what happened next?

[PhilipO'Hayda]

So, what do you guys think happens with Tifa Lockheart andrelationship Strife Relationship? we have waited 13 years and still no answer.So am asking you guys what do you think happens with the two of them.Does cloud end up with her or does he keep wondering the earth?
and if he did end up marrying her, do they have kids were do they live?
I'nd love all comments, thanks guys!​

 

[Matseb2611]

This is really unclear to be honest. The thing is, the end of FF7 did seem like they might've had a relationship, but then Advent Children happens 2 years after and they were still not in one, so anything could happen at that point. It depends on Cloud really. I think Tifa is willing to settle down with him, but his lifestyle is rather hectic and I am not sure how much he wants to be in a relationship.

 

[Ultima Snake]

i think they will get together, you must have noticed the way she looked at him at the end of advent children so i think they will be

 

[The Witch]

Lol, this thread won't last long. Nothing happened between them. Cloud's not in a relationship with anyone either.

The Love Triangle in VII is left up to interpretation and hasn't been finalized and probably never will.

To both sides, people who believe Cloud and Aerith love each other feel they were shown with the relationship, same could be said for the Cloud/Tifa side--but Nomura has never said which woman Cloud loves.

So as of now, Cloud is with neither Aerith nor Tifa.

 

[Dionysos]

It's never stated which way Cloud will go, and Cloud is in a bit of a predicament regarding relationships.

Personally, for Cloud's sake, I hope that he does eventually settle down with Tifa. She clearly wants him, and they have a history, so I think that Cloud could be happy. On the other hand Cloud does still clearly care for Aerith too, or he at least mourns her death at every waking moment in the spin-offs. The unfortunate thing is that Aerith is dead! As far as love is concerned he will have to move on if he did have feelings of those sorts for her (edit - and by that I mean if he did want to have a physical relationship).

Personally I think that Cloud has too many demons to consider settling down. He's been fighting an internal battle since he discovered who he really was (or at least in the spin-offs... I didn't really get that vibe in the original game as much).

I think for now Tifa is happy how she is. She does sort of have kids already: Denzel and Marlene. Though they are not her own children it does make up a bit of a family unit for her, with Cloud probably being the husband in Tifa's dreams. She'd probably wish it to be proper, but as far as we can tell it probably won't be, at least not for a long time.


EDIT:
If they were to marry and have kids... My first thoughts would be to have them moving back to Nibelheim, where they made "the promise". I can't see that happening though, as they have too many horrible memories of that place, and all of the inhabitants were replaced anyway. I think that a nice remote place would do them good. Perhaps Cosmo Canyon, or the Condor Mountain.

 

[ANGRYWOLF]

nah they'll move into costa del Sol.
Have a nice house.

I do feel Cloud and Tifa will have kids at some point.

Who knows what will happen after that.

 

[The Witch]

Well, without this turning into something. Nomura has left the LTD in VII unsolved in every way possible. Cloud isn't shown kissing/hugging neither Aerith nor Tifa--hence there not being any definite couple shown. They're both ideas fans come to on their own.


Cloud has never kissed or hugged Tifa, Yuffie, or Aerith--and, to be honest, Cloud isn't shown acting very sappy or in love with the living girls around him.

So, when you ask what happened next, I have to tell you the answer is simple--nothing happened. Because that's what we were shown... nothing happening between them... so why would something happen after?

 

[King Sean]

I honestly believe that they try to make it work, but with Cloud's residual feelings for Aerith, it won't work out, and they break up. They probably stay good friends, or have a child or something before this, though.

Just a thought.

 

[ANGRYWOLF]

not sure about Cloud never having done anything to Aerlith or Tifa.

It seemed to me pretty implicit before you fight Sephiroth that Cloud and Tifa had spent the night together....with all its implications.

Whether the fans would want a sequel that puts Cloud and Tifa together, even to the point where they formally get married or have children remains to be seen.

Most fans don't seem to like radical changes in their FF characters.
Look at how they responded to Yuna in FFX-2.

I think the market is there for a remake of FFVII, whether it should be straight with just updated graphics or include some changes is debateable.

 

[The Witch]

Okay--I'm not sure if I can say this or somethin' but since it's being claimed, why can't I at least say it never happened? Seems fair, right?

--I never got the implication that anything happened under the highwind. Now, that being said, I'm not saying Cloud doesn't love Tifa, but I'm also not saying he likes her either.

I'm just saying, I don't really think they did "it" on a bunch of rocks.

