(no subject)
❖ Character Information
[Character Name] Cloud Strife
[Canon] Final Fantasy VII Compilation
[Point Taken from Canon]
[Age] Twenty Three
[Gender] Male
[Sexual Orientation] Heterosexul
[Eye Color] Blue
[Hair Color] Blond
[Height] About 5'8"
[Other] The two most important features to notice are his spiky blond hair and his glowing blue eyes. They both make him stand out in a crowd and are rather noticeable.
[Clothing] Cloud is some what short standing compared to most people. Standing at about five foot eight, his body his leanly muscled and strong. He has yellowish blond hair that stands up in uncontrollably spikes and bangs that frame his face and fall into his eyes. He had bright blue eyes, tinted with green, that glow, a sign of the mako that flows through his veins. His also wears a dark colored ribbed tank top that zips up the front and has a high collar. He also wears dark colored loose fitting jeans. He also wears a dark colored piece of fabric that hangs from his waist and covers his left side, along with a similar piece of fabric of the same color in a sleeve that covers his left arm. He also wears shoulder armor on his left side, as well as a weapon harness that contains different slots to accommodate his sword. He also wears black leather gloves, the right considerable longer than the left, and black boots. He also wears a pink ribbon tied around his left biceps. (A reference picture from Advent Children can be found here, and another picture from Kingdom Hearts II that shows the outfit in greater detail can be found here More information on Cloud's sword can be found here and a detailed diagram can be found here, it also shows the difference between the normal and battle modes that the First Sword are capable of.)
[Background] Cloud was born in the small mountain village of Nibelheim, and was neighbors with Tifa Lockhart. Little to nothing is known of Cloud's father, only that he went missing from his life at an early age. From an earlier age, Cloud distanced himself from the other children in the village, feeling that he was different and somehow better than them, although he often longed for friendship from others. As time went on, he developed a crush on Tifa, but hated the rest of her friends, the two tended to avoid each other. When Cloud was nine, he followed Tifa up into the mountains, a dangerous place that she had ventured to in the grief that followed after her mother death. When the two were injured, Tifa's father blamed Cloud, and the two became even more distanced. Five years later, Cloud learned of Sephiroth and the SOLDIER program, and decided to leave for Midgar to pursue a future in the army. He asked Tifa out to the water tower to tell her about his departure, silently hoping to impress her. With her request, he agreed to come save her if she ever found herself in trouble. The following spring, he left for Midgar in hopes of one day achieving his goal.
Despite all of his confidence and bravado he is unable to make it into the SOLDIER program and instead becomes and ordinary infantryman. This is how he first meets First Class SOLDIER Zack Fair in the snowy mountains of Modeoheim and the two become friends after finding out that they both come from small, back water towns. It is with Zack, along with Sephiroth, that Cloud alter returns to Nibelheim to investigate a broken reactor in Mt. Nibel. Finding out that Tifa is to act of their guide, Cloud hides himself, using his helmet to cover his face, afraid to face her and admit that he has failed in to make his dreams come true and disappoint her. He does, however, reveal himself to his mother when he makes a trip to see her.
When the expedition reaches the reactor, Sephiroth discovers Professor Hojo's failed experiments, as well as information on the experiments that created him. Falling into madness, Sephiroth immerses himself in his findings, until he finally emerges from his basement hideout and sets fire to the town, killing most of the inhabitants. Witnessing his mother's death, Cloud rushes inside of the reactor to confront Sephiroth. There he found an unconscious Tifa and barely conscious Zack who tells him to take the Buster sword and go finish off Sephiroth. Catching him off guard in the reactor's core, he manages to wound him with his own sword. Leaving him, he goes to care for Tifa, taking care of her until Sephiroth emerges from the core. When Cloud attacks once more, Sephiroth impales him with the Masamune. Summoning unknown strength, Cloud manages to use the handle of the katana to knock Sephiroth into the reactor. Afterwards, Cloud collapses, badly wounded and loses consciousness quickly.
Found by Professor Hojo, both Cloud and Zack become test subjects for him, infusing them both with Sephiroth's cells, Jenova cells and exposing them to high doses of mako. He also attempts to test his Jenova Reunion Theory and turn them into Sephiroth clones. Four years later, Zack some how manages to escape from one of the mako tubes, and helped a comatose Cloud to escape as well. Due to the experiment, Cloud was left weak and unresponsive. However, as they escape, Zack talks constantly to the younger man, about his life and the plans he has for them once they reach the safely of Midgar. After almost a year of being on the run, they finally reach a cliff just outside of Midgar. However, the Shin-ra troops that have been searching for them finally catch up, and Zack fights back to defend himself and Cloud against the overwhelming numbers that stand in their way. After single-handedly and heroically massacring the majority of the hundreds of Shin-ra soldiers, Zack is gunned down and left for dead by the last remaining Soldiers. However, having woken up and witnessed the chaos, Cloud manages to crawl over to Zack, who, in his last few moments, entrust the Buster Sword to Cloud and tells him that his legacy will live on in Cloud. Deeply distressed, Cloud takes the Buster Sword, and finally says good bye to the other man, before making his way to Midgar, still sick and weak, leaving behind the only protection he had been given.
Sometime later in the Sector Seven Train Station Cloud's shattered mind undergoes a radical transformation. Hojo's experimentations, combined with his own weakened psyche, Jenova's mimicry abilities and the trauma of the events he had experienced cause Cloud to somehow impress Zack's memories, his ideal image of what he should be, as well as Tifa's memories of him come together to form a new image of himself. What comes into Cloud's mind is a new reality, one where Zack did not exist. Instead, he presents himself as a First Class SOLDIER, Sephiroth's former partner now turned mercenary. Since the official SOLDIER process is close to the experiments Hojo had performed on him, Cloud possesses the same abilities as a SOLDIER, and so his claim is easily and readily accepted.
