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"Looking for your light? Don't lose sight of it."

—Cloud to Sora

Cloud is a character in theKingdom Hearts series who hails fromRadiant Garden. He is based on the character of the same name fromFinal Fantasy VII, in which he was the main character.

Story[edit]

Kingdom Hearts χ[edit]

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Kingdom Hearts[edit]

"I'm looking for someone. Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

—Cloud

Cloud competes in the Games in order to assassinate Hercules.

Sometime beforeSora and company arrived at theOlympus Coliseum, Cloud struck a deal withHades: if Cloud eliminatesHercules in battle, Hades will lead him to his nemesisSephiroth. However, Cloud also has to fightSora, so that he may move on to Hercules in the preliminaries rankings. In the ensuing battle, Sora emerges victorious, or Cloud succeeds in defeating Sora, but refuses to finish the young Keyblade wielder off. Regardless of the outcome, Cloud fails to defeat Sora, and Hades summonsCerberus, who catches Cloud off-guard and pins him to the ground.

At this point, Hercules comes to the rescue, defending the unconscious Cloud. Sora then moves in to finish the battle, giving Hercules the chance to take Cloud to safety.

Cloud finally manages to track down Sephiroth and challenges him.

Afterwards, Cloud waits at the entrance to the Coliseum, deep in thought. Sora asks him why Cloud worked for someone as shady as Hades, and Cloud replies that he was looking for someone, and tried to use thedarkness to his advantage, but failed. He admits that he fell into darkness, and couldn't find thelight. But Sora comforts him, saying that he too is searching for his light. Cloud then grants Sora theSonic Bladeability, and walks off, but not before Sora offers a re-match. Cloud confidently says he'll pass, but later in the game, he can be fought in certain cups at the Olympus Coliseum.

Cloud manages to locate Sephiroth in the Coliseum, and both express that they have been searching for each other. Cloud also feels that in order to awaken from his nightmare, he has to defeat his darkness; namely, Sephiroth. Sephiroth tries to convince him to turn to that darkness, but Cloud refuses, and the two battle. The outcome of the battle is unknown.

Later on, Cloud is led byCid toHollow Bastion, and reunites withLeon,Aerith, andYuffie in the Library.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

"I'm not here for the Cup. Just Hercules. Today he loses more than the competition."

—Cloud

Cloud appears on the Olympus Coliseum floor inCastle Oblivion, constructed from Sora's memories. Again, he serves as a mercenary for Hades. However, Cloud is working for Hades to regain his lost memories, not to find Sephiroth. Hades promises to help him, but only if Cloud competes in the games and defeating Hercules.

Completely ignoring Sora, Cloud confronts Hercules. However, Cloud only manages to wear Hercules down. Hades, no longer having any use for Cloud, fires him and knocks him out. Hades then attempts to defeat Hercules on his own now that he is exhausted. However, Sora interferes and defeats the God of the Underworld.

After the battle, Cloud wakes up and apologizes for his actions. Sora again comforts him, saying that the important memories are never truly gone. Sora also says that even the tiniest thing can help a person remember things they thought they had forgotten. Cloud shows his gratitude for Sora's help by granting him theCloud card. However, he declines Sora's offer of joining them.

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

"Sorry to keep you, Sephiroth!"

—Cloud

Sora and company meet up with Cloud again in Hollow Bastion, noting that he has changed somewhat due to Sephiroth's influence. He reveals to Sora that he is seeking to defeat his darkness, which is embodied by Sephiroth. He asks Sora to help him, but also warns him that Sephiroth will try and turn Sora to the darkness. During their meeting, Aerith also speaks to him. Not wanting her to follow him, he promises her that no matter how far he goes, he will always come back to Hollow Bastion. Though Aerith initially feels that he doesn't seem to be so sure, she is, in the end, confident in him.

Cloud and Leon stand back-to-back during the Battle of the 1,000 Heartless.

Cloud aids the residents of Hollow Bastion in defending against theHeartless invasion. He and Leon are seen at theRavine Trail, back to back with their swords raised asHeartless surround them. The two banter playfully back and forth, then proceed to fend off the Heartless. However, as he fights, he ends up separated from Leon, and Sephiroth makes his appearance. Cloud expresses his belief that once Sephiroth is defeated, his darkness will go away. However, Sephiroth reminds Cloud of his dark past, though it is not elaborated on. Cloud denies it, claiming that Sephiroth doesn't know him, but the winged being says otherwise.Tifa, who had been searching fervently for Cloud, also arrives. However, her presence causes Cloud to see the light, making him wince. Sephiroth then vanishes, and Cloud runs off before Tifa can get to him.

