How many times have you heard, "Aerith is DEAD!!!!" from people who argue against Cloud's love for Aerith? Why does it matter if she's dead? Why do these people think that Cloud loving Aerith means that she has to be revived? That isn't the idea at all...

No, Cloud's not a necrophiliac who wants a relationship with Aerith's dead body, either. The idea of Cloud loving Aerith isn't about them having a relationship in the physical world. It's about Cloud remembering his love for Aerith in his heart.

We don't *know* how Cloud and Aerith can be together again, or even *if* they will ever be together again. That's the whole tragedy of their love, as well as the beauty of it. Cloud vowed to meet Aerith in the Promised Land at the end of FFVII. It may be a vow to do the impossible, yet Cloud wants to try because he loves her. Cloud dreams of meeting Aerith against all odds, because that's where his heart is.

Cloud and Aerith have been separated by fate and by death, yet even death is powerless in the face of Cloud and Aerith’s desire to be together again, even if it's impossible... and Cloud still dreams of trying, according to Japanese magazine AC Monthly, whose source is Square. A caption in this magazine over a picture of Cloud and Aerith in a beautiful field of flowers reads: "Meeting her again. That is my dream."

Other people argue that Cloud would choose to have a relationship with Tifa, the living woman who loves him, rather than continue loving a dead woman. This argument is entirely illogical. Just because Tifa is alive and available doesn't mean that Cloud loves her. IF Cloud wanted companionship with a living woman, who says it has to be Tifa just because she loves him? He might go for the babes in Costa del Sol rather than Tifa, for all we know. Love must be reciprocated on both sides for it to work. Proof that Tifa loves Cloud says nothing about his feelings for her.

Tifa almost says "I love you" on her date with Cloud, but he just sits there wondering what she's trying to say rather than reciprocating it. Tifa shows devotion to Cloud in the Mideel clinic, but Cloud shows no comprehension or reciprocation of it. During the Lifestream Event, Cloud says that he wanted Tifa to notice him seven years ago, but a lot can happen in seven years... including getting over a crush. It is completely optional to the player for Cloud to show any affection whatsoever to Tifa in the scene where they spend the night under the Highwind, since there are at least three different versions of that scene.

What about Cloud's relationship with Aerith while she was alive? Some people try to argue against their relationship by bringing up Aerith's "faults". They use examples such as Aerith having the nerve to ask about her compatibility with Cloud right in Tifa’s face. Such people have forgotten that Tifa said this to Aerith in Don Corneo’s:

Tifa "...And you are?" "Hey you're the one with Cloud in the park..."
Aerith "Right, with Cloud."
Tifa "Oh....."
Aerith "Don't worry. We just met. It's nothing."
Tifa "What do you mean, 'Don't worry'... about what?" "No, don't misunderstand."
Tifa "Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more."

In addition to this, Cloud can firmly deny that Tifa is his girlfriend to Aerith in Elmyra's house. Cloud also has the option of telling Marlene that he hopes Aerith likes him, and Aerith is the default date for Cloud at the Gold Saucer. Hence, it isn’t nervy at all for Aerith to ask about their compatibility in front of Tifa when Cloud has gone on the date with Aerith, when Cloud has told Aerith that Tifa is not his girlfriend, when Cloud has told Marlene that he hopes Aerith likes him, and when Tifa has specifically said that “nothing more” exists between she and Cloud than growing up together. Aerith asking about her compatibility with Cloud in front of Tifa is only perceived as nervy when alternate choices have been made by the player.

Cloud's affection for Tifa is completely optional to the player in terms of gameplay. The same can actually be said about Cloud's affection for Aerith, when you look solely at the game mechanics of the Date mechanism. There is no place in the game where Cloud says, "I love you" to either woman. There is no Moonglow Lake scene between Cloud and either woman. Cloud never embraces either woman. So what lets us know that Cloud and Aerith are the true couple of the game?