 

[Six]

Hm... I like how they portrayed Cloud's feelings towards her in the Lifestream, making it clear that of course he still cares for her. With little Cloud telling Tifa that she should tell the real Cloud what she told him, he'd probably be so happy. It doesn't claim anything, but I think it was a really sweet add to it.

I also like how Tifa's feelings developed the way they did. She has a gorgeous personality, even the whole thing in Mideel shows so much, I just like her friendly nature.

I'm a CloudxTifa supporter, but even looking at it from the side, childhood lovers making a fresh start when Cloud finally lost "some of that weight" in Advent Children. I think that was a sweet moment. He seems more positive, instead of hiding away from something warm and comforting, being scared of hurting them more by staying. I like how that connected to Aerith too.

So to cut that short, yeah, I think in the long run something will bloom up. I'm not gonna bash anything, that's really not in my nature, because I do respect CloudxAerith fans, but for me Cloti feels right, and their relationship to me doesn't need a definite answer. Just look at them.

They're doing well, and are slowly recovering from miscommunication/no communication at all. They have two gorgeous kids to look after, a bar for the income, and most importantly, Cloud, and both Tifa, look like they have overcome what was bothering them. She'll be the optimist that she is, and I think that's what they need.

Not only does it feel right in my opinion, but damn, even that picture looks right.

Gorgeous couple. =)

tl;dr: They're getting there, haha.

 

[Apparent Amarant]

Well, without this turning into something. Nomura has left the LTD in VII unsolved in every way possible. Cloud isn't shown kissing/hugging neither Aerith nor Tifa--hence there not being any definite couple shown. They're both ideas fans come to on their own.


Cloud has never kissed or hugged Tifa, Yuffie, or Aerith--and, to be honest, Cloud isn't shown acting very sappy or in love with the living girls around him.

So, when you ask what happened next, I have to tell you the answer is simple--nothing happened. Because that's what we were shown... nothing happening between them... so why would something happen after?

Isn't there a seen in seven where there is a line with a hint of sexual connotations between Tifa and Cloud? After you get the airship or sleep under it or something? It's been awhile but I am pretty sure there is. So yeah he is never shown but their are definite hints in the game and in AC that at least the chemistry which is the framework to build a relationship on exists between the two. Though I concede that it may never be more then that.

Also Advent Children definitely leads you in the direction of thinking they will at some point been in a relationship if they have not at some time already at least been friends with benefits for a little while. I got the feeling that the only reason they were not in a relationship already was because his head was so messed up, and he resolves those issues by the end of the movie.

Aerith is not really even a factor to be considered. Their is no love triangle debate in this particular question because it is only talking about after she is dead. I am sure he is still upset that he slayed he but that's really the extent of that in my honest opinion at the point in time after the end of AC

If you assume nothing happens between people because you aren't shown it then you can probably trust even the most promiscuous women/men in a relationship and never be proven your trust is misplaced.

Also most relationships do not start with love.

 

[The Witch]

Isn't there a seen in seven where there is a line with a hint of sexual connotations between Tifa and Cloud? After you get the airship or sleep under it or something? It's been awhile but I am pretty sure there is. So yeah he is never shown but their are definite hints in the game and in AC that at least the chemistry which is the framework to build a relationship on exists between the two. Though I concede that it may never be more then that.

In the game? Depends, which optional version are you talking of?

Also Advent Children definitely leads you in the direction of thinking they will at some point been in a relationship if they have not at some time already at least been friends with benefits for a little while. I got the feeling that the only reason they were not in a relationship already was because his head was so messed up, and he resolves those issues by the end of the movie.

They don't even share the same room when Cloud lives at Seventh Heaven, though.

Aerith is not really even a factor to be considered. Their is no love triangle debate in this particular question because it is only talking about after she is dead. I am sure he is still upset that he slayed he but that's really the extent of that in my honest opinion at the point in time after the end of AC

Why? Yuna still loved Tidus, even while he was dead. Cloud could do the same.

So to cut that short, yeah, I think in the long run something will bloom up. I'm not gonna bash anything, that's really not in my nature, because I do respect CloudxAerith fans, but for me Cloti feels right, and their relationship to me doesn't need a definite answer. Just look at them.

That's how I feel with CloudxAerith, Kira. C:

I guess I jus' think Cloud loves Aerith because of how he acted around her (his "I'm... we're here for you" line) and how he acted during her death, the way he was speaking just made me come to the conclusion that Cloud was in love with her. Heck, the ending of the game was a home run for me. Then there's AC and all that. I mean, he was dying and he moved to Aerith's church? The church that's said to be his promise land... and then there's KHI's ending...

