Game:Sephiroth
Oh no! The water! I'm in big trouble if I don't fetch it!
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Template:Enemy Sephiroth is an optional boss in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. He was originally the main antagonist from Final Fantasy VII.
In Kingdom Hearts, he appears in Olympus Coliseum's Platinum Match. In Kingdom Hearts II, he is the antagonist of Cloud's side story, and is fought in the Dark Depths.
Strategy
Kingdom Hearts
Sephiroth's attacks are quite powerful, but many of them can be negated using the invincibility frames of Leaf Bracer or Sora's Special Attacks. Sonic Blade and Strike Raid are most reliable for this, and Strike Raid is particularly good at hitting Sephiroth from a distance; in Final Mix, however, Sonic Blade only has invincibility frames through the first thrust. In order to provide for maximum defense and restoration, Second Chance, Dodge Roll, Superglide, at least one MP Rage, and in Final Mix, Leaf Bracer should be equipped. While Guard can be used against several of Sephiroth's techniques, it is not as reliable for defense as using a Special Attack due to Sephiroth's Rapid Mow Down and Stepping Mow Down, which telegraph similarly but require different timing to successfully block. Curaga and Aeroga should be set as shortcuts, as well as several Elixirs or Hi-Potions in order to recover from Heartless Angel. Sora should equip a Keyblade that boosts his MP and magic, such as Ultima Weapon or Diamond Dust, as well as armor that boosts his HP, defense, and resistance to the Dark element, such as Crystal Crown, Gaia Bangle, or Omega Arts. Sephiroth's blockable techniques all have maximum recoil, so dodging or negating them is preferable to blocking unless Sora is equipped with the Ultima Weapon or Divine Rose. Sora should focus on keeping his MP up so that he can quickly heal whenever his HP gets low, and performing a Special Attack to deal damage if he has excess MP. In Final Mix and HD 1.5 ReMIX, Hurricane Blast, Slapshot, and Combo Master are useful for dealing large amounts of damage to Sephiroth, although they do not provide the invincibility frames of a Special Attack.
In the first phase, Sephiroth will walk around the arena, occasionally performing Rapid Mow Down, Stepping Mow Down, or Figa Wall. It is possible to hit him with Keyblade combos by jumping towards him to dodge his Rapid Mow Down, but it is more reliable to focus on Strike Raid or Sonic Blade. If Scan is equipped, Sephiroth's HP Gauge will not appear to deplete at first even though he is taking damage.
Once Sephiroth's first, red HP bar is depleted, he will enter the second phase, telegraphed by him holding out his hand and saying "Come." In the second phase, Sephiroth will run instead of walk, and more frequently use Rapid Mow Down. His first action will be to cast Heartless Angel, and he will occasionally recast throughout the rest of the phase. He will also begin using Wild Dance.
Once Sephiroth's second, yellow HP bar is depleted, he will enter the third phase, shrouding himself in a dark aura. His first action will be to cast Supernova. He will also begin using Shadow Flare.
| Technique | Element | Tech | Power Bonus | Guard? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid Mow Down (高速なぎ払い Kousoku Nagiharai) |
None Dark (in dark aura) |
x0 | 6 8 (in dark aura) |
Blockable (Recoil:100) | ||
| Swings the Masamune from left to right.
| ||||||
| Often used in response to combo finishers, with Sephiroth teleporting behind Sora before performing. Sora can use Lock-On while Sephiroth is teleporting in order to predict where he will reappear. Can be blocked with Guard, dodged with Jump, Dodge Roll, or Sliding Dash, or negated using the invincibility frames of Leaf Bracer or a Special Attack. It has a slightly shorter pause beforehand compared to Stepping Mow Down. | ||||||
| Stepping Mow Down (ステップなぎ払い Suteppu Nagiharai) |
None Dark (in dark aura) |
x0 | 6 8 (in dark aura) |
Blockable (Recoil:100) | ||
| "Meet your fate." Leaps forward swinging the Masamune, then springs back to his original location.
