#No Genesis Rhapsodos for Opera Omnia...

[mariogirl369]

...I am in shambles...

[altocat]

SAD SEPHGEAL IN OPERA OMNIA (Part 2)

Opera Omnia really leans into the idea of Sephiroth being more Jenova than anything else at this point, or the idea that their identities have skewed together to the extent where Sephiroth is a completely different entity than he was as a human. This comes into play later.

What IS left of the real Sephiroth is agitated and confused because he recognizes Angeal but doesn't actually remember him (or Genesis).

Sephiroth ends up striking Angeal in the shoulder (sound familiar?) and Angeal breaks down, feeling confused and helpless.

What I like about this is that Angeal recognizes that when they last met, he really left Sephiroth in a vulnerable state with no allies or support. So now, despite the fact that Sephiroth is evil and no longer himself, Angeal wants to remain a loyal and supportive friend. He wants to be there for him the way he wasn't before. Unfortunately, it's just too late.

Interestingly, Angeal continues to refer to his friendship with Sephiroth in present tense despite confirming the fact that Sephiroth has become a monster. Which plays a role later on that I really appreciate in how Opera Omnia handles the conflict between parties with opposing views on Sephiroth as he currently stands.

Meanwhile, despite discarding his memories of his friends, it seems the encounter with Angeal was strong enough to cause some old feelings to return, whether Sephiroth likes it or not.

THIS fucking line though. Absolutely devastating. Angeal and Genesis were arguably the most important people in Sephiroth's life short of his mother, to the point where his current identity views them as an actual distraction or weakness to his own goals. Sephiroth is at war with his own heart in a sense, even if things ended poorly between them.

[silvergreenseraphim]

Angeal and Sephiroth (And Genesis?)—Dissidia Opera Omnia—Part One

Alright, so this chapter was a lot, and it opened with Weiss quoting “Loveless” for a reason, it seems.

“When the war of the beasts brings about the world’s end, the goddess descends from the sky! Wings of light and dark spread afar, she guides us to bliss…her gift everlasting!”

Weiss becomes our voice for Genesis, or his “brother,” in this chapter. When Seymour questions his quote, Weiss replies,

“It was a passage from a story our brother loved. He used to quote it for his best friend. That friend was Sephiroth, the hero and friend of the other “brother,” Angeal as well.”

This part was hard to translate into English, but Weiss essentially explains that Genesis used to quote Loveless for his close friend, Sephiroth, the hero, and Angeal was right there with them as the third friend in the trio.

Seymour is shocked and gasps, “Sephiroth and Angeal were best friends??”

Weiss replies, “It’s hard to believe of the now-evil “hero” that never reveals his heart. And yet, the exemplary First Class soldier that is a role model for everyone was his friend.”

I am on the fence about the translation of this part and may change it once my friend gets back to me, but for now, it seems like Weiss is pondering the friendship of Sephiroth and Angeal and how differently they turned out, because Seymour does make a comment like, “I suppose if you have dreams and honor, you can’t go wrong.”

But there is potentially more here that Weiss is saying about his own relationship to Sephiroth and Angeal—perhaps suggesting he is not their friend and doesn’t quite understand their past relationship himself. I will have to keep researching.

We cut to Sephiroth again, who is confused about his memory returning. He says he didn’t expect any memories to return from the Lifestream, but shakes his head and denial. He claims these memories Angeal brought back are unnecessary and that he most remove Angeal from the picture immediately. His motives are set.

Meanwhile, Zack and Angeal are talking about how Sephiroth changed. I translated this on Altocat’s blog and here is what they say:

Zack says,

“Angeal, I know you’re surprised…I can’t believe that Sephiroth changed like that…

Angeal replies,

“So, you were taken aback as well…”

Zack says,

“It was out of nowhere. We went to investigate Cloud and Tifa’s village…and I guess he discovered his origins. He killed everyone and burned down the village. He had always been the hero I strived to be…”

Zack and Angeal are both very crestfallen here, lamenting this knowledge. Angeal pulls himself together and says,

“I know…I’m disappointed too. Everything changed while I was gone, I guess.

Angeal further laments that he wasn’t there, and Zack reassures him that even though Angeal disappeared at the time and pushed everyone away, Zack would have stayed by his side and helped. Zack would have left Shinra, and he says he is sure Sephiroth felt the same way.

Angeal thanks his student but says that it was his choice and lonely path at the time—he had to carry the responsibility as a First Class soldier. Zack chastises him saying he shouldn’t think that way—after all, Zack is a First Class as well, and has enough experience. He could have helped Angeal. Angeal begins to reply, saying, “Zack…” but then they are interrupted by the others.

They say it’s time to make a decision about Sephiroth, and Cloud explains that the silver boi is planning to turn the world into an empty vessel that he may sail the cosmos with in order to find another world. An Advent Children reference, of course.

Rufus mentions that this goal is very similar to the desire of Jenova. He has to then explain what Jenova is to the other characters, as well as the Reunion theory.

This makes a lightbulb go off in Angeal’s head and he gasps, “So basically…Sephiroth is Jenova?”

He puts it together that Reunion implies that Jenova’s cells must be drawn back to their source, and since that source is currently Sephiroth, they must be the same.

However, the others simply say that Sephiroth/Jenova must be eliminated, and agree to hunt him down. Everyone nods and moves forward except Angeal, who lingers with hesitation.

In the next part, they are in the process of tracking Sephiroth, but the group notices Angeal’s troubled demeanor. They ask him if he’s okay and Kadaj says that he heard about Sephiroth being Angeal’s good friend. He says that it must be disheartening to see Sephiroth in his current state, since nothing is like it used to be.

Angeal notes Kadaj’s own tone of disappointment and Kadaj explains how Sephiroth used him as a puppet to find Jenova’s remains, which horrifies Kadaj because if Sephiroth and Jenova are the same, then his own “mother” used and betrayed him in such a way.

Angeal encourages Kadaj and gives him one of his classic pep talks, appealing to his usual “dreams and honor” code. Tifa notes that Zack often spoke the same way, prompting Angeal to recall teaching Zack all those things.

In response to Kadaj, he then says he was indeed surprised by hearing what Sephiroth did, but he says that,

“Sephiroth had his honor once too…and he has a tendency to hold onto things, so even if I am surprised, I can’t abandon him…”

The others say that they aren’t sure if Angeal’s words can reach Sephiroth, who was cruel enough to destroy Tifa and Cloud’s village. Tifa agrees as she recalls how she begged Sephiroth to explain why he did what he did, but she does say to Angeal that she believes he could have a better chance.

She kindly compliments him on how his “dreams and honor” philosophy had helped her as well. :,)

She encourages Angeal, saying that his words will surely be a beacon and that he should try to speak with Sephiroth again. Angeal hangs his head sorrowfully and agrees, saying,

“I don’t want to give up on him….so I’ll try as hard as I can…”

—

This is a good place to stop because the next chapters are where everything gets chaotic, but for now, we have some build-up for what Angeal wants to do, and for Weiss being a stand-in for Genesis later.

—

Some little notes:

The Zack and Angeal scenes were very sweet, as Zack wants to convince his old mentor to stop shouldering everything alone. Angeal’s absolute refusal to give up on Seph tugs at the heartstrings too, and I find it so sweet that Tifa actually encouraged him.

The “Sephiroth is Jenova” point is fascinating, but I believe we will soon find that Seph’s own will is blended into Jenova’s, as they are aligned, and this might be what reveals to Angeal that there may not be much hope for his old friend. :(

I am struggling with the Weiss and Seymour discussion, and this has been one of the parts that has slowed me down, because the context is hard to decipher, but I suspect that Weiss is comparing Sephiroth and Angeal to the figures in Loveless, which also becomes relevant later. I will update as soon as I can get an explanation from my Japanese friend. I am not skilled enough to decipher everything yet on my own, you see. 😅

But enjoy this for now, and I will be back with more soon! <3

[tiri5459]

HE REMEMBERS THEM HE REMEMBERS THEM

[freyayuki]

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Current Resources List

Just found out that, sadly and unfortunately, the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game will discontinue or end its service on February 29, 2024.

