I'm just going to ignore the Compilation here for a second. It doesn't really refute what I say but everything was actually good in FF7 so I think it's worth quoting more than Crisis Bore.
So we only truly get to know the "character" of Sephiroth in the Kalm flashback.
The Beginning
Sephiroth
It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So how does it feel? I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown...
Cloud
Umm.... how 'bout your parents?
Sephiroth
My mother is Jenova. She died right after she gave birth to me. My father... What does it matter...? All right, let's go.
Sephiroth
N... no....
(Sephiroth stops trembling.)
Sephiroth
=...Was I?
(He draws his sword and begins furiously attacking the pods. Cloud jumps away.)
Sephiroth
..Was I created this way too?
(He slashes at the first pod.)
Sephiroth
Am I the same as all these monsters.....
Sephiroth
...I've always felt since I was small...
That I was different from the others. Special, in some way.
But... not like this....
Sephiroth
...an organism that was apparently dead, was found in a 2000 year old geological stratum. Professor Gast named that organism, Jenova...
(The camera pans up.)
Sephiroth
X Year, X Month, X Day. Jenova confirmed to be an Ancient...
X Year, X Month, X Day. Jenova Project approved. The use of Mako Reactor 1 approved for use...
Sephiroth
My mother's name is Jenova... Jenova Project... Is this just a coincedence?
(He looks down sadly)
Professor Gast... Why didn't you tell me anything? ...Why did you die?
--------------------------------
This is what we see of Sephiroth while he's still a hero. In short, he's very confused and angry. He wants to know where he came from and why he is here (common theme of Japanese fiction it seems) and he's trying to piece it all together. He doesn't seem to like what he's finding.
The Middle
Sephiroth
This Planet originally belonged to the Cetra. Cetra was a itinerant race. They would migrate in, settle the Planet, then move on... At the end of their harsh, hard journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness.
Sephiroth
But, those that disliked the journey appeared. Those who stopped their migrations built shelters and elected to lead an easier life. They took that which the Cetra and the planet had made without giving one whit in return!
Sephiroth
Those are your ancestors.
Sephiroth
Long ago, disaster struck this planet.
Your ancestors escaped... They survived because they hid. The Planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that, your ancestors continued to increase.
Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports.
Sephiroth
Don't you get it? "An Ancient named Jenova was found in the geological stratum of 2000 years ago. The Jenova Project.
The Jenova Project wanted to produce people with the powers of the Ancients..... no, the Cetra.
...I am the one that was produced."
[...]
Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius scientist, produced me.
Sephiroth
Mother, let's take this planet back together. I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land.
Sephiroth
Ha, ha, ha... my sadness? What do I have to be sad about? I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to be the leader of this Planet. I have orders to take this planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra. What am I supposed to be sad about?
--------------------------------
Now we can gleam from all this Sephiroth has, to be technical, flipped his lid. But it's not the typical kind of crazy. It was brought on by his inaccurate assumptions about his own origins. He has concluded that he was a lab experiment - created as a tool by human beings and he is not human himself. He is a thing and that feeling of being "different" that has plagued him his whole life is 100% true.
I think Sephiroth snapped because he was indeed sad just like Cloud said he was. He was lost in his own misery and embraced his "destiny" so that he doesn't have to face the truth. Him trying to escape from the reality of it all makes sense given how confused and angry he was earlier.
So he was a stoic but nice enough guy who lost his mind when he mistakenly came to the conclusion he was a freak of science. It's rather tragic and you can almost sympathize with him.
The End
(how fitting since everything I just said comes to an end here)
Aerith
Sephiroth is different. He's not an Ancient.
Sephiroth
I'm far superior to the Ancients. I became a traveler of the Lifestream and gained the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients. I also gained the knowledge and wisdom of those after the extinction of the Ancients. And soon, I will create the future.
Sephiroth
By merging with all the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life forn, a new existence. Melding with the Planet... I will cease to exist as I am now. Only to be reborn as a 'God' to rule over every soul.
--------------------------------
So, remember that misguided goal of his, brought on by a tragic revelation? How he thought he was "avenging" his people and searching for a place to be happy?
Well he's apparently forgotten all about that by the time of the game. He knows now full well that:
A. He's not an Ancient.
B. His "mother" was the thing that actually caused most of the Ancients to die.
He also abandoned his old plan. His new objective is...to be all powerful and rule the world.
I think the real Sephiroth got lost somewhere and replaced with Generic RPG Villain by the actual time of FF7.
The writers completely chucked out everything we learned in Nibelheim about his character or desire. He doesn't care about Jenova, he doesn't want to "take back" the Planet. He just wants to be a god.
So, hence the characterization failure.
Maybe this is why so many people, myself included, used to tbuy the Jenova was in control idea. See, it would make sense. if the alien abomination was manipulating Sephiroth, we could excuse his radical change. But since Squeenix says he's the one doing it all, it's just terrible writing.
And that is all I have to say on that for now. Your opinions are welcome.
So we only truly get to know the "character" of Sephiroth in the Kalm flashback.
The Beginning
Sephiroth
It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So how does it feel? I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown...
Cloud
Umm.... how 'bout your parents?
Sephiroth
My mother is Jenova. She died right after she gave birth to me. My father... What does it matter...? All right, let's go.
Sephiroth
N... no....
(Sephiroth stops trembling.)
Sephiroth
=...Was I?
(He draws his sword and begins furiously attacking the pods. Cloud jumps away.)
Sephiroth
..Was I created this way too?
(He slashes at the first pod.)
Sephiroth
Am I the same as all these monsters.....
Sephiroth
...I've always felt since I was small...
That I was different from the others. Special, in some way.
But... not like this....
Sephiroth
...an organism that was apparently dead, was found in a 2000 year old geological stratum. Professor Gast named that organism, Jenova...
(The camera pans up.)
Sephiroth
X Year, X Month, X Day. Jenova confirmed to be an Ancient...
X Year, X Month, X Day. Jenova Project approved. The use of Mako Reactor 1 approved for use...
Sephiroth
My mother's name is Jenova... Jenova Project... Is this just a coincedence?
(He looks down sadly)
Professor Gast... Why didn't you tell me anything? ...Why did you die?
--------------------------------
This is what we see of Sephiroth while he's still a hero. In short, he's very confused and angry. He wants to know where he came from and why he is here (common theme of Japanese fiction it seems) and he's trying to piece it all together. He doesn't seem to like what he's finding.
The Middle
Sephiroth
This Planet originally belonged to the Cetra. Cetra was a itinerant race. They would migrate in, settle the Planet, then move on... At the end of their harsh, hard journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness.
Sephiroth
But, those that disliked the journey appeared. Those who stopped their migrations built shelters and elected to lead an easier life. They took that which the Cetra and the planet had made without giving one whit in return!
Sephiroth
Those are your ancestors.
Sephiroth
Long ago, disaster struck this planet.
Your ancestors escaped... They survived because they hid. The Planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that, your ancestors continued to increase.
Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports.
Sephiroth
Don't you get it? "An Ancient named Jenova was found in the geological stratum of 2000 years ago. The Jenova Project.
The Jenova Project wanted to produce people with the powers of the Ancients..... no, the Cetra.
...I am the one that was produced."
[...]
Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius scientist, produced me.
Sephiroth
Mother, let's take this planet back together. I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land.
Sephiroth
Ha, ha, ha... my sadness? What do I have to be sad about? I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to be the leader of this Planet. I have orders to take this planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra. What am I supposed to be sad about?
--------------------------------
Now we can gleam from all this Sephiroth has, to be technical, flipped his lid. But it's not the typical kind of crazy. It was brought on by his inaccurate assumptions about his own origins. He has concluded that he was a lab experiment - created as a tool by human beings and he is not human himself. He is a thing and that feeling of being "different" that has plagued him his whole life is 100% true.
I think Sephiroth snapped because he was indeed sad just like Cloud said he was. He was lost in his own misery and embraced his "destiny" so that he doesn't have to face the truth. Him trying to escape from the reality of it all makes sense given how confused and angry he was earlier.
So he was a stoic but nice enough guy who lost his mind when he mistakenly came to the conclusion he was a freak of science. It's rather tragic and you can almost sympathize with him.
The End
(how fitting since everything I just said comes to an end here)
Aerith
Sephiroth is different. He's not an Ancient.
Sephiroth
I'm far superior to the Ancients. I became a traveler of the Lifestream and gained the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients. I also gained the knowledge and wisdom of those after the extinction of the Ancients. And soon, I will create the future.
Sephiroth
By merging with all the energy of the Planet, I will become a new life forn, a new existence. Melding with the Planet... I will cease to exist as I am now. Only to be reborn as a 'God' to rule over every soul.
--------------------------------
So, remember that misguided goal of his, brought on by a tragic revelation? How he thought he was "avenging" his people and searching for a place to be happy?
Well he's apparently forgotten all about that by the time of the game. He knows now full well that:
A. He's not an Ancient.
B. His "mother" was the thing that actually caused most of the Ancients to die.
He also abandoned his old plan. His new objective is...to be all powerful and rule the world.
I think the real Sephiroth got lost somewhere and replaced with Generic RPG Villain by the actual time of FF7.
The writers completely chucked out everything we learned in Nibelheim about his character or desire. He doesn't care about Jenova, he doesn't want to "take back" the Planet. He just wants to be a god.
So, hence the characterization failure.
Maybe this is why so many people, myself included, used to tbuy the Jenova was in control idea. See, it would make sense. if the alien abomination was manipulating Sephiroth, we could excuse his radical change. But since Squeenix says he's the one doing it all, it's just terrible writing.
And that is all I have to say on that for now. Your opinions are welcome.
