Cloud Strife

"This ends here!"

- Cloud using Omnislash Ver. 5 during his battle with Link

Cloud Strife is the protagonist in Final Fantasy VII, and arguably one of the most popular characters in video game history. He appears in the 22nd episode of Death Battle, Link VS Cloud, where he went up against Legend of Zelda protagonist, Link.

History
At a young age, Cloud strove to join the illustrious Shinra organization. Instead, he was forcefully exposed to Mako poisoning, a raw energy drained from the planet itself. He gained the memories of his deceased friend, Zack, and went on to be the guardian of the Lifestream from planetary threats such as the evil Sephiroth.

Background

 * Age: 24


 * Height: 5'7"


 * Superhuman Strength & Speed


 * Retains Zack's Memories & Skills


 * First Class Soldier Training


 * Impulsive & Moody


 * Inferiority Complex

Buster Sword

 * Length: 6'


 * Width: 2'


 * Base Power: 19


 * Base Accuracy: 96%


 * 2 Linked Martial Slots


 * Single-Edged Broadsword


 * Passed Down between Angeal, Zack, & Cloud

Materia

 * Fire/Firaga Level (Fire, Fira, & Firaga attacks; Projectile Based Pyrokinesis; Use Slightly decreases Strength)


 * Lightning Bolt/Thundaga Level (Thunder, Thundara, & Thundaga attacks; can summon lightning from the sky; can launch bolts of electric magic; use slightly decreases strength)

Limit Breaks

 * Braver


 * Cross Slash (Paralyzes Foes)


 * Blade Beam


 * Climhazzard


 * Finishing Touch


 * Meteorain (Launches up to 6 Meteors)


 * Omnislash Version 5

Armor

 * Ziedrich (Defensive Stregth: 100%; Magic Defensive Strength: 98%; 20% power increase; halves damages; 0 materia slots)


 * Metal Pauldron


 * Ribbon (grants immunity to status ailments including burn, ice, poison, etc.)

Feats

 * Defeated Sephiroth/Jenova 3 times


 * Killed Bahamut SIN


 * Works Best as Point Man in a Team


 * Focuses on Overpowering Foes


 * Has Survived Several Longfalls


 * Shrugged of Impalement Multiple times

Cloud Strife

 * Jenova Cells extremely vulnerable to the Master Sword's Magic.


 * Naturally Faster & Stronger


 * Building Limit Breaks take time


 * More Predictable Fighting Style


 * Ribbon Nullified Arrow Magic


 * Straightforward & Predictable combat failed against Link's analytical style

Link

 * 10 Generations of Experience


 * Shield means better defense


 * Less Predictable Fighting Style


 * Expert at Finding Weaknesses


 * Can fight up close or at a distance


 * Smarter Fighter


 * Support items match Cloud's superhuman abilities

DBX
Cloud appeared as a combatant in DBX where he battled Guts from the Berserk anime/manga series and won.

Trivia

 * Cloud is the first Square Enix character in Death Battle, the next three being Tifa Lockhart, Lara Croft and Sephiroth.
 * Cloud is also the first Final Fantasy character in Death Battle, with the next two being Tifa Lockhart and Sephiroth.
 * Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth all originated in Final Fantasy VII, making it the only part of the Final Fantasy series to be represented in a Death Battle.
 * Despite losing his Death Battle, his battle with Link was considered one of the closest fight in Death battle history, with the only Death Battle rivaling it in that regard being Hulk VS Doomsday.
 * Cloud's model, animation, and audio is used from Dissidia Final Fantasy.
 * Cloud is the third Death Battle loser to win in DBX after Ryu and Wolverine, and with the next five being Mega Man, Darth Vader, Chun-Li, Thor and The Hulk.