Sephiroth: What the fuck happened?

[Akemmi]

Does Genesis recite lines from Loveless even during sex? It's quite likely

He probably uses them as pick-up lines as well. lol

Sephiroth however doesn't need pick-up lines.

xxx

Akemmi

 

[Cthulhu]

Does Genesis recite lines from Loveless even during sex? It's quite likely

Oh baby I implore thee,
my foonting turlingdromes
And hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles,
Or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon,
See if I don't!

Definitely can see that happening.

 

[loverofCloud]

i don't think a real good person can became so cruel all of a sudden,if he was "normal" maybe he could be so depressed,also mentally destroyed but i guess a good person cannot become such a fierce killer like he did.

 

[Gale]

i don't think a real good person can became so cruel all of a sudden,if he was "normal" maybe he could be so depressed,also mentally destroyed but i guess a good person cannot become such a fierce killer like he did.

It's well documented that in a situation where people feel as though responsibility for their actions can be deflected and the humanity of the victim masked even an average, well-meaning and kind person can be capable of torture and murder. All it requires is the right situation in which a person feels as though their actions are either inconsequential or justified.

Even with Sephiroth's ego, he did a lot of presumably terrible things on behest of Shinra without really thinking about or questioning his orders. While his egomaniacal killing spree and bid for godhood is fueled by his own superiority complex, he is able to kill so viciously because he views humans the way humans view animals - an inferior being whose pain and suffering is inconsequential in the scope of a superior species' advancement. Had Sephiroth ever encountered beings he deemed 'equals', it's possible he would treat them with at least the same congeniality he initially showed Angeal, Genesis, and to a degree Zack.

Most "bad" people started off as good people, and most still believe that their actions benefit a greater good that justifies the harm they cause.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

Hmm... Put yourself in Sephiroth's position for a few minutes. Think about growing up for over twenty years - you think you're human, albeit somewhat different from everyone else. And you become best friends with two other people you think are also human...

Remember Sephiroth's actions... He backed out of investigating Banora, because he didn't want to run the risk of confronting his friends. He looked pretty worried when Genesis's wound didn't heal, and was quick to offer his aid to Hollander in order to help Genesis. He was willing to betray Shinra for his friends. He even showed sympathy towards Zack, giving him permission to return from Junon to Aerith's side, and sought to allay his worry about not meeting up again.

And in particular, remember Sephiroth's look and tone as he calls the Genesis clones "abominations". Remember how much he freaked out when he first started to consider that he could've been created the same way the monsters at the Nibel reactor were created?

Now, I understand that it's possible all that was a huge act, but somehow I doubt it. All that seems to me to indicate that he did consider himself human, or at least, had human feelings. Even if he did have violent tendencies, he called Zack to the Sector 5 reactor to "fail" to eliminate Angeal - he could've just waltzed in and killed Angeal himself, right?

If I remember right, Sephiroth was only told that his mother's name was Jenova, and that she died giving birth to him. Who knows what image of Jenova Sephiroth had conjured in his head? Could've been anything from a loving, kind woman, to someone who sold her baby for a scientific experiment... But I think he might've favored the former idea, and probably never expected a Blue Space Bitch, as Munatits called her, or a Cetra from two thousand years ago, when they were supposed to be extinct...

Anyway, consider the fact that he might have been devoted to the idea of Jenova, as his mother, without truly knowing what she was like (this isn't an unknown case with orphans). Now consider going on a mission, finding a giant chamber with your mother's (fairly unusual?) name on it, surrounded by pods with monsters in them. At this point, putting myself in Sephiroth's very nice boots, I begin to feel slightly sick.

So I can't really blame Sephiroth if, when he gets back to Shinra Manor and finds out he was just an experiment, and that his mother was originally part of a race that "ruled" Gaia... confirming that funny feeling he had when he was younger that he was different, but in a completely unexpected way. I'd be feeling either pretty devastated at this point, or really, really, REALLY angry. (And if nothing else, the lyrics of his theme song(s) seem to indicate he's pretty pissed off - either at what he is, or because of Cloud, or maybe both, though I think it's mostly his origins and at the humans.)

As to why he thought it was necessary to kill all the folk at Nibelheim - didn't the humans, or at least the Shinra, have a warped idea of the Cetra? I seem to remember reading a report where they mentioned that Cetra go around destroying planets...

Um... the whole point of my long post was that yes, I thought Sephiroth wasn't evil to start out with...

