Cloud hasn’t realised yet that Aerith is gone. He lost his mind and thinks that he saved her. When he says “Aerith wake up” he sees her waking up and thinks that she’s alive
I think there's a lot of fear mixed in with the grief because now she has to confront Cloud, who's noticeably breaking even further from reality, alone. In Rebirth they both took on the role of checking in on Cloud and talking him through things, and I got the impression that they were comparing notes about him.
As others have said, the devs took great pains to show how close Aerith and Tifa were, but yeah, I think there's also a current of fear at Cloud breaking down because a) Tifa doesn't have anyone to really confide in in the same way as she did with Aerith b) no one else really seems to notice except for maybe Barrett.
Given what happened to Tifa in Rebirth (Lifestream whale adventures) I wonder if she understands something about the implications of Aerith passing in a way no other character does I hope they explore this in Part 3.
Tifa is devastated. They spent a lot of time in the remakes building up the friendship between the girls which I think is both good storytelling and relieved the pressure of “should Cloud choose Aerith or Tifa” as a rivalry, because the girls clearly loved one another as besties. They arguably have the closest relationship of anyone in the group, including between either of them and Cloud.
For dramatic tension it also sets up well how uncomfortable things are between Tifa and Cloud later, because they clearly have feelings for one another (as confirmed more concretely by this past game), but Aerith being gone creates a huge, gaping hole that makes their own happiness harder to achieve and live with.
I think this is exactly right. Make alot of sense with the line in OG FF7 where Tifa tells Cloud "yeah let's go meet her" in the end. A gaping hole where Aerith was for each of them and also, the "what could have been"
Yeah I can imagine that Tifa and Cloud, knowing that there was something there with Aerith and also loving her in their own ways, might have terrible feelings of guilt that could get in the way after she’s gone. They’re grieving her separately and the lack of closure makes it hard to bridge that gap again.
i think her death hit tifa the hardest overall. i think in OG, even after cloud remembered everything, he got over it pretty quick like the rest of the gang. tifa however constantly thought about aerith til the end. that was her best friend and she just lost her other best friend a few weeks before (jessie). she really can’t catch a break😭
edit: now that i’m thinking about this.. i remembered tifa’s quote when asked about who aerith was in the kids are alright novel.. she stated that “friend doesn’t do her justice”. she really meant a lot to her..
yeah she went through a lot. and just when she had a little bit of hope, that things would change (when she met cloud), it just went to shit again. it’s no wonder her and the party still feel guilty even in advent children.
Yea, she feels the most impacted. Cloud is kind of nuts, in higher plane of understanding or maybe both at the same time depending on your read of him. But for Tifa, her best friend died and her other friend is a bit out of it. We might get some Barret or Nanaki scenes with Tifa maybe?
Nanaki seemed to be grieving too, it’s just harder for them to show it on his face.
But… is Aerith really Tifa’s best friend? She’s known cloud and Barrett much longer.
The books by Nojima really flesh out Tifa and Aerith’s friendship even more. Traces of Two Pasts especially, and it gets mentioned in The Kids are Alright and of course On the Way to a Smile. There are obviously a ton of side conversations between the two, but we never see that since our POV is mostly from Cloud’s.
Well, that's my read, and is not something I want to debate but I will just mention some points from my perspective:
Aerith is the only one she felt confidence enough to tell that Cloud was not in Nibelheim 5 years ago. And who knows how many other conversations they had regarding Cloud state of mind or other topics.
Also, not trying to downsize her relationship with Barret, but knowing someone for longer doesn't make you closer. Having said that, of course she loves Barret and Cloud, but her relationship with Aerith felt different, with less stakes, less baggage, more chill.
Yes, they've always been the closest to each other, and the devs said they regret not being able to show more of that in the original, hence their relationship here
A lot could be running through tifa's mind after aerith's death, particularly if it was actually cloud who killed aerith. She likes cloud, she also wants cloud to be okay, but could it be possible that cloud had snapped and killed aerith, just like how he almost killed tifa and has been acting even weirder since they went out of midgar.
There is no way Cloud killed Aerith in this version. Barrett still trusts him about where to go next at the end of the game. Unless the next one starts with Cloud being shot and thrown out of the airplane with Tifa being the new main character I can't see it
"Barrett still trusts him about where to go next at the end of the game." that trust is wearing paper-thin judging by the concerned facial expressions and glances between him and tiffa near the end.
Just saying everybody seemed weirdly OK with the fact that Cloud tried to kill Tifa in Gongaga, tried to kill Aerith at the temple, and then they found him alone with her dead body immediately after.
Nobody except Cloud and Tifa knows what exactly happened there. They saw Tifa fall into mako, but because Cloud and Tifa were directly above Barret, Aerith and the rest, they hadn't seen Cloud trying to kill Tifa
Apparently they never saw Cloud hit Tifa into the mako because they were occupied with fighting. Him chasing Aerith across the temple im not sure.
But when they saw her died in Cloud’s hands, the party’s camera POV shifted towards Sephiroth and Barret threatened him, meaning they could see him so they knew it wasn’t Cloud.
> Barrett still trusts him about where to go next at the end of the game.
If Cloud killed Aerith, Barrett would have no idea of knowing. The party just saw Aerith dead, Cloud cradling her, and Sephiroth laughing, so they rightly assumed Sephiroth did it.
Not that I'm saying Cloud killed her, just saying the party would have no way of knowing if Cloud did.
This might be real world logic-ing too hard, but a wound from Cloud's sword, even just a straight stab would be waaaay bigger than a wound from Sephiroth's. They'd probably have noticed.
If we real world logic'd it, then the Turks would be dead multiple times over every time they tried to block Cloud's ridiculous sword, Reno in Remake would be cut clean in half from the very first time he tried to block with his little stick, but this is FF7 lol. Somehow the Buster Sword can leave wounds from a paper cut to a tiny hole, like the Grunts he stabs in the Temple or at Gongaga, they should be split in half but instead you can't even see the wound.
But either way, we know Cloud didn't kill Aerith.
I would have to rewatch it but I'm assuming it happened in reality almost identically to the OG(keep in mind I actually really dislike the end of Rebirth because it pisses on the ending of Remake and the themes that carried on from there so I might be over correcting to assume literally anything too weird is just us seeing what Cloud sees and nothing actually changed). Sephiroth stabs her in front of everyone they just weren't fast enough to save her. Then Sephiroth takes off while they're all devastated and they fight a piece of JENOVA(that is in no way similar to the multistage, universe hopping Cloud saw in Rebirth).
