Cloud (SSBU)

Cloud in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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Universe	Final Fantasy
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Omnislash / Omnislash Ver. 5
Tier	S- (11)

Cloud (クラウド, Cloud) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Cloud was confirmed on June 12th, 2018 and is classified as Fighter #61.

Takahiro Sakurai reprises his role as Cloud in all regions, albeit via recycled voice clips from Super Smash Bros. 4. This makes him the first character to remain fully voiced in Japanese in all regions despite having an existing English voice actor. In Sephiroth's reveal trailer, and as part of the version 10.1.0 update, Sakurai reprises his role as Cloud with new voice lines exclusively for the Advent Children costumes, albeit only for his aesthetically different Omnislash Ver. 5.

Cloud is currently ranked 11th out of 86 characters on the current Ultimate tier list, ranking him in S- tier. This is a noteworthy drop from his ranking in Smash 4, where he was ranked 2nd out of 55. Cloud's already great movement was further improved from Smash 4 thanks to his jump squat being lowered to 3 frames all while receiving landing lag reductions to his already safe aerials improving his advantage state and combo game. Despite nerfs to his range, Cloud's hitboxes from his Buster Sword are still fairly large allowing him to outrange a good chunk of 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 retaints Limit Charge which further improves his special moves.

However, Cloud still has many issues including an underwhelming grab game and an exploitable recovery. He would also receive drastica nerfs likely due to his dominance in Smash 4. Along with the nerf to his range, Cloud's Limit was nerfed, as his specials deal less damage and knockback and the full charge of limit itself now only lasts for 15 seconds, forcing Cloud to be more cautious when using it. Cloud's ability to kill is also not as consistent due to the nerfs to Limit as well as Cloud's down aerial no longer being a reliable combo starter.

The nerfs however were not enough to keep Cloud out of top tier, as he still has many of his key advantages from Smash 4. While he saw few results at the start of Ultimate's metagame, Sparg0 would go on to become one of the best players in the world primarily using Cloud.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Cloud being the 55th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Samus or any character in her unlock tree, being the 6th character in her unlock tree after Dark Samus.
• Have Cloud join the player's party in World of Light.

Cloud must then be defeated on Midgar (the Ω form is used in World of Light).

Attributes

Cloud is a middleweight swordsman, tied with Mii Swordfighter at 100 units of weight. Despite his weight class, Cloud boasts high overall mobility: he has average walking speed, very fast dashing speed, above-average air speed and average air acceleration, which collectively make him quick both on the ground and in the air. Cloud also has above-average falling speed and high gravity, however, which prevent him from staying in the air for long in spite of his good aerial maneuverability.

However, Cloud's Limit Break status improves his already impressive mobility. 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.

Cloud's greatest asset is his effective range, courtesy of his Buster Sword; Cloud's attacks have among the longest reaches in the game and can space out the opponent quite easily, snuff out opposing approaches and adeptly punish most careless attacks due to his speed and range. A prime example of this trait is Cloud's aerial attacks: neutral aerial, despite having its range decreased noticeably in the transition to Ultimate, still covers Cloud's hurtbox well, making it a go-to option for spacing or air-to-ground transition movement. It is also very fast on both ends, can autocancel with a short hop, and has a low launching angle, all of which make it a good edgeguarding and spacing tool despite its below-average knockback.

Up aerial has a rather large hitbox, overall decent speed, a long duration, and decent damage and knockback; altogether, these traits make it effective at juggling and denying landings. Down aerial is not only a very strong meteor smash when sweetspotted, but also possesses a long-lasting late hitbox, which grants it good anti-juggling potential and allows him to follow up into another move if it connects while he is falling. Like up aerial, it also has a long autocancel window, being able to autocancel from a jump regardless of his Limit Break status.

Back aerial has tremendous range, decent power, very low landing lag, and autocancels from a short hop; altogether, these traits allow him to edgeguard and space effectively, and even perform a wall of pain at low percentages. However, it can often miss low opponents due to its minimal vertical range. Forward aerial is very strong when its clean, hitbox connects, and its sweetspot is a powerful meteor smash on aerial opponents. Like down aerial, it autocancels from a jump and has low landing lag in relation to its range and power. However, it has the slowest startup of his aerials, making it his riskiest one to use regardless.

Cloud's grounded moveset, while much less effective than his aerial moveset, nevertheless has its own merits. Neutral attack is his fastest attack, has decent overall range, and its third hit can force a tech-chase. Forward tilt has serviceable speed and respectable power, which make it a decent KO option at high percentages. However, its moderate ending lag and very low base knockback make it unsafe on hit at low percentages if it not spaced sufficiently. Down tilt is a low-profile sliding kick and is reasonably quick; while these traits make it useful primarily for avoiding projectiles and putting the opponent into a disadvantageous state, its final frames also allow it to combo into his neutral and up aerials at low percentages. Up tilt is a reliable combo starter, as it can combo into itself at low percentages and into neutral, back and up aerials at medium percentages. While it can even combo into up smash at low to medium percentages, this combo is heavily dependent on the opponent's reaction.

Dash attack is a quick punishing option from a distance, and its respectable power enables its clean hit to either KO at reasonable percentages or, at worst, put an opponent in an unfavorable position. However, like forward tilt, it is easily punished when shielded or avoided. In regard to Cloud's smash attacks, up smash covers a very large arc, has decent speed, and rather high knockback despite its middling damage output. As a result, it is among his best and least risky KOing options out of his standard moveset. Forward smash is Cloud's most powerful non-Limit Break move, though to compensate it also takes the longest to start and is very punishable if it whiffs. Down smash is also prone to punishment if the front hit is avoided, but it drags the opponent into the back hit if it connects, with the latter being a strong semi-spike.

Cloud's special moveset also offers interesting options. Blade Beam is a projectile with good range and activity, making it useful for forcing approaches, though it gets weakened over the duration and has rather high endlag, which hampers its otherwise useful utility. It also stalls Cloud in the air, giving it additional, albeit situational, utility in guard breaking. Cross Slash is similar to Dancing Blade and Double-Edge Dance, as it requires additional inputs from the player to initiate the remaining slashes. In contrast, it has wider input windows, but the full move is only allowed to continue if all hits connect. It can also stall Cloud in the air, just like Blade Beam, though much more briefly. 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 his fastest out of shield option, though it is very risky to use.

In reference to Final Fantasy VII, Cloud possesses a unique Limit Break mechanic. It is indicated by the Limit Gauge, which is displayed above his damage meter and becomes visible while charging it to show its progress, similarly to the Power Meter. Cloud can charge his Limit Gauge by inflicting 150%, receiving 100%, or by manually charging it for 5.58 seconds via his down special, Limit Charge. Unlike most other chargeable special moves, it can be canceled with a simple special move button press. When the Limit Gauge is full, Cloud gets a boost to all of his movement attributes except for attack speed, allowing him to move very quickly across the stage and in the air, with his overall mobility almost rivaling that of Captain Falcon and Sonic. In addition, all of Cloud's special attacks are given a single-use power boost that enables them to KO reliably around 90%-120%.

