Cloud Strife's Origins Explained (Birth to Hero) ► Final Fantasy 7 Lore 

Hey guys! You asked for us to look at the lore of Cloud Strife, so here it is...! We hope you guys enjoy! He's a pretty complex character, with many, many layers - hopefully we did the guy justice :) ~Darryl

you forgot the part where cloud obsessively breeds and races chocobos on his hunt for the legendary golden chocobo.

Cloud's struggle with identity is probably the most influential factor in FF7s success. He constantly struggled with self identity and despised himself so much that he subconsciously became someone else. It really speaks to humanity as a whole that self love is a powerful force that, in Cloud's case, led him to saving the world and fixing his mistakes. So next time you feel like shite for something you did or are feeling like you are worthless, give yourself some love and find it in yourself to forgive. Own your weaknesses and find strength in the acceptance of that. Be you with all your goofed up splendor and just do it. Thats what cloud symbolizes.

"I am Cloud - a master of my own illusionary world". After all these years I still remember this quote.

It gives me chills that Square is going to tell this story again, and plan to flesh it out further.

Such an interesting character with his development and yet so many people simply label him as "emo" I sometimes forget that the whole part with Cloud being impaled and proceeding to lift Sephiroth up and throw his ass into the reactor happened BEFORE he was infused with Mako. That's how you know he's a fucking beast.

This video helped solidify my belief that Cloud is the best written Final Fantasy character. Despite all of the supernatural scenarios and abilities, Cloud to me comes off as a very relatable human being with flaws and goals much like our own and watching him eventually realize who he is as a person is truly touching. Great video.

You forgot one vital piece of information about his back story. Cloud’s memories were not entirely distorted by trauma. His state of mind was the culmination of the Jenova cells inside of him, along with his trauma. As quoted by Cloud in the Highwind (after recovering from mako poisoning in Mideel): ‘The combination of Jenova Cells, Sephiroth’s strong will, and my own weakness are what created me.’

Cloud is my favorite male FF character of all time. He's a very complex character with such a tragic backstory. He's very well written and I'm happy you made a video about him!

Cloud is a depressed badass. That’s the short detail.

This is why Cloud is the most complex and iconic character for this franchise

Cloud seems to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, and dissociative identity disorder.

I feel Cloud paved the way for many modern video game protagonists, especially ones who struggle with identity, or have amnesia be a driving mystery in their story.

Sometimes I forget how brilliant FF7's story was. Very deep inner strife with your own individual being

Despite all of the shit Cloud went through , people in the mid 2000's still wrote him off as simply being an emo character.

Cloud literally came back from being brain dead twice

Cloud is GOAT. No matter what psychological issues he had he still managed to triumph, overcome and prosper through it all. Yes at times Cloud was discouraged but he still kept fighting.

I think that "inner power" that cloud taps into in moment's of desperation is supposed to be like his "limit break".

I never realized how genius Cloud is as a character until this analysis. I don't think I've ever related to a character more.

I played this game and almost beat it at 7. Watching this video now made me realized Cloud is legit an actual hero. Watching his friends and family die, then watching Zack die in front of him, mako poisoning, and then Sephiroth's torment? Jesus this guy can win the mental illness olympics

Learning what he did as an ordinary (but apparently not too ordinary) infantryman, Cloud really is a bad ass!!!

Cloud seems more complex than Sephiroth.. Many people think it's the other way around for some reason.

Cloud's story portrays the tragedy of being human and the hero's tale of mastering yourself, and taking responsibility for your own life and all the mistakes you make that come with daring to live. You're there with him from beginning to end and together you endure all of the struggles he has in between. Great video! I loved how you edited the crisis core and ff7 scene of Cloud getting stabbed by Sephiroth, that was a nice touch :]

Cloud has been a character that has given me hope through tough times. I also have a diagnosis of PTSD.

Geostigma was created when Sephiroth infected the lifestream when he merged with it in the end of the FF7 game. A lot of Midgar people were infected when the lifestream came to stop Meteor, Denzel was one of them. What cured Cloud in FF7 AC seemed like it was Aerith's final limit break "Great Gospel". Which cures everything.

Cloud was very week but all the pain a surrow made him became very strong, strong enought to face what ever problem life had,...He never gave up, neither should you ever give up in Life

Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart in the final fantasy series from their psychological struggles to their iron will and grit determination. Both had their mental struggles but overcame and ultimately their trials become their source of strength.

