subject: Cloud Strife [print this page] Concept and creation Concept and creation
Cloud was designed by Tetsuya Nomura with influences from Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima and Hironobu Sakaguchi. Originally conceptualized by Sakaguchi as one of only three playable characters in early planning stages for Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's character saw greater oversight by Nomura than with other characters in previous Final Fantasy projects. Nomura has said the original parameters of Cloud's 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 the game's lead antagonist, 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, bright, blond hair. Furthermore, Nomura was called upon to supervise Cloud's various lines and personality traits. Kitase and Nojima, meanwhile, were in charge of developing Cloud's background and his relationship with the character of Sephiroth. Cloud's weapon, the Buster Sword, was originally smaller from its final form in the game, but its height increased as Nomura redesigned Cloud. Kitase said of the character:
There wasn't really much controversy or criticism about having him as the hero from within Square, but he is definitely a mysterious character. That's one of the game's main themes, the fact that the protagonist has all these secrets to unravel. He isn't a straightforward hero like Superman; rather, he has lots of mysteries, self-doubts, and a real dark side. Mr. Nomura was also very good at designing a character like that.
oshinori Kitase ,Electronic Gaming Monthly, October 2005
Nojima has expressed the dynamic of the relationship between the player and the main character in a Final Fantasy title is something he always puts thought into, and with Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's subdued nature led him to write scenes with the character in such a way that the players would be placed in the position of deciding for themselves what the character was thinking. Nomura believes that the reason why Cloud has become popular within gamers is due to the impact from his personality made in Nojima's scenario.
For Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Nomura agreed to direct the project, largely in part because of his attachment to the character of Cloud. Nomura, on explaining Cloud's situation in the film, 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." Nojima said that the theme of the story is one of redemption. "If you want to be forgiven, you have to take the hard path in life." Cloud, in choosing to fight against Sephiroth once again, is finally "given healing and forgiveness." Nomura concluded, "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 design in the film is a combination of a total of 8 designs the staff made which were from deformed to realistic designs. In contrast to his hair, Cloud's clothes were difficult to make in the film.
Cloud's Japanese voice actor, Takahiro Sakurai, first voiced his character in Kingdom Hearts with the idea that Cloud was a different character from the one of Final Fantasy VII, game which he was a fan of. For Advent Children Nomura wanted Cloud and Vincent's voices to contrast with each other due to their similarities. Sakurai expressed pressure for voicing Cloud as it was the sequel from the Final Fantasy VII. Although he did not mind whether critical response regarding his work was positive or not, Sakurai claims that he only received praise. When voicing him, Sakurai has in mind that his silence is more expressive than his dialogues and that due to his burdens, he notes that Cloud is shown to be a weak person. For Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Cloud was noted by Sakurai to be more normal as well as more expressive. The final scene in which Cloud screams over Zack Fair's death was the one in which Sakurai worked the most as it left the biggest impression on him. Sakurai has come to regard Cloud as very important character as it reminds him of his past and he is still impressed that he voiced him as he was fan of Final Fantasy VII.
Appearances
Final Fantasy VII
In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is introduced as a mercenary and former member of SOLDIER, 1st Class, an elite military unit operating under the Shinra Company. Presented at the game's start as apathetic to anything unrelated to his job, Cloud's blas attitude towards the goals of AVALANCHE, a resistance group fighting against Shinra, and the threat posed to the planet causes conflict with the other characters, and his background produces misgivings as to Cloud's motivations and trustworthiness. Cloud, meanwhile, takes pride in his past, confident in his abilities as a "former member of SOLDIER." Despite appearing detached to members of AVALANCHE in the game's introductory sequence, Cloud does display moments of camaraderie, some depending on the player's choices. When confronted by his childhood friend and AVALANCHE member, Tifa, Cloud agrees to keep his boyhood promise to protect her, continuing his AVALANCHE membership despite never having become a famous hero. Following the player's departure from Midgar, Cloud is appointed group leader by the other members of the party, much to the chagrin of Barret, AVALANCHE's original leader.
In interacting with Aerith, a flower girl wanted by Shinra and sole survivor of an ancient race known as the Cetra, Cloud's character is further expanded upon. He shows increased signs of good-natured humor and protectiveness, as opposed to his antagonistic use of sarcasm with Barret or comparative coolness to everyone other than Tifa that he has previously spoken with. Aerith, in turn, reciprocates this attitude, offering her assistance to lead Cloud back to Sector 7 and to rescue Tifa in Sector 6, despite Cloud being her bodyguard and the danger present. Aerith also inquires about Cloud's romantic life, and, depending on the player's dialogue choices and actions, could be one of several characters to take Cloud on a "date" at the Golden Saucer, an enormous amusement park, along with Tifa, and less seriously, Barret and optional character Yuffie. This love triangle aspect between Cloud, Tifa and Aerith is primarily focused on in the first disc, and at times is used to humorous effect.
