Is Cloud actually Degrading?
Okay so I just finished replaying Crisis core and as much as I love Zack in the later half of the game, I can 100% say that game is so difficult to follow along with the plot.
But one thing I picked up is that seemingly anyone who has Pure S-Cells and endures through the SOLDIER procedure won’t suffer from Degradation like the other members of SOLDIER’s with G-Cells or the victims of Nibelheim who failed the Procedure (not counting Angeal, since he’s the perfect creation from the G Project).
If I’m correct, there are 4 Characters that don’t suffer Degradation in Crisis Core
Sephiroth (perfect creation of S Project)
Angeal (perfect creation of G Project)
Cloud (Injected with Pure S-Cells by Hojo)
Zack (injected with Pure S-Cells by Hojo)
Zack is Unique since he was already a SOLDIER prior, but seeing as he got pure S-cells injected into him, which bonded with his G-Cells, he is now immune to the degradation, which is what Genesis was trying to achieve.
Genesis fails when his copy eats Zack’s hair because his S-cells in his body, are no longer pure since he was already a SOLDIER prior.
This is why he goes after Cloud since Cloud was turned into a SOLDIER with only S-Cells and survived the procedure, resulting in him being the last source of Pure S-cells in the world.
Please correct me if I’m wrong on any of this, but wouldn’t this imply that, in truth, Cloud isn’t degrading, but due to his screwed up mind he and his friends are chalking up his craziest to degradation since that’s all they’ve seen so far.
And obviously, there isn’t anyone around who’s willing to tell Cloud and the party, “Hey man! You’re not actually dying, you’re good because you’ve got Sephiroth’s DNA, but your mind needs to have a good bath in the Lifestream to heal up!”
Well at least not yet, maybe Zack if he ends up being in the main world for Part 3.
Really looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts, thanks for reading this far!