Final Fantasy 7: Why Sephiroth & Cloud Hate Each Other

As one of the most famous rivalries in gaming, Cloud and Sephiroth’s feud in Final Fantasy 7 is a personal one. So, why do they hate each other?

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Cloud and Sephiroth’s enmity in Final Fantasy 7 fuels one of the most iconic rivalries in gaming, but even hardcore fans might have a hard time articulating the origins of their legendary hatred. Cloud was an unreliable narrator early on in FF7, and the truth was not revealed until late in the game. Though the key incident that sparked the contempt between the two remains consistent – Sephiroth destroyed Cloud’s hometown of Nibelheim, gravely injured a childhood friend, and Cloud fought back – Cloud’s true history recontextualizes the vendetta for both characters.

Cloud initially presented himself as a former member of SOLDIER, Shinra’s elite troops. He joined Avalanche as a mercenary, fighting alongside Tifa, who recognized him from their time growing up together. When Cloud first described the destruction of Nibelheim, a flashback sequence in FF7 portrayed Cloud as an energetic young SOLDIER serving under the program’s most illustrious member, Sephiroth. Cloud said he enlisted because he wanted to be like Sephiroth, and claimed the two had become friends, but Tifa seemed to have her doubts.

Cloud and Sephiroth were sent to Nibelheim due to a malfunctioning Mako reactor producing dangerous monsters. Tifa was the local guide who served as escort for Sephiroth and the rest of the Shinra troops. Exploration of the reactor led Sephiroth to question his own origins and seek answers. These existential revelations caused Sephiroth to slaughter most of the village’s residents and set the town ablaze. Sephiroth proceeded back to the reactor to claim the head of Jenova, his biological mother, at which time he impaled Tifa, before battling Cloud for the first time.

Why Sephiroth Reminds Cloud Of His Failures In Final Fantasy 7

FF7 later elaborated on Sephiroth’s origins, revealing Jenova as a destructive alien entity rather than a member of the Cetra race as Sephiroth initially believed. The game also clarified Cloud’s past, following a section where he was trapped in his own mind in a vegetative state, and Tifa stayed by his side to care for him. When a quake plunged them both into the Lifestream, Tifa entered Cloud’s consciousness. Together, they pushed past the barriers of self-deception and trauma that had obfuscated his memories.

Tifa reacted skeptically during Cloud’s earlier description of the Nibelheim incident because it contained half-truths. The events were mostly accurate, but she did not remember Cloud being there. Rather, a SOLDIER named Zack accompanied Sephiroth. Casting aside false memories, they learned that Cloud had been present as one of the masked support troops accompanying Zack and Sephiroth to Nibelheim. He had joined Shinra hoping to become a SOLDIER, but failed to make the cut, instead delegated the role of a rank-and-file Shinra grunt. Cloud had been so ashamed of failing the SOLDIER program that he kept his mask on and did not reveal himself to Tifa. When Sephiroth went berserk and injured Tifa, Zack unsuccessfully tried to stand up to him. Cloud then took up Zack’s sword and stabbed Sephiroth through the back, and later tossed him into the bowels of the reactor.

Why Cloud’s First Fight With Sephiroth Is So Important

Cloud’s shame and trauma caused him to mentally superimpose himself into the role Zack occupied: a successful SOLDIER betrayed by his idol. In the Lifestream, Cloud revealed that the real reason he served Shinra was to impress Tifa. Cloud adored Tifa from a distance as a child, but they were not close. The time he met her under the stars to state his intent to become a SOLDIER was one of the few moments they had spent together. Cloud left Nibelheim aiming to become one of Shinra’s elite in hopes of winning Tifa’s approval, not out of admiration for Sephiroth.

By mentally rewriting his own origins to take on Zack’s role, Cloud forgot what originally drove him. Final Fantasy 7’s late-game segments confirm Cloud hates Sephiroth because he is a reminder of his failure and weakness, which nearly cost Tifa’s life, the person who motived him to join SOLDIER in the first place. To Sephiroth, Cloud was nothing, a faceless infantryman who dared to stand up to him when he was reclaiming his birthright as heir to the power of Jenova. To him, Cloud is an irksome reminder that even seemingly insignificant people can face overwhelming odds to protect the ones they love.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/final-fantasy-7-sephiroth-cloud-backstory-history-hate/