Player vs. Player: Cloud & Sephiroth

Thanks to Cart Boy and Wolfman for help with edits.

Final Fantasy, a mainstay in the realm of Japanese role-playing games, marches forward with upcoming installments in the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy XVI and chaotic Final Fantasy Origin. An unprecedented assortment of genres and lands have been traversed by the brand thus far, yet even after the release of so many new stories and settings, it seems 1997’s generation-defining Final Fantasy VII will never be a memory. The world of Gaia and the adventures within have been ushering in legions of fans for over two decades, cementing themselves as icons of both retro and modern eras. FFVII’s significance as a trailblazer for third-dimensional gaming cannot be overstated, but its ability to persist as a captivating experience after so much progression from the industry is an even greater testament to its timelessness and enduring appeal. Much of said appeal is harbored by its celebrated cast of characters, chief among them being two Ex-SOLDIERs whose eternal struggle has become one of the medium’s greatest.

The ever-growing plot of FFVII and its various offshoots concerns itself with familiar themes, such as life, industrialism, and identity, but how these common motifs are challenged by the collection’s central figures both excites and intrigues. On one side of the Gil, there is Cloud Strife, a reclusive mercenary looking for answers regarding his fractured past. On the other, there is Sephiroth, a storied war hero turned world-threatening supervillain. Both questioning their humanity and dubious origins, the swordsmen’s ways of defying fate and shaping the planet’s future remain cornerstones in video game storytelling. The opposing values and perspectives they epitomize, stemming from similar experiences shaped by avarice and destruction, make for one of the industry’s all-time greatest pairings of protagonist and antagonist, as well as the subject of discussion and exploration for millions of fans.

The 1997 masterpiece sees Cloud, accompanied by allies like the gruff and devoted freedom fighter Barret Wallace, childhood acquaintance and avid martial artist Tifa Lockhart, and local florist with a mysterious background Aerith Gainsborough, journeying the world in pursuit of Sephiroth. They have unfinished business. FFVII’s early segments seldom speak of the villain, the aftermath of his bloodshed and Cloud’s urgency following his return being players’ only clues of him before his history with the sellsword is unveiled (director Yoshinori Kitase attributes this style of establishing a villain to the movie Jaws). Back when Cloud and Sephiroth were members of SOLDIER, an elite military force run by the Shinra megacorporation, the latter went mad upon discovering the circumstances behind his creation. In an attempt by the enterprise to discover and control the planet’s secrets, a then-unborn Sephiroth was injected with the cells of Jenova, a deceased alien that brought the world to its knees centuries ago. Enraged by this revelation, the menace burned Cloud and Tifa’s home of Nibelheim to the ground, killed their parents and the rest of the townspeople, and stole Jenova’s corpse in the hopes of resuming his supposed mother’s apocalyptic campaign. Cloud defeated the traitor soon after, whose limp body descended to Gaia’s interior alongside the extraterrestrial’s decapitated head. There, Sephiroth merged with the Lifestream, the planet’s vast source of life and energy, and was granted control over anything harboring Jenova’s DNA due to his will and unnatural composition. From then on, Sephiroth becomes more a force of nature than an individual, exhibiting endless amounts of power, skill, and ambition.

An impossibly effective combatant even before his fall from grace, Sephiroth and his expertise in swordplay and magic are the stuff of legend. Surpassing the proficiency of a typical First Class SOLDIER many times over, the executioner, his signature Masamune blade, and vast arsenal of Materia (orbs of crystalized Mako energy that provide various buffs and abilities) felled countless troops and beasts during his time as Shinra’s greatest achievement. Such immense potential was pushed even further as a consequence of Sephiroth’s introduction to the Lifestream. Evolving past the need for Materia and gaining permanent access to a near-limitless pool of energy, his magical prowess reaches an unreal level. If Sephiroth is not already a god, his numerous unnatural feats — illusions, levitation, teleportation, devastating techniques like Heartless Angel and Shadow Flare, and virtually any spell usually supplied by Materia — make him as close as anyone could ever get to attaining that status. Not leaving the Masamune behind, its wielder saves his most devastating kills for the katana and can infuse it with elemental properties. When in need of his full strength, though, the nemesis calls upon the Safer Sephiroth form and infamous Supernova ability, powerful enough to destroy multiple planets at once and leave all opposition on death’s door. An insurmountable force that will never truly be purged, there exists no greater threat to the world than the One-Winged Angel.