Limit Charge is also converted to Finishing Touch, a spinning slash with such tremendous knockback that can KO most characters around 60%-70%. It also emits a whirlwind that pushes away opponents, making it harder to punish and providing Cloud a situational method of gimping weak recoveries. With the exception of Finishing Touch, all Limit Break specials are also granted brief intangibility upon start-up, as well as additional properties: Blade Beam is faster, stronger, and gains transcendent priority; Cross Slash requires no additional button inputs and strikes five times immediately, has very low ending lag in relation to its immense power, and stalls Cloud completely in the air; and Climhazzard grants more vertical distance and much more horizontal momentum, as well as having the ability to sweetspot an edge at any time. With all these benefits underneath the Limit Break status, players must be wary of this, as one small slip-up from the opponent can give Cloud the perfect opportunity to strike and turn the tide of battle instantaneously, making Cloud's Limit Break a mechanic that should not be taken lightly when in the hands of a competent player.

However, Cloud has some notable flaws. The most prominent one is his poor recovery; despite his aerial mobility and jump height being arguably better than most sword-wielding characters, his diagonal speed remains slow when compared to them, making him prone to edgeguarding and gimping, and making it mandatory to stay a safe distance within reaching the edge. Climhazzard is also a poor recovery move for many reasons: it grants below average vertical distance, little horizontal momentum, its ascending hit is completely incapable of edge sweetspotting, and its descending hit cannot edge sweetspot until it covers slight distance. The last problem about Cloud's recovery is that if he gets grabbed near the edge and gets air released while lacking access to his double jump, he will not be able to return to the stage unless he properly times a Blade Beam to stall towards the edge, uses aerials or air dodges to reset his momentum, or possesses a Limit Break. These factors make Cloud's recovery among the riskiest and most ineffective without use of his wall jump or Limit Break Climhazzard (which loses the active hitbox near the end of his ascent, making it less safe than the regular Climhazzard in some situations).

Another of Cloud's glaring flaws is his terrible grab game, being among the worst in the game. His grabs' ranges are abysmally short, 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.

Although Cloud's range, combo options and Blade Beam collectively grant him a strong neutral game, he has a below-average approach at best. His approach options are linear: dash attack is easily punishable, neutral aerial's hitbox starts from behind him, and up aerial is very predictable as well as surprisingly punishable on shield if it is not spaced properly. This is further compounded by his other attacks lacking the frame data or the utility to be used as reliable approach options, such as his poor grab game.

Cloud also lacks a reliable means of escaping pressure. His neutral attack and down tilt are his fastest ground options, while Climhazzard is a great out of shield option. However, they are noticeably unsafe on shield, while none of his fast aerial attacks start from in front or below him. Down aerial's late hitbox can be used to escape juggling directly from below him, but its otherwise narrow hitbox allows opponents to hit Cloud laterally. Thus, Cloud is fairly easy to combo, and is just as easily forced on the defensive if his attacks are improperly spaced.

Although Cloud also possesses an abundance of strong finishers, his KO potential is somewhat inconsistent. None of his strongest finishers are easy to land in the neutral game and they can be easily punished if avoided or shielded. In comparison, his weaker finishers, such as forward tilt and back aerial, require good positioning to KO reliably. Cloud's KO potential is further compounded by his lack of reliable set-ups to combo into his strongest or best finishers.

Aside from Limit Charge, Cloud's special moves have some noticeable weaknesses. Blade Beam is relatively slow in regard to start-up and ending lag, as well as depreciating in damage over time or when used in the air, all of which make it less effective for spamming. Cross Slash is inconsistent with linking all five of its hits due to SDI or landing different parts of the hitboxes, along with being very vulnerable to stale-move negation because of its reliability as a damage racking option. In addition to its aforementioned weaknesses in regard to recovery, Climhazzard is also can be punishable if shielded and DI'd out of, while all of his specials only boast KO power when they are boosted by the Limit Break.

The Limit Break mechanic itself is also problematic: it acts as a double-edged sword, as it increases Cloud's fall speed and gravity at full charge, making recovery without the use of Climhazzard deceptively difficult, and rendering Cloud even easier to combo at medium percentages. It makes precise use of his special attacks mandatory, as his Limit Break specials can still be blocked and possess limited range. While Limit Blade Beam can be used as a ranged KOing option, it can just as easily be reflected or otherwise avoided at the tip of its range, leaving Cloud wide open to punishment. Finishing Touch deals only 1% and has very high ending lag that renders Cloud vulnerable if the slash or whirlwind do not hit. Finally and most notably, his Limit will be depleted if it is not used in 15 seconds, requiring Cloud to either "go big or go home" with the charge in a short amount of time, which could potentially be a huge turnabout on him at the wrong time.

Overall, Cloud has all the tools required to be successful, yet the player must manage these resources to the best of their ability and avoid being thrown off the stage at all times. These abilities also, more often then not, force the player to be vulnerable before they can be used effectively. Even though Cloud has many playstyles applicable to him, the combination of all of the traits above make him a fundamentals-oriented character most of the time, much like Ike, Lucina and Palutena.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Cloud was previously considered to be one of the best characters in SSB4, alongside Bayonetta, due to a myriad of advantages, including deceptively lingering hitboxes, excellent speed-to-range ratio alongside generous autocancel windows, and a powerful advantage in the form of his Limit Gauge, which granted a lasting stat buff that boosted his already high overall mobility, allowed him to force approaches, and posed a constant threat during games due to the potential of a powerful Limit Break special attack. All these factors made him one of the most viable characters in SSB4 overall, especially 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 held more dominance than even Meta Knight in Brawl singles). Likely as a result of this, Cloud has been nerfed noticeably overall in his transition to Ultimate.

Cloud received a fair share of buffs, although most of these are universal throughout the cast. Like most other characters, he was given a boost to his already high stats, with faster movement speed, a frame 3 jumpsquat, and reductions to landing lag, all of which compliments his strong aerial spacing ability and continues to make him one of the most mobile swordfighters in the game. In particular, the reduction to landing lag on his aerials not only makes them much safer on shield due to their range, it also allows Cloud to follow up from them more consistently, most notably with his forward, back and up aerials; this improves his damage racking game.

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. Certain moves have been improved to make them more consistent or improve their KO potential, such as his neutral attack (which connects better and can now lock) and dash attack (which has increased knockback). The ability to dash cancel into any ground move and the introduction of spot dodge canceling also allows Cloud to make even better use of his ground attacks, such as neutral attack for tech-chasing, down tilt for approaching, or forward tilt for KOing.

Cloud's special moves have also been given some noteworthy improvements. Blade Beam's sluggishness has been improved by a reduction of ending lag, making it less punishable and giving Cloud a semi-reliable camping tool. Climhazzard can be teched at the end of the move, snaps to ledge faster when using the downward slash, has much lower landing lag, transitions quicker, and KOs more consistently if used offstage due to the changes to meteor smashes. This makes it safer for recovery, a much more reliable out of shield option, and consistent for sacrificial KOs. 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.

