Cloud (SSB4)

Cloud in Super Smash Bros. 4
Universe	Final Fantasy
Availability	Downloadable
Final Smash	Omnislash

“	Cloud Storms Into Battle!	”
—Introduction Tagline

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

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

Attributes

Cloud is a swordsman with overall balanced mobility for his weight class, being one of the lightest heavyweights. He has average walking speed, the 9th fastest dashing speed, above average air speed, high air acceleration, and strong jumps, granting him quick ground mobility and resilient aerial mobility. However, he has above average falling speed and high gravity, making his aerial mobility quite polarized and unrewarding.

Cloud's greatest asset is his range. The Buster Sword grants Cloud's attacks the overall second longest reach in the game (surpassed only by Shulk), allowing him to fight from a safe distance and space out his opponents quite easily. Combined with the aforementioned stats, Cloud can approach opponents noncommittally. Due to this range, his ground game is adept at punishing careless attacks. His neutral attack, forward tilt, down tilt, dash attack and forward smash also make Cloud slide a bit forward, with down tilt granting about equal distance to Mega Man's down tilt. His up tilt is also a reliable combo starter until medium percentages, chaining into itself, up smash or up aerial.

Furthermore, his aerial moveset benefits even more from the aforementioned stats, making him a threat in the air. Neutral aerial covers a very large area around Cloud, auto-cancels from a short hop, and even has rather low ending lag in the air, making it a go-to spacing move. Forward aerial has good range and is very strong if hit clean, and is also a meteor smash on aerial opponents if sweetspotted. Back aerial is similar to Ike's in terms of animation, and deals good damage along with having great range, allowing it to edgeguard effectively. Up aerial has high power, quick start up, long duration and enormous overall range and priority, discouraging most opponents from trying to challenge it. Down aerial is not only one of the strongest meteor smashes if sweetspotted, it's also one of the fastest in the game, hitting on frame 10. Its speed, range and duration also make it great for breaking or outright preventing juggling. It also has a very long lasting hitbox, allowing it to still hit opponents that evade the initial frames of the move. Finally, up and down aerials autocancel immediately after their hitbox ends, with the former also autocancelling in a short hop, along with neutral aerial and back aerial.

His special moveset provides him with a unique set of tools. Blade Beam is a projectile with good range and high activity, making it useful for forcing approaches and good at edgeguarding. It also stalls Cloud in the air, giving it additional utility in guard breaking. Cross Slash is very similar to Dancing Blade, requiring additional inputs from the player to initiate the remaining slashes. However, it is less demanding, having wider input windows and cancelling immediately if the first hit misses. Climhazzard is similar to Aether and Final Cutter, as it is a rising slash followed by a descending slash. Unlike them, however, it is a great out of shield option, as it hits on frame 7. Its descending slash is optional, allowing Cloud to mix up his recovery and getaways. Lastly, Limit Charge is only a charging method for a mechanic that is unique to him: the Limit Breaks.

Though their appearance, use and naming is not the same across the Final Fantasy games, the concept of Limit Breaks has been embedded into Cloud's particular moveset. In this game, this mechanic is Cloud's greatest asset. An invisible Limit Gauge is filled as the battle progresses normally from taking or dealing damage, resembling Little Mac's Power Meter, but there are key differences: after the meter is full, Cloud gets a slight boost in almost all of his normal stats, allowing him to move even more quickly across the stage. In addition, all of Cloud's special attacks are given a single-use power boost, with all of them dealing more damage and having high knockback. They are also granted brief intangibility upon startup. Each one is also granted additional properties, with Blade Beam being faster and having transcendent priority, Cross Slash striking five times immediately and having very low ending lag, and Climhazzard granting more vertical distance and much more horizontal momentum, as well as having the ability to edge sweetspot at any time. Limit Charge is also converted to Finishing Touch, a spinning slash with tremendous knockback, enough to KO any character at 70% from Final Destination floor level. It also causes a whirlwind that pushes away opponents, making it harder to punish and providing Cloud a means of gimping recoveries.

