Cloud Strife's Origins Explained (Birth to Hero) ► Final Fantasy 7 Lore
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- Опубліковано 19 лис 2017
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Following on from our video about Sephiroth's origins, we had quite a few requests for us to cover Cloud Strife, the main protagonist from Final Fantasy 7... so here we are with a full explanation of his character history.
Cloud's story is rather expansive, as he has a part (albeit sometimes small) in each of the Compilation of Final Fantasy 7 properties. But his story is far from simple, from his difficult upbringing, through to the traumatic events in Nibelheim, and subsequent experimentation, to overcoming the adversity and saving the world multiple times.
We hope you enjoy! Be sure to let us know which character you'd like us to focus on next!
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Throughout this video, we'll be talking about things like...
- Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy 7
- Cloud Strife in Before Crisis
- Cloud Strife in Crisis Core
- Cloud Strife in Advent Children
- Cloud Strife in Dirge of Cerberus
- Cloud Strife vs Sephiroth
- Cloud Strife's History - Ігри
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
U should do Vincent next (even though I know him already)
Amazing, I really appreciate these types of videos since I found the reading in the original games tedious and often missed important information regarding story and character development.
I personally would request an origins video for Yu Yevon.
Final Fantasy Union Can you perhaps do a video with Squall?
Kefka's Origins would be a good video since he is the only ff villain that destroys the games main world
Squall!!!
you forgot the part where cloud obsessively breeds and races chocobos on his hunt for the legendary golden chocobo.
that was you my friend
We play as Cloud's mental illness, confirmed.
Aerith :Cloud you should really stop to breed the golden chocobo you haven't got any sleep for the past 7 days
Cloud:You don't know what this Means! To me Aerith this is the gift of the goddess the golden chocobo
Cloud is a man who won a pro level chocobo race on his first attempt to win his freedom from prison.
Fun fact: it’s canon that cloud spends 5 hours at the gold saucer; 50 minutes of that is chocobo racing.
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.
it was going good, then you misspelled shit*
TrackForField she/he did not misspell it, they just said it in a different way. There are different ways to say it 😊
Perfectly said! Couldn't agree more!
@@TrackForField shite is the way the Brits spell shit, also I believe Ausies spell it that way too
in the end ppl just want to imitate cloud's character regardless of that fact, it's the best way of doing things
"I am Cloud - a master of my own illusionary world". After all these years I still remember this quote.
When did Cloud say that?
@@stripedrajang3571 after Mideel 2nd visit.
Cloud seems to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, and dissociative identity disorder.
I don't know about PTSD, but DID is essentially confirmed in the original game in every way but actually diagnosing him. One of the many aspects of DID is the inability to recal memory beyond what could pass as normal forgetfulness which Cloud exhibited all the way back in Kalm. His taking on the Zack personality and memories in all but name, essentially mixing Zack in to his own history, erased a lot of his own actions, and is actually what bred suspicion in Tifa to begin with, to the point where she questioned her own memories.
Remember Fei from Xenogears?
That fucker had 4 personalities
He had a brain injury also.
the MAKO exposure damaged his memories
the DID was also brought on by jenova making it all the much worse, jenova was pretty much trying to rebuild his mako poisoned mind to use him as a puppet without him realizing it. It also might have caused part of his love for Aerith who was Zack's girlfriend and also the only person capable of stopping jenova.
Cloud is a depressed badass. That’s the short detail.
After Zack can you blame him?
@@Fenrisdevil true. after aeriths too like he really was suffering from bad bad depression. he’s so badass but like… his past is heartbreaking💔.
@@elliemellie4337 And seeing people suffer from Geostigma’s also torturing him… Especially when he also got one, and trying to search cure for the kids
@@RandoPassingBy yeah
It gives me chills that Square is going to tell this story again, and plan to flesh it out further.
Brian Medina when???
Sergles remake?
Hakibo Yup, there is gonna be a remake
Sergles it is presumed to be out sometime in 2018
I love how people didn't realize there was going to be a remake. Also, there's no way it's coming out before KH3, plus it will need time to be marketed, so there's no way it'll be 2018, and probably not 2019 either, 2020 is the most likely time.
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.’
