Sephiroth’s new story CHANGES EVERYTHING

[@AmuroNT1]

You know, it's funny. In Rebirth, using Glenn's form to mess with Rufus already made sense in a Telltale Heart kind of way, but the added context from Ever Crisis almost makes it feel like Seph is saying "That's what you get for killing my friend, you rich bastard."

[@meteor22]

But it wasn't Rufus at the time right? Wasn't it his dad?

[@AmuroNT1]

@@meteor22 In the dialog in Rebirth, "Glenn" makes multiple references to Rufus shooting him in the back, so I don't think it was the old President in this situation.

[@chrisbullock8158]

​@meteor22 rufus wasnt president at the time but he was the one to kill glenn im pretty sure

[@john52933]

Sephiroth''s compete disconnect from humanity just feels essential to his character. Can't imagine him considering anyone a friend

[@wokeaf1337]

Yeah but Jenova is playing its strings...with Rufus as it did to Cloud and Sephiroth.

[@FateTearsStudios]

Feels like they're setting up JENOVA as the true antagonist. We never face her in her humanoid form and Remake and Rebirth has added more context to the point that Jenova really should have been the Emperor to Sephiroth's Darth Vader.

[@RangerMcFriendly]

Yeah the Temple of the Ancients “video projections” make me think you are right.

[@natediaz1863]

I hope not. They're really going to piss people off if they go that route. I don't want hero Sephiroth or controlled Sephiroth. He needs to be the one in control or it just ruins everything. I wouldn't mind more context into how Sephiroth gained control over her, but if she's the real villain... No thanks.

[@RatchildUK]

@@natediaz1863 Heroic redeemed Sephiroth I agree, but Jenova being the true villain was basically always the story. Even after Sephiroth learns the truth in the lifestream he still simps for his 'mother', she was always in his head. Plus eldritch horror from space is a much more interesting villain than cool trenchoat with big sword.

[@creativebodyflying]

Exactly. They started doing it in Remake.

[@billyhorchel5429]

@@natediaz1863she was always the real villain homie, even in the original

[@TheSehroyal]

Max having the Kingdom Hearts Experience with FF7 is fascinating

[@sphinxwidget]

Yeah that's what I thought too, at least it's not information spread out among... God, how many side games does KH have 😮‍💨 just to get all of the context

[@kR-qj7rw]

It had to happen eventually

[@soul6733]

Eh, not really. While interesting, this isn't required to understand Remake/Rebirth.

[@raven-19x]

@@sphinxwidgetexcept it is. This is from a mobile gacha game. There are a bunch of FF7 spinoffs. 😂

[@sphinxwidget]

@@raven-19x I know that it's from a gacha game, I'm just saying that at least it's not exactly like KH where this would all be in several separate games on different consoles where you gotta do everything to get all the secret cutscenes, etc

[@liamclarke91]

One detail from the earlier chapters: Sephiroth has the necklace with Lucrecia's photo in it, but Hojo told him that her name was Jenova.

[@NyasNyus-sw8op]

The origin sephiroth is real human, right? Jenova just injected to his body

[@jodaakbr7227]

yup ​@@NyasNyus-sw8op

[@kevinburke1325]

Yes, Sephiroth was always human. If someone would have just told Sephiroth his mother was Lucrecia and showed him her in the cave, none of Sephiroth's insanity would have happened. ​@NyasNyus-sw8op

[@SuzakuX]

​@@NyasNyus-sw8opYes, he's a human, experimented on with Jenova cells in utero. Hojo is his father, Lucrecia his mother. Because he was exposed to undiluted Jenova DNA as a fetus he's immune to degradation, but gets all the benefits of Jenova's strength and mimetic powers. Jenova tried to manipulate his mind but thanks to his mental fortitude he eventually overcomes her and instead uses her body as a puppet to carry out his own goals. Ever Crisis now seems to be setting up that initial mental conflict, and maybe expanding it and working it into the Remake multiverse storyline. It wasn't clear in the original if he ever truly came to understand his actual nature while absorbing the knowledge within the Lifestream, but he still refers to Jenova as his mother in AC so probably not.

[@troytheboy1985]

@@kevinburke1325 he most likely would have still lost it as his mums in a rock

[@BalianBlue_]

I feel like Max is gonna be that grandad that keeps talking about the good old days and crazy theories of Final Fantasy 7 stuff and they have to put him to bed like, ok grandpa ok, yes I know Sephiroth and Cloud yes yes, time to have your nap.

[@mad636man]

😂😂😂 a lot of us in chat will be like that.

[@KlCHlRO]

And we'll still love him for it and we'll listen to him during storytime with max at the fireplace in the house

[@mikev8746]

🤣🤣🤣

[@BirdCaramel]

That would be amazing .

[@AaronSmith369]

Yeah... I feel that crazy uncle vibe for myself too. 😆

[@YummyYammie]

In the olden days (pre-compilation), I was part of several communities where we'd spitball theories about FFVII, and my favorite theory was that Sephiroth as a character essentially stops existing during the 7 days he spends in the Nibelheim mansion, and that everything after that (including the sacking of Nibelheim itself) is Jenova basically piloting his body. Sort of a Mitochondria Eve situation, where Melissa is the unwilling vessel for Eve. Sephiroth was able to fight her influence off due to sheer will, but once his will was shaken, she was able to undermine him. You really see this process in Rebirth: Sephiroth's mind drifts to his mother, he's fascinated by the scenery, and Cloud comments "he was off all day". Then you get to the reactor and he's clearly drawn (almost without thinking) towards the door and only comes back to his senses when Cloud/Zach calls for him. Then, in the basement, she finally manages to take full control after Cloud/Zach checks on him. He even gets the same headaches Cloud does. I *really* hope they play with this more. I feel like he has so much potential as a tragic villain, but too often it gets brushed aside so that he can be mysterious and cool. Dude's a victim same as Cloud, even if he did murder Aeris (and let's be honest--Cloud very nearly did the same to Elena!)

[@mstrswrd]

They've gone on record over the years, that Sephiroth cast Jenova down the first time he died and took her place, basically only using her to his own ends. That being said, Sephiroth "the hero," as in, all that made him a good person, is basically mindfucked out of him when he first comes into contact with her. In that sense, yes Sephiroth "died," in that all that was left was the worst parts of him. Very Obi-Wan Kenobi "certain point of view" kind of stuff.

[@Postumeartist]

Angela looks funny because he was first drawn as a cop concept for parasite Eve, which was originally a concept they were throwing around for ff7. Cop chasing a bad guy just like cloud chases sephiroth. Fun theory!

[@azurelleb]

@@mstrswrdagreed - it’s Sephiroth taking over Jenova, not the other way around

[@abdieljove2011]

@@azurellebHonestly? I think it’s more symbiosis than anything. Jenova doesn’t seem to be sentient in the way we understand. She’s some Lavos like parasite that feeds on planets. Sephiroth becomes the mind of the pair, but his new plan conveniently involves him feeding on the planet. I’d say Sephiroth becomes the mind, but Jenova remains the instinct.

