Cloud Strife

Cloud Strife is the main protagonist in both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He also appears in the spin-off games Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-. In addition, he makes an appearance in Final Fantasy Tactics as a playable character earned through completing a series of side quests.

Cloud is most identifiable by his large, spiky blond hair and medium stature. He has blue eyes that are particularly vibrant, which is the mark of SOLDIER, or rather, a mark of being submerged in mako. He wears a navy blue outfit with a metal pauldron on his left shoulder and wields a gigantic Buster Sword.

Throughout most of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud seems rather cocky and arrogant, though it was due to having the memories of Zack Fair. Deep inside, however, lies in his genuine compassion for those he holds dear and never hesitates to defend what he stands for, though it does take a while for him to determine what exactly it is.

Childhood
Cloud was born in the sleepy mountain village of Nibelheim, along with Tifa Lockhart. He grew up isolated from the rest of the village children, feeling himself somehow better than them, though it is implied that he longed for the friendship of the others. However, when Cloud was 9, Tifa and the others attempted to climb Mt. Nibel, Cloud followed them, Tifa fell from a bridge and her father blamed Cloud. He resolved to join Shin-Ra's elite SOLDIER force, feeling that he was "not good enough" for Tifa, whom he had admired from afar, and to prove to others (and most of all to himself) that he could be as strong as the legendary Sephiroth. At this point he made a promise to Tifa, vowing that he'd protect her when she's in need.

Sephiroth's Madness
However, he was unable to make it into SOLDIER and became an ordinary Shin-Ra guard. In this role he was to return to Nibelheim, along with first-class SOLDIERs Sephiroth and Zack Fair. Ashamed of his failure, he kept his identity from the townspeople. They were to investigate a problem at the Mako Reactor on Mt. Nibel, and Tifa was to act as their guide. When they reached the reactor, Sephiroth discovered Professor Hojo's failed experiments with mako soldiers and what he mistakenly assumed to be his mother, Jenova.

Falling into madness, Sephiroth immersed himself in the writings of Professor Gast and discovered his own dark past. He then came out from the basement of the Shin-Ra Mansion and set about destroying the village. Cloud witnessed his mother's death in the ensuing fire and rushed to the reactor to confront Sephiroth. There he found both Tifa and Zack unconscious - both had tried to fight Sephiroth, but to no avail. A grief-stricken Cloud picked up Zack's Buster Sword, catching Sephiroth off guard, and impaled him. Sephiroth managed to impale Cloud with his own sword, but the fight ended with Cloud throwing Sephiroth off him using the sword lodged in his stomach as a lever and sending Sephiroth plunging, along with Jenova's head, into the Lifestream below. Shin-Ra, in an effort to cover-up the incident, rebuilt Nibelheim and replaced the townspeople with Shin-Ra employees and imprisoned both Zack and Cloud in the Shin-Ra Mansion (Tifa had been rescued and brought to Midgar by her trainer). There, Shin-Ra experimented on Zack and Cloud, infusing them with mako and injecting them with Jenova cells.



AVALANCHE
Four years later, Zack broke out of his confinement and helped a comatose Cloud escape, giving him a SOLDIER uniform that was in Shin-Ra manor to wear. Due to the experiment Cloud was in a weak and delirious state as he had reacted more strongly to the experiments than Zack did. However Zack talks continuously to the unresponsive Cloud about his life and his plans to become a mercenary in Midgar, get rich and be with his girlfriend. When they finally arrive outside of Midgar, the Shin-Ra security force that have been searching for them and finally caught up. They try to detain the escaped prisoners, but Zack fights back to defend both Cloud and himself. In the end, Zack dies and Cloud is left for dead after being seen in his vegetative state. However, having witnessed the whole chaos, Cloud manages to recover, and he crawls over to Zack. In his last few seconds, and as the rains start to fall from the heavens, a blood-soaked Zack entrusts the Buster Sword to Cloud, and tells him that his legacy will live on inside Cloud, before finally passing away. Cloud, deeply distressed, scrambles to his feet, Buster Sword in hand, and begins trudging off towards Midgar. His final words to Zack were, "Good-night, Zack".

