Editing Sephiroth (SSBU)

Sephiroth is ranked 37th out of 82 on the current [[tier list]], placing him in the B+ tier. Sephiroth's greatest strength is his unrivaled range and mixing game, the former of which is courtesy of the [[Masamune]] which grants him the ability to reach farther than most fighters. He can pressure against his opponents without having to risk getting up close while still having the option to with high grounded burst and a long dash-grab. This range is complemented by Masamune's sweetspots which deal high damage and possess incredible KO power. Using his respectable base-form ground speed and quick falling he can maneuver around opponents while still threatening attacks with his range. He also, unlike many swordies, has a solid grab game into combos and advantage states. Considering his mobility and strong disjoints he is an effective edgeguarder, especially once he has wing. Furthermore, Sephiroth has a strong set of special attacks, with [[Flare / Megaflare / Gigaflare|Flare Variations]] helping his ledgetrapping abilities and [[Shadow Flare]] being an excellent poking tool that can be helpful in maintaining momentum once hit. His wing form along with his top 3 ledge hang allow for effective planking, allowing him to avoid KO's where other characters struggle. Finally, at higher percents, Sephiroth will gain access to his unique [[Winged Form]], which grants him increased attack power, much higher mobility, [[armor]] on his [[smash attack]]s, and a second [[double jump]] throughout the form's duration.  

Sephiroth also has some glaring weaknesses, the most prominent being his difficulty and slow frame data. He is a [[weight|lightweight]], and paired with a relatively tall hurtbox, which makes him easier to hit and KO than other characters. Furthermore, a large portion of Sephiroth's kit is afflicted by slow frame data, with most of his attacks aside from his neutral attack coming out at frame 14 or more, making his attacks very predictable if you rely on a certain tool too much. This slow frame data also affects Masamune, which combined with its precise, narrow hitbox, means Sephiroth has more trouble when fighting up close or against smaller opponents. Lastly, due to being a percent-oriented mechanic, Sephiroth's Winged From requires him to be in disadvantage and at high percent, or otherwise in an incredible disadvantage in order to be accessed. Upon dissipating it can only be reactivated after Sephiroth is KO'd.

Overall, Sephiroth's range, power, speed, and multitude of options allow him to pressure and mix in and out of a farther range than most fighters can deal with, but his difficulties when fighting up close combined with his weight means he is also rather susceptible to the opponent's pressure and can feel quite punishing. He saw above-average representation in his earlier years in competitive play thanks to the efforts of players such as {{Sm|KEN}}, {{Sm|Ned}}, and {{Sm|Tweek}}, however his often frustrating attributes led to a decline in representation as many players could not get past his weaknesses.

*Sephiroth's forward aerial can pierce walls and cling to them, similarly to [[Dragon Lunge]] and a misfired [[Green Missile]]. After piercing a wall, Sephiroth can choose to jump and thus boost his recovery by moving up or pressing the jump button/attack button, or let go of the wall by pressing away/down or waiting long enough.

|ftiltdesc=An outward slash. The move can be angled up and down. Has rather slow start-up (the slowest of Sephiroth's tilt attacks), but great KO potential at the middle of the Masamune's blade. Thanks to a combination of long range and its ability to be angled, as well as being safe on shield when connecting with the sweetspot, it is one of Sephiroth's most reliable spacing tools. It is almost identical to his Cruel Strike from ''Ehrgeiz''.

|uairdesc=A backflipping overhead slash. Very slow start-up at frame 16, but its immense range covers a very wide arc above, in front of and even behind himself, making it exceptionally hard to avoid in the air if the opponent exhausts their landing options. It also possesses high knockback, with the sweetspot KOing at around 110% on Battlefield's top platform. However, it has the highest landing lag out of any up aerial in the game (22 frames), and it cannot autocancel out of anything but a double jump. As a result, while its early and late hitboxes can hit opponents while Sephiroth is landing, it is very punishable as a landing option compared to other aerials.

