Sephiroth

Brief Introduction.

Sephiroth is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and one of the major antagonists in its extended universe. In spin-off appearances, Sephiroth is depicted as Cloud Strife's archenemy and is seen as a symbol of Cloud's troubled past that haunts him. He is a former renowned SOLDIER who became twisted. Before his fall from grace, Sephiroth was one of the most lauded success stories of the Shinra Electric Power Company's SOLDIER program. His accomplishments in the field of battle during the conflicts surrounding Shinra's bid for global domination led to his status as a celebrity war hero and the poster boy for both the Shinra Military and the company's SOLDIER program. Learning of his true origins drove him insane, begetting a compulsion to destroy the world in his mad pursuit of godhood. Sephiroth is briefly a party member during a flashback in the original Final Fantasy VII, and is both the penultimate and final boss. Sephiroth reappears as a party member in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. He is fought as a boss in numerous titles, including Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Sephiroth is an extremely potent magic user, and his weapon of choice is the Masamune.

History, birth and early life.

Sephiroth was born between between 1977 and 1982.[2][3][4][5][note 1] Sephiroth was the product of Professor Hojo's Project S,[12][note 2] one of the projects under Professor Gast Faremis's Jenova Project, begun under the false assumption that Jenova was a Cetra.[2][4] Lucrecia Crescent, the assistant to Professor Hojo on the project, conceived Sephiroth, while Hojo injected the cells of Jenova onto Sephiroth while she was still pregnant.[13][14] Lucrecia was separated from Sephiroth after his birth, having never even had the chance to hold him.[14] The remains of numerous failed experiments were used to create Sephiroth as the perfect monster.[12] Sephiroth was raised and trained under Hojo's tutelage, where he learned that a good SOLDIER needs to be strong in body, mind, and heart, and that a hardened heart, ruthless and devoid of hesitation, is a sign of strength.[15] In order to achieve this, Hojo subjected Sephiroth to immense physical pain and instructed the boy to endure the pain to unlock his true strength.[16] Sephiroth's first field assignment was to the archipelago of Rhadore, a land once allied with Shinra. His first battle was against a horde of Rhadoran soldiers, which he quickly and effortlessly eliminated after being dropped into the field via helicopter.[17] He took command of the SOLDIER team consisting of Glenn Lodbrok, Matt Winsord, and Lucia Lin, veterans of Project: 0, an early iteration of SOLDIER. Under Sephiroth's command, the four SOLDIERs infiltrated an underground Rhadore base in the Logues Ruins.[18] During the mission, Sephiroth struggled to fit the heroic image that Shinra prepared for him, wishing only to find his mother[19] and live a normal life.[20] The realities of war weighed heavily on his mind, but his newfound comrades encouraged him to wield his significant power with compassion and resolved to help him become a hero. Sephiroth's relationship with Glenn and his team, as well as the Rhadoran Rosen.

SOLDIER first class.

Sephiroth became known as a war hero throughout the world,[22][23] selected to be the poster child for a Shinra recruitment drive intended to find candidates for the SOLDIER program. A number of achievements and accolades were fabricated to portray him as a hero before he ever actually stepped foot on the battlefield.[21] Sephiroth became close with fellow First Class SOLDIER members Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley. The trio would often sneak into the VR training room to spar with each other. On one occasion, Genesis insisted on dueling Sephiroth one-on-one, but ended up with a minor injury that triggered his degradation. Dr. Hollander lied and said Genesis needed a blood transfusion, and when Sephiroth offered his own, Hollander claimed it was incompatible and Angeal donated his instead.[24] Near the end of the Wutai War, in chapter 1 of Crisis Core, in November 2000, Sephiroth was called in during Angeal and Zack Fair's assault on Fort Tamblin. Sephiroth saved Zack from Ifrit that had been summoned by copies of Genesis, as he concluded Angeal and Genesis had deserted, much to Zack's disbelief.[23] On February 30 0001, depicted in "Swords Clashing in the Evening Shadows" in Before Crisis -Final Fantasy VII-, Sephiroth thwarted an assassination attempt by Avalanche leader Elfe.[25] Later in April that year, depicted in Crisis Core, Sephiroth had to defend the Shinra Building from two attacks by Genesis's army. In chapter 3, Sephiroth and the newly-promoted Zack defended the building. When pursuing Angeal to Mako Reactor 5, Sephiroth suggested he and Zack deliberately fail to eliminate him, something Zack enthusiastically obliged; at the reactor, Sephiroth opened to Zack about his history with them.[24] In chapter 4, Sephiroth and Zack defended another attack that this time targeted Hojo, sarcastically acting as if nothing had changed when a confused Angeal came to help.