After a harrowing chase that led to Cloud meeting a cadre of charming teammates, as well as losing one at the hands of none other than Sephiroth during a critical portion of the quest, a literal ghost from his past faces him as the archenemy gleefully details how thoroughly fragmented the mercenary’s psyche is. To the surprise of Cloud, his party, and many Nineties gamers, he was never a SOLDIER. Rather, he was just one of many security officers employed by Shinra. His shame and trauma following the Nibelheim Incident, coupled with his role as an involuntary test subject, resulted in him unknowingly acquiring the memories of his friend Zack Fair, the SOLDIER Sephiroth actually knew. Moreover, Cloud is not just a failed experiment, but also a fellow carrier of Jenova’s genes. The false deity toys with the broken hero, calling him an artificial puppet whose entire life and collection of memories were taken from others. However, with the help of his friends, Tifa especially, the inheritor of the Buster Sword strengthens his resolve and refuses to fall down the same pit of insanity Sephiroth occupies.

Although he was nothing special prior to the Nibelheim Incident, Cloud has since become one of the planet’s greatest warriors. Inspired by Zack’s fighting style, Cloud’s unrivaled skill with a broadsword and superhuman capabilities (courtesy of Jenova) allow him to battle on par with the Turks, ancient monsters like the Weapons, and even Sephiroth himself. In the original FFVII, Cloud’s only major deviations from his predecessor are his Limit Breaks, powerful strikes requiring ample time to recharge between uses. Blade Beam, Cross Slash, Finishing Touch, Omnislash, among other maneuvers are standout examples of Cloud making Zack’s technique his own. Later on, Cloud takes up the Fusion Swords and Fenrir motorcycle, building upon his classic skill set with a new array of interlocking blades and a bike he uses to both store the sabers and keep up with speeding foes. Having developed new attacks with his unorthodox gear, the rebel is capable of dual wielding pieces of his Fusion Swords and splitting their six components up to deliver the devastating Omnislash Version 5. Naturally, Cloud also has access to any Materia he can get his hands on, permitting him to cast a wide variety of offensive and supportive spells. The champion’s overall ability to adapt to any situation, whether he is fighting or not, and excel alongside his team is what leads to the party routinely prevailing over seemingly impossible situations.

Bound by the supernatural donor they share and an unrelenting hatred, Cloud and Sephiroth conclude FFVII with a final battle beneath the Northern Cave. Within the crater formed by Jenova’s crash-landing eons ago, her son plans to collide the planet with a colossal meteor and cause a catastrophe so massive that the Lifestream will be forced to emerge. When it does, Sephiroth will claim its overwhelming power for himself, fully uniting with Gaia and bringing about his rebirth as a god. In defiance, a determined Cloud and company confront the One-Winged Angel at his most powerful. Against all odds, the boy from Nibelheim overcomes his tormentor and watches as the Lifestream, along with a parting gift from a friend, handles the greatest threats to Gaia’s existence — the meteor, but also humanity itself — as it sees fit. In the 2005 film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Cloud encounters a newly revived Sephiroth once more. Having spread the Geostigma virus via the Lifestream in the years since his failure, the phantom now aims to absorb the souls of those who succumb to the illness and use the planet as a makeshift vessel to spread his influence across the stars. Despite Cloud’s fatigue and previous exposure to Geostigma, he manages to slay Sephiroth yet again as the inner demon leaves a chilling reminder and silently fades away.