Oddly enough, when I first started playing Final Fantasy VII, I didn't care much about Sephiroth, and I disliked Aerith a bit... But when I saw what happened to her at the Forgotten City, I really started hating Sephiroth. The feeling only intensified as he went around mindf***ing Cloud. But after Crisis Core, I find myself feeling sorry for him... "

 

[Cat Rage Room]

You know, you're not supposed to feel any sympathy for Sephiroth.

 

[ForceStealer]

Yeah, you can understand WHY certain things happened, but he's an evil son of a bitch, there are no real excuses for him.

 

[Neutron Ronnie]

I KNOW... I want to go back to hating him without interference too, you know!

I agree, the guy is an evil, rotten son of a she-dog. Cloud's mind was messed up too in a similar way - he thought that he was just some mad scientist's failed creation without any memories of his own. You think he deals with it in a different way - begging Hojo for a number, and apologizing to Tifa as he betrayed them all... But ultimately he gave in to what he thought was his "destiny" - helping Sephiroth.

I guess Sephiroth also gave in to what he thought was his destiny - taking the planet back from the humans for the Cetra. Not saying it's right, mind you - but maybe it was just right for him.

 

[admirable_butterfli]

Which is why I love the S.O.B. (Jenova a close second) He's the one you love to hate (or hate to love for some fans). The fact that over time he has become so relatable it is actually scary that I want to see what happens when Sephiroth succeeds with his (or Mother's) plan. What the future will hold or what idea's he had in mind in re-shaping the planet or universe would be astounding! But alas we will never know.

 

[Makoeyes987]

Sephiroth, relatable?

As a human, maybe.

But as the Jenova-human hybrid monster who wishes to kill all humanity and recreate the planet in his own image as a god that will traverse the cosmos and continue his quest to attain ultimate power?

...I'm not feeling that one too much.

 

[admirable_butterfli]

Sephiroth, relatable?

As a human, maybe.

But as the Jenova-human hybrid monster who wishes to kill all humanity and recreate the planet in his own image as a god that will traverse the cosmos and continue his quest to attain ultimate power?

...I'm not feeling that one too much

.

As a human? Yes. Relatable. As a "Jenova-human hybrid monster who wishes to kill all humanity and recreate the planet in his own image as a god that will traverse the cosmos and continue his quest to attain ultimate power?" Maybe I'm just weird and demented enough get into dangerous minds and find the concept interesting. I actually want to see it happen. Just to see what this alternate future would be like. (yes I do realize the fact that I'm human and I'll probably have the one-way ticket to death stamp on my forehead)

 

[Arianna]

Honestly, I see Yaag Rosch in Final Fantasy XIII as Sephiroth if things went better or right mostly all along. Someone who is serious about his duties as well as considerate and compassionate about all those around him, heck - he even treats his enemies with some! Personally, I think if Sephiroth had more of a normal life all together, he wouldn't have cracked; I don't believe it was just Nibelheim.

 

[admirable_butterfli]

Well it wasn't just Nibelheim. There were little things that amounted to Sephiroth's distress state as I'm sure we already know that cause him to cave in. I should know cause I do suffer from MDAD (Major Depression and Anxiety disorder). I've had the experience when alot tramtic things add up one does break down. Now I'm not saying weither or not Sephiorth had mental issues or the like, I'm just saying, as stated above, it was more than just him findin' his Mum.

But yes I do agree with you, if things did turn out differently, Sephiroth would be like Yaag Rosch to an extent.

 

[OneWingedDemon]

I'm pretty sure Sephiroth is asexual. There's never been any indication he's ever had any romantic feelings for anyone. CC would have been a good place to bring this up if SE wanted to, but it doesn't look like it. Granted, probably not very relevant to the plot, but SE has been asked about this before and Nomura's answer's been "I don't know". Then again, that's Nomura's default setting.

 

[Ryushikaze]

I thought his default setting was 'Obfuscate' which is 'I don't know' but intentional.

 

[obama5493]

I think that, originally, Sephiroth would not have this dark nature of his, but through his life, his descontent with humanity could have started to increase by watching how people can be greedy and cruel to each other.

This disappoitment with humans may had developed to the point of Sephiroth simply no longer cared for mankind as a whole.

(I can relate to that, since i too became a bit cold-hearted as i grew up, by watching how greedy and cruel people can be)

However, i don't think at this point he had any kind of murderous intentions and, as we saw in CC, Sephiroth even developed a strong friendship with Angeal and Genesis.

But after the encounter with Elfe, i think that Sephiroth's darkest nature began to grow.

Having his two best friends deserting and revolting against the institution where Sephiroth grew and, to an extent, against himself, didn't help either.

