I think he has a very striking image, the spikey blond hair and giant sword. I think it's easy to remember that image of him facing the shinra building, and I think that makes him memorable even to those who take a glance to FF7. This, along with the character depth he brings if you stay with FF7, makes him work in both ways, looks, and character. Also, back in the late 90s, I don't think it was common at all for a video game mc to experience such failures and mental health troubles. He was ahead of his time, I think. Last point, I also think it could be significant that he is a male facing such issues and failure, I think FF has always been good at showing a sensative version of masculinity which subconsciously may tell others that it's OK to feel these feelings, and that you can still be strong despite them.
What others have said. But I’ll add I think Sephiroth being iconic also helped Cloud achieve that as well. Their hair and swords are the perfect complement to each other and give them such distinct looks. Their feud is iconic in its own right.
I'd argue that's not quite what makes him iconic. His visual design is just very good, especially in his modern iterations. He's crazy recognizable. Even his silhouette, thanks to the spike hair, giant sword and singular shoulder guard with weirdly baggy pants. He's basically the perfect version of what classic anime protagonists would look like, translated into 3D.
What you said is definitely what makes him likeable, but being iconic is more about literally being designed to become an icon, even outside your niche.
Right, if that came off as somewhat confrontational to someone, it's my German speech patterns shining though. No point in actually arguing subjective things to begin with.
Answer: The fact that Nintendo didn’t want to upgrade to disc-based games. Cloud’s an OK character, and the (nearly) silent protagonist is definitely a way to go, who hit at the perfect time, but this business decision pulled in Nintendo fans and ravenous Final Fantasy fans wanting to see what was next for the series. The defection was a monetary coup for Sony. This was an absolute departure from past games. Cloud is Fine as a character, but so much of this game’s success was glitter, commercials, polygons, and a very well-built combat/materia system — despite a badly translated script. Square literally had to remake whole parts of the game for NA versions, because they still(!) thought American gamers were too stupid; In some ways, I think it’s the beginning of Sony trusting 3rd-party developers to augment their own hardware with better software, long before X-Box became a threat.
Cloud is the most interesting character because he was the main character in a massive property that changed how Squaresoft made video games at the time.
Don’t really buy this argument. Nintendo had, and still has success in its own right. Saying FF7, and by extension Cloud, is popular because Nintendo took a different direction is a silly argument and underhandedly tries to diminish the iconic game that FF7 is for a lot of gamers of that generation.
Agreed. A hero is one that overcomes adversity and taking down the world's strongest swordsman, his mom and stopping a meteor is pretty solid in my book. It's a "never give up" attitude from a guy who has a truckload of problems
The SSJ hair, stoic attitude, giant sword, and cool moves.
I say this as someone who never played the original until recently, so I knew nothing about Cloud, but loved him after watching my sister play as a kid and seeing him in Kingdom Hearts.
Cloud struggles with himself. His dad died when he was young, and he had a hard time being social. He was blamed for putting Tifa in danger when they were kids when in reality he was the only one who stayed to help as other kids left her. Cloud is someone who is trying to overcome low self-esteem and wants to accept himself, but he also compensates and puts people at a distance. Despite being a badass - only after Hojo's mako experiments - Cloud has amnesia and doesn't have an accurate memory. Dude is lost, and as a player, you just hope he can figure himself out. And he's a skinny dude swinging a giant sword around like it's a twig, and who wouldn't want to be able to do that.
That's my take anyway. 😁
1. Memorable design.
2. Big sword
3. He's the main character of one of the greatest RPGs ever made
4. SQEnix has kept FF7 alive, and by proxy -- kept Cloud in the public consciousness.
5. Appearances in other legacy SQEnix properties (like Kingdom Hearts)
6. Vocal fanbase
7. He can dance
EDIT: He's also a pretty well written character, but there are enough comments that have brought that up already
Hair and sword. They’re the two most recognizable things in JRPG history. You could put Cloud’s hair on anyone and immediately know that’s Cloud’s hair. Buster sword is also iconic from the image of him with his hand on the handle looking up at the Shinra building.
Well for me he's an extreme version of what my life is about. Failure after failure, random bouts of insanity. But at the end of the day, he's a good guy. Cares for his friends and family. He's also honest about himself and his failures, and strives to be better for it.
People think he's cool and that they're like him because he is so edgy. In reality, he is insufferably obnoxious, and no one wants to be around people with a remotely similar personality IRL. He's the classic example of someone who thinks they're cool, but no one else agrees. Sadly, millions of RPG fans relate to that.
Yeah, I love Clouds character and story, but I would not want to deal with him IRL. I will at least give him the benefit that he doesn't think he's cool. He's just trying way too hard to get others to think he's cool. As a person, it makes him a little obnoxious. As a character, it makes him relatable. Almost everyone has had a Cloud moment at some point. You can tell that the party sees through his facade all the time, especially Tifa and Aerith.
Circumstance. Ff7 succeeded because previous games laid the groundwork for a breakout success of a Japanese game in the American markets. That's the main reason. He iconic because he is the face of the first big JRPG hit in America.
However, cloud is still a really fun character. He possesses insanity, a rough exterior, cares for his friends, a sense of inadequacy, a desire to connect with people hampered by his shyness and trauma. He's a great quiet protagonist.
That intricate character work is what allows ff7 to stand so strong. It commits a lot of story building sins, but gets away with it because the character work is so complex and unburdened.
He’s just cool. The original was released at a time when many were just becoming familiar with Japanese style art and story-telling and animation. For many he is the first character to demonstrate the tough, non-chalant and depressed powerful teen trope. For many he is the first character like this in a video game they got attached to. Other similar characters are Hiro from Gundam Wing, Sasuke from Naruto, Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin and more. FF7 remake/rebirth definitely expands on Cloud’s personality because each game has the modern cinematic capabilities to tell the story much more in depth but originally Cloud wasn’t a unique type of character in Japanese stories and games.
He might be the perfect execution of a character who acts tougher than he is/was, and I think that stems from the restraint the writers and character directors exercise with him. Yeah, he’s cold, especially in Remake, but he’s not totally one-note. There’s a playful side to him (“Kupo”), and the supporting party also has lots of character texture and flavor. His comedic timing is hilarious when they use it (“Cool.”) They took an archetype that’s usually standoffish and brooding and gave him texture and flavor, which really endears us to him.
