Cloud Strife

> "*Sephiroth is alive...I...I have to settle the score!*"
> ― Cloud Strife
>
>

Cloud Strife is a primary character in the Season 6 storyline, first appearing in the Gaia arc as a secondary character alongside Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace. He fashions himself as the loner type, content with speaking only in short, to-the-point sentences.

## Appearance

Cloud's most notable features are his large, spiky hair and his glowing cyan eyes as a result of Mako injections thanks to his SOLDIER program. He wears an all-black suit with exposed arms and a belt that covers his torso with the emblem of SOLDIER on it. He has a single shoulder pauldron on his left shoulder, with screws protruding from them, as well as gloves with tight, metal braces.

## Biography

### Origin

Cloud was born and raised in the town of Nibelheim, where he became friends with Tifa Lockhart and gained aspirations to join Shinra's elite military unit known as SOLDIER. At 16 years old, he managed to join SOLDIER and fight alongside the likes of the legendary Sephiroth, who he soon became friends with. However, during a routine check-up on the Mako reactor in Mount Nibel, next to Cloud's hometown, Sephiroth discovered who he truly was as the son of Jenova and grandson of Aldruidt, and betrayed Cloud and SOLDIER, destroying Nibelheim. Cloud faced Sephiroth in the Mako Reactor, and then Sephiroth disappeared.

### Season 6 storyline

Years later, Cloud quit SOLDIER, and joined the eco-terrorist organization known as AVALANCHE from the urgings of a returning Tifa. He would soon meet Barret Wallace, a personality with which he would often butt heads, and soon the STARBORD Crew. Once he learned from them that Sephiroth was in fact alive and threatening to destroy the multiverse, he was dedicated to the cause of helping them find the Black Materia pieces.

## Powers and Expertise

### Superhuman Capabilities

Thanks to the Mako injections in his body, an injection mandatory for all members of SOLDIER, Cloud's physical capabilities have been increased. He has the ability of increased strength, precision, dexterity, athletics, and reaction speed.

### Expert Sword-Wielding

Cloud is able to wield the Buster Sword, an enormous broadsword that is six feet long, with ease.

## Weaponry

### Buster Sword

Cloud's primary, and most signature weapon, is the Buster Sword. An enormous, six-feet-tall broad sword that is about a foot wide, the Buster Sword is a weapon worthy of only the strongest SOLDIERs. The Buster Sword has two slots near its hilt, either for containing Materia or for fitting the sword onto the magnet on Cloud's back.

## Relationships

### Tifa Lockhart

Cloud considers Tifa one of his closest (and only) friends, having known her since very early childhood. He also seems to owe some sort of debt to her, a promise made when they were children that he would come to her need one day, which is partially the reason for why he had joined AVALANCHE.

### Barret Wallace

Cloud and Barret are prone to butt heads, thanks to their conflicting personalities. While Cloud is cool, collected, and tends to be reserved, Barret tends to allow his emotions dictate his actions and is willing to act out when the situation calls for it.

## Trivia

* Cloud Strife's name was made to contrast with the name of his mentor, Zack Fair, in terms of both weather and difficulty respectively. Zack Fair's name comes from the idea of "fair weather": while Zack had a normal, peaceful life, Cloud has had a life of turmoil and tragedy.