I've been wondering about this, maybe you have some insight. I don't remember Cloud ever explicitly ridding himself of the Jenova cells within his body in either the game or the sequel movie. In the game, Tifa aids him to piece his identity back together during their time in the Lifestream, but nothing is there to convey he's out of the woods yet when it comes to Sephiroth being able to manipulate him. The ending backs this, as Sephiroth attempts to do it one more time as Cloud, finally strong enough, swiftly expells him from his mind forever. In AC, his Geostigma is the product of an added Jenova cell bundle. That's what gets cured when Cloud comes into contact with Aerith's final great gospel near the end of the movie. Unless we're to believe *that* erased every trace of Jenova cells in his system, Cloud's still infused with them from Hojo's experiments, right?
Jimbozinho when he said “his own weakness”, he meant his mental issues, and low self esteem. But even with them, it wasn’t his fault.
One can’t just wake up one day, and then decided to behave like that out of the blue, or because they like it. It’s mostly because of the environment and society they grew.
It was bad enough being ostracized by their peers for something they have no control over it or “just because”. But being blamed for something they didn’t or had no power to prevent it (in this case, Cloud was just 9, he was too young to save someone) is just cruel.
I think it’s exactly because of that incident, he started to develop mental illness that over the years went out of control
Tom-Bot I don’t think you can remove Jenova cells. That’s why Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, and Zack are SOLDIER. They have Jenova cells and are super soldiers from the day the cells are put into their bodies.
@@sapphirevaltiel well, geostigma is a bit more than just Jenova cells. In OAWTAS it is stated that people who tend to have negative feelings (maybe depression of some sort), were the ones who acquired it. Cloud was not even part of the first people who got it, but he did become emotionally ill in the course of 2 years. I believe I read somewhere that geostigma was due to Sephiroth meddling with the lifestream, and once that annomaly got "corrected" by Aerith, the cure to geostigma finally came. It is even stated that geostigma was deadly and killed a bunch of people.
Cloud wasnt even really mentally ill. like in the "new" nibelheim everybody gaslighted him AND Tifa. thats what satan does to people. creates confusion like that. gaslighting to the point a persons psyche snaps. sephiroth is the antichrist or a satan incarnated figure
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.
Which is odd, since he didn't make the cut to be a SOLDIER at that time, but that situation brought the best out of him.
Cloud literally came back from being brain dead twice
Most people die from mako poisoning by only getting touched directly by the thing. Cloud stayed in a tank of it, proceeding to recover himself in a year. Then, he got launched into the lifestream and washed ashore, and believe it or not, the madlad recovered from it even faster. Cloud is more than your above average human being, the guy reversed twice from a condition that people generally is better to be put to rest. That is should be a feat in itself.
nersoparanaense He’s a cloud, of course he’s suppose to always live on
I don't get it, if cloud doesn't get to be a soldier, then how did he get the eyes and all those extraordinary strengths,speed and magic power
@@Farhan-xp5mt Even before getting experimented by professor Hojo, Cloud showed at least 3 times that he isn't your average joe, where in moments of need, he shows immense strength for a brief period of time.
The events I can remember are: the one where he has to protect professor Rayleigh against Avalanche members, the other where he meets Zack and tries to capture professor Hollander, and the final and most famous feat, when he lifts Sephiroth while impaled by the masamune and throws him into the mako pit of the laboratory in Nibelheim.
@@Nero_PR i know, I just don't like the concept of the special child of prophecy like the casual shonen japan likes to write so i thought maybe there's another explanation..but how did he get the eyes tho i thought only soldiers have em
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.
Evatallica I wish people understood him like you and I do.
Totally.
Cloud probably is the most layered and deep character ever created for a video game.
Actually I really think that Advent Children gave him even more depth, unlike the people who thinks that the movie ruined Cloud personality.
Those people just don't understand him and don't realize what he been through.
And seing him finally forgive himself and move on with a true smile in the end was amazing and the perfect way to end his story.