The one thing I don't see eye to eye with is that Cloud took literally Zack's words literally. If you remember correctly Jenova cells call to each other, least that is what was mentioned in the game. Jenova called everyone together and started the reunion. I think what happened with Cloud and Zack was the Jenova cells in both of them were attracted together and because Cloud was a lifeless doll when Zack's blood touched him the cells became 1 I guess you can say and Cloud's memories became mixed with Zack's

Yep Cloud is still probably in extreme existential crisis mode. I don't blame the kid.

This makes Sephiroth's line to Cloud, early in the remake, that Cloud couldn't save anyone (referencing Zack and Aerith) even himself, make a lot of sense.. I'm very convinced now that Sephiroth in the Remake has "jumped" from "Prime" universe to a parallel universe, and now he's playing on Clouds weaknesses while he knows Cloud has no resistance to them.

"And with the help of his friends was able to find his purpose in life" A delivery man....

Cloud is my favorite character because his story inspires me in real life. He was first class and weak but he was part of the experiment of jenova and became stronger, he saved the world at the end. I really like this kind of setting tho.

Excellent job! This was a nice narration of Cloud's story. A couple things to note that were missing from this though that kind of add more layers to Cloud and help bring his attitude in the movie full circle; In "On the Way to a Smile", which are the small novellas that link the original game to Advent Children (Complete), Cloud and Tifa started a new life in Edge where eventually they ran Strife Delivery Service from 7th Heaven. Elmyra, Aerith's adoptive mother, tasked Cloud with a delivery to send flowers to the Forgotten City. This triggered Cloud's initial bout of depression/guilt which started with the loss of Aerith and Zack. But Tifa was successful in helping him move past that when they talked and Cloud finally fessed up to why he was being such a dink. Then we have the adoption of Denzel. Cloud found him in the ruins of Midgar and took him back home, where he joined his family with Tifa and Marlene (who stayed with the two while papa Barret was travelling the world for a better alternative to mako energy.) Denzel had geostigma, and seeing this come up, Cloud took to researching it (on his desk in his room are books on the human body, medical books, etc.) and started scrambling to try and save Denzel and find a cure. Cloud unfortunately failed and his own Geostigma started appearing which lead to him concealing it beneath the sleeve we've seen before (which kinda became a fashion choice afterwards but SHRUG). That was the straw that broke the camel's back and rustled up old guilt from being unable to save/help others, which lead to him distancing himself, not answering his phone, moving into the old church in the slums, etc. what we know from the movie. "I just thought... I couldn't care for myself, let alone anyone else." How's he gonna cure Denzel if he can't even get himself in check? Biggest difference though is that Advent Children Complete (the enhanced Blu-Ray version) sheds light on Cloud's state of mind and coping with his 'sins' and learning to 'forgive himself' and in the words of Vincent, 'try'. Like as Cloud's dealing with his own bouts of the stigma, Denzel alludes to Cloud leaving with "Guess I was the last straw..." and when Cloud has his talk with Marlene before he goes off to fight Bahamut SIN "So...is that the reason why you left, Cloud? Because you couldn't fix Denzel? Or is it because you have the sickness too?" We also get to see him comfort her with a smile in that scene (so dang cute). "You were there whenever I needed you. Well now...it's my turn." And that is our turning point and we got to see badass Cloud come back and fight the good fight. Sorry about the miniature exposition there! This was an awesome video to watch and listen to, and you shed light on the character that not many others really got a chance to. Cloud IS a pretty old character by this point despite the compilations.

Man I completely forgot that Cloud gave the black materia TWICE to Sephirot. Impressive how Barrett and Cid didnt beat the shit outta him for that. This is gonna be a treat to see in the Remake lol.

I've always loved cloud when I was a child I never believe that he was weak because everything he went through everything he lost It made him stronger in the end Both zack and Aerith would be very proud of him

I swear I watched that fight between cloud and sepharoth when sepharoth came to life in 2007. Somewhere there if I remember, the animation in that fight was godly. They were highly advanced with their animation during that year.

Cloud is in my top 3 favourites fictional characters of all time like his story is so tragic yet unique: identity crisis, phicological trauma, superpowerfull badass, being afraid and unsure of himself, not being to forgive himself beliving that he was a failure that can't help anyone. He went trough all that and became a true hero.

I wish square/enix still had the ability to create master pieces like this game. Final Fantasy 7 will always be a part of me.

Personally, his fragility and simultaneous badassery is *why Cloud is STILL one of the best FF protagonists around.*

Cloud has always been my favorite FF character, and even my favorite game character of all time. So it's really satisfying to watch such a good video relating all of his story. Great job guys !

