>>723186554
>>723181326
The central twist in Final Fantasy VII is that Cloud Strife’s identity is a fabrication built from trauma, false memories, and Jenova’s influence. Cloud was never a SOLDIER First Class as he believes, but a Shinra infantryman present at the Nibelheim Incident five years earlier. After the event, he was subjected to Hojo’s experiments involving Mako and Jenova cells, which left him mentally shattered and suffering from amnesia.
To cope with the trauma and shame of his failures, Cloud’s mind fused his memories with those of Zack Fair, the real SOLDIER who died protecting him. He came to believe he was Zack’s partner, that he joined SOLDIER, and that he fought alongside Sephiroth. Tifa’s uncertain recollections and Jenova’s psychic influence reinforced this false persona, further blurring truth and illusion.
As the story unfolds, Cloud learns he never became a SOLDIER and that his memories of Nibelheim are a distorted blend of reality and fantasy. His mind replaced his weaker self with Zack’s heroic image as a survival mechanism shaped by psychological trauma and Mako poisoning.
Sephiroth later exploits this by revealing the truth, not to show Cloud is a clone, but to shatter his confidence and force him to face the shame of his real past. The revelation is meant to make Cloud betray his own sense of identity.
In the end, Cloud’s journey is about reclaiming his true self. By accepting his genuine memories—his childhood, his mother’s death, and his real role in Nibelheim—he rebuilds his identity honestly instead of living as the hero he only imagined himself to be.
