Editing Cloud Strife (section)

{{short description|Protagonist in Final Fantasy VII}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Cloud Strife
| series = [[Final Fantasy]]
| image = Cloud Strife.png
| caption = Cloud Strife artwork by [[Tetsuya Nomura]] for ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''
| firstgame = ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' (1997)
| image_upright = 1.25
| creator = [[Yoshinori Kitase]], [[Kazushige Nojima]], [[Tetsuya Nomura]], [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]]
| designer = Tetsuya Nomura
| voice = {{Collapsible list|title=[[English language|English]]|[[Steve Burton (actor)|Steve Burton]] (2002–18)|[[Cody Christian]] (2020–present)|[[Major Dodson]] (2020, young)}}{{Collapsible list|title=[[Japanese language|Japanese]]|[[Kenyu Horiuchi]] (''Ehrgeiz'', arcade version)|[[Nozomu Sasaki]] (''Ehrgeiz'', home console version)|[[Takahiro Sakurai]] (2002–present)|Yukihiro Aizawa (''Final Fantasy VII Remake'', young)}}
| home = Nibelheim
| weapon = Buster Sword
| family = Mother - Claudia Strife (Deceased)
Father - Unknown (Deceased)
}}
{{nihongo|'''Cloud Strife'''|クラウド・ストライフ|Kuraudo Sutoraifu|lead=yes}} is a character in the media franchise ''[[Compilation of Final Fantasy VII]]'' by [[Square Enix]]. He is the protagonist of the role-playing video games ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' (1997), ''[[Final Fantasy VII Remake]]'' (2020) and ''[[Final Fantasy VII Rebirth]]'' (2024) and the animated film ''[[Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children]]'' (2005), and appears in several other installments in the wider ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series''.'' He has also appeared in other media, such as the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series by Square Enix and [[Disney]] and the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series by [[Nintendo]].

Throughout ''Final Fantasy VII'' and its compilation that expands its universe, Cloud Strife is portrayed as a revolutionary working for an eco-terrorist group called Avalanche against a mega corporation known as SHINRA, who plans to drain the world of its lifestream. Cloud's internal struggles, which involve confronting his own traumatic past, including that of his former colleague [[Sephiroth (Final Fantasy)|Sephiroth]], are shown as a highlight of the game. 

Cloud was designed by [[Tetsuya Nomura]], a character artist for the ''Final Fantasy'' series, whose role expanded to include supervision over Cloud's personality. [[Yoshinori Kitase]], director of ''VII'', and [[Kazushige Nojima]], an events planner, developed the story and wanted to create a mysterious character who acted atypically for a hero. After ''VII'', Nomura redesigned Cloud for ''Advent Children'', giving him a more realistic appearance alongside new weaponry and a new outfit. For ''Remake'', the team aimed to adapt his classic design for a more realistic artstyle.  

Cloud has garnered primarily positive reception from critics, and has been described as one of the most iconic video game protagonists. He has also been cited favorably as an example of complex character writing in video games, as one of its first [[unreliable narrator]]s and for the game's depiction of his mental disorder. Additionally, he is seen as a messiah figure in both the game and film for opposing Sephiroth's schemes and supported by his allies.