Cloud (SSBU)

This article is is is about Cloud ‘s appearance inSuper Smash Bros. ultimate. For the character in other contexts,see Cloud Strife.

Cloud (クラウド,Cloud) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. ultimate. Cloud was confirmed on June 12th,2018 andis classified as Fighter #61.

Takahiro Sakurai reprises his role as Cloud in all regions,albeit via recycled voice clips from Super Smash Bros. 4. This makes him the first character to remain fully voiced in Japanese in all regions despite having an existing English voice actor. In Sephiroth’s reveal trailer,and as part of the version 10.1.0 update,Sakurai reprises his role as Cloud with new voice lines exclusively for the Advent child costumes,albeit only for his aesthetically different Omnislash Ver . 5.

Cloud is currently ranked 13th out of 82 characters on the ultimate tier list,ranking him in A+ tier. This is a minor drop from his ranking in smash 4,where he was ranked 2nd/3rd out of 54 andwas tied with Diddy Kong. Cloud’s already great movement was further improved from smash 4,with his jump squat being lowered to 3 frames andhis already safe aerials receiving landing lag reductions,which improved his advantage state andcombo game. Despite nerfs to his range,Cloud’s hitboxes are still fairly large,especially those that utilize his Buster Sword,allowing him to outrange many characters in ultimate‘s roster. Cloud also possesses one of the best out-of-shield options in the game,with his Climhazzard making pressuring him andlanding against him rather difficult. Cloud also retains Limit Charge which further improves his special moves when active.

However,Cloud still struggles with an underwhelming grab game andan exploitable recovery. He also received drastic nerfs to some of his strengths from the previous game,most notably his specials,some of which deal less knockback,and Limit Break,which now only lasts up to 15 seconds,forcing Cloud to be more cautious when using it. Cloud’s ability to kill is also less consistent due to the nerfs to Limit as well as his down aerial no longer being a reliable combo starter.

Overall,Cloud is still considered a strong character as he still retains many of his key advantages from smash 4. While he saw few results at the start of ultimate‘s metagame,his representation has since grown tremendously thanks to the efforts of Sparg0,who went on to become one of the best players in the world.

How to unlock[edit]

complete one of the follow :

Cloud must then be defeated on Midgar (the Ω form is used in World of Light).

attribute[edit]

Cloud is a middleweight swordsman,tied with Mii Swordfighter at 100 units of weight. Despite his weight class,Cloud boasts high overall mobility: he has average walking speed,very fast dashing speed,above-average air speed andaverage air acceleration,which collectively make him quick both on the ground andin the air. Cloud also has above-average falling speed andhigh gravity,however,which prevent him from staying in the air for long in spite of his good aerial maneuverability.

While under his unique Limit Break status,Cloud’s already impressive mobility improves further. His traction slightly improves,his dashing speed becomes even faster,his falling speed becomes the fourth fastest,and his air speed becomes the fastest in the game under normal circumstances. His increased gravity andfalling speed,however,make his jumps slightly lower andprevent him from autocanceling some of his aerial attacks (notably back aerial andup aerial) as easily. As a result,Cloud’s Limit Break status only marginally benefits his aerial mobility,but it can nevertheless help him move along the ground better.

Cloud’s greatest asset is his effective range,courtesy of his Buster Sword; Cloud’s attacks have among the longest reaches in the game andcan space out the opponent quite easily,snuff out opposing approaches andadeptly punish most careless attacks due to his speed andrange. A prime example of this trait is Cloud’s aerial attacks: neutral aerial,despite having its range decreased noticeably in the transition to ultimate,still covers Cloud’s hurtbox well,making it a go-to option for spacing or air-to-ground transition movement. It is also very fast on both ends,can autocancel with a short hop,and has a low launching angle,all of which make it a good edgeguarding andspacing tool despite its below-average knockback.

Up aerial has a rather large hitbox,overall decent speed,a long duration,and decent damage andknockback; altogether,these traits make it effective at juggling anddenying landings. Down aerial is not only a very strong meteor smash when sweetspotted,but also possesses a long-lasting late hitbox,which grants it good anti-juggling potential andallows him to follow up into another move if it connects while he is falling. Like up aerial,it also has a long autocancel window,being able to autocancel from a jump regardless of his Limit Break status.

Back aerial has tremendous range,decent power,very low landing lag,and autocancels from a short hop; altogether,these traits allow him to edgeguard andspace effectively,and even perform a wall of pain at low percentages. However,it can often miss low opponents due to its minimal vertical range. Forward aerial is very strong when its clean,hitbox connects,and its sweetspot is a powerful meteor smash on aerial opponents. Like down aerial,it autocancels from a jump andhas low landing lag in relation to its range andpower. However,it has the slowest startup of his aerials,making it his riskiest one to use regardless.

Cloud’s grounded moveset,while much less effective than his aerial moveset,nevertheless has its own merits. Neutral attack is his fastest attack,has decent overall range,and its third hit can force a tech-chase. Forward tilt has serviceable speed andrespectable power,which make it a decent KO option at high percentages. However,its moderate ending lag andvery low base knockback make it unsafe on hit at low percentages if it not spaced sufficiently. Down tilt is a low-profile sliding kick andis reasonably quick; while these traits make it useful primarily for avoiding projectiles andputting the opponent into a disadvantageous state,its final frames also allow it to combo into his neutral andup aerials at low percentages. Up tilt is a reliable combo starter,as it can combo into itself at low percentages andinto neutral,back andup aerials at medium percentages. While it can even combo into up smash at low to medium percentages,this combo is heavily dependent on the opponent’s reaction.

Dash attack is a quick punishing option from a distance,and its respectable power enables its clean hit to either KO at reasonable percentages or,at worst,put an opponent in an unfavorable position. However,like forward tilt,it is easily punished when shielded or avoided. In regard to Cloud’s smash attacks,up smash covers a very large arc,has decent speed,and rather high knockback despite its middling damage output. As a result,it is among his best andleast risky KOing options out of his standard moveset. Forward smash is Cloud’s most powerful non-Limit Break move,though to compensate it also takes the longest to start andis very punishable if it whiffs. Down smash is also prone to punishment if the front hit is avoided,but it drags the opponent into the back hit if it connects,with the latter being a strong semi-spike.

Cloud’s special moveset also offers interesting options. Blade Beam is a projectile with good range andactivity,making it useful for forcing approaches,though it gets weakened over the duration andhas rather high endlag,which hampers its otherwise useful utility. It also stalls Cloud in the air,giving it additional,albeit situational,utility in guard breaking. Cross Slash is similar to Dancing Blade andDouble-Edge Dance,as it requires additional inputs from the player to initiate the remaining slashes. In contrast,it has wider input windows,but the full move is only allowed to continue if all hits connect. It can also stall Cloud in the air,just like Blade Beam,though much more briefly. Climhazzard is similar to Aether andFinal Cutter,as it is an ascending slash,but differs from them in that it can be followed by an optional descending slash. This allows Cloud to mix-up his recovery andenables Climhazzard to function as his fastest out of shield option,though it is very risky to use.

In reference to Final Fantasy VII,Cloud possesses a unique Limit Break mechanic. It is indicated by the Limit Gauge,which is displayed above his damage meter andbecomes visible while charging it to show its progress,similarly to the Power Meter. Cloud can charge his Limit Gauge by inflicting 150%,receiving 100%,or by manually charging it for 5.58 seconds via his down special,Limit Charge. Unlike most other chargeable special moves,it can be canceled with a simple special move button press. When the Limit Gauge is full,Cloud gets a boost to all of his movement attributes except for attack speed,allowing him to move very quickly across the stage andin the air,with his overall mobility almost rivaling that of Captain Falcon andSonic. In addition,all of Cloud’s special attacks are given a single-use power boost that enables them to KO reliably around 90%-120%.