And having one of his friends dying while the other wanted to mentally destroy him only served to Sephiroth dig even deeper in his dark side.

But the discovery of the truth behind his tainted birth was really the last drop.

That was the moment that his growing disappointment with humans became a true hatred for mankind and all it represents.

All in all, i think that Sephiroth had already that dark nature inside of him, but it were those events that really made him take a path that separated him from mankind forever.

Taking into account the possibility of his upbringing and family traits, moreso Hojo's side of things, I would not disbelieve Sephiroth suffers from the same. Hojo has an undeniable cruel streak which he masks under the guise of science, Sephiroth - while I believe he was at one time more in control of himself than Hojo was - does so under the guise of the duties of being a member of SOLDIER. He was born and raised to kill.

 

[Gym Leader Devil]

Hojo masks his cruel streak? When did that happen, last I knew he was pretty damn open about being a sick, twisted bastard. For him, science and torture seem pretty much one and the same.

 

[AerithLives]

From what I understand Sephiroth was never a good guy. Understandibly as a human being he had friends...very few by the sounds of it but if Zack was the closest thing he did have to a friend then that probably did make him some sort of loner wierdo!

Anyway working for the Shinra and following their missions blindly probably does make you some form of bastard. Not to mention he was born and raised under Shinra (wasnt he?) so he had no real decent role model to tell him right from wrong. .. .. .


If you ask me he was a ticking time bomb anyway!

 

[Celes Chere]

From what I understand Sephiroth was never a good guy.

I disagree with that. Crisis Core showed him to have emotions, he actually smiled, and he actually seemed like a pretty calm, rational, gentle spirited guy.

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

I disagree with that. Crisis Core showed him to have emotions, he actually smiled, and he actually seemed like a pretty calm, rational, gentle spirited guy.

smiling and being calm doesn't make you a good guy

eridan and gamzee both have smiled and been calm and you know where THAT got them

 

[Celes Chere]

That's true... but he seemed to actually care about his friends and others when his mind didn't get warped by you know... turning out to be a monster and everything. It just seems so random how he just snapped over that. SEPHIROTH IS ERIDAN ;A; And Feferi is like Aerith! It all makes sense

 

[Alessa Gillespie]

That's true... but he seemed to actually care about his friends and others when his mind didn't get warped by you know... turning out to be a monster and everything. It just seems so random how he just snapped over that. SEPHIROTH IS ERIDAN ;A; And Feferi is like Aerith! It all makes sense

and then she got involved with sollux (cloud or zack or whoever) and sephieridan NEVER FORGAVE HER FOR IT

 

[Danseru-kun]

I disagree with that. Crisis Core showed him to have emotions, he actually smiled, and he actually seemed like a pretty calm, rational, gentle spirited guy.

I do think so too. Well at least he did show some care for Zack and he seems to know that he has a girlfriend in the slums. This is their dialogue in Junon (SilentTweak's translation)

Sephiroth: Mission failed. That'll be a big minus in your assessment.
Zack: Sephiroth! It's been like what 100 years?
Sephiroth: Leave the rest of this to the Turks. While doing investigations in Modeoheim I heard that you came here.
Zack: Oh I'm so happy.
Sephiroth: It seems things are starting to move again. Genesis clones have shown up all over the world.
Zack: How is that possible---? The Genesis clones should have been wiped out.
Sephiroth: Is Genesis really dead? Even in Midgar there are clones appearing.
Zack: Is that so---
Sephiroth: Slums as well. You can go back, you have my permission.
Zack: O---ooo.
Sephiroth: Take care.

About his relationship with Angeal and Genesis, I love this mail:

Sephiroth is known to value his private life, but there was a time when he had two best friends. We'd like to share a story of this threesome guaranteed to raise a smile. The SOLDIER trio would use the training room exclusively as their playground, but in order to retain their 1st Class dignity, they would sneak in only after the 2nd Class members had gone home. Then they would proceed to have one of the three stand with a dumbapple on his head, while the other two would throw their swords at the apple to pierce it! Sephiroth always won, his Masamune always striking every dumbapple dead center.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

double post

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Caring for your friends doesn't necessarily make you a 'good person'. The human psyche and how we have relationships with others is more complex than anime cliches would have us realize. You can care dearly about someone and have real, genuine love for an individual or individuals and still be the scum of the earth.

I'm not saying Sephiroth was a bad person post Nibelcrazy, but he wasn't necessarily a good guy, either. The perfect soldier, and reasonable, and sometimes even charitable, but ultimately a true neutral who steered the wrong way into crazy.