I always had thought that it had been the mako poisoning that made Cloud take Zack personality and memories

Definitly one of the most interesting, and well designed protagonists of all time.

So Cloud had a deep strength of his own, that wasn't just a part of his being in a Jenova experiment, or Zack's memories, at Nibelheim he even surprised Sephiroth. I'd always kind of wondered about that scene where he throws Sephiroth into the reactor. I can't wait to experience the remakes take on Cloud and the events of FF7.

this is probably the first channel that I like to have one in the background while I'm working, you've got a great voice dude, thanks for making all these.

I'm sorry but that scene where Cloud begs Hojo for a # tattoo was depressing. I love Cloud because he isn't a "superman" type of hero. He's just a guy that wants closure after his life competely changed after a experiment for the worst. He is forever haunted by Jenova...it's interesting in KH when he has 1 single wing... U can tell the poisoning still is controlling his body but his will to fight it is strong.

Cloud is my fav game character of all time.

I think the part where Cloud took Zack's final words to heart and mind is more powerful than you seem to read over. It is so powerful! It seems that the bond between Zack and Cloud or Cloud's strong emotional admiration for Zack in combination with the Mako poisoning (where he was in a confused state) is something that needs to be explored more.

There is a little misunderstanding about Advent Children I think. I'm gonna try to explain in my bad English... Sorry about that. First, there is apparently two ways to contracts Geostigmas if I remember correctly. The first way it's to be directly in contact with the "infected" part of the Lifestream (Rufus was infected like that). The second way is the addition of drinking the water (after the raise of the Lifestream it seems that the water of Gaïa was kind of "contaminated") AND moral suffering/pain and/or acceptance of death. Now if we take the events in order : Cloud starts to feel guilt and sorrow about Zack and Aerith deaths BEFORE he found Denzel. That is actually why he was in the Church when Denzel collapsed next to Fenrir. Finding the boy next to the Church made him thought that Aerith herself led Denzel to him. So he probably became obsessed about discovering a cure for him, like if it was his "second chance". But he failed, again, and by failing to save Denzel, Cloud was so depressed that he contracted Geostigmas himself. At that time, in his mind, he was a failure AND he was gonna die a failure, so he ran off and that's when the movie starts. In Advent Children, Rufus ask for Cloud's help because he wants to find a cure and he knows that Cloud want it too. Rufus had already discovered (more or less) that Geostigmas had a link with Sephiroth and Jenova, that's why he sent the Turks in the North Crater to find remains of the calamity. Then Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo happened and Rufus basically asked Cloud to protect what was left of the Shinra against them. Cloud's story is very complex and he needs courage to try to resume it in a 20 minutes video, you did a fantastic job ! ;)

I LOVE CLOUD. I've always enjoyed his flawed character ever since experiencing the original PS1 game as a teen. Cloud is my spirit animal.

Clouds entire backstory is so messed up.

Final Fantasy 7 is my favorite game. Cloud Strife is my favorite character and I think Final Fantasy 7 is one of the best games ever made. Thanks for this video.

Such an amazing character. Definitely one of my favorites.

Big missed part, jenova is able to take the form of and the memories from anyone she touches. Cloud didn't just start thinking he was Zack because he was recovering from mako, he absorbed Zack's memories when he died because of the Jenova cells within them. He also absorbed some of tifa's memories when they touched at the train station, filling blanks in his mind.

"Cloud is emo." - non-fan Right. Because the hellhole of his existence and tampered memories and cellular make-up weren't legitimate reasons to question himself. Still waiting for the haters to quote the "emo" lines of dialogue Cloud supposedly has because they aren't in the game :^ )

This is a great video, you don't find many full stories about Cloud but he's always been one of my favorite characters and I learned a couple things having it all put together like this. Thank you for doing this!

This is absolutely amazing. Thank you for this awesome Cloud compilation!

Don't forget Seph's blade had Tifa's, Zack's and Jenova's blood (cells) on it when he stabbed cloud.That probably caused his freakish breakdown and identity crisis. Zacks cellular memory.

The most iconic and awesome JRPG character ever.

Awesome video. Was a good refresher for my favorite game. Thanks a ton!

And this is why ff7 is the best in the series , all of the character have amazing origin stories, fleshed out backgrounds, and clear aims and goals. Sure tidus and a few others have great concepts but it doesn't compare to the depth of the story of cloud and his friends. Each of them have amazing backgrounds and lore surrounding them.

