Sephiroth comes to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Trailer analysis

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is getting its very own one-winged angel, with Final Fantasy VII’s Sephiroth coming to the game.

Sephiroth is best known as the main villain of Final Fantasy VII, arguably the most well-known of the Final Fantasy games and certainly the one with the most spin-offs. He carries with him a katana that can only be described as “way too long” and floats angelically on a single black wing.

How will Sephiroth fit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate?

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has its fair share of interesting characters and more than a handful of characters occasionally described as “anime sword guys.” It’s fair to say that Sephiroth’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate won’t shake things up too much as, thematically, he already blends in quite nicely.

The review trailer showed some of Sephiroth’s move set, giving some indication about how he’ll play in the game. Notably, he has significantly more range than most characters and can swing his sword with reasonable speed. It’s likely that these two traits alone will contribute to Sephiroth being fairly good in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The ability to keep enemies at bay and control a significant amount of space will make him unique to play as or against. During the trailer, Sephiroth is also seen using his sword to cling to a wall, something that could give him above-average recovery options as he’ll be able to vary his recovery time.

While I personally have never played FFVII and don't have much of a connection to Sephiroth, I am happy that he was included, and this trailer is by far the best Smash reveal trailer ever#TheGameAwards pic.twitter.com/kMeEoRahAh

— Bad Video Game Takes (@badvgtakes) December 11, 2020

Seeing as one of the worst situations in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is to be off the edge of the map with a predictable recovery, this will at least ensure that Sephiroth can’t be entirely blocked from the map.

Like many sword characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sephiroth also has a counter move, something which will allow him to check an opponent’s aggression and prevent them from being too predictable in how they approach him.

If we had to lose the Square Enix spot to anyone other than Neku, I'm more than pleased it was Sephiroth! Thank you Mr. Sakurai and Mr. Nomura, can't wait to see what he's like. Here's hoping Neku can get his chance for the next game / DLC Pass. #SuperSmashBrosUltimate pic.twitter.com/gbtzG2AOyh

— The World Ends With SMASH!!! (@NekuForSmash) December 11, 2020

What isn’t yet known about Sephiroth?

During the trailer, Sephiroth is also seen using a few magic abilities. However, without having access to the character, it’s impossible to know exactly what these abilities do or how usable they are. Additionally, it does seem like some of the smash attacks Sephiroth has are quite linear and slow. Likewise, the trailer didn’t showcase too many of his air moves.

Having bad smash attacks isn’t too much to worry about in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as smash attacks are generally too predictable to be of much use anyway. As long as the One-Winged Angel has at least a few good aerial moves that can control space and knock out opponents, it’s entirely possible that he could make his way into the top tiers.

One other thing which wasn’t shown in too much detail in the trailer is his mobility. For a character like Sephiroth, having access to such great space control means that he may not rely as much on mobility. Even with a character model that stands taller than much of the cast, Sephiroth is in a good position to be able to hold his own against smaller and faster characters.

However, if it is later discovered that he has access to good mobility options, then he may be a character to keep an eye on.