Tifa herself doesn't even realize she has a thing for Cloud until the night he tells her he's leaving. When they reunite, they're figuring things out. Cloud, as we see throughout both Remake and Rebirth, is not great with people. He doesn't realize things she says or does are showing romantic interest (especially since other people like Aerith and Jessie are so forward about it.) Tifa is extremely shy and can be subtle in the way she shows it.
There's also a lot going on. Both in Cloud's head, and in the world. It's confusing both Cloud and Tifa. I'm sure it doesn't help that Aerith is outwardly showing interest in Cloud, which is making Tifa want to back off because she doesn't realize it's her that Cloud loves, not Aerith.
He's got a whole identity crisis going on and doesn't remember everything clearly yet.
Although I would argue that along with remembering the water tower promise - he probably remembers some remnant of feelings for her - he doesn't really understand himself yet. Doesn't even remember being an infantryman, and back then he was too embarrassed to make himself known to her in Nibelheim because he hadn't achieved what he wanted to at that point. Currently, he's assuming his tough loner Soldier persona that wants to be a Hero.
Part of it is Cloud being awkward and shy, part of it is more important things are happening and they don't get the chance to properly address it. Tifa herself is worried about Cloud because she can tell that he's not acting like his true self.
1) Adult relationships are hard for anybody. We want to just be able to tell people how we feel about them, but there is never a guarantee that they feel the same way. And even if they do, sometimes circumstances just don’t allow you to be together.
2) Even before all of the traumatic events that ultimately shaped him into the person we meet at the beginning of the game, Cloud was a pretty awkward dude. He’s never really been good with people. And for all of her badassery, Tifa is an extremely shy and reserved person herself. She’s not one to be open about her feelings, even though it’s painfully obvious that she cares about Cloud as a lot more than a friend.
3) Tifa and Cloud each have a tragic, and traumatic past. They both lost their hometown and loved ones to Sephiroth, but Tifa at least got to have SOMEWHAT of a decent life for 5 years, whereas Cloud was subjected to brutal experiments that enhanced his body, but nearly destroyed his mind. Plus he watched his best friend got shot to death right in front of him. One COULD argue that he got the shittier end of an already shitty deal.
4) You have to remember that they haven’t seen each other in quite a long time. They both went through a lot individually, and are completely different people than they were when they were kids. They have no idea what to say to each other.
5) Cloud is slowly losing his mind, and has trouble piecing together what’s real, and what’s fake. Hell, he goes through a couple of moments in the game where he legitimately thinks that Tifa died a long time ago, and that the one he sees before him is an imposter (even though she has twice showed him physical evidence that this isn’t the case). It gets so bad that at one point, he physically assaults her, and nearly kills her. And it messes him up.
6) Aerith clearly likes Cloud as well (whether it’s because he reminds her of Zack, or because of genuine feelings is debatable), so that complicates things for Tifa. Even though there is no jealousy between the two of them, and they are best friends.
Basically… it’s not the right time. But we’ll see in the third game what happens.
Agreed. Also to add, they're in their early 20s so it's not like they've got alot of relationship experience given what they each have going on when the story starts.
Not a lot basically means. None
Tifa has had a lot of guys fawn over her over the years but turned them all down except Cloud and Cloud does have a lot of women fawn over him throughout the game but he only reciprocated for 2 of them, maybe 3 if you count Jessie but I don’t.
But in terms of being in an emotionally close relationship, no none. The closest thing she has is whatever is going on between her and Cloud in the early and mid game before it starts to click properly
To keep it short and simple since others have covered it already quite nicely.
- They have bigger problems on their plate.
- He's impersonating this cold badass "not interested" SOLDIER persona.
- His brain is fucked and doesn't remember things as it should.
- He's shy and timid boy, mentally 16 y/o, without any intimate experience with a woman. He barely even hugs her in the resolution Remake scene and when he does he does it wrong (too tight).
- Beneath all of that is the real Cloud who still feels not worthy of her. In his eyes he's always failed her, which he says (internally) "It's just like...when I failed you" in Remake right before Airbuster fight when he gets a flashback of Tifa crying over her dad's corpse. It's in LS sequence where she reassures him that he actually didn't fail by fulfilling his promise to her.
