The length of Sephiroth’s sword in FF7 actually changes, says Tetsuya Nomura

Sephiroth ranks very excessive on the “cool” scale, and an enormous motive for that’s his ōdachi, the extra-long katana he wields, referred to as the Masamune. He’s not the primary Ultimate Fantasy character to wield a sword that has this explicit title, however he’s in all probability probably the most notable, not least due to a very notorious homicide he commits with this sword at a key second within the authentic FF7 (and likewise in FF7 Rebirth, though the scene performs out considerably in another way).

I’ve been each fascinated and amused by the ostentatious look of Sephiroth’s sword ever since I first noticed cosplayers brandishing their variations of it at conventions in my teen years, and I’ve all the time wished to know what went into its supremely impractical design.

So who higher to ask than designer Tetsuya Nomura, the Sq. Enix visionary who first put this sword into Sephiroth’s palms? And so, in honor of Cool Sword Day, right here’s Nomura explaining the sword’s backstory, its surprisingly variable size, and extra.

gamexplore: What led to the choice to call Sephiroth’s sword after the medieval blacksmith Masamune?

Tetsuya Nomura: The Masamune has appeared all through the Ultimate Fantasy sequence because the strongest sword. When fascinated with equipping Sephiroth with a sword that may be a worthy match for him, I figured there was no higher possibility than Masamune.

Whose thought was it to present Sephiroth this particular sort of sword, fairly than a buster sword for instance?

That may be mine. Every time Cloud went via a tweak in design, the accompanying buster sword appeared to develop bigger. Cause being, I believed the juxtaposition between Cloud wielding a large “sword” and Sephiroth, who is much extra highly effective, wielding a thin “katana” can be fairly fascinating. Moreover, the distinction between a large broadsword and a protracted Japanese katana can also be impressed by the rivalry of two well-known Japanese swordsmen, Musashi and Kojiro.

Had been there another design concepts for his sword that weren’t chosen and that you’d be prepared to share with us?

As talked about earlier, I had a selected sword in thoughts for Sephiroth, so I didn’t have another concepts.

Did the size of Sephiroth’s sword make it tough to design combat scenes, particularly in FF7 Rebirth the place you really get to play as Sephiroth?

Sephiroth has appeared in many various titles earlier than, and with every look, the size of his sword is adjusted based mostly on the title’s specs. In different phrases, we didn’t design the scene based mostly on the size of the sword, however fairly, designed the size of the sword based mostly on the sport design.

I’ve a tough guideline that his sword must be round 10 toes lengthy, however this has by no means been constant throughout any of his appearances, together with Ultimate Fantasy 7 Rebirth, or any merchandise, and so forth.

Do you ever alter the size of the sword in sure scenes, akin to lengthening it for visible impact or shortening it to accommodate sure strikes?

The Masamune’s blade has an natural high quality to it, lengthening and shortening as wanted. Within the just lately launched second season of The First Soldier arc in Ultimate Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster, there really is a scene through which the Masamune grows longer for the primary time. I’d love so that you can test it out.

Did somebody within the universe of FF7 make this sword particularly for Sephiroth?

I discussed The First Soldier arc in Ultimate Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster a second in the past, however for those who take a look at season one, when younger Sephiroth first appeared, you will notice that he’s outfitted with a Shinra navy sword. Which means it gained’t come as a shock if different individuals have been additionally outfitted with it. That mentioned, I personally assume {that a} navy sword is extra of an adjunct for ceremonial functions, and so Sephiroth would in all probability be the one one that would really wield it after customizing it to be extra fitted to fight. Usually, a sword is closely impacted by the talent of its wielder, and it’s susceptible to turn into ineffective until the wielder has the suitable prowess; so, it’s uncommon for somebody to make use of a sword in fight.

Additionally, within the aforementioned second season of The First Soldier arc of Ultimate Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster, you’ll expertise the episode through which younger Sephiroth obtains the Masamune, in addition to meet the blacksmith who created the sword, so we’ll be diving deeper into the lore of the Masamune for the primary time. The settings and background have been brewing in my head, however as a way to depict this within the sport, I consulted Motomu Toriyama, the Co-Director of the Ultimate Fantasy VII remake sequence and Director of Ultimate Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster, and we determined to ask Kazushige Nojima, State of affairs Author for the Ultimate Fantasy 7 sequence to write down this for us.