History
A young boy from a small mountain village called Nibelheim, Cloud Strife would be given a destiny he could have never imagined or conceived. As a child, he grew up isolated from the village children. When he was nine, Tifa Lockheart and others tried to climb up Mt. Nibel. Cloud decided to follow them, however Tifa fell from a bridge. Tifa’s father blamed Cloud for the accident and it stuck with him. From that incident, Cloud resolved to become a member of SOLDIER, Shin-Ra’s elite fighting force. There were several reasons for doing this, one of them was that he felt he wasn’t good enough for Tifa, whom he had admired from a distance. Another was that he wanted , not only to prove to others, but most of all to himself, that he could be as strong or as great as the legendary 1st Class SOLDIER, Sephiroth. It was at this point he made a promise to Tifa, swearing that he’d protect her whenever she needed help.
However, Cloud never managed to make it into SOLDIER, and ended up becoming a Shin-Ra infantry guard. Yet he was aboard the helicopter that crashed with Zack Fair, SOLDIER 1st Class, when going Modeoheim to find out about Genesis and Hollander. Zack took a real shine to Cloud, feeling the country bumpkin camaraderie, and encouraged him never to give up on becoming a member of SOLDIER.
Later when Genesis Clones attacked Junon to get Hollander, Zack found Cloud again, who had gotten motion sickness from the helicopter ride. Zack offered to have dinner with him once the emergency was done. From there on there was a show of friendship between the two.
When Sephiroth and Zack went to Nibelheim to check out the Mako Reactor there, Cloud accompanied them, however he was ashamed by his failure to make it into SOLDIER, so kept his identity a secret from the town’s people, wearing his Shin-ra helmet to cover his features. That helped very much, especially when Tifa was hired to act as their guide to the Mako Reactor on Mt. Nibel.
They had no way of knowing what they would find. Hojo’s failed experiments with Mako Soldiers and Sephiroth discovering what he thought was his mother: Jenova. Upon returning to the village, as he locked himself away in the Shin-ra mansion, going over the work of Professor Gast and uncovering the truth behind his own past.
When he came out of the basement, he had succumbed to the madness that had developed within his mind and soul, and began to act upon it by destroying Nibelheim, setting it blaze and killing anyone that crossed his path. Cloud witnessed the death of his own mother in the blazing inferno. Desiring revenge, he rushed to the reactor to confront Sephiroth.
There he found both Tifa and Zack unconscious; they had been unsuccessful in confronting Sephiroth. Fueled by grief and anger, he picked up Zack’s Buster Sword, catching the legend off guard completely, and impaled him with the blade. Sephiroth in turn impaled Cloud with his sword, but Cloud managed to survived and forced Sephiroth off his sword, using the sword that was impaled within him. It was then Sephiroth, still carrying Jenova’s head, leapt off the platform and plunged into the Lifestream. Cloud fell unconscious after that.
When Cloud woke up, he found himself in a room, with Cissnei of the Turks, who came and confronted Cloud about Zack, especially seeing the Buster Sword. Cloud however came to realize he had no memories of the last five years, except that he vaguely recalled Zack going to fight Genesis. Cloud got up, yet felt different and he knew it. Cloud asked Cissnei what happened to Zack and she replied that she didn’t know. The company never recovered the body. As of last month, they now declared on the books that both he and Zack are just dead, which is why she lets him go. As a final favor to a man that she loved, but never told him.
When she suggests that he change out of the Soldier 1st class outfit, Cloud rebuffs her, picking up the Buster Sword, saying he's going to find out what happened to Zack and to him, no matter what. Cissnei decided to tell him to travel back home, as he'd find his answers there. Cloud stares at her, wondering how that can be possible as his town was destroyed but she tells him, go there and he'll find out for himself and leaves Cloud in the room alone.
On his way back to his birthplace, Cloud ends up getting involved in a bar brawl between a girl from Wutai, who is being harassed by members of the mafia. Seeing her brings out a flash of a memory, of a younger girl, but the memory isn't his. Deciding to go with the image, Cloud interjects himself into the fight and proceeds(even to his own astonishment) to easily take out the half dozen men. He grabs the girl and escapes, as he came close to kill someone without really noticing it, not to mention had no intention of getting into long term trouble with the mafia.