Thank YOU!!! Nomura has said numerous times that he wanted Cloud to be the most human character in FF.. Apparently the people who complained about Clouds personality change never lost anyone close to them.. Cloud lost so much, Zack, Aerith, his mom.. hell his entire village was destroyed, he was experimented on, manipulated and even after the world was "saved" a "disease" inflicted the world killing off for all we know thousands of people. After all he did to save the world who wouldn't feel helpless and depressed at that point? Its fine to be a fan for a different character in the series but you can't deny that Cloud is a very deep character.. Also the few of us that played Dirge of Cerberus know that Cloud started to regain some of his old traits/Personality even told Vincent a joke.
Actually he even jokes in Advent Children a little.
When he sees Rufus for the first time, turn to Rude and say something like "Sorry man".
Or when he told Vincent that he will call him when he finds out if sins can be forgiven, while Vincent just said he doesn't have a phone (then when Vincent arrived in Edge he tells Tifa "I need a phone")
Ok, that's not funny ha-ha, but Cloud's humor IS like that x)
I know, Cloud is an adorable dork.
This is why Cloud is the most complex and iconic character for this franchise
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!
Ann Strife cloud is a whiny little wannabe Soldier 1st class. All he does is whine throughout the entire game. He has almost no character development and doesn't change at all throughout the entire game he's still just as whiny. And we see that in Advent Children. I'm not knocking your opinion I'm just saying I much prefer Zack Fair. Now that is a complex character who's been through a lot. Cloud is just a little baby
SOLDIER 1st Class that’s what you think, and that’s fine :) I also like Zack too since he reminds me of myself. I guess I have a soft spot for Cloud because he was my first video game crush ^_^’
Ann Strife hear hear!!!
Crisis Core is one of my favorite entries in the Compilation. I always wanted to know more about Zack. As someone who was also born in the country and who was able to obtain a bright future, I grew an attachment to him. He was like...the big brother I had always wanted, and he still is to this day.
+SOLDIER 1st Class - Exactly.. Zack is the more complex character.. Cloud is just.. I mean.. a kid "who thinks he's different" , "doesn't fit in cuz daddy died" and then makes up a whole shit? Wannabe big time... I don't know why but in my eyes he's really overhyped.. There are way better characters in FF.. Zack seems to know a lot more, seems to have way more background... With Cloud it's all so.. meh. Oh well, opinions differ I guess
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.
What about Terra or Celes?
I think that "inner power" that cloud taps into in moment's of desperation is supposed to be like his "limit break".
Why do you think his first Limit Break is called Braver... As in Bravery to fight and pull of near impossible feats in times of adversity.
Please explain
Sometimes I forget how brilliant FF7's story was. Very deep inner strife with your own individual being
Old school Contra Gamer was the strife joke intended? Haha
it's easy to forget how amazing FF7 is, and that's it's not just a bunch of pretty boys brooding about. SE seems to have forgotten.. which is what makes me incredibly worried about the remake
@@lerdherlix6657 I don't think I'd be worried at all. Kitase (director of the original) is the producer of the remake, Nomura is directing and Kazushige Nojima (one of the writers of the original) is a writer for the remake. The main creative staff behind the original are working and producing the remake. So if there are changes or reworking the story it could be perhaps things they wanted to do originally but were unable to.
@@XiongGou nomura is what has me worried. the man is an incredible artist, his character designs are fantastic. but everything he directs is a dumpster fire..
@@lerdherlix6657 perhaps, it will be but I feel like this game has too much riding on it for Nomura to screw it up. There are probably a whole lot more hands on with this game, development wise. I mean, they scrapped years of work, put the game behind schedule and pulled all development in house because it wasn't the quality they were looking for. Also, fan reactions to Cloud's design had them go back and rework Cloud's character design. I think they really care what the fans want with this one. Maybe just the eternal optimist in me.
Despite all of the shit Cloud went through , people in the mid 2000's still wrote him off as simply being an emo character.
@@justafan2745 lol right.
That's because his subsequent portrayals and appearances in other games/series continued this vibe instead of presenting him as healing and finding happiness like he does at the conclusion of AC. By the time DoC hits, he is back to living with his family and living his life. But games that came afterwards perpetuated "emo" Cloud for like a decade, so that's why a lot of people only remember sad/regretful Cloud. I hope that, with Remake, there will be a more positive outlook for Cloud because he deserves to start healing instead of this constant state of sad.
Cloud has been a character that has given me hope through tough times. I also have a diagnosis of PTSD.
