Cloud Strife

Cloud Strife is a main protagonist in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, appearing as 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- as a supporting character.

An arrogant and proud swordsman at first, believing himself to be a member of an elite warrior unit called SOLDIER, Cloud discovers that the memories of who he was were not his own and, with the help of his friends, learns that there is more to being a hero than possessing physical strength and fame.

Appearance
Cloud is of short height with a slim build. His blond hair is spiked, and in Final Fantasy VII featured one particularly large spike emerging into the air. For this reason, Cloud's spiked hair has become one of the trademarks of his appearance, although in later appearances the spikes have been toned down. Cloud was originally conceptualized with black hair, but this was changed, and his hair is meant to serve as a contrast to Sephiroth's silver hair. Cloud has blue eyes, which glow due to the Mako flowing through his body. Because "Mako eyes" are an icon of SOLDIER, Cloud is often mistaken as one. Cloud's weapon of choice is the iconic Buster Sword, a massive sword several feet long which Cloud wields in most of his appearances. Cloud's other trademark weapon is the set of Fusion Swords, six individual sword that connect together to form a larger sword similar in shape and size to the Buster Sword. Besides these two weapons, Cloud's arsenal generally consists of various broadswords and katanas in the games where he is playable.

Cloud's outfit in Final Fantasy VII, is the standard uniform for 1st Class SOLDIERs. The clothing consists of simple pants with a no-sleeved shirt, which are indigo in color, and a belt. Cloud also wears brown boots and gauntlets with a single pauldron over his left shoulder. This is also the uniform he wears for most of his other appearances, with slight variations. In Crisis Core, Cloud wears the uniform of a Shinra infantryman of blue clothing with several belts and straps and a gray-green piece of cloth around the collar. He also wears his helmet to hide his identity at times.

In 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 in particular was changed both to show the passage of time since the game, and to be more realistic. His clothing consists of a high collar black shirt with no sleeves, black pants and boots, and black cloth covering his left leg and arm; the cloth on his arm seems to mainly be to hide his Geostigma symptoms. Cloud also gains an entirely new pauldron, and his chest is covered by two straps, held in place by a badge representing Fenrir, the animal that has come to be associated with Cloud. In Kingdom Hearts, Cloud's costume was designed to resemble Vincent Valentine's outfit. Cloud wears a tattered red cloak with dark blue pants and a shirt and brown boots. He wears gloves, the left of which has golden trimmings, almost like a claw. His costume also features many crossing belts. Cloud's most distinctive trait in this appearance is a demonic black wing protruding from his left shoulder, meant to symbolize both his connection to Sephiroth, and the dark powers he is using. In Kingdom Hearts II, Cloud appears identical to his Advent Children self, save that his new sword is loosely bound as the Buster Sword was in Kingdom Hearts.

Character
In Final Fantasy VII, due to the combined effect 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 somewhat cocky and selfish attitude he believes a SOLDIER 1st Class would have. However, during the game events he eventually restores his original personality, and shows genuine concern for the Planet's fate, a sharp contrast to his persona at the start of the game where he claimed he didn't care about the Planet and only agreed to help AVALANCHE for the right price.

In Advent Children and many related appearances, Cloud is a much more somber and dark character, tormented by guilt over his past failings; including the deaths of Aerith Gainsborough and Zack Fair. The final straw was when he contracted the terminal Geostigma plague, which added to his feelings of helplessness. Deciding to distance himself from his friends and live alone, he tries to keep his affliction secret and die alone without causing further grief. However, during the film Cloud faces his past both metaphorically and literally, with Sephiroth's rebirth, his visions of Aerith and shows of loyalty from the friends he tried so hard to let go. These events allow him to forgive himself for the deaths of Zack and Aerith and move on, although it is unclear what this ultimately means in terms of his personality and lifestyle. However, the mere fact that he is present to aid his old allies (and even cracks a slight joke), shows that he has indeed moved on in his life.

