Analysis: 2,000 Gil to Becoming a Hero
I recently re-read 2,000 Gil to Becoming a Hero after many months, and I wanted to share my thoughts about this wonderful little vignette in a thread. I think it does such a beautiful job of diving deep into Cloud’s characterization, connecting it to aspects we’ve seen all across the compilation, as well as connections to past and future aspects of Cloud’s story.
It also does a great job building our contextualization of the world in deeper ways and connecting this lore and understanding to Cloud’s story and the story of FFVII overall.
The story takes place not long after Cloud leaves Nibelheim for SOLDIER, as he is traveling across the world to get to Midgar, and when he eventually arrives there.
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For purposes of this analysis, I’ve broken it down into the following components:
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- General Plot Summary and Analysis
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- Cloud’s Internal Characterization
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- External Worldbuilding and Lore
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- Closing Thoughts
This analysis uses the below-linked version of this story, which was translated by @woolenneedles and @Pekorin_ct, edited by @Extravaguer, and finalized by @ff7funfacts. Big shout out to them for their amazing hard work!
📎 ffviiprojects.wixsite.com/2000gil
1. General/Overall Plot Summary
The story begins shortly after Cloud has embarked on his journey to join the Shinra military in hopes of becoming a SOLDIER. Cloud is lying in a field outside of the Exchange Station, struggling with his motion sickness, where they are resting after he is picked up by Milo Bennet, a Shinra soldier who serves as a logistics operative and transport driver.
At the Exchange Station, Cloud meets several characters who shape his perceptions of the military and guide his motivations and dreams.
He interacts with fellow recruits Joel Rodin and Leon Leonard, who symbolize different aspects of Cloud’s internal struggles and insecurities. He also encounters a woman named Emma Mosberry, and a nameless ‘Turk’, who together entice him and the other recruits into forking over 2,000 gil to shortcut their way into SOLDIER.
Throughout this exposition, Cloud and the recruits are exposed to the realities of the Shinra Army, including the costs of joining—both physically and financially—symbolized by the 2,000 gil Cloud’s mother gives him before his departure. The story culminates in Cloud’s decision to pay the 2,000 gil to a Turk in hopes of becoming a SOLDIER, only to realize later that he was deceived.
The story follows Cloud’s internal conflict and development, from his naïve ambition to join the military to his realization of the harsh realities of life in Midgar and with Shinra. It also focuses on his insecurities and desire to stand out, especially in the context of his relationship with his mother and his aspirations tied to his promise to Tifa.
The story is told from Cloud’s first-person limited perspective, providing us with an intimate view of his thoughts and emotions as he navigates the challenges on the path to becoming a hero. This perspective allows us to connect deeply with Cloud’s internal struggles—his feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, and his deep-seated need to be special, particularly to Tifa.
Nojima uses internal monologue extensively, giving us insight into Cloud’s thoughts, desires, and ways of thinking about himself and the world. This explicates Cloud’s self-doubt and desire to escape or avoid mediocrity, while also highlighting the youthful, naive, and simplistic frame of mind he has as a young boy leaving country life for the big city and its illusory promises.
The external settings mirror his internal mindset, with the rural, peaceful life Cloud leaves behind contrasting the gritty, cold realities of city life and Shinra’s military operations. The external and internal conflicts play off each other, highlighting Cloud’s journey through both.
2. Cloud’s Internal Characterization
The major focus of this story is on Cloud’s internal conflict in this short frame of time, and how it is interwoven thematically in many facets of this little story. This characterization is quite brilliant in how intimately it acquaints us with teenage Cloud, while moving us through this quick and introspective plot.
I wanted to focus the majority of my analysis on this aspect, as I think it is what is most crucial about this story and its intentions, and where it connects to the broader FFVII story and the Remake trilogy.
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Cloud’s Worldview and POV
Cloud’s worldview in this story is defined by his deep insecurities and his desperate need to stand out and achieve his goals and aspirations. From the outset, we see how he views others and how he relates what he sees to his feelings for himself. He wants to set himself apart, while silently competing with Joel’s confidence and Leon’s charisma (both of which are later revealed to be misplaced)—a callback to how he felt alienated from the boys in Nibelheim.
This perspective is tied to Cloud’s desire to become “special” and recognized, a longing that drives much of his character arc across FFVII and the compilation. Bittersweetly, the story poignantly ends with Cloud wondering if he will ever achieve this, surrounded by nameless recruits who represent the anonymity he fears.
Cloud’s Flaws and Refusal to Admit Them
Cloud’s refusal to admit his motion sickness is emblematic of his broader struggles with vulnerability and emphasizes his refusal to face his weaknesses. He lies to Joel and Leon, choosing to appear aloof rather than weak, foreshadowing the very false persona Cloud adopts in FFVII.
