Cloud Strife Announced For Smash 4!

When the first Nintendo Direct was announced since the passing of Satoru Iwata Nintendo fans were excited. Then Sakurai himself retweeted the direct and the website movie list for Smash broke (something that has happened before other DLC videos released). Well Smash fans the hype was very real as we got a brand new character coming to Smash: Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7!

Also hinted in the video are Chocobo costumes for the Miis. In the Nintendo direct itself it was announced a special Smash broadcast would be taking place some time in Decemember 2015. Will this be a big broadcast about the Smash Ballot? Excited to see Cloud in Smash? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to Smashboards for future news coverage!

 

Ok, I'm gonna preface this by saying Cloud is such a random character to put in smash bros- adding him is a lot like adding James Bond because of Goldeneye 64

With that said, I feel like some of the other swordsman in smash were "trying" to be Cloud, like they were trying to initially capture his essence without actually adding him. Ike's final smash was a rip off of Cloud's Omni (check your gaming history you folks who keep saying Cloud is ripping from Ike). Also, Shulk is a blonde guy with a massive sword (straight forward enough). And as for the relevance factor, his appearance makes me wonder if Cloud will be appearing in some future Nintendo game...

While I am very excited for Cloud, I'm more pumped because it could mean other square characters like Sora, Neku or the Super Mario RPG cast could make an appearance! Geno, Mallow or Smithy please!

 

Soooo, lemme get this straight. Cloud Strife, one of the most iconic swordsmen, is in the same game as the Duck Hunt Dog...? Seems legit.

I'm actually indifferent in his conclusion, though. It is what it is...

 

Very surprised that Cloud is smash. What got me was the stage and I said "it's legal" until I see the stage split in half

 

I guess I'll go ahead and quote my post on the unpopular opinions thread...

I've never especially cared about any Final Fantasy game outside of the Tactics series. I'm still hyped about Cloud because holy crap Cloud is in Smash!! Where'd you guys' childlike sense of wonder go? We're gonna have a game where you can host a huge battle royale between Mario, Sonic, Pac Man, Megaman, Pikachu, Ryu, and Cloud - a rogues' gallery of the most iconic characters in the history of video games, all together under one roof, with the promise of more to come. If you showed even the list of characters to someone from twenty years ago, they'd flip out.

Maybe that's not really an unpopular opinion, I just wanted to get that off my chest.

 

Hmm, just some interesting things to note. He's got Shulk's exact Jab Combo, no animation changes. He's also got Shulk''s Back Air and Down air and Marth's forward air, and I think I saw a dancing blade in there. Oh, and while Omnislash may be his signature attack, it still shares the animation with Ike's with a large explosion on the end. He's a clone, guys. He's just a bit more disguised because he's a clone of several characters instead of one, with some unique special moves.

I think you need to take a closer look at Cloud's jab combo in the trailer and then look at Shulk's because they're completely different other than being 3 hits. Playing the videos skip to the parts where they use their jabs.

 

No doubt in my mind that this is the ballot character. Certainly a better choice then most ideas I've heard...

Limit gauge should be an interesting gimmick. Although really all I care about at this point is if he'll be viable, because he's managed to have an underwhelming trailer. Like every attack of his has tooooons of startup from the looks of things.

How can he be the ballot character. It would've taken at least around 4 months to even get this close to finishing the character, and the ballot just finished 1 month ago, so it is impossible for him to be the ballot character.

 

How can he be the ballot character. It would've taken at least around 4 months to even get this close to finishing the character, and the ballot just finished 1 month ago, so it is impossible for him to be the ballot character.

What stopped Sakurai from picking somebody early on? Cloud's ranked quite high in many a fan poll and is also the second most downloaded character skin from Brawl Vault. If he got a ton of votes day one on top of his other poll results it wouldn't be a hard choice to make.

 

Fire Emblem has been on Nintendo systems since the first game on the NES. Just because the series wasn't released in America until after Melee doesn't mean that it's never been on Nintendo platforms you moron. Cloud still hasn't had a game on Nintendo platforms.

My point. Roy wasn't on a Nintendo platform yet, but it was still featured. My point is that you can have it represented even if it's from the same franchise. How about you read it instead of calling me a moron.

