Cloud (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U)

This article is about Cloud's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. For other uses, see Cloud Strife.

Cloud
Universe	Final Fantasy
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	Omnislash
Tier	S (3)
Character Statistics
Number of Jumps	2
Can Wall Jump	Yes
Can Wall Cling	No
Can Crawl	No
Has a Tether	No
Voice Actor
Voiced by	Takahiro Sakurai

Cloud (クラウド, Kuraudo) is a downloadable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, as well the sixth Third Party character to appear in the series, following Solid Snake, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, Pac-Man and Ryu. He was announced right before the end of the Nintendo Direct of November 12th; and much like Ryu, he is packed with his themed stage, Midgar.

Cloud was released in a bundle with Midgar after the Direct on December 15th, 2015. The bundle costs $5.99 for one version of the game and $6.99 for both.

Cloud currently ranks 3rd place on the tier list for his fast yet powerful attacks which have decent range and combo potential. He has a large variety of both long-range and short-range moves which significantly aid his approach options, and also has a unique gimmick in the Limit Break: by using his down special, he can significantly strengthen his special attacks. Limit Break also gives him a new down special move which is a very reliable finisher. However, besides that and his smash attacks, Cloud lacks reliable finishers, and his grab game and recovery are extremely poor.

Attributes

Strengths

• Fast movement speed on both ground and air. His initial dash is also one of the fastest in the game, next with Captain Falcon and Little Mac.
  • His Dashing Speed is the 9th fastest in the game, being slightly higher than Roy's; his Air Speed is among the top 15.
    • Under the effect of Limit Break, his Dashing Speed goes from 9th to 5th faster in the game, being slightly higher than Sheik's; his Air Speed becomes the 4th fastest, tied with Roy's.
• Can Wall Jump.
• Fourth highest jump and double jump after Falco, Greninja and Mewtwo.
• Low and reliable short hop useful for setting juggles, much like Sheik's.
• Many of his attacks have hitboxes that are long in duration, with high active frames.
• Except for the first two hits of his Neutral Attack and his Down Tilt, all of his attacks have disjointed hitboxes as he fights with a sword. Thanks to this, he has high priority on most attacks.
• Strong Aerial attacks that are safe on shield if properly spaced.
• Fast and powerful Smash Attacks and Special Attacks that can score earlier KOs if used at the right time.
• Down Tilt moves forwards along the ground, leading into various aerial combos. It also allows him to dodge some attacks.
• His Buster Sword grants him a large range for most attacks.
• Has three Meteor Smashes, Forward Aerial, Down Aerial and the third hit of Climhazzard (the descending hitbox).

• Blade Beam has low startup and travels quite fast.
  • When Limit Break is full, it gains multi-hit properties and deals much more damage and knockback.

• His Side Special, Cross Slash, can trap opponents between hits.
  • When Limit Break is full, it gains super armor, deals much more damage and knockback, and has no end lag and no start lag.
• His Up Special, Climhazzard, is quite fast and launches Cloud upwards much like Marth and Lucina's Dolphin Slash.
  • When Limit Break is full, it sends Cloud extremely high.
  • Similarly to Shulk's Up Special, pressing the Special button again while preforming this move will cause Cloud to quickly plummet downward with his sword extended.
• His Down Special, Limit Charge, when fully charged slightly increases all his stats, and powers up his Special Moves in terms of damage, launch power, and in some cases distance covered or even adds multi-hit attributes.
  • Much like other charging attacks, the player can cancel the charge with side dodge or shield. It is also possible to cancel it into normal attacks.
  • He can use Finishing Touch as his Down Special once using Limit Break, which can deal massive knockback to nearby enemies.
  • The Limit bar also fills up when Cloud takes or delivers damage.

