Editing Cloud (SSBU)

|image = {{tabber|title1=Final Fantasy VII|content1=[[File:Cloud SSBU.png|x250px]]|title2=Advent Children|content2=[[File:Cloud-Alt1 SSBU.png|x250px]]}}

|tier = A+

|ranking = 13

Cloud is currently ranked 13th out of 82 characters on the ''Ultimate'' [[tier list]], ranking him in A+ tier. This is a minor drop from his ranking in ''Smash 4'', where he was ranked 2nd/3rd out of 54 and was tied with {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}}. Cloud's already great movement was further improved from ''Smash 4'', with his jump squat being lowered to 3 frames and his already safe aerials receiving landing lag reductions, which improved his advantage state and combo game. Despite nerfs to his range, Cloud's hitboxes are still fairly large, especially those that utilize his [[Buster Sword]], allowing him to outrange many characters in ''Ultimate''{{'}}s roster. Cloud also possesses one of the best out-of-shield options in the game, with his [[Climhazzard]] making pressuring him and landing against him rather difficult. Cloud also retains [[Limit Charge]] which further improves his special moves when active.  

However, Cloud still struggles with an underwhelming grab game and an exploitable recovery. He also received drastic nerfs to some of his strengths from the previous game, most notably his specials, some of which deal less knockback, and Limit Break, which now only lasts up to 15 seconds, forcing Cloud to be more cautious when using it. Cloud's ability to kill is also less consistent due to the nerfs to Limit as well as his [[down aerial]] no longer being a reliable combo starter.

While under his unique Limit Break status, Cloud's already impressive mobility improves further. His [[traction]] slightly improves, his dashing speed becomes even faster, his falling speed becomes the fourth fastest, and his air speed becomes the fastest in the game under normal circumstances. His increased gravity and falling speed, however, make his jumps slightly lower and prevent him from autocanceling some of his aerial attacks (notably back aerial and up aerial) as easily. As a result, Cloud's Limit Break status only marginally benefits his aerial mobility, but it can nevertheless help him move along the ground better.

Another of Cloud's glaring flaws is his terrible grab game, being among the worst in the game. His grabs possess low range while having relatively high startup for a non-tether grab, his throws' damage outputs are mediocre and, barring down throw, they lack combo potential. Forward and back throws' decent speed are significantly offset by the problematic combination of their virtual lack of combo potential and low knockback scaling, both failing to KO before 300% unless the opponent is light, Cloud has rage, and/or is at the edge upon performing them. Back throw can be used as a situational tech-chase option, but even then is largely ineffective in this role. Up and down throws both have misleading power, with the former failing to KO until well beyond 200%. Up throw has too much ending lag to set up combos reliably, while down throw lacks reliable combos at low percentages and loses all of its combo potential past low percentages if the opponent DIs properly due to its more horizontal angle. Ironically, it is also Cloud's only throw that can KO below 200% with exception of up throw KOing slightly earlier on platform stages.

Cloud was previously considered to be one of the best characters in ''SSB4'' and widely considered the second best character, after {{SSB4|Bayonetta}}, due to a myriad of advantages, including deceptively lingering hitboxes, excellent speed-to-range ratio (with very quick mobility, surprising frame data and very generous [[autocancel]] windows), and a powerful advantage in the form of his [[Limit Gauge]], which further boosted his mobility, allowing him to force [[approach]]es and also pose a constant threat due to his unique Limit Break [[special attack]]s. All these factors shined brighter in [[doubles]] play, where teams containing at least one Cloud were notorious within the community for their prominence and disproportionate effectiveness (statistically, Cloud in doubles [https://intheloop837.wordpress.com/2018/04/09/data-cloud-in-doubles-an-analysis/ held more dominance] than even {{SSBB|Meta Knight}} in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl|Brawl]]'' singles). Likely as a result of his dominance, Cloud was initially [[nerf]]ed noticeably in his transition to ''Ultimate'', though he did remain a potent character, and changes from game updates, the revamped gameplay physics, and general optimizations in the metagame have proven very benefitial to him. In bulk, Cloud has been moderately nerfed overall.

