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.

Final Fantasy VII
Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart were born in the mountain village of Nibelhiem. 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. Following the death of Tifa's mother and latching onto a superstition regarding what unknown world lay beyond Mt. Nibel, a heartbroken desire led Tifa on an attempt to pass the mountain. While the dangerous path scared her friends off one by one, Cloud had followed closely after, but failed to reach her in time when she missed her step, causing them both to fall from the cliff. Tifa's injuries had resulted in a week-long coma, and while her father instantly assumed the worst of Cloud and blamed him for leading her there, he himself said nothing in his own defence, rather blaming himself for his weaknesses.

He'd become agitated and quick to get into fights with anyone following their accident five years ago, and though he'd assumed that Tifa must've hated him too, she accepted his invitation to meet under the stars at the water tower. There, Cloud told her of his plan: he'd leave Nibelheim in the 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 accepts, and soon leaves for Midgar. Tifa thinks of him frequently during this time and begins 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 a First Class SOLDIER called Zack. Though crestfallen that Cloud evidently wasn't among the inspecting militant as he'd hidden his face beneath his helmet out of shame and embarrassment 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 cut aside. Though she was unable to recall it, Cloud had intercepted Sephiroth that night and had carried her body out of harm's way, before collapsing from his own injuries and being found by Professor Hojo's team.

Five years later, Cloud reappears in Midgar and is discovered in a confused and weakened state by Tifa. 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. 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 this 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 his own identity shattered and his mind firmly under Sephiroth's influence, he apologizes to Tifa and now successfully 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.

Having sent the rest of the group away on the day before their final confrontation with Sephiroth with the intention of allowing their friends to rediscover what it is they're fighting for, Tifa lingers 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
After Cloud, Tifa, and their allies saved the planet from meteor, the party disbanded while Cloud and Tifa stayed together, while looking after Barret's adopted daughter Marlene on his behalf before they found and took in an orphan boy named Denzel. This makes them look like a family. To support themselves and the children in their care, Tifa opens a bar in New Heaven, while Cloud takes care of their side delivery business on his motorcycle.

Advent Children
Because of the friends they lost and the guilt Cloud has for not being able to save either Zack or Aerith has him dissenting himself away from Tifa and everyone else. Along with him getting infected by Geostigma—the new disease infecting people around the Planet, and moved into Aerith's church to keep the people around him from catching it, while searching for a cure for both him and Denzel. Despite this and not knowing the true reason why he moved out, Tifa still trusts Cloud and doesn't give up in calling his phone, even though he leaves all of its calls to voicemail he hasn't thrown his phone away. This gives Tifa hope.

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 Shinra. 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 demeanour, 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.
 * 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.

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. It is considered a "rival ship" 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 1700 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

DEVIANTART

TUMBLR

WIKIS

Trivia

 * A few Cloti-like moments were seen in Kingdom Hearts II.
 * 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.
 * Cloud and Tifa are associated characters first introduced in Final Fantasy VII (1997). 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.
 * 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