I didn't play FF much and even when I played it I never understood a thing from the game but now I finally know that poor cloud had been through a lot of shit

Ugh so many characters I would love to suggest! Mainly Terra, Squall, Vincent, Rinoa, and Tidus. The list can go on and on! Great video! ^_^

I've never heard his story explained so well. Thank you so much!

that went WAY more in depth then i expected well done and thank you.

Ya know ever since I was a little kid. In fact mainly when I was a little kid. I always wondered what the main characters in video games and movies are doing deep in the future after the events of their stories. Like imagine cloud in his sixties. What’s like going on in his life? Anyone else like that when they were kids? It’s cool how at the end of ff7 you see Midgar 500 years into the future!

Steve Burton does a amusing and amazing job voicing Cloud too...his voice is not too deep but u can tell Cloud balls dropped already...and he has that country accent from down south. We don't give Steve Burton enough credit for vocing Cloud exactly how we imagine him to sound in the PSX original.

BTW thankyou guys for these videos...i know it takes alot of time and work for you two to put these together. Keep up the amazing work!!!!

I love that all of us are here, soaking in this Cloud Strife content, happy in the knowledge we know it all already, but are super happy for it to be here! Thanks for the great content! 💙

What a great storyline told from beginning to the end!

There has been this ridiculous claim that Noctis was going to be better than Cloud. When FFXV came out and I checked it out, all I saw was a false-advertised disappointment that didn't measure up or surpass any of the installments before it. Cloud Strife is DE most relatable character in Final Fantasy. Period.

This was such a great video. Hearing the complete story from all of the FFVII universe helped clear up a lot of stuff for me! :)

Excellent video! Thanks for taking the time and effort to make and post it. I learned a few things I didn't know. I would like to see videos about Squall, Zack, Lightning, or Notics.

I definitely enjoyed this video! It was very well written and informative (I even found a couple things that I missed or had forgotten about). If you are taking suggestions, how about a little love for Ramza Beoulve from Final Fantasy Tactics?

I'm looking foreward to both the crossdressing scene and Zack death scene in the remake, they will most certainly be hilarious and heartbreaking respectively.

This was a great video on this beloved character. Thanks so much

Amazing told perfectly thank you it's crazy that I have been learning more about cloud every year.

Good Video. Good Series. Cloud Strife, A Good Role Model Wouldn't You Say? Facing What He Has Faced, & Still choosing To Carry On.

A bit of a amendment in this video, Cloud didnt create is new personality when zack died, that happens when he first meets tifa at the train station, you also didnt explain that cloud created a new personality based on his own views of what a 1st class SOLDIER should be his, ideal view of himself, his own personality, and thanks to jenovas powers and first meeting tifa, her own expectations she had of cloud, he didnt simply "become" Zack, just because of memories

Great video Darryl. Thanks for sharing.

Great video! Always learn something new in your Origin videos!

Can you do Vincent Valentine

And this is why FF 7 is my favorite FF of all time. The way how you explained his lore made me love cloud even more. 💯💯💯

This was awesome!! Thank you for this!!!

Man you really went into great detail with this back story you earned a sub 👌 I thoroughly enjoyed this video

Such great work man. Thank you. Can you do Lightning next? FF13 was not my favorite so maybe knowing more about her might help 😎

Rydia, Cecil, Kain, or Celes. Those would be fun to see.

3:00 you didn't mention an important point: after their fall Tifa was in coma while Cloud a small scratch of his knee. Cloud is one of most badass and interesting final fantasy characters. there is so many things to say about him

This is awesome I enjoyed these origin stories well done liked and subscribed! Keep it up

thanks! liked it cloud is a legend

Definitely one of favourtie FF if not video game characters of all time. I know Zack was pretty great in Crisis Core but Cloud is also a pretty well written character. This video proves it.

8:05 Cloud actually does tell his her that he didn't make it in, but she tells him that she's proud of him anyway, that's why it cuts around during that scene it's avoiding all the parts that conflict with cloud not being in solider.

Awesome job man helps fill in some blanks and keep things together.

PLEASE DO AN ORIGIN VIDEO ABOUT ZIDANE TRIBAL!

Strongest FF Character Physically and Mentally : )

Excellent vid

Oh my gahh this is soo goood. Keep up the good work!

I really loved this Origin video~ can you do Lightning next please? :)

One of my favorite video game characters of all time! I still remember playing the original FFVII game...... I feel old. But I'm very happy to be playing the FFVII Remake now! Btw, that cross dressing scene still kills me...it's way MORE so in the remake.

Loved this vid. Great job guys

What an amazing video! Congrats