Cloud's nerfs have primarily addressed his most powerful moves and traits. [[Limit Charge]] can no longer be [[charge-cancel|instant charge-canceled]] since it incurs 7 frames of lag when canceling a charge, will have its charge neutralized if Cloud is hit during the process of charging, and [[Limit (status)|Limit]]'s mobility and special move buffs now end on their own after 15 seconds if none of his Limit Break special moves are used. These changes result in Cloud's Limit mechanic no longer being able to be kept for [[mindgame]]s or a lasting stat boost, and forces him to be more cautious of both charging and activating it, vastly reducing the sheer game changing abilities it once had in the previous game.

Disregarding the changes to landing lag, Cloud's infamous aerial game has also been toned down. [[Neutral aerial]] has a new animation that significantly reduces its range, making it less safe and effective for spacing. [[Down aerial]]'s lingering hitbox ends earlier and has more ending lag, making it much harder to follow up in midair and riskier to use to combat juggling. His notorious [[up aerial]] has seen the most substantial nerfs: its increased startup with no animation change significantly reduces its range below him, the clean hit has smaller hitboxes, and the whole move has worsened KO ability and autocancel window; these changes almost completely remove its ability to start combos on grounded opponents, and reduce its incontestability as well as its previously respectable KO power.

Cloud's already poor grab game was also hindered even further; despite his faster pummel and his slower animations now matching his grabs' startup, down throw has lost its already lacking combo potential, and the universal nerfs to grabs have slightly reduced dash grab's already lackluster range and made his own grabs slower and more punishable. Finally, other minor nerfs were to his smash attacks, as [[forward smash]] has slightly more ending lag and less range, and [[down smash]]'s damage and KO power were reduced.

Despite these changes, the changes to game physics have significantly benefited Cloud. The reductions to [[landing lag]] benefit Cloud more than most characters, as his aerials' lower landing lag now give him a more conventional combo game since he can follow up from them more consistently (most notably with his forward, back and up aerials, the latter despite its stricter autocancel window), and combined with his Buster Sword's respectable range and excellent mobility, this also drastically benefits his spacing game (most infamously with his [[back aerial]], now widely considered the best in the game). On that note, much like the returning cast, Cloud now sports even faster mobility, making him harder to catch and easier for him to keep up with the cast. The changes to [[air dodge]] mechanics improve his edgeguarding game and keep his juggling prowess mostly intact despite his other nerfs, and the reintroduction of directional air dodges allow him to extend his notoriously weak horizontal recovery when his Limit Meter is not fully charged, and now make him much harder to gimp if he is grabbed during Climhazzard. The ability to [[dash-canceling|dash cancel]] into any ground move and the introduction of [[spot dodge]] canceling both allow Cloud to make even better use of his ground attacks to approach and KO, making his ground game more imposing.

Cloud has also received a fair share of [[buff]]s to his less impressive moves. [[Dash attack]] and [[up smash]] are now much more reliable KO options thanks to their increased knockback. His special moves have also been given some noteworthy improvements without the need for Limit. [[Blade Beam]] has ending lag, making it less punishable and giving Cloud a semi-reliable camping tool. [[Climhazzard]] has much lower landing lag and transitions quicker, now making it one of the most reliable and infamous [[out of shield]] options in the game; it can also be teched at the end of the move, snaps to ledge faster when using the downward slash, and KOs more consistently if used offstage due to the changes to [[meteor smash]]es, making it more consistent for [[sacrificial KO]]s. [[Limit Charge]] now allows Cloud to jump or [[air dodge]] out of it, charges significantly faster when he inflicts damage, and is now displayed above his [[damage meter]].

While Limit has seen detriments to its duration, it has also seen some improvements: his Limit Gauge fills faster via inflicting damage and especially via Limit Charge, allowing Cloud to use his Limit Break special moves much more frequently than in ''SSB4''. Lastly, [[Finishing Touch]] is an even more potent KO move: it has less startup, noticeably more knockback, and its grounded version's late hit had its vertical range increased to the point that it can hit opponents on the bottom platforms of [[Battlefield form]] stages.

Overall, Cloud's nerfs have toned down his most oppressive factor and further defined his weaknesses. Limit's temporary duration now forces Cloud to approach more and optimize its usage, and his further weakened grab game and powerful tools now necessitate him to play even more aggressively than ever before. He also still retains his very exploitable recovery, which has seen no substantial improvements, as his faster air mobility doesn't compensate for this. However, his buffs to his other tools and the huge shifts to the engine have benefitted his aggressive options, as his damage-racking game is mostly intact thanks to his improved combo game, and he can now Limit space his moves with more liberty while being ironically harder to punish him, as well as KO more easily without the need to rely on Limit; many of these buffs have also been granted to him through game updates. As a result, Cloud remains a fundamentally solid character with a relatively low learning curve and effective tools, and while he is not as overpowered and performs worse than in ''SSB4'', he's still considered to be a very strong character in ''Ultimate'', especially in competitive play.