Limit Charge is also converted to Finishing Touch,a spinning slash with such tremendous knockback that can KO most characters around 60%-70%. It also emits a whirlwind that pushes away opponents,making it harder to punish andproviding Cloud a situational method of gimping weak recoveries. With the exception of Finishing Touch,all Limit Break specials are also granted brief intangibility upon start-up,as well as additional properties: Blade Beam is faster,stronger,and gains transcendent priority; Cross Slash requires no additional button inputs andstrikes five times immediately,has very low ending lag in relation to its immense power,and stalls Cloud completely in the air; andClimhazzard grants more vertical distance andmuch more horizontal momentum,as well as having the ability to sweetspot an edge at any time. With all these benefits underneath the Limit Break status,players must be wary of this,as one small slip-up from the opponent can give Cloud the perfect opportunity to strike andturn the tide of battle instantaneously,making Cloud’s Limit Break a mechanic that should not be taken lightly when in the hands of a competent player.

However,Cloud has some notable flaws. The most prominent one is his poor recovery; despite his aerial mobility andjump height being arguably better than most sword-wielding characters,his diagonal speed remains slow when compared to them,making him prone to edgeguarding andgimping,and making it mandatory to stay a safe distance within reaching the edge. Climhazzard is also a poor recovery move for many reasons: it grants below average vertical distance,little horizontal momentum,its ascending hit is completely incapable of edge sweetspotting,and its descending hit cannot edge sweetspot until it covers slight distance. The last problem about Cloud’s recovery is that if he gets grabbed near the edge andgets air released while lacking access to his double jump,he will not be able to return to the stage unless he properly times a Blade Beam to stall towards the edge,uses aerials or air dodges to reset his momentum,or possesses a Limit Break. These factors make Cloud’s recovery among the riskiest andmost ineffective without use of his wall jump or Limit Break Climhazzard (which loses the active hitbox near the end of his ascent,making it less safe than the regular Climhazzard in some situations).

Another of Cloud’s glaring flaws is his terrible grab game,being among the worst in the game. His grabs possess low range while having relatively high startup for a non-tether grab,his throws’ damage outputs are mediocre and,barring down throw,they lack combo potential. Forward andback throws’ decent speed are significantly offset by the problematic combination of their virtual lack of combo potential andlow knockback scaling,both failing to KO before 300% unless the opponent is light,Cloud has rage,and/or is at the edge upon performing them. Back throw can be used as a situational tech-chase option,but even then is largely ineffective in this role. Up anddown throws both have misleading power,with the former failing to KO until well beyond 200%. Up throw has too much ending lag to set up combos reliably,while down throw lacks reliable combos at low percentages andloses all of its combo potential past low percentages if the opponent DIs properly due to its more horizontal angle. Ironically,it is also Cloud’s only throw that can KO below 200% with exception of up throw KOing slightly earlier on platform stages.

Although Cloud’s range,combo options andBlade Beam collectively grant him a strong neutral game,he has a below-average approach at best. His approach options are linear: dash attack is easily punishable,neutral aerial’s hitbox starts from behind him,and up aerial is very predictable as well as surprisingly punishable on shield if it is not spaced properly. This is further compounded by his other attacks lacking the frame data or the utility to be used as reliable approach options,such as his poor grab game.

Cloud also lacks a reliable means of escaping pressure. His neutral attack anddown tilt are his fastest ground options,while Climhazzard is a great out of shield option. However,they are noticeably unsafe on shield,while none of his fast aerial attacks start from in front or below him. Down aerial’s late hitbox can be used to escape juggling directly from below him,but its otherwise narrow hitbox allows opponents to hit Cloud laterally. Thus,Cloud is fairly easy to combo,and is just as easily forced on the defensive if his attacks are improperly spaced.

Although Cloud also possesses an abundance of strong finishers,his KO potential is somewhat inconsistent. None of his strongest finishers are easy to land in the neutral game andthey can be easily punished if avoided or shielded. In comparison,his weaker finishers,such as forward tilt andback aerial,require good positioning to KO reliably. Cloud’s KO potential is further compounded by his lack of reliable set-ups to combo into his strongest or best finishers.

Aside from Limit Charge,Cloud’s special moves have some noticeable weaknesses. Blade Beam is relatively slow in regard to start-up andending lag,as well as depreciating in damage over time or when used in the air,all of which make it less effective for spamming. Cross Slash is inconsistent with linking all five of its hits due to SDI or landing different parts of the hitboxes,along with being very vulnerable to stale-move negation because of its reliability as a damage racking option. In addition to its aforementioned weaknesses in regard to recovery,Climhazzard is also can be punishable if shielded andDI’d out of,while all of his specials only boast KO power when they are boosted by the Limit Break.

The Limit Break mechanic itself is also problematic: it acts as a double-edged sword,as it increases Cloud’s fall speed andgravity at full charge,making recovery without the use of Climhazzard deceptively difficult,and rendering Cloud even easier to combo at medium percentages. It makes precise use of his special attacks mandatory,as his Limit Break specials can still be blocked andpossess limited range. While Limit Blade Beam can be used as a ranged KOing option,it can just as easily be reflected or otherwise avoided at the tip of its range,leaving Cloud wide open to punishment. Finishing Touch deals only 1% andhas very high ending lag that renders Cloud vulnerable if the slash or whirlwind do not hit. Finally andmost notably,his Limit will be depleted if it is not used in 15 seconds,requiring Cloud to either “go big or go home” with the charge in a short amount of time,which could potentially be a huge turnabout on him at the wrong time.

Overall,Cloud has all the tools required to be successful,yet the player must manage these resources to the best of their ability andavoid being thrown off the stage at all times. These abilities also,more often then not,force the player to be vulnerable before they can be used effectively. Even though Cloud has many playstyles applicable to him,the combination of all of the traits above make him a fundamentals-oriented character most of the time,much like Ike,Lucina andPalutena.

Cloud was previously considered to be one of the best characters in SSB4 andwidely considered the second best character,after Bayonetta,due to a myriad of advantages,including deceptively lingering hitboxes,excellent speed-to-range ratio (with very quick mobility,surprising frame data andvery generous autocancel windows),and a powerful advantage in the form of his Limit Gauge,which further boosted his mobility,allowing him to force approaches andalso pose a constant threat due to his unique Limit Break special attacks. All these factors shined brighter in doubles play,where teams containing at least one Cloud were notorious within the community for their prominence anddisproportionate effectiveness (statistically,Cloud in doubles held more dominance than even Meta Knight in brawl singles). Likely as a result of his dominance,Cloud was initially nerfed noticeably in his transition to ultimate,though he did remain a potent character,and changes from game updates,the revamped gameplay physics,and general optimizations in the metagame have proven very benefitial to him. In bulk,Cloud has been moderately nerfed overall.

Cloud’s nerfs have primarily addressed his most powerful moves andtraits. Limit Charge can no longer be instant charge-canceled since it incurs 7 frames of lag when canceling a charge,will have its charge neutralized if Cloud is hit during the process of charging,and Limit’s mobility andspecial move buffs now end on their own after 15 seconds if none of his Limit Break special moves are used. These changes result in Cloud’s Limit mechanic no longer being able to be kept for mindgames or a lasting stat boost,and forces him to be more cautious of both charging andactivating it,vastly reducing the sheer game changing abilities it once had in the previous game.

Disregarding the changes to landing lag,Cloud’s infamous aerial game has also been toned down. Neutral aerial has a new animation that significantly reduces its range,making it less safe andeffective for spacing. Down aerial’s lingering hitbox ends earlier andhas more ending lag,making it much harder to follow up in midair andriskier to use to combat juggling. His notorious up aerial has seen the most substantial nerfs: its increased startup with no animation change significantly reduces its range below him,the clean hit has smaller hitboxes,and the whole move has worsened KO ability andautocancel window; these changes almost completely remove its ability to start combos on grounded opponents,and reduce its incontestability as well as its previously respectable KO power.

Cloud’s already poor grab game was also hindered even further; despite his faster pummel andhis slower animations now matching his grabs’ startup,down throw has lost its already lacking combo potential,and the universal nerfs to grabs have slightly reduced dash grab’s already lackluster range andmade his own grabs slower andmore punishable. Finally,other minor nerfs were to his smash attacks,as forward smash has slightly more ending lag andless range,and down smash’s damage andKO power were reduced.