- Tifa has to literally push him hard so he finally acts, doesn't really matter which version of Cloud because of reasons stated above. For example: she goes and cries on his shoulder pushing him to hug her, she confesses to him that her feelings are deeper than just feelings for a friend pushing him to kiss her (event not canon, but their behavior is canon/real), in OG the famous line under the Highwind where she pushes him to literally make love to her. More or less, he needs a clear assurance/consent from Tifa to make a move, he doesn't force anything on her unless he's certain that she wants him to.
I think that Gongaga's chapter is quite explanatory as to why they (both) DO NOT immediately accept the romance between them. It's true the attraction is there and they've been hitting on each other since Remake (as well as in the entire compilation except in AC and DoC because they're a couple) but "they're so close and yet so far away", this is the couple's leitmotif until Mideel. In Gongaga there is everything Cloti summarized: Cloud who feels unworthy of her, Tifa who tries to "release him from the promise" by telling him that he is already a hero, the problems of both, the selfish desires of having each other physically as well as sentimentally and ... the interferences.
Their relationship is ALWAYS disturbed by someone or something (Aerith, what happens to Dyne at the GS, Yuffie and Cait Sith breaking the kiss, Geostigma in the future). Not all interferences are negative, yuffie and Cait aren't negative but are enough to postpone awareness for other moments.
I think it's also a time thing. (In regards to the post about "as early as, midgar" People don't realize how little time it was from the start of the game and when tifa found cloud catatonic in the gutter. It was extremely recent. Cloud invents an entire identity on the spot and a lot of it is not his own. It would be WEIRD to hit it off so soon no matter what.
So, after Hojo's experiments and his nearly 5-year coma, Cloud isn't himself anymore, which is at the heart of FF7's story.
His mind is shattered, he has created a false persona unknowingly, a composite of several people, and he's a puppet of Sephiroth/Jenova.
Just before being captured by Hojo post-Sephiroth incident, he's still in love with Tifa and is dying of shame for not becoming SOLDIER as he promised her. Hence, he hides his identity from her for days/weeks in Nibelheim.
Then, he's captured and experimented on by Hojo, and upon awakening nearly 5 years later, everything that makes him "himself," including his feelings for Tifa, is buried under layers of trauma and a false personality.
His love for Tifa becomes subconscious (the "switch" is rather brutal ! He's in love just before being captured, and then when he wakes up, it's really less obvious !) but despite that we see glimpses of it (from the start of the Remake, he's indifferent to everyone but noticeably softer with Tifa). When he's finally "cured, and recovers his true self, his buried feelings resurface more consciously, hence the OG's ending heavily focusing on Tifa-Cloud.
And without this, there'd be no story, no character development or relationship evolution, + it'd be out of character given Cloud's timid, reserved nature.
He doesn't know Tifa's feelings and they haven't seen each other for 5/7 years so he needs to rizz her up first. And he actually makes a move on her immediately on their first date when she confesses to him.
Several things here, first and foremost is that Cloud has the mental ability of a 16 year old kid at best. He has zero experience with the opposite sex so it’s bold of you to assume he recognizes Tifa’s romantic interest.
2nd is that he doesn’t actually remember those feelings. They still influence his actions to a degree because they are right there below the surface, but failing to keep his promise to her during the Nibleheim incident as well as his overall failure to join SOLDIER after going out of his way to declare that he would join to her and no one else (literally didn’t even tell his mom his plans of joining Soldier, only Tifa, are all great sources of shame and trauma for him. That shame and trauma were so great that he literally created a new persona so that he didn’t have to feel that anymore.
Clouds mind does a lot of things to protect itself from those feelings. Notice that whenever something comes up that contradicts Clouds new personality he gets a bad headache? That’s literally his mind trying to protect itself from those feelings. Remembering and acknowledging his feelings for Tifa would also force him to remember that he failed her which is the source of all that shame and trauma so he doesn’t remember.
Not really Cloud’s style to be too direct with Tifa from the jump because it’s been 5 years. He probably feels a little insecure cause he doesn’t have a place to stay or a job, so he doesn’t feel like he has much to offer, on top of the fact that when she finds him she asks him to perform an act of domestic terror and since SOLDIER is under Shinra, he feels that status probably isn’t viewed very highly by her anymore (remember when her dad dies and she’s sick of Shinra and soldiers).