| ||||||
| Often used in response to combo finishers, with Sephiroth teleporting behind Sora before performing. Sora can use Lock-On while Sephiroth is teleporting in order to predict where he will reappear. Can be blocked with Guard, dodged with Jump, Dodge Roll, or Sliding Dash, or negated using the invincibility frames of Leaf Bracer or a Special Attack. It has a slightly longer pause beforehand compared to Rapid Mow Down. | ||||||
| Firaga Wall (ファイガウォール Faiga Wōru, lit. "Figa Wall") |
Fire | — | 8 | — | ||
| "Out of my way." / "Time to end this." Summons three pillars of fire around himself.
| ||||||
| Can be negated using a Special Attack. Sephiroth is stationary while performing the technique, making him vulnerable to attack, but will not flinch. Sephiroth often performs this technique when close to Sora, making it difficult to dodge. | ||||||
| Spin Attack (スピン攻撃 Supin Kougeki) |
None | x0 | 10 | Blockable (Recoil:100) | ||
| "Dodge this!" Leaps forward at an angle while spiraling.
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| Only used in the second phase. Frequently used after performing Shadow Flare, and usually followed by Rapid Mow Down or Stepping Mow Down. If Sephiroth hits Sora or is deflected, he will finish the attack while no longer moving forward. | ||||||
| Wild Dance (乱舞 Ranbu) |
(main) | None | x0 | 10 | Blockable (Recoil:100)
| |
| (final blow) | None | x0 | 12
|
Blockable (Recoil:100) | ||
| (final shockwave) | Dark | x0 | 12 | — | ||
| "Come power!" / "Prepare yourself!" Swings the Masamune several times while chasing Sora, then leaps up and swings it downward while falling, releasing shockwaves.
| ||||||
| Telegraphed by the arena darkening. Sephiroth will occasionally try to flank Sora from the side or rear, usually after he connects with a previous slash. Can be blocked with well-timed Guards, dodged with Dodge Roll or Sliding Dash, or negated using the invincibility frames of Leaf Bracer or a Special Attack; the final blow can also be deflected with a midair attack, which will keep Sora from being hit by the shockwaves. Usually followed with Heartless Angel. If Leaf Bracer is not equipped, Sephiroth will usually interrupt any healing that Sora attempts, so it is more reliable to use a Special Attack. | ||||||
| Supernova (スーパーノヴァ Sūpānova) | (meteor) | Dark | — | 8 | —
| |
| (energy) | Dark | — | 6
|
— | ||
| (main explosion) | Dark | — | 12 | — | ||
|
"I shall lead you to the Promised Land." / "The Planet and I ... to be one!" | ||||||
| The rings of meteorites have gaps between them, which can be threaded with well-timed Dodge Rolls. The final explosion can be dodged with dodged with Dodge Roll, Superglide, or Sliding Dash, or negated using the invincibility frames of Leaf Bracer or a Special Attack. Although Sephiroth is stationary, he will not take damage during the technique. | ||||||
| Shadow Flare (シャドウフレア Shadou Furea) | Dark | — | 8 | Blockable (Recoil:100) | ||
| Summons pale spheres in midair which home in on Sora.
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| The spheres are summoned in various configurations. Often followed by Spin Attack, while the spheres are still following Sora. | ||||||
| Heartless Angel (心無い天使 Kokoronai Tenshi) | None | HP to 1 MP to 0 |
— | — | ||
| "Descend, Heartless Angel!"[1] / ""Time to end your misery..."citation needed] Summons a halo over Sora's head that depletes his HP and MP.
| ||||||
| Only used in the second and third phases. Telegraphed by Sephiroth summoning a halo above himself before transferring it to Sora, sometimes teleporting beforehand to gain distance from Sora. Can be interrupted by attacking Sephiroth in between his telegraph and the halo being transferred to Sora, so Superglide or Sliding Dash toward him and attack, or use Strike Raid if he is still on the ground. If interrupted, Sephiroth will perform Figa Wall. If Sora can't get to Sephiroth in time, he should immediately heal himself with a Hi-Potion or Elixir as soon as his HP depletes. In the third phase, he will not always call out "Descend, Heartless Angel!" when performing the technique. | ||||||
| Guard/Block: △ = Can be blocked; O = Can be blocked and interrupted (melee) or deflected back (projectile); X = Cannot be blocked. | ||||||
Kingdom Hearts II
- "Use all your skills and all your strategies to defeat Sephiroth!"
