Cloud (SSBU)

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Cloud in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Final Fantasy
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Omnislash / Omnislash Ver. 5

“	He's the protagonist of Final Fantasy VII. You can also select his Advent Children outfit. Charging up his Limit Gauge increases his special move abilities! Land a powerful hit!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

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

Takahiro Sakurai reprises his role as Cloud's voice through his recordings from Super Smash Bros. 4.

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 sixth character in her unlock tree after Dark Samus.
• Have Cloud join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Cloud must then be defeated on Midgar.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Cloud has been nerfed overall from his transition into Ultimate. While his recovery is safer and his aerials have less landing lag, his range and damage output have been nerfed, worsening his combo game, and his smash attacks have more ending lag. His most significant nerf is to the changes of his Limit Break, which disappears if not used up in 15 seconds; this means that Cloud has to be more cautious of his Limit. He also will lose a bit of its charge if he is attacked while charging, meaning Cloud has to play safer while doing so. While Cloud remains a fundamentally solid character with a low learning curve, he is nowhere near as overpowering as he was in SSB4.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Cloud's model features a more subdued color scheme. His clothing features subtle detailing.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Cloud's jumpsquat animation now 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).
• Forward roll has less ending lag (frame 32 → 30).
• Back roll has more startup (frames 4 → 5) and ending lag (frame 32 → 35).
• Spot dodge has less ending lag (frame 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 (frame 34 → 48).
• Cloud's Limit Break gauge is shown persistently above his damage meter.

Ground attacks

• Neutral attack:
  • The first and second hits have altered angles and knockback to keep opponents close to Cloud, akin to other neutral attacks. This allows them to connect better and jab lock.
  • Consecutive uses of the first hit are slower (11 → 15 frames).
  • Cloud's leg for the first hit is angled lower, making the animation more consistent with the hitbox.
• Forward smash:
  • Forward smash has slightly increased ending lag (frame 64 → 67).
• Up smash:
  • Up smash has slightly increased ending lag (frame 47 → 49).
• Down smash:
  • Down smash deals less damage (4% → 3% (hit 1), 12% → 11% (hit 2)) and knockback, hindering its KO potential.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials have reduced landing lag (15 frames → 9 (neutral), 18 frames → 11 (forward), 14 frames → 8 (back), 15 frames → 9 (up), 26 frames → 16 (down)).
• Neutral aerial:
  • Neutral aerial has an altered animation with reduced range.
• Up aerial:
  • Up aerial has more startup (frame 7 → 8) with its animation unchanged, reducing its range below Cloud and preventing it from hitting grounded opponents as easily.
  • It has slightly reduced horizontal range.
  • It autocancels 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, hindering its KO potential, but allowing it to combo better on landing.
• Down aerial:
  • Down aerial has a shorter duration (frames 11-42 → 11-38) and autocancels later (frame 43 → 46), making its late hit harder to combo with.
  • It has more ending lag (frame 60 → 65).

Throws/other attacks

• All grabs have more startup (frame 7/10/11 (standing/dash/pivot) → 9/12/13) and ending lag (frame 32/40/37 → 37/45/40).
• Pummel:
  • Pummel is faster, but deals significantly less damage (3% → 1.2%).
• Down throw:
  • Down throw releases opponents slower (frame 18 → 27), making it easier to DI. The decreased hitstun at higher percents also worsens its combo potential compared to other down throws, due to its more horizontal trajectory.
  • 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 now trigger the Special Zoom when hitting an opponent.
• Blade Beam:
  • Non-Limit Blade Beam has less ending lag (frame 61 → 54).
• Cross Slash:
  • Limit Cross Slash's strikes slow down significantly when hitting a shield. While this doesn't change the safety of the move on shield, it gives opponents substantially more time to react and punish Cloud after shielding all of the hits.
  • Limit Cross Slash's last hit deals slightly less knockback.
  • Cross Slash's visual effects have a sharper design inspired by Dissidia Final Fantasy instead of the brush-like strokes from Smash 4.
• Climhazzard:
  • Cloud can now tech at the peak of Climhazzard's height.
  • There is now a wider window for the downward slash to snap the ledge.
  • The move has has less landing lag (41 → 26 frames).
  • The sourspot of the downward slash has significantly less base knockback.
    • This also applies to the sweetspot, but in exchange for being less reliable for meteor smashing offstage opponents, the grounded hit connects far more reliably, no longer giving opponents the opportunity to tech on the ground before it connects.
  • The window to input the downward slash is much shorter.
• Limit Charge / Finishing Touch:
  • Much like with every other chargable special, Cloud can now cancel his Limit Charge with jump.
  • Cloud fills his Limit Gauge faster from dealing damage, requiring only 150% damage for a full charge (down from 250% damage).
  • Canceling Limit Charge is no longer instantaneous, instead incurring 7 frames of lag, leaving Cloud more vulnerable when charging it.
  • If hit during Limit Charge, including the lag from canceling it, Cloud now loses the amount of Limit he would have otherwise gained.
  • Cloud loses his Limit Break if it is not used within 15 seconds of reaching full charge, requiring it to be charged again. This makes his Limit Breaks much easier to avoid, and prevents him from having his stats increased indefinitely.
  • Finishing Touch when performed on the ground has less startup (frame 16 → 14). It also has increased vertical range.
  • Finishing Touch has less range during the initial active frame of the move.
  • Finishing Touch has more ending lag (frame 80 → 86).

Classic Mode: A Ride? Not Interested.

All of Cloud's battles are done on vehicle stages. This is a reference to the fact that he suffers from motion sickness. His song in the credits is "Fight On!".

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Toon Link	Spirit Train	Full Steam Ahead
2	Fox and Falco	Corneria	Main Theme - Star Fox 64 (Brawl)
3	Meta Knight	Halberd	Meta Knight's Revenge
4	Mario, Yoshi, and Peach	Rainbow Cruise	Slide
5	Captain Falcon	Big Blue	Big Blue
6	Wolf	Lylat Cruise	Space Armada
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand, and the track Master Hand / Crazy Hand plays during the battle.

Role 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 (sans 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 Realm sub-area in the Realm of Darkness, guarding the Master Sword required to dispel the darkness clouding the top part of the land which makes up the Triforce of Power.

Alternate costumes

Gallery

• 

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

• 

  Official render of Cloud's Advent Children outfit.

• 

  Cloud's fighter card.

• 

  On Gaur Plain.

• 

  Posing on the Bridge of Eldin.

• 

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

• 

  Charging up his Limit Charge on Midgar.

• 

  Cloud on Figure-8 Circuit.

• 

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

• 

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

• 

  Grabbing Mega Man on Great Bay Ω.

Character Showcase Video

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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 either Pikachu's or Pichu's Thunder. This is a direct reference to magic-casting and its animation in Final Fantasy, with Thunder being a basic black magic spell. Thunder (localized as "Bolt" in Final Fantasy VII) is one of Cloud's base spells in Final Fantasy VII.
• Cloud’s official render 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 only playable character with an established English voice actor to speak Japanese in all versions of Ultimate.
• Cloud is the only character who battles on Rainbow Cruise and Spirit Train in his Classic Mode campaign.
• Cloud and R.O.B. are the only fighters that cannot receive a 10% universe stat bonus since they don't have any primary spirits from their own series.
• Cloud has the least Spirit battles out of the entire roster, being only part of the Zeke and the Master Edges spirits.
• Cloud is one of the few fighters to spin differently in their Star KO: he spins forwards instead of away from the screen, similarly to how Star KOs acted in Smash 4. He shares this trait with Shulk, Corrin, Incineroar and Inkling.