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is the central antagonist in the Squaresoft role playing game Final Fantasy VII. He has had — relative to Final Fantasy VII
Sephiroth appears as a tall man with long silver hair, bright emerald green eyes, a long black coat, white metallic pauldrons and belted black boots. He carries the sword Masamune, a weapon that has appeared in each installment of the Final Fantasy series. In Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth was the most famous member of SOLDIER, a paramilitary branch of the Shin-Ra corporation, until he mysteriously disappeared five years prior to the beginning of the game. He then returns to enact a plot which threatens the game's world, bringing him into conflict with the game's protagonists, and particularly with its main character, Cloud Strife, who shares a past with Sephiroth.
In Japan, Sephiroth's voice was provided by seiyū Shinichiro Miki in Ehrgeiz and Toshiyuki Morikawa in Advent Children. In the English version of Kingdom Hearts, his voice was provided by Lance Bass of 'N Sync, a decision that was received negatively by some fans. In the English version of Advent Children and Kingdom Hearts II, however, he is voiced by George Newbern.
Biography
Sephiroth was born 25 to 30 years before the start of the game (exact year left unknown) to Professor Hojo and Lucrecia of Shin-Ra. Though some fans previously believed that Sephiroth was the son of Vincent Valentine—who was in love with Lucrecia—the FFVII Ultimania Ω Guide confirms that he is the son of Hojo, as does Hojo himself during the game.Hojo: "What will Sephiroth think when he finds out that I'm his father?" ... / Cloud: "Sephiroth is your son!?" ... / Hojo: "I offered the woman with my child to Professor Gast's Jenova Project." ... / Vincent: "I was......wrong. The one that should have slept was... You, Hojo!"(Final Fantasy VII) Before Sephiroth's birth, Hojo and Lucrecia were working as assistants to Professor Gast, Shin-Ra's top scientist, on the Jenova Project. The project studied the remains of an extraterrestrial entity known as "Jenova," who was mistakenly thought to be one of the Cetra, an ancient people of the world possessing powers related to the Planet. The project's ultimate goal was to produce modern day people with the powers of the Cetra, and due to Gast's inaccurate conclusion that Jenova had been a Cetra, he and Hojo injected cell samples from Jenova into the pregnant Lucrecia, both she and Hojo voluntarily consenting to this procedure.Hojo: "I offered the woman with my child to Professor Gast's Jenova Project. When Sephiroth was still in the womb, we took the cells of Jenova..."(Final Fantasy VII) Lucrecia then carried Sephiroth to term, his fetal form merging with the cells of Jenova as it developed. In the process, as a result, Lucrecia began to suffer nightmarish visions of the acts her adult son will commit.
After his birth, Shin-Ra raised Sephiroth to be the ultimate soldier, telling him nothing of Lucrecia, being told that his mother was named "Jenova." He also believed his father was Professor Gast. He was not aware his father was Hojo, whom he considered a "walking mass of complexes."Sephiroth: "A man once told me never to use an unscientific term such as mysterious power! It shouldn't even be called magic! I still remember how angry he was." / Cloud: "Who was that?" / Sephiroth: "Hojo of Shinra, Inc. ... An inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes." (Final Fantasy VII) He proved to be an incredibly strong and effective member of SOLDIER, gaining worldwide fame for his exploits in Shin-Ra's service, namely during an international war with the Wutai nation. However, during the events of Final Fantasy VII, taking place five years before the beginning of Final Fantasy VII itself, Sephiroth was ordered to inspect the malfunctioning mako reactor outside the town of Nibelheim with a small entourage, consisting of one other member of SOLDIER and a few Shin-Ra MPs. Among this group was SOLDIER 1st Class member Zack and his buddy, a 16-year-old Shin-Ra grunt named Cloud Strife. Nibelheim was Cloud's childhood home, but he avoided showing his face and revealing himself to his childhood friend Tifa Lockhart out of shame over not becoming a member of SOLDIER as he had sworn to do two years earlier.
