Wikia

Cloud of Darkness

Portrait(s)
Kana	暗闇の雲
Romaji	Kurayami no Kumo
Japanese Name	Cloud of Darkness
Original Game	Final Fantasy III
Story Difficulty
EX Mode	Flood of Darkness
EX Burst	Ultra Particle Beam
Japanese Voice Actor	Masako Ikeda
English Voice Actor	Laura Bailey
Dissidia Final Fantasy Character

"An apparition foretold to appear and send the world back to nothing when the balance between light and darkness is severed. Although appearing as a woman, the true nature of this being remains unknown."

— Dissidia 012 Description

"An existence that wishes for all to return to nothingness. She has transcended the abstract and is the embodiment of fear."

—Dissidia Final Fantasy Description

The Cloud of Darkness is one of the villains fighting for the side of Chaos in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. She is an entity that appears when the balance between light and darkness is disturbed, and tries to pull the world into the Void. She hovers like a cloud, and attacks with the tentacles wrapped around her body. Cloud of Darkness allies herself with Kefka, Exdeath, and Kuja in her attempts to destroy everything and return the world to darkness. Her rival is the young Onion Knight, whose wish to protect his friends piques her interest.

While the Onion Knight is her rival in the original Dissidia, her main rival in the 012 storyline is Laguna, despite their shared goal of getting rid of the Manikins.

AttireEdit

Cloud of Darkness's appearance is based on her Amano artwork, depicting her with pale skin and a red and black cloak attached to her wrists. Black and red coverings adorn her body and two mouthed tentacles extend from her back.

Cloud of Darkness's first alternate outfit, "Dark Robe", recolors her cape blue. In Dissidia, her EX Mode is colored a mixture of light green and dark green with a dull red for the legs. In Dissidia 012, her EX Mode in this outfit is changed to a bright orange and yellow form with blue markings along her legs, reflecting her NES sprite while invincible.

Cloud of Darkness's second alternate outfit, "Lucent Robe," has an overall lighter appearance. Her cape is white, and her tentacles are a more pale yellow and lack faces. Her body coverings also change to black, white and various shades of purple, and she has several loops of beads along her legs. In this outfit her EX Mode colors her body coverings gold and different shades of white, and gives her red markings on her skin.

Her manikin version, Counterfeit Wraith, is green.

StoryEdit

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Twelfth cycleEdit

At some point prior to the 12th Cycle, the Cloud of Darkness aids Sephiroth upon his request, due to the latter taking interest in her abilities when fighting the Warrior of Light and Lightning. The Cloud of Darkness later ambushes Laguna while he is separated from the others. Their fight ends with Laguna getting a leg cramp after unintentionally offending, as well as flattering, her by staring at her scantily-clad body. This, and Laguna stating his reasons for helping Cosmos, caused her to develop an interest in him, leading the Cloud of Darkness to reveal where the manikins are coming from.

She reveals this information as it is a potential suicide mission and is curious about the manner of death Laguna would choose for himself. It is also implied that she intended for Laguna and the Warriors of Cosmos to succeed in sealing the rift because she found the Manikins to be abominations. She later appears with Kefka, Garland, the Emperor, and Ultimecia to fight against Laguna, Vaan, Lightning, Yuna, and Tifa before they could seal the rift leading to the Manikins' domain. In the aftermath of the battle, she is later ambushed by Kefka, who marks her as a traitor for her indirect part in the Manikins' world being sealed off from World B, receiving purification in preparation for the next cycle, though it ultimately is of no consequence to her.

Thirteenth cycleEdit

Working with Kefka, the Cloud of Darkness attempted to kill off Terra and the Onion Knight from a distance before Kefka stops her due to his desire to regain control over Terra. Though not convinced of Terra's power, the Cloud of Darkness agrees to capture her and release her full power. After Terra loses control of her powers and battles the Onion Knight, the Cloud of Darkness arrives after the fight to abduct Terra. She berates the Onion Knight on his blindness to Terra's struggle during their travels and tells him he has only himself to blame for her capture.

