Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Villains 

Few scenes in Final Fantasy history are more iconic than Sephiroth emerging from the flames of the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim, having become aware of his origins as a Jenova experiment and set down the fateful path that leads to him seeking the destruction of the world and ascension to godhood in the aftermath.

Sephiroth frequently tops lists of the greatest gaming villains or characters in general, though like Final Fantasy VII as a whole, he is often ‘overrated’ by the nostalgic glasses through which the game is viewed by those who were drawn into the series by it.

He is nevertheless highly effective, haunting Cloud’s mind and unleashing one of the most emotional moments in gaming history onto players through his skewering of Aeris (ignoring the fact that this isn’t actually conducted by ‘him’, but that is very poorly explained in-game). His near mythical reputation amongst the cast adds greatly to his mystique and fighting his three forms as Meteor looms large is a breath-taking experience.

Sephiroth seems set to be ever-present throughout VII Remake, seemingly free of his North Cave imprisonment from the off in the game’s new timeline. Already the subject of one epic battle in this version, expect his legend to grow and grow as more players discover him for the first time.