What Cloud Strife Taught Me About Masculinity

The final battle of Final Fantasy VII takes place inside Cloud's mind. A fitting arena for a story built around identity. But why is Sephiroth shirtless? The answer to that question is the answer to everything about Cloud Strife... and maybe it will give you some answers about yourself! This video is about Cloud. His impossible standards, his fractured identity and the woman who kept calling him by his name until he remembered who he was. But it's also about the stories we tell ourselves about who we are. The impossible standards we set as kids. The way fear disguises itself as ambition. And what it actually means to believe in yourself. A huge thank you to the amazingly talented artists featured in this video. Your illustrations and music bring even more beauty to the world Final Fantasy VII. Water Tower Art by https://elenimut.com/ Music: Let The Battles Begin by ToxicEternity    • Final Fantasy VII Battle Theme | Those Who...   Anxious Heart - Hollow Skies - Tifa's Theme by DreamyOtakuBeats    • ✍️ 🖼️ [Free Music No Copyright]💤 💤 Final F...   On That Day 5 Years Ago - Ahead On Our Way - Sephiroth - FFVII Main Theme by Rifti Beats    • Final Fantasy VII ~ lofi hip hop mix (1 ho...   Price of Freedom Demake by Sara Garrard    • Zack's Theme: FFVII flashback (Crisis Core...   Cloud Smiles Demake by Sara Garrard    • Advent Children 'Cloud Smiles' - original ...   Seven Seconds Till The End Demake by Sara Garrard    • FFVII Remake OST Seven Seconds Till The En...   Broken world by Sara Garrard    • FFVII Remake A Broken World / Return to th...   SPOILERS for Final Fantasy VII (1997) Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (2007) Final Fantasy VII: Remake (2020) Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (2024) Chapters: 00:00 Why Is Sephiroth Shirtless? 00:44 Masculinity and Impossible Standards 01:35 False Heroes 03:26 The Weight of The Buster Sword 04:59 A Fake SOLDIER 05:47 The Weight of A SOLDIER'S Legacy 06:58 The Realities We Create to Survive 09:19 Biggest Fear Becomes a Reality 11:19 Cloud's Defence Mechanism 12:13: Tifa at the Station 13:44 The Thoughts That Define Us 15:45 Total Eclipse of Cloud's Mind 16:37 The Puppet 17:31 The Boy Tifa Never Stopped Believing In 19:05 Progression Is Non-Linear 19:56 Shirtlessroth 22:00 What Cloud Teaches Us 22:58 Surviving Talamh