Weaknesses

• Too dependent on the Limit Break mechanic, mostly for recovery.
• Low grab range and weak Throws in terms of knockback, none being able to reliably KO.
  • Lacks guaranteed Combo Throws, with his only reliable one being off Down Throw, which stops working after mid percentages.
• Neutral Attack has considerable lag even when shield-cancelled.
  • Neutral Attack also moves Cloud forward, making it easy to punish.
• None of his Tilts except of Forward Tilt have KO potential, meaning only his Smash Attacks and Special Attacks are reliable for ground kills.
• Blade Beam has considerable ending lag that leaves Cloud vulnerable. It is also weaker in the air and dosen't go as far.
• Cross Slash can be easily blocked, leaving Cloud vulnerable during its execution. In addition, he can only deliver all attacks once it connects with the opponent.
• Climhazzard has poor recovery potential and lacks horizontal range (except when powered up), and misuse can cause players to suicide if the B button is pressed again when used for recovery.
• The Limit bar resets if Cloud is KO'ed.
  • Once a Special Attack is used under the Limit effect, Cloud must charge it again in order to benefit from it.
• Finishing Touch can only be used once Limit Break is charged. Additionally, it is only effective against opponents with high damage percentage.
  • Failing to connect Finishing Touch leaves Cloud very vulnerable to punishing.

Summary

Cloud's stats by Kurogane Hammer.

Cloud is an agile, yet strong fighter, a bruiser-type swordsman who excels at Pressure and Zoning, boasting from having the 9th highest dash speed, as well high aerial speed and acceleration, and also high jumps, meaning he has quick mobility on both ground and air. His overall frame data is among the best in the game, with his range being his greatest asset due to his large disjointed hitboxes on his sword. These atributes combined gives him one of the best approaches in the game, able to move in and out of the opponent zone quickly while maintaining a safe distance with his long range attacks. This also makes Cloud's edgeguard very effective, allowing him to maintain safe distance between his opponent and intercept recoveries with his wide swings, as he possesses three powerful Meteor Smashes and fast aerial attacks with little to no landing lag.

Cloud's gameplay is highly focused on the unique Limit Break system, which enhances his Special Attacks with power enough to KO opponents at earlier percentages. Filling the Limit Gauge also gives Cloud a small boost to all his stats, mostly noticeable increased dash and aerial speeds, which further increases his performance in battle. For that reason, his neutral game relies mostly on filling the Limit Break, which can be done with his Down Special or by taking and/or dealing sufficient damage. The manual charge can be canceled and stored by shielding or air-dodging, allowing Cloud to attack an approaching enemy and then continue charging. When an opponent has been launched off-stage, Cloud can start charging the Limit Charge; when the opponent starts to near the edge, Cloud can cancel and store the charge and get into edge-guarding position. As mentioned before, the gauge can also be filled by dealing and receiving damage; while Limit Charge works faster, it should not be continuously used or a smart opponent will be able to punish Cloud during the charge. Alternating between attacking opponents and using the Limit Charge is the best way to ensure Cloud's defense is not left open. It is also important not to use the Limit Break move right away once the gauge is filled, as an opponent can easily predict the attack, and dodge or intercept it. Deciding which Limit Break move to use ahead of time, biding time by adding damage onto the opponent with regular attacks, waiting for an opening, and then striking with the Limit Break is a good way to keep Cloud from being too predictable and getting the most out of his Limit Breaks.

On the ground, Cloud has a very solid moveset, with a fast Neutral Attack that can be cancelled into itself, allowing players to link the first two hits consecutively. He also has great spacing tools in the form of Forward Tilt, which covers a wide range around him and it's very effective when pivoted, and Down Tilt, which can get opponents off guard (the latter even allows him to duck under some attacks). Down Tilt also sets up for many juggling setups and even KO follow ups with Finishing Touch. His Up Tilt is notable for covering almost his entire body and can combo into itself at low percentages. All his Smash Attacks are all powerful in terms of knockback, capable of scoring KOs against opponents below 100% if properly used. Forward Smash is a surprisingly fast multi-hit move, which is his strongest Smash Attack; Up Smash covers a wide area in front of Cloud and has very high active frames; Down Smash is a good two-hit sweep move that deals high horizontal knockback, being mostly useful at edgeguarding.