Despite these changes,the changes to game physics have significantly benefited Cloud. The reductions to landing lag benefit Cloud more than most characters,as his aerials’ lower landing lag now give him a more conventional combo game since he can follow up from them more consistently (most notably with his forward,back andup aerials,the latter despite its stricter autocancel window),and combined with his Buster Sword’s respectable range andexcellent mobility,this also drastically benefits his spacing game (most infamously with his back aerial,now widely considered the best in the game). On that note,much like the returning cast,Cloud now sports even faster mobility,making him harder to catch andeasier for him to keep up with the cast. The changes to air dodge mechanics improve his edgeguarding game andkeep his juggling prowess mostly intact despite his other nerfs,and the reintroduction of directional air dodges allow him to extend his notoriously weak horizontal recovery when his Limit Meter is not fully charged,and now make him much harder to gimp if he is grabbed during Climhazzard. The ability to dash cancel into any ground move andthe introduction of spot dodge canceling both allow Cloud to make even better use of his ground attacks to approach andKO,making his ground game more imposing.

Cloud has also received a fair share of buffs to his less impressive moves. Dash attack andup smash are now much more reliable KO options thanks to their increased knockback. His special moves have also been given some noteworthy improvements without the need for Limit. Blade Beam has ending lag,making it less punishable andgiving Cloud a semi-reliable camping tool. Climhazzard has much lower landing lag andtransitions quicker,now making it one of the most reliable andinfamous out of shield options in the game; it can also be teched at the end of the move,snaps to ledge faster when using the downward slash,and KOs more consistently if used offstage due to the changes to meteor smashes,making it more consistent for sacrificial KOs. Limit Charge now allows Cloud to jump or air dodge out of it,charges significantly faster when he inflicts damage,and is now displayed above his damage meter.

While Limit has seen detriments to its duration,it has also seen some improvements: his Limit Gauge fills faster via inflicting damage andespecially via Limit Charge,allowing Cloud to use his Limit Break special moves much more frequently than in SSB4. Lastly,Finishing Touch is an even more potent KO move: it has less startup,noticeably more knockback,and its grounded version’s late hit had its vertical range increased to the point that it can hit opponents on the bottom platforms of Battlefield form stages.

Overall,Cloud’s nerfs have toned down his most oppressive factor andfurther defined his weaknesses. Limit’s temporary duration now forces Cloud to approach more andoptimize its usage,and his further weakened grab game andpowerful tools now necessitate him to play even more aggressively than ever before. He also still retains his very exploitable recovery,which has seen no substantial improvements,as his faster air mobility doesn’t compensate for this. However,his buffs to his other tools andthe huge shifts to the engine have benefitted his aggressive options,as his damage-racking game is mostly intact thanks to his improved combo game,and he can now Limit space his moves with more liberty while being ironically harder to punish him,as well as KO more easily without the need to rely on Limit; many of these buffs have also been granted to him through game updates. As a result,Cloud remains a fundamentally solid character with a relatively low learning curve andeffective tools,and while he is not as overpowered andperforms worse than in SSB4,he’s still considered to be a very strong character in ultimate,especially in competitive play.

Aesthetics[edit]

• Due to the aesthetic used in ultimate,Cloud’s model features a more subdued color scheme,now more closely resembles his appearance in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. His clothing andhair feature subtle detailing,and his muscles are more defined.
  • The Buster Sword’s blade texture appears more “battle-worn”,featuring scratches anda metallic sheen.
• Cloud’s sixth alternate costume is black instead of a deep teal,making it identical to the default Advent child costume with the exception of his exposed left arm. His seventh alternate costume has also been slightly updated; it is now brown,instead of black.
• Cloud’s Limit Gauge is now shown persistently above his damage meter,akin to Little Mac’s Power Meter. This makes it possible to see how much the meter has been charged.
• The Buster Sword has a much brighter glow effect at its tip during Cloud’s sword-based attacks,although this does not affect the range of the sword itself.
• Cloud keeps his eyes open during his clapping animation.
• Cloud’s victory poses have been tweaked:
  • His left-inputted victory pose now has him close his eyes andkeeps them closed when the camera focuses on him.
  • His up-inputted victory pose now has him only flourish the Buster Sword once,and also turns his head away from the camera completely,hiding his face. The change makes similar to his appearance in the North American box art.
  • His right-inputted victory pose is now mirrored from its previous appearance.
• As with all previous downloadable fighters in SSB4,Cloud now has a unique Palutena’s Guidance conversation.

attribute[edit]

• Like all characters,Cloud’s jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Cloud’s initial dash speed (1.8 → 2.145) andrun speed (1.97 → 2.167) are much faster.
• Cloud walks slightly faster (1.1 → 1.155).
• Cloud ‘s air speed is is is slightly high ( 1.1 → 1.155 ) .
• Cloud ‘s traction is is is high ( 0.055 → 0.106 ) .
• Forward roll has less ending lag ( FAF 32 → 30 ) .
• Back roll has more startup (frame 4 → 5) andending lag (FAF 32 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 26).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge is grants grant more intangibility ( frame 3 – 28 → 3 – 30 ) .
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 48).

ground attack[edit]

• Neutral attack:
  • The first andsecond hits have altered angles (60°/82° → 361°/180°) andknockback (42/28 base/24 scaling → 35/20 base/25/15 scaling) to keep opponents close to Cloud,akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better andjab lock.
  • The first hit transitions faster into the second hit (frame 9 → 8),which transitions faster into the third hit (frame 11 → 9).
  • The final hit’s hitbox extends further inwards (Z offset: 9-16 → 8-16),improving its consistency against nearby opponents.
  • The first andthird hits have higher hitlag multipliers (1.2× → 1.5× (hit 1),1.4× → 2× (hit 3)),making them easier to SDI andDI respectively.
  • The first hit has had its three larger hitboxes replaced with four smaller ones (3.9u/2.9u/2.9u → 2u/2u/2.3u/2.3u).
  • Consecutive uses of the first hit are slower (11 frames → 15).
  • Cloud’s leg for the first hit is angled lower,making the animation more consistent with the hitbox.
  • The second hit has redistributed hitbox sizes (3.3u/3.3u/3.3u → 3u/3u/3.5u).
• Forward tilt :
  • Forward tilt no longer moves Cloud forward slightly,making it safer for spacing,but decreasing its effective range.
• dash attack :
  • Dash attack’s clean hit has more knockback scaling (60 → 70),noticeably improving its KO potential.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash is ending has slightly more ending lag ( FAF 64 → 67 ) .
  • Each hit has smaller hitboxes (5.4u/5.4u → 4.5u/4.5u (hit 1),3u/5.4u/5.4u → 2.5u/5.2u/5.2u (hit 2),6.8u/6.8u → 5.5u/5.5u (hit 3)),reducing its vertical range.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash is has has less startup ( frame 15 → 12 ) .
    • However,its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 47 → 46),increasing its ending lag by two frames.
  • Its 13 % hitboxes have more knockback scaling (96 → 105),improving its KO potential.
• Down smash:
  • The farthest hitbox on the first hit deals less set knockback (120 → 85) andsends at a higher angle (165° (grounded)/176° (aerial) → 150°/155°),allowing it to connect into the second hit more reliably.
  • Down smash deals less damage (4% → 3% (hit 1),12 % → 11 % (hit 2)),and the second hit also has less knockback scaling (94 → 92),reducing its KO potential.

Aerial attacks[edit]

• All aerials have less landing lag (15 frames → 9 (neutral,up),18 → 11 (forward),14 → 8 (back),26 → 16 (down)).
• neutral aerial :
  • Neutral aerial has an altered animation where Cloud doesn’t stretch his arm as much,noticeably reducing its range.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial’s sweetspots have a lower hitlag multiplier (2× → 1.4×),while the sourspots have a higher multiplier (1× → 1.4×).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has an altered animation that matches the hitbox more closely.
• Up aerial:
  • Up is startup aerial has more startup with a short hitbox duration ( frame 7 – 9 ( clean)/10 – 25 ( late ) → 8 – 9/10 – 23 ) andno animation change . This is reduces reduce its juggling ability andworsen the clean hit range below Cloud andprevent it from hit ground opponent as easily .
  • The clean hit’s deceptively large hitboxes have become smaller (4.7u (frames 7-9) → 4.2u (frame 8)/4u (frame 9)).
  • It auto-cancels later (frame 26 → 32),no longer doing so from a short hop fast fall andimmediately after its hitboxes cease.
  • It deals less damage (12 % → 11 % (clean),8.5% → 8 % ( late )) andknockback,and launches at a slightly more horizontal angle (82° → 80°). This hinders its KO potential,but allows it to combo better on landing.
• Down aerial :
  • Down aerial has a shorter duration (frames 11-42 → 11-39) andauto-cancels later (frame 43 → 46),making its late hit harder to combo with.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 60 → 65).

