Cloud Strife

Cloud Strife
Final Fantasy character
Cloud Strife artwork by Tetsuya Nomura for Final Fantasy VII.
First appearance
Created byYoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima, Tetsuya Nomura, Hironobu Sakaguchi
Voiced by
In-universe information
WeaponBuster Sword
HomeNibelheim

Cloud Strife (Japanese: クラウド・ストライフ, Hepburn: Kuraudo Sutoraifu) is the protagonist of Square's (now Square Enix's) 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII, its high-definition remake, and several of its sequels and spinoffs. In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is a mercenary who wields a large broadsword and claims to have formerly been part of SOLDIER, a group of elite supersoldiers employed by the Shinra Electric Power Company, a megacorporation responsible for draining life from the planet. He later defected from SOLDIER after becoming disillusioned with Shinra, and in an attempt to get paid, he joins the resistance group AVALANCHE in the fight against Shinra and his former superior, the primary antagonist Sephiroth, who aims to annihilate the world. Over the course of the story, it is eventually revealed that Cloud is a mentally-scarred individual who adopted the skill and personality of an actual SOLDIER, the deceased Zack Fair, and is actually little more than a Shinra foot soldier, but learns to accept his troubled past and his own identity in order to defeat Sephiroth and save the world.

Cloud reappears as the protagonist in the 2005 computer-animated sequel film, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, in which he fights a new threat composed of a trio attacking his allies while also dealing with a terminal illness called "Geostigma". He acts in a supporting role in other Compilation of Final Fantasy VII titles, and is featured in several other games in the wider Final Fantasy series. He has also made guest appearances in various titles outside the franchise, such as the Kingdom Hearts series by Square Enix and Disney and the Super Smash Bros. series by Nintendo.

Cloud was designed by Tetsuya Nomura, a character artist for the Final Fantasy series, whose role expanded during the title's development to include supervision over Cloud's personality. Yoshinori Kitase, director of VII, and Kazushige Nojima, one of the game's events planners, developed the story and wanted to create a mysterious character who acted atypically for a hero. After VII, Nomura redesigned Cloud for Advent Children, giving him a more realistic appearance alongside new weaponry and a new outfit. For Remake, the team aimed to adapt his classic design for a more realistic artstyle.

Cloud has garnered primarily positive reception from critics, and has been described as one of the most iconic video game protagonists. He has also been cited favorably as an example of complex character writing in video games, as one of its first unreliable narrators and for the game's depiction of his mental disorder. Additionally, he is seen as a messiah figure in both the game and film for opposing Sephiroth's schemes and supported by his allies. He has ranked highly in various character lists compiled by video game publications and remains popular among fans, continuing to place highly in popularity polls conducted by Famitsu, Guinness, and other organizations. His characterization and design have also influenced other characters, most notably Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII. He has also become the basis for a variety of merchandise, such as action figures and jewelry. Cloud has been voiced by multiple actors, with Steve Burton and Cody Christian's English vocal performances being the subject of praise.