I don't know, everything in the game just made me think it was Aerith Cloud loved.

 

[Apparent Amarant]

In the game? Depends, which optional version are you talking of?

When I get to the part on this playthrough I will let you know or maybe I'll search youtube later

They don't even share the same room when Cloud lives at Seventh Heaven, though.

They would only share a room if they were CURRENTLY in a relationship, and if they were friends with benefits they would have separate rooms still a lot of the time.

Why? Yuna still loved Tidus, even while he was dead. Cloud could do the same.

Does that mean that loving someone who has passed will always keep someone from finding someone else? No of course not.

That's how I feel with CloudxAerith, Kira. C:

I guess I jus' think Cloud loves Aerith because of how he acted around her (his "I'm... we're here for you" line) and how he acted during her death, the way he was speaking just made me come to the conclusion that Cloud was in love with her. Heck, the ending of the game was a home run for me. Then there's AC and all that. I mean, he was dying and he moved to Aerith's church? The church that's said to be his promise land... and then there's KHI's ending...

I personally think he would have acted similarly had he killed anyone. He obviously would have extra compassion for her if not only for the fact that she had a massive weight to bare and a lonely existence.

I don't know, everything in the game just made me think it was Aerith Cloud loved.

To that last part all I am saying is whether or not Cloud loved Aerith is irrelevant. It would not stop him from having feelings for Tifa necessarily so it really is not a factor in this situation. Or at least not much of one. I am not saying he didn't. Though once he regained his memories I do not think it is something he would have pursued.

 

[Six]

I don't think Cloud and Tifa were friends with benefits. A lot of non optional hints in the game lead to CloudxTifa, others might say it hints to CloudxAerith. Who knows, really.

As for this topic, yes, I just think in the long run they'll have that relationship that they deserve. Also taken from the makers in interviews, I just like how they portray that Tifa gets him. I don't mean physically, but she understands what he's on about, how he thinks, and goes about things.

There's no denying he cares for Tifa, all he tried proving when he left Nibelheim, no one has to deny that, and I also don't think feelings like that fade.

Oh well. Love their story. Love them as a couple. <3

 

[Matseb2611]

The impression I got after playing the game for the first time was that he was in love with Aeris. I mean I do think that Cloud matches both women well. Cloud and Tifa would make a great pair indeed, but so would Cloud and Aeris, and to me it seemed that in the game there was more supporting of Cloud and Aeris, even though a lot of the stuff in the game is also due to player's choice.

But despite whichever suits him better, I think Apparent Amarant has a point. Since Aeris is dead, it shouldn't stop Cloud from being with Tifa. I mean it would take him a while to get over her, but eventually he'll come to terms with it. However like I mentioned in my earlier post, Advent Children happens 2 years after the game and there is still nothing between Cloud and Tifa, so they may never end up in a relationship. It can go either way from there and I think mostly depends on the audience's interpretation.

 

[The Witch]

Though once he regained his memories I do not think it is something he would have pursued.

Why? His memories from the past has nothing to do with his feelings of the present. Even when Cloud forgot his past memories, Cloud still knew of his friendship with Tifa. The only thing he forgot about his past is that he never made it as a first class soldier, that Tifa and him weren't that close, and things like that. So why exactly wouldn't Cloud continue pursuing a relationship with Aerith? Tifa was around the whole time Aerith was, in yet Tifa is the one getting jealous.

I just don't see why Cloud remembering that he wasn't a first class soldier would make him not love Aerith.

The impression I got after playing the game for the first time was that he was in love with Aeris. I mean I do think that Cloud matches both women well. Cloud and Tifa would make a great pair indeed, but so would Cloud and Aeris, and to me it seemed that in the game there was more supporting of Cloud and Aeris, even though a lot of the stuff in the game is also due to player's choice.

Yes, that's how I feel too.

But despite whichever suits him better, I think Apparent Amarant has a point. Since Aeris is dead, it shouldn't stop Cloud from being with Tifa.

May I jus' ask why, though? Yuna remained in love with Tidus for 2 whole years(just like Cloud in AC)even when he was dead, so why can't Cloud still love Aerith? Also, who knows what SE has in mind for Aerith and whether or not she comes back.

However like I mentioned in my earlier post, Advent Children happens 2 years after the game and there is still nothing between Cloud and Tifa, so they may never end up in a relationship. It can go either way from there and I think mostly depends on the audience's interpretation.

That's what makes me think Cloud is still in love with Aerith and has always been in love with her.

