Cloud Strife

Cloud Strife is the main protagonist in Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and also appears in the spin-off games of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, including Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, as a supporting character.

An arrogant and proud swordsman at first, Cloud believes himself to be a member of an elite warrior unit called SOLDIER. He discovers that his memories are false and, with the help of his friends, learns there is more to being a hero than possessing physical strength and fame.

Appearance
Cloud stands at 5'7" with a lean yet muscular build. His blond hair is spiked, and in Final Fantasy VII features one particularly large spike. Cloud's hair has become one of the trademarks of his appearance, although in later appearances the spikes have been toned down. Cloud has blue eyes, which glow due to having being exposed to Mako. Because "Mako eyes" are an icon of SOLDIER, Cloud is often mistaken as one. His weapon is the Buster Sword, a massive sword several feet long which he wields in most of his appearances. Cloud's other trademark weapon is a set of Fusion Swords, which he uses in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. The set consists of six individual interconnecting swords that form a larger sword similar in shape and size to the Buster Sword.

Cloud's outfit in Final Fantasy VII is the standard uniform for 1st Class SOLDIER: indigo pants with a sleeveless shirt, and a belt. Cloud wears brown boots and gauntlets with a pauldron over his left shoulder. This is the uniform he wears for most of his other appearances, with slight variations.

In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Cloud wears the blue uniform of a Shinra Electric Power Company infantryman with several belts and straps and a green-gray piece of cloth around the collar. He wears his helmet to conceal his identity at times. After he gains the SOLDIER 1st class uniform his appearance is the same as in Final Fantasy VII, albeit with both shoulder pauldrons in-tact and the SOLDIER logo as it is in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-.

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Cloud's clothing design was made with fighting in mind, and the concept began with a black robe and was restructured into the final version seen in the film. Cloud's hair was changed both to show the passage of time since Final Fantasy VII, and to be more realistic. He wears a high collar sleeveless black shirt, black pants and boots, and black cloth covering his left leg and arm; the cloth on his arm hides his Geostigma symptoms. Cloud gains a new pauldron, and his chest is covered by two straps, held in place by a badge representing Fenrir, a wolf that has come to be associated with him. Like the rest of the party, he wears a pink ribbon around his left arm in remembrance of Aerith Gainsborough, though it stays hidden for most of the movie.

In Kingdom Hearts, Cloud's costume was designed to resemble that of Vincent Valentine. He wears a tattered red cloak with dark blue pants and a shirt and brown boots. The costume features many crossing belts and gloves, the left of which has golden trimmings, almost like a claw. Cloud's most distinctive trait in this appearance is a demonic black wing protruding from his left shoulder, symbolizing both his connection to Sephiroth, and the dark powers he is using. The costume can be obtained as DLC in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. In Kingdom Hearts II, Cloud is identical to his appearance in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, save that his new sword is loosely bound as the Buster Sword was in Kingdom Hearts.

Personality


In Final Fantasy VII, due to the combined effects of Mako poisoning and the influence of Jenova's cells in his body, Cloud unknowingly holds a fake persona created by the Jenova cells mixing his memories of Zack's personality with the cocky and selfish attitude he believes a SOLDIER 1st Class would have. After restoring his true personality, Cloud shows genuine concern for the Planet's fate, a sharp contrast to his persona at the start where he claimed he did not care and only agreed to help AVALANCHE for the right price. The true Cloud is open-minded and cares about the bond he forged with his friends.

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and many related appearances, Cloud is a somber character, tormented by guilt over what he perceives as his past failings to save those he cares about. The final straw was contracting the terminal Geostigma plague, adding to his feelings of helplessness. Distancing from his friends and living alone, Cloud tries to keep his affliction secret. Cloud faces his past both metaphorically and literally, and with the shows of loyalty from the friends he tried to let go he comes to forgive himself and moves on. It is unclear what this ultimately means in terms of his personality and lifestyle.

In Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, Cloud is a shy, but more upbeat person who idolizes Zack and Sephiroth, but even after being betrayed by his idol he does not hesitate to avenge.

Cloud remains steadfastly loyal and true to those he cares about and is driven to protect them, going as far as to hide his pain and emotions so he would not worry them. His selfless and kind nature lets him overcome Sephiroth time and again. Cloud has a lighter side, willingly crossdressing as a woman to save Tifa from Don Corneo's mansion. When the party arrives at Costa del Sol, Tifa asks Cloud what he thought about Barret dressed as a sailor; one option is to reply "He looked like a bear wearing a marshmallow," much to Barret's annoyance. He has a dry, ironic wit in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- and overall, while Cloud has a moody demeanor, his personality is not as brooding as that of Vincent Valentine.

Cloud suffers from motion sickness that is seemingly cured during the period he upholds a fake SOLDIER persona, but returns when his true self is restored, although him riding the Fenrir on delivery business suggests his motion sickness has since improved.

Early life


Cloud was born in the mountain village of Nibelheim, and was neighbors with Tifa Lockhart. His father died when he was young and he was raised by his mother. As a child, Cloud had no close friends and perhaps as a coping mechanism, convinced himself he was superior to the other village children and so didn't care for their company. He had a crush on Tifa, but hated her friends, calling them immature. Although the two consider each other (and are considered by others) to be childhood friends, by Tifa's own account they were not close growing up, despite him having been her neighbor.

When Cloud was nine, Tifa's mother died, and Tifa insisted she could meet her by crossing Mt. Nibel. Cloud followed her and when a bridge collapsed he fell when trying to save her. He escaped unharmed but Tifa's life was in grave danger. The townsfolk believed the expedition up the mountain to have been Cloud's idea, and Tifa's father forbade Cloud from approaching her. Cloud blamed himself for failing to save her and developed an anger problem, getting into fights for little to no reason.

At the age of thirteen Cloud learned of Sephiroth and his exploits. Resolving to become a hero like him, Cloud decided to set out and join SOLDIER. He called Tifa out to the water tower to tell her about his departure, hoping to impress her and upon her request promised to save her if she ever found herself in trouble. The following spring, he left for Midgar.

Shinra Militant
Cloud's dreams were cut short as despite his bravado he never made it into SOLDIER and became a mere ordinary Shinra infantryman. On June 28th, 0001, Cloud is among those ordered to protect Professor Rayleigh in Midgar from the insurgency organization AVALANCHE. Though he is unsuccessful, their lives are saved by the Player Turk. During the incident Cloud displays impressive sword skills for a regular infantryman.

