Cloti

"Just...promise me one thing. When we're older, and you're a famous SOLDIER...if I'm ever trapped or in trouble... Promise you'll come and save me."

- Tifa to Cloud

Cloti is the het ship between Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart from the Final Fantasy fandom.

Canon
Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart were born in the mountain village of Nibelheim. Though they were neighbors, the two were never particularly close as children due in part to Cloud's shyness hindering his ability to successfully socialize with the other kids. He'd soon developed a superiority complex as compensation for his desire to be invited into their group, spending his time surveying Tifa with her friends and thinking they were "all childish, for laughing at every little stupid thing", and choosing to believe he was different. At one point, Tifa's mother passed away, and Tifa couldn't accept the fact, so she went to Mt. Nibel, believing her mother would be there. While the dangerous path scared her friends off one by one, Cloud had followed closely after, but failed to reach her in time when when the bridge broke, causing them both to fall from the cliff. Tifa's injuries resulted in a week-long coma, and her father blamed Cloud for the accident. Cloud himself said nothing in his own defense, rather blaming himself for his weakness.

Cloud became agitated and quick to get into fights with anyone following the accident, and assumed that Tifa must've hated him too; Tifa wasn't allowed to talk to Cloud for a long time. At some point, Tifa's runaway pet cat was found by Cloud, but due to his shyness, he had his mother return the cat to Tifa instead; this is when Tifa developed an admiration for Cloud.

Five years after the accident, Cloud invited Tifa to meet under the stars at Nibelheim's water tower. There, he told her of his plan to leave Nibelheim and go to Midgar in spring to join SOLDIER and become the best of the best, like the elite First Class Sephiroth, believing that Tifa would finally notice him if he became strong. Though a bit taken aback by the suddenness of Cloud's actions, Tifa proposed that they make a promise for Cloud to come to her aid if she ever found herself in a pinch, describing it as a hero coming to her rescue. Cloud accepted, and soon left for Midgar. Tifa thought of him frequently during this time and began checking the newspaper for any trace of his name.

In spite of his bold claims and old feelings of superiority, Cloud falls short and fails to make it into SOLDIER, instead becoming a lower leveled Shinra infantryman and eventually travelling back to Nibelheim two years later on assignment, accompanying both Sephiroth and another First Class SOLDIER, Zack Fair. Though crestfallen that Cloud evidently wasn't among the inspecting militant as he'd hidden his face beneath his helmet out of shame for being forced to return home a failure, Tifa guides them to the Mako reactor and is there to witness the brunt of Sephiroth's massacre. Enraged over the murder of her father and the destruction of her home, Tifa confronts and attempts to attack Sephiroth, but is quickly injured. Though she was unable to recall it, Cloud had intercepted Sephiroth that night and carried her body out of harm's way, before collapsing from his own injuries and being found by Professor Hojo's team.

Final Fantasy VII
Five years later, Cloud reappears in Midgar and is discovered in a confused and weakened state by Tifa at the train station. At her request in the ulterior hopes of watching over him and his well being, he joins the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE as a pay-for-hire mercenary and introduces himself as an ex-First Class SOLDIER. Upon reaching Kalm and hearing Cloud's recollection of what had happened the night of the Nibelheim Incident, Tifa becomes quiet, keeping her confusion over how he could possibly know this to herself in an effort to work things out without troubling Cloud. Her conviction over the accuracy of her own memories becomes increasingly precarious after meeting the SOLDIER Zack's parents, shaken by the confirmation of his existence while Cloud had somehow placed himself in those shoes within his own memory. During their stay at the Gold Saucer, Tifa is one of Cloud's date options. When riding the gandola together, Tifa admitted at being insecure with her feelings and wished she could tell Cloud something; unfortunately, she fails to say anything.

Eventually unable to ignore the inconsistencies between her's and Cloud's recollections of the past, Tifa crumbles underneath the weight of her anguish when Professor Hojo deceptively claims that Cloud is only a failed Sephiroth clone who'd molded himself from the stories Tifa had told of their childhood, and that it'd all been false. With Cloud's sense of identity shattered and his mind firmly under Sephiroth's influence, he apologizes to Tifa and passes over the Black Materia, where he's then lost as he falls into the Lifestream.

