A debate that resides in almost every Final Fantasy VII fan's mind at one point or another. Who do you think Cloud had romantic feelings for (if any)?

I personally don't think he had a romantic type feeling for anyone and broke down his character and personality to be that of a loner and more independent instead of falling for someone close to him.

What do you guys think?

Well I would have to say Tifa because:

Tifa has been around him for a longer part of the game

Aeris "cuts" off connection with him, at least physically.

Yuffie.... I dont really see Yuffie being the romantic type, maybe ebcause of her age or because of her habbits.

But thats my opinion... if Cloud ever decided to get busy...

I know im gonna be upseting a few members here now *cough TMC cough*

But i think Cloud had romantic feelings for Aeris, and here are my reasons:

Firstly: Cloud had taken on the persona of Zack after he died, and Zack had personal feeling for Aeris, Cloud would take these on also. he obviously had a thing for Aeris, Telling by their conversations you could see cloud obviously liked Aeris better.

Secondly: Cloud's main reasons for going after sephiroth, was because Sephiroth killed Aeris.

Finally: Cloud saw Tifa as Aeris, you may argue that in AC he seems to be with Tifa, But that doesnt mean he wishes with all his soul that Tifa had been the one to take the hit, rather than Aeris, In the north crater Cloud see's Aeris trying to grab him, Proving that she was the one he really loved.

Yeah, I just think that everyone so over-hypes the need of a relationship in every FF game nowadays, that trying to force one in this game ticks me off.

Yuffie's sorta out of the question, but I felt like including her in the poll anyway. Tifa's been there from the start of Cloud's memories, but I think he's got that "life-long friend" feeling for her; nothing more. Sure she's hot, but hey, looks aren't everything, right? Maybe it's a brother-sister relationship...?

As for Aerith, sure she gave up her life to sacrifice for the team, but I know she had her heart set on Zack, and Cloud would have known that from the start.

I picked Tifa... but I really think both Aeris and Tifa!

Cloud had feelings for Tifa when he was younger, this is clearly evident in the flash back scene where they end up falling off of the bridge in Nibelhiem and Tifa ends up in a coma for 7 days. This was the main reason why Cloud decided to go off and join SOLDIER, so he could grow stronger and protect Tifa. I also think he felt this later for her, especially after she helped save him from the life stream and clear up his personality from Zax's. He also sticks by Tifa in AC, with the orphanage and helping the children.

I think that this whole thing with Aeris is very difficult because he took on traits of Zax's personality and memories which makes it hard to determine whether they are Cloud's feels or emulations of Zax's feeling for Aeris. Even after he found himself again I think it would be very difficult to loose those feelings that Zax's personality had. He did also want to avenge her death a lot which suggests he has romantic feelings for her, as does the fact he keeps looking to her in AC.

So yeah he has romantic feeling for both Tifa and Aeris.

I’ve always been a Cloud/Tifa fan and I want to think Cloud would choose Tifa, although, I tend to lean towards none at times. If you ask me the part of Cloud that “loved” Aeris was mostly from what he absorbed from Zack. Now I’m not saying it’s impossible for Cloud to have loved Aeris, I just see it as unlikely and even so it’s kind of hard to maintain a relationship with someone who is dead; hence the reason why I think that Cloud would eventually warm up to Tifa.

Although, it really wouldn’t surprise me if Cloud ended up alone, torn between the two; he seems to have too much baggage from Aeris to move on and realize that Tifa loves him, but yet he still has feelings for her somewhere. Personally I believe that love never dies it just gets buried inside.

Because Tifa is childhood friends with Cloud I can totally understand their relationship being on a “just friends” basis or having this sort of brother/sister love like BM mentioned. I just personally choose to believe that there are some deeper feelings behind it all, that will be acted upon later on.

*slightly off-topic discussion. If you're going to be lazy and not read all my post skip this*

In FFVII there was alot going on, Cloud and everyone else were busy trying to save the planet, not to mention his little identity crisis then two years later another threat arises and Cloud is called to duty again. This time its evident that he has indeed found himself, but he still hasn't moved on from Aeris's death. In AC I believe he learns how to move on and realizes that friendship (quite possibly even love; at least from Tifa) is what he wants. Its similar to broody Vincent Valentine; he is reserved from the gang dwelling on events which he was only minimally involved, "a stone in the river of time"; however, given time I could tottally see Vincent opening up a little. His progress is even evident in the game at first he says next to nothing usually only when you go out of your way to talk to him, but then later he begins to open up and say a little more. In other words I can see Vincent breaking some of his antisocial shell realizing that friendship is what he really wants and is what will help him move on. Squall learned that in FFVIII and I beleive in AC Cloud found that out for himself. Time heals all wounds. Now with all of those things settled and out of the way I think Cloud and Tifa's relationship can finally take flight, while the events that we actually see (FFVII and AC) restricted and repressed it.