Initially complaining, the girl shuts up as she recognizes the Buster Sword and starts to fight Cloud, wondering how he got it, knowing its not his. Its when he mentions Zack's name and that he was his friend does the girl stop. She introduces herself as Yuffie Kisiragi, and years ago she ran into Zack. He saved her life and now that she's 'mature' she understands she owed him a debt. She decides to accompany Cloud to Nibelheim to find out... although she has other motivations for tagging along, such as having a capable bodyguard and learning more about what Shinra's been upto.
During the trip Cloud is plagued by 'memory flashes'. Some of them he recognizes as his own, but others are not his, and sees a girl in a blue dress, but never her face. When Cloud and Yuffie finally make it to Nibelheim, they found it was fully restored, and full of Shin-ra employees. They find several black-cloaked figures on the outskirts of the town. They are tattooed and speak Sephiroth's name and about becoming one with him. They speak of the "Reunion". They tell him Sephiroth is in the Mansion. Upon hearing that Cloud rushes inside and runs through the mansion, yet feeling the all too familiar flashes before him until finally he confronts Sephiroth in the lab. It’s there that Cloud freezes, remembering what happened to him here, how Hojo experimented on him. Sephiroth stops his riddles as he noticed this and looks at Cloud seriously, realizing he is no longer the same. When he talks of Jenova, Cloud says that she was a Calamity and a monster, and should remain dead, yet inwardly Cloud is surprised by his response. Sephiroth attacks him yet Cloud easily holds his own. Sephiroth takes his leave but not before speaking of the Reunion.
Having lost Sephiroth, Cloud decides to leave, but has to first collect Yuffie, who has gone off 'treasure hunting'. Her hunting has caused her to open up a coffin, one with a man in side who asks to be left in peace, until he hears Cloud talk about Sephiroth. At this the 'dead man', Vincent Valentine, becomes more aware and engages in a discussion with Cloud. Initially wishing to remain sealed once hearing what Sephiroth has done, when he realizes that Cloud intends to settle things with Shin-Ra and confront Hojo for what was done to him, Vincent has a devilish glint in his eyes as he agrees to help Cloud.
Together, the trio formed a complex, unique partnership/friendship as they make their way into Midgar through the Slums. Driven by Cloud's images, they make their way to an old church, being tended by a girl with brown hair and green eyes, just like Cloud had seen. The girl, Aerith Gainsbrough, greeted them kindly, yet felt familiarity with Cloud, though they had never met. When she saw the Buster Sword and mentioned how familiar his sword was, he said it wasn’t really his, that it belonged to a friend of his who owned it. When asked if it was Zack’s, Cloud realized this was the girl that he had been in love with.
It was then that members of the Turks had come to collect Aerith, that Cloud and his struck at them. The fighting however stopped when Tseng appeared, having Aerith and taking her way, but frozen when he saw Cloud, if only for a moment.
Cloud tries to take Aerith back but the Turks manage to escape through tools of their trade, leaving Cloud and the others rather offended. When hearing about the sector 7 collapse and how its blamed upon AVALANCHE, and surviving members of the group are shown, and will be executed soon, he sees Tifa's face among them. Knowing that Shin-Ra willingly did this, Cloud decides to take his fight directly to the company.... regardless of collateral damage. While Yuffie is unnerved, Vincent is calm, understanding he's developed the capacity to kill yet needs not to be blinded by his emotions or they'd fall.
At Vincent's suggestion, the trio opts for infiltration, using Yuffie to get through the back doors and let Vincent and Cloud in. Its through their trek in the building that they uncover the remains of Jenova, which Cloud promptly destroys, showing rage against the abomination that surprises even Vincent. They make their way into laboratory and its there that Hojo is attempting to force Aerith and a lion named Red XIII to mate as they are the last of their kind. Cloud grabs Hojo by the throat and demands to know what he did to him and Zack.
Hojo refuses to talk but becomes enraged when he sees Vincent walking around, loosing his calm and begins to rant... until Vincent takes over Cloud's position of holding the man by the throat. It's then that the doctor finally starts to talk, how he wanted to confirm a theory of his with Jenova, and so began injecting people with Jenova's cells, to see how they would become like Sephiroth. Yet Zack rejected the procedure and Cloud was a failure. Cloud out of frustration draws his own blood, not wanting to believe it and makes Hojo look at it.
While at first reluctant, the first glance makes Hojo stare at it with disbelief, followed by interest. The blood sample Cloud gave is devoid of Jenova cells, and yet there's something unknown there now. Cloud demands the truth but Hojo tells him that he gave him Jenova cells and that they should have been still there... except something has taken them away.
