Hear me out: I know the concept of Square Enix “apologizing” to fans is ridiculous, but there’s no way they weren’t aware of the incredible s🌞hip wars they ignited with the love triangle in Final Fantasy VII, both with the Japanese and international audiences. When you look at the facts, it really seems like Squall and Rinoa’s romance in Final Fantasy VIII was their tribute to a relationship they brutally and tragically sank.
[Major Spoilers For Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII]
Let’s look at the dynamics of the original love triangle between Tifa, Cloud, and Aerith (to say nothing of the Remake’s dynamic). A closed off, emotionওally difficult boy’s two love interests are his down to earth childhood friend that he has a history with, and a manic pixie 🍨dream girl that crashes into his life all of a sudden. No matter who you choose in the infamous “date” mechanic in the early game, Aerith, the manic pixie dream girl, is killed off.
Despite the fact that the player can opt not to pursue a romance with Tifa in the latter half of the game, it’s pretty clear from their close relationships in all of the post-game media that they’re meant to have gotten together. It was a landslide victory for fans of Cloud/Tifa, 🥀while leaving Cloud/Aerith fans with nothing but a tragedy🤡.
Thenಌ, Final Fantasy VIII enters, stage right. The dynamics of the previous love triangle are replicated: Squall, an emotionally closed off boy, is pursued by both Quistis, someone he grew up with, and Rinoa, a manic pixie dream girl who crashes into his life. The emotionally constipated boy ends up with the manic pixie dream girl this time, though thankfully not because of any killing off of female characteꦿrs.
Admittedly, the “romance” between Squall and Quistis is nowhere near as established as the one between Cloud and Tifa/Aerith. It’s only really mentioned in a🌌 few lines after they find out that they were foster siblings early on in their life, and Quistis confesses that she must have misinterpreted her familial affection for him as romantic feelings due to having forgotten him.
Still, there’s no denying that the Squall/Rinoa dynamic mirrors the Cloud/Aerith dynamic qui🐟te a bit. I guess Square Enix could have been simply trying to change things up, but honestly? It’s not so impossible that part of that narrative mirroring was a genuine response to the fervent “ship wars” that stemmed fr🌜om the previous love triangle.