explain certain parts of FF7 to me please (possible spoilers?)

[Wounded Melody]

OK, so I never fully played FF7, just watched my boyfriend play some of it, yet still like most of the characters and the story, etc.
However, there is one thing that confuses me, even after reading several people's thoughts on the story and AC, etc.
I'm not sure if these are really spoilers anymore, since the game has been out so long and so has AC, so if you still haven't touched anything FF7 related you should probably leave this topic now...
5
4
3
2
1
First, I'm assuming the real Sephiroth was killed at Nibelheim? Does the "real" one ever return? If not, who is the Sephiroth at the end of FF7 and in Advent Children (no I didn't watch that yet either)? Were there any Sephiroth "clones" that were actually clones i.e. looked like him? If the real one never comes back, is he up in the lifestream somewhere?
Thanks for any and all answers, and I appreciate no belittling of my lack of FF7 knowledge.

 

[Erana]

If you don't get it at first, you'll never get it. Its best to just play the game.

Even then, I don't think I'll ever get it, but the point is: take it from the horse's mouth.

 

[Good morning blues]

Sephiroth was never killed at Nibelheim. I dunno, does that clear it up?

 

[Wounded Melody]

Sephiroth was never killed at Nibelheim. I dunno, does that clear it up?

You mean I have the wrong place name or he really didn't die?

 

[Wounded Melody]

If you don't get it at first, you'll never get it. Its best to just play the game.

Even then, I don't think I'll ever get it, but the point is: take it from the horse's mouth.

*lol*
Well, maybe some day when I have the time...

 

[Agayek]

I'm not 100% clear on it myself, but from what I understand, Sephiroth's consciousness merged with Jenova on Mt. Nibel. That body died, but a new one formed from Jenova cells. He proceeded through the story of the game, but basically, we never actually meet Sephiroth. It's really just a form of Jenova, chosen because of the emotional impact such a (in)famous face as an enemy would create.

I'm 95% certain that Jenova was the "real bad guy" behind the whole thing, and Sephiroth was just a sap with an unusually strong connection to her (due to SOLDIER treatments), which Jenova used to control his mind.

 

[kungfujoe]

All that stuff agayek said is both like nothing I've ever heard and completely plausible all at the same time

I guess (since I played this originally when I was 8 and have again a few times since) I always just figured it was in fact Seph. I figured that he became a bit unhinged when he both realized his connection to Jenova, and also the terrible things that the Shinra had done to her/it. It always seemed like it stemmed from a desire to know more about himself.

Further on that, it seems that mako treatment caused some sort of loss of memory. Look at Cloud, after all. He has a hell of a time remembering what happened in his past at parts in the game. I'd guess that Seph did some digging, came to the conclusion that Jenova was his mother, found her on Nibel, got pissed when he saw her, came off the mountain and layed Nebilheim to waste, and went on a quest to destroy the Shinra and find the promised land (that was his END game, right? He wanted to find the promised land?)

 

[Fanboy]

I understood the game more back when I played it than I do now. To answer your question though, I always thought Sephiroth didn't die in the reactor, he fell into the life stream and somehow drifted into the crater. The times you see him I don't think it's really him, but a projection of himself. He also uses the clones, which are not really clones but failed experiments such as cloud, as puppets since they have jenova cells in them.

The real sephiroth is in the crater, absorbing the life stream or something, and he's the funky freakshow you fight at the end.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Eh, I could give you the partial version I was typing however it is probably better I just provide the link explaining the entirety of his existence, then paraphrasing from memory. This link below goes into explicated detail about Sephiroth's life, death, rebirth, clones and whatever else you may be curious about.

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Sephiroth

 

[Fightgarr]

I understood the game more back when I played it than I do now. To answer your question though, I always thought Sephiroth didn't die in the reactor, he fell into the life stream and somehow drifted into the crater. The times you see him I don't think it's really him, but a projection of himself. He also uses the clones, which are not really clones but failed experiments such as cloud, as puppets since they have jenova cells in them.

The real sephiroth is in the crater, absorbing the life stream or something, and he's the funky freakshow you fight at the end.

This is correct. When Cloud is stabbed/stabs Seph in return Sephiroth falls into the lifestream. He then forms a crystal (like a stasis) for himself to heal/get more powerful. The stasis gets deposited into Northern Crater where there are massive materia deposits. Sephiroth is using clones to do his bidding for most of the game.
As for the guys in Advent Children, its never really explained how they survived seeing as all of the Seph clones died in Northern Crater in the game. That's what they're supposed to be though, clones.

