What remains poignant in his story is that loss of self we see in Sephiroth - both mentally and physically.īut one aspect of his story that deserves more attention is Sephiroth’s humanity. When we reflect on Sephiroth’s story today, we often see Nibelheim in flames, Mother, let’s take the Planet back together, Aerith’s interrupted prayer, and Sephiroth and Cloud battling it out. It’s a scene that is often overlooked in Sephiroth’s story. The original Final Fantasy VII tried to choreograph Sephiroth’s existential crisis, with the limitations of 3D graphics and text. I’m fascinated by the vulnerability and what the audience and other characters are to make of it. Moments of powerful characters fraying on screen are magic to me. Something stares back at him from within: a monstrous fusion of mako and human. He has to pull himself up to peek into its bluish window.

It’s fairly uneventful until Sephiroth peeks into one of the many pods in the reactor. The mission we’re on together is simple: see what’s causing issue in the Nibel reactor, fix it, and go home. As much as I’m in awe of his power, all I can think about is the amount of grinding I’ll have to endure to even get close. The game already established Sephiroth is my present-day foe, but I’m thankful this flashback has us on the same side. He’s powerful, collected, and every bit impressive. Sephiroth was everything the rumors and fanfare said he would be throughout the world of Gaia. The victory music cues up and there I am besides him, cheesing it with my 140 HP. With an effortless gesture, the dragon standing before him is obliterated. He’s a sleek character on the PlayStation screen, cooly holding his blade, HP a whopping 3264. L et me tell you about the first time I met Sephiroth.

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