Cloud and Tifa? Cloud and Aerith? Or Aerith and Tifa? Voice actor Cody Christian, who plays Cloud in the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth plays, is not very enthusiastic about “shipping”. He believes that “shippers” who “overtly ___ualize any relationship can ruin the development of a great story.”
Christian commented via Twitter, following the latest Rebirth trailer shared by Square Enix. Longtime fans of the original (as well as the remake) have many opinions about who should be Cloud’s love interest in the love triangle between Tifa and Aerith, which has sparked many heated debates online.
Toxic fans threaten to ruin history
“’Shippers’ fails at the idea that one character can have meaningful relationships with MULTIPLE characters. That ensures comprehensive depth,” says Christian. “The need to overtly ___ualize any relationship can ruin the development of a great story.”
While the relationships between Cloud, Tifa and Aerith could be interpreted as platonic, the subtext of “who will he choose?” certainly appealed to many players – although the discourse around choices often veers into toxicity. However, Christian developed a thick skin after gaining fame on Teen Wolf, which prepared him for Final Fantasy VII Remake.
“The majority of people wanted me fired and replaced without ever hearing me speak,” he says. “To do what we did and make it successful and mean so much to the core audience, I’m not afraid of Rebirth.”
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is scheduled to release exclusively for PS5 on February 29th. Want to stay up to date on all things Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? Here you can find all articles from our detailed reporting.
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via SamaGame, images: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square Enix
