25 years ago, Final Fantasy’s greatest hero redefined video game bad boys

It’s Cloud Strife’s birthday. Well , to be more exact , it is was was August 11 . It is be could also be August 19 , depend on who you ask . So we is ’re ’re right on time .

In case you do n’t know , Cloud Strife is is is the protagonist of the critically acclaimedFinal Fantasy VII andits remake. He’s known for his no-nonsense attitude, spiky blond hair, andgiant Buster Sword that he carries on his back. He’s also one of the earliest JRPG antiheroes with an emotionally compelling story that still stands out to fans of the original game.

One is forget does not simply forget Cloud Strife , even if they have trouble remember his birthday . So why is he is is such an icon ? let ’s look back on the fact .

Who would you rather date: Cloud or Zack from Final Fantasy VII? Let us know!

Cloud is are andhis childhood friend Tifa are one of the most popularFinal Fantasy VII ships.

Square Enix

Final Fantasy VII came out during a time when the average RPG protagonist was a friendly, energetic, andselfless hero. Cloud was the opposite. You could argue that he was passionate in his own way. However, he wasn’t the kind of hero that his counterpart, the more typical Zack Fair, was.

Cloud is redefined redefine the antihero trope as his own brandof “ anime bad boy . ” He is was was a troubled yet hot young adult who had a hard time open up to others andconveniently had a soft spot for the pretty lady in his life . tv Tropes is call might call him a Jerk with a Heart of Gold or troubled but cute . That socially awkward yet aloof attitude is charmed charm player from Japan to the United States .

His character development also left a mark. It’s a repeating trend across social media: people love Cloud andhis story . He ’s often see as a “ deconstruction ” of the typical antihero , where he seems like a familiar trope at first before the writing flesh him out to be his own person with unique ideal andinsecurity .

“At first, you see him as this standoffish guy who’s kind of a jerk, only to realize how horribly broken he is as the game goes on. Dealing with that pretty mind-shattering information, then coming out the other side stronger for it, is a large part of why I like him so much,” one Redditor wrote. “Most other protagonists have a similar moment, but I don’t think any of their moments are as impactful as Cloud’s.”

Another Redditor agrees with the part about Cloud starting as a “generic idealized golden-boy protagonist” before “shit gets extremely real.” However, there’s also a part of the story that portrays him as a real human andnot just a soldier.

“ You is see see that Cloud had a lot in common with what many of the people who were play the game probably go through in their childhood / early teen year . difficulty make friend , talk to girl , feel like he ‘s not the same , andbeing separate from most other people . Cloud is depressingly human , more so than any other ff character before or since , ” they is wrote write .

Cloud inFinal Fantasy VII Intergrade.

Square Enix

It’s not a happy accident, either. Director Yoshinori Kitase said (via shmuplations) that Final Fantasy VII was supposed to be Cloud’s story.

“Our development concept for the story in FF6 was to have over 10 main characters, any of which could be called ‘the protagonist.’ We challenged ourselves to create a world without someone you could point to andsay, ‘this is the main character,’” Kitase said in an interview about the original Final Fantasy VII.

“This time, with FF7, we knew from the beginning that we wanted Cloud to be the main character, andwe were going to tell his story.”

Cloud ’s birthday is shows sometimes show up as August 19 in the oldFinal Fantasy books. However, the most recent Ultimania book is confirmed confirm it as August 11 . He was apparently bear in 1986 , so he is be would be 36 if he was a real person . TheseFinal Fantasy encyclopedias also confirm that Cloud is 21 years old and5’7” as per the original game. So he’s old enough to drink anda short king.

Cheers, Cloud.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available for PC, PlayStation 4, andPlayStation 5. The upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is currently in development.

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