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.