Cloud’s crushes and love interests are up to players to decide, not Square Enix. At least, that’s according to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi after previous comments were construed to say that the protagonist’s relationship with Aerith had a sibling vibe to it.
Speaking with Automaton, Hamaguchi clarified how a quote was taken by fans from an Inverse interview last month with the game director. “As creators, we will continue to convey (the relationships between our characters, etc.) through our content,” Hamaguchi told Automaton. “For example, no one will make any official statements about who Cloud likes, who Aerith likes, and so on.”
This explanation comes after Hamaguchi referred to Aerith as a “sort of sisterly character pulling Cloud along and encouraging him” in December. Fans apparently took this to mean the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director was officially chiming in on a longstanding discussion about the game’s love triangle between Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa. But now Hamaguchi is saying that isn’t the case at all.