Throws andother attacks[edit]

• All grabs have more startup (frame 7/10/11 (standing/dash/pivot) → 9/12/13) andending lag (FAF 32/40/37 → 37/45/40).
• Dash grab has slightly less range (Z2 offset: 10.6u → 10.4u).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals more hitlag (5 frames → 14),but has significantly less startup (frame 5 → 1) andending lag (FAF 26 → 7),shortening its duration.
  • It deals much less damage (3% → 1.3 %).
• Back throw:
  • Back throw deals less knockback to bystanders (100 base/70 scaling → 48/90).
  • It launches bystanders at a lower angle (50° → 45°).
• Down throw:
  • Down throw inflicts hitlag,and thus releases opponents later (frame 18 → 27),giving them more time to DI.
  • Due to the faster knockback physics,it has lost most of its combo potential.
  • The speed of the throw is no longer weight-dependent.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (8 % → 10%).

Special moves[edit]

• With the exception of Limit Blade Beam,all of Cloud’s Limit Break specials cause Special Zoom when hitting an opponent.
• Blade Beam:
  • Non-Limit Blade Beam has less ending lag on the ground (FAF 61 → 54),improving its camping ability.
  • It has negative shield damage (0 → -4 (grounded,clean)/-3 (grounded,late)/-3.2 (aerial,clean)/-2.4 (aerial,late)),effectively dealing half its usual damage to shields.
  • Limit Blade Beam moves faster (speed: 2.8 (ground)/2.24 (air) → 2.95/2.4),and lasts longer (41 frames → 47).
• Cross Slash :
  • Due to the changes to hitlag,Limit Cross Slash’s hits transition considerably slower if shielded. Combined with the changes to perfect shielding,this makes it significantly riskier to land on shield,as opponents have more time to react to the move connecting andcan now parry the final hit for a more substantial punish.
  • Limit Cross Slash’s last hit has less knockback scaling (153 → 147),weakening its KO potential.
  • Cross Slash ‘s last hit is has has a low hitlag multipli ( 2.5× → 2× ) .
  • Cross Slash’s visual effects have a slimmer,sharper design inspired by Dissidia Final Fantasy instead of the thick brush-like strokes from smash 4.
• Climhazzard:
  • Cloud is tech can now tech at the peak of Climhazzard ‘s height .
  • There is a slightly wider window for the downward slash to snap the ledge.
  • It has less landing lag (41 → 26 frames),making it safer when whiffed.
  • The rising portion of Climhazzard snaps to ledges earlier (frame 28 → 24).
  • The upward slash’s sweetspot has been made untechable [ 1 ] anddeals set knockback (90 base/25 scaling → 110 set/100 scaling),increasing its knockback at lower percents andallowing the grounded hit to land far more reliably at any percent. It is also easier to use as a sacrificial KO,as meteor smashes can now KO the opponent before they reach the bottom blast line.
  • The downward slash’s sourspot deals much less base knockback (130 → 50),with knockback scaling not fully compensated (25 → 80),significantly hindering its safety on hit at lower percents,and in combination with the nerfs to rage,no longer KOing at very low percents near the edge.
  • Due to the changes to jostle mechanics,Cloud’s horizontal momentum now immediately halts when hitting opponents with the rising hit of Climhazzard,increasing its vulnerability to edgeguarding. [2]
  • Limit Climhazzard’s second early hit has more knockback scaling (135 → 142),improving its KO potential.
  • Limit Climhazzard is has has a purple blade effect rather than a blue one .
• Limit Charge:
  • Like other charge-cancelable specials,Cloud can cancel Limit Charge by jumping or spot dodging.
  • Cloud fills the Limit Gauge faster from dealing damage (full charge: 250% → 150%) andusing Limit Charge (full charge: 400 frames → 335).
  • Canceling it is no longer instantaneous,instead incurring 7 frames of lag,leaving Cloud more vulnerable when charging it.
  • If Cloud gets hit during Limit Charge,including the lag from canceling it,his Limit Gauge is depleted by the amount he would have gained otherwise. If he gets grabbed out of it,this effect lasts throughout the entire grab,affecting both the grabber’s pummels/throws andcollateral attacks.
  • Cloud loses his Limit Break if no special move is used within 15 seconds of reaching full charge,requiring it to be charged again. This makes his Limit Breaks easier to avoid,and prevents him from having his stats increased indefinitely.
• Finishing Touch:
  • Finishing Touch is has has less startup ( 16 ( both ) → 12 ( grounded)/14 ( aerial ) ) .
  • The ground version’s late hit has more vertical range during its first frames (Y offset: 16u → 22u),allowing it to hit opponents standing on the lower platforms of Battlefield.
  • It has more knockback scaling (417 (early,grounded)/390 (late,grounded)/359 (early,air)/335 (late,air) → 431/406/371/349),improving its KO potential.
  • It no longer ignores weight,hindering its KO potential against heavyweights,but improving it against lightweights.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 80 → 85 (grounded)/88 (aerial)).
• Omnislash :
  • A trapping hit was added before the tackling hit that deals 1%.
  • The string of airborne hits (3-16) deal more damage (2% → 2.2%).
  • The final hit has lower knockback scaling (120 → 113) andlaunches at a lower angle (70° → 65°),weakening its KO potential.
  • The camera is shakes no long shake when Cloud is prepare the final hit of the move ( though this was initially not the case in his character showcase video ) .
  • When using any even-numbered costume,Cloud performs Omnislash Ver . 5,the variant of Omnislash used in Advent child.
    • While the differences are mostly cosmetic,the final hit of Omnislash Ver . 5 has slightly different knockback properties against bystanders,always launching them in the direction Cloud is facing rather than the side of the explosion they are hit on. This changes the trajectory that bystanders behind Cloud are launched and,by extension,the directional influence that must be employed to potentially avoid being KOed,giving it a legitimate,albeit negligible,gameplay difference from Omnislash.
    • The string of airborne hits deal more damage (2.2% → 2.8 %) but there are fewer hits (14 → 11),resulting in the same amount of damage to trapped opponents.

Update history[edit]

Aside from a single nerf to Blade Beam in update 3.0.0,Cloud was buffed via game updates. While updates 2.0.0 and 3.1.0 provided only negligible improvements,update 7.0.0 buffed Cloud much more in comparison. Most notably,his inconsistent KO potential (one of his biggest weaknesses) was alleviated in a few ways: clean dash attack became a viable KOing option thanks to its higher knockback,up smash is faster overall andits sweetspot gained more knockback,and Limit Charge fills the Limit Gauge much faster. In addition,Cloud received a few quality of life buffs: forward smash’s hits connect more reliably,Climhazzard snaps to an edge earlier,and his shield was enlarged as part of a near-universal buff.

Lastly,update 13.0.1 decreased Finishing Touch’s overall lag to the point that it is not only safer to use,but also much easier to perform from setups at certain percentages.

Overall,Cloud fares better than he did at the launch of ultimate.

2.0.0

• Cloud can grab ledges faster after using forward aerial.
• Finishing Touch has more range at its beginning ( Y is offset offset : 20u-16u → 20u-11u ) . This is enables enable it to hit prone opponent .

3.0.0

• Blade Beam deals less shield damage (0 (all) → -4 (grounded clean)/-3 (grounded late)/-3.2 (aerial clean)/-2.4 (aerial late)).

3.1.0

• The farthest hitbox on down smash’s first hit has less set knockback (120 → 85) andits angle has been adjusted (165° (grounded)/176° (aerial) → 150°/155°). These changes make its hits connect more reliably.
• Created glitch where Cloud would significantly increase his momentum if he immediately used his aerial attacks or jump andbe hit by Cape while nearly charging his Limit Break.

