FF7 Cloud Strife Figures & Statues

Cloud Strife Dissidia Play Arts Kai Action Figure

The "Kai" Dissidia Cloud action figure is to scale with Dissidia Squall and other "Kai" Play Arts figures. The large size means better detail, more articulation and flexibility than older figures.

Check out this good Dissidia "Kai" Figures Photoshoot for details of this figures face and clothes. I especially like the texture on his shirt, and the treads on his shoes.

This is Cloud's look in Dissidia, but it's basically a slight update on "Cloud Classic," his costume in the original Final Fantasy game. The face sculpt is very true-to-game, and the painting and details on "Kai" figures tend to be superior (although I'm pretty fond of my older Play Arts figures even without the "Kai" improvements).

He's probably a little tall to ride the earlier Play Arts motorbike (Hardy Daytona, seen in the original FF7 game) or motorcycle (Fenrir, seen in Advent Children), but he's the perfect height to ride FFXIII Snow's Shiva Bike. Of course, that thing is a monster.

Downside? Kai figures tend to be pricey. Let's pull up the latest eBay listings:

Cloud Strife Dissidia Trading Arts Figure

I'll get to the older Play Arts Cloud figures in a moment -- they're not "Kai" quality, but still excellent -- however, I first want to give you a heads-up on this Dissidia Trading Arts Cloud Strife figure. Some eBay sellers get this figure mixed up with the Kai figure.

The Trading Arts figure is very nicely detailed, especially considering its size, however, it's a statue, not an action figure, and it's only 6" tall. Here's a photo review of Dissidia Trading Arts figures with several good close-ups of this figure.

I like this Cloud portrait a lot, but the "Kai" figure above blows him away due to the posability (but not the price).

Cloud Strife & Hardy Daytona Play Arts Action Figure Set

This is one of my favorite figures: the original Play Arts Cloud and his bitchin' bike (Hardy Daytona, not that it had a name in the FF7 FMV and minigame where it showed up).

You can get the Cloud Play Arts figure without the bike, but the Cloud/Daytona set is half the price it used to be, so you may want to indulge.

The two videos below give you a good view of this Cloud figure's face -- one of the reasons I like it -- plus the shocks, turning wheels, and details on the Hardy Daytona which make it a stand-out collectible.

Like most Play Arts figures (including the "Kai" edition above), this Cloud comes with interchangeable open and closed hands. He also has a removable peg on his back for hanging his sword (in-game, it was supposedly a heavy magnet back there. Nice excuse).

Yes, one reason to go with the original Play Arts Cloud is that he's to scale with all the other pre-Dissidia, pre-FFXIII figures that fans use to make silly stop-motion fanvids like this one (which, incidentally, gives a very good view of this figure's face sculpt).

Advent Children Cloud & Fenrir Play Arts Action Figures

In 2005, Cloud Strife got an updated look for Advent Children, and a more moody-looking figure in black with a badass bike, Fenrir. Again, you can buy this Cloud Play Arts Figure without Fenrir if you prefer.

The detailing on this figure is a little better than original-game, with nice texturing on his shirt and more layers. He looks more realistic, more grim, and less sweet. However, the bulky sleeve and additional layers look a little awkward at some angles when the leg bends and the trenchcoat-flap doesn't. Take your pick.

See the spoof commercial below for a good view of this figure (and X-2's Paine).

Final Fantany 7: Crisis Core
Cloud Strife Play Arts Action Figure

Cloud Strife from Crisis Core is a Shinra guard, not a (fake) SOLDIER. Thank goodness he had the blue and not red Shinra uniform.

Young Cloud makes up for the lack of Buster Sword with other accessories: he's got alternate heads (one wearing the helmet, one without), a baton and Shinra rifle, plus alternate hands.

He's rare, but for real Cloud Strife fans, a lot of fun. Also, as it's one of the last Play Arts figures made before they went to the bigger "Kai" style, this one has one of the best sculpts of the older line, is to scale with the older figures, and in general is a good-looking toy.

Here's a good fan photoshoot of this figure showing his helmet and other accessories (also, scroll back for Zack, Aerith, and some photos of the original-game Cloud Play Arts figure).

Kingdom Hearts Cloud Play Arts Action Figure

Er. Um. What can I say? Square-Enix's character designer Testyuo Nomura was evidently sniffing paint when he did this redesign for the Disney/Final Fantasy crack crossover game, Kingdom Hearts.

It's a little weird, but it's actually a fairly good-looking figure, with flexible wing and strangely mummy-bandaged Buster Sword.

If you didn't watch it earlier, the "Cloud's New Look" fanvid gives you a fairly good look at this figure (and is also pretty funny).

Final Fantasy VII Cloud Strife Static Arts Statue

While we're admiring the really good stuff that most of us can't afford, here's a gorgeous Japan import.

The rays in the background mimic the Meteor trail on the original Final Fantasy VII logo. (Or maybe it's supposed to be rays of sunlight filtering down into the church.)

It's original Final Fantasy VII Cloud, one of his best portraits.

