If any of that first paragraph is in FF4, the original, I will be amazed Or are you just exaggerating two lines of text? I certainly don't remember any of that.

As for Sephiroth vs. Kefka and the FF3 guy, Kefka's backstory is also some throwaway text of no consequence. Sephiroth's is one of the most memorable sequences in the game. It makes him sympathetic to many, and I can'tsay that I've ever found one person who felt sorry for Kefka.