FF7: How Old Cloud Is In Final Fantasy 7 Remake

While there have been some changes made to the original story in Final Fantasy 7 Remake, a detail that doesn’t seem to have been altered from the original FF7 storyline are character ages. Cloud Strife has been through a great deal by the time players engage with his story at the beginning of the game. The jaded ex-Soldier doesn’t want anything to do with the people who were once close to him, or in others who want to build relationships. While it seems like this distrust has been etched through a long frame of time, it turns out that Cloud isn’t as old as some may think. In fact, he is so young that it exposes some dark details about the Shinra Electric Company.

According to the original official Final Fantasy 7 game guide, Cloud is listed as 21 years of age at the start of the FF7 storyline. There is no indication that this may have changed in FF7 Remake, making Cloud painfully young for everything that he has endured leading up to the story’s primary events. It also raises the question of how old Cloud may have been when he enlisted into the Soldier program, and how long he spent working for the Shinra Electric Company before he finds himself  in the Sector 7 Slums.

Players may actually be able to infer this information if they played FF7: Crisis Core. While it is unclear if the prequel game’s plot will still be relevant to the storyline of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the game does offer insight into how young Cloud may have been when he enlisted. According to the official guidebook for FF7: Crisis Core, Cloud is 15 when he appears as a recruited Shinra Cadet. The game’s storyline spans seven years, leaving Cloud at 21 when he is rescued by Zack after being infused with Mako. It is likely Cloud could have been recruited at an even younger age if he was already an established Cadet during the events of Crisis Core.

Cloud Strife’s Age In FF7 Exposes Dark Details About Shinra

With this understanding, it can been assumed that Cloud and Zack, who was 16 at the start of FF7: Crisis Core, were not the only recruits of a very young age when they enlisted into the FF7 Shinra Soldier program. This dark detail exposes the fact that Shinra was grooming children to become Soldiers. Cloud’s dream was to become a Soldier First Class when he left to enlist with Shinra. Becoming a cadet so young, and undergoing all the trauma that occurred before the storyline of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, explains a large part of why he is so unhappy and distrustful.

If Cloud is 21 years old, as he was during the timeframe of the original Final Fantasy 7 storyline, then players may have new insight into the struggles he has faced in Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It also helps players to infer how old Aerith and Tifa may be, as all the characters appear to be roughly the same age. Because of this, the fate of the planet may be sitting on the shoulders of heroes who are only just past their teenage years, making their battle against Shinra that much more impressive as players embark on future installations of Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s story.

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