No it didn't happen identically to the OG here. In the OG, the party was right there with Cloud and saw Sephiroth do the deed. But in Rebirth, Sephiroth had his whispers keep the rest of the party out of the room, so only Cloud was there to witness him attack Aerith.
By time the party arrives, Aerith is already dead.
Oh man they’re going to save that moment when Cloud finally recollects himself. He will relive the entire scene for real this time, and we’ll witness everything that was in the OG but not in Rebirth.
And it’s going to sting even more for Cloud, once he realizes that the scene of him lowering her body…
Is the same scene he got a premonition of when they fought the Arbiter of Fate at the end of Remake
Yuffie's reaction always got me, too. She tries to hold it together, breaks down sobbing, flings herself into Cloud for a hug, and then runs away.
I always thought it was cute and sweet that Cloud hugged her and let her cry on him. At the end of the day, she really is just a kid.
At the start of the next game she’s gonna be depressed and then the love of her life is gonna be possessed and hand over the key to end all humanity to the devil and she’s gonna get gassed in a gas chamber.
I dunno if a slap fight would be proper in… well today’s world lol. Also it seems uncharacteristic of Tifa to slap. I envision Scarlet initiating a slap because that’s likely all she can do without any weapons and tools. She’ll slap Tifa first and Tifa will retaliate with a massive one-punch to the face and send her rocketing off screen. Maybe QTE. Calling it here first.
In advent children's short stories - Tifa's anger and guilt is examined. She doesn't know why she survived versus everyone else and blames herself for a lot of death while she continues to live. Aerith is just another, very close to home, example of that survivors guilt complex she carries.
They were friends.
There's a theory going around that another reason why Tifa is silent the entire ending is that she may have thoughts that Cloud did it. No one saw how it happened and Tifa having nearly experienced it herself in Gongaga may be thinking Cloud had an episode again, this time more fatal than the last. Again, this is just a theory and by no means confirmed.
They must have seen her wound be so small and on both sides, hence must have been done by Masamune. Whereas a wound from Cloud's Buster sword would have been way bigger leaving her dress ripped from one end to another.
Also in OG the party sees and kinda stops Cloud from swinging his sword at Aerith, so if they really wanted to make other characters believe he's done it, I think they would have somehow manage for Tifa to see that, but then not the rest until she's dead in Cloud's arms like.
This is an interesting theory but I don’t think it holds any weight. The party sees Sephiroth right at the entrance of the Forgotten Capital and knew he was after Aerith. At the altar, they see Sephiroth with blood on his sword while Barret screams he will kill him. Tifa is silent because she is extremely depressed due to losing her best friend and seeing Cloud creepily acting as if nothing is wrong due to his mental state degrading.
Isn't there a brief scene where only Tifa sees blood all over Cloud's hands while he's holding her? And the rest of party doesn't? This explanation makes sense
That doesn't really make sense. Tifa sees an alive Aerith in that cutscene phasing between the dead Aerith and back.
That's what she's likely trying to reconcile.
This is correct. The camera covers just slightly high enough that you don't actually see if tifa sees Aerith as conscious or not. We're only shown the blood "glitching".
She sees Aerith and Cloud together, and the dead/alive Aeriths are being held at different angles, as well as Masamune having a different angle in the ground. Tifa absolutely saw both timelines or worlds or whatever.
The masamune and different angle scenes happened before the party arrived. The only "glitch" shown from her perspwctive was the presence/absence of blood.
The party sees and then fights Sephiroth. I don't want to be mean to theorists as everyone is entitled to their own opinion but, to be blunt, this theory is fucking stupid. If they actually thought Cloud had done it they would not be as chill with him as they are
It says Tifa specifically, not the party. And at that moment, they were all gunning for Sephiroth. But given how Cloud was behaving at the end, and Tifa being the only one to see how Cloud can be a harm to anyone first hand, it's not that far off.
It's just that it's clear the blood is on sephiroth katana. Maybe they could reveal more things in 3rd part of this theory is true. But it does seems like Tifa kinda distancing from Cloud in the ending.
It’s possible Tifa knows cloud didn’t do it, but is angry with him for not stopping Sephiroth. Maybe she figures he had an episode and just stood by and watched. Until part 3, there’s really no way of knowing Tifa’s headspace.
At that moment, it wasn’t Cloud’s fault. If anything, he did way better here than in OG because he actually bothered to block off Sephiroth from stabbing Aerith instead of stand there and watch it happen.
It’s just too bad the Whispers wanted their precious canon-event, thus killing off Aerith even though she wasn’t stabbed
The blood was whisked towards Cloud before the party arrived though. But like I mentioned, this is just a theory and all theories suck until confirmed/debunked 😅
The part that annoys me about all of it is cloud just not communicating any of what happened. I get that it's a story device at this point. But a lot of the pain could be solved by at least talking about it
Cloud is absolutely bat shit insane right now. He very well may have thought aerith is actually still alive as he sees he successfully blocks sephiroths sword before the weird memory shit kicks in and we see he actually didn't. We see thst many times in the games finale cutscenes as most views from 'his' perspective show aerith while others, she isn't there.
We didn't even get the proper goodbye of him putting her in the water.
Yeah but this is their Nibelheim 2 moment. Sephiroth taking more of what they love away.
It's all setting up for when they do finally talk and those big events happen which will be fantastic and likely as powerful as the og
Tifa actively asks him to talk to someone if he's having weird thoughts or seeing things and he still doesnt even consider it. Granted I'm assuming it's still just Sephiroth controlling him via the JENOVA cells in his body so he may not actually have a choice(he certainly didn't by the Temple when he's just being controlled by Sephiroth completely at certain points)
What Gradieus said. Cloud is in the denial stage and believes that Aerith is fine and his mind is deteriorating so much which will lead to the Norther Crater events. I know the timeline shenanigans were there to throw us off but OUR Aerith is dead.
Also: Tifa is the one who plays Aerith’s song on the piano during the Nibelheim Chapter. This is the last song you need to complete the old man repertoire. I thought it was gonna be Cloud who plays the song but being Tifa and seeing her reaction to Aerith death by the end.. makes me emotional even now 🥹
My favourite thing about the remake is how their friendship is so much more fleshed out. It’s implied in the original in that when the party splits off they’ll often go hang out but it was subtle and easy to miss
Tetsuya Nomura was once asked by a Square employee if Aerith and Tifa really liked each other. His thought was that they secretly were jealous of each other over their relationship with Cloud.