Hahahah. I hope your PTSD has not affected you in the last year
@@sbgandalf5946 Yikes
Hope you got better now!! I know that mental illness is really hard to recover from, and PTSD is one REALLY hard part. You’re a very strong person!! I also have my own mental issues, and Cloud also gives me hope XD
You are healed and whole in Jesus name
Sephiroth is like the devil. always causing confusion and trauma. but God can heal us all from that im sure of it . all that pain of the past is gone in Jesus mighty name!
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.
he only kept going because of his friends, though. there were multiple times he tried to give up and they wouldnt let him. i think thats part of the theme of FF7: we're all only here because of our loved ones, or something along those lines.
@@wowno5763 true but i’m sure he would keep going even without his friends. he probably just wouldn’t feel as confident. he’s a strong guy.
@@elliemellie4337 he did give up though. He gave the black materia to sephiroth and resigned himself to the idea that he was a clone with false memories. He might be mentally strong by real world standards, but compared to other RPG protagonists, hes not. Thats what made him more interesting and relatable than other protagonists.
He was lucky to have his friends and tifa else he would have never recovered
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.
Learning what he did as an ordinary (but apparently not too ordinary) infantryman, Cloud really is a bad ass!!!
Seems like SOLDIER messed up their assessment
@zacheray Cloud always did have the potential to be a SOLDIER. What was holding him back was his own doubt.
Cloud seems more complex than Sephiroth.. Many people think it's the other way around for some reason.
Benjamin McCann ouch give sephiroth some love. He’s still a bad ass villain
Sephiroth is very mysterious and vague and the edge.. They are complex in their own way. Sephiroth is on some serious drugs and Cloud is depressed
Sephiroth was only truly fleshed out in crisis core to be honest. Throughout the whole of 7 's main story, you just see the madman that was the hero but seeing him before he turned and his bond with his former friends Genesis and Angeal make him out to be more human than the monster who he was in 7. CC took the format of 7 with the struggle of identity with regards to both Angeal and Sephiroth/Genesis.
Sephiroth has barely any complexity imo. Yeah, he's intimidating, but it always felt like his motives came from a complete 180 in character, and then throughout the events of the main game he's just a projection by Jenova anyway.
I don't think anyone remember sephiroth.....probably because he is probably as deep as mount everest....
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
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 :]
Yep Cloud is still probably in extreme existential crisis mode. I don't blame the kid.
@QUEENDOM Just because you did some great things doesn’t mean you still can’t have an existential crisis
"And with the help of his friends was able to find his purpose in life"
A delivery man....
Oh come on 🤣
👍👍👍
Hahahahaha you killed me with that one!!!!
"It ain't much, but it's an honest day's work."
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.
Exactly! There's so much to Cloud. He's quiet and serious, cares deeply, feels awkward around others, and so much more. And did anyone else see that little smirk when he was fighting Kadaj? I think our humble hero enjoys being able to fight against someone who can keep up!
Awawaw love to read people that actually read OAWTAS. I think the novels shed light on the characters, and you summarized amazingly well this specific portion of them.
On a side note, I always found it funny how Cloud's call was to be a delivery boy (just kidding). ;)
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
ShadowZash you are close to being 100% correct. Jenova cells adapt and alter. That’s why they are able to look like Sephiroth throughout the game. So, the jenova cells in Cloud adjusted to Zack’s words but wasn’t fully complete until Cloud, still fractured came into contact with Tifa at the train station. The Jenova cells pieced together with Cloud’s former self, Tifa’s memories of him, and Zack’s words/memories. This is what created the Cloud that you play as in the game.
Roguefly Games true he was definitely a zombie till tifa found him sorry for leaving that out, but it ultimately makes me believe that the voice talking to you in the game is Zack not another version of Cloud.
Yeah, that's how I always interpreted the story. Jenova cells are able to somehow transfer memories. Hojo's experiment also binds Zack and Cloud with not only Jenova, but with the lifestream and each other. This creates two souls trapped in one body.
damnnnnnn! I never thought of it this way, this is definitely a more concrete explanation then I've seen so far!
Cloud is Zack's living legacy after all.
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.
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.
rtc7788 except that, as told by the book “A Way To Smile”, it’s revealed that Sephiroth, as long as he focuses his hatred on Cloud, will never truly merged with the lifestream, which means he will always come back when he ll get the chance.