Cloud and Aerith have been used repeatedly by Square in subsequent games, including Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories, and Final Fantasy Tactics. References were made to Cloud and Aerith in Parasite's Eve, Parasite's Eve II, and Final Fantasy IX. Cloud and Aerith have been repeatedly used in commercials and advertising by Square. Kitase said in Electronic Gaming Magazine that he wanted to do another side-story game using Cloud and Aerith, not Cloud and Tifa. A commercial made for Final Fantasy VII showed Cloud laying Aerith to rest with a caption of "Love" over their heads. Square has used Tifa only in Ehrgeiz since FFVII, where she is nothing but a fighting opponent to Cloud. Before Advent Children, Ehrgeiz was the only time we saw Tifa in a production by Square since the release of FFVII. Doesn't all this clearly say who the creators intended as the true couple of the game?

Gah. It makes me frustrated too! "Who cares if she's dead? You can still love someone even if they're dead! Love doesn't stop at death, it goes on, dammit!" I mean, my most favorite grandpa died years ago back because of liver cancer, and my grandma didn't remarry--she loved grandpa and still continues on to love him even if he's dead. Because death doesn't matter! *Sighs* This kind of thing happens in everyday life and some people are blind to noticing it...

It does, but I quote Neal from Protector of the Small: First Test by Tamora Pierce: "You can smack some people with a haddock and they'll still call it a mouse if a mouse is want they want to see." Sadly, this is true.

*Laughs* That's good! And unfortunately, yes it IS true. All the Cleris friendly stuff is just "fan service". *rolls eyes* Psh, that's a good one. TIFA was fanservice, did the CloTi's ever notice the boobs and skirt? FFX-2 was FANSERVICE, but a decently clad Cloud and Aeris searching for each other, or mentioned TOGETHER constantly is NOT.
Anyways, as for her being dead. Yeah, I HATE that. And they never just say "Aeris is dead so Cloud woudln't be able to have a relationship with her", they've ALWAYS gotta say something dirty about it. Why does love have to be about sex? Cloud really doesn't strike me as the type that has to have sex with a girl to prove he loves her. Then again, these ARE the people who like to pretend he and Tifa did under the highwind..*sigh* I digress. People love those who've passed on in the real world, AND in the gaming world. Yuna continued to be practically obsessed with Tidus, even though he "died". Laguna loved Raine even after she'd died. Why can't Cloud?

Exactly, Sefie. We've seen in other Final Fantasies that death doesn't affect people's feelings for the ones they love. How about Lenne and Shuyin? They'd been dead for a thousand years and their feelings for each other were still strong enough for Yuna and her friends to get affected by.

As Aly said, Cloud and Aerith's love isn't about being together physically. It's about still longing for each other even though death has seperated them. It's about not being able to come to terms with the fact that the woman you love is dead even two years after it's happened. It's about dreaming of meeting that person again, even though you know it may be impossible.

I hear this so much, it sickens me. People say that because all these idiots think that "true love" means sex. I am beyond enraged at such idiocy. <_<

I am a huge believer in true love and how it is being killed by people like this everyday. True love lasts beyond death. It lasts FOREVER. People who think dating is cool don't seem to understand that. Sex has nothing to do with love, it is simply a way of expressing it (or in today's standards, just getting pleasure). There are a million ways of expressing love. And this is why Aeris dying has nothing to do with how Cloud and Tifa should be together. In fact, this only means that Cloud fighting for the unattainable is that much more appealing. If Cloud just gave up and went with Tifa, his story wouldn't be half as exciting.

Bwaaaaaa I feel like crying reading your posts and ...listening to Aerith's theme lol

Yay! True love power! :lol:

People who say such things don't have as much sensibility as you. That all ^^
It's would be the same thing about Tidus and Yuna. "She can't love him!" .Well, she does ;) and he does too! Distance is nothing.