Aside from a single nerf to [[Blade Beam]] in update 3.0.0, Cloud was buffed via game updates. While updates 2.0.0 and 3.1.0 provided only negligible improvements, update 7.0.0 buffed Cloud much more in comparison. Most notably, his inconsistent KO potential (one of his biggest weaknesses) was alleviated in a few ways: clean dash attack became a viable KOing option thanks to its higher knockback, up smash is faster overall and its sweetspot gained more knockback, and [[Limit Charge]] fills the Limit Gauge much faster. In addition, Cloud received a few quality of life buffs: forward smash's hits connect more reliably, [[Climhazzard]] snaps to an edge earlier, and his shield was enlarged as part of a near-universal buff.  

Lastly, update 13.0.1 decreased [[Finishing Touch]]'s overall lag to the point that it is not only safer to use, but also much easier to perform from setups at certain percentages.

*Cloud has a unique [[fighter ability]] called the '''[[Limit Gauge]]'''. Over the course of normal play, the Limit Gauge will be filled automatically by inflicting or receiving damage. Alternatively, it can be filled manually by using his down special move, [[Limit Charge]]. The Limit Gauge is always present above his [[damage meter]] and will display its current state of charge. When it is filled up, Cloud's body will emit a blue, fiery aura and he will gain upgraded, single use versions of his special moves alongside enhanced mobility for the duration of the charge.

|ftiltdesc=An inward slash. It has fairly quick startup and is Cloud's only tilt attack that KOs at reasonable percentages, as it will KO middleweights at 125% while near the edge. However, its very low base knockback and moderate ending lag make it punishable on shield at low percentages unless it is spaced sufficiently. It resembles his basic attack in ''Final Fantasy VII''.

|utiltdesc=An overhead arcing slash. Its hitbox starts behind Cloud, although it does not extend beside Cloud and makes it unable to hit smaller characters beside him. It is fast, has a fairly large hitbox, and middling knockback. Altogether, these traits makes it a good anti-air, and allows it to reliably start combos such as into itself at 0% and into aerials at low to medium percentages.

|dtiltdesc=A [[Wikipedia:Dropkick#Baseball slide|baseball slide]]. His legs are intangible while the hitbox is active, and it will sometimes deal less damage if landed early. It has very quick startup, propels Cloud a good distance forward, launches opponents vertically, and significantly lowers his hurtbox. Altogether, these traits make it useful as an approach and [[punishment]] option, as well as a decent setup option into neutral and up aerials (albeit only during its ending frames). It resembles his Slide Buster from ''Ehrgeiz''.

|dashdesc=Thrusts the sharp edge of the Buster Sword forward while holding it diagonally downward. It has a lingering hitbox and, as of update 7.0.0, its clean hit is viable for KOing at 121% while near the edge.

|fsmashdesc=Performs three extremely fast slashes in front of himself. The first two hits combo into the third, which has higher range and immense knockback. It is Cloud's strongest non-Limit Break move, KOing middleweights 96% at center-stage, but it has rather slow startup, high ending lag, and deals below average [[shieldstun]]. Additionally, each hit is only active for 1 frame, which means it can be dodged entirely with a well-timed [[roll]] or [[sidestep]]. It resembles his Buster Sword Slash from ''Ehrgeiz'' and the ''Kingdom Heart'' series' depiction of his {{iw|khwiki|Cross Slash}} Limit Break.

|usmashdesc=An upward slash. It has some startup (frame 12) and moderate ending lag, and its KO power is only average compared to most other up smashes, but it has a wide arc and high range, being able to function as an effective anti-air. Its sweetspot KOs middleweights at 112%, although its sourspot (after the Buster Sword is held vertically) is weaker and KOs much later. It resembles the first hit of his Beta Chain from ''Ehrgeiz''.

|dsmashdesc=Kneels and thrusts the Buster Sword's hilt forward, then performs a reverse gripped thrust behind himself. The first hit launches opponents into the second, though it is possible to [[tech]] after the first hit, causing the second to miss. The second hit is a semi-spike, making it useful for launching opponents with weak horizontal recoveries off-stage. It hits on frame 8, making it Cloud's fastest smash attack, and a decent close-range out of shield option. It starts KOing at 109% while near the edge.