However, Cloud has some severe flaws. One of those is his terrible grab game. He possesses short grab range, a slow pummel and among the least useful setup throws, being in parallel with those of Marth and Lucina. His forward and back throws cannot combo or KO before 300%. His up throw has misleading power, being too strong to pressure and too weak to KO before 240%. His down throw loses all combo potential past 30%, due to its power being the highest of Cloud's throws. Another weakness is his highly inconsistent KOing ability. While he has an abundance of strong finishers, none of them are easy to land in the neutral game. Forward smash's immense power is counterbalanced by its slow startup and surprisingly low duration, as it is possible to dodge all three hits with a well-timed sidestep. Up smash's wide range is hindered by a combination of low speed and mediocre power. Down smash's semi-spike and stage spike capabilities are not particularly powerful, with the move also having relatively high ending lag. His neutral aerial has low power, while his back and up aerials require good positioning to KO before 130%. His Limit Break specials are also blockable, making it impossible for them to connect if not used at point-blank. While Blade Beam is an exception to that, reflection can be quite detrimental to Cloud. In addition, Cloud has no means of escaping pressure. His neutral attack and down tilt are extremely punishable if shielded, while none of his fast aerial attacks start from the front. As such, Cloud is very susceptible to combos. His neutral game is also not particularly threatening due to Blade Beam's low speed, to the point where Captain Falcon and Sonic can powershield the beam and grab Cloud, even if they start from the other side of the stage.

Another problem is the Limit Break mechanic itself. It acts as a double-edged sword, as it increases Cloud's gravity at full charge, making recovery without the use of Climhazzard deceptively difficult. It also makes precise use of his special attacks mandatory, as it takes six seconds to fully charge a Limit Break. Its alternative methods of charging, dealing 250% damage or taking 100% damage, are both too slow, with the latter also leaving Cloud susceptible to opponents' finishers. The exclusive Finishing Touch deals only 1% and has has very high ending lag if the whirlwind doesn't work. Furthermore, as a DLC character, Cloud is at an inherent disadvantage in lacking custom moves. However, his most prominent weakness is his recovery. His diagonal movement is overall very slow, making him prone to edgeguarding and gimping. Climhazzard is also a terrible recovery move, granting below average vertical distance and no horizontal momentum. Its ascending hit is also completely incapable of edge sweetspotting, while its descending hit cannot edge sweetspot until it covers some prior distance, making it one of the more ineffective and unsafe recovery moves in the game without external factors (such as his moderately high wall jump), on par with the recoveries of Ganondorf, Little Mac and Dr. Mario.

Overall, while Cloud has all the tools required to be successful, they have poor synergy with each other. He has a unique and powerful, but inconsistent combo game with his aerials, due to not having a viable combo throw, and while he has good KO power, his actual consistency in ending stocks leaves much to be desired. The player has to avoid edgeguarding and adopt a creative playstyle in order to maintain control of the match. Due to his release being recent, Cloud's results are currently fluctuating. Cloud is viewed by many as a potent character, but it is unknown how he will fare in the long run, due to his easily exploitable weaknesses.