Although Cloud can no longer store his Limit indefinitely, the combination his Limit Gauge filling faster via inflicting damage and especially via Limit Charge actually means that Cloud can use his Limit Breaks much more frequently than in SSB4. Finally, Finishing Touch is an even more potent finishing 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.

However, these buffs are offset by an abundance of nerfs. One of Cloud's most significant changes are to his Limit Charge: it can no longer be instant charge-canceled since it incurs 7 frames of lag when canceling a charge, will have its charge reduced if Cloud is hit during the process of charging, and disappears entirely if not used up in 15 seconds. These changes result in Cloud's Limit Break mechanic no longer being a direct upside that can be kept for mindgames or a lasting stat boost, and forces him to be more cautious of both charging and activating his Limit, vastly reducing the sheer game changing abilities it once had in the previous game.

Cloud's aerials have also been toned down, making his infamous aerial game less effective despite their lowered landing lag and better combo potential. Neutral aerial's range has been significantly reduced due to an altered animation in which Cloud doesn't stretch his arm as much, making it less safe and effective for spacing. Down aerial's lingering hitbox ends earlier and has more ending lag, making it harder to follow up in midair and riskier to use an an anti-juggle move, although its lowered landing lag allows it to start combos if Cloud lands first.

Finally, Cloud's notorious up aerial has been substantially nerfed: its increased startup with no animation change significantly reduced its range in front of him, it has smaller hitboxes on the Buster Sword, reduced power and a lowered autocancel window. Altogether, these changes worsen its versatility by almost completely removing its ability to start combos on grounded opponents, reducing its incontestability, and toning down its previously respectable KO power, with its only buffs being its lowered landing lag and damage making it easier to chain several up aerials together with the aid of platforms.

Other nerfs Cloud has received are to his grounded KO ability being slightly nerfed, as his forward and up smash attacks have slightly higher ending lag, while down smash is weaker, making his average ground game even less imposing. Lastly, his already poor grab game has been further weakened, as his down throw has lost its already lacking combo potential and his grabs have been made slower and now have higher ending lag; although the latter point is synonymous with the rest of the cast, this notably hurts Cloud's options against shielding opponents. As a result of these nerfs, Cloud now has more defined weaknesses, with his weak grab game, exploitable recovery, and weakened tools necessitating him to be more precise and careful with optimizing his Limit or spacing, alongside making spacing with his aerials more difficult.

Overall, Cloud remains a fundamentally solid character with a relatively low learning curve and effective tools, although he is not as overpowered as he was in SSB4 due to his nerfs toning down the incredible utility his moveset had at his disposal. Due to this, Cloud is considered to be worse than his iteration in SSB4.

Cloud's overall perception and tournament results have been wildly inconsistent over the course of Ultimate's metagame: though he was initially thought to still be a high/top tier character thanks to strong results from the efforts of players such as RAIN and ZeRo, RAIN would eventually drop him in favor of Wolf, and ZeRo would stop participating in tournaments altogether, which would lead to a downfall in results and representation.

Cloud would later start to achieve increasingly noteworthy results once more, thanks to the efforts of several players including akasa, Cheeks, CurryGovernor, Diabeo, Dietsoda, Kola, Masashi, YOC, and especially Sparg0, which would lead multiple players to think of him as a high tier once again. However, several players such as Cheeks would later drop Cloud, whereas akasa and Kola have relegated him to being a secondary, and Sparg0 would take a hiatus from the game, all of which hurt his tournament presence once again.

Cloud would then receive noteworthy buffs in 7.0.0, and while they do not fully compensate for the nerfs he gained in the transition from SSB4 to Ultimate, these buffs were nevertheless sufficient to improve his perception among many professionals. As a result of these buffs allowing his players to achieve stronger results, Cloud's overall perception has improved, the general consensus is that he is between mid tier and high tier. Although Cloud is still universally agreed to be worse than in SSB4, his retained strengths alongside the strong results of players such as Sparg0 and Kola have proven that he is still a very potent character despite his nerfs. Regardless, Cloud is one continues to place consistently well at tournaments.

Aesthetics

• Due to the aesthetic used in Ultimate, Cloud's model features a more subdued color scheme, now more closely resembles his appearance in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. His clothing and hair feature subtle detailing, and his muscles are more defined.
  • The Buster Sword's blade texture appears more "battle-worn", featuring scratches and a metallic sheen.
• Cloud's sixth alternate costume is black instead of a deep teal, making it identical to the default Advent Children costume with the exception of his exposed left arm. His seventh alternate costume has also been slightly updated; it is now brown, instead of black.
• Cloud's Limit Gauge is now shown persistently above his damage meter, akin to Little Mac's Power Meter. This makes it possible to see how much the meter has been charged.
• The Buster Sword has a much brighter glow effect at its tip during Cloud's sword-based attacks, although this does not affect the range of the sword itself.
• Cloud keeps his eyes open during his clapping animation.
• Cloud's victory poses have been tweaked:
  • His left-inputted victory pose now has him close his eyes and keeps them closed when the camera focuses on him.
  • His up-inputted victory pose now has him only flourish the Buster Sword once, and also turns his head away from the camera completely, hiding his face. The change makes similar to his appearance in the North American box art.
  • His right-inputted victory pose is now mirrored from its previous appearance.
• As with all previous downloadable fighters in SSB4, Cloud now has a unique Palutena's Guidance conversation.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Cloud's jumpsquat animation takes 3 frames to complete (down from 4).
• Cloud's initial dash speed (1.8 → 2.145) and run speed (1.97 → 2.167) are much faster.
• Cloud walks slightly faster (1.1 → 1.155).
• Cloud's air speed is slightly higher (1.1 → 1.155).
• Cloud's traction is higher (0.055 → 0.106).
• Forward roll has less ending lag (FAF 32 → 30).
• Back roll has more startup (frame 4 → 5) and ending lag (FAF 32 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (FAF 28 → 26).
• Spot dodge grants less intangibility (frames 3-18 → 3-17).
• Air dodge grants more intangibility (frames 3-28 → 3-30).
• Air dodge has significantly more ending lag (FAF 34 → 48).

