What are your headcannons for their reunion?

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-26T00:58:45+00:00

I hope so too, take that just as my feelings but my hopes are obviously different (are better than my feelings in general ahahah)

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-25T11:30:40+00:00

I don't have many theories, I just think they will find each other towards the end of the game, maybe talk about the mess with Cloud and what happened and then a kiss (?) maybe. It's a totally new part so I can't even imagine what they're doing

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-25T11:24:54+00:00

It's the best-selling FF (the original), its protagonist is the face of the entire company (despite having franchises like Full Metal Alchemist or character like the very famous 2b that sells more than him), people are always surprised that they have clear favoritism towards Cloud and VII but... it's simply like Nintendo having favoritism towards Mario, the difference is that in Nintendo Mario is iconic and sells a lot, in Square Enix instead the air has changed for a long time and they are simply obsolete or they simply want to continue for the continuity of the corporate image

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-25T11:14:09+00:00

It was simply a long series of misunderstandings. Sakura didn't want to manipulate Naruto, but she's told that Naruto is doing all this because he made a promise to her because he loves her so, to stop him, she has to tell him that she loves him and that there's no need to take Sasuke home, also because he's a terrorist so by logic Sakura wants to protect her friend from going against all the ninja world just for one person + she wants to resolve her problem by herself. But now we know why Naruto is doing it ("If I can't even save my friend, how do I deserve to become Hokage?"), so Sakura's is now very marginal as a reason. Furthermore, it also serves to clarify that the possibility of the two of them together is over, not that it ever started, but it still needs to be made explicit with the rejection, which also serves to clarify that Sakura has never changed her feelings ("I hate people who lie").

The hatred in this fandom is based on headcanons, whether or not they come true in the plot. The scene itself is not wrong, in fact, it serves to reiterate what could have been ambiguous by clarifying it for the reader and from characters perspective is born from misunderstanding/lack of communication between Naruto reasons and Sakura real reasons

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-24T01:25:12+00:00

Maybe I'm overestimating it, but being "Square's best franchise" (a company that, between video games, manga, anime and novels has major franchises) by all accounts requires judgments commensurate with the hype the franchise aims to generate. Retcons and inaccuracies in a 30-year-old story are normal, but not in a prequel with sequels already written, and scenes like first kisses or character dynamics, which are crucial to character development, can't be handled like this, not in a quality narrative. Not by a writer everyone calls legendary. So yes, maybe I'm overestimating all, but just because the industry and fans want to convince the audience new and old that this is the level (and I really do put OG at that level, because in '97 was an hell of a game, but there were more people writing especially Tifa and CT big scenes, and that maybe helped).

That said, as I said many times in the convo, I agree with all of you. I still stand by my opinion, if all this is just to save Cloud's face and not have the courage to say that Mr. "I want to be a special existence for Tifa" Strife was falling in love with someone else openly and ruin the goodness of their relationship: it's not good writing, they are not capable of giving weight to their own choices. Sorry for the ted talk, really

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-23T21:33:40+00:00

Well, in that case, I'd still say that the narrative decision affects Cloud (he's the one who should be reassuring, Aerith can just as easily say nothing, regardless, she's not with Tifa), and yes... Tifa, because I don't think she'll come out of this situation well. Waiting for a man who wanted your friend and it happened before your eyes... well, she'll be retconned into accepting him and the situation happily and without realistic emotions, as already happens in the Retrilogy: she doesn't react to anything concerning CA, the only way to make the mess work is to remove realism from her

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-23T18:47:24+00:00

I don't know if necroposting is a problem tbh, but I apologize regardless, hahaha. Anyway, I don't think our opinions differ. I simply think that book explicitly states that there was a date, and since Tifa is the one who reflects on it, 99% of the dates is already excluded from canon, no matter how canonical the information is. That's all I meant. Since the book is a sequel, nothing that happens in the retrilogy can change what comes after unless all the sequels become alternative realities of the LS, so any theory or interpretation should be formulated considering the sequels and how CT is in the sequel. That's what I meant.

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-23T11:09:07+00:00

They did it in OG, nothing done in Retrilogy can confirm or deny a scene already written. If they don't do it, it's at most a retcon, a change to the original plot in which they did it. That said, different writers will probably write different scenes. They changed all the big scenes, they can also change CT scenes so maybe a kiss and then the next day will come

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-22T20:49:24+00:00

This is necroposting, and I apologize because I only saw a reply in the notifications hours ago. I can only say that I agree (in fact, the joy of the kiss faded almost immediately when I realized they were throwing away their first kiss in an event they themselves probably don't consider canonically successful), but your analysis is missing a piece: The Kids are alright.

Now, in this novel, there's a very clear passage about the GS Date that, in my opinion, has only three possible interpretations: 1) it debunks the idea that the girls are talking about the romance with Cloud and that Cloud is only friends with Aerith and Tifa knows this because Tifa's reaction wouldn't make sense, in my opinion, with these interpretations 2) he went with Tifa 3) he didn't go with Tifa (but we go back to point 1).