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased.
• Dash attack has more knockback scaling (60 → 70),drastically improving its KO potential,to the point it can KO at around 140%.
• The set knockback of one of the hitboxes of forward smash’s second hit was reduced (90 → 80),making it less likely to knock opponents out of the final hit.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has less startup lag (frame 15 → 12),with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 49 → 46).
  • The 13 % hitboxes is have have more knockback scaling ( 96 → 105 ) .
  • The stronger “attack connect” HD rumble no longer triggers.
• The rising hit of Climhazzard snaps to the ledge earlier (frame 28 → 24).
• Cloud fills the Limit Gauge much faster from using Limit Charge (full charge: 400 frames → 335),filling it slightly faster than the original version in smash 4.

10.1.0

• Cloud obtains a new variant of his Final Smash,Omnislash Ver . 5,if the player chooses one of his Advent child (P2,P4,P6 andP8) costumes.
• Cloud got his spirit updated to his Final Fantasy VII artwork instead of reusing his ultimate artwork but Cloud’s spirit for his Advent child alt remains unchanged.

13.0.1

• Finishing Touch has less startup (grounded/aerial: 14/16 → 12/14,FAF grounded/aerial: 87/90 → 85/88).

Moveset[edit]

• Cloud has a unique fighter ability called the Limit Gauge. Over the course of normal play,the Limit Gauge will be filled automatically by inflicting or receiving damage. Alternatively,it can be filled manually by using his down special move,Limit Charge. The Limit Gauge is always present above his damage meter andwill display its current state of charge. When it is filled up,Cloud’s body will emit a blue,fiery aura andhe will gain upgraded,single use versions of his special moves alongside enhanced mobility for the duration of the charge.
• Cloud can wall jump.

For a gallery of Cloud’s hitboxes,see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage,without the 1v1 multiplier.

