Bring Arts CLOUD STRIFE Final Fantasy VII Action Figure Review 

That's an EXPENSIVE MCFARLANE FIGURE. 💀

Play Arts figures being over-priced? Shocker.

They nailed the overall original FF7 aesthetic for this guy paint flaws aside, it’s the price that murders any chance of most people buying it though 60 bucks is exactly what I was thinking it should cost too, it’s absurd at 100 and above

3:18 $130 for this would be a NO for me…but if I had a couple more grand a week then yeah I’d blow $130 no problem

this would be okay for $30 lmao, where the heck that extra $100 come from?

I would have loved to buy him but the price is way too much.

This is the one time I’ve gone in knowing I’m getting hosed on value but I don’t care because I love FFVII and this is probably the only chance I’ll have to get these figs on the shelf. Also, AmiAmi is your friend for these

The asymmetrical pants bulge is probably because the figure is trying to replicate Tetsuya Nomura's concept art. Although they could've just bulged both sides still. Also, would love to see more Bring Arts reviews, if only to get more optics on the insane price to quality ratio. I'm getting some bc I'm an FF simp, but even with importing at $80-90, the price is outta control

That windowless packaging must be relatively new to the Bring Arts line. I've collected the entire Kingdom Hearts series of Bring Arts, and they all had windows. I agree; not a fan . Great review :)

I never collected the Play Arts Kai because they were 8 inch figures. Considering Cloud is a teenager this height makes sense for him. The figure looks nice when it is just standing arms to the sides. It's when you really try to pose it that the problems start to appear. Considering the price, that rating makes sense.

They've been doing this for the past few years. I've got the Kingdom Hearts 3 Sora and Axel and the articulation on both of them is abysmal. $120 for Sora and I believe Axel was $80-$100. Axel's right ankle joint was broken before I even opened it, so I had to glue the foot back on. Thoroughly disappointed in this line.

last play arts fig i got were the metal gear ones back when they were 70 to 80 bucks a pop 130 is way to much for this fig

Will you being reviewing the Tifa figure too? I have her but she has QC problems. Her right arm is out of place and i can't fix it and her foot is crooked

The only way I can justify an expensive figure is if I have no other options, and I’m including unofficial third party lines and I have a deep attachment for the property. Like these Square Enix Bring Arts figures, since Square owns Final Fantasy and they make the figures you’ll never see anyone else make them.

Figure prices have really shot up through the roof. Remember $40 revoltech, play arts, figma and figurarts? Now they are 2-4 times that. What made the prices shoot up? Like the new figma Samus, that was really crazy expensive.

I'm half and half, i bought Tifa. Part of me is glad i got her but the other part of me is regretting the purchase specifically BECAUSE of the price. Depending on how life goes in the future i MIGHT MAYBE buy the rest cause being a huge FF7 fan i did want the whole crew on my display, but i'm not sure. On the very small bright side at least all the characters release apart from each other so you can sort of plan around that. Ps: I'm not gonna lie, the reason i decided to get the tifa was because i had her on pre-order, and when she released i checked and the pre-oder had sold out so i got scared of missing out. Chances are that'll happen again when Sephiroth releases.

Having never heard of Bring Arts before, I thought this was some Bandai off-shoot of SHF. And I thought, "Oh wow, a Cloud figure by Bandai, I can't wait the see the accessories he comes with!" How wrong was I...

Can get all these cheaper on ami, but have to wait a few more months on the shipping date. It's around 90 dollars after shipping. So you'll save 40 to 50 bucks each figure compared to bbts

I used to have the original Cloud, Sephiroth, and the Kingdom Hearts one winged Sephiroth, I paid $20 for the first 2, maybe a bit more for the KH one since it came later. The price increase on these figures is nutso. I mentioned the increase to the owner of the same comic shop I got them from once I saw how much they went up, dude thought I was bitching about his prices, meant the retail but he stormed off to his office before I could explain.

Didn't know playarts made 1/12 scale figs? Awesome! Always wanted a ff7 cloud.

I’m still considering making a custom cloud doing both his ff7 outfit and his advent children outfit but man the figure looks really good 130 is insane and the reason for that additional 20 dollars is cuz of this NFT crap square was doing. They have like two Tifas up on bbts and one of them is 20 dollars less cuz it doesn’t have that NFT thing going on if anyone was curious

I believe Bringarts did justice with the ff9 line and dragon quest , I wish they gave him some more weapons and they came either final weapons like ff9 figures did.

