Summary
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director stated that his comments about Cloud and Aerith's relationship were misunderstood.
- Fans were surprised by Hamaguchi when he described Aerith's relationship with cloud as "sisterly."
- Square Enix won't comment on character relationships, potentially leaving the love triangle between Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa open-ended.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi recently clarified past comments he made about the nature of Cloud and Aerith’s relationship in the new continuity. For longtime Final Fantasy fans, the love triangle between Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, and Aerith Gainsborough is one of the most debated character dynamics in the series, with both the original Final Fantasy 7 and last year’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth giving Cloud plenty of tender moments with both girls. In the original Final Fantasy 7 continuity, Cloud seems destined to build a romance with Tifa, even if the series hasn’t made it clear if they are in such a relationship.
The rebooting of the Final Fantasy 7 storyline in Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth ignited the debate anew, with plenty of fans speculating about how Square Enix might alter both Aerith’s tragic fate and who Cloud would end up with. In December, FF7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi commented on the relationship between the game’s three leads and described Aerith as a “sisterly” character to Cloud. Fans who prefer to see Cloud and Aerith as a romantic couple were taken aback by this statement, even as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth producer Yoshinori Kitase seemingly left the idea of the pairing open.
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Almost a month after his initial comments about Cloud and Aerith having a sibling-like dynamic, Naoki Hamaguchi told Automation that he was misunderstood, likely due to differences in language and culture between Japanese and English. He went on to say that nobody at Square Enix would comment on the nature of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s character dynamics outside the game itself. “As creators, we will continue to convey [the relationships between our characters] through our content […] For example, no one will make any official statements about who Cloud likes, who Aerith likes, and so on.”
Cloud and Aerith Might Still Have a Romance in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
As anyone who played through the original Final Fantasy 7 can attest, Cloud’s relationships with both Aerith and Tifa are complicated by both his shared history with the former and his own questionable memories. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth allowed players to shape the dynamics of the love triangle through dialogue options, with Cloud possibly going on a date with either his potential love interests at the Gold Saucer.
As creators, we will continue to convey [the relationships between our characters] through our content […] For example, no one will make any official statements about who Cloud likes, who Aerith likes, and so on.
No matter who Cloud goes on the date with, Aerith seems to meet a fate similar to what happened to her in the original game at the end of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, though things are more ambiguous this time around. This will likely put a new twist on her relationship with Cloud in the third Final Fantasy 7 Remake game, but for now Naoki Hamaguchi and the rest of the team at Square Enix are staying tight-lipped about how the classic love triangle will play out in the new timeline.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- February 29, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- PC Release Date
- January 23, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- February 29, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 40 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
