Sephiroth
Game series: Final Fantasy series and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
First game: Final Fantasy VII
Character designer(s): Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshitaka Amano
Voice actor(s): (English) Lance Bass (Kingdom Hearts)
George Newbern (all other appearances)
Voice actor(s): (Japanese) Shinichiro Miki (Ehrgeiz)
Toshiyuki Morikawa (all other appearances)
In-Universe Information
Class/Job: Top ranking SOLDIER officer
Weapon: Masamune (Odachi)
Sephiroth is the central antagonist in the Square Enix role playing game Final Fantasy
VII. He has had — relative to Final Fantasy VII's continuity — four non-canonical
appearances in other games: Ehrgeiz, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II and Itadaki
Street Special. Within the continuity of Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth has also made
appearances in the mobile game Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, the CGI film Final
Fantasy VII: Advent Children and the midquel OVA Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-. He
was also briefly mentioned in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. His appearance was
designed by Tetsuya Nomura.
Sephiroth appears as a tall man with long silver hair, bright emerald-green cat-like eyes,
a long black coat, white metallic pauldrons and belted black boots. He carries the sword
Masamune, which is designed more as an extra long katana than the nodachi it is most
commonly referred to as, 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. He is also responsible for the death of a major protagonist within the
game, the topic becoming the subject of one of the most popular video game spoilers in
history.
In Japan, Sephiroth's voice was provided by seiyū Shinichiro Miki in Ehrgeiz and
Toshiyuki Morikawa in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts II. In
the English version of Kingdom Hearts, his voice was provided by Lance Bass of 'N Sync.
In all other appearances to date, such as those in the English versions of Advent
Children and Kingdom Hearts II, however, he is voiced by George Newbern.
Biography
Sephiroth is estimated to have be born around 30 years before the start of the game[1]
(exact year left unknown) to Professor Hojo and Lucrecia of Shin-Ra (Though some fans
previously speculated that Sephiroth was the son of Vincent Valentine—who was in love
with Lucrecia— official source materal confirms otherwise. [2], [3] ), two researchers
involved in the "Jenova Project," a study of the remains of a being known as Jenova.
Wishing to study the effects of Jenova's cells on a human subject, Hojo and Lucrecia
volunteered their unborn son for experimentation, who was henceforth injected with
Jenova cells in the womb. After his birth, Sephiroth was raised by Shin-Ra, having been
told that a "Jenova" was his mother, but without knowing who or what Jenova was. With
superhuman abilities gained from the Jenova Project experments, Sephiroth became a
top-member in SOLDIER, with the highlight of his career in the Midgar/Wutai war.
A year after the war, during a mission to check on a Mako reactor at Nibelheim,
Sephiroth discovered his horrifying origins as an experiment and integral role in the
Jenova Project. This information corrupts him and drives him insane, after which he lays
waste to the town and proceeds to the reactor to release his "mother." Zack, a fellow 1st
class SOLDIER, arrives at the reactor to stop Sephiroth, but is sent reeling from Jenova's
chamber after confronting him. While finally liberating Jenova, Sephiroth is caught off-
guard and stabbed by Cloud, armed with Zack's Buster Sword. Sephiroth limps from the
chamber carrying the severed head of Jenova, when Cloud attempts to finish him off.
The fight ended with Sephiroth falling off the reactor and into the Lifestream (Though
FFVII has it that Cloud knocked Sephiroth down, "Last Order" had it that Sephiroth
jumped off the reactor's edge on his free will).
Presumably thought dead, Sephiroth traveled the Lifestream, learning the truth of
Jenova's nature, before ending up in the Northern Cave sealed in Mako while absorbing
Jenova's head. But though physically unable, Sephiroth hatched a plot to absorb the
planet's energy, turning himself into a "god."
Notions of Sephiroth's apparent death are put to question when Cloud and company are
detained in Shin-Ra's headquarters. On the eve before a public execution, they escape,
aided by a mysterious third party who has devastated the facility. Cloud finds the Shin-
Ra president assassinated, impaled by a sword he confirms belongs to Sephiroth.
However, "Sephiroth" was actually Jenova's body taken over by Sephiroth's will and
remolded in his image as his puppet in order to get the "Sephiroth Copies", members of
SOLDIER injected with Jenova's cells to make them as powerful as him, to have the
Reunion in the Northern Cave.