In Crisis Core, Cloud is depicted as a rather shy but slightly more upbeat person who idolizes both Zack and Sephiroth. However, when Sephiroth burned down Nibelheim and badly wounded his friends Zack and Tifa Lockhart, Cloud does not hesitate to avenge them by hurling the madman to his apparent death whilst himself being impaled with the Masamune. Despite the feelings he may have, Cloud remains steadfastly loyal and true to those he cares about and is always driven to protect them, even going as far as to hide his pain and emotions so he could not worry them. Ultimately, it is his selfless and kind nature that gives him the ability to overcome Sephiroth time and again. His compassion is explored further when he brings Denzel back to 7th Heaven and shares with Tifa an obligation to take care of the boy because of the guilt they felt for Sector 7's destruction. Because Cloud saved him, Denzel looks up to Cloud as an idol and both share a strong bond.

Cloud also has a lighter side, willingly cross-dress as a woman for a special mission at one point in Final Fantasy VII. He also has a dry, ironic wit in Dirge of Cerberus, when he cracks a joke with some of his allies. Overall, while he has a rather moody demeanour, his personality is not as brooding as that of Vincent Valentine. Like Yuffie Kisaragi, Cloud also suffers from motion sickness. It has been cured when Cloud upholds a fake SOLDIER persona, but returns when his true self is restored, although his ability to ride the Fenrir on delivery business suggests his motion sickness has somewhat improved.

In The Reunion Files for Advent Children, Tetsuya Nomura explained that while Cloud was initially depicted as a more upbeat character at the end of Final Fantasy 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 modelled to keep "a stiff upper lip", with his emotions and thoughts being expressed through his eyes.

Story
Cloud's childhood thus far has only been covered in Final Fantasy VII, in flashbacks. Cloud was born in the sleepy mountain village of Nibelheim, and was neighbors with Tifa Lockhart. His father died when he was young and was raised by his mother. Cloud grew up isolated from the rest of the village children, feeling himself somehow better than them, though it is implied he longed for the others' friendship. He developed a crush on Tifa, but hated her friends. Although the two consider each other (and are considered by others) to be childhood friends, by Tifa's own account they were not that close growing up, despite the fact he was her neighbor.

When Cloud was nine (1995), Tifa's mother died, and Tifa insisted she could meet her mother again by crossing Mt. Nibel. Cloud followed, and when Tifa was injured, the townsfolk believed the expedition up the mountain to be Cloud's idea, and Tifa's father forbade Cloud from approaching her. Cloud blamed himself for what happened to Tifa, thinking it was because of his own weakness that he failed to save her. As a result, Cloud developed a bit of an anger problem, always getting into fights, not even caring who it was with. Yet in spite of this new show of aggression, Cloud was still just a quiet kid who rarely had much of anything to do with the other kids in the village.

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. Upon her request, he agreed to come save her if she ever found herself in trouble. The following spring, he left for Midgar in pursuit of his goal, as did Johnny, another Nibelheim youth trying out for SOLDIER.

Crisis Core/Before Crisis
Despite his bravado, Cloud is unable to make it into SOLDIER and becomes an ordinary Shinra infantryman. While working for Shinra he meets a first-class SOLDIER named Zack Fair in Modeoheim, and the two become friends after learning they are both "backwater experts." When he and Zack infiltrate a Mako Excavation Facility on the way to Modeoheim, they encounter Genesis Rhapsodos and Dr. Hollander. When Hollander attempts to escape, Cloud was briefly successful in capturing him. However, Hollander managed to break free of Cloud's grip in the struggle. Cloud gives pursuit but both him and Tseng, leader of the Turks, were taken down by Angeal Hewley off screen. On June 28th, 0001, Cloud is ordered to protect Professor Rayleigh in Midgar from the insurgency organization AVALANCHE. Though he fails, both of their lives are saved by the Player Turk. Despite his failure Cloud shows off some impressive sword skills for just a regular infantryman.

On September 22nd, 0002, Cloud later returns to Nibelheim, along with Zack and Sephiroth to investigate a damaged reactor in Mt. Nibel, and Tifa is to act as their guide. Ashamed of his failure to join SOLDIER, Cloud hides his identity from the townspeople, and especially Tifa, though he does reveal himself to his mother. When the expedition reaches the reactor, Sephiroth discovers Professor Hojo's failed experiments with Mako soldiers as well as where Shinra had interred Jenova, which Sephiroth mistakenly believed was his mother.