In autumn, while working for Shinra during Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-, he meets a first-class SOLDIER named Zack Fair on their way to Modeoheim, and the two befriend after learning they are both "backwater experts". When he and Zack infiltrate a Mako Excavation Facility, they encounter Genesis Rhapsodos and Dr. Hollander. When Hollander attempts to escape, Cloud briefly captures him. Hollander breaks free and Cloud gives pursuit, but both he and Tseng—the leader of the Turks—are taken down by Angeal Hewley.

Zack and Cloud meet again on September 0002 while protecting Junon from Genesis's attack. On September 22nd, 0002, Cloud returns to Nibelheim along with Zack and Sephiroth to investigate a damaged Mako Reactor on Mt. Nibel, and Tifa is to act as their guide. Embarrassed of his failure to join SOLDIER, Cloud hides his identity from the townspeople, and especially Tifa, by always wearing his helmet, although he does visit his mother who asks about his new life with Shinra.

When the expedition reaches the reactor, Sephiroth discovers Professor Hojo's experiments with makonoids and Jenova, whom Sephiroth mistakenly believes to be his mother. Cloud is knocked out by Genesis and is helped back into town by Tifa. When Cloud regains consciousness, he is angry at not being strong enough. Sephiroth locks himself in the Shinra Manor's basement, immersing in Professor Gast Faremis's writings, and discovers his dark past, as well the secrets regarding the Cetra and the Promised Land. On October 1st Sephiroth destroys the village on a rampage, fueled by his newfound hate for the "traitors" of the Ancients, the humans.

Cloud witnesses his mother's death in the ensuing fire and rushes to the reactor to confront Sephiroth where he finds both a gravely wounded Tifa and a barely conscious Zack. Cloud picks up Zack's Buster Sword, catches Sephiroth off guard in the reactor core, and impales him. When Cloud returns to attend to Tifa, a wounded Sephiroth emerges from the reactor core, but when Cloud attacks again, Sephiroth stabs him with the Masamune. Cloud summons previously unknown strength and uses the katana as a lever to hurl Sephiroth into the Mako pit below before collapsing.

Cloud and Zack, as well as other survivors in the town, become Professor Hojo's test subjects. Injecting them with Jenova's cells and exposing them to Mako, Hojo attempts to test his Jenova Reunion Theory and turns them into Sephiroth Clones. Since Zack had gone through a similar process in SOLDIER, his body resists the experiments, but Cloud develops a severe Mako poisoning. Hojo labels the two failures, places them in a cryogenic sleeping state and leaves them in their pods in the Shinra Manor basement.

Four years later (December 19th, 0006) Zack breaks out of his confinement and helps a vegetative Cloud escape, giving him a SOLDIER uniform to wear as his old clothes are soaked with Mako. Due to the experiments Cloud is weak and delirious but during their journey Zack tells the unresponsive Cloud about his life and his plans for both of them to become mercenaries in Midgar. Though Cloud is unable to partake in the events, he is present when Zack defeats Genesis.

After almost a year of running, the pair arrives outside Midgar in September 0007. The Shinra forces catch up and Zack fights to defend both Cloud and himself against overwhelming numbers. Zack is gunned down, but the soldiers ignore the vegetative Cloud. He regains some awareness and crawls over to Zack who entrusts the Buster Sword to him, telling Cloud his legacy will live on inside Cloud, before dying. Buster Sword in hand, Cloud trudges off towards Midgar.

Cloud undergoes a transformation due to the combined trauma caused by the Nibelheim incident, Mako poisoning, and witnessing Zack's death. Cloud impresses Zack's memories and fighting abilities into his own, along with Tifa's memories of him and his own ideal image of himself as a SOLDIER, creating a new set of memories with an accompanying persona. What emerges in Cloud's mind is a reality in which he joined SOLDIER and was Sephiroth's partner—Zack did not exist—and in most of Cloud's twisted memories he takes Zack's place. Cloud presents himself in Midgar as a former 1st Class SOLDIER, now a mercenary for hire.

Mercenary Days and AVALANCHE


Shortly before Final Fantasy VII, Tifa runs into Cloud at the Sector 7 Slums train station mumbling deliriously and being attended by a confused station worker. Though he becomes lucid upon recognizing her, his inconsistent memories, bouts of blackouts and head pains concern her, especially since once he recovers from these bouts he has no idea they'd happened. Now a member of the anti-Shinra terrorist group AVALANCHE, Tifa requests Cloud join the group so she can secretly keep an eye on his condition.

Cloud helps AVALANCHE attack the Sector 1 Reactor on December 9th. Claiming he does not care about the Planet and is only working for money, Cloud attempts to walk out after returning to AVALANCHE hideout in Tifa's 7th Heaven bar, but she reminds him of the promise he made to her after deciding to join SOLDIER.

Though Cloud puts up an indifferent front, he is more troubled than he lets on. A mysterious voice arises from within him every now and then, reminding him of something that happened in the past, but Cloud braves to ignore and suppress it.

After blowing up the Sector 5 Reactor, Cloud is separated from the others when he falls into the Sector 5 Church where he meets Aeris Gainsborough and agrees to become her bodyguard in exchange for a date. Cloud ignores the voice in his head that tries to talk to him while he was unconscious on the church flowerbed, and again when he spends the night at Aeris's house. Tifa enters a "dating service" with the prize being a night with Don Corneo to extract information out of him. Cloud and Aeris, after disguising Cloud as a woman, attempt to rescue her, and meet the Don who admits Shinra has discovered AVALANCHE's base of operations.

To destroy AVALANCHE, Shinra drops the Sector 7 Plate of Midgar crushing the Sector 7 Slums. AVALANCHE members Jessie, Biggs and Wedge are killed trying to stop them, and Aeris is captured while taking Barret's daughter, Marlene, to safety. Cloud leads an attack on Shinra Headquarters to rescue her, where he meets Red XIII, and sees Jenova's headless remains stored in Hojo's lab, triggering another spout of hearing voices in his head. The group is captured and imprisoned, and during the night Cloud awakens to find the prison doors open and the guards slaughtered. He, Aeris, Barret, Tifa, and Red XIII follow a blood trail to the top floor and find President Shinra impaled on Sephiroth's katana. Cloud battles the new head of Shinra, Rufus, and escapes Midgar on a Hardy-Daytona motorcycle, the others riding alongside in a pickup.

