Why did Hojo never tell Sephiroth he was his father?

[jazzflower92]

Not even, at least not consciously. We can say so because based on his actions he's definitely inhumane. But there's nothing that says he went out of his way for the sake of being an evil creator/ father/ whatever. More like he didn't care whether his methods are morally correct as long as he's able to yield knowledge. There's a difference between not caring and actually trying to be evil.

I don't know he seems to teeter between those two areas.

 

[Jiro]

Also, Hojo was insane but he wasn't quite enough of a whackjob to think that telling the mentally unstable Sephiroth that a guy he hates is actually his father would be a good idea. Could you imagine? I don't know if Limit Breaks work quite like Trance does but if you think Vivi was pissed at Black Waltz then you would not believe how pissed Sephiroth would be to think fucking Hojo was his pappy.

 

[jazzflower92]

Also, Hojo was insane but he wasn't quite enough of a whackjob to think that telling the mentally unstable Sephiroth that a guy he hates is actually his father would be a good idea. Could you imagine? I don't know if Limit Breaks work quite like Trance does but if you think Vivi was pissed at Black Waltz then you would not believe how pissed Sephiroth would be to think fucking Hojo was his pappy.

I kinda of imagine it would give Sephiroth even more of a reason to beat the living daylights out of Hojo.But for then again this is Hojo and probably no one would really miss him.

 

[Unlucky]

I don't know he seems to teeter between those two areas.

How so?

 

[jazzflower92]

Hojo like any sociopath wouldn't perceive his actions as evil and probably would push boundraries of denceny mulitiple times with out hesitation or any guilt even if it was his own kid.Also one thing about sociopath that they can't form any real emotional attachment to anyone and will feign feelings of love and affections if it serves his purpose. If a sociopath does form a sorta of attachment to anyone its more like an owner-possession relationship.In other words this sums up probably the reason why Hojo never told Sephiroth he was his father because frankly he didn't see any value in doing so and wasn't interested in any personal relationship with Sephiroth.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

There's some parts of him that fit the Sociopath well, but other parts really don't.

Here's the stuff that doesn't:
Consummate Deception Skills:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ConsummateLiar Hojo never really lies. He might not reveal what he should, but when he is asked about stuff, he tells the truth about it as he knows/considers it. Not that it helps people too much.

Shallow Affect:From everything I've seen, Hojo actually has emotions; he isn't faking them. He just has strong emotions about really disturbing stuff, like his research.

Superficial Charm: Hojo doesn't really fool people about who he is and what he does. If anything, who he is and what he does is why Shin-Ra hired him...

A Troubling Childhood: we don't have any info on this...

So, I think almost half don't work well.

Now if you were going to say Hojo is a Psychopath (there is a difference between the two)... I think that fits him better.

 

[jazzflower92]

What I mean from troubling childhood is the fact that they display their very violent tendency and sociopath/pyschopathic traits when they are young.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

We don't have any information on that either.

 

[Unlucky]

Hojo is hungry for knowledge and more knowledge and Hojo dontcurr about the feelings of EVERYONE in the planet, and probably in the whole universe.

That's the safest way to describe him.

 

[jazzflower92]

Hojo is hungry for knowledge and more knowledge and Hojo dontcurr about the feelings of EVERYONE in the planet, and probably in the whole universe.

That's the safest way to describe him.

Anyone here have any bets that if Hojo had the capability that he would potentially let his universe collapse in the name of science.And that is very much a no brainer if you think about it.For a simple human once you really think about Hojo you really can be creeped out how depraved someone can be without being a superbeing.His pyschotic quest for knowledge at times really scares me more than any other Final Fantasy villain.

 

[T@ctic]

maybe because he didnt care....compared to JENOVA sephiroth REALLY wouldnt care if hojo told him.

 

[Ozarkas]

I agree with the earlier post about how Hojo doesn't fit a lot of the criteria for a sociopath. Sociopaths are described as superficial and charming, and have a glow and calmness about them that draws people to them. Like Kefka, probably.

Hojo is sluggish and depressed looking. He is portrayed as someone low in self esteem. Slouched, grumpy frowning face, long greasy hair sloppily tied back with a rubber band like he doesn't care to bathe or fix himself up, and in Crisis Core he just stands there with this defeated, broken posture and has a sloppy, lazy, and unconfident walk. I have heard Hojo being described as a narcissist as well as a sociopath. Does he socialize a lot? Does he lie, act superficial or charming, have a lot of connections, focus on his appearance, try to be the center of attention, etc.? Not at all. He is socially withdrawn, and if anything looks like someone with low self-esteem. I thought narcissists and sociopaths have lower rates of anxiety and depression, are confident and social, etc. which is not Hojo at all. He's a selfish jerk, sure. But a lot of people are without neccissarily being sociopaths.