That announcement came as a shock. Really wish that wasn't true. Wish the game wasn't ending at all.

I talk more about that in another post, but for this one, I wanted to list down the current resources and such that I have in DFFOO.

Want to take as many screenshots as I can, before it all ends, for the memories.

Current Gems in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia

When we got the end of service announcement news in the game, currently have 1323560 gems on hand. Haven't tried to empty out my gift box in a while so might have a few more gems in there too. Definitely have a lot more from the World of Illusions treasure chests but will talk more about that later.

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia is really generous. We also get free draws pretty often. And the pulling rates don't seem all that bad either. All this helps with saving resources.

It's also not necessary to pull for every single char that shows up. And it's possible to make most chars work in endgame content. Well, there are some caveats to that, of course. It's easier if they've been updated recently enough or if they can provide some utility or something.

Anyway, I've since come to realize that I've maybe been a bit too stingy when it comes to using my resources in this game. Like I use my tickets often and freely enough but I almost always reserve my gems for pulling for chars who I really want to have.

Sometimes, I also decide not to fully build a char even if I have all of their gear just because I don't think I'll be using them all that much, or I don't feel like I need them, or even just because I don't feel like it. LOL.

Heck, there are even times when I use my tickets on a banner then don't bother to build the char I just pulled for even if I managed to get their gear.

Been saving for upcoming chars and upgrades but sadly, with the game ending soon, we're no longer gonna get those chars and upgrades.

Ended up skipping a number of banners (although still threw a couple hundred tickets for some of these anyway) in favor of saving for future upcoming ones. For instance, was really looking forward to chars like Angeal Hewley from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (#ad).

Basically, if it's a char I really want to have, then I make sure to get them. Otherwise, if I don't mind missing out on them or if I don't feel like I need them or don't think I'll be using them much or at all, then I just use my tickets and hope to get lucky or skip the banner entirely.

I don't regret this. I like being able to pull for who I want as well as being able to use the chars who I like or feel like bringing to a fight. Been able to complete all the time limited content we've had so far even if I don't pull for and build all the chars who show up. At least as far as I can remember anyway.

Since the holidays are coming up, I've been wondering if we were going to get a Global-first char or new weapon for an already existing char. Assuming that happens, depending on who the new char or who the new weapon belongs to is, then would either use gems or tickets on said banner.

But if I'd known the game was gonna end soon, and that we wouldn't even get the rest of the chars and content that's in the Japanese version, then I wouldn't have bothered to skip so many banners. Would have just pulled and built all the chars who showed up even if I might not end up using them and/or even if I'm not all that interested in them.

Like I ended up skipping Cissnei from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Arciela V. Adoulin from Final Fantasy XI in favor of saving for future upcoming banners. To be more precise, I did throw lots of tickets on those banners and was thankfully able to get Cissnei's and Arciela's Force (FR) weapons. Didn't get their Burst (BT) weapons though.

Opted to use tickets on those banners instead of gems so I have more resources for future upcoming banners.

But yeah, with over a million gems on hand, I'm pretty sure I could have gemmed both Arciela and Cissnei and still have plenty left over for a lot more banners even if I did end up having to pity those 2. Like I said though, ended up being a bit too stingy in this game when it comes to using my resources.

At least DFFOO added a few banners alongside the end of service announcement news. Sadly, these just feature all of the weapons that have already been released before.

They also made some changes such as making it easier to obtain some resources and such so it should be easier to fully max out chars and get any weapons you might be missing for them.

Looks like it will also be easier to complete the Crystal Rooms and Ultima Weapons and other such upgrades.

So after taking stock of all my current resources and such, will start making use of my gems, pulling on the available banners and trying to complete the rest of my roster.

Ahh, still mad and upset about the fact that the Global version of the game isn't gonna get the rest of the content that's in the Japanese version.

Wish we could have gotten the new playable chars and the new weapons and upgrades for existing chars. Was really looking forward to chars like Angeal.

Current Tickets in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia

Currently have 179 tickets on hand. As aforementioned, I use my tickets often and freely enough.

Probably have a few more tickets in my gift box as well as in the Summon Boards for chars. Definitely have a lot more from the treasure chests in the World of Illusions.

Player or User Data in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia

My DFFOO ID is 699770748. My current Rank is 1576.

My current in-game name is set as Genesis. This is meant to refer to Genesis Rhapsodos from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Currently, Genesis is my absolute, most favorite Final Fantasy char.

Been hoping for him to be added as a playable char here in DFFOO for what feels like forever now.

So when I heard that Angeal just got added as the latest playable char in the Japanese version of the game, I thought this greatly increased the chances that Genesis would soon become a playable char here as well.

Suddenly, the idea of Genesis being in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia didn’t seem like such an impossible dream anymore. Unfortunately, now that dream is dead. Won't even get to try out Angeal since he and a few other chars and upgrades never made it to the Global version of the game. Sigh.

Anyway, can't remember now if "Genesis" had always been my in-game name. I think back when I first started playing DFFOO, it might have been "Cloud". Pretty sure once I set my in-game name to "Genesis", never changed it anymore, and it's been like that ever since.

My current support is set as Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. It's been Sephiroth for a long time now. Whenever we get a mission that wants us to change our friend support, I would briefly switch to a different char before switching right back to Sephiroth again.

Sephiroth wasn't always my support though. At one point, my support had been set as Quistis Trepe from Final Fantasy VIII. This was forever ago, way back when we first got the Summon Boards for chars and way back when Quistis was really useful for farming said Boards.

I know I switched my support a few more times before finally settling for Sephiroth but it's been so long now that I can't recall anymore who else I used to set as my support.

My in-game message is currently set as: "ore mo eiyuu ni narunda". Genesis says this line in Crisis Core. Its translation is: "I, too, would like to be a hero".

Pretty sure my in-game message hadn't always been that line but it's been so long since I changed this that I can't remember anymore what it used to be.

As for my current status or badge, IIRC, the one I currently have set was the one we got for clearing the last Dare to Defy event. I usually change my status or badge whenever we get a new one from clearing content. Sometimes, I might also change it to one of the ones that can be obtained from the badge shop.

Stickers in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia

When the game gave its end of service announcement news, there was another notice that said that they added all past seasonal and time-limited stickers (except for the Dragon Quest of the Stars collab stickers) back to the Dissidia Points Shop. A few new stickers have also been added.

Already have most of the stickers in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia. IIRC, only missing the New Year 2019 Mog Sticker 1 plus maybe 1 or 2 more other stickers but can't remember for sure anymore.

The game may be ending already but still want to get all the stickers that just showed up in the shop to complete my collection.

I like the stickers in DFFOO. They even come with voice lines. Wish a lot more chars got their own stickers too. Heck, I wish each and every char in this game got their own sticker set.

Took a few screenshots of some of my stickers as well as the ones I'm currently using. Will try to take more once I get the rest of the stickers from the shop, but I'll talk about that in another post.

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Dissidia Points Shop

We get Dissidia Points regularly enough that I was soon able to buy all the stickers and voice lines that were in the Dissidia Points Shop.

Well, to be more precise, I bought all the available stickers and voice lines, all except for Sephiroth's Line 1 and Line 3.

Line 1 says: "... Mother... it's almost time."

Line 3 says: "... Good boy."

Just didn't like these lines and somehow never felt like buying them so I just left them in the shop. LOL. Now that the game will end soon, might end up buying these lines anyway.

But my priority will definitely be to get all the stickers that have just shown up in the shop.

There's a lot though so gonna need more Dissidia Points to get everything.

Remaining Content in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia

Already finished most of the available content in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia. This isn't including the content that dropped alongside the end of service announcement news though.

The main story goes from Act 1 to Act 4, and I've already cleared or completed all of the available Chapters in these Acts. The Japanese version of the game has like 3 more Chapters but sadly, these will no longer be added to the Global version.

