Summary
In an interview that took place days before the launch ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, game director Naoki Hamaguchi stated that he had no idea during the game’s development that Sephiroth would be included inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateas a DLC fighter. Hamaguchi also stated that none of theFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthdevelopment team had a clue at the time either, and claimed that he only found out when the public did.
Sephiroth’s grand reveal as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehappened in December 2020, during the start of The Game Awards. Though the COVID-19 pandemic forced the show to go mostly remote, Nintendo and Square Enix were still able to give viewers and fans a surprise with the reveal of the One-Winged Angel as part of the Fighters' Pass Volume 2 DLC pack. The reveal trailer showed other fighters taking on Galeem, which ended when the light-based deity was sliced clean in half by the iconic villain. Sephiroth’s arrival inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatebrought shock and excitement to fans worldwide. Since then,Super Smash Bros. Ultimatehas released fighters such as Sora fromKingdom Heartsand has had somesmaller updates to bring Amiibo compatibilityand bug fixes to the game.
As fans continued toprepare forFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s release, the development team made the rounds on social media answering questions about the latest Square Enix title. During the February 26 episode of the Kinda Funny Gamescast, show co-host Imran Khan asked Hamaguchi if he or any of the game’s developers had any thoughts or ideas about Sephiroth’s inclusion inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatethat were included inFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The question was asked about 43 minutes into the show. Through his translator, Hinano Akiyama, Hamaguchi claimed the information about Sephiroth’s inclusion inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatewas “actually extremely confidential” and that the announcement was a surprise to both him and theFF7 Rebirthdevelopment team.
Hamaguchi summarized by saying he found out about Sephiroth when the rest of the world did. As Hamaguchi continued to answer questions aboutthe premise ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, he touched upon the variables and the animations that went into the game’s development. However, Hamaguchi could not go into details when asked about the upcoming third part of theFinal Fantasy 7 Remaketrilogy.
Although thedevelopment ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatehas ended, the game made a lasting impact on the industry. Only time will tell if Sephiroth will return in a futureSuper Smash Bros. entry or not.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