[@darxed]

So, after watching this in Ever Crisis and having thought about the ending of Rebirth and Remake a lot more than I probably should have, I came to a theory of my own. Sephiroth was part human, part Jenova, so, when Cloud killed him in Nibelheim his consciousness got split in two. His human side returned to the lifestream, but much like Aerith, due to him being so powerful he managed to maintain itself. This is the Sephiroth we see at the Edge of Creation, the one that ponders about his past, the one that's friendly to Cloud and that's why he acts so different. We have no idea what this Sephiroth wants, It could be what Max says or some other thing completely different. Maybe he was the one that started the changes that lead to Remake, we just don't know. The other part, the Jenova part, couldn't return to the planet so it lingered on like the Gi and that Sephiroth is the one we see in the OG... I also think that last Sephiroth is an organism comparable to Jenova, but it's not the same or is being controlled by it. That's why that Sephiroth is so almost comically evil and his motivations seem to align with those Jenova had when it crashed into the planet all those years ago. So if Omni Sephiroth is playing 4D chess with Omni Aerith, the Sephiroth from the Edge of Creation is probably even above that

[@SeferAngeloEspiritus]

You should read the on the way to a smile episode black.... I don't want to spoil your theory but read it first

[@tango6793]

This is the conclusion I came to as well. Sephiroth basically pulled a Vergil with Urizen and V, with the Edge of Creation Sephiroth being his true human side and Omni-Sephiroth being 100% JENOVA, each existing in the lifestream independently. Since JENOVA wasn't born of the planet, it couldn't enter the lifestream without "hitching a ride" on Sephiroth. Now that we can guess from Rebirth that the lifestream transcends time and space, I think JENOVA is trying to pull off the end of FFVII OG on a multiversal level scale by absorbing the entire lifestream across every timeline all at once, while the true Sephiroth is actually working to stop it. My crazy swing-for-the-fences prediction is that the final battle will see Cloud, Zack, and human Sephiroth be your 3-person party to take down Omni-JENOVA, but that might be a little out there lol

[@darxed]

@@SeferAngeloEspiritus I haven't had a chance to read it but will do soon. Thanks!

[@potatoboy1517]

@@tango6793this is insane holy shit. Reading theories like these are why I’m so excited for the next game

[@PauloSousa86]

can I contest your theory a bit, what I took from the ending is what Sephirot really wants, and it aligns with OG. let's delve into it. some storyboards from Ultimania show that the nebula behind Sephirot and Cloud on the edge of creation represent death and life respectively. when we reach there sephirot talks about them being on the "edge" of creation (mark "edge", because it is the border between creation and death), and that the planet is going there, to that nebula (death), but he will not end nor let you end (this you can be inferred to be cloud, but by ever crisis, it can be rosen too). So what I take from that is that the edge of creation is the line where worlds in the lifestream get absorbed, die and give way to create new life, that's why the worlds are dying in rebirth. it's part of the cycle. What Sephirot wants more than anything, is to preserve its life and in consequence its memory, (I will never be just a memory), and in OG he was able to use his will to preserve his soul, by clinching to Cloud´s memory of him. that's why he says he says he will not end, nor let the memory of cloud of Rosen and maybe even Angeal, Genesis, end, and why everything is saying he wants to save the planet because he wants to save himself, stall the planet's cycle of souls so he can remain alive, in a way the reverse of Aerith, he can't accept death. 7 seconds till the end, seems to be the time Sephirot has until that world becomes life energy, so he stalled it. "Time enough for you", he knows that Cloud has time to help him while he stalls or freezes that time, but he wonders what Cloud will do with it. Now you wonder how he froze time? Simple, he made the party defeat the whisper harbinger, that reigned over destiny. that's my take on it, in a way Sephirot is trying to save Rosen, Cloud...by saving their world memory and not letting death reach them, in that thinking by stopping the planet from rebirthing, he preserves the memory of that world and in a sense that world, so for him he is trying to save it.

[@andimari9194]

Love the fact that sephiroth is having those jenova headaches in this. Really adds to the fact that she has been playing a part in this “jenova war” for a very long time

[@raulrojas9253]

that was the case in 97 but everyone dismiss it and though "no seph is the bad guy" no he isn't until at least disc 3, there we see sephiroth the real one and he doesn't even speak to the party.

[@andimari9194]

@@raulrojas9253 right. Main villain most of the game is jenova funnily enough. Tho, sephiroth is also the bad guy too. But definitely most of the starting events are jenova

[@Sammonoske]

@@raulrojas9253 Sephiroth is speaking through Jenova. So yes, he IS the bad guy, just not the only one.

[@brandonmeadows7972]

Yeah people confuse that part of the game. After Sephiroth was thrown into the life stream by Cloud he traveled it and gained infinite knowledge. When he became crystallized in the Northwrn Crater his will was so strong that he was able to control JENOVA and use her as his avatar in a sense. Sephiroth was always in control of JENOVA

[@MarcusSanchez2525]

@@brandonmeadows7972I realize this is from a dead mobile game now but in Dissidia Opera Omnia one of the last few updates focused on Sephiroth and Kadaj. Sephiroth was basically manipulating Kadaj to summon Jenova to the Dissidia world because by sacrificing himself and one of the other Final Fantasy characters calls Sephiroth out by saying he uses Jenova as his excuse or a crux to justify everything he does. Also in advent children if Jenova was in control why would Jenova try to revive Sephiroth and not herself? It’s very obvious that Jenova is basically a dead husk by the events of advent children unless that change certain aspects of that. Also Aerith never seems to mention that Sephiroth is this poor tormented soul that only wants a friend, it’s obvious he is doing it of his own free will. If he was under Jenova’s control he would become a horrid abomination like Hojo and everyone else that succumbed to the degradation, the only one that didn’t was Cloud.

[@blackmage665]

All of the best villains and bad guys I've read were perfectly normal when you went through their POV, seeing their thoughts and emotions. Humanizing someone like sephiroth, done right, could make him much more scary as you may find yourself agreeing with his path, as he sees it.

[@LostChildOfTime]

Really does bring home that no one is actually born bad. We're all just a sum of experiences, exposures and environments.

[@mohammadalhusaini810]

@@LostChildOfTimethat’s actually well said.

[@zedorian6547]

Maybe for you all but tbh all this is doing is making Sephiroth a more boring character to me

[@mohammadalhusaini810]

@@zedorian6547 this is fine imo unless they give sephiroth a redemption arc…..then this would be pretty bad

[@rockkandyart7291]

I feel like if anyone deserves a redemption arc it's Sephiroth. As awesome as he is as a bad guy, he actually has never been an inherently bad guy. It's interesting to note that he has always maintained in his youth that he just wanted a normal life. If he gets that after saving everyone, then it's deserved. I don't think it's boring at all but to each their own lol... there's so much to unpack

[@SuperDonny21]

10:02 - The cloud behind Sephiroth looking like his wing. I like seeing CGI Sephiroth in any scene he's in, shame Rebirth missed a lot of opportunities to do that. Well time replay FFVII Rebirth in hard mode, wish me luck as I think the boss battles will be a pain in the ass.

[@ZafoolTV]

Good luck. Manage your materia well in the last two chapters

[@jodaakbr7227]

I thought you are talking about cloud strife 😂

[@SuzakuX]

According to the Remake Material Ultimania, the nebula visible from the Edge of Creation was also designed to resemble his wing.

[@Roxie709]

RIP your free time on hard mode 😭 the Rufus Shinra fight took me waaay to long

[@PauloSousa86]

that cloud represents the world of death, one of the ultimania shows it

[@Ahmenthi]

I do hope that whatever is going on sets up Sephiroth as a more tragic figure driven mad by Jenova and Hojo's experiments, and Jenova as the true evil of FF7. Without Jenova's presence, there is no FF7 story. Jenova, like Aerith said, is the "source of everything".

