Tifa is the linchpin in Cloud's personality. Growing up, he thought himself better than the other kids, but this was just a lie he told himself to explain why they weren't getting along, and basically just isolated him further. The day Tifa wandered off into the mountains and got hurt, Cloud blamed himself for not being able to protect her. This is why he ran off to try to join SOLDIER. When they returned to Nibelheim and he was still just a military grunt, he hid himself behind his helmet to hide his shame at failing at what he said he'd do.
After the Nibelheim incident, his fragmented personality took those personality traits and magnified them. Of course he's better than everyone else. He's SOLDIER! Not only does he know better than them, but those who let themselves run away with their emotions (like Barret) are just being foolish. While it is up to the player in how he responds, he is often confident or sarcastic as the scene or response applies. He comes off as detached, but he's more subconsciously playing up the way he thinks he's supposed to act.
He lowers his guard around Tifa because she's his childhood friend, but he still avoids talking about the past. He thinks it's because he hasn't fulfilled his promise yet, but it's also because he is subconsciously avoiding the holes in his memories, and particularly those memories that involve her.
What does get Cloud motivated is not initially the want to save the Planet, but the desire to hunt down Sephiroth. He claims it's about revenge, and perhaps that's true, but deep down he knows that chasing Sephiroth will lead him to the truth of what happened. If he's going to restore his memory and make himself whole, he needs to face himself. His desire to be lead to the truth is what makes him so susceptible to Sephiroth's control.
The different versions of himself he keeps seeing reflect those parts of him. The tormented adult in pain, trying to figure out who he is, and the child who keeps giving hints about his memories, are parts of his personality trying to seek and reject his true memories. Ultimately, in the game, it falls to Tifa to walk him through those memories.
Revised personality, new samples will be posted later
After the Nibelheim incident, his fragmented personality took those personality traits and magnified them. Of course he's better than everyone else. He's SOLDIER! Not only does he know better than them, but those who let themselves run away with their emotions (like Barret) are just being foolish. While it is up to the player in how he responds, he is often confident or sarcastic as the scene or response applies. He comes off as detached, but he's more subconsciously playing up the way he thinks he's supposed to act.
He lowers his guard around Tifa because she's his childhood friend, but he still avoids talking about the past. He thinks it's because he hasn't fulfilled his promise yet, but it's also because he is subconsciously avoiding the holes in his memories, and particularly those memories that involve her.
What does get Cloud motivated is not initially the want to save the Planet, but the desire to hunt down Sephiroth. He claims it's about revenge, and perhaps that's true, but deep down he knows that chasing Sephiroth will lead him to the truth of what happened. If he's going to restore his memory and make himself whole, he needs to face himself. His desire to be lead to the truth is what makes him so susceptible to Sephiroth's control.
The different versions of himself he keeps seeing reflect those parts of him. The tormented adult in pain, trying to figure out who he is, and the child who keeps giving hints about his memories, are parts of his personality trying to seek and reject his true memories. Ultimately, in the game, it falls to Tifa to walk him through those memories.