Sephiroth's goal, as revealed later by Bugenhagen, is to sap the planet of its Lifestream
with the aid of the Black Materia and its cataclysmic power referred to as Meteor. Aerith
attempted to stop him with the White Materia and its defensive power, Holy. Though
she suceeded, Aerith was murdered by Sephiroth, leaving the White Materia active but
unused. Cloud procures the Black Materia but is emotionally manipulated against his will
into relieving ownership. Sephiroth called forth Meteor and awaited its arrival within a
sealed Northern Crater.[4]
In the story's climax, the barrier is penetrated by Shin-Ra, thus allowing Cloud and the
rest of AVALANCHE to descend into the Northern Crater and fight Bizzaro Sephiroth,
before he molted out of his cocoon as Safer Sephiroth. With the destruction of his
physical body, Sephiroth's spirit made a final mental assault upon Cloud within the
Lifestream, attempting to overcome his will yet again and claim Cloud's body as his own.
However, Cloud overcomes Sephiroth in the mental duel and banishes his spirit back to
the Planet's collective of life energy.[5]
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 brothers who are the Remnants of Sephiroth, the physical
manifestations of Sephiroth's will and spiritual energy. His powerful will allowed him to
endure the Lifestream and emerge from it before being fully diluted.[6]
Their leader, the youngest brother Kadaj, would later transform into Sephiroth after
absorbing the contents of a case containing Jenova's remains. After his resurrection,
Sephiroth 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 Cloud being
outmatched, he defeats Sephiroth with his new Omnislash Version 5 Limit Break and
Sephiroth then fades away, leaving a mortally wounded Kadaj in his place. Cloud said to
him, "Stay where you belong...in my memories." His final words to Cloud as he
dissipates, "I will..never be a memory.", could be taken to mean that, despite his
Remants returning to the lifestream and his spirit diluted, Sephiroth will never truly be
gone and will continue to exist in one form or another.
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
the progressive metal stylings of Nobuo Uematsu's band "The Black Mages" as well as
orchestral elements and new lyrics.
Dirge of Cerberus
Sephiroth appears in a flashback sequence depicting Lucrecia collapsing, overcome with
visions of her son's future actions.
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.
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"[7]. 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). It should be noted that "Safer" is
Hebrew for "Book," literally making the name "Safer Sephiroth" mean "Book of
Numbers". Another possibility is that the original name is actually "Sepher Sephiroth".
Safer Sephiroth is also known as the "One-Winged Angel," which is also the title 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 "Angel of one wing
," though even this does not describe his appearance accurately, and would only seem
to apply to his unusual right wing. Yet, in Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII: Advent
Children (right after he is defeated by Cloud and his presence fades away from Kadaj)
Sephiroth appears in his classic black outfit, albeit with one large black wing protruding
through his right shoulder blade.
Sephiroth's name also comes from the Kabbalah, in which the ten Sephiroth on the Tree
of Life represents the ten attributes of God.
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 simliar to the Empyrean Halo.
His left arm (which is the arm that he would usually be holding his Masamune with) 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[1], in which it
appeared as a throng of angels encircling a sun-like God, a formation that symbolizes
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.
Sephiroth's cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts bears very little resemblance to Safer
Sephiroth, though 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).
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, and is one of the most popular themes often
associated with Sephiroth. "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 rendition,
"Advent: One-Winged Angel".
Other appearances
Sephiroth has thusfar 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 using his various techniques from Final Fantasy VII, as well as
techniques exclusive to Kingdom Hearts. 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 taunting Cloud about
the darkness within him, terminating in a fight. The third appearance is as another
optional 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 manifestation of the darkness in Cloud's heart. Sephiroth stated that he
has fallen many times to Cloud but always came back to fight him, suggesting that he
was defeated various times before the main story of Kingdom Hearts.
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 Before Crisis and the OVA
Last Order, 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 and Dirge Of
Cerberus. He has also been confirmed to be a central character in the upcoming Final
Fantasy VII game for the PlayStation Portable, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
Popularity
Sephiroth became one of the most recognized and famous villains in video games.
Examples of his popularity include being the #1 at a Top 10 Video Game Bosses list on
Electronic Gaming Monthly[8], winning a GameFAQs character battle of villains[9] and
being named by G4's Filter as "Best Final Fantasy Villain"[citation needed] and "Best Bad
Guy"[citation needed].