At least these Chapters will still be translated and uploaded to YouTube but still. Wish us Global players had been able to experience playing the remaining Chapters in the game itself.

We're not even getting the rest of the chars and weapons and upgrades that the Japanese version got which still really upsets me. As if the end of service announcement news wasn't depressing enough. Sigh.

Anyway, I always make sure to complete all of the time-limited content that shows up. IIRC, have always been able to do this.

As for the rest of the permanent content in DFFOO:

Abyss Normalis and Perfectum

Six-Warrior Quests

Dimensions' End: Order

Dimensions' End: Pathos

Dimensions' End: Entropy

Dimensions' End: Transcendence

Intersecting Wills

Lost Chapters

Already completed and cleared all of the quests and such available in the content listed above.

As for the World of Illusions - there's a lot of content here, and I've already cleared most of them.

There are multiple treasure chests in each of the World of Illusions Spiritus maps. These chests contain gems, tickets, and Force Stone Fragments. Have yet to open and get the contents of most of these treasure chests.

Anyway, each World of Illusions Spiritus quest fight comes with 3 permanent missions: clear the fight using only certain Crystal Colors, weapons, and Final Fantasy chars.

Since these missions were permanent, whenever these Spritus events dropped, my focus was on clearing the missions that were time limited. If I can clear the permanent missions already, then yay. Otherwise, can just wait until I have more options to make things easier.

By the time the end of service news showed up, already managed to complete all of these permanent missions, all except for the following:

World of Illusions Spiritus: Ramuh - clear this quest only with chars from Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy XII, and Final Fantasy Tactics.

World of Illusions Spiritus: Leviathan - clear this quest with chars who use either daggers, swords, and/or bows.

World of Illusions Spiritus: Leviathan - clear this quest with Yellow Crystal, Black Crystal, and/or White Crystal chars.

World of Illusions Spiritus: Leviathan - clear this quest only with chars from Final Fantasy V, FInal Fantasy XV, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.

Will try to complete these permanent missions before the game ends.

The Events tab in DFFOO includes Mog's Gym. This content is permanent. There's Mog's Gym: Novice and Mog's Gym: Intermediate. The latter will only unlock once the former has been fully cleared.

I started Mog's Gym: Novice before but never got to finish it. This is basically a tutorial where Mog teaches the players about the mechanics of this game.

Already know this stuff though. That plus the fact that this content is permanent meant there was no pressure to clear it all as soon as possible.

So although the quests here are really easy, still haven't gotten 'round to clearing everything. Since the game will end soon, planning to finish all of this already.

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Training Boards and Force Enhancements

Currently, have 674690 Enhancement Points. Yeah, looks like I have been way too stingy when it comes to using my resources in this game. LOL.

Then again, these points are pretty scarce since we only get like 5k per event unless you get the Moogle Pass. The Character Enhancement Boards for a char's 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, and FR all require Enhancement Points.

Getting a char from Force Level 1 to 30 and then later up to 50 also requires Enhancement Points. So each char needs thousands of Enhancement Points just to fully max them out.

Have a few chars that are fully built with all of their Char Boards and FR Enhancements and such unlocked and completed. But for a lot of chars, don't have them fully built at all. I don't bother spending Enhancement Points for chars that I don't use or that haven't been updated in a while.

For some, I only unlock parts of their Char Boards, particularly the tiles that would give me their LD Call and/or LD extension passive. Sometimes, if it's available, I unlock up to their Force Board Echoes and/or Force Board extension passive as well.

Since the game is sadly gonna end soon anyway, now plan to spend these Enhancement Points and fully build and max out the rest of my chars. Looks like it's also possible to get more Points from one of the Exchange Shops that showed up with the end of service announcement news in case I need more.

As for the Summon Boards - most of my chars already have all of their Summon Boards completed. For a few chars, I have their Boards completed but didn't bother to unlock the tiles yet since I wasn't using them and I wanted to save the gems and tickets that came with completing these Boards for future banners.

There are also a few chars whose Boards I haven't farmed at all. This usually applies to the newer chars who just recently got added to the game and who I ended up skipping. If I didn't get all of their weapons, then there was no point farming for their Boards since I wasn't gonna use them anyway.

As for the Wild Points used to help max out a char's Summon Boards- used to have more of these but I ended up using a lot of them in the past in favor of grinding the Boards for some chars so now I don't have a lot of Wild Points anymore.

Since we only get a new char every once in a while these days, it doesn't really matter. Usually, if I actually pull for a new char, then I grind the Summon Boards for them instead of using the Wild Points just as one way to try them out in battle.

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Crystal Rooms

Before DFFOO gave its end of service announcement news, I'd been able to complete the entirety of the Green Chamber in the Crystal Room.

Started with the Green Chamber since Sephiroth is a Green Crystal char.

After finishing with the Green Crystal Room, was trying to decide if I should go with the Blue Chamber for Weiss the Immaculate from Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII or with the Red Chamber for Kadaj from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Couldn't make up my mind so ended up just interchanging between the 2 Chambers.

Currently, have 3 passives and 20 nodes unlocked for the Blue Chamber while have 2 passives and 12 nodes unlocked for the Red Chamber.

If Genesis had been added to this game, I wonder what his Crystal Color would have been. Was thinking it would be nice if I can max out the Chamber for his Crystal Color by the time he gets here.

But then again, I thought it wouldn't be that bad even if I don't have the Chamber for his Crystal Color finished yet.

In fact, that might actually be better since then I can bring him to the weekly Crystal fight and get to use him while working on completing said Crystal Chamber.

Of course, now I know that's sadly never gonna happen. Sigh. But the same thing applies to Sephiroth, Weiss, Kadaj, and Angeal.

Sephiroth was part of my weekly Green Crystal team so I got to use him while working on powering up my Green Crystal chars. Likewise, Kadaj is part of my Red Crystal team while Weiss is part of my Blue Crystal team.

I know Angeal is a Yellow Crystal char so was planning to work on the Yellow Chamber once he gets here so I can bring him as part of my weekly Yellow Crystal team.

Was looking forward to that as well as eventually finishing all of the Crystal Rooms.

I thought when the game gave its end of service announcement news that we wouldn't be able to complete the entirety of the Crystal Rooms anymore since we normally only get a few of the Sparkles needed to unlock passives and nodes in the Chambers each week unless there's a special campaign going on.

But now clearing the weekly Crystal quest will give thousands of Sparkles so it looks like it should be possible to fully finish the Crystal Rooms before the game ends.

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Materials for Refining

Have lots of resources in DFFOO. Have lots of the materials needed to limit break weapons as well as the ones needed to upgrade weapons and armor.

Yeah, guess I really ended up being a bit too stingy when it comes to using my resources in this game. LOL.

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Inventory

Currently, have 580/700 gear while the number of weapons I've upgraded is 145.

Will talk more about the weapons and armor and such that I have for each char in another post.

Summons in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia

DFFOO has 13 summons, all of which I currently have maxed out.

In the Japanese version of the game, the Odin summon can go up to Level 50. Really sad that the Global version of the game won't be getting the Odin event as well as a few other events and content anymore.

Wish the rest of the content that the Japanese version got also still made it to the English version.

Also, it's too bad that the Chocobo and Sylph summons never got upgraded past Level 20 and that we never got another summon.

Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Ultima Weapons

Currently, have 4 fully maxed out Ultima Weapons (UW):

Greatsword which is currently equipped to Sephiroth

Sword which is currently equipped to Weiss

Special or Unique which is currently equipped to Kadaj

Spear which is currently equipped to Aranea Highwind from Final Fantasy XV

Also have 725 Providence Cores on-hand so I could have made another Ultima Weapon and gotten that up to Level 4. A total of 800 Providence Cores is needed to fully max out a Ultima Weapon.

Was planning to cast or create my 5th Ultima Weapon but had yet to make up my mind on which one. I thought I'd wait for the next month's (December 2023) schedule to help me make a choice.

Like if Rufus Shinra from Final Fantasy VII was gonna show up already and if I decide to pull for him, then I could cast a Gun Ultima Weapon.

