The Importance of Cloud and Tifa's Relationship

so you know Tifa right it's not really my business but are you guys close you have no idea now I don't know about you guys but Final Fantasy 7 rebirth has been my most anticipated game since remake even with every hour I spent marinating in sewage every water filter I was forced to sell every attempt I had on that impossible timing miname the characters doing the chores alongside me made it all worth it like it takes a special type of game to make climbing 59 of stairs something I look forward to this sucks I want to go back so after making rebirth my life for a good 4 days I'm happy to report that remix strengthen characterization is one that absolutely carries over to the sequel every single party member feels like they genuinely earned their spot in this squad red 13 finally gets his backstory and trial yui actually has plot relevance now bar and Dy had me balling all over again aith is aith and Kate s I mean he rolls around that's pretty funny but the stars of the show rightfully so are the neheim sweethearts themselves cloud and Tifa are the core of Final Fantasy 7 in a lot of ways I mean the grand twist everything in the narrative was building to is this mindbending mystery that's only solvable by their shared memories and collaboration of course this chapter the remic project doesn't cover those late OG moments just yet but Square gives us so much additional foreshadowing that that will endow those beats in part three with a fresh weight whether it was a nail-biting dissection of the past or just some really cute banter my eyes were glued to the screen through every interaction of theirs which there are a lot of so here's your usual spoiler warning for the original ff7 remake and rebirth and let's get on with the show cloud and tius relationship can be summed up with the following visual metaphor up here is cloud sanity down here is cloud and this little thread in the middle holding everything together that's Tifa meanwhile sephos up to the side with his 8ft sword scaring everyone this Dynamic has been true since 1997 and 27 years later it's more compelling than it ever has been why is that though well first and foremost this game has a lot of cuts scenes like I could watch this or killers of the flower Moon three times the slower pacing has proved itself to be a fairly contentious choice and while midgar was stretched pretty darn thin rebirth covers a lot more ground and progresses at a pace that allows you to GR attached to your friends and world without feeling like you're not getting anywhere there are so many thoroughly reimagined areas and towns in this game and every time you reach a new one guess you get a scene with before we get into any of that crazy Sethro stuff let's start a little bit more granular these two get significantly more one-on-one moments than any other character combo and they were always something to look forward to I think they genuinely cut my exploration a bit short because I'd be rushing to the next end for that sweet sweet character development CM boom junan boom Gaga boom neheim quintuple boom throughout it all the writers do such a fantastic job with character ver similitude accomplishing this delicate balance of Cloud Learning to be vulnerable about his identity while Tifa gathers her bearings about what happened 5 years ago the mutual wrestling of their trauma is handled with this delicate empathy that forces the player to have the same respect for the predicament that the writers do you don't just hope they figure things out they get you actively invested in the uous process of these two seeking catharsis out of the enigmatic this is all perfectly prefaced with their talk after the calm flashback for those who don't know Cloud isn't exactly all peaches and cream in the head 7 years ago Sethro burned down his hometown killing his mother tifa's father and nearly Tifa as well if that trauma alone wasn't enough he and Soldier Zack fa are found in the aftermath by Shinra scientists and have numerous experiments performed on them they are eventually discarded and put into cryosleep for 4 years until Zach manages to break out and drag Cloud's mostly lifeless body all the way back to midgar right at the tail end of their Trek however Zach is killed by a small army of Shinra soldiers and in his dying words and Trust cloud with the Buster sword to carry on his legacy due to the combination of everything that happened at neheim all the Moco poisoning in goova cells breaking down his mind and body as well as Zach's recent passing clouds subliminally rewrites his memories to Omit all the pain in this new narrative he was the cool first class soldier that went on the mission with Sethro and in taking Zach's place he forgets his existence entirely what did you say his name was Zach Zack [Music] Fair Zach sorry no so when he tells this absurd fanf at calm TI is losing her mind cuz this isn't what she remembers at all when she confronts him asking him where he's been the past 5 years he can't answer because he genuinely doesn't know we get this conversation pretty early on in rebirth before we even get to play as the current party its placement here is not arbitrary it's the writers grabbing you by the shoulder saying listen up these two are what are stories about and we're going to get you to care about them Tifa is the only one who knows the real Cloud she knows he's really this dorky softy Country Boy and can easily identify the edgy facade still she knows the issue is more complex than Cloud just being a jerk to be a jerk there's some underlying baggage here that stops her from jumping to conclusions so she gives him time and Scopes out the problem by the time we reach junon it's evident there's a clear direction of recuperation with each of these scenes Cloud apologizes for what happen at calm and they both acknowledge that their dilemma is not something that's going to be resolved overnight I should have never doubted you it's fine I never should have doubted you either with all the blame they