The team eventually travels to Mideel where they rediscover Cloud, now with a severe case of Mako poisoning and in a near comatose state. Disheartened and unable to break through to him, Tifa parts from the group and their cause in order to stay by Cloud's side, caring for him for some time until the town collapses under the attack of the Ultimate Weapon, and they both topple into the Lifestream in her attempt to get Cloud to safety. Awakening to find themselves fully submerged in the manifestation of Cloud's subconscious, Tifa speaks with various different Clouds and piece by piece helps him remember the truth of his past through his memories of her. Cloud recalls his feelings for Tifa, his desire to be close to her, his shame over his failure, and that he had in fact kept his promise to save her in her time of need, even though she hadn't known it at the time. With the pieces of his subconscious fully mended, the two link hands and return back to consciousness where Cloud reclaims his role as the group's leader, now fully accepting of his own true self.

Before their final confrontation with Sephiroth, the group separates to rediscover what it is they're fighting for, with Tifa lingering behind with Cloud, reminding him that they're the same in not having anywhere else to go. They wait out the remaining daylight underneath the Highwind where Tifa struggles to explain the way she'd felt Cloud's subconscious calling out to her, and explaining that "words aren't the only thing that tell people what you're thinking" when Cloud in return struggles to articulate his feelings for her. She falls asleep against his shoulder where they both linger there past dawn, understanding that there might not be another day like this. Tifa notes the loneliness without the rest of their team when they've finally re-entered the Highwind, though Cloud tells her not to worry and cheers her up with the declaration that he'll "make a big enough ruckus for everyone." When they find Barret, Cid, Red XIII, and Cait Sith (along with Yuffie and Vincent should players choose to include them in the party) already stationed inside, Tifa expresses a dismayed embarrassment over the prospect that they might've been watching her night with Cloud.

On The Way To A Smile
The novel follows Cloud and Tifa's development from right after the original Final Fantasy VII’s ending up to the beginning of Advent Children. After Cloud, Tifa, and their allies save the planet from meteor, the party disbands while Cloud, Tifa and Barret stay together. Cloud is positive about their future, reassuring Tifa by saying "this time... I think it'll be okay. Because this time, I have you." The three of them rebuild Seventh Heaven in the newly founded Edge, and when Barret eventually leaves to "settle his past", they look after his adopted daughter, Marlene, on his behalf. Later on, Cloud acquires a motorbike he calls Fenrir, which is paid for with a lifetime voucher from Seventh Heaven, given to him by Tifa. Fenrir allows him to start a Strife Delivery Service, with the help of Tifa and Marlene, but also means he brushes up against his past.

Time passes and Cloud begins to distance himself from his family as his guilt over Aerith and Zack’s deaths and anxiety that his newfound peace in Edge could shatter climbs. His behaviour triggers Tifa's deep fear of abandonment. Later on, Cloud finds an orphan boy named Denzel near Sector 5 Slum church and calls Tifa after realizing he has Geostigma disease, asking what to do. Tifa tells him immediately to bring the kid home, but after hearing Denzel had geostigma she gets hesitant, since it was rumored that the illness was transmittable, and she worried it could infect someone in the family, but nonetheless, she lets Cloud bring Denzel back and the two of them care for him while he and Marlene become friends. With Denzel around, Cloud’s mood improves and he starts to search for a cure to Geostigma. He shares with Tifa that he felt Aerith sent Denzel to him so that he could save him and he could atone his sins, but Tifa corrects him, saying that Aerith sent him to both of them, as she also feels responsible, knowing Denzel’s parents died through the seventh plate’s fall. Cloud answers this with a smile. However, Cloud then contracts geostigma himself and he leaves their home without saying a word.

