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==Appearances==
==Appearances==
===''Final Fantasy VII'' and ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII''===
===''Final Fantasy VII'' and ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII''===
Sephiroth appears as the main villain in ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''. His primary objective is to become a god that rules over the entire planet by merging with the planet life force, known as [[Gaia (Final Fantasy VII)#Lifestream|Lifestream]], and taking control over it. To this end, he has to face both the game protagonists ([[Cloud Strife]] and his comrades) as well as the antagonistic mega-corporation [[Gaia (Final Fantasy VII)#Shinra Electric Power Company|Shinra]].
Sephiroth appears as the main villain in ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''. He is a former member of SOLDIER, the elite warrior division of the mega-corporation [[Gaia (Final Fantasy VII)#Shinra Electric Power Company|Shinra]], who discovered he was the product of a experiment in which Proffesor Gast combined cells from the extraterrestrial lifeform Jenova with his fetus. In his rage, Sephiroth burned Nibelheim and took Jenova's head and confronted Shinra's soldier [[Cloud Strife]]. In the fight, Cloud threw Sephiroth to Mako poison, and his body and consciousness were crystallized in Mako inside Jenova's crater. Sephiroth's primary objective is to become a god that rules over the entire planet by merging with the planet life force, known as [[Gaia (Final Fantasy VII)#Lifestream|Lifestream]], and taking control over it. In order to do it, Sephiroth summons Meteor which would harm Gaia, and allow him to get close to Lifestream.<ref>{{cite video game|quote='''Aeris:''' How do you intend to become one with the Planet? / '''Sephiroth:''' It's simple. Once the Planet is hurt, it gathers Spirit Energy to heal the injury. The amount of energy gathered depends on the size of the injury. ...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 form, 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. / '''Aeris:''' An injury powerful enough to destroy the Planet? Injure... the Planet? / '''Sephiroth:''' Behold that mural. The Ultimate Destructive Magic... Meteor. |title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=1997-09-07 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> To this end, he has to face both the game protagonists (Cloud and his comrades) as well as the mega-corporation Shinra who want to stop him.<ref>{{cite video game|quote='''Cloud:''' For me, this is a personal feud. I want to beat Sephiroth. And settle my past. Saving the planet just happens to be a part of that. I've been thinking.|title=[[Final Fantasy VII]]|developer=[[Square Co.]] |publisher=SCE America |date=1997-09-07 |platform=PlayStation }}</ref><ref>'''Cloud:''' Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth? / '''Palmer:''' Yeah, I saw him!! I saw him with my own eyes! / '''Cloud:''' You really saw him? / '''Palmer:''' Uh! Would I lie to you at a time like this!? And I heard his voice too! Um, he was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land. {{cite video game|title=Final Fantasy VII |developer=Square Co |publisher=SCE America |date=1997-09-07 |platform=PlayStation}}</ref> Despite appearing various times in the games, it is revealed that Jenova was taking his appearance, while his real body is sealed in Northern Crater.<ref>{{cite video game|quote='''Yuffie:''' What?! You mean that wasn't Sephiroth? All that time I was following this...thing?|title=[[Final Fantasy VII]]|developer=[[Square Co.]] |publisher=SCE America |date=1997-09-07 |platform=PlayStation }}</ref> In the game's last battle, Sephiroth takes two forms to fight: the first one is {{nihongo|Bizarro Sephiroth|リバース・セフィロス}}, a cocoon-like Sephiroth, and {{nihongo|Safer Sephiroth|セーファ・セフィロス}}, an angel-like Sephiroth. Despite his efforts, Sephiroth is defeated in the game's ending by Cloud's team and Meteor is destroyed by the Lifestream and the spell Holy summoned by [[Aerith Gainsborough]].<ref>{{cite book | year=2005 | editor=Studio BentStuff | title=Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω | page=591 | language=Japanese | publisher=Square Enix | isbn=4-7575-1520-0}}</ref>


