One of the most hilarious things in media is when something is created, and a property becomes so popular that no one can explain it, or a character becomes so iconic that they’re used everywhere and people “behind the scenes” don’t fully understand why they get “so attached” to these characters. That might sound like a “rare thing,” but we can give you plenty of examples. How about a certain car-driving franchise that’s “fast and furious?” Or a certain anime character who’s so OP you could say he’s “limitless’? And then, you have Sephiroth, the character so dope you’re probably singing his theme song right now just because we said his name.
While Cloud Strife may be the protagonist of the Final Fantasy VII saga, via its main title, its spinoffs more times than not, and the new remakes, Sephiroth is easily just as valuable to the franchise and has been showcased in numerous ways over the years. He was even in Super Smash Bros Ultimate and got a trailer that was arguably WAY more epic than Cloud’s!
Plus, if you look at how the fanbase reacts to the One-Winged Angel, they have an almost undying love for the villain, even though he’s trying to destroy the planet! That brings us to Tetsuya Nomura. He was the character designer behind the son of Jenova, and he admitted to Shack News that he has no idea why people dig him so much:
“As far as Sephiroth being this extremely popular character, frankly, I’m very curious as to what makes him so attractive to users because I hear this opinion very often. His appearance, firstly, I’m sure, but also perhaps there is something about his background that brings about a particular appeal to so many of the players that makes him this iconic character.”
There are many reasons why fans “fawn” over him, but we’ll try and narrow it down. First, his iconic look serves as a nice “foil” to Cloud Strife. Second, when we meet him in the game, he’s at his near peak. Cloud himself admits that all the “stories” about Sephiroth are true and that everyone is right to fear him. And so when you make it to the final boss round, and he gets even stronger? That makes him more iconic. Plus, the acts that he did during the game, added to the little things like his music, make him stand out and showcase why he is someone who you don’t mess with and yet want to see more of.