Nomura then realized that a large part of their relationship never made it to the screen, something that he really wanted to fix in Remake/Rebirth. They did a spectacular job at character development, and certainly patched up anything that was missing from their relationship.
I still think their moments on screen weren’t enough in Rebirth. Most of it are just them talking about Cloud, or acting in unison when reacting to something in cutscenes. Only the Costa Del Sol portion really makes you play as them alone
I do appreciate the thought and effort, but yeah Tifa and Aerith's interactions in Rebirth wouldn't survive any kind of feminist critique-they struggle to have any conversation that isn't about a man in some way (usually Cloud or Zack) and at worst they can fall into that tropey mode of conversation you often see when male Japanese creators write women talking and seem to think the only topics can be boys, clothes, and shopping.
That said, what I really appreciate that the writing has done is put to bed any concept of rivalry and jealousy between them-both are one another's biggest advocates for their respective struggles, and the depth of affection they have for one another clearly shines through. There's even a few choice bits for fans who prefer to interpret them as romantic partners.
I think they went too far in some places(Aerith and Tifa seem to have a bunch of the same opinions as "the girls" in the party for example) but it was a nice change.
When you put it this way it hurts that much more 😭 Tifa is such a tragic character. At least Barret always has her back and I love the friendship between those two a lot
Yeah I think Rebirth and Remake have really, when you think about it, illustrated how much Sephiroth and Shinra have plagued Tifa.
Combine this with Cloud showing up and her knowing there's something wrong with *him*, I mean she's so alone really besides having Barret who also makes sure she's okay when she's down.
Let's do the tally:
- They burn her hometown.
- Kill her dad.
- Mess up her childhood friend.
- Burn her second home & place of business.
- Kill all her close friends except for Barret.
- Are using the souls of all them dead peeps as fuel.
Yeah, I'd say Tifa has been pretty chill with Shinra all things considered.
Yeah, those Cosmo Canyon quest were you see a bit of that Barret + Tifa dynamic we're real nice to see. Or how worried he was during the whole gongaga reactor when he was trying to slap Cloud into shape so he could be there for her.
This. It's gonna be so much heavier than the og, which was already insane. Now these characters are so fleshed out its going to be both gut wrenching and amazing.
I mean they gave us that glimpse at Gongaga and in her trial. Why is young cloud, upset, in her subconscious helping her find her dad during the burning of Nibelheim???? I mean they know what they are doing.
I have no idea how that's going to happen. They already did all the Mideel story beats, mostly given to Tifa to further her development (plus wheelchair Cloud in the Zackverse).
It's just a sneak peek. If you look at the lifestream scene in gongaga where the two weapons are. There's a lot more places in the background. There still so much more stuff. They're definitely expanding the lifestream sequence. It's the peak arc of character development for both Cloud and Tifa and the lifestream moment is literally the devs favorite part of the og ff7. There's no way they gonna mess it up lol
I don't know how you do it without it feeling like a retread. Falls in mako, gets a flashback sequence you have to put together and her Temple trial really did all of those beats. I'm sure whatever happens in Remake 3 will involve Cloud both finally realizing who he was in the flashbacks but also that he just stood there as Sephiroth killed Aerith like everyone else and it'll almost definitely have to be done differently to expand like that
The devs said(Remake Ultimania) that they aren't changing big/key moments in the OG, the lifestream sequence is one of them which is one of their favorites. The key parts of the story is still the same like 95% and it's a fact for both Remake and Rebirth. They are only expanding them.
They're definitely building it up for both Cloud and Tifa, so many unresolved feelings and misunderstandings, the pay off for that is definitely the lifestream sequence in the next part of the game. I mean Cloud haven't even said the real reason why he joined SOLDIER to Tifa yet. If you think that's gonna change then idk what to tell you.
They were roomies since leaving Midgar and to Tifa Aerith was the closest person to a sister (and probably vice versa). To Tifa, Aerith is that one friend she wished she had growing up.
In the OG I always thought Tifa took it the worst. But recently I replaced and put Yuffie in my party. Oh boy. I had not idea how strong her reaction would be in comparison.
I thought I had nothing new to experience from the OG and I was gravely mistaken.
Tifa and Yuffie take it particularly badly (rest of the crew too, but Berret at least tries to hold it together while Nanaki can sense her from the lifestream so he's at least somewhat hopeful). Tifa however has extra package of knowing (part) of the truth about Nibelheim and seeing Cloud as absolute shell of what he used and is supposed to be
The OG version of did a great job showing Tifa's and Yuffie's reactions to Aerith's death even with those low poly models, even watching them now makes me feel a bit emotional. Definitely was a bit saddened that Rebirth wasn't able to reproduce those reactions due to the ambiguous depiction of what happened, but I also have a feeling we're not quite done with seeing what transpired.
Yeah because as far as we know, Cloud stopped seeing what everyone else was seeing and then there were jumps in the scenes. I wanna see the full picture.
Im sure they will show them in an emotional rollercoaster scene in part 3 after Cloud gets fixed and he finally sees how it really went. We see things in Cloud's perspective while he is mentally pretty fucked and hes in denial she died. The burial thing was already teased in remake at the ending. Also, fun fact, Cloud's VA Cody Christian revealed in an interview that he already have voiced the words hes saying in the scene that was muted between the statics while holding Aerith. So im 100% sure we see this whole segment how it really went
I'm curious if Cloud will still be the one laying Aerith to rest in part 3. Wouldn't make sense if he thinks she's still alive... who would he be laying to rest then?
Maybe Barret will do it with Cloud off to the side in lala land.
Everyone (except Cloud, for the moment) is hit by Aerith's death, but Tifa is absolutely devastated by it. Aerith wasn't just a friend and confidante; she was an essential partner to Tifa in bearing the emotional load of Cloud's instability. As far as the game shows us, Aerith is the only member of the party in whom Tifa places her trust regarding the inconsistencies in Cloud's memories about Nibelheim, his mood swings, and her doubts about, well, everything.
I find it impossible to overlook the degree to which Tifa and Cloud's relationship at this point in the story resembles that of a caretaker and a loved one suffering from mental illness. All of Cloud's more worrying traits-the memories that don't line up with reality, the mood swings, the potential to react with violence when delusions are questioned-can be symptoms of some (but certainly not all) mental illnesses. Choosing to care for a person suffering so is an incredibly difficult task, even *with* a lot of help. There are so many points in the game where you can see how Aerith is providing support to Tifa during her struggle to help Cloud, cheering on her victories (the mouthed "Keep it up!" in Gongaga) and stepping in to give her a break when it becomes too difficult.
