Cloud Strife

"All right everyone, let's mosey."

- Cloud Final Fantasy VII

Cloud Strife is the main protagonist of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and also a supporting character of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge Of Cerberus and then he returned again as a deuteragonist in the prequel Crisis Core. He starts out as a mercenary, but as the game goes on he wants to save the world from Shinra and his mortal enemy, Sephiroth. Cloud also appeared in many Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts games. He is an expert swordsman.

He was voiced by Steve Burton.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Fantasy VII
Cloud is an ex-solider for the monolithic corporation known as Shinra Power and Electric. The game starts off with Cloud plying his talents as a mercenary working for the eco-terrorists known as AVALANCHE. In his travels Cloud meets a childhood friend of his named Tifa Lockhart, who is currently friends with the leader of AVALANCHE Barret Wallace. Tifa's presence helps Cloud become more emotionally invested in helping AVALANCHE and over time Cloud goes from seeing the group as just a client group to genuine comrades. With the introduction of another character, Aerith Gainsborough, who is being hunted by Shinra and the reintroduction of an old enemy of Cloud's named Sephiroth, Cloud becomes as invested in saving the planet as Barret, although for personal reasons instead of ecological ones.

Advent Children
The movie Advent Children picks up with the game's ending when Cloud has defeated Shinra and Sephiroth. The world is in a state of ruin from Shinra and Sephiroth's efforts and a genetic disorder is popping up and oddly enough seems to be spreading. Cloud starts to suspect Rufus, the former head of Shinra who has come out of hiding is behind the phenomena but soon finds remnants of Sephiroth's legacy are to blame, remnants conspiring to resurrect Sephiroth. Cloud and his friends are soon tasked with saving the diseased civilians and preventing Sephiroth's revival.

Crisis Core
Crisis Core is a prequel game to the events of Final Fantasy VII. The game focuses on Cloud's passing experiences with Sephiroth in his youth and his connection to Zack Fair.

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

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

Chain of Memories
In Chain of Memories, Cloud appears in the stage Olympus Colosseum. He was summoned by Hades to kill Hercules and in return Cloud would receive all of his "true" memories.

Kingdom Hearts II
In Kingdom Hearts II, Cloud appears looking for Sephiroth to "end it once and for all". Sora finds Sephiroth and Sephiroth tests his strength in a battle. After you help Cloud find Sephiroth they engage in a fight scene where both Cloud and Sephiroth disappear.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Cloud appears in the PSP game Dissidia: Final Fantasy. He is a normal growing character that learns a lot of attacks as he levels up. He learns several bravery to health attacks.