	Name	Damage	description
Neutral attack	Kick (キック) / Combination Kick (コンビネーションキック) / Side Swing (サイドスイング)	2.5%	A side kick,followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick,followed by an outward slash. All hits are executed very quickly andhave high range,particularly the kicks. The last hit can be used to tech-chase due to its low semi-spike knockback,but it is slow to end. The first two hits can jab lock,although their rather high hitbox placements make this difficult to accomplish. The kicks resemble his Shinra Front from ehrgeiz.
2%
3.5 %
Forward tilt	Side Slash (サイドスラッシュ)	11 %	An inward slash. It has fairly quick startup andis Cloud’s only tilt attack that KOs at reasonable percentages,as it will KO middleweights at 125% while near the edge. However,its very low base knockback andmoderate ending lag make it punishable on shield at low percentages unless it is spaced sufficiently. It resembles his basic attack in Final Fantasy VII.
Up tilt	Top Slash (トップスラッシュ)	8 %	An overhead arcing slash. Its hitbox starts behind Cloud,although it does not extend beside Cloud andmakes it unable to hit smaller characters beside him. It is fast,has a fairly large hitbox,and middling knockback. Altogether,these traits makes it a good anti-air,and allows it to reliably start combos such as into itself at 0% andinto aerials at low to medium percentages.
Down tilt	Sliding (スライディング)	6% (knee),7 % (leg)	A baseball slide. His legs are intangible while the hitbox is active,and it will sometimes deal less damage if landed early. It has very quick startup,propels Cloud a good distance forward,launches opponents vertically,and significantly lowers his hurtbox. Altogether,these traits make it useful as an approach andpunishment option,as well as a decent setup option into neutral andup aerials (albeit only during its ending frames). It resembles his Slide Buster from ehrgeiz.
Dash attack	Vertical Blade (バーティカルブレード)	11 % (clean),8 % ( late )	Thrusts the sharp edge of the Buster Sword forward while holding it diagonally downward. It has a lingering hitbox and,as of update 7.0.0,its clean hit is viable for KOing at 121% while near the edge.
Forward smash	Triple Buster (トリプルバスター)	3% (hit 1),2% (hit 2 center),3% (hit 2 hilt),4% (hit 2 tip),12 % (hit 3 tip),13 % (hit 3 non-tip)	Performs three extremely fast slashes in front of himself. The first two hits combo into the third,which has higher range andimmense knockback. It is Cloud’s strongest non-Limit Break move,KOing middleweights 96% at center-stage,but it has rather slow startup,high ending lag,and deals below average shieldstun. Additionally,each hit is only active for 1 frame,which means it can be dodged entirely with a well-timed roll or sidestep. It resembles his Buster Sword Slash from ehrgeiz andthe Kingdom Heart series ‘ depiction of his Cross Slash Limit Break .
Up smash	Upper Swing (アッパースイング)	13 % (early/tip),12 % (mid/hilt),8 % ( late )	An upward slash. It has some startup (frame 12) andmoderate ending lag,and its KO power is only average compared to most other up smashes,but it has a wide arc andhigh range,being able to function as an effective anti-air. Its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 112 %,although its sourspot (after the Buster Sword is held vertically) is weaker andKOs much later. It resembles the first hit of his Beta Chain from ehrgeiz.
Down smash	double Thrust (ダブルスラスト)	3% (hit 1),11 % (hit 2)	Kneels andthrusts the Buster Sword’s hilt forward,then performs a reverse gripped thrust behind himself. The first hit launches opponents into the second,though it is possible to tech after the first hit,causing the second to miss. The second hit is a semi-spike,making it useful for launching opponents with weak horizontal recoveries off-stage. It hits on frame 8,making it Cloud’s fastest smash attack,and a decent close-range out of shield option. It starts KOing at 109% while near the edge.
Neutral aerial	Circle Swing (サークルスイング)	8 %	Performs a one-handed circular slash while holding the Buster Sword parallel to himself. While its range is somewhat lacking compared to Cloud’s other attacks,it is his fastest aerial nonetheless andcovers his whole hurtbox decently well. Autocancels in a short hop,which makes it very useful for air-to-ground transitions.
Forward aerial	Meteor Slash (メテオスラッシュ)	14% (clean sweetspot),13 % (clean sourspot),11 % ( late )	Briefly pauses andthen performs a downward slash. It is his slowest aerial to start (frame 18),but has a sweetspot on the middle of the Buster Sword’s blade as it comes down that powerfully meteor smashes aerial opponents. Grounded opponents are sent at a more vertical angle by the sweetspot. If contact is made once the blade stops,it deals weaker knockback. Its ending lag is moderate,though its landing lag is low for its range andpower,and it autocancels from a full hop. On landing,its sweetspot on grounded opponents can act as a situational combo starter. It is almost identical to his Braver Limit Break and,to a lesser degree,resembles his attack animation when using the Deathblow Materia in Final Fantasy VII.
Back aerial	Back Upper (バックアッパー)	13 %	Turns around to perform an outward slash. It has very long range andrespectable power,KOing middleweights at 115% while near the edge,making it effective for spacing andKOing. It also has very low landing lag andautocancels in a short hop; these traits make it very difficult to punish,even when blocked,and enable it to set up a combo or even a wall of pain at low percentages. It has limited vertical range,however,and its hitbox is only active for 2 frames. Its solid balance of speed,range andpower has led to many considering it one of the best back aerials in the game. It resembles the sword strike he performs during his Meteorain Limit Break.
Up aerial	Lift Up (リフトアップ)	11 % (clean),8 % ( late )	Thrusts the sharp edge of the Buster Sword’s blade upward while holding it parallel to the ground. It has sex kick properties. It comes out on frame 8,works as an excellent combo starter on landing,being able to combo into most of Cloud’s moves especially at low percentages,while its late hit can set up KO confirms into Limit Cross Slash andFinishing Touch. It can also autocancel in a short hop andits large,lingering hitbox makes it an effective anti-air andpunishment tool. It also boasts respectable knockback by itself,with its clean hit KOing near the upper blast line at 140%. Unlike in SSB4,however,it is very difficult to land on grounded opponents,as its hitbox does not extend much beyond the Buster Sword itself. It resembles the lifting animation from the beginning of Omnislash.
Down aerial	Under Stab (アンダースタッブ)	13 % (clean aerial sourspot,grounded opponent),15% (aerial sweetspot),8 % ( late )	A downward thrust. Striking directly beneath Cloud with the first few frames meteor smashes aerial opponents. Its late hit is a capable combo starter when autocanceled (from a full hop,but right before he reaches the apex),which even has certain KO confirms at high percentages. It has a long duration,but also has high ending lag,making it very risky to use offstage. Despite its meteor smashing capabilities,it has rather quick startup (frame 11); this enables it to be used as a setup option. It resembles the Kingdom Heart series’ depiction of his Climhazzard Limit Break.
Grab	Grab (つかみ)	—	Reaches out with his hand. It has very short range relative to Cloud’s stance.
Pummel	Grab Knee Kick (つかみひざ蹴り)	1.3 %	A knee strike. Average power andspeed.
Forward throw	rocket kick (ロケットキック)	4% (hit 1),3% (throw)	A modified dropsault. It has low knockback,so it is usually used for positioning or throwing opponents off-stage. It only KOs at 223% on Battlefield. It resembles Tifa Lockhart’s Somersault Limit Break.
Back throw	Reverse Kick (リバースキック)	3% (hit 1),3% (throw)	A spinning back kick. At low percentages,it is capable of tech-chasing with Blade Beam or his dash attack against middleweights andheavyweights. Has weak knockback,making it suitable only for positioning andedgeguard setups. It only KOs at 213 %.
Up throw	Double Spin Kick (ダブルスピンキック)	2% (hit 1),2.5% (hit 2),4% (throw)	A 540 kick. It is Cloud’s most damaging throw,yet its only utility is to set up juggles,due to its knockback being too low for KOing reliably andits ending lag being too high for followups. It KOs at 179% while on Battlefield’s top platform,but only KOs at 234% without platforms.
Down throw	Bash Down (バッシュダウン)	7 %	A one-handed body slam. It launches opponents behind him with low base knockback,making it a very ineffective throw for combos. Although it KOs earlier than any of his other throws excluding platforms,it only does so at 181% against middleweights andwhile Cloud is facing away from the edge of Battlefield. It resembles Tifa’s Meteor Strike Limit Break,albeit performed while grounded instead of airborne.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge	—	—
Techs	—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)		7 %	Swings the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)		7 %	Swings the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)		5%	Swings the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Edge attack Edge getup		10%	Performs an inward slash while climbing up.
Neutral special	Blade Beam	8 % (grounded clean),6% (grounded late),6.4% (aerial clean),4.8 % (aerial late),6% (Limit Break hit 1),4.8 % (Limit Break aerial hit 1),2% (Limit Break hits 2-6),1.6% (Limit Break aerial hits 2-6),3% (Limit Break hit 7),2.4% (Limit Break aerial hit 7)	Swings the Buster Sword upward andin front of himself in order to launch a green,crescent-shaped energy beam as a projectile. It comes out andmoves rather slowly,but travels a long distance andhas a large hitbox. It is stronger if used on the ground andhits early. The aerial version is slower anddeals less damage,but gives Cloud a Fall Break effect. Like most projectiles,it disappears on contact with an object or enemy. The Limit Break variant possesses transcendent priority,moves much faster across the ground,grants Cloud’s entire body intangibility on startup andhits multiple times,with its last hit having great KO potential KOing at 102% while near the edge. It is still weaker andslower when performed in midair,however. Upon hitting a wall,the Limit Break variant will not disappear andinstead act as if hitting a player,making it an effective stage-spiking tool if performed under the ledge. However,this maneuver is rather risky considering Cloud’s poor recovery.
Side special	Cross Slash	4% (hit 1),3% (hit 2-4),6% (hit 5),5% (Limit Break hit 1),3% (Limit Break hits 2-4),10% (Limit Break hit 5)	Performs a downwards slash. On contact with an enemy,pressing the special button allows this slash to transition into a series of follow-up slashes,spelling the kanji 凶 (きょう) (“bad luck”,”misfortune”). The full attack deals high damage andmoderate knockback,making it a superb punishing option at close range. It is weak against shields,however,as all stages of the attack are slow andpunishable if missed. Its Limit Break variant results in Cloud unleashing all five strikes with a single input regardless of whether he hits anything. It also significantly increases both the damage andKO potential of the move,KOing middleweights at 100% from center-stage,while reducing the move’s ending lag to such an extent that it becomes nearly impossible to punish without being right behind Cloud as he unleashes the move while also granting intangibility to Cloud’s body on startup. Additionally,Limit Cross Slash deals a high amount of shield damage,so much so that the final hit can sometimes break a middleweight’s shield if used after a forward or back air,making it risky for opponents to hold shield near Cloud during Limit Break. When used in the air,it halts all momentum until the move is finished. It is commonly considered Cloud’s most effective Limit Break move due to its abundance of positive traits.
Up special	Climhazzard	3% (hit 1),4% (hits 2-3),3.5% (landing),6% (Limit Break hit 1),7 % (Limit Break hit 2)	A leaping reverse gripped slash. If the special button is pressed again,it is followed with a descending reverse gripped slash. The first hit deals set knockback that leads into the second hit,which has a sweetspot at the center of the Buster Sword’s blade that meteor smashes opponents as Cloud descends. It is Cloud’s primary recovery move,though it is notable for being very ineffective due to multiple traits: it grants mediocre distance with low vertical height andalmost no horizontal momentum,and the descending slash cannot be canceled andis not able to sweetspot the edge until Cloud has fallen a certain distance with it,making it unsuitable to use offstage. Its fast startup makes it a good surprise attack when grounded,particularly as an out of shield option. Its Limit Break variant greatly strengthens the rising (but not falling) hits of the move (allowing it to KO grounded middleweights at 113 %),allows it to sweetspot edges throughout,grants Cloud intangibility on startup andmuch greater vertical andhorizontal distance.
Down special	Limit Charge / Finishing Touch	1% (Finishing Touch)	Holds the Buster Sword horizontally in front of himself andremains still in order to manually charge the Limit Gauge. While the move is being held,a text box labeled “Limit” appears above Cloud,which contains a meter that denotes the current level of Limit andincreases as it is charged. The Limit Gauge will reach full charge either by using Limit Charge for 335 frames but can be alternatively filled by inflicting 150% or receiving 100% andeach of these methods stacks with each other. When the Limit Gauge is fully charged,Cloud will say “限界を越える” (“limits are meant to be broken”,”breaking the limit”). The move can be charge-canceled by pressing the shield button,hitting the control stick left or right (which triggers a roll),grabbing,or pressing the special button again (the latter of which has an 8 frame delay). When the Limit Gauge is filled,Cloud is surrounded by a blue,fiery aura,and his mobility receives a noticeable increase. As long as he is in this state,he has access to much more powerful,single use variants of his special attacks,as listed above. Using any of these attacks will empty the Limit Gauge andreturn Cloud to his normal state,even if the move misses or is interrupted. The charge goes away in 15 seconds if it isn’t used at all when fully charged. The Limit Break variant is is of Limit Charge itself is an entirely different attack callFinishing Touch,in which Cloud performs a spinning,upward arcing slash to generate a large whirlwind. Although the whirlwind inflicts only 1%,it has tremendous knockback,so much so that it can KO most opponents before 70%. The move hits on frame 14 but has very high ending lag andalmost no shieldstun due to its abysmal damage output. The attack is weaker as a whole when performed in the air,however,KOing 24% later when hit in the front and36% later with the back hitbox. The attack’s hitbox is deceptively large,and it generates a powerful windbox that extends even further beyond the Buster Sword’s range,pushing opponents away. Finishing Touch’s animation may be based on Tornado,an unused Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII.
Final Smash	Omnislash / Omnislash Ver . 5	Omnislash: 1% (hit 1),3% (hit 2) 2.2% (hits 3-16),5% (hit 17),4% (hit 18,falling),10% (hit 19,explosion),53.8 % (all hits connect) Omnislash Ver . 5: 1% (hit 1),3% (hit 2),2.8 % (hits 3-13),5% (hit 14),4% (hit 15,falling),10% (hit 16,explosion),53.8 % (all hits connect)	Rushes forward at high speed andattacks,unleashing a series of slashes that concludes with a powerful,descending slash that triggers an explosion. At the beginning of the move,with a text box appearing above him that displays “Omnislash” as he proceeds to flings any opponents he runs into to the top of the screen. After the series of slashes,Cloud charges up a final slash,in which he descends andslashes the opponent down to the stage andresults in a huge explosion that launches the opponent. One of the most powerful Final Smashes in the game when successful,as it can KO as low as 22%. Unlike Marth andLucina’s Critical Hit,Cloud will dash off the edges of platforms if Omnislash is initiated next to one,and he cannot cancel the move. If using his Advent child costume in Version 10.1.0 or later,he will use Omnislash Ver . 5 instead,though it is mostly an aesthetic change excluding the final hit which always launches bystanders in the same direction as the opponent caught by the move,unlike the default version. These two changes effectively make the move functionally identical against the caught opponent,but potentially slightly different against bystanders.