But, don’t frown. If he’ll ever come back, Cloud will be ready.
What a nice metaphor for depression and mental illness. They never truly go away, but that doesn’t stop us from overcome them or at least mitigate them, especially with our loved one support
@@veronicapiccinini1981 your comment gave me chills. As someone who is constantly fighting depression I always tought that made Cloud more relatable - Zack is awesome, but he is basically Perfect.
Thanks for putting that in such a clear way.
@@veronicapiccinini1981 I genuinly never thought about it that way. Liked your interpretation very much; truly gave me another perspective.
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
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.
@@justafan2745 That's right. Tifa on the mountain and again in the reactor and his mother. I forgot about those examples.
Gotta feel for Cloud. His mind's a mess early-game.
That's the question - did Sephiroth manipulate Cloud and the gang to beat the whispers so he can freely change the courses of timelines?
No probebly he went back in time
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.
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.
especially with the uncensored cussing we see from the Demo. Clouds gonna take a verbal beating
@@Thaddius0 The 1st time he was already beating over himself and after the 2nd time he became a vegetable and they thought he was dead until they found him in a clinic. I don't think they're gonna beat him down in these conditions. :/
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.
Personally, his fragility and simultaneous badassery is *why Cloud is STILL one of the best FF protagonists around.*
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 ! ;)
In Case of Shin-Ra, it is said that when a person gives up on living, then they are more prone to contract it. There was a part in the audiobook that had the stigma in water and it was headed for Rufus but it was because he was contemplating death at the time and while the cave was flooded where he was staying with Kilmister and other Geostigma patients. That is unless you meant the kids drinking water from the Lake in the Forgotten City. That wasn't Geostigma but negative Lifestream. The kids were already infected with Geostigma and they weren't filled with hope, which caused the negative Lifestream to merge with the Geostiga and have Kadaj control them :)
Rufus did contract it through water but it was mainly because the Stigma was traveling towards someone contemplating death, hence why it was in the water.
And also, your English is top notch! Kudos to you ^^
Ann Strife haha thanks, I try !
Yes you're right when the cave flooded of water Rufus gave up on life, but he was actually infected by "the black liquid with its own consciousness" (like he calls it) who is in fact the infected Lifestream of Sephiroth, the "gave up on life" thing probably helped a lot, you're right, but even without it Rufus was screwed, haha.
Yuri in Case of Yuffie was also infected directly with the "Black liquid" flow.
This "Black liquid" is indeed NOT water, it's the Lifestream Black of Sephiroth.
In the Life Stream Black 2, we learnt that Sephiroth gave the Lifestream his "insignifiants memories" when it raised against Meteore. That's why people who had been touched by the Lifestream at that time died or were infected by Geostigmas.
Then the victims of the Geostigmas returned to the Lifestream and enhanced his power.
I did find the part when Kilmister explains what he discovered about the Geostigma, but I have the book in French so I'm gonna try my best to translate it, haha.
First he said :
"The first infected people had been in direct contact with the Lifestream. The cases that went off afterwards also had a common point : moral pain, acceptance of death..."
And then :
"Among the patients of the subsequent waves (after the raise of the Lifestream), many spoke of a dark liquid. Those who have not noticed anything like this have probably been in contact with it without realizing it - they probably even drank it. I'm convinced about that. Anyway, our enemy is in the water"
With Kilmister saying that "the enemy is in the water" I interpret that like :
There is a small amount of the Lifestream Black in the water (too small to be saw with naked eyes) and it kind of gets "actived" when people are badly depressed or suffer with moral pain, etc.
I can be wrong, it's my interpretation of it ^^
It's been a loooong time since I read the novels so maybe a forgot some things.
But, I know that Nojima is all about symbolism and it make sense to me that the infected people was actually infected because of the water AND then also cured by it (the rain of Lifestream White of Aerith).
In the beginning of the movie there is what may look like a clue that also approved this theory in my opinion :
Childrens runs down the street and one of them take a step in a puddle that splashes the face of an infected child.