Moveset

		Name	Damage	Description
Neutral attack			2.5%	A side kick followed by a mid-level roundhouse kick followed by a clearing slash. In addition to possessing very good speed, both kicks have good range, similarly to Ike's neutral attack. Each attack after the first hit moves Cloud a step forward, further improving the move's range, although the sword strike has lower range than the kicks. Due to the final hit's low, semi-spike knockback, it can be used to tech-chase reliably.
			2%
			4%
Forward tilt			11%	An outward slash while taking a step forward. Quick start-up, but moderate ending lag. Cloud's only tilt that can KO under 150%, as it can KO middleweights at 130% at the edge.
Up tilt		rowspan="1"	8%	Cloud swings the Buster Sword in an overhead arcing motion. Its hitbox starts behind Cloud, with a larger front hitbox. Fast with a decently large hitbox, although its knockback is lacking. One of Cloud's most reliable combo starters, as it can chain into itself at 0% and into aerials at low percentages.
Down tilt		rowspan="1"	6% (early), 7% (late)	A sliding kick, which looks very similar to Mega Man's Slide. Acts like a reverse sex kick, dealing slightly more damage if it connects after the first few frames. Very quick start-up and sends Cloud a good distance forward while keeping his hitbox small, making it useful as a quick and weak punish. Launches opponents vertically, leading into follow-ups with aerial attacks. This move sends Cloud low enough to dodge some projectiles, helping his approach.
Dash attack			11% (clean), 8% (late)	Cloud slides to a halt, forcing the entire sharp edge of the Buster Sword forward with two hands in a parrying motion. Deals more damage at the beginning. Its moderately high knockback enables it to KO at high percentages.
Forward smash			3% (hit 1), 2% (hit 2 blade), 3% (hit 2 hilt), 12% (hit 3)	An extremely fast series of three slashes in front of him. The last hit has slightly more range and carries all the attack's knockback. Depending on where each slash hits, this move can deal 18%-19%. Somewhat long start-up and high ending lag, but it is immensely powerful, KOing at 98%. Cloud's strongest move if his Limit Break specials are unavailable.
Up smash			13% (clean sweetspot), 12% (clean sourspot), 8% (late)	Swings the Buster Sword in a wide upwards uppercut. Good range and somewhat fast startup, giving him reliable aerial protection. The Buster Sword does weak damage at the end when Cloud holds it above his head. KOs at 123%.
Down smash			4% (hit 1), 12% (hit 2)	Cloud crouches, then shoves the Buster Sword's hilt forwards before stabbing backwards in the same direction. The first hit carries opponents into the second hit. Cloud's fastest smash attack and it is also a semi-spike courtesy of its second hit, although it is hard to use for edge-guarding unless Cloud is facing toward the stage at the edge. Regardless, it is useful for sending opponents with weak horizontal recoveries off-stage. The first hit will almost always stage spike, due to its angle. The back hit KOs at 140%.
Neutral aerial		rowspan="1"	8%	Swings the Buster Sword in a circular motion around him, starting from over his head and ending behind him, similarly to Shulk's neutral aerial. Another trait it shares with Shulk's neutral aerial is its wide range, yet it also boasts respectable speed in its own right, which makes it very useful as an approach option and aerial tool. It auto-cancels from a short hop, making it rather difficult to punish, although it can be difficult to hit grounded opponents while starting this in the air due to the hitbox starting behind him.
Forward aerial		rowspan="1"	14% (clean sweetspot), 13% (clean sourspot), 11% (late)	Cloud briefly pauses, then slices downwards in front of him with the Buster Sword, similarly to Ike's forward aerial. Has the most start-up out of all his aerials, but sweetspotting in the middle of the blade as it comes down results in a powerful meteor smash on aerial opponents, while launching grounded opponents at a slightly more vertical angle. Deals weak knockback if contact is made once the blade stops, making it useful for catching air dodges. Wide range and meteor smashing properties makes this a useful off-stage option, albeit easy to telegraph. Moderate ending lag, though its landing lag is decent for its power, and it auto-cancels from a full hop. Resembles the Braver Limit Break.
Back aerial			13%	Spins and swipes behind him with the Buster Sword. Good range and knockback, and a reliable edge-guarding attack due to its fast startup. Moderate ending lag, but can auto-cancel from a short hop (if not in Limit Break status), and has low landing lag. It can also wall of pain at medium percentages if timed correctly. KOs at 120% at the edge.
Up aerial			13% (clean), 9.5% (late)	Thrusts the sharp edge of the Buster Sword upward. While powerful at the start of the animation, it also functions as a sex kick, doing less damage after the first few frames. Surprisingly good horizontal range due to Cloud using the entire edge of his sword. It can auto-cancel from a short hop, and can be used at the last second before landing to catch grounded opponents with the move, making this a deceptively useful option in a neutral position due to its low landing lag. Its range and priority allows for very effective juggles, along with linking together easily with other combo moves like up tilt and neutral aerial. KOs at 150% on a grounded opponent when clean.
Down aerial			13% (clean aerial sourspot, grounded opponent), 15% (aerial sweetspot), 8% (late)	A downwards stab similar in appearance to Link's Down Thrust. Striking at the first few frames with the tip of the blade powerfully meteor smashes aerial opponents and deals more damage. Stays out for a while, allowing the move to hit opponents after the initial thrust, which makes the move a good out of shield option. It can also be used to counter juggling. KOs at 135% on a grounded opponent when landed clean.
Grab			—	Reaches out with his left hand. Cloud's grab range is short.
Pummel			3%	Knee strikes the opponent. Moderately slow.