 

Tactics Advance is a separate but related series from FF; it has its own sequels within the Ivalice world. But you know, I already acknowledged that FF6 was on a Nintendo console and that he's representing the FF series. Heck, 1-6 were released on Nintendo first. I definitely consider the series as representing Nintendo, just that Cloud has always been a Playstation mascot to me.


Hey, I could've said like, Mog over Terra! He was in the commercial after all

I agree wholeheartedly. My initial response's point was that.

 

This is epic... FFVII is my favorite single player game ever... I didn't think that this was possible!!!

Quite a few places that could be used as his stage. Midgar, Cosmo Canyon, the Nibelhime Fire, a Mako reactor.

Request ninendo: Cosmo Canyon as background music.,

 

This is epic... FFVII is my favorite single player game ever... I didn't think that this was possible!!!

Quite a few places that could be used as his stage. Midgar, Cosmo Canyon, the Nibelhime Fire, a Mako reactor.

Request ninendo: Cosmo Canyon as background music.,

As long as I get my Bombing Mission Theme, then I'm cool!

 

I'm quite pleased with Cloud's appearence, definately going to buy him.

Other than that, I have seen quite some bashing of other characters, especially Shovel Knight, Shantae, etc.

Things of the sorts like "at least it's not Shovel Knight!" Or "Yeah not Shantae, go cry!"

Is it really bad to want a certain character in a game? Grow up people. As a Shovel Knight supporter, I don't care if you don't want him. Just don't put people down for it.

As for Cloud.... WWEEEEEEEEEEEUUUIOW

 

*Sees all the hate Cloud is getting*
And this is but a taste of the salt to come.

 

MFW Cloud is announced for Sm4sh.

If you catch my drift

If you catch my drift

IF YOU CATCH MY DRI-

 

What stopped Sakurai from picking somebody early on? Cloud's ranked quite high in many a fan poll and is also the second most downloaded character skin from Brawl Vault. If he got a ton of votes day one on top of his other poll results it wouldn't be a hard choice to make.

I haven't heard much hype for cloud, and I've never played Brawl, thus don't know what the Brawl Vault is so I wouldn't have thought it. I still doubt he's the Ballot character, and I'm assuming, they'll pick more than just one character from the ballot.

 

It's smells like chocobo around here

 

Can people stop saying Cloud "is the ballot character" or he "won" the ballot? It wasn't a real contest, it was to let the developers have an idea of who people wanted. Of course the characters with more ballots to their name are getting in, but there will be multiple inclusions from it and no character just "wins" it

 

I've never played Final Fantasy 7.


But DAYUM,I WANNA MAIN THAT N**** !111!!

 

first off, enough Mii costumes. why not make new character skins for the fighters, like metal sonic, hyrule warriors ganon, other stuff like that-cosmetic stuff for the actual fighters, not just Mii's?
now on to what i think of this dlc.

never been a FF fan, and not to sound ungrateful, but after carefully watching this i can see where people are coming from-

down air was clearly Ike's.

the Final Smash was pretty much Ike's and Greninja's mashed together.

the up B might as well have been Dolphin Slash or even Shoriuken, just a little higher, or a more limited version of Roy's up B in terms of direction. the neutral air looked a lot like Marth/Roy/Lucina's. after watching vid again, the up B goes down in a similar way to Aether without the spinning at the apex.

the counter looked exactly like Shulk's. it would not surprise me if it functions the exact same way.

i'm not entirely sure, but the jab might have been Shulk's too.

i cant necessarily speak for the tilts or the aerials. the energy beam thing he did looks somewhat original, and maybe that form changing thing he did, but I'll need more than that to convince me to get him. if I'm honest i was hoping for Wolf or K'R Rool. at least there are still 3 slots and potentially more left, so i won't be losing hope.