Exactly... and it always amazes me how many Cloti fans are also fans of TidusxYuna. They love TidusxYuna, whose relationship is based on the same principal of love as CloudxAerith, but then they turn around and claim that Cloud can't love Aerith because she's dead!!! If Yuna can continue loving Tidus, why can't Cloud continue loving Aerith?!? They're just contradicting themselves!!! :(

If anyone has seen the Good and Perfect endings of FFX-2, they would have no argument at all. But I won't say anymore. :lol:

And going on loving someone from a distance even if they are dead just shows how strongly the love is there. If it wasn't true love they would have given up on it because of how difficult it is. This is one of the reasons why I really respect Cloud. I have all these guy friends saying Cloud would have so gone with Tifa because he wouldn't resist her "chest". <_< And now I have FFVII:AC to back me up in my arguments.

Who cares if the one you love is dead?! :angry: Darn... those Cloti people really piss me off. They always tell me that.
I just think that maybe they don't know the feeling of having to lose someone you really love... <_<
Oh well, never mind... <_<

What I'm trying to say is, even if the one you love is dead, it doesn't mean you cannot love him/her anymore. When you love someone, it is felt not just by his/her body but also his/her soul, so in death, when the soul separates from the body, the love can still emanate from it... and since the soul is forever, so is the love! As for the "'til death do us part" thing in wedding vows, I don't really believe in it; because it just speaks of the bodies parting, but what about the souls of the lovers?

Death is only the beginning; in Cloud and Aerith's case, I deem that her physical separation from him is just a test of their love for each other. She still watches over him, right? :P And I don't know if he feels it... (...and in case he couldn't, he SHOULD! heheh) :D ... but maybe deep inside of him, he could feel that.

You know the movie/book "A Walk to Remember"? :( Cloud and Aerith's situation regarding their love seems to be similar to that of the main characters in that novel/movie.
One of the last lines there consisted of something like "her love is like the wind. I can't see it; but I can feel it..."

Well said, Tifa... and I *love* the ending of "A Walk to Remember"! That's just perfect for Cloud and Aerith! :D

The story of FFVII told at Square's FFVII site starts with this quote:

"It has been said that everything in the universe is fundamentally composed of energy. What we think of as matter is really nothing more than a certain type of energy. And since energy cannot be created or destroyed but merely transferred, some speculate that living beings never truly die. Their life energy is simply returned to the universe in its simplest form."

Doesn't that tell us that Aerith continues to live, although in a different form? Doesn't the flower field scene tell us the same thing?

Oh yeah! ^_^ I remember reading that in their site. ^_^

Yes, Aerith isn't really dead, I guess. Even as a soul, she still contributed to the Planet's salvation. Imagine inspiring Cloud to go on and save the world...
In Cloud's part, maybe it's not just "revenge" against Sephiroth anymore. He's doing it for Aerith... in honour of her too, I guess...

I think it was Aerith who saved the Planet from Meteor. The Lifestream was like the one that prevented Meteor from completely destroying the Planet. When she died, it's like she became part of the Lifestream, right? :( Through her, the Planet was saved!

...okay, so maybe now I'm thinking that the real hero is Aerith instead of Cloud! Because she saved the Planet from total destruction! Haha! :lol:

...er... <_<

I'm glad there was somewhere for me to write this, because it makes me more than a little mad. :(
I saw an Anti-Cloud and Aeris sig that said, "True love lasts forever, until you realize the dead aren't fuckable." <_<
I thought that was one of the worst things I'd ever read. :angry: Obviously many Cloti fans support Cloti because they look "soo hawt 2getha," but love & sex do not always go hand in hand. Because someone dies, that doesn't mean you have to stop loving them, and nor does it mean that you must immediately forget their existance and start messing around with your scantilly-clad "Childhood Friend."
If people continue loving the ones that they lost in the "real world," than why can't they also do this in the video game world? :unsure:

Yep, like all of you had already mentioned, love doesn't stop at death.

I think Aerith's death added a touch of realism in FF7. I mean, death happens, right? And the people that you love could die, too. I think the creators were trying to tell us something about that lesson. If Cloud's love for Aerith stops when she died... then I don't see why they had to kill Aerith, other than being mean.

