Cloud of Darkness/Dissidia (PSP)

The Cloud of Darkness is a Warrior of Chaos in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. It also appears in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT and its arcade version. It is an entity that appears when the balance between light and darkness is disturbed, and tries to pull the world into the Void. It floats around like a cloud, and attacks with the tentacles wrapped around its body. Its rival is the young Onion Knight whose wish to protect his friends piques its interest.

While the Onion Knight is its rival in the original Dissidia Final Fantasy, its main rival in the Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy storyline is Laguna, despite their shared goal of getting rid of the manikins.

Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
The Cloud of Darkness's appearance is based on, depicting it with pale skin and a red and black cloak attached to its wrists. Black and red coverings adorn their body and two mouthed tentacles extend from its back.

Cloud of Darkness's first alternate outfit, "Dark Robe", recolors its cape blue. In Dissidia Final Fantasy, its EX Mode is colored a mixture of light green and dark green with a dull red for the legs. In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, the EX Mode in this outfit is changed to a bright orange and yellow form with blue markings along its legs, reflecting the while invincible.

Cloud of Darkness's second alternate outfit, "Lucent Robe", has an overall lighter appearance. Its cape is white, and its tentacles are a pale yellow and lack faces. Its body coverings change to black, white and various shades of purple, and it has several loops of beads along its legs. In this outfit, its EX Mode colors its body coverings gold and different shades of white, and gives it red markings on their skin.

Its manikin version, Counterfeit Wraith, is green.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

 * Default Costume
 * Abyssal Abhorrence I - Default coloration. An updated version of its original design by Yoshitaka Amano. The Cloud of Darkness has a new visual aesthetic; the main body will take on "empty" eyes when performing certain attacks. This is more noticeable during its pre-battle and post-battle poses.
 * Abyssal Abhorrence II - 1st alternate coloration. An updated version of its "Dark Robe" attire from the PSP games. The inlay of its cape is now colored purple, and the rest of its body coverings are blue, matching the color of its cape.
 * Abyssal Abhorrence III - 2nd alternate coloration. An updated version of their "Lucent Robe" attire from Dissidia 012. The design of its body coverings and Fey Tentacles are now identical to its base appearance, but with the tentacles changing depending on which weapon was equipped.


 * 1st Alternate Costume
 * Lucent Robe I - Default coloration. A revamped version of their 2nd alternate costume from Dissidia 012. The Cloud of Darkness's main body is given a more feminine appearance, with longer and straighter hair colored white to pink, and a white tri-shaped frame that replaces the cape. The body itself changes, with the eyes remaining red, the white clothing vaguely resembling a robe with gold accents, additional blue body markings on its left side, and demonic shaped grey legs.
 * Lucent Robe II - 1st alternate coloration. Recolors the main body's hair black to purple, the frame yellow, and the clothing black with white accents.
 * Lucent Robe III - 2nd alternate coloration. Recolors the main body's hair white to purple, the frame black, and the clothing white with silver accents.

The Cloud of Darkness's weapons are its tentacles:
 * Weapons
 * Fey Tentacles - Default weapons. According to the Cloud of Darkness's museum profile in the PSP games, the tentacles are stated to have minds of their own, and the main body speaks for all three of them, thus referring to itself as "we".
 * Voracious Tentacles - 1st alternate weapons. The tentacles take on the form of a thorn-filled flower, with the purple flower acting as the head and the thorns as the tentacles. The inside of the flower features two orange-colored petals, which acts as and resembles a gaping mouth for the tentacle heads.
 * Grim Tentacles - 2nd alternate weapons. The tentacles take on the form of demons, with the horned black skulls acting as the head, and light blue energy as the tentacles. The left tentacle has two horns, while the right tentacle has a single horn.
 * Destructive Tentacles - 3rd alternate weapons. The tentacles take on the form of, and resemble the Ahriman monsters. The main Ahriman bodies are dark yellow, and act as the tentacles heads, along with its claws, mini horns, purple wings, red markings, and signature eyeballs which have black sclera and red irises. It's thin tails function as the tentacles.

The Cloud of Darkness's alternate weapons have not appeared in any Final Fantasy game prior, and are entirely original for the Dissidia series. The Destructive Tentacles resemblance to the Ahriman is a reference to their first series appearance as a boss in Final Fantasy III.

The Cloud of Darkness's default player name is titled Nameless Wraith, and its manikin counterpart has been renamed Illusory Apparition.

Treachery of the Gods
At some point prior to the 12th cycle, the Cloud of Darkness aids Sephiroth upon his request as the latter takes interest in its abilities when fighting the Warrior of Light and Lightning. The Cloud of Darkness later ambushes Laguna while he is separated from the others. Their fight ends with Laguna getting a leg cramp after staring at its scantily-clad female body. This, and Laguna stating his reasons for helping Cosmos, cause it to develop an interest in him, leading the Cloud of Darkness to reveal where the manikins are coming from.

