Editing Cloud Strife (section)

===Voice actors===
{{multiple image
| footer            = Takahiro Sakurai (left) is the Japanese voice actor for Cloud Strife in the majority of ''Final Fantasy'' media and other appearances. Cody Christian (right) provides the English voice of Cloud in the ''Final Fantasy VII Remake'' series.
| image1            = Sakurai Takahiro from "GODZILLA The Planet Eater" at Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2018 (31747117738).jpg
| alt1              = Takahiro Sakurai
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Cody Christian by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| alt2              = Cody Christian
| caption2          = 
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 320
}}
The original ''Final Fantasy VII'' did not have voice acting. For the ''Ehrgeiz'' fighting game, [[Kenyu Horiuchi]] voiced Cloud in the arcade version and [[Nozomu Sasaki]] voiced him in the home console version.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Final-Fantasy/Cloud-Strife/|title=Cloud Strife|publisher=Behind the Voice Actors|access-date=January 31, 2020|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803235910/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Final-Fantasy/Cloud-Strife/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since ''Kingdom Hearts'', [[Takahiro Sakurai]] has been the Japanese voice of Cloud, with Teruaki Sugawara, the voice director at Square, recommending him to Nomura based on prior experience.<ref name="rf">{{Cite book | year=2006 | editor=SoftBank | title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files | language=ja, en | publisher=Square Enix | isbn= 4-7973-3498-3 | page=12}}</ref> Nomura had originally asked Sakurai to play the protagonist of ''[[The Bouncer (video game)|The Bouncer]]'', Sion Barzahd, but found that his voice best suited Cloud after hearing him speak.<ref name="rf" /> Sakurai received the script without any accompanying visuals, and first arrived for recording under the impression that he would be voicing a character other than Cloud.<ref name="InteSakurai" /> For ''Advent Children'', Nomura wanted to contrast Cloud and [[Vincent Valentine]]'s voices because of their similar personalities.<ref name="nother">{{Cite book | year=2006 | editor=SoftBank | title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files | language=ja, en | publisher=Square Enix | isbn= 4-7973-3498-3 | page=49}}</ref> As a sequel to the highly popular ''Final Fantasy VII'', Sakurai felt greater pressure performing the role than he did when he voiced Cloud for ''Kingdom Hearts''. Sakurai received comments from colleagues revealing their love of the game, some of them jokingly threatening that they would not forgive him if he did not meet their expectations.<ref name="InteSakurai" />

During recording, Sakurai was told that "[n]o matter what kind of odds are stacked against him, Cloud won't be shaken".<ref>{{Cite book|title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files|publisher=Square Enix|year=2006|isbn=4-7973-3498-3|editor-last=SoftBank|page=13|language=ja, en}}</ref> Sakurai says that while he recorded most of his work individually, he performed alongside [[Ayumi Ito]], who voiced Tifa, for a few scenes. These recordings left him feeling "deflated", as the "exchanges he has with Tifa can be pretty painful", with Sakurai commenting that Cloud—whom he empathized with as his voice actor—has a hard time dealing with straight talk.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Reunion Files|publisher=Square Enix|year=2006|isbn=4-7973-3498-3|editor-last=SoftBank|pages=13–14|language=ja, en}}</ref> Sakurai says that there were scenes that took over a year to complete, with precise directions being given requiring multiple takes.<ref>{{cite AV media |year=2005 |title=Distance |medium=DVD featurette |publisher=Square Enix |language=ja |minutes=20}}</ref>

According to Sakurai, Cloud's silence conveys more about him than when he speaks. While possessing heroic characteristics, Sakurai describes Cloud's outlook as negative, and says that he is delicate in some respects.<ref name="InteSakurai" /> A fan of ''VII'', Sakurai had believed Cloud to be a colder character based on his original impression of him, but later came to view him as more sentimental.<ref name="rf" /> After the final product was released, Sakurai was anxious to hear the fans' response, whether positive or negative, and says that most of the feedback he received praised him.<ref name="InteSakurai" /> While recording ''Crisis Core'', Sakurai felt that Cloud, though still introverted, acted more like a normal teenager, and modified his approach accordingly. Cloud's scream over Zack's death left a major impression on Sakurai, who says that he worked hard to convey the emotional tone of the ending.<ref name="InteSakurai" /> Sakurai has come to regard Cloud as an important role, commenting that Cloud reminds him of his own past, and that, as a ''Final Fantasy VII'' fan himself, he is happy to contribute.<ref name="InteSakurai">{{cite book | title=Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania | year=2009 | isbn=978-4-7575-2560-3 | language=ja | publisher=Square Enix | edition=Revised}}</ref>

