Cloud (SSB4)

Cloud in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Final Fantasy
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	Omnislash
Tier	B (12)

“	Cloud Storms Into Battle!	”
—Introduction Tagline

Cloud (クラウド, Cloud) is a playable character and newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4, and is the fifth downloadable character released. He was officially announced during the November 12th, 2015 Nintendo Direct, and released on December 15th, 2015. Cloud is the fifth third-party character to be introduced in the game, joining Capcom's Mega Man and Ryu, Sega's Sonic and Bayonetta, and Bandai Namco's Pac-Man.

Similarly to Marth and Roy, Cloud in all regions of Super Smash Bros. 4 is voiced only in Japanese by Takahiro Sakurai, his recurring Japanese voice actor from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children onward, in spite of having an English voice actor.

Cloud currently ranks 12th out of 56 on the tier list, placing him in the B tier. This makes him the second lowest ranking high-tier character, the second highest ranking downloadable character, and the third highest ranking third-party character. Cloud possesses one of the longest overall disjointed ranges in the game, along with Shulk and Ike; many of his moves either having wide arcs (neutral and forward aerials), long lasting hitboxes (up and down aerials) or moving him a long distance (side and down tilts), all of which make him effective at spacing, edgeguarding, and approaching. Unlike his fellow swordsmen, he also boasts impressive maneuverability; he has very good movement speed, high jumps, the ability to wall jump (making him and Toon Link the only sword-wielding characters capable of doing so) and surprisingly fast frame data relative to his range, all of which give him strong offensive capabilities akin to faster, weaponless fighters, with his ground attacks being able to easily chain with multiple aerials in a single string.

His unique Limit Break mechanic makes him stand out the most, due to it turning all his special moves into tremendously fast yet powerful finishers that are difficult to predict and avoid, making it easy for him to clear stocks while it is active. Cloud is also able to charge his Limit Gauge when it is not full, forcing many characters to play at his pace, and Limit Charge additionally gives him access to instant charge-canceling, which affords him extra attack options while dashing or filling up the Limit Gauge, making it even more difficult to approach him or predict his own approach when necessary.

However, Cloud does have some drawbacks. While potent, the Limit Break mechanic makes his playstyle fluctuate constantly; his Limit Breaks take some time to charge and Cloud's moveset is noticeably inconsistent at KOing without them, as he lacks set-ups into his finishers and his specials become better at damage racking rather than KOing until past reasonable percentages. He additionally has one of the least useful set of throws in the game, the third shortest grab range in the game, and weak power against shields, making it difficult to get around shielding opponents. Despite his impressive movement speed and jump height, his recovery is sub-par at best due to Climhazzard's unimpressive overall distance coverage when not under Limit Break status, which leaves him very susceptible to aggressive edgeguarding. Finally, although Cloud's frame data is rather impressive for his range, he cannot cover the space in front of himself as efficiently in the air, and his down aerial, while active for a long period of time, is still slow to start up, exacerbating his weak off-stage game and vulnerability to juggling due to his tall hurtbox and above average falling speed. His out of shield options are also equally as lackluster due to either being too risky, slow, or having unfavorable hitbox placement.

Regardless, Cloud's potent Limit Break-boosted finishers and fundamentally sound attributes outweigh his cons, and he is regarded highly on the tier list due to his current performance in national tournaments. His placement in the tier list was a constant topic of heavy debate, largely due to the release of SSB4's first tier list coinciding closely with his release in the game, the nerfs to himself and some top-tier characters (such as Sheik, Bayonetta, and Zero Suit Samus) since update 1.1.3, and his fluctuating recovery that depends on the Limit Gauge being full. However, in spite of his nerfs and overall weak recovery, most professionals (such as Mr. R and ZeRo) and many other players believe him to be one of the best characters in the game and deserving of an even higher ranking on the tier list.

Attributes

Cloud is a swordsman with quick mobility overall, even in spite of his above average weight. He has average walking speed, the tenth fastest dashing speed, above average air speed, average air acceleration, and strong jump heights, granting him quick ground mobility and resilient aerial mobility. However, he has above average falling speed and high gravity, making his aerial mobility quite polarized and unrewarding. Under Limit Break status, his mobility is even better, where his walking speed becomes the eleventh fastest, his dashing speed becomes the fifth fastest, his falling speed becomes the fourth fastest, while his air speed becomes the fastest among the cast and his traction slightly improves. However, his falling speed and gravity are also increased, the latter slightly decreasing his jump height to the point where he loses the ability to air dodge in a short hop or double jump from the ledge without suffering its landing lag, as well as the ability to auto-cancel his back aerial in a short hop, and up aerial in a short hop fast fall. As a result, his Limit Break status only marginally benefits his aerial mobility, but it can nevertheless help him move along the ground better.