Advent Children
Two years after Final Fantasy VII, with On The Way To a Smile as a prologue, the movie opens with Cloud listening to a phone message Tifa left for him, as he has left their home in Edge without saying a word. Tifa remains looking after the children and running Seventh Heaven. She doesn't know where Cloud has been in the past two weeks, but trusts that he will call her back eventually. Curious about Cloud's whereabouts, Tifa takes Marlene to the Sector 5 church, where they find a box of materia and bandages dirtied with Geostigma, and they conclude that Cloud left because of for that reason. This is when Loz, one of the Remnants of Sephiroth, enters the church and picks a fight with Tifa. Tifa is able to hold him off for a bit, but she's soon overpowered and Loz takes the box of materia and Marlene. Later, Cloud returns to the church where he finds Tifa delirious in the bed of flowers. He runs to her and asks who did this to her, and Tifa responds, "He didn't say...". At that moment, Cloud suffers an attack from his Geostigma and falls unconscious next to Tifa.

The two are found by the Turks, who take them back to Seventh Heaven to recover. After waking up, Cloud learns that children across Edge, including Denzel and Marlene, have been kidnapped by the Remnants of Sephiroth and taken to the Forgotten City. Afterwards, Cloud and Tifa have a conversation where he admits his inability to let go of the past and believes he isn't good enough to help anyone, nor his friends, nor his family. As Cloud shows no intent to save the children by himself, in fear of failure, Tifa retaliates by telling him not to run away and that he isn't the only one in pain, that he can heal by letting people in. She asks Cloud, "Have we lost to our memories?" before he leaves for Forgotten City.

Later on, Bahumut-SIN attacks Edge, and Tifa attempts to save Denzel from the Remnants, whilst also fighting the monsters rampaging the city. Cloud arrives in the city amidst the chaos and saves Tifa from a falling building. Letting her know that after reflecting on it, he lost some of the weight of guilt he was carrying on and that he was starting to feel better. His words reassured Tifa, who smiles at him peacefully. Tifa also helps Cloud in his fight with Bahumut-SIN.

Tifa is aboard Cid's airship, the Shera, when Cloud faces off against Kadaj and the resurrected Sephiroth, supporting him from afar. She shares with the rest of the group, who was confused on what was going on with Cloud, how he truly felt, mentioning how he finally found back part of his lost mental strength. During the fight, as Sephiroth mentions how he wants to take away what Cloud treasures the most, Tifa, together with Marlene, Denzel, Aerith and Zack, is shown in a short flash of the most precious people in Cloud's life.

After the defeat of the Remnants and Sephiroth, Cloud wakes up in Sector 5 church surrounded by his family (Tifa, Denzel, Marlene) and friends. Cloud cures Denzel of his Geostigma, and Tifa smiles at him proudly, which he reciprocates. Then he returns to her and the kids. Some days after, he asks her to close the bar to have family picnic, in which Cloud also brings Denzel to Zack's grave that now blooms with flowers.

Final Fantasy VII Remake
While there are a few differences between the original and remake of Final Fantasy VII, their bond remains the same.

Cloud and Tifa were childhood friends before Cloud left to become a SOLDIER with Shin-Ra. They would reunite in the slums of Sector 7 and rekindle their friendship. Whilst not particularly close, they are on cordial terms and develop a partnership alongside Barret and a few other people. Whilst Cloud is distant and cold, Tifa is warm and somewhat affectionate of Cloud.

The two work well together as a team and often playfully banter with each other during fights. Tifa seems to think highly of Cloud, as it was on her recommendation that Barret and co hire him as a mercenary for their job to destroy Mako Reactor 1. Nonetheless, she is partly fearful of Cloud’s ruthless nature and admitted to him that he scared her when he was willing to kill Johnny. Cloud, himself, often feels like he is unsure of what to say to Tifa. He is susceptible to her impulses, agreeing to do work around the slums of Sector 7, and is very forgiving when she is forced to delay his payment for the job he had completed for her group.