The Onion Knight travels to the World of Darkness, where the Cloud of Darkness is standing over an unconscious Terra, proclaiming the girl is too fragile to be of use. The Onion Knight arrives and offers to take Terra's place as her servant, only to fool the Cloud of Darkness and strike her with her guard down, proclaiming he will defeat her and protect Terra. The two battle and the Cloud of Darkness is defeated. She fades away, leaving Terra to recover and the Onion Knight to claim his Crystal. The Cloud of Darkness later appears when Kefka realizes he cannot have Terra, cornering the girl and Cloud Strife when the Onion Knight comes to their aid and helps Cloud double team the villain while Terra fights Kefka. The outcome of her battle with Cloud and the Onion Knight is not shown, but the two of them are safe once Terra dispatches Kefka.

After Cosmos is killed, the Cloud of Darkness speaks to Ultimecia, who tells her Shinryu has begun to stir, and reveals it is Shinryu who is responsible for the cycle of war. The Cloud of Darkness is unfazed by the Emperor's plans, along with Ultimecia's own Time Compression scheme, and focused only on the eternal Void. Later, when the Onion Knight confronts her, Cloud of Darkness asks him why he and the other Warriors are still moving on with Cosmos is gone and there is nothing for the boy himself to protect.

After losing, the Cloud of Darkness tells the Onion Knight it is too late, claiming they cannot stop the current of change. He replies he is listening to his heart and will not run away, because the determination of his friends encourage him to move forward. The Cloud of Darkness comments that living creatures are fascinating and she will be waiting in the rifts of the Void as she disappears into the darkness, going back to sleep.

Official QuestsEdit

The Cloud of Darkness is the central character of "Cloud of Darkness' Quest 013: The Power of Destruction". After kidnapping Terra, she questions Kefka as to the value of going through the trouble of enslaving Terra when they have the manikins, but Kefka claims their supply of manikins is growing limited and any power they can use is helpful. After Kefka leaves Terra regains consciousness, still unable to control her power, and the Cloud of Darkness fights her to see Terra's power for herself. The battle leaves Terra to fall unconscious again, and the Cloud of Darkness wonders if she is fighting for a personal reason instead of for Cosmos, then senses the Onion Knight approaching.

Spoilers end here.

BattleEdit

See also: Cloud of Darkness/Dissidia/Quotes.

In battle, Cloud of Darkness's fighting style is Bane of Life, as she uses a wide array of powerful energy beam attacks to drain the opponent's HP, and has the most HP attacks of any character. Her Bravery attacks are limited to attacks of her tentacles, which can attack in one of three ways according to when the circle button is pressed a second time while attacking. Though limited, her Bravery attacks are still very formidable. Her HP attacks cover a wide variety of tactical options and can hit across multiple ranges and altitudes. A drawback is that she moves slowly, and her reliance on HP attacks can leave her vulnerable to counterattacks before she can recover her Bravery.

BossEdit

In Dissidia, Cloud of Darkness is fought in Destiny Odyssey III, Shade Impulse, Distant Glory and Inward Chaos.

In Dissidia 012, she is fought in Clues, An Undocumented Battle, Wisdom or Courage?, and Conclusion of the Cycle chapters of Story Mode.

AttacksEdit

See also: Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy/Gameplay Changes#Cloud of Darkness.

Bravery AttacksEdit

Move	Type	CP (Mastered)	AP	Obtained	Priority	Effect	Damage type
Tentacle of Pain	Ground	45 (25)	140	Initial	Variable
	Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses a second time, effect changes. Timing can be determined by "whipping" sound and graphic of tentacles waving: Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent multiple times. Two Whips: Strike opponent with tentacles to knock them away. Three Whips: Conjure several dark energy bolts above opponent.				Melee Low	Chase	Physical
					Melee Low	Wall Rush	Physical
					Ranged Low	None	Magical
Tentacle of Suffering	Aerial	45 (25)	120	Initial	Variable
	Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses a second time, effect changes. Timing can be determined by "whipping" sound and graphic of tentacles waving: Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent. Two Whips: Whirl tentacles in all directions to strike multiple times. Three Whips: Fire two orbs of dark energy at opponent.				Melee Low	Chase	Physical
					Melee Low	None	Physical
					Ranged Low	None	Magical