- —Battle hint
Sora should have his Defense as high as possible, through the use of equipment such as Ribbon and Cosmic Arts, or by applying Defense Boosts. Ultima Weapon and Circle of Life are useful Keyblades for their MP regeneration abilities, while Decisive Pumpkin is useful for its Combo Boost. For maximum mobility, equip Sora with High Jump, Aerial Dodge, Glide, and Slide Dash; for defense equip Guard, Counterguard, Aerial Recovery, Leaf Bracer, Second Chance, and Once More, and for offense equip MP Haste, MP Rage, and Trinity Limit. Defender, Combo Boost, Air Combo Boost, Finishing Plus, Retaliating Slash, and several Elixirs are also useful, but not as essential. Reflect and Cure should be set to shortcuts, preferably at their Reflega and Curaga levels, as well as any stocked Elixirs and, in Final Mix, Limit Form's Auto Limit.
Sephiroth always opens with Flash, so be prepared to use the "Block" Reaction Command, then use the opportunity to attack with Trinity Limit and Keyblade combos. If Sephiroth warps to use Cut Combo, be prepared to guard or use Reflect, then attack again. Sephiroth will not use the more difficult-to-block Aerial Cut Combo if Sora does not hit him with a combo finisher, so it is useful to forgo using finishers during the first phase unless proficient in using Reflect. Curaga is the best way to heal during the first phase, and can be followed with Berserk Charge to deal lots of damage without Sephiroth breaking free. However, if Sora uses Berserk Charge in the air, Sephiroth will teleport away and perform Flash after several strings of combos, and if Sora uses it on the ground, Sephiroth will still teleport away, and may counterattack if Sora fails to connect with any of his hits. If Sephiroth does Aerial Cut Combo, be sure to use Retaliating Slash to catch Sephiroth and deal an aerial combo.
After losing four and a half bars of his health bar, the battle will shift to its second phase as Sephiroth calls out, "Know your place."
In the second phase, Sephiroth will begin using Firaga Wall and Shadow Flare, often in conjunction with Flash, and his Cut Combo will have greater reach and speed. Reflect will deflect each of these attacks while damaging Sephiroth, and there is a small window of opportunity to attack Sephiroth directly as he finishes Firaga Wall.
Sephiroth will also start using his signature technique, Heartless Angel. As soon as he begins to say, "Descend... Heartless Angel!", ignore any other obstacles like Shadow Flare and use High Jump and Aerial Dodge or Trinity Limit to immediately close in on Sephiroth and hit him. If Sora fails to interrupt the technique, or is too far away to even try, immediately consume an Elixir to recover health, and prepare to deflect Sephiroth's followup attack.
After losing nine and a half bars of health, the battle will shift to its final phase as Sephiroth gains an aura of darkness and calls out, "All shall be one with me."
In the final phase, Sephiroth is much faster, and will fly around low to the ground instead of walking. The best time to heal is after Sephiroth performs one of his basic techniques. Sephiroth will also start using Moving Cut and Meteor, which can be dodged or countered.
If using Limit Form, be sure to use Limits frequently (especially Sonic Rave) to attack and heal, but unless proficient in using Guard, avoid using their final blows to prevent Sephiroth from retaliating. Due to Sephiroth's speed, Strike Raid's invincibility frames may not always occur when needed, so be careful to time the attacks well.
| Technique | Element | Power | Guard? | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cut Combo (連続斬り Renzoku Kiri, lit. "Continuous Slash") |
Physical | — | 1.0 | △ | ||
| Warps close to Sora, then slashes seven times.
| ||||||
| Can be dodged or deflected with Guard and Counterguard, which must be activated more than once throughout the combo, or interrupted with an aerial combo if the initial hits are dodged. In the final phase, Sephiroth will warp behind Sora before slashing to evade Sora's Guard, and leap around after to prevent Counterguard from connecting. Keeping Sora's back to the edge of the arena will help prevent Sephiroth flanking him. | ||||||
| Aerial Cut Combo (空中連続斬り Kūchū Renzoku Kiri, lit. "Aerial Continuous Slash") |
(kiri-age) | Physical | — | 0.25 | △
| |
| (aerial) | Physical | — | 1.0
|
△ | ||
| Warps close to Sora, knocks him into the air with a kiri-age, then slashes him four more times in the air.