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first and second hits have altered angles (60°/82° → 361°/180°) and knockback (42/28 base/24 scaling → 35/20 base/25/15 scaling) to keep opponents close to Cloud, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock.
  • The first hit transitions faster into the second hit (frame 9 → 8), which transitions faster into the third hit (frame 11 → 9).
  • The final hit's hitbox extends further inwards (Z offset: 9-16 → 8-16), improving its consistency against nearby opponents.
  • The first and third hits have higher hitlag multipliers (1.2× → 1.5× (hit 1), 1.4× → 2× (hit 3)), making them easier to SDI and DI respectively.
  • The first hit has had its three larger hitboxes replaced with four smaller ones (3.9u/2.9u/2.9u → 2u/2u/2.3u/2.3u).
  • Consecutive uses of the first hit are slower (11 frames → 15).
  • Cloud's leg for the first hit is angled lower, making the animation more consistent with the hitbox.
  • The second hit has redistributed hitbox sizes (3.3u/3.3u/3.3u → 3u/3u/3.5u).
• Forward tilt:
  • Forward tilt no longer moves Cloud forward slightly, making it safer for spacing, but decreasing its effective range.
• Dash attack:
  • Dash attack's clean hit has more knockback scaling (60 → 70), noticeably improving its KO potential.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has slightly more ending lag (FAF 64 → 67).
  • Each hit has smaller hitboxes (5.4u/5.4u → 4.5u/4.5u (hit 1), 3u/5.4u/5.4u → 2.5u/5.2u/5.2u (hit 2), 6.8u/6.8u → 5.5u/5.5u (hit 3)), reducing its vertical range.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has less startup (frame 15 → 12).
    • However, its total duration was not fully compensated (FAF 47 → 46), increasing its ending lag by two frames.
  • Its 13% hitboxes have more knockback scaling (96 → 105), improving its KO potential.
• Down smash:
  • The farthest hitbox on the first hit deals less set knockback (120 → 85) and sends at a higher angle (165° (grounded)/176° (aerial) → 150°/155°), allowing it to connect into the second hit more reliably.
  • Down smash deals less damage (4% → 3% (hit 1), 12% → 11% (hit 2)), and the second hit also has less knockback scaling (94 → 92), reducing its KO potential.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have less landing lag (15 frames → 9 (neutral, up), 18 → 11 (forward), 14 → 8 (back), 26 → 16 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has an altered animation where Cloud doesn't stretch his arm as much, noticeably reducing its range.
• Forward aerial:
  • Forward aerial's sweetspots have a lower hitlag multiplier (2× → 1.4×), while the sourspots have a higher multiplier (1× → 1.4×).
• Back aerial:
  • Back aerial has an altered animation that matches the hitbox more closely.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has more startup with a shorter hitbox duration (frames 7-9 (clean)/10-25 (late) → 8-9/10-23) and no animation change. This reduces its juggling ability and worsens the clean hits range below Cloud and prevents it from hitting grounded opponents as easily.
  • The clean hit's deceptively large hitboxes have become smaller (4.7u (frames 7-9) → 4.2u (frame 8)/4u (frame 9)).
  • It auto-cancels later (frame 26 → 32), no longer doing so from a short hop fast fall and immediately after its hitboxes cease.
  • It deals less damage (12% → 11% (clean), 8.5% → 8% (late)) and knockback, and launches at a slightly more horizontal angle (82° → 80°). This hinders its KO potential, but allows it to combo better on landing.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial has a shorter duration (frames 11-42 → 11-39) and auto-cancels later (frame 43 → 46), making its late hit harder to combo with.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 60 → 65).

Throws and other attacks

• All grabs have more startup (frame 7/10/11 (standing/dash/pivot) → 9/12/13) and ending lag (FAF 32/40/37 → 37/45/40).
• Dash grab has slightly less range (Z2 offset: 10.6u → 10.4u).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel deals more hitlag (5 frames → 14), but has significantly less startup (frame 5 → 1) and ending lag (FAF 26 → 7), shortening its duration.
  • It deals much less damage (3% → 1.3%).
• Back throw:
  • Back throw deals less knockback to bystanders (100 base/70 scaling → 48/90).
  • It launches bystanders at a lower angle (50° → 45°).
• Down throw:
  • Down throw inflicts hitlag, and thus releases opponents later (frame 18 → 27), giving them more time to DI.
  • Due to the faster knockback physics, it has lost most of its combo potential.
  • The speed of the throw is no longer weight-dependent.
• Edge attack:
  • Edge attack deals more damage (8% → 10%).

Special moves

• With the exception of Limit Blade Beam, all of Cloud's Limit Break specials cause Special Zoom when hitting an opponent.
• Blade Beam:
  • Non-Limit Blade Beam has less ending lag on the ground (FAF 61 → 54), improving its camping ability.
  • It has negative shield damage (0 → -4 (grounded, clean)/-3 (grounded, late)/-3.2 (aerial, clean)/-2.4 (aerial, late)), effectively dealing half its usual damage to shields.
  • Limit Blade Beam moves faster (speed: 2.8 (ground)/2.24 (air) → 2.95/2.4), and lasts longer (41 frames → 47).
• Cross Slash:
  • Due to the changes to hitlag, Limit Cross Slash's hits transition considerably slower if shielded. Combined with the changes to perfect shielding, this makes it significantly riskier to land on shield, as opponents have more time to react to the move connecting and can now parry the final hit for a more substantial punish.
  • Limit Cross Slash's last hit has less knockback scaling (153 → 147), weakening its KO potential.
  • Cross Slash's last hit has a lower hitlag multiplier (2.5× → 2×).
  • Cross Slash's visual effects have a slimmer, sharper design inspired by Dissidia Final Fantasy instead of the thick brush-like strokes from Smash 4.
• Climhazzard:
  • Cloud can now tech at the peak of Climhazzard's height.
  • There is a slightly wider window for the downward slash to snap the ledge.
  • It has less landing lag (41 → 26 frames), making it safer when whiffed.
  • The rising portion of Climhazzard snaps to ledges earlier (frame 28 → 24).
  • The upward slash's sweetspot has been made untechable [1] and deals set knockback (90 base/25 scaling → 110 set/100 scaling), increasing its knockback at lower percents and allowing the grounded hit to land far more reliably at any percent. It is also easier to use as a sacrificial KO, as meteor smashes can now KO the opponent before they reach the bottom blast line.
  • The downward slash's sourspot deals much less base knockback (130 → 50), with knockback scaling not fully compensated (25 → 80), significantly hindering its safety on hit at lower percents, and in combination with the nerfs to rage, no longer KOing at very low percents near the edge.
  • Due to the changes to jostle mechanics, Cloud's horizontal momentum now immediately halts when hitting opponents with the rising hit of Climhazzard, increasing its vulnerability to edgeguarding. [2]
  • Limit Climhazzard's second early hit has more knockback scaling (135 → 142), improving its KO potential.
  • Limit Climhazzard has a purple blade effect rather than a blue one.
• Limit Charge:
  • Like other charge-cancelable specials, Cloud can cancel Limit Charge by jumping or spot dodging.
  • Cloud fills the Limit Gauge faster from dealing damage (full charge: 250% → 150%) and using Limit Charge (full charge: 400 frames → 335).
  • Canceling it is no longer instantaneous, instead incurring 7 frames of lag, leaving Cloud more vulnerable when charging it.
  • If Cloud gets hit during Limit Charge, including the lag from canceling it, his Limit Gauge is depleted by the amount he would have gained otherwise. If he gets grabbed out of it, this effect lasts throughout the entire grab, affecting both the grabber's pummels/throws and collateral attacks.
  • Cloud loses his Limit Break if no special move is used within 15 seconds of reaching full charge, requiring it to be charged again. This makes his Limit Breaks easier to avoid, and prevents him from having his stats increased indefinitely.
• Finishing Touch:
  • Finishing Touch has less startup (16 (both) → 12 (grounded)/14 (aerial)).
  • The ground version's late hit has more vertical range during its first frames (Y offset: 16u → 22u), allowing it to hit opponents standing on the lower platforms of Battlefield.
  • It has more knockback scaling (417 (early, grounded)/390 (late, grounded)/359 (early, air)/335 (late, air) → 431/406/371/349), improving its KO potential.
  • It no longer ignores weight, hindering its KO potential against heavyweights, but improving it against lightweights.
  • It has more ending lag (FAF 80 → 85 (grounded)/88 (aerial)).
• Omnislash:
  • A trapping hit was added before the tackling hit that deals 1%.
  • The string of airborne hits (3-16) deal more damage (2% → 2.2%).
  • The final hit has lower knockback scaling (120 → 113) and launches at a lower angle (70° → 65°), weakening its KO potential.
  • The camera no longer shakes when Cloud is preparing the final hit of the move (though this was initially not the case in his character showcase video).
  • When using any even-numbered costume, Cloud performs Omnislash Ver. 5, the variant of Omnislash used in Advent Children.
    • While the differences are mostly cosmetic, the final hit of Omnislash Ver. 5 has slightly different knockback properties against bystanders, always launching them in the direction Cloud is facing rather than the side of the explosion they are hit on. This changes the trajectory that bystanders behind Cloud are launched and, by extension, the directional influence that must be employed to potentially avoid being KOed, giving it a legitimate, albeit negligible, gameplay difference from Omnislash.
    • The string of airborne hits deal more damage (2.2% → 2.8%) but there are fewer hits (14 → 11), resulting in the same amount of damage to trapped opponents.

