10 Hidden Meanings Behind Iconic Video Game Characters

3. Cloud And Sephiroth Have Ancient Japanese Ties

Crash Bandicoot looney tunes
Square Enix

Two mighty warriors who are bitter rivals, one wields an abnormally long katana and the other a bulky sword.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

This isn't just a description of Final Fantasy's Cloud and Sephiroth, it's also the story of the duel between the legendary Japanese Ronin Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro. These two phenomenal swordsman faced off in a duel to the death, which ended up going down in legend, as the favourited opponent Kojiro was struck down by a shocking blow from Musashi.

The comparisons are clear, with Sephiroth's signature lengthy Katana (Masamune) clearly deriving from Kojiro's own blade. While the original tale does show that Musashi had an oversized weapon, it was far from Cloud's iconic Buster sword, but rather a crudely carved Bokken made from one of his ship's ores. Still, the comparison is clear.

Taking influence from these two iconic figures helped to make this duelling video-game pair all the more storied and important, leading them to become the massive characters they are today.

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!