Nibelheim Incident.

In chapter 7 of Crisis Core, Sephiroth and Zack were ordered to the Nibel Reactor, to investigate the legions of monsters therein and workers and SOLDIER operators going missing. When passing the order onto Zack, Sephiroth noted the lack of any mention of "old friends" in the report, and told him he was considering abandoning Shinra. The investigation team comprised himself, Zack Fair, and two infantrymen, one of whom was Cloud Strife.[27] On September 22 of 0002 (depicted in "The Tragedy of Five Years Ago" in Final Fantasy VII, chapter 8 of Crisis Core, and other media), the team arrived in Nibelheim, Sephiroth asking Cloud how it felt to return to his hometown. Zack asked if Sephiroth had any family, to which Sephiroth answered that his mother's name was Jenova and otherwise dodged the question. A local named Tifa Lockhart guided them up Mt. Nibel to the Nibel Reactor, and a villager snapped a picture of Sephiroth, Zack, and Tifa on the way there.[12][22] At the mako reactor, Zack and Sephiroth found Professor Hojo's experiments leftover: pods filled with makonoids, along with the pod of Jenova. Sephiroth, having known since a child he was different from others, suspected he had been created the same way, causing him to have a breakdown.[22][12] Genesis appeared and told him that Sephiroth was created from the Jenova Project, before asking Sephiroth for help with his degradation; Sephiroth dismissed him and condemned him to rotting,[12] before leaving for the Shinra Manor basement. There, Sephiroth obsessively read through Hojo's files of the project over seven sleepless days.

Nibelheim Incident.

At the mako reactor, Zack and Sephiroth found Professor Hojo's experiments leftover: pods filled with makonoids, along with the pod of Jenova. Sephiroth, having known since a child he was different from others, suspected he had been created the same way, causing him to have a breakdown.[22][12] Genesis appeared and told him that Sephiroth was created from the Jenova Project, before asking Sephiroth for help with his degradation; Sephiroth dismissed him and condemned him to rotting,[12] before leaving for the Shinra Manor basement. There, Sephiroth obsessively read through Hojo's files of the project over seven sleepless days. On October 1 (the Nibelheim Incident), Sephiroth believed himself to be the last Cetra, and hating humanity for supposedly abandoning his forebears during an unspecified disaster. He burned down Nibelheim in rage[22][12] killing many townspeople, including Claudia Strife,[28] Zander,[29] and Brian Lockhart. Tifa took up Sephiroth's Masamune from beside her father's corpse and attacked him, only for him to disarm her and cut her down.[22][12] Zack also fought Sephiroth but was defeated, and dropped his Buster Sword.[12] Cloud took Zack's sword and stabbed Sephiroth while he was caught off-guard. After a brief struggle where the former hero impaled the Shin-Ra infantryman, Cloud threw him into the lifestream.[12][30] Sephiroth was announced killed in action to cover up the events of the incident, while Professor Hojo used the unconscious Zack and Cloud for an experiment to test his Reunion Theory. Over the next several years, Sephiroth traveled the lifestream. The fragments of his body congregated at the Northern Cave inside the North Crater, joining to recreate Sephiroth's physical form in a cocoon of mako. From within, Sephiroth controlled Jenova's cells as an extension of his body, and as such, those who had been injected with Jenova cells became Sephiroth-clones that he could manipulate from afar.

Original community.