At the reactor, Sephiroth found several pod-like chambers containing monstrous creatures, apparently former humans, mutated by experiments conducted by Hojo. Deeper inside, he found a larger chamber labeled "JENOVA." Deeply disturbed by the fact that the creature had the same name as his "mother" and by the idea that he himself might have been created in an experiment similar to the ones that created the monsters in the pods, Sephiroth made his way to the mansion that had been occupied by Shin-Ra researchers two decades before. There, he began reading the research notes that were located in the basement library, and what he learned left him enraged.
Based on the inaccurate Shin-Ra reports, Sephiroth believed that Jenova was a Cetra, and that he—Jenova's "son"—was the last survivor of the Cetra. He also believed that the human race had betrayed the Cetra 2,000 years earlier, leaving them unaided to defend the Planet from a calamity it had faced—eventually revealed to have been Jenova itself—and resolved to take vengeance for his "ancestors."Sephiroth: "Long ago, disaster struck this planet. Your ancestors escaped... They survived because they hid. The Planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that, your ancestors continued to increase. Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports." / Cloud: "What does that have to do with you?" / Sephiroth: "Don't you get it? An Ancient named Jenova was found in the geological stratum of 2000 years ago. The Jenova Project. The Jenova Project wanted to produce people with the powers of the Ancients..... no, the Cetra. ...I am the one that was produced." (Final Fantasy VII) He burned Nibelheim to the ground, killing nearly everyone within the village, including Cloud's mother, and then returned to the mako reactor in the Nibelheim mountains. He was pursued by some surviving villagers, including Tifa and her father. Cloud and Zack, as of yet unharmed, also followed. When Tifa arrived at the reactor, she found her father dead with Sephiroth's Masamune left beside his body. In anger, she took the sword and charged Sephiroth outside the Jenova chamber, but he took his blade back from her and cut her down, nearly killing her.
A moment later, Zack arrived and rushed up the stairs in the pod room to Jenova's chamber, attempting to stop Sephiroth, as well. Though he put up a valiant effort, he too was dispatched, and sent reeling from Jenova's chamber. Sephiroth then prepared to take Jenova's body from its chamber, but before he could, Cloud entered and took up Zack's Buster Sword to stop Sephiroth himself. Before Sephiroth knew the young Shin-Ra grunt was there, Cloud had gutted him through his lower back. Thinking that Sephiroth was downed permanently by his brutal attack, Cloud turned back to tend to Tifa. Unfortunately, being the powerful mako-infused Jenova/human hybrid that he was, Sephiroth got back up to confront Cloud. Before doing so, however, he cut Jenova's head off, intending to take it with him, as—due to his injuries—he was unable to take her entire body. This time, Sephiroth held the advantage, quickly sliding his sword into the charging Cloud's chest and hurling him back into Jenova's chamber where he proceeded to skewer Cloud a second time.
Cloud's desperation and anger proved greater than Sephiroth's strength, however, and he lifted Sephiroth off the floor, gripping the blade in his chest and slinging Sephiroth into a nearby wall — which crumpled from the force of the impact. Sephiroth then retreated, taking Jenova's head with him as he leaped from the platform where they stood into the Lifestream below, which would then carry him to the Northern Crater. This was the last time Sephiroth would be seen for five years. (Note: In the original depiction of Cloud and Sephiroth's confrontation in the reactor — as seen in Final Fantasy VII — Cloud threw Sephiroth directly into the Lifestream after gripping the blade in his chest. Later additions to continuity retconned this in favor of Sephiroth willingly leaping into the Lifestream.)