Update history

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.

Overall, Cloud fares better than he did at the launch of Ultimate.

2.0.0

• Cloud can grab ledges faster after using forward aerial.
• Finishing Touch has more range at its beginning (Y offset: 20u-16u → 20u-11u). This enables it to hit prone opponents.

3.0.0

• Blade Beam deals less shield damage (0 (all) → -4 (grounded clean)/-3 (grounded late)/-3.2 (aerial clean)/-2.4 (aerial late)).

3.1.0

• The farthest hitbox on down smash's first hit has less set knockback (120 → 85) and its angle has been adjusted (165° (grounded)/176° (aerial) → 150°/155°). These changes make its hits connect more reliably.
• Created glitch where Cloud would significantly increase his momentum if he immediately used his aerial attacks or jump and be hit by Cape while nearly charging his Limit Break.

7.0.0

• Overall shield size has been increased.
• Dash attack has more knockback scaling (60 → 70), drastically improving its KO potential, to the point it can KO at around 140%.
• The set knockback of one of the hitboxes of forward smash's second hit was reduced (90 → 80), making it less likely to knock opponents out of the final hit.
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has less startup lag (frame 15 → 12), with its total duration reduced as well (FAF 49 → 46).
  • The 13% hitboxes have more knockback scaling (96 → 105).
  • The stronger "attack connect" HD rumble no longer triggers.
• The rising hit of Climhazzard snaps to the ledge earlier (frame 28 → 24).
• Cloud fills the Limit Gauge much faster from using Limit Charge (full charge: 400 frames → 335), filling it slightly faster than the original version in Smash 4.

10.1.0

• Cloud obtains a new variant of his Final Smash, Omnislash Ver. 5, if the player chooses one of his Advent Children (P2, P4, P6 and P8) costumes.
• Cloud got his spirit updated to his Final Fantasy VII artwork instead of reusing his Ultimate artwork but Cloud’s spirit for his Advent Children alt remains unchanged.

13.0.1

• Finishing Touch has less startup (grounded/aerial: 14/16 → 12/14, FAF grounded/aerial: 87/90 → 85/88).

Moveset

• 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 and/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.
• Cloud can wall jump.

For a gallery of Cloud's hitboxes, see here.

Note: All numbers are listed as base damage, without the 1v1 multiplier.