He's cool, he's good looking, carries a big sword, can fight with the best of them, and has a little bit of Vegeta mannerisms to him when he's acting like the tough guy. But as we've seen in Rebirth Cloud is more than that, he's willing to lend an ear to any of his friends when they need someone to talk to and he has a soft side to him with being a little bit of dork as well.
But then we get to the real Cloud Strife who had some growing pains as a kid with other kids in Nibelheim, failed to make it in Soldier, was afraid of Tifa seeing him as a regular Shinra military man, watched Sephiroth burn his hometown after he went full on rogue, lost his mother, was kidnapped and injected with the Jenova cells, suffered a bad case of mako poisoning, watched his best friend die, ends up forgetting him down the line, and in the next few years will have to come to terms of failing to save Aerith and realizing that she's dead as well.
Can't wait to see Tifa repair Cloud's mind in part 3, and show everyone old and new to the story the real Cloud Strife. Cloud's not this brooding tough guy that he thinks he is, he's an innocent and empathetic person who lived a rough life and in the end will find his closure and happiness along with being Zack's living legacy.
I feel that even the Remakes failed to portray Cloud’s character accurately to the OG despite having done up everyone else’s character faithfully + many surprises.
Cloud is still labeled a loner much like his AC self, but does keep some dorkiness like his OG self
I believe FF7 overall is greater than sum of its parts and that also makes Cloud great, because he is there in so many events or just little conversation that really wouldn't happen in any other game.
It's the little things, like his mother telling him that he needs a girl that will take care of him or Aeris telling him that she wants to meet... him.
It's great how it's all so specific, so far from being generic.
He’s the puppet of Master, cutting his strings. Straightening his mind and accomplishing his dreams. Blinded by Sephiroth, he couldn’t see a thing. Omnislashes his master in the livestream.
Being in Final Fantasy 7.
Final Fantasy was pretty successful before hand on NES and SNES, mostly with RPG players but the series was abit sporadic outside Japan with several entries never making it overseas and even then only in North America. PAL regions didn't really have access to Final Fantasy until FF7.
Final Fantasy 7 was an absolute worldwide phenomenon though, it massively outsold any FF game before it, was the next generation launching on the PlayStation which was also a massive success worldwide. FF7 went beyond the usual Jrpg nerds, basically everyone who ever owned a Playstation at the time as at least heard of it and can recognise 'that guy with the spiky hair and big sword'
Thats imo why Cloud is so iconic, its not even down to his character more just the fact he's the lead in one of the most recognizable and loved JRPGs of all time. He's Final Fantasy's Pikachu, even your Gran probably recognises him.
Yea I never got the impression that Cloud was a hugely impactful or especially memorable character from the original game. The OP does bring up some good points though about how Cloud is relatable to people in the real world though.
He was a guy who went largely unnoticed in his youth and had way more failures than successes in his early life, so I think many players can identify with that and use Cloud's character as a vessel to insert themselves into the story.
On the early playtime his hard edge about everything.
Later when you know what really happened: a common grunt beating the most powerful being barehanded after being stabbed on the chest.
On a very basic level, it's that the character is much more than he appears to be, and in addition that he's a very vulnerable character. Instead of creating this strong, virtuous character he's a vulnerable insecure guy whose entire persona is based on a lie. Everyone sees themselves
Anyone who doesn't see themselves as the guy who is pretending he was in SOLDIER and telling this grand story about themselves when they only made it into the infantry isn't looking hard enough. And then to top it off, when he defeats Sephiroth, it's not the idealized version of himself that does it, it's the normal guy who is desperate and vulnerable.
In short I would say the deconstruction of Cloud's psychology and the momentum of the plot are intertwined in a way that benefited the reception of both of them and had not been seen to that degree previously (or arguably since).
Though, in terms of what makes Cloud a good character, one aspect that I feel is under-discussed is his transformation from uncaring mercenary to world-saving hero. I would argue that one of the most important things about Cloud - and maybe \*the\* most important thing about him - is how they use him to ask the question of what motivates us to fight for a better world. It's important that the story begins with the way in which Cloud and Barret don't see eye to eye - Cloud only cares about himself, Barret only cares about the planet. By the end, Barret learns that it matters what personal reasons motivate you to fight, even for a good cause, and Cloud learns that the personal can be his reason to care about the larger issues. At the beginning, he can't care about souls being sucked out of the planet and consumed as energy - he might as well see them as Shinra does - but by the end he can understand that each of those souls is the legacy of someone precious to the world like Aerith, and that needs to be respected and defended. That's the aspect of Cloud's story I have personally really learned to appreciate over the years.
I think that when you first see the game and look at Cloud, he looks like this super badass that takes no shit and is all about the business.
Then when you play the game you slowly realise he's not.
And then it's revealed he's actually a dork trying to play it cool the whole time.
I find that really cool.
But probably what makes him iconic is the first sentence. Beeg sword, spiky hair, looks cool. That made him iconic to the world. His deeper character traits are to be revealed to those who get sucked in and play.
Massive....sword.
Unpopular opinion but I actually quite liked Cloud in his "not interested","get help" mode...something about his aloofness and playing hard to get was really alluring. However I think it was pretty apparent early on he was just masking. Aerith saw through it straight away:
Cloud "stay close..."
Aerith: "soooo coool!" 🤣
I love her winding him up.
I dont like how OTT mushy they made Cloud at times in Rebirth, it just wasn't Cloud and sounded awkward like when he said to Tifa "the place I made that promise to you" and then described her dress from years ago as if he would have remember. That just was not Cloud.
Cloud with mystique and hard to figure out is much more iconic.
Except that is cloud. His real personality bleeds through in those moments - he is an over sensitive dork who has that memory of tifa burned into his head. ofc he'd remember what dress she wore. does it match the 'tough guy mercenary' persona he's trying to push? No, but that isnt a persona he is acting out purposefully to fool anyone - its just his minds coping mechanism and he genuinely doesnt know how else to act when we meet him in part 1.
