Despite the illusionary red herring of the “love triangle” in disc one of FFVII, when you look at the big picture of the Compilation and the overall story, it becomes evident that Aerith, like Cloud and Tifa’s other friends, supports their romantic relationship and their spiritual bond.
In fact, in Aerith’s case, she not only supports it but actively works to push and keep them together, symbolically blessing their union and ultimately helping guide Cloud toward a life of love and family with the girl he’s loved all along.
The so-called love triangle is a plot device and a vehicle for internal conflicts.
As the last Cetra, Aerith’s role is one of a guide and spiritual protector, a role that becomes fully realized in the Lifestream following her death. In this capacity, part of her purpose is to lead souls to their “Promised Land”.
The conflicts present in the first two games of the Remake trilogy are leading to this actualized version of Aerith, who is already present in the timeless meta of Lifestream.
In Remake, Aerith displays a premonition and almost otherwordly awareness of Cloud and Tifa’s relationship, suggesting that she has insight beyond the present moment. Aerith’s role as a Cetra – primarily through the foresight and memories handed down to her via the White Materia – allows her to perceive connections and destinies.
In the very beginning of Remake, Aerith gives Cloud a yellow lily that is laden with meaning and serves as one of the most striking symbols in FFVII. She explains that lovers give this flower when they reunite, subversively foreshadowing the future reunion of Cloud and Tifa. Depending on the player’s level of resistance during this scene, Aerith even teases Cloud, suggesting that the flower will “make his girlfriend’s day” if he gives it to her.
Sure enough, Cloud later gives the lily to Tifa at Seventh Heaven, foreshadowing both their romantic connection and their eventual reunion in the Lifestream. Unlike the OG, there is no optionality in this scene and the option to give the flower to Marlene is removed, cementing this trajectory as an important part of the main scenario.
The flower’s symbolic journey doesn’t stop there, though. When Aerith rescues Marlene from Seventh Heaven in Chapter 12, she notices the flower on display in Tifa’s corner of the bar with all of her things, clearly indicating it’s a cherished gift she received from Cloud. Upon seeing it, Aeith smilies approvingly, a subtle and silent acknowledgment that Cloud indeed gave the flower to his true love.
In Chapter 8 of Remake, while walking with Aerith after rescuing the kids in Sector 5, Cloud has a memory flash of Tifa, causing him to call out her name. Aerith’s curiosity is piqued, and she asks Cloud if Tifa is his girlfriend. When Cloud denies this, Aerith insists that Tifa is “someone special”, forcing Cloud to admit that his relationship with Tifa is complicated and difficult to explain.
It’s important to note the way that Aerith claspes her hands into her “prayer hands” pose in this scene, emphasizing a spiritual premonition of the knowledge of Cloud and Tifa’s bond and its importance.
Not much later, in Chapter 9, upon seeing Tifa and realizing she may be in danger in Wall Market, Aerith not only insists that Cloud go after her, but even teases about their relationship.
In Chapter 12, when Tifa is conflicted about letting Cloud go up to the pillar to fight Shinra without her, Aerith urges Tifa to “follow her heart,” a phrase that is meant not only to encourage her at that moment but hints at her support of their relationship.
During Tifa’s resolution in Remake, the emotional and romantic embrace that Cloud and Tifa share takes place in a deeply symbolic location: Aerith’s garden. Surrounded by reunion flowers and with the Lifestream pulsing in the nearby water, this imagery clearly foreshadows Cloud and Tifa’s eventual true reunion, but the choice of this location can also represent Aerith’s meta-blessing of Cloud and Tifa’s bond.
This symbolism reflects that Aerith, despite the conflicts inherent in the first disc of the story, supports the love between Cloud and Tifa in the meta of the story.
In Rebirth, Aerith’s actions continue to reflect her role as a Cetra, even as she struggles with her own conflicting emotions regarding Cloud and her longing for Zack. This matter is further complicated by Aerith losing the memories and foresight contained in the White Materia.
Despite her loss of foresight, and despite her complex internal conflict surrounding Cloud and Zack, Aerith remains aware of the bond Cloud and Tifa share and remains on the pathway towards her purpose as a Cetra who is meant as a guide to the promised land, continuously recognizing the importance of Cloud and Tifa’s bond, even when it reminds her of her own loneliness.