Game series: Final Fantasy series and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
First game: Final Fantasy VII
Character designer(s): Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshitaka Amano
Voice actor(s): (English) Lance Bass (Kingdom Hearts)
George Newbern (all other appearances)
Voice actor(s): (Japanese) Shinichiro Miki (Ehrgeiz)
Toshiyuki Morikawa (all other appearances)
In-Universe Information
Class/Job: Top ranking SOLDIER officer
Weapon: Masamune (Odachi)
Sephiroth is the central antagonist in the Square Enix role playing game Final Fantasy
VII. He has had — relative to Final Fantasy VII's continuity — four non-canonical
appearances in other games: Ehrgeiz, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II and Itadaki
Street Special. Within the continuity of Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth has also made
appearances in the mobile game Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, the CGI film Final
Fantasy VII: Advent Children and the midquel OVA Last Order -Final Fantasy VII-. He
was also briefly mentioned in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. His appearance was
designed by Tetsuya Nomura.
Sephiroth appears as a tall man with long silver hair, bright emerald-green cat-like eyes,
a long black coat, white metallic pauldrons and belted black boots. He carries the sword
Masamune, which is designed more as an extra long katana than the nodachi it is most
commonly referred to as, 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. He is also responsible for the death of a major protagonist within the
game, the topic becoming the subject of one of the most popular video game spoilers in
history.
In Japan, Sephiroth's voice was provided by seiyū Shinichiro Miki in Ehrgeiz and
Toshiyuki Morikawa in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts II. In
the English version of Kingdom Hearts, his voice was provided by Lance Bass of 'N Sync.
In all other appearances to date, such as those in the English versions of Advent
Children and Kingdom Hearts II, however, he is voiced by George Newbern.
Biography
Sephiroth is estimated to have be born around 30 years before the start of the game[1]
(exact year left unknown) to Professor Hojo and Lucrecia of Shin-Ra (Though some fans
previously speculated that Sephiroth was the son of Vincent Valentine—who was in love
with Lucrecia— official source materal confirms otherwise. [2], [3] ), two researchers
involved in the "Jenova Project," a study of the remains of a being known as Jenova.
Wishing to study the effects of Jenova's cells on a human subject, Hojo and Lucrecia
volunteered their unborn son for experimentation, who was henceforth injected with
Jenova cells in the womb. After his birth, Sephiroth was raised by Shin-Ra, having been
told that a "Jenova" was his mother, but without knowing who or what Jenova was. With
superhuman abilities gained from the Jenova Project experments, Sephiroth became a
top-member in SOLDIER, with the highlight of his career in the Midgar/Wutai war.
A year after the war, during a mission to check on a Mako reactor at Nibelheim,
Sephiroth discovered his horrifying origins as an experiment and integral role in the
Jenova Project. This information corrupts him and drives him insane, after which he lays
waste to the town and proceeds to the reactor to release his "mother." Zack, a fellow 1st
class SOLDIER, arrives at the reactor to stop Sephiroth, but is sent reeling from Jenova's
chamber after confronting him. While finally liberating Jenova, Sephiroth is caught off-
guard and stabbed by Cloud, armed with Zack's Buster Sword. Sephiroth limps from the
chamber carrying the severed head of Jenova, when Cloud attempts to finish him off.
The fight ended with Sephiroth falling off the reactor and into the Lifestream (Though
FFVII has it that Cloud knocked Sephiroth down, "Last Order" had it that Sephiroth
jumped off the reactor's edge on his free will).
Presumably thought dead, Sephiroth traveled the Lifestream, learning the truth of
Jenova's nature, before ending up in the Northern Cave sealed in Mako while absorbing
Jenova's head. But though physically unable, Sephiroth hatched a plot to absorb the
planet's energy, turning himself into a "god."
Notions of Sephiroth's apparent death are put to question when Cloud and company are
detained in Shin-Ra's headquarters. On the eve before a public execution, they escape,
aided by a mysterious third party who has devastated the facility. Cloud finds the Shin-
Ra president assassinated, impaled by a sword he confirms belongs to Sephiroth.
However, "Sephiroth" was actually Jenova's body taken over by Sephiroth's will and
remolded in his image as his puppet in order to get the "Sephiroth Copies", members of
SOLDIER injected with Jenova's cells to make them as powerful as him, to have the
Reunion in the Northern Cave.