In the air, Cloud can quickly approach opponents with his Neutral Aerial, which, much like Shulk's, covers a wide area all around him, however it is much faster. His Up Aerial, on the other hand, is one of the best juggling tools in the game, having a high number of active frames, and allowing to trap opponents with air dodge baits; it is also great for ceiling kills. Forward and Down Aerials are powerful Meteor Smashes when sweetspotted, both having very high knockback scaling, with the later having a number of active frames higher than invincibility frames from an airdodge, meaning the attack can outlast an opponent's airdodge and hit as soon the invincibility is over. Cloud's Back Aerial is similar to Ike's, having great utility in both edge guarding and damage racking, being very safe on shield and also effective on getting stage spikes due its range and speed.

As for Cloud's grab game, it is not very powerful, having weak throws that inflict minimal knockback, none of them being reliable for KO. However, his Down Throw can set up for Forward Tilt, pivoted Up Tilt, Down Tilt, Forward Smash, Down Smash and Cross Slash, but only at very low percentages, and some characters (mostly fast fallers) can easily tech it, meaning it is not guaranteed. All of his other throws are rather lackluster, though his Up Throw can lead into into Up Aerial for a kill set-up. Forward and Back Throw are only good for getting opponents off-stage.

As for his Special Attacks, Cloud has a lot of versatility. Blade Beam, his Neutral Special, is a powerful zoning tool, which deals more damage on ground, but is as effective in the air (though it also covers less range), especially for edge-guarding; when under Limit Break, it deals high damage and decent knockback in multi-hits; however, it deals the least damage (besides Finishing Touch) and kills the latest out of all of his Limit Breaks; unless the situation calls for a projectile attack, Limit Break Blade Beam should not be used very often.

Cross Slash, his Side Special, is great for quick damage racking, being an excellent way to punish attacks without much effort; when powered up it deals massive knockback and grants Cloud super armor during the entire duration of the attack. Cross Slash can combo out of Down Throw on very low percentages, being an easy way to deal 25% to 35% from a single setup. Limit Break Cross Slash deals the most damage out of all of his Limit Breaks; it is an excellent kill move when all of the hits connect with an opponent around 110%. Many edge-guarding opponents may expect Cloud to use the Limit Break Climhazzard, but if Cloud is able to get back to the edge without the need for it, a great way to surprise an edge-guarding opponent is to use the Cross Slash on them; an opponent with high enough damage could even be killed by the Limit Break version, though either version of the move will work for this surprise attack. Using the move also stalls Cloud briefly in the air, which can be useful to slowing down his momentum. Lastly, if used correctly, Limit Break Cross Slash is also a very effective way to get stage spikes; jumping out of the platform and using it right at the edge when the opponents are recovering low can trap them into the hits and prevent them from latching on the ledge.

Climhazzard, his Up Special, is Cloud's only means of recovery, and a very hard maneuver that requires time to master. Unlike most recovery moves, it will not cause Cloud to instantly latch on the ledge; he will only grab the ledge once the move reaches maximum height. This makes Cloud very susceptible to edge-guarding. On the other hand, the move is also an effective damage racker tool, also capable of Meteor Smashing opponents during the descending hit; when powered up it propels Cloud extremely high and allows him instantly grab the ledge, granting him one of the best recoveries in the game. It can be a great combo finisher or a surprise attack for opponents approaching from the front. Pressing the button again after reaching maximum height will send Cloud back down with a second attack, which is a great way to launch opponents caught in the first slash. This should not be done off-stage, otherwise Cloud will suicide. The Climhazzard is also a good edge-guarding tool, catching opponents trying to recover high with it and then launching them off-stage again with the second slash. However, it lacks in terms of recovery. The recovery can get the job done if Cloud is near the edge, but in any other situation he will need the Limit Break version of the move to recover reliably. The momentum from the Climhazzard will be able to keep Cloud moving through the air for a little while even after the attack ends. The attack itself with the Limit Break version does deal more damage and can kill near the ceiling, but the second slash will not reliably hit because opponents are not carried all the way up with Cloud as with the normal version of the move.

