Sephiroth ranks very excessive on the “cool” scale, and an enormous purpose for that’s his ōdachi, the extra-long katana he wields, known as the Masamune. He’s not the primary Closing Fantasy character to wield a sword that has this explicit title, however he’s most likely essentially 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 a different 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 needed 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.
Picture: Sq. Enix
gamerlifemedia: What led to the choice to call Sephiroth’s sword after the medieval blacksmith Masamune?
Tetsuya Nomura: The Masamune has appeared all through the Closing Fantasy collection because the strongest sword. When fascinated about 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 kind of sword, slightly than a buster sword for instance?
That might be mine. Every time Cloud went by way of a tweak in design, the accompanying buster sword appeared to develop bigger. Motive being, I assumed the juxtaposition between Cloud wielding a large “sword” and Sephiroth, who is way extra highly effective, wielding a thin “katana” could be fairly fascinating. Moreover, the distinction between a large broadsword and an extended Japanese katana can be impressed by the rivalry of two well-known Japanese swordsmen, Musashi and Kojiro.
Had been there every other 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 every other concepts.
Did the size of Sephiroth’s sword make it tough to design struggle 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 primarily based on the title’s specs. In different phrases, we didn’t design the scene primarily based on the size of the sword, however slightly, designed the size of the sword primarily based on the sport design.
I’ve a tough guideline that his sword needs to be round 10 ft lengthy, however this has by no means been constant throughout any of his appearances, together with Closing Fantasy 7 Rebirth, or any merchandise, and so forth.
Do you ever alter the size of the sword in sure scenes, similar 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 Closing Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster, there really is a scene during 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 Closing Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster a second in the past, however in case you take a look at season one, when younger Sephiroth first appeared, you will note that he’s outfitted with a Shinra navy sword. Which means it received’t come as a shock if different individuals had been additionally outfitted with it. That stated, I personally assume {that a} navy sword is extra of an adjunct for ceremonial functions, and so Sephiroth would most likely be the one one who would really wield it after customizing it to be extra suited to fight. Sometimes, a sword is closely impacted by the ability of its wielder, and it’s liable to turn out to be ineffective except 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 Closing Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster, you’ll expertise the episode during 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 had been brewing in my head, however with the intention to depict this within the recreation, I consulted Motomu Toriyama, the Co-Director of the Closing Fantasy VII remake collection and Director of Closing Fantasy 7 Ever Disaster, and we determined to ask Kazushige Nojima, Situation Author for the Closing Fantasy 7 collection to write down this for us.