QotD: It has to be a character I REALLY want, otherwise I pray for it to be half off or less in the future. And yeah, if you're gonna collect Bring Arts, your best bet is to wait for sales, which are usually a pretty safe bet. As someone who's collected a small handful of them, they're all way overpriced and Square's' QC is awful. Worse than what MAFEX used to be if you ask me. It's a shame too because when the line first started, alot of the Kingdom Hearts figures, while still overpriced, were all fairly well executed, especially by comparison to Cloud here. But as the line has gone on, most figures are basically only good for vanilla posing on a shelf and not much else. Glorified statues, basically. So to answer your other question, I wouldn't bother collecting any more unless it's a character you really feel like you need to have.

7:04 - He has a ball peg and a hinge, maybe he can raise his arm by lowering the ball and lifting the hinge? I don't have him, but that's something I would try.

Good review as always. Will you be reviewing the M Bison Jada toys sometime as well?

I think you should maybe review Sephiroth as well, just because he is the most popular character from the game and the one likely to have the most people interested in it. Right now I am only in it for Sephiroth, and I agree that these are overpriced, so I guess that answers the question of the day. I was strongly considering getting Cloud and Tifa, but kept reminding myself that I have been disappointed by literally EVERY Bring Arts figure I've gotten, including the Kingdom Hearts Cloud and Sephiroth. The accessories in particular are so weak; for Dragon Quest, they give all those guys a bunch of different weapons, potions, mini-monsters, etc. You'd think they could throw in an Ultima Sword, some materia, or maybe a mini Cactrot or Moogle or something here, but no, for Final Fantasy VII they are just milking the hell out of it, because they figure it will sell anyway.

To answer the question of the review. Usually, no. Overpriced figures only mean they resell for even more. Only time im willing to over pay is when its a new gen of a figure I need.(Kinda like the new Gohan)

7:14 That’s ridiculous. Especially when you considered they’ve engineered that joint better on the Play Arts Remake Cloud. The shoulder pad was a softer material that raised with the arm. They could’ve done that here. Qotd: It depends on the character. Sometimes I’ll check on the aftermarket to see if I can get the figure for cheaper. That’s how I got the Remake Tifa, Barret, and Aerith. Barret and Tifa were around $100 and Aerith was $130. Still too much but all of them were beautiful looking figures that poses well and I love FF7 so I didn’t mind paying that price.

I really wanted the Tifa one but the only one available on Square's website is the digital edition which comes with a NFT and is priced at 159.99, and their shipping is fucking expensive.

I only have 2 bring arts figures at the moment, and both of the are from Xenogears The Fei figure is as basic as this cloud figure and was around the same price second hand, I got it since it's like the only action figure for this character to be honest so I bit the bullet.-. And the other figure was the main Xenogears robot the Weltall, it's way better and has great Articulation, it even has optional diecast feet to help it balance with the heavy backpack piece So I have no idea what's going on with this line As for the window packaging, I think that has to be new as the Nier and Xenogears Bring Arts have windows. Question of the day: I'm willing to bite the bullet if I like the character enough but like the new storm collectables fist of the North Star figures, I don't think I wanna spend over $200 on figures that are mostly like silicone, wired and full of like cloth

Hey Anthony, I know you unfortunately bought the first print NFT version that was $130 USD, but there's a version on pre-order right now on AmiAmi for $75 without the NFT (to be released in July). You said it was a 7/10 as a $60 figure. Knowing now that the NFT essentially added $50 to the price tag, would you rate it closer to a 6-7/10 now?

I got sephiroth (only/ gladly) are you getting sephie for your smash collection? Friend wants to kno

Maybe review tifa as well because she’s the most popular character but man thanks for validating my choice. I preordered based on aesthetic alone and I like the character but as the preorder drew closer I ended up canceling it because I couldn’t justify the price

I was hoping you’d eventually get around to reviewing this line. It’s crazy to consider that with consideration to all of the flaws this particular figure has, it’s by far the current best in the line-and that’s not a compliment. I’ve been buying them as they release, and you’re gonna be looking at loose, lopsided joints and sloppy engineering wrapped in the veneer of a pretty-looking figure. And yes-the packaging is awful! I don’t know what they were thinking. A massive step back from the FF9 line’s packaging while the figures themselves still boast the SAME QC issues. Thank you for the review, Anthony! Informative as always. I can’t even begin to tell you just how far my jaw has dropped watching these other guys gush about this hunk of junk.