Both of them care for each other and will come to one another’s aid. Cloud had saved Tifa as they jumped from a moving train cart, briefly sharing a moment before letting go. When Tifa decided to pursue Don Corneo, Cloud was worried for her, due to the dangers of doing so, and tediously sought to save her from him. Tifa, herself, had saved Cloud before he fell off a tower after his fight with Rufus. She was also distressed at leaving him behind after they destroyed the Mako Reactor 5, being forcibly carried away by Barret, and was later relieved to see he was alive. Whilst Cloud was pursued by Reno and Rude she chose to go after him and eventually reaches his position where he catches her before she falls. On top of this, Tifa has also shown concern for Cloud when he suffers from his mental disorders. Despite his stoic demeanor, Cloud will show his softer side to Tifa and told her that if she ever wants to talk he will listen, which surprised Tifa due to his normally distant nature. He also became upset for her when she grieved at the tragedy of the plate being dropped on Sector 7 and held her in his arms as she cried in the middle of the night (This does depend on the player’s choices prior).

Cloud can occasionally flirt with Tifa, whilst Tifa comes off as playful through the majority of their interactions. Tifa has displayed jealousy over Cloud, as after meeting Aerith she interrogated Cloud as to how he knows her and, in response to him saying they simply saved each other, asked “And that is all there is to it? Sure there isn’t something else going on?” Later, Tifa seemed to become jealous once more when Aerith took Cloud’s arm when they went through the train graveyard and stormed over to him and took his other arm. Cloud has passed some flirtatious comments towards Tifa, such as when he was served the bar's strongest beverage by her and, due to its red colour which is the same colour as Tifa’s eyes, he held it up to her and commented “beautiful”. After receiving a flower from Aerith, that was allegedly given to reunited lovers, he gifts that same flower to Tifa when they reunite for the first time since they were children. Cloud is also not immune to jealousy, as when a store owner made suggestive comment towards Tifa he notably became antagonistic. This happens again when Chocobo Sam made comments about her and once more becomes antagonistic, with Sam picking up on how close he is to her.

Tifa’s fondness of Cloud was displayed when they were children, as in a private conversation she asked him to promise her that he would save her whenever she is trapped. She would later tell Cloud that she feels “trapped” due to her devotion to Avalanche but conflicted by the results of their methods. Cloud picks up on this and remembers the promise he made to her. As such, when she visited his apartment she became concerned that he would leave Midgar soon, but he assured her that an “old friend of mine is in a tight spot” and reiterates his promise to her. Tifa seems silently happy that he remembers the promise but apologises for dropping it on him. The two have since left Midgard, alongside Barret, Aerith and Red XIII, to pursue Sephiroth.

FFVII Remake

 * After Tifa notices the flower that Cloud is wearing, he tried to be cool when he handed the flower. Aerith had earlier informed that lovers would give each other this flower when reunited.
 * In the Seventh Heaven bar, Tifa can serve Cloud their strongest drink. The drink is red, exactly like Tifa's eyes, and Cloud holds it towards her and comments "beautiful".
 * In Chapter 3's Alone at Last, Cloud misinterpreted the situation and thought Tifa was going to ask him something else instead of talking about the happenings after he left Nibelheim. Leaving him feel "Let down" or disappointed.
 * Cloud holds onto Tifa for an extended amount of time after they dived out of a moving train cart. Their faces are very close and seemingly look into each other's eyes before letting go.
 * In the middle of the night, Tifa can be seen standing on her own outside Aerith's house. Cloud can go up and talk to her. Here she grieves in front of him and the two end up hugging as she cries. It was later confirmed that Cloud felt happiness within him as he always wanted to become a cool hero who can save Tifa.
 * In the earlier scene, Cloud saw how Barret held Tifa with the capacity of an adult to console her. He wanted to comfort her the same way.
 * Andrea Rhodea, one of Don Corneo's trio, who had played a key role in helping Cloud save Tifa from his boss, was pleased to hear Cloud had saved her and warned him to never let her go again.
 * In Chapter 18's Destiny Crossroads, the group thinks about the people that they want to protect. It was stated in the Ultimania plus that Tifa was thinking about the friends they lost and Cloud was looking at her.