Sephiroth's goal, as revealed later by Bugenhagen, is to sap the planet of its Lifestream
with the aid of the Black Materia and its cataclysmic power referred to as Meteor. Aerith
attempted to stop him with the White Materia and its defensive power, Holy. Though
she suceeded, Aerith was murdered by Sephiroth, leaving the White Materia active but
unused. Cloud procures the Black Materia but is emotionally manipulated against his will
into relieving ownership. Sephiroth called forth Meteor and awaited its arrival within a
sealed Northern Crater.[4]
In the story's climax, the barrier is penetrated by Shin-Ra, thus allowing Cloud and the
rest of AVALANCHE to descend into the Northern Crater and fight Bizzaro Sephiroth,
before he molted out of his cocoon as Safer Sephiroth. With the destruction of his
physical body, Sephiroth's spirit made a final mental assault upon Cloud within the
Lifestream, attempting to overcome his will yet again and claim Cloud's body as his own.
However, Cloud overcomes Sephiroth in the mental duel and banishes his spirit back to
the Planet's collective of life energy.[5]
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 brothers who are the Remnants of Sephiroth, the physical
manifestations of Sephiroth's will and spiritual energy. His powerful will allowed him to
endure the Lifestream and emerge from it before being fully diluted.[6]
Their leader, the youngest brother Kadaj, would later transform into Sephiroth after
absorbing the contents of a case containing Jenova's remains. After his resurrection,
Sephiroth 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 Cloud being
outmatched, he defeats Sephiroth with his new Omnislash Version 5 Limit Break and
Sephiroth then fades away, leaving a mortally wounded Kadaj in his place. Cloud said to
him, "Stay where you belong...in my memories." His final words to Cloud as he
dissipates, "I will..never be a memory.", could be taken to mean that, despite his
Remants returning to the lifestream and his spirit diluted, Sephiroth will never truly be
gone and will continue to exist in one form or another.
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
the progressive metal stylings of Nobuo Uematsu's band "The Black Mages" as well as
orchestral elements and new lyrics.
Dirge of Cerberus
Sephiroth appears in a flashback sequence depicting Lucrecia collapsing, overcome with
visions of her son's future actions.
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.
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"[7]. 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). It should be noted that "Safer" is
Hebrew for "Book," literally making the name "Safer Sephiroth" mean "Book of
Numbers". Another possibility is that the original name is actually "Sepher Sephiroth".
Safer Sephiroth is also known as the "One-Winged Angel," which is also the title 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 "Angel of one wing
," though even this does not describe his appearance accurately, and would only seem
to apply to his unusual right wing. Yet, in Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII: Advent
Children (right after he is defeated by Cloud and his presence fades away from Kadaj)
Sephiroth appears in his classic black outfit, albeit with one large black wing protruding
through his right shoulder blade.
Sephiroth's name also comes from the Kabbalah, in which the ten Sephiroth on the Tree
of Life represents the ten attributes of God.
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 simliar to the Empyrean Halo.
His left arm (which is the arm that he would usually be holding his Masamune with) 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[1], in which it
appeared as a throng of angels encircling a sun-like God, a formation that symbolizes
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.
Sephiroth's cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts bears very little resemblance to Safer
Sephiroth, though 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).
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, and is one of the most popular themes often
associated with Sephiroth. "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 rendition,
"Advent: One-Winged Angel".
Other appearances
Sephiroth has thusfar 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 using his various techniques from Final Fantasy VII, as well as
techniques exclusive to Kingdom Hearts. 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 taunting Cloud about
the darkness within him, terminating in a fight. The third appearance is as another
optional 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 manifestation of the darkness in Cloud's heart. Sephiroth stated that he
has fallen many times to Cloud but always came back to fight him, suggesting that he
was defeated various times before the main story of Kingdom Hearts.
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 Before Crisis and the OVA
Last Order, 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 and Dirge Of
Cerberus. He has also been confirmed to be a central character in the upcoming Final
Fantasy VII game for the PlayStation Portable, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.
Popularity
Sephiroth became one of the most recognized and famous villains in video games.
Examples of his popularity include being the #1 at a Top 10 Video Game Bosses list on
Electronic Gaming Monthly[8], winning a GameFAQs character battle of villains[9] and
being named by G4's Filter as "Best Final Fantasy Villain"[citation needed] and "Best Bad
Guy"[citation needed].
