Cloud Strife

Cloud Strife is the main protagonist from Square Enix's  and its spin-off material of the. A mercenary claiming to be a former first-class SOLDIER, Cloud leads a ragtag group of heroes to stop the evil Sephiroth's plan to become a god by using the Black Materia to summon Meteor and destroy the planet. He crosses over with the Mario cast and other Nintendo characters as a newcomer and downloadable character for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, confirmed during the November 2015 Nintendo Direct, and as an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. While using his original design, Cloud's primary appearance in Super Smash Bros. is specifically based upon that of . Players who purchase Cloud from the Nintendo eShop also get his stage based on Final Fantasy VII, Midgar. Despite having almost all of his home series appearances dubbed in English, and a few earlier appearances dubbed in additional languages, Cloud speaks only Japanese in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, similar to Marth and Roy prior to Ultimate; he is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, his Japanese voice actor from Kingdom Hearts onward.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, Cloud is able to move quickly on the ground, though in the air he moves more slowly and falls quickly. He wields the Buster Sword, a giant sword given to him by his deceased friend Zack Fair that gives his attacks power and range, though they generally start more slowly. He also has a Limit Break mechanic, similar to Little Mac's Power Meter. When Cloud attacks or is attacked, his Limit Gauge fills up, and when it is full Cloud is covered by a blue aura that boosts his stats, and for one use only powers up one of his special moves when one of them is used. Cloud can also charge his Limit Gauge manually with his Limit Charge down special. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Limit Gauge is displayed at all times above his character profile during a match, similar to Little Mac's Power Meter.

Most of Cloud's special moves are taken from the Limit Breaks he can obtain in Final Fantasy VII. His standard special is Blade Beam, in which Cloud swings his sword to fire a beam forward. His side special is Cross Slash, in which Cloud swings his sword in the shape of a Japanese character to damage opponents. His up special is Climhazzard, in which Cloud swings his sword to propel himself directly up into the air. When the Limit Gauge is filled, Cloud's down special becomes Finishing Touch, a whirlwind that deals very minimal damage but very high knockback. His Final Smash is Omnislash, in which Cloud hits opponents into the air and rapidly and repeatedly slashes them.

When customizing Cloud, he can be equipped with Sword, Suit, and Boots equipment. However, like with the other DLC characters, he lacks any custom special variations of his special moves.

Cloud's alternate colors are based upon the uniforms for the different classes of SOLDIER. He also has alternate costumes using his ' and ' design, which includes the Fusion Swords in place of the Buster Sword. Two of his Advent Children costumes have a sleeve used to hide his Geostigma-infected arm, while the others leave his arm bare, revealing it without any signs of Geostigma and with the ribbon he wears in memory of Aerith Gainsborough. In terms of trophies, Cloud is the sole representative of his series.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Cloud reappears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as part of the core game alongside the other DLC characters, this time as an unlockable character. Cloud is generally faster, while his aerial attacks have less landing lag; despite this, Cloud's damage output is decreased, while a few of his attacks have greater startup or ending lag; additionally, special moves have decreased in power. Cloud is the only fighter in the game to speak in full Japanese in all of the game's language settings. Like in the previous installment, outside of the summons in Midgar, Cloud is the sole representative of the Final Fantasy universe, having no Assist Trophies and being the only spirit from his series. He is also the fighter representing the least amount of spirit battles (the spirits being Master Edges and Zeke in the base game and Kyle in the Spirit Board events), not counting DLC characters and alternate costumes.

Classic Mode route
Cloud's Classic Mode route involves fighting characters associated with a vehicle. This references the fact that Cloud is suffered from motion sickness.

Blade Beam


Blade Beam is Cloud's first level two Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII, and his standard special move. Cloud swings his sword upward, sending out a beam that travels across the stage, following the ground, and disappearing when it reaches the end of the stage or it hits an opponent. When used in the air, the beam travels straight through the air, but deals less damage and does not travel as far.

When under the influence of a Limit Break, when Cloud uses Blade Beam he instead sends out a larger, blue slash that, when it hits opponents, deals multiple hits before launching them. The move is still weaker when used in the air.


 * Names in other languages

Cross Slash


Cross Slash is Cloud's side special move, based on his second level one Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII. By pressing the special attack button up to three times, Cloud deals three attacks with five hits total, slashing in the shape of the kanji 凶 (kyō, "bad luck") to deal damage. The full attack can only be used, however, if the first and second hits connect, otherwise the attack ends.