Falling into madness, Sephiroth immerses himself in Professor Gast's writings and discovers his own dark past. He comes out from the Shinra Mansion basement on December 1st and sets about destroying the village. Cloud witnessed his mother's death in the ensuing fire and rushes to the reactor to confront Sephiroth where he finds both a wounded Tifa and a barely conscious Zack. A grief-stricken Cloud picked up Zack's Buster Sword, catching Sephiroth off guard in the reactor core, and impaling him, then returning to care for Tifa, in some accounts also having an affectionate conversation with her. Sephiroth, badly wounded, emerges from the reactor core, and when Cloud attacks again, Sephiroth stabs him with the Masamune. Cloud summoned unknown strength, and used the katana as a lever to hurl Sephiroth into the Mako pit below, though the observing Turk, who did not see this, assumed Sephiroth jumped in of his own volition and reported back to Shinra to this effect. Cloud collapsed immediately thereafter.

Afterward Cloud and Zack 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. Four years later (December 19th, 0006), Zack breaks out of his confinement and helps a comatose Cloud escape, giving him a SOLDIER uniform to wear because his old clothes were soaked with Mako. Due to the experiment, Cloud was in a weak and delirious state as he had reacted more strongly to the experiments than Zack, who was unaffected by the Mako experiments, due to being a member of SOLDIER. As they escaped, Zack speaks continuously to the unresponsive Cloud about his life and his plans for both of them to become mercenaries in Midgar after finding out that four years has passed since Hojo took them. Zack carries the comatose Cloud around, and though Cloud takes no part in the events, is present when Zack defeats Genesis.

After almost a year of running, the pair finally arrive outside of Midgar in September 0007. However, the Shinra forces finally catch up. Zack fights back to defend both Cloud and himself against overwhelming numbers. In the end, after single-handedly and heroically massacring the majority of the thousands of Shinra soldiers, Zack is gunned down by the last few, and Cloud is left for dead after the soldiers see him in his vegetative state. However, having witnessed the chaos, Cloud manages to crawl over to where Zack is mortally wounded. In his last few seconds, a blood-soaked Zack entrusts the Buster Sword to Cloud, and tells him that his legacy will live on inside Cloud, before dying. After some time Cloud, deeply distressed, scrambles to his feet, Buster Sword in hand, and begins trudging off towards Midgar.

Shortly thereafter, in the Sector 7 Train Station, Cloud's shattered mind undergoes a radical transformation. Hojo's experiments, combined with his own weakened psyche, Jenova's mimicry abilities and the trauma of the events he has experienced, cause Cloud to impress Zack's memories, his ideal image of himself as well as Tifa's memories of him together to create an entirely new persona. What emerges in Cloud's mind is a reality in which he successfully joined SOLDIER and was Sephiroth's partner - Zack did not exist. Taking up Zack's plans (hinting that he may have been vaguely aware of what Zack was telling him), Cloud presents himself as a mercenary, believing himself a former First Class SOLDIER.

Final Fantasy VII
In Midgar, Cloud is found by Tifa, who is now a member of the anti-Shinra terrorist group AVALANCHE, along with Barret Wallace. Tifa, perplexed by oddities she notices in him, requests that Cloud help AVALANCHE in their struggle. Cloud joins AVALANCHE to attack the Sector 1 Reactor on December 9th, and the mission is a success. After blowing up the Sector 5 Reactor, Cloud gets separated from the others by falling into the slum church where Aeris Gainsborough grows flowers. While Cloud is absent, Tifa allows herself to be captured by a Shinra informant, Don Corneo in an attempt to get information out of him. Cloud and Aeris, after disguising Cloud as a woman, attempt to rescue her, after which the Don admits Shinra has found out AVALANCHE's base of operations.