Cloud's greatest asset is his range. The Buster Sword grants Cloud's attacks the overall second longest reach in the game (surpassed only by Shulk), allowing him to fight from a safe distance and space out his opponents quite easily. Combined with the aforementioned stats, Cloud can approach opponents noncommittally. Due to this range, his ground game is adept at punishing careless attacks. His neutral attack, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack and forward smash also make Cloud slide a bit forward, with down tilt granting about equal distance to Mega Man's down tilt. His up tilt is also a reliable combo starter until medium percentages, chaining into itself, up smash or up aerial. Furthermore, his aerial moveset benefits even more from these stats, making him a threat in the air. Neutral aerial covers a very large area, similar to Shulk's neutral aerial, making it a go-to spacing move. It additionally has low ending lag, which, when combined with its wide range and low angle, make it great at edgeguarding. Forward aerial is very strong if hit clean, and is also a meteor smash on aerial opponents if sweetspotted. Back aerial is similar to Ike's in terms of animation, damage and range, allowing it to edgeguard and space effectively. Up aerial has high power, high speed, long duration and enormous overall range, making it an all-purpose attack and discouraging most opponents from trying to challenge it. Down aerial is not only one of the strongest meteor smashes if sweetspotted, it is also one of the fastest in the game, hitting on frame 11. Its speed, range and duration also make it great for breaking or outright preventing juggling. Finally, up and down aerials autocancel immediately after their hitbox ends, with the former also autocanceling from a short hop, along with neutral aerial and back aerial (without Limit Break for the latter).

His special moveset also has some interesting options. Blade Beam is a projectile with good range and high activity, making it useful for forcing approaches and good at edgeguarding. It also stalls Cloud in the air, giving it additional utility in guard breaking. Cross Slash is very similar to Dancing Blade and Double-Edge Dance, requiring additional inputs from the player to initiate the remaining slashes. However, it is less demanding, having wider input windows and canceling immediately if the first hit misses. Climhazzard is similar to Aether and Final Cutter, as it is an ascending slash, but differs from them in that it can be followed by an optional descending slash. This allows Cloud to mix up his recovery and enables Climhazzard to function as a great out of shield option, as it hits on frame 7. Lastly, Limit Charge is only a charging method for a mechanic that is unique to him: the Limit Breaks.

Though their appearance, use and naming is not the same across the Final Fantasy games, the concept of Limit Breaks has become a series staple. In Super Smash Bros., this mechanic is a direct reference to Cloud's game of origin, Final Fantasy VII. It manifests itself as an invisible meter, similar to Little Mac's Power Meter. After it is full, Cloud gets a boost in almost all of his stats, allowing him to move even more quickly across the stage. In addition, all of Cloud's special attacks are given a single-use power boost, with all of them dealing more damage and having high knockback. They are also granted brief intangibility upon start-up. Each one is also granted additional properties, with Blade Beam being faster and having transcendent priority, Cross Slash striking five times immediately and having very low ending lag, and Climhazzard granting more vertical distance and much more horizontal momentum, as well as having the ability to edge sweetspot at any time. Limit Charge is also converted to Finishing Touch, a spinning slash with such tremendous knockback that can KO any character at 70% from Final Destination floor level. It also causes a whirlwind that pushes away opponents, making it harder to punish and providing Cloud a means of gimping recoveries.