Once in Midgar, Cloud is found by Tifa and integrated into the anti-Shin-ra terrorist group AVALANCHE. After blowing up a reactor in Sector 5, Cloud becomes separated from the others and ends up falling through the ceiling of a church in the slums where he meets Aerith Gainsborough. While Cloud is gone, Tifa allows herself to be captured by a Shin-ra informant, Don Corneo in an attempt to get much needed information. Cloud, disguised as a women, along with Aerith, make an attempt to rescue her, getting the needed information in the mean time. Learning the Shin-ra has indeed found out about AVALANCHE and their plans. To try and stop them, Shin-ra drops the plate on Sector 7, crushing the area underneath it and killing Wedge, Biggs and Jessie, and capturing Aerith. Cloud then leads an attack on Shin-ra headquarters to try and rescue her. There he meets Red XIII and also finds the headless remains of Jenova.
However the group is captured and imprisoned. During the night, Cloud wakes up to find the doors open and the guards murdered. He along with the rest of the group follow the blood trail to the top floor to find that the president of the company has also been killed by what looks to be Sephiroth's sword. After a brief struggle with the new president, Cloud and the group escape Midgar, stealing a motorcycle and a truck on the way.
The group stays in an inn located in Kalm for the time being. There Cloud tells them what he believes to be his own memories of the day that Nibelheim was destroyed, putting himself in the place of Zack and leaving Tifa confused about the events that took place and her own version of the way things happened, but declines to say anything. His grudge with Sephiroth seemingly explained, the group sets out the next day to try and track Sephiroth down, going through the Mythril Mines where the Turks reveal where Sephiroth is headed. Cloud and the group then proceed sneak into the Shin-ra controlled Junon and onto an oil tanker bound for Costa Del Sol, meeting Yuffie Kisaragi on the way.
The journey to find Sephiroth leads them through North Corel as well as the Gold Saucer, where the manager gives them a buggy to aid them in their journey and where the robot Cait Sith joins their cause. When the buggy breaks down, the group are forced to stay in RED XIII's home town of Cosmo Canyon, where vital information is revealed to them about the Lifestream and the negative effect of Shin-ra's many years of drilling for mako energy. When the group finally reaches Nibelheim, they find no trace of the destruction that had taken place years before.
Although Cloud and Tifa are confused, they search the now rebuilt town, and finds no one who actually remembers the fire and the destruction. In the ruins of the Shin-ra mansion, they find Vincent Valentine, who agrees to join them when they mention Sephiroth's name. In the mansion library, Sephiroth appears and alludes to a "reunion" that he feels that Cloud should attend. Climbing up and over Mt. Nibel, the group travels to Rocket Town, where they attempt to steal a plane from Cid Highwind, that's quickly shot down by Shin-ra. Adding Cid to their group, they make their way back to Gold Saucer where they are forced to spend the night after claiming the keystone from Dio. At this time, Cait Sith is reveal to be a Shin-ra spy, and steal the keystone, turning it over to the Turk Tseng.
At the Temple of the Ancients, they find Tseng, badly wounded, who also hands the keystone back over to them. In the heart of the Temple, Cloud finds Sephiroth who reveals his plan to call the ultimate black magic, Meteor, which will cause a critical wound on the planet. The Lifestream will emerge to try and heal this wound and Sephiroth will absorb the energy, becoming a god. When Sephiroth leaves, Cloud discovers the black materia and Cait Sith sacrifices himself to retrieve it. Once Sephiroth returns, he uses his power over Cloud, gained through the cells that they share, and forces him to give him the black materia. Weakened, Cloud passes out, and in a dream is told by Aerith that she is the only one who can stop him. When he wakes, he's told by the other's that she's gone.
Cloud and company follow Aerith through the Sleeping Forest to the Forgotten Capital, where he finds her praying at the alter in the center of the underground complex. Suddenly taking up the Buster Sword, he tries to attack her, his mind once again under Sephiroth's control. He stops himself in the nick of time, keeping himself from injuring her as his allies shout at him to stop. Helpless, Cloud watches as Sephiroth descends and stabs Aerith, killing her. Enraged by her death, the rest of the party mourns, as Cloud puts her to rest, carrying her out into the water and letting her float to the bottom. It's later that he reveals to the rest of the group that his mind has been under Sephiroth's control and that his actions have not been his own. Despite the fact that he could be controlled again, the rest of the group stays with him.
Finally arriving at the Northern Crater, Cloud once again regains the black materia and gives it to a party member, no longer trusting himself to hold on to it. Finding the center of the crater and also Sephiroth, Cloud's true past is revealed. Shin-ra along with professor Hojo appear not long after, reveling Jenova Reunion Theory, and also that Cloud is to be a part of it. With this information, along with the news of his memories and most of his ideas of what his life is being fake, Cloud's mind shatters. Taking back the black materia, he hands it to Sephiroth, who activates it. As Cloud apologizes to Tifa for being a fake, the crater begins to shake violently. AVALANCHE escapes, except for Barret and Tifa, leaving Cloud behind to fall into the Lifestream.
