in defense
The biggest complaint I've heard about Cloud is that he is a weak person, or too broody. While he is certainly not flawless, he is also certainly neither weak. Though he can be a bit broody.
Cloud is called weak because he was such an introverted and shy child. He couldn't even reveal himself to Tifa; he was so ashamed he had not become a SOLDIER. However, it is often overlooked that Cloud stood up when it mattered. He attacked Sephiroth in the Nibel reactor after the General had razed his hometown.
That is no simple feat. It's important to remember that Sephiroth was Cloud's inspiration for joining SOLDIER. Cloud knew how powerful and intelligent Sephiroth was. He knew what he was getting into, and instead of letting his fear or agony overwhelm him, he used his anger and attacked.
Does Cloud stumble over himself and his lack of confidence at times? Yeah, he does. But it's clear that even as a teenager he was a powerful person beneath his sometimes bumbling exterior.
Another point often brought up to put Cloud down is his inability to remember who he was. This is ridiculous. The trauma of being an unwilling experimental subject for five years was more than enough reason to forget; add in the death of Zack protecting him and I personally can't see any case for using his amnesia as fodder.
It's often forgotten, but being an experimental subject entails numerous highly invasive procedures and, given Cloud's description of the SOLDIER conversion process, in this case, very painful. For five years of his life, Cloud was treated as less than a human being. He was not a person; he was an object to be used for scientific gain and knowledge. You could equate him with a bug or plant in an eighth grade science classroom.
I've also seen people say they could not accept the "plot holes" that turned Cloud into a great leader. Cloud is, in fact, not a great leader. He wasn't a tactical genius, and in fact, most of his leadership calls came after hearing what the rest of the group had to say. He relied very much on their feedback, and more than once somebody else took the reins when Cloud was unable to.
Cloud was the heart of AVALANCHE in that he understood the group's members. In the end, Cloud is not a thinker. He is intelligent, but his main strength is his ability to understand others despite being unable to understand himself. He could spell out Barret's thoughts in North Corel, he knew what the group needed to fulfill their mission against Sephiroth. But he couldn't figure himself out.
Speaking of figuring people out, Cloud is not broody. At least not to the point where it is a major part of his character. Cloud is actually shown to be optimistic many times in VII, but most obviously in Case of Tifa. In fact, this height of optimism and utter faith in his happier fresh start is what leads to him being so downtrodden in Advent Children. In being so happy, he set himself up for a fall and be equally depressed.
In summary, Cloud isn't an angsty pot. He just doesn't know how to express himself. Similarly, Cloud is not a great leader. It could be argued that he is a bad leader. However, he had the focus and drive the team needed in later parts of VII, and thus was put into that position.
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