Basically, Cloud is a selfish jerk at the very beginning of the game, but as soon as you walk into Seventh Heaven, he begins gradually lightening up. He has plenty more angsty moments in dealing with his sketchy past, but nothing like the ice-cold shoulder he turned at the No. 1 Reactor. He experiences genuine character development, and once he's made peace with himself by game's end, he's a positive and forthright leader who can laugh at himself—and even say things like, "Let's mosey."

And then Advent Children threw all that out and incongruously set him back to square one, because brooding loners sell.