On December 0007, approximately five years after his supposed death, Sephiroth began his plan to manipulate the Sephiroth-clones for his reunion, helping him merge with the lifestream and seize control of it to become a god. During "Storming the Shinra Building", Jenova's headless remains in the Shinra Building took Sephiroth's form, killing President Shinra, freed Cloud's party, and left a trail of carnage behind in the building. The Sephiroth-Jenova[note 3] traveled north, felling a Midgar Zolom on the way,[35] and was followed by Cloud's party. In "Dangerous Voyage", Sephiroth-Jenova encountered the party aboard a cargo ship heading for Costa del Sol, having no idea who Cloud was. He flew off and left behind an arm of Jenova, which mutated into Jenova∙BIRTH.[36][35][5] Cloud's party encountered Sephiroth-Jenova in the Shinra Manor basement in "Unnatural Hometown", where Jenova urged Cloud to follow him.[37][35][5] In "Within the Temple of the Ancients", Sephiroth-Jenova aimed for the Black Materia from the Temple of the Ancients, striking down Tseng, and then manipulating Cloud into giving over the Black Materia. Through Sephiroth-Jenova, Sephiroth revealed his plan to use it to summon Meteor and force the planet to heal itself with the lifestream, and when it did so, he would merge with it, become one with the planet, and ascend to divinity.[38][35] Death of Aeris Sephiroth killing Aerith. With the Black Materia, Sephiroth-Jenova continued to the North Crater. Having identified Aerith Gainsborough as a threat, in "Parting with Aeris", Sephiroth-Jenova killed Aerith while she was summoning Holy, leaving behind Jenova∙LIFE.[39][35] Although Aerith had succeeded in summoning Holy, Sephiroth was holding it back from within the planet.

Meteorfall.

In "That Which Waits in the Northernmost Reaches", Sephiroth-Jenova brought the Black Materia to the Whirlwind Maze. When Cloud's party caught up, Sephiroth declared it was the end of the Sephiroth-Jenova body's usefulness, fought them as Jenova∙DEATH, and dropped the Black Materia. Sephiroth, through illusions, manipulated Cloud into thinking he was a simulacrum with false memories created by Hojo, as the Jenova cells made Cloud his puppet. Sephiroth used illusions of Tifa to take the Black Materia from the party back to Cloud. Cloud, now under Sephiroth's influence, gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth's cocoon form. Sephiroth summoned Meteor, which in turn awoke the planet's Weapons, and his mako cocoon fell deeper into the crater. Sephiroth erected an energy barrier over his domain to keep the Weapons (and Shin-Ra forces) from attacking him.[33][35][3] In late January 0008, the barrier around the crater was destroyed by the Sister Ray. On January 21, in "The Planet's Judgment", Cloud's party traversed the Northern Cave to battle Sephiroth. They found him at the core, blocking Holy, as Sephiroth emerged first with his Bizarro∙Sephiroth form, and then his angelic Safer∙Sephiroth form. Though Cloud's party destroyed him, Sephiroth's mind persisted, pulling Cloud into a final metaphysical battle to control him, though Cloud resisted him, causing Sephiroth to dissolve into the lifestream. With Sephiroth gone, Holy was released from the planet's core, and Aerith's spirit helped the lifestream keep Meteor at bay for Holy to destroy it.

Geostigma Crisis.

Depicted in Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile "Lifestream: Black", Sephiroth avoided dissolution in the lifestream by focusing on his hatred of Cloud, enabling him to maintain a core sense of being and separate himself from other beings. When the lifestream emerged to fight Meteor, Sephiroth took the opportunity to infect the planet with Geostigma by dispersing his memories among the lifestream. With his peripheral memories, he used the memories others in the lifestream had of him to craft the Remnants of Sephiroth, whom he sent to find Jenova's remains and create a new body for himself. [42] Acsephiroth "I will... Never be a memory". By 0009, depicted in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Geostigma had spread throughout the world. The Remnants of Sephiroth, Loz, Kadaj, and Yazoo, sought Jenova's cells, believing it would reunite them with their mother, though it was actually for Sephiroth to resurrect himself. When Kadaj absorbed Jenova's cells, his body shapeshifted into Sephiroth's visage, restoring him to life.[43] Sephiroth fought Cloud once again in the ruins of Midgar. He expressed disappointed Cloud had been cured of Geostigma, and revealed his plan: gather the souls of the Geostigma's deceased victims to corrupt the lifestream and control the planet, use it as a vessel to travel space, and find a new planet to rule. Sephiroth severely injured Cloud by impaling him, but Cloud defeated Sephiroth with Omnislash Version 5. Sephiroth vowed to never be a memory before fading away, leaving a weakened Kadaj to die and fade into the lifestream as Aerith's spirit called healing rain to cure the planet of Geostigma.