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack		Kick (キック) / Combination Kick (コンビネーションキック) / Side Swing (サイドスイング)	2.5%	A side kick, followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick, followed by an outward slash. All hits are executed very quickly and have high range, particularly the kicks. The last hit can be used to tech-chase due to its low semi-spike knockback, but it is slow to end. The first two hits can jab lock, although their rather high hitbox placements make this difficult to accomplish. The kicks resemble his Shinra Front from Ehrgeiz.
			2%
			3.5%
Forward tilt		Side Slash (サイドスラッシュ)	11%	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% at the ledge. 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.
Up tilt		Top Slash (トップスラッシュ)	8%	An overhead arcing slash. Its hitbox starts behind Cloud with a larger front hitbox, 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 is lacking. Altogether, these traits allow it to reliably start combos, such as into itself at 0% and into aerials at low to mid percentages.
Down tilt		Sliding (スライディング)	6% (knee), 7% (leg)	A 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 set-up option into neutral and up aerials (albeit only during its ending frames). It resembles his Slide Buster from Ehrgeiz.
Dash attack		Vertical Blade (バーティカルブレード)	11% (clean), 8% (late)	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% at ledge.
Forward smash		Triple Buster (トリプルバスター)	3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2 center), 3% (hit 2 hilt), 4% (hit 2 tip), 12% (hit 3 tip), 13% (hit 3 non-tip)	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% in the center of the stage, but it has rather slow startup, high ending lag, and deals below average shieldstun. Additionally, each hit is only active for one 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 Cross Slash Limit Break.
Up smash		Upper Swing (アッパースイング)	13% (early/tip), 12% (mid/hilt), 8% (late)	An upward slash. It has some startup (12 frames) and moderate ending lag, and its KO power is only average compared to most other up smashes, but it has deceptively large range, being able to function as an effective anti-air. KOs middleweights around 112%. It resembles the first hit of his Beta Chain from Ehrgeiz.
Down smash		Double Thrust (ダブルスラスト)	3% (hit 1), 11% (hit 2)	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 first hit can stage spike with ease due to its angle, while 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 ledge at 109%.
Neutral aerial		Circle Swing (サークルスイング)	8%	A circular slash around 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.
Forward aerial		Meteor Slash (メテオスラッシュ)	14% (clean sweetspot), 13% (clean sourspot), 11% (late)	Briefly pauses and then performs a downward slash. It is his slowest aerial to start, hitting on frame 18, but a sweetspot on the middle of the blade as it comes down powerfully meteor smashes 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.
Back aerial		Back Upper (バックアッパー)	13%	Turns around to perform an outward slash. It has very long range and respectable power, KOing middleweights at around 115% near the edge, making it an effective spacing and KO option. It also has very low landing lag, autocancels from a short hop, and can be used to perform a wall of pain at low percentages. It has limited vertical range, however, and its hitbox is only active for three frames. It resembles the sword strike he performs during his Meteorain Limit Break.
Up aerial		Lift Up (リフトアップ)	11% (clean), 8% (late)	Thrusts the sharp edge of the Buster Sword's blade upward while holding it parallel to the ground. 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 around 140%. Unlike in SSB4, however, it is very difficult to land on grounded opponents, as its hitbox does not extend much beyond the sword itself.
Down aerial		Under Stab (アンダースタッブ)	13% (clean aerial sourspot, grounded opponent), 15% (aerial sweetspot), 8% (late)	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 a huge risk to use offstage. Despite its meteor smashing capabilities, it is rather quick, coming out on frame 11, allowing it to be a potential followup option.
Grab		Grab (つかみ)	—	Reaches out with his hand. It has very short range.
Pummel		Grab Knee Kick (つかみひざ蹴り)	1.3%	A knee strike.
Forward throw		Rocket Kick (ロケットキック)	4% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	A modified 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's Somersault Limit Break.
Back throw		Reverse Kick (リバースキック)	3% (hit 1), 3% (throw)	A spinning back kick. At low percentages, it is capable of tech-chasing with Blade Beam or his dash attack against middleweights and heavyweights. Has weak knockback, making it suitable only for positioning and edgeguard setups. It only KOs at 213%.
Up throw		Double Spin Kick (ダブルスピンキック)	2% (hit 1), 2.5% (hit 2), 4% (throw)	A 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. KOs at 179% at the top platform on Battlefield but only KOs at 234% without platforms.
Down throw		Bash Down (バッシュダウン)	7%	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 around 181% for middleweights with Cloud facing away from the edge of Battlefield. It resembles Tifa's Meteor Strike Limit Break, albeit performed while grounded instead of airborne.
Forward roll Back roll Spot dodge Air dodge		—	—
Techs		—	—
Floor attack (front) Floor getups (front)			7%	Swings the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (back) Floor getups (back)			7%	Swings the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (trip) Floor getups (trip)			5%	Swings the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Edge attack Edge getups			10%	Performs an inward slash while climbing up.
Neutral special		Blade Beam	8% (grounded clean), 6% (grounded late), 6.4% (aerial clean), 4.8% (aerial late), 6% (Limit Break hit 1), 4.8% (Limit Break aerial hit 1), 2% (Limit Break hits 2-6), 1.6% (Limit Break aerial hits 2-6), 3% (Limit Break hit 7), 2.4% (Limit Break aerial hit 7)	Swings the Buster Sword upward and in front of himself in order to launch a green, crescent-shaped energy beam as a projectile. It comes out and moves rather slowly, but travels a long distance and has a large hitbox. It is stronger if used on the ground and hits early. The aerial version is slower and deals less damage, but gives Cloud a Fall Break effect. Like most projectiles, it disappears on contact with an object or enemy. 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% near ledge. 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.
Side special		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)	Performs a downwards slash. On contact with an enemy, pressing the special button allows this slash to transition into a series of follow-up slashes, spelling the kanji 凶 (きょう) ("bad luck", "misfortune"). The full attack deals high damage and moderate knockback, making it a superb punishing option at close range. It is weak against shields, however, as all stages of the attack are slow and punishable if missed. Its Limit Break variant results in Cloud unleashing all five strikes with a single input regardless of whether he hits anything. It also noticeably increases both the damage and KO potential of the move, KOing middleweights at 100% from the center of the 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, making it risky to be 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.
Up special		Climhazzard	3% (hit 1), 4% (hits 2-3), 3.5% (landing), 6% (Limit Break hit 1), 7% (Limit Break hit 2)	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 isn't 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. Its Limit Break variant greatly strengthens the rising (but not falling) hits of the move (allowing it to KO grounded middleweights at 113%), allows it to sweetspot edges throughout, grants Cloud intangibility on startup and much greater vertical and horizontal distance.
Down special		Limit Charge / Finishing Touch	1% (Finishing Touch)	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 dealing 150% or receiving 100% and each of these methods stacks with each other. When the Limit Gauge is fully charged, Cloud will say "限界を越える", which translates to "limits are meant to be broken" or "breaking the limit". The move can be charge-canceled 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 deals 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 about 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, pushing opponents away. Finishing Touch's animation may be based on Tornado, an unused Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII.
Final Smash		Omnislash / Omnislash Ver. 5	Omnislash: 1% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2) 2.2% (hits 3-16), 5% (hit 17), 4% (hit 18, falling), 10% (hit 19, explosion), 53.8% (all hits connect) Omnislash Ver. 5: 1% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2), 2.8% (hits 3-13), 5% (hit 14), 4% (hit 15, falling), 10% (hit 16, explosion), 53.8% (all hits connect)	Rushes forward at high speed and attacks, unleashing a series of slashes that concludes with a powerful, descending slash that triggers an explosion. At the beginning of the move, 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 down to the stage and results in a huge explosion that launches the opponent. One of the most powerful Final Smashes in the game when successful, as it can KO as low as 22%. Unlike Marth and Lucina's Critical Hit, Cloud will dash off the edges of platforms if Omnislash is initiated next to one, and he cannot cancel the move. If using his Advent Children costume in Version 10.1.0 or later, he will use Omnislash Ver. 5 instead, though it is mostly an aesthetic change excluding the final hit which always launches bystanders in the same direction as the opponent caught by the move, unlike the default version. These two changes effectively make the move functionally identical against the caught opponent, but potentially slightly different against bystanders.

Announcer call

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• English/Japanese/Chinese

On-screen appearance

• Descends from the sky and catches the Buster Sword with a flourish. Based on his landing animation from after Omnislash Ver. 5 in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

• 

  Cloud's on-screen appearance

Taunts

• Up taunt: Twirls the Buster Sword and places it behind his back. It is almost identical to his victory animation and the official artwork from Final Fantasy VII, while saying 興味ないね ("I'm not interested."), his catchphrase from Final Fantasy VII.
• Side taunt: Performs his magic casting animation from Final Fantasy VII, complete with the sound effect and aura from that game.
• Down taunt: Leans on the Buster Sword while scoffing. It resembles the cocky pose he assumes in many cutscenes throughout Final Fantasy VII.

• 

  Cloud's up taunt.

• 

  Cloud's side taunt.

• 

  Cloud's down taunt.

Idle poses

• Pulls the Buster Sword back and rubs the edge of its blade.
• Holds the Buster Sword upward in front of himself with both hands.

• 

  Cloud's first idle pose

• 

  Cloud's second idle pose

Crowd cheer

	Cheer (English)	Cheer (Japanese/Chinese)	Cheer (Italian)	Cheer (Dutch)	Cheer (French)
Cheer	File:Cloud Cheer English SSBU.ogg		File:Cloud Cheer Italian SSBU.ogg		File:Cloud Cheer French NTSC SSBU.ogg
Description	Cloud! - Cloud! - Cloud!	Ku - rau -do!	Forza Cloud! *claps 5 times*	Cloud! Cloud! Clo - Clo - Cloud!	Cloud! *claps 2 times*

	Cheer (German)	Cheer (Spanish)	Cheer (Russian)	Cheer (Korean)
Cheer		File:Cloud Cheer Spanish SSBU.ogg
Description	Cloud! *claps 2 times*		Cloud! Cloud!	Keu - lla - u - deu!