This article could use additional or higher-quality audio files. The editor who added this tag suggests: Needs announcer calls from other languages. If you have a good audio file for this article,upload it here.

• Descends from the sky andcatches the Buster Sword with a flourish. Based on his landing animation from after Omnislash Ver . 5 in Final Fantasy VII: Advent child.

• Cloud’s on-screen appearance.

• Up taunt: Twirls the Buster Sword andplaces it behind his back. It is almost identical to his victory animation andthe official artwork from Final Fantasy VII,while saying 興味ないね (“I’m not interested.”),his catchphrase from Final Fantasy VII.
• Side taunt: Performs his magic casting animation from Final Fantasy VII,complete with the sound effect andaura from that game.
• Down taunt: Leans on the Buster Sword while scoffing. It resembles the cocky pose he assumes in many cutscenes throughout Final Fantasy VII.

• Pulls the Buster Sword back andrubs the edge of its blade.
• Holds the Buster Sword upward in front of himself with both hands.

• Cloud’s second idle pose.

	Cheer (English)	Cheer ( Japanese / Chinese )	Cheer ( Italian )	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer
description	Cloud! – Cloud! – Cloud!	Ku – rau -do !	Forza Cloud! *claps 5 times*	Cloud! Cloud! Clo – Clo – Cloud!	Cloud! *claps 2 times*

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer ( Russian )	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer
description	Cloud! *claps 2 times*		Cloud! Cloud!	Keu – lla – u – deu!

• Left: Twirls the Buster Sword with one hand andplaces it on his back with his eyes closed andsays “悪く思うな“,which translates to “No hard feelings.” Based on his victory animation in Final Fantasy VII.
• Up: While turning away from the camera,he twirls the Buster Sword,places it on his back andthen looks to the left while hiding his face,saying “ついてないな“,which translates to “Better luck next time.” Based on his appearance in the North American box art of Final Fantasy VII andhis pose when he first enters Shinra Headquarters.
• Right: Dashes into the screen,slashes the Buster Sword twice andgets in his battle stance while saying “お前に俺は倒せない“,which translates to “You cannot defeat me.” The slashes resemble Cloud’s animation when using the 2x-Cut command in Final Fantasy VII.

A remix of the victory theme heard in

Final Fantasy VII

,which is itself a variant of the victory theme heard throughout the

Final Fantasy

series. Unlike other themes,it continuously plays,replacing the results theme.

Most historically significant players[edit]

See also: Category:Cloud players (SSBU)

•  CurryGovernor – The best Cloud player in Europe,playing the character for his entire competitive career aside from a brief stint with Chrom in the first half of 2022. His breakout event was his 7th-place finish at Valhalla III,where he defeated several notable European talent including Oryon,Tru4,and Peli. In addition to other successful performances outside his region,including 9th at GLORY 3 defeating Chag,he has also placed highly at many UK events,including 2nd at KO: The Main Event defeating Luugi and3rd at Invasion: January 2022.
•  enhancedpv – One of the best Cloud players in North America,especially during the online metagame andin 2022,eventually ranking 100th on the UltRank 2022 thanks to noteworthy major performances such as 17th at Mainstage 2022 and25th at The Big House 10,defeating yonni in the former andNed in the latter. He has seldomly attended majors since,though he had a notable run to 17th at Let’s Make Big Moves 2023 with a win over Onin,and continues to dominate competitive play in his region.
•  Kola – Although better known for his Roy,Kola also played Cloud throughout his competitive career,especially in the early metagame and2021 where he used Cloud as a co-main,including winning InfinityCON Tally 2021 with primarily Cloud andboth SWT: NA East ultimate Regional Finals andCEO 2021 using Cloud in crucial sets,in addition to placing 2nd at Just Roll With It! 11 and5th at 2GG: Grand Tour – South Carolina with primarily Cloud. He has since relegated Cloud to a secondary or counterpick in matchups that are less favorable to Roy.
•  Masashi – The best Cloud player in Japan in the early metagame. Alongside a series of great performances at Sumabato andKarisuma events,he notably placed well at two of the largest events of the early metagame — 25th at EVO Japan 2020 and33rd at EVO 2019 — despite an overall mixed track record at major events. He has achieved some success in the post-pandemic metagame,including placing 13th at Maesuma TOP 6 and17th at Maesuma TOP 9; however,his results became increasingly inconsistent as time went on.
•  Niko – One of the best Cloud players in North America. He is best known for his performance at Lost Tech City 2022,where he defeated WaDi,MVD,and Skyjay to place 7th,in addition to several other noteworthy performances that year,including 17th at Rise ‘N Grind,which led to him ranking 56th on the UltRank 2022. Since then,he remains mostly active in his region,with strong performances such as 13th at Low Tide City 2023 and25th at Rise ‘N Grind 2023,and has only made a handful of appearances outside his region,most notably placing 13th at Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024.
•  Sparg0 – One of the greatest ultimate players of all-time andby far the greatest Cloud player of all-time,his performances greatly contributing to an improvement in Cloud’s community reception. In addition to being one of the earliest successful Cloud players in competitive play,he is also the only Cloud player who remains relevant in top-level play throughout competitive ultimate,having been frequently ranked among the top 3 since the online metagame. He has won many supermajors,including Kagaribi 10,Watch The Throne,and Supernova 2024,and remains the only Cloud player to win a major.
•  YOC – The best Cloud player in Japan in the post-pandemic metagame,although similar to Masashi,his major performances have also been inconsistent. His 7th-place finish at Maesuma TOP 8 remains the only top 8 major finish from a primarily Cloud player other than Sparg0,and he has also placed 9th at Seibugeki 15 and13th at UltCore. In addition,YOC has several noteworthy superregional performances,having placed 5th at both Gen 1.0 andWAVE CHAMPIONS 1 as well as 7th at Gen 1.1,defeating Umeki in the latter event.

Tier placement andhistory[edit]

While Cloud was initially considered to be an extremely potent character,his results initially saw a significant drop from his smash 4 days,as most of his best players either moved on from competitive Smash or dropped the character. This is due to Cloud’s noticeably worse toolkit andflaws,such as inconsistencies with KOing,the shortened Limit Gauge time,his linear recovery,and his poor grab game,becoming more apparent in the new metagame. As such,players initially considered him to be amongst the lower half of mid tier,with many of his top players even agreeing that he belongs there.

Cloud’s reputation started to improve around the summer of 2019 thanks to the efforts of players such as Kola andSparg0,both of whom managed to see consistent national-level success andwins,as well as Cloud’s noteworthy buffs in update 7.0.0 which improved his KO power. This perception continued to improve during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the efforts of Sparg0,who used both Cloud andthe then-newly released Pyra andMythra to eventually claim the top spot on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7. When offline competitive play returned,Sparg0 established himself as one of the best players in the world,eventually winning his first major at Smash ultimate Summit 4 using mostly Cloud. Since then,most of his tournament performances have been with Cloud,leading many to agree that,while he was still worse than his smash 4 counterpart,he was still just as viable in ultimate‘s metagame. As such,Cloud was ranked 10th on the first tier list as a top tier character.

Following the first tier list,players began questioning whether Cloud should really be considered a top tier character. These players pointed out how no other Cloud players came remotely close to Sparg0 in terms of skill level andresults; Barnard’s Loop noted how Sparg0 took up 50% of all Cloud results in 2023,with only one other player — YOC — taking up more than 5%.^{[ 1 ]} In addition,Sparg0 was the only player ranked on the LumiRank 2023 who primarily played Cloud,while all other players ranked with Cloud only used him as a secondary andto a lesser degree of success. On the other hand,with the metagame favoring characters with more patient andcampier playstyles,players pointed out how Cloud served as a good counter to some of those characters,which was most apparent with Sparg0’s flawless record against Steve andMr. Game & Watch for that year. As such,even with the discourse surrounding Cloud’s representation,he was ranked 13th on the second tier list as an A-tier,with the drop mainly being the result of the meteoric rise of Snake andMr. Game & Watch on the tier list.