Unfortunately, Cloud, under the influence of the Jenova cells inside him, began to believe that the memories of Zack were his own. His mind constructs itself to believe that he was the SOLDIER who accompanied Sephiroth five years ago. Once at Midgar, Cloud believes that he came to become a mercenary. There, claiming to be an ex-SOLDIER 1st Class (because of the uniform Zack dresses him in), Cloud meets Tifa and Barret Wallace, members of the anti-Shin-Ra terrorist group AVALANCHE. On Tifa's recommendation, Barret hired Cloud. After blowing up a Mako Reactor, Cloud became separated from the others, and met Aeris Gainsborough. While Cloud was gone, Tifa allowed herself to be captured by a Shin-Ra informant, Don Corneo. Cloud and Aeris rescued her, and the Don admitted that Shin-Ra had found out AVALANCHE's base of operations was in Sector 7. To crush AVALANCHE, Shin-Ra dropped the plate over Sector 7 of Midgar, crushing the entire area; Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were killed trying to stop them, and Aeris was captured taking Barret's daughter Marlene to safety. Cloud then led an attack on the Shin-Ra Building to rescue Aeris. There he met with Red XIII, and saw the headless remains of Jenova. However, the group was captured and imprisoned. During the night, Cloud awoke to find his guards slaughtered and the doors of the prison open. He, Barret, Tifa, Red XIII and Aeris followed a trail of blood to the top floor, only to find President Shinra impaled on Sephiroth's sword. Cloud fought briefly with the new head of Shin-Ra, Rufus Shinra, and then escaped from Midgar on a motorcycle.

Hunting Sephiroth
The group stayed at an inn located outside Midgar in Kalm. There Cloud told his own memories of what happened on the day Nibelheim was burnt, with himself in Zack's place and Zack no longer present. Tifa, also confused, did not say anything. His grudge with Sephiroth explained, the next day the group set out to track Sephiroth down, going through the Mythril Mines where the Turks revealed Sephiroth was headed to Junon.

Cloud and the group sneak into the Shin-Ra controlled Junon and onto an oil tanker bound for Costa Del Sol, meeting Yuffie Kisaragi on the way. The joruney to find Sephiroth led them through North Corel and the Gold Saucer, where the manager Dio gave Cloud and his friends a buggy to assist them in their travels and the robot Cait Sith joins their cause. The buggy broke down, forcing the group to stay at Red XIII's home Cosmo Canyon, where the Elder Bugenhagen revealed critical information about the planet and the Lifestream.

Next they visited Nibelheim, finding no trace of what happened. Although Cloud and Tifa are confused, they explore the rebuilt down and find no one remembers the town ever being burnt down. In the ruins of the Shin-Ra Mansion, they find Vincent Valentine, who agrees to accompany them when they mention Sephiroth. In the mansion library, Sephiroth appears and alludes to a "reunion" that he feels Cloud should attend. Cloud and the group traverse Mt. Nibel and go to Rocket Town, where they attempt to steal Cid Highwind's plane and have it shot down by Shin-Ra. Adding Cid to their roster of allies, the group returns to the Gold Saucer and claim the Keystone from Dios. Believing the Keystone to be pivotal to finding out what Sephiroth is planning, Cloud and the group are forced to stay the night when the trolly to the park breaks down. At this time, Cait Sith is revealed to be a Shin-Ra spy, and steals the Keystone and turns it over to Tseng of the Turks.

Traveling to the Temple of the Ancients, Tseng is found wounded by 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, which will cause a critical wound on the planet. The Lifestream will emerge to heal this wound, and Sephiroth will absorb its energy, becoming a god. Sephiroth leaves as Cloud discovers the temple itself, is the Black Materia Sephiroth needs to call Meteor. Cait Sith sacrifices himself to get it, but Sephiroth returns, and for reasons then not made clear, Cloud hands him the Black Materia. He faints, and Aeris appears to him in a dream claiming only she can stop Sephiroth. When Cloud regains consciousness, Barret and Tifa tell him Aeris has left.

Finding Himself
Cloud pursues Aeris through the Sleeping Forest to the Forgotten Capital. He finds her praying on an altar in the center of the city's underground complex, but suddenly takes up the Buster Sword and attempts to attack her. Stopping himself in a nick of time, Cloud watches as Sephiroth descends from above the altar and impales Aeris, killing her in an iconic scene. Cloud lays Aeris to rest and realizes he has been under Sephiroth's control.