|dairdesc=A downward thrust. A [[stall-then-fall]] aerial, it powerfully [[meteor smash]]es aerial opponents during its initial frames. The blade extends through the ground, allowing for opponents under platforms and edges to be hit by the move. It has excellent vertical range below Sephiroth, as it is able to pierce through the edges of [[Battlefield form]] stages, and even the entirety of [[Town and City]]. As a result, it can consistently [[2 frame punish]] opponents with good timing and often KO them very early, even without the need to go offstage to land the move. Unlike other stab moves, it deals the same damage at the blade and the tip, making it more consistent. It also emits a unique stabbing sound on hit. Conversely, its landing hitbox is located at Sephiroth's legs and is indicated visually by small fissures of dark energy. It is based on his infamous murder of [[Aerith Gainsborough]] in ''Final Fantasy VII'', while the landing hitbox's fissures are based on the massive fissures of energy that Hell's Gate emits upon hitting the ground in the ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' series and ''Final Fantasy VII Remake''.

|grabname=Grab ({{ja|つかみ|Tsukami}})

|pummelname=Dark Shock ({{ja|ダークショック|Dāku Shokku}})

|pummeldesc=A point-blank burst of dark energy. Average power, but it is marginally slower than other similar pummels due to its higher hitlag. He shares this distinction with {{SSBU|Hero}}. Although it is very similar to Mewtwo's pummel, it is actually a magic attack instead of a darkness attack. It resembles a spark of energy Sephiroth uses to render Cloud unconscious during a cutscene in ''Mobius Final Fantasy''.

|fthrowdesc=A point-blank burst of energy. It gives 13 frames of advantage as well as sending opponents far away, meaning it is not a combo tool. Due to being a [[semi-spike]], it is very useful as a setup into an edge-guard or a tech chase. At medium to high percentages against most characters, Sephiroth has the opportunity to follow up with Octaslash for a KO, which covers nearly every possible option when timed correctly.

|bthrowdesc=Teleports the opponent behind himself, then pumps his fist to hit them with a burst of energy. Unlike the majority of back throws, it forgoes KO potential in favor of possessing combo potential until utilising its 19 frames of advantage and a close proximity until medium to high percentages. Due to it launching vertically instead of horizontally or diagonally, it can combo into forward and back aerials or Shadow Flare until around 70%. If the opponent fails to DI properly in time, Sephiroth can follow up with back aerial at around 50% for a true KO confirm. This combo is especially potent while the Winged Form is active, due to his higher air speed and damage output. It is based on Sephiroth's ability to teleport himself and others in ''Mobius Final Fantasy'' and ''Final Fantasy VII Remake'', although its visual effects resemble the former's depiction.

|uthrowdesc=An upward slash. It has a collateral hitbox useful for fights with multiple opponents. Launches the opponent upward and behind Sephiroth, which using its 16 frames of advantage and close proximity can reliably lead to an up tilt or neutral aerial at low to medium percentages. It also works as a 50/50 KO setup into up aerial at around 110%; the opponent's only escape route out of this combo is to jump out of it, which either gets caught by up aerial's hitbox, or it puts them further into a disadvantage state due to Sephiroth's huge range being able to usually catch their landing afterward. It is almost identical to the second hit of his Heaven's Light from the ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' series.

|dthrowdesc=Telekinetically slams the opponent onto the ground. Its low damage output and frame advantage of 25 collectively grant it excellent combo potential at low to medium percentages. It can combo into Shadow Flare and forward, back and up aerials at low percentages; at medium to high percentages, Sephiroth can perform a [[reverse aerial rush]] back aerial near the edge as a KO confirm, which is even more effective when the Winged Form is active due to his higher mobility and power. It is also Sephiroth's strongest throw overall, but remains moderately weak as it fails to KO until around 210%. It is based on the cinematic in ''Final Fantasy VII Remake'' at the beginning of phase 3 of the boss fight against Sephiroth, in which he uses his Boundless Void to pin down Cloud and [[Tifa Lockhart]]/Aerith.

|nsdesc=Charges Flare, an explosive fireball, in his right hand that travels slowly when fired. A chargeable projectile as long as the special button is kept pressed, it can be [[charge cancel]]ed (but the charge is not stored). It has three different variations, each producing incrementally stronger projectiles with larger explosions, but also significantly lowers their travel distance.

*Fully charging results in Gigaflare, which causes the background to darken dramatically, and the music's volume to lower; the small, yellow spark fired travels an extremely short distance, but results in an immense explosion with extreme knockback, being capable of KOing most characters as low as 20% near a ledge, or even potentially KOing at 0% if in Winged form. Gigaflare has moderate ending lag, but when it explodes at its farthest ranges, Sephiroth has enough time to follow up with another attack, most notably forward smash which can most likely KO at 0%. Despite Gigaflare being extremely slow to start, its very large hitbox makes it a notoriously effective edge trapping tool, allowing it to simultaneously cover nearly every option when timed correctly; against opponents with a reflector, Sephiroth can simply cancel the charge and punish the attack.

