Why does everyone like Cloud?
- Thread starter Brad Shepard
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People love a broken beauty. While remaining a strong, protective character physically, Cloud has major emotional problems in his past, and when he goes into angst mode, there's more than a few women (and men) who snap into nurturing mode.
And for those with a less romantic interest in the character, he's an ordinary kid who grows up to save an awesome fantasy world. More than a few men (and women) would cut off their nuts to be him (you'd have to, btw).
And for those with a less romantic interest in the character, he's an ordinary kid who grows up to save an awesome fantasy world. More than a few men (and women) would cut off their nuts to be him (you'd have to, btw).
People don't go onto internet forums and ask why every "hates/likes" something because they actually want to know. They ask these questions because they (subconsciously or otherwise) have a preconceived notion about the subject. It clear that the original poster does not like Cloud and either is neutral to him or does not like him. Assuming that he's neutral, (because the other option implies somewhat that he's just a troll and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt) it's clear that he expects everyone to give reasons, thus providing argument to convince him. He makes no concession to play the game or to explain his own opinion or reasons to not like Cloud, he simply requests that everyone give him something. Therefore, he is indeed asking everyone else to defend there position by giving him some form of evidence. Rather then moving toward the opinion of everyone else he wants everyone else to move toward him.Dr. Danger said:
For me, what makes Cloud stand out most is that he's the most ordinary of characters (despite what he thinks at the beginning). He's not some incredible hero, in fact he's never been 'the best' at anything. However, it's exactly this normality - this humanity, even - that allows him to find the resolve to continue in his quest and eventually, to emerge victorious. I can think of few games with a protagonist so flawed and human, and where those flaws are precisely what makes him special.
I don't know why people like Cloud. To me, he's just retarded. I mean, come on. Surrounded by 3 hot chicks and he doesn't even nail one of them. Please. At least Tidus got some.
His sword is stupidishly large... Everyone in FFs swords are... It's stupid! NOT COOL, stupid! I'll go play with my toothpicks by myself, you stay away with your monstertrucks with handles!
This is a topic I thought I'd never see. Honestly, I rarely ever hear even devoted celebrants of the House that Mako Built gush about the third- or fourth-most important person in the setting; I'd say antipathy for Cloud Strife is at least double any real liking or identification with the character, with sheer apathy towering over both.
This is probably due to the fact that, in defiance of Final Fantasies before and since, Cloud, as the protagonist, neither overshadows nor is overshadowed by other characters in terms of narrative necessity. I would say that Red XIII is the only main character, even taking the bonus characters and Cait effing Sith (or, more accurately, Reeve) into consideration, that wasn't crucial to the plot in some way or another.
Cloud stood at the core of the narrative, but that narrative itself would not have stood without the support of every other character, as well. Compare this to other Final Fantasies that could have easily done without all but three, two, or even a single character, even if that crucial character isn't always the protagonist. While buzz about the game was still fresh, Cloud did, of course, stand above the others in terms of fame and popularity, but now that the entry is more than a decade old, he seems to be little more popular than any other single member of the cast, all of which developed rather devoted followings after the game's release. And let us not forget that even at the height of his popularity, Cloud had a considerable complement of detractors, most of which are still ready and willing to stamp up the dust once more while the folks who would otherwise be opposing their claims have all either mellowed out or forgotten.
The legacy of the title is uniformly this: its supporters have largely moved on, and its detractors have not. The (at the time) unprecedented groundswell of popularity for the title that existed still persists in an extremely vestigial form, but people who earnestly disliked the game still burn about it as though it were even now on shelves and eating their children. My theory about why this happens (and the epithet that will almost certainly clinch a rebuttal to this post)? Jealousy dies hard.
But merely that it happens is a disservice to itself. People have never debated any single game as long or as strongly as they have Final Fantasy VII. Sure, there are franchises that are subject to far more back-and-forth rabblerousing than the game has accrued, but these are almost without exception old-blood Nintendo pillars. But Final Fantasy VII achieve the level of fame (or infamy, depending on your clique) in a single game, it would seem, what these most legendary of franchises must refresh themselves perennially to maintain. There is no shortage of discussion about Mario and Zelda, but how often does someone specifically set down a thread to bewilderedly (and, at this point, bewilderingly) argue the merits of Super Mario Bros. 3 or A Link to the Past? Almost never.
And there are certainly games that have maintained their popularity much more aptly than FFVII. But these are games like StarCraft or Half-Life, who are nearly beyond reproach in their own genres and utterly inoffensive to everyone else. But Final Fantasy VII is, even after a decade, a potentially hot-button item for gamers of every persuasion and fiercely divisive even within its own genre, which was itself something of a niche genre until Final Fantasy VII changed that, however momentarily.
