SeraphicFeather
High Judge of the Seraph
I have been a Final Fantasy gamer for some time now. I've played through several of the games with as much enthusiasm as humanly possible. Recently, my eyes fallen upon a war that rages between the vast fandom of Final Fantasy. Of all Final Fantasy games, the legendary "Final Fantasy 7 - Complete Collection" is the most heard of. It was a game that brought RPGs back into the gaming mainstream. Few have heard of it. Especially when Square. released the other areas of the story, "Dirge of Cerberus", "Advent Children", "Before Crisis" & "Crisis Core". And throughout those stories, there have been 2 characters that have always stood out. Cloud Strife & his arch nemesis, Sephiroth. Through the love that was shown for Final Fantasy 7, moreso for these characters, Square. saw potential & used it. Cloud & Sephiroth didn't just star in the majority of the Final Fantasy 7 games, but also had cameos & references in other editions of the Final Fantasy franchise, such as Final Fantasy Origins (FF5) & FFIX. Both starred in both Kingdom Hearts & Kingdom Hearts 2 & then again in Dissidia FF, soon to also star in Dissidia 012 FF. Sephiroth makes slightly less of a mark on the FF franchise, but still lands a place as an optional boss on both Kingdom Hearts & Kingdom Hearts 2, also starring as Cloud's polar opposite.
Now, in recent years, another Final Fantasy game has risen to fame once more, in the form of Final Fantasy 6. Most notably, the antagonist of FF6, Kefka, a psychotic, homicidal clown. He, being a favourite of Final Fantasy characters, was a clear competitor to Sephiroth's fame.
But why did Kefka's popularity rise so fast? Evidence would show that Square. made a big mistake in areas. As said before, FF7 is the most popular Final Fantasy to date, bar none. Square. saw a good chance for business with it & gave it sequels. By the end, Sephiroth had starred in a great number of games. But what did Square. do to Sephiroth in those games?
I have played through Final Fantasy 7. I was about 12 at the time & had recieved the discs from a friend. As I played through, I learnt of Sephiroth's reputation as a warrior with huge power. You see such well known events as
& you see a brilliant character. I was genuinely impressed & somewhat creeped out by him.
Now to another side. The fandom, of course, agreed with my views. But, a lot of them took it too far. The so-called "fanboys" & "fangirls" both targeted Sephiroth as their favourites, a lot of them not even having played any RPGs other than Final Fantasy 7, being a new audience that found the popularity of the original game. Through constant rants & the expression of Yaoi (man on man sex) about him, Sephiroth died as the character he was.
Square. also seemed to nerf him in the the film "Advent Children", being beaten by Cloud alone, despite his reputation as a near-invincible super-soldier, previously seen in the official Final Fantasy 7.
I'm bored of writing now, so tell me your oppinions on the matter.
Now, in recent years, another Final Fantasy game has risen to fame once more, in the form of Final Fantasy 6. Most notably, the antagonist of FF6, Kefka, a psychotic, homicidal clown. He, being a favourite of Final Fantasy characters, was a clear competitor to Sephiroth's fame.
But why did Kefka's popularity rise so fast? Evidence would show that Square. made a big mistake in areas. As said before, FF7 is the most popular Final Fantasy to date, bar none. Square. saw a good chance for business with it & gave it sequels. By the end, Sephiroth had starred in a great number of games. But what did Square. do to Sephiroth in those games?
I have played through Final Fantasy 7. I was about 12 at the time & had recieved the discs from a friend. As I played through, I learnt of Sephiroth's reputation as a warrior with huge power. You see such well known events as
the burning of Nibelheim & his summoning of Weapon
Seeing that he almost rose to the power of a god, was just a booster of this effect.
Now to another side. The fandom, of course, agreed with my views. But, a lot of them took it too far. The so-called "fanboys" & "fangirls" both targeted Sephiroth as their favourites, a lot of them not even having played any RPGs other than Final Fantasy 7, being a new audience that found the popularity of the original game. Through constant rants & the expression of Yaoi (man on man sex) about him, Sephiroth died as the character he was.
Square. also seemed to nerf him in the the film "Advent Children", being beaten by Cloud alone, despite his reputation as a near-invincible super-soldier, previously seen in the official Final Fantasy 7.
I'm bored of writing now, so tell me your oppinions on the matter.