 

OMG SAMURAI WHY!1
why not teh focs clon?
he can be revealed in the smash broadcast but cuz claud is annunced ne cant be in!1
oh abd he has de saem anination of other attaks he s gona be a clone!1!!


i'm one of the people that wanted Black Mage instead of Cloud, but he is also cool, don't hate on him only because he is not a fox semi-clone pls

 

Mjolnir/Hunter101
I'm down with character alts, that would be cool
The down air was link's, if anyone's
Final smash was Ike's, yeah, but I mean are we not gonna give Cloud Omnislash? And a good portion of people play without items anyway
...There were no neutral airs used
I honestly have no idea where you're coming from with the up-B stuff, not getting into that
It's not a counter, it's a combo-style move which had different timing each time it was used, similar to the Fire Emblemers' marvelous combination, and possibly being able to be dropped out of like theirs too. Just with less forward movement
the jab was not Shulk's. Shulk performs a wide, slow swing upward while Cloud slashes horiontally- like Ike's but quicker and probably lighter

 

I smell a Barret Mii Gunner costume, and a Tifa Mii Brawler costume! Also, are people forgetting that Cloud has always been on those ****ty photo shopped Smash rosters from years gone by? Seriously, just in case you forgot he was literally on like 99% of them and there were A LOT. I think those are a good indicator of just how many people wanted Cloud in this game. I'm personally super hyped about his inclusion. Also, have some respect FFVII is still one of the greatest JRPG's of all time and anyone unwilling to acknowledge that and write off Cloud as "just another spiky-haired anime swordsman" is seriously stupid and needs to study up on their gaming history.

 

It's extremely unlikely Cloud was chosen because of the ballot. 1. they would have needed to start work on him almost immediately when the ballot started to get that far. 2. negotiations had to be made between Nintendo and Square Enix to get the rights to use the characters and that can take quite some time. 3. they could have chosen a ballot character early, but I think they would have waited until the voting slowed down (1 or 2 months).

I think in December we will learn more about what was chosen from the ballot and we may get a few more characters with Cloud at that time while they finish the ballot characters up. I think we'll get an update for the game that'll add character slots. This is all speculation on my part though.

I like that Cloud is in. I never played FF7 all the way through and if you can't tell by my picture I'd prefer a different Square Enix Character, but I'm not making the game and Sakurai isn't making the game specifically for me.

My last hope is that Smash grows even bigger. It may be a while before another Smash game is released, but as it is right now this may be that game that all game companies (even Sony and Microsoft) can come together on.

 

This is Cloud's Nair since I saw people wondering what it was. It's like Ike's but with loads more Range on it and, it sends enemies at a low angle compared to Ike's which sends them upwards. EDIT: The more I think about this move the more it reminds me of Mii Swordfighter's Nair in terms in the angle Megaman is hit but it looks's closer to Ike's Nair in animation.

 

Honestly, I'm VERY happy with Cloud. I didn't see it coming at all..which is great..and he's honestly the best choice for Square-Enix representation since he is, by far, the most popular Square Enix character (also, just so people know, Sora from Kingdom Hearts wouldn't be a Square-Enix rep..Sora and all non-Final Fantasy things in the series are completely owned by Disney, not even partial ownership with Square-Enix)

I know people feel that it should have been a character more important to Nintendo..but, honestly, that was never a prerequisite that Sakurai put down..and most of Square-Enix's Nintendo roster didn't appear in Europe until the PSone re-releases to begin with (or until the Wii Virtual Console for Super Mario RPG & Geno).

Cloud, like it or not, is the poster boy not only for Square-Enix but also Final Fantasy, RPGs in general, and his game was responsible for popularizing the RPG Genre, especially in the West. In regards to Impact on the Industry, Final Fantasy VII had about as much as Sonic the Hedgehog, MegaMan, and Ryu..at the very least the latter two..and is an Icon in the Gaming Industry, even if it wasn't with Nintendo.

Not to mention there's still the possibility of Final Fantasy VII remake being announced for the NX.

 

Honestly, I'm VERY happy with Cloud. I didn't see it coming at all..which is great..and he's honestly the best choice for Square-Enix representation since he is, by far, the most popular Square Enix character (also, just so people know, Sora from Kingdom Hearts wouldn't be a Square-Enix rep..Sora and all non-Final Fantasy things in the series are completely owned by Disney, not even partial ownership with Square-Enix)

I know people feel that it should have been a character more important to Nintendo..but, honestly, that was never a prerequisite that Sakurai put down..and most of Square-Enix's Nintendo roster didn't appear in Europe until the PSone re-releases to begin with (or until the Wii Virtual Console for Super Mario RPG & Geno).