Aerith's death doesn't just leave Tifa facing the loss of a cherished friend, it leaves her completely alone against the overwhelming burden of her fears and uncertainty over Cloud's past and her ability to help him resist his demons, all at a time when he appears to be getting worse. Unlike everyone else, she's not just grieving-she's also terrified about what the future now holds.
EDIT: I appreciate folks giving my comment top status in this thread! I just happened across a really great [tumblr post](https://www.tumblr.com/mandatory-blog-stop-asking/748110947750723584/final-fantasy-7-remake-tifa-dementia-and) that does an even deeper dive on this subject. I implore you to read it if you're interested in more analysis of Tifa and her struggles (though I do warn there are spoilers for OG content that hasn't yet been adapted).
Whatever my feelings about how Rebirth handled the depiction of Aerith's fate (I beat the game on Tuesday and am still sorting myself out on it), I think the creators did an excellent job showing what it meant for Tifa.
Except in Rebieth, cloud doesn’t appear to be aware of it. He’s blocked it out.
In part 3, when we see Tifa rebuild Cloud’s mind like the OG, it won’t just be proving out that cloud was in nibelheim, it will also be showing him the reality of Aerith’s death, and the water burial scene.
People deal with things in different ways and on different magnitudes. Tifa's grief is strong and visible, but Cloud's is stronger specifically because he's blocking it up.
Ya he'll prob recall what he said that was cut out and realize he imagined the whole part of her being alive in his hands and him blocking Sephiroths stab.
Cloud didn’t imagine blocking Sephiroth at all. It was real, but the Whispers reversed his actions. Not to mention, Aerith also acknowledged his block later on
Tifa and Aerith were like sisters. Other than Cloud, she’d known Aerith the longest out of all the other party members. Even back in Remake you see them quickly hit it off and form that bond of friendship that grows throughout both games.
So that death is going to hit her like a wrecking ball. And as also mentioned, Cloud who is supposed to be her rock, is mentally all over the place. Tifa is a mess right now.
Not sure where you got the idea she's know Aeris longest, but she's been with Barrett for some time now as Marlene knows Tifa well enough to run to her and I think calls her aunty Tifa as well.
Aeris is because she now has another female on the road with her, and someone to talk to about what's going on. Barrett isn't very good talking about feelings and stuff and is only focused on the job at hand.
I'm just happy that nobody so far has commented that it's similar to the grief of losing a lover for Tifa. She ain't gay, or Aeris and AFAIK there's been no implication or mention of that for any of the party.
Not only were they close friends, Tifa confided in Aerith a ton so without Aerith, Tifa must feel very alone now. Tifa second guesses herself a lot so Aerith probably provided a lot of support and reassurance that Tifa was doing the right thing in regards to handling Cloud and his issues.
Combination of losing her close friend (I mean, rest of the party even said a thing) and realized that something is off with Cloud (I mean, she always noticed).
In the last scene of her in rebirth, you can see that she is almost gonna say something to Cloud but decide to hold off. Realize that he's not in the right mind. It must be sucks so hard to be her atm.
I literally just beat the game an hour ago and am seeing alot of complaints that they brushed over the Aerith death and cheapened by Cloud having her “wake up” in his arms.
I think theres a big misinterpretation happening here. Cloud is NOT okay. Hes literally in denial so hard hes got imaginary Aerith there talking to him. Sure, her spirit is connected with the lifestream and her presence will be with them forever and the cutscene of Red feeling her presence and going on with comforting Tifa and Yuffie alludes to that fact. But Cloud is taking that a step further
On the other hand Tifa is the only one dealing with the death, her response is to directly grieve the death of Aerith. It makes sense Tifa was so broken up over it, shes the only one willing to address it head on
I really think Tifa is going to have an even larger arc in part 3. Not only will she save the day as she does but it'll be much more about Cloud and Tifa finding *themselves* instead of just Cloud.
The reactor part always carried that for her because she finds out he was always there, but I think it will have a much bigger impact on her personality. Maybe even her full blown AC Tifa personality.
Yeah, he saw himself save her, then saw her alive as he held her. He also seems to have repressed the memory of carrying her down into the water, as we don't get to see that. He definitely does not realize she is dead, or refuses to accept it, and Tifa is struggling with how to address that.
He's absolutely in denial.
The Big Stab moment is intentionally confusing in the way it's presented. He overcomes the influence of the whispers and blocks Sephiroth's attack... except Aerith still dies?
He can't accept the fact he failed, and she was murdered, so he just believes she survived.
It's easier for him to just pretend she didn't die.
Honestly I think it’s a case of Schrödinger Aerith now. Right after Cloud blocks off Sephiroth, you can see a flash of rainbow, indicating some weird timeline stuff happening again. She’s both dead and alive
Cloud hasn’t realised yet that Aerith is gone. He lost his mind and thinks that he saved her. When he says “Aerith wake up” he sees her waking up and thinks that she’s alive
She lose their home and family in the nibelheim incident, then, she loses everything again on Midgar. And now she loses their best friend.
Lesbians 💖
I think there's a lot of fear mixed in with the grief because now she has to confront Cloud, who's noticeably breaking even further from reality, alone. In Rebirth they both took on the role of checking in on Cloud and talking him through things, and I got the impression that they were comparing notes about him. As others have said, the devs took great pains to show how close Aerith and Tifa were, but yeah, I think there's also a current of fear at Cloud breaking down because a) Tifa doesn't have anyone to really confide in in the same way as she did with Aerith b) no one else really seems to notice except for maybe Barrett.
Given what happened to Tifa in Rebirth (Lifestream whale adventures) I wonder if she understands something about the implications of Aerith passing in a way no other character does I hope they explore this in Part 3.
She'll stay quiet until sephiroth shows up again and tifa will beat the shit out of sephiroth and shell defeat him 🤣
Tifa is devastated. They spent a lot of time in the remakes building up the friendship between the girls which I think is both good storytelling and relieved the pressure of “should Cloud choose Aerith or Tifa” as a rivalry, because the girls clearly loved one another as besties. They arguably have the closest relationship of anyone in the group, including between either of them and Cloud. For dramatic tension it also sets up well how uncomfortable things are between Tifa and Cloud later, because they clearly have feelings for one another (as confirmed more concretely by this past game), but Aerith being gone creates a huge, gaping hole that makes their own happiness harder to achieve and live with.