[@YummyYammie]

This, and it'd help bring closure to the Compilation. Jenova's basically a cancer on the planet, and she'll never be reintegrated into the Lifestream since she's a foreign body. She's just going to keep pulling herself back together and rearing her ugly head over and over again. It'd be sort of nice if the last game culminates in you finally purging her for good (Seph would probably have to die, but I'd like to see him get a little bit of a redemption, since he's every bit the victim that Cloud is.)

[@agamersinsanity]

@@YummyYammie black materia seems to be linked to Jenova as well.

[@bigtatsu]

"Everything about you is wrong." Aerith knew that "Sephiroth" was actually Jenova. She can sense it.

[@КонстантинПаршуков-о6б]

There is a theory that Sephiroth was never there to begin with after Nibelheim. When Cloud threw Sephiroth and Jenova away, Seph died but Jenova didn't. She fused her body with his and put her mind into that body since Seph's own mind returned to Gaia. And in every encounter, including Advent Children, Sephiroth isn't there but Jenova who made his body hers and accepted that she's now new Sephiroth. So Jenova is the only villain in FFVII.

[@Christian_Kim]

Max: Wait, the mobile game as significant lore on a major character? Sora: First time?

[@Jeanssj98]

yeah that just sucks hard, no one plays these mobile games and then they put super important story stuff in them

[@lukasruston8618]

@@Jeanssj98 If nobody plays it then how do we have videos of the scenes and gameplay?

[@Jeanssj98]

@@lukasruston8618 you know what i meant, those super niche games are barely played if compared to million sellers like the console games, all that shit should be put into the main games

[@Kenshinbtt]

Its on steam now and it's free to play

[@Jeanssj98]

@@Kenshinbtt its a bad game, important story stuff shouldnt be on this

[@Thundermaceaus]

Cloud and Sephiroth are in ways parallel and i think thats what they are building up on here. Both Cloud and Sephiroth have their moment of having their identity shattered. Sephiroth rebuilds his identity through shinra reports and gets false information. He no longer thinks he's human. The truth is that he is human, born from Lucrecia and hojo. Cloud goes through a similar situation, thinking he is failed copy of Sephiroth. Not human. But with the help of Tifa, they rebuild his memories and find Clouds true self.

[@Snoken127]

Sephiroth is part human. He is fused with alien cells. He may look human but he is not fully human. There is a difference between being mako fused then litteraly having Jenova cells injected into you. So he is a symbios of human and alien. But he is not 100% human.

[@thedarkopz516]

Team CLERITH ❤💙 4EVER

[@PixelleHearts]

The boss during the exchange is assumed to be another form of JENOVA, because it has JENOVA's signature staccato brass section at the beginning of the battle. At the time Glenn, Matt, Lucia, and Sephiroth assume that the monster is a guardian of the planet summoned in defense against the calamity of the island, but in actuality is probably a manifestation of JENOVA yet again as Rosen is killed as the final sacrifice of his people and was the sole overseer of the islands "mana" (Mako), much like how JENOVA Lifeclinger is awakened by the death of Aerith as the last Cetra. Since JENOVA was a black project by Hojo, nobody would have known at the time. Buno D'rhad also has the same hand, eye, and purple decay design philosphy that the devs have for JENOVA.

[@nicodalusong149]

Essentially the only person who could verify its identity was killed before it appeared. Well, that sucks.

[@The3rownie]

It’s interesting because it has all of the faces on it too and Jenova is known to steal the identities/faces of the dead to mimic and take advantage of its victims like what happened with the Cetra, and not to mention the little bit of silver hair on it which is a cute touch 😂🤣 I wouldn’t be shocked if Jenova decided to act like it was a guardian of the planet, another weapon on the side of the humans/planet

[@The3rownie]

It's also interesting because that thing has faces on it... and what is Jenova known to do? Steal the faces of the dead and mimic to take advantage as is what happened to the Cetra. It also has that little bit of silver hair on its head, how cute. I could see Jenova acting like a weapon of the planet to take advantage like it always has.

[@thaddeuskent8185]

This fucks ^^

[@scream6671]

They're making Sephiroth the definition of "All it takes is one bad day" and I'm all for it

[@h131_1]

oh god he's just like me fr

[@spoonimefan]

Wonder if that means they're also going to do modern DC Comics' "There's three of them"?

[@DarylHadvard]

More like a bad week of reading books, but yeah XD

[@Panther-chan]

He's always been that. If Sephiroth had just stepped out of the Nibel Manor every night to sleep and refresh his mind, then he liekly wouldn't have overwhelmed himself, gone mad and triggered FFVII. But because he stays up for a whole week straight without eating or sleeping he gets delirious enough to mistakenly convince himself he's the Cetran heir and that Jenova is some real mother figure.

[@bigtatsu]

@@Panther-chan Sephiroth might actually be a Cetra though, I think Lucrecia was Cetra descent. Could explain how Sephiroth can also hear the Planet.

[@KetsalEynon]

Chekhov's Necklace. That is absolutely going to come back and be important. Omni-Aerith might find it and use it to distract Omni-Sephiroth or something.

[@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777]

That was insane to read through

[@nicolascott51]

Or Vincent does and it sends him batsh-t and we have another transformation boss to “tame”

[@bigtatsu]

Or she gives it to the human Sephiroth to help Cloud.

[@punkpop101]

Mark my words. Sephiroth has found the necklace Glenn threw into the lifestream and that way he got his memories back about his old past and is now trying to fix things. Same as Aerith had her future memories from the White Materia for all we know Sephiroth remembered his old self from that Necklace. I know it sounds stupid but Square Enix could do something like that for sure haha.

[@ViewportPlaythrough]

i would believe that. it would get a lot more complicated maybe, but i dig the sephi at least trying to regain his normal self

[@confounded_feline]

The last sentence sold me. 😂

[@scheewheed8285]

Considering how Aerith can go back in time in different timelines, I think it’s possible that she could help him by giving the necklace back some way and maybe have an uncorrupted version of him help in the third game somehow.

[@elpainto1]

Seems like basically every mako reactor that isn't MIdgar or Junon blew up leading to a bunch of murder and cover ups. It makes me think the people of Corel were likely suspicious, making it even sadder that Barret advocated for building the plant.

[@pslayer8943]

One thing to keep in mind is that in japanese, post Nibelheim Sephiroth refers to himself as 'Watashi', however at the edge of creation, he refers to himself as 'Ore', like he did when he was still a war hero. So it's possible that this Sephiroth might still be evil, but could no longer be under Jenova's influence and completely insane.

[@Kanriel]

@@milesprowr ...what?

[@OutsiderAus10]

​@@milesprowr the satanic panic of the 90's called, they want their paranoia back

[@STOOPIDDUMBY]

@@milesprowr what

[@Jtalleytn]

It's not that deep. Other cultures view our religion as mythology, in the same vein as we view them. Take the classic Greek and Roman gods as an example. To us they're just stories, but they are in fact, a part of a religious practice that still has modern day followers. Taking some other religion's ancient names and sprinkling​ them into your fantasy is something everyone does. Ifrit, Bahamut, and Shiva are iconic Final fantasy characters, the names of which come from three different religions. Its an easy way to give a character in your story weight and signifigance. It also just sounds foreign and cool. @@milesprowr

[@TheAtomicdust]

@@milesprowr its all a work of fiction, so it seems proper.

[@Arashi257]

If Sephiroth hadn't met Glenn and his group, he probably would've never become friends with either Genesis or Angeal.

[@deedoubs]

Ehhhh, I don't think that's too related based on what we know right now. If Sephiroth hadn't met with Glenn and co. he still would have been one of Shinra's experiments and there's no reason to assume he wouldn't have met with the other experiments. It's not like we've set up any scenario where Sephiroth just dies due to their lack of meeting.