Move	Type	CP (Mastered)	AP	Obtained	Priority	Effect	Damage type
Tentacle of Pain	Ground	60 (30)	120	Initial	Variable
	Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses a second time, effect changes. Timing can be determined by "whipping" sound and graphic of tentacles waving: Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent multiple times. Two Whips: Strike opponent with tentacles to knock them away. Three Whips: Conjure several dark energy bolts above opponent.				Melee Low	Chase	Physical
					Melee Low	Wall Rush	Physical
					Ranged Low	None	Magical
Tentacle of Spite	Ground	60 (30)	120	Level 13	Variable
	Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses a second time, effect changes. Timing can be determined by "whipping" sound and graphic of tentacles waving: Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent once. Two Whips: Infuse tentacles with dark energy and spin then horizontally over a wide area. Three Whips: Fire a large orb of dark energy that stuns opponent and lifts them into the air.				Melee Low	Wall Rush	Physical
					Melee Mid	Absorb	Physical
					Ranged Mid	None	Magical
Tentacle of Suffering	Aerial	60 (30)	120	Initial	Variable
	Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses a second time, effect changes. Timing can be determined by "whipping" sound and graphic of tentacles waving: Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent. Two Whips: Whirl tentacles in all directions to strike multiple times. Three Whips: Fire two orbs of dark energy at opponent.				Melee Low	Chase	Physical
					Melee Low	None	Physical
					Ranged Low	None	Magical
Tentacle of Scorn	Aerial	60 (30)	120	Level 27	Variable
	Whirl tentacles to attack. Depending on when player presses a second time, effect changes. Timing can be determined by "whipping" sound and graphic of tentacles waving: Immediate: Lash out tentacles to strike opponent twice. Two Whips: Strike opponent once and knock them back. Can attack on an angle and moves towards opponent while attack. Three Whips: Conjure several dark energy orbs that spread out and fire at opponent. The orbs bounce off walls and ceilings.				Melee Low	None	Physical
					Melee Low	Wall Rush	Physical
					Ranged Low	None	Magical

HP AttacksEdit

Move	Type	CP (Mastered)	AP	Priority	Effect	Damage type	Obtained
[Anti-air] Particle Beam	Ground	40 (20)	180	Ranged High	None	Magical	Initial
[Anti-air] Particle Beam	Summon four energy orbs around you that fire beams of energy high into the air.
[Long-range] Particle Beam	Ground	40 (20)	180	Ranged High	None	N/A	Initial
[Long-range] Particle Beam	Send out a line of energy beams that pursue the opponent. Has a high vertical reach.
[Wide Angle] Particle Beam	Ground	40 (20)	180	Ranged High	Wall Rush	N/A	Level 6
[Wide Angle] Particle Beam	Create a wall of energy that moves forward. Wide horizontal range but low vertical reach.
[Wrath] Particle Beam (ground)	Ground	40 (20)	180	Block High Ranged High	None	Magical	Level 12
[Wrath] Particle Beam (ground)	Guard against an enemy's attack. If attack is blocked successfully, summon an energy orb below opponent that fires a beam of energy upwards.
[Feint] Particle Beam	Ground	40 (20)	180	Ranged High	Dodge Wall Rush	N/A	Level 24
[Feint] Particle Beam	Vanish into a portal and reappear to fire a blast of energy. The direction of teleportation can be controlled with the analog stick.
Aura Ball	Aerial	40 (20)	180	Ranged High	None	N/A	Initial
Aura Ball	Hold to send out up to five orbs of energy that slowly spread out and travel towards opponent. Release to make the orbs explode.
[Wrath] Particle Beam (midair)	Aerial	40 (20)	180	Block High Ranged High	Magical	N/A	Level 12
[Wrath] Particle Beam (midair)	Guard against an enemy's attack. If attack is blocked successfully, summon an energy orb below opponent that fires a beam of energy upwards.
[Fusillade] Particle Beam	Aerial	40 (20)	180	Ranged Mid	None	N/A	Level 17
[Fusillade] Particle Beam	Send out balls of energy in multiple directions that turn in the air to bombard the opponent from all sides.
[0-form] Particle Beam	Aerial	40 (20)	180	Melee High	Wall Rush	Magical	Level 38
[0-form] Particle Beam	Charge and fire a large but short-ranged beam of energy. Automatically turns while firing to track opponent.