Limit Charge, his Down Special, allows Cloud to manually fill up his Limit Gauge, which can be cancelled into shield, dodge and even attack; when powered up, Cloud's Down Special becomes Finishing Touch, which deals 1% damage but has very high knockback scaling, capable of KO'ing opponents instantly at mid-high percentages. The Finishing Touch, because of its low damage and base knockback, should never be used on an opponent that just got back to the stage after being K.O.'d. Any opponent below 60% should never even see this move being used. Once Finishing Touch or any other Limit Break is used, Cloud's Down Special will be Limit Charge again, as his Limit Meter depletes.

Cloud's flaws, however, are very severe, and one of them lies in his very poor recovery, which is predictable in the form of Climhazzard. Unless under Limit Break form, Climhazzard covers very low vertical height and little to none horizontal reach, as well not auto-sweetspotting the ledge until Cloud starts descending, as mentioned before. Another problem is Cloud's being very dependent on his Limit Breaks, which can be difficult as he needs to sustain 100% damage and/or deal 250% damage in order to naturally fill the gauge. Filling it manually with Limit Charge takes roughly 6 to 7 seconds (assuming it is empty), which can be difficult when facing fast characters that can pressure him (such as Sheik and Fox). In addition, since he has only one charge of his Limit Break, players must be very careful and use the Special Attacks at the right time.

A good Cloud player must be patient and be quick to read and learn the opponent's patterns, as Cloud has an overwhelming number of punishing tools. Rather than chasing opponents everytime after landing a high knockback attack, using Limit Charge is usually a more viable option, which will force the opponent to approach. The player also must learn to conserve his Limit Breaks rather than using it randomly.

Moveset

Ground Attacks

Normal

• Standard Attack: Does two kicks alternating his legs, and swings the Buster Sword with a slash. Looks similar to Shulk's Neutral Combo. Quite fast and covers good range, with each kick moving Cloud forward. Strangely, the sword attack has less reach than the kicks. (2%, 2%, 3%)

• Side Tilt: Does a forward swing in an arc. Possibly based on his normal attack in Final Fantasy VII. Fast startup, but considerable ending lag, however with long duration of hitboxes. Can link from his Down Throw at low percentages. Cloud's strongest Tilt in terms of knockback, capable of KO'ing opponents around 140% to 150% It also moves Cloud slightly forward. (11%)

• Up Tilt: Does a fast overhead swing. Covers a good range all around him, much like Bowser and Donkey Kong's Up Tilts. The starting hitbox hits behind him. Can combo into itself at low percentages, linking into aerials at later percentages. However, lacks KO potential. (8%)

• Down Tilt: Slides with his leg outstreched, covering a good range in front of him and surprisingly large hitboxes. Looks similar to his slide kick in Ergheiz: God Bless the Ring. Functions similar to Mega Man's Down Tilt. Quite fast when used as a surprise attack, however it can be easily punished if poorly used. Useful for tech chases, quick punishes and juggling setups. (6% clean, 7% late)

• Dash Attack: Slides along the ground to a halt and slams with the broad part of his Buster Sword in front of him. Fast but easy to punish. Can link from his Down Throw at low to mid percentages. Quite powerful, capable of KO'ing at high percentages. (11% clean, 8% late)

Smash Attacks

• Side Smash Attack: A very fast triple slash attack, with the first two hits trapping opponents and the third hit having more range and dealing strong knockback, in a similar fashion to Pit and Dark Pit's Forward Smashes. Can link from his Down Throw at low percentages. Extremely powerful, being able to KO opponents at less than 100% uncharged. (3%, 4%, 13%)

