Cloud/Tifa

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Pairing
Pairing: Cloud Strife/Tifa Lockhart
Alternative name(s): Cloud x Tifa, CloTi, クラティ
Gender category: het
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Canonical?: canon
Prevalence: popular
Archives:
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Starry Night by Kikoldraws
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Cloud/Tifa or CloTi is a Final Fantasy VII pairing involving characters Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart.

Canon

Final Fantasy VII (1997)

Cloud and Tifa grew up as neighbors in the small town of Nibelheim. As kids, they shared a promise under the stars that Cloud would always come to her aid if she ever needed him. As an adult, Tifa owns a bar in the city of Midgar but also serves as an operative for the ecoterrorist organization AVALANCHE. She recruits Cloud to work with AVALANCHE on a mercenary basis. Although he does his best to act emotionless and uninvolved, Cloud quickly becomes more deeply attached to the party.

The early part of the game has some light dating sim mechanics that track player decisions expressing Cloud's affection for other characters in the party; the character Cloud has favored the most goes on a date with him at the Gold Saucer. These mechanics are strongly weighted toward either Aerith or Tifa, although dates with Yuffie and Barret are also possible.

As the game progresses, Tifa becomes visibly concerned when Cloud talks about past events they shared in Nibelheim. It eventually becomes clear that Cloud had developed false memories of these events as a result of trauma; Tifa was the only one who realized this, but had been unsure how to talk to him about it. Regretting her failure to help him earlier, she resolves to put Cloud first and cares for him while he's incapacitated, becoming the player character for a significant portion of the game.

An ambiguous scene late in the game is often interpreted as implying that Cloud and Tifa slept together prior to the final battle.

The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

Supplementary material goes into more detail about Cloud and Tifa's relationship both before and after the events of FFVII.

Trace of Two Pasts adds considerably more detail about Tifa's life growing up in Nibelheim and the development of her feelings for Cloud. Advent Children and On the Way to a Smile depict Cloud and Tifa living together as a family in Midgar after the game, raising foster children together; both show Tifa helping Cloud to work through his lingering guilt and trauma.

Fandom

Ship War

Cloud/Tifa and Cloud/Aerith are two sides of a long-standing ship war in FFVII fandom commonly known as the Love Triangle Debate (LTD), which spawned vicious arguments about whether one ship should be understood as more canon than the other. Character bashing fic where Tifa is portrayed as an antagonist in Clerith fic, or Aerith as an antagonist in CloTi fic, were common.

In recent years, the LTD has been increasingly regarded in fandom as a source of pointless wank; as a reaction against it, modern fic is more likely to emphasize Tifa and Aerith's canonical friendship, even when one or the other is paired in a monogamous relationship with Cloud.

Statistics

  • In 2020, Cloti was ranked 78th on Tumblr's Top 100 ships of 2020.[1]
  • In 2020, Cloti was ranked 73th on Pixiv's Top 120 ships of 2020.[2]
  • In 2020, in a poll on the official account Final fantasy 7 REMAKE, 56% of the voters had Tifa resolution scene.[3]
  • In 2019, in a poll on the official account Dissidia Final fantasy Opera Omnia, Cloti won against the opposing ship Clerith with 74.8% out of 7613 votes.[4]

Trivia

  • After the 2007 release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, many fan works increasingly featured Zack/Aerith as a complementary pairing to Cloud/Tifa, and vice-versa.
  • Cloud and Tifa appear together in other media or video games, such as:

- Kingdom Hearts 2 when Tifa is a manifestation of “Cloud’s inner light”.[5][6] -Dissidia 012 Duodecim when Cloud sacrifices his life to save Tifa.[7]

  • PlayStation Japan promoted cloti for Tanabata day and the theme of love.[8][9]
  • The official account of Square enix liked cloti fanworks and also sometimes even commented.[10][11]
  • This hasn't been made official but many cloti shippers have noticed that the Midgar blues song referred to Cloud and Tifa during their promise to the water tower before Cloud departure to Midgar.[12][13]
  • Cloud said Tifa 59 times in the Japanese version of FF7 Remake.[14]
  • There is debate what happened between Cloud and Tifa beneath the Highwind before their final battle against Sephiroth⁠—whether they kissed, had sex, and/or simply shared a heartfelt conversation before falling asleep together.[15]

Common Tropes & Themes

Challenge

Example Fanworks

Fanfiction

Fanart

Video

Meta

Others

Gallery

  • Lovers by DaJiF

    Lovers by DaJiF

  • A promise to Tifa, etched in his memory by arialladraws

    A promise to Tifa, etched in his memory by arialladraws

  • Cloud and Tifa going for a "ride" back in Nibelheim by HTSA art

    Cloud and Tifa going for a "ride" back in Nibelheim by HTSA art

  • AC polygon Cloud and Tifa by manuelaellela

    AC polygon Cloud and Tifa by manuelaellela

  • Cloud, it's okay, you saved me before, now it's my turn. by pudelmudel

    Cloud, it's okay, you saved me before, now it's my turn. by pudelmudel

  • Ok, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. Cloud...? I... by SafaiaArt

    Ok, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. Cloud...? I... by SafaiaArt

Sites & Communities

Archives

Resources

References

  1. ^ 2020's Top Ships on Tumblr.
  2. ^ 2020's Top Ships on Pixiv.
  3. ^ Results of the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Post-Play Survey.
  4. ^ CloudxAerith or CloudxTifa?.
  5. ^ Cloud and Tifa Kingdom Hearts ALL Scenes and Dialogue.
  6. ^ Cloud and Tifa in Kingdom Hearts.
  7. ^ Cloud and Tifa Dissidia 012 Duodecim Scenes FFVII.
  8. ^ Playstation JP posted a cloti scene for the Tanabata festival.
  9. ^ Playstation JP posted cloti for the theme of love.
  10. ^ Square Enix commented to a cloti fancam.
  11. ^ Square Enix commented to a cloti fanart.
  12. ^ Translation of Midgar Blues Japanese version.
  13. ^ Midgar Blues song in English version.
  14. ^ Cloud said Tifa a lot.
  15. ^ A famous Youtuber, Max DOOD, reacted to the Highwind scene.
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