And if CloTis insist that Cloud could love Tifa because he could have sex with her... then they're saying that sex is the only reason why Cloud would want Tifa? Are they telling us that Tifa is a sex object? Geez, they have a way with words. :rolleyes:

Yep, that disgusting, immature necro sig first appeared on adventchildren.net in the CloTi club, "Faith". They were forced to remove it, but I have seen that sig being used widely on CloTi forums. <_< It is absolutely the most revolting thing I have ever seen and just shows how low CloTis can go and how completely ignorant they are when it comes to love. :angry:

Th-that's just terrible and DISGUSTING!! How can people proudly wave that around!? *notches off the few remaining respect points the CloTi's had with me*

Oh, they're not just proud of it, they think it is funny and cute. <_< Then, when we get upset, they tell us to "stop taking it so seriously". I wonder how they would react if Tifa were to die and we started making "NECRO4TIFA" sigs? They'd be upset, right? So, I don't think we were taking it "too seriously" at all. :angry:

From what I learned in my religion, it's best not to forget those who are gone and constantly pray for their safety. In this case, the body may be dead, but the soul still lives and still has feelings.

So that means that Aerith can still love Cloud eventhough it's not physically done. Besides that, it gives no excuse for the CloudxTifa fans to say such mean things, especially if the love is pure. ;) :)

(Oh dear, I honestly didn't think I'd go this far in trying to support my views. Yipes, I really scare myself sometimes.) :blink: :o

Yeah, unfortunately, the CloTis still like to bark "necrophilia" at every turn. In the love triangle debate I am in right now, one of the CloTis said something along the lines of Cloud and Aerith speaking of "dead body on live body action". :angry: *Barfs*

Anyways, I think you did a great job expressing your views, Enima. :D

Well said enima.

That is just a plain silly remark is it not?

The clotis have nothing to hold on to except the fact that Aerith is dead.
But love doesn't die with death. Love lives on. I firmly believe in that. They're saying that probably cos they have never loved before :ph43r:

What is REALLY amusing is that the CloTi who said that has "A love that cannot die" in her sig. :rolleyes: Didn't she just finish telling us that love dies the moment the person passes on???

I heard a very interesting theory one time about Aerith's death. One person was asking why Sephiroth waited until Cloud got there to kill Aerith? In a way, Sephiroth defeated his own purpose in killing her. He waited until Aerith had bonded the white materia to Humanity, and actually helped Aerith summon Holy by killing her. A soul had to reach the Planet in order for Holy to be summoned, right? If he hadn't waited for Aerith to speak to the Planet, and if he hadn't waited for Aerith to bond Humanity to the White Materia, then Aerith would have been less of an obstacle to him. So why did he wait?

The theory went that Sephiroth purposely waited to kill Aerith in front of Cloud because nothing could be more devastating to Cloud than to lose the woman he loved. Sephiroth did it for a simple motive: revenge. Cloud had defeated him in the Mt. Nibel reactor, and Sephiroth wanted to take revenge on this "weakling" who had defeated him. He knew the best way to take revenge on Cloud was to hurt him the most - by killing the woman he loved.

There's no way to prove it, but it's a very interesting theory. :rolleyes:

Yeah, I'm getting sick of the necrophiliac comments. They're really offensive and immatures. I don't know HOW many times I'm going to have to point out all the other FF loves that survived death to get it through their thick little skulls.

Aly, that theory sounds PERFECT! It really does make a whole lot of sense! And it'd be in Sephy's character! But, maybe instead of revenge, he did it to wound Cloud mentally, to make the later manipulation easier. However, he defeated his own purpose there too, because Aeris' murder just made Cloud want revenge.

Wow, great theory, Anastar!!! :o :D That makes perfect sense! I mean, why else would Sephiroth wait unless he had a good reason, like making Cloud suffer? And, remember the way Seph smirked at Cloud? It was almost like he was saying, "This is what you get for tangling with me, boy..."