Cloud’s congratulations screen.

All of Cloud’s battles occur on vehicular stages andhis opponents are characters associated with them. This is a reference to the fact that he suffers from motion sickness,while his Classic Mode route’s title is a direct reference to his catchphrase,”Not interested.”

credit roll after complete Classic Mode . complete it as Cloud hasFight On! accompany the credits.

Finding Cloud in World of Light

Although Cloud does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene,he was vaporized andlater imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (with the exception of Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Cloud was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon’s control upon Galeem’s first defeat. He is unlocked in the Sacred Land sub-area in The Dark Realm,guarding the Master Sword required to dispel the darkness clouding the top part of the land which makes up the Triforce of Power after Sonic has been awakened,making his unlocking mandatory.

In Sephiroth’s reveal trailer,Cloud is seen in his Advent child design (specifically the P6 variant as indicated by the ribbon on his left arm) with the other fighters trying to fend off Galeem. When Sephiroth arrives anddisposes of Galeem,Cloud recognizes him,and later fights him one-on-one in a manner similar to their final battle in Advent child. After hitting Sephiroth with Omnislash Ver . 5,he andSephiroth have an exchange (taken word-for-word from Advent child) before Sephiroth transforms into Safer∙Sephiroth as a prelude to his own Final Smash.

Fighter Battle[edit]

Cloud’s default fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold,but only after Cloud has been unlocked. Unlocking Cloud in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name “???”. As a fighter spirit,it cannot be used in Spirit Battles andis purely aesthetic. This fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in ultimate. Originally,only ultimate‘s render of Cloud’s default appearance was available for his default fighter spirit. However,update 10.1.0 added artwork of him from Final Fantasy VII for his default fighter spirit.

Cloud’s Advent child outfit also has a fighter spirit of its own,available through the shop,or by completing a challenge (Smash: As Cloud,hit an opponent with his side special,Cross Slash,while the Limit Gauge is charged). Unlike his default fighter spirit,his Advent child fighter spirit only uses his ultimate P2 render instead of also featuring alternative artwork from a previous appearance.

• 1,005. Cloud (Advent child)

In Spirit battle[edit]

As the main opponent[edit]

As a minion[edit]

1. ^ ^{a b} This alternative is occurs occur when the correspond DLC has been purchase anddownload .

Cloud’s default costume is based on his appearance in Final Fantasy VII while accommodate some change to his design originate fromDissidia Final Fantasy,namely the redesigned SOLDIER logo on his belt anda redesigned pauldron. He has an alternate costume based on his appearance in Final Fantasy VII: Advent child,known as “Cloudy Wolf” in Dissidia Final Fantasy,which replaces the Buster Sword with the Fusion Sword. It has two minor variants: one with a long sleeve covering Cloud’s left arm to hide the visible signs of his Geostigma,and the other revealing Cloud’s left arm after he has been cured of Geostigma,as well as a pink ribbon wrapped around it,which he andhis party wear in memory of Aerith Gainsborough.

Gallery[edit]

Fighter Showcase Video[edit]

• A section of Cloud’s trailer pictures him using his side taunt with R.O.B. in the distance,who is promptly struck by Thunder. This is a direct reference to spellcasting andits general animations in the Final Fantasy series,with Thunder being a basic Black Magic spell throughout the series. Thunder,localized as “Bolt” in Final Fantasy VII,is one of Cloud’s starting spells in that game,and is often effective against mechanical enemies.
• Cloud’s official artwork resembles his idle animation from Final Fantasy VII andSuper Smash Bros.,as well as Ike’s official render for brawl.
• With Marth andRoy now dubbed in English for international releases of ultimate,Cloud is the one of the four playable characters along with Hero,Mewtwo andSephiroth with an established English voice actor (in Cloud’s case,Steve Burton at the time of the game’s launch) to only be voiced by his Japanese voice actor in all versions of ultimate.
  • Additionally,he,Sephiroth,and Kazuya are the only ones who speak in Japanese in all versions of the game,while they andMin Min are the only characters to not speak English in all versions of the game.
• Within the 1,297 spirits included at launch in the game,Cloud has the fewest Spirit battles out of the entire non-DLC roster,being only part of the Zeke andMaster Edges spirits. If post-launch spirits are counted,however,both Olimar andDark Pit take this distinction instead.
  • Since both spirit battles do not take place during World of Light’s events,Cloud is one of two characters whose only appearance is as their original fighter in World of Light (the other being the Pokémon Trainer).
    • Technically,Bowser Jr. andOlimar themselves also hold this distinction,even though their alternate costumes (the Koopalings andAlph) do appear in Spirit Battles in said mode.
• As of update 10.1.0,Cloud is the first fighter to change their spirit artwork.
• Cloud’s Advent child fighter spirit is one of only 11 fighter spirits in the game to use their in-game render for their spirit artwork instead of original artwork from their game.
  • The other characters are both male andfemale Pokémon Trainer,both male andfemale Robin,both male andfemale Wii Fit Trainer,all three Mii Fighters,and the default version of Kazuya.
  • This distinction also applied to Cloud’s regular fighter spirit until update 10.1.0.
• Prior to update 10.1.0,Cloud could not receive a series bonus from a spirit,as Final Fantasy did not have any spirits apart from Cloud’s fighter spirits. After this update,that distinction is now only held by the Ice Climbers andR.O.B.
• As of the version 10.1.0,Cloud,along with R.O.B.,the Ice Climbers,Duck Hunt,Daisy,Ken,are the only non-DLC characters who do not appear in more than one spirit battles from their home series. Dr. Mario doesn’t appear in any Mario spirit battles at all. This is not counting Olimar,who appears only in the Mockiwi spirit battle as himself,but is fought in other spirit battles as Alph.
• According to Masahiro Sakurai from a Famitsu column,as of January 2019,Cloud was the most used fighter online.^[2]
• When using one of Cloud’s Advent child costumes,part of his left shoulder will be cut out on his damage meter.
  • Oddly,the shoulder was not cut in the E3 demo of the game.
• When fighting off the fifty puppet fighter army as Master Hand in World of Light,Cloud is one of the eight fighters fought there,being affiliated with Dharkon.
• Striking opponents with the sweetspot of Cloud’s up smash does not trigger controller rumble. This is likely due to the startup of the move being altered in update 3.0.0,and the controller vibration was not similarly changed,
  • Striking opponents with the sourspot of the same move triggers controller rumble with the same intensity as hitting the sweetspot normally would.
• Cloud’s CGI model in both Sephiroth’s andSora’s trailers is,notably,based on his Advent child design with the sleeve off rather than his default costume,making him the only character who appears in CGI with an alternate costume,but not the default costume.
• Cloud is the first character in the Super Smash Bros. series to have a move differ between his alternate costumes,as in version 10.1.0,Omnislash Ver . 5 was added as a replacement Final Smash when wearing his Advent child costumes. However,the change is mostly aesthetic.
  • Since this alternate version of the attack was added via update 10.1.0,this also makes Cloud the first character in the series to be granted a new move,as well as new voice clips (other than Kirby),via an update.
• Cloud is the only third-party veteran to gain new voice clips (albeit after an update andonly for Omnislash Ver . 5). Sonic (barring Japanese),Ryu,and Bayonetta use their voice clips from SSB4,Snake andSonic (in Japanese) use their voice clips from brawl,while Mega Man andPac-Man remain mute.
• Cloud is one of two characters whose Final Smash background color changes depending on the alternate costume used. The background will be dark blue when using Omnislash (which is used by his Final Fantasy VII costumes) andgray when using Omnislash Ver . 5 (which is used by his Advent child costumes). The other character with this distinction is Inkling.
• In the World of Light,Cloud is the only fighter to have no affiliations with Galeem whatsoever as his only encounter as himself is associated with Dharkon.

reference[edit]