Similarly, he hesitates to accept help from Emma when she offers him water, mirroring how he later rejects assistance and conceals his flaws and need for help under the false persona he adopts in FFVII. He also is reluctant to accept the 2000 gil from his mother in the first place, a moment we see during an internal flashback.
Furthermore, we see his intense anger at Leon’s mockery of his mother’s gift, revealing his emotional sensitivity—particularly regarding loved ones. In fact, he is ready to start a fight and is only stopped by Milo, who reminds him such behavior would only put him in negative standing as a new recruit.
This sensitivity and anger is a clear callback to Cloud’s childhood trauma and his propensity to deal with his emotional conflicts by lashing out, especially after the bridge incident.
Cloud’s Fear of Mediocrity
Speaking of Milo, this older man represents the mundane, unremarkable life that Cloud dreads. As a former trooper reduced to a logistics role, Milo serves as a reminder of what happens to those who fail to stand out. His advice—such as keeping a low profile to avoid being sent to the front lines—is practical but reinforces Cloud’s determination to escape mediocrity at all costs.
This becomes a clawing reminder of this fear that leads him to make the disastrous decision to pay the Turk his 2,000 gil in hopes of joining SOLDIER.
Cloud’s Reluctance to Share His Ambitions
Cloud’s dream of joining SOLDIER is deeply personal, tied to his promise to Tifa and his need for self-worth. His reluctance to share this ambition reflects its importance to him, an ambition that he keeps locked away so much so that he considers it a personal promise to himself, reflective of how intensely intimate this desire is to him.
In Traces of Two Pasts, we learn that even Claudia is unaware of Cloud’s dreams, emphasizing how he kept his motivations private from everyone except Tifa, making it sacred.
It is important to note, though, that once Cloud learns that there may be a way to speed up his entry into SOLDIER, he reluctantly reveals his ambitions. This is another clue of how badly he wants to achieve his personal ambition, which is so deeply ingrained in his misgivings about himself and his desire to become special for Tifa.
Cloud’s Naivety
Cloud’s decision to trust the scammers illustrates his naivety and desperation to find a shortcut to SOLDIER. As a young country boy, Cloud is unfamiliar with the ways of the world and the harshness and dog-eat-dog nature of it, especially in respect to Shinra. He leaves his bag unattended and is susceptible to the manipulations of ill-intentioned people.
His willingness to risk his mother’s 2,000 gil highlights his youthful naivety and lack of experience, as well as his desperation to achieve his goals, which again, are tied to his personal desires and negative self-image. We can also consider this significant foreshadowing for Cloud’s inexperience throughout the main story and compilation, as well as the mistakes Cloud will make throughout his journey of self-discovery.
A Mother’s Love and 2,000 Gil
The 2,000 gil that Claudia sends with Cloud is a powerful symbol of hope, love, and failure. Claudia’s parting gift embodies her belief in Cloud’s potential and is tied to the legacy of his father, who believed 2,000 gil was just enough to solve most problems. When Cloud loses the money, it becomes a lesson in trust and the cost of ambition.
The motif of 2,000 gil resonates throughout the FFVII compilation, from the bombing mission fee in Remake to Cloud’s reflections or casual comments in Rebirth, signifying the mark this incident left on his character, especially in the face of the eventual loss of his mother.
Beyond the gift of the gil, Claudia’s actions in this story—such as baking pies for Milo and paying him to look after Cloud, and sharing a story about his father—highlight her deep love and support for her son. Her words, “It’s all I can do,” encapsulate her hope and sorrow as she lets her son go. The flashback here is one of my favorite moments in the story because it not only shows us how significant Claudia, as Cloud’s mother, is to his character, but it deepens the emotional loss we have to face alongside Cloud when we confront her death and the Nibelheim Incident.
Her love also stands in stark contrast to the loneliness Cloud feels in Midgar, emphasizing the sacrifices he makes in pursuit of his dream.
The Symbolism of the Night Sky
The night sky provides comfort and continuity for Cloud, connecting him to his childhood dreams and his promise to Tifa. He gazes at them as he struggles to ground himself through his motion sickness, reminding us again of his internal struggles and weaknesses that stand in the way of his goals.
Stars symbolize hope, dreams, and longing, and appear throughout FFVII as a motif for love and destiny for both Cloud and Tifa as individual characters as well as a pairing. In this story, gazing at the stars offers Cloud solace, reminding him both of home and of the important promise behind the pursuit of his dreams, even as he ventures into the unknown and the struggles that lie ahead.
Cloud’s Motivation Tied to Tifa
This is the part that everyone talks about and is at the root of both Cloud’s desires and ambitions and his internal insecurities and struggles that lead to his complex journey in FFVII. Cloud’s ultimate motivation is his desire to be a special existence for Tifa.
This story beautifully captures his adolescent longing to impress her, showing how his love for her drives his ambition. It also highlights the costs of his ambitions to reach this goal—a struggle that is explored in this story and continues throughout his time in the infantry, the Nibelheim Incident, and the events of FFVII.
