Sephiroth/Gameplay

Sephiroth is an optional boss in Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. He was originally the main antagonist from Final Fantasy VII.

In Kingdom Hearts, he appears in Olympus Coliseum's Platinum Match. In Kingdom Hearts II, he is the antagonist of Cloud's side story, and is fought in the Dark Depths.

Kingdom Hearts

 * Attacks
 * Horizontal Slash: Sephiroth's basic sword slash. Covers a long reach and has a wide arc, but can easily be deflected or jumped over.
 * Teleport Slash: The second Sora delivers the finishing combo, Sephiroth will vanish and flashes behind Sora to deliver a sword slash. (Teleport period approximately about 1~2 seconds.)
 * Stigma: Sephiroth conjures three flame pillars around him. Using a special move like Ars Arcanum or Strike Raid will make Sora invincible to this attack, so it is recommended to use such techniques if you get caught in it. Sephiroth in turn is highly vulnerable while performing this move.
 * Heartless Angel: Sephiroth's trademark attack, used when around 70% of his first HP meter is shaved away. Drains Sora's HP to 1 and MP to 0. It can't be dodged, but it can be interrupted if Sephiroth is hit while casting this attack. Sephiroth will say "Descend, Heartless Angel!" before using this attack, so listen carefully for it. It is best to strike him before the halo around him completes, as this will interrupt the casting. If Sora happens to be too far away from Sephiroth while he is performing the Heartless Angel attack, use Superglide to get close to him pronto. If damaged while performing this move, Sephiroth will immediately use Stigma.
 * Omnislash: Sephiroth does a frenzy of standing and leaping blows, then leaps up and does a finisher. Be wary of the last blow, because it does a great deal of damage. However, the blows are not entirely consecutive, so Sora can avoid many of them with properly timed guards and dodge rolls.
 * Shadow Flare: Sephiroth will conjure dozens of dark orbs to surround him. The orbs serves as his shield and a distraction for a spinning sword slash. He often uses this move many times in succession.
 * Super Nova: Sephiroth's ultimate attack, his body emits a glowing white aura and he summons several meteors, which surround and orbit around him. A black hole later appears above his head and absorbs all the rocks, which later releases a meteor homing Sora. The initial meteors can be avoided by running around them, and the last attack requires quite a bit of timing to dodge.
 * Whirlwind Slashes: Sephiroth executes a spinning combo of three slashes while gracefully leaping into the air. Usually followed by a Horizontal Slash, then another Whirlwind Slashes. Sephiroth begins to use this attack after Super Nova.

Sephiroth is easily one of the the hardest bosses in the original Kingdom Hearts, and a great deal of preparation is needed. First, Strike Raid, Second Chance, Dodge Roll, and MP Rage are absolutely essential. If possible, equip two MP Rage, meaning, unless you chose the staff, you'll have to be at Level 66 to earn the second MP Rage. Otherwise, being above Level 55 is best. Do not equip any other special abilities like Ragnarok or Ars Arcanum.

Don't equip more than one "Combo Plus" and "Air Combo Plus" abilities. Equip any other abilities to boost Sora's power like Berserk and Critical Plus. Scan is useful, as it lets you see Sephiroth's HP and know when he's about to enter the next phase of the battle, but there are other signs to let you know this. If possible, equip the Ultima Weapon Keyblade, but otherwise equip weapons to boost Sora's MP and magic abilities. Oathkeeper, Lionheart, or Lady Luck work for this by increasing Sora's max MP while still giving a strong attack. Also equip as many Elixirs as possible, or Megalixirs if you are out of Elixirs, and be sure to get Curaga from Aerith in Hollow Bastion.

Be sure to have Curaga as one of the Spells equipped for Shortcut options when you need it. If you're not too confident with evading Sephiroth's attacks, you can equip whatever variation of Aero you have available as a Shortcut to reduce damage from Sephiroth's attacks. Finally, equip accessories to boost Sora's defense and HP. Gaia Bangles or Omega Arts work for this. Also note that all of Sephiroth's attacks except for Stigma count as the dark element, so equipping armor to resist that element will help greatly.

For the first part of the battle, Sephiroth walks around the arena performing his Horizontal Slash and Stigma attacks, usually using the former when you come close. It is possible, by leaping towards him to avoid his Horizontal Slash, to hit Sephiroth with a combo. After suffering three to four hits from a combo, Sephiroth will teleport and attempt a Teleport Slash on you. You can either jump away or use Dodge Roll to evade the attack.