Cloud, like it or not, is the poster boy not only for Square-Enix but also Final Fantasy, RPGs in general, and his game was responsible for popularizing the RPG Genre, especially in the West. In regards to Impact on the Industry, Final Fantasy VII had about as much as Sonic the Hedgehog, MegaMan, and Ryu..at the very least the latter two..and is an Icon in the Gaming Industry, even if it wasn't with Nintendo.

Not to mention there's still the possibility of Final Fantasy VII remake being announced for the NX.

Let's not forget about Lightning, though. She's also a valid rep for Final Fantasy, too; well, more of the modern FFs, anyway.

 

Mjolnir/Hunter101
I'm down with character alts, that would be cool
The down air was link's, if anyone's
Final smash was Ike's, yeah, but I mean are we not gonna give Cloud Omnislash? And a good portion of people play without items anyway
...There were no neutral airs used
I honestly have no idea where you're coming from with the up-B stuff, not getting into that
It's not a counter, it's a combo-style move which had different timing each time it was used, similar to the Fire Emblemers' marvelous combination, and possibly being able to be dropped out of like theirs too. Just with less forward movement
the jab was not Shulk's. Shulk performs a wide, slow swing upward while Cloud slashes horiontally- like Ike's but quicker and probably lighter

fair enough. i was basically only trying to site exapmles of why some people are commenting that the move design is lazy. admittedly the trailers move really quickly, so i can easily believe i was mistaken.
i certainly have nothing against swordsman. Fire Emblem is one of my favorite game series ever. i suppose actual gameplay will be the true judge.
would still rather have fighter skins than Mii stuff, lol i want Luxurious Haired Ganon to be in the game somehow.

 

I do want to point something out to everyone who comments about Cloud 'not being popular' in the Ballot.
Remember that literally all you have to go on is those Polls that were taken..which were taken only by a minority of the Smash Bros. fanbase (including casuals here) and also then only those that spoke English. They are in no way accurate in the least..so don't treat them as gospel.

Cloud actually also shown up a lot as a request on the Japanese MiiVerse according to @PushDustIn
He was in the Top 20 for most mentioned characters, at Number 17, to be exact, and mentioned more then Number 18, Isaac from Golden Sun (for those wondering, King K. Rool is #1, Wolf #2, Roy #3, then Bandanna/Waddle Dee, Inkling, Snake, Magolar (Kirby), Ice Climbers, Geno, Banjo-Kazooie, Paper Mario, Krystal (StarFox), Ashley (WarioWare), Jiban (Yo-Kai Watch), Dixie Kong, Arle Nadja (Puyo Puyo), Cloud, Isaac, Bayonetta, Pichu, and Ridley at #21).

Who knows what the actual poll looked like though in Japan and the West, since Cloud is a popular character and a lot of people making requests don't have the 'Must be Important to Nintendo' mindset that some people here have (myself included originally..I'll admit I'm a hypocrite).

As I've been saying all along though, just because a fan-run poll says a character is 'most popular', doesn't mean that they actually are..we more hardcore fans are the MINORITY in this..just because we're vocal doesn't mean we're not..and we can't forget that.

Let's not forget about Lightning, though. She's also a valid rep for Final Fantasy, too; well, more of the modern FFs, anyway.

She is, but she severely lacks the popularity..she's more forced because she was FFXIII's director's baby, essentially, and they wanted to get as much life out of the Crystal Engine (XIII, XIII-2, and Lighting Return's Engine). I like Lightning though, so don't get me wrong.
Cloud Strife is, still, overall, the 'face' of both the series and RPGs in general..I mean, he did start the spiky hair/huge sword meme for RPGs even if he wasn't the first to sport either.

fair enough. i was basically only trying to site exapmles of why some people are commenting that the move design is lazy. admittedly the trailers move really quickly, so i can easily believe i was mistaken.
i certainly have nothing against swordsman. Fire Emblem is one of my favorite game series ever. i suppose actual gameplay will be the true judge.
would still rather have fighter skins than Mii stuff, lol i want Luxurious Haired Ganon to be in the game somehow.

