Sephiroth is one of the most famous video game villains of all time. Although some hardcore Final Fantasy fans might argue that there are many other villains in the franchise who are just as interesting, the game's popularity did make him the most iconic bad guy of the series. He has a distinct visual design, way of speaking, memorable sword, and terrifying goals.
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Sephiroth is evil, sometimes sadistic, and undeniably scary. At this point, he is so popular that many people like him, or at the very least recognize him, even though they've never played the game where he debuted. Although having as much Sephiroth as possible is appreciated, the Final Fantasy VII Remake doesn't make him nearly as scary as he used to be in the original game.
10 The Build Up Was Much Better In The Original
There is a lot of build-up in the game before Sephiroth is first seen. We did not even know what he was for a long time. Sephiroth is mentioned here and there, but he is not constantly there the way he is in the Remake. There is a lot of nuance and subtlety in his introduction. Unfortunately, the developers chose to do it differently this time.
Sephiroth's legacy is content for legends. Stories of a godlike hero are sprinkled here and there, only to make players later realize who they are eventually going to face. The game shows what Sephiroth does, and what he is capable of doing, in a way that makes it impossible to not be constantly shocked by his actions.
9 The Game Treated Him As A Monster From A Horror Film
He is presented to the players in a very memorable way, but they do not give him away too quickly. Cloud follows a trail of blood and ripped corpses up to where President Shinra should be. There, the president can be seen at his table — dead with a sword on his back, accompanied by Shinra's ominous theme and the surprise of Cloud and Tifa, who recognize the sword.
When we find President Shinra's body, Palmer swears he saw Sephiroth claiming that Shinra would never have the promised land. It is very clear that everybody is afraid of this mysterious person, and killing the president is not even close to the worst things he has done.
8 He Was Not Supposed To Be Alive
When the characters start talking about someone who beat death, there's already something to be learned about Sephiroth. Cloud believed that Sephiroth was dead. He was the one who tossed Sephiroth to a fall that would kill any living thing.
There are many things that one can infer from the idea of a murderous bad guy who survived a murder attempt. The idea of having this being of legends coming for Cloud, or even being mentally unstable due to his near-death experience, is frightening on its own.
7 He Murdered A Beloved Party Member
Sephiroth is a murderous monster who cannot be stopped. He shows up, has things his way, and then leaves. In both games, Sephiroth is responsible for taking human lives without showing any semblance of remorse. But, there's a significant difference that makes players create personal feelings towards the bad guy in the original game.
When Sephiroth murdered a party member, players were forced to deal with it. Aerith was killed by him without any ceremony. There was no need for honor or battle. Her fate was settled when he decided what was about to happen. After killing the last Ancient, he proudly smirked at Cloud. It doesn't matter how much time was spent leveling her up, how much of a vital member of the party she was, or even how long it took to find her last Limit Break. She was really gone.
6 Cloud Was Many Times Under Sephiroth's Control
The hero of the game, the main character, Ex First Class SOLDIER Cloud Strife is nothing but Sephiroth's puppet for a long time. His mind is broken, his memories are twisted, and his actions are not always his own. Many times in the game, Cloud is not completely sure of what he is doing.
When Sephiroth decides to kill Aerith, he tries to do that through Cloud, who lifts his sword and almost does it. It wasn't even the first time that he did something like that. Cloud had also lost his mind in a previous situation and ended up beating up Aerith with his bare hands. He did not remember doing it, but it only showed how scary it was to have a psychopathic villain inside the mind of someone as powerful as Cloud.
5 He Was Unpredictable
Sephiroth shows up to attack Shinra. Then he takes Jenova's head. Eventually, he wants Aerith's life. Sometimes he attacks the bad guys, sometimes he comes for the heroes. Sephiroth is unpredictable. Although most of the time, he seems crazy, he always has a reason behind his actions.
An unstoppable force that is hard to understand is a scary concept on its own. Sephiroth is like a force of nature. His motivations are unimportant for those who will suffer from his appearance. Being in a place where he is will always be a bad sign. Add that to the fact that you can't ever know what is going on in his mind and you have pure despair.
4 Sephiroth Was Surrounded By Mysteries
The more Final Fantasy would show about Sephiroth, the more questions would appear. Why is he alive? Does he want revenge? Is he crazy? Is Jenova controlling him? Is he controlling Jenova? We are introduced to so many different stories and twists that it becomes hard to really know for sure what is going on.
Sephiroth is presented as a war hero at first. Later on, information surfaces making the player believe that he is an Ancient. Eventually, there's evidence that he was experimented on since he was a child and that Jenova isn't even from this planet. Add that to the fact that Sephiroth says Jenova is his mother and many people still get confused about his story. This only creates an otherworldly atmosphere around Sephiroth that keeps this constant feeling of awe and threat on those who see him.
3 His Body Was Just A Tool
Eventually, it is established that Sephiroth somehow has alternative bodies. There are many weird things about his physical form that are mentioned in the game. Long after, we learn that he exists on a cellular level. Either way, it becomes terrifying when he claims that his body is no longer useful, proving that Sephiroth transcended his humanity.
Things get really weird when we learn that Sephiroth's original body is seen. He was crystallized in Mako after falling into the reactor. The game presents this unsettling concept that Sephiroth was running the show through the Lifestream the whole time. Besides, he was able to create a new body out of thin air just to achieve his goals.
2 He Constantly Made The Party Feel Powerless
Everything that Sephiroth wants, up until the very end of the game, he gets. He torments Cloud, takes the black Materia, kills Aerith, Summons Meteor, and so on. The heroes try over and over again to stop him, but it only results in more frustration.
When Meteor is summoned, even Shinra's plan to stop it fails. The whole planet is forced to watch a giant rock about to collide with the planet that will wipe out all life from existence. It is scary to think that this is what Jenova did many times to many different planets.
1 His Goal Was To Destroy The World
Sephiroth's Goal in Final Fantasy 7 Remake is not entirely clear. There is a lot of destiny talk here and there and some foreshadowing of Meteor, but it does not feel the same. In the original game, though, his mind is infected by Jenova to a point which it is hard to think of them as different entities.
Jenova is some sort of planet parasite, so that's pretty much what Sephiroth became. By summoning Meteor, he hoped to wipe out all life on the planet so he could absorb the Lifestream. That way, he would have all the power and all the knowledge of all things that ever lived on the planet. After that, following Jenova's behavior, Sephiroth would most likely find another planet to do the same thing again. It's an amazing cosmic horror element that the original game had.