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| Can be dodged or countered, and can interrupted entirely by attacking Sephiroth as soon as he warps in. Sephiroth will generally counterattack with Aerial Cut Combo in response to finishers while in the air, or if Sora is at a distance, and will follow with Cut Combo or another Aerial Cut Combo if blocked. If hit by Aerial Cut Combo, use Aerial Recovery to regain balance, then block Sephiroth's followup attacks. Retaliating Slash is also more useful, as it can easily stun Sephiroth. | ||||||
| Moving Cut (移動斬り Idou Kiri, lit. "Moving Slash") |
Physical | — | 1.0 | △ | ||
| Moves at high speed while tracing a semicircle with his slash.
| ||||||
| Only performed during final phase, when Sephiroth is flying instead of walking. | ||||||
| Flash (一閃 Issen) |
(charge) | Physical | — | 1.0 | X
| |
| (added) | Physical | — | 0.25
|
X | ||
| "That's enough." Unleashes a charging slash which inflicts thirteen additional hits if it connects.
| ||||||
| Can be deflected with Guard or the Block Reaction Command if on the ground, or with Reflect if in the air. Can be dodged with a well-timed jump, Dodge Roll, or Quick Run towards Sephiroth. Flash is always the first technique Sephiroth uses in the battle, and leaves him open for Keyblade combos if deflected. | ||||||
| Shadow Flare (シャドウフレア Shadou Furea) |
Dark | — | 0.5 | O | ||
| "Give in to the dark." Deploys orbs of pale light to surround Sora, then has them suddenly strike him.
| ||||||
| Can be deflected at Sephiroth with Guard or Reflega. In the final phase, Shadow Flare generates more orbs. | ||||||
| Firaga Wall (ファイガウォール Faiga Wōru, lit. "Figa Wall") |
Fire | — | 1.0 | X | ||
| "Perish, now!" Raises fifteen pillars of fire around himself, one by one, while drawing Sora toward himself.
| ||||||
| Can be avoided with Quick Run by dashing away from Sephiroth, or deflected using Reflega. | ||||||
| Meteor (メテオ Meteo) |
None | — | 0.25 | X | ||
| "The time has come. Let us make the future!" Rains countless meteorites from the sky.
| ||||||
| Can be avoided with Aerial Dodge or deflected with Reflega. | ||||||
| Heartless Angel (心無い天使 Kokoronai Tenshi) |
None | HP to 1 MP to 0 |
— | X | ||
| "Descend, Heartless Angel..." Rises high into the air, then summons a halo over Sora's head that depletes his HP and MP.
| ||||||
| Can be interrupted by attacking Sephiroth before the halo appears, or practically negated by casting Curaga just before the MP depletes, if Leaf Bracer is equipped. The MP depletion itself can also be negated by hitting Sephiroth with a spell just before the technique finishes. In addition, the MP will sometimes fail to deplete if Sora only has 1 HP when Sephiroth performs the technique. Sephiroth follows with either Firaga Wall if Sora is very close, or Flash if otherwise. | ||||||
| Guard/Block: △ = Can be blocked; O = Can be blocked and interrupted (melee) or deflected back (projectile); X = Cannot be blocked. | ||||||
Videos
| Sephiroth – Kingdom Hearts Final Mix |
| <youtube width="320" height="240">x7vcYofew1E</youtube> |
| Sephiroth – Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix |
| <youtube width="320" height="240">NlLPsnHZhsU</youtube> |
Notes and references
- ^ The Bradygames guide for Kingdom Hearts misquotes the telegraph for Heartless Angel as "Sin Harvest".