Was looking at these on Amazon Japan, did make me curious what these figures would be like.

I think if you really want to complete the smash collection and/or have a companion piece, then you can consider getting the Sephiroth. But its also $130 dollars. And considering the figure here, it might be more of the same if not worse, depending on what exactly they do to make it. I must say though, the knees are a disappoinment even for me. I remember the original play arts from way back in the early 2000s that had a perfect knee for cloud. Maybe not the best looking, but way better than this, and more natural looking they could've done the same here! Look up the original play arts Cloud on his knee articulation to see what i am talking about. But as it stands, if you can live without Sephiroth to pair with cloud. Just skip it and end it here unless Square gets there stuff together. Or, and I know this will never happen, but IF, and its a big if, if they charge $60 by some miracle, I'd say get Sephiroth just to pair with cloud and complete the smash collection. I might be crazy enough to get this Cloud and Sephiroth to replace my KH variants of these characters, because my KH Sephiroth out of the box cant stand worth beans because of his extremely loose hips. Which is the same problem i have when i got my first bring arts figure, KH3 Sora (Second form variant).

Mine came with his shoulderpad assembled backwards. Other than that, I liked it and I was willing to spend the money, but only for the smash collection.

seems to me this is comperable to Figuarts and possibly some Mafex figures, but those tend to be around 80-100 and all mostly come with way more accessories. In this case you're paying a tax because of who has the license.

I thiink my biggest issue is qc. Mafex having legs fall off and sloppy paint is the worst for me i have serious Ocd like issues around details and it almost comforts me that if i pick up a bad legends i can return it in store and get a new one these imports r not as easy to return and get another of.

I collect this line purely out of love for FFVII (tough pill to swallow given the broken prices on these), so please review all the others that are out there and that are up for preorder. 🤣

I definitely think you should keep going

i dont think id spend more than 60 on figures. especially like this one! great review

It’s strange because the Kingdom Hearts line, its first line, has a window. Even worse is that bring arts are smaller and so had a cheaper price. These cost as much as a play arts from a few years ago

Bring Arts are always expansive, I find them to be even more expansive than a Revoltech but that line gave you TONS of accessories. I got this one and Tifa because of FFVII, but to be honest, I also a bit disappointed. Because even for a Bring Arts figure, the accessories are lacking on this series. While I understand that due to the technology at time, PS1 FFVII character arts really don’t have any expression, but for the simplicity of the face at time, it really isn’t had to include some more face. I really think this is just laziness on SE’s parts. For some reason FFT and FFVII’s accessories really are close to nonexistent. It really is too bad, because to figure looks great compares to Play Act line. But for some reason, BA figure not only more expensive and have less accessories. And FFVII line have even less stuff than previous FF and DQ lines

There are Dragon Quest XI Bring Arts line. So you might want to check that out for your Smash Collection.

I’d like to see Sephiroth as well. Rest are not important.

Well, that went downhill fast, Pretty glad I past on these. Has been waiting years for a full team of these guys. Upsetting

Wasn't this one super expensive cuz of some NFT-type shenanigans? Maybe it was just the first round of the figures, but then if that means they still kept the price after, that's bunk. I was excited when they were first shown off, but the price for this line is absurd, especially when I already have their Remake PAK counterparts (which cost the same price at the time). Good review, appreciate the honesty.

Cloud and Tifa are the first BA figures I gotten since the KH3 line. The price is sickening, but I'm very pleased with them. The FFIX Bring Arts are fetching stupid prices now, so surely the FFVII figures will be even worse. If anyone is on the fence about these I'd advise to get them sooner rather then later.

For the longest time I've been basically done with any Play Arts or Bring Arts figures. They always look great on their prototype shots, but the actual figures never live up to the standard. With the ridiculous pricing, I'm not going to buy any unless they're marked 50% or more off. Just recently started to play FFVII for the first time, so was hoping these would be good, but meh.

Hey anthony are you gonna review the jada dhalslim?

