Sephiroth appreciation thread. Yes really.

[Jiro]

I know what you're thinking. But save your bandwagon vitriol for a moment.

I don't want you to think of this guy.

(SPOILER)

I want you to think of this guy.

(SPOILER)

You remember him, right? The way the light in the Nibelheim Manor basement never went out. The rumors about how powerful he was and then seeing it with your own eyes. The way he almost seemed to jump down from the skies to kill a beloved party member. One Winged Angel before the hype.

"Out of my way. I'm going to see my mother."

While I'm personally a fan of Sephiroth past and present, the idea behind this thread was to get some of you to remember why he is loved so much. He tends to have a bad rap these days. Something about getting recognition on a very wide scale tends to steer even dedicated fans away for some reason.

Discuss.

Speaking of the FFVII Sephiroth, who had more of a tan and distinctive, giant bangs, did anyone else think it was odd that at the very end, where you're fighting Sephiroth all alone with the completely blacked-out surroundings, that he dies so easily?

I always thought that at that moment, Sephiroth let Cloud kill him, as if he has finally realized what he has done and is now accepting of his punishment. I mean, he used to be a good guy -- at least as much as you can be as a Shinra employee.
I also read somewhere that in one of the Dissidia games, one of the other characters comments on how there's "sadness in Sephiroth's eyes."

That, of course, was totally shattered when he frickin' came back in AC, obsessively dwelling on his hatred of Cloud. I guess I just think SE might have messed up Sephiroth a little... :\

Alrighty, enough of my Seph rambling...thanks for reading.

Great point. Really great point.

Sephiroth I guess is polarising just like FFVII itself. There are fans and there are haters and in a lot of ways everybody has it wrong. Sephiroth isn't an amazing villain, but he did do a few things right. Like DrAssenov suggests, there is some characterisation of Sephiroth that shows him as a bit more than just a weirdo maniac trying to become a god.

Not only that, but Sephiroth (allegedly) manipulates Jenova to the point where it takes his form and (fact) leads Shinra and the party, incl. and esp. Cloud on a wild goose chase around the planet under the guise of "stopping" him but really end up aiding him. Like, that's seriously well done. Then he kills a party member and he almost succeeds in his plan. I know he doesn't and for that he's always going to be a little inferior to Kefka in the villains sweepstakes, but by smurfing jove if he didn't almost nail it.

Plus, Cloud's mental smurfing breakdown is in a lot of way's Sephiroth's doing - not entirely - but you can't say the man didn't have an impact. I really think Sephiroth did well for what he was. The Compilation has kind of altered his character and while the mysterious angsty badass sort of thing works in a way, there's way too much of that between Cloud and Vincent already. Just make him maniacal again. He's over his emotions and is a stone cold killah