• Up Smash Attack: Does a strong swing upwards. Quite fast with good range, and has long hitboxes in terms of duration, as well being an efficient anti-air move. While powerful, it is Cloud's weakest Smash Attack. (13% clean, 12% late, 8% end)

• Down Smash Attack: Cloud crouches and hits first with the hilt of his sword, which pulls the opponent into the second hit, stabbing with the blade. Functions like Ganondorf's and Toon Link's Down Smashes. Looks similar to Wolf's and Little Mac's Down Smash Attacks. It is Cloud's fastest Smash Attack, being a very reliable punish against side-dodges, as well being excellent for edge-guarding due to its horizontal knockback. (4%, 12%)

Air Attacks

• Standard Air Attack: Swings the Buster Sword around himself in a wide arc. Looks similar to Shulk's Standard Air Attack, with high range and great combo potential. Weak in terms of knockback, but it is very fast and covers a large range while protecting Cloud. It can also be a great setup for other attacks, such as Cross Slash in Limit Form Has little to no landing lag when shield cancelled or fast fall cancelled. Auto-cancels from short hops. (8%)
• Forward Air Attack: Braver, also known as Brave Slash, from Final Fantasy VII; which is Cloud's first Limit Break in the game. He does an overhead swing and slashes forward in a downwards arc. Looks similar to Ike's Forward Air Attack. Has considerable startup lag and moderate ending lag, but has large range. It is a very potent Meteor Smash (almost strong as Ganondorf's Down Air Attack) if the attack hits in the middle of the blade near the hilt after completing the swing; otherwise it'll cause horizontal knockback. Can be frame cancelled in a full hop with fast fall. (14% sweetspot, 13% clean, 11% late)

• Back Air Attack: Faces his back and does a single swiping swing, resembling his Aerial Fang from Dissidia Final Fantasy. Looks similar to Ike's Back Air Attack. Quite fast and safe on shield, being useful for edge-guarding. (13%)
• Up Air Attack: Pushes his sword upwards, with one hand holding the base and the other holding the blade. Very fast and with long hitboxes in terms of duration, being useful for juggles after a Down Tilt to frame trap opponents. Has little to no landing lag when shield cancelled or fast fall cancelled. Auto-cancels in short hops. (13% clean, 9% late)

• Down Air Attack: Stabs downward, which Meteor Smashes if it hits at the initial hitboxes in the middle of the sword while the main hitbox is active (when it is glowing green); otherwise causes horizontal knockback. Resembles Zack Fair's High Jump command from -Crisis Core- Final Fantasy VII. Looks similar to Shulk's Down Aerial, and has long hitboxes like Link's Down Aerial. It is possible to reduce the landing lag by immediately using it in a full hop. (15% sweetspot, 13% clean, 8% late)

Grabs and Throws

• Pummel: Knees the opponent with his right leg. Moderate speed. (3%)
• Forward Throw: Does a flip kick. Low knockback, being useful for tech chases at low percentages. (4%, 3%)
• Back Throw: Turns his upper body around and does a backward kick. Low knockback. (3%, 3%)
• Up Throw: Hurls opponent into the air and attacks them with helicopter kicks. Good for Up Aerial setups. (2%, 4%)
• Down Throw: Slams the opponent forcefully into the ground. Cloud's main throw for combos, being able to lead into most of his tilts, his Forward Smash and even Cross Slash until mid percentages. (7%)

Special Moves

Cloud's Special Moves
	3DS/Wii U	Ultimate
Standard Special	Blade Beam
Side Special	Cross Slash
Up Special	Climhazzard
Down Special	Limit Charge/Finishing Touch
Final Smash	Omnislash

Taunts

• Down Taunt: Stands nonchalantly and sighs, hanging on his Buster Sword, pointing to the ground, with his other hand on his hip.
• Up Taunt: A modified version of his signature Victory Animation in Final Fantasy VII; he twirls his sword twice and then places it on his shoulder, while saying 興味ないね ("Not interested"), which is a sentence he repeats throughout the start of Final Fantasy VII.
• Side Taunt: Cloud places the Buster Sword on his back and pumps his fists forward, close together, as yellowish-green light glows on the ground around him. This comes from his spell-casting animation from Final Fantasy VII.