He's found in Mideel a week later, weak and incoherent from being subjected to the extreme amounts of mako contained in the Lifestream. Tifa stays behind to care for him while the rest of the party goes to fight Shin-ra, who is making a dangerous attempt to stop Meteor, which is now heading for the planet. When Ultimate Weapon attacks Mideel, and Tifa and Cloud fall into the Lifestream and into Cloud's subconscious. There, Tifa helps Cloud to regain some of his own memories, and regain a handle on who he truly is. Restored to his true self, Cloud resumes leadership of the group once more. With guidance, they discover that Aerith had managed to summon Holy before Sephiroth's attack on her. It could stop Meteor and save the planet, but Sephiroth is holding it back.
After extracting their revenge on Shin-ra for the wrongs that they had made towards each of them, the group lands itself in the Northern Crater once more and descends into the depths of the planet to confront Sephiroth. Defeating him in his new god-like form. Sephiroth's mind is sent back to the Lifestream once more. Cloud follows Sephiroth, and defeats him in one final battle. Returned to his body by Aerith, he rescues a falling Tifa, clinging to the edge of the cliff before pulling both of them to safety. Cloud and the group flee just as Holy emerges to fight Meteor. Along with the Lifestream, commanded by Aerith, it defeats Meteor and saves the planet.
The story of Dissidia follows the conflict between the gods Cosmos and Chaos, as well as their allies, all drawn from the main series of games. back story for the various characters come from "Reports" divided by which side the character is fighting for. Within the history of the world in which Dissidia is set in, however, Chaos and Cosmos have been at war with each other for an eternity, thus far having neither side emerge as the victor. As the game begins, Chaos seems to have gained the upper hand. Cosmos is mortally wounded from the battle with Chaos, the forces of light at now in peril. Cosmo' appears to the ten heroes in turn and entrusts them with the task of retrieving the crystals, which can save their worlds.
Cloud is once more confronted with Sephiroth, as a form of his own darkness, and who seems to be on the path to gaining his own crystal. The driving force behind Cloud's actions in the game seem to be finding something to fight for, or better, the reason for which they, the heroes, and more so himself, are fighting. But the answer seems to elude him until after his confrontation with Sephiroth, where the other tells him that he's the reason he continues to fight, in which Cloud answers that his reasons are his own.
More informations on the events of Dissidia can be found at the link.
Two years later, Cloud has become a delivery boy, running letters and packages across the planet. After Tifa receives a call from Reno and passes the information onto Cloud, he's attacked by a mysterious trio of young men. Reaching Healin in relative safety, Cloud is surprised to find Rufus alive, having survived the explosion of the Shin-ra building and suffering from the effects of Geostigma. After presenting an offer to Cloud to join them in the fight against the three, led by Kadaj, Cloud refuses after Reno brings up the idea of rebuilding the company. Traveling back to Aerith's church, he finds Tifa who has been badly injured after being confronted by Loz. After a brief conversation, he to collapses, suffering from a Geostigma attack. The pair are found by Reno and Rude of the Turks, and are taken back to the Seventh Heaven, where they awaken, confused as to what has happened.
The three remnants begin to kidnap children affect by the disease, intending to have them lead them to Jenova's lost head, including Denzel, a little boy who has been taken in a cared for by Tifa and Cloud. At first refusing to fight for fear of failure, Cloud eventually travels and confronts the group at the Forgotten City. After being outmatched and unable to defeat them and rescue the children, he's recused by Vincent, who tells him the true nature of Geostigma - a plague caused by Jenova's cells. Suddenly, Marlene emerges from the forest, also having been kidnapped by the trio, and runs into Cloud's arms worried about what had happened to Denzel and Tifa but refuses to go home when Cloud asks Vincent to take her. After a lot of thought about the conversations he's had with Tifa and Aerith, along with Vincent, he finally resolves to take Marlene home and confront Kadaj.
Back in Edge, Kadaj confronts and threatens Rufus, summoning the monster known as Bahamut SIN to attack the city. After a quick conversation with both Tifa and Denzel, Cloud, along with the rest of the members of the formerly disbanded AVALANCHE, fight against and defeat the monster, saving the city from destruction and further ruin. Defeating the monster, Cloud gives chase to Kadaj, and is confronted by Yazoo and Loz, who he battles once while chasing Kadaj on the highway. The battle takes him back to Aerith's church where the Lifestream-influenced water cures him of his Geostigma.
Cloud battles Kadaj, defeating him quickly, but not before the remnant can absorb Jenova's cells, allowing him to turn into Sephiroth. The battle in the ruins of the Shin-ra Building proves to be fierce and nearly ends Cloud's life. While Cloud seems on the verge of defeat, being stabbed through the shoulder by Sephiroth, he makes the mistake of asking what's most important to him, and ask him how he can take it away. Gaining strength through the thoughts and memories of his friends and family, both living and dead, Cloud overwhelms the other, fighting back and defeating him once more through the use of a new and improved limit break "Omnislash Version 5". Defeated, Sephiorth disappears once more, leaving behind a dying Kadaj which falls into Cloud's arms. Hearing Aerith's voice, and believing hers to be the voice of his "mother" Kadaj reaches for her hand as he is diffused into pyre-fly-like lifestream particles.
At this point, Loz and Yazoo appear, setting off a kamikaze explosion that apparently kills all three of them. However, Cloud is saved and healed by Aerith's (and seemingly Zack's) intervention, awakening in the pool that now occupies the church. After helping to heal Denzel in the Lifestream-infused water, Cloud shares a smile with Tifa, letting her know that he's there once more, ready to give life another chance. Turning, Cloud sees Zack and Aerith near the doorway. Before they leave, Aerith reminds him that every thing's alright once more, and that's not alone. Agreeing with her, Cloud smiles, ready to embrace the new life that's been presented to him.
