Final Fantasy 7 has one of the best villains in the franchise. Sephiroth is not only a constant threat lurking around Cloud and his party, but he’s also tragic in his own way. Having his character fleshed out helps make him feel more well-rounded, and you might find that—even though his actions are questionable at best and murderous at worst—you understand his reasoning. Between the mistranslations and graphical limitations of the original Final Fantasy 7, it’s easy to miss some incredibly interesting and crucial information about Sephiroth. On top of that, there are details hidden in side content that end up overlooked as well.
With the remake trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 not yet complete, it’s difficult to say how some pieces of information about Sephiroth might change. However, FF7R is almost like a sequel to FF7 with how Sephiroth and Aerith seem to know about the events of the original game. If that’s the case, then the information about Sephiroth from the original game should continue to be correct regardless of how the last part of the remake plays out.
1. Cloud Mortally Wounded Sephiroth in Nibelheim
This one is not the most clear because of the graphical limitations of the original FF7 and the game not using blood, so Sephiroth doesn’t exactly look that injured. Then, you have Last Order: Final Fantasy 7 showing Sephiroth willingly diving into the reactor with Jenova’s head rather than falling into the reactor after being attacked by Cloud.
The truth is that Cloud, using Zack’s Buster Sword, gave Sephiroth a mortal wound. As a result, Sephiroth doesn’t physically leave the Northern Crater. Instead, he absorbs Jenova’s head and a ton of Mako into himself, staying alive through pure willpower and an abundance of Mako as he tries to damage the planet enough to make the Lifestream intervene so he can make himself into a god.
2. Jenova Isn’t Sephiroth’s Mother
Sephiroth calls Jenova his mother throughout the game, but his actual parentage is a little more complicated. The most detailed information about the circumstances of Sephiroth’s birth actually comes from Dirge of Cerberus, where you learn that his biological parents are Lucrecia and Hojo. If things had been left as they were, then Sephiroth would’ve been a mostly normal child.
However, for the sake of science, Lucrecia and Hojo decided to inject both Lucrecia and the in utero Sephiroth with Jenova cells, wondering if they could revive the Cetra race through this method, as they still believed that Jenova was a Cetra at this point. Considering the nature of Jenova’s cells, it’s not surprising that Sephiroth then viewed her as his mother, even as his actual mother regretted her decision and dealt with the side effects of visions that showed her the sins her son would commit.
3. You Don’t Physically Encounter Sephiroth Until the Northern Crater
You get a line from Cloud that hints towards this in the original game, where he makes a comment that you aren’t actually chasing Sephiroth. Considering Final Fantasy 7 had a number of famous mistranslations, it’s easy to not think much about Cloud’s comment. However, it’s true that you don’t even see the real body of Sephiroth until you find him in the Northern Crater, where he’s been since the Nibelheim incident. This entire time, you’ve been facing Jenova disguised as Sephiroth.
4. Safer Sephiroth Might Be a Mistranslation
With mistranslations being a well-known part of FF7, it wouldn’t be that surprising if “Safer” from “Safer Sephiroth” was also a mistranslation. The most likely other translations for “Safer” are either “Seraph” or “Sepher,” both of which make a lot of sense considering this form’s nature. “Sepher,” in particular, could refer to the Book of Numerations, which ties to the formulae you see when he uses Supernova. However, it could also refer to the Sefirot, which are aspects of God in Jewish Mysticism, tying into the way that Sephiroth is trying to make himself a god by absorbing the Lifestream.
5. One Early Concept had Sephiroth as Aerith’s Former Lover
One version of Aerith and Sephiroth’s story had them as former lovers. Of course, this concept was changed in development, and Zack became Aerith’s first love instead. There’s not much information available as to why this was an early development idea for their relationship, but it’s possible that it would be a way to show how much Sephiroth has changed over the years that he would be willing to kill somebody he once loved, as it’s shown in other content that he used to be rather caring.
6. Another Early Concept had Sephiroth and Aerith as Siblings
Another variation of Sephiroth and Aerith’s relationship that was considered during development was having them be siblings, which was before it was decided that Sephiroth was not actually connected to the Cetra. You can see this relationship in the art of the original game, as Sephiroth and Aerith have similarities in their design, particularly in their hairstyles and their faces. Of course, this relationship also didn’t make it to the end of development, and Sephiroth and Aerith are unrelated.
7. Sephiroth Defies Death Through Willpower Twice
Sephiroth’s line that he will never be a memory is likely more literal than it seems at first. He first defies death in Nibelheim, staying alive despite the mortal wound he sustained from Cloud. Then, after he’s defeated by the party in Final Fantasy 7, Sephiroth maintains his consciousness in the Lifestream purely through his hatred for Cloud, which you learn about in Final Fantasy 7: On the Way to a Smile. This leads to his appearance in Advent Children, where he tries to use his remnants to resurrect himself. It’s possible that Sephiroth could keep returning through the combination of his willpower and the nature of Jenova’s cells.
8. Safer Sephiroth’s Health Changes Based on Previous Player Actions
This information is more common among speedrunners, but the way you approach battles earlier in FF7, along with other factors, impacts how much health Safer Sephiroth has. Every character you have at Level 99 increases his health, using Knights of the Round on Jenova-Synthesis increases his health, and every time you destroy a head of Bizarro Sephiroth decreases Safer Sephiroth’s health. The result is that Safer Sephiroth’s health can be as low as 55,100 HP to 400,000 HP, depending on your character levels and previous battle decisions.
9. Sephiroth’s Design Alludes to Lucifer Multiple Times
Square Enix is no stranger to alluding to religious themes, and there are quite a few similarities between Sephiroth and Lucifer. Before the Nibelheim incident, Sephiroth was considered Shinra’s golden child, and he sometimes had white feathers around him in First Soldier. Then, his fall into madness comes with symbolism that mirrors Lucifer’s fall from grace.
Namely, Sephiroth’s wings tend to not be purely white when you see them, and fallen angels in various stories are described as having wings that are black or red as a symbol of their fall. Additionally, Safer Sephiroth’s lower body has six wings, the same number that Lucifer is described as having in Dante’s works. It’s not game-changing information, but it’s interesting to notice the parallels.
10. Sephiroth’s Will Is Stronger than Jenova’s Power
There are theories that Jenova is the real villain and controls Sephiroth, but the reverse is actually true. While Jenova was able to control humans back when she arrived on Gaia, her influence doesn’t work on Sephiroth in the same way. Instead, Sephiroth is able to maintain his mind and his goals, and he even uses pieces of Jenova to help him, controlling her and making her disguise herself as him, leading Cloud and his party across the world.
It’s possible that this could be different in the remake, but it’s at least the case in the original, which is reinforced in Advent Children, where Sephiroth’s remnants believe they’re working to meet Jenova, but are actually being used by Sephiroth as he tries to resurrect himself.