Cloud: "This place looks interesting. Par-tay"! Link: ..."F@#%"

     When you look at Cloud’s world you think of the movie Blade Runner, but when you look at Link’s world you think Lord of The Rings. As we know less hi-tech doesn’t mean less dangerous. Far from it. It seems the gods saw fit to cram just about every booby trap, and brain teaser they could think of when they constructed Hyrule. Not to mention that there are environments that are straight up deadly just to be in. “See that treasure chest over there? You want it? Ok first go through this poison swamp”. “How about that cave in the distance? Need to get there? Walk past these columns of lava”. There’s a reason why Link carries more pieces of equipment than a Marine. The man is constantly having to think on his feet and avoid certain death from the very earth he walks on.           

      We can argue and compare the level of hardships each fighter must endure all day, but the truth is Cloud Strife is more of a ‘hit first ask questions later’ sort of a fighter. Link is more of a thinker. Remember this is not book smarts we’re talking about, this is about ingenuity. So while both guys have experience fighting equally dangerous enemies, Link has experience doing that while also minding the environment he fights in…Added brain power required. Point goes to Link.           

Gear & Weapons.           

      Let’s get this out of the way first…Link has loads of stuff. But quantity does not necessarily spell quality. Link has an assortment of gadgets, but only a few can actually be used as weapons, and some only as rudimentary ones. Gear like the hookshot, which can double as a weapon, wouldn’t really be an effective weapon against some one like Cloud. Although, it would certainly come in handy to avoid pursuit. Hmmm, ok keep it, but get rid of the other non-essentials. Iron boots aren’t going to help you Link.           

After a lengthy stalemate both combatants agreed to a face-off stare down. Having just watched the movie Blade, Cloud pulls off a spot on Wesley imitation. Link counters with "Blue Steel".

     There are secondary weapons like his bow which could pose quite a challenge for Cloud. Link’s accuracy and killing efficiency with a bow and arrow is superb, and that’s just with standard arrows. Link can use magical fire, and ice arrows. However, Cloud has faced countless enemies whose attacks utilize some form of fire or ice damage so he’s no stranger to those types of threats. A veteran like Cloud would certainly be cautious of a flying ice arrow, but he wouldn’t fear it. Not unless that arrow was a Light arrow. As far as we can tell Light arrows are extremely powerful, and are generally given to Link at the end of his journey, shortly before a final showdown. A fight with Cloud Strife would certainly be considered a ‘final showdown’, so chances are he’d carry a few.          

Now that we’re on the subject of magical weapons, what’s Link packing? Many of Link’s magic powers are tied to some sort of instrument, both literal and figurative. His most famous magical device, the Ocarina of Time, can transport him great distances, control the weather, and most importantly, control time itself. He also frequently carries with him faeries which can heal him completely, as well as save him when he’s on the precipice of death. Like Link, Cloud does have the ability to heal (using various amulets, charms, spells, potions, and elixirs) and revive himself (using Phoenix Down) from death using magic. Oh did we mention that Link also carries with him life saving potions and elixirs? Yea, he’s got those too.         

      While mentioning Phoenix Down we can not forget one critical factor: Cloud can not use it by himself. Unlike the faeries Link carries– which are living creatures– who can freely and automatically work their magic, Phoenix Down is reliant on one person to be around to use it on another person if ever they were to fall in battle. Since this is a one on one battle, Phoenix Down would be useless. Basic magic aside, Cloud does have a big advantage in the advance magic category. There’s no question Link has some powerful magic at his disposal, particularly Din’s Fire (Fire), and Nayru’s Love (shield magic). However, Cloud Strife possesses a plethora of magic. While many spells resemble some of the ones Link knows, there is one sort that stands alone: Summoning spells. From Knights of the Round to Bahamut, Cloud can unleash terrifying destruction.         

Sorry Link, no Fierce Deity mask allowed in this battle. You might want to save it in case Kratos comes to town.

What about armor? Both fighters are a little light in the armor category. Cloud typically at most wears gauntlets, and a single shoulder brace. Link wears his tunic 95% of the time, which is made of nothing more than cloth. Given, he does have various versions of his tunic like the red one which grants him protection from extreme heat, but I’d imagine Cloud would come at Link with a little more than just fire. Plus a tunic couldn’t guard against impalement. Both men have access to magical armor, but those can hardly be called staples of their world, so we won’t bother considering them. Link uses various shields, most notably his Hylian Shield. Whether it’s volleying arrows, or reflecting magic, Link is quite proficient in defending himself with a shield, and if need be, using it as a melee weapon.  It seems Link has a defensive advantage. So Cloud has the overall advantage in magic and Link has the advantage in defense and overall equipment, but we’re not finished.         

Fighting ability.         

      Both of our gladiators are exceptional swordsmen, and excel in agility and speed. They also have experience fighting multiple enemies at once, as well as a variety of species. Both have the exceptional ability to adapt to an opponent’s change in battle tactic. It was obvious from the beginning that both Cloud and Link were very similar in skill. Cloud has had formal training as a soldier and as a result is a great fighter. Link has never really had formal training, aside from a few techniques picked up here and there, but that doesn’t really seem to matter much since he’s destined by the gods and just seemed to know how to fight from birth. The only logical way to measure their effectiveness as fighters is to look at the quality of the enemies they’ve defeated.         