To crush AVALANCHE, Shinra drops the plate over Sector 7 of Midgar, crushing the entire area; Jessie, Biggs and Wedge are killed trying to stop them, and Aeris is captured taking Barret's daughter Marlene to safety. Cloud leads an attack on Shinra Headquarters to rescue her. There he meets with Red XIII, and sees Jenova's headless remains. However, the group is captured and imprisoned. 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, only to find President Shinra impaled on Sephiroth's sword. Cloud fights briefly with the new head of Shinra, Rufus Shinra, and then escapes from Midgar on a motorcycle, the other members riding alongside in a pickup.

The group stays at an inn outside Midgar in Kalm where Cloud tells his version of the events of what happened on the day Nibelheim was burnt, with himself in Zack's place and Zack no longer present. Although Tifa knows the story isn't true, she remains silent, confused and bewildered. Cloud's grudge with Sephiroth explained, the next day the group sets out to track Sephiroth down, going through the Mythril Mines where the Turks reveal Sephiroth is headed to Junon. Cloud and the group sneak into Junon and a cargo ship bound for Costa Del Sol, meeting Yuffie Kisaragi on the way. 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 robot Cait Sith joins their cause. The buggy eventually 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 the negative effects Shinra's drilling for Mako is having on them. When the group reaches Nibelheim, they find the town completely rebuilt, and inhabited by villagers who have no recollection of either Cloud or Tifa or the town ever having been burnt down. In the Shinra Mansion basement 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 Shinra. Adding Cid to their roster of allies, the group returns to the Gold Saucer and claims the Keystone from Dio. 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 trolley to the park breaks down. At this time, Cait Sith is revealed to be a Shinra 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 deal a critical wound to 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. Cait Sith sacrifices himself to get it, but Sephiroth returns, and because Cloud had been injected with Jenova cells, Sephiroth has control over Cloud, and he hands over the Black Materia. He goes berserk and attacks Aeris, but his friends knock him out. While unconscious 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, and Cloud resolves to follow her to find the truth behind her words.

Cloud and company pursue 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, his mind under Sephiroth's control. Stopping himself in the nick of time when his allies shout at him to stop, Cloud watches as Sephiroth descends from above the altar and impales Aeris, killing her. Her death enrages Cloud, and the rest of the party mourns her passing. Cloud puts Aeris to rest and 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. 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 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 afterwards, and Professor Hojo reveals his Jenova Reunion Theory that Cloud is a part of. Cloud comes to believe he was entirely created by Hojo and that even his name and memories of being Tifa's childhood friend belong to someone else. The shock of his fabricated past, combined with Hojo's revelations and accusations, shatter Cloud's mind. Using an illusion to trick the party member with the Black Materia into coming to Cloud's aid, Sephiroth has Cloud take it back from them and he and hands it to Sephiroth, who activates it. After Cloud apologizes to Tifa for being a fake, the crater begins to shake violently. AVALANCHE escapes, save for Barret and Tifa, and Cloud is left behind to fall into the Lifestream.

Surfacing at Mideel approximately a week later, 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 fights Shinra, who is risking a dangerous attempt to stop the Meteor that is now coming to the Planet. Ultimate Weapon attacks Mideel, and Tifa and Cloud fall into the Lifestream and into Cloud's subconscious. There, Tifa helps Cloud piece back together his true memories of his childhood by comparing their memories to find out which are true, while Tifa encourages Cloud to believe in his own existence. Restored to his true self, Cloud resumes command of the party again. With Bugenhagen's guidance, they discover Aerith had managed to summon Holy just before Sephiroth killed her; the ultimate white magic, it could stop Meteor, but Sephiroth is holding it back.

After taking their revenge upon the Shinra for all the wrongs the company has wrought to each member of the party, the group lands in the Northern Crater and descends into the depths of the planet to confront Sephiroth. After the party defeats Sephiroth's new god-like form, his mind is sent back into the Lifestream. Cloud, sensing Sephiroth is not dead follows him mentally into the Lifestream and defeats Sephiroth in one final duel of will. Returned to his body by Aeris just in time, Cloud and the party escape the crater on the Highwind moments before Holy emerges to fight Meteor. The nearness of Meteor, however, causes Holy to hold back its full power, until Aeris commands the Lifestream to emerge and push it back so that it may unleash its full power to destroy Meteor and save the planet.