After realizing nothing more can be done, Vincent thinks to kill him, yet only knocks him out, understanding how Sephiroth could have snapped after being reminded of how twisted his father is. Cloud and Yuffie are shocked by this revelation but table it for now. After freeing Aerith and Red XIII, the group goes to free Tifa and the members of Avalanche, only to find dead bodies all over the floor now. When Cloud opens the door, Tifa is alive and surprised to see him wondering how but Cloud tells her to wait as they have to check now on the President.
They arrive just in time to see Sephiroth kill President Shin-ra. After some parting words, Sephiroth leaves and the group is forced to leave as well to escape the onslaught of the entire company.
Once having arrived at Kalm, the group took time to relax as Cloud decided to brief all of the new people to his group about what had been discovered and what they knew about Sephiroth and his Reunion, knowing it not for the good of the planet.
Alone, Tifa confronted Cloud, realizing he had protected her back then and why he felt he had to hide himself. It was because he wasn’t worthy. He couldn’t make it into SOLDIER. He couldn’t save his mother. His town. He doesn’t even know why he’s alive. The last thing he remembers was looking into Zack’s eyes, telling him he did good. Then five years go by and he has no memories what so ever of what happened in that time. No matter what he does, he isn’t any sort of hero. Tifa, to his shock, hugs him and tells him that he saved her and that he will always be a hero to her.
Eventually learning of Sephiroth’s plan to harm the planet and of Aerith’s own origins as a Ancient, they traveled to the Temple of the Ancients, unaware of being tracked by Shin-ra via Cait Sith. Its in the temple they again confront Sephiroth, but are also assaulted by more clones. Its now that Cloud understands that he’s not even facing Sephiroth, that all of these are clones but wonders where the real Sephiroth is. Sephiroth plans to use the Black Materia within the Temple to summon Meteor to destroy the planet but is unable to obtain it as Cloud and his team secures it and defeats the clones.
Aerith however sneaks off and goes to the forgotten city on her own, intending to try and stop this madness. Cloud arrives sees her praying. He then looks up and sees Sephiroth coming down to strike and as much as he tries, he cannot avoid her being impaled by him. The rest of the group arrives with Cloud holding Aerith in his arms, with Sephiroth laughing at him, telling him how he cannot save anyone. He intends to take Cloud’s life, but the blonde lets out a bloodcurdling scream, and to everyone’s shock, a white wing bursts out of his left shoulder. In a berserker fury, Cloud completely decimates the Sephiroth clone, yet everyone is startled by this. Hearing moaning, Cloud hears that Aerith is alive, barely and yet almost instinctively, he picks her up and walks to the lifestream, never once stopping. Tifa however cannot allow this and jumps into the lifestream together with him… leaving the Black Materia behind for Cait Sith to take from the group back to Shin-ra.
Meanwhile, Tifa follows Cloud into a place of absolute white, that there is nothing else but that until they arrive on a field, one where Cloud leaves Aerith there. After looking away for a moment, both Cloud and Tifa are now in a darkened room, with the floor itself being the lifestream. Cloud awakens from his state of shock and his wing coils back into his body. Tifa was shocked but becomes comforting, trying to help him but Cloud doesn’t understand any of it.
That is when a voice calls out to them and a light is shined on a man, who does not move, only sits with his legs crossed. Cloud recognizes him as Genesis Rhapsodos, the former 1st Class Soldier, and the man that Zack had tried to stop. Genesis refers to Cloud as his brother and tells him to relax, as they here at the Goddess’s will, though he doesn’t apparently remember. Cloud is out of patience and is about to attack, only to be stopped by someone: Zack.
Zack childes Genesis, knowing that this wasn’t the best way to get Cloud to understand. Overjoyed at seeing his friend, Cloud asks Zack how he’s doing, to which Zack replies simply that he’s dead. Cracking a smile at Cloud and Tifa’s confusion he decides to explain exactly what happened, what he remembers from after the point where Cloud blacked out. Shin-ra soon came and in effort to cover up everything that happened, rebuilt the village and replaced the townspeople with Shin-Ra employees. Hojo decided to make Zack and Cloud samples for his experiments and had them moved to the Shin-Ra mansion, where they were in fused with mako and injected with Jenova cells. Tifa was the only person that managed to survive both Sephiroth and Shin-ra’s cover up, due to the fact that her master had rescued her from the reactor and brought her to Midgar.
