Cloud Strife

Cloud Strife, also known as Ex-SOLDIER 1st Class and Spiky, is the main protagonist from the Final Fantasy VII series.
== Charactah Account ==
A former top-ranking member of Shinra's elite paramilitary unit, SOLDIER. Now working as a mercenary-for-hire, Cloud takes a job with the anti-Shinra organization AVALANCHE to bring down his old employers. It's revealed during the game that he isn't what he seems: Cloud failed to qualify for SOLDIER and instead took a job as an infantryman. During a mission to Nibelheim with Sephiroth and his best friend and SOLDIER 1st Class Zack Fair, Sephiroth went berserk and injured Cloud and Zack, who were taken away as lab experiments for Professor Hojo. Zack broke them out years later but died in the escape, and Cloud, suffering from a great deal of physical and psychological trauma, impressed Zack's memories on his own, creating a false past and a false personality to match it. After the truth is revealed he suffers a heroic BSoD, but thanks to a journey to the center of the mind, he comes to terms with who he is and rebuilds his persona from the ground up.
Cloud remains steadfastly loyal and true to those he cares about and is driven to protect them, going as far as to hide his pain and emotions so he would not worry them. His selfless and kind nature lets him overcome Sephiroth time and again. Cloud has a lighter side, crossdressing as a woman to save Tifa from Don Corneo's mansion. When the party arrives at Costa del Sol, Tifa asks Cloud what he thought about Barret dressed as a sailor; one option is to reply "He looked like a bear wearing a marshmallow," much to Barret's annoyance. Cloud is also put in humorous situations, like marching at the Junon parade. He has a dry, ironic wit as shown in Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-.
Cloud suffers from motion sickness that is seemingly cured during the period he upholds a fake SOLDIER persona, but returns when his true self is restored. He tells Yuffie that it doesn't affect him while flying on the Highwind, so long as he can remain "nervous." During an attack of nausea while attempting to take the Shinra submarine in Junon Underwater Reactor, he claims he isn't affected if he's driving, a possible inspiration for his favored mode of transport later. 
== Appearance ==
=== Anime ===
* Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
* Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete
* Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - Venice Film Festival Footage
* Final Fantasy VII: Last Order
* Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel
=== Light Novels ===
* Final Fantasy VII The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story
=== Manga ===
* Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger
* Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile
=== Video Games ===
* Bravely Default: Praying Brage
* Chocobo Racing
* Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
* Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
* Dissidia Final Fantasy
* Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
* Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia
* Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable
* Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special
* Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring
* Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
* Final Fantasy All the Bravest
* Final Fantasy Artniks
* Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
* Final Fantasy Explorers
* Final Fantasy Explorers-Force
* Final Fantasy Record Keeper 
* Final Fantasy Tactics
* Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
* Final Fantasy V
* Final Fantasy VII
* Final Fantasy VII G-Bike
* Final Fantasy VII Remake
* Final Fantasy VII: Snowboarding
* Final Fantasy World Wide Words
* Itadaki Street Mobile
* Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary
* Mobius Final Fantasy
* Monster Strike
* Pictlogica Final Fantasy
* Puzzle & Dragons
* Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
* Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
* Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Wii U
* Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
* Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-Star Carnival
* Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call
* Triple Triad
* War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
* World of Final Fantasy
* World of Warcraft
* Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble
== Trivia ==
* In his artwork and CG render showing him mounted on the Hardy Daytona for Final Fantasy VII, his weapon is the Hardedge rather than the Buster Sword, which can be stolen from SOLDIER:3rd in Shinra Headquarters.
* In the Nibelheim flashback sequence in Final Fantasy VII, Cloud's menu portrait is different from his usual portrait. Cloud is one of only a handful of characters to have more than one menu portrait in a game. This portrait is also used for Cloud in the 1996 Final Fantasy VII demo.
* Cloud has the most player-controlled appearances of any character in the Final Fantasy series, and the second-most appearances altogether, behind Gilgamesh.
* Cloud Strife is the central topic of two Square Enix promotional books, CLOUD Vol 1 and CLOUD message.
* Cloud and Zack's Japanese voice actors, Takahiro Sakurai and Kenichi Suzumura, are best friends in real life and have appeared together in many anime productions, as well as having their own production mini-group, R-16.
* If the player recruits Vincent after the events in Gaea's Cliff and Mideel, the dialogue between the two will remain as if Cloud never knew about his true past; Cloud still claims he was in SOLDIER.
* A party of Cid and Cloud offers the fastest Materia growth out of every other combination, assuming Cid is equipped with the Javelin and Cloud is equipped with the Apocalypse. Javelin has 5 double slots for an overall growth of 10 while Apocalypse has 3 triple growth for an overall growth of 9.
* At the start of Final Fantasy VII if one opens the menu and checks Cloud's status the amount of experience needed to level up to Level 7 is 35 EXP. However, upon winning the first battle, that amount decreases to only 6 EXP.
== Gallery ==
File:Cloud Strife Render 01.png
File:Cloud Strife Render 02.png
File:Cloud Strife Render 03.png
File:Cloud Strife Render 04.png
File:Cloud Strife Render 05.png
File:Cloud Strife Render 06.png
File:Cloud Strife 01.png
File:Cloud Strife 02.png
File:Cloud Strife 03.png
File:Cloud Strife 04.png
File:Cloud Strife 05.png
File:Cloud Strife 06.png
== External Links ==
* Cloud Strife at Final Fantasy Wiki
Category:Characters
Category:Males
Category:Final Fantasy 7