The Artwork of Yoshitaka Amano
by Anastar
The unique artwork of Yoshitaka Amano is recognized and respected all over the world. Amano served as the primary concept artist and character designer for the Final Fantasy series until Tetsuya Nomura took that position over as the development of Final Fantasy VII started. It was Nomura’s character designs that were used in Final Fantasy VII, yet Amano still did a great deal of the visual concept design, image design, and artwork for the game. Although little is known about the original plot of Final Fantasy VII, a lot can be inferred from Amano's concept art.
In the first place, Aerith is the only woman with whom Cloud is pictured in Amano's concept art, which is significant since canon couples are usually pictured together. Amano's artwork also clearly portrays a love relationship existing between Cloud and Aerith. Two pictures of Cloud and Aerith by Amano with romantic overtones can be seen below.
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In the picture on the left, Cloud and Aerith are shown together in the moonlight, which may be the night of their date at the Gold Saucer. Cloud is even seen holding Aerith in his arms in the picture on the right. The scene shown below is often assumed to be Cloud laying Aerith to rest, although it may also show the prelude to a romantic encounter between them. It’s quite obvious from Amano’s artwork that Aerith was intended as Cloud's love interest in the original version of Final Fantasy VII.
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Aerith also appears to be in tune with nature, since birds, butterflies, and other creatures of the forest are often seen near her in Amano’s art. This would be in keeping with the portrayal of the Sleeping Forest as a passage to the Forgotten City of the Ancients. Many animals also gather around Cloud and Aerith in the picture below of them sitting together on a hillside. This picture, called Tranquility, was originally created by Amano to be the soundtrack cover for Final Fantasy VII. This same picture is also seen hanging on a wall in one scene of Parasite's Eve I, which is further discussed in the essay Cameo Appearances.
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In contrast, Tifa is never shown with Cloud in Amano's artwork. She is portrayed only by herself in battle gear, with nothing to suggest a love relationship. Her picture can be seen to the left below.
Some of Amano’s art also shows a love relationship existing between Sephiroth and Aerith, as shown in the picture to the right below. Could this possibly indicate that the Love Triangle was originally intended to exist between Cloud, Aerith, and Sephiroth? This would make sense if Sephiroth was truly Cetra in the original script, as he thought in Nibelheim after reading about the Jenova project in the basement of the Shinra mansion.
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More of Amano’s artwork can be seen at Creative Uncut, Amano's World, Final Fantasy World, and Final Fantasy Turkiye. We can only speculate to what extent Amano’s art portrays the original intentions of Squaresoft prior to Nomura taking the position of character designer, but it definitely shows that Cloud and Aerith were considered to be romantically involved at some point in the game’s development.
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