[@spiritrealmking9416]

@@deedoubsSephiroth was an experiment since he was in the womb 🤔

[@novachikun]

WTF That's a pretty dumb conclusion to come to. Even before Glenn ever existed it has always been established that Sephiroth was already capable of being kind. He didn't need Glenn to show him how to be friends with people lmao He would have learned that shit naturally, all he needed was to meet people who weren't afraid of him. SPOILERS, Angeal and Genesis weren't afraid of him, and neither was Zack later on.

[@ricky4673]

Is that even cannon?

[@alimichalkan8046]

@@novachikunTrue. Sephiroth has always been kind. Meeting Glenn, Lucia and Matt helps him understand people better.

[@vilemk69z98]

Soneone already mentioned a few years ago that the Japanese voice of Sephiroth during 7 seconds scene talks like Pre-Nibleheim sane Sephiroth.

[@vilemk69z98]

@@ドライデ-ファッサ BILLIONS

[@Xehanort117]

It almost seems like this Sephiroth outlived his own timeline's demise and is at the edge of creation trying to find the "good ending" timeline (i.e. Scarlet Witch from MoM), being the main timeline we play through. However, even the main timeline has a fatal flaw so Sephiroth is attempting to steer Cloud in a direction that yields the optimal result. This is assuming the theory that this Sephiroth feels like he owes it to Rosen to fix everything, even by bending time and space itself. I agree that it is safe to say that Sephiroth has identified Jenova as the true "devil" of this universe, and by destroying completely they can set everything right again before it's too late. So many options/possible paths here!

[@mettatonneoex]

Jenova (Darkest Timeline), Minerva (Original Destiny)

[@Sammonoske]

Jenova testing Sephiroth's will really drives home that he is ultimately in control. His will power grew so strong than it overrides hers and the lifestreams ability to dissolve him.

[@dalegleneagles5072]

Crazy. On so many levels. Always thought he had Anakin/Darth Vader potential but geez. Jenova (with the help of Hojo) is the emperor. Very Kuja/Garland type of stuff. Should have been more in Rebirth - unless it's not important. The seven seconds is *close* to the amount of time you have to choose among multiple conversation outcomes in Rebirth.

[@Dad2Kids]

Sephiroth has flashback in the edge of creation. So he is not pure evil at the rebirth. He still has sense.

[@hallij9477]

It would be crazy if this was the version of Sephiroth that approaches Aerith in the church before pushing Cloud through the portal back to his reality!

[@CrimsonFIame]

Placing all this within a freaking gatcha game is so frustrating. Imagine how awesome it would have been to fully explore Sephiroth's backstory the way Crisis Core focused on Zack's but with better writing and still leaving some mystery in the air within a short Dlc

[@MoMagnus93]

KH fans “first time?”

[@MariusBoss11458]

​@@FirewynnTVYep. I only did the banner to get cool costumes.

[@haoujudai]

Now you know how Kingdom Hearts fans feel.

[@maverickrx8]

@@FirewynnTV You can "do the entire story and game without ever purchasing a single thing or pulling on banners" at the cost of selling your life and soul to 20 hours a day of endless grinding. People REALLY need to stop downplaying this game. This game is absolutely garbage if you don't grind 24/7 or pull on banners. (The grind is the single most impactful deterrent this game has for player retention. You can't actually do the story content unless you endlessly grind.) There's a reason it has such garbage review ratings and why it lost most of it's playerbase after a few months. The gacha helps speed up the grind a little bit.

[@alenezi989a3]

This is so frustrating, imagine A DLC or a couple exploring all this Shit, I'm willing to pay for extra story DLCs. But a stupid mobile gacha? they ruined KH with this shit. They could've made it just og ff7 gacha, and kept the Sephiroth origins as DLC especially since a playable Sephiroth in FF7R style there and not used enough. This is just a waste.

[@ajax0530]

So I am getting the impression they are setting up Sephiroth to become like Golbez in FFIV and Jenova is Zeromus in FFIV. That sets up an interesting finale, that like in FFIV the big bad ends up not being so bad but being strung along like a puppet by an influencer. It makes even more sense since Sephiroth was born of Jenova cells establishing a connection between Sephiroth and Jenova and also to Cloud too that it isn't actually Sephiroth influencing him, but Jenova directly. That makes this story so much deeper!

[@Skyset_angel]

I finished it today and by what you said I looked at Lifeclinger and reminded me so much of Zeromus red blue f’ed up design like it could be a relative.

[@EnkiDootDoot]

Is it a pre-Nibelheim Incident Sephiroth that made his way to the Edge of Creation and became aware of what all other versions of him do in the future? The way he talks, acts, even being willing to reach out for help while still having the level of power we’re familiar with are all traits indicative of Seph before his time in the library that broke him.

[@Xalocin]

I really want Jenova to be the main antagonist. I wanna fight her in her actual humanoid form. At the end of the day all the characters are just victims of hojo and Jenova.

[@bigtatsu]

I can honestly see it happening. Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth against Jenova Prime as the final boss to end the alien forever.

[@nicolascott51]

They’re setting up Sephiroth to be an anti-hero, who is manipulated and used by the real antagonist Jenova. Sephiroth - Ardyn (XV) and Jenova - Bahamut (XV)

[@EldenKaz]

Sephiroth story being hidden behind a mobile game is an absolute crime. This easily could have been in FF7 Rebirth.

[@raven-19x]

Where in Rebirth would this fit in and make sense?

[@ViewportPlaythrough]

then people would complain that 7r is too convoluted and long. maybe a dlc would work, but people would still complain about that. no matter what the devs do, people would complain about it

[@flvx4693]

Besides, Ever Crisis is on Steam now and you don't really have to pay a dime or do the gacha stuff to play the story

[@loregasmic]

It'll be referenced in Part 3 I'm sure.

[@lifendi5937]

hopefully, ff7 rebirth would have a DLC and this would be it

[@sr.dumaas7757]

Thanks for covering ever crisis. I did not want to play it lol

[@ectogamut]

I would play it if it was fully voiced by the Rebirth actors. I would probably just have to grind because there's no way I'm participating in scummy monetization practices

[@alimichalkan8046]

How to play it? I can’t find it in the app store. Maybe not available in my region.

[@FilmColossus]

I always believed that Jenova was the actual villain and was using Sephiroth’s body. But the creators always maintained that Sephiroth was the one manipulating the Jenova cells. I think the story is far more interesting if Sephiroth is a fallen hero who got consumed by this alien parasite and became its vessel than just…he went crazy and used this random thing for super power. That would also set up the Edge of the Universe Sephiroth as the true spirit of the guy. And he’s trying to defeat this thing that turned him into a puppet.

[@mario_maniac9368]

Damiani from easy allies was calling it and I kinda figured to that jenovah is going to be the main bad guy especially after the temple of ancients in rebirth

[@waytodawn4670]

Were gonna get a good sephiroth calling it now. One who doesnt lose his mind. And a reunion of Genesis and Angeal.