For the remake of ''Final Fantasy VII'', Sakurai found Cloud more difficult to portray than his previous performances. He re-recorded his lines multiple times, and credited the voice director with guiding him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dengekionline.com/articles/26223/|title=櫻井孝宏にとってのクラウドとは？『FFVIIリメイク』クラウド役・櫻井孝宏さんインタビュー|website=Dengeki Online|date=February 13, 2020|access-date=May 10, 2020|archive-date=April 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402224457/https://dengekionline.com/articles/26223/|url-status=live}}</ref> Nomura elaborated that the remake's interpretation of Cloud has a distinct personality; he attempts to act cool, but often fails to do so and instead comes across as awkward, which Nomura asked Sakurai to reflect in his acting. Another challenge for the developers was finding a suitable voice for the teenage Cloud seen during flashbacks. To better match Cloud's rural upbringing, they decided to hire a child from a rural area rather than an established actor, and ultimately went with 13-year-old Yukihiro Aizawa.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1248572634146586624|user=theatreacademy|date=April 10, 2020|access-date=2020-05-02 |language=ja |title=本日発売！！PS4ゲームソフト「ファイナルファンタジーVIIリメイク」ムギ役 #中村文徳 エアリス幼少役 #田中千空 マリン役 #梅崎音羽 ベティ役 #鎌田英怜奈 ティファ(8才/13才) #三本采香 クラウド(13才) #相澤幸優 皆さん、是非遊んチェックしてみてください！！#FF7R #FF7リメイク |trans-title="Released today !! PS4 game software" Final Fantasy VII Remake "Wheat playing # Fuminori Nakamura Aris's childhood role # Chizora Tanaka Marine role # Otowa Umezaki Betty role # Hidefa Kamada Tifa (8 years old / 13 years old) # Kusaka Sanbon Cloud (13 years old) # Yukyuu Aizawa Everyone, please check it out! !! # FF7R # FF7 Remake"}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Agossah |first=Iyane |date=March 4, 2020 |title=Tetsuya Nomura Reveals New Details on Final Fantasy VII Remake |url=https://www.dualshockers.com/tetsuya-nomura-new-details-final-fantasy-vii-remake/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406001900/https://www.dualshockers.com/tetsuya-nomura-new-details-final-fantasy-vii-remake/ |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |access-date=May 2, 2020 |website=DualShockers}}</ref>

In most English adaptations, Cloud is voiced by [[Steve Burton (actor)|Steve Burton]], who was first hired to voice Cloud after a Square employee saw his role in the 2001 film ''[[The Last Castle]]''.<ref name="nt">{{cite web|url=http://www.novacrystallis.com/2018/01/dissidia-final-fantasy-nt-english-voice-cast-talk-roles-experiences-final-fantasy/|title=Dissidia Final Fantasy NT English voice cast talk about their roles and experiences with Final Fantasy|date=January 24, 2018|publisher=Nova Crystallis|access-date=March 13, 2018|archive-date=March 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314174406/http://www.novacrystallis.com/2018/01/dissidia-final-fantasy-nt-english-voice-cast-talk-roles-experiences-final-fantasy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Burton's work as Cloud in ''Advent Children'' served as his first feature-length role, an experience he enjoyed.<ref name=":5">{{cite web | title = Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children DVD Interview – Steve Burton (voice of Cloud) | url = http://dvd.ign.com/dor/objects/761530/final-fantasy-vii-advent-children/videos/ff7_steve_burton_040706.html | work = IGN | publisher = Ziff Davis | date = April 7, 2006 | access-date = August 1, 2010 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090811003443/http://dvd.ign.com/dor/objects/761530/final-fantasy-vii-advent-children/videos/ff7_steve_burton_040706.html | archive-date = August 11, 2009 | df = mdy-all}}</ref> Calling the character a rare opportunity for him as an actor, Burton describes Cloud as having a "heaviness about him".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/76452/steve-burton-on-kingdom-hearts-ii.jhtml|title=Steve Burton on Kingdom Hearts II|date=February 24, 2006|website=MTV|publisher=Viacom|access-date=March 5, 2016}}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Burton says he is surprised when fans recognize him for his work as Cloud, whom he has referred to as "[one of the] coolest characters there is", and considers himself lucky to have voiced him.<ref name=":5"/>