might have harbored against each other removed from the room this scene is them strapping in for the long run together since calm they've both adjusted their expectations now mutually accepting that the trauma of the past is something that will take ages to mend they aren't expecting any immediate answers but have both committed to actively working on their relationship when time allows it we'll find time to talk just the two of us figure things out just be ready to spill your guts huh with my iron stomach the important thing is that with each interaction we see them developing this safe space in each other's presence those awkward moments of Silence are shrinking by the minute yet still grounding the humanity of these characters in this Grand fantasy world sure slay dragons is just another day at the office for them but at their Cor they're just a couple of country kids desperately trying to make sense of a convoluted tragedy also side note I think it's really adorable how right after Tifa tells him to be ready to spill his guts he goes back to his room and starts doing sit-ups so I respect the grind the next time the two genuinely get a proper sit down and talk moment is in gungaga and holy cow is this scene a treat and a half as opposed to Cloud's more spontaneous engagement with the previous conversations we witnessed this new found intentionality without any words after the incident at the reactor he patiently Waits at tifa's bedside to ensure she'll be okay when she wakes we see Cloud at his most vulnerable yet sometimes I don't even know who I [Music] am I forget things everyone else remembers just fine and know things I've got no right knowing it's like there's different people inside of me and the worst part is I can't even tell where they end and I begin go [Music] on Soldier cells degrade I think that's what's happening to me that I'm falling apart this is a massive deal cloud is finally beginning to put the pieces together and it terrifies him he's actually noticing the holes in his memory and rather than it being this huge lore dump towards the end of the game like in the original it's this gradual festering insecurity beating his selfworth to a pulp this is what I mean when I say TI is the only thing keeping him from fully losing his marbles notice how Cloud doesn't make this confession to any other character it's for tifa's ears only he knows he can trust her and only her with a fear as egregious as cellular Decay to the point of being a Mindless robed follower of goova why ctif is a damn good listener with the patience of a saint when cloud is breaking down his condition she doesn't poke prod or pressure but lets him get the weight off his chest without any judgment she is the one safety net he's got the only person to remind him that he is a hero back in their youth Tia's mother passed away when she was just eight in her morning she turned to the legend that her mother's Spirit had gone to the local Mount neble and thus made the dangerous Trek in hopes of seeing her one last time most of her friends abandoned her halfway up the mountain but not Cloud despite carrying the blame for her injury that day Cloud was the only one who was there for her something she's sure to remind him of they said that you egged me on but now I know that's not what happened at all when the rest of them ran you were there for me you stayed when I needed you most if that's not a hero then I don't know what is especially considering the fact that cloud joined soldier with the sole reason being to impress Tifa her validation here is not something he's just going to brush off he values her advice more than anybody because he knows Tifa cares about him more than anybody but we are just getting started because up next is our trip back to neheim it's already a pretty haunting visit in the original game but like it does with everything rebirth doubles down on that uncomfortable tone Tifa and Cloud return bracing for the impact of seeing the aftermath of the worst night of their lives only to everyone's surprise find out the village is in perfect condition turns out Shinra swooped in and rebuilt the entire Village even hiring actors to play new residents all to cover up that fateful tragedy 5 years ago because now I know they rebuilt everything tried to sweep what they did under the rug and pretend it never even happened but I won't let them I can't SEO and his cruelty Shinra and their lies I'm sick of all of it this sleazy piece of history is one that effectively sets the stage for their not so welcoming homecoming they are both faced with awful memory after awful memory with each other being their only shoulders to lean on this has been true since remake but every single time Cloud's having one of his little moco flashback headaches tifa's always been there comforting him like he just woke up from a bad dream she is so darn consistent that it got to the point where I was just waiting for her hands to move into frame separ soon Cloud soon okay Tifa that's your queue let's go man without fail now this is something I preach every time I cover romance on this channel and that's mutualistic symbiosis bro shout out to my fifth grade science teacher even someone as altruistic as Tifa has her limits somersault dolphin blow final head cloud has got to at least try and met her halfway and despite being so mentally broken and barely knowing who he is he still never hesitates to extend his hand back to Tifa there's this Stellar scene where they're exploring the Mao reactor once again and Tifa sees a dece man in the same spot her father felt to SEO it is a horrific gut punch she was not emotionally prepared for but cloud is there to Bear the burden with her [Music] Tia it's okay I'm okay it's a beautiful Exchange because their actions do all the storytelling tifa's hyperventilating immediately being cured upon a reminder of Cloud's presence is all the confirmation we need as to how much stronger they make each other there's this lovely quiet moment at tifa's home where she reaffirms this very notion