[@dellapj]

What’s coming together for me, from a thematic perspective, is that Sephiroth’s motives track from here all the way through Rebirth. There’s the linear progression - he learns that death is necessary to preserving life, and that he’s a skilled instrument of death. He kills, and then is rewarded for it, seen as a hero. But in the Nibelheim flashback, you already see that, in a relaxed down-to-earth way, he understands that’s bullshit PR and killing is killing. When he discovers the Jenova heritage, he realizes he was MADE for the killing purpose, and shaped by an entire people that aren’t his own into a monster. He disconnects fully from humanity and takes revenge on them with the exact ethos they taught him - that killing is the way to preserve “life” (his, Jenova’s, the planets). And this is more or less where his arc sits in OG, summoning meteor to exterminate all life and allow him and Jenova to ascend as part of the planet. Where it then goes in Remake/Rebirth, though, is touching back on this core motive. Sephiroth has seen the worlds of the Lifestream, the dead and returning and the cycle of life, and rather than seeing this with an appreciation for the meaning of life being temporary, and the importance of grief and loss to honoring it, he sees…the power to control. Whispers, fate, determinism, but also, a world where everything exists, forever, in the same state, and there is no more death. He believes he can end death by merging everything into one big blob of “always” with himself at the center. Aerith says, “there’s no such thing as forever.” “Ah, but there will be.” With meteor, a war, and Sephiroth’s endgame looming, Part 3 is poised to tell an absolutely enormous story about life, loss, and the meaning we as survivors can derive from death. The folly of mass killing for control, and what to do with the time we have. And at the center of it all is this scared kid who wants to end “death.” Because if he can’t, it means he’s a monster.

[@cashordeals3672]

I mean wasn't the main appeal of this game is that it has a Canon story connected to rebirth?

[@dappercrow8138]

I mean that and sexy outfits for Tifa

[@Athlynne]

So, in the Lifestream Sephiroth cast off all his human memories. Maybe he's retrieving them? GUYS, we're getting Good!Sephiroth back. FFVII Redemption!

[@foggy8298]

It’s strange to see people shocked that they’re treating sephiroth sympathetically when he was always written that way ever since the original The only outlier was advent children, where nobody was written correctly

[@goranisacson2502]

Maybe it was just because of the translation, but I don't recall Sephiroth being treated very sympathetically in the original game? He was polite but a bit curt in the OG, but flipped off the handle once he learned what Jenova was and started killing Nibelheim. Like... I don't even think he had enough time to be characterized that much at all in the OG? Since so many of those lines are Jenova more than Sephiroth, all I remember that was Sephiroth was pretty much him after he goes on the worlds worst book-bender in the Nibelheim mansions cellar.

[@foggy8298]

@@goranisacson2502 well, that’s kind of the point The only parts of the original ff7 that are 100% confirmed to be sephiroth and not secretly jenova is in the flashbacks, not even the final boss is assuredly a revived sephiroth, and in the flashback he was going insane and learned his entire existence is a lie, all the while believing a new lie to fill the gap It’s sympathetic in the sense of “I see how you got that way and you deserved better” way, not in the “oh you meant good all along” way

[@SuzakuX]

Who isn't written correctly in AC? It's two years after they "saved the world" and the world is still fucked up. Cloud is understandably depressed in it for a good reason, and the crux of the story is Tifa trying to help him drop his baggage and move on. It makes even more sense when taken in the context of the prequel short story collection.

[@CrossOutBryce]

I never once saw Sephiroth as sympathetic in OG. Maybe a little in crisis core before his breakdown.

[@foggy8298]

@@SuzakuX Cloud was turned from the subversion of that at-that-time commonplace edgy jrpg protagonist who was an awkward teen with a lot of baggage that managed to grow past both that as well as the lost of aerith into that cringey edgy stereotype who somehow reversed back into never moving past aeriths death at all Aerith was turned into a weird mother Mary figure, Rufus was, y’know, alive somehow, and, yes, sephiroth was a weirdo edgy supervillain.

[@Laviente7]

this is part of my fanfict that I wrote after I played the original ff7 in 1997 : sephiroth actually not evil, he was under the influence of Jennova, in the mansion when sephiroth researching his past, he actually found a secret room that contain Jenova real conciseness, and merge with sephiroth and take over his body just like sephiroth take over cloud and any other jenova clones, the real sephiroth still in there and try to fight back, the real sephiroth in the edge of creation, in my fanfict cloud actually help sephiroth regain his own self and fight jenova together

[@jeffreyhoward8511]

Sephiroth says that Jenova can appear as anyone. What if that is foreshadowing that Sephiroth the Villain is just Jenova posing as Sephiroth, including the version that torches Nibelheim. There is a gap that Cloud doesn't see, such as scenes where the real Sephiroth disappears, and the one that torches Nibelheim is an imposter. And that same imposter remains as Cloud's nemesis, and the real Sephiroth will reconnect with the main timeline at some point.

[@hush8469]

I find it interesting that the three characters we see at the edge of creation are the three characters with Jenova cells in them: Sephiroth, Cloud, and Zack. I always thought that the edge of creation was the plain where those not of the planet went.

[@ghostly_number]

If that was the case then that place would be filled with a bunch of humans and monsters. I think it's only a place where variables can enter. Cloud, aerith, sephiroth have past visions, effectively allowing them to change the canonical future. And then Zack living is the outcome of messing with destiny. And a very big variable at that. Zack living alongside cloud could potentially have massive changes to the timeline might be to the best or for the worst who knows. My theory is that edge of creation is where everything ends and begins. And that's why the people that can mess with that can enter it.

[@bigtatsu]

The dream team.

[@AnferneeMyers]

Lmao Max got Kingdom Hearts’d with this title

[@federicamacchia1656]

It's incredible how,the more the story goes on and becomes deeper,the more i find parralelisms between the character snd the arc of Sephiroth,and the character and the arc of Arthas.....

[@dominiksledziewski]

Wow, haven't expected THAT. Got literal chills. Edge of Creation is one of my favourite scenes, so damn.

[@andimari9194]

Definitely think this should have been in rebirth or included as a dlc for the game. We already don’t get to play much as sephiroth, adding more playtime and HUGE story implications would have been very much appreciated

[@jeffwolfplays0513]

I don’t know I mean square already messed up the story for new players. lol

[@arpadszabo661]

@@jeffwolfplays0513 No they didn’t. They “messed up” the story for boomers who expected an exact copy of OG ff7 with better graphics. Thank god they “screwed up”.

[@tormxnta]

I hope SE stops all this mobile nonsense. And just make small spin-off games instead.

[@bruhm0ment6000]

​@@jeffwolfplays0513 As a new player that just started with remake in 2023. No, it didn't mess up the story. I get what's happening in FF1997 and why they would expand on the source material.

[@jeffwolfplays0513]

@@bruhm0ment6000 that’s koo you enjoy but the pacing is all messed and the whole timeline thing is a mess. The moments special moments don’t mean anything anymore.

[@vilemk69z98]

I think that first scene with Sephiroth and using the cell is the day SEGA GENESIS deserted during the Mass Desertion Incident. He's unable to reach him. This scene takes place in 2000. The teenage Sephiroth story takes place in 1992. Glenn and his team are Prototype SOLDIERS known as Project-0 I believe..

[@trlover111]

I honestly thought that Sephiroth was getting the headaches, based off of the "Reunion" thing, but it's infantryman surrounding him as he walks by and not SOLDIERs, so that wouldn't apply here. But I also read theories about Jenova affecting those with her cells, whenever they are especially distressed. And Sephiroth always seemed this way, but perhaps, there were times that this particular feeling sunk in more than others.

[@richardalejo6606]

Love every second of this. It's so sick we get more of Seph's back story..and to see even now he still has emotions like everyone else.