However, Cloud has some severe flaws. One of those is his grab game: his grab range is short, his pummel is slow despite being among the most damaging in the game, and all of his throws are largely unimpressive, so much so that they are comparable to Marth's and Lucina's throws in regards to inefficiency. His forward and back throws cannot combo or KO before 300%, unless the opponent is extremely light and Cloud is at the ledge upon performing them. His up and down throws both have too much ending lag for reliable early percentage combos and they KO at unreasonable percentages, such as around 215% against middleweights, and his down throw loses all of its combo potential past 30% if the opponent has good DI. Another weakness is his largely inconsistent KOing ability. While he has an abundance of strong finishers, none of them are easy to land in the neutral game. Forward smash's immense power is counterbalanced by its slow start-up and surprisingly low duration, as it is possible to dodge all three hits with a well-timed sidestep. Up smash's wide range is hindered by a combination of low speed and mediocre power. Down smash's semi-spike and stage spike capabilities are not particularly powerful, with the move also having relatively high ending lag and the first hit is techable, causing the second hit to miss. His neutral aerial has low power, while his back and up aerials require good positioning to KO before 130%. His Limit Break specials are also blockable, making it impossible for them to connect if not used at point-blank range. While Blade Beam is an exception to that, reflection can be quite detrimental to Cloud. In addition, Cloud has no means of escaping pressure. His neutral attack and down tilt are extremely punishable if shielded, while none of his fast aerial attacks start from the front. As such, Cloud is very susceptible to combos. Blade Beam is also not particularly threatening in neutral due to its low speed and high ending lag, to the point where Sonic and Captain Falcon can powershield it and grab Cloud even if they start from the other side of the stage.

Another problem is the Limit Break mechanic itself. It acts as a double-edged sword, as it increases Cloud's gravity at full charge, making recovery without the use of Climhazzard deceptively difficult. It also makes precise use of his special attacks mandatory, as it takes six seconds to fully charge a Limit Break. Its alternative methods of charging, dealing 250% or receiving 100%, are both too slow, with the latter also leaving Cloud susceptible to opponents' finishers. The exclusive Finishing Touch deals only 1% and has has very high ending lag if the whirlwind does not work. However, his most prominent weakness is his recovery. His diagonal movement is overall very slow, making him prone to edgeguarding and gimping. Climhazzard is also a terrible recovery move, granting below average vertical distance and no horizontal momentum. Its ascending hit is also completely incapable of edge sweetspotting, allowing opponents to knock him further away from the stage with any far-reaching move. Its descending hit cannot edge sweetspot until it covers some prior distance. These factors make Cloud's recovery comparable to those of Ganondorf, Little Mac and Dr. Mario, in the sense that it is one of the riskiest and most ineffective without use of his wall jump or Limit Break version of Climhazzard, and although he can stall in the air with Cross Slash and Blade Beam once each, the former slows down his air speed significantly and the latter's slower startup and ending lag can make its use problematic against opponents already close to the ledge. Finally, he lacks custom moves like his fellow DLC characters, and while this does not seem to be a problem considering his Limit Break-boosted moves, the lack of variety for the normal special moves hinders his match-ups against more optimized custom characters.

Overall, while Cloud has all the tools required to be successful, they cannot be used consistently, leaving the player to manage Cloud's resources to the best of their ability. His combo game and KOing ability, while unique and powerful, are very inconsistent, leaving much to be desired. The player has to avoid being edgeguarded and adopt a creative playstyle in order to maintain control of the match. Much like Mario, Cloud has a decently low learning curve and skill floor that make him an effective choice for beginners and inexperienced players, but continues to be a very viable character in high-level play. Cloud's tournament representation and results so far have been notably strong, possibly being tied with Ryu for the second strongest results out of the DLC characters and also having the second best tournament representation, with notable players like Komorikiri, Mew2King, and Tweek, while other top players like Leo, ScAtt, and ZeRo are beginning to pick up Cloud as a secondary or a new main. Regardless, it is currently unknown how he will fare in the long run in regards to singles play, due to his easily exploitable weaknesses. In doubles play, however, Cloud has acheived even stronger results, due to team-based combo set-ups synergizing very well with his Limit Break mechanic.

Update history

Cloud has been nerfed as of update 1.1.5. His up aerial deals less damage, which hinders its damage racking and KO potentials to the point that his up aerial-based true combos are now only possible when initiated with a falling up aerial, while his up aerial itself now KOs around 12% later. His KO potential in general was also slightly toned down; forward smash, down smash and Limit Break Cross Slash had their knockback scaling slightly decreased, while aerial Finishing Touch's knockback scaling was decreased to the point that it now KOs about 24% later (in front) or 36% later (from behind) if landed on a grounded opponent. Though the significance of these nerfs have been highly debated (with Mew2King, a Cloud main himself, stating that these nerfs have made him much worse than most people are led to believe), Cloud remains a very viable character in the metagame, with most players believing that even his current placing on the tier list is too low, especially considering Sheik's and Bayonetta's heavy nerfs from updates 1.1.5 and 1.1.6, respectively.

