Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director isn't weighing in on the OG JRPG's infamous Tifa vs Aerith shipping debate, but after 10 years of looking at Cloud, "I just want what makes him happy"

For decades, Final Fantasy fans have fought in the shipping wars and are still debating who, canonically, is absolutely made for Cloud, but Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s director Naoki Hamaguchi wants no part in the violence - he just wants to see the spiky-haired icon happy.

The OG Final Fantasy 7 never explicitly made a romantic connection between Cloud and his mates, but there were enough teases in the script for fans to make the connection themselves. There’s Tifa, Cloud’s childhood bestie who knows more about him than himself. Then there’s Aerith, a source of newfound hope for Cloud and the entire party. Tough choice, there.

So, when we spoke to Naoki Hamaguchi about everything from AI to romance, we had to ask him what ship he’s sailing on. Tifa or Aerith? “That's one I absolutely can not answer,” he told GamesRadar+. “I can not answer the question, and I will not answer the question.” His resistance to the question probably comes from his attachment to Cloud.

“But I think one thing I can say, after spending so long working on these games, over 10 years of developing on the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series – I've spent so much time looking at Cloud, walking behind him, seeing him go around the world,” Hamaguchi explains. “I think I probably spent more time looking at the back of Cloud than I have anyone in my actual family.

"So I got this very special feeling – I've got a lot of sympathy, a lot of affinity with Cloud himself, and I just want what makes him happy.” Hear, hear.

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