though she previously managed her grief by morphing it into indignation over time it would fizzle out leaving her with nothing but Terror it was Cloud's return that restored a lot of her lost tenacity to fight for justice and put seph in his place but let me reiterate that the writers are careful not to tie up every loose end which is a fantastic move because there's still one more chapter to this story cloud and tia are far from polishing every rough edge of their trauma and the rest of the ride isn't going to be silky smooth all of a sudden one of the trickiest balancing acts the writer is faced with when utilizing the hero's journey plot structure is the time between crossing the threshold and the resurrection so most of the story but this window in particular is when the actual Arc part of your character Arc is going down meanwhile the rising action is ramping up right alongside it so you have to simultaneously convey that the protagonist is growing into new strengths while also convincing the player that they are in the most danger they've been in yet so how does rebirth accomplish this she from midgar yep real city mouse that Z fair dude I jumped out of my chair in the original game Cloud does not remember Zach in any capacity until Sethro tells him his Twisted version of the tale he and Tifa also don't talk about Zach until it's time to pick up the pieces but in this story revision the future blow is sharpened while still developing Cloud let's make it clear that he does not remember Zach in his entirety cloud is aware he existed but thinks he was nothing more than an an infantry man who died in the Rapids it's essentially one step forward five steps back when he tells Tifa she doesn't show it but we know she's losing her marbles because genuinely what do you do in her situation you either dump it all on him in the middle of a mission taking place in the most traumatizing location they know or assure him of his progress for the time being and slowly break down the ugly truth in a digestable way down the line she ends up choosing the ladder degradation it's hollowing me out bit by bit you're wrong you remembered Cloud it'll be okay it will I know it thanks it is because their road to a healthy peace of mind is so Rocky that that seeing it develop is so intriguing I cannot overstate just how darn impressive it is to achieve this nearly impossible blend of progress and Terror it truly is their relationship that gives this story its element of human authenticity the writers take the time to properly deepen their relationship with scene after scene and so we can't help but be proud of how far they've come but uh-oh now we're invested and vulnerable and that's quickly taken advantage of as everything they've built is put in jeopardy and I think it's time we talk about that graphic from earlier we've mostly established this bit but there's also this variable over here which is a tad problematic naturally formed Materia and look at the size of it astounding for the Mao energy to condense into something like this it must have taken an eternity naturally formed Materia and look at the size of it astounding for the Mako energy to condense into something like this it must have taken an eternity so Sethro is like the Boogeyman in these games it's never a good thing when he shows up and that's unfortunate cuz he shows up a lot taking a stroll down the street he's there checking on the next door neighbor he's there look down the hall he's there go to The Pantry to grab some cereal you best believe he's found a way in there so what's the point of all his clowning frankly you will go insane if you try to decipher every single line of his cuz so many of them are just cryptic for the sake of being cryptic there are loads of nuances that I'll let the dude handle but most of this can be generalized to Sethro just playing with his food it's pretty clear that this is not the same old Sethro from the original timeline he knows how everything's supposed to play out he played the original ff7 on his PS1 and I don't think he liked the ending very much so this is effectively a postlaw Sethro who has gone back back in time to enact a revised mination and ensure his victory in the original game he got really darn close if cloud and his friends didn't interrupt him from holding back arth's holy the meteor would have hit Sethro of course already tried to remove cloud from the equation prior by revealing his own mind-bending fanfiction of his past and that was pretty effective I mean the poor guy stuck to a wheelchair for like half of the Final Act but who was the sole reason Cloud was finally able to piece his identity together and save the world H like I touched on earlier another superb function of cloud and Tia's relationship in rebirth is serving as a gradual drip feeding towards the imperative memory restoration process that we'll see recreated in the final game since we're given so much setup the actual payoff of Tia going into Cloud's mind and giving him a therapy session will be 20 times sweeter because it's an issue they've been actively working on reaching its cathartic resolution her memories and relationship with Cloud was the only cure for his shattered mental state and now Sethro knows this if it was not for Tifa in the original game Sethro would have won so when he went back to the drawing board for attempts two he wrote up a new list of priorities with Tifa at the top cuz without her a cloud stays in the wheelchair never gets his memory restored and never stop seph Roth simple as that so how come Tifa isn't dead yet well the answer is he's working on it he could just skewer her all aith style but that's not enough the guy is obviously a narcissist but also a little bit of a gambler you know that I killed her so who is she Cloud don't let her fool you do not be deceived you know the truth Trust in Me Cloud don't let her fool you she has no scar you have no scar she's not you're not Tifa you can't be the first few times he was rambling about Tifa being a decoy or whatever did have me