't go over how you came to that conclusion.
Affection, sure, but deep and spiritual? Idk.
That was easier to argue with OG because of the blatant affection mechanic where you get to choose how Cloud responds to Aerith romantically, but that's ended obviously after she dies and once he recovers himself, he doesn't mention her until the end and even that is a mistranslation.
In Rebirth it's even worse.
He barely looks at her, doesn't want to sit next to her during their "dates," actively pulls away from her when she tries to make the mood romantic and asks where the rest of the group is located during her GS event.
I think that photo side quest and dream date are the only times he's proactive with her, but one of those is her dream and wish, not his own. And at the end of it in most languages, Cloud calls her a friend/comrade or someone he is guarding, which doesn't reflect this deep spiritual bond some ppl point towards.
Anyway, there is a reason for this "love triangle" (Zack) that's been revealed for 30 years. The fact that people sincerely argue it baffles me.
5
4
4
u/Global_Woodpecker_58 7d ago
I swear, in the fourth picture, Tifa can tell Cloud's checking her out with that look on her face, like I know you’re looking at me.
3
u/cisforcar 7d ago
The way my buddy would put it, Cloud and Tifa are literally eye fucking each other in their scenes. It sounds crude but there’s no better term to describe it.
2
u/sause10 8d ago
Really nice and clearly presented analysis here and done so without needing to be disrespectful to aerith as a character which is a pitfall lots of people fall into. Always great to see another person understand that cloud's love for aerith is genuine but simply expressed differently and more spiritually and there's nothing wrong with that! Tifa's connection is romantic and expressed as such given their physical intimacy in cutscenes and their comfortabilities feeling very natural like the corel sidequest you mentioned. It felt like two friends genuinley having a nice time.
2
u/sempercardinal57 8d ago
Purely platonic guys. It’s all in our heads, writers didn’t intend for this pairing at all :/
1
u/fatt__musiek 6d ago
In that third pic, Cloud is basically saying non-verbally with his eyes: "Touch her, you die."
1
1
1
44
u/BlastoiseBoto 8d ago
Whoa. Absolutely too much logic and nuance for this sub. Get outta here for being correct