Ganondorf was always a sucker for the 'fist to the chin' high school yearbook photo.

That’s right folks, Sephiroth and Ganondorf.         

      Ganondorf, the ‘Dark Lord’, is an incredibly powerful wizard warrior, who not only possesses near limitless magic powers (some include telekinesis, flight, teleportation, and the creation of other beings) but is also an exceptional hand to hand combatant and swordsman. He possesses the Triforce of Power, which grants him tremendous strength and near immortality. Ganondorf can transform into his much larger and more powerful alter ego, Ganon. He is believed to be the embodiment of evil and greed. It is also believed that he has only two true weaknesses: Light arrows, and the Master Sword. His has been defeated by Link on several occasions, but has always remerged from his deaths. Additionally, with each return he increases in power.         

     Sephiroth, the ‘One-winged Angel’, is considered to be the most powerful antagonist in the world of Final Fantasy. An amalgam of human and alien genetic engineering, he was created as the perfect soldier. His ability to teleport, morph into other forms, read minds, project illusions, regenerate, and superb skill with a sword are just a handful of things to go along with his tremendous magical power. His powers are also believed to be limitless. Sephiroth can take on several forms, each one more powerful than the previous one. Although Cloud has defeated him a few times, Sephiroth’s essence has never truly been exterminated. He too is considered to be near immortal. It has been said many times over that Sephiroth is “without peer” and that “there is nothing stronger, and nothing above him”, so it would seem that he is the greater challenge of the two infamous villains…it would seem. We won’t say that Ganondorf is more powerful than Sephiroth, just that he’s a ‘harder kill’. How so? Admittedly, to defeat Sephiroth you have to unleash hell…Drop a few buildings on him, summon a legion of Bahamuts, take a few thousand hacks at him, call the Justice League, get an Invincibility Star, go Super Saiyan, and finally 1,000 health elixirs later, you’ve beaten him. However, the ways you can hurt Sephiroth are many, albeit extremely difficult, and not one specific weapon is necessary to kill him. On the flip side, Ganondorf can only be killed by the Master Sword, a weapon that can only be wielded by Link. Sure Light arrows and other weapons can hurt him, but to kill him you need the Master Sword. When some one has only one true weakness (i.e. Kryptonite), the threat they pose is increased exponentially. So in the case of Ganondorf, you not only have to be the right guy for the job, you need to have the right tool too. Let’s not forget that while Cloud Strife has fought solo, he has also fought many times with the support of others. Link has always done it solo.         

      So does that cement it for Link when it comes to fighting? It’s really tough to say. I mean we understand that Link’s ability to beat the odds time and time again,by himself, and against a foe that would happily destroy the world to see him dead is remarkable, we also understand the hurdles Cloud has had to overcome. Cloud had not only been tasked with defeating Sephiroth, but having to do it while protecting others in his presence. Sephiroth also tried to destroy the Sun! Let’s not forget, with all those bio-engineered genes Sephiroth is still practically a god.         

Pro Tip: When the guy you're about to fight is engulfed by fire because he chose to be there, run.

      I’ve gone back and forth on this, and this is very difficult to decide. As I’m writing this I feel the need to lean toward Cloud, but I can’t ignore the fact that I just finished making a pretty solid case for Link. Let’s call this category how I’m sure most of you see it, a draw.         

Willpower.         

      The level of a warrior’s determination can elevate a good fighter to greatness, or expose the vulnerabilities of a great one. Let’s not mince words here, both of these gladiators are dripping with willpower. As I see it, Cloud’s willingness to overcome his doubts of his abilities as a leader, and protecting his comrades without hesitation not only shows great willpower, but tremendous courage as well. Even when he had lost his memory his instinct was to keeping fighting against all odds, without even knowing his own limits. Cloud gladly accepted the responsibility of protecting his dear Tifa even in the face of the mighty Sephiroth.         

      As a child Link faced adversity head on with great enthusiasm and valor. As an adult nothing changed, except for his determination…that grew. Alone, he has always placed himself in the way of danger to save the world. He is always willing to journey across miles of the most dangerous lands to save kingdoms he has no connection to. Link was never groomed to be a hero of any sort, but still he inherited the task of being the world’s savior and accepted it with Triforce in hand. When you look at that glowing Triforce of Courage engrained in his hand you’re reminded that he’s been gifted with the ability to overcome obstacles that seem impossible to overcome. In other words he’s one extremely determined guy. When all is said and done, both of these gladiators remain two of the greatest video game heroes ever, but for this battle only one Hero makes it through the fire.         

      The dust slowly settles. A figure can vaguely be seen, silhouetted by the setting sun. The fading sun stands as a reminder of how long and exhausting the battle has been. The figure draws closer, slowly…dragging his sword behind him…barely able to walk. The warrior’s clothes are tattered and bloodied, and his body bruised. He drops to one knee, but manages to catch himself from falling completely. As he clutches his ribs his hand begins to glow. Link wins.         

Published on February 22nd 2010, Miyamotocup.com