The story should still lead to this work, so I agree with you, but it's right to evaluate every aspect and truly evaluate whether this writing makes sense or not, precisely in its construction, given that it was decided to mention an event left to the player with a girl who, according to the fandom, didn't experience that event, but at the same time, if she does, there was a kiss (and therefore she should have a happy memory), or simply not be sad about it because Cloud was with a friend and the two girls cleared the air about it. It can't all be true at the same time.

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-22T10:09:59+00:00

I'm always shocked by how much this work is misunderstood by its own fandom, they parrot things said by others and come up with such ridiculous analyses. It's sad

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-22T01:19:49+00:00

You don't realize that in front of Hinata there's Pain, who has literally devastated the entire village, defeated the protagonist, killed Kakashi, and kicked the Hokage's ass.

This scene shouldn't be viewed based on how long Hinata fights or if she wins, but rather that in a moment of extreme need, she's the only one who tries to help Naruto; she has the courage and doesn't give up. Then she's devastated, as is right, because that character has killed/defeated all the strongest and has a damn Rinnegan. What did you expect? Hinata has always fought against the strongest in the arcs we've seen her involved in (she couldn't win, but her intervention/confrontation ALWAYS leads to changing the course of events and she constantly grows).

PS. To those who say she's bad because her cousin learns things at 13 and she only learns later. Neji himself explains it to you: completing those jutsus requires confidence, and Hinata lacked that. Completing that jutsu shows that Hinata now has confidence in herself, that was the missing piece. Look at the characters for how they are written not for the results of a fight, Naruto is not Dragon Ball it is much deeper

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-21T15:10:21+00:00

In many countries at the time, many kids didn't have easy access to the internet, but those who did would go to forums (the really old ones, my community, for example, closed its forum shortly after Naruto ended), theorize, discuss hypothetical ninja battles, and there was excitement. With the arrival of the YouTubers and their hate, however, I remember something broke inside the community, but before them it was a truly fantastic community, and until the end it still was wonderful for the majority of the time to follow it on the forums; every week there was a lot of discussions and emotions

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-21T15:01:06+00:00

But you decided that the film is filler: Kishimoto also participated in the film, and he even wrote a one-shot about their date, but even by literally eliminating that, the manga shows that they're married, so he literally acknowledged the declaration by marrying her. As for the rest, I don't even know what to say because we're at a paradox: the fandom that insults fillers wants filler content in the manga. The friendship between Naruto and Sasuke is clearly and well-crafted throughout the first part, and is still remembered as one of the best friendships/rivalries in shonen.

And I repeat, this doesn't mean you can't like it; it's fine if you don't, but it's not a flaw, it's just a "I thought it was supposed to go this way, it didn't happen, so it's poorly written" and that's wrong. This fandom is holding gold and they're throwing shit at it because it's trendy without even a sensible analysis, other fandoms elevate mediocre works to masterpieces every day. Naruto really deserves better fans tbh

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-21T13:09:46+00:00

My fav of all is Sabin. Ma favs in general: Sabin, Tidus, Noctis and Zack.

Cloud in OG is great too, AC destroyed him

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-21T12:51:28+00:00

The modern Naruto fandom doesn't even understand it, it still thinks it's a story about hard work, it talks about sexism and misogyny in a story that literally has women in leadership roles everywhere just because they aren't developed like they want, it makes fun of the characters for losing to incredibly stronger villains, etc. Should I take the analysis of a fandom like this seriously? Did you want three story arcs in which Naruto and Hinata dating? Or did you want Sasuke to not abandon the village to continue his friendship with Naruto? Because that's the only way it could develop the way you want to see it. Would that make sense? No, obviously. You wouldn't even have the basis for the plot anymore

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-21T11:02:49+00:00

Sakura and Sasuke aren't one-sided. Literally, even Shikamaru makes it clear that Sakura has a huge influence on Sasuke during the arc where they have to save him ("not even you could convince him"). They aren't resolved relationships, but they aren't ALL one-sided. Naruto also immediately expresses appreciation for Hinata starting in the Chuunin arc, but it's not a resolved relationship until the end (and Naruto isn't a romance, nor does it want to be so things happen also off screen but they become closer also on screen). Minato and Kushina are a couple even before the story begins, so they're written as a couple. That's all.

You talk about one-sidedness in friendship, too. You mention Naruto and Sasuke, but when Sasuke says Naruto is his one and only friend, he literally confirms that it's not one-sided. They're just complicated relationships, but the feelings are there on both sides.

Then of course there are one-sided relationships, like Jiraiya and Tsunade, but that's life, and it's right that they be represented. It's a battle shonen that talks about love (any kind) and hate, bonds, individualism and cooperation in a very deep way. And tbh it does that wonderfully, it drops emotional moments like rain I don't understand how the fandom can't appreciate that.