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; Cloud quits his mercenary job and takes up a job as a delivery boy via his new business, the "Strife Delivery Service".

One day while visiting Aerith's ruined church, a recently orphaned boy, Denzel, who had his family 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 his Geostigma. When Cloud discovers Denzel, he takes him home to live with him, Marlene, and Tifa.

Although their new life as a family with Marlene and eventually Denzel is happy, Cloud eventually becomes insular. He eventually admits to Tifa that his problems are due to the fact that "you can't reclaim lost lives", referring to his perceived guilt in the deaths of Aerith and Zack. As the novella ends, Cloud moves out of their home and into the Sector 5 Church prior to the film.

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

Cloud has a few mentions in Hoshi wo Meguru Otome, a story focusing on Aerith. Here Aerith philosophizes around the Lifestream, and also contemplates her decision to leave Cloud, whom she admits she loves more than she did Zack. She later recalls Cloud's personality traits which were created by Cloud impressing Zack's memories into his own, and this conjures Zack's spirit to her. Aerith protects Tifa's mind from Mako poisoning when she and Cloud fall into the Lifestream, and when Cloud defeats Sephiroth, she helps him return to his body.

Advent Children/Advent Children Complete


Before the start of the movie, Cloud leaves his family to look for a cure for Denzel's Geostigma. Unfortunately he fails to do anything more than get himself infected, though with a much less serious case than Denzel. Due to his failure, Cloud falls into a familiar cycle of self-pity and grief, and so avoids calls from his friends.

When Advent Children opens, it is 0009, two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII. 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. Having reached Healen Lodge, Cloud is surprised to find Rufus still alive but suffering from Geostigma. The president offers Cloud to join them to fight off the trio, led by Kadaj. Cloud thinks about this, but rejects after Reno brings up the idea of rebuilding Shinra.

The three remnants begin luring and kidnapping children that possessed Geostigma, intending to have the children lead them to Jenova's lost head. Although reluctant to fight for fear of failure, Cloud goes to the Forgotten Capital after encouragement from Tifa and the Turks. On the way, he is visited by an apparition of Aerith, in which he declares that he is searching for forgiveness as well. Upon seeing Denzel and the other children under Kadaj's control, he confronts the trio for a second time but finds himself outmatched and is rescued by Vincent Valentine, who tells him about the true nature of Geostigma - a plague caused by Jenova's cells. Suddenly, Marlene runs into Cloud's arms worried about what had happened to Denzel but refusing to go home when Cloud asks Vincent to take her. Giving much thought about the conversations he previously had with his friends, he finally 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 from life threatening perils, he defeats Bahamut SIN with help from his old allies. 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 are seemingly killed in the explosion set by Reno and Rude during the chase. Confronting Kadaj once more, the battle eventually takes him back to Aerith's church, where the Lifestream-influenced water cures him of his Geostigma. Cloud battles Kadaj once more and prevails, but the remnant absorbs Jenova's cells at the last moment and Sephiroth is reborn. The ensuing battle at the ruins of the Shinra Building proves to be fierce and nearly ends Cloud's life. He almost seems to be on the verge of defeat when Sephiroth stabs him through the shoulder, then 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." A different form of this technique, version 6, is used in Advent Children Complete. Defeated again, Sephiroth dissipates, leaving a dying Kadaj in his place. Seeing Aerith and hearing her voice, and believing her to be the "mother" he has been longing for, Kadaj reaches for her hand as he is diffused into lifestream particles.

At this point, Loz and Yazoo appear and set off a kamikaze explosion that apparently kills all three of them. However, Cloud is not dead, merely in critical condition, and he is healed by the intervention of Aerith, reawakening in the pool that now occupies the church. After helping Denzel into the Lifestream-infused water in the old church to cure his Geostigma, Cloud sees Aerith and Zack near the doorway. Before they leave, Aerith's final words try to make sure that Cloud will be all right. He replies that he will, because he knows he is not alone anymore.