Cloud has then seen with Leon again, who is worried about Sora,Donald, andGoofy when they are teleported to theRealm of Darkness. Cloud assures him they are strong enough to take care of themselves. As he leaves, he remarks that Sora is "a lucky kid".

After the 1000 Heartless battle, Cloud keeps at a distance from the others and avoids fighting the Heartless fromSpace Paranoids, knowing that his friends have enough strength to fend off theMCP's tricks. After the MCP is defeated, he regroups with Leon whenTron shows them a sight of when their city was first built, and reminded everyone of its true name.

Cloud clashes with Sephiroth.

Cloud, still searching for Sephiroth, can be found in the town center after this. Sora, having just fought Sephiroth, reveals that he is atThe Dark Depths, prompting Cloud to go off to settle the score. Upon arriving, Cloud becomes enraged when Sephiroth comments on how Cloud can never let go of his darkness and the two battle. However, Sephiroth claims that defeating him will be futile, for Cloud's darkness will always hold him back. Sephiroth's words begin to drag him into the depths of despair, but Tifa appears to help him. Ignoring Cloud's warning to leave, Tifa retorts that as long as Cloud is surrounded in light, the darkness within him can't be reached by Sephiroth. Tifa attacks Sephiroth as Cloud watches, but when flashes of light blind Cloud, Sephiroth attempts to strike him. However, Cloud successfully parries the attack, and takes a stand between Sephiroth and Tifa. Tifa offers Cloud her light, and though Sephiroth insists that the light doesn't suit Cloud, he begins to glow with a bright light, and the fight resumes. In a final brilliant flash of light, Cloud and Sephiroth rise into the air and vanish.

Although concerned for his whereabouts, Sora explains to Donald and Goofy that he went to fight a great battle. With Cloud's disappearance, Tifa decides that she will continue search for him and gives Sora theFenrirKeychain as thanks for helping.

Kingdom Hearts coded[edit]

Data-Cloud makes a deal with Data-Hades about visiting other worlds with the Secret of Heroes. He wants to break away from his past and his powerlessness after he takes care of Data-Hercules andData-Sora. It seems the reason he bargained with Data-Hades is so he could become stronger to protect someone. He learned from Data-Sora and Data-Hercules that his true strength comes from hisheart when he protects someone; for example, blocking one of Data-Hades's fireballs from hitting his allies.

Other appearances[edit]

Kingdom Hearts III[edit]

A statue of Cloud appears as the Narrator explains how Hades used him to further his plans but failed.

Dissidia Final Fantasy[edit]

Cloud's appearances based on his outfit fromKingdom Hearts has appeared as an alternate costume for him in theDissidia Final Fantasy series.

InDissidia 012 Final Fantasy, his "Kingdom Hearts gear" outfit is available as downloadable content.

InDissidia Final Fantasy NT, his "Sky-Soarer" outfit is available as downloadable content.

Design[edit]

Cloud as he appears at Olympus Coliseum.

Cloud is twenty-two years old inKingdom Hearts^[1] andKingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, and twenty-three during the events ofKingdom Hearts II.

InKingdom Hearts,Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, andKingdom Hearts coded, Cloud has an appearance similar to his appearance inFinal Fantasy VII. However, he also has a flowing red cape and a metal claw on his left hand, much likeVincent Valentine, another character inFinal Fantasy VII, though there are some notable differences. Protruding from his back is one large demonic wing, a counterpart to Sephiroth's angelic one. The wing is not always extended, sometimes only appearing when he usesOmnislash. He also wields theBuster Sword, though it is covered in bandages, possibly as a symbol of his bound self and past.

InKingdom Hearts II, Cloud's design changes dramatically. He is dressed in his outfit fromFinal Fantasy VII Advent Children, with his hairstyle changing to match. He wields hissword fromAdvent Children as well, although it is bandaged like the Buster Sword. The outlines of the component blades appear to be simply engraved, rather than actual edges. His wing is absent, although his face is nearly the same as Sephiroth's; an oddity remarked on by Goofy.

InKingdom Hearts Re:coded, when Data-Sora usesSubjugate, Cloud uses the magic-casting animation fromFinal Fantasy VII. Additionally, when completing Olympus Coliseum with Cloud in the party, his victory pose matches his victory animation fromFinal Fantasy VII.

Personality[edit]

Cloud seems to be notably stoic and melancholy, possessing similar melancholic characteristics as he did inAdvent Children. In spite of this, he is seen engaging in playful banter with Leon during the 1,000 Heartless invasion of Hollow Bastion, hinting at a friendly rivalry between the two.