Finally arriving at the Northern Crater, Cloud momentarily regains the Black Materia and gives it to a party member of the player's choosing, not trusting himself. They then find the center of the crater, where Sephiroth appears and reveals Cloud's true past. Shin-Ra arrives afterwards, and Professor Hojo reveals his Jenova Reunion Theory that Cloud was a part of. The shock of his past being fake, combined with Hojo's revelations and accusations, shatters Cloud's mind. He takes back the Black Materia and hands it to Sephiroth, who activates it. The rest of the group flees while Cloud is left behind

Surfacing at Mideel, Cloud has been subjected to intense Mako poisoning within the Lifestream, leaving him babbling and incoherent. Tifa stays to care for him while the rest of the party combat Shin-Ra, who are risking a dangerous attempt to stop Meteor which is now coming to the planet. Ultimate Weapon attacks Mideel, and Tifa and Cloud fall into the Lifestream. There, Tifa helps Cloud piece back together his true memories of his childhood through a comparison of his memories to Tifa's. Restored to his true self, Cloud resumes command of the party again. With Bugenhagen's guidance, they discover Aeris was attempting to summon Holy when Sephiroth killed her; the ultimate white magic, Holy can stop Meteor, but Sephiroth is holding it back.

Landing in the Northern Crater, the group descends into the bowls of the planet and finds Sephiroth. Defeating him in his new god-like form, Sephiroth's mind is sent back into the Lifestream. Cloud follows and defeats Sephiroth at last, and his body dissolves. Returned to his body with the help of Aeris from within the Lifestream, Cloud and the party escape the crater as Holy emerges to fight Meteor. The gravity of Meteor, however, causes Holy's energies to be unfocused, until Aeris commands the Lifestream to emerge and push it back, destroying Meteor and saving the planet.

After Final Fantasy VII - Novellas
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, after the fall of Meteor. Although their new life as a family with Marlene and eventually Denzel (who Cloud feels that finding him collapsed near Aerith's church was no coincidence) is initially happy, Cloud grows increasingly distant and secretive, and moves out of their home and into the Sector 5 Church at the novella's end. This was due to his guilt over the deaths of Aerith and Zack, who he has failed to protect even if it was not his fault.

Cloud has a few mentions in Maiden Who Travels the Planet, focusing on Aerith. His time within the Lifestream after the Northern Crater is mentioned, and when Tifa and Cloud fall into the Lifestream, Aerith protects Tifa's mind from Mako poisoning while she helps Cloud restore his true memories. Aerith finally helps Cloud find his way back to his body after Sephiroth's defeat.

Advent Children


When Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children opens, Cloud receives a call from Tifa that Reno has a job for him, he is attacked by a mysterious trio of young men: Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo; three manifestations of Sephiroth's consciousness. The three begin luring and kidnapping children that possess Geostigma, intending to have the children lead them to Jenova's lost head. Upon confronting them for a second time, Cloud finds himself outmatched by the trio and is rescued by Vincent Valentine.

Back in Edge, Kadaj summons a monster called Bahumut SIN to attack the city, Cloud, with help from other members of AVALANCHE, finds the strength to take up arms again and defeat the summon. He eventually takes on Loz and Yazoo one more time while chasing Kadaj through the highway, and manages to slice their weapons (and Loz's bike) in half. Loz and Yazoo were apparently killed in the explosion set by Reno and Rude.

Confronting Kadaj once more, the battle eventually takes him back to Aerith's church, where the Lifestream-influenced water cures him of his Geostigma. However, his skills are put to the ultimate test when Kadaj manages to merge with the last remaining traces of Jenova, and Sephiroth is reborn. The ensuing battle at the ruins of the Shin-Ra Building proves to be fierce and nearly kills Cloud. He almost seems to be on the verge of defeat when Sephiroth stabs him through the shoulder. However, 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". When Sephiroth is once again defeated, he dissipates, leaving a dying Kadaj in his place. Hearing Aerith's voice, whom he believes to be the "mother" he had been longing for, Kadaj is diffused into the Lifestream.