I reiterate that I am very surprised that someone thinks everyone loves Cloud. And don't think I don't realize that I've gone all this way without making any effort to state whether or not I like or ever liked the character or the game, however strongly your hardwired fanboy instincts are convincing you otherwise. I just never thought someone could actually still exist somewhere out there on the big bad Internet that has somehow missed entirely a bitter backdraft that has been burning five times longer than it ever should have.
So what is my opinion? Do I like Cloud? Do I even like the game?
Nothing of any meaning has been said anywhere by anyone for the last ten years of any meaning on this subject and nothing relatied to it worth saying or devoting the smallest quantum of headspace to will ever be said again. I am absolutely sick and tired of hearing about it. No one has had their opinion altered or developed for an entire decade on this subject and it will never and can never happen.
Please, God, kill this subject! For the sake of everyone who ever held an opinion on it, so they can get on with their lives! For the sake of the game itself; if it was not only the greatest game but the greatest work of media of all time, it certainly doesn't deserve the infinite contempt engendered in its admirers and detractors alike by thirteen years of unsolicited familiarity! If it was the worst game ever made and had cause a downturn of popularity for Eastern media and technology that darkened the world's economy to this very day, it would not deserve to have even its name spoken as often and as casually as it has been; even the ET video game has received less collective scorn, and it is widely credited with destroying the entire gaming industry!
What a man was in life is irrelevant once he becomes a vampire, literally sucking the life out of the world around him and sending a shudder through the countryside at his very mention. The only worthwhile option thereafter is that he must be put down- or at the very least, not actively fed. Do the entire gaming community a personal favor and just let it die the overdue death it inarguably deserves.
This is probably due to the fact that, in defiance of Final Fantasies before and since, Cloud, as the protagonist, neither overshadows nor is overshadowed by other characters in terms of narrative necessity. I would say that Red XIII is the only main character, even taking the bonus characters and Cait effing Sith (or, more accurately, Reeve) into consideration, that wasn't crucial to the plot in some way or another.
Cloud stood at the core of the narrative, but that narrative itself would not have stood without the support of every other character, as well. Compare this to other Final Fantasies that could have easily done without all but three, two, or even a single character, even if that crucial character isn't always the protagonist. While buzz about the game was still fresh, Cloud did, of course, stand above the others in terms of fame and popularity, but now that the entry is more than a decade old, he seems to be little more popular than any other single member of the cast, all of which developed rather devoted followings after the game's release. And let us not forget that even at the height of his popularity, Cloud had a considerable complement of detractors, most of which are still ready and willing to stamp up the dust once more while the folks who would otherwise be opposing their claims have all either mellowed out or forgotten.
The legacy of the title is uniformly this: its supporters have largely moved on, and its detractors have not. The (at the time) unprecedented groundswell of popularity for the title that existed still persists in an extremely vestigial form, but people who earnestly disliked the game still burn about it as though it were even now on shelves and eating their children. My theory about why this happens (and the epithet that will almost certainly clinch a rebuttal to this post)? Jealousy dies hard.
But merely that it happens is a disservice to itself. People have never debated any single game as long or as strongly as they have Final Fantasy VII. Sure, there are franchises that are subject to far more back-and-forth rabblerousing than the game has accrued, but these are almost without exception old-blood Nintendo pillars. But Final Fantasy VII achieve the level of fame (or infamy, depending on your clique) in a single game, it would seem, what these most legendary of franchises must refresh themselves perennially to maintain. There is no shortage of discussion about Mario and Zelda, but how often does someone specifically set down a thread to bewilderedly (and, at this point, bewilderingly) argue the merits of Super Mario Bros. 3 or A Link to the Past? Almost never.
And there are certainly games that have maintained their popularity much more aptly than FFVII. But these are games like StarCraft or Half-Life, who are nearly beyond reproach in their own genres and utterly inoffensive to everyone else. But Final Fantasy VII is, even after a decade, a potentially hot-button item for gamers of every persuasion and fiercely divisive even within its own genre, which was itself something of a niche genre until Final Fantasy VII changed that, however momentarily.
I reiterate that I am very surprised that someone thinks everyone loves Cloud. And don't think I don't realize that I've gone all this way without making any effort to state whether or not I like or ever liked the character or the game, however strongly your hardwired fanboy instincts are convincing you otherwise. I just never thought someone could actually still exist somewhere out there on the big bad Internet that has somehow missed entirely a bitter backdraft that has been burning five times longer than it ever should have.
So what is my opinion? Do I like Cloud? Do I even like the game?
Code:
IT DOESN'T MATTER EVEN A LITTLE BIT.Please, God, kill this subject! For the sake of everyone who ever held an opinion on it, so they can get on with their lives! For the sake of the game itself; if it was not only the greatest game but the greatest work of media of all time, it certainly doesn't deserve the infinite contempt engendered in its admirers and detractors alike by thirteen years of unsolicited familiarity! If it was the worst game ever made and had cause a downturn of popularity for Eastern media and technology that darkened the world's economy to this very day, it would not deserve to have even its name spoken as often and as casually as it has been; even the ET video game has received less collective scorn, and it is widely credited with destroying the entire gaming industry!