When the player arrives at the inn in the town of Kalm, Cloud narrates to the group his history with Sephiroth, a legendary member of SOLDIER and the game's primary antagonist. According to Cloud, the two were "war buddies," having worked together on previous missions prior to the one in Nibelheim. Having joined SOLDIER to emulate Sephiroth, Cloud states in the flashback that he signs up for "big missions" whenever they become available, as the war had already ended and thus his chances for fame. When Sephiroth, upon discovering documents surrounding the nature of Jenova and his birth, mistakes himself to be a Cetra and razes Nibelheim, Cloud chases after him. Finding Tifa wounded by Sephiroth at the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor, Cloud discovers Sephiroth releasing Jenova, an extraterrestrial life-form and Sephiroth's "mother," from imprisonment. Cloud relates to the group that he then confronted Sephiroth, although he is unable to remember the events directly following.
In fact, these events did not occur as Cloud describes; rather, they are an amalgamation of Cloud's actual past (as a member of the Shinra army who failed to enter SOLDIER) along with his friend Zack's own past, mixed with memories gleaned from Tifa's mind, created out of a combination of shame, Jenova cells and manipulation by Sephiroth. The effects of this self-fabrication are made noticeable to the player prior to Cloud's discovery of the truthloud, at mention of names from the past or moments related thereto, will experience a brief flashback and collapse momentarily, suffering from apparent physical pain, and visual and audio cues are given to indicate discrepancies. It is not until after he and Tifa fall into the Lifestream that he, with her encouragement can piece his past back together, and restore his own personality from underneath the amalgam where he had subconsciously hidden it, and dismisses Sephiroth's deceit that he is an artificially-constructed Sephiroth-clone.
Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Cloud's design in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children was one of the most difficult to make by the staff as they wanted it to look realistic.
In the cell phone game Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Cloud appears in a minor role. During the course of the game, which takes place over the six years leading into Final Fantasy VII, the player encounters Cloud while he is serving under Zack and Sephiroth's command.
In the CGI film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, Cloud, two years following the conclusion of Final Fantasy VII, lives with Tifa in the city of Edge, working as a courier for the "Strife Delivery Service" that Tifa set up in her new bar, having given up his life as a mercenary. Staying with them is Marlene, Barret's adopted daughter, and Denzel, an orphan with a rampant and deadly disease called Geostigma. When confronted by Tifa following the disappearance of Denzel and Marlene, it is revealed that Cloud suffers from the effects of Geostigma, and he responds that he is unfit to protect his new family and other friends. However, when urged by Tifa to let go of the past, Cloud sets out for the Forgotten City in search for the children, and confronts Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo, genetic remnants of Sephiroth left behind before he could diffuse into the Lifestream completely. In confronting Kadaj, the battle takes them back to Aerith's church, where the Lifestream-influenced water cures Cloud of his Geostigma. Kadaj later merges with the remnants of Jenova, causing Sephiroth to be reborn. When Sephiroth is once again defeated, he dissipates, leaving a dying Kadaj in his place. At the movie's end, Cloud sees Aerith and Zack in the doorway of Aerith's church, and assures them that he'll be fine, as he isn't alone anymore.
Cloud in Last Order: Final Fantasy VII
Cloud is also one of the main characters in Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. This OVA depicts Cloud in two events that were shown in flashbacks in Final Fantasy VII; one at Nibelheim when he fights Sephiroth, and the other while escaping from Shinra with Zack. In Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Cloud is presented as a young Shinra infantryman who befriends the SOLDIER Zack Fair. During the game's conclusion, a dying Zack gives Cloud his Buster Sword, telling him that he is his legacy and that he must continue to live. After Zack dies, an emotionally-shattered Cloud departs for Midgar alone, and develops the Zack-based persona that he possesses for the majority of Final Fantasy VII.
Cloud appears in a small supporting role in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. A year after the events of Advent Children, Cloud, working alongside Barrett and Tifa, lends his support to the ground forces of the World Regenesis Organization and Vincent in their siege of Midgar and counterattack against the rogue Shinra military unit, Deepground.
Other appearances
In Kingdom Hearts, Cloud is meant to have a "demon-like" appearance.
Cloud's character has also appeared in games outside of the Final Fantasy VII continuity. He is one of several playable Final Fantasy VII characters in Itadaki Street Special for the PlayStation 2 and Itadaki Street Portable for the PlayStation Portable. In Chocobo Racing, Cloud is a hidden character that rides a motorcycle. Cloud is a playable character in the PlayStation version of Ehrgeiz, but like the other Final Fantasy VII characters present in the game, he has no storyline. Cloud and Tifa are the only Final Fantasy VII characters with a third costume or a story mode title; Cloud's depicts him in his Shinra infantryman attire, and his title is 'Guardian'.
In the PlayStation game Final Fantasy Tactics, Cloud is a playable secret character the player is able to recruit. He is accidentally pulled into the world of Ivalice by an ancient machine called "the Celestial Globe," which was activated by Ramza Beoulve in Goug Machine City. Cloud is disoriented after arriving in Ramza's world, and after a short exchange with Ramza and the others, he leaves. He wanders into Zarghidas Trade City, where he encounters a flower girl named Aerith, and it is implied that she reminds Cloud of the Aerith in the original game, including his grief of her death. As Cloud is leaving the area, Aerith is accosted by a man demanding payment. Cloud returns to help Aerith escape as Ramza and his party catch up to him. After the battle, he joins Ramza's party as a playable character, although he can't perform any of his signature attacks until the player tracks down his Materia blade.