Following this, Shin-Ra sealed the records on Sephiroth and rebuilt Nibelheim in order to cover up the incident, populating it with Shin-Ra employees paid to act as the town's citizens.Periodic Report to Professor Hojo: "... Confidentiality Report ;A total of eight people have visited this town this quarter. Fortunately, none knew about the incident five years ago. Therefore, no one knows the town was restored exactly as it was five years ago. Our staff, disguised as townspeople have improved their acting skills, and we do not report any problems at this time." (Final Fantasy VII) Hojo meanwhile decided to make use of the surviving residents of Nibelheim, and so unwillingly commissioned them to take part in an experiment that would attempt to prove his Jenova Reunion Theory—a theory stating that when Jenova's cells are separated, they will seek to reunite.Zangan: "There were several others that were still alive inside, but I was only able to save you. As I was coming out of the reactor, Shinra troops were just arriving. I recall a scientist named Hojo was in charge. He ordered the troops to gather up everyone still alive for the experiment. I didn't know what type of experiment he was talking about, but I wasn't about to let them have my dearest student." (Final Fantasy VII)Hojo: "You see, even if Jenova's body is dismembered, it will eventually become one again. That's what is meant by Jenova's Reunion." (Final Fantasy VII) This procedure was conducted by injecting some of Jenova's cells into the survivors and then infusing them with mako, similar to the procedures that had been conducted on Sephiroth.Cloud: "I'm physically built like someone in SOLDIER. Hojo's plan to clone Sephiroth wasn't that difficult. It was just the same procedure they use when creating members of SOLDIER. You see, someone in SOLDIER isn't simply exposed to Mako energy. Their bodies are actually injected with Jenova cells......" (Final Fantasy VII) Thus, the subjects of the experiment were dubbed "Sephiroth clones", though this term has often been misinterpreted by Westerners due to the "genetic duplicate" connotation carried by the term "clone."
Cloud and Zack were two of Hojo's subjects for this experiment, and they would spend the next four years as his prisoners in the Shinra Mansion of Nibelheim. One year before the main events of the game began, however, Zack broke free and took the semi-comatose Cloud with him to Midgar. Cloud was safely taken to Midgar, but Zack was killed on the journey. After recruiting Cloud, the game's playable group of heroes—known as "AVALANCHE"—become captives in Shin-Ra's headquarters, having made a daring raid on the facility in an attempt to rescue a captive ally. During the night, Jenova's body—contained now in Hojo's lab in the building—breaks out of its containment vessel under Sephiroth's control, quickly slaughtering many of the Shin-Ra personnel in the building. At some point during the massacre, Cloud's prison cell was opened, as Sephiroth wished for him to attend the Reunion—and so that he may be psychologically and emotionally tortured as revenge for turning the tables on him five years earlier. AVALANCHE found their guards slaughtered and President Shinra impaled against his desk by Sephiroth's sword (see Manifestation).
Having decided to investigate the matter, AVALANCHE discovered that Sephiroth was attempting to use the Black Materia, an item that would call forth a manifestation of the Ultimate Destructive Magic, Meteor. Sephiroth intended to use this to deal a potentially fatal wound to the Planet, at which time it would then send large amounts of spirit energy from the Lifestream to heal that wound. Sephiroth planned to intercept this massive concentration of energy, absorbing it and the knowledge and power it carried, which he believed would make him a god and allow him to control the Planet's lifecycle.Sephiroth: "...What would happen if there was an injury that threatened the very life of the Planet? Think how much energy would be gathered! Ha ha ha. And at the center of that injury, will be me. All that boundless energy will be mine. By merging with all the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life forn, a new existence. Melding with the Planet... I will cease to exist as I am now. Only to be reborn as a 'God' to rule over every soul." ... / Sephiroth: "Behold that mural. The Ultimate Destructive Magic... Meteor." (Final Fantasy VII)