*back to the topic...end your skipping, please =P*

Not to mention I just like the whole childhood crush theme, because it makes the connection seem so much more meaningful. I know Cloud doesn’t want to bring sorrow to others with his situation and he saw how much Tifa suffered at Nibelheim and probably knows how broken up she was when he was in his coma, and I don’t think he wants to ever do that to her again. It’s a sort of protective knight thing where Cloud doesn’t want any harm to come to Tifa and would do just about anything to make her happy. It makes a real good relationship connection in my opinion.

Tifa of course because she knew Cloud the best out of any of them.

i agree with you but he doesn't diserve her...he diserves Reno or no one at all...my cousin probably hates me for that statement.....

I would probably say Aeris to be hoenst. The scene where she dies is very emotional. I would say that the relationship between Cloud and Tifa becomes stronger as the game progresses.

He doesnt have anything really to do with Yuffie. She just gets in the way and is just pointless to be honest.

^^

Hmmm, this really is a tough choice.

First of all Yuffie is a big no-no. There was more chemistry between Cloud and Jessie than there was between Cloud and Yuffie....hell you could even say there was more chemistry between him and Zack and Sephiroth than there was between him and Yuffie but that's a WHOLE different topic.

Okay so on to the great Tifa vs Aries.

Tifa
Okay like Vespi said Cloud had feelings for Tifa when they were both young and that's why I would say that he loved Tifa more. The flashback to when there were kids proved that he liked her, or at least wanted to impress her and hang out. Perhaps he was too young then to actually love her and simply wanted Tifa and those two random guys as friends rather than have her as a potential girlfriend, but he clearly longed for her in some fashion.

Then there was the other flashback about Cloud and Tifa by the well when he tells her he is going to join SOLDIER. I can't really remember what the deal with this was as Cloud's whole past is murkier than the Midgar Zolem' swamp land but if I remember correctly Cloud invited Tifa to the well. Also I think Tifa says in the Lifestream that they weren't friends and she thought it was strange how he would want to talk to her. Again the argument could be made that he loved her, or that he simply wanted to tell a friend, but I think he says that the reason he went into SOILDER was to impress her.

Then there is the flashback to the Nibelheim incident 4 years prior to the start of the game where Cloud knocks Sephiroth into the lifestream after seeing him hurt Tifa, but once more we never know if that was out of love or did he want to protect the only thing that connected him to his youth.

Aries
Now onto Flower Girl. It certainly seems that something is drawing Cloud to her and the fact he goes on about her every bloody second since her death means he felt something towards her. I liked TMC's post about Zack's feelings for Aries making Cloud confused as to his own feelings and the way he goes on about her may have been more to deal with inner feelings of guilt than anything romantic.

There is another scene where Aries actually calls Cloud her boyfriend and offers to go on a date with him, but he seems almost embarrassed about it.


There is a final scene right at the end of Disk 2 where Shinra has been defeated and Tifa and Cloud discuss the final battle with Sephi around a make-shift camp fire and I always assumed they slept together just after that and I reckon that him and her ended up together. However as horrible as it sounds that may have settled with her seeing as how Aries (his real love) was now dead it may be just that.


However my theory is that he loves none of them or anybody. Cloud doesn't seem like an actual human at all during the entire game. He is being controlled by Sephi, Jenova or the false illusion that he lived Zack's life. Cloud shows next to no emotion in the whole game with the exception of the confrontations with Sepiroth, childhood memories with Tifa and the death of Aries. Maybe after the game Cloud could go back to being an actual being and feel love, but then he would still have them Jenova cells inside of him, even if she is now dead.


So yeah my answer is- nobody. But if I had to choose then it would be Tifa.

I feel like such a noob trying to compare to The Turk and TMC here post wise, so I wont even attempt it. You guys always have long, well thought out posts that never fail to impress me, and I couldnt do that justice if I tried, I'd just end up waffling.

I voted Tifa. He attempted to join Soldier for her, he made a promise to protect her and (until his memories got totally fucked up) he did have feelings for her(refer to Nibehlheim). When Cloud, Sephiroth and Zack got to Nibelheim, Cloud hides his true identity from Tifa because he's ashamed he couldnt get into Soldier, he's ashamed he couldnt get strong enough to protect her. I guess that could mean a sibling like love, I'd protect my brothers or sisters.

FF7 is such an epic game, but a lot was left to the imagination if you think about it. There was no real definite conclusion feelings wise, no concrete evidence to prove or disprove, nor was there in AC.