1.1.5

• End of roll intangibility: Frame 17 → 15
• Forward smash's third hit has lower knockback scaling (119 → 115).
• Down smash's second hit has lower knockback scaling (96 → 94).
• Up aerial deals less damage (13% (clean)/9.5% (late) →12%/8.5%), hindering its KO potential.
  • However, this also improves its combo potential.
• Limit Break Cross Slash has lower knockback scaling (155 → 153).
• Limit Charge takes 42 frames (0.7 seconds) longer to fully charge.
• Aerial Finishing Touch has lower knockback scaling (417 (clean)/390 (late)/100 (windbox) → 359/335/86).

Moveset

• Cloud can wall jump.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	A mid-level side kick, followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick, followed by a clearing slash. In addition to possessing very good speed, both kicks have good range, similarly to Ike's neutral attack. Each attack after the first hit moves Cloud a step forward, further improving the move's range, although the sword strike has lower range than the kicks. Due to the last hit's low semi-spike knockback, it can be used to tech-chase reliably. However, the third hit can fail to connect at high percentages.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			11%	An outward slash. It has quick start-up, but moderate ending lag. It is also Cloud's only tilt that has reasonable KO potential, as it can KO middleweights around 120% at the edge.
Up tilt		rowspan="1"	8%	An overhead arcing slice. Its hitbox starts behind Cloud, with a larger front hitbox. It is fast and has a fairly large hitbox, although its knockback is lacking. One of Cloud's most reliable combo starters, as it can chain into itself at 0% and into aerials at low percentages.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	6% (initial knee hitbox), 7% (leg)	A sliding kick, similar to Mega Man's Slide down tilt. His legs are intangible while the hitbox is active, and will sometimes deal less damage if landed early. Very quick start-up and sends Cloud a good distance forward while keeping his hitbox small, making it useful as a quick and weak punish. Launches opponents vertically, leading into follow-ups with aerial attacks. This move sends Cloud low enough to dodge some projectiles, such as Hadoken, which helps his approach.
Dash attack			11% (clean), 8% (late)	Slides to a halt and forces the entire sharp edge of the Buster Sword forward with both hands in a parrying motion. It deals more damage at the beginning, has a long-lasting hitbox and its moderately high knockback enables it to KO at high percentages.
Forward smash			3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2 center), 3% (hit 2 hilt), 4% (hit 2 tip), 12% (hit 3 tip),13% (hit 3 non-tip)	A series of three, extremely fast slashes. The last hit has slightly more range and carries all the attack's knockback. Depending on the size of the opponent's hurtbox and where each slash hits, this move can deal 17%-20% damage. It is immensely powerful for its amount of start-up (19 frames), KOing middleweights around 100% in the middle of the stage, but it has high ending lag and deals poor shieldstun. It can sometimes whiff during its second hit, causing the last hit to miss. Cloud's strongest move if his Limit Break specials are unavailable.
Up smash			13% (earliest/tip), 12% (hilt/mid), 8% (late)	An upward slash. It has average start-up, but good range due to its wide arc, giving him reliable aerial protection. Its arc is so wide that it can even hit opponents behind Cloud, which deals weak damage at the end. KOs middleweights around 125%.
Down smash			4% (hit 1), 12% (hit 2)	Crouches and then shoves the Buster Sword's hilt forward before stabbing backward in the same direction. The first hit carries opponents into the second hit. Cloud's fastest smash attack and it is also a semi-spike courtesy of its second hit, although it is hard to use for edgeguarding unless Cloud is facing away from the edge. Regardless, it is useful for sending opponents with weak horizontal recoveries off-stage. The first hit will almost always stage spike due to its angle. The back hit KOs at 140%. It is possible to tech after the first hit, causing the second hit to miss.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	8%	Swings the Buster Sword in a circular motion around him, starting from over his head and ending behind him, similarly to Ike's neutral aerial. Another trait is that it shares the range of Shulk's neutral aerial, yet it also boasts respectable speed in its own right, which makes it very useful as an approach option and aerial tool. It autocancels from a short hop, making it rather difficult to punish, although it can be difficult to hit grounded opponents while buffering it as soon as possible, due to the hitbox starting behind him.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	14% (clean sweetspot), 13% (clean sourspot), 11% (late)	Briefly pauses and then slices downward, similarly to Ike's forward aerial. It has the most start-up out of all his aerials, but sweetspotting in the middle of the blade as it comes down results in a powerful meteor smash on aerial opponents, while launching grounded opponents at a slightly more vertical angle. Deals weak knockback if contact is made once the blade stops, making it useful for catching air dodges. Wide range and meteor smashing properties makes this a useful off-stage option, albeit easy to telegraph. Moderate ending lag, though its landing lag is decent for its power, and it autocancels from a full hop. The sweetspot can also notably be frame canceled, allowing for more follow-ups if done correctly due to its drastically increased hitlag and more vertical angle of its trajectory. It resembles Cloud's Braver Limit Break.
Back aerial			13%	Spins and performs a backward swipe. Good range and knockback, and a reliable edgeguarding tool due to its fast startup. Moderate ending lag, but can autocancel from a short hop (if not under Limit Break status), and has low landing lag. It can also be used in a wall of pain at medium percentages if timed correctly, or as a combo starter at low to medium percentages if the opponent DIs poorly. KOs middleweights at around 110% at the edge.