But instead of news about the next month's schedule, we got an end of service announcement so sadly, Rufus, Angeal, and a few other chars and upgrades will never make it to the Global version of the game. Sigh. Still really upset about that.

Anyway, I used to have a maxed out Fist Ultima Weapon for Cid Raines from Final Fantasy XIII and Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII. Then I switched it to the Spear UW for Aranea since I was currently working on the Blue Crystal Room.

At one point, way, way back, used to have a Staff or Rod Ultima Weapon. This was way back when Ultima Weapons had just been introduced to the game and we didn't have a lot of Providence Cores yet.

Reset Stones in Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia

Reset Stones are used to remove activated Spheres without losing them so they can be used again later. If you don't use a Reset Stone and just overwrite an activated Sphere with a different one, then you'll lose the first Sphere.

When Reset Stones were first introduced in DFFOO, everyone got 3 for free. That seemed like forever ago.

Never ended up using any of my Reset Stones. Was always thinking that I'll save them for when Genesis finally gets added to DFFOO.

Because of course I'll want him to have the best of everything. So if I already ended up equipping the best Spheres for him on another char and can't get anymore copies of said Sphere, then I'll gladly use my Reset Stones.

With the game ending soon, don't need to save my Reset Stones anymore so if there's a reason to use them now, then I guess I will. LOL.

Conclusion

So what about you? What do you think about the news that DFFOO is ending its service on February 29, 2024? Are you planning to keep on playing the game until the end? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

[altocat]

Zack cared so much about Sephiroth in OO. They were definitely friends!

I'll cover all the Sephzack stuff in Opera Omnia soon, promise.

But yeah. Zack is one of his biggest advocates in that game. The fact that he was constantly trying to explain that Sephiroth used to be a good person coupled with him trying to fight for Sephiroth's redemption is pretty clear cut evidence that Zack always cared about Sephiroth.

And I very much think Sephiroth cared for him as well. I don't think his bond with Zack would ever supercede his bonds with Genesis, Angeal, or even Glenn. But Sephiroth was making an active effort to bond with Zack over the crisis, even training him behind the scenes.

They cared. It was a huge mess, but they cared. They were friends. Sephiroth could have trusted Zack to help him at his lowest. But he chose to push him away. And it was already too late.

[silvergreenseraphim]

Angeal and Sephiroth (And Genesis?)—Dissidia Opera Omnia—Part Three

I AM ALIVE!!

Of course, a bunch of crazy real life things had to happen right as I was trying to translate this chapter, but I am back now and it’s time to get to work! So sorry for the wait, but I thank you all for your patience!

Also, Dissidia being literally cancelled while I was away was a very odd and unfortunately timed occurrence. I was upset to see the news, but I suppose that was a strong impetus to keep translating since we may never get official English translations now. Whew!

Well, let’s dive in!

—

So, after the last encounter with Sephiroth where Angeal had to accept that Sephiroth’s will was also influencing his choice to destroy the world, part of our team is gathered around Zack, resting and talking.

They express concern for Angeal, wondering if he is okay or if he is in shock after meeting his best friend who has changed so much. Tifa is prompted to then ask Zack what kind of person Sephiroth had been before the insanity.

Zack says,

“I didn’t really know him from the start. Only since I began working with Angeal, but I heard that they (Sephiroth and Angeal) were really close, as well as with their other best friend (Genesis). That one (Genesis) would play around with him (Sephiroth), and when things crossed a line, Angeal scolded them both. Sephiroth explained to me that Angeal gave him endless lectures about discipline, dreams, honor/hope, etc….”

A reference to this scene in Crisis Core:

This is so cute, but of course everyone else is bewildered! One of them says something like, “Wait, we are still talking about Sephiroth, right??” and Zack just laughs saying, “I don’t blame you for thinking that/wondering that.”

But Zack reassures them about how Seph used to be, saying,

“He was strong, he took good care of/helped people, and he cared about his juniors/younger colleagues. That was the Sephiroth I knew once.”

Cloud seems in awe over this. Zack goes onto explain,

“Then something went wrong with Genesis and Angeal’s bodies (reference to degradation), and they didn’t tell Sephiroth. That’s why everything got so tense. They probably didn’t want to involve him in all that, but I think Sephiroth felt alone/was lonely. I was also left behind by Angeal, so I shared the feeling.”

Cloud teases Zack, saying basically “Oh, so that’s why you acted like that when you met Angeal again,” and Zack laughs in embarrassment. Krile comments that Zack’s best quality is being always honest to himself, and Zack is grateful for the kindness. Then he goes back to talking about Sephiroth, saying,

“So back to Sephiroth. Later when Angeal and the other friend (Genesis) were gone, something went wrong with Sephiroth this time. It seemed like he uncovered the secrets about his birth/creation, but he didn’t tell me much about that. But what occurred made it clear to me….that wasn’t Sephiroth, I am certain. It’s why I want to help Angeal. I want to bring Sephiroth back to who he was.”

There is a sad moment here where the others understand Zack’s wishes, but Tifa and Cloud admit that they aren’t sure if they could ever forgive Sephiroth for destroying their village and killing their relatives even if he were to return to sanity. Cloud in particular admits that he feels anger and then sorrow, a pain in his chest, when he thinks of Sephiroth. Cloud is kind to Zack, saying that he owes him so much, but on this subject their wishes diverge. He says he is sorry for that, but Zack understands saying,

“No, it’s okay. I am sorry too, Cloud.”

They all accept the fact and agree that everyone has a different position, moving on. However, Cloud does briefly stop to wonder if it is indeed possible to bring Sephiroth back to his old self.

We cut away from this scene and go to Angeal, who is talking with some of the elder Final Fantasy characters. They ask him if he is calm now, wondering,

“So, he (the current Sephiroth) is indeed not your good friend?”

This statement sounds like a casual, “So, you aren’t friends anymore” type of observation, but it is actually in reference to the Jenova-Sephiroth dilemma. They are basically asking Angeal if the real Sephiroth is truly gone. Angeal confirms in a sense, saying that,

“That’s why I was so disturbed. It wasn’t just strictly a matter of “he has changed.”

The others remind Angeal that if Sephiroth is no longer human, then he doesn’t have to feel so weighed down by the whole thing, but Angeal says,

“No, even if that is true, even if he is physically Jenova, I can sense his will still inside.

The character Aaron says, “Then there is a strong chance Sephiroth wills himself into this state (being one with Jenova).”

Angeals says he knows and that Sephiroth does indeed not seem to be human anymore. He then confirms,

“This is why I should be the one to finish this…for the sake of my other friend that I failed to save (Genesis).”

Aw 🥲

There is a sequence here that follows where the elders talk to Angeal about his serious and responsible reputation, and how he trains his juniors like Zack. They offer Angeal some pleasant advice, saying not to worry so much about Zack anymore because the latter has truly grown. Angeal agrees, noting how much Zack matured and how he passed down his own little legacy to Cloud, who carries the buster sword. The elders encourage Angeal to realize that his strong and powerful words likely helped influence this and enliven others. They note Angeal’s persistent personality as well, but Angeal sadly says,

“Tifa told me that as well, but it wasn’t enough to get through to my friends (Gen and Seph). I was just too confident that we all understood each other. I should have been there for them more…”

Basch, one of the elders, encourages Angeal further, saying in regards to the situation with Sephiroth,

“Even though you are friends, don’t let this be such a burden to you. There were changes in his heart that you simply could not foresee, despite your regret.”

Furthermore he says, “Just because you two were close did not make it your duty (to fix everything). After all, a friend’s presence alone can be strengthening for another even when far away. But if you don’t want to regret, why don’t you try to come across him again now that you are both reunited here.”

Angeal, throughout this little pep talk, still feels badly and hangs his head, but he is surprised to hear the bit about a friend’s presence offering strength, and perks up when the others suggest he try to at least be there for Sephiroth this time around. He agrees, saying,

“You’re right. I will do what I could not do back then…but…”

Angeal pauses to speak one lament amidst his decision.