As two of gaming’s most beloved and revered characters, Cloud and Sephiroth have left an undeniable impact on pop culture through their striking appearances, memorable backstories, and enticing conflict. During FFVII’s production, Sephiroth’s connection to Cloud and Aerith through design and lore was the subject of extensive thought. Ultimately, the final product presents a rivalry partially influenced by fabled Japanese swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi (inspiring Cloud) and Sasaki Kojirō (inspiring Sephiroth). The former comrades’ rich history is further supplemented by an impressive lineup of spin-off and crossover showings, some of the most notable being within the Dissidia Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Super Smash Bros. series. The grandeur Smash conveys through the villain’s reveal trailer, Cloud instantly recognizing and bracing himself for the coming despair, encapsulates the tension and gravity of the moment. Kingdom Hearts supplies a slightly different interpretation, delegating Sephiroth to the role of optional superboss and physical manifestation of Cloud’s inner darkness. Through it all, no matter the property they find themselves in, one is almost always there to contradict the other. Even when Cloud turns up on his own, like in Final Fantasy Tactics, the mention and looming dread of Sephiroth is not far behind (lighter entries like Chocobo GP notwithstanding).

At the center of this acclaimed, franchise-spanning confrontation, a collection of tightly-knit ideas and the masterful execution of them aid in maintaining FFVII’s longstanding iconicity. Many narrative structures can be discerned from what seems to be a typical “man versus man” relationship. For instance, Sephiroth’s inhumane strength, cruelty, and composure against the flawed, friend-supported Cloud might allude to the trope of “man versus nature.” An ethereal, unfeeling force born of a living calamity, the antagonist may represent nature’s unwavering drive to survive and tip the scales whenever mankind progresses too far. Meanwhile, the mercenary embodies humanity, with all the benefits and drawbacks that come with it. Furthermore, Cloud’s internal struggle in the face of a merciless killer with striking similarities to him is reminiscent of a “man versus self” storyline. Both products of Shinra experimentation and bearers of a malevolent, otherworldly creature’s DNA, they are forced to choose between aiding Jenova, their nature, or Gaia, their nurture. Oftentimes, Sephiroth acts as the devil on Cloud’s shoulder, reigniting man’s indecisiveness between two extremes at the mere sight of him. The protagonist overcoming this temptation and choosing his found family over what could be considered his genetic family is an indisputably poignant gesture, that sign of humanity being the most significant distinction between him and Sephiroth.

The endless conflict between Those Chosen by the Planet means many things to many people. For some, it is a treasured rivalry that has stuck with them for most of their lives. For others, it is simply a series of thrilling fights between two over-the-top men with over-the-top swords. Like most of my favorite video game characters, I was formally introduced to Cloud and Sephiroth through Smash. Within the crossover, the contenders’ fantastic movesets, alongside FFVII‘s amazing soundtrack and world, were put on full display. Curious, I gave Final Fantasy VII Remake a shot, quickly beat it, and found myself so interested in its plot that I attempted and finished the role-playing game’s original incarnation immediately afterwards. Despite the decades’ worth of time fans have had to figure Sephiroth out, he leaves FFVIIR’s players with more questions than answers. He knows more than he should. Somehow, in what should be a by-the-numbers reimagining of a classic adventure, the fallen angel is powerful and cunning enough to redirect the course of the story and put forward a menacing, unpredictable presence that will impact later entries in a monumental fashion. While such a twist might come as a disappointment to those looking for a true remake of FFVII and not a pseudo-sequel, I think this decision makes the savior and scourge’s malleability, as well as Square Enix’s desire to expand upon Gaia’s established setting instead of outright replacing it, abundantly clear. The legacy of Cloud and Sephiroth, of Final Fantasy VII in its entirety, is one of groundbreaking innovation backed by the forethought to craft something incapable of fading with time. Rooted in a quintessential Japanese sword duel, the added spice provided by a shapeshifting alien, a dystopian society, and profound messages regarding human nature yields a narrative treasured by millions that is bound to continue engrossing players for many generations to come.