|nairdesc=Performs a one-handed circular slash while holding the Buster Sword parallel to himself. While its range is somewhat lacking compared to Cloud's other attacks, it is his fastest aerial nonetheless and covers his whole hurtbox decently well. Autocancels in a short hop, which makes it very useful for air-to-ground transitions.

|fairdesc=Briefly pauses and then performs a downward slash. It is his slowest aerial to start (frame 18), but has a sweetspot on the middle of the Buster Sword's blade as it comes down that powerfully [[meteor smash]]es aerial opponents. Grounded opponents are sent at a more vertical angle by the sweetspot. If contact is made once the blade stops, it deals weaker knockback. Its ending lag is moderate, though its landing lag is low for its range and power, and it autocancels from a full hop. On landing, its sweetspot on grounded opponents can act as a situational combo starter. It is almost identical to his Braver Limit Break and, to a lesser degree, resembles his attack animation when using the Deathblow Materia in ''Final Fantasy VII''.

|bairdesc=Turns around to perform an outward slash. It has very long range and respectable power, KOing middleweights at 115% while near the edge, making it effective for spacing and KOing. It also has very low landing lag and autocancels in a short hop; these traits make it very difficult to punish, even when blocked, and enable it to set up a combo or even a [[wall of pain]] at low percentages. It has limited vertical range, however, and its hitbox is only active for 2 frames. Its solid balance of speed, range and power has led to many considering it one of the best back aerials in the game. It resembles the sword strike he performs during his Meteorain Limit Break.

|uairdesc=Thrusts the sharp edge of the Buster Sword's blade upward while holding it parallel to the ground. It has [[sex kick]] properties. It comes out on frame 8, works as an excellent combo starter on landing, being able to combo into most of Cloud's moves especially at low percentages, while its late hit can set up KO confirms into Limit Cross Slash and Finishing Touch. It can also autocancel in a short hop and its large, lingering hitbox makes it an effective anti-air and punishment tool. It also boasts respectable knockback by itself, with its clean hit KOing near the upper blast line at 140%. Unlike in ''SSB4'', however, it is very difficult to land on grounded opponents, as its hitbox does not extend much beyond the Buster Sword itself. It resembles the lifting animation from the beginning of Omnislash.

|dairdesc=A downward thrust. Striking directly beneath Cloud with the first few frames meteor smashes aerial opponents. Its late hit is a capable combo starter when autocanceled (from a full hop, but right before he reaches the apex), which even has certain KO confirms at high percentages. It has a long duration, but also has high ending lag, making it very risky to use offstage. Despite its meteor smashing capabilities, it has rather quick startup (frame 11); this enables it to be used as a setup option. It resembles the ''Kingdom Heart'' series' depiction of his {{iw|khwiki|Climhazzard}} Limit Break.

|grabdesc=Reaches out with his hand. It has very short range relative to Cloud's stance.

|pummeldesc=A knee strike. Average power and speed.

|fthrowdesc=A modified [[wikipedia:dropkick#Dropsault|dropsault]]. It has low knockback, so it is usually used for positioning or throwing opponents off-stage. It only KOs at 223% on Battlefield. It resembles [[Tifa Lockhart]]'s Somersault Limit Break.

|uthrowdesc=A {{s|wikipedia|540 kick}}. It is Cloud's most damaging throw, yet its only utility is to set up juggles, due to its knockback being too low for KOing reliably and its ending lag being too high for followups. It KOs at 179% while on {{SSBU|Battlefield}}'s top platform, but only KOs at 234% without platforms.

|dthrowdesc=A one-handed body slam. It launches opponents behind him with low base knockback, making it a very ineffective throw for combos. Although it KOs earlier than any of his other throws excluding platforms, it only does so at 181% against middleweights and while Cloud is facing away from the edge of Battlefield. It resembles Tifa's Meteor Strike Limit Break, albeit performed while grounded instead of airborne.

The Limit Break variant possesses [[transcendent priority]], moves much faster across the ground, grants Cloud's entire body intangibility on startup and hits multiple times, with its last hit having great KO potential KOing at 102% while near the edge. It is still weaker and slower when performed in midair, however. Upon hitting a wall, the Limit Break variant will not disappear and instead act as if hitting a player, making it an effective stage-spiking tool if performed under the ledge. However, this maneuver is rather risky considering Cloud's poor recovery.