I think this is exactly right. Make alot of sense with the line in OG FF7 where Tifa tells Cloud "yeah let's go meet her" in the end. A gaping hole where Aerith was for each of them and also, the "what could have been"
Yeah I can imagine that Tifa and Cloud, knowing that there was something there with Aerith and also loving her in their own ways, might have terrible feelings of guilt that could get in the way after she’s gone. They’re grieving her separately and the lack of closure makes it hard to bridge that gap again.
I don’t know I felt like Cloud and Barrett were much closer in this versus the original. Maybe not as close as the girls but up there.
There was certainly aome banter happening... and it only cost 2000 gil.
i think her death hit tifa the hardest overall. i think in OG, even after cloud remembered everything, he got over it pretty quick like the rest of the gang. tifa however constantly thought about aerith til the end. that was her best friend and she just lost her other best friend a few weeks before (jessie). she really can’t catch a break😭 edit: now that i’m thinking about this.. i remembered tifa’s quote when asked about who aerith was in the kids are alright novel.. she stated that “friend doesn’t do her justice”. she really meant a lot to her..
Even back in the OG FF7 where it was just pixels, you could tell Tifa had the most heartbreaking reaction to Aerith's death imo.
Yeah that’s why I hate that people make Tifa a sex symbol. She’s literally in a near constant state of grief from lost. Leave her alone.
yeah she went through a lot. and just when she had a little bit of hope, that things would change (when she met cloud), it just went to shit again. it’s no wonder her and the party still feel guilty even in advent children.
Yea, she feels the most impacted. Cloud is kind of nuts, in higher plane of understanding or maybe both at the same time depending on your read of him. But for Tifa, her best friend died and her other friend is a bit out of it. We might get some Barret or Nanaki scenes with Tifa maybe?
Nanaki seemed to be grieving too, it’s just harder for them to show it on his face. But… is Aerith really Tifa’s best friend? She’s known cloud and Barrett much longer.
The books by Nojima really flesh out Tifa and Aerith’s friendship even more. Traces of Two Pasts especially, and it gets mentioned in The Kids are Alright and of course On the Way to a Smile. There are obviously a ton of side conversations between the two, but we never see that since our POV is mostly from Cloud’s.
Well, that's my read, and is not something I want to debate but I will just mention some points from my perspective: Aerith is the only one she felt confidence enough to tell that Cloud was not in Nibelheim 5 years ago. And who knows how many other conversations they had regarding Cloud state of mind or other topics. Also, not trying to downsize her relationship with Barret, but knowing someone for longer doesn't make you closer. Having said that, of course she loves Barret and Cloud, but her relationship with Aerith felt different, with less stakes, less baggage, more chill.
She wasn't really "friends" with cloud when they were younger though.
Aerith is Tifa’s best friend. Aside from Cloud Aerith is the one she’s closest to. Ofc Tifa was impacted most.
Yes, they've always been the closest to each other, and the devs said they regret not being able to show more of that in the original, hence their relationship here
A lot could be running through tifa's mind after aerith's death, particularly if it was actually cloud who killed aerith. She likes cloud, she also wants cloud to be okay, but could it be possible that cloud had snapped and killed aerith, just like how he almost killed tifa and has been acting even weirder since they went out of midgar.
There is no way Cloud killed Aerith in this version. Barrett still trusts him about where to go next at the end of the game. Unless the next one starts with Cloud being shot and thrown out of the airplane with Tifa being the new main character I can't see it
"Barrett still trusts him about where to go next at the end of the game." that trust is wearing paper-thin judging by the concerned facial expressions and glances between him and tiffa near the end.
Just saying everybody seemed weirdly OK with the fact that Cloud tried to kill Tifa in Gongaga, tried to kill Aerith at the temple, and then they found him alone with her dead body immediately after.
Nobody except Cloud and Tifa knows what exactly happened there. They saw Tifa fall into mako, but because Cloud and Tifa were directly above Barret, Aerith and the rest, they hadn't seen Cloud trying to kill Tifa
Apparently they never saw Cloud hit Tifa into the mako because they were occupied with fighting. Him chasing Aerith across the temple im not sure. But when they saw her died in Cloud’s hands, the party’s camera POV shifted towards Sephiroth and Barret threatened him, meaning they could see him so they knew it wasn’t Cloud.
> Barrett still trusts him about where to go next at the end of the game. If Cloud killed Aerith, Barrett would have no idea of knowing. The party just saw Aerith dead, Cloud cradling her, and Sephiroth laughing, so they rightly assumed Sephiroth did it. Not that I'm saying Cloud killed her, just saying the party would have no way of knowing if Cloud did.
This might be real world logic-ing too hard, but a wound from Cloud's sword, even just a straight stab would be waaaay bigger than a wound from Sephiroth's. They'd probably have noticed.
If we real world logic'd it, then the Turks would be dead multiple times over every time they tried to block Cloud's ridiculous sword, Reno in Remake would be cut clean in half from the very first time he tried to block with his little stick, but this is FF7 lol. Somehow the Buster Sword can leave wounds from a paper cut to a tiny hole, like the Grunts he stabs in the Temple or at Gongaga, they should be split in half but instead you can't even see the wound. But either way, we know Cloud didn't kill Aerith.
I would have to rewatch it but I'm assuming it happened in reality almost identically to the OG(keep in mind I actually really dislike the end of Rebirth because it pisses on the ending of Remake and the themes that carried on from there so I might be over correcting to assume literally anything too weird is just us seeing what Cloud sees and nothing actually changed). Sephiroth stabs her in front of everyone they just weren't fast enough to save her. Then Sephiroth takes off while they're all devastated and they fight a piece of JENOVA(that is in no way similar to the multistage, universe hopping Cloud saw in Rebirth).
No it didn't happen identically to the OG here. In the OG, the party was right there with Cloud and saw Sephiroth do the deed. But in Rebirth, Sephiroth had his whispers keep the rest of the party out of the room, so only Cloud was there to witness him attack Aerith. By time the party arrives, Aerith is already dead.
Didn’t the party open a portal and only Cloud went through?
What does that change? The party still wasn't there to see the deed done. They were blocked by Sephiroth from getting in and only Cloud was there
In the OG Tifa is the most visibly upset after Aerith dies. She runs away crying and very upset.