Remake community.

Sephiroth appeared to Cloud through several illusions. The first instance was in "Fateful Encounters", when Sephiroth taunted Cloud in the streets of Sector 8, warping Cloud's surroundings to resemble a burning Nibelheim. He did not deny Cloud's claims of killing him, instead taunting him and urging him to leave Avalanche and fight for the planet.[28] An illusion of Sephiroth appeared again to taunt Cloud's inability to save anyone when Cloud met Aerith on the streets.[44] Sephiroth appeared briefly in Cloud's vision when Cloud awoke in the Sector 5 slums in "Budding Bodyguard",[45] and would later mock Cloud in "A Broken World" for having "failed again" after the Sector 7 plate fell.[46] Sephiroth also projected himself onto Sephiroth-clones, whom he took control of as they briefly shapeshifted into Sephiroth's form. Marco, a Sephiroth-clone with number 49 who lived in the Sector 7 slums, attacked Cloud in "Home Sweet Slum", talking about reunion, but Tifa stopped him.[47] Cloud saw Sephiroth again in a Sephiroth-clone with the number 2 when he was with Aerith in "Budding Bodyguard", though no words were exchanged. During "The Belly of the Beast", a more significant Sephiroth illusion appeared to Cloud, Tifa, and Barret when taking over the Shinra VR theater, showing a meteorite falling onto Midgar and killing Barret and Tifa. Around the same time, Sephiroth shapeshifted Marco into his visage to attack President Shinra, walking past a horrified Palmer[49] and then in "Deliverance from Chaos", encountering Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, and Red XIII at the Jenova container in the Drum, where he sent them plummeting down before taking Jenova's remains.[50] Sephiroth then killed President Shinra and stabbed Barret, before an illusion of Jenova Dreamweaver attacked Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Red XIII. The group defeated Jenova Dreamweaver, and the Whispers healed Barret, though the Sephiroth-clone with number 2 appeared and carried away Jenova's wrapped up body.

Remake community.

Cloud pursued this Sephiroth-clone, but it jumped off the Shinra Building as the Whispers distracted Cloud.[52] Sephiroth vs Cloud in the Edge of Creation from FFVII Remake Sephiroth faces Cloud in the "edge of creation". In "Destiny's Crossroads", Cloud's encountered Sephiroth at the end of the Midgar Expressway, where Sephiroth opened a portal to the Singularity and urged them to join him to destroy the Whispers so as to protect the planet. Aerith rebuked Sephiroth and described him as the greatest threat to the planet, but ultimately urged them to follow. Inside the Singularity, the group defeated the Whispers and fought Sephiroth, before Sephiroth took himself and Cloud to a metaphysical dimension that he described as "the edge of creation". He warned Cloud that the world would become a part of it and urged him to join him and defy destiny together. Cloud refused, before Sephiroth ominously told Cloud he had "seven seconds till the end" and disappeared.

Appearance.

Sephiroth is a tall man with a muscular build. His long silver hair has bangs parted to either side of his face.[note 4][note 5] Sephiroth has bright cyan irises and slit cat-like pupils Sephiroth E3 2019 VII Remake. Sephiroth's signature wardrobe is a long black coat with silver pauldrons, black boots, and black trousers. The top of his coat is open to reveal his chest, with his leather SOLDIER suspenders crossed over it. The wardrobe changes slightly between the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII Remake; in the former, his coat has several buckles instead of one, while in the latter, he has a different belt buckle with a wing motif in the center and small black feathers hanging from it, yellow and green lights reflect from the slots, which may be materia Sephiroths belt from FFVII Remake. Sephiroth wields the Masamune, a seven-foot-long ōdachi he is rarely seen without.[note 6] Sephiroth's youngest appearance is shown in The First Soldier portion of Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. His hair is drastically shorter and styled differently. His outfit resembles the signature outfit of his adulthood, but his coat is more jacket-like with a black shirt underneath, and he wears vambraces and pointed boots. He also wields a different katana called Nameless, a military saber with a black, eight-pointed handguard resembling the Shinra logo and three materia placed at the base of the blade. Unlike the Masamune, this blade has a sheath, placed on his back.