Its Limit Break variant results in Cloud unleashing all five strikes with a single input regardless of whether he hits anything. It also significantly increases both the damage and KO potential of the move, KOing middleweights at 100% from center-stage, while reducing the move's ending lag to such an extent that it becomes nearly impossible to punish without being right behind Cloud as he unleashes the move while also granting intangibility to Cloud's body on startup. Additionally, Limit Cross Slash deals a high amount of [[shield damage]], so much so that the final hit can sometimes break a middleweight's shield if used after a forward or back air, making it risky for opponents to hold shield near Cloud during Limit Break. When used in the air, it halts all momentum until the move is finished. It is commonly considered Cloud's most effective Limit Break move due to its abundance of positive traits.

|usdesc=A leaping reverse gripped slash. If the special button is pressed again, it is followed with a descending reverse gripped slash. The first hit deals set knockback that leads into the second hit, which has a sweetspot at the center of the Buster Sword's blade that meteor smashes opponents as Cloud descends. It is Cloud's primary recovery move, though it is notable for being very ineffective due to multiple traits: it grants mediocre distance with low vertical height and almost no horizontal momentum, and the descending slash cannot be canceled and is not able to sweetspot the edge until Cloud has fallen a certain distance with it, making it unsuitable to use offstage. Its fast startup makes it a good surprise attack when grounded, particularly as an [[out of shield]] option.

|dsdesc=Holds the Buster Sword horizontally in front of himself and remains still in order to manually [[charge]] the Limit Gauge. While the move is being held, a text box labeled "Limit" appears above Cloud, which contains a meter that denotes the current level of Limit and increases as it is charged. The Limit Gauge will reach full charge either by using Limit Charge for 335 frames but can be alternatively filled by inflicting 150% or receiving 100% and each of these methods stacks with each other. When the Limit Gauge is fully charged, Cloud will say "{{ja|限界を越える|Genkai wo koeru}}" ("limits are meant to be broken", "breaking the limit"). The move can be [[charge-cancel]]ed by pressing the [[shield]] button, hitting the control stick left or right (which triggers a roll), grabbing, or pressing the special button again (the latter of which has an 8 frame delay). When the Limit Gauge is filled, Cloud is surrounded by a blue, fiery aura, and his mobility receives a noticeable increase. As long as he is in this state, he has access to much more powerful, single use variants of his special attacks, as listed above. Using any of these attacks will empty the Limit Gauge and return Cloud to his normal state, even if the move misses or is interrupted. The charge goes away in 15 seconds if it isn't used at all when fully charged.

The Limit Break variant of Limit Charge itself is an entirely different attack called '''Finishing Touch''', in which Cloud performs a spinning, upward arcing slash to generate a large whirlwind. Although the whirlwind inflicts only 1%, it has tremendous knockback, so much so that it can KO most opponents before 70%. The move hits on frame 14 but has very high ending lag and almost no shieldstun due to its abysmal damage output. The attack is weaker as a whole when performed in the air, however, KOing 24% later when hit in the front and 36% later with the back hitbox. The attack's hitbox is deceptively large, and it generates a powerful [[windbox]] that extends even further beyond the Buster Sword's range, [[push]]ing opponents away. Finishing Touch's animation may be based on [https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/8/80/Cloud_Tornado_Limit_Sketch.jpg/ Tornado], an unused Limit Break in ''Final Fantasy VII''.

CloudOnScreenAppearanceSSBU.gif|Cloud's on-screen appearance.

*'''Up taunt''': Twirls the Buster Sword and places it behind his back. It is almost identical to his victory animation and [[:File:SSBU spirit Cloud.png|the official artwork]] from ''{{iw|wikipedia|Final Fantasy VII}}'', while saying {{ja|興味ないね|Kyōmi nai ne}} ("I'm not interested."), his catchphrase from ''Final Fantasy VII''.

SSBUCloudIdle1.gif|Cloud's first idle pose.

SSBUCloudIdle2.gif|Cloud's second idle pose.

