Cloud's personality

[Nanachin]

My opinion is that (okay, I haven't played VII for a long while, but from what I can remember) Cloud never really had a fake personality. Or well, even if he had, he wasn't that much affected by Zack. The only fake thing about him was that he claimed that he was a 1st CLASS Soldier, and that wasn't the case. Zack....wasn't introduced in the game as an influence to Cloud. I remember that Cloud got asked if he knew who Zack was, and he said NO. Okay, so maybe he lied, but honestly, in the GAME, Zack had NO big part WHAT SO EVER. That's why I think that the cocky and arrogant attitude is all Cloud's. He obviously feels sorry for himself, and he's always been a little bit of a "loner", so I consider that "fake personality" of his attitude!
It was a huge turn-off when I saw his emo-personality in AC. That was totally not my image of Cloud after playing the game. TT-TT'

 

[The Witch]

Cloud actually resembles Sephiroth more than Zack with his cold nature but at no time did he ever have diffrent / multiple personalitys. He just had regressed memmories with a few altered from his own twisted psyche.

Compairing Cloud to Zack is like compairing Batman to Superman. Yes there both Super Heros and yes the both wear costumes but that were there simularties end.

Zack is outgoing and kind hearted, Cloud is cold and dark.

This is a great post to explain it.

"In FF7, Zack is deceased. He appears when Sephiroth reveals Cloud’s frag-mental memory. Since Cloud already loses sight of his true self and mixes up his memory with Zack’s, Zack’s portrait is still wrapped in mystery. What kind of person is Zack? What specifically has he done? Such puzzles are answered in CC."

This quote right here destroys any chance of anyone saying Cloud was Zack completely. IF Cloud WAS Zack-had his personality of acting sunshine-ish and giddy-then Zack's true personality shouldn't be "wrapped in mystery"--if Cloud was truly acting out Zack's personality then Zack's personality isn't a mystery. So since SE has said VII left Zack's persona a mystery that means Cloud wasn't acting out Zack's personality.

"Due to the influence of the Jenova cells implanted in his body he(Cloud) acted out a false persona."​

Persona; the mask or façade presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality ofthe individual; the public personality.

So, while Cloud was acting out Zack's "persona" of First class soldier, Cloud's true, inner personality(the cold, distant, jackass personality traits he had) was still present--and it was very evident.