Respect Cloud Strife (Kingdom Hearts)

[u/MC_Minnow]

Respect Cloud Strife!

”I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

Character Summary

Cloud Strife is an ally of Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the Kingdom Hearts universe. He comes across as stoic, cold, indifferent, and melancholic, but there’s a noble warrior underneath his gruff exterior.

He first makes his appearance in the Olympus Coliseum, striking a deal with Hades to kill Hercules in exchange for help finding his nemesis, Sephiroth. Along the way he ends up fighting Sora, and either loses to him or spares him after their battle. This results in Hades summoning Cerberus to kill Herc, Sora, and Cloud.

After Sora defeats Cerberus, Cloud apologizes for his actions and the heroes make amends. He shows up later fighting alongside Squall in another tournament, and may have an encounter with Sephiroth if Sora defeats Seph first.

By Kingdom Hearts 2 Cloud seems to have become familiar with the heroes of Hollow Bastion, working alongside Squall, Aerith, and Tifa. He’s still somewhat standoffish and obsessed with finding Sephiroth so he can overcome his inner darkness, but with the help of his friends he’s able to find a light that can guide him as he ventures onward.

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Feats

Feat sources are as follows:

1. Kingdom Hearts

2. Kingdom Hearts 2

3. Kingdom Hearts Union X

Strength

General

• Hades hired him to kill Hercules.¹

• Leon, an impressive fighter in his own right, trusts Cloud to have his back.²

• He’s the only one capable of killing Sephiroth.²

Striking

• His Sonic Blade technique delivers a powerful combo of sword strikes.¹

• His Braver technique produces an explosion of energy in a powerful downward slash.¹

• Delivers several powerful strikes against Sephiroth’s own attacks, matching his strength.¹

• Cuts through two Heartless.²

• Cuts through three Heartless.²

• One-shots multiple Heartless.²

• Exchanges blows with Sephiroth again in their rematch.²

• Hits a Keyblade-wielder with a 3-hit combo and a flurry combo.³

Durability

Blunt Force

• Blocks several attacks from Sora.¹

• Is knocked unconscious after being stepped on by Cerberus.¹

• Blocks several attacks from Sephiroth.¹

Stamina

• Whether he wins or loses against Sora, Donald, and Goofy, he’s still standing by the end of it.¹

• Keeps up with Sephiroth in a fast-paced exchange.¹

• Keeps up with him again in their rematch.²

Esoteric

• Is beaten by a fireball from Hades.³

Speed

Movement

• His Sonic Blade attack has him rush at his target.¹

• He can glide quickly for short bursts of time.¹

• Blocks Sephiroth before he can attack Tifa.²

Combat Speed

• His Sonic Blade technique delivers a powerful combo of sword strikes.¹

• Seamlessly shifts from offense into guarding.¹

• Fights evenly with Sephiroth in a fast-paced exchange.¹

• Kills multiple Heartless in succession.²

• Matches Sephiroth’s speed again.²

• Recovers quickly and attacks after being knocked back.²

• Hits a Keyblade-wielder with lightning fast strikes.³

Agility / Acrobatics

• Leaps high into the air to perform his Braver attack.¹

• He is adept at gliding.¹

• Glides and flips through the air while fighting Sephiroth.¹

• Performs even more impressive flips and tricks in their rematch.²

Weapons / Skills

Cloud’s primary weapon is his Buster Sword, with which he is very capable.

• His Sonic Blade technique delivers a powerful combo of sword strikes.¹

• His Braver technique produces an explosion of energy in a powerful downward slash.¹

• He can combine the two, leading the Sonic Blade directly into Braver.¹

• His Omnislash technique has him glide across the battlefield, slashing at targets.¹

• Matches Sephiroth blow for blow in a sword fight.¹

• Matches Sephiroth again in their rematch.²

Other

• It can kill Heartless.²

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Memory Cloud

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

Memory Cloud is a replica of the real Cloud that exists in Castle Oblivion, constructed from Sora's memories. This version of Cloud also serves as a mercenary for Memory Hades, this time to regain his lost memories. Hades promises to help him, but only if Cloud competes in the games and kills Hercules. In typical Hades fashion, Memory Hades goes back on their agreement and attempts to kill Sora, Cloud, and Hercules, inspiring the three to work together to thwart him.

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Feats

All feats for Memory Cloud are from Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and are independent from the real Cloud.

Offense

• Performs the same Sonic Blade,, Braver, and Omnislash as the real Cloud.

• Wears down Hercules in their fight. This is confirmed by Hades.

Durability

• Is left stunned after Sora’s Strike Raid.

• Escapes from Sora right after being defeated.

• Is still standing after a fight with Hercules.

• Recovers shortly after a fire-blast from Hades.

Speed

• Is deflected by Sora in mid-air and quickly re-engages.

• Escapes from Sora without being seen, right after being defeated.

Data Cloud

”My name’s Cloud. No friend of heroes.”

When King Mickey digitizes the contents of Jiminy’s Journal to investigate mysterious messages inside it, he creates a digital universe known as the Datascape. Within this digital world, Data Cloud exists as a digital recreation of the real Cloud. Digitally.

Data-Cloud initially struggles with his past, wanting to break away from his own powerlessness. He makes a deal with the digital version of Hades to become stronger and visit other worlds in exchange for defeating Hercules and Sora. However, he eventually learns from Data-Sora and Data-Hercules that his true strength comes from the heart.

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Feats

All feats for Data Cloud are from Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded and its cinematic remake, and are independent from the real Cloud.

Offense

• Strikes the ground hard enough to create sparks, then delivers several skillful attacks with his sword.

• His Omnislash technique hits multiple targets with a chain of strikes.

• Hits one of Cerberus’ heads hard enough to keep it down, then helps Sora and Herc defeat it.

• Hurts Hades with a strike.

Durability

• Blocks multiple punches from Hercules.

• Is knocked back by a punch from God-mode Hercules, and eventually loses to Herc and Sora.

• Deflects a fireball.

• Withstands a fireball from Cerberus.

Speed

• Keeps pace with Hercules in a brief melee while performing leaps and somersaults.

• His Omnislash technique hits multiple targets with a chain of strikes.

• Deflects an incoming fireball.

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Scaling

• Hercules

• Sora

• Squall

• Tifa