[Personality] Seemingly cool calm and collected on the surface, in fact you could call him almost cocky. He also carries a lot of guilt from previous events that he had no control over, but still feels not only guilt, but regret over them. He tends to hold on to things from his past and allows them to weigh him down. He does what he thinks is right, even if it means hurting others. He's extremely naive at times, even if he has been through many experiences and has gained a lot of knowledge from them.
He feels the need to protect, which feeds into his need to do what he feels is right. He needs to protect out of the fear that he will suffer further loss, of which he has already experienced. He's a loner, and believes that he should be alone as punishment for the things he believes he has done. Under it all, he has a lot of kindness and compassion. He genuinely cares about people, and because of this, and the fear that he will either hurt them, or that they will be hurt because of him, he stays away. He's a pessimist, with a side of optimism that shines through at the oddest times.
He's not exactly a talkative person, and in fact is usually hard pressed to actually say more than a couple of sentences, if that. He's the type of person who only speaks when it's needed, or when he is spoken to, and only says what he needs to say. He's not a social person, but he doesn't mind being around people he considers friends, or the people who are close to him. He's amiable, and tends to be uncomfortable in awkward situations. He's not one for giving advice unless it's asked of him. But he's also surprisingly open and honest, at least when asked a question or asked for his opinion.
In Dissidia, we see Cloud's core personality grows, and he shows to be rather curious, searching for the reasons why he's fighting. He wants to know the how's and whys behind the actions he's been forced to take. He's begun to think things through instead of always rushing in. He's grown up in many ways, and is finally starting to become comfortable with himself and who he is. However, by the time Advent Children rolls around, most of these strides forward have been undone.
After the events of Advent Children, Cloud seems to have gotten much of his orginal personality back. He also seems to have gotten his sense of humor back, although it seems to be rather dry and ironic. Cloud is still rather dark, however, and is described as being moody, although not nearly as dark and brooding as Vincent Valentine. His core personality holds true, although he has taken may more steps forward in finally letting go of his guilt over Zack's and Aerith's deaths. To use his words, he feels lighter, and because of this his personality is also lighter. He shows emotions through his eyes, the deep blue being very expressive.
[Specialties/Abilities] As a mako enhanced human, Cloud is stronger than the average person. He also has more endurance, as well as better agility. He's quicker, faster, and stronger than your average human. He also has a set of limit breaks known as Braver, Cross-slash, Blade Beam, Climbhazzard. Metorain, Finishing Touch and Omni Slash. He can also perform a different version of Omni Slash with his sword, the First Tsurugi. The First Tsurugi is also Cloud's main weapon. A set of six swords, the fusion swords come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are suited to many different combat situations. The six can be used separately, or can be fused together to form different combinations, or to become one large Buster Sword, similar to the one used by him in Final Fantasy VII, and also by Zack.
Because he is also quite skilled in the use of materia, he will also be equiped with a piece of armor known as the Escort Guard contains six materia slots and decreases all elemental attacks by half. However, here in Somarium, that function will no longer work. Because it has six slots, Cloud will have twelve different materia.
Shiva | Summon | Summons Shiva, who deal elemental ice damage to all enemies.
Ice | Magic | Deals strong ice damage when directed at an enemy.
Fire | Magic | Deals moderate fire damage when directed at an enemy.
Lightning | Magic | Deal low elemental damage using lightning
Restore | Magic | Heals a small amount of HP, heals small wounds and injuries
Cure | Magic | Fully restores targets HP, heals wounds and injuries.
Mime | Command | Copies the last action made by a party member.
W-Magic | Command | Allows you to cast two spells at once.
Elemental | Support | Allows weapon to take on the elemental properties of the linked matera.
Quadra Magic | Support | Cast linked materia or summon four times at once. Is incompatible with certain types of materia.
Chocobo Lure | Independent | Increases chance of encountering chocobo's.
Black | Special | Used to summons the ultimate destructive magic of Meteor, and will be come useless in Somarium.
[Weaknesses] Cloud is rather head strong and stubborn. He often refuses to listen to other's advice and also refuses to accept help when it's offered unless he actually sees a need for it (which is next to never.) He tends to hold his feelings inside instead of letting them out, and so he tends to be seen as quiet and not easily approachable. Also, he tends to hold on to things, feelings of guilt and regret that often leave him feeling helpless. He also gives up easily sometimes, when he really shouldn't. Physically, he sometimes has a hard time getting a handle on his strength, since he never received training or any other type of assistance when learning to deal with it. He often has moments of delusion, due to the loss of most of his memories. Also, he doesn't have a lot of memories of his own, and what he does have he's left wondering if those are his, or those of Zack and Tifa.
[Affection] Cloud isn't a very touchy, feely person at all, so he's likely to only accept hugs, affection from those who are close to him (Tifa, Aerith, Zack, people he knows) or to show it in return. Also, he doesn't respond well to touch if someone he doesn't know should happen to touch him, or show affection towards him.
[Fighting] Cloud is a skilled fighter, but I'm afraid I lack when it comes to the fighting scene area. I don't mind doing them, but Cloud is the type who would only resort to fighting if there was no other way around the situatation, so anything of that nature would have to be discussed before hand.
[Other Permissions]
Mind Reading: I'm perfectly okay with it, to a certain extent. The only thing that I have to say is that after a while, Cloud will become aware of it and will learn how to block it or ignore it, much like he's learned to ignore Jenova and the cells that are inside of his body. So, while it's alright, it won't last for very long.
Fourth Wall Breaking: Honestly, there's not much there to break. Discussing the events of his past is pretty much okay, Just please no telling him he's in a video game. Of course, special cases may come up and can be discussed and worked out.
[Other Facts] Cloud still suffers from motion sickness, although it has apparently improved, and doesn't tend to happen when he drives himself.
