NO ONE but Tifa can help Cloud regain his true self in the Lifestream scene. No. One. Only Tifa Lockhart. She canโt be replaced in this scene and no one can join her or help her in this scene. This scene is for her and Cloud alone and there are reasons for this.
๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐: This scene takes place in Cloudโs subconscious. The Lifestream is a place of shared consciousness & by falling into it, Cloud and Tifa are able to share one another’s. But bc they are alive & not dead, Tifa is lost when they first fall in, & calls out to Cloud whose consciousness finds her and lets her into his mind where she will be safe.
For that to happen, Cloud has to allow Tifa into his mind, which is a personโs most vulnerable and intimate space. Iโd like you to ask yourself how many people in your life you would allow into your own subconscious, even in the most dire of circumstances. This involves an incredible & extraordinary level of trust. We know that Tifa is the person Cloud trusts the most. Thereโs no evidence to suggest he has that amount of trust in anyone else.
Which brings me to…
๐๐ช๐ง๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐: Why does the LS scene even take place? There’s 3 reasons: 1. Uncover the truth of the Nibelheim Incident 2. Prove Cloud is the real Cloud that existed before the Nibelheim Incident 3. Rebuild Cloudโs identity by getting him to ACCEPT himself & his weaknesses.
The first two purposes, however, are unable to be accomplished without the last. We can’t uncover the truth about Nibelheim and we can’t prove Cloud’s existence or memories until we resolve the issues at the core of his identity.
Which brings me to…
๐๐๐ข๐ค๐ง๐๐๐จ: Cloud has three core memories that must be reconciled in the LS scene: The Nibelheim Incident, the night of his promise with Tifa, and the Mt. Nibel incident after Tifaโs mother died. Each of these memories is tied to the purposes of the LS scene that I mentioned above.
However, they cannot be reconciled until the final, or earliest, childhood memory of the Mt Nibel incident is reconciled. This is why the game forces you to confront that moment, why Tifa says that โthese memories are not enoughโ when trying to use the first two to restore Cloudโs identity.
Which brings me to the most important part…
๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ: The memory of the incident on Mt Nibel is tied to Cloudโs personal feelings for Tifa, which is tied to his personal weaknesses. Tifa is hurt on Mt. Nibel, & bc he could not save her, Cloud both internalizes AND publicly takes the blame. Cloud begins to center his need for approval AND his shame at this weakness on impressing Tifa and gaining her approval, which leads him to make the decision to join SOLDIER, which in turn leads to him to ask her to the water tower where he makes a promise to her.
Cloudโs failure at joining SOLDIER exposes his own personal weaknesses, which is the fundamental truth that Cloudโs false persona is attempting to hide- FROM HIMSELF.
His false persona is predicated on Cloud NOT accepting himself but rather building, in a weakened and traumatized state, an identity that lives up to his ideals and ignores the shame and weakness of that childhood incident that he hoped joining SOLDIER would correct.
Cloud has to accept that he is not the SOLDIER he thought he needed to be to impress Tifa SO THAT HE CAN ACCEPT HIMSELF. To do that, Cloud needs to know that TIFA accepts him for who he is.
That’s why in his most vulnerable state- his subconscious – Cloud not only allows Tifa into his mind & reveals the truth about the day on Mt. Nibel, but REVEALS HIS FEELINGS FOR HER.
Tifa’s acceptance AND her support are critical for the entire scene. Once this understanding is reached, Cloud and Tifa can together uncover the truth about the past, restore Cloud’s sense of self, and return home & to their friends TRULY REUNITED.
None of these things can happen with another person or multiple people in the Lifestream. Sharing memories of the Nibelhiem Incident or even being another childhood friend of Cloudโs isnโt gonna work. Cloudโs personal issues canโt be resolved because he isnโt going to share his deepest darkest fears, insecurities, weaknesses, & DESIRES with anyone. He wonโt even face them ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ก๐.
He only allows Tifa in and he only shares them with her ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ง. It is her approval & validation that heโs been seeking this whole time, and by letting her in, he is taking a risk by exposing this to her. He also is keeping his promise by keeping her consciousness safe during their fall into the Lifestream so she does not succumb to mako poisoning. Even in a weakened, poisoned state, Tifa’s voice reaches Cloud & he keeps his promise, more proof all he ever needed was to be his ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐ ๐จ๐๐ก๐.
That’s who Tifa wants, & we know from ToTP Tifa fell in love w/ & admired the real Cloud, a normal boy with all his flaws & quirks. That’s all she ever wanted.
This is Tifaโs role. This is her story as the heroine in Final Fantasy VII & this role canโt be interchanged with any other character, it cannot be combined with any others, & it cannot be removed. To do so would completely alter the core of the protagonistโs internal conflict his journey, and his motivation, and we already know that the Compilation and Remake are not only keeping this intact but have doubled down on it.
I know some of y’all are stupefied a boy would do all this for a girl but it really is that simple. ๐
Thanks for reading!!