 

All three versions can be [[reflect]]ed and [[absorb]]ed. It should be noted that despite Gigaflare's extreme power, all three are relatively unrewarding to absorb due to their initial hits dealing very low damage.

 

When releasing Megaflare, Sephiroth may say {{ja|行け|Ike}} ("Go"), and when releasing Gigaflare, he may say {{ja|焼き尽くす|Yakitsukusu}} ("Burn to nothing").

|ssdesc=Snaps his fingers to emit a thin, short-ranged surge of dark energy at the opponent. If it connects, spheres of dark energy will orbit the opponent, then home in on them and explode after the spheres make at least two revolutions around the character. The initial surge can be charged, increasing its damage and range while creating more spheres on hit. An uncharged surge creates only one sphere, charging for at least 17 frames creates two sphere, whereas a fully charged surge (charging for 26 to 34 frames) will create three spheres; up to five spheres can orbit an opponent at once. The surge appears 8 frames after releasing the charge. During the charge, Sephiroth can turn around and unleash the move by holding the control stick down in the opposite direction as soon as the charge is released; quickly flicking at the start allows the move to be used similarly to [[B-reversing]]. The spheres can also hit bystanders while they orbit around the opponent, with each sphere being able to collide twice before disappearing. The spheres can be reflected and absorbed. If [[Pocket]]ed, the sphere is thrown as a standard projectile. In comparison to Sephiroth's other moves, Shadow Flare is very spammable, thanks to its fairly low interruptibility, and it pierces through enemy projectiles without being destroyed, making it capable of negating any projectile within its priority range despite the initial hit's low damage. As a result, it can be used frequently without fear of retaliation, and allows him to set up follow-ups or condition the opponent into picking an option. However, the move has very low safety in close quarters even on hit due to it causing minimal hitstun and shield damage.

 

When using the move, Sephiroth may say {{ja|目障りだ|Mezawari da}} ("Pathetic"), {{ja|焼き付けろ|Yakitsukero}} ("Burn"), {{ja|跪け|Hizamazuke}} ("Kneel"), {{ja|滅びよ|Horobiyo}} ("Perish"), {{ja|くらえ|Kurae}} ("Take this") or simply chuckle.

When using Octaslash, Sephiroth may say {{ja|消え去れ|Kiesare}} ("Disappear"), {{ja|愚かな|Oroka na}} ("Foolish"), or {{ja|恐怖を刻もう|Kyoufu o kizamou}} ("I shall carve terror").

When using the move, Sephiroth may say {{ja|来い|Koi}} ("Come"). When performing the counterattack, he may say {{ja|目障りだ|Mezawari da}} ("Pathetic"), {{ja|消え去れ|Kiesare}} ("Disappear"), {{ja|愚かな|Oroka na}} ("Foolish"), {{ja|いい顔だ|Ii kao da}} ("I like the look on your face"), {{ja|打ち砕く|Uchikudaku}} ("I will crush you"), {{ja|跪け|Hizamazuke}} ("Kneel"), or simply chuckle.

|fsdesc=Performs a diagonally upward slash while saying {{ja|星に帰れ|Hoshi ni kaere}} ("Return to the Planet" or "Return to the stars"). Up to 3 opponents hit by the slash will be put in a cutscene where Sephiroth transforms into Safer∙Sephiroth (his final boss form) to summon Meteor and trigger a supernova, wiping out the world and causing random status effects to foes who are not KO'd. These status effects include an automatic [[shield break]], being [[timer|slowed down]], having reversed controls (indicated by a [[Ramblin' Evil Mushroom|mushroom]] on the victim's head), having a [[flower]] planted on the victim's head, being put to [[sleep]], or simply using the darkness effect alongside more knockback than usual (albeit still below-average for a Final Smash). Fighters caught in the Final Smash face toward him with their backs to the camera, much like Cloud and his party do in his final boss battle in ''Final Fantasy VII''. The attack is also based on the attack of the same name in ''Final Fantasy VII''. Once the move successfully concludes, Sephiroth assumes his fighting stance from ''Final Fantasy VII'' and then performs an animation based on his victory pose as a guest party member during the Nibelheim flashback.