He's standing on the broken boards of Aerith's church with a few of her flowers growing through the cracks. Lovely. Only for serious collectors, alas, due to the price.

Cloud vs. Sephiroth Polystone Statue

This exceptional Cloud vs. Sephiroth cold cast polystone figure -- in fact, two interlocking statues -- is limited edition, 14" tall, exquisitely detailed. (Here's another view).

I've found the Cloud Strife Polystone Statue half of it listed on Amazon. I suggest contacting the third party sellers there to see if they've got the Sephiroth half of the statue as well, as it's quite likely they're actually selling both. Or try eBay:

This cold cast Cloud vs. Sephiroth statue is incredibly rare, an old limited-edition Kotobukiya piece limited to 1000 total. Is it blasphemy for me to say that I'm not impressed by the detail and paint job on this one? I'm afraid I have no idea where you'd find it, unless an otaku's parents foolishly clean out someone's room and put this up on eBay.

Final Fantasy VII Cloud Strife Resin Statues 1/8 Scale

Holy cow. There's figures, and there's figures, and then there's Kotobukiya. Here's original-game Cloud in all his PS1 FMV glory.

There is another 1/8th resin statue, also Kotobukiya, of Cloud on his Hardy Daytona bike:

NOTE FOR COLLECTORS: Confusingly, there are two versions of each of these cold cast statues. There was a limited edition run of 5000, numbered, and then a re-release which is spray-painted (in fact I think that's what I've got shown), NOT numbered. And apparently there are fakes (although I'm betting there's not as many of the Cloud & Daytona). -- [source]

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children: Cloud Strife Masterpiece Arts Figure

19" tall, cold cast resin with fabric, leather, and metal accessories, including working zippers and buckles -- this is one impressive statue.

It's also usually several hundred dollars. Not for most of us, but if you're a real collector of high-quality sculptures, this is Kotobukiya at its best.

Kingdom Hearts Cloud Formation Arts Figure

This 6" Cloud Strife PVC figure -- by Kotobukiya, I think, with this kind of detail -- is gloriously weird. He's got Vincent's glove and tattered red cape, a Sephiroth-style wing, and the Buster Sword is bandaged.

He's crouched like a werewolf on the top of a column from the Disney Hercules Coliseum.

We don't know why.

He just is.

It's Cloud, with Serious Issues.

And he rocks.

Final Fantasy 7 Cloud Strife
Trading Arts Figure Vol. 1

Fancy title for a humble 4" figure! All right, this Cloud is fairly plain compared to the figures that came later. The Buster Sword is smooth rather than textured, for example.

You may occasionally see Trading Arts figures that are metal and/or require assembly. These may be slightly more valuable as collectors' items, as they are the Japanese releases of Trading Arts figures rather than the American ones, but neither are that valuable since there's a lot of 'em. [-- source].

Final Fantasy Trading Art Mini Vol 1: Cloud Strife (original game)

The mini (1.5" tall!) Cloud Strife from the Final Fantasy Trading Arts Minis vol. 1 set is adorable, a really nice sculpt with insane paint detail on a figure this small. There's just one problem. Okay, several problems.

All the Trading Arts minis are quite rare.

They were originally sold loose in "blind boxes" in Japan, which made them a favorite of Chinese bootleggers. (See my page on Trading Arts Minis for photos of these fake knock-offs. They will skip paint details like the laces on his boots, the belt buckle.)

This means that the safest thing to do is to buy Cloud in the Vol. 1 set of 5, which means it's original packaging. Unfortunately, these sets are extremely rare and expensive.

If you buy chibi-Cloud loose (or in the set of 10 I've occasionally seen floating around), it could be the "blind box" figures being resold, or it could be a bootleg.

Final Fantasy VII Cloud Strife Extra Knights Figure (1997 Bandai)

In 1997-1998, the Japanese toy company Bandai released a bunch of "Extra Knights" and "Extra Soldier" action figures for FInal Fantasy VII-VIII.

Bandai Final Fantasy figures still the only way to get a lot of characters like Irvine and Barrett. However, they've only got a few joints (swivel head, shoulders, and Cloud's got ball socket elbows). I'm not that impressed with the sculpt and paint job, but wouldn't you know it, these are real collectibles due to their rarity. However, the valuable ones are the Japanese figures; the American ones not so much. See Tulisti's notes about Extra Knights Figures on how to recognize the most valuable ones.

Here's a close-up fan photo of the Bandai Cloud, front and back. He comes with a Buster Sword and a Rune Edge.

Cloud Strife Advent Children Plush Toy (Banpresto)

Japanese toy and gaming company Banpresto makes Final Fantasy Plush Toys to go in mechanical, coin-operated "claw" arcade games in Japan. Here's an import.

Or, if you prefer, here's an original Final Fantasy 7 Cloud plush with a Rune Edge sword.



I can't tell for sure whether this original-game Cloud is one of the "UFO Catcher" plush toys that tuulisti mentions as valuable collectibles. Probably not, for that price.