Sephiroth has appeared in the titles from ''[[Compilation of Final Fantasy VII]]''; he has brief cameo appearances in ''[[Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII]]'', a first-shooter action game, and ''[[Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII]]'', a role playing game, both of which are part Final Fantasy VII compilation. Sephiroth also appears shortly in ''[[Final Fantasy VII Advent Children]]'', a [[computer-generated imagery|CGI]] film, wherein Kadaj, the movie's main antagonist and a "remnant" of Sephiroth clones tries to reincarnate Sephiroth. Although Kadaj eventually succeeds, Cloud Strife once again defeats Sephiroth, making him return to his original appearance.<ref>{{cite video| people = [[Tetsuya Nomura]] (Director)| date = 2008-08-14| title = [[Final Fantasy VII Advent Children]]| medium = [[DVD]]| publisher = [[Square Enix]]| time = }}</ref>
Sephiroth also appears in all other titles of ''[[Compilation of Final Fantasy VII]]''. In role-playing video game ''[[Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII]]'', Sephiroth is a main character. The game's plot introduces a prequel to ''Final Fantasy VII'', in which also shows how Sephiroth deserts Shinra and is assumed dead after a brief encounter with Cloud Strife. Sephiroth also appears shortly in ''[[Final Fantasy VII Advent Children]]'', a [[computer-generated imagery|CGI]] film, wherein Kadaj, the movie's main antagonist and a "remnant" of Sephiroth clones tries to reincarnate Sephiroth. The [[original video animation]] ''[[Last Order: Final Fantasy VII]]'' features Sephiroth as an antagonist. The movie explains in greater details what was already covered in ''Final Fantasy VII'' flashbacks about Sephiroth deserting Shinra. He has brief cameo appearances in ''[[Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII]]'', a first-shooter action game, and ''[[Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII]]'', a role playing game, both of which are part Final Fantasy VII compilation.

Sephiroth appears as one of the antagonist of the [[original video animation]] ''[[Last Order: Final Fantasy VII]]''. The movie explains in greater details what was already covered in ''Final Fantasy VII'' flashbacks about Sephiroth deserting Shinra.<ref name="lastorder">{{cite video |people= |date=2009-04-10 |title=Last Order: Final Fantasy VII |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489134/ |format= |medium=DVD |publisher=Square Enix |location= |accessdate=March 10, 2009 |time= |quote= }}</ref> In role-playing video game ''[[Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII]]'', Sephiroth appears as a main character. The game's plot introduces a prequel to ''Final Fantasy VII'', in which also shows how Sephiroth deserts Shinra and is assumed dead after a brief encounter with Cloud Strife. Kitase was pleased with Sephiroth's role in ''Crisis Core'' as there he has a "much more human side".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://psp.ign.com/articles/869/869858p2.html|title=Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII UK Interview|publisher=[[IGN]]|first=Dave|last=McCarthy|date=2008-04-28|accessdate=2008-09-14}}</ref>


===Other appearances===
===Other appearances===

Revision as of 17:46, 22 December 2009

Sephiroth (セフィロス, Sefirosu) is a fictional character and main antagonist in the role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. He has also made appearances in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts series, and Dissidia: Final Fantasy. His appearance, characterized as a tall man with long silver hair, was intended to contrast directly with that of the main character, Cloud Strife.

Sephiroth has been well-received within the video game community and is regularly featured in top positions on many villain lists.

Concept and creation

Sephiroth was designed by Final Fantasy VII's character designer Tetsuya Nomura. Illustrator Yoshitaka Amano and Nomura drew the artwork of Sephiroth. He has long platinum hair and bright cyan eyes with cat-like pupils, and is portrayed in a black coat decorated with metallic pauldrons. Since appearing as Safer Sephiroth, Sephiroth has had a black angel wing on his back which references the theme music "One Winged Angel".[1] Nomura has stated that Sephiroth was made to be a complete contrast to the game's main protagonist, Cloud Strife's original designs of slicked-back, black hair with no spikes.[2] His weapon, the Masamune, which has been featured in numerous Final Fantasy titles, is a long sword, and it is said that it can only be wielded by Sephiroth.[3] He usually uses his left hand predominantly when wielding his weapon with one arm, although in the first installment of the Kingdom Hearts series he holds it with his right hand. The Masamune is named after the famous Japanese swordsmith Goro Nyudo Masamune, whose blades are considered national treasures in Japan today.[4] His name comes from Kabbalah, in which the ten sephirot on the Tree of Life represent the ten attributes that God created through which he can manifest.[5] In the making of the plot, Nomura wanted Sephiroth to appear early in the game and then follow his way so that gamers would not meet the game's final boss late in the game. During development from Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth was meant to be Aerith's first love interest who she remembers when seeing Cloud. Before finishing the game, Sephiroth was replaced by Zack Fair whom Nomura considered to be sudden. Director Yoshinori Kitase has regarded Sephiroth's role in the game as one of the reasons why the game has become very popular.[6]

Appearances

Final Fantasy VII and Compilation of Final Fantasy VII

Sephiroth appears as the main villain in Final Fantasy VII. His primary objective is to become a god that rules over the entire planet by merging with the planet life force, known as Lifestream, and taking control over it. To this end, he has to face both the game protagonists (Cloud Strife and his comrades) as well as the antagonistic mega-corporation Shinra.