Pursuit of Sephiroth
The group stays at an inn outside Midgar in Kalm where Cloud tells his version of what happened on the day Nibelheim was burned, with himself in Zack's place and Zack no longer present. Although Tifa knows the story is not true, she remains silent. The next day the group sets out to track Sephiroth down, going through the Mythril Mine where the Turks reveal Sephiroth is headed for Junon. Cloud and the group sneak into Junon, and, after saving a girl called Priscilla from a monster, are allowed to sleep over. In his sleep a voice tells Cloud to ask Tifa about the time he returned to Nibelheim as a SOLDIER, but when he does Tifa evades his question. After a welcoming parade for Rufus's honor, Cloud and the party stow away on a cargo ship bound for Costa del Sol.

The journey to find Sephiroth leads them through North Corel and the Gold Saucer, where the manager Dio gives Cloud and his friends a buggy to assist them in their travels, and the cat-robot Cait Sith joins their cause. The buggy breaks down, forcing the group to stay at Red XIII's hometown Cosmo Canyon, where the Elder Bugenhagen reveals critical information about the Planet and the Lifestream, and how Shinra's drilling for Mako affects them. When the group reaches Nibelheim they find the town rebuilt and inhabited by imposter villagers hired by Shinra who claim to have no recollection of either Cloud or Tifa, or the town ever having been burned down.

In the Shinra Mansion basement, Sephiroth appears and alludes to a "reunion" he feels Cloud should attend. Cloud and the group cross Mt. Nibel and visit Rocket Town where they escape on Cid Highwind's plane, only to have it shot down by Shinra soldiers. Adding Cid to their roster of allies, the group returns to Gold Saucer and claims the Keystone from Dio. Cloud and the group stay the night when the trolley to the park breaks down, and Cloud goes out with a party member. Cait Sith, who turns out to be a Shinra spy, steals the Keystone and turns it over to Tseng of the Turks.

Traveling to the Temple of the Ancients, Tseng is found gravely wounded after a struggle with Sephiroth, and he returns the Keystone. In the heart of the temple Cloud finds Sephiroth who reveals his plan to call the Ultimate Black Magic, Meteor, to deal a critical wound to the Planet. His plan is to have the Lifestream emerge to heal it so he can absorb its energy, becoming a god. Sephiroth leaves as Cloud discovers the temple itself is the Black Materia.

Cait Sith sacrifices himself to get the Black Materia, but Sephiroth returns, and because Cloud had been injected with Jenova cells during his four-year-long captivity in Shinra Manor, Sephiroth has control over Cloud, who hands over the Black Materia. Cloud goes berserk and attacks Aeris, but his friends knock him out. While unconscious, Aeris appears to Cloud in a dream, claiming only she can stop Sephiroth. When Cloud regains consciousness Barret and Tifa tell him Aeris has left, and Cloud resolves to follow her.

Cloud and company pursue Aeris through the Sleeping Forest to the Forgotten Capital where he finds her praying on an altar in the center of the city's underground complex. Cloud takes up the Buster Sword and attempts to attack her, his mind under Sephiroth's control. Stopping himself in the nick of time when his allies shout at him to stop, Sephiroth descends from above the altar and kills Aeris, impaling her with his Masamune. The party mourns Aeris's passing as Cloud rests her body in the lake. Cloud reveals to the party he has been under Sephiroth's control, and may become controlled again, asking his allies to stay with him despite this.

Meteorfall
Arriving at the North Crater, the party regains the Black Materia and Cloud gives it to a party member as he does not trust himself. Sephiroth appears and shows Cloud a partial vision of what really happened at Nibelheim, revealing Zack's presence in his stead but not Cloud's true part in the events. Shinra arrives and Professor Hojo reveals his Jenova Reunion Theory that Cloud is a part of. Cloud comes to believe he was created by Hojo and even his name and memories of being Tifa's childhood friend belong to someone else. The shock of his fabricated past shatters Cloud's mind and destroys his morale. Using an illusion to trick the party member with the Black Materia into coming to Cloud's aid, Sephiroth has Cloud take it back and he hands it to Sephiroth, who uses it to summon Meteor. After Cloud apologizes to Tifa for "not being the real Cloud", the crater shakes and Cloud falls into the Lifestream.

Surfacing at Mideel a week later, Cloud has been subjected to intense Mako poisoning within the Lifestream leaving him paralyzed and incoherent, in a state similar to when Zack rescued him from Shinra Manor a year before. Tifa stays to care for him while the rest of the party fights Shinra, who is risking an attempt to stop the Meteor now approaching the Planet. Ultimate Weapon, one of the Weapons created by the Planet to protect it, attacks Mideel, and Tifa and Cloud fall into the Lifestream and into Cloud's Subconscious where Tifa meets the "true Cloud".

The "true Cloud" is the part of himself Cloud had tried to deny and the one who remembers his past not as a SOLDIER member, but as a regular footsoldier. This Cloud appears as a young version of him, and is the origin of the voices in Cloud's head who had tried to remind him of his true self. Tifa helps Cloud piece together the memories of his childhood by comparing their memories to find which are true, and encourages Cloud to believe in his existence. Restored to his true self, Cloud resumes command of the party and is no longer plagued by an inner voice, finally accepting the truth about who he is.

Shinra's attempt to destroy the Meteor with Huge Materia fails, but Cloud's party is trapped in the Shinra No. 26 rocket when it takes off. While in the escape pod on their way back to the Planet, the party marvels how small the Planet is in the vastness of space, reaffirming their conviction to protect it. With Bugenhagen's guidance they discover Aeris had summoned the ultimate white magic spell Holy before Sephiroth killed her. It could stop Meteor, but Sephiroth is holding it back.