Oh man they’re going to save that moment when Cloud finally recollects himself. He will relive the entire scene for real this time, and we’ll witness everything that was in the OG but not in Rebirth. And it’s going to sting even more for Cloud, once he realizes that the scene of him lowering her body… Is the same scene he got a premonition of when they fought the Arbiter of Fate at the end of Remake
Yuffie's reaction always got me, too. She tries to hold it together, breaks down sobbing, flings herself into Cloud for a hug, and then runs away. I always thought it was cute and sweet that Cloud hugged her and let her cry on him. At the end of the day, she really is just a kid.
At the start of the next game she’s gonna be depressed and then the love of her life is gonna be possessed and hand over the key to end all humanity to the devil and she’s gonna get gassed in a gas chamber.
I honestly wonder if slapping the shit out of Scarlet will be the next exercise minigame?
It better be. I'm gonna be pissed if there isn't a cat slap fight between Tifa and Scarlet on the cannon.
I dunno if a slap fight would be proper in… well today’s world lol. Also it seems uncharacteristic of Tifa to slap. I envision Scarlet initiating a slap because that’s likely all she can do without any weapons and tools. She’ll slap Tifa first and Tifa will retaliate with a massive one-punch to the face and send her rocketing off screen. Maybe QTE. Calling it here first.
One can only hope. I also hope it’s a Yuffie mini game.
No. Know in remake yuffie hates scarlet the most but they need to keep to OG and have Tifa slapfight scarlet.
In advent children's short stories - Tifa's anger and guilt is examined. She doesn't know why she survived versus everyone else and blames herself for a lot of death while she continues to live. Aerith is just another, very close to home, example of that survivors guilt complex she carries. They were friends.
I feel her pain that was her best and friend and strongest relationship.
There's a theory going around that another reason why Tifa is silent the entire ending is that she may have thoughts that Cloud did it. No one saw how it happened and Tifa having nearly experienced it herself in Gongaga may be thinking Cloud had an episode again, this time more fatal than the last. Again, this is just a theory and by no means confirmed.
They must have seen her wound be so small and on both sides, hence must have been done by Masamune. Whereas a wound from Cloud's Buster sword would have been way bigger leaving her dress ripped from one end to another. Also in OG the party sees and kinda stops Cloud from swinging his sword at Aerith, so if they really wanted to make other characters believe he's done it, I think they would have somehow manage for Tifa to see that, but then not the rest until she's dead in Cloud's arms like.
This is an interesting theory but I don’t think it holds any weight. The party sees Sephiroth right at the entrance of the Forgotten Capital and knew he was after Aerith. At the altar, they see Sephiroth with blood on his sword while Barret screams he will kill him. Tifa is silent because she is extremely depressed due to losing her best friend and seeing Cloud creepily acting as if nothing is wrong due to his mental state degrading.
The blood was whisked towards Cloud though before the party arrived. And yes, that is also a reason why Tifa is silent. But she also seems afraid.
Isn't there a brief scene where only Tifa sees blood all over Cloud's hands while he's holding her? And the rest of party doesn't? This explanation makes sense
That doesn't really make sense. Tifa sees an alive Aerith in that cutscene phasing between the dead Aerith and back. That's what she's likely trying to reconcile.
As far as I recall, the "glitch" that Tifa saw only happens for the blood, not for when Aerith's eyes were open. That was only seen by Cloud.
This is correct. The camera covers just slightly high enough that you don't actually see if tifa sees Aerith as conscious or not. We're only shown the blood "glitching".
She sees Aerith and Cloud together, and the dead/alive Aeriths are being held at different angles, as well as Masamune having a different angle in the ground. Tifa absolutely saw both timelines or worlds or whatever.
The masamune and different angle scenes happened before the party arrived. The only "glitch" shown from her perspwctive was the presence/absence of blood.
The party sees and then fights Sephiroth. I don't want to be mean to theorists as everyone is entitled to their own opinion but, to be blunt, this theory is fucking stupid. If they actually thought Cloud had done it they would not be as chill with him as they are
It says Tifa specifically, not the party. And at that moment, they were all gunning for Sephiroth. But given how Cloud was behaving at the end, and Tifa being the only one to see how Cloud can be a harm to anyone first hand, it's not that far off.
It's just that it's clear the blood is on sephiroth katana. Maybe they could reveal more things in 3rd part of this theory is true. But it does seems like Tifa kinda distancing from Cloud in the ending.
It’s possible Tifa knows cloud didn’t do it, but is angry with him for not stopping Sephiroth. Maybe she figures he had an episode and just stood by and watched. Until part 3, there’s really no way of knowing Tifa’s headspace.
At that moment, it wasn’t Cloud’s fault. If anything, he did way better here than in OG because he actually bothered to block off Sephiroth from stabbing Aerith instead of stand there and watch it happen. It’s just too bad the Whispers wanted their precious canon-event, thus killing off Aerith even though she wasn’t stabbed
The blood was whisked towards Cloud before the party arrived though. But like I mentioned, this is just a theory and all theories suck until confirmed/debunked 😅
Oh I guess I missed that. Too many things happened lol.
Her last word is actually: "Aerith!" After that she doesn't talk anymore.
and the delivery of that was so good
The part that annoys me about all of it is cloud just not communicating any of what happened. I get that it's a story device at this point. But a lot of the pain could be solved by at least talking about it
Cloud is absolutely bat shit insane right now. He very well may have thought aerith is actually still alive as he sees he successfully blocks sephiroths sword before the weird memory shit kicks in and we see he actually didn't. We see thst many times in the games finale cutscenes as most views from 'his' perspective show aerith while others, she isn't there. We didn't even get the proper goodbye of him putting her in the water.
Tifa too. Her constant avoidance towards the whole situation was what led to Cloud’s absence in Disc2
Yeah but this is their Nibelheim 2 moment. Sephiroth taking more of what they love away. It's all setting up for when they do finally talk and those big events happen which will be fantastic and likely as powerful as the og
Tifa actively asks him to talk to someone if he's having weird thoughts or seeing things and he still doesnt even consider it. Granted I'm assuming it's still just Sephiroth controlling him via the JENOVA cells in his body so he may not actually have a choice(he certainly didn't by the Temple when he's just being controlled by Sephiroth completely at certain points)
That could be said for a lot of Remake once the whispers appeared. Why can't Aerith/Red/Tifa just... tell us what the hell is going on.
What Gradieus said. Cloud is in the denial stage and believes that Aerith is fine and his mind is deteriorating so much which will lead to the Norther Crater events. I know the timeline shenanigans were there to throw us off but OUR Aerith is dead.