[@DreamerFromTheDepths]

I do think Seph from seven seconds 'til the end is different because Rebirth Sephiroth in the rift between worlds refers to the reunion as a unification of worlds, and it sounds like he's all for it and trying to get Cloud to embrace it. This other Sephiroth seems to be against the reunion based on the way he talks, "our world will become a part of it some day but I will not end, nor will I have you end" doesn't sound much like he wants a reunion to me. Seems like a neutral Sephiroth but for all we know he could be heroic as opposed to all the others, and he also doesn't seem to be messing with Cloud in any way, he could be messing with his mind if he wanted to, in fact Cloud's headache seems to go away when Sephiroth grabs his hand and warns him to be careful. I don't think that Sephiroth's goal is destruction as opposed to the others.

[@8Phoenix8]

Glenn kicks his necklace into a the lifestream fissure.

[@Arashi257]

That necklace is gonna bump into Sephiroth either in a future chapter of Ever Crisis, or somewhere in part 3.

[@SoSakashii]

@@Arashi257would be cool if it’s Cloud after his memory fix in the LS, which prompted a reaction from Vincent.

[@alimichalkan8046]

@@Arashi257i wonder if he finds it back in the lifestream after the Nibelheim incident.

[@Hc2p3n4t4rp]

The Sephiroth at the edge of creations feels also like a Sephiroth that already had all the time he needed to figure his shit out, that he is not a Cetra, that Jenova isnt his real mother, that he was in the end an experiment not a choosen one and that Hojo is his father What he now wants is a question and a half, the in the moment Sephiroth want Cloud to help with Meteor like in OG but also want Tifa out of the way so he cant come back to stop him, but Edge of Creation Sephiroth want Cloud to reach the end and his help in something, SEPHIROTH IS ASKING FOR HELP, let that sink in, he never asks for help but manipulate others into it, yet EoC Sephiroth asked Cloud for help, and when Cloud refused, he didnt seem mad or bothered, almost like an adult dealing with a reveling child, just had a soft laugh and showed the gap, and this EoC Sephiroth is far beyond the current Sephiroth, instead of goating and mocking Cloud, he just defeats him, leaves a criptic message and goes, and that message wasnt of despair, but of hope "7 seconds until the end, not much time, but perhaps enough time for you to change something" Then the end of Rebirth, did Cloud maanged to change it? Or did he fail? Was he able to go against Sephiroth controled Fate Whispers because EoC Sephiroth or by himself, and why did Tifa also for a moment saw the twisted worlds? Then there is the weapon showing Tifa the Key moments to help Cloud recover... something tells me, when that moment comes, we will see EoC Sephiroth again

[@kerlyn3707]

I haven’t gotten to the end of the update yet because of all the grinding I still have to do. I know they’re not doing dlc for rebirth but honestly if they’re not gunna give this story to us to play I feel like they should at least make an ever crisis movie or SOMETHING so we have real access to this story cuz it’s SO crucial at this point!

[@kadaj7905]

An interesting detail I noticed at 13:19 in the Season 2 trailer was during the moment with Hojo standing in the pink mist. The scene is shown from Sephiroth's point of view, and as the camera zooms in on Hojo, a bright red flash occurs. We saw earlier that he had green flashes in his mind. Judging by what we saw with Cloud in the Remake, Rebirth and even the Original, green flickers are a mild form of Jenova’s influence on the psyche and perception, just an unpleasant headache. But the more intense the impact or more painful the memories/trauma/awareness of what is happening for the object with Jenova cells, the darker the color, which from an almost transparent light gray becomes green, then yellowing begins, then orange, and in the end everything turns red. This could mean that the image of Hojo for Sephiroth is an extremely powerful trigger and lever of pressure on his consciousness.

[@Skyset_angel]

Great idea!

[@dragonboulder]

Max: This'll make a great DLC Someone at square: WRITE THAT DOWN, WRITE THAT DOWN Honestly, I hope they will. Hopefully when EC's story is complete, they compile everything into a DLC chapter where we go through the events of EC as Sephiroth with rebirth gameplay. I personally don't want it to be part of a short "The Story so Far..." video on the title screen of part 3

[@jedahaw]

I always felt that the Sephiroth at the end of Remake was different, when I first played it.

[@tmyo]

I'd love for Jenova to end up being a more important big bad for the last game. I thought Sephiroth's turn to sheer lunacy in Rebirth was just a bit inexplicable. If later on we get a scene where Jenova is whispering in his ear and egging him on, at least for me it who help make his transition more believable.

[@winterwolf2164]

Funny how younger Sephiroth looks like an angry, teenage version of Chadley…

[@luquaku]

Ever crisis establishes that the lifestream is made up of memories, which got me thinking. When sephiroth says the iconic line, “I will never be a memory,” i don’t really know if he’s saying “I will never lose or I will never be defeated.” What I think he could be saying is, “I will never be accepted into the lifestream.” That’s why he keeps coming back after being killed, like in advent children. Maybe that Sephiroth at the edge of creation is the remaining bit of his humanity, and he needs cloud to show him the the right path to finally fully return to the planet (kind of like kadaj in advent children)

[@Kronos_88]

Although I like your idea, I've always taken that line ("I will never be a memory") as him saying "I will not be contained to the lifestream, I will always return to the "real" world", because the lifestream is "memories" like you said. Building on that, I wonder if Sephiroth gains more power by having people be reminded that he is around, "living in their memory" so to speak. Which then makes sense that he wants to be out in "the real world" and not just stuck in the lifestream; nobody except our main characters will think of him while he's in the lifestream, while if he comes out into the open world and does stuff people will think more of him and maybe that will influence the lifestream/make the "Sephiroth" memory stronger?

[@luquaku]

@@Kronos_88 I like that idea a lot, especially because it builds on the whole advent children concept with geostigma that Sephiroth is like a “virus” eating at the lifestream, and he wants to leave his mark by giving people despair. So excited for part 3 because I definitely think there’s a lot more opportunity to show how depressing things will be once meteor is cast

[@Kronos_88]

​@@luquaku Yeah I'm super excited too. It always seemed to me like Sephiroth takes being stuck in the lifestream as both a blessing and a curse; the blessing being he can manipulate whoever and whatever (to a degree) on the entire planet and has infinitely more knowledge than he did before, but at the same time in order to gain more power while in the lifestream he has to constantly remind people that he's around. Which is why sometimes he just shows up around Cloud and... doesn't really do anything except say "Don't forget me, keep holding on to your hatred" because if Cloud doesn't do that Sephiroth (at least in my theory) will be less powerful because he'll be out of Cloud's memories (who has the closest ties to Sephiroth). Oh well I guess we'll find out in part 3 like you said :D

[@GamerHiker-yb4uc]

Could edge of creation Sephiroth be his true self? Like Cloud has a true self that he needs to find? The one that appears in the white area that gives himself a pep talk?

[@bigtatsu]

Yes that's the human Sephiroth. He will be playing a big part in the final game and ending Jenova forever.

[@jonteguy]

It is 100% two differetn Sephiroths because in the Japanese version of the games the Sephiroth we encounter *everywhere* BUT at the edge of creation say "Ore" to refer to himself while the one at edge of creation says "Watashi." Which was established from before that they were different in "Ultimania" before FF Remake was even out I believe. I might've mixed them up, maybe it's the one at Edge of Creation that says "Ore" but that doesn't matter. The point still stands. They are different.

[@everlastingflames13]

2 things: 1. It is the other way around, he uses ore at the EoC and watashi everywhere else 2. This isn't as significant as people are making it out to be, as he uses ore in Kalm when trying to get Cloud to question Tifa's existence and when appearing as an illusion through Roche during Cloud's final fight with him. Yes the Remake Ultimania points out the difference but that same ultimania confirms in an interview with Toriyama, the co-director, that all the forms of Sephiroth in the game share the same Sephiroth's "transcendent consciousness". Not to mention he uses ore in On The Way To A Smile, in the short story that also outright tells you he was the one trying to destroy the planet, not Jenova.

