The shape without the substance
Since whoever commented on this post about disagreeing with Sebby regarding his takes on Cloud and Red XIII blocked me, I'm leaving a reply here.
1) There's a difference in degree between vaguely FFVII-ish things happening onscreen, and the new story actually being true to the original. Similarly, there's a major difference in degree between Cloud occasionally being socially awkward and claiming that being awkward and dorky constitutes his ENTIRE personality. The latter is a complete flanderization of him as a character and has never been true.
As you can see, Cloud is morose and introspective ("emo", if you're a simpleton) in the original game, as well.
Remember: There is no difference in tone between OG and Rebirth. It is completely true to the original story, and it's 95% the same. /s
This is not "true to the character". This is a completely different vibe altogether. It's the shape without the substance.
As far as major pop culture characters go, Batman and James Bond spring to mind, having starred in movies that range from silly to serious. Take Moonraker versus Casino Royale. Same character, very different vibes.
He's also a genuine badass. That shouldn't even have to be stated, but here we are. Again, yes, sometimes he's awkward, brusque, or just not great with people, but when he's simply kicking ass and taking names he's downright unrelenting, especially when it comes to protecting his friends. People in this fandom act as if him rediscovering his true identity somehow retroactively invalidates all of that. Sorry, but no. That's all part of the real Cloud, too.
Why do certain fans persist in maintaining nonsense beliefs like this in spite of evidence that clearly contradicts these beliefs? I've often wondered about that. The "Kingdom Hearts fans want Final Fantasy to be Kingdom Hearts" theory might be part of it. At any rate, said fans constantly try to erase that part of Cloud in favor of a simpler, more cartoonish and one-dimensional interpretation that simply rings hollow.
As I've learned over the years, a significant portion of the FFVII fandom doesn't have higher standards than this. This is all it wants, over and over again. That might explain why they try to erase Cloud Strife's real psychological complexity in favor of trying to make him a one-dimensional cartoon character. That's all he is to these fans. It's so utterly boring.
2) About Red XIII's "real" voice: Sebby has already made several excellent points about how the voice change wasn't necessary, and that Square already picked out a voice for him years before Rebirth:
So I won't rehash all of that here. You can watch and decide for yourself whether you think he's right or not.
Lastly, in defense of Sebbywebz and his critiques of the remake trilogy: People often claim that he is wrong without actually backing that claim up by pointing out WHY they think he's wrong. Either that, or they'll strawman his arguments and call it a day.
I also believe his intentions are misunderstood. His criticism isn't coming from a place of blind hate for the new games so much as his love for the original FFVII. He's not so much "angry" as simply disappointed and tired of watching Square Enix endlessly milk their 1997 masterpiece with ever-diminishing returns, undermining its legacy as a legitimate piece of digital art in the process.
But unfortunately (and ironically) he's become a lightning rod for blind hate in his own right. People can't have an honest disagreement or a real debate about these things anymore. His humor also tends to fly right past people's heads. Sebby describes himself as "just a gronk who's played too much Final Fantasy", and he tends to meme and joke around a lot.
He is, however, serious about how the new trilogy is artistically inferior to the original game. While I don't necessarily agree with his every last nitpick or hot take, the main thrust of his argument is simply that the "remakes", and especially Rebirth, are not true to the tone of the original game. He's absolutely right about that, and you can see that when you compare the two side by side.
Notice how wildly different Rebirth is in tone from the original FFVII, or Advent Children for that matter. Say what you will about the quality of that movie's writing, but its tone was far more serious than Rebirth's.
So that's all for now, I think. tl;dr: Cloud has been flanderized by both Square Enix and the fandom, and Red XIII's voice change was wholly unnecessary.
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