Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth creative director and veteran developer of the original JRPG Tetsuya Nomura has posed a question that's been bugging him for nearly 27 years: why do you all find Sephiroth so attractive?
Speaking to Shack News, the veteran developer is asked how the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth team approached Sephiroth's design regarding story and gameplay and how you present him as a hero of the time.
Nomura starts by saying that Sephiroth is a more prominent presence this time, "much more so than the original title." While Nomura also remarks that he's a character who "really moves the story along in a very immense and impactful way," he stops short there, saying you'll need to play Rebirth to see what that's all about.
- After 9 years staring at his face, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director's favorite character is Cloud: "I don't think there was a time that I haven't seen him in front of me"
- During the original Final Fantasy 7's development, the devs considered Tetsuya Nomura "the Demon King of retakes" - "He was always making the designers re-do things"
With that cleared out of the way, Nomura ponders what makes the tall, long-haired bad boy so desirable to fans.
"As far as Sephiroth being this extremely popular character, frankly, I'm very curious as to what makes him so attractive to users, because I hear this opinion very often," he says. "His appearance, firstly, I'm sure, but also perhaps there is something about his background that brings about a particular appeal to so many of the players that makes him this iconic character. And so, for Rebirth, I would think that besides Cloud, Sephiroth is also a protagonist that we can think of for this title."
Truly, a mystery.
Jokes aside, there's plenty to Sephiroth that makes him an appealing character. Nomura touches on his backstory that hints at someone who thought themselves god-like having to deal with simply being (a very talented) human. I'd also say it's the initial mystery surrounding him. In the original Final Fantasy 7, Sephiroth is lightly hinted at during the Midgar section of the game but not seen, aiding a sense of suspense that lifts when you meet him. Naturally, that wasn't doable in Final Fantasy 7 Remake as he basically just wouldn't be in the game, though it's something that likely lingers with older fans.
All in all, if the eventual reveal of a tragic background after heaps of suspense doesn't get you, then the fact that he's a big ol' bad boy with a cool samurai sword might.
"All quests" in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth have two versions because the devs wanted to include a story detail from the original JRPG.