It is a fascinating theory... Sephiroth came into the Sleeping Forest right as Aerith was departing for the Forgotten City. Sephiroth obviously knew where she went and what she planned to do, so why wait for her to speak to the Planet and bond the White Materia to Humanity? Why not kill her before she had a chance to do that... before Cloud's party even had a chance to arrive? He could easily have done that, so why wait?

Unfortunately, one of Sephiroth's lines could easily be used against it: Sephiroth "Ha, ha, ha...... Stop acting as if you were sad." "There's no need to act as though you're angry either. Because, Cloud..." and Jenova finishes: Because, you are.... a puppet"

It could easily be argued that Sephiroth regarded Cloud as incapable of feelings. Therefore, Sephiroth wouldn't consider Aerith's death to be something that would hurt Cloud at all.

So it would be very difficult to prove.... yet, it's a fascinating theory. :rolleyes:

I wondered myself why he waited when I played the game... That is an excellent theory!! I think Sephiroth said Cloud was incapable of feelings to hurt him even more, to belittle the pain he felt because of Aeris's death...

Yes... good point. Sephiroth may have been mocking Cloud. However, it's tough to disprove that line of argument, especially since Sephy's words were reinforced by Jenova.

How can you show that Sephy actually knew that Cloud was capable of feelings? That's a tough argument.

I don't know, but Sephy did use mind control on him, so he could have known what Cloud felt, or what was running through his mind. Plus, a lot of things Sephy and Jenova said where messed up... Sexy yes, but a little bit touched in the head, if you cath my drift... :whistle:

Well, if there's any way to prove the theory, I'd like to hear it because I think it's very interesting. :rolleyes:

Another question about Aerith's death that I've found fascinating is that the others let Cloud bury Aerith. The others approach Aerith and show their grief, but they actually allow Cloud to bury her. The others allow him that moment alone with her... the others stand back from the water, and allow Cloud to lay her to rest. Why? Isn't that an indication that the others knew just how special Aerith was to Cloud?

I know!! It would have been easy for Cid, Barret, Tifa, or any of them to put her to rest. But Cloud, who *clearly* "saw Aeris as only a friend," was the one to do it. Yet another little bite that the Clotis never touch. It's been brought up before, but they always will ignore, and quickly move on to something else...

Both are excellent theories Anastar! :) Lousy semantics, it ruins everything.

Also what I remember from her death scene, if Barret's in you party, he actually goes to Cloud and puts his hand on his shoulder as if to comfort him and Yuffie cries in Cloud's arms. Why don't they do that for the other characters since they're all friends, that is unless they know that Cloud's the one who's at the greatest loss?

Very good point, Ophelia... why comfort Cloud if her death is no more significant to him than to the other members of the party?

The other thing is that once they find Aerith praying in the underground Temple, why do they let Cloud go up the steps alone? In fact, Cloud waves the others away in the same manner that Vincent waves the others away when they find Lucrecia under the waterfall. Again, doesn't the fact that they allow Cloud some privacy with Aerith signify that she was in some way significant to Cloud? Doesn't the fact that Cloud wants a moment alone with her imply the same thing?

Yes!! And we all KNOW FOR A FRIGGIN' FACT that Vincent was hopelessly in love and dedicated to Lucrecia. No one can deny that.

I've always wondered what would have happened if Sephy hadn't appeared, what Cloud would have done... Oh well.

We know we're right, and that's what counts. B)

Of course! :D

That's what I've always thought. Even Tifa, who I guess could be called her best friend isn't allowed to pass if friendship is the only bond between Cloud and Aeris. Also, the only one visited by Aeris was Cloud, the only one who was able to sense her being there was Cloud and at that point Cloud hadn't been possessed by Sephiroth, so then why go alone...unless it meant something else :wub:.