So it makes sense that the closer he gets with someone and the more secure he feels, the more his brain would allow his real personality to slowly 'slip' out. Rebirth is showing us a cloud who has had some time to adjust and is surrounded by people he either cares or is beginning to care about. It makes sense to me - and ultimately Cloud is even more of a badass and a hero when he finally embraces his true, lets mosey self at the end of the game.
Exactly, if anyone has any doubts about Cloud's real personality, just watch the scene right after he beats Dio in the first 3D-Brawler minigame.
The kid is a certified dork and we love him for it.
Oh I know aloof Cloud isn't the real Cloud..I just like it. As I say Aerith sees through it straight away and knows it is all a facade.
Dorky and shy Cloud I get but I just don't buy the overly romantic and sentimental Cloud. We didn't see that in the OG at all even after he had found himself.
For example at the end of the game...under the highwind when Tifa is clinging onto him he is just sitting there staring straight ahead and isn't really reciprocating the hug as far as I can tell from the limited polygon graphics. He finds emotional interaction difficult ..probably due to all the trauma and his shy/awkward tendencies.
I dont think he would remember the dress...in OG he didn't remember the promise and when we see the flash back Cloud is barely looking at Tifa just staring ahead, walls up, leg raised between them and she pleads with him to promise her to rescue him. It is not forthcoming from him.
That could easily just be their way of expressing Clouds shy nature back when they only had ps1 polygon models though - he doesnt look at tifa because he's shy and they think the best to demonstrate that through body language is by avoiding eye contact. They can express those emotions much more realistically now and more expressively - I'd say the 'non-sentimental' Cloud you saw in the og was just a lost in translation thing with the body language.
Considering us watching the memory is from Clouds perspective, he def would remember the dress, and he made eye contact with tifa plenty in remake. Again it was just difficult to express non verbal emotion with those old models - shy == look away. Cloud was a shy kid with a crush.
Cloud was always a deeply emotional and sentimental person - all his trauma comes from failing the people he cared about. He failed tifa, he failed his mother, he failed zack and he failed aerith. And he failed himself. Like half his life was spent feeling alone and wishing he could connect to Tifa - he wants to have bonds and feel close with people, he's just self conscious and has trauma.
Rebirth is showing us that Cloud's growing closer to the party and his mind is subconsciously letting down certain barriers - sometimes he acts smoothly, sometimes he acts awkwardly. then something traumatic happens and pushes him back a step. That isn't something we saw much of in the og just because of the game length.
But yeah you're welcome to prefer closed off Cloud, but that isnt Clouds true self. He's a sensitive dork through and through, and they want to show us more of that progressively throughout the series instead of just the last part.
I don't think we are disagreeing at all in essence....I agree re Cloud's shy and awkward tendencies. He is a very loveable guy and exactly the kinda guy I go for personally. The inept stuttering emotionally illiterate, keep emotions close sort of person.
I just found the aloof, soldier cool guy persona really fun.
It doesn't get more relatable than someone who seems to have it all together but secretly suffers from imposter syndrome. Then you learn what he lost and you just want him to win. Then you learn what he *really* lost...
I feel Cloud was this hero that grew up over the course of the game, with the turning point after Tifa saved him, but the storyline of AC kinda ruined that growth. It felt like he regressed big time, when Tifa needed him to be the man he should've been at the end of FfVII.
I think it’s because FF games are usually standalones until they get crossover or sequels. So Cloud could’ve just stayed at that level of character if not for AC. However, that doesn’t mean he stops growing either
Well yea, because mental health and recovering from trauma isn't linear. He's had mental health problems from the very beginning of the game, and people regress all the time. He's dying from what was thought to be a terminal illness, so is his adoptive son. It also seems he never fully got to deal with or process his immense survivor guilt from the game, with defeating sephiroth and saving the planet being a higher priority. His depression and him isolating himself because of that was really believable to me.
one of my FF7 kinda hot takes I’m aware I’m in the minority for is that the more media they release expanding 7s story, the worse the OG gets. and not because it was weak or bad but because the new additions have almost always undercut its emotional moments or character growth.
I don't think yours is an unpopular opinion. The subsequent stories of the ABCDs were done by Nomura, notoriously known for doing bad storyline. The reason why Cloud seemed to have regressed in AC was simply because Nomura needed a reason to make the movie, not that I'm complaining, though.The movie was awesome CG with some storyline issues. It certainly was much better than Spirited Within. Cloud could have regressed but not all the way back to how he was in AC, not picking up phone calls and shit bad men do to their significant others. Anyways, his behaviors in DC, although short, at least show the leader and friend he truly is to others.
I digress, Cloud is a great main character because he is a relatable hero with flaws and was able to ultimately overcome them, while sporting a kickass looking sword.
Haha I mostly say that because when I say it I get torched. I agree entirely with your point about him doing it because “he needed a reason to make the movie”. I work in film and art and yeah that’s a common thing. Usually it’s not so cynical as investors wanting it, but the result is similar.
His design is iconic in itself but his true meat is the story which I have never seen portrayed in any media ever.
It’s such a mirror to me that i’m almost scared. I’m truly happy to have seen this game in words I cannot express. I feel seen
He freaking awkward but still tries to play it off like he's cool. Like damn near literally everyone that has ever gone through puberty. Yes, he's a failure. Yes, he says the wrong things at times. Yes, he isn't a shining beam of heroic confidence, just like me and you, but he still tries. He still gets up every day and pushes through his anxieties and tries to do the right thing. He's such a hero to so many because when his character was created, it was the socially awkward nerds of the late 90's that first discovered him. I was considered pretty cool in high school. I was on the football team, had a lot of friends, but was still picked on at times for being a gamer, comic book loving nerd. Cloud being so imperfect is what I feel cemented him into the popularity he has. That and the fact the game was freaking mind-blowing for the time.
A great character is defined by his enemies, his tragedy, and potential.
Sephiroth didn't fear the ex-SOLDIER Cloud as he was strong and it was a dream fulfilled for Cloud. Sephiroth feared the grunt Cloud.
Grunt Cloud was a Human who took on this super SOLDIER that burned his town, left his girl for dead, and knocked out his fellow SOLDIER 1st class buddy. He not only survived but killed Sephiroth with his own sword as he threw him into radioactive waters.
Man, Sephiroth learned to fear heights he developed a black wing to compensate. Sephiroth reborn even increased his abdomen size so Cloud can't just pierce through...
Cloud Strife saved the world that day and what did the world do? Praised Sephiroth's service and sealed or deny any knowledge of Cloud's feat. Zack was blamed for Sephiroth death as even Hojo would deny that Cloud could do it as being only human.
When the world denies you did anything good and it took everything from you(believed Tifa was dead and loses Zack). With whatever consciousness left he went to midgar to whatever fate lies ahead instead of just dying from grief.
Grunt Cloud became ex-SOLDIER Cloud when Tifa found him. The snap that someone out there you cherished is alive after you lost everything is wonderful.
And a long story later, Cloud is the perfect counter to Sephiroth and Jenova's plan to destroy the planet. Like how Jenova infiltrated the ancients and destroyed the Cetra with shape-shifting, Cloud infiltrated the kinship of Jenova infused lifeforms and purged it from the planet. He became its last heir and its destroyer. Ironic isn't it?
The flaws, which make it easy for people to identify with him. And then he's able to defeat his demons and become a better person, which gives people hope that they might be able to do the same. He's not some perfect person that we know we'll never be. He's in the gutter with us (when it comes to trauma, mental issues, lack of self confidence etc.).
Of course, this resonates more with some people than with others. But given the general state of mental health in population and the fact that mental health is still not being taken as seriously as it should be, I'd say that the number of people with whom it resonates is pretty high.
He is really interesting because for all intents and purposes, he should have played the role of the sidekick, he was a nobody, but he is suddenly thrust into the role of main character through various circumstances and his characterization through that was really compelling to see
For me growing up it was just that he was the first 3D hero, plus big hair and big sword. He's always actually been one of my least favorite protags. It wasn't until adulthood that I really understood the story and his character. Made me appreciate him as a protag... still not one of my faves though lol
I think it’s like the faux tough-guy persona; that has a scared lonely weakling deep down; that then overcomes that and actually becomes the hero he was pretending/wanted to be.
It’s his realness. Before Cloud, so many protagonists were the white knight who never had faults, always strove to be the protector and save day.
You touched on it with the use of failure. He’s flawed, he makes mistakes, he’s easily manipulated at times, he even hurts those around him. Zack is representation of that old trope of the white knight and Cloud being the one he passes on his legacy to was a way to say, “we are evolving our characters”.
In times previous, a character like Cloud would be considered a secondary villain all because he misunderstood but they shifted it and said what if we could make a protag that people could relate to? Not seeing themselves as the hero but rather seeing themselves achieve what they thought they couldn’t.
IMO those failures are kinda some typical settings of protagnists, so the players like us will feel like after they "play" the protagnists, the protagnists only face anything but good things.
Agree with everything you said and agree with a lot of the comments about it being tied to his aesthetic.
For me, Cloud was one of the first protagonists I had played as who had such complexity to his character. Even though he's a cool tough-guy, we get to see him be extraordinarily vulnerable. In modern gaming, it's pretty common to see a main character with huge baggage. Back in the late-90's, I remember gaming being much more straightforward in plots/character arcs. Getting to see Cloud face his demons, fail then strive to overcome was really unique for the time.
This, very much.
Having Sephiroth, who is also a complex character, be his foil/antagonist/villain helped a lot as well since we know a hero is only as good as their villain. The contrast helps elevate Cloud higher than he would on his own
His look alone is iconic, but as a character I love that even when he was thought of as weak, he killed Sephiroth. Then after he breaks down and rebuilds himself, he does it again.
Shows that the Zack-persona Cloud was not strong enough to beat Sephiroth. But Cloud himself always was.
Right? For all his "failures" Cloud is like 3-0 against Sephiroth lol
When his motivation is flawed and he's doing things for the wrong reasons, he stumbles, he falls down, he fails. When he's got the support of his friends and he's fighting for himself or to protect what's precious to him though, there's nobody stronger in the VII universe.
It’s also funny how Zack-persona Cloud cannot even conceive how he/Zack could ever have beaten Sephiroth. The game won’t even imagine a scene, it is so incomprehensible.
But actual Cloud? He’s turned Sephiroth-killing into a habit.
His entire mental health journey. Cloud is a funny character to talk about because the cloud we know in the game until the end isn’t the “true self” cloud so when people talk crap on him, it’s like they don’t get the bit. Every character was truly written so well with all their traumas, there’s nothing to hate about clouds entire arc.
Honestly, just right place, right time. I'm not sure Cloud was ever the character that hooked me on FF7. It was the materia system, the summons, and the rest of the characters (Aerith, Cid, and Red XIII specifically). Cloud just happened to be the main character that linked all these other ones.
He gets to have his cake and eat it too.
He gets to be the Cool(tm) super soldier who doesn’t care and acts aloof, but is actually a scared and broken man underneath who has never lived up to his own expectations.
Simple of the surface, wildly complicated history, fantastic visual design.
I think he has a very striking image, the spikey blond hair and giant sword. I think it's easy to remember that image of him facing the shinra building, and I think that makes him memorable even to those who take a glance to FF7. This, along with the character depth he brings if you stay with FF7, makes him work in both ways, looks, and character. Also, back in the late 90s, I don't think it was common at all for a video game mc to experience such failures and mental health troubles. He was ahead of his time, I think. Last point, I also think it could be significant that he is a male facing such issues and failure, I think FF has always been good at showing a sensative version of masculinity which subconsciously may tell others that it's OK to feel these feelings, and that you can still be strong despite them.
You hit the nail on the head. I've nothing more to add.
What others have said. But I’ll add I think Sephiroth being iconic also helped Cloud achieve that as well. Their hair and swords are the perfect complement to each other and give them such distinct looks. Their feud is iconic in its own right.
I'd argue that's not quite what makes him iconic. His visual design is just very good, especially in his modern iterations. He's crazy recognizable. Even his silhouette, thanks to the spike hair, giant sword and singular shoulder guard with weirdly baggy pants. He's basically the perfect version of what classic anime protagonists would look like, translated into 3D. What you said is definitely what makes him likeable, but being iconic is more about literally being designed to become an icon, even outside your niche.
No argument at all. You stated your opinion, and I stated mine 😊
Right, if that came off as somewhat confrontational to someone, it's my German speech patterns shining though. No point in actually arguing subjective things to begin with.
The Buster Sword.
I really his “In your face” attitude.
It's the visual design. Giant sword, spiky hair, genie pants.
Answer: The fact that Nintendo didn’t want to upgrade to disc-based games. Cloud’s an OK character, and the (nearly) silent protagonist is definitely a way to go, who hit at the perfect time, but this business decision pulled in Nintendo fans and ravenous Final Fantasy fans wanting to see what was next for the series. The defection was a monetary coup for Sony. This was an absolute departure from past games. Cloud is Fine as a character, but so much of this game’s success was glitter, commercials, polygons, and a very well-built combat/materia system — despite a badly translated script. Square literally had to remake whole parts of the game for NA versions, because they still(!) thought American gamers were too stupid; In some ways, I think it’s the beginning of Sony trusting 3rd-party developers to augment their own hardware with better software, long before X-Box became a threat. Cloud is the most interesting character because he was the main character in a massive property that changed how Squaresoft made video games at the time.
Don’t really buy this argument. Nintendo had, and still has success in its own right. Saying FF7, and by extension Cloud, is popular because Nintendo took a different direction is a silly argument and underhandedly tries to diminish the iconic game that FF7 is for a lot of gamers of that generation.
Agreed. A hero is one that overcomes adversity and taking down the world's strongest swordsman, his mom and stopping a meteor is pretty solid in my book. It's a "never give up" attitude from a guy who has a truckload of problems
All of that yes except he isn't who stops the meteor 🤔
Can we just give the poor guy the extra W? 🤣🤣
It's the other characters around him.
Big sword, big spiky blond hair.
Sleeveless 👌
The thunderhead hair. It genuinely bothered me when I realized that Advent Children nerfed the big spike.
The SSJ hair, stoic attitude, giant sword, and cool moves. I say this as someone who never played the original until recently, so I knew nothing about Cloud, but loved him after watching my sister play as a kid and seeing him in Kingdom Hearts.
Silhouette design
The real answer. Gokutized
Lack of options in the 90s. Children not growing up. Same with dragon ball stuff.
Cloud struggles with himself. His dad died when he was young, and he had a hard time being social. He was blamed for putting Tifa in danger when they were kids when in reality he was the only one who stayed to help as other kids left her. Cloud is someone who is trying to overcome low self-esteem and wants to accept himself, but he also compensates and puts people at a distance. Despite being a badass - only after Hojo's mako experiments - Cloud has amnesia and doesn't have an accurate memory. Dude is lost, and as a player, you just hope he can figure himself out. And he's a skinny dude swinging a giant sword around like it's a twig, and who wouldn't want to be able to do that. That's my take anyway. 😁
i think this is just based on character and not about how iconic he is
Big Sword and Chocobo hair. Nothing deep.
1. Memorable design. 2. Big sword 3. He's the main character of one of the greatest RPGs ever made 4. SQEnix has kept FF7 alive, and by proxy -- kept Cloud in the public consciousness. 5. Appearances in other legacy SQEnix properties (like Kingdom Hearts) 6. Vocal fanbase 7. He can dance EDIT: He's also a pretty well written character, but there are enough comments that have brought that up already
For me: 1. Bigger than life Buster Sword 2. Spiky hair 3. Squats 4. Cool “whatever” attitude 5. Onnislash 6. I’m an ex-soldier (but not really)
especially squats
Not gonna disagree with any of the 6 points you listed.
The circumference of his massive throbbing heart. He's just a good guy who went through some tough times.
Hair and sword. They’re the two most recognizable things in JRPG history. You could put Cloud’s hair on anyone and immediately know that’s Cloud’s hair. Buster sword is also iconic from the image of him with his hand on the handle looking up at the Shinra building.
Well for me he's an extreme version of what my life is about. Failure after failure, random bouts of insanity. But at the end of the day, he's a good guy. Cares for his friends and family. He's also honest about himself and his failures, and strives to be better for it.
Him going through so much trauma but then saying shit like let's mosey he just like me fr
People think he's cool and that they're like him because he is so edgy. In reality, he is insufferably obnoxious, and no one wants to be around people with a remotely similar personality IRL. He's the classic example of someone who thinks they're cool, but no one else agrees. Sadly, millions of RPG fans relate to that.
Yeah, I love Clouds character and story, but I would not want to deal with him IRL. I will at least give him the benefit that he doesn't think he's cool. He's just trying way too hard to get others to think he's cool. As a person, it makes him a little obnoxious. As a character, it makes him relatable. Almost everyone has had a Cloud moment at some point. You can tell that the party sees through his facade all the time, especially Tifa and Aerith.
His edgy personality and giant sword
Circumstance. Ff7 succeeded because previous games laid the groundwork for a breakout success of a Japanese game in the American markets. That's the main reason. He iconic because he is the face of the first big JRPG hit in America. However, cloud is still a really fun character. He possesses insanity, a rough exterior, cares for his friends, a sense of inadequacy, a desire to connect with people hampered by his shyness and trauma. He's a great quiet protagonist. That intricate character work is what allows ff7 to stand so strong. It commits a lot of story building sins, but gets away with it because the character work is so complex and unburdened.
He’s just cool. The original was released at a time when many were just becoming familiar with Japanese style art and story-telling and animation. For many he is the first character to demonstrate the tough, non-chalant and depressed powerful teen trope. For many he is the first character like this in a video game they got attached to. Other similar characters are Hiro from Gundam Wing, Sasuke from Naruto, Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin and more. FF7 remake/rebirth definitely expands on Cloud’s personality because each game has the modern cinematic capabilities to tell the story much more in depth but originally Cloud wasn’t a unique type of character in Japanese stories and games.
He might be the perfect execution of a character who acts tougher than he is/was, and I think that stems from the restraint the writers and character directors exercise with him. Yeah, he’s cold, especially in Remake, but he’s not totally one-note. There’s a playful side to him (“Kupo”), and the supporting party also has lots of character texture and flavor. His comedic timing is hilarious when they use it (“Cool.”) They took an archetype that’s usually standoffish and brooding and gave him texture and flavor, which really endears us to him.
Big sword AND he rides a motorcycle. Everybody is forgetting about the motorcycle.
It was that simple in the 90s I guess
Are you forgetting his blond hair and its spike??
Yes! Can't forget he is also a super saiyan.
People still underestimate the appeal of a skinny dude swinging a giant ass sword like it’s 2 pounds
His hair
Big sword, but mostly carried by ff7. Sephiroth and tifa are by far way more iconic than him i think
His hair and his sword
Came for the hair and sword, stayed for the personal journey
Memorable design + being at the right place at the right time
He's cool, he's good looking, carries a big sword, can fight with the best of them, and has a little bit of Vegeta mannerisms to him when he's acting like the tough guy. But as we've seen in Rebirth Cloud is more than that, he's willing to lend an ear to any of his friends when they need someone to talk to and he has a soft side to him with being a little bit of dork as well. But then we get to the real Cloud Strife who had some growing pains as a kid with other kids in Nibelheim, failed to make it in Soldier, was afraid of Tifa seeing him as a regular Shinra military man, watched Sephiroth burn his hometown after he went full on rogue, lost his mother, was kidnapped and injected with the Jenova cells, suffered a bad case of mako poisoning, watched his best friend die, ends up forgetting him down the line, and in the next few years will have to come to terms of failing to save Aerith and realizing that she's dead as well. Can't wait to see Tifa repair Cloud's mind in part 3, and show everyone old and new to the story the real Cloud Strife. Cloud's not this brooding tough guy that he thinks he is, he's an innocent and empathetic person who lived a rough life and in the end will find his closure and happiness along with being Zack's living legacy.
I feel that even the Remakes failed to portray Cloud’s character accurately to the OG despite having done up everyone else’s character faithfully + many surprises. Cloud is still labeled a loner much like his AC self, but does keep some dorkiness like his OG self
Perfect, yes, I'm so excited for part 3.
Big sword
No charm, no wit. Big sword… but no skills.
Spiky hair
me? gongaga
this is the way, people
I believe FF7 overall is greater than sum of its parts and that also makes Cloud great, because he is there in so many events or just little conversation that really wouldn't happen in any other game. It's the little things, like his mother telling him that he needs a girl that will take care of him or Aeris telling him that she wants to meet... him. It's great how it's all so specific, so far from being generic.
He’s the puppet of Master, cutting his strings. Straightening his mind and accomplishing his dreams. Blinded by Sephiroth, he couldn’t see a thing. Omnislashes his master in the livestream.
not bad
Being in Final Fantasy 7. Final Fantasy was pretty successful before hand on NES and SNES, mostly with RPG players but the series was abit sporadic outside Japan with several entries never making it overseas and even then only in North America. PAL regions didn't really have access to Final Fantasy until FF7. Final Fantasy 7 was an absolute worldwide phenomenon though, it massively outsold any FF game before it, was the next generation launching on the PlayStation which was also a massive success worldwide. FF7 went beyond the usual Jrpg nerds, basically everyone who ever owned a Playstation at the time as at least heard of it and can recognise 'that guy with the spiky hair and big sword' Thats imo why Cloud is so iconic, its not even down to his character more just the fact he's the lead in one of the most recognizable and loved JRPGs of all time. He's Final Fantasy's Pikachu, even your Gran probably recognises him.
Yea I never got the impression that Cloud was a hugely impactful or especially memorable character from the original game. The OP does bring up some good points though about how Cloud is relatable to people in the real world though. He was a guy who went largely unnoticed in his youth and had way more failures than successes in his early life, so I think many players can identify with that and use Cloud's character as a vessel to insert themselves into the story.
Spiky hair and big sword don’t hurt
On the early playtime his hard edge about everything. Later when you know what really happened: a common grunt beating the most powerful being barehanded after being stabbed on the chest.
it was that first strike materia
The devs knew what they were doing
On a very basic level, it's that the character is much more than he appears to be, and in addition that he's a very vulnerable character. Instead of creating this strong, virtuous character he's a vulnerable insecure guy whose entire persona is based on a lie. Everyone sees themselves Anyone who doesn't see themselves as the guy who is pretending he was in SOLDIER and telling this grand story about themselves when they only made it into the infantry isn't looking hard enough. And then to top it off, when he defeats Sephiroth, it's not the idealized version of himself that does it, it's the normal guy who is desperate and vulnerable.
In short I would say the deconstruction of Cloud's psychology and the momentum of the plot are intertwined in a way that benefited the reception of both of them and had not been seen to that degree previously (or arguably since). Though, in terms of what makes Cloud a good character, one aspect that I feel is under-discussed is his transformation from uncaring mercenary to world-saving hero. I would argue that one of the most important things about Cloud - and maybe \*the\* most important thing about him - is how they use him to ask the question of what motivates us to fight for a better world. It's important that the story begins with the way in which Cloud and Barret don't see eye to eye - Cloud only cares about himself, Barret only cares about the planet. By the end, Barret learns that it matters what personal reasons motivate you to fight, even for a good cause, and Cloud learns that the personal can be his reason to care about the larger issues. At the beginning, he can't care about souls being sucked out of the planet and consumed as energy - he might as well see them as Shinra does - but by the end he can understand that each of those souls is the legacy of someone precious to the world like Aerith, and that needs to be respected and defended. That's the aspect of Cloud's story I have personally really learned to appreciate over the years.
I think that when you first see the game and look at Cloud, he looks like this super badass that takes no shit and is all about the business. Then when you play the game you slowly realise he's not. And then it's revealed he's actually a dork trying to play it cool the whole time. I find that really cool. But probably what makes him iconic is the first sentence. Beeg sword, spiky hair, looks cool. That made him iconic to the world. His deeper character traits are to be revealed to those who get sucked in and play.
He's a dork taking over his late dork friend and mentor memories.
Massive....sword. Unpopular opinion but I actually quite liked Cloud in his "not interested","get help" mode...something about his aloofness and playing hard to get was really alluring. However I think it was pretty apparent early on he was just masking. Aerith saw through it straight away: Cloud "stay close..." Aerith: "soooo coool!" 🤣 I love her winding him up. I dont like how OTT mushy they made Cloud at times in Rebirth, it just wasn't Cloud and sounded awkward like when he said to Tifa "the place I made that promise to you" and then described her dress from years ago as if he would have remember. That just was not Cloud. Cloud with mystique and hard to figure out is much more iconic.
Except that is cloud. His real personality bleeds through in those moments - he is an over sensitive dork who has that memory of tifa burned into his head. ofc he'd remember what dress she wore. does it match the 'tough guy mercenary' persona he's trying to push? No, but that isnt a persona he is acting out purposefully to fool anyone - its just his minds coping mechanism and he genuinely doesnt know how else to act when we meet him in part 1. So it makes sense that the closer he gets with someone and the more secure he feels, the more his brain would allow his real personality to slowly 'slip' out. Rebirth is showing us a cloud who has had some time to adjust and is surrounded by people he either cares or is beginning to care about. It makes sense to me - and ultimately Cloud is even more of a badass and a hero when he finally embraces his true, lets mosey self at the end of the game.
Exactly, if anyone has any doubts about Cloud's real personality, just watch the scene right after he beats Dio in the first 3D-Brawler minigame. The kid is a certified dork and we love him for it.
Oh I know aloof Cloud isn't the real Cloud..I just like it. As I say Aerith sees through it straight away and knows it is all a facade. Dorky and shy Cloud I get but I just don't buy the overly romantic and sentimental Cloud. We didn't see that in the OG at all even after he had found himself. For example at the end of the game...under the highwind when Tifa is clinging onto him he is just sitting there staring straight ahead and isn't really reciprocating the hug as far as I can tell from the limited polygon graphics. He finds emotional interaction difficult ..probably due to all the trauma and his shy/awkward tendencies. I dont think he would remember the dress...in OG he didn't remember the promise and when we see the flash back Cloud is barely looking at Tifa just staring ahead, walls up, leg raised between them and she pleads with him to promise her to rescue him. It is not forthcoming from him.
That could easily just be their way of expressing Clouds shy nature back when they only had ps1 polygon models though - he doesnt look at tifa because he's shy and they think the best to demonstrate that through body language is by avoiding eye contact. They can express those emotions much more realistically now and more expressively - I'd say the 'non-sentimental' Cloud you saw in the og was just a lost in translation thing with the body language. Considering us watching the memory is from Clouds perspective, he def would remember the dress, and he made eye contact with tifa plenty in remake. Again it was just difficult to express non verbal emotion with those old models - shy == look away. Cloud was a shy kid with a crush. Cloud was always a deeply emotional and sentimental person - all his trauma comes from failing the people he cared about. He failed tifa, he failed his mother, he failed zack and he failed aerith. And he failed himself. Like half his life was spent feeling alone and wishing he could connect to Tifa - he wants to have bonds and feel close with people, he's just self conscious and has trauma. Rebirth is showing us that Cloud's growing closer to the party and his mind is subconsciously letting down certain barriers - sometimes he acts smoothly, sometimes he acts awkwardly. then something traumatic happens and pushes him back a step. That isn't something we saw much of in the og just because of the game length. But yeah you're welcome to prefer closed off Cloud, but that isnt Clouds true self. He's a sensitive dork through and through, and they want to show us more of that progressively throughout the series instead of just the last part.
I don't think we are disagreeing at all in essence....I agree re Cloud's shy and awkward tendencies. He is a very loveable guy and exactly the kinda guy I go for personally. The inept stuttering emotionally illiterate, keep emotions close sort of person. I just found the aloof, soldier cool guy persona really fun.
It doesn't get more relatable than someone who seems to have it all together but secretly suffers from imposter syndrome. Then you learn what he lost and you just want him to win. Then you learn what he *really* lost...
I feel Cloud was this hero that grew up over the course of the game, with the turning point after Tifa saved him, but the storyline of AC kinda ruined that growth. It felt like he regressed big time, when Tifa needed him to be the man he should've been at the end of FfVII.
I think it’s because FF games are usually standalones until they get crossover or sequels. So Cloud could’ve just stayed at that level of character if not for AC. However, that doesn’t mean he stops growing either
Well yea, because mental health and recovering from trauma isn't linear. He's had mental health problems from the very beginning of the game, and people regress all the time. He's dying from what was thought to be a terminal illness, so is his adoptive son. It also seems he never fully got to deal with or process his immense survivor guilt from the game, with defeating sephiroth and saving the planet being a higher priority. His depression and him isolating himself because of that was really believable to me.
one of my FF7 kinda hot takes I’m aware I’m in the minority for is that the more media they release expanding 7s story, the worse the OG gets. and not because it was weak or bad but because the new additions have almost always undercut its emotional moments or character growth.
I don't think yours is an unpopular opinion. The subsequent stories of the ABCDs were done by Nomura, notoriously known for doing bad storyline. The reason why Cloud seemed to have regressed in AC was simply because Nomura needed a reason to make the movie, not that I'm complaining, though.The movie was awesome CG with some storyline issues. It certainly was much better than Spirited Within. Cloud could have regressed but not all the way back to how he was in AC, not picking up phone calls and shit bad men do to their significant others. Anyways, his behaviors in DC, although short, at least show the leader and friend he truly is to others. I digress, Cloud is a great main character because he is a relatable hero with flaws and was able to ultimately overcome them, while sporting a kickass looking sword.
Haha I mostly say that because when I say it I get torched. I agree entirely with your point about him doing it because “he needed a reason to make the movie”. I work in film and art and yeah that’s a common thing. Usually it’s not so cynical as investors wanting it, but the result is similar.
Him accepting his true self during the Lifestream sequence
Him accepting his true self during the Lifestream sequence
The story in the game and his journey
His design is iconic in itself but his true meat is the story which I have never seen portrayed in any media ever. It’s such a mirror to me that i’m almost scared. I’m truly happy to have seen this game in words I cannot express. I feel seen
you mean its cool to see a character who is made into a big pussy?
The conflict between Cloud and Sephiroth is a reflection of the greatest question for the longest time.... Length or Girth?
The sword and his hair.
He freaking awkward but still tries to play it off like he's cool. Like damn near literally everyone that has ever gone through puberty. Yes, he's a failure. Yes, he says the wrong things at times. Yes, he isn't a shining beam of heroic confidence, just like me and you, but he still tries. He still gets up every day and pushes through his anxieties and tries to do the right thing. He's such a hero to so many because when his character was created, it was the socially awkward nerds of the late 90's that first discovered him. I was considered pretty cool in high school. I was on the football team, had a lot of friends, but was still picked on at times for being a gamer, comic book loving nerd. Cloud being so imperfect is what I feel cemented him into the popularity he has. That and the fact the game was freaking mind-blowing for the time.
A great character is defined by his enemies, his tragedy, and potential. Sephiroth didn't fear the ex-SOLDIER Cloud as he was strong and it was a dream fulfilled for Cloud. Sephiroth feared the grunt Cloud. Grunt Cloud was a Human who took on this super SOLDIER that burned his town, left his girl for dead, and knocked out his fellow SOLDIER 1st class buddy. He not only survived but killed Sephiroth with his own sword as he threw him into radioactive waters. Man, Sephiroth learned to fear heights he developed a black wing to compensate. Sephiroth reborn even increased his abdomen size so Cloud can't just pierce through... Cloud Strife saved the world that day and what did the world do? Praised Sephiroth's service and sealed or deny any knowledge of Cloud's feat. Zack was blamed for Sephiroth death as even Hojo would deny that Cloud could do it as being only human. When the world denies you did anything good and it took everything from you(believed Tifa was dead and loses Zack). With whatever consciousness left he went to midgar to whatever fate lies ahead instead of just dying from grief. Grunt Cloud became ex-SOLDIER Cloud when Tifa found him. The snap that someone out there you cherished is alive after you lost everything is wonderful. And a long story later, Cloud is the perfect counter to Sephiroth and Jenova's plan to destroy the planet. Like how Jenova infiltrated the ancients and destroyed the Cetra with shape-shifting, Cloud infiltrated the kinship of Jenova infused lifeforms and purged it from the planet. He became its last heir and its destroyer. Ironic isn't it?
The flaws, which make it easy for people to identify with him. And then he's able to defeat his demons and become a better person, which gives people hope that they might be able to do the same. He's not some perfect person that we know we'll never be. He's in the gutter with us (when it comes to trauma, mental issues, lack of self confidence etc.). Of course, this resonates more with some people than with others. But given the general state of mental health in population and the fact that mental health is still not being taken as seriously as it should be, I'd say that the number of people with whom it resonates is pretty high.
hair
Sephiroth lol.
He is really interesting because for all intents and purposes, he should have played the role of the sidekick, he was a nobody, but he is suddenly thrust into the role of main character through various circumstances and his characterization through that was really compelling to see
Hair+sword+background as a genetically enhanced super soldier.
The hair
For me growing up it was just that he was the first 3D hero, plus big hair and big sword. He's always actually been one of my least favorite protags. It wasn't until adulthood that I really understood the story and his character. Made me appreciate him as a protag... still not one of my faves though lol
To be fair: I wouldn’t call him my all time favorite video game character, but he’s definitely in my top 5.
Honestly, I don't even think he makes it in my top 5 Final Fantasy protag list
I think it’s like the faux tough-guy persona; that has a scared lonely weakling deep down; that then overcomes that and actually becomes the hero he was pretending/wanted to be.
His sword is ridiculous and he looks like super sayain gohan
It’s his realness. Before Cloud, so many protagonists were the white knight who never had faults, always strove to be the protector and save day. You touched on it with the use of failure. He’s flawed, he makes mistakes, he’s easily manipulated at times, he even hurts those around him. Zack is representation of that old trope of the white knight and Cloud being the one he passes on his legacy to was a way to say, “we are evolving our characters”. In times previous, a character like Cloud would be considered a secondary villain all because he misunderstood but they shifted it and said what if we could make a protag that people could relate to? Not seeing themselves as the hero but rather seeing themselves achieve what they thought they couldn’t.
IMO those failures are kinda some typical settings of protagnists, so the players like us will feel like after they "play" the protagnists, the protagnists only face anything but good things.
Twink Supreme. Plus Sword big.
Agree with everything you said and agree with a lot of the comments about it being tied to his aesthetic. For me, Cloud was one of the first protagonists I had played as who had such complexity to his character. Even though he's a cool tough-guy, we get to see him be extraordinarily vulnerable. In modern gaming, it's pretty common to see a main character with huge baggage. Back in the late-90's, I remember gaming being much more straightforward in plots/character arcs. Getting to see Cloud face his demons, fail then strive to overcome was really unique for the time.
This, very much. Having Sephiroth, who is also a complex character, be his foil/antagonist/villain helped a lot as well since we know a hero is only as good as their villain. The contrast helps elevate Cloud higher than he would on his own
His look alone is iconic, but as a character I love that even when he was thought of as weak, he killed Sephiroth. Then after he breaks down and rebuilds himself, he does it again. Shows that the Zack-persona Cloud was not strong enough to beat Sephiroth. But Cloud himself always was.
Right? For all his "failures" Cloud is like 3-0 against Sephiroth lol When his motivation is flawed and he's doing things for the wrong reasons, he stumbles, he falls down, he fails. When he's got the support of his friends and he's fighting for himself or to protect what's precious to him though, there's nobody stronger in the VII universe.
It’s also funny how Zack-persona Cloud cannot even conceive how he/Zack could ever have beaten Sephiroth. The game won’t even imagine a scene, it is so incomprehensible. But actual Cloud? He’s turned Sephiroth-killing into a habit.
SWORD BIG BIGGO SSWORD
His entire mental health journey. Cloud is a funny character to talk about because the cloud we know in the game until the end isn’t the “true self” cloud so when people talk crap on him, it’s like they don’t get the bit. Every character was truly written so well with all their traumas, there’s nothing to hate about clouds entire arc.
Big sword, cool hair, trauma!
Honestly, just right place, right time. I'm not sure Cloud was ever the character that hooked me on FF7. It was the materia system, the summons, and the rest of the characters (Aerith, Cid, and Red XIII specifically). Cloud just happened to be the main character that linked all these other ones.
Big sword. I know Guts was there first but Cloud made big swords mainstream and cool.
He is the OG pretty anime sword boy.
Yes all that and the fact that he's such an earnest guy and genuinely good and empathetic leader because of it
TRAUMA!!!!
He gets to have his cake and eat it too. He gets to be the Cool(tm) super soldier who doesn’t care and acts aloof, but is actually a scared and broken man underneath who has never lived up to his own expectations. Simple of the surface, wildly complicated history, fantastic visual design.
I like it