Forward throw			4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)	Dropkicks the opponent away, similarly to Wii Fit Trainer's back throw.
Back throw			3% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2)	Turns around and reverse roundhouse kicks the opponent away, similarly to Captain Falcon's back throw.
Up throw			2% (hit 1), 2.5% (hit 2), 4% (hit 3)	A butterfly kick that hits twice and launches the opponent upward, similarly to Sonic's up tilt and Captain Falcon's up smash. Cloud's second strongest throw, though it is unable to KO at realistic percentages.
Down throw			7%	Forcefully slams the opponent onto the ground with one hand, sending them behind him. Low base knockback and Cloud's primary combo throw, as it can lead into a reversed tilt or Cross Slash until middle percentages, though this is not guaranteed if Cloud does not have a high level enough of rage. Surprisingly, this is also his strongest throw at high percentages due to its high knockback growth, although it cannot KO until 215%.
Floor attack (front)			7%	Spins the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (back)			7%	Spins the Buster Sword around himself before getting up.
Floor attack (trip)			5%	Similar to other floor attacks.
Edge attack			8%	Swipes at the opponent's feet before pulling himself up.
Neutral special	Default	Blade Beam	8% (ground, clean), 6% (ground, late), 6% (air, clean), 4% (air, late), 6% (hit 1, Limit Break), 2% (hits 2-6, Limit Break), 3% (hit 7, Limit Break)	A green, crescent-shaped energy beam that is sent forward. Like a typical projectile, it disappears upon hitting anything. The projectile comes out and moves rather slowly, but travels a long distance overall, and its hitbox is extremely active. It is stronger if started on the ground and in the first few frames, while the aerial version is slower, deals less damage, and gives Cloud a slight amount of lift. Its Limit Break variant is colored blue and possesses transcendent priority, higher velocity, an increased damage output and hits multiple times, with the last hit having great KO potential near the edge, starting at 98%. Like the standard Blade Beam, the Limit Break variant is weaker when performed in midair.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Side special	Default	Cross Slash	4% (hit 1), 3% (hit 2-4), 6% (hit 5), 5% (Limit Break, hit 1), 3% (Limit Break, hits 2-4), 10% (Limit Break, hit 5),	A series of slashes that are inputted by pressing the special button after each slash connects, similarly to Dancing Blade and Double-Edge Dance. It aesthetically spells the kanji 凶. Respectable damage output and moderate knockback, but exceedingly weak against shields. Each hit can only be inputted only if the first hit lands (even if shielded), and the first hit is highly punishable, making spacing and timing crucial. Its Limit Break variant changes the kanji's colors from yellow to blue while Cloud instantly unleashes all five strikes instead of requiring button inputs as well as possessing noticeable increases to its damage output and KO potential, starting at 100%.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Up special	Default	Climhazzard	3% (hit 1), 4% (hit 2, 3), 3% (hit 4), 6% (Limit Break, hit 1), 7% (Limit Break, hit 2)	A rising slash upward, which can be finished with a downwards slash that launches opponents. The first hit deals set knockback, while the second hit deals more damage in the middle of the blade and less if near the hilt. If the special button is inputted again, Cloud does a second hit that can meteor smash when he falls. Cloud's primary recovery move, though it only covers mediocre vertical distance while covering little to no horizontal distance. Additionally, the downwards slash cannot ledge sweetspot until Cloud falls a certain distance, making it unsuitable to use the second hit off-stage. Its Limit Break variant changes the blade's color from magenta to blue, the ascending (but not descending) hit deals more damage while sweetspotting ledges, Cloud gains much greater vertical and horizontal recovery distance, and it can begin KOing at 124% on the ground.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Down special	Default	Limit Charge	1% (Finishing Touch)	Charges up the Limit Gauge, an invisible meter which can alternatively be filled by taking (100%) or dealing (250%) damage, similar to Little Mac's Power Meter. It takes 362 frames (6.033 seconds) to fully charge it by this method, during which a text box will appear above him that displays "Limit". It can be charge-canceled by rolling, sidestepping, grabbing, or pressing the special button again. When the meter is full, Cloud gains a slight overall boost to all his stats and can use a more powerful one-use version of his special attacks. This move itself turns into the Finishing Touch when the meter is full, which is a large whirlwind that deals only 1% but possesses tremendous knockback, enough to KO opponents as early as 68%. Quite slow, hitting on frame 16, though extremely powerful for its speed, and has high ending lag, making it punishable. KOs opponents earlier if Cloud faces the opponent rather than having his back turned to them. If whiffed, it generates a windbox that simply pushes opponents away. It stalls Cloud when used in the air, which can potentially aid his recovery. If the input for this move is done twice in very quick succession, the move does not charge, but the Limit Gauge is shown. This is helpful for checking the gauge to plan a strategy during a match.
	Custom 1	N/A
	Custom 2	N/A
Final Smash		Omnislash	3% (hit 1), 2% (hits 2-14), 5% (hit 15), 4%-5% (hit 16), 10% (hit 17), 50% (total)	A multiple hitting series of powerful slashes, which functions similarly to Great Aether and Pair Up. Cloud dashes forward at high speed, with a text box appearing above him that displays "Omnislash", and flings any opponents he runs into to the top of the screen. After the series of slashes, Cloud charges up a final blow which sends him and his opponents careening to the ground and results in a huge explosion that launches the opponents. It can KO as early as 22%.

