While conventional wisdom and the original Final Fantasy VII might suggest to some that Aerith is the "best" girl for the stoic but surprisingly sweet swordsman, Cloud Strife, the developers in the Remake trilogy (and fate) see things differently. It's no secret that the ongoing story in Rebirth is not a straight retelling, and in this alternate universe, the developers explore gaming's enduring love triangle.
"Cloud's thought of deeply by two different women. What a lucky guy," said producer Yoshinori Kitase in a wide-ranging interview with Inverse (thanks, GamesRadar+). Director Naoki Hamaguchi piped up with something more definitive, suggesting Aerith has always "been this sort of sisterly character pulling Cloud along and encouraging him". Explored in an alternate timeline in Rebirth, the two go on a melancholy date, which Hamaguchi thought expresses that Aerith "is feeling what is to come, and understanding her fate. She's still pushing Cloud along and leading him in this way. It shows her pure heartedness and inner strength".
While admittedly biased, we take this as confirmation of our long-held belief that childhood friend Tifa is the true and rightful love of Cloud's life, which, we believe, constitutes "shipping" them. That Rebirth takes the time to flesh out this relationship so much more is likely another reason we think it's such a special game. Hamaguchi provided a nice capstone: "Ultimately, we can all agree that love is complicated. Even more so, I imagine, when there's magic involved".