Up aerial			12% (clean), 8.5% (late)	Thrusts the sharp edge of the Buster Sword upward and parallel to the ground. While powerful at the start of the animation, it also functions as a sex kick, doing less damage after the first few frames. The initial hitbox has surprisingly good range both vertically and horizontally, which allows Cloud to barely poke through the top platform of Battlefield just at the apex of his short hop and contest almost any downward aerial move and trade at worst. It can autocancel from a short hop, and it has low landing lag; therefore, it can be used at the last second before landing to catch grounded opponents with the move and true combo into up tilt at lower percentages, neutral aerial or another up aerial until higher percentages, and forward aerial and back aerial at medium percentages. KOs middleweights at around 160% on a grounded opponent when clean. Due to its many positive traits with its only drawback being weak when hitting late, it is considered one of the best up aerials in the game.
Down aerial			13% (clean aerial sourspot, grounded opponent), 15% (aerial sweetspot), 8% (late)	A downward stab, similar to Link's Down Thrust down aerial. Striking at the first few frames with the base of the blade powerfully meteor smashes aerial opponents and deals more damage. Stays out for a while, allowing the move to hit opponents after the initial thrust, which makes the move a good out of shield option. It can also be used to counter juggling. KOs middleweights at around 135% on a grounded opponent when landed clean. The late hit of the move is an excellent combo starter when autocanceled; it can combo into any aerial and Cross Slash (both versions) until higher percentages, and even Finishing Touch at medium percentages, making it one of Cloud's most effective moves for setting up KOs, though most of the possible follow-ups can be escaped with DI. When properly autocanceled, the move is extremely difficult to punish, making it one of Cloud's best moves in his moveset and is vital for his strong neutral.
Grab			—	Reaches out with his left hand. Cloud's grab range is the third shortest in the game.
Pummel			3%	A knee strike. Moderately slow, but one of the most damaging pummels in the game.
Forward throw			4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)	A backflipping dropkick, similar to Wii Fit Trainer's back throw. It is also vaguely similar to the Somersault Limit Break used by Tifa Lockhart, one of Cloud's party members in Final Fantasy VII, albeit being a dropkick rather than a backflip kick.
Back throw			3% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)	Shoves the opponent behind himself and reverse roundhouse kicks them away, similarly to Ike's back throw. It is capable of tech-chasing alongside Blade Beam or his dash attack, though this is only possible against middleweights and heavyweights until medium percentages.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 2.5% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3)	Two alternating stretch kicks, similar to Sonic's up tilt and Captain Falcon's up smash. One of Cloud's two strongest throws, along with down throw. However, it is unable to KO at reasonable percentages, and should the opponent be in the middle of the stage and be at such percentages (around 215% for middleweights), up throw will be more effective at KOing. It is vaguely similar to the Waterkick Limit Break used by Tifa, albeit kicking vertically instead of horizontally.
Down throw			7%	A one-handed body slam. It launches opponents them behind himself and due to its low base knockback, it is Cloud's primary, albeit lackluster, combo throw. It can combo into a reversed forward tilt or Cross Slash until medium percentages, though this is not guaranteed if Cloud does not have a sufficiently high level of rage. Cloud's other strong throw, it can KO most characters earlier than up throw if Cloud is near the edge, as it is more significantly affected by DI than up throw due to its weaker vertical angle. However, like up throw, it does not KO at reasonable percentages. It is vaguely similar to the Meteor Strike Limit Break used by Tifa, albeit while grounded instead of being used in the air.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Spins the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Spins the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Similar to other floor attacks.
Edge attack Edge getups			8%	Climbs up while slicing at the opponent's feet.
Neutral special	Default	Blade Beam	8% (ground, clean), 6% (ground, late), 6% (air, clean), 4% (air, late), 6% (hit 1, Limit Break), 2% (hits 2-6, Limit Break), 3% (hit 7, Limit Break)	Swings the Buster Sword forward to fire a green, crescent-shaped energy beam. Like a typical projectile, it disappears upon hitting anything. The projectile comes out and moves rather slowly, but travels a long distance overall, and its hitbox is extremely active. It is stronger if started on the ground and in the first few frames, while the aerial version is slower and deals less damage, but gives Cloud a slight amount of lift. Its Limit Break variant is colored blue and possesses transcendent priority, higher velocity, an increased damage output and hits multiple times, with the last hit having great KO potential near the edge, starting at 98%. Like the standard Blade Beam, the Limit Break variant is weaker when performed in midair.