Although Burton expressed his desire to voice Cloud for the remake of ''Final Fantasy VII'', he was replaced by [[Cody Christian]]; Burton thanked Square for his work, and wished Christian luck.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamingbolt.com/final-fantasy-7-remake-update-steve-burton-involved-doing-voice-acting-for-cloud-strife|title=Final Fantasy 7 Remake Update: Steve Burton Involved, Doing Voice Acting For Cloud Strife|date=May 7, 2017|website=MTV|publisher=GamingBolt|access-date=March 12, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203062941/https://gamingbolt.com/final-fantasy-7-remake-update-steve-burton-involved-doing-voice-acting-for-cloud-strife|archive-date=February 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamingbolt.com/final-fantasy-7-remake-cloud-strife-will-have-a-new-voice-actor|title=Final Fantasy 7 Remake – Cloud Strife Will Have A New Voice Actor|publisher=Gaming Bolt|access-date=June 14, 2019|date=June 13, 2019|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308222848/https://gamingbolt.com/final-fantasy-7-remake-cloud-strife-will-have-a-new-voice-actor|url-status=live}}</ref> Christian said that he was honored to portray what he described as an iconic character, and vowed to give his best performance.<ref>{{cite tweet |author=Cody Christian|user=ReallyCody|number=1138532929242447872 |date=June 11, 2019 |title=Honored and humbled to be able to announce my participation in the @FinalFantasy VII remake as the voice of Cloud Strife. I vow to give nothing shy of 100% and my absolute best to ensure this iconic character's depth and complexity resonates. Thank you all for the support. ❤️|access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref> He also commented on Burton's previous work, stating, "Steve, you paved the way. You made this character what it is and have contributed in shaping a legacy".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/06/15/final-fantasy-vii-remake-cloud-voice-cast/|title=Final Fantasy VII Remake Has A Completely New Voice Cast|date=June 17, 2019 |publisher=Comic Book|access-date=January 5, 2020|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929190511/https://comicbook.com/gaming/2019/06/15/final-fantasy-vii-remake-cloud-voice-cast/|url-status=live}}</ref> Christian used Burton's works as an inspiration for his portrayal of the character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/final-fantasy-vii-remake-star-cody-christian-talks-paving-new-way-iconic-character-1289672|title='Final Fantasy VII' Remake Star on "Paving New Way" for Iconic Character|publisher=Hollywood Reporter|access-date=April 3, 2020|archive-date=April 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421221741/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/final-fantasy-vii-remake-star-cody-christian-talks-paving-new-way-iconic-character-1289672|url-status=live}}</ref> Teenage Cloud was voiced in English by [[Major Dodson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Final-Fantasy/Cloud-Strife/|title=Cloud Strife|publisher=Behind the Voice Actors|access-date=May 2, 2020|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803235910/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Final-Fantasy/Cloud-Strife/|url-status=live}}</ref> For the next installment, Christian said that the character differed from ''Remake'' as he aimed to explore more his sensitive side like his past or intimate relationships he is often involved.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.siliconera.com/interview-how-cody-christian-humanized-cloud-in-ffvii-rebirth/ |title=How Cody Christian Humanized Cloud in FFVII Rebirth|date=March 14, 2024 |access-date=April 4, 2024}}</ref>