After Diamond Weapon attacks Midgar and Cloud and the party stop Hojo from relaunching the Sister Ray Mako Cannon to give Sephiroth a boost of energy, the group lands in the North Crater. Cloud asks everyone to find a reason to fight, and while the others depart he and Tifa spend the night under the stars. The next day the party descends through the Northern Cave to the depths of the Planet to confront Sephiroth. After Sephiroth's new god-like form is defeated, his mind is sent back into the Lifestream. Cloud, sensing Sephiroth is not dead, follows him mentally into the Lifestream and defeats Sephiroth in a final duel of will. He returns to his body with him help from Aerith. Cloud and the party escape the crater on the Highwind moments before Holy emerges to destroy Meteor. The Meteor's proximity causes Holy to hold back its full power, but Aeris commands the Lifestream to push Meteor back so Holy may destroy it and save the Planet.

Post-Crisis
In On the Way to a Smile: Case of Tifa, Cloud and Tifa build a new life together in the new city on Midgar's outskirts, called Edge. Cloud sets up a delivery business, the Strife Delivery Service. One day while visiting Aerith's old church a recently orphaned boy, Denzel, whose family was killed when the Sector 7 plate fell, finds Cloud's cellphone on his motorcycle. After Denzel attempts to call his home in Sector 7 and receives an error message, he calls 7th Heaven which he finds in Cloud's recent call log. Tifa picks up and asks Denzel why he has Cloud's cellphone. Denzel begins to cry and collapses from Geostigma. Cloud takes him home to live with him, Barret's daughter Marlene, and Tifa.

Although their new life as a family is happy, Cloud becomes insular. He admits to Tifa his problems are because "you can't reclaim lost lives", referring to his perceived guilt in the deaths of Aerith and Zack, and leaves, secretly moving out into the Sector 5 Church.

In Case of the Lifestream, Cloud is mentioned as being the core of Sephiroth's being. By focusing on his hatred of Cloud, Sephiroth avoids dissolution in the Lifestream, and believes Cloud's memories of him allow him to survive and be revived. Aerith thinks of Cloud during her attempts to battle Sephiroth's influence, resolving to contact him and help him fight Sephiroth's infection on the Lifestream at the source—the plague Geostigma.

In Final Fantasy VII Lateral Biography Turks -The Kids Are Alright-, needing fuel for his truck, Evan calls Strife Delivery Service from the phone in Dr. Drake's office and talks briefly with Denzel to arrange a meeting with Cloud. While waiting, Dr. Drake discusses a book he's reading, which details the experiments conducted on Jenova by the Shinra Science Department. When Cloud arrives, he informs Evan that if he wants to buy fuel there are three sources: the remnants of the Shinra Company, the World Regenesis Organization, and Don Corneo. Evan explains he's going to travel to Nibelheim to find a missing SOLDIER, and Cloud tells him to ask about the village at 7th Heaven.

Geostigma Crisis


In 0009, two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII during Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Cloud has left to look for a cure for Denzel's Geostigma and is infected himself due to his Jenova cells. Cloud has fallen into a cycle of guilt and depression, and so avoids calls from his friends. Cloud receives a call from Tifa that Reno has a job for him, and he is attacked by a mysterious trio of young men, three manifestations of Sephiroth's consciousness. In Healen Lodge Cloud is surprised to find Rufus alive, having survived Diamond Weapon's attack on Midgar, and suffering from Geostigma. The president offers Cloud to join them to fight the trio, led by Kadaj. Cloud rejects the offer after Reno brings up the idea of rebuilding Shinra.

Cloud arrives at Aerith's church to find an unconscious Tifa on the flower bed, having been beaten by Loz when she went looking for him. Marlene, Barret's adopted daughter, has been kidnapped and Cloud's Materia stash stolen. Cloud passes out from a Geostigma attack and he and Tifa are discovered by Reno and Rude who bring them to 7th Heaven to recover.

The three remnants kidnap children with Geostigma, among them Denzel, intending to have the children lead them to Jenova's remains. Although unsure if he should fight, Cloud goes to the Forgotten Capital after encouragement from Tifa and the Turks. On the way he is visited by an apparition of Aerith, and declares he is searching for forgiveness. Upon seeing Denzel and the other children under Kadaj's control, Cloud confronts the trio but is outmatched and rescued by Vincent Valentine who explains the true nature of Geostigma to him—a plague caused by Jenova's cells.

Marlene runs into Cloud's arms worried about Denzel but refusing to go home when Cloud asks Vincent to take her. Cloud resolves to take Marlene home and confront Kadaj. Back in Edge, Kadaj threatens Rufus and summons Bahamut SIN to attack the city. After Cloud drops Marlene off at the bar where she tells him not to give up, he finds the strength to take up arms again. After rescuing Tifa and Denzel he defeats Bahamut SIN with help from his old allies. He takes on Loz and Yazoo while chasing Kadaj through the Midgar Highway, and slices their weapons (and Loz's bike) in half. Loz and Yazoo are seemingly killed in the explosion set by Reno and Rude during the chase. Confronting Kadaj the battle takes Cloud back to Aerith's church where the Lifestream-infused water cures him of Geostigma.

Cloud battles Kadaj once more but the remnant absorbs Jenova's remains he had obtained from Rufus earlier, and Sephiroth is reborn. The ensuing battle at the ruins of the Shinra Building nearly kills Cloud, but Sephiroth makes the mistake of asking what is most important to Cloud and how he can take that away from him. Inspired by thoughts of his friends, living and dead, Cloud regains his strength and overwhelms Sephiroth with "Omnislash Version 5". Defeated, Sephiroth dissipates, leaving a dying Kadaj in his place.

Loz and Yazoo return and set off a kamikaze explosion that apparently kills all three of them, but Cloud is healed by Aerith's intervention, reawakening in the pool that now occupies the church. After helping Denzel into the pool's Lifestream-infused water to cure him of Geostigma, Cloud spots apparitions of Aerith and Zack near the doorway. Before they leave, Aerith's final words ensure Cloud will be all right. He silently replies that he will, because he knows he is not alone anymore.

In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, the climax of Cloud's battle with Sephiroth is more brutal. Zack appears to Cloud and speaks to him, giving him the strength to keep fighting, finishing off Sephiroth with a longer variation of "Omnislash Version 5". After everything is over, the newly polished Buster Sword is moved to Aerith's church from the hill Zack died on, and the hill has a grove of yellow flowers. Denzel asks if the place is a grave, to which Cloud responds it is not; it is the place where a hero began his journey.