Yeah, I never place much stock in people saying 'that's so-and-so's move' since they've called 'clone' a lot..and then the move doesn't work at all like people seemed to think..
Honestly, aside from the Final Smash, I didn't see any re-used moves or animations in Cloud's moveset (unless we're talking Dissidia or FFVII)..and even the Final Smash isn't exactly the same..for one thing, Cloud attacks from both sides, Ike attacks from only one, and it ends in a huge explosion.

Same here..Sakurai & Nintendo have got to know how popular ACTUAL fighter costumes are..I mean, character costumes have been a request for a long time in Smash..we really need to see ones like Daisy for Peach, a proper Fierce Deity Link (or even Classic Link like Hyrule Warriors), LBW Link for Toon, Dr. Luigi or Mr. L, Dry Bowser, Ken for Ryu, Eliwood or Classic Roy for Roy, PoR/Brawl Ike, Skyward Sword Zelda, etc.
I'm still hoping against hope that Cloud has more then just FFVII (actually Dissidia..shoulder pad is proof) and Advent Children..I'd love to see Ms. Cloud as a costume..or even Zack Fair & Kingdom Hearts Cloud (which was Cloud's first appearance on a Nintendo system).

 

I do want to point something out to everyone who comments about Cloud 'not being popular' in the Ballot.
Remember that literally all you have to go on is those Polls that were taken..which were taken only by a minority of the Smash Bros. fanbase (including casuals here) and also then only those that spoke English. They are in no way accurate in the least..so don't treat them as gospel.

Cloud actually also shown up a lot as a request on the Japanese MiiVerse according to @PushDustIn
He was in the Top 20 for most mentioned characters, at Number 17, to be exact, and mentioned more then Number 18, Isaac from Golden Sun (for those wondering, King K. Rool is #1, Wolf #2, Roy #3, then Bandanna/Waddle Dee, Inkling, Snake, Magolar (Kirby), Ice Climbers, Geno, Banjo-Kazooie, Paper Mario, Krystal (StarFox), Ashley (WarioWare), Jiban (Yo-Kai Watch), Dixie Kong, Arle Nadja (Puyo Puyo), Cloud, Isaac, Bayonetta, Pichu, and Ridley at #21).

Who knows what the actual poll looked like though in Japan and the West, since Cloud is a popular character and a lot of people making requests don't have the 'Must be Important to Nintendo' mindset that some people here have (myself included originally..I'll admit I'm a hypocrite).

As I've been saying all along though, just because a fan-run poll says a character is 'most popular', doesn't mean that they actually are..we more hardcore fans are the MINORITY in this..just because we're vocal doesn't mean we're not..and we can't forget that.


She is, but she severely lacks the popularity..she's more forced because she was FFXIII's director's baby, essentially, and they wanted to get as much life out of the Crystal Engine (XIII, XIII-2, and Lighting Return's Engine). I like Lightning though, so don't get me wrong.
Cloud Strife is, still, overall, the 'face' of both the series and RPGs in general..I mean, he did start the spiky hair/huge sword meme for RPGs even if he wasn't the first to sport either.


Yeah, I never place much stock in people saying 'that's so-and-so's move' since they've called 'clone' a lot..and then the move doesn't work at all like people seemed to think..
Honestly, aside from the Final Smash, I didn't see any re-used moves or animations in Cloud's moveset (unless we're talking Dissidia or FFVII)..and even the Final Smash isn't exactly the same..for one thing, Cloud attacks from both sides, Ike attacks from only one, and it ends in a huge explosion.

Same here..Sakurai & Nintendo have got to know how popular ACTUAL fighter costumes are..I mean, character costumes have been a request for a long time in Smash..we really need to see ones like Daisy for Peach, a proper Fierce Deity Link (or even Classic Link like Hyrule Warriors), LBW Link for Toon, Dr. Luigi or Mr. L, Dry Bowser, Ken for Ryu, Eliwood or Classic Roy for Roy, PoR/Brawl Ike, Skyward Sword Zelda, etc.
I'm still hoping against hope that Cloud has more then just FFVII (actually Dissidia..shoulder pad is proof) and Advent Children..I'd love to see Ms. Cloud as a costume..or even Zack Fair & Kingdom Hearts Cloud (which was Cloud's first appearance on a Nintendo system).

glad to see another person who wants Nintendo to start giving the fighters some love with skins :D

 

Oh boy. Looks like this reveal has caused some Strife in this thread.