a little bit concerned but then it clicked for me Tifa is not Genova Sethro is just lying through his teeth he does this in the original game to screw with cloud and now he's doing it again the dude is a snake just look at his eyes but with this Tifa impostor narrative combined with his ability to control Cloud's actual Genova cells maybe just maybe he'll get Cloud to do his deed for him imagine how much harder would hit Cloud if Tifa died by his own hand rather than seepo he would never be able to forgive himself and frankly I think the guy would just break on the spot which very nearly happens in rebirth Tifa and Sethro are like the angel and devil on Cloud's shoulders in this scene literally so and for a fleeting moment the devil takes the reins and nearly un does all of tifa's work as soon as Cloud snaps out of his trance and realizes what he just did he instantly drowns in [Music] Contrition for a moment he reverts back to that catatonic State Zach nursed him through one that's only remedied upon the news that Tifa is still alive hey get your [ __ ] together Tifa needs you meanwhile Tifa is swimming around in the live stream and Sethro attempts to finish her off which still fits into our Theory from before because if Tifa died here Cloud would still blame himself but he misses so I guess he didn't spend too much time on the 7th Heaven dartboard the focus on cloud and tifa's relationship in rebirth serves as such a compelling setup for part three the writers are weaponizing your knowledge of the characters to develop tension and it's got me at the edge of my seat say what you want about the pacing but there is so much here that's just objectively more well written they've added brand new setups and payoffs smooth out character arcs that were more like character 90° angles before all to blow the stakes past the stratosphere which I do believe to be the primary function of these story changes I do not think the writer's goal is to undermine the themes of of the original game for shock value but instead double down on them before rebirth everyone thought aith might live this time that wasn't the case but the possibility of it was gripping all that additional stuff with Zach isn't retconning any major events but bringing more gravity to the ones we already know the main message of Final Fantasy 7 is to embrace your true identity and all the Thorns that come with it the scars of the past may never leave who we are but they can be turned into strengths rather than handicap us as weaknesses cloud and Tifa are the main vessels in which the writers convey this theme and by killing Tifa off and leaving Cloud broken they would be actively rejecting the original game's message which I can't imagine is their intention because if they do overcome their trauma and use it to defeat a wiser Sethro Against All Odds that would actually be enhancing the message so I don't know much about what I'll be doing 3 to 4 years from now except for the fact that my jaw will be on the floor as I help a comos Cloud learn who he is again as protagonist of game three Tifa [Music] lockart Blue Sky green dress night that won't forget we met at the tower let my God down we sealed our vow in that quiet old [Music] town and I know I'm a mess weighing right in the head then you picked up my pieces from an oan H you done more for me than I could ever repay still I'll try my best to meet you halfway when the scars of the past went down on your soul I'll load you up until we grow on do what I can to be your hero dead hope lost Bliss I'm so damn sick of all of this but as my rage burn down to freezing fear you caught my tears even after s F [Music] years while everyone FL you stuck me to the end so don't think you're broken I'll be your defense you save me before now it's my turn oh I can't sit back and Watch You Burn when your mind starts crack and you lose who you are I'll answer the call no I won't be far step by step we'll cure all that's Mar [Music] [Applause] [Music] still Pain by the night our youth set of blaz my heart comes right down at the side of your face one short truth Beyond every question my to my heaven life's been moving fast but with you right now the fight it don't matter only about just hold to my hand I'll Anor you down like I promised you back in that quiet Old Town like I promised you back in that quiet Old Town hey Gamers just want to hop on the mic and post real quick and say thank you so much for sticking around to the end out of all the videos on this website you took time out of your day to pick out and sit through mine and that fact does not go unappreciated I hope I could make your day even a little bit better I also really hope you enjoyed the song I had a blast writing it and I'm very pleased with how it turned out I want to give a huge shout out to my buddy T Griff who produced the shiny studio version you all got to hear without him I just be editing an AMV over some crusty voice memos recording of me just jamming out in my dorm room these socials will be linked below if any of you are ever in need of Music commissions from an incredibly talented composer plus he's a final fantasy fan so he literally could not be any cooler as for myself if you like this video and want updates on future uploads my Twitter is on screen and in the description that's all I've got for now so here's one more big thank you your way and I hope you have a fantastic day [Music] [Music]

Channel: Xander's Cut

Views: 53,211

Keywords: cloti moments ff7, cloud and tifa ff7, final fantasy 7 rebirth explained, cloud and tifa kiss scene, cloud and tifa gold saucer, best final fantasy couples, the importance of cloud and tifa's relationship, the beauty of cloud and tifa's relationship, cloud and tifa amv, cloud and tifa gmv, cloud and tifa gongaga, cloud strife character analysis, tifa lockhart character analysis, final fantasy vii rebirth character study, cloti compliation ff7 rebirth, cloti video essay

Id: qz97-ErGYwM

Length: 28min 44sec (1724 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 23 2024