“…in this world…my other friend (Genesis) isn’t here….and I know he would have wanted to start over/have a second chance with Sephiroth as well…”

—

Small note section before we move to the final battle:

There is so much to unpack in these two scenes because of all the dialogue and all the things finally said about the issues we have been wondering about as fans.

For one, now we know how it would be if the idea of Sephiroth’s redemption were to be discussed among the Crisis Core characters like Zack and Angeal, and the OG characters like Cloud and Tifa.

Zack and Angeal fully want to bring Sephiroth back because he was their friend that they loved, but the perspective of Cloud and Tifa is completely different and understandably so. They never knew Sephiroth as a friend, but instead the great SOLDIER that simply snapped and ruined their lives.

However, they are kind and understanding towards Zack, empathizing with his wishes, as well as with Angeal. It was Tifa who encouraged Angeal earlier, saying that his heroic speeches about dreams and honor had helped her, and that maybe he could reach Sephiroth’s noble, good side with such appeals.

But at the same time, Tifa and Cloud do admit that Sephiroth has wounded them too deeply, and even if he were to come back to his old self, they are not sure if they would ever be able to forgive him for what he did.

Zack is very peaceful about this disagreement, knowing that Cloud in particular means to deal with Sephiroth and not let him go freely. He knows why and accepts it. It’s ultimately very tragic and heart-rending, but we understand why their viewpoints are so different.

As for the scene with Angeal and the elders, it was very endearing to see Angeal being the one getting a pep talk this time. He also speaks very politely and respectfully in Japanese, in contrast to his usual stern tone with Zack. We are reminded that Angeal himself is still just a young man, even though he comes off like a serious, older mentor. He is just as lost and confused as his friends and Zack.

He is very much still beating himself up over not having been there for Sephiroth and not having been able to save Genesis. What was said to him about “It was not your duty” initially caused him to protest and feel some kind of shock. He may have heard that the way anyone else struggling with regret would have. He may have thought, “No, it was my duty.”

In truth, what happened to his friends was not Angeal’s fault. He also quite literally died and couldn’t be there for everything, Yes, perhaps he is right in saying that assuming they all understood each other perfectly was a mistake, but the elders are also right—there were issues that he never could have foreseen. Angeal didn’t know how far Genesis would fall or how broken Sephiroth’s already-damaged psyche was without his friends.

Yet the one thing Angeal surely believes he could have done more was simply be by his friends’ sides when they were going down, which is fair and honorable. I think this is a reasonable conclusion, and so we now see Angeal’s resolve come into full view.

Even if Sephiroth cannot be brought back, Angeal intends to be there for him, to make up for his past mistakes, to make up for Genesis, and to find peace. He also knows and admits that Genesis would have wanted to do the same with Sephiroth if he were present.

The plot of this chapter became clear to me here.

This DOO story is about Angeal’s personal redemption within himself, and perhaps a bit of Genesis’ own as well. It is about closure with the Firsts’ trio, even if it doesn’t lead to Sephiroth’s own redemption. It is still about them 🥲

—

The final battle begins.

There are a few interludes with the Tsviets, Vincent, and Weiss that establish their inclusion in the final battle, and the plan to restore everyone’s memories within the world. The other FF characters also discuss a few things about Seymour’s loyalty, and the team comes up with a final plan to take down Sephiroth for good.

This leads to Sephiroth himself, who is once again worried about the memories Angeal has brought back and how that might interfere with Sephiroth’s anchor to Cloud. He needs Angeal gone in order to not be shaken and take over the world.

Right then, the others run up. Cloud calls Sephiroth’s name and Angeal says,

“I’ve come to stop you!”

Sephiroth announces that they are too late, and that he is ready to take control. The others claim they are stronger, but Sephiroth has the upper hand, of course. He uses a fake Tifa to trick Barret into giving up the power crystals that Sephiroth needs. When this succeeds, Sephiroth summons the great materia called Crystal that apparently holds the world together. He attempts to shatter it and the world starts to crumble. Aerith rushes in front of Crystal to defend it.

Barret and Cloud are struck with horrible memories and premonitions, seemingly about Aerith’s death when this happens. They call for her to get away, but are unable to stand with the weight of memory crashing down on them.

There is a moment of panic as Sephiroth gets ready to charge Aerith, but then Angeal and Weiss actually sweep in to block his path in the nick of time.

And so, the Crisis Core tribute battle formulates, a memorial to the spar that once occurred between three friends. It even plays the music from the CC scene.

Vincent and the Tsviets are shocked to see Weiss, who did not seem to be interested in the final battle before, but something seems to have possessed Weiss. He begins quoting Loveless once again. He says,

“Hm. “My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left the bow of the goddess.” So, is that how you became a monster, Sephiroth, the “hero”?”

This is a strange moment of questioning from Weiss because it seems confusing with the English translation of Loveless, but he is essentially asking if Sephiroth lost his pride and honor due to a cruel cause or turn of fate. Angeal walks up and fondly reminisces, saying,

“Ah, Loveless…how nostalgic. Genesis quoted that tale until it wore me down.”

Sephiroth is oddly quiet.

Then, funnily enough, Weiss’s intentions are revealed to be about taking Sephiroth’s place. Weiss doesn’t care about what happens in the world, but believes he should be the one to reign over it instead of Sephiroth, making an amusing callback to Genesis wanting Sephiroth’s role as the hero. Angeal laughs and responds to this with,

“Oh pfftt, you two (Weiss and Genesis) are exactly alike in your competitive nature then. Do as you will.”

Essentially, Angeal accepts Weiss to fill the empty space left by Genesis in this particular world, calling back to Angeal’s earlier lament.

Weiss and Angeal prepare for the fight, but Cloud and Zack protest, telling Angeal that he doesn’t need to do this, and that they can help now that they are back to normal. But Angeal only says,

“I know you guys are reliable/strong, but I need to do this.”

Cloud understands and says,

“I see….you want to talk to him (Sephiroth) like a person…to the real Sephiroth buried behind Jenova.”

This seems to be a callback to Cloud and Angeal’s earlier discussion where Angeal told Cloud about how he treated Sephiroth like a human. Even now, Angeal wants to speak to his friend as though he were person, not a monster blended with Jenova. Angeal also jokingly adds,

“At the very least, let me show off a little bit as your senior soldier!”

The fight begins with Angeal saying to Sephiroth that he will speak to him in this way even if the latter tries to stop him. Sephiroth only dismisses this with his same, “There is nothing to talk about in this world. It will soon become an empty vessel” statement. Angeal teases a bit with,

“Come on, don’t hold back! Test your skill with us like you did that day…”

Sephiroth only says he doesn’t remember.

Their fight is familiar and striking, full of quick and clever movement. The others are thrilled watching, with Zack even recognizing some of the moves Sephiroth taught him back in the day.

The nostalgia hits Angeal in the midst of the spar and he calls out,

“Ah, I’ve missed you, Sephiroth!”

They continue, with Sephiroth still aiming for Aerith, but being pushed back by Weiss and Angeal. Angeal further recalls the memory, saying,

“Remember, we used to do this in the old training room at headquarters, playing around in there when the 2nds weren’t looking!”

Sephiroth can still only say he doesn’t remember. Angeal persists with,

“Alright then what about dumbapples? And your friend that was so eager to share one with you that he never gave up his research on them?”

Sephiroth becomes agitated at this and says,

“I told you, I don’t know/remember!”

Weiss laughs and says, “Well, you’re a sorry excuse for a Sephiroth!”

But Sephiroth only says he doesn’t need these memories, and that he erased them. Weiss says,

“Then let me remind you what our brother (Genesis) wanted. My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess!”

At this, Sephiroth finally snaps in anger and says,

“Shut up…! All I need is my pure will!”

With this, Sephiroth exerts an extreme amount of power and proceeds to attack the crystal with his raw strength and will, causing everything to tremble. The others begin to panic. Sephiroth viciously says,

“There is my response! My gift to you!”

