The Real Cloud

by Anastar

Some people believe that the "real Cloud" was never present during Disk One of Final Fantasy VII. These people believe that Cloud had completely assimilated the persona of Zack, and some even go so far as to say that Cloud actually "became" Zack during Disk One. Let’s examine this idea more closely.

The basis of this argument is that Cloud and Zack were subjected to experimentation by Hojo when they were taken prisoner after confronting Sephiroth in the Nibelheim reactor. Both Cloud and Zack were injected with Jenova cells and infused with Mako. Hojo did this to them as part of an experimental procedure called the Sephiroth Clones Project, which Hojo carried out in the basement of the Shinra mansion. The subjects of the Sephiroth Clones Project were the residents of Nibelheim who had survived the fire set by Sephiroth.

The experimental procedure was the same procedure used to produce members of SOLDIER. However, members of SOLDIER were selected from a prime field of candidates who were both mentally and physically strong enough to maintain their own egos and therefore be uninfluenced by Jenova cells. When a subject was NOT strong enough to withstand the introduction of Jenova cells, the person's mind would essentially collapse so that they lost the ability to live a normal human life. This is what happened to the Nibelheim clones, who for all intents and purposes, became portions of Jenova with the sole intent of joining for the Reunion. This experimental procedure will be discussed further in the essay Failed Experiment.
    
Cloud's mind essentially collapsed after being subjected to this experimentation, which could be seen as Cloud and Zack escaped from Nibelheim. Since Cloud's mind wasn't strong enough to cope with the introduction of Jenova cells and Mako, Cloud was entirely dependent on Zack during their escape, as seen in the screenshot below.

Essentially, Cloud had become as non-functional as the other Nibelheim clones. The only way for Cloud to continue functioning in the everyday world after Zack's death was for the Jenova cells in his body to mimic Zack. The ability of Jenova cells to mimic is explained in the FFVII Ultimania Omega under a section on the Jenova Project: 

Jenova has a mimic ability which allows it to read the memories and feelings of others, then adjust its appearance, speech and behavior accordingly to imitate what it has seen.... This ability is not limited solely to Jenova itself, for those who have its cells within them possess it as well, though in an incomplete form. ~FFVII Ultimania Omega

Some people claim that this means Cloud actually "became" Zack. However, the FFVII Ultimania Omega also goes on to explain that the "real Cloud" was actually still present during Disk One, and that this was evident in several ways. For one thing, Cloud has a dream about his mother when he falls asleep at Elmyra's house after going there with Aerith. This dream about his mother is one of the "real Cloud's" own memories. The "real Cloud" was also represented by the "child version" of Cloud seen on several occasions during the course of the game, such as in the Temple of Ancients when Cloud gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth. This scene is shown the screenshots below:

The FFVII Ultimania Omega also explains that the "real Cloud" is represented during Disk One by a mysterious voice which is heard speaking to Cloud at different times. According to the FFVII Ultimania Omega, this mysterious voice is actually the subconscious of the "real Cloud":

These voices are the original Cloud, as -- due to Hojo's Sephiroth Clones experiment -- Zack's personality merged with his, creating the present day Cloud, producing a conflict of multiple personalities. ~FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 68

Notice that the book specifically says that multiple personalities existed within Cloud at the same time during Disk One, which means that the "real Cloud" was never entirely absent. Instead, the "real Cloud" was actually one segment of Cloud's overall personality. This is substantiated by the FFVII Ultimania Omega in the Personality section on page 11 when it explains that the anti-social personality exhibited by Cloud at the beginning of the game is truly his own:

In fact, the real him has no actual training to be a SOLDIER, and the cool attitude put on by Cloud is to hide the loneliness caused by his earlier social failures. ~FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 11

After developing his personality by using Zack's memory as a base, Cloud still maintained the part of coolness even though Zack had cheerful characteristics. The part of Cloud's coolness that keeps him away from the surroundings and the part of his asserting “no interests” all have nothing to do with the influence of Jenova cells. They belong to the real Cloud’s personality. ~page 180, FFVII Ultimania Omega

Therefore, the anti-social personality seen in Cloud when he first joined Avalanche is part of Cloud's true self. This was, in fact, how the young Cloud coped with his lack of social acceptance in Nibelheim and was part of his true nature. Apparently, that part of Cloud's "real self" was integrated into his personality when he met Tifa at the Sector 7 Train Station in Midgar. According to the FFVII Ultimania Omega, the Jenova cells in Cloud integrated Tifa's memories of him into his functioning personality at that time:

Immediately prior to the start of the game, when Cloud's mind was shattered, he ran into Tifa and seemed to immediately return to "normal"; this was because the mimic abilities of the Jenova cells inside Cloud read her mind, seeing her memories of him, which were then combined with his own ideal vision of himself, fashioning a new personality for him. ~FFVII Ultimania Omega, pg. 13

As stated earlier, there were multiple personalities existing in Cloud at the same time. One of those personalities were inherited from Tifa's memories of Cloud in Nibelheim, which were memories of the real Cloud. It must also be remembered that Tifa verified Cloud's identity when she met him at the Sector 7 train station. Cloud even states in the Northern Crater just prior to the Reunion that he believes himself to be Cloud of Nibelheim because Tifa recognized him in the Sector 7 train station upon his arrival in Midgar:

Cloud "It's true that sometimes I can't figure out who I am."

"No matter how much I lose faith in myself, that is the truth."

Therefore, Tifa verified who Cloud was in the Sector 7 train station upon his arrival in Midgar. This means that Cloud always believed himself to be Cloud of Nibelheim during Disk One, and never  actually believed himself to be Zack.

Furthermore, Cloud did not confuse all of his memories with Zack. Cloud remembered, for example, that he was born in Nibelheim rather than in Gongaga. He remembered the conversation he had with his mother five years ago in Nibelheim. He also remembered a lengthy letter word per word that he read in Tifa's room, finding orthopedic underwear in Tifa's drawer, and the song he played on Tifa's piano. These are definitely Cloud's own memories rather than Zack's. Therefore, Cloud had only partially confused certain memories with Zack, and many of Cloud's memories are actually his own.

To summarize, the FFVII Ultimania Omega explains that the existence of the "real Cloud" was indicated in Disk One in the following ways:

• The mysterious voices that spoke to Cloud were the subconscious of the real Cloud.

• The dream that Cloud had of his mother when he slept at Elmyra's house was a memory of the "real Cloud".

• The "child" version of Cloud seen on different occasions represented the "real Cloud".

• Cloud's anti-social personality when he first joined Avalanche belonged to the "real Cloud".

• Cloud integrated part of his "real self" into his functioning personality when his Jenova cells mimicked Tifa's memories of him.  

Other indications that the "real Cloud" was part of Cloud's functioning personality in Disk One would include certain memories - such as finding Tifa's orthopedic underwear - that could only belong to the real Cloud. Since the "real Cloud" was actually present during Disk One and existed as one of the multiple personalities present in Cloud during Disk One, then it's obvious that Cloud never actually "became" Zack, nor did he ever believe himself to be Zack.

Furthermore, the FFVII Ultimania Omega specifies that Aerith's innate ability as a Cetra allowed her to perceive the existence of the "real Cloud", which is discussed further in essays such as Aerith Didn't Love Cloud Because of Zack.

Return to Cloud Shrine

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~ Reference: FFVII Ultimania Translations at IGN