The Cloud of Darkness reveals this information as it is a potential suicide mission and is curious about the manner of death Laguna would choose for himself. It is also implied the Cloud of Darkness intends for Laguna and the Warriors of Cosmos to succeed in sealing the rift because it finds the manikins to be abominations. It later appears with Kefka, Garland, the Emperor, and Ultimecia to fight Laguna, Vaan, Lightning, Yuna, and Tifa before they seal the rift leading to the manikins' domain. In the aftermath, the Cloud of Darkness is ambushed by Kefka, who marks it as a traitor for its indirect part in the manikins' world being sealed off from World B, receiving purification in preparation for the next cycle, though this is ultimately of no consequence to it.

Light to All
Working with Kefka, the Cloud of Darkness attempts to kill off Terra and the Onion Knight from a distance before Kefka stops it as he desires to regain control over Terra. Though not convinced of Terra's power, the Cloud of Darkness agrees to capture Terra and release her full power. After Terra loses control of her powers and battles the Onion Knight, the Cloud of Darkness arrives to abduct Terra. It berates the Onion Knight for his blindness to Terra's struggle during their travels and tells him he has only himself to blame for her capture.

The Onion Knight travels to the World of Darkness where the Cloud of Darkness stands over an unconscious Terra, proclaiming the girl too fragile to be of use. The Onion Knight offers to take Terra's place as its servant, only to fool the Cloud of Darkness and strike it with its guard down, proclaiming he will defeat it and protect Terra. The two battle and the Cloud of Darkness is defeated. It fades away, leaving Terra to recover and the Onion Knight to claim his Crystal. The Cloud of Darkness later appears when Kefka realizes he cannot have Terra, cornering the girl and Cloud Strife when the Onion Knight comes to their aid and helps Cloud double team the villain while Terra fights Kefka. The outcome of their battle with Cloud and the Onion Knight is not shown, but the two of them are safe once Terra dispatches Kefka.

After Cosmos is killed, the Cloud of Darkness speaks to Ultimecia, who tells it that Shinryu has begun to stir, and reveals Shinryu is responsible for the cycles of war. The Cloud of Darkness is unfazed by the Emperor's plans, along with Ultimecia's time compression scheme, and focuses only on the eternal Void. Later, when the Onion Knight confronts it, the Cloud of Darkness asks why he and the other Warriors are still moving on with Cosmos gone and there being nothing for the boy to protect.

After losing, the Cloud of Darkness tells the Onion Knight it is too late, claiming they cannot stop the inevitable. He replies he is listening to his heart and will not run away, because the determination of his friends encourages him to move forward. The Cloud of Darkness comments that living creatures are fascinating, and that it will be waiting in the rifts of the Void as it disappears into the darkness, going back to sleep.

Official Quests
The Cloud of Darkness is the central character of "Cloud of Darkness' Quest 013: The Power of Destruction". After kidnapping Terra, it questions Kefka as to the value of going through the trouble of enslaving Terra when they have the manikins, but Kefka claims the supply of manikins is growing limited and any power they can use is helpful. After Kefka leaves, Terra regains consciousness, still unable to control her power, and the Cloud of Darkness fights her to see Terra's power for itself. The battle leaves Terra unconscious and the Cloud of Darkness wonders if she is fighting for a personal reason instead for Cosmos, then senses the Onion Knight approaching.

Rebirth of the cycles
The Cloud of Darkness returns to World B, having been summoned by Spiritus as one of his chosen warriors. It can be seen accompanying Kefka and Sephiroth to Spiritus's domain, commenting to the Sephiroth that Kefka hasn't changed since the last war. The Cloud of Darkness is present when Spiritus challenges Materia and her champions.

The Cloud of Darkness isn't seen again until the Warrior of Light, Cecil, and Noctis arrive at Spiritus's domain in order to communicate with Materia via communication portal. After Spiritus urges Materia to set aside their differences for the sake of the greater good, the Cloud of Darkness explains to Materia about Shinryu and the planesgorgers, and suggests that the world will not last long until they are all defeated. Materia agrees, and implores them to make a final stand together.

The Cloud of Darkness then participates in the final battle, assisting Ultimecia in her enslaught against Terra and Y'shtola. The two are then cut off by Shantotto, just as they are about to combine their magic into one powerful spell. When Shinryu awakens, the Cloud of Darkness turns its attention to fighting against the dragon god, ultimately defeating it with everyone's combined efforts. With the battle finally over, the Cloud of Darkness returns to its own world, leaving behind a crystal imbued with its essence for Spiritus to use in its place.

Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
In battle, Cloud of Darkness's fighting style is Bane of Life, as it uses a wide array of powerful energy beam attacks to drain the opponent's HP, and has the most HP attacks of any character. Its Bravery attacks are limited to attacks of its tentacles, which can attack in one of three ways according to when the circle button is pressed a second time while attacking. Though limited, its Bravery attacks are still formidable. Its HP attacks cover a wide variety of tactical options and can hit across multiple ranges and altitudes. A drawback is that they moves slowly, and their reliance on HP attacks can leave them vulnerable to counterattacks before they can recover Bravery.