He's a horrible scientist. Everyone in the game thinks so. Vincent described him as being a queer fellow and lacking in scientific talent, and Sephiroth described him as being a walking mass of complexes and a second rate scientist. My personal opinion? Hojo is not truly a scientist at heart, but he pretends to be. He was obsessed with proving the existence of a higher power, and even in Crisis Core he claimed to have read Loveless thinking that it could aid his research, but that it was pure drivel. How exactly can an ancient epic, a story, aid scientific research? Unless he secretly does believe in a higher power, or wants to believe, but can't which is why he tries to use science to prove it. Even after Sephiroth's death, he still refers to him as "the hero" which means that he stilled believed in Loveless.

He thinks putting humans in tanks filled with mako energy is science, but it's not. In the official artworks, he is portrayed as looking to the side, particularly the left which is often body language for dishonesty.

All of you are wrong. He and the others assigned to the Jenova project had the goal of creating a being with the powers of the ancients. Perhaps to study, to just see if they could, or because Shinra wanted them to so he could use that being to find the Promised Land and create his Neo Midgar. That's it. No super soldiers, no God being, no superior being of any kind. Then after its discovered that Jenova and Sephiroth are not ancients, they put Sephiroth in soldier because they couldn't do anything else with him.

Hojo did not plan the Nibelheim incident. In Crisis Core it is stated that Tifa reported monsters in the area and so Shinra sent soldiers to investigate. That's it. You guys are over thinking this and making Hojo look more evil and scheming than he really was. However, how he is portrayed in the original game and Crisis Core is not the same Hojo in Dirge of Cerberus. In DoC he is more sociopathic but in the others, calmer and more sluggish and depressed looking.

My final conclusion? Hojo cared about Sephiroth to an extent. He had a fanclub for him (that mentioned his shampoo, when he hung out with Genesis and Angeal, exclusive photos, etc.)

That means that Hojo was paying attention to Sephiroth on a level outside of scientific study. After all, was Hojo interested in Red XIII's or Aerith's bathing habits or hang outs with friends? Hojo probably intended to reveal that he was Sephiroth's father when he arrived in Nibelheim after Sephiroth's death, as stated in Hojo's missions in Crisis Core. Lets also not forget his stunt to give Sephiroth more power, and in BC he stays at Shinra just for Sephiroth. (Chapter 10). He obviously doesn't want attachments for whatever reason. Tough love? Or to study the specimen with emotions getting in the way. As for Lu, well in the original game there wasn't much to go on. He might have loved her and accidentally gotten her knocked up and thought it was a good opportunity to use the child, and he got bitter because he was secretly offended st Lucrecia's affair.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

To be fair, FFVII's Ultimania Omega does say that the Nibelheim Incident may have been planned by Hojo in part, given the timing of his arrival with Shin-Ra troops. He was interested in seeing what would happen if Sephiroth came in contact with Jenova.

 

[jazzflower92]

To be fair, FFVII's Ultimania Omega does say that the Nibelheim Incident may have been planned by Hojo in part, given the timing of his arrival with Shin-Ra troops. He was interested in seeing what would happen if Sephiroth came in contact with Jenova.

If Hojo did plan it out then that really makes him partially responsible for what happened in Nibelheim. Then again in Crisis Core they did to imply that it might be Genesis's handy work.

 

[Ozarkas]

To be fair, FFVII's Ultimania Omega does say that the Nibelheim Incident may have been planned by Hojo in part, given the timing of his arrival with Shin-Ra troops. He was interested in seeing what would happen if Sephiroth came in contact with Jenova.

Um. Where? Could you cite that?

If Hojo did plan it out then that really makes him partially responsible for what happened in Nibelheim. Then again in Crisis Core they did to imply that it might be Genesis's handy work.

The FFVII series is never consistent. In CC, the first class soldiers were sent to investigate the area because of monster sightings. Tifa said so. She said that was the reason she even called them there.

 

[Ryushikaze]

It's still monster sightings in all versions. CC just adds that it's Genesis behind said monsters.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

Um. Where? Could you cite that?

I don't have the page number off the top of my head (Ryu or hitoshura might), but the passage says:

(translation by hito)
----
The investigation of the mako reactor
According to prior reports the malfunctions at the mako reactor were due to aging of the facilities, but the true cause was down to the human experiments being conducted in the reactor. So, why was Sephiroth and the others sent to investigate the reactor?

If you later read the martial artist Zangan's letter to his pupil Tifa (> P.180), you will learn that straight after Sephiroth's rampage occurred, Hojo lead Shinra's army to Nibelheim and collected the survivors for his own experiment. When you consider the rather eerie efficiency in dealing with the incident, it almost seems that the series of events that began with the dispatching of Sephiroth was a plan by Hojo to lead Sephiroth to Jenova and have him awaken...?
----

 

[Griva]

I don't want to go into the sociopath discussion, just want to mention that Hojo had Jenova cells injected into his body, and as we all know:

"The ability to change one's looks, voice, and words, is the power of Jenova."

Perhaps it was a bit of the cells that prevented him from ever mentioning such a thing, but I'd like to believe what is already mentioned: Hojo just wanted to see what happens if Jenova cells are merged with a human fetus, he never cared if that is his own.