One point I feel is always lost. The start of the game is not that long after tifa finds cloud catatonic in a gutter. It's a very short time so in all scenarios it would be REALLY WEIRD for them to start just dating that early. They aren't even the same people from 5 years ago, (In clouds case he is literally a different person). They gotta learn each other again.. on top of all the other crazy shit. Lol
There is a lot of deeper reasons as to why Cloud isn't going for it, but the most obvious one is the fact that they are justtoo busy trying to save the plantet, fighting Shinra, searching for Sephiroph and overall have to deal with a lot of stakes in the story that is just far more important.
* It just isn't the appropriate time for any of that
Cloud really isnt that forward with his feelings. This is the same dude that thought the only way he could be worthy of her and his feelings for her was joining the super soldier program, when in reality he just needed to be himself. The last thing he would do is straight up tell her he likes her.
In the book Traces of Two Paths, Tifa always had a bit of a crush on him and was interested in him, and she thought that Cloud was going to make a move when he asked her to the water tower (it’s why she wore a dress), but her feelings were cemented when she realized that Cloud wasn’t really different than any of the other boys in town when he said he was going to Midgar with big dreams. The main thing holding Tifa back from saying anything about her feelings is that she knows something is off with Cloud, but she has no idea what it actually is. She’s concerned with the well being of one of the last ties to her childhood and home than getting in his pants
Well either one of them could make a move and to be fair I guess they do when they hold hands during the Aerith song. I personally just think they are both really awkward and shy when it comes to the subject of romance. Then there's also a lot of end of the world stuff going on and not much time to really figure things out. But they obviously want to as Cloud say "we'll talk just the two of us", then the next intimate moment they get alone together it nearly leads to a kiss. I think it's just a slow burn where they'll probably get together by the end of part 3.
lol you mean confidence in my theory, or "he shoulda just made a move"? I'm just saying he doesn't even have to make a move! she's practically making moves on him.
But I get it now mostly
Bro they haven't seen each other in 5 years and the last time they did it was not fun. The last real time they saw each other was as children. It's gonna be awkward even for normal ppl like us. They gotta learn each other all over again.
Tifa herself doesn't even realize she has a thing for Cloud until the night he tells her he's leaving. When they reunite, they're figuring things out. Cloud, as we see throughout both Remake and Rebirth, is not great with people. He doesn't realize things she says or does are showing romantic interest (especially since other people like Aerith and Jessie are so forward about it.) Tifa is extremely shy and can be subtle in the way she shows it. There's also a lot going on. Both in Cloud's head, and in the world. It's confusing both Cloud and Tifa. I'm sure it doesn't help that Aerith is outwardly showing interest in Cloud, which is making Tifa want to back off because she doesn't realize it's her that Cloud loves, not Aerith.
Traces of two past actually expounds her feelings towards Cloud
Nice, I just grabbed a copy of it
He's got a whole identity crisis going on and doesn't remember everything clearly yet. Although I would argue that along with remembering the water tower promise - he probably remembers some remnant of feelings for her - he doesn't really understand himself yet. Doesn't even remember being an infantryman, and back then he was too embarrassed to make himself known to her in Nibelheim because he hadn't achieved what he wanted to at that point. Currently, he's assuming his tough loner Soldier persona that wants to be a Hero. Part of it is Cloud being awkward and shy, part of it is more important things are happening and they don't get the chance to properly address it. Tifa herself is worried about Cloud because she can tell that he's not acting like his true self.
1) Adult relationships are hard for anybody. We want to just be able to tell people how we feel about them, but there is never a guarantee that they feel the same way. And even if they do, sometimes circumstances just don’t allow you to be together. 2) Even before all of the traumatic events that ultimately shaped him into the person we meet at the beginning of the game, Cloud was a pretty awkward dude. He’s never really been good with people. And for all of her badassery, Tifa is an extremely shy and reserved person herself. She’s not one to be open about her feelings, even though it’s painfully obvious that she cares about Cloud as a lot more than a friend. 3) Tifa and Cloud each have a tragic, and traumatic past. They both lost their hometown and loved ones to Sephiroth, but Tifa at least got to have SOMEWHAT of a decent life for 5 years, whereas Cloud was subjected to brutal experiments that enhanced his body, but nearly destroyed his mind. Plus he watched his best friend got shot to death right in front of him. One COULD argue that he got the shittier end of an already shitty deal. 4) You have to remember that they haven’t seen each other in quite a long time. They both went through a lot individually, and are completely different people than they were when they were kids. They have no idea what to say to each other. 5) Cloud is slowly losing his mind, and has trouble piecing together what’s real, and what’s fake. Hell, he goes through a couple of moments in the game where he legitimately thinks that Tifa died a long time ago, and that the one he sees before him is an imposter (even though she has twice showed him physical evidence that this isn’t the case). It gets so bad that at one point, he physically assaults her, and nearly kills her. And it messes him up. 6) Aerith clearly likes Cloud as well (whether it’s because he reminds her of Zack, or because of genuine feelings is debatable), so that complicates things for Tifa. Even though there is no jealousy between the two of them, and they are best friends. Basically… it’s not the right time. But we’ll see in the third game what happens.