Move	Type	CP (Mastered)	AP	Priority	Effect	Damage type	Obtained
[Anti-air] Particle Beam	Ground	30 (15)	130	Ranged High	None	Magical	Initial
[Anti-air] Particle Beam	Summon four energy orbs around you that fire beams of energy high into the air.
[Long-range] Particle Beam	Ground	30 (15)	130	Ranged High	None	N/A	Initial
[Long-range] Particle Beam	Send out a line of energy beams that pursue the opponent. Has a high vertical reach.
[Wide Angle] Particle Beam	Ground	30 (15)	130	Ranged High	Wall Rush	N/A	Level 6
[Wide Angle] Particle Beam	Create a wall of energy that moves forward. Wide horizontal range but low vertical reach.
[Wrath] Particle Beam (ground)	Ground	30 (15)	120	Block High Ranged High	None	Magical	Level 19
[Wrath] Particle Beam (ground)	Guard against an enemy's attack. If attack is blocked successfully, summon an energy orb below opponent that fires a beam of energy upwards.
[Feint] Particle Beam	Ground	30 (15)	130	Ranged High	Dodge Wall Rush	N/A	Level 23
[Feint] Particle Beam	Vanish into a portal and reappear to fire a blast of energy. The direction of teleportation can be controlled with the analog stick.
Aura Ball	Aerial	30 (15)	130	Ranged High	None	N/A	Initial
Aura Ball	Hold to send out up to five orbs of energy that slowly spread out and travel towards opponent. Release to make the orbs explode.
[Wrath] Particle Beam (midair)	Aerial	30 (15)	120	Block High Ranged High	None	N/A	Level 31
[Wrath] Particle Beam (midair)	Guard against an enemy's attack. If attack is blocked successfully, summon an energy orb below opponent that fires a beam of energy upwards.
[Fusillade] Particle Beam	Aerial	30 (15)	130	Ranged Mid	None	N/A	Initial
[Fusillade] Particle Beam	Send out balls of energy in multiple directions that turn in the air to bombard the opponent from all sides.
[0-form] Particle Beam	Aerial	30 (15)	160	Melee High	Wall Rush	Magical	Level 36
[0-form] Particle Beam	Charge and fire a large but short-ranged beam of energy. Automatically turns while firing to track opponent.

EX ModeEdit

Ultra Particle Beam

The Cloud of Darkness's EX Mode is Flood of Darkness, where she loses her cape and her skin turns green, identical to her in-game appearance from Final Fantasy III. When in EX Mode, the Cloud of Darkness gains ability "[Null] Particle Beam". This lets her cancel out the lag after she attacks by using an HP attack, allowing her to attack faster in succession and combo her attacks together.

Her EX Burst, Ultra Particle Beam, has her attack with a smaller beam of energy, then summoning a large orb of darkness. The player must hold down to charge a bar up to 120%, allowing the Cloud of Darkness to blast opponents with a powerful beam of energy. Releasing the button at the wrong time will result in the bar dropping to 80% and the Cloud of Darkness firing a smaller beam that does less damage.

EquipmentEdit

Cloud of Darkness can equip Rods, Staves, Bangles, Hats, Hairpins, Clothing, and Robes. In Dissidia 012, the Cloud of Darkness can also equip Thrown Weapons and Poles.

