Japanese-designed Final Fantasy VII Play Arts Cloud action figure review

Do you want an action figure? More specifically, a Cloud action figure but are confused by all the versions out there? Look no further, I’ll give you a recommendation and review of my latest action figures here.

I wasn’t very fond of the original Final Fantasy VII Cloud that has been discontinued in favor of this one, and the Advent Children version model, the character looked more like Johnny Rzenik (one of my favorite musicians) than Cloud. Then their FF Dissidia which was pretty nice, but it had no pose-ability. The 2 very accurate models of Cloud were Kingdom Hearts pose-able action figure and Crisis Core which I almost got first. I picked this one up because it’s more rare to obtain.

Aesthetics/Details
The first thing that helped me decide in buying from the several assortments of Cloud action figures, was its aesthetics. Unlike a few of the ones mentioned, this one seemed a lot closer, especially in the shape of Cloud’s face. The size of his eyes, the color and the hair stand out and say hey, that’s really Cloud ! (not some knockoff). I liked that they aged the sword, due to it being a passed-down generational weapon, which actually is not Cloud’s strongest weapon. Finally the lines on his sweater and threads on the screws were not neglected.

Packaging
I think the packaging is great, and while they could of just used a plain black box and said goodnight, they went one more step and blended in metallic, rusty wall textures into the box and even put a Cloud sky inside the box as a panorama to be metaphoric to the character. Nice clam shell, but easy to open as all one has to do is pull the tape. It’s attractive, sturdy and is well done.

Size Matters
Size does matter when talking about action figures. Although this figure is not in the same series as the other Final Fantasy series, much care was taken to make the proportions match up. It’s not fun or convincing if the main protagonist is much taller than the super villain, ya know? Cloud stands shorter than Sephiroth:Advent Children, and it’s convincing that Cloud is 5′7” and Sephiroth is 6′2.” Both swords indicate that Cloud’s about 5′4″ and Sephiroth’s about 6′6″ Does the villain HAVE to have a bigger sword to prove a point? Anyways, this all basically means you can pose Cloud with any regular scaled Final Fantasy figure and not worry.

Pose-ability
Because this is an action figure, posing comes into play for the score. The arms can rotate in some directions and turn in some ways, and it’s enough for his most common poses of slashing, victory and casual standing. The hips do not move, but the joint bend at the knee. Oddly, the boots including his whole bottom leg are removable, which I question why. The bottom of the boots, or the soles do move up and down to better support standing. Because of the big boots, the pose-able soles, and the bottom heavy design, this can stand on its own without a base and that’s a plus point. My complaint that would have would be the difficult removing and replacing the hands. Just be prepared to use some tugging and a bit of struggle that could redden your hand.

Features
It comes with a total of 5 hands, his giant Buster sword, a sword hangar and a stand so its loaded with just enough items to keep the action figure lover happy.

Durability
The action figure itself seems of a highly durable, hardened, but still flexible material. The amount of flexibility that it has within is just enough to prevent it from becoming brittle and snapping in a few years. The sword however, is thin and I feel it could be bent permanently or snapped. I think I might make of it mold it just in case. Overall, the heavy weight of the figure and quality is good.

Cost
One cannot compare this to the amazing detail and numerous layers of quality, including real metal and fabric of the Cloud action figure that sells for 300-400USD. But for this price I got for under $20, It’s the best in it’s class, hands down. Try to find it discount online stores, or maybe Amazon.

Conclusion
Please take a hard look at this action figure before deciding on your first Cloud action figure. To me, the sculpt of his face was most important in my decision. I think I’ll get the Kingdom Hearts version next, its one of great aesthetics!

Accuracy to original and details 5/5
Nice shape and aesthetics, and decent paint lend itself quite accurate to Cloud, and it should be since this is a remake of the original game edition, and the game art director supervised its process. The sword has been aged a bit to reflect its true nature in the story, and the clothing looks great.
Features: 4/5
Has 3 extra hands and 1 giant buster sword, removable feet?! And a standing base.
Articulation 4/5
15? points of articulation not bad at all.
Durability 4/5
Heavy and durable, but the sword seems fragile and could have been much thicker.
Cost: 5/5
I recommend hunting this down online. Because A, its hard to find in states that the game is very popular, and B, because the price is hijacked. Online, I got this for $17.99.

Score Overall 90%

notes: Designed in Japan, made in China (supervised by Tetsuya Nomura) , marketed in USA