Reminiscence
In a DVD extra, Cloud is making deliveries while taking calls from his friends. One call is from Vincent Valentine who has recently purchased a cellphone, asking Cloud to tell Yuffie she has no right to call him. Cloud makes a run to Barret's place and receives three packages: one for Marlene, one for Denzel, and a "Closed for Business" sign from Yuffie who has been trying to get a hold of him. The last call is to Tifa, asking her to close the bar the next day, hinting he would be taking a day off for all of the friends to meet up and possibly celebrate together, thus explaining the occasion for the group photo seen at the end of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children placed on Cloud's desk.

Deepground Conflict
One year later (0010) during Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, Cloud is not seen during the attack on Edge (assumed to have spirited away Denzel and Marlene). He assists the World Regenesis Organization and Vincent Valentine against the threat of Omega and Deepground and leads the ground assault on Midgar, facing Rosso the Crimson, and he and the others aid Vincent defeat Omega.

Final Fantasy VII
Cloud is best placed in the front row to ensure solid attack power despite being a workable magic caster. His Limit Breaks are the strongest in the game, but Cloud learns them slower than anyone else.

Cloud's stats are well rounded and he is among the characters with the highest values in every stat, notably Strength and Magic. His lowest stat is his Speed, which is still about average. He starts on level 6 but levels up to level 7 in the first battle; this is an allusion to number 7. However, stat growth is somewhat random in Final Fantasy VII, with characters having a chance to gain a boost in stats when they level up, but how much they get has a random element in deciding it.

Cloud is the only character in Final Fantasy VII to have two battle models: his regular model is used throughout the majority of battles, but a is used in the scripted battle against Sephiroth inside the Lifestream, that takes place after the final battle.

Flashback
The Cloud used in the flashback, more commonly known to fans as Young Cloud, has stats and could technically level up like a normal character, even though this is not possible in a normal game.

This Cloud shares his stat growth with Cait Sith, and has a unique Exp curve. His Exp curve is technically also Barret's Vitality curve, although in reality this does not mean much because both stats grow in a different way, with Exp only using half the values a normal stat does. Since this curve is not specifically designed for Exp, his growth starts out roughly twice as slow as a normal character, levels out between level 50 and 60, and then ends with a roughly a third of the standard max Exp for level 99.

Equipment
Cloud wields a variety of weapons throughout his appearances. His most iconic weapon is the Buster Sword, a massive two-handed broadsword he wields in Final Fantasy VII and most of his spin-off appearances. In Final Fantasy VII Cloud can equip katanas and other greatswords as well, though he continues to wield the Buster Sword in cutscenes.

Cloud's ultimate weapon is the Ultima Weapon, which sports the strongest Base Attack stat in the game, that increases in power the higher Cloud's HP is. Among his arsenal is the Apocalypse, one of only two equipment pieces in the game to give Triple Materia Growth, the other being Cid's Scimitar. His Yoshiyuki increases attack power by the number of dead allies in the active party.

Limit Breaks


Cloud has seven Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII: Braver and Cross-slash are his level 1 limits, Blade Beam and Climhazzard are his level 2 limits, Meteorain and Finishing Touch are his level 3 limits; and his level 4 limit is Omnislash.

These attacks reappear as special attacks for Cloud in his spin-off appearances in Final Fantasy Tactics and Dissidia Final Fantasy, and he has some of these skills in the Kingdom Hearts series.

Cloud has an eighth Limit Break introduced in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, "Omnislash Version 5", where he splits the Fusion Sword assembly into its six individual parts, then performs a series of six slash attacks on an enemy. It was christened "Omnislash Version 5" during development as it is the fifth version of the attack designed. In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, Cloud's finishing blow to Sephiroth is a longer sequence of thirteen slashes instead of six, and was dubbed "Omnislash Version 6" by fans.

Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-


Cloud is fought as a boss in the Training Mode of Before Crisis.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
Though Cloud is not playable himself, Zack gets Cloud's portrait to the Digital Mind Wave. When Cloud's portraits line up during modulating phase, Zack performs Meteor Shots, his versions of Cloud's Meteorain Limit Break. Cloud is added to Zack's DMW after Zack meets him partway through chapter 6.

Final Fantasy VII
Cloud was one of the first three characters designed for Final Fantasy VII by Tetsuya Nomura with influences from producer Yoshinori Kitase, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima and director Hironobu Sakaguchi. Originally conceptualized by Sakaguchi as one of only three playable characters (the others being Barret Wallace and Aerith Gainsborough) Nomura was called upon to supervise Cloud's various lines and personality traits while Kitase and Nojima were in charge of developing Cloud's background and his relationship with Sephiroth.

Nojima thought of the relationship between the player and the protagonist when writing for Final Fantasy VII. In an interview in Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Ultimania Nojima makes a comparison to Dragon Quest where the main character doesn't have a set personality and the player is free to "become" the hero. In a case of an RPG protagonist whose name and past have already been decided, Nojima tries to come up with ways to get the player to empathize with the character. The characters living in a game's universe know their world well, but it's a new place to the player, and so Cloud's foggy memories were created as a way to introduce the player to the world.

In early drafts Cloud was meant to be more directly controlled by Sephiroth. As Sephiroth fell to his death in the Nibelheim Mako Reactor, his strong will to live would have manifested itself in Cloud as he needed a body that could move freely to bring him the Black Materia. It would be told that Cloud's memories are a phantom created by Sephiroth himself out of his emotions when he was "killed" in the Nibelheim Reactor. Cloud would later have discovered that due to the SOLDIER process, Sephiroth was directly trying to take control of him, and that Cloud's own complexes combined with Sephiroth's willpower, created his alternate persona that obscured who Cloud really was. This version was altered after the introduction of Jenova and the fleshing out of Zack Fair's story.

The game's directors only had a vague image of Cloud's identity, mainly that it was intended as mysterious, but the actual unfolding of events was left in Nojima's hands. Event planner Motomu Toriyama had made the "Cloud showing off" pose, which was made to be be used in the scene where Cloud first appears in the game. This little animation impressed Nojima, and lead to him determining Cloud's false persona based on that pose.

After figuring out Cloud's identity issues the rest of the scenario came together. Nojima made not only the scenario but the event scenes as well, and the parts where the mysteries are made clear. The team ended up doing the test play with no idea how it was going to end, and that's how they first found out the true course of events. Zack was a character Nojima brought in while building up the mystery, so the others had no clue he would be such a pivotal character.