Sephiroth also appears in all other titles of Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. In role-playing video game Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth is a main character. The game's plot introduces a prequel to Final Fantasy VII, in which also shows how Sephiroth deserts Shinra and is assumed dead after a brief encounter with Cloud Strife. Sephiroth also appears shortly in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, a CGI film, wherein Kadaj, the movie's main antagonist and a "remnant" of Sephiroth clones tries to reincarnate Sephiroth. The original video animation Last Order: Final Fantasy VII features Sephiroth as an antagonist. The movie explains in greater details what was already covered in Final Fantasy VII flashbacks about Sephiroth deserting Shinra. He has brief cameo appearances in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, a first-shooter action game, and Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, a role playing game, both of which are part Final Fantasy VII compilation.

Other appearances

His first appearance outside Final Fantasy VII was as a selectable character in the fighting game Ehrgeiz.[7] A redesigned Sephiroth also appears in the Kingdom Hearts as a boss character in Olympus Coliseum.[8] Sephiroth's third outside appearance is as another optional boss fight in Kingdom Hearts II in which he makes an appearance during the main story of the game, as well as being part of a sub-plot involving Cloud Strife.[9] Sephiroth's fourth outside appearance is in the Itadaki Street games Special and Portable, where he appears as an unlockable playable character.

Sephiroth also representing the villain of Final Fantasy VII in Dissidia: Final Fantasy.[10] His fight against Cloud in such game was based on their fights from Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children.[11]

Musical themes

Template:Sound sample box align right

"Advent: One-Winged Angel"
The revised "One-Winged Angel" theme in Advent Children.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Template:Sample box end In Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth is the focus of three pieces of music written by series composer Nobuo Uematsu. His primary theme is "Those Chosen by the Planet", a piece utilizing bells, low drums, and a deep chorus, which accompanies Sephiroth's appearances throughout the game. In the final battle, "Birth of a God" plays while the player combats Sephiroth's first form, "Bizarro Sephiroth" (also known as "Reverse Sephiroth"). The most well-known piece is "One-Winged Angel" which is played during the final confrontation with Sephiroth. In an interview featured on G4's Game Makers (formerly Icons), Uematsu revealed that this piece was designed to be a fusion of the musical styles of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and rock musician Jimi Hendrix. Two official covers have been done of this song, the first one being a different orchestration present in Kingdom Hearts. In Advent Children, a revised "One-Winged Angel" theme 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. There is also a fourth version titled "The World's Enemy" that plays in Crisis Core.[12]

Cultural impact

Critical reception

The gaming magazines, on multiple occasions, have chosen Sephiroth as one of the the highly notable characters from the series; In March 2006, IGN listed Sephiroth as number 2 in its Top 10 Tuesday: Most Memorable Villains [13] In October 2005, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed Sephiroth as number one in a top 10 "Video Game Bosses" list.[14] In December 2009, UGO Networks placed Sephiroth 25th on their list of "Top 25 Japanese RPG Characters".[15] In Spring of 2005, Sephiroth was the winner in a GameFAQs character battle of villains.[16] Sephiroth has also been named the number one villain in an episode of G4's Filter.[17] In late 2007, Sephiroth was named 14th best character of all time in Dengeki PlayStation's retrospective awards feature about the original PlayStation.[18] A reader's choice poll organized by GameSpot placed Sephiroth at the top spot of the list. In this contest the character got five times more votes than Bowser who finished in second place, most of the comments noted the difficulty of the fight as well as distinctive elements between it and those found in other games.[19] Sephiroth was listed at the top of IGN's "Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters" in which writer Dave Smith commented he is the "heavyweight champion of Final Fantasy villains", praising his appearance and the reasons for why he became a villain.[20] He would take the same spot in the "Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters" by the same site.[21] In IGN's "Final Fantasy Reader's Choice", also written by Smith, Sephiroth was 4th with comments focused on his activities in the game's plot.[22]

Some game editors have criticized Sephiroth's unclear motivations as a character flaw. David Smith of IGN stated that "Sephiroth was certainly a good-looking fellow, but his motivations were about as clear as mud..."[23] 1UP.com took a humorous approach to Sephiroth's several appearances after apparent deaths and in other games, ranking him third in their "They Is Risen" feature, which covered the ten most notorious video game resurrections. The publication noted that if the character continued to be used Square Enix would eventually "run out of ways to remix One-Winged Angel."[24] The nature of Sephiroth's boss fights have received a similar reception. Game Informer listed his original appearance in the third place of the publication's "Top Ten Boss Fights", saying that the "battle against Sephiroth is top-notch."[25] A feature published by GamerHelp included Sephiroth's Kingdom Heart's fight in a feature titled "The Hardest Bosses of All Time", noting that regardless of the player's skill "walking away from this match unscathed" is not possible, to the point of saying that the fight was more difficult than the entirety of Final Fantasy VII.[26] Gamespy editor Ryan Scott called Sephiroth the "King of Overrated Characters" during Gamespy's villain feature for Dissidia: Final Fantasy.[27]