In Kingdom Hearts, Cloud appears in the Olympus Coliseum world. He is depicted with a claw and a crimson cape, and the blade of his sword is wrapped in bandages. Nomura has stated that Cloud's left arm was inspired by Vincent Valentine, noting that, in this game, the character was supposed to illustrate a "demon-like" appearance due to his ties to the "dark side." He has been hired by Hades to kill Hercules, but must fight Sora as a prerequisite. After the fight, Hades sends Cerberus to attack Cloud and Sora, who are then saved by Hercules. Cloud meets with Sora afterward and explains that he is searching for someone. Aerith later tells Sora in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix that he's looking for Sephiroth. Cloud appears later in the Coliseum's battle tournaments. During the credit roll at the end of the game, Cloud is shown reuniting with Aerith and the other residents of Hollow Bastion in the library after Cid has located him and brought him home. Cloud continued his role in the series in the Game Boy Advance sequel Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories as a boss in the Olympus Coliseum and later as a summon card for Sora. However, this Cloud is based on Sora's memory in this game. Cloud appears again in Kingdom Hearts II, depicted in his Advent Children attire. He is still searching for Sephiroth, asking for Sora's help in order to do so while also warning Sora that Sephiroth will attempt to turn him to darkness, and is himself being sought out by Kingdom Hearts's version of Tifa. Cloud fights alongside Leon during the Heartless invasion of Hollow Bastion, and later aids Sora. Should the player choose to engage Sephiroth and win the battle, Cloud returns and engages Sephiroth which ends with both of them disappearing in a flash of light after Tifa gives Cloud the light to overcome his darkness. Sora concludes that Cloud is still fighting with Sephiroth, and will not stop until he is defeated.
Cloud is the hero representing Final Fantasy VII in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, where he is, as in all his recent appearances, voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in the Japanese version and by Steve Burton in the English version. His fight against Sephiroth in such game was based on their fights from Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children.
Cultural impact
Critical reception
The character of Cloud has been overall well received by critics. IGN stated the character set a trend for role-playing game heroes. "The spiky blond hair and the gigantic Buster Sword have become instantly identifiable icons, recognized by gamers around the world." GameDaily concurred, listing Cloud as an example of the "spiky-haired hero with a strange weapon", though stating that they have no problem with Cloud's spiky hair in particular. He was named best character of all time in Dengeki PlayStation's retrospective awards feature about the original PlayStation. Electronic Gaming Monthly placed him seventh in their "Top Ten: List of Videogame Characters." UGO placed him at the top on their list of "Top 25 Japanese RPG Characters". IGN placed him third in its "Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters" feature. He had the same rank in IGN's "Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters". GameCritics leveled criticism against the character, stating that, while Final Fantasy VII had "some of the most complex characters ever created, by video game standards," the character was nevertheless "paper-thin" with "childish motivations" when compared to characters from "Citizen Kane or the complexities of characters exhibited in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver." Mania Entertainment writer Briana Lawerence listed Cloud 2nd in the article "10 Male Headaches of Anime" criticizing his feeling of guilt about Aerith's death. On the other hand, Edge described Cloud as an example of "excellent design and characterization." They also commented that his design "inspired many a Japanese teen to adopt his exact spiky, yellow hairstyle." His development in Advent Children was praised by Todd Douglass Jr. from DVD Talk as one of the best parts from the film. Famitsu issue #1103 featured Cloud on its cover and gave him a seven-page tribute, showing his many appearances through the years.
Reception among fans has been predominately positive. According to IGN, "he is probably the most famous hero in the history of the Final Fantasy series," and that, although "his star has faded somewhat over the last decade and change, maybe it's just a consequence of overexposure," and "he'll probably still be an icon ten years from now." IGN listed him as a possible character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though he was not chosen as the "reader's choice." In one of IGN's 2007 "Hero Showdowns," Cloud was pitted against Link, though Link was voted the favorite. The character was placed in similar contests by GameFAQs, winning the "Character Battle II" (2003) and finishing second in the "Character Battle III" (2004) and the "Battle Royale" (2006). GameSpot featured him in their poll "All Time Greatest Game Hero". In an Oricon poll from 2008, Cloud was voted as the 2nd most popular video game character. He was also 2nd in men's category and 3rd in women's category. Cloud has also been included in some unorthodox lists; these include IGN's "Worst Videogame Haircuts", "Top Videogame Sword Masters" and ScrewAttack's "Top Ten Coolest Characters". Arnold Katayev from PSXextreme praise Cloud's redesign from Kingdom Hearts as one of best ones from the game, noting how it is a "hybrid" of his and Vincent Valentine's designs.
Merchandise
Cloud has served extensively as a basis for a variety of merchandise, including figurines and jewelry. Kanji Tashiro, Square Enix's manager of merchandise, said at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con that C