In short all that is so dump. Rufus died in FF7 now in AC he is a zombie, order leftover of Turks to find cure for his zombie infection, but instand sending them to Arkley Montains and Spancer Mansion they went to North Cave. Also if Geoshitma can ifect ppl by water EVERYONE should be infected, and not only humans.
But biggest nonsense is how Geostigama is explained to be, it makes no sense with FF7 ending. But hey! We are talking about AC a movie that should be named Dragon Ball a FF7 skins the Movie. When ppl jump 20m up. What a trash.
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.
Definitly one of the most interesting, and well designed protagonists of all time.
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
Cloud is my fav game character of all time.
He is one of mine
Same
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.
Not to mention he lifted the Buster sword to stab him. he must have so much doubt in himself
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 !
The most iconic and awesome JRPG character ever.
Protagonist of course. Antagonist is Sephiroth
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.
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.
Kinda funny, I haven't read any comments about cloud on any video so far that I can relate to, but you understand what the developers were trying to do with him, he's no superman, but when he's pushed to far he can be so much more than just a superman, his internal struggles are something's everyone in real life can relate to, self doubt and depression, besides his giant sword and spikey hair, I think that's why he's one of the most favored and iconic characters still to this day. Definitely my #1 favourite character for 16+ years...and solid snake :D.
1992 April superman would try and talk cloud out of suicide
ah cloud did that?
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.
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.
I always had thought that it had been the mako poisoning that made Cloud take Zack personality and memories
Such an amazing character. Definitely one of my favorites.
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
"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 :^ )
Daniel Payne Yep. Cloud was never EMO in the original game. Nomura started to draw/design him emoer in the "compilation of FF days" But the character was never supposed to be emo back in the Sakaguchi days.
To be fair, I feel like Nomura's depiction of him in AC, KH, etc did him dirty. It's understandable that he's a depressed character, but Nomura's writing kind of took it to the extreme Broody Prettyboi™ levels.
Can you do Vincent Valentine
I would love to see that too, he's another very complex person.
YES.
Yes
there already is youtube for it
Hey
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.
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.
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'm looking foreward to both the crossdressing scene and Zack death scene in the remake, they will most certainly be hilarious and heartbreaking respectively.
cross dressing so funny haha!
They won't put the crossdressing/honeybee manor in the remake due to the oversensitive state of current society.
Acrophis we don’t wanna trigger trans or do we?
i'm looking forward to the word they'll replace "terrorists" with when they explain what AVALANCHE is
@@acrophis Its so sad because its true, times are no longer as they were.
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.
Steve looks like Cloud, too.
Steve is awful
@@dick8997 fuck off
@@Killer_Kris7 new VA sounds ten times better already and remakes not even out
@Bblurre even more so with new trailer now he sounds bad ass now
Clouds entire backstory is so messed up.
You betcha
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!
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.
never though of this, wow, you just blew my mind
That by the way also explains
his attraction to Aeris.
Back Off Never thought of that. I think you might have got the nail on that one.
well thank Christ none of them had AIDS
@@backoff5060 I think it's simpler than that. I think Cloud admired Zack. Zack was everything he wanted be. He was a good friend, and I'm sure he had guilt that he couldn't save Zack, so he subconsciously integrated Zack's identity in himself. He couldn't handle his grief and guilt, so it triggered a Disassociative Personality Disorder. Cloud is very much like Batman, in this respect.
He doesn't have any of Zack's private memories, so I think cellular memories are out of the question.
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.
gavin charles sigh noctis is actually more relateable
I related more with Tidus
gavin charles I loved them both
TJunioR daddy issue?
Play crisis core
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!
Really glad you enjoyed it! :) ~Darryl
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! 💙
Strongest FF Character Physically and Mentally : )
Mentally?
Laguna Seca far from mentally...
laughs in zack fair
Lightning would like to have a word with you
¡BezzyBee! I don’t think anyone wants to have a word with her and her games, but we don’t mind listening to her music
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.
Absorbed?
I've never heard his story explained so well. Thank you so much!
This is absolutely amazing. Thank you for this awesome Cloud compilation!
Awesome video. Was a good refresher for my favorite game. Thanks a ton!
