Cloud Strife

Strengths:
Military training has given Cloud the ability to separate himself and his desires from the task at hand, even if that means killing someone to prevent them from talking (as he was going to do with Jonny). His pragmatism allows him to make quantitative rather than qualitative decisions fairly often, though there are some exceptions. He is quick to analyze a situation and can make decisions quickly in order to make certain the most logical course of action is followed. He has a cool aloofness about him that makes him come off to some people as almost cold, which his demeanor only serves to strengthen. He can be dismissive and almost cold when speaking with others, and callous in his dismissal of their concerns. That being said, all his devil-may-care nonchalance hides a concern for others he has difficulty voicing. It's simply easier to appear cold and aloof than it is to struggle with expressing himself. His willpower is a source of strength all on its own. Given his ties to JENOVA and Sephiroth, simply being able to pull control of his mind and his body back from the brink is testament to his ability to maintain his own identity.

Weaknesses:
All of Cloud's bravado and aloofness hide a lot of social awkwardness. Having had a terrible trauma at the age of 16, he hasn't really mentally matured beyond that age, though he hides his inability to communicate effectively with others behind a mask of indifference that can even be callous and dismissive. Also due to his trauma, he's emotionally stunted, having the emotional maturity of a sixteen year old, that age at which most of his trauma occurred. He has a need to look cool in the eyes of others, and does things in a way that can be viewed as childish. He also has difficulty knowing how to react to the emotions of others, standing around awkwardly shifting his feet and looking for a reason to move on. His biggest weakness, though, is the trauma itself. Unable to deal with all that happened and his inability to help his family and the people of his hometown, Cloud has developed something like a dissociative state in which he has convinced himself he was a SOLDIER 1st Class (a rank he never actually attained) and that he was close friends with Sephiroth (which he was not). These traits are actually attributed to his presumed deceased friend, Zack, whose very name triggers intense bouts of pain and disassociation in which Cloud momentarily disconnects with reality. Usually he comes back on his own, but a few of his friends have been able to snap him out of it more quickly.