Four years later, Zack awakened, broke out of his chamber and then freed Cloud, who since haven’t never been part of SOLDIER, had never experienced mako directly infused into him and was suffering from mako poisoning, which had put him into a catatonic state. Zack had to take care of Cloud the entire time, even when he had to deal with Hollander and Genesis. It was when Zack left to take care of Genesis for the final time that he was left in the care of Lezard. When Zack fought Genesis, he defeated him, and the Goddess herself arrived. The Goddess Minerva, who had given the planet the Lifestream. She had revived Genesis.
However soon after she vanished, before Zack and Genesis could do anything they were cut down by an elite special ops unit of Shin-Ra: DeepGround. They managed to take Genesis away, but when they did the cavern collapsed, forcing them to leave Zack to die all alone. It was then that Minerva appeared to him, and offered him a choice, he could save himself or save Cloud, who had fallen into the lifestream, left for dead. Her power could save but one of them. Zack chose to save Cloud, but wishing that he’d be saved from what ever Hojo had done to him, so that he wouldn’t be saught after by Shin-ra anymore.
What Minerva did was the same as she did with Genesis. She removed the Jenova Cells, eradicating them, but in order to do as such had to replace them with something. So she remade them with a part of own wings, a small part that once merged with them destroyed the Jenova influence, but made neither of them no longer human. Genesis’s restoration was complete, however rather than allow Shin-ra to examine him to unlock the secrets of the goddess put himself into suspended animation, waiting for the time that he could emerge. For Cloud, he spent three months in the goddess’s care, until finally his body had assimilated to the change, and he left the life stream, walking until he collapsed, when he was found by Cissnei.
Cloud and Genesis are the Knights of the Goddess, her only voice in the planet that speaks for humanity. Should both fail in their duties, then the world will fall to the safeguards created to safeguard the planet, yet not the people. Knowing the truth, Cloud has to return now, and stop this from happening. He learns from Genesis about the Holy Materia, which was what Aerith was going to use to stop Meteor. Cloud bids Zack a final farewell, having the chance to say good bye and takes Tifa with him back to the real world.
Once there, they find that Hojo turned over the Black Materia to Sephiroth, betraying Shin-ra in the process, and was also killed by Sephiroth. With the WEAPONS began to tear the planet apart, Cloud gathered all of his allies, including Cid Highwind, who supplies them with an airship, and follow a plan to stop the WEAPONS, obtain the Holy Materia, and then face Sephiroth himself in the Northern Crater.
Having prepared themselves, the group went down and faced a version of Jenova as well as Sephiroth. Yet Cloud wouldn’t allow the man to destroy everything the world had. Remembering all the sacrifices made, he embraced what he had become, using the wing that had been given to him in his fight and defeated the fallen SOLDIER. With his death the cavern started to cave in, yet they were rescued by Cid’s airship. Meteor however was not stopped at once and Midgar looked like it would be destroyed, but then the planet itself came to action and with the power of Holy stopped it, though Midgar itself was in ruins. Yet he had a feeling and going to where the old Church was, he and the others found Aerith alive, a gift from the Goddess.
The next two years, Cloud was busy, trying to find a life for himself now. Having been the hero, he was still unsure what laid before him, and as if to complicate matters, he was torn between his feelings towards Tifa and Aerith. And then there was the illness Geostigma, which seemed to be spreading. It’s then that he felt tremors in the planet and went to investigate only to be attacked by three individuals: Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz. They all felt like Sephiroth or Jenova did when around him. After beating them back, he learned from Rufus Shinra, also having the Stigma, that they were after Jenova’s remains.
Cloud had several encounters with the group, Vincent telling him what he already knew in his heart, that they were actually Sephiroth in some twisted sense. They were his remnants, and were using the geostigma with the children in order to find the remains of Jenova, so they could bring Sephiroth back. Cloud wouldn’t allow the nightmare to happen and ended confronting them when they attacked the city of Edge in their insane mission, though this time he had his friends back him. Kadaj managed to obtain the head of Jenova from Rufus and escaped with it, forcing Cloud into battle with him, initially gaining the upper hand until Kadaj merged with Jenova’s remains, and became Sephiroth himself. For one final time, Cloud fought his nemesis and once more he sent him back into the void. Once the remnants were dealt with, Aerith was able to help cleanse the people of the Stigma.
Within the next year, Cloud had finally been able to determine who his feelings truly laid for and was ready to propose to that woman, driving to meet her for a picnic, when he was brought into Econtra.