Children
Denzel Denzel is an orphan boy Cloud and Tifa took in, as they felt obligation to take care of him from feeling responsible for what happened to Sector 7, where Denzel's parents were two of the many victims of it. When Cloud had found Denzel by his motorbike he felt that him finding the boy was no coincidence, and that Aerith might had been the one who brought Denzel to his bike so he could find him. Moments before Cloud had found Denzel, the boy had found Cloud's phone and called its incoming call list that had gotten him in contact with Tifa, who was surprised to learn that the person calling her isn't Cloud. Denzel enjoys hearing Cloud's stories of the places he been to on his journey and had began to view Cloud as his hero. When Cloud and Tifa learned of Denzel's Geostigma illness, Cloud felt obligation to go in search of a cure for Denzel before he dies from it, but he began to lose hope when he realized that he has it too; while Denzel's own search for a cure had gotten him in the danger kind of trouble. That both Cloud and Tifa fought to save Denzel from. In end Cloud was finally cured of his Geostigma and later used the Lifestream infused water to cure Denzel's. Before the two went to help their friend Vincent in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, they spirited both Denzel and Marlene away to safety so Deepground wouldn't harm them. Sometime during the following year, Denzel and Cloud go to visit the outskirts of Midgar where they see yellow colored flowers growing in the place where Zack died, Denzel asks if this is someone's grave and Cloud replies that it is the spot where a hero began his journey. At the end of Reminiscence of Final Fantasy VII there is an extra scene in which Cloud is heard on a phone call with Tifa, asking her to spend some time together the following day alongside Denzel and Marlene.

Development

 * Based on early development chart, Cloud and Tifa are associated characters first introduced in Final Fantasy VII (1997). At that time, Tifa's role is The Cetra who is also Cloud's childhood friend before the character was split into two heroines. Over the years they've accumulated a roster of guest and cameo appearances within their own franchise and through third party titles, and continue to hold shared popularity as recognizable video game characters.
 * In the 20th Anniversary Ultimania File 2: Scenario, it was stated that Tifa is the reason why Cloud regained himself. Before the final battle with Sephiroth, he confirms with her feelings that can't be expressed in words.
 * According to Final Fantasy 25th Memorial Ultimania Vol. 2: "When Cloud was a young child, he was isolated from those around his age and so he tries convincing himself that he must be special. However, Tifa was still important to him-- this childhood awakening of love is revealed in the spirit world."
 * In page 15 of the FFVII Ultimania Omega, "In the eyes of Cloud, who had no faith that he even truly existed, Tifa was the sole support of his heart with their shared past as his childhood friend-- she was undeniable proof that he did exist."
 * According to Final Fantasy Complete Works volume 2 pg. 232: "Even if the others don't come back, Tifa alone was a good enough reason for Cloud to keep fighting."
 * Tifa is described as "the woman who understands him all too well and devotedly supports the mentally-weak side of him" in FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Tifa Lockhart Character Profile, pg. 42-47.
 * According to Nojima, the original idea before the battle with Sephiroth was more extreme. The plan was to have Cloud walk out the chocobo stable on board the Highwind, followed by Tifa leaving while checking around. Kitase turned it down.
 * Nomura said that Cloud experienced a peaceful life that he never had before. Therefore, he became anxious. His Planet Scar Syndrome dominated in Advent Children and escaped, thinking he couldn't protect anyone who is precious to him.
 * In page 70 of Reunion Files, Nojima stated that: "Inside, I felt one thing for sure: Cloud and Tifa would be together. Everybody would be back home where they belonged."
 * According to Advent children prologue book, Tifa has been the only one Cloud has opened his heart to.
 * To Tifa, Cloud is the only one which she can get in touch with her past. He is her ideal love and his existence is also like a prince who promised to come to her rescue when she is in trouble (Tifa profile Advent children prologue)
 * According to Nobuo Uetmasu, the soundtrack "Cloud smiles" was inspired by Cloud and Tifa, smiling to each other at the end of Advent Children.
 * The Final Fantasy 7 Remake official soundtrack "Midgar Blues" shows Cloud's point of view about moving to Midgar to be part of SOLDIER.
 * The lyrics hinted some romantic childhood moments between him and Tifa. Calling her "His one true love".
 * The promise of protection was heavily implied at the 5th stanza of the song.
 * Tifa's theme was originally composed with a strong pastoral image featuring woodwind instruments. In this version, the composition theme leans more towards expressing Tifa's enveloping kindness towards her childhood friend, Cloud. It also aims for a relaxing sound that shows he can finally breath easy.
 * In page 24 of Crisis Core Ultimania: "Before leaving for Midgar, Cloud declared 'I'm going to become a SOLDIER to Tifa, a village girl he had started falling in love with, and also promised to protect her."
 * In Crisis Core FFVII The Complete Guide, it was stated that the water tower in the center of Nibelheim was considered as dating spot. So does too Cloud it seems, he calls Tifa over to it and talk about his near departure.
 * According to the recent released FF7R Ultimania, Nomura talked about making deliberate choices in terms of voice direction for Cloud. It said that when he talks to Tifa, his true self briefly emerges.
 * At a PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! event, Yoshinori Kitase (producer) spoke about a scene he was in charge of designing: Tifa saving Cloud at Shin-Ra building's roof in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. He said that it's a parallel and an answer scene to Mako reactor 5. He always wanted to make Tifa's wish to save Cloud come true since the original game, and this has became one of his favorite scenes in Remake.