[Character Name] Cloud Strife
[Canon] Final Fantasy VII Compilation
[Point Taken from Canon]
[Age] Twenty Three
[Gender] Male
[Sexual Orientation] Heterosexul
[Eye Color] Blue
[Hair Color] Blond
[Height] About 5'8"
[Other] The two most important features to notice are his spiky blond hair and his glowing blue eyes. They both make him stand out in a crowd and are rather noticeable.
[Clothing] Cloud is some what short standing compared to most people. Standing at about five foot eight, his body his leanly muscled and strong. He has yellowish blond hair that stands up in uncontrollably spikes and bangs that frame his face and fall into his eyes. He had bright blue eyes, tinted with green, that glow, a sign of the mako that flows through his veins. His also wears a dark colored ribbed tank top that zips up the front and has a high collar. He also wears dark colored loose fitting jeans. He also wears a dark colored piece of fabric that hangs from his waist and covers his left side, along with a similar piece of fabric of the same color in a sleeve that covers his left arm. He also wears shoulder armor on his left side, as well as a weapon harness that contains different slots to accommodate his sword. He also wears black leather gloves, the right considerable longer than the left, and black boots. He also wears a pink ribbon tied around his left biceps. (A reference picture from Advent Children can be found here, and another picture from Kingdom Hearts II that shows the outfit in greater detail can be found here More information on Cloud's sword can be found here and a detailed diagram can be found here, it also shows the difference between the normal and battle modes that the First Sword are capable of.)
[Background] Cloud was born in the small mountain village of Nibelheim, and was neighbors with Tifa Lockhart. Little to nothing is known of Cloud's father, only that he went missing from his life at an early age. From an earlier age, Cloud distanced himself from the other children in the village, feeling that he was different and somehow better than them, although he often longed for friendship from others. As time went on, he developed a crush on Tifa, but hated the rest of her friends, the two tended to avoid each other. When Cloud was nine, he followed Tifa up into the mountains, a dangerous place that she had ventured to in the grief that followed after her mother death. When the two were injured, Tifa's father blamed Cloud, and the two became even more distanced. Five years later, Cloud learned of Sephiroth and the SOLDIER program, and decided to leave for Midgar to pursue a future in the army. He asked Tifa out to the water tower to tell her about his departure, silently hoping to impress her. With her request, he agreed to come save her if she ever found herself in trouble. The following spring, he left for Midgar in hopes of one day achieving his goal.
Despite all of his confidence and bravado he is unable to make it into the SOLDIER program and instead becomes and ordinary infantryman. This is how he first meets First Class SOLDIER Zack Fair in the snowy mountains of Modeoheim and the two become friends after finding out that they both come from small, back water towns. It is with Zack, along with Sephiroth, that Cloud alter returns to Nibelheim to investigate a broken reactor in Mt. Nibel. Finding out that Tifa is to act of their guide, Cloud hides himself, using his helmet to cover his face, afraid to face her and admit that he has failed in to make his dreams come true and disappoint her. He does, however, reveal himself to his mother when he makes a trip to see her.
When the expedition reaches the reactor, Sephiroth discovers Professor Hojo's failed experiments, as well as information on the experiments that created him. Falling into madness, Sephiroth immerses himself in his findings, until he finally emerges from his basement hideout and sets fire to the town, killing most of the inhabitants. Witnessing his mother's death, Cloud rushes inside of the reactor to confront Sephiroth. There he found an unconscious Tifa and barely conscious Zack who tells him to take the Buster sword and go finish off Sephiroth. Catching him off guard in the reactor's core, he manages to wound him with his own sword. Leaving him, he goes to care for Tifa, taking care of her until Sephiroth emerges from the core. When Cloud attacks once more, Sephiroth impales him with the Masamune. Summoning unknown strength, Cloud manages to use the handle of the katana to knock Sephiroth into the reactor. Afterwards, Cloud collapses, badly wounded and loses consciousness quickly.
Found by Professor Hojo, both Cloud and Zack become test subjects for him, infusing them both with Sephiroth's cells, Jenova cells and exposing them to high doses of mako. He also attempts to test his Jenova Reunion Theory and turn them into Sephiroth clones. Four years later, Zack some how manages to escape from one of the mako tubes, and helped a comatose Cloud to escape as well. Due to the experiment, Cloud was left weak and unresponsive. However, as they escape, Zack talks constantly to the younger man, about his life and the plans he has for them once they reach the safely of Midgar. After almost a year of being on the run, they finally reach a cliff just outside of Midgar. However, the Shin-ra troops that have been searching for them finally catch up, and Zack fights back to defend himself and Cloud against the overwhelming numbers that stand in their way. After single-handedly and heroically massacring the majority of the hundreds of Shin-ra soldiers, Zack is gunned down and left for dead by the last remaining Soldiers. However, having woken up and witnessed the chaos, Cloud manages to crawl over to Zack, who, in his last few moments, entrust the Buster Sword to Cloud and tells him that his legacy will live on in Cloud. Deeply distressed, Cloud takes the Buster Sword, and finally says good bye to the other man, before making his way to Midgar, still sick and weak, leaving behind the only protection he had been given.
Sometime later in the Sector Seven Train Station Cloud's shattered mind undergoes a radical transformation. Hojo's experimentations, combined with his own weakened psyche, Jenova's mimicry abilities and the trauma of the events he had experienced cause Cloud to somehow impress Zack's memories, his ideal image of what he should be, as well as Tifa's memories of him come together to form a new image of himself. What comes into Cloud's mind is a new reality, one where Zack did not exist. Instead, he presents himself as a First Class SOLDIER, Sephiroth's former partner now turned mercenary. Since the official SOLDIER process is close to the experiments Hojo had performed on him, Cloud possesses the same abilities as a SOLDIER, and so his claim is easily and readily accepted.