*'''Up taunt''': Uses his right hand to gesture to the opponent to approach him, saying {{ja|来るがいい|Kuru ga ī}} ("Come after me").

!Cheer (International)

|[[File:Sephiroth Cheer International SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Sephiroth Cheer Japanese SSBU.ogg|center]]||[[File:Sephiroth Cheer Korean SSBU.ogg|center]]

|Seph - i - roth! || Seph - i - roth! || Seph - i - roth!

If Cloud is present during the match, Sephiroth has a chance of saying {{ja|思い出にはならないさ|Omoide ni wa naranai sa}} ("I will never be a memory") during any of his three victory poses. This is a reference to his final line of dialogue from ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children'' and, by proxy, his reveal trailer for ''Ultimate''.

*'''Up:''' Slowly raises his head and glares at the camera, saying {{ja|何度でも導いてやろう。|Nando demo michibiite yarou}} ("I will usher you as many times as you want"). It references the first scene of the Nibelheim Incident cutscene.

*'''Right:''' While turning his back to the camera, he swings the Masamune and assumes his Winged Form, saying {{ja|その痛みで私を思い出せ。|Sono itami de watashi o omoidase}} ("Remember me through your pain").

*{{Sm|KEN|Japan}} - Began playing Sephiroth alongside in {{SSBU|Sonic}} in 2022 and became one of the two best Sephiroth players of all-time. He won {{Trn|Battle of BC 4}} exclusively using Sephiroth in top 8, which remains the only major win for the character. Following a string of inconsistent performances, Sephiroth became a rare counterpick.

*{{Sm|M4E|Italy}} - The best Sephiroth player in Europe and a top 10 player in Europe for the first half of 2023, best known for his runs at {{Trn|ICARUS 2023}}, where he placed 3rd and defeated {{Sm|Bloom4Eva}}; and {{Trn|King Of Fields 95 3}}, where he once again defeated Bloom4Eva to place 25th. Outside of those results, he has also placed 5th at {{Trn|GLORY 3}} and 25th at {{Trn|VCA 2022}}.

*{{Sm|Ned|USA}} - One of the earliest Sephiroth players to perform well offline, most notably placing 2nd at {{Trn|InfinityCON Tally 2021}}. He remained one of the best Sephiroth players in the world in 2022, placing 5th at {{Trn|Rise 'N Grind}} and 9th at both {{Trn|Port Priority 6}} and {{Trn|Super Smash Con 2022}}, but since then has been playing other characters alongside Sephiroth with less success.

*{{Sm|Sriks|Australia}} - Plays Sephiroth alongside {{SSBU|Roy}} and is the best Sephiroth player in Australia and one of the best players in Australia, placing highly at many Australian events including winning {{Trn|The Action}} and placing 4th at {{Trn|Phantom 2022}} with solo-Sephiroth. Outside of Australia, he had notably placed 4th at {{Trn|BOSS BATTLES: Phase 1}} defeating {{Sm|Chag}} and 33rd at {{Trn|Kagaribi 9}} defeating {{Sm|Miya|p=Honshu}}.

*{{Sm|Tweek|USA}} - Uses Sephiroth as a secondary or counterpick for {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} and is one of the two best Sephiroth players of all-time. He has placed 5th at {{Trn|CEO 2022}} with solo-Sephiroth and 2nd at {{Trn|Mainstage 2022}}, {{Trn|Scuffed World Tour}} and {{Trn|Smash Ultimate Summit 6}} with Sephiroth as a secondary.

However, these results were either set back by the players' inconsistency with the character or were complemented with other characters. For example, KEN mostly played {{SSBU|Sonic}} at Battle of BC 4 prior to top 8, while his Sephiroth became less consistent as time went on, including going 1-2 at the invitational {{Trn|L'Odyssée - Chant I}}; he has since regulated Sephiroth to an occasional counterpick. Sephiroth's smaller playerbase compared to other top-tier characters, as well as his general inconsistency at higher level play, has led many to reconsider his placement. Most players now agree that he is the weakest character of Fighters Pass Vol. 2, with some even believing that he belongs in mid-tier rather than high-tier. He would fall to 37th on the second and current tier list, notably seeing one of the largest drops between the first and second list.

Due to his status as downloadable content, Sephiroth does not have a legitimate role in World of Light. Instead, he is unlocked for use in the mode after freeing 10 fighters from [[Galeem]]'s control. If loading an existing save file that meets this condition before downloading Sephiroth, he is immediately unlocked.