Before Sephiroth could use the Black Materia, Aerith Gainsborough—the true last survivor of the Cetra—tried to use the White Materia given to her by her mother to summon the force called "Holy," the only power able to counter Meteor. During her attempt to call forth this Ultimate White Magic, Sephiroth had a piece of Jenova in his form fall from above and impale her with his sword, killing the flower girl instantly. Though Aerith had successfully called Holy, it was now being held back within the Planet by Sephiroth, preventing it from taking action against him.Cloud: "...Aerith. Aerith has already prayed for Holy. ... / Cloud: "But...... how about Holy? How come Holy isn't moving?" ... / Bugenhagen: "Something's getting in its way." / Cloud: "......Him...... He's the only one that could do it. ...Sephiroth." (Final Fantasy VII)
He continued manipulating Cloud until AVALANCHE reached Sephiroth's body inside the Northern Crater; there, Sephiroth offered a final devastating blow by convincing Cloud that he was never a real human being, but merely Jenova cells that had taken human form based on Tifa's memories of a boy named "Cloud."Sephiroth: "Five years ago you were... ...constructed by Hojo, piece by piece, right after Nibelheim was burnt. A puppet made up of vibrant Jenova cells, her knowledge, and the power of Mako." ... / Sephiroth: "The ability to change one's looks, voice, and words, is the power of Jenova. Inside of you, Jenova has merged with Tifa's memories, creating you. Out of Tifa's memory... A boy named Cloud might've just been a part of them." (Final Fantasy VII) Sephiroth emotionally manipulated Cloud into handing over the Black Materia, which Sephiroth then used to call forth Meteor. Afterward, AVALANCHE and the Shin-Ra executives that were present were forced to flee from the collapsing area, and Sephiroth erected a barrier of energy around the Crater. The barrier was created not only to prevent unwanted intrusion, but to make himself undetectable to the WEAPONS, which would have otherwise targeted and attacked him.
In the story's climax, this barrier is penetrated by Shin-Ra's efforts, and Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE descend into the Northern Crater to defeat a mutated Sephiroth. This marks their first and only encounter with the real Sephiroth. His body hatches from a pupa-like material (Bizarro Sephiroth) and prepares to absorb the Lifestream. After destroying Sephiroth's body, his spirit makes a final mental assault upon Cloud, attempting to overcome his will as easily as it had done in the past and take Cloud's body as his own. Despite having the upper hand, Sephiroth's overconfidence leaves an opening that Cloud takes advantage of, allowing him to overcome Sephiroth during this mental duel inside the Lifestream, banishing his spirit back to the Planet's collective of life energy.
Advent Children
It has been two years following the defeat of Sephiroth, and a disease called "Geostigma" has spread throughout the world, afflicting many with its ill symptoms of extreme fatigue and open sores on the skin. The now reclusive Cloud finds himself confronted by a strange trio of silver-haired men who are the physical manifestations of Sephiroth's will and spiritual energy, his powerful will having allowed him to endure the Lifestream and emerge from it before being fully diluted. Their leader, Kadaj, would later transform into Sephiroth after absorbing the contents of a case containing Jenova's remains. Sephiroth then reveals that he has been using Geostigma in a plan to corrupt the Planet's Lifestream and grant him control of it. From there, Sephiroth would repeat Jenova's goal to travel to another world. He and Cloud then engage in their final duel, in which Sephiroth displays various powers surpassing those of other characters featured in the film such as literally flying, slicing a huge section of a tower, and even calling the "tainted lifestream" with a mere wave of his hand to cover the sky. Despite this, however, he loses this battle, defeated by Cloud's Omnislash Version 5 Limit Break. After being dealt a final blow, Sephiroth remains floating in the air as his single black, feathered wing then appears and he speaks his final words: "I will... never be a memory." Sephiroth's wing wraps around him and dissipates, revealing a dying Kadaj, who falls to the ground. Kadaj is then accepted peacefully into the Lifestream as his body evaporates in the falling rain of Great Gospel, sent by Aerith's spirit. The other two silver-haired young men, Yazoo and Loz, follow a moment later, but not before trying to take Cloud with them.