 

[Ozarkas]

I don't want to go into the sociopath discussion, just want to mention that Hojo had Jenova cells injected into his body, and as we all know:

"The ability to change one's looks, voice, and words, is the power of Jenova."

Perhaps it was a bit of the cells that prevented him from ever mentioning such a thing, but I'd like to believe what is already mentioned: Hojo just wanted to see what happens if Jenova cells are merged with a human fetus, he never cared if that is his own.

Hojo injected himself with Jenova's cells at the end, because according to the Jenova reunion theory, all of Jenova's cells had to reunite and he wanted to be reunited with Sephiroth.

 

[jazzflower92]

Hojo injected himself with Jenova's cells at the end, because according to the Jenova reunion theory, all of Jenova's cells had to reunite and he wanted to be reunited with Sephiroth.

Knowing Hojo he just wanted to see his greatest experiment come to bloom rather than anything about being together with this son. In Hojo's mind Sephiroth is an experiment first and his son last. All through out the games he appears in he never regrets any of his actions toward Sephiroth.

 

[Ozarkas]

Knowing Hojo he just wanted to see his greatest experiment come to bloom rather than anything about being together with this son. In Hojo's mind Sephiroth is an experiment first and his son last. All through out the games he appears in he never regrets any of his actions toward Sephiroth.

Why would he regret any of his actions? At first Sephiroth was amazing. Strong, successful, famous, pretty much perfect. Why would Hojo regret turning his only child into that? If he could undo that and have Sephiroth born as a normal, average boy I doubt he would. Too bad it did not last, before Sephiroth went psycho. But before that he was alright. I heard a quote once. "A star that burns twice as bright only burns for half as long." That is how it was with Sephiroth. Those who have it all and seem perfect usually do not last too long.

 

[jazzflower92]

Why would he regret any of his actions? At first Sephiroth was amazing. Strong, successful, famous, pretty much perfect. Why would Hojo regret turning his only child into that? If he could undo that and have Sephiroth born as a normal, average boy I doubt he would. Too bad it did not last, before Sephiroth went psycho. But before that he was alright. I heard a quote once. "A star that burns twice as bright only burns for half as long." That is how it was with Sephiroth. Those who have it all and seem perfect usually do not last too long.

The fact that Hojo is implied to have a hand in sending Sephiroth to Nibelheim should really speak about what a horrid person he is. It is said he sent him there so he could see how Sephiroth would react to Jenova. I don't know about you that is defiantly not what a loving father would to his own child and further proves how he thinks of Sephiroth as more as an item of science.

 

[Ozarkas]

The fact that Hojo is implied to have a hand in sending Sephiroth to Nibelheim should really speak about what a horrid person he is. It is said he sent him there so he could see how Sephiroth would react to Jenova. I don't know about you that is defiantly not what a loving father would to his own child and further proves how he thinks of Sephiroth as more as an item of science.

In Crisis Core, Tifa strictly states that she is the one who called because of monster sightings. I don't think Hojo intended for Sephiroth to lose his life. After all, why be like "Sephiroth will never die! As long as I live, so will he! At least in our minds" and that club letter was sent five years later so Hojo was still obsessed with him five years later. And Sephiroth hated him and disrespected him according to Hojo. How loving could an already unloving person be affectionate towards someone who holds him in such contempt?

 

[jazzflower92]

In Crisis Core, Tifa strictly states that she is the one who called because of monster sightings. I don't think Hojo intended for Sephiroth to lose his life. After all, why be like "Sephiroth will never die! As long as I live, so will he! At least in our minds" and that club letter was sent five years later so Hojo was still obsessed with him five years later. And Sephiroth hated him and disrespected him according to Hojo. How loving could an already unloving person be affectionate towards someone who holds him in such contempt?

It was probably well earned. If you have that much hatred for a person it must be pretty justified. In the game lab assistants talk about how horrible a person Hojo is. Some parents are obsessed with their children and its often out of making them into a perfect image in their minds. They don't care about what their children think all they want is a perfect doll to mold.

 

[Ozarkas]

It was probably well earned. If you have that much hatred for a person it must be pretty justified. In the game lab assistants talk about how horrible a person Hojo is. Some parents are obsessed with their children and its often out of making them into a perfect image in their minds. They don't care about what their children think all they want is a perfect doll to mold.

Yes, I remember that part. One of the assistants said that Hojo's constant cackling gave him a migraine. So it's not just Sephiroth, but everyone on the game hated the guy. And yes, you do have a point about perfectionism and molding their children. I don't think that Hojo would have given a rats ass about Sephiroth had he been born normal. I am not sure if he intentionally got Lucrecia pregnant because he wanted a fetus to experiment on, or he was just being a typical husband and got her preggo and figured that it was a good opportunity to test his hypothesis. Either way, why did he have to use his own child and not just some random fetus? Unless he wanted an attachment to a centra for his own ego or because he thought giving his child the powers of the cetra was the best thing for it. Dirges portrayal of this backstory was different. It was not written by the original FF7 writers and I believe it was a quick game cheap attempt to rake in some cash after Advent Children while people were still in the FF7 mood.