In Advent Children Complete, the climax of Cloud's battle with Sephiroth is much more brutal. After being thrown through a wall, Cloud attacks Sephiroth with renewed strength using Omnislash. However, Sephiroth repels the attack and impales Cloud through the chest, and then flings him into the air, continuing his assault with a flurry of thrusts, stabbing Cloud multiple times before flinging him back to the ground. At this time Zack appears to Cloud and speaks to him, giving him the strength to climb to his feet and keep fighting, finishing off Sephiroth with the new "Omnislash Version 6." In the credits, after the shot of Cloud's desk, a shot of the hill Zack died on can be seen, now devoid of the Buster Sword, but with a grove of yellow flowers in its place. The voice of Denzel can be heard to ask if this place is a grave, to which the voice of Cloud responds that it is not, but rather the place where a hero began his journey. The camera then fades to the Sector Five Church, where the Buster Sword, now shined and free of rust, now rests beside the waters.

Reminiscence
In a DVD extra, Cloud is seen on a regular work day making deliveries, while taking calls from his friends. One call in particular came from Vincent Valentine, who has recently purchased 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. The last call is to Tifa, asking her to close the bar the next day.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
During the events of Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-, which take place one year after Advent Children (2010), Cloud is not seen during the attack on Edge (assumed to have spirited away Denzel and Marlene) but later assists the World Regenesis Organization and Vincent Valentine in their struggle against the threat of Omega and Deepground. He leads the ground assault on Midgar, eventually facing Rosso the Crimson. He and the others eventually aid 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 he is best put in the front row to ensure solid attack power, despite being a workable caster. His Limit Breaks are the strongest in the game, but Cloud also learns them more slowly than anyone else. Cloud's stronger weapons include the Ultima Weapon, which sports the strongest Base Attack stat in the game at 100 and grows stronger as Cloud has more HP, and the Apocalypse, one of only two equipment pieces in the game to give Triple Materia Growth

His worst feature is his Speed-oriented parameters, and will need the assistance of Time Magic to execute his attacks without fail, but all efforts are rewarded because his attacks can deal heavy damage to the targets.

Limit Breaks
In all his appearances within the series, Cloud's ultimate attack has been the Omnislash. Of the Final Fantasy VII party members, Cloud's Limit Breaks are the strongest, however, they are learned much slower, and Cloud typically needs to kill twice as many enemies as his comrades to learn his stronger techniques. His ultimate Limit Break, Omnislash, can be the most powerful move in the game providing that Ultima Weapon is equipped and Cloud has full HP. Against single enemies, this is even stronger than Knights of the Round, which hits thirteen times, while Omnislash hits fifteen times.

In addition to the above, Cloud uses the new "Omnislash Version 5" Limit Break to defeat Sephiroth in Advent Children. The Limit Break involves Cloud separating his sword into its individual components, and attacking the opponent once with each sword. The term "Version 5" was adopted during development, and refers to the fact that it is the fifth version of the attack that was designed for the film. In Advent Children Complete, the attack was redesigned as a longer sequence of fourteen slashes instead of six, and was dubbed "Omnislash Version 6" by fans to reflect its status as the sixth version of the attack.

Zack remarks to Aerith that he had taught Cloud "his finisher", referring to the Omnislash technique. The validity of this claim is highly dubious due to the numerous contradictions the novel has with canon material. One possible explanation for this is that Cloud acquired some of Zack's skills when merging Zack's memories into his own.

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

Development


Cloud was one of the first two characters designed for Final Fantasy VII by Tetsuya Nomura with influences from Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima and 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 the character of Sephiroth. In early drafts of the script, 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 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 just 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 later altered after the introduction of Jenova and the fleshing out of Zack Fair’s story. Also, 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. 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.

For Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Cloud's design in the film is a accumulation of a total of 8 designs the staff made, ranging from deformed to realistic designs. Although Nomura stated that Cloud was a more upbeat character in Final Fantasy VII, he chose Cloud to have a personality that would be more familiar to gamers and the script was written to explain the reasons for Cloud's state. 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."

