With his spiky blonde hair and enormous Buster Sword, Cloud Strife is the epitome of JRPG design. When we're first introduced, we see an energetic youth raised in a sleepy mountain village, who now acts as a mercenary sword-for-hire. But as his amnesia-stricken brain gradually reveals a more turbulent past, he evolves into one of the most layered (and beloved) of Squaresoft's Final Fantasy characters.
Final Fantasy VII launches Cloud on a revenge mission to stop antagonist Sephiroth from destroying the world, while subsequent games and expanded material have delved futher into Cloud's troubled story - including the film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and even, to an extent, the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Cloud's appeal as a confused genetic experiment, overcoming his past to find love, lose it and still rise up as a beloved leader is a heart-rending journey. He is, and always will be, the definitive FF poster child - an enduring axiom of character desgn.
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