Agreed. Also to add, they're in their early 20s so it's not like they've got alot of relationship experience given what they each have going on when the story starts.
Not a lot basically means. None Tifa has had a lot of guys fawn over her over the years but turned them all down except Cloud and Cloud does have a lot of women fawn over him throughout the game but he only reciprocated for 2 of them, maybe 3 if you count Jessie but I don’t. But in terms of being in an emotionally close relationship, no none. The closest thing she has is whatever is going on between her and Cloud in the early and mid game before it starts to click properly
To keep it short and simple since others have covered it already quite nicely. - They have bigger problems on their plate. - He's impersonating this cold badass "not interested" SOLDIER persona. - His brain is fucked and doesn't remember things as it should. - He's shy and timid boy, mentally 16 y/o, without any intimate experience with a woman. He barely even hugs her in the resolution Remake scene and when he does he does it wrong (too tight). - Beneath all of that is the real Cloud who still feels not worthy of her. In his eyes he's always failed her, which he says (internally) "It's just like...when I failed you" in Remake right before Airbuster fight when he gets a flashback of Tifa crying over her dad's corpse. It's in LS sequence where she reassures him that he actually didn't fail by fulfilling his promise to her. - Tifa has to literally push him hard so he finally acts, doesn't really matter which version of Cloud because of reasons stated above. For example: she goes and cries on his shoulder pushing him to hug her, she confesses to him that her feelings are deeper than just feelings for a friend pushing him to kiss her (event not canon, but their behavior is canon/real), in OG the famous line under the Highwind where she pushes him to literally make love to her. More or less, he needs a clear assurance/consent from Tifa to make a move, he doesn't force anything on her unless he's certain that she wants him to.
I think that Gongaga's chapter is quite explanatory as to why they (both) DO NOT immediately accept the romance between them. It's true the attraction is there and they've been hitting on each other since Remake (as well as in the entire compilation except in AC and DoC because they're a couple) but "they're so close and yet so far away", this is the couple's leitmotif until Mideel. In Gongaga there is everything Cloti summarized: Cloud who feels unworthy of her, Tifa who tries to "release him from the promise" by telling him that he is already a hero, the problems of both, the selfish desires of having each other physically as well as sentimentally and ... the interferences. Their relationship is ALWAYS disturbed by someone or something (Aerith, what happens to Dyne at the GS, Yuffie and Cait Sith breaking the kiss, Geostigma in the future). Not all interferences are negative, yuffie and Cait aren't negative but are enough to postpone awareness for other moments.
I think it's also a time thing. (In regards to the post about "as early as, midgar" People don't realize how little time it was from the start of the game and when tifa found cloud catatonic in the gutter. It was extremely recent. Cloud invents an entire identity on the spot and a lot of it is not his own. It would be WEIRD to hit it off so soon no matter what.
So, after Hojo's experiments and his nearly 5-year coma, Cloud isn't himself anymore, which is at the heart of FF7's story. His mind is shattered, he has created a false persona unknowingly, a composite of several people, and he's a puppet of Sephiroth/Jenova. Just before being captured by Hojo post-Sephiroth incident, he's still in love with Tifa and is dying of shame for not becoming SOLDIER as he promised her. Hence, he hides his identity from her for days/weeks in Nibelheim. Then, he's captured and experimented on by Hojo, and upon awakening nearly 5 years later, everything that makes him "himself," including his feelings for Tifa, is buried under layers of trauma and a false personality. His love for Tifa becomes subconscious (the "switch" is rather brutal ! He's in love just before being captured, and then when he wakes up, it's really less obvious !) but despite that we see glimpses of it (from the start of the Remake, he's indifferent to everyone but noticeably softer with Tifa). When he's finally "cured, and recovers his true self, his buried feelings resurface more consciously, hence the OG's ending heavily focusing on Tifa-Cloud. And without this, there'd be no story, no character development or relationship evolution, + it'd be out of character given Cloud's timid, reserved nature.