On-screen appearance

• Falls from the sky and catches his Buster Sword.

File:Battle Entrance (Cloud).jpg

Taunts

• Up taunt: Twirls his Buster Sword and places behind his back, referencing his victory animation from Final Fantasy VII, while saying 興味ないね ("Not interested").
• Side taunt: Places his Buster Sword on his back, places his hands together and mimics his spellcasting animation from Final Fantasy VII, complete with the sound effect and glowing energy field.
• Down taunt: Stands his Buster Sword on its tip and poses in a casual manner while scoffing.

Up taunt	Side taunt	Down taunt

Idle poses

• Pulls the Buster Sword backwards and touches the edge of the blade, similarly to one of Ike's and Roy's idle animations.
• Holds his Buster Sword upwards in front of himself.

Crowd cheer

	English	Japanese
Cheer
Description	Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!
Pitch	Group chant

Victory poses

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.

• Twirls the Buster Sword with one hand and places it on his back while looking away from the camera, and says 悪く思うな ("No hard feelings"). This victory pose originates from Dissidia Final Fantasy.
• While turning away from the camera, he twirls the Buster Sword, places it on his back and then glares at the screen, while saying ついてないな ("Better luck next time").
• Slashes the Buster Sword twice and gets in his battle stance, while saying お前に俺は倒せない ("I'm out of your league").

In competitive play

Notable players

•  Komorikiri
•  Markus
•  Mew2King
•  Nicko
•  RAIN
•  Seibrik
•  Tweek

Reveal trailer

<youtube>nc3CY31kMJ4</youtube>

Trophies

Cloud

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

FINAL FANTASY VII (11/1997)

Cloud (Alt.)

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

FINAL FANTASY VII (11/1997)

Omnislash

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

• 

  Classic (3DS)

• 

  Alt. (3DS)

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  Classic (Wii U)

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  Alt. (Wii U)

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  Omnislash

Alternate costumes

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

Gallery

• 

  Cloud's poster used on the official website.

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  Cloud's promotional trailer splash art.

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  Cloud's "Cloudy Wolf" costume from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Note the different pose.

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  Cloud with Mario and Samus.

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  Cloud attacking Charizard with Blade Beam.

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  Cloud on Final Destination.

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  Cloud landing on Midgar.

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  Cloud with Wii Fit Trainer and Lucario all around the Summon Materia.

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  Cloud attacking Ganondorf.

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  Cloud appearing with Link.

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  Cloud on Skyloft.

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  Cloud in a stunned state on a boat with Ness and Wii Fit Trainer behind him, referencing a scene in Final Fantasy VII where he gets motion sickness.

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  Charging up his Limit Break with his down special, Limit Charge.

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  Using Cross Slash.

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  Cloud with a Mii Fighter wearing the Chocobo hat.

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  Attacking Link with Blade Beam.

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  Standing on Midgar with Bahamut ZERO behind him.

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  Attacking Luigi with Cross Slash in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

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  Cloud with Villager.

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  Cloud in Living Room.

Trivia

• Cloud and Bayonetta are the only characters with alternate costumes that sport a change of weapon. In Cloud's case, his Advent Children costume sees him wield the Fusion Swords from that movie instead of the Buster Sword.
• Cloud's pose in his official artwork matches his pose from his official artwork from Final Fantasy VII. Conversely, the pose for his Advent Children costume resembles his official artwork from Dissidia Final Fantasy. This pose is also used as one of his taunts and, humorously, during his Screen KO.
• Cloud is the second DLC character from a newly added universe, succeeding Ryu and preceding Bayonetta. Additionally, he is also the only one from a newly represented company (Square Enix), as SEGA and Capcom were already represented by Sonic and Mega Man, respectively, prior to the release of Ryu and Bayonetta.
• Cloud and Ryu are the only characters in SSB4 with unique sound effects when their attacks connect.
• Cloud, Marth, and Roy are the only characters to speak Japanese in every regional release of Super Smash Bros. 4.
• Cloud is the only character in the Super Smash Bros. series to speak only in Japanese in all regional versions of the game despite also having non-Japanese voice actors for his home series prior to his Smash debut.
• Along with Little Mac, Cloud is one of the only two characters who have special moves that affect the in-game camera, with both KO Uppercut and all but one of Cloud's Limit Break moves zooming in and slowing down time upon hitting their targets. Interestingly enough, both of their attacks involve taking and dealing damage before use.
• Cloud is the only character in SSB4 who poses differently in his artwork when wearing an alternate costume that only changes his outfit, being the second character in the series to do this following Wario in Brawl.
• Cloud is one of the six characters to use different voice clips when using at least one smash attack, the other five being Wii Fit Trainer, Rosalina, Zero Suit Samus, Roy, and Ryu. In Cloud's case, he will use two different voice clips when performing the back strike of his down smash.
  • Additionally, Roy, Ryu, and Cloud are the only three characters to use different sound clips when using battering items.