A fan theory about Cloud’s dad has been strengthened following the release of a new Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth book.
We have quite a few games based on the characters and stories of Final Fantasy 7 over the years, each one filling out more of the world and its history, as well as giving us new information on the likes of Aerith, Tifa, Cloud, and pretty much everyone else included in the original game's motley crew. However, one detail that is still a bit of a mystery to this day is the identity of Cloud's dad, but a new book all about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth may have dropped a big hint as to who it is.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth World Preview Book was recently released in Japan, which provides details on a variety of things about Final Fantasy 7. As translated by Atai Japan CEO Audrey Lamsam on Twitter, this book explains that Cloud's dad is "an upbeat and optimistic guy" who died long before the events of the original Final Fantasy 7. It also states that something Cloud's dad used to say was that you could go anywhere and do anything "as long as ya got 2,000 gil in your wallet", with both Cloud and mother Claudia receiving 2,000 gil from him.
With this information, we can come up with some pretty interesting theories, especially if you look outside the main Final Fantasy 7 games and into the spinoffs. Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier and Ever Crisis both include a plucky guy called Glenn Lodbrock, who had been tipped to be Cloud's dad in the past due to their similar features. One of the earliest details you find out about Glenn is that he owes his friend Matt 4,000 gil for some unknown reason.
Obviously, this fact doesn't immediately mean he's Cloud's dad, but this new info does strengthen that theory. It's very possible Glenn could have borrowed 4,000 gil and given 2,000 each to both Claudia and a very young Cloud before he left as some kind of symbolic gesture, and Glenn himself is very upbeat and likable.
The math adds up, and while you could argue it's a bit of a stretch, you're also talking about a game that includes a talking cat and several massive, world-destroying Kaiju. Glenn being Cloud's dad probably wouldn't even crack a top ten list of the weirdest things to go down in that game.