Also note that in the short period after he teleports and before he reappears, you can actually lock on to him and see where he is going to appear. At this time, simply chip away at Sephiroth's HP with normal attacks, and heal when needed as MP Rage will restore your MP when you are attacked. It is important to note that while Sephiroth has six health bars; only five will show up, so your first attacks will only appear to do no damage. Once Sephiroth's red health bar is depleted and the yellow bar is showing he holds out his hand and says "Come", signaling he is entering his second phase of attack.

Sephiroth will next begin dashing around the arena very quickly, frequently using Teleport Slash. His first move upon entering this phase is to teleport and cast Heartless Angel. It is vital to hit him with Strike Raid at this time. The casting animation for Heartless Angel involves a halo appearing around Sephiroth. If you can attack him before the halo completes, you can stop the casting. Even if he successfully starts to casts it, continue to attack him. If you are hit while casting Heartless Angel, Sephiroth will run up to you in an attempt to finish you off with an attack.

If you can't hit Sephiroth in time to stop him, your only chance is to quickly heal yourself with an Elixir right before you are struck by Heartless Angel. If timed right, the Elixir will refill your HP and MP right after Heartless Angel damages you. Sephiroth uses this attack periodically during this phase, so listen carefully for him to call the attack and stop him. Alternatively, to stop Heartless Angel, use Superglide, get close to him and hit him before he can finish announcing the attack.

Sephiroth's other tactics are to simply run around the arena using Teleport Slash frequently. His other new move, Omnislash, hits very quickly and can be difficult to survive. You can cast Curaga during the attack, but he'll likely attack you and stop you before you can cast it. A better option is to hit him with Strike Raid when he calls out the attack, as you are invincible during Strike Raid and thus can become immune to his many slashes. Otherwise, repeatedly use Dodge Roll or well-timed Guards. His final attack in Omnislash is to pierce the ground, sending a shockwave in every direction, but it can be avoided by Dodge Rolling directly away from his frontal area. After using Omnislash, Sephiroth immediately teleports and uses Heartless Angel.

In general for Phase Two, always have at least two MP so you can use Strike Raid, and keep your HP high. With MP Rage, Sephiroth will be causing you so much damage, he'll be restoring your MP quickly so keeping your MP up should not be a problem. When Sephiroth is down to his yellow health bar, he will summon a green and black aura, signaling the final phase of the battle.

Sephiroth's final phase begins with him casting Supernova. The meteors can be dodged with moderate difficulty. When Sephiroth begins the attack's end, target him and use Strike Raid - this will not damage him as Sephiroth is invincible while using Supernova, but will make you immune to the attack's final hit. The final hit can also be dodged with proper timing by Dodge Rolling behind Sephiroth as he uses it. If you are hit, though, it won't do too much damage; nothing Curaga can't fix. Sephiroth will also begin using Shadow Flare quite often and start erratically teleporting while spinning and slashing, leaving Shadow Flares in his wake. Although this seems daunting to avoid, during this time, Sephiroth is vulnerable. Instead, you can use Strike Raid, both avoiding damage and hitting him at the same time. This is perhaps the opportune moment to hit Sephiroth.

Sephiroth also retains all the attacks from his previous two phases. He still casts Heartless Angel, but no longer calls out the name of the move, making it vital to keep him targeted to know when he's casting it. Sephiroth also still uses Omnislash, and may even use it twice in a row. He still uses Stigma when interrupted while casting Heartless Angel.

Although this is easily Sephiroth's most dangerous form, the damage all of his moves can be minimized with deft dodging and usage of Strike Raid to exploit its temporary invincibility. Since he may still be landing hits on you quite often, your MP should be high throughout the phase, and healing yourself and attacking should be no trouble. As long as you can react to Sephiroth's moves quickly with the appropriate counter, you can defeat him. Focus on getting in hits whenever possible, while surviving his attacks using Curaga and Strike Raid and he will eventually be defeated.

In the Final Mix version, there are more options, due to the new Leaf Veil/Leaf Bracer ability, you can time Curaga right to avoid most of Sephiroth's blows and powerful finishers. Thus you can also avoid and heal at the same time, so if you see a powerful attack coming, don't hesitate to heal if you have the chance.

Kingdom Hearts II

 * Attacks
 * Sudden Cruelty: The screen darkens, and Sephiroth says "That's enough." before dashing past you. Sora then is hit multiple times. It can be avoided quite easily by using the Reaction Command; otherwise it is virtually impossible to avoid except with deft jumping, or using Reflect. Sephiroth always opens the battle with this. It should be noted that you have a very short window of opportunity to activate the Reaction Command before Sephiroth executes the attack. You can't use the Reaction Command while jumping.
 * Ground Combo: Sephiroth charges forward, unleashing several quick damaging slash attacks. These can be avoided simply by keeping your distance, leaping over them, using Guard, or simply flying around with Glide (although you might get hit sometimes). Later in the battle, Sephiroth dashes behind Sora before starting the series of slashes. Counterguard can be used to reverse this assault.
 * Aerial Combo: Sephiroth only uses this move when Sora is in the air and attacks him multiple times, after which he teleports. Sephiroth often uses this attack three or more times in a row. They can be avoided by using Aerial Dodge and counter-attacking when Sephiroth re-appears. If this follows his teleport slash, it can also be countered with retaliating slash to prevent the combo and start your own if timed correctly.
 * Teleport Slash: Sephiroth teleports behind Sora and attacks, knocking him high into the air. This is usually followed up with Aerial Combo. This move is difficult to detect and avoid, but can be blocked with Guard and fast reflexes. Even if Sora is hit, the follow-up combo, as told above, can be countered easily.
 * Shadow Flare: Sephiroth summons several dark orbs around Sora that follow him around briefly before hitting him. They can be deflected back at Sephiroth using the Keyblade or Reflega.
 * Heartless Angel: Sephiroth flies into the air, glows and calls out "Descend... Heartless... Angel!". A halo appears over Sora's head, which after a delay, depletes all of Sora's MP and kills him instantly (unless the Second Chance ability is equipped, in which case Sora will be left with 1 HP). This can be stopped by attacking Sephiroth before the halo appears, or by timing Curaga to heal Sora just after the attack finishes casting. At any rate, if it's successful Sephiroth will immediately follow this with Flash. This attack often ends up as an instant death attack for most players since they're unable to heal themselves in time.
 * Stigma: Sephiroth draws Sora towards him and summons many flame pillars around himself. These can be avoided by running away from Sephiroth, using Quick Run, or using Reflega if Sora is caught in them.
 * Meteor: Sephiroth floats into the air in front of the chasm and summons many meteors to hit Sora. These can be avoided with a combination of Aerial Dodge, Reflega and deft moving.

Equip Sora with as much equipment to increase his defense as possible. Ribbons work well for this. The Ultima Weapon Keyblade is the best to use due to MP Hastega - otherwise, Circle of Life is a suitable substitute. Decisive Pumpkin is also a good choice. Also equip Sora with the following abilities; Guard, Counterguard, Aerial Recovery, High Jump, Aerial Dodge, Glide, Slide Dash, Combo Boost, Air Combo Boost, Finishing Plus, Leaf Bracer, Defender, Second Chance, and Once More.

If you are at a higher level, MP Haste, MP Rage, Berserk Charge, and Retaliating Slash are also helpful. Also equip any other abilities to power up Sora's combos, such as Explosion, and give him as many Elixirs or Megalixirs as possible. Equip Reflega, Curaga, the Elixirs and Megalixirs to Sora's shortcut menu. Level-wise, you should be at least at Level 50, but being at a higher level naturally helps.

For armor, equip Ribbons and Petit Ribbons, as they have high defense and elemental resistance and will greatly reduce the damage Sephiroth inflicts. Cosmic accessories are good for this fight, too. Accessories should be used to boost Sora's Strength for the fight. It should also be noted that Trinity Limit can be used alone and can be a great help to use in the fight if one wishes to use items to heal instead of magic.

Sephiroth always begins the battle with Flash, so hit the Triangle button as soon as the fight begins, then target Sephiroth. Flash leaves Sephiroth open for a while, so hit him with Slide Dash and unleash a combo until he teleports. It can also be helpful if you have Berserk Charge to use Trinity Limit on him right after he finishes the Flash attack, then hit him with as many hits as you can until he teleports. After this, Sephiroth will unleash a Ground Combo if you are in close range of him. Use Guard and Counterguard to deflect and interrupt the attack and counter with a combo.

Sephiroth will only teleport once the finisher is used - if the player uses a combo but does not use the finisher, Sephiroth will leap back and perform Ground Combo again, which can be easily countered again. This is an effective way to defeat Sephiroth in his first phase without having to deal with his other attacks; as long as the player does not hit the finisher, Sephiroth will only use Ground Combo against them. As another counter, the player can use Reflega to block the attacks and deliver massive damage to Sephiroth. While using Guard to block the slashes, cast Reflega towards the last couple of slashes in Sephiroth's Ground Combo. While Sephiroth is receiving the backlash damage of Reflega, Slide Dash towards Sephiroth and follow up with a combo.

If you are a far distance from Sephiroth, he will usually hit you with his Teleport Slash and follow up with Aerial Combo multiple times. If you can time it quickly enough, you can use Guard or Reflega to block the Teleport Slash. Be warned that doing this will result in Sephiroth going into either another Teleport Slash or a Ground Combo so be prepared in both instances to defend and counterattack. If you do get hit by the Teleport Slash, quickly use Aerial Recovery when he teleports and attack him when he reappears to minimize the damage. Or when he reappears, use Retaliating Slash to deal damage and open up an opportunity to use an aerial combo on him. If Sephiroth uses Flash again, simply use the Reaction Command to avoid it.