Throughout his return and his battle against Cloud, Sephiroth's tone of voice was mocking, almost friendly, his first line being, "Good to see you, Cloud." Throughout the fight, he is a contrast to Cloud, while the expression in his eyes hint at his towering hatred. He intended to cause Cloud much pain through emotional torture, saying "I thought of a wonderful present for you...Shall I give you despair?" When Sephiroth pinned Cloud to a wall through the shoulder, he asked, "Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away."
A revised One-Winged Angel theme—Advent: One-Winged Angel (Sairin: Katayoku no Tenshi) —is played throughout the battle between Cloud and Sephiroth, this time with heavy rock and orchestral elements, as well as new lyrics.
Manifestation
All manifestations of Sephiroth seen throughout the game — excluding flashback sequences and his real body at the Northern Crater — are Jenova's main body under his control and with his appearance (the forms of Sephiroth seen from the Shin-Ra headquarters to the cargo ship that left Junon), smaller pieces of the body of Jenova under his control and with his appearance (at Nibelheim, the City of the Ancients, and in the Whirlwind Maze at the Northern Crater) and astral projections (the illusions seen at the Northern Crater prior to Sephiroth calling forth Meteor). The Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega guide—littered with information directly from the creators of Final Fantasy VII—stated that Sephiroth's powerful will allowed him to assume control of Jenova's cells, this being why Sephiroth's appearances stem from him invoking his appearance through parts of its shapeshifting body.
Sephiroth became what some call the newest stage of evolution for Jenova, and anything "Jenova" does in the game's present day is simply Sephiroth invoking his new powers. When Sephiroth came into the picture, the minds of the two joined, and Sephiroth made himself the core of the viral entity that Jenova had been, with his ambitions being fueled by a desire to both become one with everything on the Planet and a desire to destroy all humans he despised. Thus, his will manifested through Jenova's extensive psionic powers.
In the finale of the original game, Cloud's final confrontation with Sephiroth is purely mental/spiritual and takes place in the Lifestream as a final duel of their wills. Sephiroth is defeated, and his soul dissolves back into the Lifestream, though he manages to avoid dilution and returns in Advent Children for a true final confrontation of a physical nature through Kadaj.
One-Winged Angel
Safer Sephiroth is the final form of Sephiroth seen in the original game. Though one more battle follows Safer Sephiroth's defeat, it is a scripted battle purely for plot purposes and cannot be lost, so the fight with Safer Sephiroth is essentially the final battle of the game as far as gameplay itself is concerned. It follows the battles with Jenova-SYNTHESIS and Bizarro Sephiroth, and after Safer Sephiroth is defeated, a staged battle, a lengthy final cutscene, and the credits follow.
The Safer Sephiroth battle is unexplained and leaves many questions unanswered, adding to Sephiroth's mystique and prompting much speculation about the battle's significance to the plot of Final Fantasy VII and its symbolic meaning. The song played during the fight also gives a sort of mystic and terroric feel, as something of a "Deus Celebri" ("Praise to God").
Names
The name "Safer Sephiroth" may have been a mis-romanization of the boss' name when translating from Japanese, as was the case with Helletic Hojo, which should have been translated as "Heretic Hojo," and "Bizzaro Sephiroth," which should have been "Rebirth Sephiroth". A common rumor is that "Safer" is a mistranslation of "Seraph" due to Safer Sephiroth's angelic appearance. This may be indeed the case, though the original Japanese was "Seefa" (セーファ), rather than "Serafu" (セラフ), which would indicate the fault lies with whoever Romanized the word in the Japanese version. (However it is far more likely that the original name is actually "Sepher Sephiroth", referring to the writing of the same name within 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley, by Aleister Crowley.) Sephiroth does bear many similarities to a seraph, as seraphim are described in the Hebrew Bible, being humanoid angels with six wings: "With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying." Safer Sephiroth can easily be interpreted as bearing the appearance of a seraph with an additional wing added in place of his right arm.Safer Sephiroth is also known as the "One-Winged Angel," "One-Winged Angel" being the name of the well-known song which accompanies the battle with Safer Sephiroth. The title is also significant to Sephiroth's character due to its fallen angel connotation, a symbolic form of reference for those who have fallen from grace. To some, the name "One-Winged Angel" seems strange, as Safer Sephiroth has a total of seven wings. However, the original Japanese name is "片翼の天使 (Katayoku no Tenshi)," which means "an angel with wings on one side," rather than an angel with only one wing. However, "One-Winged Angel" is most likely in reference to the wing that replaces Sephiroth's right arm. Yet, in Kingdom Hearts Sephiroth appears in his classic black outfit, albeit with one large wing protruding through his right shoulder blade.
