Unveiling Sephiroth: A Deeper Look Into the Mind of Final Fantasy 7's Archvillain

The Enigmatic Sephiroth

Director Naoki Hamaguchi recently teased how the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will continue to expand on the lore of the original game, such as giving players a closer look into the mind of archvillain Sephiroth. Final Fantasy 7’s sword-wielding main antagonist stands as one of the most memorable villains in the Final Fantasy franchise, if not gaming as a whole. As longtime Final Fantasy 7 fans know, Sephiroth was once the greatest warrior to come from Shinra’s SOLDIER program, until the shocking discovery of the twisted experiments that gave him his incredible powers drove him to instead destroy the planet he once swore to protect. 2020’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake saw Sephiroth emerge from the shadows much earlier than he did in the original 1997 classic, first appearing to torment protagonist Cloud Strife in visions before battling the party in the game’s final boss fight outside the city of Midgar. Early promotional materials for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth indicate that Sephiroth will continue to be a major threat in the upcoming sequel, which is only fitting given that the section of the old Final Fantasy 7 that Rebirth adapts contains the now-famous flashback to his fall to darkness in the doomed town of Nibelheim.

According to director Naoki Hamaguchi, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will offer up a deeper look at Sephiroth, and players might even come to sympathize with him somewhat. Hamaguchi recently sat down for an interview with Game Informer to discuss how players will witness the long-haired villain’s descent into evil. “Seeing Sephiroth discover the truth and fall further and further into darkness - like falling from grace - and depicting this in his expressions, I could truly feel bad for him. Throughout the course of Rebirth, I believe players will not only grow to relate to and understand Cloud, but also Sephiroth through this game much more.”

Twitter article posted by Genki

Unraveling Sephiroth's Backstory

While Sephiroth’s appearance in the original Final Fantasy 7 was primarily centered around his villainous turn and the threat he posed to the planet, later Final Fantasy 7 projects would considerably flesh his backstory out and give players a look at his life as a hero. For example, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 showed his earlier friendships with fellow SOLDIER members Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos, while Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis gave gamers a glimpse at Sephiroth’s childhood and his connection to his birth mother Lucrecia Crescent. Comments from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth creative director Tetsuya Nomura and a description of the game’s acts from the ESRB have implied that Rebirth will end with Sephiroth committing one of his most infamous acts from the original Final Fantasy 7, but before that it seems that players could get a closer look into his dark mind if Naoki Hamaguchi’s words are to go by.

Fans won’t have to wait too much longer to see the man behind the monster, as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is set to launch on PlayStation 5 on February 29.