Once in Midgar, Cloud is found by Tifa and integrated into the anti-Shin-ra terrorist group AVALANCHE. After blowing up a reactor in Sector 5, Cloud becomes separated from the others and ends up falling through the ceiling of a church in the slums where he meets Aerith Gainsborough. While Cloud is gone, Tifa allows herself to be captured by a Shin-ra informant, Don Corneo in an attempt to get much needed information. Cloud, disguised as a women, along with Aerith, make an attempt to rescue her, getting the needed information in the mean time. Learning the Shin-ra has indeed found out about AVALANCHE and their plans. To try and stop them, Shin-ra drops the plate on Sector 7, crushing the area underneath it and killing Wedge, Biggs and Jessie, and capturing Aerith. Cloud then leads an attack on Shin-ra headquarters to try and rescue her. There he meets Red XIII and also finds the headless remains of Jenova.
However the group is captured and imprisoned. During the night, Cloud wakes up to find the doors open and the guards murdered. He along with the rest of the group follow the blood trail to the top floor to find that the president of the company has also been killed by what looks to be Sephiroth's sword. After a brief struggle with the new president, Cloud and the group escape Midgar, stealing a motorcycle and a truck on the way.
The group stays in an inn located in Kalm for the time being. There Cloud tells them what he believes to be his own memories of the day that Nibelheim was destroyed, putting himself in the place of Zack and leaving Tifa confused about the events that took place and her own version of the way things happened, but declines to say anything. His grudge with Sephiroth seemingly explained, the group sets out the next day to try and track Sephiroth down, going through the Mythril Mines where the Turks reveal where Sephiroth is headed. Cloud and the group then proceed sneak into the Shin-ra controlled Junon and onto an oil tanker bound for Costa Del Sol, meeting Yuffie Kisaragi on the way.
The journey to find Sephiroth leads them through North Corel as well as the Gold Saucer, where the manager gives them a buggy to aid them in their journey and where the robot Cait Sith joins their cause. When the buggy breaks down, the group are forced to stay in RED XIII's home town of Cosmo Canyon, where vital information is revealed to them about the Lifestream and the negative effect of Shin-ra's many years of drilling for mako energy. When the group finally reaches Nibelheim, they find no trace of the destruction that had taken place years before.
Although Cloud and Tifa are confused, they search the now rebuilt town, and finds no one who actually remembers the fire and the destruction. In the ruins of the Shin-ra mansion, they find Vincent Valentine, who agrees to join them when they mention Sephiroth's name. In the mansion library, Sephiroth appears and alludes to a "reunion" that he feels that Cloud should attend. Climbing up and over Mt. Nibel, the group travels to Rocket Town, where they attempt to steal a plane from Cid Highwind, that's quickly shot down by Shin-ra. Adding Cid to their group, they make their way back to Gold Saucer where they are forced to spend the night after claiming the keystone from Dio. At this time, Cait Sith is reveal to be a Shin-ra spy, and steal the keystone, turning it over to the Turk Tseng.
At the Temple of the Ancients, they find Tseng, badly wounded, who also hands the keystone back over to them. In the heart of the Temple, Cloud finds Sephiroth who reveals his plan to call the ultimate black magic, Meteor, which will cause a critical wound on the planet. The Lifestream will emerge to try and heal this wound and Sephiroth will absorb the energy, becoming a god. When Sephiroth leaves, Cloud discovers the black materia and Cait Sith sacrifices himself to retrieve it. Once Sephiroth returns, he uses his power over Cloud, gained through the cells that they share, and forces him to give him the black materia. Weakened, Cloud passes out, and in a dream is told by Aerith that she is the only one who can stop him. When he wakes, he's told by the other's that she's gone.
Cloud and company follow Aerith through the Sleeping Forest to the Forgotten Capital, where he finds her praying at the alter in the center of the underground complex. Suddenly taking up the Buster Sword, he tries to attack her, his mind once again under Sephiroth's control. He stops himself in the nick of time, keeping himself from injuring her as his allies shout at him to stop. Helpless, Cloud watches as Sephiroth descends and stabs Aerith, killing her. Enraged by her death, the rest of the party mourns, as Cloud puts her to rest, carrying her out into the water and letting her float to the bottom. It's later that he reveals to the rest of the group that his mind has been under Sephiroth's control and that his actions have not been his own. Despite the fact that he could be controlled again, the rest of the group stays with him.
Finally arriving at the Northern Crater, Cloud once again regains the black materia and gives it to a party member, no longer trusting himself to hold on to it. Finding the center of the crater and also Sephiroth, Cloud's true past is revealed. Shin-ra along with professor Hojo appear not long after, reveling Jenova Reunion Theory, and also that Cloud is to be a part of it. With this information, along with the news of his memories and most of his ideas of what his life is being fake, Cloud's mind shatters. Taking back the black materia, he hands it to Sephiroth, who activates it. As Cloud apologizes to Tifa for being a fake, the crater begins to shake violently. AVALANCHE escapes, except for Barret and Tifa, leaving Cloud behind to fall into the Lifestream.
He's found in Mideel a week later, weak and incoherent from being subjected to the extreme amounts of mako contained in the Lifestream. Tifa stays behind to care for him while the rest of the party goes to fight Shin-ra, who is making a dangerous attempt to stop Meteor, which is now heading for the planet. When Ultimate Weapon attacks Mideel, and Tifa and Cloud fall into the Lifestream and into Cloud's subconscious. There, Tifa helps Cloud to regain some of his own memories, and regain a handle on who he truly is. Restored to his true self, Cloud resumes leadership of the group once more. With guidance, they discover that Aerith had managed to summon Holy before Sephiroth's attack on her. It could stop Meteor and save the planet, but Sephiroth is holding it back.