 

Oh boy. Looks like this reveal has caused some Strife in this thread.

You could almost say we've been Clouded by Strife....

 

Can't people just be happy that other people are happy?

 

I hope Cloud and whatever else will be announced next month will be cheap like the Lucas bundle of stuff. I don't have a whole lot of money...

 

Nuff said.

 

Let's not forget about Lightning, though. She's also a valid rep for Final Fantasy, too; well, more of the modern FFs, anyway.

Considering FFXIII's mixed reviews for the first game and FFVII being solidly entrenched in pop culture and gaming culture, I'm not so sure.

Plus, there's an FFVII remake on the way so Cloud makes more sense for generating hype towards that. I doubt including Lightning would improve sales for Lightning Returns or upcoming FF games that don't include her.

Also Lightning is basically a genderbent Cloud, so if they were going to go with someone that's not Cloud I'd rather they go for someone else. Honestly I was expecting Sora, what with KH3 on the horizon, KH having more cartoony proportions and Sora having a much more varied set of moves.

 

I like this, I like this a lot. I promised myself if a Final Fantasy character ever made it into Smash, I would main them. Even if he turns out to be poo, I will love him forever.

 

FOR ALL YOU BOZOS DISSIN CLOUD IN SMASH:

Cloud is the best thing that ever happened to Smash.

He has:

Appeared on a Nintendo console multiple times.

Immense popularity (more than Geno and Sora)

His series:

Has had multiple installments on a Nintendo console (more so than Super Mario RPG or Kingdom Hearts).

Is bigger and more popular (and by extension more relevant to Nintendo)
than Kingdom Hearts and Super Mario RPG.


If Final Fantasy were to get a rep in Smash, it'd be Cloud. That's a no-brainer. Just because you weren't expecting him doesn't make him a dumb inclusion. If anything, Sakurai was thinking of the fans when he added him, so you can't say this doesn't live up to what the Smash Ballot has promised to be.

Knock it off. Get over it.

 

Considering FFXIII's mixed reviews for the first game and FFVII being solidly entrenched in pop culture and gaming culture, I'm not so sure.

Plus, there's an FFVII remake on the way so Cloud makes more sense for generating hype towards that. I doubt including Lightning would improve sales for Lightning Returns or upcoming FF games that don't include her.

Also Lightning is basically a genderbent Cloud, so if they were going to go with someone that's not Cloud I'd rather they go for someone else. Honestly I was expecting Sora, what with KH3 on the horizon, KH having more cartoony proportions and Sora having a much more varied set of moves.

So, she's a lost cause, then...? Oh well...guess you can throw THAT theory out the window. Then again, FFVII had a longer shelf life, as well as revolutionizing the realm of RPGs in more ways than one, and not to mention, including a unique Materia system.

 

FOR ALL YOU BOZOS DISSIN CLOUD IN SMASH:

Cloud is the best thing that ever happened to Smash.

He has:

Appeared on a Nintendo console multiple times.

Immense popularity (more than Geno and Sora)

His series:

Has had multiple installments on a Nintendo console (more so than Super Mario RPG or Kingdom Hearts).

Is bigger and more popular (and by extension more relevant to Nintendo)
than Kingdom Hearts and Super Mario RPG.


If Final Fantasy were to get a rep in Smash, it'd be Cloud. That's a no-brainer. Just because you weren't expecting him doesn't make him a dumb inclusion. If anything, Sakurai was thinking of the fans when he added him, so you can't say this doesn't live up to what the Smash Ballot has promised to be.

Knock it off. Get over it.

The thing is Cloud was choosen over an NES classic square character like Black Mage in a Nintendo all stars games when Cloud hasn't done anything special in Nintendo history and FF7 was the game that made square stop making big final fantasy games on Nintendo console for like more than 5 years.

And about Geno he has different situation because he is not representing square history but rather Nintendo history wich means he would be listed with Mario rep rather than the 3rd party rep, Cloud was probably square choice and not Nintendo choice just like Snake who was choosen by Konami and not Nintendo.

And Sora is owned by Disney.

 

DON'T WORRY. THIS IS NOT THE BALLOT CHARACTER. IS NOT THE BALLOT CHARACTER. SO DON'T BE Y ABOUT IT.