From Nibelheim to Midgar: Cloud Strife’s Trauma & Transformation, part 2

The traumatic origins of one of gaming’s most recognizable and slightly controversial protagonists, Cloud Strife, part 2. Welcome back, my lovelies! It’s your girl Ria, and today we’re diving deep into Cloud Strife’s heartbreaking journey throughout the Final Fantasy VII Compilation. From the burning of Nibelheim to Hojo’s experiments, Zack’s sacrifice, Jenova’s influence, and Cloud’s fragile psyche—this video explores how trauma, grief, and lost identity shaped him into the man we meet in Final Fantasy VII Remake and beyond. This is part of my Final Fantasy 7 character deep dive series, where we explore the stories, traumas, and relationships of the beloved cast—including Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Zack, Barret, and Sephiroth. Using canon sources like 2000 Gil to Become a Hero and the Ultimania, explore just how much Cloud influenced the new persona Jenova created for him. With a mix of canon lore, speculation, and personality analysis, we observe how Cloud’s new personality is informed by the past and carried forward. This is Part 2 of a larger breakdown, with Part 3 set to cover his continued decline in Rebirth. Let me know in the comments: Which part of Cloud’s journey hit you the hardest? Catch me live on stream: → Tuesdays (variety) → Final Fantasy Fridays (every other week) Check the pinned comment for a link to my full reading of 2000 Gil to Become a Hero with Stygian Stilettos Gamer! If you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell so you won’t miss the next episode in the series! ~~~~~~~~~~ C H A P T E R S ~~~~~~~~~~ 00:00 - Welcome Back, my Lovelies! 00:09 - Previously on the Origins of Cloud Strife, part 1 -    • What JUICY Secrets Are Buried in Cloud Str...   00:54 - Grief and Rage, the path to the Nibelheim Reactor 01:51 - Final Fantasy Rebirth, a Night in Kalm clip 02:29 - The end of Sephiroth 04:40 - Victims of Hojo 05:31 - Nurse Zack on the run 06:45 - Planned Schedule 07:20 - Defining Catatonia 07:40 - My Experience with a Catatonic-Like State, by JoEllen Smith 09:00 - Cloud Shatters 10:35 - A New Voice Calls to Him 11:54 - Ria's Interruption 12:06 - Memories of Tifa and Zack's Legacy 12:50 - Cloud's Delusions 13:45 - Hanging for a Sandwich 14:10 - Exerpt from "2000 Gil to Become a Hero" 14:56 - Cloud meets AVALANCHE 16:50 - Cloud is a barely functioning human 17:21 - False Meeting 18:04 - Reunion with Tifa 18:20 - Cloud Gives Tifa the Flower 18:42 - Something's Wrong with Cloud 19:30 - Sector 7 feels like home 19:59 - Tifa asks Cloud on a date clip 22:07 - Angel on his shoulder 22:40 - Ria's Ramble 1 24:12 - AVALANCHE Just wants to be Cloud's friend 26:35 - Barret warms up to Cloud, The second reactor Mission GMV 27:39 - 2nd Reactor Mission Conclusion 28:27 - Ria the Grim Reaper skit 30:53 - The Voices in Cloud's Mind 32:05 - Cloud and Aerith Officially Meet 32:28 - Ria's Introspection 1 33:59 - Cloud Calls Tifa Beautiful clip 34:07 - Ria's Introspection 1, cont. 34:40 - Ria's Ramble 2 35:58 - Cloud's Naivete 36:49 - Go After Her! 37:17 - The Golden Carrot 38:08 - The Elephant in the Room 38:40 - No Time for Romance 39:04 - Stares in American 39:44 - Soldier!Cloud 40:52 - Aerith's Secret 42:56 - That's the ShinRa Cloud Knows - Seizure Risk, skip if suffering from photosensitization 43:17 - Facing the Truth 44:20 - Intro to the Resolution Scenes 45:17 - Barret's Resolution 47:01 - Tifa's Resolution 49:37 - A quick, anti-AI note 49:53 - Aerith's Resolution 51:48 - SephiNova's Torment 52:20 - Transition GMV - Seizure Risk, skip if suffering from photosensitization 53:24 - End of Seizure Risk 54:06 - An Interruption to Shatter a Conspiracy Theory 54:24 - Cloud's Loved Ones 55:10 - Ria's Outro 56:02 - Credits 57:39 - I'd Like to Speak with Your Manager! ~~~~~~~~~~ O T H E R V I D E O S T O W A T C H ~~~~~~~~~~ What JUICY Secrets Are Buried in Cloud Strife's Backstory, part 1    • What JUICY Secrets Are Buried in Cloud Str...   “2000 Gil to Become a Hero” Live Reading Part One featuring @//RiaAlexanders!: https://www.youtube.com/live/tNivLabC... ~~~~~~~~~~ H O W T O R E A C H M E ~~~~~~~~~~ Email [email protected] BlueSky @riaalexanders.bsky.social Instagram @ria_alexanders Twitch   / riaalexanders   Patreon   / riaalexanders   Kofi https://ko-fi.com/riaalexanders -------------------------------------------- #CloTi #2000GilToBecomeAHero #CharacterAnalysis #FinalFantasy7 #CloudStrife #FinalFantasyVIIRemake #ZackFair #TifaLockhart #AerithGainsborough #FF7Rebirth #FinalFantasy7Compilation #SquareEnix