Personality.

As a SOLDIER before his madness, Sephiroth was cool, calm, well-spoken, and graceful, maintaining a professional demeanor.[24][22] He is knowledgeable, especially on the subject of materia.[55][22] In his youth, Sephiroth struggled with the expectations placed on him, not wanting to be a hero, though the help of comrades Glenn, Matt, and Lucia taught him not to constantly push himself to his breaking point and to ease up.[21] Sephiroth's warmer side is also seen with his close friendship with Angeal, Genesis, and later Zack, caring for them to the point of offering to donate blood for Genesis, and protecting them by opting to, with Zack, fail to defeat them on purpose.[24] This extended beyond his SOLDIER comrades, but had its limits.[note 7] After learning of the experiments that led to his birth, Sephiroth descended into madness and developed a messiah complex.[note 8] He proclaimed himself to be "the chosen one" destined to lead the planet,[22] and was driven by a desire for godhood.[38] Ultimately, Sephiroth became completely aloof, not even recognizing Cloud when he met him.[36] Sephiroth maintained his cold and calm demeanor, but became detached, murderous, and cruel, holding a deep seated disdain for humanity.[22][38] Sephiroth also employed sadistic gaslighting of Cloud when using him as a Sephiroth-clone.[33][39] Following Sephiroth's defeat in Final Fantasy VII, his goal of godhood remained unchanged,[43] but he became vengeful, and fueled by hatred of Cloud. This allowed him to keep himself alive in the lifestream,[42] and remain a threat to the planet. Sephiroth's mocking of Cloud became more personal, gloating his failures,[43][28][46] although in Final Fantasy VII Remake, Sephiroth also expressed a desire to work with him to defy destiny.

Abilities.

Sephiroth is regarded as the greatest SOLDIER 1st Class of all time, whose legendary accomplishments in the field of battle inspired many to join SOLDIER.[note 9] Being the greatest byproduct of the Jenova Project,[note 2] he has incredible inhuman physical prowess, extremely powerful magic skills, and is an extraordinarily skilled swordsman. Sephiroth's strength and swordsmanship are such that he can wield his Masamune, an ōdachi that is longer than he is tall, effortlessly with one hand, and ambidextrously shift from his left to right hand with no loss of efficiency. His physical strength was also seen with his ability to rip bolted down metal structures with his own hands with little effort when he reached Jenova.[22][12] Sephiroth is also capable of flying, with and without a wing. Cloud VS Sephiroth Sephiroth versus Cloud in Advent Children. Sephiroth has a number of signature magic and swordsman skills. Sephiroth can empower his Masamune to cast blades and energy waves and even release omnidirectional bursts by slamming the ground with his sword. His signature spells are Heartless Angel to summon angels to sap enemies of their strength, Shadow Flare to create gravitational exploding orbs of darkness, and the powerful Supernova spell. His most powerful spell is Meteor, a world-ending spell cast with the Black Materia. Sephiroth's will persisted in the lifestream even after his body was destroyed, and from within the lifestream, he gained new powerful abilities. After overpowering Jenova's will, Sephiroth gained the ability to exert his influences through her cells, construct avatars in his likeness, as well as other eldritch entities. Through this, he was able to project himself onto Sephiroth's remains in his Sephiroth-Jenova form in Final Fantasy VII. He was also able to control Jenova cells inside other living organisms (namely Sephiroth-clones), affecting their thoughts and actions, giving him an ability to manipulate Cloud.

Affiliation.

Ex-SOLDIER first class, war hero and the chaos bringer.