After extracting their revenge on Shin-ra for the wrongs that they had made towards each of them, the group lands itself in the Northern Crater once more and descends into the depths of the planet to confront Sephiroth. Defeating him in his new god-like form. Sephiroth's mind is sent back to the Lifestream once more. Cloud follows Sephiroth, and defeats him in one final battle. Returned to his body by Aerith, he rescues a falling Tifa, clinging to the edge of the cliff before pulling both of them to safety. Cloud and the group flee just as Holy emerges to fight Meteor. Along with the Lifestream, commanded by Aerith, it defeats Meteor and saves the planet.
The story of Dissidia follows the conflict between the gods Cosmos and Chaos, as well as their allies, all drawn from the main series of games. back story for the various characters come from "Reports" divided by which side the character is fighting for. Within the history of the world in which Dissidia is set in, however, Chaos and Cosmos have been at war with each other for an eternity, thus far having neither side emerge as the victor. As the game begins, Chaos seems to have gained the upper hand. Cosmos is mortally wounded from the battle with Chaos, the forces of light at now in peril. Cosmo' appears to the ten heroes in turn and entrusts them with the task of retrieving the crystals, which can save their worlds.
Cloud is once more confronted with Sephiroth, as a form of his own darkness, and who seems to be on the path to gaining his own crystal. The driving force behind Cloud's actions in the game seem to be finding something to fight for, or better, the reason for which they, the heroes, and more so himself, are fighting. But the answer seems to elude him until after his confrontation with Sephiroth, where the other tells him that he's the reason he continues to fight, in which Cloud answers that his reasons are his own.
More informations on the events of Dissidia can be found at the link.
Two years later, Cloud has become a delivery boy, running letters and packages across the planet. After Tifa receives a call from Reno and passes the information onto Cloud, he's attacked by a mysterious trio of young men. Reaching Healin in relative safety, Cloud is surprised to find Rufus alive, having survived the explosion of the Shin-ra building and suffering from the effects of Geostigma. After presenting an offer to Cloud to join them in the fight against the three, led by Kadaj, Cloud refuses after Reno brings up the idea of rebuilding the company. Traveling back to Aerith's church, he finds Tifa who has been badly injured after being confronted by Loz. After a brief conversation, he to collapses, suffering from a Geostigma attack. The pair are found by Reno and Rude of the Turks, and are taken back to the Seventh Heaven, where they awaken, confused as to what has happened.
The three remnants begin to kidnap children affect by the disease, intending to have them lead them to Jenova's lost head, including Denzel, a little boy who has been taken in a cared for by Tifa and Cloud. At first refusing to fight for fear of failure, Cloud eventually travels and confronts the group at the Forgotten City. After being outmatched and unable to defeat them and rescue the children, he's recused by Vincent, who tells him the true nature of Geostigma - a plague caused by Jenova's cells. Suddenly, Marlene emerges from the forest, also having been kidnapped by the trio, and runs into Cloud's arms worried about what had happened to Denzel and Tifa but refuses to go home when Cloud asks Vincent to take her. After a lot of thought about the conversations he's had with Tifa and Aerith, along with Vincent, he finally resolves to take Marlene home and confront Kadaj.
Back in Edge, Kadaj confronts and threatens Rufus, summoning the monster known as Bahamut SIN to attack the city. After a quick conversation with both Tifa and Denzel, Cloud, along with the rest of the members of the formerly disbanded AVALANCHE, fight against and defeat the monster, saving the city from destruction and further ruin. Defeating the monster, Cloud gives chase to Kadaj, and is confronted by Yazoo and Loz, who he battles once while chasing Kadaj on the highway. The battle takes him back to Aerith's church where the Lifestream-influenced water cures him of his Geostigma.
Cloud battles Kadaj, defeating him quickly, but not before the remnant can absorb Jenova's cells, allowing him to turn into Sephiroth. The battle in the ruins of the Shin-ra Building proves to be fierce and nearly ends Cloud's life. While Cloud seems on the verge of defeat, being stabbed through the shoulder by Sephiroth, he makes the mistake of asking what's most important to him, and ask him how he can take it away. Gaining strength through the thoughts and memories of his friends and family, both living and dead, Cloud overwhelms the other, fighting back and defeating him once more through the use of a new and improved limit break "Omnislash Version 5". Defeated, Sephiorth disappears once more, leaving behind a dying Kadaj which falls into Cloud's arms. Hearing Aerith's voice, and believing hers to be the voice of his "mother" Kadaj reaches for her hand as he is diffused into pyre-fly-like lifestream particles.
At this point, Loz and Yazoo appear, setting off a kamikaze explosion that apparently kills all three of them. However, Cloud is saved and healed by Aerith's (and seemingly Zack's) intervention, awakening in the pool that now occupies the church. After helping to heal Denzel in the Lifestream-infused water, Cloud shares a smile with Tifa, letting her know that he's there once more, ready to give life another chance. Turning, Cloud sees Zack and Aerith near the doorway. Before they leave, Aerith reminds him that every thing's alright once more, and that's not alone. Agreeing with her, Cloud smiles, ready to embrace the new life that's been presented to him.