What a man was in life is irrelevant once he becomes a vampire, literally sucking the life out of the world around him and sending a shudder through the countryside at his very mention. The only worthwhile option thereafter is that he must be put down- or at the very least, not actively fed. Do the entire gaming community a personal favor and just let it die the overdue death it inarguably deserves.
He was a terrible character in a terrible game. I didn't like him at all. He was a huge pussy about EVERYTHING. He was beautiful and strong enough to fight with a fucking man-sized sword and all he did the entire game was either *****, brood, or try way too hard to be cool.
Like most basement dwellers, I'm just hoping he'll set me up with Tifa.
Spikey haired little freak doesn't seem interested in getting a piece of that...
Spikey haired little freak doesn't seem interested in getting a piece of that...
because he's the original
FF games afterwards have just tried to imitate him (and FF7 both in story and gameplay/style)
VIII definitely didn't nail it IMO
FFXIII...still need to test that out
for people with a heart, it's simple: he's got issues, yes. and he has good reason to be. if you have any sympathy, he might deserve it. he doesn't see himself as a hero. I don't think angsty describes him, since he was never really volatile without just cause. he's not a brooding emo guy (that's Vincent, Cloud's at least keeping busy), he simply holds things back. he's flawed and human.
and as some have pointed out, the androgynous staple seems more like it started with Squall than Cloud anyway
FF games afterwards have just tried to imitate him (and FF7 both in story and gameplay/style)
VIII definitely didn't nail it IMO
FFXIII...still need to test that out
for people with a heart, it's simple: he's got issues, yes. and he has good reason to be. if you have any sympathy, he might deserve it. he doesn't see himself as a hero. I don't think angsty describes him, since he was never really volatile without just cause. he's not a brooding emo guy (that's Vincent, Cloud's at least keeping busy), he simply holds things back. he's flawed and human.
and as some have pointed out, the androgynous staple seems more like it started with Squall than Cloud anyway
Humanoid poster for angst
Pretty haired boy living a self inflicted miserable life.
A lot of teenagers seem to relate to him.
Pretty haired boy living a self inflicted miserable life.
A lot of teenagers seem to relate to him.
I'm kind of afraid that he's slice me in very small chunks if I ever brought up Aeris... so I prefer Vincent, actually.
It's not so much Cloud as it is...
Calumon:
Noli manere, manare in memoria
Noli manere, manare in memoria
Sephiroth, Sephiroth
[HEADING=1]SEPHIROTH![/HEADING]
Calumon:
Noli manere, manare in memoria
Noli manere, manare in memoria
Sephiroth, Sephiroth
Cloud was NOT Emo in FFVII.
He was a mercenary with a messed up past. He has depth and a history. He had a life, dreams goals, and all of them were crushed by his hero. His best friend sacrificed himself for Cloud. If everything you hoped for was crushed by your childhood hero and said hero killed your best friend, wouldn't you be a little upset about it too.
He resolved to ask questions and get the job done. he doesn't care for much because he doesn't need to.
To be honest he really isn't that different from other FF heroes. Heck, Cecil practically goes into shock from: Golbez is my brother? I hate him. I want to kill him, but he's my brother...
The main reason for people hating on Cloud is mainly community backlash from years of "Final Fantasy VII is the greatest game ever!"
And I think the main attraction to Zidane is that he wasn't a super trained warrior. He was a common thief. a regular guy (as regular is Zidane could being a thief with a monkey tail and transformation into some hyper monkey form).
Also, the JRPG hate is from the market being flooded with JRPGs. If we didn't have so many, it would still be a respectable genre. Much like Wii tech-demo shovelware.
He was a mercenary with a messed up past. He has depth and a history. He had a life, dreams goals, and all of them were crushed by his hero. His best friend sacrificed himself for Cloud. If everything you hoped for was crushed by your childhood hero and said hero killed your best friend, wouldn't you be a little upset about it too.
He resolved to ask questions and get the job done. he doesn't care for much because he doesn't need to.
To be honest he really isn't that different from other FF heroes. Heck, Cecil practically goes into shock from: Golbez is my brother? I hate him. I want to kill him, but he's my brother...
The main reason for people hating on Cloud is mainly community backlash from years of "Final Fantasy VII is the greatest game ever!"
And I think the main attraction to Zidane is that he wasn't a super trained warrior. He was a common thief. a regular guy (as regular is Zidane could being a thief with a monkey tail and transformation into some hyper monkey form).
Also, the JRPG hate is from the market being flooded with JRPGs. If we didn't have so many, it would still be a respectable genre. Much like Wii tech-demo shovelware.