Chromatic Character Celebration Exchange

I'd disagree with your Cloud Strife example. Characters in most of Japanese popculture are portrayed in heavily stylized way that obscures real world racial signifiers. Explicitly Japanese characters can have blonde hair and blue eyes (Usagi Tsukino)or mid-dark skin (Yoruichi Shihouin). In general, unless explicitly stated by the narrative (for example when the story takes place in France), all characters will be read as Japanese/Asian, even when they have "exotic" sounding English-inspired names. I'd say Final Fantasy and for example Gundam characters would be edge cases.