Victory poses

• Left: Twirls the Buster Sword with one hand and places it on his back with his eyes closed and says "悪く思うな", which translates to "No hard feelings." Based on his victory animation in Final Fantasy VII.
• Up: While turning away from the camera, he twirls the Buster Sword, places it on his back and then looks to the left while hiding his face, saying "ついてないな", which translates to "Better luck next time." Based on his appearance in the North American box art of Final Fantasy VII and his pose when he first enters Shinra Headquarters.
• Right: Dashes into the screen, slashes the Buster Sword twice and gets in his battle stance while saying "お前に俺は倒せない", which translates to "You cannot defeat me." The slashes resemble Cloud’s animation when using the 2x-Cut command in Final Fantasy VII.

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

• 
• 
• 

In competitive play

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, top players such as ESAM, Raito, and Tsu initially considered him to be amongst the lower half of mid tier, with many of Cloud's top players agreeing that he belongs there.

Perception on Cloud, however, started to improve around the summer of 2019 thanks to the efforts of players such as Kola and 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 and his good matchup spread against several top and high tier characters such as Palutena and Snake. This perception continued to improve during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the efforts of Sparg0, who used both Cloud and the then-newly released Pyra and Mythra to eventually claim the top spot on the Wi-Fi Warrior Rank v7.

Since the return of offline competitive play, opinions on Cloud have only improved, due to Sparg0's strong performances with the character offline and Cloud's positive matchup against new metagame threats such as Steve and Kazuya. Although most players still consider the character to be overall worse than in Smash 4, the character is considered by most players to be high tier at worst, with some players such as Tweek and Dabuz believing the character is top tier.

Most historically significant players

See also: Category:Cloud professionals (SSBU)

•  CurryGovernor - The best Cloud player in Europe. Placed 3rd at Invasion: January 2022, 7th at Valhalla III, 25th at both Albion 4 and BOSS BATTLES: Phase 1, and 33rd at Syndicate 2019 with wins over players such as Luugi, Tru4, and Elexiao. Currently ranked 38th on the PGRU v3 EU.
•  Kola - Used Cloud as a secondary alongside Roy and is one of the best Cloud players in the world. Placed 1st at both CEO 2021 and InfinityCON Tally 2021, 2nd at Just Roll With It! 11, 5th at 2GG: Grand Tour - South Carolina, and 13th at Super Smash Con 2019 with wins over players such as ESAM, MuteAce, and Tsu. Currently ranked 8th on the PGRU v3 NA.
•  Masashi - One of the best Cloud players in Japan during the early metagame. Placed 2nd at KVOxTSB 2019, 9th at both Sumabato SP and Sumabato SP 4, 13th at Sumabato SP 2, and 33rd at EVO 2019.
•  Niko - One of the best Cloud players in the United States. Placed 7th at Lost Tech City 2022, 17th at both InfinityCON Tally 2021 and Rise 'N Grind, 25th at Low Tide City 2021, and 33rd at Double Down 2022 with wins over players such as Cosmos, MuteAce, and WaDi.
•  Sparg0 - The best Cloud player in the world and one of the three best players in the world. Placed 1st at Smash Ultimate Summit 4, Collision 2022, Low Tide City 2022, Mainstage 2022, and Scuffed World Tour. Currently ranked 2nd on the PGRU v3 NA.
•  YOC - The best Cloud player in Japan. Placed 5th at Seibugeki 11, 7th at Maesuma TOP 8, 13th at Wave 2, and 17th at both Kagaribi 7 and Kagaribi 8 with wins over players such as KEN, MASA, and Sigma.

Classic Mode: A Ride? Not Interested.

Cloud's congratulations screen.

All of Cloud's battles occur on vehicular stages and his opponents are characters associated with them. This is a reference to the fact that he suffers from motion sickness, while his Classic Mode route's title is a direct reference to his catchphrase, "Not interested."

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Toon Link	Spirit Train	Full Steam Ahead	References the train that he hops off of in the opening of Final Fantasy VII.
2	Fox and Falco	Corneria	Main Theme - Star Fox 64 (Brawl)	A possible reference to the Tiny Bronco, a crashed plane in Final Fantasy VII.
3	Meta Knight	Halberd	Meta Knight's Revenge	References the Highwind in Final Fantasy VII.
4	Mario, Yoshi, and Peach	Rainbow Cruise	Slide (Remix)	References the similar use of airships in both the Final Fantasy series and Mario series, which are usually depicted as sailing ships that fly through the sky.
5	Captain Falcon	Big Blue	Big Blue (Remix)	References the motorcycle chase in Final Fantasy VII.
6	Wolf	Lylat Cruise	Space Armada	References his trip to space in the Shinra No. 26 during Final Fantasy VII.
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand (Less than 7.0 intensity) Master Hand / Crazy Hand (Intensity 7.0 or higher)	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand.

Credits roll after completing Classic Mode. Completing it as Cloud has Fight On! accompany the credits.

Role in World of Light

Finding Cloud in World of Light

Although Cloud does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (with the exception of Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Cloud was one of the many fighters that fell under Dharkon's control upon Galeem's first defeat. He is unlocked in the Sacred Land sub-area in The Dark Realm, guarding the Master Sword required to dispel the darkness clouding the top part of the land which makes up the Triforce of Power after Sonic has been awakened, making his unlocking mandatory.

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 - word-for-word from Advent Children - before Sephiroth transforms into Safer∙Sephiroth as a prelude to his own Final Smash.

Fighter Battle

No.	Image	Name	Type	Power	Stage	Music
61		Cloud	Attack	11,200	Midgar (Ω form)	Fight On!

Spirits

Cloud's default fighter spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 300 Gold, but only after Cloud has been unlocked. Unlocking Cloud in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a fighter spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. This fighter spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate. Originally, only Ultimate's render of Cloud's default appearance was available for his default fighter spirit. However, update 10.1.0 added artwork of him from Final Fantasy VII for his default fighter spirit.

Cloud's Advent Children outfit also has a fighter spirit of its own, available through the shop, or by completing a challenge (Smash: As Cloud, hit an opponent with his side special, Cross Slash, while the Limit Gauge is charged). Unlike his default fighter spirit, his Advent Children fighter spirit only uses his Ultimate P2 render instead of also featuring alternative artwork from a previous appearance.