Exactly... that's the way I saw it, too. :rolleyes:

Cloud being able to sense her presence when he woke up in the middle of the night, knowing that she was there, and then hearing her voice from a distance that made sensory input impossible have always indicated a spiritual bond between Cloud and Aerith to me. I've also heard that sensing one another's presence and hearing one another's voices over an impossible distance is an indication of true love between two people who are destined for one another in the folklore of Japan. That's the way I interpreted it when I first played the game, too.. without even knowing about the folklore of Japan at the time.

And when I first played the game, I fully expected Cloud to tell Aerith that he loved her after climbing the stairs. :(

I know what you mean! Yes Aeris was Cloud's friend, but his bond with her was the strongest out of all the characters, way more than Tifa. He wasn't even sure it was Tifa's voice that he heard in the lifestream calling back to him, and yet he knows it's Aeris in the Forgotten Capital. I'd consider them to be more than friends especially after Cloud says he wants to 'meet' her there (the Promised Land).

Take me for instance, I have plenty of good friends, but I don't think I'd like to spend my afterlife with them or considered them my supreme happiness. I'd reserve that more for someone I'd truly loved romantically.

It's just like the Clotis saying that they were only friends because Aeris lives in the hearts of both Cloud and Tifa years after her death. Yet, Cloud's the only one suffering emotionally, not Tifa. Yes she misses her friend, but it's not like she's dying to reunite with her like Cloud. There's a difference.

^_^ Oh that would of been the best! I already knew she died, but I didn't know she wasn't coming back. :(

Wow, good points, everyone! :o :D

The scene in the Sleeping Forest before her death brings up even more points. Why did Cloud try to chase after her in the Sleeping Forest as she was leaving? Doesn't that imply that he didn't want her to go, that he wanted to be with her? Cloud started running BEFORE Sephiroth came down from the treetops, so Cloud had no reason to think that she was under any particular threat when he started to run after her. Why did Cloud try to follow Aerith for any reason other than wanting to be with her?

The other part about the Sleeping Forest is why did Aerith contact Cloud? Why not contact any of the others? She took a moment to let Cloud - and only Cloud - know where she was going and what she planned to do. Why should she care if he knew? She left without telling any of the others... why tell ONLY Cloud? Doesn't that imply that Cloud was significant to her in some way?

And just how did Aerith get to the Sleeping Forest without the Tiny Bronco? I've always wondered that... :lol:

I've always thought the same thing. The fact that Aeris is more prone to being around Cloud, talking to him, and even contacting him, must mean that he was the most significant to her. He was the first person she met and befriended, and probably why she chose to go along. Also, aside from Zack, she was really the only real friend Cloud had made in a long time. When I think about the two people that were the closest, it would have to be Cloud and Aeris, right from the beginning. Of course they were friends with everyone else, but there was a connection even stronger than friendship between them.

:blink: OMG! You know that never crossed my mind. :lol: How did she??

That has never actually crossed my mind. I suppose we could call it a plot hole? FF games are full of them. :rolleyes:

Perhaps she...umm...travelled to Junon or Costa Del Sol and found a ship/plain there? What other options are there? Those are the only two ports in the world of FFVII.
How long was Cloud passed out anyway? I have no memory of that.

Or maybe our sweet little Aerith had a gold chocobo hidden somewhere. ^_^

But how did she get off the island where the Temple of Ancients is? It's a long swim to Junon or Costa del Sol. :lol:

For that matter, how does Cloud get Fenrir to the Sleeping Forest in AC? One minute, he's in Midgar and suddenly he's driving Fenrir through the Sleeping Forest. I don't think he swam across the ocean carrying Fenrir. :lol:

It was never specified how long Cloud was asleep. It had to be anywhere from a few hours to a few days, since Aerith disappeared, they took him to Gongaga, and everyone went out looking for her.

I guess if Aerith disappeared from Gongaga rather than from the island, it makes more sense that she simply went to a port and took a boat to the Northern Continent. I had always assumed that she disappeared from the island, though. :lol: