*What was also real, is that Sephiroth didnt sleep for weeks which helped with the formation of a psychosis in the basement of the shinra manor. While the Jenova cells helped surviving that, the human cells in his brain had an irreparable short circuit.
That point actually cannot be overstated. As someone who's suffered from bouts of horrendous insomnia twice in my life that both had me in hysterics, feeling like I was losing my mind, and at the hospital by day three needing psych meds to put me to sleep and break the insomnia cycle, lack of sleep absolutely could be a factor in Sephiroth mental decline.
I think after being awake for 72hrs, the average human will start to experience hallucinations. That dumb m’f-er probably thought he saw something scary, started the fire on accident, then was too proud to admit it. jk He was probably blinking at different intervals, eyes looking every which way like chameleon by day 9 or so.
@@Sarafara7 thanks, I am. 🙂 Came to realize it was tied to general anxiety disorder, and now that I know, I'm on anti-depressants to help keep the anxiety down and it helps a lot. And when I do feel a panic attack flaring I can at least take a low dose of xanax which stops it. The Xanax also works for the anxiety induced insomnia. If I have trouble sleeping for a day or 2 I take one at bed and it helps shut down the racing thoughts and puts me to sleep so I can break the cycle before getting to that point (thankfully this isn't a constant thing either). The only reason I ended up in the hospital the 2nd time is bc it happened while I was pregnant with my daughter, so I could not take Xanax to interrupt it. 😞 Got so bad I was throwing up so my husband took me to the hospital bc then we were worried about the baby as well. They were able to give me Stadol which is used during labor for pain, and it immediately lifted that "weight" on my chest and helped me get some good sleep and then I was okay again. It was a severe panic attack (brought on by my lack of sleep), and the baby was fine. She turns 6 next month. ☺️ And she likes watching me play "Cloud guy" (she watched me play some of Remake when I played it last yr). 😂
The man finds out he's the result of an experiment and has no parents except a half-corpse held in suspended animation, was raised by a corporation and was subjected to decades of abuse and testing by a man that is widely considered the epitome of the word EVIL. How he didn't lash out beforehand and nuke Shinra into non-existence prior to Nibbleheim is amazing.
Honestly, if Sephiroth found out that his parents were human, I don't think he would have walked away from his own humanity. Thanks Hojo. You almost ruined anything. B/
What makes matters worse is that the evil jackass doing experiments on seph is his own father. Actually his father is pretty much the root of all douchebaggery in the ff7 universe, from basically hijacking vincents girl for himself to offering his then unyet born son as a test subject for professor gasts jenova project that he then took over because gast realised what he was doing was wrong. (It helps that gast was aeriths father, lol)
I always found it extremely weird and careless that Shinra would send Sephiroth on a mission to the one location in the world that would shatter his worldview and reveal the truth about him.
But even that didn’t reveal the whole truth. He still never met his real mother Lucretcia, Jenova was never his mom, only an extraterrestrial organism that Lucretcia agreed to have injected in her womb while Sephiroth was developing. Personally I wish Sephiroth became good again and helped kill Jenova once he knew the truth, or have some epic ending where he sacrifices himself to exterminate Jenova for good all the while apologizing to Cloud and Tifa for what he did at Nibelheim. I’m sure that won’t happen, but at the very least I do wonder what he would’ve been like if he knew the whole truth. Edit: I didn’t realize (correct me if I’m wrong) but upon him traveling the lifestream, does that mean he actually found out what Lucretcia did, and in turn, that drove his madness even further? In that case, how tragic. 🙁
@@ZoninOut707While I see where you’re coming from regarding your edit, the lifestream is not all knowing. What it knows is the experience of those who have lived, died, and gone back to the lifestream. No one regarding Sephiroth’s backstory who had any of that information had died and went back to the lifestream. Hojo, Lucrecia, and Vincent are all alive during FF7. It’s believed we killed Hojo during the game, but not confirmed once his body disappears. So no, I don’t believe Sephiroth has access to that information you referred to.
@@ZoninOut707 I haven’t had the chance to watch this video yet (it’s saved in my queue), but I’m a huge FF7 lore nerd. Have translated a vast majority of the Ultimania Omega using translation tech as well as a friend of mine who is perfectly fluent in Japanese. I can explain the exact intricacies regarding the relationship between Sephiroth and Jenova, and how Jenova cells affect those within the world of FF7. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to share that with you. With that being said, FF7R is def taking some liberties. Liberties that I believe do actually have a chance to go the route that you just wished for, where Sephiroth overcomes Jenova and redeems himself. Needless to say this would be very different from the original FF7’s direction, and if you ask me, would feel a little weird after looking at Sephiroth like the villain who has taken everything away from our protagonists. But the original will never cease to exist while I look at FF7R as more of a modern day celebration of the original. Either way, I do like the direction they’re going with the remake project, making it exciting rather than just hashing out the same game all over again. And the gameplay is just too good! Long live Square man.
The frightening thing is, that it is said Jenova moved through the cosmos. We don't know how many worlds she destroyed before she arrived in the FFVII story.
@@jayswindonley1128 One with player destined to lose? Horror or RPG or horror RPG? You play the good guys that lose or do you play as the monster and win? Was jenova always a monster or was she created or did she become one? Why is jenova scarousing me?
If you want, just take a look at Chrono Trigger's Death Mountain during the 2100 AD time period, not just of the world's steady but quick decline of life due to Lavos's feeding off of the world of CT, but its children that both those remained (due to still being too young) and those that already left to land on other planets to feed from. And let the possibilities of planets being used as meals for Jenova-like aliens.
@@seynoonrae2474think one with players being destined to lose would be really cool. Maybe even a character with prescient abilities that can see jenova will be defeated in the future in the ff7 game but will ultimately win here. Kinda like bardock having a vision of goku as he was dying to frieza. Kinda cool concept.
I wanted to add that Sephiroth, going by the mobile games and media, was experimented on as a child. Sephiroth never did normal things like have a birthday, enjoy being a kid, OR have friends until Sephiroth was a teenager (and a grown man later on.) He was just a tool, even before birth. Everyone Sephiroth knew died. His mental health was messed up before the basement. What I hate the most is that NOBODY picked up on him crying for help and it reminds me of real life until it's too late. He had a literal mental breakdown in that basement. People seem to forget or ignore that Sephiroth is Jenova's puppet, Jenova even wears his skin and imitates him (said by the game itself.)
Jenova and his superiority complex were the only thing sephoroth found comfort in. He lost himself in them so he didn't have to face he was a random nobody chosen and groomed to be a tool that no one cared about the well being of. The truth broke him. So he tried becoming the strongest in an effort to show he wasn't weak, he wasn't a nobody or a tool to be ordered about. He was the one in charge of his own life, or so he thinks. He embraces madness because it allows this fantasy he is special to continue.
I don't buy that Jenova drives him like a puppet since if that were the case Cloud would have become just like him. But the cells influencing Sephiroth I would agree with.
All the more I believe Kadaj, from Advent Children, is Sephiroth's REAL personality. A child yearning for a reunion with his mother, minus all the monstrous powers Jenova cells gave him. He is just as much of a victim of Jenova as everyone else.
Instinct plays a role. The process that created Sephiroth caused him to share Jenova's very DNA, not merely carry her cells. Thus he has inherited her instinct to consume worlds. His own will determined how these instincts would be acted upon.
That makes Rebirth make a LOT more Sense my God. The Multiverse makes Jenova's existence way more sustainable. Every timeline split feeds back in one another. The Final Cycle Destruction and Creation to Infinity. *Him realising he's not a Cetra with only accelerate his plans*. *Combining both aspects of Jenova and Cetra* creating a Never ending world the Cycle of Life and Death forever broken. Every alternate timeline is another sacrifice to reunite the lifestream all to create The *True Final Fantasy 7* World after world time after time Another Revelation. Explains his obsession with Cloud the only man ever good enough to defeat him and stop Aerith from dying laughing as Sephiroth won after Cloud Succeeded. Could this be a true Awakening Hojo would have a mind break realising this info
I love how we’re seeing Sephiroth’s perception in Ever Crisis so far. The fact he know his mother was lucrecia but was led to believe her name was Jenova makes the realization at Nibleheim even more sickening to him.
Until the game says otherwise, my head canon is that Sephiroth stole that picture from Hojo's research or someone other than Hojo gave it to him. As sadistic as Hojo is, I can't imagine him giving Sephiroth a picture of Lucrecia, but say that her name was Jenova. It would be such an odd thing to lie about. Hojo wants Sephiroth to think he's not human, so showing he has a normal mother seems counterproductive.
@@chrisdaughen5257amen.. I agree with you.. I also don't take ultimania as canon because the writers of that shit are not the ones who made FF7.. If it ain't stated by the directors of the games or shown/told in the games itself then I won't take it as canon..
This is brilliantly written. As a Sephiroth fan for nearly three decades, I am always seeking different perspectives of him. I never thought of the whole true nature concept. I plan to ruminate on that for a while. I'm looking forward to a second part of this video exploring Ever Crisis and Remake Sephiroth. Well done.
I'll also add that, in my opinion just based on this video and my own casual experience witnessing Sephiroth as a character and also being fascinated by him, he's the embodiment of what it means to "be" one species or another. It's an interesting thought experiment on what could theoretically happen to a being spliced with cells from different sources. It's about a series of question we'll have to answer a species when we can modify ourselves to have tails and animal ears or nanomachines in our bodies. A mix of cells does not guarantee a "perfect balance" of them. The results are unpredictable -- how the cells interact become unpredictable, and will likely become something that has a methodology of existence different from either being. At least, assuming the brain is involved in the process. Body-only modifications likely wouldn't have such an effect. Sephiroth may look like a human, have had human values growing up, have human temptations, but inside there's a larger struggle between his human DNA and his Jenova-species DNA -- each at odds with each other in terms of their instinctual goals. Those values only mean something to him if he accepts he's a human. Humans are small, fragile, and require cooperation to survive. Thus, humans value it and value getting along with others. Sephiroth's internal struggle was his human brain telling him "you are small, insignificant, weak, etc and need to cooperate with others in order to survive". Once he discovered the truth, his internal logic broke down. His human side could no longer logically, morally, or willfully insist upon its values to his Jenova species cells; he then knew he could survive, he knew he was strong, he know he was capable, he knew what he truly desired. Essentially, there are probably multiple factors going on. Sephiroth's Jenova-species cells being more potent, the fact that being part-human doesn't guarantee you'll have (even just a few) human values, the fact that it's mere chance he looks so human and it only slows his awakening process, the fact that appearing human doesn't mean you are/have to be human, the internal struggle for years happening because of his assumptions, commentary on how attitudes and self-perception can literally determine how much you're capable of, and also as others have mentioned, he likely broke down a lot of his human cells when he started to find out and couldn't sleep for weeks -- so even IF they had once been more potent than his Jenova-species cells, they likely degraded badly. Values and "who you are" are largely determined by a product of your environment, but there are still instincts and DNA that can also determine that. It's also partially a choice, a desire to choose one over the other. It's also just commentary on organic existence, masking, and how factors unknowable and uncontrollable can mean everything. It's commentary on how many vast possibilities there are with organic life, and the idea that what we know about it isn't all there is. No idea if half of that made sense, but maybe I'll try to sort it out and re-word it another time.
I liked in the Remake how how in there Sephiroth seem to act like there were disconnect between him and human emotions. But also Sephrioths superiority complex was broken by Cloud. Lowly grunt, 15-16 year old boy managed to surprize and defeat him. I think that hit him hard. He was insulted by that act. Perhaps he also killed Aeris by running blade through her back, mirroring what Cloud did to him. Also to insult and torment Cloud to fail protect those he loved?
@@Dimebag0069 yeah, he is after the nibelheim incident but before that he was quite normal as he couldn't handle the mako infusion and as such wasn't able to get into soldier. Iirc he was the lowest class of grunt.
I wonder how much of an impact Sephiroth childhood had on him. Although both Angeal and Genesis had Jenova cells, they were raised in loving families. They were able to experience love and to live their lifes like normal human beings. Even the choice to join soldier was their own. Meanwhile Sephiroth never had this chance. He didn't have a family and he didn't have a childhood, becoming a child soldier by the age of 10. He wasn't raised by humans, he was raised by a corporation and corporation don't care about love, human connections or morality, but only about prospering and staying on the top no matter what. Maybe in some another dimension Hojo gets ousted from Shinra and Lucrecia has a chance to actually raise Sephiroth. Maybe Vincent and her become a pair and Sephiroth sees him as a father figure. Maybe profesor Gast is not killed and he helps him to overcome his darkness, while encouraging his daughter to became friends with him. Maybe in this alternative dimensions Sephiroth actually feels that his human side is worth fighting for.
I’m glad you brought this up, because others have as well. I think the family dynamics with Genesis and Angeal is something I should’ve explored as well because it’s definitely another big difference between them and Sephiroth. Also, I should’ve emphasized Sephiroth being a SOLDIER since he was less than 10, versus Genesis and Angeal joining when they were much older. That’s very significant too. Thanks for the comment, by the way.
It kills me to think this could've all been prevented if Lucretia had overcome her guilt about Vincent's father sacrificing himself to save her. They could've been happy. Vincent would've been a good father, too. Then again, if not Sephiroth, Hojo would've gotten his hands on some other unlucky baby, anyways. Things would shake out differently, but ultimately...
Outstanding video. Hojo is the big bad. I thoguht that I couldn't learn anything new about his character, yet this video brings a wonderful, fresh perspective to his actions. The only part i disagree with is defying his human side as an 'illusion'. I dont think him being a loner or cold translates to his surpressed 'true evil self'. In fact, i believe if he were to have a facade persona, it would be something more conventionally heroic, social, and emotionally intelligent, where he could manipulate people more easily to his will. I think his personality was not a false one. I truly believe Sephiroth was kind, caring, a bit shy, and aware of his superior abilities. It's what I'd expect from somebody who was raised by Hojo, without a mother, fighting in war as a small child to turn out like. I too believe his descend to Jenova was predictable, and a metaphorical 'suicide' from his past life and self he had no control over (being ShinRa's puppet) and possibly hated. In the 'Last Order', even though not canon, he jumps into the lifestream himself, grasping one final moment of control over his human self (simmilar to how Angeal decides to be killed by Zacks hand). I think the same can translate to him simply not letting the sword go, even though it was not a conscious desition, hidden behind pride. I love how you pointed out him refusing to help Genesis because that would prove his monster existance true - the most morally gray decision for him, from both the Jenova side (wanting Genesis to die), and his human side (wanting to believe him not being a monster might still be true). Either way, this is just my depiction of his character. Lovely video, makes me appriciate this game's wonderful writing all over! It also makes me love Sephiroth even more, both as a kind human being, and a masterfuly complex villain after his fall.
Thanks for this. I love reading through other people’s perspectives as well. In my opinion, the fact that we can have these varying interpretations shows that the writing, for the most part, is good and that we love the story, of course.
Even before I started playing 'The First Soldier' and had the opportunity to see things from the perspective of such a young Sephiroth, I always had the impression that, despite thinking he was so special, thanks to the treatment he receives, Sephiroth was very... lacking in family. I mean, he doesn't know who his parents are and he was raised in a laboratory and military environment. But he certainly grew up hearing people talk about their families, their parents, siblings, children, nephews, etc. He would hear these things, then look at himself, and see that he had none of it. He might even be admired as a soldier, but a soldier was all he was. He wasn't a son, a brother, or a nephew... he was just Sephiroth, the wonder boy. And my impression only became even more fixed after 'The First Soldier'. There, he carries a photo of Lucrecia, but thinks her name is Jenova. He knows that the woman in the picture is his mother, but he knows her by the wrong name. And the person who told him that could only have been Hojo. The same Hojo who, according to Sephiroth, in another scene, where he laughs nervously when he sees someone say that materia allows people to use "magic", always got angry with him when he used that same term to refer to scientific facts. The same Hojo who, during a not-so-filler Halloween event, appears in Sephiroth's memories only as a voice telling him that he must endure the pain because it will make him stronger. This probably refers to the experiments they continued to carry out on him after his birth. I think that the special treatment he received was entirely focused on his combat skills. In 'The First Soldier' you also learn that he doesn't even know that whistling to call people is rude. But why did he whistle to call people? Could it be that someone also whistles to get his attention... just as you would with a dog? He also says that all the propaganda they've built up about the Wutai war is a lie, that he was never in Wutai, and that he never wanted to be a hero. He says that what he always wanted was just... to have a normal life. Sephiroth probably never went to school like a normal child, but at the same time, he's extremely intelligent and has a knack of explaining things to you even if you haven't asked for it. He also was like "hey, what was that?" when Glenn hugs him and apologizes for calling him a Cyborg. He also looks shy but happy when Lucia pets him on the head. And he's clearly becoming very attached to the trio of new characters introduced to us in 'The First Soldier'. I think this is totally linked to my view that Sephiroth lacks a family. Lucia isn't exactly a mother figure, but she's a female figure who shows him kindness. Glenn isn't a father figure either, but he certainly acts like a big brother to Sephiroth. Matt hasn't had any major moments with Sephiroth yet, but I think that could happen in the next few chapters. Since I believe Square won't even think about ruining its favorite child, aka FFVII, if we stop to think about the fact that this trio isn't part of Crisis Core... perhaps Sephiroth will lose these friends over the course of the story. Whether by death or desertion, we don't know yet. But the fact remains that, one way or another, Sephiroth will be separated from this "family". And that may explain his colder behavior in the future. Maybe that's also why he spends a year purposely failing the missions to capture Genesis and Angeal. He doesn't want to lose another family. It's also worth remembering that when Genesis got injured after what happened in the VR training room, Sephiroth and Angeal were outside the medical area (?) waiting to receive news from Genesis. And when Hollander said that Genesis would need a transfusion, Sephiroth immediately offered himself to be a donor, but Angeal stopped him and Hollander said he wasn't a viable donor. And he's so... sad about it. Angeal and Hollander enter, and Sephiroth is still standing outside, looking at the door. I believe he may also have remembered this at the moment when he denied sharing his cells with Genesis. What if he only made things worse for Genesis? And besides, he saw the bad things Genesis did in his own supposed homeland. Whether his humanity was questioned or not, whether Genesis was one of his best friends or not, in addition to what I mentioned above, he may also have thought that helping Genesis wasn't a good idea at the moment. Now, back to the point about Lucrecia's photo... I believe that within Sephiroth's lack of family, the lack of a mother figure is the most painful for him. And the moment he has this "awakening", if I can still call it that after we have more details from 'The First Soldier', perhaps, as a defense mechanism, by having learned that everything he was told was a lie, he clung to that one truth that seemed to close the big hole in his chest: the hole about his mother. Suddenly, he, who no longer had a family (his friends) and didn't even know whether he was a human or a monster, discovered that he had a mother, and that she was trapped in a reactor serving as a source of genetic material for Shinra's experiments. At that moment, that's all that matters to him. He has a mother, and she's trapped in a glass. She's probably dead too, but he still wants to see her, wants to save her, wants to be with her. And the people from Nibelheim, in his mind, were complicit in what Shinra did to her simply because the reactor was there, in their town. This, coupled with the lies he learned from the mansion's archives, may have been what led him to cause the incident. 'Last Order' may not be completely canon, but... I still remember the tear that escaped from his eye when he hugged Jenova's head and fell into the Lifestream. I simply can't interpret this scene as something non-canonical. I strongly believe that he was completely sure that he had found the one thing that he had missed the most throughout his life: his mother. And even after falling into the Lifestream and learning the truth about Jenova, it doesn't change the fact that, for all intents and purposes, she's still his mother in his mind; in his heart. Okay, his will has become stronger than Jenova's. But he continues to cling to the idea that she's his mother in Advent Children. He says that what he want is "to sail the cosmos with this planet as my vessel. Just as Mother did long ago. Then one day we will find a new planet, and on it's soil, we will create a shining future." Sephiroth says "We" and not "I". Even after overcoming her will, even after trying to evolve, he still clings to Jenova as his mother, because after discovering that his life was a lie, and that even the information Shinra had about her was false, none of this changes the fact that he has her cells. None of this changes the fact that he is as much a part of her as she is of him now. Just knowing that Jenova is his mother is enough for him, because she filled the great void that existed in his heart after all he went through. Jenova as his mother is all that's left for Sephiroth. None of this will ever justify his attitudes, but I always feel sorry for Sephiroth when I stop to think about him. I'm a fantasy writer, and I also LOVE writing my favorite characters in RP (roleplaying games). Interpreting Sephiroth through my texts is always... fun in a somewhat sad way, sometimes. The best part of RP is that you can put characters in different situations than the ones they live in in their respective stories, and imagining how they would react to these differences, how they would DEVELOP within these differences, is what makes the experience so interesting. I always like to joke with my friend that if Sephiroth had a real mother from the beginning, none of this would have happened. Maybe I'm right... 🥲The point is that Sephiroth is truly a great character. I even have a figure of him on my desk, and I'm jealous of Square for having created him before me. I always like to refer to my characters as my children. Sephiroth may not have been created by me, but I've fondly adopted him as my own son.
@@MaeDoVankar What an amazing view! I always love coming back to this video and the comments. So many unique perspectives. I agree with everything, and am really looking forward to what Rebirth will bring. They said they would like to give him more screen time, and expand on his character which i couldnt be more excited about. I think The First Soldier is awesome, but im almost sure its end is going to be tragic. Especially with the first scene with adult Sephiroth casting Firaga against possibly Glenn, im not so optimistic! Luckly, I think a lot of time will pass until we get to that point, and hopefully we will have time to heal from whatever Rebirth throws at us. I feel his strong connection to the idea of a mother he lacked can be seen as a trauma he never overcame. His inner child was eager to heal, even at the cost of bonding with an alien-like creature and falling for its evil and manipulative calls. Jenovas evil hunger for power and Sephiroth's weak, traumatized persona was the perfect combination for birthing the antagonist he became.
@@tarapogancevThank you! I swear I was constantly checking my TH-cam notifications just to see if you'd replied to my comment, haha 😂 But the notification never came, and I only saw it now because I decided to look for the answer on my own. I'm also excited for Rebirth ever since I saw that trailer where my boy appeared as a playable character. I wonder if Square will follow the original, even if the way there has different details. And I also agree with you. Everything indicates that The First Soldier's ending will be tragic... I'm not ready, and I'm sure I'll cry a lot. I've been attached to Sephiroth since the day I watched Advent Children for the first time, which was my first contact with the franchise. I think I was about 12 at the time. I spent MONTHS researching the lore, looking for the ps1 game, and as my perception of things matured over the years, the more I wanted to put it in a jar. I'd love Rebirth to explore a little more of this "lack of mother" that he seems to have, and also to show his perspective while he was in the Lifestream acquiring knowledge and discovering the whole truth about Jenova. I think we could even classify Sephiroth as someone who suffers from emotional dependency, and it would be terrible if Jenova could have direct interaction with him. She would certainly do the same thing Shinra has always done: use him as a tool. But he wouldn't mind simply because she's his mother...
@@MaeDoVankar I love your backstory with the game and it's characters! My first experience was simmilar, but I first went into Crisis Core universe before diving head-first into the divinity that FF7 OG is. We are counting down the days until Rebirth, and I can imagine that particual game holding more emotinal weight for me than the third installment would (unless they change the story majory?). Specifically because of the Kalm flashback, but Im eager to see!
It’s crazy how we were children and consuming all of this complexity. I love these stories of the past. thank you for your analysis and for guiding this information into something so digestible and entertaining
I never considered that Genesis had accepted redemption at the end, but I guess you're right. That makes me wonder, if Genesis is due to return as the end of Dirge of Cerberus implies, will he be a friend rather than a villain? Will he be seeking to set things right rather than pursuing his own selfish ambitions once again?
Yep, he chose redemption. It’s not stated in the game (surprise, surprise), but in the FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania, it’s states that Genesis changed his ways after fighting Zack and elected to protect the planet. Then he sealed himself away in that cave, which was a weird, considering the planet had been in danger numerous times since he sealed himself away and he never intervened, only waking up after he was really needed. I think this is something that Square is attempting to rectify with the Remake continuity though. I definitely think Genesis will be in Rebirth, and he should appear as a friend.
Genesis will probably appear as a friend in Rebirth as a friend on Zak's side. I think Rebirth will follow 2 parallel world. 1 with Cloud party when Zack dies. 1 with Zack's party when Tifa, Aerith and everyone important in midgar dies.
@@mezuGCI think he should be one of the keys Considering the fact that he Is partially responsible for his former friend going mad/insane.. Genesis was a really toxic friend Is that destroyed the fellowship.
@@elpopman2055totally. Like, I remember ppl calling Genesis annoying (true though) and useless, but he’s actually a major catalyst for Sephiroth’s downfall by mere words and his departure. Genesis grew up rich and entitled and could only see what Sephiroth was and had and want it for himself, initially just admiration the turned to twisted envy. Genesis and the rest of the world failed to see that Sephiroth actually had nothing and was no one, beyond the titles and strength others dictated for him. Angeal was poor and more humble, so he ended up as the buffer between Genesis and Sephiroth -but the fact is, unlike what Sephiroth thought, there was never the triad (Gen, Angeal and Seph) nor the quartet (Gen, Angeal, Seph and Zack); it was either the duo Genesis and Angeal…. then Sephiroth, or the triad Gen, Angeal and Zack…. Then Sephiroth. Genesis leaves, and Angeal follows him, leaving Sephiroth behind. Then Angeal continues to be in contact with Zack, but not Sephiroth. First thing Genesis said to Sephiroth after years of nc in Nibelheim was calling a monster of sorts? It was a direct attack at Sephiroth’s doubts on his humanity, and it must have hurt so bad because it came from his supposed friend (later Zack’s dumb comments just exacerbate it). Then next minute Genesis has the audacity to beg Sephiroth, the monster in his eyes, to save him? No wonder Sephiroth told him to rot. Like the shitty friend he always was Genesis just wanted to use Sephiroth one more time. Like, if Genesis is seeking redemption then he also must face what he did to Sephiroth.
And with the new info of him having a picture of Lucrecia but refers to her as Jenova, some people are now saying this ultimately made his “awakening” nonsensical, let me just say this: Like what the video says, Sephiroth's descent into madness is driven by multiple factors, but the primary instigator was his discovery of his true nature as a result of the Jenova Project and the environment he lived on spanning over 2 decades of his life, being groomed into being the ideal SOLDIER which led to his cold and distant temperament, whilst also being caught in a web of lies, deception and manipulation by the institution that provided for him. Even if he had known a sliver about his biological mother, Lucrecia, it would not have prevented his descent into madness because his turmoil from within himself goes beyond just his parentage. Sephiroth could simply add the picture of Lucrecia, to the large pile of lies Hojo/Shinra made because everything he cherished from his childhood, was excised from learning the truth about his origins. Edit: Now I am eager to see what led to Sephiroth maligning Hojo and his further admiration for Gast. Sephiroth might have had an Ennis Del Mar moment where he imagined how Jack Twist died. Because the relationship between Sephiroth and Gast was never explored at all, all that’s left of what the relationship between the two was Sephiroth quivering in fear at how did Gast die, implying that Sephiroth is thinking that there was foul play behind his death.
Great points here. Really interested in seeing how Sephiroth learned to dislike Hojo so much, too. I think we've already seen glimpses of the reason in Ever Crisis - namely, that he didn't realize certain behavior such as whistling to summon others was rude and demeaning. We might be able to assume that Hojo similarly whistled to summon Sephiroth as if he was a dog. Because he was so isolated, he didn't realize that some of the way he was treated was so terrible. It was probably not until he met Glenn and the others that he began to understand.
@@Sephironacould be because Hojo was just an unlikable prick. Sephiroth does his horrible stuff for reasons he sees as justifiable but Hojo does it because he's a prick.
Great stuff! Although I don't necessarily agree with your theory that Sephiroth has always been twisted and inhumane, I want to point out another reason about why Hojo wanted Sephiroth to "awaken" - Hojo had been studying Jenova for a very long time at that point, and after being in proximity to it for so long, I believe that Jenvoa's madness / influence had permeated his own mind to some extent, making him (to a degree at least) another one of its many victims. Tseng also mentions that he believes this to be the case in one of the novels (The Kids Are Alright).
I strongly agree with this take. The fact that Hojo had already a twisted mind, was perfect for something like Jenova's eldritch influence during long term exposure or experimentation. He was obsessed with her (red flag ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)), and at the end of the original game he had completely gave in to Sephiroth's will by the time the Midgar assault happens.
In defence of Sephiroth refusing to heal Genesis, the guy had just called him a monster. Seriously, Sephiroth was having an existential crisis and Genesis thought the best way to get his help was telling him he's an abomination? Not surprising Sephiroth told him to rot (he also though Genesis was trying to manipulate him).
My theory: he realized what "nature" or "the world" meant. Having come from Jenova, he had to adjust his world view to adding the outside=space to his conception of the world. But most of space is the absence of life=death. So much like FF7 tells the player he is to the planet like a cell is to an organism, Sephiroth expands that notion to the universe. The planet is like but a cell to the larger organism of space... Which is death. This corroded his ideals. Sephiroth then becomes the extreme of nature much like Midgar is the extreme of artifice. The cetra lie somewhere in-between.
It makes the Rebirth phrase 'what is fact and what is fiction' and 'what is Sephiroth's end goal' make a lot more sense. Sephiroth actually thinks he is doing Cloud a favor, pushing him to find his true self, just as he did. He probably does think himself the hero in that regard, and for all we know, maybe he is. Seeing Sephiroth make a 180 degree change in that instant and letting everything go bespeaks just how strong his will is. And how weak Cloud's is. However, in Remake/Rebirth, it seems like Sephiroth is trying to get back that humanity as he knows Cloud has something that he lacks. Makes one wonder if Sephiroth will actually win this time. Fantastic video!
After nearly 20 years, only now did it click for me (thanks to you video) that Cloud had used Jenova's Mimic ability to so thoroughly "become" Zack. This game's story just keeps on giving.
Clone angst trope, isolation, mania, psychotic break. Pretty standard "youre not actually a person" response in sci-fi. I'm confident Cloud didnt entirely spill his basket soley because he had people who cared for him. Like, Tifa knew something was going on and chose not to correct Cloud on his stories. Saving us from even more high pitched flashy screens.
One of the best in depth analysis of Sephiroth and his character arc that I've seen. Excellent video, great to watch before we get to play Rebirth and understand Sephiroth's mindset and his ambitions and how he wasn't being controlled by Jenova when he loses his mind, it was his will in the driver seat during the game and he uses Jenova and her power to achieve his goals.
this was amazing, i cant get enough of any in depth looks at any of the ffvii characters. sephiroth is so complex, its always interesting getting a full breakdown. loved this so much!
@@mezuGC it really is! i just started streaming solely so i can do an in-depth playthrough of this and share all of the knowledge the community has uncovered over the years. The game that just keeps on giving!
Thank you so much for the explanation! 💜I always wanted to learn about Sephiroth's downfall and how he went to madness, but after hearing the video you made, it all makes more sense; abandoning his humanity because he thinks after knowing everything, is all but illusion and meaningless to be cherished. Especially in Ever Crisis story of young Sephiroth, unlike Genesis & Angeal, he only being taught to fight instead to live in a legit family, who once thought letting his emotion will determine he will survive in the battlefield or not. He had been living a hellish life as a SOLDIER since young age and to think that those times and everything was just an illusion will surely bring him fall into insanity and embrace to become more superior or godhood. I still also can't wait to see more in Ever Crisis story as to how he gets Lucrecia's pic, and so on
I just found this video and it was great! While I was aware of Genesis's degradation and its effects, it also made me think about Sephiroth state of health as well. Shinra, Hojo, etc. kept saying he was “perfect”, but What IF he wasn't as they all believed he was? What IF he was also suffering from degradation like Genesis but instead of affecting his body it was only slowly affecting his mind? During all that time, reading every book in Shinra Manor caused him a significant amount of stress. Prolong exposure to stress can potentially impact cognitive function and degrade overall mental well-being. Lack of sleep compounded with prolong stress had caused this to accelerate his mind to degrade even further both mentally and at a cellular level, hence his Jenova cells.
What makes matters worse, its revealed in Ever Crisis that while Sephiroth is training when he is 16 (not exactly sure) years old during the Rhadoran War. Hojo had given Sephiroth a photo of Lucrecia and making him think her name is Jenova, even worse while Sephiroth's name was uttered as a hero. Sephiroth wouldnt become one officially until his first field mission at the Rhadoran war.
I wonder why Angeal and Genesis were brought up with families and Sephiroth wasn't? I wonder if it was an experiment to see how each one turned out? A very well put together video! You've got my like!
So, after Project G was labeled a failure, Gillian was caught trying to run away with Angeal, who was a child at the time. Shinra sent Gillian and Angeal to Banora village, and Genesis was sent there around the same time. Shinra had decided to use Banora village as a place to secretly monitor people involved with Project G and prevent any leaks about the experimentation. Gillian loved Angeal, which is why she tried to run away with him. Genesis’s foster parents were assigned by Shinra to monitor him, as both he and Angeal were expected to show some sort of abilities as they got older, but they eventually grew to love him as well. That’s how it happened. It wasn’t necessarily an experiment. They just wanted to keep things quiet. Sephiroth was the “success,” so Shinra kept him close and molded him into who they wanted him to be.
Because Genesis and Angeal were both deemed "failues" and Sephiroth wasn't. Or in other words, Hojo was in a much better position politically in the company than Hollander was, and ultimately won out for control of the science department. Sephiroth was institutionalised his whole life because the company thought he was valuable. Genesis and Angeal were put out to grass because the company deemed them otherwise.
It's like 3 children were Living Case Studies... very sad, Experiment #1. Angeal. Fed with Warmth, Familiarty, Idealism... results humble qualities, heroism, and kept his humanity. Experiment #2. Genesis. Have some tact with Control Enviroment. And Familiar Environment, let's go ahead and give some dose of Idealism and some False Praise... Results... Child Goes Rouge, goes through all Steps off Grief and Depression. Accepts reality and humanity again. Experiment #3 Sephiroth... GAME OVERRRRRRRRRRRR
You know now that you mention this Sephirpoth kind of comes of like Homelander in a sense since he wasn't raised with a family but instead like a lab rat.
this is an ingenious analysis including so much information that i would never have had access to in the first place and i thank you for your hard work and excellent delivery on a beloved gray villain. Cheers.
You definitely deserve more subs. This video is pretty well done, it's very informative, and you're able to make this information feel new even though it has been in our faces for over 20 years.
Thanks! But I really have to give a lot of credit to Shinra Archaeology Department (@ShinraArch on Twitter). Even now, they’re translating the Japanese guidebooks and interviews for FFVII, giving us new information that we previously didn’t know. It made doing this video x1000 times easier.
Pretty great analysis, the only thing I wouldn't liked under consideration that after he learns what he is at the nibelheim reactor the way he suffers head pains like cloud does through ff7 and the remake makes me think that being in close proximity to Jenova allowed her to influence or even activate his awakening if not outright corrupting it to her own means.
I have always wondered how far gone is / was Sephiroth. Could he have been saved? Crisis Core didn't show a man who was a cold, lone wolf. He was quiet - as years of isolation and experimentation lead him to be socially underdeveloped, but still very much interested in friendships. Angeal and Genesis hurt him deeply when they left without explanation. Zack was new, but there were moments Sephiroth was friendly. FF7's first memory of him was brooding in Nibelhiem where he'll learn everything and see Jenova for himself. I wish the remake provided an opportunity to truly change the events of FF7, and try to salvage Aerith and Sephiroth. What's the point of changing the story if you don't change a major element after all? Just give us all the improved graphics beat by beat of the original otherwise. Some might argue that'd change the entire game, and isn't that the point of creating an 'alternate timeline' storyline? An interesting reminder that we're not fighting Sephiroth in FF7. He's encased from his injury. We fight Jenova until the end.
As a victim of medical abuses, I can also say that I understand that Sephiroth got mad. I mean, I'm not supporting him in what he did (there's no excuse in destroying a while village and killing dozens of innoncent people) but this feeling of revenge, besides madness, is also truly understandable.
Dude, this was a goldmine of info and lore on not just Sephiroth but on many other characters and the whole of FFVII. Like, Omnicloudx13 said, this is one of the best and most well put analysis videos I've seen. It helped me understand FFVII's story and characters, Sephiroth especially of course, more than most other videos I've seen on the subject. (This is before I've seen your Lifestream video too, which I'm looking forward to.) And it helped me appreciate Cloud more too, one of my favorite characters of all time, along with Genesis and Angeal. Great video, man. You deserve more subs.
I've always said Hojo is the true self-absorbed villain, Jenova is a force of Chaos, and Sephiroth is a tragic antigonist. Those are the primary types of "bad guy" in storytelling.
I think Sephiroth truly lost it when he realized Cloud was trying to imitate his best friend Zack. The spoken hair, the sword...it was maddening! Then add that Zack old fling Aeiris was trying to date said wannabe! Se3pt was like " HELL NO!" Zack was truly was a bro to him, and he wouldn't let his death go unavenged without tormenting his copy cat!😂
Excellent video. It really made me reconsider Sephiroth's nature. I was under the impression that Angeal and Genesis mattered to him, that the betrayal of Shrina mattered. The only thing I kinda disagree with is Jenova having no real hold on Sephiroth's actions. If her instincts tell her to destroy and Sephiroth is so much of her then it does elude to him instinctually carrying out her will. Now does he do his own thing on top of that, yeah, but I think he isn't entirely in control. They have a somewhat symbiotic relationship.
Great Video. Interesting side fact that got revelaed in the newest mobile game Ever Crisis. Sepiroth was told that his mother was Jenova but received a photo of his human mother Lucrecia that he carried with him. On a mission he showed his underlings this photo asking them if they know this women by chance referring to her as Jenova.
I know nothing of FF games outside of spinoffs like Crystal Chronicles, but, your precision on this topic, how layman you present it and breakdown the more complicated concepts really keeps things engaging for noobs like me. Masterful video.
FF7 Rebirth did a fantastic job at showing how involved Jenova was in his transformation and afterwards! :D At one point during his basement scene at Shinra Manor, it looks like her infectious influence fully latched on to him the moment he suffered severe self-doubt - which is the same as what Sephy is doing to Cloud in the present. 😮 Whether Jenova is still in control or Sephiroth overpowered that influence is still up for grabs. Absolutely loved it! ❤
Sephiroth saw humanity prospering, even a small town like Nibelheim, living off by leeching off his "mother". So of course the village had to burn for it. Humanity had to burn, so he could take the planet back what he thought was rightfully his.
I think a lot of sephiroths descent into madness was spurred by an intense loneliness and longing to belong. He finds out hes basically a science project and no more human than the creatures in the mako reactor. The revelation destroyed his already vulnerable psyche from being the strongest and feeling like he has no equals that can treat him as a true friend rather than a goal or idol. This loneliness would only have intensified and twisted deeper and deeper as he sees the failed experiments that are his 'kin' wander broken and lame, and the only two subjects that almost DID succeed, IE angeal and genesis were also failures and started to degrade even before his discovery. Sephiroths whole life had been lonely and isolated, with very few and very brief connections that ultimately failed and ended abruptly. Then factor in the weeks of not sleeping and reading all the horrific experiments performed to succesfully create him and the other subjects finally snapped what was left of this vulnerable, and ultimately very sad persons morality and sanity
Such a wonderfully put together video, I very much enjoyed myself! Something I feel you failed to go into though, and probably the most important aspect to me is the fact that both Angeal and Genesis were raised by regular, loving families. They most likely instilled in them proper moral etiquete wheras Sephiroth was not raised in a family. In fact he was raised in the most hostile environment imaginable, being taught that any lesser being (Shinra's enemies) were meant to be subjugated or murdered. It's not surprising that given this lack of moral compass, among eveything else you described, that he'd take those lessons to the conclusion that those lesser beings encompass humanity as a whole.
Sephiroth also didn't have anything to cherish at that point. He was from his perspective completely abandoned. Shinra never really mattered to him, confirmed by him saying that he has no home, and by his plans of leaving Shinra. His only friends and likely the only people he ever considered close, had left him. He tried to befriend Zack, but never got the time to actually grow that fond of him. Growing up as an experiment and having joined SOLDIER so early, likely caused him to never really develop any emotional skills leaving him never being able to process his emotions properly. By the time he is sent to Nibelheim he is already on the verge of breaking down, even if he doesn't even know it himself. I believe that when Genesis first tells Sephiroth that he is a monster he is distraught and angry at him for suggesting that being the case, so he tells Genesis that he's gonna leave him to die. I don't think it was because he had completely lost his humanity in that instant, it was because he was simply just pissed at Genesis for at first abandoning him and then trying tell him the harsh reality that he already had started to question. What he finds out is his final straw, he has nothing to lose at that point except, Jenova. Sephiroth was already at a more vulnerable state, so Hojo saw that as a perfect opportunity to see what will happen if Sephiroth finds out everything now. He was to also likely trying to carry out Jenova's will too, considering he had injected himself with Jenova's cells as well. When Sephiroth finds out everything he doesn't just embrace the monster due to his nature, but also because he never had anything to really connect him to humanity anymore. It was both Jenova's will and the circumstances he was in that led him to that path.
I always had the headcannon that were was Sephiroth the SOLDIER & Sephiroth the 'Angel' two different personas born from the fracture of his sanity than his soul as the SOLDIER represented the good he was once while the 'Angel' became the monster born from Jenova, but damn your video really was good
This is quite enlightening. I was always a bit confused with Sephiroth's dialogue in Shinra manor. Also I thought he was just saying what he said to Cloud at the Northern Crater to control Cloud but I didn't know he was speaking about himself.
*in the mako reactor after Sephiroth burns the town* Zack: Wait wait, hold on. Tell me why you're doing this. Seriously. Sephiroth: Why do you do it? Zack: Honor, mainly. Sephiroth: There you go. Zack: Naw, come on! Man, some straight like you, giant stick up his ass, all of a sudden at age, what, 40(?), he just gonna break bad? Sephiroth: I'm 30. Zack: It's weird is all, ok?! It doesn't compute! Listen, if you've gone crazy or something, I mean... if you've gone "crazy" or depressed, I'm just saying that's something I need to know about! Ok? I mean, that affects me! Sephiroth: ... I am awake. Zack: ... What?!?
I always thought that someone at Shinra, most likely Hojo, had setup the whole thing so that Sephiroth would go to Nibbleheim. I feel like Crisis Core undermines this fact by introducing the plot element that there's a shortage of 1st class SOLDIERs, since, in that version of the story, it would be plausible that they just had no other choice but to send the only 1st class SOLDIERs they had left.
My only complaint here, is that after the nibelheim incident, Sephiroth did not die. While last order was much maligned, it was an attempt to show he did not die. Others go for losing consciousness after falling in. But in any version, he doesnt experience death until the end of ff7. Thus sephiroth agreeing that he died was meant to set off alarms. Cloud becomes conscious when Sephiroth wakes up in crisis core. Otherwise fantastic work.
@@mezuGC If you check the English script for OG's ending, for advent children's Cloud near death experience, LifeStream black, Cloud post LifeStream/second mako poisoning, and Evan Townshend falling into the lifestream... the LifeStream doesn't kill. With the exception of a weak mind, the LifeStream heals and guides. Physically, he has a spinal injury. He loses his lower half as the LifeStream cannot restore his body. But if his will was strong, he would not die there. Those with a strong sense of self are healed and guided. Those with a weak sense of self are physically healed and left brain-fried. LifeStream black depicts a man enduring his first death. Never before had he lost everything and had to struggle to preserve himself. There was no need to attach and anchor himself onto anything, he wasn't dead. Genesis, who also isn't dead, pulled the same move in Dirge; a shield of water in the shape of materia to slumber and allow his mind to explore the LifeStream safely. Back to Sephiroth, at that point in LifeStream black a dead Sephiroth no longer even knows his name, his appearance, he is simply perishing, integrating into the lifestream. No, he won't let it. He attached himself to Cloud and made Cloud the core of his existence, keeping himself alive by the hatred from Cloud. In the OG, there was no need to do this. He explored the LifeStream with his mind in much the same way Evan Townshend does and Cloud/Tifa do, while alive. The last order depicts Sephiroth choosing to jump into the mako purposefully, intentionally, because they were working on a compilation where it needed to be clear he didn't die there. Other revisions opt for ideas of why he didn't just leave it after falling in, as such in one case he is slung into a fuse box and electrocuted. The other thing I would debate is whether or not his will overpowered Jenova. After all, Ultimanias Omega... Jenova escapes; yes Palmer saw someone that looked like Sephiroth, but it's clearly written Jenova left of her own accord. The men in black robes are carrying her about. Sephiroth on the boat didn't recognize Cloud. Not because he forgot due to being dead, but because that isn't Sephiroth. It's Jenova using an efficient appearance to traverse unimpeded. In remake, the two Sephiroths behave strangely compared to the one in Cloud's head. They do not refer to Cloud by name. It doesn't really care to taunt or flaunt what is being done, it doesn't berate or praise. It pulsates the Jenova call and says "Don't deny me. Embrace me." It then brings up reunion, but there's no connection. It's inhuman. It's Sephiroth. It also flies without a wing, something Sephiroth could only do in the OG as Jenova tentacles using Sephiroth 's appearance. The stab to Barret is also impossible, but quite fitting for a tendril. And neither 49 or 2 is Sephiroth. They suicide to join some other body or Jenova's body itself. In the rebirth trailer we got a while ago, while fighting Jenova, it seems Cloud's mind Sephiroth tells us about Jenova, as if trying to help Cloud see past what it is and the call, as if needing Cloud not to fall to it. After all, Jenova wins in the compilation. The Zirconiade is destroyed, Omega is destroyed, total destruction is inevitable, all that holds Sephiroth alive will also vanquish. Jenova's will shall end Sephiroth. I believe in after his death he finally becomes free.. we have the human "I" male making a return, where after his fall into the lifestream, Sephiroth changed to a genderless formal, omniscient "I". I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't continue to be the proper bad guy. Or that he and Jenova end up having a diverging intention. The Arbiter has Jenova-like traits with Sephiroth imprisoned inside it's chest, only four whispers work with Sephiroth in remake, while the rest push toward continuing on with planetary destruction. Seems awfully weird behavior for a planetary weapon, doesn't it? To push to continue towards self destruction.
Wow, I really like your takes on why Sephiroth became or is who he is. I think that it also explains quite well his reason for wanting to f-k with Cloud‘s head. He can‘t stand that someone - like Cloud - came to best him inside the Mako Reactor and proving that Sephiroth can‘t be as superior as he believes himself to be - or else Cloud wouldn‘t have stood a chance against him… I‘m not sure if the lore in Ever Crisis is going to disprove that, but still I think that your thoughts make a lot of sense. Ah, I really love Videos like these. So glad that the algorithm brought me here. I‘m excited to see what other content you have in store! ☺️ Thanks for uploading!
Ehh, I don't think Sephiroth cares about any of that. He fuc*s with Cloud because he's his strongest asset, and he knows how to manipulate him into doing his bidding. That's simply all. And ultimately, its Jenova that's doing it.
This compilation was incredible. One of the most thoughtful and thorough examinations of Sephiroth. Although i disagree with some aspects of the telling, i feel like there is an argument to be had for everything you mentioned. It's insane just how much lore there is surrounding this character, and just how deep his story is. This is a fictional character. I believe this is why Sephiroth has stood the test of time and is arguably one of the single most popular and iconic characters ever created in gaming and otherwise. Even his lore transcends as there are entire departments dedicated to it. One would be hard pressed to find a single other character that can boast that. I've researched this a bit and find there are hundreds of thousands of people who vehemently argue his lore. Also, I've found that no matter how awesome, strong,good, or bad the character , they are almost always matched up to Sephiroth to gauge their power and viability as a character. This is phenomenal. Truly incredible. Thank you so much for this❤❤❤
I believe Sephiroth mentally had 2 sides but in the end whatever goodness was in him was a very society definition of fitting in instead of a virtue code so he lived his entire life without equals but was driven to fit in through both nature and nurture, in the end he was proved he was unpleasantly enough a lonely genius human at the peak bringing in an attitude of bored ennui dotted with performative friendliness that he would refuse to abandon to not be an outcast(which may also be the reason he refused to save Genesis as he didn’t think of elevating him with his cells in an altruistic way that they could both live among humans but a selfish way of making him a lesser copy of himself and whatever he did would harm his position as a human so he abstained of choice) and little by little it was shown to him that his place among humans was uneeded for him(all those closest to his capabilities that he once in a gracious mood saw to grow emotional attachment towards were flawed and left without a legacy remaining) and when he finally could classify himself as a named non-human thing he applied himself to their situation in a way that gave him an equal who he could stand on the side of(though never groups he could actually talk to anyone) and become a general of their cause, no longer needing to fit in and being the predator he always denied himself to be. All of this contours the 2nd side I mentioned and the one somewhat decent aspect of Sephiroth. His willingness to find where he belongs and legacy he can bear(being told as a monster means you’re just a failure that doesn’t fit as human but being told he is a cetra to then a cosmic virus is not a failure but a classification he could accept). Sadly he was raised in a dystopic capitalistic environment that admonished true emotional attachment but demanded performances of emotion and worth making his ideals as a human obviously weak and performative and oddly aligned to his instinctive nature as a cosmic parasite.
Dude, I loved the game series as a kid, but I had NO idea it could get this deep. Your video has inspired me to go down a rabbit hole. Great Content Sir. :)
This video blow my mind, for decades I always look at Sephiroth as a human who just lost his sanity after learning the truth. After a life of isolation and egoism. Him and Kefka somehow had a lot in common, the only difference is that Kefka was always knew and embracing his true nature while Sephiroth was living a facade cuz of this surrendings. Thank you for this retrospect of one if not the greatest video game villain in history.
The thing is, I think Sephiroth *could* have chosen to hold onto his humanity. We know now from First Soldier that Sephiroth wasn't just a sociopath wearing a mask his whole life; he was raised to be a monster, but there was a real human there too with real feelings. And as Cloud eventually concludes, the lines between "real" self and "false" self aren't really all that important; it's all part of him and his life. If Sephiroth had had more will or opportunity to develop stronger bonds with other people, as Cloud did, he might not have made the decision that he did. He could have continued to suppress the Jenova within him even after knowing the truth. He just... didn't.
There has been chatter from some fans, hoping for a redemption ark for Sephiroth and that never sat right with me, it didn't seem like a fathomable possibility. Hearing and watching this video only confirms what I guess I already knew......there's nothing to redeem. This was a great breakdown and analysis, Thanks!
It’s crazy to see how divided the community is. Some people hate the remake because of the changes, but other people are hoping for a Sephiroth redemption arc. Personally, I like most of the changes made in the remake, but I would definitely draw the line at the notion of Sephiroth having a redemption arc. It just wouldn’t be right to me.
@@mezuGC True, personally I'm having a lot of fun with the remake and am excited, if not a little nervous, to see where it goes next. I agree with you about Sephiroth, it would just seem so out of character that, I feel, it would completely ruin him, and reading everything that Square has written about him and such it really wouldn't make any sense.
A Sephiroth redemption arc can happen, but never in official material. He has a possible life as not a JENOVA/himself amalgamation, but as just a SOLDIER, or as a defector, but in FF7 one of the villains must be Sephiroth or else it is not a core FF7 game.
If what you said is correct, Sephiroth actually didn't lose His Mind, He actually regain his mind and become who he truly is. He's been losing his mind his whole life until he found out the truth and embrace who is he.
This was good, I would say that the only thing countering Sephs hidden nature, would be Kadaj's nature, who I think was supposed to be a representation of Sephiroth's adolescent nature. I also think he genuinely cared for and felt abandoned by Professor Gast.
Yoooooo! That makes a lot of sense, that Hojo orchestrated his “awakening”. I was wondering “why the hell would Shinra send Seph to Neibleheim knowing incriminating evidence about his origin was all conveniently gathered in one place?”
Heyo mezukami!! I really enjoyed your deep dive into Sephiroth's lore/psyche. Before the release of the remake, I would've agreed with everything you said but now it seems that it is trying to change some things with the direction that it seems to be going. Based on the Japanese language of the 7 seconds scene towards the end, it turns out that Cloud has been communicating with a Pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth all along. Before he went insane based on the way he talks. The Sephiroth that we have been facing is a post-advent children Sephiroth. It feels like this Sephiroth is trying to mess with time and space possibly to free himself from Jenova's influence. The game kind of implies that Sephiroth himself, is a puppet of Jenova? Maybe him questioning his humanity had mentally weakened his mind enough for Jenova to control him? I feel that Square is ultimately going to redeem Sephiroth in the end and possibly give him his own spin-off title after this trilogy has concluded while giving everyone else a happy ending........maybe Tifa will die instead, who knows? In order to sympathize with Sephiroth, they are allowing us to delve and play as his younger self from 1992 with the Prototype Soldier-0s in Evercrisis, The First SOLDIER Chapters (a lame gacha game). Tell me, what do you think? I could be completely wrong in my theory..........
So, for this video, I deliberately left out any Remake content and focused solely on the original continuity. I did this because I know some people don’t like the Remake, and because I consider the Remake to be a separate continuity. I might retouch on this topic with the Remake content later. As far as your theory, when it comes to the original continuity, I have to disagree with the idea that Sephiroth is a puppet of Jenova, or is being controlled by her, because there are guidebook statements that say that Sephiroth assumed control of Jenova and that she did not sway him. If you choose to disregard the guidebooks, which some people do, then your theory would be a possibility. When it comes to Sephiroth in the Remake continuity, I honestly don’t know what they’re planning for him. I can’t even theorize lol. But if he does turn out to be a puppet of Jenova in the Remake, which I don’t think is the case, that would be another deviation from the original story. Now, some people have pointed out that Sephiroth may have a sort of “Jenova instinct,” meaning he was in control of his own actions, but due to his DNA mixing with Jenova, he naturally wants to destroy and cause chaos. This could be true. It’s never confirmed, obviously, but I wouldn’t outright refute it either.
@@mezuGC Fair enough. I do hope I'm wrong cause redeeming Sephiroth is completely cliche and ruins his whole overall character arc........but Square LOVES milking this series making the Remake a continuation of the compilation and not too farfetch in capitalizing on a Sephiroth game that I really don't want....😅😅😅
This is a brilliant video. I know It’s now cannon that through the events of OGFF7 the Jenova parts and sephiroth clones are being controlled by Sephiroth but it never made sense to me why the clones pay Cloud very little attention, it’s like they don’t recognise him. For this reason I assumed it was Jenova in control for a part of the game as she wouldn’t recognise Cloud. It’s probably an oversight because obviously all this extended lore wasn’t intended at first
Bro, this video essay was an excellent analytical deep dive on the character of Sephiroth. Thank you so much for creating this. Also, Sephiroth has a lot of characteristics in common with Lucifer (of the Bible), just saying.
Sincerely, from the bottom of heart as a child who got this game for christmas in 1997 and have played it every year since, you really get it. This is the best summary of Sephiroth as a character I have ever seen. I pretty much consider myself an expert on my favorite game and you connected some new dots for me that just made my whole day. Thank you for your perspective and fantastic detective work here. You absolutely nailed it. Now I gotta see what you think of the Remake/Rebirth sequel trilogy, because it's the same Sephiroth but (like you said).. how has he evolved?
This was so in-depth and well researched!! Amazing work! If you're knowledgeable about ffvi, would you consider a video on Kefka and his descent into madness? He's an interesting character in my opinion. If ffvi isn't your forte, then no sweat. ^^ I hope you have a great day and that this video gets a ton of views! You deserve it!!🎉
I wouldn’t mind at all. I’ve never played FFVI, but I know about Kefka from playing Dissidia. I have plans to do videos across the entire Final Fantasy series as well as the Kingdom Hearts series. I hope I’ll be able to bring all of them to life. Thank you for watching my work, and I hope you have a great day as well.
One of my favourite things about Crisis Core was how it made Sephiroth a genuinely likeable guy, so when you find out you're heading to Nibelheim, it actually does sting a bit and make you kinda dread the next mission.
I always thought that Sephiroth we faced throughout the game was clone/copy and not the real him. That he never went insane and was simply ending what Shinra started. His laughter didn't feel like laughter of madman but laughter of someone experiencing something incredulous. Nibleheim was not innocent village out in boonies, some people may have been, but majority were Shinra employees. Chances are that only innocent ones were children and everyone else were involved with Shinra mansion. After all, you hear the story from supposedly Tifa, a distressed victim of the incident who knew nothing of what was going on with mild memory impairment and Cloud whose memories were shattered. At the reactor Sephirot didn't kill Zack. He didn't kill Tifa. Even after Cloud stabbed him with sneak attack while he was distracted, he only took the head of Jenova and left the reactor. He only injured them during combat but didn't kill them. Only reason Cloud got impaled is because he chased after Sephirot as he was leaving the reactor. Even then Sephiroth didn't go out of his way to kill Cloud but simply old him "Don't push your luck." For supposed insane villain he sure showed shit load of mercy. No, I think he was just cleaning up and putting an end to Shinra's research and let some people live because they weren't at fault. Tifa only got hurt because she went after him for revenge.
Very well done. 👏👏👏 Sephiroth has been a fascination of mine since the day the game released. I wasn't privy to all of the information you have presented here. I missed most of the subsequent titles and frankly got confused by Dirge...awesome a game as it was. I had surmised as much from my damn near fanstical obsession with studying the world and story as I played. I think there are further layers to this. Beyond the fourth wall is the fifth, where the story actually communicates directly to the audience that they too are a part of the show. Reflective. It is what we are. Thank you for this. It came to my aid in my very darkest hour. Wish me skill and grace for the coming trials, as we will be backing your work here, friend. 👊
I have to go with proximity to Jenova. Cloud experiences his first breaks from reality when he gets close to it as well. Jenova has always had cosmic horror elements to it, and it definitely has a 'dead gods can still dream' thing going on. I'd have to imagine that it's influence over hosts is stronger with greater concentrations of its genetic material nearby. Combine that with Sephiroth's own misgivings and the notes on his creation while Jenova whispers inside his mind and it seems like a done deal.
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*What was also real, is that Sephiroth didnt sleep for weeks which helped with the formation of a psychosis in the basement of the shinra manor. While the Jenova cells helped surviving that, the human cells in his brain had an irreparable short circuit.
That’s an interesting point as well. Thanks for the comment and for watching.
That point actually cannot be overstated. As someone who's suffered from bouts of horrendous insomnia twice in my life that both had me in hysterics, feeling like I was losing my mind, and at the hospital by day three needing psych meds to put me to sleep and break the insomnia cycle, lack of sleep absolutely could be a factor in Sephiroth mental decline.
I think after being awake for 72hrs, the average human will start to experience hallucinations. That dumb m’f-er probably thought he saw something scary, started the fire on accident, then was too proud to admit it.
jk He was probably blinking at different intervals, eyes looking every which way like chameleon by day 9 or so.
@@PinkSakuraBunnieI hope you’re doing better 🙏🏼
@@Sarafara7 thanks, I am. 🙂 Came to realize it was tied to general anxiety disorder, and now that I know, I'm on anti-depressants to help keep the anxiety down and it helps a lot. And when I do feel a panic attack flaring I can at least take a low dose of xanax which stops it. The Xanax also works for the anxiety induced insomnia. If I have trouble sleeping for a day or 2 I take one at bed and it helps shut down the racing thoughts and puts me to sleep so I can break the cycle before getting to that point (thankfully this isn't a constant thing either).
The only reason I ended up in the hospital the 2nd time is bc it happened while I was pregnant with my daughter, so I could not take Xanax to interrupt it. 😞 Got so bad I was throwing up so my husband took me to the hospital bc then we were worried about the baby as well. They were able to give me Stadol which is used during labor for pain, and it immediately lifted that "weight" on my chest and helped me get some good sleep and then I was okay again. It was a severe panic attack (brought on by my lack of sleep), and the baby was fine. She turns 6 next month. ☺️ And she likes watching me play "Cloud guy" (she watched me play some of Remake when I played it last yr). 😂
The man finds out he's the result of an experiment and has no parents except a half-corpse held in suspended animation, was raised by a corporation and was subjected to decades of abuse and testing by a man that is widely considered the epitome of the word EVIL.
How he didn't lash out beforehand and nuke Shinra into non-existence prior to Nibbleheim is amazing.
i think Team Glenn had a huge influence on him. During Evercrisis: the first soldier, it explains quite a bit
@eyixon We should have gotten this in the Remakes not a phone game.
Honestly, if Sephiroth found out that his parents were human, I don't think he would have walked away from his own humanity.
Thanks Hojo. You almost ruined anything. B/
What makes matters worse is that the evil jackass doing experiments on seph is his own father. Actually his father is pretty much the root of all douchebaggery in the ff7 universe, from basically hijacking vincents girl for himself to offering his then unyet born son as a test subject for professor gasts jenova project that he then took over because gast realised what he was doing was wrong. (It helps that gast was aeriths father, lol)
The sad thing was that he was planning to leave Shinra with Zack.
I always found it extremely weird and careless that Shinra would send Sephiroth on a mission to the one location in the world that would shatter his worldview and reveal the truth about him.
Same. The fact that Hojo had him sent there gives context, but Shinra actually agreeing to it is still pretty wild.
But even that didn’t reveal the whole truth. He still never met his real mother Lucretcia, Jenova was never his mom, only an extraterrestrial organism that Lucretcia agreed to have injected in her womb while Sephiroth was developing. Personally I wish Sephiroth became good again and helped kill Jenova once he knew the truth, or have some epic ending where he sacrifices himself to exterminate Jenova for good all the while apologizing to Cloud and Tifa for what he did at Nibelheim. I’m sure that won’t happen, but at the very least I do wonder what he would’ve been like if he knew the whole truth.
Edit: I didn’t realize (correct me if I’m wrong) but upon him traveling the lifestream, does that mean he actually found out what Lucretcia did, and in turn, that drove his madness even further? In that case, how tragic. 🙁
@@ZoninOut707While I see where you’re coming from regarding your edit, the lifestream is not all knowing. What it knows is the experience of those who have lived, died, and gone back to the lifestream. No one regarding Sephiroth’s backstory who had any of that information had died and went back to the lifestream. Hojo, Lucrecia, and Vincent are all alive during FF7. It’s believed we killed Hojo during the game, but not confirmed once his body disappears. So no, I don’t believe Sephiroth has access to that information you referred to.
@@miki49 that’s very intriguing info.
@@ZoninOut707 I haven’t had the chance to watch this video yet (it’s saved in my queue), but I’m a huge FF7 lore nerd. Have translated a vast majority of the Ultimania Omega using translation tech as well as a friend of mine who is perfectly fluent in Japanese. I can explain the exact intricacies regarding the relationship between Sephiroth and Jenova, and how Jenova cells affect those within the world of FF7. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to share that with you.
With that being said, FF7R is def taking some liberties. Liberties that I believe do actually have a chance to go the route that you just wished for, where Sephiroth overcomes Jenova and redeems himself.
Needless to say this would be very different from the original FF7’s direction, and if you ask me, would feel a little weird after looking at Sephiroth like the villain who has taken everything away from our protagonists. But the original will never cease to exist while I look at FF7R as more of a modern day celebration of the original.
Either way, I do like the direction they’re going with the remake project, making it exciting rather than just hashing out the same game all over again. And the gameplay is just too good! Long live Square man.
The frightening thing is, that it is said Jenova moved through the cosmos.
We don't know how many worlds she destroyed before she arrived in the FFVII story.
That would make an excellent prequel game for FFVII!
@@jayswindonley1128 One with player destined to lose?
Horror or RPG or horror RPG?
You play the good guys that lose or do you play as the monster and win?
Was jenova always a monster or was she created or did she become one?
Why is jenova scarousing me?
@@seynoonrae2474 There kind of already is a game with a similar idea: an arcade game called "Chimera Beast".
If you want, just take a look at Chrono Trigger's Death Mountain during the 2100 AD time period, not just of the world's steady but quick decline of life due to Lavos's feeding off of the world of CT, but its children that both those remained (due to still being too young) and those that already left to land on other planets to feed from. And let the possibilities of planets being used as meals for Jenova-like aliens.
@@seynoonrae2474think one with players being destined to lose would be really cool. Maybe even a character with prescient abilities that can see jenova will be defeated in the future in the ff7 game but will ultimately win here. Kinda like bardock having a vision of goku as he was dying to frieza. Kinda cool concept.
I wanted to add that Sephiroth, going by the mobile games and media, was experimented on as a child. Sephiroth never did normal things like have a birthday, enjoy being a kid, OR have friends until Sephiroth was a teenager (and a grown man later on.) He was just a tool, even before birth. Everyone Sephiroth knew died. His mental health was messed up before the basement. What I hate the most is that NOBODY picked up on him crying for help and it reminds me of real life until it's too late. He had a literal mental breakdown in that basement. People seem to forget or ignore that Sephiroth is Jenova's puppet, Jenova even wears his skin and imitates him (said by the game itself.)
Jenova and his superiority complex were the only thing sephoroth found comfort in. He lost himself in them so he didn't have to face he was a random nobody chosen and groomed to be a tool that no one cared about the well being of. The truth broke him. So he tried becoming the strongest in an effort to show he wasn't weak, he wasn't a nobody or a tool to be ordered about. He was the one in charge of his own life, or so he thinks. He embraces madness because it allows this fantasy he is special to continue.
I don't buy that Jenova drives him like a puppet since if that were the case Cloud would have become just like him. But the cells influencing Sephiroth I would agree with.
All the more I believe Kadaj, from Advent Children, is Sephiroth's REAL personality. A child yearning for a reunion with his mother, minus all the monstrous powers Jenova cells gave him. He is just as much of a victim of Jenova as everyone else.
@@KyranSparda So Sephiroth is just a Cloud clone ?
@@BlackangelKatakuri The opposite. 😂
"Sephiroth goes through an entire bottle of shampoo every time he showers"
-actual canon
I bet even his hair was so strong it could not be cut
@@forrealtho4062 That would literally be the most metal reason ever if true
I thought it was 7 bottles to have a different smell everywhere he went
The main question everyone should be focused on is......which brand of shampoo does he use? 🤔
@@NotceDragonstill according to canon:shinra,yes they produce even hair products
Instinct plays a role. The process that created Sephiroth caused him to share Jenova's very DNA, not merely carry her cells. Thus he has inherited her instinct to consume worlds. His own will determined how these instincts would be acted upon.
@@axelkusanagi4139 We are indeed certain. Jenova wound up being consumed by him instead of the other way around. He controls the cells.
That makes Rebirth make a LOT more Sense my God. The Multiverse makes Jenova's existence way more sustainable. Every timeline split feeds back in one another. The Final Cycle Destruction and Creation to Infinity. *Him realising he's not a Cetra with only accelerate his plans*. *Combining both aspects of Jenova and Cetra* creating a Never ending world the Cycle of Life and Death forever broken. Every alternate timeline is another sacrifice to reunite the lifestream all to create The *True Final Fantasy 7*
World after world time after time Another Revelation. Explains his obsession with Cloud the only man ever good enough to defeat him and stop Aerith from dying laughing as Sephiroth won after Cloud Succeeded. Could this be a true Awakening
Hojo would have a mind break realising this info
That’s not true,
I love how we’re seeing Sephiroth’s perception in Ever Crisis so far. The fact he know his mother was lucrecia but was led to believe her name was Jenova makes the realization at Nibleheim even more sickening to him.
Until the game says otherwise, my head canon is that Sephiroth stole that picture from Hojo's research or someone other than Hojo gave it to him.
As sadistic as Hojo is, I can't imagine him giving Sephiroth a picture of Lucrecia, but say that her name was Jenova. It would be such an odd thing to lie about. Hojo wants Sephiroth to think he's not human, so showing he has a normal mother seems counterproductive.
@@chrisdaughen5257amen.. I agree with you.. I also don't take ultimania as canon because the writers of that shit are not the ones who made FF7..
If it ain't stated by the directors of the games or shown/told in the games itself then I won't take it as canon..
@@nadstengco2591Exactly and it's just a phone game anyway.
This is brilliantly written. As a Sephiroth fan for nearly three decades, I am always seeking different perspectives of him. I never thought of the whole true nature concept. I plan to ruminate on that for a while. I'm looking forward to a second part of this video exploring Ever Crisis and Remake Sephiroth. Well done.
Thank you for watching. And yeah, depending on what happens in the new continuity, I’ll definitely do a follow up.
Ruminate, nigga lay off the FF for a while
I'll also add that, in my opinion just based on this video and my own casual experience witnessing Sephiroth as a character and also being fascinated by him, he's the embodiment of what it means to "be" one species or another. It's an interesting thought experiment on what could theoretically happen to a being spliced with cells from different sources. It's about a series of question we'll have to answer a species when we can modify ourselves to have tails and animal ears or nanomachines in our bodies. A mix of cells does not guarantee a "perfect balance" of them. The results are unpredictable -- how the cells interact become unpredictable, and will likely become something that has a methodology of existence different from either being. At least, assuming the brain is involved in the process. Body-only modifications likely wouldn't have such an effect.
Sephiroth may look like a human, have had human values growing up, have human temptations, but inside there's a larger struggle between his human DNA and his Jenova-species DNA -- each at odds with each other in terms of their instinctual goals. Those values only mean something to him if he accepts he's a human. Humans are small, fragile, and require cooperation to survive. Thus, humans value it and value getting along with others. Sephiroth's internal struggle was his human brain telling him "you are small, insignificant, weak, etc and need to cooperate with others in order to survive". Once he discovered the truth, his internal logic broke down. His human side could no longer logically, morally, or willfully insist upon its values to his Jenova species cells; he then knew he could survive, he knew he was strong, he know he was capable, he knew what he truly desired.
Essentially, there are probably multiple factors going on. Sephiroth's Jenova-species cells being more potent, the fact that being part-human doesn't guarantee you'll have (even just a few) human values, the fact that it's mere chance he looks so human and it only slows his awakening process, the fact that appearing human doesn't mean you are/have to be human, the internal struggle for years happening because of his assumptions, commentary on how attitudes and self-perception can literally determine how much you're capable of, and also as others have mentioned, he likely broke down a lot of his human cells when he started to find out and couldn't sleep for weeks -- so even IF they had once been more potent than his Jenova-species cells, they likely degraded badly.
Values and "who you are" are largely determined by a product of your environment, but there are still instincts and DNA that can also determine that. It's also partially a choice, a desire to choose one over the other. It's also just commentary on organic existence, masking, and how factors unknowable and uncontrollable can mean everything. It's commentary on how many vast possibilities there are with organic life, and the idea that what we know about it isn't all there is.
No idea if half of that made sense, but maybe I'll try to sort it out and re-word it another time.
I liked in the Remake how how in there Sephiroth seem to act like there were disconnect between him and human emotions.
But also Sephrioths superiority complex was broken by Cloud. Lowly grunt, 15-16 year old boy managed to surprize and defeat him. I think that hit him hard. He was insulted by that act.
Perhaps he also killed Aeris by running blade through her back, mirroring what Cloud did to him. Also to insult and torment Cloud to fail protect those he loved?
Only because Cloud had the pre-emptive materia equipped. Surprise critical FTW.
It's because Cloud is mako infused. Without any of that, sephy would've whooped his ass. Lol
@@Dimebag0069
they do that in the remake? Because in the OG, this is far from the case.
@@bloo_dergn What? Cloud is mako infused in the OG ff7.
@@Dimebag0069 yeah, he is after the nibelheim incident but before that he was quite normal as he couldn't handle the mako infusion and as such wasn't able to get into soldier. Iirc he was the lowest class of grunt.
I wonder how much of an impact Sephiroth childhood had on him. Although both Angeal and Genesis had Jenova cells, they were raised in loving families. They were able to experience love and to live their lifes like normal human beings. Even the choice to join soldier was their own.
Meanwhile Sephiroth never had this chance. He didn't have a family and he didn't have a childhood, becoming a child soldier by the age of 10. He wasn't raised by humans, he was raised by a corporation and corporation don't care about love, human connections or morality, but only about prospering and staying on the top no matter what.
Maybe in some another dimension Hojo gets ousted from Shinra and Lucrecia has a chance to actually raise Sephiroth. Maybe Vincent and her become a pair and Sephiroth sees him as a father figure. Maybe profesor Gast is not killed and he helps him to overcome his darkness, while encouraging his daughter to became friends with him. Maybe in this alternative dimensions Sephiroth actually feels that his human side is worth fighting for.
I’m glad you brought this up, because others have as well. I think the family dynamics with Genesis and Angeal is something I should’ve explored as well because it’s definitely another big difference between them and Sephiroth. Also, I should’ve emphasized Sephiroth being a SOLDIER since he was less than 10, versus Genesis and Angeal joining when they were much older. That’s very significant too. Thanks for the comment, by the way.
That’s actually a very good point. You have to wonder how such a different upbringing would’ve affected Sephiroth.
It kills me to think this could've all been prevented if Lucretia had overcome her guilt about Vincent's father sacrificing himself to save her. They could've been happy. Vincent would've been a good father, too.
Then again, if not Sephiroth, Hojo would've gotten his hands on some other unlucky baby, anyways. Things would shake out differently, but ultimately...
Outstanding video. Hojo is the big bad. I thoguht that I couldn't learn anything new about his character, yet this video brings a wonderful, fresh perspective to his actions. The only part i disagree with is defying his human side as an 'illusion'. I dont think him being a loner or cold translates to his surpressed 'true evil self'. In fact, i believe if he were to have a facade persona, it would be something more conventionally heroic, social, and emotionally intelligent, where he could manipulate people more easily to his will. I think his personality was not a false one. I truly believe Sephiroth was kind, caring, a bit shy, and aware of his superior abilities. It's what I'd expect from somebody who was raised by Hojo, without a mother, fighting in war as a small child to turn out like.
I too believe his descend to Jenova was predictable, and a metaphorical 'suicide' from his past life and self he had no control over (being ShinRa's puppet) and possibly hated. In the 'Last Order', even though not canon, he jumps into the lifestream himself, grasping one final moment of control over his human self (simmilar to how Angeal decides to be killed by Zacks hand). I think the same can translate to him simply not letting the sword go, even though it was not a conscious desition, hidden behind pride.
I love how you pointed out him refusing to help Genesis because that would prove his monster existance true - the most morally gray decision for him, from both the Jenova side (wanting Genesis to die), and his human side (wanting to believe him not being a monster might still be true). Either way, this is just my depiction of his character. Lovely video, makes me appriciate this game's wonderful writing all over! It also makes me love Sephiroth even more, both as a kind human being, and a masterfuly complex villain after his fall.
Thanks for this. I love reading through other people’s perspectives as well. In my opinion, the fact that we can have these varying interpretations shows that the writing, for the most part, is good and that we love the story, of course.
Even before I started playing 'The First Soldier' and had the opportunity to see things from the perspective of such a young Sephiroth, I always had the impression that, despite thinking he was so special, thanks to the treatment he receives, Sephiroth was very... lacking in family.
I mean, he doesn't know who his parents are and he was raised in a laboratory and military environment. But he certainly grew up hearing people talk about their families, their parents, siblings, children, nephews, etc. He would hear these things, then look at himself, and see that he had none of it. He might even be admired as a soldier, but a soldier was all he was. He wasn't a son, a brother, or a nephew... he was just Sephiroth, the wonder boy. And my impression only became even more fixed after 'The First Soldier'.
There, he carries a photo of Lucrecia, but thinks her name is Jenova. He knows that the woman in the picture is his mother, but he knows her by the wrong name. And the person who told him that could only have been Hojo. The same Hojo who, according to Sephiroth, in another scene, where he laughs nervously when he sees someone say that materia allows people to use "magic", always got angry with him when he used that same term to refer to scientific facts. The same Hojo who, during a not-so-filler Halloween event, appears in Sephiroth's memories only as a voice telling him that he must endure the pain because it will make him stronger. This probably refers to the experiments they continued to carry out on him after his birth.
I think that the special treatment he received was entirely focused on his combat skills. In 'The First Soldier' you also learn that he doesn't even know that whistling to call people is rude. But why did he whistle to call people? Could it be that someone also whistles to get his attention... just as you would with a dog?
He also says that all the propaganda they've built up about the Wutai war is a lie, that he was never in Wutai, and that he never wanted to be a hero. He says that what he always wanted was just... to have a normal life.
Sephiroth probably never went to school like a normal child, but at the same time, he's extremely intelligent and has a knack of explaining things to you even if you haven't asked for it.
He also was like "hey, what was that?" when Glenn hugs him and apologizes for calling him a Cyborg. He also looks shy but happy when Lucia pets him on the head. And he's clearly becoming very attached to the trio of new characters introduced to us in 'The First Soldier'. I think this is totally linked to my view that Sephiroth lacks a family.
Lucia isn't exactly a mother figure, but she's a female figure who shows him kindness. Glenn isn't a father figure either, but he certainly acts like a big brother to Sephiroth. Matt hasn't had any major moments with Sephiroth yet, but I think that could happen in the next few chapters.
Since I believe Square won't even think about ruining its favorite child, aka FFVII, if we stop to think about the fact that this trio isn't part of Crisis Core... perhaps Sephiroth will lose these friends over the course of the story. Whether by death or desertion, we don't know yet. But the fact remains that, one way or another, Sephiroth will be separated from this "family". And that may explain his colder behavior in the future. Maybe that's also why he spends a year purposely failing the missions to capture Genesis and Angeal. He doesn't want to lose another family.
It's also worth remembering that when Genesis got injured after what happened in the VR training room, Sephiroth and Angeal were outside the medical area (?) waiting to receive news from Genesis. And when Hollander said that Genesis would need a transfusion, Sephiroth immediately offered himself to be a donor, but Angeal stopped him and Hollander said he wasn't a viable donor. And he's so... sad about it. Angeal and Hollander enter, and Sephiroth is still standing outside, looking at the door. I believe he may also have remembered this at the moment when he denied sharing his cells with Genesis. What if he only made things worse for Genesis? And besides, he saw the bad things Genesis did in his own supposed homeland.
Whether his humanity was questioned or not, whether Genesis was one of his best friends or not, in addition to what I mentioned above, he may also have thought that helping Genesis wasn't a good idea at the moment.
Now, back to the point about Lucrecia's photo... I believe that within Sephiroth's lack of family, the lack of a mother figure is the most painful for him. And the moment he has this "awakening", if I can still call it that after we have more details from 'The First Soldier', perhaps, as a defense mechanism, by having learned that everything he was told was a lie, he clung to that one truth that seemed to close the big hole in his chest: the hole about his mother.
Suddenly, he, who no longer had a family (his friends) and didn't even know whether he was a human or a monster, discovered that he had a mother, and that she was trapped in a reactor serving as a source of genetic material for Shinra's experiments.
At that moment, that's all that matters to him. He has a mother, and she's trapped in a glass. She's probably dead too, but he still wants to see her, wants to save her, wants to be with her. And the people from Nibelheim, in his mind, were complicit in what Shinra did to her simply because the reactor was there, in their town. This, coupled with the lies he learned from the mansion's archives, may have been what led him to cause the incident.
'Last Order' may not be completely canon, but... I still remember the tear that escaped from his eye when he hugged Jenova's head and fell into the Lifestream. I simply can't interpret this scene as something non-canonical.
I strongly believe that he was completely sure that he had found the one thing that he had missed the most throughout his life: his mother. And even after falling into the Lifestream and learning the truth about Jenova, it doesn't change the fact that, for all intents and purposes, she's still his mother in his mind; in his heart.
Okay, his will has become stronger than Jenova's. But he continues to cling to the idea that she's his mother in Advent Children. He says that what he want is "to sail the cosmos with this planet as my vessel. Just as Mother did long ago. Then one day we will find a new planet, and on it's soil, we will create a shining future."
Sephiroth says "We" and not "I".
Even after overcoming her will, even after trying to evolve, he still clings to Jenova as his mother, because after discovering that his life was a lie, and that even the information Shinra had about her was false, none of this changes the fact that he has her cells. None of this changes the fact that he is as much a part of her as she is of him now.
Just knowing that Jenova is his mother is enough for him, because she filled the great void that existed in his heart after all he went through. Jenova as his mother is all that's left for Sephiroth.
None of this will ever justify his attitudes, but I always feel sorry for Sephiroth when I stop to think about him.
I'm a fantasy writer, and I also LOVE writing my favorite characters in RP (roleplaying games). Interpreting Sephiroth through my texts is always... fun in a somewhat sad way, sometimes. The best part of RP is that you can put characters in different situations than the ones they live in in their respective stories, and imagining how they would react to these differences, how they would DEVELOP within these differences, is what makes the experience so interesting.
I always like to joke with my friend that if Sephiroth had a real mother from the beginning, none of this would have happened.
Maybe I'm right... 🥲The point is that Sephiroth is truly a great character. I even have a figure of him on my desk, and I'm jealous of Square for having created him before me.
I always like to refer to my characters as my children. Sephiroth may not have been created by me, but I've fondly adopted him as my own son.
@@MaeDoVankar What an amazing view! I always love coming back to this video and the comments. So many unique perspectives. I agree with everything, and am really looking forward to what Rebirth will bring. They said they would like to give him more screen time, and expand on his character which i couldnt be more excited about.
I think The First Soldier is awesome, but im almost sure its end is going to be tragic. Especially with the first scene with adult Sephiroth casting Firaga against possibly Glenn, im not so optimistic! Luckly, I think a lot of time will pass until we get to that point, and hopefully we will have time to heal from whatever Rebirth throws at us.
I feel his strong connection to the idea of a mother he lacked can be seen as a trauma he never overcame. His inner child was eager to heal, even at the cost of bonding with an alien-like creature and falling for its evil and manipulative calls. Jenovas evil hunger for power and Sephiroth's weak, traumatized persona was the perfect combination for birthing the antagonist he became.
@@tarapogancevThank you! I swear I was constantly checking my TH-cam notifications just to see if you'd replied to my comment, haha 😂 But the notification never came, and I only saw it now because I decided to look for the answer on my own.
I'm also excited for Rebirth ever since I saw that trailer where my boy appeared as a playable character. I wonder if Square will follow the original, even if the way there has different details. And I also agree with you. Everything indicates that The First Soldier's ending will be tragic... I'm not ready, and I'm sure I'll cry a lot.
I've been attached to Sephiroth since the day I watched Advent Children for the first time, which was my first contact with the franchise. I think I was about 12 at the time. I spent MONTHS researching the lore, looking for the ps1 game, and as my perception of things matured over the years, the more I wanted to put it in a jar.
I'd love Rebirth to explore a little more of this "lack of mother" that he seems to have, and also to show his perspective while he was in the Lifestream acquiring knowledge and discovering the whole truth about Jenova.
I think we could even classify Sephiroth as someone who suffers from emotional dependency, and it would be terrible if Jenova could have direct interaction with him. She would certainly do the same thing Shinra has always done: use him as a tool. But he wouldn't mind simply because she's his mother...
@@MaeDoVankar I love your backstory with the game and it's characters! My first experience was simmilar, but I first went into Crisis Core universe before diving head-first into the divinity that FF7 OG is. We are counting down the days until Rebirth, and I can imagine that particual game holding more emotinal weight for me than the third installment would (unless they change the story majory?). Specifically because of the Kalm flashback, but Im eager to see!
It’s crazy how we were children and consuming all of this complexity. I love these stories of the past. thank you for your analysis and for guiding this information into something so digestible and entertaining
Thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I never considered that Genesis had accepted redemption at the end, but I guess you're right. That makes me wonder, if Genesis is due to return as the end of Dirge of Cerberus implies, will he be a friend rather than a villain? Will he be seeking to set things right rather than pursuing his own selfish ambitions once again?
Yep, he chose redemption. It’s not stated in the game (surprise, surprise), but in the FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania, it’s states that Genesis changed his ways after fighting Zack and elected to protect the planet. Then he sealed himself away in that cave, which was a weird, considering the planet had been in danger numerous times since he sealed himself away and he never intervened, only waking up after he was really needed. I think this is something that Square is attempting to rectify with the Remake continuity though. I definitely think Genesis will be in Rebirth, and he should appear as a friend.
Genesis will probably appear as a friend in Rebirth as a friend on Zak's side.
I think Rebirth will follow 2 parallel world. 1 with Cloud party when Zack dies. 1 with Zack's party when Tifa, Aerith and everyone important in midgar dies.
@@mezuGCI think he should be one of the keys Considering the fact that he Is partially responsible for his former friend going mad/insane.. Genesis was a really toxic friend Is that destroyed the fellowship.
@@elpopman2055totally. Like, I remember ppl calling Genesis annoying (true though) and useless, but he’s actually a major catalyst for Sephiroth’s downfall by mere words and his departure. Genesis grew up rich and entitled and could only see what Sephiroth was and had and want it for himself, initially just admiration the turned to twisted envy. Genesis and the rest of the world failed to see that Sephiroth actually had nothing and was no one, beyond the titles and strength others dictated for him. Angeal was poor and more humble, so he ended up as the buffer between Genesis and Sephiroth -but the fact is, unlike what Sephiroth thought, there was never the triad (Gen, Angeal and Seph) nor the quartet (Gen, Angeal, Seph and Zack); it was either the duo Genesis and Angeal…. then Sephiroth, or the triad Gen, Angeal and Zack…. Then Sephiroth. Genesis leaves, and Angeal follows him, leaving Sephiroth behind. Then Angeal continues to be in contact with Zack, but not Sephiroth. First thing Genesis said to Sephiroth after years of nc in Nibelheim was calling a monster of sorts? It was a direct attack at Sephiroth’s doubts on his humanity, and it must have hurt so bad because it came from his supposed friend (later Zack’s dumb comments just exacerbate it). Then next minute Genesis has the audacity to beg Sephiroth, the monster in his eyes, to save him? No wonder Sephiroth told him to rot. Like the shitty friend he always was Genesis just wanted to use Sephiroth one more time. Like, if Genesis is seeking redemption then he also must face what he did to Sephiroth.
And with the new info of him having a picture of Lucrecia but refers to her as Jenova, some people are now saying this ultimately made his “awakening” nonsensical, let me just say this:
Like what the video says, Sephiroth's descent into madness is driven by multiple factors, but the primary instigator was his discovery of his true nature as a result of the Jenova Project and the environment he lived on spanning over 2 decades of his life, being groomed into being the ideal SOLDIER which led to his cold and distant temperament, whilst also being caught in a web of lies, deception and manipulation by the institution that provided for him. Even if he had known a sliver about his biological mother, Lucrecia, it would not have prevented his descent into madness because his turmoil from within himself goes beyond just his parentage.
Sephiroth could simply add the picture of Lucrecia, to the large pile of lies Hojo/Shinra made because everything he cherished from his childhood, was excised from learning the truth about his origins.
Edit: Now I am eager to see what led to Sephiroth maligning Hojo and his further admiration for Gast. Sephiroth might have had an Ennis Del Mar moment where he imagined how Jack Twist died. Because the relationship between Sephiroth and Gast was never explored at all, all that’s left of what the relationship between the two was Sephiroth quivering in fear at how did Gast die, implying that Sephiroth is thinking that there was foul play behind his death.
Great points here. Really interested in seeing how Sephiroth learned to dislike Hojo so much, too. I think we've already seen glimpses of the reason in Ever Crisis - namely, that he didn't realize certain behavior such as whistling to summon others was rude and demeaning. We might be able to assume that Hojo similarly whistled to summon Sephiroth as if he was a dog. Because he was so isolated, he didn't realize that some of the way he was treated was so terrible. It was probably not until he met Glenn and the others that he began to understand.
@@Sephironacould be because Hojo was just an unlikable prick. Sephiroth does his horrible stuff for reasons he sees as justifiable but Hojo does it because he's a prick.
Great stuff! Although I don't necessarily agree with your theory that Sephiroth has always been twisted and inhumane, I want to point out another reason about why Hojo wanted Sephiroth to "awaken" - Hojo had been studying Jenova for a very long time at that point, and after being in proximity to it for so long, I believe that Jenvoa's madness / influence had permeated his own mind to some extent, making him (to a degree at least) another one of its many victims. Tseng also mentions that he believes this to be the case in one of the novels (The Kids Are Alright).
Oh really!? I’ll have to find that part in the novel. I completely missed that.
Jenova knocking on people's door
I strongly agree with this take. The fact that Hojo had already a twisted mind, was perfect for something like Jenova's eldritch influence during long term exposure or experimentation. He was obsessed with her (red flag ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)), and at the end of the original game he had completely gave in to Sephiroth's will by the time the Midgar assault happens.
In defence of Sephiroth refusing to heal Genesis, the guy had just called him a monster. Seriously, Sephiroth was having an existential crisis and Genesis thought the best way to get his help was telling him he's an abomination? Not surprising Sephiroth told him to rot (he also though Genesis was trying to manipulate him).
Tbf Genesis was also having an existential crisis and going insane, so I doubt he quite had a lid on social etiquettes...
@@mostlyimpulsive3462 True. All Firsts are a mess (unofficial ones included, hi Cloud)
My theory: he realized what "nature" or "the world" meant. Having come from Jenova, he had to adjust his world view to adding the outside=space to his conception of the world. But most of space is the absence of life=death. So much like FF7 tells the player he is to the planet like a cell is to an organism, Sephiroth expands that notion to the universe. The planet is like but a cell to the larger organism of space... Which is death. This corroded his ideals. Sephiroth then becomes the extreme of nature much like Midgar is the extreme of artifice. The cetra lie somewhere in-between.
It makes the Rebirth phrase 'what is fact and what is fiction' and 'what is Sephiroth's end goal' make a lot more sense. Sephiroth actually thinks he is doing Cloud a favor, pushing him to find his true self, just as he did. He probably does think himself the hero in that regard, and for all we know, maybe he is. Seeing Sephiroth make a 180 degree change in that instant and letting everything go bespeaks just how strong his will is. And how weak Cloud's is. However, in Remake/Rebirth, it seems like Sephiroth is trying to get back that humanity as he knows Cloud has something that he lacks. Makes one wonder if Sephiroth will actually win this time. Fantastic video!
"But through suffering, you will go strong. Isn't that what you what?" I can see your point.
Love the fact that Jenova is essentially a reference to John Carpenter's The Thing.
A ripoff you mean?
@@threestars2164 Yeah and no. I know a few loved the movies.
After nearly 20 years, only now did it click for me (thanks to you video) that Cloud had used Jenova's Mimic ability to so thoroughly "become" Zack. This game's story just keeps on giving.
Clone angst trope, isolation, mania, psychotic break. Pretty standard "youre not actually a person" response in sci-fi. I'm confident Cloud didnt entirely spill his basket soley because he had people who cared for him. Like, Tifa knew something was going on and chose not to correct Cloud on his stories. Saving us from even more high pitched flashy screens.
The narration on Advent Children was fine for me cause it's based on Marlene's perspective, that's why it sounds oversimplified
Ah, I get you. That’s fair.
One of the best in depth analysis of Sephiroth and his character arc that I've seen. Excellent video, great to watch before we get to play Rebirth and understand Sephiroth's mindset and his ambitions and how he wasn't being controlled by Jenova when he loses his mind, it was his will in the driver seat during the game and he uses Jenova and her power to achieve his goals.
One of the best!? Wow! Thanks for watching and for the comment. Really appreciate it.
this was amazing, i cant get enough of any in depth looks at any of the ffvii characters. sephiroth is so complex, its always interesting getting a full breakdown. loved this so much!
It’s a good time to be a FFVII fan. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
@@mezuGC it really is! i just started streaming solely so i can do an in-depth playthrough of this and share all of the knowledge the community has uncovered over the years. The game that just keeps on giving!
Thank you so much for the explanation! 💜I always wanted to learn about Sephiroth's downfall and how he went to madness, but after hearing the video you made, it all makes more sense; abandoning his humanity because he thinks after knowing everything, is all but illusion and meaningless to be cherished. Especially in Ever Crisis story of young Sephiroth, unlike Genesis & Angeal, he only being taught to fight instead to live in a legit family, who once thought letting his emotion will determine he will survive in the battlefield or not. He had been living a hellish life as a SOLDIER since young age and to think that those times and everything was just an illusion will surely bring him fall into insanity and embrace to become more superior or godhood.
I still also can't wait to see more in Ever Crisis story as to how he gets Lucrecia's pic, and so on
I just found this video and it was great! While I was aware of Genesis's degradation and its effects, it also made me think about Sephiroth state of health as well. Shinra, Hojo, etc. kept saying he was “perfect”, but What IF he wasn't as they all believed he was? What IF he was also suffering from degradation like Genesis but instead of affecting his body it was only slowly affecting his mind? During all that time, reading every book in Shinra Manor caused him a significant amount of stress. Prolong exposure to stress can potentially impact cognitive function and degrade overall mental well-being. Lack of sleep compounded with prolong stress had caused this to accelerate his mind to degrade even further both mentally and at a cellular level, hence his Jenova cells.
This is single-handedly the greatest FF7 video I have ever watched. You absolutely nailed it, dude. Fantastic analysis.
Thanks, bro! I checked out your channel just now, by the way. I love the translation mods for FFVIIR. Much appreciated.
@@mezuGC Oh dude, thank you! I’m almost done, actually-the Sector 5 slums file is all that’s left and it is *mammoth.*
Nice! Those will be great to watch before Rebirth.
@@mezuGC Bet you ten bucks they localized Neo Bahamut. I’ll be the nerd talking about it.
What makes matters worse, its revealed in Ever Crisis that while Sephiroth is training when he is 16 (not exactly sure) years old during the Rhadoran War. Hojo had given Sephiroth a photo of Lucrecia and making him think her name is Jenova, even worse while Sephiroth's name was uttered as a hero. Sephiroth wouldnt become one officially until his first field mission at the Rhadoran war.
Finally after several years of explanation from different sources. This video brings a lot of clarity to Sephiroth as a character. Great video
I wonder why Angeal and Genesis were brought up with families and Sephiroth wasn't? I wonder if it was an experiment to see how each one turned out?
A very well put together video! You've got my like!
So, after Project G was labeled a failure, Gillian was caught trying to run away with Angeal, who was a child at the time. Shinra sent Gillian and Angeal to Banora village, and Genesis was sent there around the same time. Shinra had decided to use Banora village as a place to secretly monitor people involved with Project G and prevent any leaks about the experimentation. Gillian loved Angeal, which is why she tried to run away with him. Genesis’s foster parents were assigned by Shinra to monitor him, as both he and Angeal were expected to show some sort of abilities as they got older, but they eventually grew to love him as well. That’s how it happened. It wasn’t necessarily an experiment. They just wanted to keep things quiet. Sephiroth was the “success,” so Shinra kept him close and molded him into who they wanted him to be.
@@mezuGC I see, thank you for clearing it up for me 😊.
Can’t wait to see more of your videos.
Because Genesis and Angeal were both deemed "failues" and Sephiroth wasn't. Or in other words, Hojo was in a much better position politically in the company than Hollander was, and ultimately won out for control of the science department.
Sephiroth was institutionalised his whole life because the company thought he was valuable. Genesis and Angeal were put out to grass because the company deemed them otherwise.
It's like 3 children were Living Case Studies... very sad,
Experiment #1. Angeal. Fed with Warmth, Familiarty, Idealism... results humble qualities, heroism, and kept his humanity.
Experiment #2. Genesis. Have some tact with Control Enviroment. And Familiar Environment, let's go ahead and give some dose of Idealism and some False Praise... Results... Child Goes Rouge, goes through all Steps off Grief and Depression. Accepts reality and humanity again.
Experiment #3 Sephiroth... GAME OVERRRRRRRRRRRR
You know now that you mention this Sephirpoth kind of comes of like Homelander in a sense since he wasn't raised with a family but instead like a lab rat.
this is an ingenious analysis including so much information that i would never have had access to in the first place and i thank you for your hard work and excellent delivery on a beloved gray villain. Cheers.
I still have a lot of things to improve on, but thank you! More content is coming.
Brother, you did an excellent job with this whole video. It truly elevated Sephiroth in my eyes. Always thought he was an over hyped villain until now
Thanks! It’s cool that you see him in a different light now.
You definitely deserve more subs. This video is pretty well done, it's very informative, and you're able to make this information feel new even though it has been in our faces for over 20 years.
Thanks! But I really have to give a lot of credit to Shinra Archaeology Department (@ShinraArch on Twitter). Even now, they’re translating the Japanese guidebooks and interviews for FFVII, giving us new information that we previously didn’t know. It made doing this video x1000 times easier.
10/10 video I can tell so much heart, and work has been put into this. Thank you so much for the quality content!
No, thank you for watching it! I’ll keep up the good work.
Pretty great analysis, the only thing I wouldn't liked under consideration that after he learns what he is at the nibelheim reactor the way he suffers head pains like cloud does through ff7 and the remake makes me think that being in close proximity to Jenova allowed her to influence or even activate his awakening if not outright corrupting it to her own means.
I have always wondered how far gone is / was Sephiroth. Could he have been saved? Crisis Core didn't show a man who was a cold, lone wolf. He was quiet - as years of isolation and experimentation lead him to be socially underdeveloped, but still very much interested in friendships. Angeal and Genesis hurt him deeply when they left without explanation. Zack was new, but there were moments Sephiroth was friendly. FF7's first memory of him was brooding in Nibelhiem where he'll learn everything and see Jenova for himself.
I wish the remake provided an opportunity to truly change the events of FF7, and try to salvage Aerith and Sephiroth. What's the point of changing the story if you don't change a major element after all? Just give us all the improved graphics beat by beat of the original otherwise. Some might argue that'd change the entire game, and isn't that the point of creating an 'alternate timeline' storyline? An interesting reminder that we're not fighting Sephiroth in FF7. He's encased from his injury. We fight Jenova until the end.
As a victim of medical abuses, I can also say that I understand that Sephiroth got mad. I mean, I'm not supporting him in what he did (there's no excuse in destroying a while village and killing dozens of innoncent people) but this feeling of revenge, besides madness, is also truly understandable.
This is an excellent explanation; I never really understood Sephiroth, or Angeal and Genesis. Thank you!
Dude, this was a goldmine of info and lore on not just Sephiroth but on many other characters and the whole of FFVII. Like, Omnicloudx13 said, this is one of the best and most well put analysis videos I've seen. It helped me understand FFVII's story and characters, Sephiroth especially of course, more than most other videos I've seen on the subject. (This is before I've seen your Lifestream video too, which I'm looking forward to.) And it helped me appreciate Cloud more too, one of my favorite characters of all time, along with Genesis and Angeal. Great video, man. You deserve more subs.
Awesome research, set up, delivery and writing. Gonna binge the rest of your videos after this and hope you keep creating more
Appreciate it! More coming soon.
I've always said Hojo is the true self-absorbed villain, Jenova is a force of Chaos, and Sephiroth is a tragic antigonist. Those are the primary types of "bad guy" in storytelling.
Well, Gackt kept reading the same 3 pages of Loveless to him, any man would have lost it
I think Sephiroth truly lost it when he realized Cloud was trying to imitate his best friend Zack. The spoken hair, the sword...it was maddening! Then add that Zack old fling Aeiris was trying to date said wannabe! Se3pt was like " HELL NO!" Zack was truly was a bro to him, and he wouldn't let his death go unavenged without tormenting his copy cat!😂
Excellent video. It really made me reconsider Sephiroth's nature. I was under the impression that Angeal and Genesis mattered to him, that the betrayal of Shrina mattered. The only thing I kinda disagree with is Jenova having no real hold on Sephiroth's actions. If her instincts tell her to destroy and Sephiroth is so much of her then it does elude to him instinctually carrying out her will. Now does he do his own thing on top of that, yeah, but I think he isn't entirely in control. They have a somewhat symbiotic relationship.
Great Video. Interesting side fact that got revelaed in the newest mobile game Ever Crisis. Sepiroth was told that his mother was Jenova but received a photo of his human mother Lucrecia that he carried with him. On a mission he showed his underlings this photo asking them if they know this women by chance referring to her as Jenova.
I know nothing of FF games outside of spinoffs like Crystal Chronicles, but, your precision on this topic, how layman you present it and breakdown the more complicated concepts really keeps things engaging for noobs like me. Masterful video.
Thanks. I know these storylines can be complicated, so I aim to make things as simple as possible.
Look into ffx
Great video, I've been engrossed in FF7 for 20 yrs and still learned some new things
Thank you, and same. I learned a lot when I was researching for this.
FF7 Rebirth did a fantastic job at showing how involved Jenova was in his transformation and afterwards! :D
At one point during his basement scene at Shinra Manor, it looks like her infectious influence fully latched on to him the moment he suffered severe self-doubt - which is the same as what Sephy is doing to Cloud in the present. 😮
Whether Jenova is still in control or Sephiroth overpowered that influence is still up for grabs.
Absolutely loved it! ❤
Sephiroth saw humanity prospering, even a small town like Nibelheim, living off by leeching off his "mother". So of course the village had to burn for it. Humanity had to burn, so he could take the planet back what he thought was rightfully his.
Dude you added sooooo much needed context to what I thought I knew. You the best man
I think a lot of sephiroths descent into madness was spurred by an intense loneliness and longing to belong. He finds out hes basically a science project and no more human than the creatures in the mako reactor. The revelation destroyed his already vulnerable psyche from being the strongest and feeling like he has no equals that can treat him as a true friend rather than a goal or idol. This loneliness would only have intensified and twisted deeper and deeper as he sees the failed experiments that are his 'kin' wander broken and lame, and the only two subjects that almost DID succeed, IE angeal and genesis were also failures and started to degrade even before his discovery. Sephiroths whole life had been lonely and isolated, with very few and very brief connections that ultimately failed and ended abruptly. Then factor in the weeks of not sleeping and reading all the horrific experiments performed to succesfully create him and the other subjects finally snapped what was left of this vulnerable, and ultimately very sad persons morality and sanity
Such a wonderfully put together video, I very much enjoyed myself! Something I feel you failed to go into though, and probably the most important aspect to me is the fact that both Angeal and Genesis were raised by regular, loving families. They most likely instilled in them proper moral etiquete wheras Sephiroth was not raised in a family. In fact he was raised in the most hostile environment imaginable, being taught that any lesser being (Shinra's enemies) were meant to be subjugated or murdered. It's not surprising that given this lack of moral compass, among eveything else you described, that he'd take those lessons to the conclusion that those lesser beings encompass humanity as a whole.
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. And I agree with you. The environment and family dynamics are definitely something to consider with these characters.
Bruh I could listen to your PBS documentary ass voice all day, these videos are so goated
I need to get this comment framed Lmao.
This is great. This backstory deserves its own movie or game.
Sephiroth also didn't have anything to cherish at that point. He was from his perspective completely abandoned. Shinra never really mattered to him, confirmed by him saying that he has no home, and by his plans of leaving Shinra. His only friends and likely the only people he ever considered close, had left him. He tried to befriend Zack, but never got the time to actually grow that fond of him.
Growing up as an experiment and having joined SOLDIER so early, likely caused him to never really develop any emotional skills leaving him never being able to process his emotions properly. By the time he is sent to Nibelheim he is already on the verge of breaking down, even if he doesn't even know it himself.
I believe that when Genesis first tells Sephiroth that he is a monster he is distraught and angry at him for suggesting that being the case, so he tells Genesis that he's gonna leave him to die. I don't think it was because he had completely lost his humanity in that instant, it was because he was simply just pissed at Genesis for at first abandoning him and then trying tell him the harsh reality that he already had started to question. What he finds out is his final straw, he has nothing to lose at that point except, Jenova.
Sephiroth was already at a more vulnerable state, so Hojo saw that as a perfect opportunity to see what will happen if Sephiroth finds out everything now. He was to also likely trying to carry out Jenova's will too, considering he had injected himself with Jenova's cells as well.
When Sephiroth finds out everything he doesn't just embrace the monster due to his nature, but also because he never had anything to really connect him to humanity anymore. It was both Jenova's will and the circumstances he was in that led him to that path.
I always had the headcannon that were was Sephiroth the SOLDIER & Sephiroth the 'Angel' two different personas born from the fracture of his sanity than his soul as the SOLDIER represented the good he was once while the 'Angel' became the monster born from Jenova, but damn your video really was good
This is quite enlightening. I was always a bit confused with Sephiroth's dialogue in Shinra manor. Also I thought he was just saying what he said to Cloud at the Northern Crater to control Cloud but I didn't know he was speaking about himself.
*in the mako reactor after Sephiroth burns the town*
Zack: Wait wait, hold on. Tell me why you're doing this. Seriously.
Sephiroth: Why do you do it?
Zack: Honor, mainly.
Sephiroth: There you go.
Zack: Naw, come on! Man, some straight like you, giant stick up his ass, all of a sudden at age, what, 40(?), he just gonna break bad?
Sephiroth: I'm 30.
Zack: It's weird is all, ok?! It doesn't compute! Listen, if you've gone crazy or something, I mean... if you've gone "crazy" or depressed, I'm just saying that's something I need to know about! Ok? I mean, that affects me!
Sephiroth: ... I am awake.
Zack: ... What?!?
I always thought that someone at Shinra, most likely Hojo, had setup the whole thing so that Sephiroth would go to Nibbleheim. I feel like Crisis Core undermines this fact by introducing the plot element that there's a shortage of 1st class SOLDIERs, since, in that version of the story, it would be plausible that they just had no other choice but to send the only 1st class SOLDIERs they had left.
My only complaint here, is that after the nibelheim incident, Sephiroth did not die. While last order was much maligned, it was an attempt to show he did not die. Others go for losing consciousness after falling in. But in any version, he doesnt experience death until the end of ff7. Thus sephiroth agreeing that he died was meant to set off alarms.
Cloud becomes conscious when Sephiroth wakes up in crisis core.
Otherwise fantastic work.
Are you saying he didn’t die spiritually? Because physically, he did die.
@@mezuGC If you check the English script for OG's ending, for advent children's Cloud near death experience, LifeStream black, Cloud post LifeStream/second mako poisoning, and Evan Townshend falling into the lifestream... the LifeStream doesn't kill. With the exception of a weak mind, the LifeStream heals and guides.
Physically, he has a spinal injury. He loses his lower half as the LifeStream cannot restore his body. But if his will was strong, he would not die there.
Those with a strong sense of self are healed and guided. Those with a weak sense of self are physically healed and left brain-fried.
LifeStream black depicts a man enduring his first death. Never before had he lost everything and had to struggle to preserve himself. There was no need to attach and anchor himself onto anything, he wasn't dead. Genesis, who also isn't dead, pulled the same move in Dirge; a shield of water in the shape of materia to slumber and allow his mind to explore the LifeStream safely. Back to Sephiroth, at that point in LifeStream black a dead Sephiroth no longer even knows his name, his appearance, he is simply perishing, integrating into the lifestream. No, he won't let it. He attached himself to Cloud and made Cloud the core of his existence, keeping himself alive by the hatred from Cloud.
In the OG, there was no need to do this. He explored the LifeStream with his mind in much the same way Evan Townshend does and Cloud/Tifa do, while alive.
The last order depicts Sephiroth choosing to jump into the mako purposefully, intentionally, because they were working on a compilation where it needed to be clear he didn't die there.
Other revisions opt for ideas of why he didn't just leave it after falling in, as such in one case he is slung into a fuse box and electrocuted.
The other thing I would debate is whether or not his will overpowered Jenova. After all, Ultimanias Omega... Jenova escapes; yes Palmer saw someone that looked like Sephiroth, but it's clearly written Jenova left of her own accord. The men in black robes are carrying her about. Sephiroth on the boat didn't recognize Cloud. Not because he forgot due to being dead, but because that isn't Sephiroth. It's Jenova using an efficient appearance to traverse unimpeded.
In remake, the two Sephiroths behave strangely compared to the one in Cloud's head. They do not refer to Cloud by name. It doesn't really care to taunt or flaunt what is being done, it doesn't berate or praise. It pulsates the Jenova call and says "Don't deny me. Embrace me." It then brings up reunion, but there's no connection. It's inhuman. It's Sephiroth.
It also flies without a wing, something Sephiroth could only do in the OG as Jenova tentacles using Sephiroth 's appearance. The stab to Barret is also impossible, but quite fitting for a tendril. And neither 49 or 2 is Sephiroth. They suicide to join some other body or Jenova's body itself.
In the rebirth trailer we got a while ago, while fighting Jenova, it seems Cloud's mind Sephiroth tells us about Jenova, as if trying to help Cloud see past what it is and the call, as if needing Cloud not to fall to it.
After all, Jenova wins in the compilation. The Zirconiade is destroyed, Omega is destroyed, total destruction is inevitable, all that holds Sephiroth alive will also vanquish. Jenova's will shall end Sephiroth.
I believe in after his death he finally becomes free.. we have the human "I" male making a return, where after his fall into the lifestream, Sephiroth changed to a genderless formal, omniscient "I".
I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't continue to be the proper bad guy. Or that he and Jenova end up having a diverging intention. The Arbiter has Jenova-like traits with Sephiroth imprisoned inside it's chest, only four whispers work with Sephiroth in remake, while the rest push toward continuing on with planetary destruction.
Seems awfully weird behavior for a planetary weapon, doesn't it? To push to continue towards self destruction.
Wow, I really like your takes on why Sephiroth became or is who he is. I think that it also explains quite well his reason for wanting to f-k with Cloud‘s head. He can‘t stand that someone - like Cloud - came to best him inside the Mako Reactor and proving that Sephiroth can‘t be as superior as he believes himself to be - or else Cloud wouldn‘t have stood a chance against him…
I‘m not sure if the lore in Ever Crisis is going to disprove that, but still I think that your thoughts make a lot of sense.
Ah, I really love Videos like these. So glad that the algorithm brought me here.
I‘m excited to see what other content you have in store! ☺️
Thanks for uploading!
Ehh, I don't think Sephiroth cares about any of that. He fuc*s with Cloud because he's his strongest asset, and he knows how to manipulate him into doing his bidding. That's simply all. And ultimately, its Jenova that's doing it.
The algorithm brought me here and I totally dig it. Liked and subscribed
This compilation was incredible. One of the most thoughtful and thorough examinations of Sephiroth. Although i disagree with some aspects of the telling, i feel like there is an argument to be had for everything you mentioned. It's insane just how much lore there is surrounding this character, and just how deep his story is. This is a fictional character. I believe this is why Sephiroth has stood the test of time and is arguably one of the single most popular and iconic characters ever created in gaming and otherwise. Even his lore transcends as there are entire departments dedicated to it. One would be hard pressed to find a single other character that can boast that. I've researched this a bit and find there are hundreds of thousands of people who vehemently argue his lore. Also, I've found that no matter how awesome, strong,good, or bad the character , they are almost always matched up to Sephiroth to gauge their power and viability as a character. This is phenomenal. Truly incredible. Thank you so much for this❤❤❤
I believe Sephiroth mentally had 2 sides but in the end whatever goodness was in him was a very society definition of fitting in instead of a virtue code so he lived his entire life without equals but was driven to fit in through both nature and nurture, in the end he was proved he was unpleasantly enough a lonely genius human at the peak bringing in an attitude of bored ennui dotted with performative friendliness that he would refuse to abandon to not be an outcast(which may also be the reason he refused to save Genesis as he didn’t think of elevating him with his cells in an altruistic way that they could both live among humans but a selfish way of making him a lesser copy of himself and whatever he did would harm his position as a human so he abstained of choice) and little by little it was shown to him that his place among humans was uneeded for him(all those closest to his capabilities that he once in a gracious mood saw to grow emotional attachment towards were flawed and left without a legacy remaining) and when he finally could classify himself as a named non-human thing he applied himself to their situation in a way that gave him an equal who he could stand on the side of(though never groups he could actually talk to anyone) and become a general of their cause, no longer needing to fit in and being the predator he always denied himself to be.
All of this contours the 2nd side I mentioned and the one somewhat decent aspect of Sephiroth. His willingness to find where he belongs and legacy he can bear(being told as a monster means you’re just a failure that doesn’t fit as human but being told he is a cetra to then a cosmic virus is not a failure but a classification he could accept). Sadly he was raised in a dystopic capitalistic environment that admonished true emotional attachment but demanded performances of emotion and worth making his ideals as a human obviously weak and performative and oddly aligned to his instinctive nature as a cosmic parasite.
Dude, I loved the game series as a kid, but I had NO idea it could get this deep. Your video has inspired me to go down a rabbit hole. Great Content Sir. :)
Damn this video was really special, you deserve the sub buddy
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it.
This video blow my mind, for decades I always look at Sephiroth as a human who just lost his sanity after learning the truth. After a life of isolation and egoism. Him and Kefka somehow had a lot in common, the only difference is that Kefka was always knew and embracing his true nature while Sephiroth was living a facade cuz of this surrendings. Thank you for this retrospect of one if not the greatest video game villain in history.
Loved this video. Never played the series and now I have questions about cloud. Maybe you can reveal the truths of cloud next?
The thing is, I think Sephiroth *could* have chosen to hold onto his humanity. We know now from First Soldier that Sephiroth wasn't just a sociopath wearing a mask his whole life; he was raised to be a monster, but there was a real human there too with real feelings. And as Cloud eventually concludes, the lines between "real" self and "false" self aren't really all that important; it's all part of him and his life.
If Sephiroth had had more will or opportunity to develop stronger bonds with other people, as Cloud did, he might not have made the decision that he did. He could have continued to suppress the Jenova within him even after knowing the truth. He just... didn't.
There has been chatter from some fans, hoping for a redemption ark for Sephiroth and that never sat right with me, it didn't seem like a fathomable possibility. Hearing and watching this video only confirms what I guess I already knew......there's nothing to redeem.
This was a great breakdown and analysis, Thanks!
It’s crazy to see how divided the community is. Some people hate the remake because of the changes, but other people are hoping for a Sephiroth redemption arc. Personally, I like most of the changes made in the remake, but I would definitely draw the line at the notion of Sephiroth having a redemption arc. It just wouldn’t be right to me.
@@mezuGC True, personally I'm having a lot of fun with the remake and am excited, if not a little nervous, to see where it goes next.
I agree with you about Sephiroth, it would just seem so out of character that, I feel, it would completely ruin him, and reading everything that Square has written about him and such it really wouldn't make any sense.
@ryannestrife1003 You're literally subscribed to a bunch of racists. Are you unredeemable too?
A Sephiroth redemption arc can happen, but never in official material. He has a possible life as not a JENOVA/himself amalgamation, but as just a SOLDIER, or as a defector, but in FF7 one of the villains must be Sephiroth or else it is not a core FF7 game.
This has been quite the cruel angel's thesis... Thanks for the research. Seph is still my favorite FF character.
Lol, I first read the title as “Doormat Madness” and was like “wait, what?” 😂 “Dormant” makes a lot more sense.
Great analysis! I also love how you included Sephiroth's theme in your conclusion when he fully awakens. Style points 12/10. Great touch!
One of the best breakdown videos on sephiroth I've seen. Great job
Thank you. It’s crazy to read comments like this lol. Really appreciate it.
This is amazing, bro! The whole plot makes so much more sense to me now. Outstanding work!
Appreciate you bring up sources, very few do that for these types of videos.
You’re going to see a lot more guide references for FFVII videos across the board.
If what you said is correct, Sephiroth actually didn't lose His Mind, He actually regain his mind and become who he truly is. He's been losing his mind his whole life until he found out the truth and embrace who is he.
Great vid. It’ll be interesting to see how they expand on stuff in Rebrith and the 3rd part of the Remake Trilogy.
Same. Really excited for Rebirth!
This was good, I would say that the only thing countering Sephs hidden nature, would be Kadaj's nature, who I think was supposed to be a representation of Sephiroth's adolescent nature. I also think he genuinely cared for and felt abandoned by Professor Gast.
He's so OP and yet Defeated by someone like Cloud
Yoooooo! That makes a lot of sense, that Hojo orchestrated his “awakening”. I was wondering “why the hell would Shinra send Seph to Neibleheim knowing incriminating evidence about his origin was all conveniently gathered in one place?”
Heyo mezukami!! I really enjoyed your deep dive into Sephiroth's lore/psyche. Before the release of the remake, I would've agreed with everything you said but now it seems that it is trying to change some things with the direction that it seems to be going. Based on the Japanese language of the 7 seconds scene towards the end, it turns out that Cloud has been communicating with a Pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth all along. Before he went insane based on the way he talks. The Sephiroth that we have been facing is a post-advent children Sephiroth. It feels like this Sephiroth is trying to mess with time and space possibly to free himself from Jenova's influence. The game kind of implies that Sephiroth himself, is a puppet of Jenova? Maybe him questioning his humanity had mentally weakened his mind enough for Jenova to control him? I feel that Square is ultimately going to redeem Sephiroth in the end and possibly give him his own spin-off title after this trilogy has concluded while giving everyone else a happy ending........maybe Tifa will die instead, who knows? In order to sympathize with Sephiroth, they are allowing us to delve and play as his younger self from 1992 with the Prototype Soldier-0s in Evercrisis, The First SOLDIER Chapters (a lame gacha game). Tell me, what do you think? I could be completely wrong in my theory..........
So, for this video, I deliberately left out any Remake content and focused solely on the original continuity. I did this because I know some people don’t like the Remake, and because I consider the Remake to be a separate continuity. I might retouch on this topic with the Remake content later. As far as your theory, when it comes to the original continuity, I have to disagree with the idea that Sephiroth is a puppet of Jenova, or is being controlled by her, because there are guidebook statements that say that Sephiroth assumed control of Jenova and that she did not sway him. If you choose to disregard the guidebooks, which some people do, then your theory would be a possibility. When it comes to Sephiroth in the Remake continuity, I honestly don’t know what they’re planning for him. I can’t even theorize lol. But if he does turn out to be a puppet of Jenova in the Remake, which I don’t think is the case, that would be another deviation from the original story. Now, some people have pointed out that Sephiroth may have a sort of “Jenova instinct,” meaning he was in control of his own actions, but due to his DNA mixing with Jenova, he naturally wants to destroy and cause chaos. This could be true. It’s never confirmed, obviously, but I wouldn’t outright refute it either.
@@mezuGC Fair enough. I do hope I'm wrong cause redeeming Sephiroth is completely cliche and ruins his whole overall character arc........but Square LOVES milking this series making the Remake a continuation of the compilation and not too farfetch in capitalizing on a Sephiroth game that I really don't want....😅😅😅
This is a brilliant video. I know
It’s now cannon that through the events of OGFF7 the Jenova parts and sephiroth clones are being controlled by Sephiroth but it never made sense to me why the clones pay Cloud very little attention, it’s like they don’t recognise him. For this reason I assumed it was Jenova in control for a part of the game as she wouldn’t recognise Cloud. It’s probably an oversight because obviously all this extended lore wasn’t intended at first
Bro, this video essay was an excellent analytical deep dive on the character of Sephiroth. Thank you so much for creating this. Also, Sephiroth has a lot of characteristics in common with Lucifer (of the Bible), just saying.
Your research shows your dedication. Many props to you and creating this amazing video.
I'm sad I caught this two months later because wow, this was great!
Whether it’s two months ago or recently, thank you for watching, all the same.
Sincerely, from the bottom of heart as a child who got this game for christmas in 1997 and have played it every year since, you really get it. This is the best summary of Sephiroth as a character I have ever seen. I pretty much consider myself an expert on my favorite game and you connected some new dots for me that just made my whole day. Thank you for your perspective and fantastic detective work here. You absolutely nailed it. Now I gotta see what you think of the Remake/Rebirth sequel trilogy, because it's the same Sephiroth but (like you said).. how has he evolved?
This was so in-depth and well researched!! Amazing work!
If you're knowledgeable about ffvi, would you consider a video on Kefka and his descent into madness? He's an interesting character in my opinion. If ffvi isn't your forte, then no sweat. ^^
I hope you have a great day and that this video gets a ton of views! You deserve it!!🎉
I wouldn’t mind at all. I’ve never played FFVI, but I know about Kefka from playing Dissidia. I have plans to do videos across the entire Final Fantasy series as well as the Kingdom Hearts series. I hope I’ll be able to bring all of them to life. Thank you for watching my work, and I hope you have a great day as well.
One of my favourite things about Crisis Core was how it made Sephiroth a genuinely likeable guy, so when you find out you're heading to Nibelheim, it actually does sting a bit and make you kinda dread the next mission.
I always thought that Sephiroth we faced throughout the game was clone/copy and not the real him. That he never went insane and was simply ending what Shinra started. His laughter didn't feel like laughter of madman but laughter of someone experiencing something incredulous. Nibleheim was not innocent village out in boonies, some people may have been, but majority were Shinra employees. Chances are that only innocent ones were children and everyone else were involved with Shinra mansion.
After all, you hear the story from supposedly Tifa, a distressed victim of the incident who knew nothing of what was going on with mild memory impairment and Cloud whose memories were shattered. At the reactor Sephirot didn't kill Zack. He didn't kill Tifa. Even after Cloud stabbed him with sneak attack while he was distracted, he only took the head of Jenova and left the reactor. He only injured them during combat but didn't kill them. Only reason Cloud got impaled is because he chased after Sephirot as he was leaving the reactor. Even then Sephiroth didn't go out of his way to kill Cloud but simply old him "Don't push your luck."
For supposed insane villain he sure showed shit load of mercy. No, I think he was just cleaning up and putting an end to Shinra's research and let some people live because they weren't at fault. Tifa only got hurt because she went after him for revenge.
Very well done. 👏👏👏 Sephiroth has been a fascination of mine since the day the game released. I wasn't privy to all of the information you have presented here. I missed most of the subsequent titles and frankly got confused by Dirge...awesome a game as it was. I had surmised as much from my damn near fanstical obsession with studying the world and story as I played. I think there are further layers to this. Beyond the fourth wall is the fifth, where the story actually communicates directly to the audience that they too are a part of the show. Reflective. It is what we are. Thank you for this. It came to my aid in my very darkest hour. Wish me skill and grace for the coming trials, as we will be backing your work here, friend. 👊
Well it's usually the lie is about who the true bio father is not exactly the mother after all Jenova isn't his mother but Lucrecia is. Lol
This was very helpful! I found out things here I didn’t realize even after playing ff7 all these years. Thank you!
I’m right there with you. I’m learning new things about it all the time.
Really feel bad for Sephiroth but then again he’s at the point of no return. Really enjoying watching this to the end very in depth and compelling. 😆
I have to go with proximity to Jenova. Cloud experiences his first breaks from reality when he gets close to it as well. Jenova has always had cosmic horror elements to it, and it definitely has a 'dead gods can still dream' thing going on. I'd have to imagine that it's influence over hosts is stronger with greater concentrations of its genetic material nearby.
Combine that with Sephiroth's own misgivings and the notes on his creation while Jenova whispers inside his mind and it seems like a done deal.
I don’t usually listen to peoples opinions and takes on TH-cam but this one was brilliant. Liked and subscribed off this video alone
Wow! Thank you. More is coming.
@@mezuGC very welcome my guy keep up the good work 👍🏾
Here, here. I feel the same way. New sub too. 🎉
Phenomenal!!! This was a great analysis. Will be checking out to see if you have anymore content.
really enjoyed this video, felt like years of thoughts and theories all put together in a great story, was a pleasure to listen to
Yeah. Trust me, a lot of work went into this. Thanks for watching!
Frankly just finding out that you're related to Hojo would be enough to cause a psychotic break. Being a planet eater probably didn't help