8. Dante (Devil May Cry) vs. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)
Our Fighters: Dante is a devil hunter who runs an agency named “Devil May Cry” who has the habit of fighting with a variety of weapons, including the twin guns Ebony and Ivory and the broadsword Rebellion, among many others. Dante’s many accomplishments over the course of the Devil May Cry series include defeating a multitude of demons, annihilating monsters with potential to cause apocalyptic events, survived being impaled by his own sword multiple times, fought toe-to-toe with his own brother, even survived in an environment that has actively tried to kill him, all while being stylish. Dante has healed from all these wounds with near-instant regeneration. On top of having blinding speed, and a demonic form called Devil Trigger, Dante is quite a formidable fighter. However, Dante does not fight defensively, as his healing causes him to not think about defensive maneuvers, which leaves him open to attack.
Cloud Strife is part of Shinra’s “SOLDIER” program, which infuses fighters with alien cells and magical power to increase their strength. Cloud is the most iconic of the Final Fantasy series, going into battle wielding the Buster Sword, a large broadsword five to six feet long and one foot wide, and the Fusion Swords, a similarly large blade made up of six different swords which can be combined and separated at will. Cloud also utilizes Materia, the source of magic in Final Fantasy VII, to use a variety of magics and summons to aid him in battle. Cloud has done plenty of noteworthy things throughout his life, including defeating Shinra’s “Weapon” projects, helping to destroy a Mako Reactor, which is basically the equivalent of blowing up a nuclear power plant, being strong and fast enough to block bullets with a giant sword, take down giant monsters, slice through solid steel in one swing, kill Jenova, the alien calamity which gave him his enhanced strength, and fight and defeat Sephiroth single handedly. Cloud does have some notable weaknesses though, since he is infected with Jenova cells, he is vulnerable to anything that could interfere with them. Cloud is also built like a tank, but also moves like a tank, his speed is his lowest stat, so he is easily outmaneuvered.
Why are they Fighting: Both Dante and Cloud are powerful and use a large amount of weapons, a battle between these two would be a fight that would be worth its own movie!
Predicted Winner: Dante is the shoe-in for this fight. Both fighters are fast and strong, and Cloud’s reflexes make Dante’s guns a moot point, but Dante has instant regeneration and mystical power to back up his skills, while Cloud can only rely on whatever Materia he has on hand, Dante also can take out whatever summons Cloud brings out, being a demon hunter by trade. Dante has also faced much faster opponents before and won, so therefore, there’s no doubt that Dante can out maneuver Cloud.