[@KuroKazeZX]

max is right, this is main story content, not niche game content

[@greatgrizzly3537]

At this point, im not sure if it was your easy allies or your ff7 youtuber collab stream, but someone had said that omni-slash will be all clouds of the universes performing omni-slash ending sephiroths existence (n this is my opinion, but maybe the Gi? They are also doomed to roam miserably without an end kinda) and the existence of all the universes. I have a feeling they will tie in the multiverse stuff being the reason the Gi cant rest.

[@NuRm69]

There is a CG version ofnthe scene where sephiroth talks to hooded Glenn in the rain, and the person Sephiroth is trying to call is Genesis (Genesis doesn't answer)

[@crowevil4658]

Final Fantasy 7: Redemption Final Boss: Sephiroth Redeemed

[@BrandonKG]

Please no

[@pietrozavattaro2323]

@@BrandonKGyes

[@DrCoomer_1]

People are definitely sleeping on the ever crisis first soldier story, it's surprisingly well-written with a good amount of backstory to Sephiroth so far. Doesn't hurt they sprinkle in CG scenes that look awesome

[@natediaz1863]

I couldn't take the grind. They made it too horrible. And I play other gatchas, EC is especially bad.

[@Nagrandt]

It's more like people are choosing not to play a stupid grindy gacha game to fill the gaps in the story of FF7

[@arpadszabo661]

No one sleeps on the story. Its good. This not being part of the remakes instead of a mobile gacha game is a sin though. This game deserves to never be touched because of that.

[@GMD3N]

They added x9 stamina so it's less grindy

[@natediaz1863]

@@GMD3N thanks for letting me know this, I'm going to pick it back up now.

[@hanyolo120]

He's at the edge of creation almost like he's already won or succeeded in what he was trying to do pretty crazy

[@SilverKnight16]

All I'm saying is, I had the right take back in 1997 when I thought to myself, "Damn, Sephiroth was done dirty." His character is far more tragic than anything; a good man driven insane by insanely bad luck and the unfortunate characteristic of being infused with Space Satan's DNA. Jenova was always the main villain.

[@Keynwar]

Watching videos of cutscenes from mobile games in which the origin stories of main characters talking to mysterious hooded figures are revealed. They truly did turn Final Fantasy 7 into Kingdom Hearts.

[@SableWind]

Its my understanding that KH is literally not understandable if you don't have the context from the other games (tbh from what I know it's pretty incomprehensible even with knowledge of the random side games lol) I've kept up with the EC story since launch. So far, none of it is "required" for understanding remake/rebirth. This newest chapter is interesting for sure, but it's not yet informing us of anything we don't know from the OG, Remake & Rebirth. Sephiroth has a god complex, thinks he's saving the planet. This new cutscene doesn't change that.

[@Centrioless]

So both of project S subjects (seph & cloud) are slowly tortured mentally by jenova

[@bigtatsu]

Gives them a reason to bond together to save everyone.

[@makotoamamiya2442]

Agreed instesd of them trying to turn Rebirth into mario party this stuff shouldve been in it

[@Storm1Trooper5]

For real

[@gallarinas]

EXACTLY

[@OGBabygurl]

This is why I think the game will finally end when the gang realizes it's Sephiroth who needs to be saved in part 3 to put a complete end to this cycle.

[@bigtatsu]

Exactly. Sephiroth will be the final character to join the party in the final dungeon to end Jenova Prime. Cloud, Zack and Sephiroth together is the dream team.

[@kaspauf06]

This was so good Max! I stopped playing the mobile game because I never would have thought they would lock this kind of story content behind a mobile game BUT greatly appreciate these breakdowns!

[@vantasethatsit9903]

Lot of people want Sephiroth to stay evil and theorizing how will they finally kill him for good but, i think it would be best to just ended it with the og duel with no gimmick, and he ended up actually die with a smile this time around and didn't try to cling to life.

[@mohammadalhusaini810]

This is MUCH better than anything ive read in this comment section its like him freed from the torment but I honestly don’t want to see a redemption arc for him as much as i love him to death

[@rosenrot234]

I'd imagine Roche is a bit of a hint to that. Sephiroth just wants one good fight before he goes

[@youreprettygood2603]

About the grind, there are cheat engine tables at fearless forums that basically unlock everything in Ever Crisis including the paid/lootbox/gacha content so you can just enjoy the story and not spend any money.

[@ultimamage3]

wait fr?

[@Alcogod]

Or you can use "Wemod".

[@gmaster2647]

Any risk of them taking away access to the game if you use the cheat engine? Because I'm curious about that.

[@RichDXtreme247]

Where is this such gift?

[@ButtKraken01]

Kind of sucks we have to use a cheat engine at all in order to experience this story

[@FENRlZ]

I bet its gonna be a Zack statue for Part 3 to complete the Cloud, Sephiroth and Zack trio

[@bonni4493]

Crisis core reunion came with a Zack statue though so I'm still not sure what it's gonna be for part 3...

[@nerovipus6327]

I think the trailer for next reaso shows that Jenova had contact with Sephiroth prior to his meltdown at niblehiem and that his corruption was not purely his own instability but pushed along by Jenovas machinations. To me it makes.perfect sense to make Jenova the front and centre antagonist. Shes the source of nearly everything bad that happens in the setting. She is a nigh on indestructible alien force. And we know next to nothing about her. Would be prime subject matter to .ake use off. The trailer supports this for me along with this suggestion that Sephiroths plans while not nessarily good by sane accounts may not be the true threat but the calamity herself.

[@everlastingflames13]

They aren't going to make her the main antagonist though. Kitase(producer) said he and Nomura decided very early on in development that in FF7, there would never be anyone more powerful or evil than Sephiroth, a (quotations is a direct quote from Kitase's mouth in the interview) "fact they have held true to this day". So there you have it

[@nerovipus6327]

@everlastingflames13 you can interpret that a number of ways. I don't think anyone's ever really thought Jenova was LESS evil than sephiroth Just more unknowable. As for power maybe she simply won't be front and centre forever or maybe she isn't actually more powerful. You don't have to ve more powerful to pull Sephiroths strings. Just more subtle and insidious

[@geoffreytasker2097]

He's an altruist "the need of the many outweigh the needs of the few"

[@ectogamut]

This makes me think Sephiroth in the Remake trilogy is like Illidan Stormrage. Arrogant, endlessly ambitious, doesn't give a shit if our heroes agree with or even understand his motives, and is on his own secret path to "kill God" in classic JRPG fashion. He might even be speaking cryptically to Cloud this whole time because Jenova is always listening and Sephiroth is playing 5D chess orchestrating Jenova's downfall without even being suspected of doing so.

[@rosenrot234]

Fitting since Illidan at one point yells out that his destiny is his own

[@Cruxics]

"THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN REBIRTH" ya it's almost like spending 100 hours dicking around on the world map with stupid mini games was a pointless waste of time.

[@Storm1Trooper5]

True

[@Skyset_angel]

I got neck pain and I had to wait an extra month to finish. Old fan here lol

[@KatmeloChannel]

To Sum it up he's Anakin as a Mortis God, seeing the good and bad through his eyes alone through all the multiverse. And also the Lich from Adventure Time/Fiona and Cake mostly where he realizes that even though he became this omnipotent being that purged what he thought wasn't good enough for life, extinguished it and now sorely regrets the mistakes he's made. what was it for? at what end? was there another way? Yes, and he finds that through this new timeline and how he could reverse it and make it better but first put everyone through the same struggle. Doesn't need to be like the original but just a little enough to break destiny and change the course of time. The True choesn one will be him, but only through sacrifice will he make it right.