Cloud was the first person created for the game by Tetsuya Nomura. Cloud's original character design called for slicked-back, black hair with no spikes. This depiction was to serve as a contrast to the long, flowing silver hair of Sephiroth, and also because Nomura thought it would be better not to use too many polygons. However, to make Cloud stand out more and emphasize his role in the game as the lead protagonist, Nomura altered Cloud's design to give him spiky blond hair instead. Aspects of Cloud's original design were later used in designing Angeal Hewley. The image of Cloud and Sephiroth was based on and , famous Japanese warriors whose duel became legendary and the swordsmen have appeared in many forms in pop culture in Japan.

Originally listed as a "Mystic Knight (Berserker)", Cloud's weapon, the Buster Sword, was smaller, its size increasing as Nomura redesigned Cloud. Nomura nicknamed it "the Giant Kitchen Knife" due to how he originally envisioned it. The sword was meant to be held on his back with the use of magnets and have a small chain.

Pre-release material reveals what is possibly an early character model for Cloud. In the 1996 demo version Cloud's menu portrait is the young Cloud portrait seen during the Kalm flashback to the Nibelheim Incident in the final game, and his character model is different and shorter than his finalized model. This "Demo Cloud" makes appearances in other pre-release shots published in magazines before the game was out. Cloud's battle model also had an earlier build, wielding a different version of the Buster Sword that had only one slot as opposed to two seen in the final game.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Cloud's design is an accumulation of eight designs the staff made, ranging from deformed to realistic. In The Reunion Files for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Tetsuya Nomura explained that while Cloud was depicted as a more upbeat character at the end of Final Fantasy VII, he chose to have Cloud be a character fans would find more familiar, and the script was written to explain why Cloud had returned to such a frame of mind. Nomura said a great deal of care was taken to animate Cloud's face and expressions, and over thirty different models of his face were made. His face was modeled to keep "a stiff upper lip", with his emotions and thoughts being expressed through his eyes. Numerous scenes featuring close-ups of Cloud's face were redone with adjusted facial expressions and lighting to convey the intended emotions.

On explaining Cloud's situation in the film, Nomura said that "Cloud tried to lead his life positively after the end of FF7 but he cracked... The sin which Cloud thinks he owns is not anyone's fault in particular. It is something Cloud has to overcome by himself". Cloud, in choosing to fight against Sephiroth once again, is finally "given healing and forgiveness".

Nomura admits that in the film, "Cloud seems to be a weak guy. Generally, heroes are strong, cool and don't have any weaknesses... Although Cloud is a jerk sometimes, he is really human-like. It's through redemption from his friends and having children to protect that he becomes stronger".

Cloud's new weaponry was created based on jokes by fans who commented that, since Cloud's weapon in the original game was enormous, in a sequel he should go with sheer numbers. Although it does not have an official name, the staff named them the "Fusion Swords" during the film's development. The concept was to have Cloud hold a total of six swords he would carry on his back, but it was changed to six interlocking swords forming a single weapon. Although the film's staff originally thought doing sequences with the Fusion Swords was impossible, they decided to make it as they found it made an interesting twist to the battles.

Voice
Cloud's English voice actor, Kingdom Hearts included, is Steve Burton. In the Japanese versions of Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring he was voiced by Kenyu Horiuchi (Arcade version) and Nozomu Sasaki (PS version), but for rest of his appearances he has been voiced by Takahiro Sakurai. Cloud shares his Compilation of Final Fantasy VII Japanese voice actor with Kurasame Susaya from Final Fantasy Type-0.

Musical Themes
Though it is not his official theme, in Final Fantasy VII Cloud's theme is often considered to be the "Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII". It plays on the world map of Disc 1 of Final Fantasy VII.

His theme is called "Cloud Smiles" in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It is played in the ending when Cloud awakens in Aerith's church.

Final Fantasy V
A 2D sprite of Cloud occasionally appears in the loading section of the Final Fantasy Anthology port of Final Fantasy V.

Final Fantasy VII: Snowboarding
Cloud is the playable character in Final Fantasy VII: Snowboarding, a mobile remake of the Final Fantasy VII snowboarding minigame. The objective is to snowboard down tracks while dodging moogles, doing tricks off ramps, and collecting balloons.

Final Fantasy VII G-Bike
Cloud is the playable character in Final Fantasy VII G-Bike, a game for Android and iOS based on the G-Bike minigame in Final Fantasy VII where Cloud rides motorcycles through highways battling monsters. The announcement trailer shows him riding the Hardy-Daytona while wielding the Buster Sword.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
Lightning can wear Cloud's SOLDIER 1st Class uniform as a garb, together with the Buster Sword and SOLDIER's Band. While wearing the outfit Lightning performs a variation of Cloud's victory pose. It has the locked ability Heavy Slash.

The outfit is available as a pre-order bonus or as downloadable content.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Cloud is a bonus playable character who can be recruited into Ramza Beoulve's party by embarking on a sidequest involving the Constructs and the Zodiac Stones. Besrudio will come up with a dimensional portal device that will summon Cloud, but he will not become a party member until Ramza meets the flower girl Aerith; Cloud will defend her from thugs and join Ramza's party.

While Cloud retains most of his abilities from Final Fantasy VII, he cannot use his Limit skills until he obtains the Materia Blade.

While Final Fantasy VII lists Cloud as a Leo, his zodiac sign in Final Fantasy Tactics is Aquarius. Cloud is the only male character in Final Fantasy Tactics able to equip a Ribbon. This is no longer unique in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions version, as the Onion Knight can also equip what is otherwise female-exclusive equipment.

Dissidia Final Fantasy


Chaos has summoned a combined force of Final Fantasy's ultimate masters of evil. Cosmos, to protect the Crystals, has summoned warriors to thwart their plans. Cloud is one of the chosen warriors, and stands as the hero representing Final Fantasy VII, opposing Sephiroth.

Seeking the Crystals in the company of Firion, Cecil, and Tidus, Cloud is seen by his comrades as a composed and level-headed warrior. Cloud later admits his hesitations for fighting and departs to search for a reason to fight on his own, eventually joining Terra.