In an interview,Kazushige Nojima stated that while Cloud makes a big deal of looking for Sephiroth inKingdom Hearts II, he is actually running from something, the "something warm" that Tifa was after inAdvent Children.^[2]

His motivations for running, a combination of guilt and worry that he will be unable to protect the people he cares about, in theKingdom Hearts series is depicted similarly to Cloud's portrayal in theFinal Fantasy universe.

Abilities[edit]

When fighting, Cloud remains in a "combo" of astonishingly rapid sword strokes, only fighting normally when he seems to be winning and Sora or the others are near. Although Cloud is a much weaker boss than Sephiroth inKingdom Hearts, the fact he was able to go head-to-head with him inKingdom Hearts II implies that he wasn't fighting as hard as he could against Sora. Cloud is, by far, the most powerful ally inKingdom Hearts II; along with being immune to damage, he is able to deal a large amount of damage in a very short amount of time. When using a cheat device to place him in the party, he often single-handedly obliterates even the most dangerous bosses in the game.

Cloud's recurring techniques includeCross Slash, a three-hit sword combo with his sword,Sonic Blade, a rushing attack he can often use repeatedly,Climhazzard, a down-thrust attack from the air, andOmnislash, a technique that allows him to fly around, slashing with his sword when getting close.

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories[edit]

Cloud appears as asummon card for Sora. When his card is used, Cloud arrives and unleashes two successive sword slashes. Stocking two Cloud cards creates theCross-slash sleight, which increases his attack to a three-slash combo. Three cards formOmnislash, where Cloud sweeps in on enemies and attacks repeatedly, while the player presses when prompted.

The Cloud card is required for the following sleights:

Ability	Description	Obtained	Card Combination
Reflect Raid (リフレクトレイド, Rifurekuto Reido?)	Hurl the Keyblade and make it ricochet around to strike many enemies.	1stHollow BastionBounty	++
Cross-slash (凶斬り, Kyōgiri?, lit. "Misfortune Slash")	Cloud assaults the enemy with a three-hit combo.	Obtain Cloud	+
Cross-slash+ (凶斬り・改, Kyōgiri Kai?, lit. "Misfortune Slash Revision")	Cloud singles out an enemy and uses Cross-slash.[KH CoM] Cloud teleports behind an enemy and uses Cross-slash.[KH Re:CoM]	2ndHollow BastionBounty[KH CoM] ClearVeggie Panic[KH Re:CoM]	++
Omnislash (超究武神覇斬, Chōkyū Bushinhazan?, lit. "Super-ultimate Warrior God's Mastery Slash")	Cloud swoops down from the skies, attacking enemies in a wide area.[KH CoM] Cloud swoops down from the skies, attacking enemies up to five times.[KH Re:CoM]	Obtain Cloud	++

Obtainment[edit]

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

Cloud briefly assists Sora on theRavine Trail before theBattle of 1000 Heartless.

Kingdom Hearts coded[edit]

Cloud appears as a party member in Olympus Coliseum. He can use Omnislash as a special attack.

Technique	Type	Element	No. of hits	Power	Target	Hit rate	Critical %
Attack (たたかう, Tatakau?)	Physical	—	1	Hit 1: 1.0 Hit 2-3: 0.9	Single (Near)	105%	4%
Omnislash (超究武神覇斬, Chōkyū Bushinhazan?, lit. "Super-ultimate Warrior God's Mastery Slash")	Physical	—	6	0.8	Single (Far)	500%	0%

Origin[edit]

Cloud Strife was originally the main protagonist fromFinal Fantasy VII, a console role-playing game that was developed bySquare and published bySony Computer Entertainment for Sony'sPlayStation. It was released in Japan on January 31, 1997, and in North America on September 7, 1997.

Cloud was born and raised in the small town of Nibelheim, the same village Tifa is from. When he was 14, he aspired to be inSOLDIER, an elite military group working for the Shinra Company.

Contrary to his journal entry inKingdom Hearts II, Cloud never made it into SOLDIER inFinal Fantasy VII, but instead suffered trauma during theNibelheim Incident that caused him to take on the persona ofZack Fair, a best friend of his who was an actual SOLDIER 1st Class. He and his allies seek to defeat Sephiroth, a legendary SOLDIER whose descent into madness led him to burn down Nibelheim, killing many people including Cloud's mother and Tifa's father.

Notes and references[edit]

• Entelechy
• Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden
• Olympus Coliseum
• Final Fantasy characters
• Kingdom Hearts characters
• Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories characters
• Kingdom Hearts II characters
• Kingdom Hearts coded characters
• Kingdom Hearts χ characters
• Allies
• Summons

• Featured articles
• Articles with section stubs