Cloud (SSBU)

Cloud in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Final Fantasy
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Omnislash / Omnislash Ver. 5
Tier	A (28)

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. His base performance is repurposed from Super Smash Bros. 4, while Sakurai later provided new voice lines for Sephiroth's reveal trailer and the addition of Omnislash Ver. 5. He and Sephiroth remain fully voiced in Japanese in all regions, despite having an existing English voice actor.

Cloud is currently ranked 28th out of 82 characters on the Ultimate tier list, placing him near the end of the A tier. This is a considerable drop from his ranking in Smash 4, where he was tied with Diddy Kong for 2nd/3rd out of 54 characters. Thanks to his Buster Sword, Cloud has superb range on many of his moves, outranging the majority of the cast. His above-average mobility, fast frame data, fairly large hitboxes, and safe moves grants Cloud a strong advantage state and combo game. His aerials especially are notoriously spammable in neutral, combos, and as edgeguarding options. In addition, Cloud has one of the greatest out-of-shield options in the game, with his Climhazzard making pressuring him and landing against him rather difficult. Finally, all of Cloud's attributes are improved when Limit is in effect, allowing him to perform combos or edgeguards that he would normally be unable to do.

However, Cloud also has several weaknesses. His greatest weakness is his recovery, as Climhazzard has below-average vertical distance, virtually no horizontal distance, and cannot snap to ledge; as such, a simple hit out of his jump can lead to an early KO. Climhazzard is also unsafe on shield, and Cloud's other options at escaping pressure have drawbacks, leaving Cloud somewhat vulnerable to combos. In addition, Cloud possesses short range on his grab and a weak set of throws, with very limited combo potential at early percents and an inability to KO at higher percents. Finally, Cloud cannot keep Limit indefinitely, and must use it within 15 seconds or it disappears.

Overall, Cloud is known as a fast character with spammable moves, allowing him to pressure opponents when he's in advantage. Conversely, Cloud can struggle to escape disadvantage and is especially vulnerable offstage; success with Cloud also revolves around how the player utilizes Limit to the fullest. Though Cloud's reputation was lukewarm in the early metagame, it has improved significantly since then, largely due to Sparg0's rise to becoming one of the game's greatest players.

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 unlocked 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 despite his good aerial maneuverability.

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

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: his 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.

Cloud's 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. His 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 his up aerial, it also has a long autocancel window, being able to autocancel from a jump regardless of his Limit Break status.

Cloud's 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. His forward aerial is very strong when it's clean, hitbox connects, and its sweetspot is a powerful meteor smash on aerial opponents. Like his 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. His neutral attack is his fastest attack, has decent overall range, and its third hit can force a tech-chase. His 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 is not spaced sufficiently. His 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. Cloud's up tilt is a reliable combo starter, as it can combo into itself at low percentages and into his neutral, back, and up aerials at medium percentages. While it can even combo into his up smash at low to medium percentages, this combo is heavily dependent on the opponent's reaction.

Cloud's 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 his forward tilt, it is easily punished when shielded or avoided. Regarding Cloud's smash attacks, his 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. Cloud's forward smash is his most powerful non-Limit Break move, though to compensate, it also takes the longest to start and is very punishable if it whiffs. His 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 it 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. Except 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 from 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 a 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 the 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 possess a low range while having relatively high startup for a non-tether grab, his throws' damage outputs are mediocre, and, barring his down throw, they lack combo potential. His forward and back throws' decent speed is 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. The latter can be used as a situational tech-chase option, but even then, it is largely ineffective in this role. Cloud's up and down throws both have misleading power, with the former failing to KO until well beyond 200%. The former has too much ending lag to set up combos reliably, while the latter 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%, except his 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: his dash attack is easily punishable, his neutral aerial's hitbox starts from behind him, and his 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. His 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.

Aside from Limit Charge, Cloud's special moves have some noticeable weaknesses. Blade Beam is relatively slow regarding 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 regarding recovery, Climhazzard can also 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 a very high ending lag that renders Cloud vulnerable if the slash or whirlwind does 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 for 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 than 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 makes 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 and widely considered the second best character, after Bayonetta, due to a myriad of advantages, including deceptively lingering hitboxes, excellent speed-to-range ratio (with very quick mobility, surprising frame data and very generous autocancel windows), and a powerful advantage in the form of his Limit Gauge, which further boosted his mobility, allowing him to force approaches and also pose a constant threat due to his unique Limit Break special attacks. All these factors shone brighter in doubles play, where teams containing at least one Cloud were notorious within the community for their prominence and disproportionate effectiveness (statistically, Cloud in doubles held more dominance than even Meta Knight in Brawl singles). Likely as a result of his dominance, Cloud was initially noticeably nerfed in his transition to Ultimate, though he did remain a potent character, and buffs from game updates, the revamped gameplay physics, and general optimizations in the metagame have proven very beneficial to him. In bulk, Cloud has been moderately nerfed overall.

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

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

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

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

Cloud has also received a fair share of buffs to his less impressive moves. His dash attack and up smash are now much more reliable KO options thanks to their increased knockback. His special moves have also been given some noteworthy improvements without the need for Limit. Blade Beam has ending lag, making it less punishable and giving Cloud a semi-reliable camping tool. Climhazzard has much lower landing lag and transitions quicker, now making it one of the most reliable and infamous out of shield options in the game; it can also be teched at the end of the move, snaps to ledge faster when using the downward slash, and KOs more consistently if used offstage due to the changes to meteor smashes, making it more 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.

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

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

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 it 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 (groun