Bring arts are real hit or miss quality wise so it's hard to justify the price. Play Arts Kai I think are barely worth it, bring arts I usually can't bring myself to pick up, even if they do look cool I would be interested in seeing reviews of the others out of curiosity, I like the retro style and might pick up a few if they go on clearance

The reissue pre-order is still available on Hobby Genki. Fig is about $75 and you're looking at around about another 15-20 for shipping. IT'S STILL NOT WORTH IT, but better than BBTS. These FFVII Bring Arts always tempt me bc they look so good. But then I watch a review as a reminder of why to not bother buying it lol Thank you!!

can you review berserker armor guts?

Stop at Cloud, save your money. Or use it for something like a 3rd party figure from brands like Hero Toys.

The same price as the Play Art Kai Cloud, which is an excellent figure!

I know it'll never happen because of square enix but man If Jada toys was able to make final fantasy figures that would be amazing. these figures in the pictures look great and the idea of having all the ff7 characters together is great but think about the pirce they cost. getting four of these characters would be like what $400. that is absurd. holy fuck. yea they space out the release for each figure but still not good when you're sitting there look at the figures and remember what you paid for them

With that price a Bahamut or Shiva accessories should be included.

I paid 130$ for Play Arts Kai Cloud lol good thing I didn’t get this one

I would like to see a Tifa review

I desperately want this line just because they will look phenomenal on a shelf. The actual usability of an "action figure" is horrendous. But I'll be keeping my eye on buying a used one...

honestly i can't say i'm not surprised. i really feel the pain in your voice. i was HOPING that play arts/bring arts line would have changed their ways but nope BUT THE ONE THING THAT BLOWS MY MIND TO THIS DAY IS WHY ARE THEY THE ONLY BASTARDS who have the rights to this license / franchise of final fantasy??!! GIVE IT TO ANY ONE ELSE BRO , they will cook up something so much more flawless and milk tons of cash !!! WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU SQUARE ENIX

Before you mentioned the price of this figure I thought it was a pretty solid thirty or so dollar pick up. Finding out it is over a hundred dollars past my guess was not at all what I was expecting. That he also has no accessories is so amusingly Square Enix.

The aesthetic is good, but all the articulation limitations and the price it's just a big NO for me, even i if i like how it looks but i really like when an articulated figure is posable, which i think it should be one of the most well designed aspects of an articulated figure, i found that in Nin Nin Game costs around 85€ but still too much imo... Anyway thanks for the review!! :)

Soul of Chogokin just announced a Mechagodzilla 1974. Its gonna end up being around 250 internationally. Its about 9.5 inches has a bunch of lights and sound effects. Its still super over-priced. However, its one of my favorite kaiju so im going to bite the bullet and probably not care lol.

Maybe review Sephiroth? I was considering getting him.

Keep doing these Kai reviews I hope. Does my crusty soul warm to see overpriced garbage get properly ripped apart. And garbage may be a slight exaggeration but the shortcuts they took at this price....disgusting.

If a figure is over 120 USD it is almost an in mediate pass. There are some exceptions but thats like the budget roof for figures.

Crazy how this costs more than the KH1 version of Cloud amd Sephiroth those were $89.99

I’m like you Anthony I’ll bite the bullet sometimes depending on the character

it's definitely a nope 😅. with that price i'll just looking at the figure display at store (if available) to satisfy my curiosity, or simply yt it.

At the end of the day that's my main issue with Bring Arts figures, the quality doesn't match the price. Really makes me wish Square would let another company make their figures. As for the FF7 line I got Cloud and I ordered the Tifa reissue but I'm probably going to stop there.

Review the other ones please. 🙏

I dont mind the bulge on that pant leg; I like the asymmetry, and the creases are so stylised and dont make sense anyway 😛 That said yeah, there is shockingly too little for $130 USD. Wow. I would like to see you review the other figures in this line; but purely for entertainment purposes. I’m doubtful they’ll actually be worth the price.

He really looks nice but the thing that bummed me out the most is that he doesn't have any alternate face places... That price is ridiculous for how little effort they put into this figure.

I do get a HARD CASE of buyer's remorse so, I can't justify it. It is why I don't preorder Marvel Legends anymore. Anticipating and then receiving it will suck the life out of the purchase if the figure is bad.

As a Mafex collector with no common sense and buys them at the inflated American pricing, there were many times I should have noped. Wolverine was extremely expensive and disappointing. On the other hand, I've been getting pricey 3rd parties, and those are great.