His alternate outfit is his Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children outfit and weapon.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Cloud reappears in the prequel to Dissidia Final Fantasy alongside all the other characters from the original, but now he is aligned with Chaos. Though he is summoned to fight by the god of discord Cloud doesn't care about the war, as he has been through several cycles and knows the fighting is pointless. When Sephiroth attacks Tifa, Cloud intervenes to save her.

Cloud's second alternate outfit is based on Yoshitaka Amano's artwork of him, giving his uniform blue details and white boots, as well as the original SOLDIER logo on his belt. As a bonus fourth outfit, Cloud dons his Kingdom Hearts attire. This outfit can be obtained in Japanese by buying Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep - Final Mix, or pre-ordering Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy from GameStop in the US.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy


Cloud is a default playable character in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

He is an Offense and Defense oriented character. His Limit Break, Omnislash, deals damage in direct proportion to his Strength.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call
Cloud returns as a playable character, and is one of the few characters to have a 2nd variation. His first variation is of his SOLDIER attire in Final Fantasy VII, and is available from the start. However, if the player did not select him among their party of four, he can later be unlocked by collecting Yellow Crystal Shards. His second variation is his attire from Advent Children, and is purchasable through DLC.

His first variation is Offense oriented, while his 2nd version is more Defense oriented. Both versions have Limit Breaks. Omnislash for the 1st variation, functioning the same as before, deals damage in proportion to his Strength, and Omnislash ver. 5 for the 2nd variation, dealing damage in proportion to his Strength and Agility.

Pictlogica Final Fantasy
Cloud appears in Pictlogica Final Fantasy as a playable character. His initial weapon is the Buster Sword.

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Cloud is an ally and a summonable Legend depicted in both his Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children outfits, as well as an event-related reindeer outfit. His abilities are Blade Beam, Climhazzard, Cross-Slash, Finishing Touch, Meteorain, Rising Fang and Sonic Break. His EX abilities are Sonic Break, Finishing Touch, Cross-slash, Omnislash, Omnislash ver.5, Meteodrive and Knights of the Round. He was first introduced as an event ally in the event, Winter Holiday Campaign while wearing an exclusive reindeer suit.

Leveling him up in this event granted the player the Cloud II summon stone, along with each level-up at a specified number granting players an additional summon stone. He was re-introduced in the following event, Final Fantasy VII - Calamity from the Skies, in which his abilities and weapons were made usable to successfully combat Jenova∙LIFE and Jenova∙DEATH.

He was present as an ally during the coinciding events, Final Fantasy Special Event Parts 1 & 2 - Shattered World and Final Fantasy Special Event Parts 1 & 2 - Showdown, in which he was unlocked by clearing the Big Bridge stage. In this event, his overdrive granted individual players a big increase in their attack for five minutes. Leveling him up to 99 in these events granted the player his individualized SSR weapon, Flayer. In battle, Cloud is armed with his Buster Sword and uses the ability Sonic Break.

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Final Fantasy All the Bravest


Cloud is an exclusive character only available from the Premium Character Shop as a random downloadable content. He uses Meteorain during battle.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Cloud appears in Final Fantasy Record Keeper.

Final Fantasy VII Technical Demo
Cloud and Aerith appear in the PlayStation 3 tech demo, which recreates the Final Fantasy VII opening sequence in advanced graphics. The scene of Cloud leaping from the train shows only him with no Shinra or AVALANCHE members present. His hair is modeled after his Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children appearances.

Chocobo Racing
Cloud is a secret character riding the Hardy-Daytona.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Cloud is represented by many cards: three are of the Fire element, three are of the Shine element, two of the latter being promotional cards, and one is of the Wind element.

The fire-elemental cards depict his Final Fantasy VII artwork, his Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- render, and an image of Cloud from a promotional image of Final Fantasy VII. The three shine cards depict his Dissidia Final Fantasy art, his Theatrhythm Final Fantasy art, and his Kingdom Hearts art, the latter of which was distributed with Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - Final Mix. His wind card depicts artwork of Cloud riding a chocobo from Final Fantasy VII.

Bravely Default: Praying Brage
Cloud appears in Bravely Default: Praying Brage as a collaboration character from Kingdom Hearts χ [chi]. He makes an appearance in his outfit from the Kingdom Hearts series.

Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring
Cloud is a playable character in the PlayStation game Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring. He fights primarily with martial arts, but can wield the Buster Sword as well, for slower but stronger attacks. Cloud's special attacks include Omnislash, Braver, and Meteorain. His extra alternate costume gives him a Shinra infantry uniform. His story title is "Guardian," and defeating him under the proper conditions allows the player to fight "Summoner" Tifa.

Kingdom Hearts series
Cloud appears in the Kingdom Hearts series as a withdrawn and quiet swordsman seeking his arch-rival Sephiroth across several worlds, wishing to end a grudge between them.

In the first game, he makes a deal with that the god will help him find Sephiroth if Cloud kills. This leads to a battle between Cloud and, whom Hades orders Cloud to kill. Cloud either fails or he beats Sora but refrains from killing him, and Hades is prompted to release. After Sora dispatches Cerberus, Cloud departs, but returns after Sora defeats Sephiroth to fight him.

In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, a memory-based version of Cloud fulfills the same role, only seeking his lost memories instead of Sephiroth who does not appear in the game. Similarly, a data-based version of Cloud appears in Kingdom Hearts Re:coded, hired by Hades to defeat Hercules within the glitched labyrinthine coliseum. Cloud is defeated by Sora and Hercules, and later briefly joins the party. In the game's final world, a data-based Castle Oblivion, a memory-based version of the data-based Cloud appears.

In Kingdom Hearts II, Cloud returns appearing in, wearing his outfit from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Cloud is again seeking Sephiroth, and confronts him after Sephiroth spars with Sora. Cloud helps Leon defend Hollow Bastion and is generally closer to the other Final Fantasy cast than before; including Tifa, who is pursuing him as he pursues Sephiroth.

In Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Cloud appears as a boss in various coliseum cups. After the player beats Cloud in the Hercules Cup in the first Kingdom Hearts they receive the Keyblade, which is modeled after the Buster Sword. The Metal Chocobo reappears in both Chain of Memories and Re:coded. In Kingdom Hearts II, after Sora watches Cloud and Sephiroth's fight, Tifa gives him the Keyblade, modeled after a motorcycle key. In Chain of Memories, Cloud can be obtained as a summon.