Merchandise

Sephiroth's appearance has served as basis for several types of merchandise. These include being part of the "Extra Knights" action figures first published by Bandai in Japan and released in 1997. A different model was released as part of the Play Arts collection following the release of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. With the release of the movie he was also included in a series of promotional material, primarily consisting of posters. Kotobukiya has included the character in numerous merchandise including a series of cold casts based on his appearace in both the original game and the movie sequel. As a result of promotional campaigns organized in Japan by Square Enix and Coca-Cola, a version of Sephiroth drawn in a super deformed style was featured in the first two volumes of a promotional collection. Products not connected to the release of the games or movies have also been produced. These include a figure as part of the Final Fantasy Trading Arts Vol. 1 series, a set as part of the Square Minimum Collection along Cloud, and a rare figure of "Safer Sephiroth" as part of the Final Fantasy Creatures series (Chromium). "Reverse Sephiroth" was also released as a normal figure in volume 2. A figure based on his appearances in the Kingdom Hearts games was released in the second series of the Play Arts Kingdom HEarts sub-line, along with a figure of his nemesis, Cloud. Some replica weapon companies have produced replicas of Sephiroth's sword, the Masamune, as a 6-foot long katana with a stainless steel unsharpened blade. Other types of merchandise includes collectible cards, keychains, lighters, phonecards and plush toys.

References

  1. ^ Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania (Revised Edition) (in Japanese). Square-Enix. 2009. pp. 76–81. ISBN 1019740597. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  2. ^ McLaughlin, Rus (2008-04-30). "IGN Presents: The History of Final Fantasy VII". IGN. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  3. ^ Final Fantasy VII instruction manual
  4. ^ "Final Fantasy Retrospective Part XIII". GameTrailers. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  5. ^ "Sephiroth Biography". IGN. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  6. ^ Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Ultimania (Revised Edition) (in Japanese). Square-Enix. 2009. pp. 8–13. ISBN 1019740597. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  7. ^ "Ehrgeiz Hints & Cheats". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  8. ^ Birlew, Dan (2003). Kingdom Hearts Official Strategy Guide. BradyGames Publishing. ISBN 0-7440-0198-6.
  9. ^ Square Enix (2006-03-28). Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2). Square Enix U.S.A., Buena Vista Games.
  10. ^ Torres, Ricardo and Thorsen, Tor (2007-05-12). "Final Fantasy XIII, Dissidia rock Square Enix Party". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-05-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Dissidia Final Fantasy Ultimania (in Japanese). Square-Enix. 2009. p. 530. ISBN 978-4757524880.
  12. ^ "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Original Soundtrack". SquareSound. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  13. ^ "Top 10 Tuesday: Most Memorable Villains". IGN date=7 March 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-29. {{cite web}}: Missing pipe in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Editors of EGM magazine, ed. (2005). Electronic Gaming Monthly, October 2005. Ziff Davis. pp. 72–73. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ "Sephiroth - Top 25 Japanese RPG Characters". UGO Networks. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  16. ^ "Spring 2005: Got Villains?". GameFAQs. Retrieved 3 November 2006.
  17. ^ "Top 10 Villains". TV.com. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
  18. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2007-11-22). "Nomura Talks FFXIII". IGN. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  19. ^ "Top Ten Boss Fights". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  20. ^ Smith, David (2008-03-28). "Final Fantasy VII: Top 10 Characters". IGN. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  21. ^ Smith, David. "Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters". IGN. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  22. ^ Smith, David. "Final Fantasy Reader's Choice". IGN. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  23. ^ Smith, David (2000-11-22). "Final Fantasy IX review". IGN. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  24. ^ Sharkey, Scott (2007-04-08). "They is Risen: Top 10 Videogame Deaths That Didn't Stick". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  25. ^ "The Top Ten Boss Fights". Game Informer: Issue 181. 2008. p. 20. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  26. ^ "The Hardest Bosses of All Time". GamerHelp. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  27. ^ "The Villains of Dissidia Final Fantasy: Sephiroth". GameSpy. August 6, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2009.

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