*{{Sm|CurryGovernor|UK}} - The best Cloud player in Europe, playing the character for his entire competitive career aside from a brief stint with {{SSBU|Chrom}} in the first half of 2022. His breakout event was his 7th-place finish at {{Trn|Valhalla III}}, where he defeated several notable European talent including {{Sm|Oryon}}, {{Sm|Tru4}}, and {{Sm|Peli}}. In addition to other successful performances outside his region, including 9th at {{Trn|GLORY 3}} defeating {{Sm|Chag}}, he has also placed highly at many UK events, including 2nd at {{Trn|KO: The Main Event}} defeating {{Sm|Luugi}} and 3rd at {{Trn|Invasion: January 2022}}.

*{{Sm|enhancedpv|USA}} - One of the best Cloud players in North America, especially during the online metagame and in 2022, eventually ranking 100th on the [[UltRank 2022]] thanks to noteworthy major performances such as 17th at {{Trn|Mainstage 2022}} and 25th at {{Trn|The Big House 10}}, defeating {{Sm|yonni}} in the former and {{Sm|Ned}} in the latter. He has seldomly attended majors since, though he had a notable run to 17th at {{Trn|Let's Make Big Moves 2023}} with a win over {{Sm|Onin}}, and continues to dominate competitive play in his region.

*{{Sm|Kola|USA}} - Although better known for his {{SSBU|Roy}}, Kola also played Cloud throughout his competitive career, especially in the early metagame and 2021 where he used Cloud as a co-main, including winning {{Trn|InfinityCON Tally 2021}} with primarily Cloud and both {{Trn|SWT: NA East Ultimate Regional Finals}} and {{Trn|CEO 2021}} using Cloud in crucial sets, in addition to placing 2nd at {{Trn|Just Roll With It! 11}} and 5th at {{Trn|2GG: Grand Tour - South Carolina}} with primarily Cloud. He has since relegated Cloud to a secondary or counterpick in matchups that are less favorable to Roy.  

*{{Sm|Masashi|Japan}} - The best Cloud player in Japan in the early metagame. Alongside a series of great performances at {{Trn|Sumabato}} and {{Trn|Karisuma}} events, he notably placed well at two of the largest events of the early metagame -- 25th at {{Trn|EVO Japan 2020}} and 33rd at {{Trn|EVO 2019}} -- despite an overall mixed track record at major events. He has achieved some success in the post-pandemic metagame, including placing 13th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 6}} and 17th at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 9}}; however, his results became increasingly inconsistent as time went on.

*{{Sm|Niko|USA}} - One of the best Cloud players in North America. He is best known for his performance at {{Trn|Lost Tech City 2022}}, where he defeated {{Sm|WaDi}}, {{Sm|MVD}}, and {{Sm|Skyjay}} to place 7th, in addition to several other noteworthy performances that year, including 17th at {{Trn|Rise 'N Grind}}, which led to him ranking 56th on the [[UltRank 2022]]. Since then, he remains mostly active in his region, with strong performances such as 13th at {{Trn|Low Tide City 2023}} and 25th at {{Trn|Rise 'N Grind 2023}}, and has only made a handful of appearances outside his region, most notably placing 13th at {{Trn|Luminosity Makes BIG Moves 2024}}.

*{{Sm|Sparg0|Mexico}} - One of the greatest ''Ultimate'' players of all-time and by far the greatest Cloud player of all-time, his performances greatly contributing to an improvement in Cloud's community reception. In addition to being one of the earliest successful Cloud players in competitive play, he is also the only Cloud player who remains relevant in top-level play throughout competitive ''Ultimate'', having been frequently ranked among the top 3 since the online metagame. He has won many supermajors, including {{Trn|Kagaribi 10}}, {{Trn|Watch The Throne}}, and {{Trn|Supernova 2024}}, and remains the only Cloud player to win a major.

*{{Sm|YOC|Japan}} - The best Cloud player in Japan in the post-pandemic metagame, although similar to Masashi, his major performances have also been inconsistent. His 7th-place finish at {{Trn|Maesuma TOP 8}} remains the only top 8 major finish from a primarily Cloud player other than Sparg0, and he has also placed 9th at {{Trn|Seibugeki 15}} and 13th at {{Trn|UltCore}}. In addition, YOC has several noteworthy superregional performances, having placed 5th at both {{Trn|Gen 1.0}} and {{Trn|WAVE CHAMPIONS 1}} as well as 7th at {{Trn|Gen 1.1}}, defeating {{Sm|Umeki}} in the latter event.