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Side special	Default	Cross Slash	4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2-4), 6% (hit 5), 5% (Limit Break, hit 1), 3% (Limit Break, hits 2-4), 10% (Limit Break, hit 5),	A series of slashes that are inputted by pressing the special button after each slash connects, similarly to Marth's and Lucina's Dancing Blade and Roy's Double-Edge Dance, with the finished series spelling the kanji 凶. Respectable damage output and moderate knockback make it a superb punishing option at close range, though it is exceedingly weak against shields. Each hit can only be inputted only if the first hit lands (even if shielded), and the first hit is highly punishable, making spacing and timing crucial. However, opponents can SDI the first two hits and jump away from the remaining series of slashes, which is even easier if Cloud is under the effects of rage, leaving him vulnerable. Its Limit Break variant changes the kanji's colors from yellow to blue while Cloud instantly unleashes all five strikes instead of requiring button inputs and noticeably increases both its damage output and KO potential, starting at 100%. The first few hits cannot be SDI'd, though the last hit can be SDI'd efficiently, allowing opponents to survive when they have high damage so long as they combine the SDI with DI or a tech (the latter of which being done towards the stage). It is also considered to be Cloud's best Limit Break variant due to its speed, power and notability as both a powerful stage spike and shield breaking option if used quickly with another follow-up attack.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Up special	Default	Climhazzard	3% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2, 3), 3% (hit 4), 6% (Limit Break, hit 1), 7% (Limit Break, hit 2)	A leaping, ascending slash, which can be followed by with a descending slash that launches opponents. The first hit deals set knockback, while the second hit deals more damage in the middle of the Buster Sword's blade and less if near the hilt. If the special button is inputted again, Cloud does a second hit that can meteor smash when he descends. Cloud's primary recovery move, though it only covers mediocre vertical distance while covering extremely minimal horizontal distance. Additionally, the descending slash cannot ledge sweetspot until Cloud falls a certain distance, making it unsuitable to use the second hit off-stage. Its fast start-up makes it an excellent surprise attack, particularly as an out of shield option. Its Limit Break variant changes the blade's color from magenta to blue, the first (but not second) hit deals more damage while sweetspotting edges, Cloud gains much greater vertical and horizontal recovery distance, and it can begin KOing grounded opponents at 124%.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Down special	Default	Limit Charge	1% (Finishing Touch)	Charges up the Limit Gauge, an invisible meter which can alternatively be filled by dealing or receiving damage, similarly to Little Mac's Power Meter. The Limit Gauge will be fully filled either by charging it for 400 frames (6.667 seconds), dealing 250% or receiving 100%, with the chargeable method displaying a text box above Cloud that displays "Limit". It can be charge-canceled by pressing the shield button (which, on the ground, can then be cancelled into any dodge or a jump), hitting the control stick left or right (which triggers a roll), grabbing, or pressing the special button again, which has an 8 frame delay, and canceling Limit Charge with this method allows Cloud to be flexible with movement in the air or along the ground while filling up the Limit Gauge. It can also be instant charge-cancelled with any grounded, non-special move, which can be handy for approaching or defending oneself. When the meter is full, Cloud receives a 10% increase to his gravity, falling speed, fast fall speed, initial dash distance, and running speed, a 15% increase to his walking speed and traction, and a 20% increase to both his air speed and air acceleration. During this time, he can also use more powerful, one-use variants of his special attacks. This move itself turns into the Finishing Touch Limit Break when the meter is full, which is a large whirlwind that deals only 1% but possesses tremendous knockback, enough to KO most opponents before 70%, even without rage. Rather slow, hitting on frame 16-17, though extremely powerful for its speed, and is easily his best option for punishing opponents at KO percents. However, the attack itself is punishable if it misses or hits a shield, as it has very high ending lag and extremely poor shieldstun due to its damage output. The back hitbox comes out 2 frames slower and KOs opponents around 10% later, and the attack as a whole has further reduced knockback when performed in the air, KOing grounded opponents around 24% later with the front hitbox, or around 36% later with the back hitbox; however, this difference is reduced if the opponent is airborne. Both hitboxes are deceptively large, being able to poke through the lower platforms of Battlefield and Lylat Cruise, as well as hit some characters standing on the lower platforms of Dream Land. If whiffed, it generates a much larger windbox that simply pushes opponents away. It stalls Cloud when used in the air, which can potentially aid his recovery.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Final Smash		Omnislash	3% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-14), 5% (hit 15), 4%-5% (hit 16), 10% (hit 17), 50% (total)	A multiple hitting series of powerful slashes that concludes with a powerful, descending slash that triggers an explosion, similarly to Ike's Great Aether. Cloud dashes forward at high speed, similarly to Marth's and Lucina's Critical Hit, with a text box appearing above him that displays "Omnislash" as he proceeds to flings any opponents he runs into to the top of the screen. After the series of slashes, Cloud charges up a final slash, in which he descends and slashes the opponent downward to the stage and results in a huge explosion that launches the opponent. One of the most powerful Final Smashes in the game, it can KO as low as 22%. Unlike Marth's and Lucina's Critical Hit, Cloud will dash off the edges of platforms if Omnislash is initiated next to one.