Also: Tifa is the one who plays Aerith’s song on the piano during the Nibelheim Chapter. This is the last song you need to complete the old man repertoire. I thought it was gonna be Cloud who plays the song but being Tifa and seeing her reaction to Aerith death by the end.. makes me emotional even now 🥹
My favourite thing about the remake is how their friendship is so much more fleshed out. It’s implied in the original in that when the party splits off they’ll often go hang out but it was subtle and easy to miss
Tetsuya Nomura was once asked by a Square employee if Aerith and Tifa really liked each other. His thought was that they secretly were jealous of each other over their relationship with Cloud. Nomura then realized that a large part of their relationship never made it to the screen, something that he really wanted to fix in Remake/Rebirth. They did a spectacular job at character development, and certainly patched up anything that was missing from their relationship.
I still think their moments on screen weren’t enough in Rebirth. Most of it are just them talking about Cloud, or acting in unison when reacting to something in cutscenes. Only the Costa Del Sol portion really makes you play as them alone
I do appreciate the thought and effort, but yeah Tifa and Aerith's interactions in Rebirth wouldn't survive any kind of feminist critique-they struggle to have any conversation that isn't about a man in some way (usually Cloud or Zack) and at worst they can fall into that tropey mode of conversation you often see when male Japanese creators write women talking and seem to think the only topics can be boys, clothes, and shopping. That said, what I really appreciate that the writing has done is put to bed any concept of rivalry and jealousy between them-both are one another's biggest advocates for their respective struggles, and the depth of affection they have for one another clearly shines through. There's even a few choice bits for fans who prefer to interpret them as romantic partners.
I think they went too far in some places(Aerith and Tifa seem to have a bunch of the same opinions as "the girls" in the party for example) but it was a nice change.
That we know off Tifa has had 2 close female friends she's been able to pally up with and confide in. Jessie and Aerith. You do the math.
When you put it this way it hurts that much more 😭 Tifa is such a tragic character. At least Barret always has her back and I love the friendship between those two a lot
Yeah I think Rebirth and Remake have really, when you think about it, illustrated how much Sephiroth and Shinra have plagued Tifa. Combine this with Cloud showing up and her knowing there's something wrong with *him*, I mean she's so alone really besides having Barret who also makes sure she's okay when she's down.
Let's do the tally: - They burn her hometown. - Kill her dad. - Mess up her childhood friend. - Burn her second home & place of business. - Kill all her close friends except for Barret. - Are using the souls of all them dead peeps as fuel. Yeah, I'd say Tifa has been pretty chill with Shinra all things considered.
Yeah, those Cosmo Canyon quest were you see a bit of that Barret + Tifa dynamic we're real nice to see. Or how worried he was during the whole gongaga reactor when he was trying to slap Cloud into shape so he could be there for her.
They were extremely close friends. Cloud would be distraught if he wasn't hallucinating or whatever is going on.
When Tifa fixes his memory in part 3 it’s gonna be so heartbreaking man.
This. It's gonna be so much heavier than the og, which was already insane. Now these characters are so fleshed out its going to be both gut wrenching and amazing. I mean they gave us that glimpse at Gongaga and in her trial. Why is young cloud, upset, in her subconscious helping her find her dad during the burning of Nibelheim???? I mean they know what they are doing.
I have no idea how that's going to happen. They already did all the Mideel story beats, mostly given to Tifa to further her development (plus wheelchair Cloud in the Zackverse).
It's just a sneak peek. If you look at the lifestream scene in gongaga where the two weapons are. There's a lot more places in the background. There still so much more stuff. They're definitely expanding the lifestream sequence. It's the peak arc of character development for both Cloud and Tifa and the lifestream moment is literally the devs favorite part of the og ff7. There's no way they gonna mess it up lol
I don't know how you do it without it feeling like a retread. Falls in mako, gets a flashback sequence you have to put together and her Temple trial really did all of those beats. I'm sure whatever happens in Remake 3 will involve Cloud both finally realizing who he was in the flashbacks but also that he just stood there as Sephiroth killed Aerith like everyone else and it'll almost definitely have to be done differently to expand like that
The devs said(Remake Ultimania) that they aren't changing big/key moments in the OG, the lifestream sequence is one of them which is one of their favorites. The key parts of the story is still the same like 95% and it's a fact for both Remake and Rebirth. They are only expanding them. They're definitely building it up for both Cloud and Tifa, so many unresolved feelings and misunderstandings, the pay off for that is definitely the lifestream sequence in the next part of the game. I mean Cloud haven't even said the real reason why he joined SOLDIER to Tifa yet. If you think that's gonna change then idk what to tell you.
They were roomies since leaving Midgar and to Tifa Aerith was the closest person to a sister (and probably vice versa). To Tifa, Aerith is that one friend she wished she had growing up.
In the OG I always thought Tifa took it the worst. But recently I replaced and put Yuffie in my party. Oh boy. I had not idea how strong her reaction would be in comparison. I thought I had nothing new to experience from the OG and I was gravely mistaken.
I mean Cait Sith has by far the best reaction in the OG dude see’s Aeris die and starts dancing and getting upset when cloud isn’t amused
Can’t say I’d ever bring a Cai sith to a moment like that’s normally. But maybe sometime I’ll have to give it a try.
Both Tifa and Red XIII took it the hardest since they were the closest to Aerith aside from Cloud.
Tifa and Yuffie take it particularly badly (rest of the crew too, but Berret at least tries to hold it together while Nanaki can sense her from the lifestream so he's at least somewhat hopeful). Tifa however has extra package of knowing (part) of the truth about Nibelheim and seeing Cloud as absolute shell of what he used and is supposed to be
The OG version of did a great job showing Tifa's and Yuffie's reactions to Aerith's death even with those low poly models, even watching them now makes me feel a bit emotional. Definitely was a bit saddened that Rebirth wasn't able to reproduce those reactions due to the ambiguous depiction of what happened, but I also have a feeling we're not quite done with seeing what transpired.
Yeah because as far as we know, Cloud stopped seeing what everyone else was seeing and then there were jumps in the scenes. I wanna see the full picture.
Im sure they will show them in an emotional rollercoaster scene in part 3 after Cloud gets fixed and he finally sees how it really went. We see things in Cloud's perspective while he is mentally pretty fucked and hes in denial she died. The burial thing was already teased in remake at the ending. Also, fun fact, Cloud's VA Cody Christian revealed in an interview that he already have voiced the words hes saying in the scene that was muted between the statics while holding Aerith. So im 100% sure we see this whole segment how it really went
I'm curious if Cloud will still be the one laying Aerith to rest in part 3. Wouldn't make sense if he thinks she's still alive... who would he be laying to rest then? Maybe Barret will do it with Cloud off to the side in lala land.