In Chapter 2, for example, after Cloud and Tifa’s fight in Kalm, while on the Clocktower Aerith urges Cloud to cherish Tifa, recognizing how special their bond is.
And in Chapter 11, while on the water tower, she manages to get Cloud to admit how he pined for Tifa when he was younger.
This moment stands out as a moment of development for Aerith, as it reinforces her understanding of the true nature of Cloud and Tifa’s relationship (especially within the context of her losing her Remake foresight).
Let’s pivot to the OG. In the end after Cloud defeats Sephiroth in the mental realm, we see Aerith reach out to him from the Lifestream, extending her hand as if to guide him. This gesture then transitions to Tifa’s hand in the physical world, as she reaches out to Cloud within the collapsing crater.
This visual connection, bridging the spiritual and physical realms, suggests that Aerith is guiding Cloud home to Tifa, connecting him with his true “Promised Land.”
This is the fully actualized Aerith who understands her role as a Cetra, and uses this power to help Cloud.
In On the Way to a Smile, Cloud believes Aerith led Denzel to him as a form of personal redemption for his failures. While this is simply his assumption and not necessarily the case, let’s assume for the sake of argument that Aerith did indeed lead Denzel to Cloud.
If this is the case, it only makes sense that Aerith did so as a gift to Cloud and Tifa to further bless their relationship.
Tifa seems to agree.
Cloud finds Denzel at Aerith’s church and brings him home because Tifa tells him to. Denzel becomes Cloud and Tifa’s adopted son, cementing the family that Cloud builds with Tifa – two people who both lost their entire families and can now find healing in their shared traumas by starting one of their own.
By guiding Denzel into Cloud and Tifa’s lives, Aerith brings Cloud closer to his “Promised Land” of family and love, deepening Cloud’s connection and purpose with Tifa.
One of the most iconic Cloud and Tifa moments in the entire Compilation takes place in Advent Children in Aerith’s church, where Cloud finds Tifa injured and helpless. He rushes to her side, and in a moment of shared vulnerability, the two collapse together amidst Aerith’s flowers in a yin-yang position that symbolizes balance, harmony, and interconnectedness, reflecting the depth of Cloud and Tifa’s bond as both lovers and soulmates.
The scene once again takes place in a space intrinsically tied to Aerith. The yin-yang pose speaks to Cloud and Tifa’s complementary nature, with Aerith’s flowers surrounding them as a visual reminder of her meta-support of their relationship, much like Tifa’s resolution.
When Cloud nearly dies towards the end of Advent Children, it’s Aerith and Zack who send him back to the living world. Aerith’s words to Cloud suggest that he has more to live for, and this life is with his family and Tifa. By urging him to return, Aerith ensures that Cloud remains with those who need and love him most, fulfilling her purpose as a spiritual guide.
Her decision to send him back also symbolizes her desire to see Cloud happy with the family he’s found in Tifa, the woman he has always loved
While Shinra believes that the Promised Land is some utopia an Ancient can guide them to, we learn from FFVII’s lore throughout the Compilation that the Promised Land (as believed by the Cetra) is really symbolic of each individual person’s place of true happiness, and perhaps eternal rest in the afterlife.
As stated before, as the last Cetra, part of Aerith’s duty is to guide souls to their “Promised Land.” We see this in On The Way to a Smile in Case of Lifestream White, and it’s being foreshadowed heavily in the Remake trilogy.
For Cloud, who is still living, his Promised Land isn’t an ethereal realm but rather a life of love, family, and belonging with Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene.
The Remake trilogy seems to be building on this theme, with Aerith consistently recognizing and supporting Cloud’s bond with Tifa, even in the face of her own complicated affections prior to her death.
I fully expect that we can look forward to part three of the Remake trilogy explicating this in a way that is undeniable, while also bringing about the ultimate reunions the first two games have been setting up for between both Cloud and Tifa and Aerith and Zack.
The flower symbolism with the yellow lily representing reunion foreshadows this dual fulfillment, suggesting that both couples will find their “Promised Lands.
Cloud will reach his “Promised Land” with Tifa and his family, while Aerith will find her place alongside Zack in the Lifestream, each character finding the place they truly belong.