On-screen appearance

• Falls from the sky and catches the Buster Sword with a twirl.

Taunts

• Up taunt: Performs his victory animation from Final Fantasy VII, where he twirls the Buster Sword in front of him before positioning it on his shoulders while saying 興味ないね ("Not interested").
• Side taunt: Performs his spellcasting animation from Final Fantasy VII, where he places the Buster Sword on his back and cups his hands together in front of him. Complete with the original sound effect and glowing energy field.
• Down taunt: Places his Buster Sword on its tip and poses in a casual manner while scoffing. It resembles the cocky pose he uses in many Final Fantasy VII cutscenes.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Rubs the edge of the Buster Sword's blade, similarly to one of Ike's and Roy's idle poses.
• Holds the Buster Sword upward in front of himself.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!	Ku-rau-do!
Pitch	Group chant	Female

Victory poses

A remix of the Victory Fanfare from Final Fantasy VII, which is itself a variant of the Victory Fanfare heard throughout the Final Fantasy series. Unlike other themes, it continuously plays, replacing the results theme.

• While facing the screen, Cloud twirls the Buster Sword with one hand and places it on his back while looking away from the camera, saying 悪く思うな ("No hard feelings.") This victory pose originates from Dissidia Final Fantasy.
• While turning away, Cloud twirls the Buster Sword, places it on his back and then glares at the screen, saying ついてないな ("Better luck next time.")
• Rushes forward, quickly slashes the Buster Sword twice, and then assumes a battle stance similar to his idle animation, saying お前に俺は倒せない ("I'm out of your league.")

In competitive play

Notable players

Active

•  Komorikiri
•  Leo
•  Mew2King
•  Ned
•  RAIN
•  Seibrik
•  Serge
•  Tweek

Inactive

•  Nicko

Reveal trailer

<youtube>nc3CY31kMJ4</youtube>

Trophies

Cloud

The protagonist of FINAL FANTASY VII, Cloud wields the enormous Buster Sword, a memento from his comrade Zack. Once a SOLDIER of Shinra, he now fights as a mercenary against the corporation he originally served. His decision to join AVALANCHE's insurgence, however, will transform his destiny.

FINAL FANTASY VII (11/1997)

Cloud (Alt.)

Filling the Limit Gauge allows Cloud to perform a Limit Break, supercharging his next special move. His down special becomes Finishing Touch. With a huge swing of his sword, Cloud summons a whirlwind that inflicts only 1% damage, but boasts brutal launch power. Go for a KO while his foes' damage is still low!

FINAL FANTASY VII (11/1997)

Omnislash

Cloud sets out to prevent Sephiroth from sending Meteor crashing into the planet. The fate of the world on his shoulders, Cloud confronts his enemy one on one. He unleashes a flurry of swift slashes before delivering the finishing blow. In Smash Bros., the final strike creates an explosion, launching nearby fighters.

