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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi says the developers will not officially declare who Cloud or Aerith likes. Instead, he said, relationships are conveyed through the game’s content and left for players to interpret. His remarks do not confirm that Cloud canonically chooses either Aerith or Tifa.
What did the director say about who Cloud likes?
In a January 2025 report, GameSpot relayed Hamaguchi’s comments from an interview with Automaton. The director was clarifying an earlier description of Aerith as “a sort of sisterly character pulling Cloud along and encouraging him,” which some fans had taken as an official statement about Cloud’s feelings.
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Hamaguchi said, “As creators, we will continue to convey (the relationships between our characters, etc.) through our content.” He added: “For example, no one will make any official statements about who Cloud likes, who Aerith likes, and so on.” He reiterated that character relationships are portrayed through the content, rather than settled by an official declaration. GameSpot’s report attributes the remarks to Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
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No. Hamaguchi’s statement does not establish either character as Cloud’s officially confirmed romantic choice. It describes the creators’ approach: players encounter the relationships through the story and interpret what they see. That leaves a distinction between developer-confirmed canon and readings based on scenes, interactions, or player choices.
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- Developer statement: Hamaguchi says there will be no official announcement of who Cloud or Aerith likes.
- Story and interactions: Players can interpret the characters’ relationships through the game’s content.
- Fan interpretation: A preferred reading of the love triangle is not the same as a developer-confirmed pairing.
How does this fit Rebirth’s story?
Square Enix presents Rebirth as a standalone story within a three-title remake project. Its official overview follows Cloud and his companions after they leave Midgar, continuing toward the Forgotten Capital. The story’s treatment of relationships sits alongside a larger retelling, not an official resolution of the love-triangle debate. Square Enix’s Rebirth overview currently lists PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S.
In an interview on the PlayStation Blog, producer Yoshinori Kitase called Aerith’s fate one of the important themes of Rebirth and said the added detail in character portrayal would bring players a broad range of emotions. Kitase also described the team’s aim to retain most elements of the original while making changes that build anticipation about where the story is going. Creative director Tetsuya Nomura encouraged players to experience the ending themselves and acknowledged that reactions would differ. Those comments speak to the story’s emotional stakes and reinterpretation; they do not identify Cloud’s romantic choice.
Rank #2
- Immerse yourself in the city of Midgar like never before, with improved textures, lighting, and background environments
- Players can switch between two game modes: o "Graphics Mode" prioritises 4K high-resolution graphics o "Performance Mode" prioritises smooth action at 60 frames per second
- Capture and share your memorable moments from the game with a fully customisable “Photo Mode”
- Players can enjoy immersive battles by using the DualSense PlayStation 5 controller with its haptic feedback integration
Why Hamaguchi’s clarification matters
The earlier “sisterly” description of Aerith could be read as a definitive label for her relationship with Cloud. Hamaguchi’s later clarification draws a boundary around that reading: the developers intend to show relationships in the game, but will not officially announce who likes whom. Players can still debate what particular scenes mean, but the reported comments do not settle the debate on behalf of Square Enix.
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- Deepen their relationships to unleash powerful team based combos
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- Immerse yourself in the city of Midgar like never before, with improved textures, lighting, and background environments
- Players can Switch between two game modes:- "graphics mode" Prioritises 4K high-resolution graphics & - "performance mode" Prioritises smooth action at 60 frames per second
- Capture and share your memorable moments from the game with a fully customisable "Photo mode"
- Players can enjoy immersive battles by using the dual sense PlayStation 5 controller with its haptic feedback integration
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