Costume Gallery

Cloud's default look is based off his official artwork for Final Fantasy VII, however borrowing some details from his appearance in Dissidia Final Fantasy. He has an alternate costume based off his appearance in the animated film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (also known as "Cloudy Wolf" in Dissidia Final Fantasy). This alternate costume also changes Cloud's hairstyle to the one from the movie, and swaps out his Buster Sword with the Fusion Sword; this doesn't affect his attacks.

Trophy descriptions

Cloud

The protagonist of FINAL FANTASY VII, Cloud wields the enormous Buster Sword, a memento from his comrad 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.

• FINAL FANTASY VII (11/1997)

Cloud (Alt.)

Filling the Limit Gauge allows Cloud to perform a Limit Break, supercharging his next special move. His down special becomes Finishing Touch. With a huge swing of his sword, Cloud summons a whirlwind that inflicts only 1% damage, but boasts brutal launch power. Go for a KO while foes' damage is still low!

• FINAL FANTASY VII (11/1997)

Omnislash

Cloud sets out to prevent Sephiroth from sending Meteor crashing into the planet. The fate of the world on his shoulders, Cloud confronts his enemy one on one. He unleashes a flurry of swift slashes before delivering the finishing blow. In Smash Bros., the final strike creates an explosion, launching nearby fighters.

Classic (3DS)

Alt. (3DS)

Classic (Wii U)

Alt. (Wii U)

Omnislash

Announcement Video

Cloud's trailer makes various allusions to Final Fantasy VII itself:

• The very beginning of the trailer is a nod to the opening of the original game, showing the small glows of Lifestream flowing through the air, with the "Bombing Mission" theme playing in the background.
• At 0:47, the background the splash card for Cloud's announcement has a design that calls back to the posters for Advent Children.
• At 0:51, the screen twirls and the iconic Battle Theme, "Those Who Fight'", starts to play, referencing the random encounters present in the game. Also, Charizard, Samus and Kirby appear lined up against Cloud, a nod to the turn-based battle system.
• At 0:55, Cloud fights Mario, Sonic and Ryu in succession at the Punch Out Arena. This could be a reference to the Battle Arena in Gold Saucer, where Cloud fights by himself against waves of opponents.
• At 1:06, Cloud is shown lying down in front of Zelda, in her crouching animation, holding a Lip's Stick, with some Pikmin, at the Kalos Pokémon League stage. This is a reference to his first encounter with Aerith, the flower girl, who is one of the main characters in Final Fantasy VII; he meets her after falling from the Sector 5 Reactor, crashing through a church ceiling and landing on a flower bed that is tended by Aerith. The stage in question also references that very church.
• At 1:23, Cloud is shown riding on King of Red Lions while looking quite dazed, referencing a discussion on motion sickness he has with a travel-sick Yuffie Kisaragi in the original game aboard the ShinRa ship during the invasion of Junon, and also aboard the Highwind airship when the party acquires it. Despite not suffering from motion sickness in these events, Cloud does suffer from it in his flashbacks, more specifically at the back of a ShinRa truck alongside Zack and Sephiroth on a mission to exterminate monsters at Mt. Nibel.
• At 1:25, Cloud, seen in his Advent Children alternate costume, attacks Wario in his Wario Bike, proceeding to picking it up and walking away with it. This references the motorbike minigame from the original game in which Cloud rode a motorbike, the Hardy Daytona, and protected his friends aboard a pickup truck from a convoy of ShinRa bike troopers. This is also a reference to Cloud's own bike, the Fenrir, in the animated feature Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
• At 1:39, Cloud is seen performing his signature casting animation from Final Fantasy VII (which is one of his Taunts) near the Prince of Sablé, who proceeds to transform into a frog. This is a reference to the recurring magic spell, Frog, seen in the series. In Final Fantasy VII it is accessible through the Transform Materia. As the name suggests, the magic turns enemies into frogs.
• At 1:58, the trailer showcases the Midgar Stage, where various Summons appear, among them Odin, Leviathan, Ramuh, Ifrit and Bahamut ZERO.
• At 2:16, Ike and Cloud are seen standing in front of each other, with close shots of their faces, while Cloud is holding a Smash Ball, and proceeds to unleash his Final Smash, Omnislash. This is a reference to the scripted battle that happens between Cloud and Sephiroth by the end of the game. This also references the fact that Omnislash resembles Great Aether in terms of functionality.
• At 2:36, Cloud is seen at Gaur Plains, as six Mii Fighters are seen running and jumping around using the Chocobo hat. This is a reference to the Chocobo Farm, a place in Final Fantasy VII where Cloud can raise and breed Chocobos he captures around the world. A seventh and much larger Mii Fighter is seen using the same hat, sleeping at the right side, which in turn references Chubby Chocobo (also known as Fat Chocobo).

