Cloud Strife, main hero of Final Fantasy VII, is indisputably the most popular character in the entire Final Fantasy franchise and one of the most recognizab൲le video game icons of all time. Compared to other famous characters, Cloud is unique in that he doesn’t fall into one of the two most common classifications of characters: the cartoonish non-human types such as Sonic the Hedgehog or Kirby, and the more realistic (and ofteꦕn Western-created) “dudebro” characters like Master Chief or Kratos. Despite being a human, Mario would technically fit into the former category.

Being a JRPG protagonist with an absurd hairstyle, Cloud would fit in better with the most popular anime heroes (in fact, Dragon Ball’s bevy of blonde-haired superheroes was reportedly a big inspiration for Cloud’s final design). Yet his spiky hair, massive sword, and stone-faced expression have also influenced an e𝔍ntire generation of RPG heroes with burned-down villages and sho💛rt-term amnesia. Not to mention no less than two gorgeous heroines pining for his affection throughout the journey.

There is plenty to analyze with Cloud’s design, from his “still cool even past the 90s” gear and weapons to his “how is he even lifting that thing?” physical frame. This list takes a look at some of the most known and not-so-known factoids surrounding the Jack-Of-All-Trades former 1st class SOLDIER (but not really because, well… it’s a JRPG plot, it would take a whole lot of pages to explain). Who knows how many more lists like these will be published before the Final Fantasy VII Remake finally comes out?

25 🥃 He Could Have Looked Really Different

As synonymous as he is with Final Fantasy VII, Cloud wasn’t the o♓riginal pick for main character. In fact, the game originally had a completely different setting that was closer to real life.

Originally, FFVII would have taken place in modern day New York, with the main character being a detective (literally called “Detective Joe”) who would solve mysteries within the city. This idea was later reworked into the cult PlayStation classic Parasite Eve, which shares many of FFVII’s staff.

24 The Meaning Behind His Belt Buck🤡le ꦇ

JRPG characters tend to have a history of wearing nonsensical or made-up accessories on their person. Clo🍸ud is no𒁃 different, though his belt buckle does have an in-universe importance.

The logo represents SOLDIER, the elite unit created by Shinra.

The logo is present on all members o🌱f SOLDIER, including Sephiroth and Zack, although Sephiroth had an unrelated symbol for his belt that was later changed in subsequent appearances. As for why Cloud wears a SOLDIER uniform despite not actually being one, it was a spare uniform given to hi𒊎m by Zack during his amnesiac phase, leading him to believe he actually owned the garment.

23 🔥 Hiꦓs Thin Arms

Anyone who takes an initial look at Cloud’s design will no doubt🔯 notice the giant sword he’s effortlessly hefting over his shoulder. This is usually followed by questioning how such a skinny guy can wield such a huge slab of metal.

If the explanation “it’s called Final Fantasy” doesn’t suffice, it’s because the Mako infusion in Cl🧔oud’s blood gives him near-superhuman strength, allowing him to carry the Buster Sword without issue as well as perform other feats of exaggerated JRPG abilities.

22 👍 🔯The Buster Sword's Tragic Legacy

Speaking of Cloud’s iconic weapon, the Buster Sword carries a sad history behind it. Originally, it was forged by the father of Zack’s mentor Angeal, who perished fro𒉰m exhaustion scrounging up the funds for his son’s weapon. When Angeal🍌 also passed away, he passed the sword onto Zack.

Shortly after, Zack repeated history giving the sword to Cloud, after 🦩also dealing with fatal injuries. Cloud eventually returned the𝔉 sword to his friend by leaving it as a permanent grave marker.

21 𝕴 His Remake Redesign

When Square Enix showed off Cloud’s new look for the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake, ඣthere was some fan criticism over how thin and sickly Cloud looked. The original intention was to showcase the effects of Jenova’s cells on Cl🎶oud’s body.

After some criticism, Cloud was given a revised look, but only shown to a select few people in a private showing.

Those who caught a glimpse re෴marked that he was now closer to his original appearance, including more defined muscles.

20 His Kingdom ꦜHearts Look

This wasn’t the first time Cloud was given a drastic makeover. In the Disney meets Final Fantasy crossover epic Kingdom Hearts, Cloud 💞made his crossover appearance with a brand new outfit that bears a striking similarity to Vincent’s, including a red cape and metal gauntlet.

The reason for this is that director Tetsuya Nomura couldn’t decide whether to put Vincent or Cloud in the game, so he chose the latter to wear the former’s outf▨it, noting the similarities to both characters’ story and personality.

19 ও His Personality Was Lost In 𒀰Translation

Though Cloud is commonly known to be an aloof, super serious character, he wasn’t always such a sourpuss. Due to Final Fantasy VII’s infamously bad Enඣgl🍸ish translation, the nuances of Cloud’s character were lost in the translation.

It turns out that Cloud was more of a sarcastic punk than a withdrawn sad sack, often making semi-witty retorts and insults to anyone who rubbed him the wrong way. The depressed persona didn’t occur until the film Advent Children, where the events of the game led to him wallowing in mi🧸sery.

18 ﷽ He Developed A Problem 🍎

Many fans felt taken back by Cloud’s sudden mood swing in Advent Children. The short story novel Case of Tifa actually goes a long way to explain how Cloud reached that point, revealing that his guilt over failing to prote💖ct Aerith and Zack resulted in a downward spiral of misery.

In fact, there is a brief moment in the story where hওe resorts to consuming beverages, which results in an argument between him and Tifa, the latter trying desperately to snap him out of his funk.

17 He Originally Had Black Hair 𒊎

After the Detective Joe idea fell through, the creators of Final Fantasy VII got to work on finalizing Cloud’s design.

Originally, Cloud was going to have spiky black hair, as the color was often synonymous with JRPG protagonists at the time.

Ultimately, it was decided that his look was too bland, though the design did pass over to🃏 Cloud’s best friend Zack, also inspiring the mistaken identity storyline where Cloud inherited🙈 much of Zack’s personality and memories due to his mental instability.

16 ꧃ His Hair Was Based On A Chocobo

One would assume that Cloud’s iconic blonde hair came directly from another iconic blonde hero, Goku and his fellow Super Saiyans from Dragon Ball Z.

But the influence is much closer associated with the Final Fantasy franchise itself, as Cloud’s hair was ins🌳pired by the series mascot, the Chocobo. Tifa even remarks on the 🌃similarity within the game itself, when the group runs into a nest filled with Chocobo chicks. This also explains why Cloud has a natural affinity with Chocobos and can ride them like a pro during Chocobo Races.