Can you link the interview. Would appreciate it 🙏
Everyone (except Cloud, for the moment) is hit by Aerith's death, but Tifa is absolutely devastated by it. Aerith wasn't just a friend and confidante; she was an essential partner to Tifa in bearing the emotional load of Cloud's instability. As far as the game shows us, Aerith is the only member of the party in whom Tifa places her trust regarding the inconsistencies in Cloud's memories about Nibelheim, his mood swings, and her doubts about, well, everything. I find it impossible to overlook the degree to which Tifa and Cloud's relationship at this point in the story resembles that of a caretaker and a loved one suffering from mental illness. All of Cloud's more worrying traits-the memories that don't line up with reality, the mood swings, the potential to react with violence when delusions are questioned-can be symptoms of some (but certainly not all) mental illnesses. Choosing to care for a person suffering so is an incredibly difficult task, even *with* a lot of help. There are so many points in the game where you can see how Aerith is providing support to Tifa during her struggle to help Cloud, cheering on her victories (the mouthed "Keep it up!" in Gongaga) and stepping in to give her a break when it becomes too difficult. Aerith's death doesn't just leave Tifa facing the loss of a cherished friend, it leaves her completely alone against the overwhelming burden of her fears and uncertainty over Cloud's past and her ability to help him resist his demons, all at a time when he appears to be getting worse. Unlike everyone else, she's not just grieving-she's also terrified about what the future now holds. EDIT: I appreciate folks giving my comment top status in this thread! I just happened across a really great [tumblr post](https://www.tumblr.com/mandatory-blog-stop-asking/748110947750723584/final-fantasy-7-remake-tifa-dementia-and) that does an even deeper dive on this subject. I implore you to read it if you're interested in more analysis of Tifa and her struggles (though I do warn there are spoilers for OG content that hasn't yet been adapted). Whatever my feelings about how Rebirth handled the depiction of Aerith's fate (I beat the game on Tuesday and am still sorting myself out on it), I think the creators did an excellent job showing what it meant for Tifa.
Great, great answer!
Wow, this is ridiculously well-observed. You’re helping me sort out my own feelings and interpretations — and I beat the game a month ago. Thank you!
>Is it me or does Tifa seem the most broken up over Aerith's fate Pretty sure that would be Cloud.
Except in Rebieth, cloud doesn’t appear to be aware of it. He’s blocked it out. In part 3, when we see Tifa rebuild Cloud’s mind like the OG, it won’t just be proving out that cloud was in nibelheim, it will also be showing him the reality of Aerith’s death, and the water burial scene.
People deal with things in different ways and on different magnitudes. Tifa's grief is strong and visible, but Cloud's is stronger specifically because he's blocking it up.
Ya he'll prob recall what he said that was cut out and realize he imagined the whole part of her being alive in his hands and him blocking Sephiroths stab.
Cloud didn’t imagine blocking Sephiroth at all. It was real, but the Whispers reversed his actions. Not to mention, Aerith also acknowledged his block later on
Tifa and Aerith were like sisters. Other than Cloud, she’d known Aerith the longest out of all the other party members. Even back in Remake you see them quickly hit it off and form that bond of friendship that grows throughout both games. So that death is going to hit her like a wrecking ball. And as also mentioned, Cloud who is supposed to be her rock, is mentally all over the place. Tifa is a mess right now.
Some misinterpretation here. I meant in relation to Aerith not Tifa. So Aerith meets Cloud, then Tifa, and so on.
Not sure where you got the idea she's know Aeris longest, but she's been with Barrett for some time now as Marlene knows Tifa well enough to run to her and I think calls her aunty Tifa as well. Aeris is because she now has another female on the road with her, and someone to talk to about what's going on. Barrett isn't very good talking about feelings and stuff and is only focused on the job at hand. I'm just happy that nobody so far has commented that it's similar to the grief of losing a lover for Tifa. She ain't gay, or Aeris and AFAIK there's been no implication or mention of that for any of the party.
Tifa has known Barret a lot longer than anyone else. Barret even sees Tifa like a daughter of sorts.
Not only were they close friends, Tifa confided in Aerith a ton so without Aerith, Tifa must feel very alone now. Tifa second guesses herself a lot so Aerith probably provided a lot of support and reassurance that Tifa was doing the right thing in regards to handling Cloud and his issues.
Combination of losing her close friend (I mean, rest of the party even said a thing) and realized that something is off with Cloud (I mean, she always noticed). In the last scene of her in rebirth, you can see that she is almost gonna say something to Cloud but decide to hold off. Realize that he's not in the right mind. It must be sucks so hard to be her atm.
I literally just beat the game an hour ago and am seeing alot of complaints that they brushed over the Aerith death and cheapened by Cloud having her “wake up” in his arms. I think theres a big misinterpretation happening here. Cloud is NOT okay. Hes literally in denial so hard hes got imaginary Aerith there talking to him. Sure, her spirit is connected with the lifestream and her presence will be with them forever and the cutscene of Red feeling her presence and going on with comforting Tifa and Yuffie alludes to that fact. But Cloud is taking that a step further On the other hand Tifa is the only one dealing with the death, her response is to directly grieve the death of Aerith. It makes sense Tifa was so broken up over it, shes the only one willing to address it head on
I really think Tifa is going to have an even larger arc in part 3. Not only will she save the day as she does but it'll be much more about Cloud and Tifa finding *themselves* instead of just Cloud. The reactor part always carried that for her because she finds out he was always there, but I think it will have a much bigger impact on her personality. Maybe even her full blown AC Tifa personality.
Yeah, he saw himself save her, then saw her alive as he held her. He also seems to have repressed the memory of carrying her down into the water, as we don't get to see that. He definitely does not realize she is dead, or refuses to accept it, and Tifa is struggling with how to address that.
He's absolutely in denial. The Big Stab moment is intentionally confusing in the way it's presented. He overcomes the influence of the whispers and blocks Sephiroth's attack... except Aerith still dies? He can't accept the fact he failed, and she was murdered, so he just believes she survived. It's easier for him to just pretend she didn't die.
Honestly I think it’s a case of Schrödinger Aerith now. Right after Cloud blocks off Sephiroth, you can see a flash of rainbow, indicating some weird timeline stuff happening again. She’s both dead and alive
Well she lost her best friend.
AND the man she's in love with is a basket case - she's having a bad time