Sephiroth ranks very high on the “cool” scale, and a huge reason for that is his ōdachi, the extra-long katana he wields, called the Masamune. He’s not the first Final Fantasy character to wield a sword that has this particular name, but he’s probably the most notable, not least because of a very infamous murder he commits with this sword at a key moment in the original FF7 (and also in FF7 Rebirth, although the scene plays out somewhat differently).
I’ve been both fascinated and amused by the ostentatious appearance of Sephiroth’s sword ever since I first saw cosplayers brandishing their versions of it at conventions in my teen years, and I’ve always wanted to know what went into its supremely impractical design.
So who better to ask than designer Tetsuya Nomura, the Square Enix visionary who first put this sword into Sephiroth’s hands? And so, in honor of Cool Sword Day, here’s Nomura explaining the sword’s backstory, its surprisingly variable length, and more.
Image: Square Enix
Polygon: What led to the decision to name Sephiroth’s sword after the medieval blacksmith Masamune?
Tetsuya Nomura: The Masamune has appeared throughout the Final Fantasy series as the strongest sword. When thinking about equipping Sephiroth with a sword that is a worthy match for him, I figured there was no better option than Masamune.
Whose idea was it to give Sephiroth this specific type of sword, rather than a buster sword for example?
That would be mine. Each time Cloud went through a tweak in design, the accompanying buster sword seemed to grow larger. Reason being, I thought the juxtaposition between Cloud wielding a giant “sword” and Sephiroth, who is far more powerful, wielding a skinny “katana” would be quite interesting. Additionally, the contrast between a wide broadsword and a long Japanese katana is also inspired by the rivalry of two famous Japanese swordsmen, Musashi and Kojiro.
Were there any other design ideas for his sword that were not chosen and that you would be willing to share with us?
As mentioned earlier, I had a specific sword in mind for Sephiroth, so I didn’t have any other ideas.
Did the length of Sephiroth’s sword make it difficult to design fight scenes, especially in FF7 Rebirth where you actually get to play as Sephiroth?
Sephiroth has appeared in many different titles before, and with each appearance, the length of his sword is adjusted based on the title’s specifications. In other words, we didn’t design the scene based on the length of the sword, but rather, designed the length of the sword based on the game design.
I have a rough guideline that his sword should be around 10 feet long, but this has never been consistent across any of his appearances, including Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, or any merchandise, etc.
Do you ever alter the length of the sword in certain scenes, such as lengthening it for visual effect or shortening it to accommodate certain moves?
The Masamune’s blade has an organic quality to it, lengthening and shortening as needed. In the recently released second season of The First Soldier arc in Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis, there actually is a scene in which the Masamune grows longer for the first time. I would love for you to check it out.
Did someone in the universe of FF7 make this sword especially for Sephiroth?
I mentioned The First Soldier arc in Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis a moment ago, but if you look at season one, when young Sephiroth first appeared, you will see that he is equipped with a Shinra military sword. That means it won’t come as a surprise if other people were also equipped with it. That said, I personally think that a military sword is more of an accessory for ceremonial purposes, and so Sephiroth would probably be the only person who would actually wield it after customizing it to be more suited for combat. Typically, a sword is heavily impacted by the skill of its wielder, and it is prone to become useless unless the wielder has the appropriate prowess; so, it is rare for someone to use a sword in combat.
Also, in the aforementioned second season of The First Soldier arc of Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis, you will experience the episode in which young Sephiroth obtains the Masamune, as well as meet the blacksmith who created the sword, so we’ll be diving deeper into the lore of the Masamune for the first time. The settings and background were brewing in my head, but in order to depict this in the game, I consulted Motomu Toriyama, the Co-Director of the Final Fantasy VII remake series and Director of Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis, and we decided to ask Kazushige Nojima, Scenario Writer for the Final Fantasy 7 series to write this for us.