• In addition, this scene also references the Chocobo Woods, a location in Final Fantasy III where Chocobos and the Chubby Chocobo can be found. Cloud's phrase, "Smells like Chocobos", is a recurring quote in the series which references the fact that Chubby Chocobo can only be summoned in places that "smell like Chocobos" in Chocobo Woods.

Gallery

Cloud Storms Into Battle!

Cloud's illustration by Tetsuya Nomura.

Cloud and Link

Could Alternate costumes

Trivia

• Cloud is the first newcomer in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U that is from the 90s, as his game was released in 1997.
• Cloud's pose in his official artwork in Smash Bros. mimics his pose from his official artwork from Final Fantasy VII. Additionally, in his Advent Children costume, his artwork mimics his pose from his official artwork from Dissidia Final Fantasy, which in turn is a modified version of his original artwork.
• Cloud is the first character from Square-Enix to appear in the Smash Bros. series.
  • He is notable as Final Fantasy VII never came to any Nintendo systems, although the game was initially planned for the Nintendo 64 before moving to the Playstation.
    • Cloud, however, did appear in the music spinoff, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, and its sequel, Curtain Call, for the Nintendo 3DS, as well in Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded for the Nintendo DS. His first appearance on a Nintendo console was in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, for the Game Boy Advance, and his most current appearance is in Final Fantasy Explorers for the Nintendo 3DS.
• Cloud's addition to Smash Bros. marks his fourth appearance in a fighting game, the first being Ergheiz: God Bless the Ring, released in 1998 for the Playstation, and the others being the three installments of Dissidia Final Fantasy (the first two being on the Playstation Portable and the third being on arcade machines).
• Cloud is the first and only character to have his own post-battle results theme that plays after his victory fanfare instead of the usual theme. His victory theme from Final Fantasy VII is followed by the results theme of the original game, which overlaps the default Versus results theme. This will not happen if he wins a Tourney Mode.
• Cloud's announcement, "Storms Into Battle!", is a joke referencing his name, as some protagonists of the Final Fantasy games bear names that have a relation or motif with weather (i.e. Cloud, Squall, Tidus).
• Cloud's dashing animation is a reference to the gliding movement system seen in Dissidia Final Fantasy and its sequels.
  • It could also reference his dashing animation upon attacking during battles in the original Final Fantasy VII.
    • He is the seventh character in the game that dashes by floating over the ground, after Bowser Jr., Rosalina, Palutena, Meta Knight, Charizard, and Mewtwo.
• Cloud's intro animation is a possible reference to Omnislash Version 5, an attack he used against Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, where he slashes Sephiroth multiple times in the air before landing abruptly on the ground while his sword falls on his hand.
  • He also can use the very same attack in Dissidia Final Fantasy, where the ending animation resembles his Smash Bros. intro as well.
• Despite having been voiced in English by Steve Burton in other media, Cloud retains his Japanese voice actor (Takahiro Sakurai) for all regions of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, being the only non-Fire Emblem character that has the same voice in all versions.
  • He is also one of three characters in Smash Bros. to feature a Japanese voice actor in both the Japanese and localized version of the game, the others being Marth and Roy.
• Despite having a very unique moveset in Dissidia Final Fantasy, none of these attacks are featured or inspired by anything in Smash Bros. However, his Shield Stance, double jump animation and dashing animation does resembles his ones from Dissidia.
