Aerith and Tifa

[Althea]

Okay, I am a very faithful Aerith fan, but I also love Tifa. It's annoying because I don't believe Tifa gets the respect and credit that she deserves. Also, it seems like fans like to create an opposition between them that doesn't really exist during the game! To me, at least, they came off as friends. So, let's discuss the personality traits of Tifa and Aerith, their relationship, and what they brought to the game.

[angel_tifa]

In my opinion, Aerith and Tifa went on really well together. Not at least that Aerith agreed to save Tifa at once when at Don Corneo's place with Cloud which was really dangerous, but also later on. I agree with Althea when to the point that their differences are already transformed into controversials which don't exist. Aerith and Tifa both have main roles in the game as Aerith is the one to save all peolpe and the ultimate good person in the game, whereas Tifa is the one to save Cloud by helping him to sort out the memories of Zack's and Cloud's owns to bring alight the truth about him. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Tifa anyways, for me, she's the nr. one when at FFVII but of course Aerith is rather the more important char when considering the hole humanity in ffVII.

[Althea]

Well said. To me, Tifa always came off as the more realistic character, so it's easier to relate with her. Like us, she has flaws. Her personal issues and thoughts hinder her judgments sometimes while Aerith is able to set hers aside. They both have different strengths.

Hmm, I guess Tifa came off to me as the one who took action. Everything Tifa does is about persistence. Both characters are optimistic but they use that optimism in different ways. During Cloud's breakdown, if Aerith was there she would have given verbal and emotional support, but Tifa is the one who would walk him through it. Aerith is more future oriented but Tifa is more present oriented.

[Kerauac]

Well, as a hardcore Cloud fan addressing respectively the faithful Aerith fan and the huge Tifa fan, I'd like to try and explain the controversial nature that the fans project onto these two heroines.

Which one did/does Cloud truly love? That, my dear friends, is the major question (as well as which is hotter). It seemed as though Cloud truly loved Aerith, but that very well could have been Zack's thoughts/emotions. Cloud never had a chance to talk to Aerith again when he was finally put back together. At the same time, Aerith saw so much of Zack in Cloud that she mistook her feelings for Zack as what she felt for Cloud, not able to differ between the two. In the Gondola ride at the Gold Saucer, Aerith manages to tell Cloud this (abeit, somewhat cryptically) and asks if the two of them can start over. She felt guilty for not loving Cloud for Cloud. And everyone mourned Aerith's loss, so that in itself is not proof that Cloud loved her. "Ah," you might say, "but what about the guilt Cloud held in Advent Children over failing Aerith?" Good question. Again, we can attribute this to anyone mourning the loss of a friend. Not to mention Cloud almost killed her himself, under Sephiroth's influence, which adds much guilt to his plate. And then he was unable to save her, and felt helpless as she is the one who left to save him. On top of all of that, she died to summon Holy to defeat Meteor, but Cloud arrived too late to kill Sephiroth, and Holy and Meteor battling almost destroyed the planet, making Aerith's sacrifice even more in vain. That would be why Cloud drudges over the loss of Aerith.

Now let us approach the Tifa topic. Cloud always had a crush on her back in Nibelheim. He wanted to impress her, to be with her. He faced adversity in the children of the town, and Tifa would actually talk to him, treat him like a person. Cloud was never popular, and Tifa's father (and I'm assuming other village figureheads) disapproved of Cloud's actions. When Cloud left for Midgar, he and Tifa shared a promise that he would come save her if she was ever in a jam. A very sweet, and surely long lasting commitment. Even when Cloud was swamped under Zack's memories, he still remembered that promise. Quite touching, really. But he was Zack and not Cloud, as far as Tifa was concerned, so all she did was watch him, trying to help, but not knowing how. Tifa helped put Cloud back together again in the lifestream, organizing Cloud from Zack, and that would definately take some real courage and dedication. But Cloud was stuck on Aerith, because she acted first. Even in Advent Children, Tifa is still trying to help Cloud function again, but he never pays her anymind. Cloud appreciates Tifa as a friend.

In my opinion, Cloud never loved Tifa or Aerith, although both of them loved him, and probably still do. Of course, I'd be the first to say that Cloud loved Zack, but that's the inner fangirl talking.

As far as appraising Tifa and Aerith as individuals, Tifa is a lot more competitive, and probably took a while warming up to Aerith. The director said in one of his interviews that they both have motherly qualities, just different kinds of mothers. Tifa does live in the present, I'll admit to that. She's very protective and loving. She doesn't like losing anyone close to her. Aerith does look to the future, she'd lose a pet or two in thought of how it would benefit a child later.

[angel_tifa]

@althea:thank you ;)
at both of you: yeah, I agree with you when at the point that Tifa lives more for the present and aerith lived for the future. but they both were/are mainly characters, in whose lifes the past is the main determinant, though in tifa's a bit more I guess, as her central role is the one of aiding cloud back to his own identity. so one could argue about tifa being the steadying pillar in the game, as she is more than all of the others moved by the past. Cloud sure is as well as it's his past that's moving all of them but he's is the one who at first doesn't even know about his mixture of memories which he would not have been able to get into an order again without tifa.
as for the question, who's the one loved by cloud: I agree with kerauac when considering that cloud can never have really loved tifa more than like a very good friend. as for aertith, I never was quite sure. But besides all that it rests to remark that tifa and aerith are both the circles cloud's life and thoughts keep on turning around.

[Shon]

Out if every Final Fantasy female character Tifa is the hottest hands down but then again this is comming from a guy that had a huge Tifa crush but honnestly i really can't think of another FF female character that was pretty much perfect like Tifa ....and Aerith just reminds me if a innocent little girl and theres nothing hot about that lol ... can't wait for the remake on ps3 lol

[Darth Chocobo]

Originally Posted by Shon

Out if every Final Fantasy female character Tita is the hottest hands down but then again this is comming from a guy that had a huge Tita crush but honnestly i really can't think of another FF female character that was pretty much perfect like Tita ....and Aerith just reminds me if a innocent little girl and theres nothing hot about that lol ... can't wait for the remake on ps3 lol

I don't think it was Tifa's character you liked, long athletic legs, uber tight, ultra short shorts, the raer end speaks for itself, waist and them "tig 'ol bitties" that just bounce everywhere...you've got a physical crush on a cartoon/cg character dude

[zak13317]

Haha, who talks like that?

[Darth Chocobo]

Here Shon, I don't want you to think I was being mean, a peace offering from 'XXX-Men' Play Mutant of the Month LOL !!!

[zak13317]

Hahaha omfg!