 

[Calax]

Sephiroth didn't die in Nebil. Rather he got wounded. What happened was that during the stay in the mansion he found research that explained who and what he was.

Spoiler

Basically he's always had Jenova cells in him. He's the son of Lucrecia and Hojo and Hojo, being the total heartless bastard he is, injected the fetus in his wife with jenova cells to see it's effect. Up until the first visit to the crater most of the sephiroth appearances are the real sephiroth. Then he goes and starts working on summoning the meteor. The "reunion" is all the people in the world with Jenova cells making their way to a central location to basically reform Jenova. Sephiroth is the strongest so (as I understand it) Jenova will use Sephiroth primarily to return to life. Cloud lost most of his mind when he was impaled by Sephiroth and the subsequent experimentation by the Shinra Corp on his body.

and that's all I got.

 

[Laughing Man]

The Jenova project was designed to create warriors with greater levels of power through exposing them to varying levels of Jenvoa cells. This had various levels of success. The off shoot of this was;

a). Sephiroth the only one exposed to Jenova cells whilst still in the womb, which clearly had a great effect since tails of his powers during the Wuati war are what earned him legendary stauts.

b). The standard practice of exposing new members of Soldier to Jenova.

The remnants where not clones, which explains why Kuja and his gang could all be infected with Jenova cells but not look anything like each other. The degrees of success from the project and the amount of cell exposure also explains why Kuja and his gang were not effected by Jenova during the original FF7 incident.

During the Nibelheim mission, Sephiroth discovered the truth surrounding his creation, this plus the genetic mutants he found there plus the close contact with Jenova drove him to breaking point. The truth though is Sephiroth didn't go mad. He was more closely linked to Jenova than any one else with the Jenova cells which meant that ultimately Sephiroth was just a very very powerful puppet. There to do Jenova's will.

This will was to bring about a situation of such massive destruction that the planet would be forced to heal itself at which point Jenova would merge with the planet, the same way it's cells had merged with the human subjects used in Hojo's experiments. It would then use the planet to search the galaxy for.. well I am not sure what it wanted to search for.

After the events in Nibelheim Sephiroth gets stabbed by Cloud. He falls in to the life stream and becomes crystalised in a location near the Northern Crator. From this point on wards Sephiroth becomes nothing more than a projection to those who have been exposed to the Jenova cells. It is postulated that the attack on the Shinra building near the start is the work of Sephiroth but chances are it wasn't the real Sephiroth just one of the remnants being used by Jenova.

Towards the end Sephiroth merges with Jenova as part of the reunion process (the idea is put forward that everyone affected by the Jenova cells was called but I doubt that since it is stated that an entire division of Shinra's elite military i.e Soldier, is meant to have been exposed. It's more likely that the original reunion only brought forth those that were most strongly affected by the Jenova project, hence why most of the remnants you encounter are gibbering idiots.

At the end when you slay Sephiroth, you don't really kill him yourself you have simply weakened him and Jenova's grip on controlling the life stream. This allows the life stream, Aeris and the white materia to kill him. At this point Sephiroth and Jenova are reabsorbed in to the life stream.

Switch to AC. Jenova clearly has a strong pull, I am pretty sure the condition that a lot of the people are suffering from is directly related to Jenova polluting the life stream. Since the individuals with the strongest Jenova cells had been killed in the original game that left only those with weaker levels of Jenova cell.... enter Kadja and his gang.

You notice that they go to the city of the ancients. A place that is said in the first game to have a strong direct access to a source of life stream. AC says that Sephiroth / Jenova is based on a genetic memory. I.e those with the Jenova cell have the ability to become Sephiroth. The visit to the life stream at the City of Ancients gave Kadja access to whatever remained of Sephiroth and Jenova in the life stream.

 

[D_987]

This plot sounds as ham-fisted as Metal Gear Solids...

 

[Axeli]

First, I'm assuming the real Sephiroth was killed at Nibelheim? Does the "real" one ever return?

Real Sephiroth was and was not killed in Nibelheim, depending how you define it. After falling into the Lifestream, he did (if I recall) dissolve in it, but his will never died. His dissolved body and cells eventually returned together at Northern Crater.
This also caused the people with Sephiroth's cells in their bodies to seek out him.

If not, who is the Sephiroth at the end of FF7 and in Advent Children (no I didn't watch that yet either)?

The Sephiroth at the end is the real one, expect for the very last battle which takes place inside Cloud's mind. The Sephiroth in AC on the other hand... Uhh, well not sure. Apparently his undying will again manifested through Kadaj and the Jenova cells.

