Aerith Gainsborough & Tifa Lockhart

This article is about the gen relationship between Aerith & Tifa. For the romantic relationship between the two characters, see Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart.

Gen Relationship
Relationship:	Aerith Gainsborough & Tifa Lockhart
Alternative name(s):
Fandom:	Final Fantasy VII
Type:	Friendship
Canonical?:	Yes
Prevalence:	Common
Archives:
See also:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Aerith Gainsborough & Tifa Lockhart are playable characters with a canon friendship in Final Fantasy VII and related media.

In canon, Aerith and Tifa are both presented as possible love interests for Cloud. The resulting ship war was a major topic of discourse in FF7 fandom during the 1990's and early 2000's. As it came to be regarded as a source of wank, modern fanworks often place more emphasis on the friendly relationship the two have in canon.

Spoiler Warning: This article or section may contain spoilers. If this bothers you, proceed with caution.

Background

Final Fantasy VII

Aerith and Tifa are depicted as getting along well, and Tifa runs away crying after Aerith's death.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

The remake continuity places greater emphasis on their friendship, and on the fact that they have a relationship independent of Cloud. In particular, Aerith and Tifa are shown to confide in one another while Cloud is not present.

Fan community

Meta and popularity

• Love Triangle Debate (LTD)
• Final Fantasy VII Remake

Fanon and tropes

• Double Date - Aerith and Tifa support each other in their romantic pursuits. CloTi and Zerith are popularly treated as side pairings for one another.
• Even in Death - Tifa continues to mourn and honor Aerith, while Aerith watches over her friend from the Lifestream.
• Third Wheel Cloud - In an inversion of their dynamic as bitter love rivals in the Love Triangle Debate, Aerith and Tifa are such good friends that Cloud feels excluded from their bonding activities.
• Shopping

Fan works

Fan art

• https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/23927792
• https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/80938347
• https://mallverse.tumblr.com/post/107063465507/aerith-and-zack-have-the-most-incredible-sex-pass

External links

Fan communities and archives

• Final Fantasy Forums: Uniting Friends Forever: Aerith and Tifa - "This club is about Aerith, Tifa, and their friendship. And not only the friendship of the characters, but of their fans as well. Here, Cleriths and Clotis converse peacefully about their favorite characters' friendship together."
• Archive of Our Own (AO3): Aerith Gainsborough & Tifa Lockhart

Fan pages and shrines

• Friends Forever: An Aerith Gainsborough and Tifa Lockheart shrine, ^{Archived version}