So yeah, the spar was fun until Weiss and Angeal brought back that memory of Genesis. Unfortunately, it seemingly angered Sephiroth a little too much, and from this point on, things seem hopeless. Sephiroth’s will is too strong, and in the midst of the chaos, Seymour arrives at last, taking Sephiroth’s side and betraying the others.

They begin to destroy Crystal together, and this is when a certain scene occurs that I have translated here:

A very important moment with Vincent, who tries to intervene by telling Sephiroth that Jenova is not his mother, and that his real mother cried for him. Sephiroth, sadly, does not believe Vincent.

Sephiroth grows in his power, drunken on the feeling, and Cloud, Zack, and Angeal stand at the front, ready to take him on, Yes, even Angeal has found his resolve and admits that while things look hopeless, they have to face it. Cloud summons everyone, rallying them all to fight together.

That’s when Sephiroth ascends and takes on his Safer form. Upon seeing this, Zack grows angry and says,

“If this really is Jenova, don’t hold back. How dare she mask as Sephiroth!”

But Safer Sephiroth tells them that he has gathered all the energy of the world to himself, and that they have lost because they did not have the power and strength that comes with pure hatred of the world. Angeal says,

“So, that’s your will. To destroy the world with Jenova’s power. I suppose that’s why I still can’t turn away from you or my past mistakes…because I’m your best friend.”

Angeal is at full acceptance here, understanding that he can’t let Sephiroth do this because it’s his responsibility as Sephiroth’s best friend. It’s a very loving way to say,

“I have to put you down because it’s what’s best for you in this situation.”

So, the battle ends with Seymour and Safer Sephiroth defeated. There is a moment of uncertainty as the world hangs on the edge of collapse, but the team, mainly Angeal, are able to bring Seymour back to his senses in the aftermath. Seymour falls to the earth in regret, much to Sephiroth’s disgust, who would never have let go of his hatred so easily.

Sephiroth then vanishes, summoning Cloud to the final confrontation. Cloud rushes through a portal, into the void where Sephiroth is waiting. The fight is a direct callback to the OG scene.

Cloud beats Sephiroth at once like he did in the original game, everything ending with Sephiroth’s voice echoing through the void, promising that he will return one day with his mother as long as Cloud remembers him. Cloud reassures Sephiroth that he will fight him again and again if it means protecting the world.

When Cloud returns, Zack is overjoyed and Angeal solemnly thanks him for putting Sephiroth to rest. There is a brief intermission where the other FF characters work to bring the shattered world back into balance, but overall, the fight is over and everything is fine again.

Angeal looks to the sky, and is unable to keep from lamenting Sephiroth’s loss, saying that,

“I lost my best friend twice now…I must admit I am filled with regret, pathetic as that may seem…”

But Zack encourages Angeal, reminding him that he was there for Sephiroth this time, and Sephiroth even responded in small ways. Zack also is grateful that Angeal was by his side in battle, saying that he wouldn’t have been able to face everything alone. Angeal warmly says that Zack could have easily stood strong with the way he held onto his pride and honor. There is kind reconciliation here, and with the other characters as well. Small scenes of forgiveness and new promises made.

It was sad, and everybody was hoping that Seph could be brought back, but in the end it was more about Angeal finding peace with the loss of his friend and giving himself a second chance to be there with him until the bitter end. He full-filled this wish, whether Sephiroth knew it or not. For that, I am grateful to Dissidia. They gave Angeal the closure he longed for and that he never would have been able to gain in any other game because of his death. Now I can only hope similar opportunities are granted to the others.

Final Notes:

Thank you so much again for everyone’s patience with this! I can’t believe DOO actually ended as I was in the middle of translating, and all for the sake of Rebirth too! But it had a good run and this bit of closure we got with the CC and OG characters was a pretty decent way to end it. I would have loved to see Genesis involved, but I suspect they knew DOO was ending too soon and so they found a way to at least include his precense before actually adding him to the game.

I also have to wonder if this version of the OG’s story was so Angeal-focused because the Remake will include Genesis and how he will deal with the final battle against Sephiroth. Who can say?

Either way, it was sad and beautiful and it gave us Crisis Core fans a lot of satisfaction and understanding for these characters we loved but felt were a bit deprived by Crisis Core’s writing. It was lovely to have Angeal and Zack reaffirm over and over that the Firsts’ trio were such close friends that were ultimately torn apart by tragedy. They all loved each other dearly, and Sephiroth’s loss to darkness was a massive heartbreak for them. For Zack as well.

I found so many scenes interesting, but the spar tribute was my favorite. Originally, I thought it was Angeal’s attempt to bring Sephiroth back to himself, but I then realized it was Angeal having some fun with his old friend before the real battle began and it was time to end everything. It was like Angeal’s goodbye to Sephiroth ;-;

There are some scenes I may have to edit or retranslate again if anyone finds any mistakes, but hopefully most of it came out okay, and a big thanks to @ansfair on Twitter (please check out their translation as well!) for the extra help with certain scenes, as well as my Japanese-speaking friend! I want to eventually translate a bit more from Dissidia and the earlier scenes from when Angeal first showed up, but for now, I hope this is fun for you all to read!

Much love everyone! ❤️

[altocat]

SAD SEPHGEAL (and others) IN OPERA OMNIA (PART 8)

Everyone reminisces while the battle is underway. Unfortunately, Sephiroth has no idea what they're talking about (or pretending not to know).

Mention of Genesis. They actually mention Gen's childhood desire to feed Sephiroth the apples multiple times. So for those of you who missed out finding his journal in CC, Baby Gen really, really wanted to be friends with his hero and obtain his admiration. It's a smorgasbord of bad feels all around. The repeated mention of Genesis seems to make Sephiroth increasingly upset.

Unfortunately, it appears to be useless and only succeeds in pissing off Sephiroth even MORE. And then Seymour shows up to help leading to THIS nuclear bomb drop exchange.

Which blew my fucking mind because this is the first time Sephiroth is ever really told about Lucrecia beyond his locket. And it obviously destroys me because Sephiroth isn't listening and immediately disregards everything Vincent said.

[silvergreenseraphim]

Angeal and Sephiroth (And Genesis?)—Dissidia Opera Omnia—Part Two

Hi there hello, I am terribly sorry for the wait, friends! I was pretty sick for the past week or so, but have recovered now! On that note, let’s dive in!

—

Angeal must come to terms with Sephiroth’s transformation.

We begin with Cloud meeting with Angeal after the group decided to take on Sephiroth. Cloud asks Angeal,

“Are you okay? I know I explained everything all at once…”

Angeal says,

“You mean about Sephiroth? It’s just…even though I saw it with my own eyes…it’s hard to accept when told the truth/facts. I’m sorry for slipping/showing weakness…just listen—“

Cloud stops him and says that he doesn’t mind being the one to tell Angeal everything that happened. Angeal also doesn’t need to worry about being stoic in front of someone that isn’t his direct student/cadet like Zack was.

Cloud then explains that he had become a soldier because he admired heroes like Sephiroth, though in truth, there were no heroes in the end because of Sephiroth’s transformation.

Angeal notes the following,

“Huh, just like my close childhood friend (Genesis) and Zack….all the kids my age looked up to him then, so that’s why I always thought I’d treat him like a human being…”

Edit: Small translation mistake I may have made, but initially I thought Angeal said that, “He did not want to change his own attitude/way of being” in regards to how he treated Sephiroth. However, it seems my pronouns were misplaced, and Angeal is talking about Sephiroth. He says that he wants to change Sephiroth’s attitude, as in, he wants to turn Sephiroth’s heart back to the way it was.

Cloud says that he himself can’t forgive Sephiroth, but he can’t deny Angeal’s feelings on the matter, and that he understands because of receiving certain thoughts and emotions for the old friends through Zack. Cloud also graciously tells Angeal to not worry telling Zack about how much he is struggling. Cloud will cover for him, and Angeal is grateful.