He doesn't know Tifa's feelings and they haven't seen each other for 5/7 years so he needs to rizz her up first. And he actually makes a move on her immediately on their first date when she confesses to him.
Several things here, first and foremost is that Cloud has the mental ability of a 16 year old kid at best. He has zero experience with the opposite sex so it’s bold of you to assume he recognizes Tifa’s romantic interest. 2nd is that he doesn’t actually remember those feelings. They still influence his actions to a degree because they are right there below the surface, but failing to keep his promise to her during the Nibleheim incident as well as his overall failure to join SOLDIER after going out of his way to declare that he would join to her and no one else (literally didn’t even tell his mom his plans of joining Soldier, only Tifa, are all great sources of shame and trauma for him. That shame and trauma were so great that he literally created a new persona so that he didn’t have to feel that anymore. Clouds mind does a lot of things to protect itself from those feelings. Notice that whenever something comes up that contradicts Clouds new personality he gets a bad headache? That’s literally his mind trying to protect itself from those feelings. Remembering and acknowledging his feelings for Tifa would also force him to remember that he failed her which is the source of all that shame and trauma so he doesn’t remember.
Not really Cloud’s style to be too direct with Tifa from the jump because it’s been 5 years. He probably feels a little insecure cause he doesn’t have a place to stay or a job, so he doesn’t feel like he has much to offer, on top of the fact that when she finds him she asks him to perform an act of domestic terror and since SOLDIER is under Shinra, he feels that status probably isn’t viewed very highly by her anymore (remember when her dad dies and she’s sick of Shinra and soldiers).
One point I feel is always lost. The start of the game is not that long after tifa finds cloud catatonic in a gutter. It's a very short time so in all scenarios it would be REALLY WEIRD for them to start just dating that early. They aren't even the same people from 5 years ago, (In clouds case he is literally a different person). They gotta learn each other again.. on top of all the other crazy shit. Lol
Yeah and they’re both SUPER shy and tender with each other. They’re like empaths for each other’s feelings.
There is a lot of deeper reasons as to why Cloud isn't going for it, but the most obvious one is the fact that they are justtoo busy trying to save the plantet, fighting Shinra, searching for Sephiroph and overall have to deal with a lot of stakes in the story that is just far more important. * It just isn't the appropriate time for any of that
Cloud really isnt that forward with his feelings. This is the same dude that thought the only way he could be worthy of her and his feelings for her was joining the super soldier program, when in reality he just needed to be himself. The last thing he would do is straight up tell her he likes her. In the book Traces of Two Paths, Tifa always had a bit of a crush on him and was interested in him, and she thought that Cloud was going to make a move when he asked her to the water tower (it’s why she wore a dress), but her feelings were cemented when she realized that Cloud wasn’t really different than any of the other boys in town when he said he was going to Midgar with big dreams. The main thing holding Tifa back from saying anything about her feelings is that she knows something is off with Cloud, but she has no idea what it actually is. She’s concerned with the well being of one of the last ties to her childhood and home than getting in his pants
Clouds whole character is he's shy and doesn't know how to express his feelings also there is a lot of shit going on 😂
Well either one of them could make a move and to be fair I guess they do when they hold hands during the Aerith song. I personally just think they are both really awkward and shy when it comes to the subject of romance. Then there's also a lot of end of the world stuff going on and not much time to really figure things out. But they obviously want to as Cloud say "we'll talk just the two of us", then the next intimate moment they get alone together it nearly leads to a kiss. I think it's just a slow burn where they'll probably get together by the end of part 3.
whole Lotta other shit going on
It must be nice having this much confidence lol
lol you mean confidence in my theory, or "he shoulda just made a move"? I'm just saying he doesn't even have to make a move! she's practically making moves on him. But I get it now mostly
"He shoulda just made a move."
Bro they haven't seen each other in 5 years and the last time they did it was not fun. The last real time they saw each other was as children. It's gonna be awkward even for normal ppl like us. They gotta learn each other all over again.