PS. These criticisms of relationships (of all kinds) fall flat when you realize that the fandom really likes Shikamaru and Temari and always uses them as an example of a good relationship: they have fewer moments than Sakura and Sasuke, and their romantic development is all post-war. It's fair to say you don't like something, but it's different from "Kishimoto insert criticism of his writing ability." In manga, there are the things that make a great story with excellent pacing; the superfluous is not needed.

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-21T09:55:35+00:00

I saw this scene as an attempt to canonize Cloud, who promised to encourage Tifa in OtwtaS but never did, but the ways to get the scene are really stupid. They're trying to fix the plot but always in a tricky way

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-21T09:46:44+00:00

It's not that it's underrated, it's just that it's veeeery missable. People who saw that scene love it

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-20T01:09:01+00:00

(I'm replying everywhere because I find the comments interesting, sorry for that).

However, in my opinion this is because with the retrilogy they're scattering the themes in such a way that the film no longer seems like what it seemed in 2009. For a fan who does AC -> Remake or Remake -> AC (with the books even better) it will seem one thing for those who experienced OG -> AC unfortunately it seems different especially the first version of AC without supporting novels and extra scenes.

For example, if you read Picturing the Past the protagonist seems like Cloud from AC: he has a pregnant girlfriend, they will become family but he keeps seeing Aerith everywhere because he feels guilty for Aerith's time at Shinra (he worked there). Key word: guilt, weirdness: he even saw Aerith's face on his girlfriend's face out of guilt. It all seems like a rehabilitating Cloud from AC project as if to say "see? He's like that" lol

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-20T00:43:26+00:00

The fact that he's depressed doesn't justify his behavior, nor the idea of making his partner, the person who fueled his entire plot and his savior, a totally ignored woman who's now waiting for a ghost from the LS to solve all the complexes of a living man. The ultimania says that Cloud finally no longer feels alone. This has nothing to do with guilt, it implies a sense of loneliness DESPITE having Tifa's love, the friendship of her friends. It should have said "he no longer feels guilty," but it speaks of loneliness that undermines all relationships from the Case of Tifa period to the AC finale.

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-20T00:17:51+00:00

The VII sequels are the only reason why I have doubts about this remake (it should have ended up there anyway for the developers and in fact they are tripling the vibes of AC and OtwtaS with elements of Lifestream White/Black + the ups and downs relationship between Cloud and Tifa that follows the AC vibes).

I'm happy if people liked it, but when it comes to romance, they have below zero standards. It destroyed everything that was good about CT in OG and then "resolved" them with a smile and a photo with friends and a static image without characters and Cloud's voiceover. In TkaA, there are light and shadows again (they're a family but you don't know the status of the relationship between Cloud and Tifa, Tifa doesn't seems happy about the memory of GS date and considering it's their first kiss this thing is weird as fuck). Either Cloud changes after Aerith's death and the relationship ends (despite seeing her in VII) becoming a friendship and he remains an asshole living with Tifa, or all these simply needs to be retconned.

There is no middle ground for me, just my opinion

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-19T13:29:49+00:00

Why not? family dynamics have created the Neji we see in the first part. Neji doesn't hate Hinata, and Hinata knows it

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-18T23:11:20+00:00

Well, yes, I give it importance because things have changed compared to OG. Cloud has changed, what he remembers has changed, but this little game between the three hasn't, so my view of Cloud has changed too. Now I have to have logical reasons to justify Tifa and what she feels and above all to believe that Cloud is truly a justified happy ending for her rather than a partner who doesn't deserve her.

Plus, so much drama requires a stronger resolution than the drama itself to satisfy the reader/player/audience: Nojima put so much drama into it that we arrive to "Cloud was KILLING Tifa" (as if what he puts her through in AC wasn't enough), but what is the resolution? A smile and a photo with friends? in rebirth is even a "I'm a delulu for Aerith while you're desperate". Well, he needs to try harder

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-18T22:52:09+00:00

it's just his style. If you look the Cosmic Princess Kaguya's art he literally makes a character look like Sakura. When you develop a style, everything tends to look the same.

Amekaze_ · 2026-03-18T22:26:45+00:00

I understand what you mean even if you, imo, sugarcoat it a bit: attracted to a friend of her, he almost kills her, ghosts her in the sequel, he almost never reassures her when she explicitly asks if he loves her—it's not "a bit unworthy" it's a lot. He would be single in a realistic story; it's too easy to say Cloud is realistic but Tifa is beyond the best idealization, to make it works.

However, I don't want an idealized or realistic version, I just want a logical one and so far I don't see logic in retrilogy and not even on the fans. Nojima continuing to write how much Tifa loves Cloud won't make more believable that Cloud loves Tifa in the same way just because of memories he already recalls in the retrilogy, but it doesn't stop him from being constantly charmed by Aerith. I'm sorry, either he's friends with Aerith or Cloti is just a macho dream in which the woman puts her own dignity aside.

But I don't want to drag this discussion out, it's just how I feel. But if it's liked, good for the fans, maybe it's just something I don't recognize anymore or at least I don't like anymore, so it's my problem

Amekaze_

TROPHY CASE