Cloud then leaves Angeal, who stands and contemplates Sephiroth once again…he thinks to himself,

“Sephiroth…did you come to know of your birth? I had Genesis at that time…but you…”

Sephiroth himself suddenly appears from a portal and begins to battle Angeal. They cross swords in the manner they once did in the training room, which shocks Angeal. He realizes Sephiroth’s fighting style hasn’t changed despite so much time passing, and wonders if they are sharing the same memory.

When they separate, Angeal appeals to Sephiroth’s honor by saying,

“Sephiroth! You surely had your pride and honor as a First….and we’ve both done horrible things, so let’s bear this despair together!”

The fight continues and the others rush to help Angeal. He is still calling to Sephiroth, saying,

“Sephiroth, what is the point in destroying this world? What would be in that for you?? If this is Jenova stealing who you are, then I’ll bring you back!!”

But Sephiroth merely laughs and says,

“I already have your answer. If it’s “me” that is here, then that means I chose it. I didn’t choose you, Angeal. All I need is Cloud. I don’t need you.”

This was a loaded statement, but in summary, Sephiroth is saying that he chose to do what he is doing, where he is appearing, etc..

His will is seemingly one with Jenova’s in this story, and furthermore, he only needs Cloud in order to be rooted to the world.

This calls back to the notion of “As long as Cloud remembers Sephiroth, Sephiroth will exist.”

Cloud and Cloud’s memories are Sephiroth’s link to existence.

He doesn’t “need Angeal” because Angeal is one of Sephiroth’s “inconsequential memories” that he cast into the Lifestream…

The next part is hard to translate, but Zack essentially tells Angeal that the person they are facing is simply not Sephiroth anymore, and is merely wearing his face, in a way. Rufus fully believes that it is Jenova, and that they are the same.

Cloud readies himself to fight and declares that Sephiroth will be stopped, who responds with a taunt like, “Come and try!”

Meanwhile, Angeal is in disbelief. He says,

“Sephiroth…are you….really nowhere (in there)? Did you truly abandon your pride as a human and embrace this power…?”

After the boss fight that takes place here, Sephiroth struggles to hold his ground and angrily declares,

“I’m not going down…”

The group responds with a power-charged Cloud, who receives an energy crystal boost from Rufus.

With his buffed sword, Cloud prepares to end the weakened Sephiroth. He strikes and a bright burst of energy surges forward, but Angeal’s heart gets the better of him.

Angeal rushes forward and jumps in front of Sephiroth, taking the hit for his old friend and falling to the ground in pain.

The others are petrified and Zack runs to Angeal, screaming that,

“Angeal!! It’s not Sephiroth! You know it’s not him!”

Angeal says,

“I know…I understand…Indeed, his form/body may be Jenova’s but his heart and will might still remain…”

With this, Angeal stands and turns to Sephiroth, finally getting his deep regrets out. He says,

“We were the same…and I’m sorry for letting you suffer alone…”

But Sephiroth has no memory of this pain and his old friend. He says he “doesn’t know this unpleasant sight” in reference to Angeal and tries to attack again, but Zack fights him off, saying,

“Sephiroth! I know my words won’t reach you…but listen to Angeal’s calls…don’t leave that to the monster!”

Sephiroth merely brushes Zack off with one of his “puppets and traitors” accusations and vanishes, but before his voice fades entirely….he says,

“You see, Angeal….dreams and honor were fleeting/not enough…”

Angeal gasps in realization and says,

“Sephiroth….so it’s true…”

Sephiroth’s real voice seems to slip through—the angry, hateful part of him that threw away his memories and aligned his will with Jenova’s. The part that rejected mankind willingly and grew cold with fury.

Angeal understands that his old friend’s pride as a human was lost and the Sephiroth he once knew is dead. All that remains is the monster.

Side Notes:

I am working on the third part to cover the third act. So far, it has been denial for Angeal and in this chapter he reached a small form of acceptance at the bitter end. Now he must prepare to fight his friend and say goodbye.

My translations may once again require some edits later, but for now a lot of contextual information has helped them make sense, even if getting them to translate perfectly has been difficult.

Angeal finally is confirmed to be the one that likely influenced Zack to treat Sephiroth as a person, another human, instead of a hero only to be admired. Angeal doesn’t want to abandon this, and clearly Zack tends to feel the same way. Angeal never idolized Sephiroth, but merely saw him as his good friend. Zack followed this example.

Sephiroth doesn’t remember Angeal, or is at least actively suppressing the memories while he tries to eliminate him. However, his agitation is evident, as he cannot fully erase his emotional state. Part of the hatred that keeps his own will alive likely includes anger and feelings of rejection in regards to his old friends. This emotion seems to bleed through his words, whether he realizes it or not.

Angeal would have taken a bullet for Sephiroth. Now we know. This broke my heart. He could have died by absorbing that energy burst from Cloud, but he threw himself in front of his friend anyway, even despite knowing that Sephiroth was not the same. Angeal loved him so much, and his line, “We were the same…I’m sorry for letting you suffer alone” was utterly weighted with regret and pain. These poor boys are killing me 😢😢

I’ll see you guys next time!

[altocat]

Angeal only left sephiroth because he thought he could handle it. in oo he was shocked that sephiroth deteriorated as much as he did. he didn't know.

Yeah, that was a huge indicator for me that a lot of Angeal's avoidance towards Seph in CC was pretty much just the result of clunky writing. I think they really should have added a bit of dialogue there to show that Angeal wasn't intentionally being kind of callous.

Opera Omnia was pretty useful in that it added a lot more depth to Sephiroth and Angeal's individual relationship outside of the inclusion of Genesis. I really appreciated it. Angeal thought that Sephiroth would be okay on his own, but never meant to actually hurt him. Maybe Angeal thought that Sephiroth would simply overcome the anxiety of the situation, or that as Shinra's "hero" he wouldn't have to stoop down to their level. You could really dig deep into the WHYs and HOWs.

I have a feeling FS Episode 2 might add some extra context by presenting us with a scenario in which a young Angeal witnesses Sephiroth overcome a seemingly unconquerable situation, further adding to his view of Sephiroth as someone who rises to the occasion. All the while never knowing that Sephiroth emotionally relies on him and Genesis more than he ever could express in words.

Regardless, Angeal still cared about Sephiroth greatly. And never meant to hurt him or leave him behind. It's just part of the tragedy of the situation.

[altocat]

SAD SEPHGEAL IN OPERA OMNIA (Part 7)

Angeal hanging out with The Boyz discussing the situation at hand. He's still very adamant about potentially reaching the real Sephiroth somewhere deep down.

Interesting callback to Crisis Core. Angeal had lamented the fact that he hadn't been the one to put Genesis out of his misery. So now I guess he feels obligated to do that for Sephiroth. I don't view this line as cruel. Angeal at this point knows that even if the real Sephiroth is in there, it might be kinder to put an end to it as a mercy to his friend. He doesn't want to give up on the idea of Sephiroth still being present, but at the same time, Sephiroth is no longer human.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth is still agitated over his lingering memories of Angeal and Genesis. His intersecting identities are becoming increasingly haywire. The gang needs to stop him soon.

In a last ditch effort, WEISS of all people shows up as a stand in for Genesis, with the idea being he can mimic Genesis enough for he and Angeal to attempt to snap Sephiroth back into recognition. What neither of them know is the reason WHY Sephiroth and Genesis aren't friends anymore...

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The best part about all this Opera Omnia drama is that we're getting actual confirmation that not only did Sephiroth's friends care about him, but Sephiroth himself was ALWAYS meant to be taken as being cripplingly depressed without them. They are ramming that in so hard it's not even funny.

He loved them so much.

He was completely lost without them.

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SAD SEPHGEAL (and others) IN OPERA OMNIA (Part 9, FINAL)

We get our typical schtick of Sephiroth and Cloud having one final fight after Seph gets his ass toasted by the group. Same old stuff.

Cloud, in a moment of genuine character growth, puts aside his feelings and personally appeals to Sephiroth HIMSELF on the behalf of Zack and Angeal. Sephiroth of course...can't be reached. For as hard as Angeal tried this entire storyline, Sephiroth can't be saved.