Appearance
Safer Sephiroth appears as a deformed, tanned, angelic being. He is unclothed, and all of his body below his torso has been replaced by a cloud-like formation with six white wings (two normal ones between two larger ones with decorative frills) emerging upside-down from where Sephiroth's legs would normally be. There are also two large, interlocked rings on his back, forming a symbol of the Empyrean Halo (a.k.a. "the Celestial Rose"), the final Heaven and the abode of God in The Divine Comedy.His left arm is normal, but his right arm has been replaced with a large purple, green and red wing, the colors of the Jenova-BIRTH, LIFE, and DEATH bosses.
The image is completed by the background for this battle, which—despite the battle taking place in the bowels of the Planet—is a kaleidoscopic ring of clouds in a blue sky, offering the illusion that the battle takes place in a heavenly plane of existence. This may be a result of the battle taking place within the Holy magic that resided in the background of the former battle, and may serve as yet another allusion to the Celestial Rose: the layout of clouds is reminiscent of past conceptualizations*, in which it appeared as a throng of angels encircling a sun-like God, a formation that symbolises God's perfection and radiance. This imagery is reinforced during the Super Nova attack, as the sun and its shockwave emerge from behind Safer Sephiroth.
In Sephiroth's cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts, though this version of him bears very little resemblance to Safer Sephiroth, he does have a single, large, feathered black wing behind his right arm dramatically alluding to the "One-Winged Angel" title. He also briefly takes this form in Advent Children. In Kingdom Hearts II however, he has two additional wings sprouting from his hip areas (more than likely a reference to seraphim, which have six wings, and his Safer Sephiroth form).
Interpretations
The significance of Safer Sephiroth's form to Final Fantasy VIIThis latter theory, however, is met with much criticism due to official materials stating that the being Jenova lacked the higher intellect associated with homo sapiens, implying that it was, instead, an instinctual beast, a large colony of viral cells of unknown extraterrestrial origin. It's also doubted by some due to the appearance of Project G in Final Fantasy VII, an individual with no known inheritance of Jenova cells, but with bright mako eyes and a large angel wing—a wing actually larger than Sephiroth's, and on the opposite shoulder. This leads some to speculate that angel wings may simply be a result of exposure to a high quantity of mako. As support for this notion, it has been cited that Omega WEAPON—as also seen in Dirge of Cerberus—sprouted large angelic wings composed of mako when absorbing the Planet's Lifestream.
Also, considered of note is that Sephiroth's "mother" is Jenova, whose name is a portmanteau of "Jehovah" (an adapted version of the Hebrew name of God) and the Latin word "Nova" (meaning "New") . In other words, this creature's name is "New God," and Sephiroth himself is often considered to be an evolution of this being, having his own ambitions to become a godlike entity. Indeed, the battle with Bizarro Sephiroth immediately preceding the battle against Safer Sephiroth features a musical backdrop entitled "Birth of a God," occurring in a battle against what appears to be a large coccoon-like object bearing Sephiroth's face, from the top of which Safer Sephiroth can be seen emerging. It should also be considered that the wing that replaces Sephiroth's right arm in his Safer Sephiroth form bears colours reminiscent to those of the first three Jenova bosses, possibly hinting that he has mutated closer to her form.