Fanon
Cloud/Tifa has been extremely popular since 1997. It is a popular Final Fantasy VII ship and one of the most popular ships in the entire series. Along with Zack/Aerith, they are considered "rival ships" to Cloud/Aerith. Both ships have had evidence and materials to support them, although the fandom ship wars are ongoing. Since some brief Cloti moments were seen in the Kingdom Hearts series, a small group of fans base their fanwork on their KH counterparts, as fans commonly depict them as a couple in their MMD KH/FF comics.

On AO3, Cloti is the second most written ship for Cloud and the most written ship for Tifa; with over 1900 fanfics.

Cloti is the second most written ship in the Final Fantasy VII and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII tags and the most written ship in the Final Fantasy VII Remake tag.

Fandom
FAN FICTION


 * Cloud/Tifa (FFVII) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Cloud/Tifa (KH) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Cloud/Tifa (Dissidia) tag on FanFiction.net
 * Cloud/Tifa (Dissidia) tag on FanFiction.net

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WIKIS



Trivia

 * A few Cloti-like moments were seen in Kingdom Hearts II.
 * Nojima explained Cloud and Tifa's connection more in depth in the original scenario but Nomura deleted it away to let the gamers have their own interpretation. Giving an example scenario wherein "If Cloud's darkness is Sephiroth, then Tifa is the light", suggesting that Tifa only interacts with Sora and the others because she may not exist as a human being.
 * Cloud and Tifa are placed on opposing sides in Dissidia 012. Despite this, Cloud fights his own teammates and confronts the God of Discord in a bid to spare her. Defeated, he begs the Goddess of Harmony to save Tifa, causing Cosmos to recognize this as his "heart's desire" and accept him on her side.
 * In an official event featured at the Square Enix TGS cosplayer fashion show, they advertised the new Cloud and Tifa Opera Omnia merchandise along with other talented cosplayers.
 * Opera omnia Cloud is known for his jealous and possessive nature over Tifa in the game and has been teased about it
 * When Cody Christian (Cloud Strife's English Voice Actor) was asked about who would he go to Golden Saucer with, he answered Tifa. He also personally believe that Tifa had the biggest impact on Cloud's journey.
 * Takahiro Sakurai (Cloud Strife's Japanese Voice Actor) admitted that he is a Tifa man.
 * The ship has been featured on the Fandometrics most reblogged ships list multiple times:
 * It was the 12th most reblogged ship on Tumblr the week ending April 20th, 2020.
 * It was the 15th most reblogged ship on Tumblr the week ending April 27th, 2020.

Variations

 * Clerifa refers to the ship between Aerith Gainsborough, Cloud and Tifa