I have this guy pre-ordered but I'm still not sure if I'll get the whole line. To me Aerith and Red XIII are a must. Anything else I don't know. If I do get the whole line I'll probably sell off my PAK Remake figures which are also overpriced despite their size and are lacking in the face sculpts and make some money back that way. I'm no stranger to collecting overpriced figures as I used to collect Myth Cloths and their prices became insane as well (although their parts count is insane compared to this figure). Really the only thing why I consider buying them is because it's FF7 and no one else has a license for these (imagine Jada Toys getting that licence! We'd have better FF7 figures for like 30 bucks with more accessories!) Yeah, it's disappointing, no other way to say it. On the bright side, from what I've seen Tifa is a lot better in terms of articulation. She has actual knee joints, nothing pops off without warning, so whether you continue this line you might better use her as the basis for that decision. But yeah, still overpriced af.

I was willing to take the $130 loss because i love ff7, but then i saw the accessories count, and also started hearing about the notoriety of bring arts ultimately made me back out

bring arts back then wasn't that expensive before price spikes on figures they where 60 bucks i have a sora figures from the bring arts series but now and days they increase price that where the same price as a standard play arts kai figure and the ladder cost even worse

I'm glad you bought it because now, I don't have to.

lol ive been periodically checking these out on bbts, and i feel very bad for any sucker that actually pays those prices

this review is hilarious, i was reacting the same way hahaha

His legs! Whoever designed that T joint in his waist must be some intern that hasn't even played with an action figure, let alone made one! The reason Figmas have a T Shaped piece there, is so that the legs have enough room to move around. Here! For some reason they put a stupid ball in the middle of the T piece, making it so that the legs bump against it, absolutely, actually* ridiculous!

Man i hate square if sh figuarts got ahold of alot of their properties theyd make alot more bank and please more fans

The price is absolutely insane but I can’t deny that I want him. I want the whole gang but there’s no way

DO SEPHIROTH! You need at least him for Smash collection too lol

We wanna see the other characters, but you should probably only do it if someone is letting you borrow it for the review because the prices..

Yes, review the others! At least Tifa!!

I’ll just wait for a 3rd party company to make decent FFVII figures and put them on 5K toys, lol. I just got the neca TMNT Punk set.. and it’s a super fun set.. for 150. 4 figures, 4 alternate heads/faceplates/accessories. Sorry but 130 for 1 figure? Nooooope.

This should've been $60 ish..SHF in that price give us hands, faces, window package. mezco is the king of hands. their stands can convert to foot peg use. I'll wait for this to go on sale/clearance

It’s really the rarity of Cloud action figures that makes people even want to consider it.

QOTD: I’m willing to bite the bullet if it is a character that I care about and only if I feel the full package is worth it. And somehow, now that I’ve seen the articulations, Play/Bring Arts made a figure that is worse than the figma Doom Slayer. That is a feat. And for Cloud, it is an insult. They could have placed a ballpeg behind the shoulder and have the socket do the job. It would have kept the illusion of a floaty piece like in the actual game. But nothing can redeem the legs here. If these legs are an indication of their design, boy is the Tifa gonna look awful.

I wanted to get Tifa but in that price I just couldn't do it.

The original play arts kai kills this

Play arts dissidia cloud will always the definitive cloud for me. Despite one of his legs coming off.

Square drives me nuts in general, because a lot of their store and pricing model is set up to make you think they're some high end boutique when almost everything you get there is overpriced junk. About the only good thing they've been doing is making physical copies of old games available, but they've been phasing those out over time (which is somewhat understandable as that's intended for a very niche market, but it's still a bummer.) I've been tempted to cave and dive in on this upcoming line since I love FFVII, but after this review... Think I'll be happier my money.

Ah square, you never fail to disappointment when it comes to making disappointment figures. I miss them in their prime day but now it’s just sad.

The weird fold on the pants is bc for this line of figures they copied exactly from the concept art of the original game. Like, from a single drawing in a single pose. Doesn’t translate well to an articulated figure. Not to say I dont like it. I love this line and would get the whole cast if not for the price..

Give it some time and the price might drop. Square enix wanted wanted $140 for their bring arts iron man. Now it's $80. Still not worthed though. The ankle articulation is bad, some of the joints are loose. Would not recommend.