With all due respect to viewing CxT fans(me having so many Cloti friends, means this completely and wholeheartedly), but if he was really in love with Tifa why do they have separate rooms? Why aren't they in a relationship in AC, or Dirge of Cerberus, or Case of Denzel? Those are the newest installments for VII in yet, Cloud and Tifa still aren't together. Why? What's stopping Cloud from being with his love interest?

Another thing that makes me think Cloud still loves Aerith is this quote from the newest novella about Aerith in the lifestream during AC;

"Cloud was her friend, her koibito—a symbol of what was important to her, and someone to be protected."-Case of Lifestream: White


I know there's a debate on what "koibito" can mean but its either "lover" or "sweetheart". Personally speaking, I don't see why SE's Nojima would write something like this for Cloud and Aerith if Cloud was really in love with Tifa.

And then there's this one;
Nomura: I believe, for those who formerly traveled with her as comrades and for the viewers, each carries their own feelings and love for Aerith. In this story, Cloud also carries his own undying feeling for Aerith even to this very day. ~Nomura interview; Dengeki Playstation 2007
"Undying feeling" that differs from the platonic love from Aerith's friends?


Then there's this Nomura interview with the Official U.S. Playstation Magazine, October 2002, about Kingdom Hearts I...

Question: What was the thought behind bringing back Aeris [in Kingdom Hearts]?
Nomura: Yes, she died in Final Fantasy VII, but there's no real relation to where she was at or what role she played in FFVII. There's no relationship from FFVII to the Kingdom Hearts stories. I consider them separate stories. But if you play Kingdom Hearts, toward the end, some of the questions about the relationship between Cloud and Aeris in FFVII might be answered. It's sort of like a side story, and this was an extra bonus that I wanted to give to players. ~Nomura, interview with Official U.S. Playstation Magazine, October 2002, issue 61, page 139-140


These are just a few of the things that makes me believe Cloud loves Aerith.

With that being said; we have to remember, the LTD is left up to oneself's own interpretation... we can literally make our own conclusions.

 

[ANGRYWOLF]

Loving a dead person doesn't do the survivor any good now.

Doesn't mean they don't stop loving the dead person....but they can still have a relationship with someone else who is alive.

I know people who have.

shrugs.

So Cloud can love both women..if he so chooses.

 

[The Witch]

Loving a dead person doesn't do the survivor any good now.

Doesn't mean they don't stop loving the dead person....but they can still have a relationship with someone else who is alive.

I know people who have.

shrugs.

So Cloud can love both women..if he so chooses.

Oh, I get ya now.



I don't know, Tifa's not one of my favorite characters or anything but, it's saddening to think she's second place in Cloud's heart.

 

[Six]

I'll have to agree on some points with you, Cali, but definitely not the having a second place in his heart. I can answer one question for you, though.

Why are Tifa and Cloud still not together even two years after the game? DoC, Case of Denzel? It's just like Tifa said.

Sometimes being old friends is really hard, insanely hard. Timing honestly is everything, and sometimes... You rather not risk that friendship, that everything, just because you want something more with them... You can never be a 100% sure I think, if that person goes about it the same way as you though. It's just not that easy...

I know there's a debate on what "koibito" can mean but its either "lover" or "sweetheart". Personally speaking, I don't see why SE's Nojima would write something like this for Cloud and Aerith if Cloud was really in love with Tifa.

Tifa has been called koibito before, too. I think, honestly, both of them are portrayed like that, because of course Cloud cares for Aerith, and of course he cares for Tifa. I mean come on? Tifa he's known since he was a kid, and had the biggest crush on, Aerith was a great friend of the whole team, the whole team cares for her as well.

A lot of Cloti supporters forget that Aerith wasn't just a side character, she was part of the team. End story. She was cared for by all of them, and how Tifa reacted when Aerith died was heartbreaking for me.

With that being said; we have to remember, the LTD is left up to oneself's own interpretation... we can literally make our own conclusions.

Exactly. I honestly believe Square Enix will always fuel the fire. They will always give what if assumptions that anyone can take whatever way they want. (Shrugs) The game is the game, and only the original story thoughts are canon, and what and who those pairings are, no one knows. Not people claiming they know. You can't know.

I hate how people ruin it for themselves by starting debates about what is canon, what a ridiculous thing to assume, no one is in a position to say what is. Enjoy the game and couple for what it is. That's what it's about, not about tearing apart what someone else enjoys.

My heart will remain with CloudxTifa, I honestly couldn't care less how anyone else thinks of them as wrong.