[@Frog89mad]

Square just make a young Sephiroth game for us nerds, we will give you all the money and then some. Thank you.

[@Gabrielleyale]

Love the way his fair flows so elegantly 😂

[@gloaming4247]

Sephiroth reclaiming his humanity is the only way there's closure IMO. It's what's been hinted at since lifestream white/black. Aerith will get through to him in the end, like Kane finally being led into the light in the Poltergeist movies 😂

[@bigtatsu]

Bingo...did you also notice how Sephiroth nodded towards Aerith before he flew off at the final battle? Very telling.

[@Skyset_angel]

@@bigtatsuwhat do you think of the white feather in her death scene or the white feathers at the temple of the ancients

[@winterwolf2164]

It feels like Square is starting to set up Sephiroth as the dark knight character, similar to Kain in FFIV. Are they setting up a redemption arc for the character-maybe suggesting that Jenova controlled his actions in Nibelheim similar to how Cloud’s been controlled in Rebirth? I don’t know. But now I’m thinking: What if Sephiroth stating “I’m going to see my mother” was actually “I’m going to see my ‘mother,’” and he was going to the reactor to kill her. And Cloud just struck him down right before Sephiroth was able to stop “the calamity from the skies” and come back to his senses? Cuz now with scenes like this, his sudden turn does not match his character at all. I love this shit.

[@paladinplayer]

Aftwr having played Seph in Rebirth, I need him to have his own game or something. How badass it would going from young seph to current Omni seph

[@Darzeal]

around 27:31 Max is experience the KH problem of important games on handheld where if you didn't play them you will be super lost.

[@Pimpnocchio]

Imagine if this had been the final scene in the game. It would have been incredible

[@Pimpnocchio]

Also my wild shot in the dark theory is that all SOLDIERS are pieces of Sephiroth, and Cloud is his heart/soul or some crazy shit like that

[@bigtatsu]

@@Pimpnocchio That's not too far fetched. Cloud and Sephiroth share the same DNA after all.

[@DanyFox1986]

Max, do you remember Rebirth Spoiler Mode from 2 months ago? Mike called it. He said, he believes there is a version of Sephiroth who is aware of Jenova manipulating him and that he has to team up with Cloud for the greater good. He called it at 3:10 in the video. Must give him credit. He nailed it.

[@DuelistOfGGs]

I think there's two Sephiroths you talk to. One that's Sephiroth from the first time through into Advent Children. And then Jenova. 7 seconds until the end, Don't let her fool you Cloud, Worlds Unite and so too do they part ..... That's Advent Children Sephiroth. And then other Sephiroth is just Jenova.

[@RrowdyBeast]

The island sunk into the ocean, they might redo a lot of this to explain who Glenn is and give some insight on Sephiroth in FF7R directly with an underwater tour If anything, I think Sephiroth is trying to break the connection to Jenova with how they're retconning the Jenova headaches to him while he's young, sorta fits the "breaking away from the system" thing they have going on with ShinRa

[@raulrojas9253]

So let me get thius straight, Max thing square is expanding Jenova NOW instead of ALWAYS been the case since 97? I so wild how people from around the world can get different interpretations of the same story and now it turns out my crazy head cannon is becoming real? About time.

[@FilmColossus]

All of this should have been in Rebirth. Rebirth was so thin on story that it was disappointing to me. We needed things like this and more of a point to all the Zack stuff. As is…really lackluster development of the overall narrative.

[@priscilabee583]

Rosen begged Sephiroth to kill him. He had to insist until Sephiroth gave in. Saying Sephiroth 'chose' to do it is not fair.

[@Random-ln5mt]

This version of sephiroth is the one with the stamp (original from ff7 remake.) with army hat. They showed this stamp in chapter 7 of evercrisis.

[@ProfessorDrDro]

He's the Sephiroth thats cut off from the Jenova hive mind.

[@Joelio8701]

God I’m glad this video popped up on my feed. Can’t wait to listen

[@megavox7895]

My theory here is probably terrible and I have no clue what I’m talking about lol I’ve had this very debate with many fans of FF7 where I’ve stated that Sephiroth as we saw him in the OG game to all the expanded materials all the way to Remake… Jenova is and always has been the main antagonist of FF7… hear me out on this before everyone jumps to the “the main antagonist is Sephiroth” default position… I said when everyone was theorising after Remake that Sephiroth by the time he gets to Nibelheim and everything goes south is where we lose the true Sephiroth which was expanded upon during Rebirth chapter 1 as Barrett says “wait a minute he’s a good guy”… After the Nibel reactor incident my thrust was when he was in the mansion reading that his psychological break was caused by his internal struggle with the Jenova cells, him reading all this research strips him of his entire identity, his entire life he finds out was a lie and once he breaks Jenova (if you view Jenova as a parasite) takes over and every action Sephiroth takes from the Shinra mansion going forward is the will of Jenova and NOT the will of Sephiroth… The Sephiroth we saw in the flashback and Early Crisis Core is gone by this point… Now we see Sephiroth having Jenova headaches pre Crisis Core… this in my mind is what Jenova is trying to do to Cloud throughout Remake and Rebirth, she appears as Sephiroth because Cloud fears Sephiroth and I’m guessing young Sephiroth fears Hojo in this trailer because Jenova is manipulating him by showing him an image of what he fears, the parallels here are clear as day between Cloud and Sephiroth, the same thing is happening, in this trailer Jenova Hojo is telling Sephiroth to sever ties, which is what they try to do to cloud by attempting to sever his ties to Tifa, telling Cloud she’s an imposter… Aerith’s death in OG further pushes Cloud down the dark path and in the Northern Crater during the interaction with Hojo all Clouds sense of identity is stripped away from him and he hands over the black materia and becomes almost an empty husk asking, almost begging Hojo for a number as he’s the “failed experiment”…. It’s only after he and Tifa fall into the life stream do we actually get REAL Cloud in the entire game. Jenova IS telepathic, during the ending of Crisis Core Zack presents Cloud with the Buster Sword and part of Zack imprints into Cloud where he genuinely believes he’s a First Class Soldier. Then when Tifa finds him at the station Jenova pulls Tifa’s memories of Cloud being a loner, slightly offensive, doesn’t like people and he plays that part in Remake but we do see glimpses of real cloud in Remake chapter 4 where he breaks character for a second when Jessie slaps Wedges ass and the “that was a gunshot” line comes out, also in rebirth when Cloud tells Tifa he never enjoyed being a loner… The Jenova cells in Clouds body are fighting for control over the vessel, much like they are showing what young Sephiroth is going through, when Cloud defeats Roache in Nibelheim despite his enhancements from Hojo he still can’t beat Cloud, then he turns into one of the robed guys where the cells have taken over the vessel and many times you see Cloud succumb to Jenova but either Aerith or Tifa pulls him out of the trance, his ties to the reality, his identity (through his friends), Jenova needs to strip that away to take control and Cloud breaks down in the Northern Crater when his identity is shattered by Hojo… FF16 as an example did something similar to this when Ultima is trying to strip Clive of his identity, Will and consciousness so he can become the perfect vessel and I think Jenova does the same thing, this is the best example I can give to explain this…

[@BANKSREGIME]

I always thought the sephiroth at the end of Remake was from the 500 years later ending or beyond it. And he had no "Body" to stop some future threat. So he had to go back to FF7 and he tried to change it.