Boss
In Dissidia Final Fantasy, Cloud of Darkness is fought in Destiny Odyssey III, Shade Impulse, Distant Glory and Inward Chaos.

In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, it is fought in Clues, An Undocumented Battle, Wisdom or Courage?, and Conclusion of the Cycle chapters of Story Mode.

Bravery Attacks

 * Dissidia
 * Dissidia 012

HP Attacks

 * Dissidia
 * Dissidia 012

EX Mode
The Cloud of Darkness's EX Mode is Flood of Darkness, where it loses its cape and its skin turns green, identical to its in-game appearance from Final Fantasy III. When in EX Mode, the Cloud of Darkness gains ability "[Null] Particle Beam". This lets it cancel out the lag after it attacks by using another HP attack, allowing it to attack faster in succession and combo its attacks together.

Its EX Burst, Ultra Particle Beam, has it attack with a smaller beam of energy, then summoning a large orb of darkness. The player must hold down to fill a bar to 120%. If successful, the Cloud of Darkness ends with Ultra Particle Beam, where it blasts the opponent with a large beam of energy. Failing to release the button or failing to press at the right time will result in the Cloud of Darkness firing a smaller beam that does less damage.

Equipment
The Cloud of Darkness can equip Rods, Staves, Bangles, Hats, Hairpins, Clothing, and Robes. In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, the Cloud of Darkness can also equip Thrown Weapons and Poles.

Exclusive weapons

 * Dissidia
 * Dissidia 012

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

 * Type: Vanguard - After a certain amont of time, Cloud of Darkness becomes flooded with darkness, allowing their bravery attacks to be buffed when held. Unleashing a charged attack will reset the timer.
 * EX Skill: Umbral Torrent - Become flooded with darkness and gain the ability to use Zero-Form Particle Beam.

Gallery

 * Dissidia & Dissidia 012

Allusions

 * When the Cloud of Darkness uses Aura Ball, it laughs its characteristic laugh from Final Fantasy III.
 * In Shade Impulse II-3, when fighting the Cloud of Darkness with a character other than Onion Knight, one of its pre-battle quotes is, "We have had an eternity in the Void to prepare. We will flood this world with darkness---and return all to the Void". This is roughly the same as the dialogue in Final Fantasy III. The scene was removed from the Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy version.
 * All of the Cloud of Darkness's HP Attacks and its EX Burst are variations of its signature attack in Final Fantasy III, "Particle Beam" ("Wave Cannon" in the Japanese version).
 * When the Cloud of Darkness charges its EX Burst, it assumes the pose from from Final Fantasy III. It assumes the same pose if the Onion Knight uses his EX Burst against them.
 * While the Cloud of Darkness's attacks "Tentacle of Pain", "Tentacle of Suffering" and "Aura Ball" do not appear in any game version of Final Fantasy III, they appear in the game's 1992 manga adaptation. The manga, like the game, was written by scenario writer Kenji Terada.
 * The Cloud of Darkness seems to dislike the manikins as they are a foreign presence that upsets the equilibrium of the world. This alludes to it appearing when the equilibrium between light and darkness is destroyed in Final Fantasy III.
 * The Cloud of Darkness's opening line towards the Warrior of Light in both games might allude to it only being defeated after the Warriors of Darkness sacrificed themselves and the Warriors of Light weren't enough to defeat it alone in Final Fantasy III.
 * The Cloud of Darkness's opening line towards Cecil in Dissidia Final Fantasy alludes to how it needed both light and dark energies to invoke the Void's power.
 * In Final Fantasy III, the Warriors of Darkness explain the Cloud of Darkness is made of both darkness and light, and that it was predominantly made of light when they fought it. The Cloud of Darkness's third costume, "Lucent Robe" (lucent meaning giving off light), may be a reference to this side of its nature.
 * When the Cloud of Darkness faces Yuna, it says, "Try and summon us", referring to a line said to Xande in Final Fantasy III.
 * The Cloud of Darkness's unique weapons, Bizarre Staff and Calcite Staff, are not available in Final Fantasy III, but find their origin as weapons usable by Yuna in Final Fantasy X.
 * Several of the combos in its Bravery attacks make use of what appears to be red electricity. This may allude to the tentacles' use of the Lightning attack in the 3D remake of Final Fantasy III.
 * In its reveal trailer in the arcade edition, three Onion Knights are blasted away by the Cloud of Darkness's 0-form Particle Beam, referring to the unwinnable first encounter against it in Final Fantasy III.

Trivia

 * Tetsuya Nomura has stated that when he joined the company, he saw Yoshitaka Amano's original design of the Cloud of Darkness which was not featured in Final Fantasy III, and decided to use the design in a future game once he got the chance.
 * The Cloud of Darkness is one of only three characters in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy to have an outfit modified, the other two being Jecht and Tidus.
 * The Cloud of Darkness shares its English voice actress, Laura Bailey, with Serah Farron from the Final Fantasy XIII series and Belle from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. It shares its Japanese voice actress with Hydaelyn from Final Fantasy XIV, the Cadetmaster from Final Fantasy Type-0 and from Kingdom Hearts series.

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