At this point, Loz and Yazoo appear and set off a kamikaze explosion that apparently kills all three of them. However, Cloud's spirit is stopped from entering the Lifestream by Aerith and Zack and is resurrected, reappearing in Aerith's church. As he helped the Geostigma victims (including Denzel, who Cloud helped first) into the Lifestream-infused water in the old church, Cloud saw Aerith near the doorway with Zack waiting for her. Before she leaves, Aerith's final words assured Cloud that everything was all right, and he smiles stating that he is not alone anymore.

In The Reunion Files, Nomura explained that while Cloud was initially depicted as an upbeat character at the end of VII, he chose to have Cloud be a character that fans would find more familiar, and the script was written to explain why Cloud had returned to such a frame of mind. Nomura also said that 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. His new clothing design was made with fighting in mind, and the concept began with a black robe and was destructured into the final product seen in the film. Cloud's hair in particular was changed both to show the passage of time since the game, and to be more realistic.

Happiness At Last
Cloud continues to run the delivery service and at the same time raise Denzel and Marlene, and even receives calls from other AVALANCHE members. One call in particular came from Vincent Valentine, who has recently purcased a phone and tells Cloud that Yuffie 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. It is speculated that Cloud took his 'family' for a day off the next day, presumably to a party with other AVALANCHE members which may explain the new picture of the party on Cloud's desk. During the events of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, Cloud was not seen during the attack on Edge (assumed to have spirited away Denzel and Marlene as well) but later assists the WRO and Vincent Valentine in their struggle against the threat of Omega Weapon and Deep Ground. He leads the ground assault on Midgar, eventually facing Rosso the Crimson. The outcome of the duel is unknown, but both survived the encounter. He and the others eventually aided Vincent in Omega's destruction.

Equipment and Stats
Cloud wields various broadswords and katana in battle, including the joke weapon Nail Bat and the iconic Buster Sword. His stats are well-balanced both physically and magically but is best put in the front row to ensure solid attack power.

Limit Breaks

 * See videos of the various Breaks here

In Crisis Core, Cloud's DMV is Meteor Shots. Although performed by Zack, it's animation is very similar to Meteorain's, involving Zack leaping into the air and unleashing a barrage of meteors from the Buster Sword.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Cloud uses some of his Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, such as Blade Beam (against Loz in the Forgotten Capital), and Braver and Climhazzard (against Bahamut SIN). Cloud uses the new Omnislash Version 5 to defeat Sephiroth. Cloud can only use this limit break if he's equipped with the First Tsurugi and if all pieces of this multi-piece broad sword is intact.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Cloud has one more Limit Break in Final Fantasy Tactics, Cherry Blossom.

Kingdom Hearts series
In all his appearances within the series, Cloud's ultimate attack has been Omnislash.

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 Tactics
Cloud can be recruited by Ramza Beoulve's party in Final Fantasy Tactics. To do this, Ramza must first defeat Belias and enter chapter 4 (he must have retained Mustadio Bunansa as a party member). At this point, he must return to the Clockwork City of Goug, where Mustadio's father Besrudio will have found Construct 8, but will be unable to power it up. Ramza must recruit Beowulf Cadmus from the Royal City of Lesalia and take him to the coal mine in the Mining Town of Gollund. After they save Reis Duelar, Ramza will obtain the Zodiac Stone necessary to activate Construct 8. After Ramza has defeated Zalmour Lucianada for the second time, Besrudio will come up with a dimensional portal device, but again he cannot activate it. A rumor will subsequently circulate about Zeltennia Castle. After hearing it, Ramza can journey to Nelveska Temple and defeat Construct 7. Reis will revert to human form (and must be accepted again by Ramza), and Ramza will gain another Zodiac Stone. Taking it to Besrudio will cause Cloud to be summoned, but at this point, he will just run off. Cloud is then recruitable after defeating "Sephiroth's Shadow" at the battle of Goug, the city of Moogles.

On the way to Limberry Castle, Ramza must buy a flower from a flower girl in the Trade City of Sal Ghidos. He must then defeat Zalera and Adrammelech and then return to Sal Ghidos, where Cloud will attempt to save the flower girl, who is revealed to be called Aerith, from a group of thugs. Ramza must then help Cloud defeat the thugs. Cloud will then join the party, but will be unable to use his Limit Break skills without the Materia Blade, which is at the top of the tall pillar in Mount Bervenia. In Final Fantasy Tactics Cloud has an additional limit, Cherry Blossom.