When using the Limit Break version of the move, Cloud uses a powered-up version of the move, dealing all five slashes at once regardless.


 * Names in other languages

Climhazzard


Climhazzard is Cloud's up special move, which is based on his second level two Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII. Cloud thrusts his sword forward and leaps directly up into the air, sending any opponents into the air as well. By pressing the special move button again, Cloud slashes downward toward the ground, which not only damages, but can also meteor smash opponents.

When the Limit Gauge is fully charged, Climhazzard not only deals greater damage and knockback but also sends Cloud a greater distance into the air and allows for horizontal movement.


 * Names in other languages

Limit Charge


Limit Charge is Cloud's default down special move. When used, Cloud holds his Buster Sword out in front of himself and begins to manually fill his Limit Gauge; this can also be done by dealing or taking damage. The player can cancel the charge by moving (which will cause him to roll), grabbing, or shielding. When the Limit Gauge is full, Cloud stops charging and enters into Limit Break, increasing his stats and allowing him to, one time only, use a more powerful version of one of his special moves.


 * Names in other languages

Finishing Touch


Finishing Touch is Cloud's second level three Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII and his down special move when under Limit Break status. When used, Cloud spins and swings his sword, creating a whirlwind that only deals 1% damage but has very high knockback.


 * Names in other languages

Omnislash


Omnislash is Cloud's level four Limit Break and the final one he learns in Final Fantasy VII, and acts as his Final Smash. When used, a text box like the ones that appear in Final Fantasy VII appears on screen reading "Omnislash." Cloud rushes forward and slashes an opponent up into the air where Cloud unleashes a multitude of sword strikes on the captured opponents before bringing them down to the ground, creating a large explosion that launches the trapped and any nearby opponents. Like with Marth's Critical Hit, Cloud rushes forward until he reaches an opponent, the edge of a platform, or a set distance. Unlike Critical Hit, Omnislash cannot be stopped mid-execution. If Cloud does not strike an opponent with the first slash, the Final Smash fails.


 * Names in other languages

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U trophies
Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
The following dialogue applies also to Mewtwo, Roy, Lucas, Ryu, Corrin, and Bayonetta, who are also downloadable fighters.


 * Pit: Who is THAT?
 * Palutena: I have no data on this fighter. I can't believe it!
 * Viridi: It must be an intruder from another dimension!
 * Pit: Whoever it is, the goal remains the same: to fight and win!

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

 * Pit: Who's this handsome devil?
 * Palutena: You mean Cloud? SOLDIER 1st Class?
 * Pit: And I thought MY hair was spiky!
 * Viridi: Too bad you don't have any fire moves. He's like 50% hair spray.
 * Palutena: And 50% Buster Sword. It's pretty impressive. Beware his Limit Charge. Once his gauge is full, he can unleash a devastating attack.
 * Viridi: One of his Limit Break moves is called Finishing Touch. It doesn't do much damage, but it can launch you off the stage in a split second!
 * Pit: Now that I know Cloud's tricks, this one's in the bag! / Not a problem! We're playing stamina mode!
 * Viridi: Don't let Cloud rain on your parade. Strategy is key!

amiibo

 * The protagonist of FINAL FANTASY VII, Cloud wields the enormous Buster Sword, a memento from his comrade Zack. Once a SOLDIER of Shinra, he now fights as a mercenary against the corporation he originally served. His decision to join AVALANCHE's insurgence, however, will transform his destiny.

Trivia

 * Cloud was the first third-party character in the Super Smash Bros. series whose debut title was never released on a Nintendo console (though Final Fantasy VII has since released on the Nintendo Switch). Early concepts for Final Fantasy VII, however, were created with the intention of developing a SNES title before production was delayed in favor of other projects and later restarted for Sony's PlayStation console.
 * The second character whom shares this trait with Cloud is Joker from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; his only appearances prior were on PlayStation consoles.
 * Cloud is one of two characters whose weapon changes depending on the costume. He wields the Buster Sword in his default Final Fantasy VII outfit and the Fusion Swords in his Advent Children variations. The other character is Bayonetta.
 * Cloud is the only specifically named Final Fantasy character to appear in crossovers with the Mario cast and other Nintendo characters, as previous Final Fantasy crossover characters have been generic creatures (such as Moogle) and job classes (such as Black Mage).