This is incredibly bittersweet as we know something that Cloud doesn’t yet know—that Tifa loved him as he was—an ordinary boy with hopes and dreams.
The Truth About Cloud’s Abilities
We all know that Cloud failed to make it into SOLDIER and that this becomes a further catalyst for the destruction of his self-image. This is more speculative on my part, but this story contextualizes this a little further. His struggle is not due to a lack of ability, but to the internal barriers he places on himself, shaped by his fear of mediocrity and rejection.
Unlike Leon, who fails the aptitude test and ends up living in the slums, Cloud passes the aptitude test and is able to continue to progress through the military with the other recruits. We don’t see it yet, but foreshadowing suggests that we can assume that despite the potential of his physical capabilities and intelligence, it is ultimately his self-esteem issues and mental weakness that hold him back from the enhancements required of SOLDIER.
3. External Worldbuilding and Lore
Now I’d like to dive a little bit into what this story provides us in terms of the external world and its connection to Cloud. This section will be a bit shorter, but I believe Nojima purposefully provides us with contexts and lore that are important to FFVII as a whole, especially with the retelling in the Remake Trilogy.
City vs. Country Life
The story juxtaposes the simplicity of Nibelheim with the harshness of Midgar. The Exchange Station, with its weeds and campfires, represents the boundary between these two worlds. Midgar’s brutality looms in the background, foreshadowing the challenges Cloud will eventually face.
There is discussion between the characters about the nature of city life and its temptations, alluding to overtures that appear frequently in FFVII, especially in relation to Cloud and other characters. 2K Gil gives us more context about the importance of this theme to Cloud’s character and how it resonates with his arc across the phases of his life.
Shinra’s Brutality
Shinra’s ruthlessness is evident in the dangers of SOLDIER training, the dehumanization of recruits, and the Turk’s casual admission of killing the scammers—a moment that is Cloud’s first stark encounter with the horror of violence and death.
The narrative underscores how Shinra exploits the dreams and lives of those it deems insignificant in its relentless pursuit of power. The descriptions of the SOLDIER process are especially chilling and vicious and remind us of the lengths individuals may go through to achieve greatness.
Sephiroth and Military Propaganda
Sephiroth’s role as a war hero reflects Shinra’s use of propaganda to inspire recruits. For Cloud, Sephiroth is less a personal idol and more a symbol of what he aspires to be: exceptional. 2K Gil makes this clear by highlighting the commonness of these aspirations for thousands of young boys who seek the military in hopes of achieving their dreams or becoming something greater.
This distinction highlights Cloud’s deeply personal motivations compared to the broader societal admiration for Sephiroth, and I think people need to pay attention to that because it was included for a reason.
4. Closing Thoughts
2K Gil is a gift. It is a beautiful vignette that deepens our understanding of Cloud Strife as a character and explores him in ways that will make the conclusion of his internal arc more powerful than anything we could have anticipated after the events of the original game.
It ties into the entire compilation, but most importantly, the Remake Trilogy, by exploring his insecurities and setting the stage for his emotional journey in these games.
It also subtly but cleverly poses the question of what it means to be a hero and embark on a hero’s journey, filtered through the lens of an ordinary boy with ordinary dreams and desires, but deep-seated internal struggles and conflicts.
It has already connected quite poignantly with references in Remake and Rebirth, most strongly with the mask of his false persona and how he journeys through his personal arc in his relationships with various characters.
However, its ultimate exposition will come in Part 3, particularly in the Lifestream scene, where Cloud will not only be able to face the truth of himself and his past, but accept himself and his flaws, and reach the mutual understanding with Tifa that he has been seeking all this time and that has driven his motivations and ambitions.
The story also clarifies common misconceptions about Cloud’s motivations, showing that his dream of joining SOLDIER stems from a desire to stand out for Tifa, not fame or admiration for Sephiroth.
Sephiroth is a universal symbol for the aspirations of young men and how Shinra uses him to exploit them, and this thus highlights that Cloud is once again an ordinary boy, sharing the dreams that many hold.
A major revelation I had in revisiting this story is how abrupt it is. It opens with no real setup or introduction, and it ends quite brusquely, almost on a cliffhanger, with the clear intention of leaving us wanting more. I can’t help but be reminded of the short story Picturing the Past, which was featured in the Remake World Preview Book and seemed a prologue of sorts to Aerith’s portion of Traces of Two Pasts.
Is it possible that 2K Gil is a precursor to a longer light novel about Cloud and his past and experiences? I’ll leave you with that food for thought.
I’m sure I’ve missed things, so I highly recommend that you sit and read this story again if you have not already and really think about its connections to the story we are being told in the Remake and in the compilation.
Nojima’s storytelling captures the heart of what makes Cloud such a compelling and multifaceted character: his flaws, his dreams, his desires, his relationship, and the bittersweet journey that defines him. ✨