Common Misconceptions

[Starling]

I was under the impression that Sephiroth simulation could kill him, considering what happened to his sword.

 

[Octo]

I still prefer Midgar to be perpertually dark. Just like in Bladerunner (although in BR it is a combination of tall buildings - you do get to see the sun from the top of the Tyrell building) makes for a more oppressive atmosphere I think.

 

[Flintlock]

I don't think we need to justify why it's dark in Midgar and why there's always a sunset in Cosmo Canyon any more than we need to explain why it's always sunny in Wutai or Nibelheim. The game doesn't have dynamic weather or day-night cycles so they're just design choices. I'm happy to suspend my disbelief for the sake of artistic license. Midgar wouldn't be the same if it was bright, would it?

 

[ForceStealer]

1. Sephiroth is not a general, and SOLDIER doesn't have the typical military ranks (so also no commanders or lieutenants). If I cared enough, I would pull out every single attestation of a.) characters addressing Sephiroth and b.) characters addressing other SOLDIER members. (I cannot speak for the Japanese Compilation ofc.)

While I know this one is true, I still like the image of Sephiroth commanding troops in his sane days.

2. Angeal does not come to Zack's rescue in the prologue of CC because a rogue!Sephiroth showed up in the system. He got a phone call from Lazard informing him of Genesis's desertion. That's why he stopped the training, and that's why he shot off such an enigmatic line as he was leaving the VR room. (See Q1-2.)

Huh. Never realized that one

 

[Roger]

While I know this one is true, I still like the image of Sephiroth commanding troops in his sane days.

He's still probably commands troops, it's just that everyone from the lowest cadet to President Shinra just call them Zack and Sephiroth.

 

[ForceStealer]

True, there is that scene with Zack and the squad of Shinra troops after he makes 1st Class.

 

[Shademp]

2. Angeal does not come to Zack's rescue in the prologue of CC because a rogue!Sephiroth showed up in the system. He got a phone call from Lazard informing him of Genesis's desertion. That's why he stopped the training, and that's why he shot off such an enigmatic line as he was leaving the VR room. (See Q1-2.)

I'm not sure how to interpret the passage, honestly.

Q1-2: Angeal seemed to have received word of the incident during Zack’s training, but did he realise at that point that Genesis have turned traitor?

A1-2: The only message Angeal received during the training was that a mass SOLDIER desertion had occurred, with Genesis at the head, and that operations in Wutai had been suspended. He expects that the reason for Genesis’ desertion has something to do with his ‘deterioration’. But with the other SOLDIERs making assumptions about what he was planning to do by deserting, he doesn’t come to the definite conclusion that Genesis has turned traitor on them.

He has known Genesis for a long time, so he’s conflicted between anticipating that Genesis may have betray them, while also wanting to trust in Genesis and denying his doubts, by not wanting him to have betrayed them and thinking he wouldn’t turn traitor. When he was deployed to Wutai, he didn’t assume that there would be Genesis Copies there either.

This could be referring to the scene AFTER the Virtual Reality System incident. The scene that begins with Zack doing squats, a SOLDIER informs Zack of the mass SOLDIER desertion and then Angeal shows up to take Zack to the meeting. Some may not count as Zack doing squats as "training" and I can definitely see how it is more intuitive to think of the VRS training session as the one being referenced.

In my head either interpretation is feasible. Maybe a retranslation of this passage in the Crisis Core Ultimania could clear things up.


EDIT: Paranoia is now triggered. If Angeal saying "Impossible!" in the prologue chapter is a reaction to being informed of the mass desertion, then why does he instantly run to Zack's aid? I guess we have to assume that he was keeping watch on Zack, but if so he should have run to Zack sooner. It makes more sense to think that the phone call was from somebody informing of a bug in the VRS. Then again that question in the CCU *sounds* like it assumes that Angeal heard about the desertion in that very scene in the Prologue chapter aka Zack's training.

*the Shady is confused*

 

[Starling]

I've got another one. Why do so many people seem to think Cloud's AC outfit is made of leather?

 

[Shademp]

- Red XIII has a line on the Shera in Advent Children

This minor misconception, though a common one I think, is likely especially if you've only watched the movie with Japanese voices. Due to the focus of the camera initially being a close-up on Red XIII, it can appear as though the line (English dub posted here) "So the punk’s gonna become Sephiroth" is spoken by Nanaki and not Cid. I rarely ever listen to the English dub and for a long time I thought Nanaki had a speaking line on the Shera. Last night, when watching Japanese ACC with a crowd, this misconception was spoken by one of the attendants, as he did not agree to my statement that Red XIII has only one line in the movie.

If you've watched the English dub, you can clearly hear that this is Cid's voice. If you're still unsure about the Japanese version, just listen to Red XIII's one line in the church and compare that to the one on the Shera. Eventually you should hear that they are two completely different voices, even if you have a hard time distinguishing Japanese voices.

 

[Clement Rage]

1. Sephiroth is not a general, and SOLDIER doesn't have the typical military ranks (so also no commanders or lieutenants). If I cared enough, I would pull out every single attestation of a.) characters addressing Sephiroth and b.) characters addressing other SOLDIER members. (I cannot speak for the Japanese Compilation ofc.)

)

Is it stated by the creators that they have no ranks, or just that they never in the games address each other by ranks?

 

[Kuja9001]

- Red XIII has a line on the Shera in Advent Children

This minor misconception, though a common one I think, is likely especially if you've only watched the movie with Japanese voices. Due to the focus of the camera initially being a close-up on Red XIII, it can appear as though the line (English dub posted here) "So the punk’s gonna become Sephiroth" is spoken by Nanaki and not Cid. I rarely ever listen to the English dub and for a long time I thought Nanaki had a speaking line on the Shera. Last night, when watching Japanese ACC with a crowd, this misconception was spoken by one of the attendants, as he did not agree to my statement that Red XIII has only one line in the movie.

If you've watched the English dub, you can clearly hear that this is Cid's voice. If you're still unsure about the Japanese version, just listen to Red XIII's one line in the church and compare that to the one on the Shera. Eventually you should hear that they are two completely different voices, even if you have a hard time distinguishing Japanese voices.

I didn't think that was hard to catch well personally I always knew that it wasn't Red.