Who is stronger, Cloud or Zack?

[Wolf Kanno]

This was an interesting thread topic awhile back, so have at it. If Cloud and Zack really fought, who would actually win?

[Jiro]

Depends on the time. I mean, Cloud was a pathetic piece of trout for most of the time Zack was alive. However, Cloud defeats Sephiroth a couple times, the first one most notable because he's impaled on the smurfing Masamune and just tosses Sephiroth into the mako reactor's depths. At their peak, I would say Cloud. Zack is determined though, and incredibly smart, so I don't think it will be too one sided!

[Hollycat]

Jiro, I would say his first defeat of Sephiroth doesn't count because Sephiroth is in an extremely weakened state due to having just been pulverized by Zack. Cloud is then given Zack's powers through mako transfusion. However, they both continue to grow, Cloud defeating Sephiroth, and Zack defeating Genesis.

It is hard to say who is stronger. They both grow to immense sizes and gain a terrible power. If we go purely by stats, which I don't advise, then Zack wins out due to his final boss having three times the health of Cloud's on easy mode. If we go by optional bosses, then the victory goes hands down to Zack, who faces the strongest boss in the history of FF, Minerva, an actual goddess. Emerald WEAPON and Ruby WEAPON may be strong, but they aren't nearly that strong. One thing to note is that Cloud defeats Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis all on his own, whilst Cloud would not be able to defeat Sephiroth on his own, at least not at the level he should be at in the Northern Crater. I'm not talking about the final attack Cloud does because that doesn't count due to Sephiroth having no strength left and just standing there and taking it.


In terms of what we see in injuries, it is impossible to compare. Zack canonically takes hundreds of bullets including a bunch to the head, and still has the strength to give Cloud the Buster sword. The only injury we see on Cloud is him falling into the lifestream and turning into a vegetable.

In terms of skill with a sword, we know for a fact that Zack can deflect bullets and cut artillery shells in half. We know for a fact that Cloud uses Climbhazzard on Bahamut and succeeds in defeating him.

While they both are very strong, I am giving this victory to Zack.

[Christmas]

Advent Children Cloud or the FF VII Cloud?

Cuz the Advent Children Cloud is like beyond level 99 according to the creators?

[Hollycat]

The advent Children Cloud is actually weaker I think.

[Night Fury]

I think they're pretty evenly matched when they're both at their canonical strongest.

So I think if Cloud and Zack had a fight the world would implode.

[SeronStar]

It depends what game they're in. In the original game, Zack was extremely weak. One hit from a Nibelheim dragon and he was dead. Cloud was probably the same when the game first started but he got much stronger throughout the game. In Advent Children, Cloud is suddenly extraordinarily powerful. He can jump like a grasshopper (so can most of the rest of the group) and break buildings with his sword. In Crisis Core, Zack was changed from a weak fighter into one that was much better than Cloud. So it depends, really. IMO, Crisis Core Zack would be more powerful than Original Game Cloud (even at the end of the game), while Advent Children Cloud would be more powerful than Crisis Core Zack.

[VeloZer0]

Going by Original FF7 I think that it shows Cloud has eventually moved on past and succeeded Zack. In the compilation everything just seems to be made up on the spur of the moment and it is impossible to compare as they just kind of assigned battle proficiencies willy-nilly across games as they felt was good at the time.

[Hollycat]

Those memories of cloud being killed by the dragon were completely fabricated. Cloud never saw Zack fight a dragon, he filled in the blanks.

[Chris]

Cloud knows Omnislash, Zack does not! There can be no competition.

[Hollycat]

Zack knows how to shoot meteors out of his sword. Cloud does not.
Zack can fire peircing energy shots from his hand. Cloud cannot.
Zack can kill Sephiroth class enemies with a single punch. Cloud cannot.
Zack can use jump. Cloud cannot.
Zack can use omnislash.

[Chris]

Such loving devotion does not change the fact that Cloud is clearly superior in every possible way.

[Hollycat]

Except he is clearly weaker at every turn.

[Chris]

A-ha! The battle is on but his fortress will hold!

Zack's barely a cottage.

[Hollycat]

Zack is classified as a town destroyer.