[Personality] Seemingly cool calm and collected on the surface, in fact you could call him almost cocky. He also carries a lot of guilt from previous events that he had no control over, but still feels not only guilt, but regret over them. He tends to hold on to things from his past and allows them to weigh him down. He does what he thinks is right, even if it means hurting others. He's extremely naive at times, even if he has been through many experiences and has gained a lot of knowledge from them.
He feels the need to protect, which feeds into his need to do what he feels is right. He needs to protect out of the fear that he will suffer further loss, of which he has already experienced. He's a loner, and believes that he should be alone as punishment for the things he believes he has done. Under it all, he has a lot of kindness and compassion. He genuinely cares about people, and because of this, and the fear that he will either hurt them, or that they will be hurt because of him, he stays away. He's a pessimist, with a side of optimism that shines through at the oddest times.
He's not exactly a talkative person, and in fact is usually hard pressed to actually say more than a couple of sentences, if that. He's the type of person who only speaks when it's needed, or when he is spoken to, and only says what he needs to say. He's not a social person, but he doesn't mind being around people he considers friends, or the people who are close to him. He's amiable, and tends to be uncomfortable in awkward situations. He's not one for giving advice unless it's asked of him. But he's also surprisingly open and honest, at least when asked a question or asked for his opinion.
In Dissidia, we see Cloud's core personality grows, and he shows to be rather curious, searching for the reasons why he's fighting. He wants to know the how's and whys behind the actions he's been forced to take. He's begun to think things through instead of always rushing in. He's grown up in many ways, and is finally starting to become comfortable with himself and who he is. However, by the time Advent Children rolls around, most of these strides forward have been undone.
After the events of Advent Children, Cloud seems to have gotten much of his orginal personality back. He also seems to have gotten his sense of humor back, although it seems to be rather dry and ironic. Cloud is still rather dark, however, and is described as being moody, although not nearly as dark and brooding as Vincent Valentine. His core personality holds true, although he has taken may more steps forward in finally letting go of his guilt over Zack's and Aerith's deaths. To use his words, he feels lighter, and because of this his personality is also lighter. He shows emotions through his eyes, the deep blue being very expressive.
[Specialties/Abilities] As a mako enhanced human, Cloud is stronger than the average person. He also has more endurance, as well as better agility. He's quicker, faster, and stronger than your average human. He also has a set of limit breaks known as Braver, Cross-slash, Blade Beam, Climbhazzard. Metorain, Finishing Touch and Omni Slash. He can also perform a different version of Omni Slash with his sword, the First Tsurugi. The First Tsurugi is also Cloud's main weapon. A set of six swords, the fusion swords come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are suited to many different combat situations. The six can be used separately, or can be fused together to form different combinations, or to become one large Buster Sword, similar to the one used by him in Final Fantasy VII, and also by Zack.
Because he is also quite skilled in the use of materia, he will also be equiped with a piece of armor known as the Escort Guard contains six materia slots and decreases all elemental attacks by half. However, here in Somarium, that function will no longer work. Because it has six slots, Cloud will have twelve different materia.
Shiva | Summon | Summons Shiva, who deal elemental ice damage to all enemies.
Ice | Magic | Deals strong ice damage when directed at an enemy.
Fire | Magic | Deals moderate fire damage when directed at an enemy.
Lightning | Magic | Deal low elemental damage using lightning
Restore | Magic | Heals a small amount of HP, heals small wounds and injuries
Cure | Magic | Fully restores targets HP, heals wounds and injuries.
Mime | Command | Copies the last action made by a party member.
W-Magic | Command | Allows you to cast two spells at once.
Elemental | Support | Allows weapon to take on the elemental properties of the linked matera.
Quadra Magic | Support | Cast linked materia or summon four times at once. Is incompatible with certain types of materia.
Chocobo Lure | Independent | Increases chance of encountering chocobo's.
Black | Special | Used to summons the ultimate destructive magic of Meteor, and will be come useless in Somarium.
[Weaknesses] Cloud is rather head strong and stubborn. He often refuses to listen to other's advice and also refuses to accept help when it's offered unless he actually sees a need for it (which is next to never.) He tends to hold his feelings inside instead of letting them out, and so he tends to be seen as quiet and not easily approachable. Also, he tends to hold on to things, feelings of guilt and regret that often leave him feeling helpless. He also gives up easily sometimes, when he really shouldn't. Physically, he sometimes has a hard time getting a handle on his strength, since he never received training or any other type of assistance when learning to deal with it. He often has moments of delusion, due to the loss of most of his memories. Also, he doesn't have a lot of memories of his own, and what he does have he's left wondering if those are his, or those of Zack and Tifa.
[Affection] Cloud isn't a very touchy, feely person at all, so he's likely to only accept hugs, affection from those who are close to him (Tifa, Aerith, Zack, people he knows) or to show it in return. Also, he doesn't respond well to touch if someone he doesn't know should happen to touch him, or show affection towards him.
[Fighting] Cloud is a skilled fighter, but I'm afraid I lack when it comes to the fighting scene area. I don't mind doing them, but Cloud is the type who would only resort to fighting if there was no other way around the situatation, so anything of that nature would have to be discussed before hand.
[Other Permissions]
Mind Reading: I'm perfectly okay with it, to a certain extent. The only thing that I have to say is that after a while, Cloud will become aware of it and will learn how to block it or ignore it, much like he's learned to ignore Jenova and the cells that are inside of his body. So, while it's alright, it won't last for very long.
Fourth Wall Breaking: Honestly, there's not much there to break. Discussing the events of his past is pretty much okay, Just please no telling him he's in a video game. Of course, special cases may come up and can be discussed and worked out.
[Other Facts] Cloud still suffers from motion sickness, although it has apparently improved, and doesn't tend to happen when he drives himself.