Cloud Strife was originally referred to as a Mystic Knight, which is a class/job that mixes melee combat with magical spells.

Final Fantasy VII was originally planned to have character classes for all of the main party members, but this idea was scrapped over time. The Final Fantasy series has switched between using character class systems (usually referred to as jobs) with games using preset classes and abilities or skill point systems. Cloud Strife has fronted the most iconic JRPG of all time and he recently returned to prominence as the main character of Final Fantasy VII Remake. As such, these players might want to create a character based on a fictional person that they like, and Cloud Strife would be a popular choice.

It's possible that when the player joins a group, they need to take on a specific character class in order to fill a required role in the party. There are a lot of people who are curious about trying Dungeons & Dragonsfor the first time, but they don't have a set character in mind for their first game.

Cloud final fantasy tactics