In the Japanese version, Cloud is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, while in the English release, he is voiced by Steve Burton.

Cloud also makes an appearance in Kingdom Hearts χ [chi] as one of the obtainable character cards.

Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special
Cloud is a playable character in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special alongside several other Final Fantasy characters.

Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable
Cloud is a playable character in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable alongside several other Final Fantasy characters.

Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Mobile
Cloud is a playable character in Itadaki Street Mobile, alongside several other Final Fantasy characters.

Gunslinger Stratos 2
Cloud's costume is to be released in November 2014.

Square Enix games

 * In the instruction manual for Final Fantasy Origins, Cloud is an example name chosen for the Warrior class in Final Fantasy.
 * In Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- there are several posters of Cloud around Edge, showing a silhouette of his original artwork from Final Fantasy VII on a green background.
 * Cloud's name makes a cameo in the Final Fantasy VIII shop in Esthar with the title "Cloud's Shop".
 * In Final Fantasy IX, Zidane says "no cloud nor squall shall hinder us" during the production of I Want To Be Your Canary, referring to Cloud and Squall Leonhart. Zidane later comments "I remember a guy with spiky hair who carried something like this" when he sees a large sword, similar to Cloud's Buster Sword, hanging in a weapon shop.
 * Later in the game the player can witness a soldier, Pluto Knight VII, attempting to woo a flower girl in a destroyed city, who comments "He's cute, but he isn't exactly Mr. Personality".
 * In Final Fantasy Dimensions, when the Mysterious Old Man tries to introduce himself as "Clou-", Alba replies her name might as well be "Aeri-".
 * An NPC in the Miner quests in 1.0 version of Final Fantasy XIV mistakenly called players by the wrong name. He would call a Midlander Hyur "Cloud", and a Miqo'te "Aerith".
 * Cloud Strife is also among the names used in example sentences for the chat log filtering configuration.
 * Users in Square Enix Members Virtual World community can make their character appear as Cloud in his Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children attire. The avatar was released to celebrate the Japanese release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete.
 * In Parasite Eve II, there is a laboratory where Aya Brea tries to use a computer infected with a virus called "Fatekeeper". The anti-virus, "Cloud", is found inside the September issue of a magazine called "Aeris".



Non Square Enix games

 * Cloud appears in the game Mainichi Issho, but as a costume only.
 * Like Sephiroth, Vincent, Aerith, and Tifa's, Cloud's costume is available for LittleBigPlanet 2.
 * The internet MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing features an enemy called the Protagonist, a parody of Cloud, featuring item drops such as the Ridiculously Huge Sword and Super-Spiky Hair Gel.

Fandom

 * Cloud makes a brief cameo in two strips in the fan-made webcomic 8-Bit Theater as a potential Light Warrior. His attempts to prove his skills to Fighter are to use an overly-long and flashy summon sequence to summon a chocobo, and showing off the Buster Sword, which he is unable to hold due to its weight. Fighter falls asleep during the summon sequence, and rejects him as a Light Warrior when the Buster Sword falls on him.
 * Cloud makes a guest appearance in Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy series in his Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children attire, wielding the main blade of his Fusion Swords and riding the Fenrir motorcycle.

TV Shows

 * In the TV show Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island, Fred parodies Cloud in the episode "Sir Nutalot". It is said Fred is taking the role of the hero. A Sephiroth parody also appears in the episode.
 * In the Adult Swim show Robot Chicken (Season 2, episode Rodiggiti), Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Barret, Aerith and Sephiroth appear as employees at a burger chain.
 * Cloud Strife is apparently the fry cook, Barret is a burger chef, Aeris is working the register, while Tifa and Yuffie both have unclear roles, and Sephiroth is the manager.
 * "One Winged Angel" is played humorously during Sephiroth's entrance with lyrics consisting only of HAM-BUH-GAH! said over and over.
 * In the Cartoon Network show Steven Universe (season 1, episode 16 Steven the Sword Fighter), the main character, Steven, is seen playing with many action figures that references characters from video-games. Among them are Cloud and a Moogle/Pikachu hybrid, as well Gitaroo Man and Sonic the Hedgehog infamous fan-art "Gotta Go Fast" meme called "Sanic".
 * In the same scene, the character Pearl is seen impaling the Cloud's figure in the same manner Sephiroth did during the Nibelheim Incident.

Merchandise
Cloud has appeared in numerous action figures, cold cast statues and other merchandise.

Etymology
The names "Cloud" and "Strife" are English words referring to weather and difficulty respectively. Tetsuya Nomura has stated Cloud's name contrasts with Zack Fair's and the idea of "fair weather", in that Zack lead a peaceful and happy life while Cloud's has been full of turmoil.

In the French translation of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's name is rendered as "Clad" to be more faithful to French pronunciation ("Cloud" in French would be pronounced as "clood" as in "mood"). His name is rendered as "Cloud Strife" in all other Compilation of Final Fantasy VII entries.

Trivia

 * Cloud is the only character in the game seen wielding another weapon other than his trademark Buster Sword. In his artwork and CG render showing him mounted on the Hardy Daytona, his weapon is the Hardedge, which can be stolen from SOLDIER:3rd in Shinra Headquarters.
 * In the Nibelheim flashback sequence in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's menu portrait is different from his usual portrait. Cloud is one of only a handful of characters to have more than one menu portrait in a game. This portrait is also used for Cloud in the 1996 Final Fantasy VII demo.
 * Cloud has the most player-controlled appearances of any character in the Final Fantasy series, and the second-most appearances altogether, behind Gilgamesh.
 * Cloud Strife is the central topic of two Square Enix promotional books, CLOUD Vol 1 and CLOUD message.
 * Cloud and Zack's Japanese voice actors, Takahiro Sakurai and Kenichi Suzumura, are best friends in real life and have appeared together in many anime productions, as well as having their own production mini-group, R-16.
 * If the player recruits Vincent after the events in Gaea's Cliff and Mideel, the dialogue between the two will remain as if Cloud never knew about his true past; Cloud still claims he was in SOLDIER.
 * A party of Cid and Cloud offers the fastest Materia growth out of every other combination, assuming Cid is equipped with the Scimitar and Cloud is equipped with the Apocalypse. Those are the only weapons in the game with triple Materia growth.