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GENERAL/STORY:
In Final Fantasy VII, Cloud is the main protagonist of the game. He is introduced as a mercenary and former member of SOLDIER. During a mission in which he worked with the anti-Shinra organization AVALANCHE, he encounters a young woman by the name of Aerith Gainsborough, who is wanted by the Turks. Cloud was born in the sleepy mountain village of Nibelheim, along with Tifa Lockhart. He grew up isolated from the rest of the village children. However, when Tifa and the others attempted to climb Mt. Nibel, Cloud followed them, Tifa fell from a bridge and her father blamed Cloud. He resolved to join ShinRa's elite SOLDIER force, hoping to prove to the others that he could be as strong as the well-known SOLDIER 1st Class Sephiroth.

Early in the game, however, Cloud's past is a mystery. He claimed that he was in the village of Nibelheim when Sephiroth went berserk and massacred the local population. After finding Tifa wounded, Cloud confronts Sephiroth. Yet, when examined closely, Cloud's memories of these events and others are filled with empty plot-holes that prevent them from making sense. It all comes together later in the game. As it turns out, Cloud suffers from a mixture of amnesia and mind control. Although he had been in Nibelheim during Sephiroth's rampage, he was not there as a top ranking member of SOLDIER, but a regular ShinRa arm guard under the command of both Sephiroth and another man named Zack Fair. Following the incident, Cloud and Zack were captured by ShinRa and experimented on with Jenova cells for several years. The two escaped but were chased down. Zack was killed after trying to protect Cloud from the many Shinra foot soldiers, Cloud crawls to Zack a few minutes before he dies. Zack barely states "On my behalf---You will---Continue living. You are proof that I existed. My dreams and pride, I give it all to you." to Cloud who answers " I am proof that you existed. " showing the two's relationship. Cloud leaves in a stupor, then is again seen on a train (just like Zack in the beginning of Crisis Core) where he says, "I'm Cloud Strife. SOLDIER 1st Class.", this is where they leave off for Final Fantasy VII to begin.

Cloud was also featured in the Square + Disney crossover, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts 2, in which his design was somewhat re-invented, and is also the star of the motion picture, Final Fantasy: Advent Children. Tifa, Vincent, and Yuffie are a few of his comrades.

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ORIGIN:
Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring

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OTHER APPEARANCES:
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REVIEW:
It was great to see the cool and now famous main character from Final Fantasy 7 make it to a fighting game. FF7 was one of the most successful RPGs of all time, and the main character of an RPG is usually an important factor. Cloud just reeks cool in any game he's in, and his fighting game debut wasn't bad either, as he retained his cool style and personality... not to mention he's got one of the coolest swords around. His later "Kingdom Hearts" designs are also well done. And finally, his badass look from his starring role in Final Fantasy: Advent Children took his design further than ever... An unforgettable character indeed.

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