With Cloud delivering the final blow, Sephiroth fades away again. But you know he'll be back again. He always comes back.

With Sephiroth gone, Angeal laments over the loss of his friend. Zack comforts him that at least Angeal was able to sorta reach the real Sephiroth, a feat that Zack wasn't able to accomplish previously on his own. This is unfortunately the last we see of Angeal within the context of the story, especially since Opera Omnia is no longer in service.

But with ALL THAT SAID, I really appreciate this storyline for giving Angeal and Sephiroth the faintest hint of actual closure, especially since we'd previously not gotten the chance to see them onscreen together much during CC. It built on the idea of Angeal carrying the guilt of Sephiroth's downfall, as well as him coming to terms with the events of Crisis Core. And of course the mature handling of different perspectives as well. What I hope is that Angeal achieved a sense of peace in the end, knowing that Sephiroth couldn't be saved but still not letting go of his love for his friend either. Wherever Episode 2 goes with their bond, I hope it's consistent with what we saw here. Angeal may have made some mistakes, but he clearly did care a great deal about Sephiroth and regretted leaving him behind. Their relationship was a tragic one, along with their relationship with Genesis. The Jenova Project stole their lives. And in the end, all three have to live with the consequences, for better or for worse.

I'm just glad we were able to have a taste of something bittersweet. I don't think Sephiroth can really be redeemed. But that doesn't change the fact that there are still people out there that love him. I'm very thankful this storyline existed. It's a good kind of casual angst that sits with you.

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Trailer Transcript—

Convo between Zack and Angeal:

Zack: Angeal, I know you’re surprised…I can’t believe that Sephiroth changed like that…

Angeal: So, you were surprised too…

Zack: It was out of nowhere. We went to investigate Cloud and Tifa’s village…and I guess he discovered his origins…

—

Convo between Zack and the group:

Tifa: Zack, you know, right? What kind of person Sephiroth was…

Zack: He was strong, caring, and he always cared about his juniors. That’s the Sephiroth I knew…

(Guys 🥺)

Zack: But both Angeal and his other best friend has some physical ailments…

Zack: They didn’t tell Sephiroth about it. That’s part of the reason everything got so tense.

Zack: He maybe didn’t want to get involved…but I think he missed them/was lonely.

(GUYS 😢)

—

Sephiroth talking to himself:

Sephiroth: …it was nothing out of the ordinary…I thought it was just an energy crystal…(referring to the crystal that is messing with everyone’s memories).

Sephiroth: I never thought I would regain the memories I threw into the Lifestream…

Sephiroth: We/I must be rid of that man at once…

Sephiroth: Angeal…

—

Convo + battle between Angeal and Sephiroth:

Angeal: Did you find out about your birth…Sephiroth?

Angeal: I had Genesis then….but you had…

—the fight starts and it looks like a direct reference to the training room sparring scene—

Angeal, observing Sephiroth’s combat: (This fighting style…it’s still the same as it was back then…years have passed…why hasn’t it changed??)

Angeal: (Are you reading my memories??)

Angeal: Sephiroth….I know you had your own dreams and honor as a First Class Soldier…

Angeal: But we have both done our fair share of horrible things…we can bear this despair together!

Angeal: Sephiroth…how can you destroy this world? What would be in that for you??

Angeal: If Jenova really did steal who you are, I’ll get it back!!

—-

GUYS ANGEAL IS GONNA GET HIS FRIEND BACK OR DIE TRYING JUST WATCH HIM!! I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS CHAPTER!! My heart 💔

Holy shiiiit HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

😭 I'm so ready. This is the only Sephiroth redemption arc AU I'll accept. Let him have his friends wrangling him for the rest of his life. Everyone gets what they wants.

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Ok, part two of Angeal and Sephiroth Dissidia Angst Chapter, haha.

After Angeal begs Sephiroth to talk to him and explain…Sephiroth remarks that he threw all his unnecessary memories into the Lifestream, and that Angeal is just “noise” to him. He has no memory of what Angeal is referring to—their friendship and all.

Angeal is too wounded to fight anymore, so Sephiroth battles the other characters for a moment and gets his power crystal. He is still upset though, even if he doesn’t realize why and just nopes out of there with his muhaha evil power.

There is a cute Zack and Angeal reunion right after, where Zack notes that Angeal is injured because he protected everyone like usual. Angeal warmly reaffirms Zack, but at once he goes straight back to talking about Sephiroth. He says he needs to follow him because he has so many questions to ask.

The others are worried about Angeal’s wound, but Zack only asks that if he does chase Sephiroth down, Angeal has to bring him along because he doesn’t want to be left behind. Aw.

Cloud interjects though and asks if he can talk to Angeal about the “present Sephiroth.”

We flash forward to a group meeting, and Angeal is STILL saying he needs to find Sephiroth. The others demand he take a moment to rest and heal, and that he shouldn’t take such a huge responsibility on his own shoulders, but Angeal is not having it.

Suddenly, Rufus of all people comments that he thinks he knows what Angeal is thinking about—that he wants to see if “The present Sephiroth is the real Sephiroth and not Jenova.”

Rufus brings up the Reuinion theory and all that, but Angeal actually says that,

“No, that’s Sephiroth…I know it. Someone with a will as strong as his couldn’t fully lose himself, even if he has changed. All his cruelty…it was his will…”

Angeal says this with a very downcast and heartbroken demeanor, like it seriously hurts for him to say that. Somebody asks, “Wait, you know Sephiroth?” and he says,

“He is my best friend. Always has been.”

OUCH.

Vincent actually asks,

“If he had someone like you…why did he end up the way he did?”

Angeal doesn’t reply and I can’t imagine he was feeling anything but guilt in that moment for obvious reasons. Then Cloud remarks,

“Well, Sephiroth did seem upset by Angeal’s question/questions. It’s worth a shot to find him”

So, they all agree to go hunt our silver boi down.

Finally, to close off the angst fest—we have a small scene where Sephiroth is alone with his crystal and is seemingly okay until bam, he gets a wave of memory come over him that causes him to stumble for a minute. He freaks out and that’s where the “Angeal? Genesis??” scene happens. He can’t believe it and starts trying to suppress everything, talking to himself through out.

He says,

“No…what is this memory?? Angeal? Genesis?? Did Angeal bring these back? I thought I threw them into the Lifestream. No, I need to get rid of them. They get in the way of “me.”

“….that’s right…get rid of what you don’t need. We can cut out this one too….that man’s entire existence…yes…”

It really sounds like he does have a fractured consciousness and is talking to different parts of himself/maybe Jenova, but damn…he also is fully being affronted now with his past and it’s obviously messing him up. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you for this, Translation-Anon. Thank you so, so much.

I'm in actual agony right now.

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is there any specific Seph content that you're really glad was confirmed or debunked? We been eating good lately

Obv I'm super thrilled that Sephiroth's awful, sheltered upbringing under Hojo was confirmed. Even more so that they're finally choosing to explore his lifelong mommy issues via the photograph. These are super critical aspects of Sephiroth's character that have been speculated on for years. We NEEDED to see it.

With that said, and this is going to sound dumb, but I'm really grateful to Opera Omnia for exploring more of Sephiroth and Angeal's individual relationship. One thing I've ALWAYS hated was the fan perception of Angeal sort of just being Genesis' friend and only hanging with Sephiroth because Genesis was. Nope. That's fully debunked now. Angeal genuinely cared about Sephiroth as his friend and blames himself for ever leaving him behind. Opera Omnia might be dead now but it fully gave us the closure Angeal and Sephiroth's (rather undefined) friendship needed. Angeal doesn't even denounce Seph in the end. He still loves him. He wants to END him but it's because he recognizes that it's the right thing to do, that it's BECAUSE he loves Sephiroth. And he isn't even BLAMED for it! No one gives him (and Zack!) shit for still caring about Seph. It's small, but it means a lot. And it's rewarding to know that Sephiroth's friends really weren't pretenders. He really did once have a found family that loved him. It was real, however brief.