From a symbolic perspective, Sephiroth's angelic appearance in this battle combined with his obsession with becoming a god and his appearance as the "One-Winged Angel" could be viewed as a reference to Sephiroth's symbolic role as a fallen angel—like Milton's Satan, Sephiroth is a once majestic being that fell from grace and became twisted and evil. Further notable is that Safer Sephiroth bears a strong resemblance to the biblical description of a seraph angel, the choir of angels to which Satan is said to have belonged before his fall in some pieces of Biblical lore.
The image of Supernova (or the version seen only in the North American and International editions of Final Fantasy VII)could also be taken as such an allusion, due to its display of certain mathematical formulas and religious text pieces with the backdrop of a comet destroying the solar system one planet at a time before finally crashing into the sun, as Satan was said to have fallen from Heaven as a bolt of lightning or a meteor. This same symbolism could be applied to Jenova's arrival, being that it fell to the surface within a meteorite, scarring the planet. Further, the destruction of the sun and surrounding worlds could be taken as a symbol of the disruption of order and the defiance of God's authority in the universe.
Sephiroth's journey as a "man in a black cape" in his normal form can be interpreted as a parallel to Satan. A popular image of the Devil—specifically in the Middle Ages—was that of a man in a black cape travelling the world, leaving despair and destruction in his wake.
In 2001, Electronic Gaming Monthly published an article stating that the physical model for Sephiroth was based on european soccer star Zinedine Zidane.
Musical Themes
Sephiroth is also the focus of three pieces of theme music written by series composer Nobuo Uematsu. His primary theme song is Those Chosen by The Planet, a piece utilizing bells, low drums, and a deep chorus, which accompanies Sephiroth's appearances throughout the game. Birth of a God accompanies the battle against Bizarro Sephiroth, the first of Sephiroth's final two forms. The most noteworthy piece — and a lingering fan favorite — is one that plays during the final confrontation with Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel. The lyrics of the original version of One Winged-Angel (excerpts from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana) differ from those of its Advent Children renditon, Advent: One-Winged Angel.
Other appearances
Sephiroth has thus far made four separate notable appearances outside of his Final Fantasy VII role. The first is as a selectable character in the fighting game Ehrgeiz, which also features appearances by other characters from Final Fantasy VII. In this game, Sephiroth is controllable both in his normal appearance and the shirtless version that Cloud confronts alone at the end of Final Fantasy VII. The second is in the English and Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts, where he appears as an optional boss in the game's arena setting. A new orchestration of One-Winged Angel serves as the background music for this battle. In Final Mix Sephiroth has a verbal conversation with Cloud in speech bubbles in which Sephiroth is telling Cloud about the darkness within Cloud, then they fight. The third appearance is as yet another boss fight in Kingdom Hearts II. In this title, his role is expanded beyond its status in the original Kingdom Hearts, as he makes an appearance during the main story of the game and is involved in a subplot involving Radiant Garden resident Cloud Strife, whom Sora met in the first game. Sephiroth's background is not revealed though he is said to be the manifistation of the darkness in Cloud's heart.
Sephiroth's fourth outside appearance comes in the game Itadaki Street Special, where Sephiroth appears as a playable character along with Cloud, Aerith and Tifa from Final Fantasy VII.
Within his Final Fantasy VII role, Sephiroth has appeared in Final Fantasy VII and the OVA Final Fantasy VII, both of which detail events before the beginning of Final Fantasy VII. He also appeared in the cinematic sequel to Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children. He makes a brief cameo appearance in a flashback during Dirge of Cerberus, but has no dialogue or major role in the story. He has also been confirmed to be a central character in the upcoming Final Fantasy VII game for the PlayStation Portable, Final Fantasy VII.
Trivia
- Sephiroth was unanimously voted #1 by the Electronic Gaming Monthly staff in the Top 10 Video Game Bosses of their October 2005 issue.
