Sephiroth is probably the most mysterious (and definitely the coolest!) out of all the characters in Squaresoft's masterpiece RPG, Final Fantasy VII. Although Sephiroth is somewhat misguided (I know, I know...what an understatement!!! ^_^;;), there are still many good points about his character. An incredibly strong warrior and very skilled in the use of Materia, Sephiroth can decimate many foes with a single blow with his massive katana, the legendary Masamune. (The sword probably got its name from its maker, a Japanese swordsmith by the name of Masamune. hehe....studying and collecting swords is a favorite pasttime of mine.) The ingenuity and depth of intricate detail in his plan and his determination are also admirable. The cause he fights for, however, is somewhat dark.

Born from a beautiful woman named Lucretia--a human laboratory experiment--Sephiroth was created by Professor Gast of Shinra, Inc. Sephiroth believes himself to be the son of Jenova, supposedly a being from over 2000 years ago. He came to this conclusion five years before the stage of Final Fantasy VII, when he traveled with Cloud to Nibelheim, Cloud's hometown. Sephiroth went to Nibelheim on a mission from Shinra: to investigate the source of the monsters that had been appearing near the Nibelheim reactor on Mt. Nibel and exterminate them. By this time, he had known Cloud for many years in SOLDIER, and they had become "war buddies."

Together, Sephiroth and Cloud, led by their young guide Tifa, scaled the mountain to get to the reactor. When they reached the center of the reactor, Sephiroth noticed the deformed bodies of many monstrous beings being held in containers within the reactor. They had once been human, he explained to Cloud, but mutated into these creatures from overexposure to Mako energy. Sephiroth then came to the realization that he had always been somewhat different from the others around him. (Aa...that part was heartwrenching! T_T) He then became infused with a determination to uncover the truth about his past.

Madly, he searched through the libraries in the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim, reading every book in every shelf, until he came across the information he sought. Sephiroth learned that Jenova was his mother, and he was of Cetra, not human, blood. He also uncovered the fact that although humans sprang from the Cetra (also called the Ancients), the number of Cetra eventually shrank to the point of almost-extinction, dominated by the humans. This angered Sephiroth, and he vowed revenge on the human race, swearing to wipe out all mankind from the face of the earth. In a rage, he burned down the village of Nibelheim, killing almost everyone living there. From then on, Cloud and Sephiroth were enemies.

As Sephiroth traveled, uncovering more secrets along the way, he formulated a plan. He would make Jenova whole again, and using the Black Materia, summon meteors to crash into the earth and send the human race into extinction forever...and in the process, injure the Planet so badly that he would merge with the Planet's energy and become one with the Planet, becoming a God.