 

While Cloud was initially considered to be an extremely potent character, his results initially saw a significant drop from his ''Smash 4'' days, as most of his best players either moved on from competitive ''Smash'' or dropped the character. This is due to Cloud's noticeably worse toolkit and flaws, such as inconsistencies with KOing, the shortened Limit Gauge time, his linear recovery, and his poor grab game, becoming more apparent in the new metagame. As such, players initially considered him to be amongst the lower half of mid tier, with many of his top players even agreeing that he belongs there.

 

Cloud's reputation started to improve around the summer of 2019 thanks to the efforts of players such as {{Sm|Kola}} and {{Sm|Sparg0}}, both of whom managed to see consistent national-level success and wins, as well as Cloud's noteworthy buffs in update 7.0.0 which improved his KO power. This perception continued to improve during the [[COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on competitive Smash|COVID-19 pandemic]] thanks to the efforts of Sparg0, who used both Cloud and the then-newly released {{SSBU|Pyra}} and {{SSBU|Mythra}} to eventually claim the top spot on the [[Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7]]. When offline competitive play returned, Sparg0 established himself as one of the best players in the world, eventually winning his first major at {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 4}} using mostly Cloud. Since then, most of his tournament performances have been with Cloud, leading many to agree that, while he was still worse than his ''Smash 4'' counterpart, he was still just as viable in ''Ultimate''{{'}}s metagame. As such, Cloud was ranked 10th on the first tier list as a top tier character.

 

Following the first tier list, players began questioning whether Cloud should really be considered a top tier character. These players pointed out how no other Cloud players came remotely close to Sparg0 in terms of skill level and results; {{Sm|Barnard's Loop}} noted how Sparg0 took up 50% of all Cloud results in 2023, with only one other player -- {{Sm|YOC}} -- taking up more than 5%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/LoopBarnard/status/1758548672923504713|title=Cloud's representation in 2023}}</ref> In addition, Sparg0 was the only player ranked on the [[LumiRank 2023]] who primarily played Cloud, while all other players ranked with Cloud only used him as a secondary and to a lesser degree of success. On the other hand, with the metagame favoring characters with more patient and campier playstyles, players pointed out how Cloud served as a good counter to some of those characters, which was most apparent with Sparg0's flawless record against {{SSBU|Steve}} and {{SSBU|Mr. Game & Watch}} for that year. As such, even with the discourse surrounding Cloud's representation, he was ranked 13th on the second tier list as an A-tier, with the drop mainly being the result of the meteoric rise of {{SSBU|Snake}} and Mr. Game & Watch on the tier list.

In Sephiroth's reveal trailer, Cloud is seen in his ''Advent Children'' design (specifically the P6 variant as indicated by the ribbon on his left arm) with the other fighters trying to fend off Galeem. When Sephiroth arrives and disposes of Galeem, Cloud recognizes him, and later fights him one-on-one in a manner similar to their final battle in ''Advent Children''. After hitting Sephiroth with [[Omnislash Ver. 5]], he and Sephiroth have an exchange (taken word-for-word from ''Advent Children'') before Sephiroth transforms into Safer∙Sephiroth as a prelude to [[Supernova|his own Final Smash]].

Cloud's default costume is based on his appearance in ''Final Fantasy VII'' while accommodating some changes to his design originating from ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'', namely the redesigned SOLDIER logo on his belt and a redesigned pauldron. He has an alternate costume based on his appearance in ''{{iw|wikipedia|Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children}}'', known as "Cloudy Wolf" in ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'', which replaces the Buster Sword with the [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Fusion_Sword Fusion Sword]. It has two minor variants: one with a long sleeve covering Cloud's left arm to hide the visible signs of his [http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Geostigma Geostigma], and the other revealing Cloud's left arm after he has been cured of Geostigma, as well as a pink ribbon wrapped around it, which he and his party wear in memory of [[Aerith Gainsborough]].

*Within the 1,297 spirits included at launch in the game, Cloud has the fewest [[Spirit]] battles out of the entire non-DLC roster, being only part of the Zeke and [[Master Edges]] spirits. If post-launch spirits are counted, however, both {{SSBU|Olimar}} and {{SSBU|Dark Pit}} take this distinction instead.

**Oddly, the shoulder was not cut in the E3 demo of the game.

*Striking opponents with the sweetspot of Cloud's up smash does not trigger controller rumble. This is likely due to the startup of the move being altered in update 3.0.0, and the controller vibration was not similarly changed,

**Striking opponents with the sourspot of the same move triggers controller rumble with the same intensity as hitting the sweetspot normally would.