Were there any Sephiroth "clones" that were actually clones i.e. looked like him? If the real one never comes back, is he up in the lifestream somewhere?

No. FF7 used the word clone very broadly, refering to people who simply had some Sephiroth's cells implanted in them.
However, the Sephiroth you chase for the most of the game isn't actually Sephiroth, but Jenova using her shapeshifting abilities to look like him. On the other hand, Sephiroth was also controlling Jenova at that point from Lifestream/Northern Crater.

And the real Sephiroth is now in the Lifestream, refusing to fully die. He most likely hasn't got a body though, unless his cells have again started to reunite at some location.

 

[antipunt]

I think it all really depends on your definition of 'die' and 'clone'

To me, Sephiroth did die in Nibelheim (in the reactor). His 'clones', however, were what Cloud and his party were dealing with in the current time. That said, this clone was undoubtedly Sephiroth-incarnate. It just depends on how you define things.

 

[Axeli]

I think it all really depends on your definition of 'die' and 'clone'

To me, Sephiroth did die in Nibelheim (in the reactor). His 'clones', however, were what Cloud and his party were dealing with in the current time. That said, this clone was undoubtedly Sephiroth-incarnate. It just depends on how you define things.

No, the Sephiroth in VII wasn't a clone, it was definitely Jenova taking Sephiroth's shape, being controlled by Sephiroth from Lifestream/Northenr Crater.

 

[antipunt]

I think it all really depends on your definition of 'die' and 'clone'

To me, Sephiroth did die in Nibelheim (in the reactor). His 'clones', however, were what Cloud and his party were dealing with in the current time. That said, this clone was undoubtedly Sephiroth-incarnate. It just depends on how you define things.

No, the Sephiroth in VII wasn't a clone, it was definitely Jenova taking Sephiroth's shape, being controlled by Sephiroth from Lifestream/Northenr Crater.

Oh yeah, sorry that's what I meant. I may have worded myself confusingly since I said 'clones', I actually meant 'clone' (singular). And by clone, I don't even mean the common-day use of the word. OK, this is getting confused =/

 

[Kaunte]

I find it funny how everyone is always raving about how great the story of FFVII is, and still nobody seems to know exactly what the heck was actually going on in the game...

 

[Mancer]

basically it was never the real seph just cloud's screwed memory of him and jenova pretending to be him until the final boss fight which you kill his ass with omni slash. so in others words he just fell in mako and stayed frozen while jenova went around spreading her cells pretending to be him... lame yes

 

[Mackinator]

SPOILERS BELOW DO NOT READ IF YOU DONT KNOW THE GENERAL PLOT

OK, so I never fully played FF7, just watched my boyfriend play some of it, yet still like most of the characters and the story, etc.
However, there is one thing that confuses me, even after reading several people's thoughts on the story and AC, etc.
I'm not sure if these are really spoilers anymore, since the game has been out so long and so has AC, so if you still haven't touched anything FF7 related you should probably leave this topic now...
5
4
3
2
1
First, I'm assuming the real Sephiroth was killed at Nibelheim? Does the "real" one ever return? If not, who is the Sephiroth at the end of FF7 and in Advent Children (no I didn't watch that yet either)? Were there any Sephiroth "clones" that were actually clones i.e. looked like him? If the real one never comes back, is he up in the lifestream somewhere?
Thanks for any and all answers, and I appreciate no belittling of my lack of FF7 knowledge.

I consider myself a master at this subject. I played FF7 until the timer broke.
I have played through it many times and i have fully covered all of the plot as i loved it so much.

Anyway to your question...

The real Sephiroth had remained in the lifestream ever since he fell under the reactor. Rather than dying after falling into the reactor, his body and consciousness were crystallized in Mako inside the crater along with Jenova's head.Eventually Sephiroth got to the Northern Crater where from here he planned his attempt to become Supreme ruler of the planet. Here he would gather the power of the Lifestream when it would try and fix the damage Meteor would cause to the planet.

The "Clones" in the black capes were all people from Niebelheim who were experiments of Prof. Hojo who injected them with Jenova cells and gave them Mako showers like SOLDIER members. Sephiroth aqquired some power of Jenova cells since he was partially created from them. Thus he could control the clones and manipulate them and channel Jenova's power through her/its cells.

If you want the complete story, including why Cloud was so confused and stuff, read up on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII#Story as i find it all to be accurate and i myself read it to clear some things up.

Also, if you want information on Advent Children-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII_Advent_Children#Plot All this inforamtion seems accurate too so hopefully youre not a Wikipedia sceptic.

The story is very cool once you understand it all and i can see why you want to know the rest.

Hope this post helps.