Originally listed as a "Mystic Knight (Berserker)", Cloud's weapon, the Buster Sword, was originally smaller than its final form in the game, its size increasing as Nomura redesigned Cloud. Nomura nicknamed it "the Giant Kitchen Knife" due to how he originally envisioned it. The sword was also meant to be held on his back with the use of magnets and have a small chain. Cloud's new weaponry in Advent Children was created based on jokes by fans who commented that, since Cloud's weapon in the original game had an enormous height, in a sequel, he should go with sheer numbers. Although it does not have an official name, the staff named it them the "Fusion Swords" during the film's development. The concept was to have Cloud hold a total of six swords he would carry in his back, but it then changed to six swords interlocking to form one. Although the film's staff thought that doing sequences with the Fusion Swords was impossible, they decided to make it as they then found it made an interesting twist to the battles.

While appearing in different games, it should be noted that Cloud's designs and the designs of Final Fantasy VIII's protagonist, Squall Leonhart, have mutually influenced each other throughout their history. It was Cloud's iconic hair that influenced the creation of Squall's scar as well as possessing similarities with jobs (Mercenary/Soldier, Members of rebel groups) and both being emotionally deep and possessing psychologically interpreted character stories. Squall's design would in turn influence Cloud's come Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, where Cloud now dons emblems (pendants and rings) harking to a symbolic animal (Fenrir) much like Squall does in Final Fantasy VIII with Griever. The pair even posses their own catch-phrases (Squall's "Whatever" and Cloud's "Not interested", both of which are uttered numerous times throughout their games).

Both having large fanbases, and despite making cameo appearances together in various games, usually as rival characters, Squall and Cloud did not visibly interact with each other until their appearance in Kingdom Hearts II where they fight alongside each other in a war scene; sharing snarky comments towards the other before returning to battle.

Musical Themes
In the credits of the movie, Cloud is seen driving down a long highway. He passes a series of flower fields of varying sizes and flowers, and other shots of forests, mountains, and coasts are shown. The song that plays is called "Safe and Sound"; the thrust of which is of protecting's one's hopes and dreams, and never giving up, no matter how painful the struggle becomes. Aerith is seen standing in a field of yellow flowers and she turns towards the camera. The credits end with a shot of Cloud's desk, showing a picture of AVALANCHE taken after Cloud's awakening has joined the picture of his family, with two flowers in front of it.

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 appears as a bonus playable character in Final Fantasy Tactics and can be recruited into Ramza Beoulve's party. To do this, Ramza must embark on a sidequest involving the Constructs and the Zodiac stones, Besrudio will come up with a dimensional portal device that will cause Cloud to be summoned, however, Cloud won’t become a party member until Ramza meets the flower girl Aerith. After which Cloud will defend the girl from some thugs and join Ramza’s party.

While Cloud retains most of his abilities from Final Fantasy VII, he won’t be unable to use his Limit Break skills until he obtains the Materia Blade. Curiously, while Final Fantasy VII lists Cloud as a Leo), his zodiac sign in Final Fantasy Tactics is Aquarius. Cloud is also the only male character in Final Fantasy Tactics able to equip a Ribbon, which is otherwise only equipped by female characters. However, this ability is no longer unique with the release of the PSP version, as the Onion Knight can also equip female-exclusive equipment.

Dissidia Final Fantasy


Chaos has summoned a combined force of Final Fantasy's ultimate masters of evil. Cosmos, in an attempt 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. However, Cloud later admits his hesitations for fighting to them, and departs to search for a reason to fight on his own. During the game, Sephiroth appears to Cloud to play with his emotions and demonstrate Cloud's lack of self-motivation, calling Cloud a puppet with no will of his own. Though he is apprehensive, Cloud nonetheless refutes Sephiroth's claims and continues onward to make his own path.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Cloud reappears as a Warrior of Cosmos in the prequel to Dissidia Final Fantasy alongside the other characters.

Chocobo Racing
Cloud makes an appearance as a secret character in this racing game, riding the Hardy-Daytona.

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 if you defeat him under the right conditions, you can then fight "Summoner" Tifa.