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
Hey conected, thanks for commenting! On the first point, I can certainly see how what you're saying could be correct, but I don't think it's ever confirmed anywhere either way, unless I missed something? My interpretation of the Tifa scene, wasn't that it created the persona, more that it was already established and seeing Tifa just set it fully into motion. I mean, before Zack died, Cloud was pretty much useless and could barely move, but afterwards he was able to lug a huge sword all the way to Midgar without dying! On the second point, that's fair - I decided to condense it down and leave it somewhat open to help with the flow, as including it all felt a bit convoluted. I hope that explains things! :) ~Darryl
Hey, on the first point, it was explained on the 10th anniversary ultimania, in clouds character profile, heres the excerpt:
-"While being tended to by a station worker in the Sector 7 Slum train station, he was reunited with Tifa, and using the abilities of Jenova's cells formed a new personality"
Cloud being able to drag himself to midgar doesnt really matter since the personality he has before the northern crater, was formed when meeting Tifa.
On the second, i can see your point on wanting to condense it, I just wanted to point that out, since theres still a lot of people that are under the impression that cloud becomes Zack in FF7, even though that is far from the truth, and leads to a lot of confusion.
Either way, nice video, keep it up.
Yep.
Cloud didn't become Zack, there's still lots of people who think that, but those people clearly don't know Zack !
The cold, distant and "all-about-money" personality of Cloud in the beginning of the game had nothing to do with the cheerfull, fun and kind Zack Fair. Maybe he took his sassy side tho ;p
Like in most cases answer in JENOVA. It have powers to imitate ppl who we know and love, manipulate on our expectations. It is almost sad how mutch Darryl did miss in this video but also how much story had been changed in compilation games, just compare 1st FF7 Ultimania and 10th aniv FF7 Ultimania Omega.
So mutch stuff make no sense if you keep digging, as clearly someone fucked up. Continuity errors everywere, just to fit new games and make them at least to sound sensible,
@conected thanks for the clarification, much appreciated! :)
that went WAY more in depth then i expected well done and thank you.
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
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.
zack is also well writen, but he is only ment to be a plot machine for cloud tho
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! ^_^
Cloud is probably the character I feel the most, I'm not really sure why I resonate so much with his story and psychology, but I do and he's definitely a fascinating person. I just want to give him a hug man
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!!!!
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.
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. 💯💯💯
And the best part is we are getting a remake next year
Great video Darryl. Thanks for sharing.
This was a great video on this beloved character. Thanks so much
What a great storyline told from beginning to the end!
Good Video. Good Series. Cloud Strife, A Good Role Model Wouldn't You Say? Facing What He Has Faced, & Still choosing To Carry On.
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! :)
Great video! Always learn something new in your Origin videos!
PLEASE DO AN ORIGIN VIDEO ABOUT ZIDANE TRIBAL!
Rydia, Cecil, Kain, or Celes. Those would be fun to see.
Amazing told perfectly thank you it's crazy that I have been learning more about cloud every year.
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.
No problem TJ, glad you enjoyed it :) ~Darryl
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?
Best suggested character thus far.
thanks! liked it cloud is a legend
I came here because this autoplayed after your Seifer video and the similarities between their two back stories is actually so interesting. Both of them becoming bullies as kids due to not fitting in and never given a kind guiding hand. Both of them followed after the dream of other heroes they'd seen/known about only to find reality different for them.
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.
Yes cloud is quite a special character he is my favorite and he continued to be our favorite that's why he was featured on kingdom heart series am glad they found a new game play for him for the simple fact he fits on kingdom hearts
Such great work man. Thank you.
Can you do Lightning next? FF13 was not my favorite so maybe knowing more about her might help 😎
ElNeekoo well, for one shes stuck up
ElNeekoo Lightning is definitely a round peg in a Square Enix 🤣😂
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
Thanks for choosing to subscribe! Really glad you enjoyed the granularity :) ~Darryl
No problems I can see that you do alot of research before you make a video and spend alot of time making the video itself 👌
what if after trying to find Vincent, the events of Kingdom hearts occurred, and cloud DID find Vincent. but not how he would have wanted. hence the outfit in kingdom hearts. just a rough idea
Cloud is just a Sayian in Super Sayain form his whole life.
This is awesome I enjoyed these origin stories well done liked and subscribed! Keep it up
Awesome job man helps fill in some blanks and keep things together.