- Sephiroth is one of the most successful characters in GameFAQs character battles, reaching the finals in 2003 (where he lost to Cloud), and winning the Spring 2005 contest of villains against Ganondorf.
- Sephiroth was named "Best Final Fantasy Villain" on an all Final Fantasy episode of the G4 television series Filter, and "Best Bad Guy" in another episode.
- Part of Sephiroth's name is actually mentioned in Final Fantasy Tactics. As a secret character, Cloud Strife is brought into the game's setting (Ivalice) by a device called "the Celestrial Globe." His first line after arriving is "What's this? My fingers are tingling... My eyes...they're burning... Stop...stop it.... phiros...." Though the part of his name that is mentioned reads as "-phiros" rather than "-phiroth," this is a translation error due to the interchangability between "th" and "su" when transliterating to and from Japanese.
- In Final Fantasy VII,excluding cut scenes and character art, and Kingdom Hearts, Sephiroth is shown with his sword, the Masamune, in his right hand. However, in Ehrgeiz, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and Kingdom Hearts II, he is shown with the sword in his left hand. In Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, his eyes have also been changed from green to blue and he has one wing in Kingdom Hearts and three in Kingdom Hearts II.
- In the episode Rodigitti from the stop-animation show Robot Chicken, Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Barret, Aerith and Sephiroth were cast as workers of a fast food restaurant. Cloud (using his Buster Sword as a kitchen knife) and Barret (with his Gun-Arm replaced as a spatula) are chefs , Aerith works the register, Tifa and Yuffie alert the others of Fast Food Rush hour and Sephiroth (complete with an orchestra upon his arrival as parody of his One-Winged Angel theme song, replacing the "Sephiroth!" chorus part with "Hamburger!") is the manager who forces Cloud to work on Saturday. Here, he is shown using an attack called "Unpaid Overtime."
- His entire list of magic is (in order from top to bottom): Pink Slip, Scurb Toliet, Overtime and Suspension.
- Sephiroth has many similarities with Michael Moorcock's Elric; both have long platinum blond hair and an overall androgynous appearance, both wield the most legendary swords of their respective settings, and both kill one of the most beloved female characters in their stories out of necessity (Sephiroth kills Aerith, Elric kills Cymoril).
- The actual stats in FFVII for Sephiroth's weapon, the Masamune, are Attack +99, Attack % +255, with 6 linked Materia slots and No Growth. During one sequence in the game, Sephiroth is in the player's party and Masamune can be examined. However, any attempt to unequip it or remove the materia in it result in the dialog "..." from Sephiroth, presumably a threatening glare. In this short sequence, which takes place chronologically before Sephiroth's fall into the Lifestream at Nibelheim, Sephiroth is level 50 and wears a Gold Armlet (armor) and Tough Ring (Accessory).
- On a show called Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island a character named Butchy, who is a green apple, portrays Sephiroth after the main character, Coconut Fred turns their island into a video game in the episode Sir Nutalot. During the episode, Butchy is trying to marry a parody of Princess Peach from Super Mario Bros.. There are also several other scenes including a scene of the castle where Butchy and Peach were to be married. Above the castle was a giant flaming apple that is possibly a reference to "Meteor."
- In the Final Fantasy VII: Ultimania Omega guidebook, Sephiroth's infamous attack "Supernova" is listed under the Limit Break chapter. This indicates that Supernova is not a spell nor a summon, but in fact Sephiroth's own unique Limit Break. However, it is unavailable during the Nibelheim flashback when he is in your party and is only used by him in the form of Safer Sephiroth.
References
External links
- Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω Translations FAQ - Translations from the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω
- Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII: Last Order - Screenshots of Sephiroth in Last Order: Final Fantasy VII, an animated prequel to Final Fantasy VII
- Sephiroth Masamune Sword - Full size replicas of the sword Sephiroth uses in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
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"Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)"