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  1,004. Cloud

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  1,005. Cloud (Advent Children)

In Spirit Battles

As the main opponent

Spirit				Battle parameters
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music
973		Zeke	Xenoblade Chronicles Series	•Cloud •Bayonetta		2,500	Kongo Falls (Battlefield form)	•Sudden Final Smash •Hazard: Zap Floor	•Survive until the timer runs out •The floor is electrified •The enemy will suddenly have a Final Smash after a little while	Those Who Stand Against Our Path - Xenoblade Chronicles 2
										Bringer of Chaos! Ultimate
1,103		Master Edges	Super Smash Bros. Series	•Cloud Team ×4 (100 HP)		9,500	Final Destination	N/A	•The enemy's melee weapons have increased power •Stamina battle •The enemy has increased move speed and reduced weight	Master Core
1,378		Kyle	ASTRAL CHAIN	•Cloud •Sheik Team ×3		4,200	New Pork City (hazards off)	•Attack Power ↑ •Item: Exploding Types	•The enemy has increased attack power when the enemy's at high damage •Reinforcements will appear after an enemy is KO'd	Attack - Soma Bringer
1,463		Jin	Xenoblade Chronicles Series	•Cloud (160 HP)		9,800	Summit (Ω form)	•Move Speed ↑ •Hazard: Ice Floor	•The floor is frozen •Stamina battle •The enemy has increased move speed	Crossing Swords

As a minion

Spirit				Battle parameters							Inspiration
No.	Image	Name	Series	Enemy Fighter(s)	Type	Power	Stage	Rules	Conditions	Music	Character
1,442		Aerith	FINAL FANTASY Series	•Zelda •Cloud		7,500	Fountain of Dreams	•Health Recovery	•Defeat the main fighter to win •The enemy is healed after a little while	Aerith's Theme	Cloud Strife
				•Mii Swordfighter (Moveset 1312, Aerith's outfit, Normal Voice Type 6) •Cloud
1,461		Lora	Xenoblade Chronicles Series	•Lucina •Zelda •Cloud		3,800	Jungle Japes (Battlefield form)	N/A	•Defeat the main fighter to win	Battle!!/Torna	Jin

Alternate costumes

Cloud's default costume is based on his appearance in Final Fantasy VII while accomodating 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 Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, known as "Cloudy Wolf" in Dissidia Final Fantasy, which replaces the Buster Sword with the Fusion Sword. It has two minor variants: one with a long sleeve covering Cloud's left arm to hide the visible signs of his 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.

Gallery

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  Link, Kirby, Mario, and Cloud artwork, as posted by Tetsuya Nomura's official Twitter account.

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  Cloud's fighter card.

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  Cloud's unlock notice.

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  On Gaur Plain.

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  Posing on the Bridge of Eldin.

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  Using Cross Slash on Diddy Kong on the Umbra Clock Tower.

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  Charging up his Limit Charge on Midgar.

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  Cloud on Figure-8 Circuit.

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  Cloud and his Advent Children costume posing on the Bridge of Eldin.

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  Cloud getting hit by Luigi's Super Jump Punch on Battlefield.

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  Grabbing Mega Man on Great Bay Ω.

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  Taunting while the Luminary uses Heal on Spear Pillar.

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  Fighting Sephiroth in his Advent Children alternate costume on Midgar.

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  With Sephiroth and Sora on Midgar.

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  Combating Mario, Sora and Sephiroth on Hollow Bastion.

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  Cloud with Zelda on Tortimer Island.

Trivia

• A section of Cloud's trailer pictures him using his side taunt with R.O.B. in the distance, who is promptly struck by Thunder. This is a direct reference to spellcasting and its general animations in the Final Fantasy series, with Thunder being a basic Black Magic spell throughout the series. Thunder, localized as "Bolt" in Final Fantasy VII, is one of Cloud's starting spells in that game, and is often effective against mechanical enemies.
• Cloud's official artwork resembles his idle animation from Final Fantasy VII and Super Smash Bros., as well as Ike's official render for Brawl.
• With Marth and Roy now dubbed in English for international releases of Ultimate, Cloud is the one of the four playable characters along with Hero, Mewtwo and Sephiroth with an established English voice actor (in Cloud's case, Steve Burton at the time of the game's launch) to only be voiced by his Japanese voice actor in all versions of Ultimate.
  • Additionally, he, Sephiroth, and Kazuya are the only ones who speak in Japanese in all versions of the game, while they and Min Min are the only characters to not speak English in all versions of the game.
• 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, Olimar takes this distinction instead.
  • Since both spirit battles do not take place during World of Light's events, Cloud is one of two characters whose only appearance is as their original fighter in World of Light (the other being the Pokémon Trainer).
    • Technically, Bowser Jr. and Olimar themselves also hold this distinction, even though their alternate costumes (the Koopalings and Alph) do appear in Spirit Battles in said mode.
• As of update 10.1.0, Cloud is the first fighter to change their spirit artwork.
• Cloud's Advent Children fighter spirit is one of only 11 fighter spirits in the game to use their in-game render for their spirit artwork instead of original artwork from their game.
  • The other characters are both male and female Pokémon Trainer, both male and female Robin, both male and female Wii Fit Trainer, all three Mii Fighters, and the default version of Kazuya.
  • This distinction also applied to Cloud's regular fighter spirit until update 10.1.0.
• Prior to update 10.1.0, Cloud could not receive a series bonus from a spirit, as Final Fantasy did not have any spirits apart from Cloud's fighter spirits. After this update, that distinction is now only held by the Ice Climbers and R.O.B.
• As of the version 10.1.0, Cloud, along with R.O.B., the Ice Climbers, Duck Hunt, Daisy, Ken, are the only non-DLC characters who do not appear in more than one spirit battles from their home series. Dr. Mario doesn't appear in any Mario spirit battles at all. This is not counting Olimar, who appears only in the Mockiwi spirit battle as himself, but is fought in other spirit battles as Alph.
  • While the Mii Fighters technically represent the Super Smash Bros. universe, they appear in most of the Mii-related spirit battles.
• According to Masahiro Sakurai from a Famitsu column, as of January 2019, Cloud was the most used fighter online.
• When using one of Cloud's Advent Children costumes, part of his left shoulder will be cut out on his damage meter.
  • Oddly though, the shoulder was not cut in the E3 demo of the game.
• When fighting off the fifty puppet fighter army as Master Hand in World of Light, Cloud is one of the eight fighters fought there, being affiliated with Dharkon.
• Oddly, striking opponents with the sweetspot of Cloud's up smash does not trigger controller rumble. This is especially strange considering the sourspot causes the controller to vibrate much more intensely than one would expect from a weak hit.
• Cloud's CGI model in both Sephiroth's and Sora's trailers is, notably, based on his Advent Children design with the sleeve off rather than his default costume, making him the only character who appears in CGI with an alternate costume, but not the default costume.
• Cloud is the first character in the Super Smash Bros. series to have a move differ between his alternate costumes, as in version 10.1.0, Omnislash Ver. 5 was added as a replacement Final Smash when wearing his Advent Children costumes. However, the change is mostly aesthetic.
  • Since this alternate version of the attack was added via update 10.1.0, this also makes Cloud the first character in the series to be granted a new move, as well as new voice clips (other than Kirby), via an update.
• Cloud is the only third-party veteran to gain new voice clips (albeit after an update and only for Omnislash Ver. 5). Sonic (barring Japanese), Ryu, and Bayonetta use their voice clips from SSB4, Snake and Sonic (in Japanese) use their voice clips from Brawl, while Mega Man and Pac-Man remain mute.
• Cloud is one of two characters whose Final Smash background color changes depending on the alternate costume used. The background will be dark blue when using Omnislash (which is used by his Final Fantasy VII costumes) and gray when using Omnislash Ver. 5 (which is used by his Advent Children costumes). The other character with this distinction is Inkling.
• In the World of Light, Cloud is the only fighter to have no affiliations with Galeem whatsoever as his only encounter as himself is associated with Dharkon.