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  Classic (3DS)

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  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Omnislash

Alternate costumes

Cloud's default costume is based on his appearance in Final Fantasy VII. He has an alternate costume based on his appearance in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, known as "Cloudy Wolf" in Dissidia Final Fantasy, which has two minor variants and replaces the Buster Sword with the Fusion Swords. One variant has a long sleeve covering Cloud's left arm to hide the visible signs of his Geostigma. The other variant reveals Cloud's left arm after he has been cured of Geostigma, as well as a red ribbon that is wrapped around it, which he and his party wear in memory of Aerith Gainsborough.

Gallery

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  Cloud's poster used on the official website.

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  Cloud's splash art.

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  Cloud's "Cloudy Wolf" alternate costume from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Aside from his different attire, he also sports a slightly different pose and expression.

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  Cloud jumping near Mario's Fireball and Samus' neutral aerial.

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  Using Blade Beam on Charizard.

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  Cloud on Final Destination.

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  Cloud landing on Midgar, with Bahamut ZERO in the background.

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  Cloud alongside Wii Fit Trainer and Lucario around the Summon Materia.

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  Using the Limit Break-boosted Cross Slash on Ganondorf.

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  Cloud dashing from Link.

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  The last hit of Cloud's neutral attack.

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  Cloud on Gaur Plain.

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  Cloud alongside Ness and Wii Fit Trainer on Wuhu Island's boat. Cloud being in a stunned state references a scene in Final Fantasy VII where he gets motion sickness.

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  Using Limit Charge.

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  Two Clouds, with one using Cross Slash and the other using the Limit Break-boosted Cross Slash.

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  Cloud with a Mii Fighter wearing the Chocobo hat.

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  Using Blade Beam on Link.

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  Standing on Midgar, with Bahamut ZERO in the background.

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  Using Cross Slash on Luigi in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Using his forward tilt alongside Villager's axe on Villager's tree.

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  Using his up taunt on Living Room.

Trivia

• Cloud makes a few references to his home game and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children:
  • His pose in his official artwork matches his pose from his official artwork from Final Fantasy VII. Conversely, the pose for his Advent Children costume resembles his official artwork from Dissidia Final Fantasy.
    • Humorously, Cloud strikes a variation of the first pose when he is Screen KO'd.
  • His attacks emit unique blunt sounds when they hit opponents, while his side taunt emits a unique sound when performed. These sound effects originate from Final Fantasy VII, with this trait being similar to how Snake and Ryu emit sound effects from their respective home series.
    • His forward aerial resembles his Braver Limit Break, while his forward, up and down throws vaguely resemble the Somersault, Waterkick and Meteor Strike Limit Breaks used by Tifa Lockhart, one of his party members in Final Fantasy VII.
    • Omnislash is accompanied by a text box that displays its name above Cloud when it is activated.
  • His idle stance and the animations of up and side taunts are identical to his battle stance, victory animation and spellcasting animation in Final Fantasy VII, respectively. Additionally, his victory poses are almost identical to his battle stance and victory animation in Final Fantasy VII.
  • The coloration of the Buster Sword's trail is a reference to the Mako energy that Cloud was exposed to while being experimented on prior to Final Fantasy VII.
    • Cloud emits blue Mako energy when his limit break is fully charged which is a reference to his final battle againts Sephiroth in Advent Children.
• Cloud and Bayonetta are the only characters with alternate costumes that sport a change of weapon. In Cloud's case, his Advent Children costume sees him wield the Fusion Swords from that movie instead of the Buster Sword.
• Cloud is the second DLC character from a newly added universe, succeeding Ryu and preceding Bayonetta. Additionally, he is also the only one from a newly represented company (Square Enix), as Sega and Capcom were already represented by Sonic and Mega Man, respectively, prior to the release of Ryu and Bayonetta.
• Cloud has an alternate Blast KO line in which he mutters (ミスった, "I made a mistake."), making him one of the few characters who says anything during a KO, and the only character to have a Japanese KO line in non-Japanese versions of the game.
• Along with Little Mac, Cloud is one of only two characters who have special moves that affect the in-game camera, with both KO Uppercut and all but one of Cloud's Limit Break moves zooming in and slowing down time upon hitting their targets. Notably, both characters' attacks involve taking and dealing damage before they can be used.
• Cloud, Roy, Ryu, Corrin, and Bayonetta are the only characters (who are all coincidentally DLC) to use different sound clips when using battering items.