Kingdom Hearts series


Cloud appears in the Kingdom Hearts series as a withdrawn and quiet swordsman seeking his archrival Sephiroth across several worlds, wishing to end a grudge between them. In the first game, he makes a deal with Hades that the god will help him find Sephiroth if Cloud kills Hercules. This eventually leads to a battle between Cloud and Sora, who Hades also orders Cloud to kill. However, Cloud fails in his endeavour, prompting Hades to release Cerberus. 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 fulfils the same role, only seeking his lost memories instead of Sephiroth.

In Kingdom Hearts II, Cloud returns appearing in Hollow Bastion, wearing his outfit from Advent Children. Although Cloud is again seeking Sephiroth, and confronts him after Sephiroth spars with Sora, Cloud also helps Leon defend Hollow Bastion and in general is closer to the other Final Fantasy cast than before; including Tifa Lockhart, who is pursuing him as he pursues Sephiroth. In Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, Cloud appears as a boss in various coliseum cups. In the Japanese version, Cloud is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, while in the English release, he is voiced by Steve Burton. After the player beats Cloud in the Hercules Cup in the first Kingdom Hearts they receive get the Metal Chocobo keyblade, which modelled after the Buster Sword. In Kingdom Hearts II, after Sora watches Cloud and Sephiroth's fight, Tifa gives him the Fenrir keyblade, modelled after the Fusion Swords.

Itadaki Street Series
Cloud appears as a playable character in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special, Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable and Itadaki Street Mobile, alongside several other Final Fantasy characters.

Trivia

 * In the Nibelheim flashback sequence in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's menu portrait is different from his usual portrait. This makes Cloud one of a handful of characters to have more than one menu portrait in the same game. The portrait is also used for Cloud in the 1996 Final Fantasy VII demo.
 * In Final Fantasy IX, a Buster Sword is shown on display in a weapons shop. When Zidane sees it, he says, "I remember a guy with spiky hair who carried something like this." In another part of Final Fantasy IX, a soldier and a flower girl can be found outside a church in Alexandria. The soldier, named Pluto Knight VII, says that he is very lucky to meet such a beautiful flower girl in a destroyed city. The flower girl says, "He's cute, but he isn't exactly Mr. Personality". As another reference, while acting in the game's ending play Zidane says "No cloud nor squall shall hinder us," also a reference to the protagonist of Final Fantasy VIII, Squall Leonhart.
 * In the French translation of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud’s name is mistakenly translated as "Clad Strife". His name is properly translated in all other Compilation entries.
 * Cloud, along with Aerith, appeared in the PlayStation 3 tech demo which recreated the opening sequence of Final Fantasy VII in advanced graphics. His scene of leaping from the train showed only him, however, with no Shinra or AVALANCHE members present. His hair was also modelled after his Crisis Core and Advent Children appearances.
 * Cloud has the most player-controlled appearances of any character in the Final Fantasy series, and the second most appearances altogether, behind Gilgamesh.
 * Cloud has a brief mention in "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series", in a rap where Marik Ishtar says he likes him more than Squall.
 * For the instruction manual of Final Fantasy Origins (a PlayStation remake of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II) Cloud is shown as an example name chosen for the Warrior class of Final Fantasy.
 * Cloud Strife has been featured as the central topic of two Square Enix promotional books, CLOUD Vol 1 and CLOUD message.
 * 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 include using an overly-long and flashy summon sequence to summon a Chocobo, and showing off the Buster Sword, which is too heavy for him to hold and falls on top of him. After the latter, Fighter rejects him as a Light Warrior.
 * Users in Square-Enix Members Virtual World community can make their character appear as Cloud in his Advent Children attire. The avatar was released to celebrate the Japanese release of Advent Children Complete.
 * Cloud makes a guest appearance in Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy series in his Advent Children attire; wielding the First Tsurugi and riding the Fenrir.
 * Cloud makes a name-only cameo in Final Fantasy VIII’s Esthar with his name being used as a shop title; Cloud's Shop.
 * In Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII- there are several posters of Cloud found around Edge, showing a silhouette of his original artwork from Final Fantasy VII on a green background.