Exclusive WeaponsEdit

Name	Level	Stats	Effects	Obtained
Calcite Staff	50	BRV +26 ATK +35	BRV Recovery +50%	Trade: 15460 gil, Healing Staff, Thorny Lumber x3, Mana Shard x2
Bizarre Staff	92	BRV +38 ATK +62	BRV Recovery +75%	Trade: 29570 gil, Calcite Staff, Revival Tree x5, Mana Crystal x3
Everdark	100	BRV +40 ATK +67	BRV Recovery +100% Major Gambler's Spirit Effect.	Trade: 31920 gil, Bizarre Staff, Roaming Clouds x5, Mana Orb x5

Name	Level	Stats	Effects	Obtained
Calcite Staff	30	BRV +41 ATK +38	BRV Recovery +50%	Trade: 61000 gil, Healing Staff, Scarletite x1, Wraith's Desire x5
Bizarre Staff	90	BRV +34 ATK +62	BRV Recovery +75%	Trade: 158,000 gil, Calcite Staff, Electrum x1, Wraith's Dream x5
Everdark	100	BRV +39 ATK +67	BRV Recovery +100% Slight Anti-EX Effect.	Trade: 182,800 gil, Bizarre Staff, Roaming Clouds x1, Wraith's Hopes x5

GalleryEdit

In-game appearance.

Second outfit EX Mode in Dissidia.

Second outfit EX Mode in Dissidia 012.

Third outfit EX Mode.

CG render.

Cloud of Darkness' manikin, Counterfeit Wraith.

Concept art of third outfit.

Artwork by Yoshitaka Amano.

Ultra Particle Beam.

AllusionsEdit

When the Cloud of Darkness uses Aura Ball, she laughs her characteristic laugh from Final Fantasy III.
In Shade Impulse II-3, when fighting the Cloud of Darkness with a character other than Onion Knight, one of her pre-battle quotes is "We have had an eternity in the Void to prepare. We will flood this world with darkness---and return all to the Void". This is roughly the same as the dialogue in Final Fantasy III. That scene was removed from the Dissidia 012 version.
All of Cloud of Darkness's HP Attacks and her EX Burst are variations of her signature attack in Final Fantasy III, "Particle Beam" ("Wave Cannon" in the Japanese version).
When the Cloud of Darkness charges her EX Burst, she takes on the same pose as her original NES battle sprite from Final Fantasy III. She assumes the same pose if Onion Knight uses his EX Burst against her.
While Cloud of Darkness's attacks "Tentacle of Pain", "Tentacle of Suffering" and "Aura Ball" did not appear in any game version of Final Fantasy III, they did actually appear in the game's 1992 manga adaptation. The manga, like the game, was written by scenario writer Kenji Terada.
Cloud of Darkness seems to dislike the manikins, as they are a foreign presence that upsets the equilibrium of the world. This alludes to her appearing when the equilibrium between light and darkness is destroyed.
Cloud of Darkness's opening line towards the Warrior of Light in both games might be an allusion to the fact that she was only defeated after the Warriors of Darkness sacrificed themselves and the Warriors of Light weren't enough to defeat her alone.
Cloud of Darkness's opening line towards Cecil in Dissidia is an allusion to how she needed both light and dark energies to invoke the Void's power.
In Final Fantasy III, the Warriors of Darkness explain that the Cloud of Darkness is actually made of both darkness and light, and that it was predominantly made of light when they fought it. The Cloud of Darkness's third costume, "Lucent Robe" (lucent meaning giving off light) may be a reference to this side of its nature.
When the Cloud of Darkness faces Yuna, it says, "Try and summon us", referring to a line it said to Xande in Final Fantasy III.
The Cloud of Darkness's unique weapons Bizarre Staff and Calcite Staff are not available in Final Fantasy III but find their origin as weapons usable by Yuna in Final Fantasy X.
Several of the combos in her bravery attacks make use of what appears to be red electricity. This may allude to the tentacles use of the Lightning attack in the DS remake of Final Fantasy III.

TriviaEdit

Tetsuya Nomura has stated that when he joined the company, he saw Yoshitaka Amano's original design of the Cloud of Darkness which was not featured in Final Fantasy III, and decided to use the design in a future game once he got the chance.
The Cloud of Darkness is one of only three characters in Dissidia 012 to have one of their outfits modified, the other two being Jecht and Tidus.
The Cloud of Darkness shares her English voice actress with Serah Farron from Final Fantasy XIII and Belle in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Her English voice actress also voiced Lust from another Square Enix project: Fullmetal Alchemist and its reboot Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
- The Cloud of Darkness shares her Japanese voice actress with the Cadetmaster from Final Fantasy Type-0 and Kairi's Grandma from Kingdom Hearts.