Curiously, while Final Fantasy VII lists Cloud's birthdate as August 19th (making him a Leo), his zodiac sign in Final Fantasy Tactics is Aquarius.

As an in-game joke reference to the time in Final Fantasy VII, where Cloud had to crossdress, he is the only male character in Final Fantasy Tactics able to equip a Ribbon, which is otherwise only equipable by female characters. However, this ability is no longer unique on the PSP version, as the Onion Knight can also equip female-exclusive equipment.

Chocobo Racing
Cloud makes an appearance as a secret character in this racing game.

Kingdom Hearts


Cloud is a fighter hired by Hades in the Olympus Coliseum world to kill Hercules and Sora. He appears to be searching for 'his light', but is also after Sephiroth, whom Hades promised to take Cloud to. After Sora faces Cloud in the preliminary tournament, Hades has Cerberus attack Sora and Cloud, and Hercules saves Cloud while Sora fights Cerberus. Cloud gives Sora the "Sonic Blade" ability as a thanks, and later reappears in later tournaments. Unlike the other Final Fantasy characters, who appear as modified forms of their original selves, Cloud in this appearance has similarities to Vincent Valentine, such as his claw and red cloak. He also has a single dark wing manifested from the dark power he attempts to use, as well as to show his connection to Sephiroth. In the ending credits he reunites with the rest of the Final Fantasy character in Hollow Bastion, and in the Final Mix version, there is a scene where he battles Sephiroth.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Cloud again appears in Olympus Coliseum, but this time the coliseum, Cloud, and the other inhabitants there are figments of Sora's memories. He is in the employment of Hades once again and goes through the same routine as he did in Kingdom Hearts, however rather than searching for his light, Cloud claims to be searching for his memories. After beating Cloud, Sora will obtain him as a summon card.

Kingdom Hearts II


Cloud is still searching for Sephiroth in the Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden world, but his interactions with Leon and Aerith are more frequent. His relationship with Sephiroth seems to differ, with Sephiroth often being referred to as a part of him. Sephiroth is apparently a product of the darkness in Cloud's heart. After Sora defeats Sephiroth, the player will be able to see a cinematic battle between Cloud and Sephiroth. Tifa will also appear in the battle, trying to aid Cloud, and offers to give her light to Cloud to fight Sephiroth's darkness. As Cloud glows with light, Sephroith remarks that the light does not suit him, and Cloud rejects Tifa's assistance. The battle ends Cloud and Sephiroth vanishing to fight elsewhere, the victor undetermined. Afterwards, Tifa will give Sora the Fenrir keyblade. Cloud appears as an ally in the battle for Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden and battles Sora in tournaments as in the first game. Cloud wears his costume from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children with his new sword First Tsurugi wrapped in bandages.

Itadaki Street Series
Cloud also appears as a character in both the Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special and Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable.

Ehrgeiz
Cloud is a playable character in the Playstation game, Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring.

Trivia

 * In Final Fantasy IX, there's a reference to Cloud. In a weapon shop, Zidane talks about a man with a spiky hair who carried a rare sword.
 * Another reference to Cloud in Final Fantasy IX is discovered at the end when Zidane utters "No cloud nor squall shall hinder us" while he performs on stage in disguise before revealing his identity to Garnet. This is also a reference to the protagonist of Final Fantasy VIII.
 * In Final Fantasy VIII there is a item shop called Cloud's item shop.
 * In Final Fantasy XII the enemy mark Gilgamesh uses Cloud's Buster Sword within his arsenal of weapons, however the sword contains Japanese Kanji characters which translate as "fake"/"replica".
 * Just as Vincent's gun is named after Cerberus, Cloud's bike Fenrir is named after a mythological wolf from Norse mythology. He was the wolf son of Loki, in keeping with Cloud's wolf "theme" shown in his more recent appearances.
 * Cloud makes a brief cameo in two strips in the fan-made webcomic 8-Bit Theater as a potential Light Warrior. He is represented by a Fighter sprite, modified to fit his color scheme and to include his distinctive hair. His attempts to prove his skills to Fighter include using an overly-long and flashy summon sequence to summon a Chocobo, and showing off his Buster Sword, which proves too heavy for him and causes him to topple over. After the latter, Fighter promptly rejects him as a Light Warrior.

External Link

 * Cloud Strife in Wikipedia

Cloud Strife