• Braver is the only Limit Break that is not part of Cloud's Special Attacks, but rather one of his normal attacks.
• Meteorain is his only Limit Break not featured in any attack.
• The green hue present in most of his sword attacks is a reference to the Mako Energy Cloud and other members of SOLDIER are infused with in order to enhance their abilities. The Mako Energy is a central plot point in Final Fantasy VII, being the condensed energy from the Lifestream, the flow which keeps the planet Gaia alive.
• Much like in Dissidia, Cloud's idle stance in Smash Bros. looks similar to Zack Fair's stance in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.
• Much like in Dissidia, the design of Cloud's Buster Sword is exactly like the original Final Fantasy VII.
  • In Crisis Core and Advent Children, the sword has a slightly different design with additional ornamental details; the handguard is colored gold and has swirl designs, the part of the blade bearing the two holes is raised slightly and sectioned off from the rest of the blade, and there are etchings engraved on the blade near the handguard.
• Gameplay-wise, Cloud's trailer is the longest of all trailers in the game, and features pretty much his entire moveset except for his Getup Attack, Ledge Attack, Pummel, Forward, Up and Down Throws.
• Cloud's dizzy animation could be a callback to his painful flashbacks and memories in Final Fantasy VII.
• Cloud is the first third-party character with an Alternate Costume that changes his character model.
• Cloud is the first third-party swordsman.
• Cloud is the fifth swordsman to have a projectile attack, after Link, Toon Link, Robin and the Mii Swordfighter.
• Cloud is the only character in the game whose weapon changes when his costume swap is applied.
  • This weapon, the Fusion Sword, is from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and is swapped with his Buster Sword. It does not, however, change any of his attacks or the damage delivered with those attacks.
• Cloud is the second character in the series whose Final Smash is shown by name upon activation, the other being Pokémon Trainer's Triple Finish in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Cloud is the first of two characters (that don't have a gender swap) to have a different portrait displayed on the Boxing Ring stage depending on what costume they are wearing. The second is Bayonetta.
• Cloud's Classic Congratulations screen on the Wii U version shows him looking at the Shinra Headquarters in Midgar resembles the promotional image for Final Fantasy VII featuring him in front of Midgar.
• Cloud's All-Star Congratulations screen resembles the iconic scene of the Nibelheim Incident in Final Fantasy VII, with Palutena taking Sephiroth's pose in the screen
  • Cloud is in his Advent Children attire, despite the event occurring many years before Advent Children. However, this may be a reference to how the Nibelheim Incident was featured as a flashback in Advent Children.
• Cloud's victory theme is the only victory theme that plays the entire time the player is on the results screen.
• This is the third time a representative from Final Fantasy crossed over with the Mario series, as Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Mix featured special appearances by White Mage, Black Mage, Ninja, Moogle and Cactuar.
• Cloud is the second character in Smash Bros. to feature sound effects during his attack animations that originated in his game of origin, the first being Ryu.
• Cloud is the first character who is not a different character in one slot, but an alternate costume that has a different portrait, second being, Bayonetta.
• Cloud is one of the DLC fighters that doesn't have any Custom Moves.

External Links

• Cloud's Frame Data at Kurogane Hammer
• Izaw91's Art of Cloud
• Raz0r13's Cloud Guide
• My Smash Corner Cloud Setups and Tips
• TheSkuxxedOne's Cloud guide
• Cloud's amiibo training guide page Coming Soon!