If Sora is in the air and cannot use the Reaction Command, a well-timed Reflectga can be used to avoid damage. Curaga should be the main method of healing in this phase. If you have it, the ability Berserk Charge will effectively disable Sora's finisher during MP charge, allowing you to attack Sephiroth more than you would with the finisher enabled, allowing your MP to charge while he is being attacked. Be aware though that Sephiroth will teleport away after you perform several combo strings on him with Berserk Charge. However, if he's on the ground, it is possible for Sora to miss an attack during "Berserk Charge", giving Sephiroth an opportunity to counterattack. If Sora's doing an aerial combo during "Berserk Charge", Sephiroth could teleport and use "Flash".

Sephiroth's moves in this phase can all be easily countered if you can recognize the signs of which attack he is using. After losing four and a half bars of his health bar, Sephiroth will say "Know your place", signaling he is entering his second attack phase.

Next, Sephiroth will begin using Shadow Flare. You can beat the attacks back at Sephiroth with the Keyblade or Reflectga - since the Shadow Flares appear surrounding you, the latter option is advised. Sephiroth will also sometimes use Shadow Flare, then follow up with Flash - using the Reaction command in this case will reflect both Sephiroth's attacks and the Shadow Flares. Sephiroth will still use his various slashing attacks from his first phase, so react accordingly.

His Ground Combo has greater reach and speed in this phase so using Guard, Counter-Guard, and Reflectga against him will be trickier during the attack. Sephiroth will also start utilizing his Stigma, summoning multiple flame pillars around him while drawing you towards him. Run, jump and glide away to avoid them, or if you're caught in them, use Reflectga to protect yourself and do heavy damage to Sephiroth. Sephiroth can be attacked with a combo as he finishes the attack, but it is difficult to do so.

Sephiroth also begins using his trademark Heartless Angel attack. Watch and listen for the signs he's casting it - he will rise into the air and say "Descend...Heartless Angel". Use High Jump and Aerial Dodge to reach and attack him before he completes the casting. Sephiroth floats high into the air while using this attack, so these two abilities are a must to reach him quickly and attack him, as it is impossible otherwise to stop him, barring you being close enough to him to hit him before he rises. If he casts it successfully, Sephiroth descends back to the ground and uses Flash or Teleport Slash.

You have the option to either quickly heal with an Elixir before the next attack is cast or defend and counterattack Sephiroth with a Reaction Command or Guard and ground combo before using an Elixir as Sephiroth recovers from the counterattack. Curaga's lag between casting it and it healing can also be exploited here; if the spell is cast so it starts before Sora's MP is depleted, but finishes after the attack, Descend Heartless Angel can be neutralized at the cost of MP. Sometimes, Sephiroth will summon Shadow Flares then use Descend Heartless Angel. If so, remember that the Shadow Flares are just a distraction so focus on getting to Sephiroth in time.

Sephiroth in general becomes much more aggressive in this stage, so you will need to heal more often. After losing nine and a half bars of health, Sephiroth will summon a dark aura and begin his final attack phase.

In the final phase, Sephiroth retains all his previous attacks, but performs them much more quickly and is much faster in general. Healing will be difficult this phase as Sephiroth's attacks come so fast that finding a safe opportunity can take some time. Typically, attacking after Sephiroth performs one of his moves from his first phase is a safe choice. However, his Ground Combo now involves him leaping erratically between slashes, so while it can still be blocked with Guard, it is unlikely that Counterguard will hit him.

Sephiroth will also dash behind Sora and attack him before using Ground Combo, so if he zooms towards you be sure to leap away to avoid the attack. If you are quick enough to evade, you can also jump in on Sephiroth with an aerial combo while he is in the middle of his dash attack. Sephiroth's Shadow Flare also tends to summon more orbs of dark energy than it did in Phase Two, and Sephiroth will occasionally use Shadow Flare up to three times in a row.

Sephiroth's new attack this phase is to rise in front of the castle in the background, out of reach of the player's attacks, and use Meteor. Meteor hits many, many times, and although the damage is negligible individually, the sum damage of the attacks is potentially fatal. Through the use of High Jump, Aerial Dodge, and deft running, you should be able to avoid the majority, if not all, of the attack.

At this point, it is mostly the same as Sephiroth's second phase, except that he attacks faster, making counter-attacking harder. Nevertheless, all his moves still have a specific counter to avoid or minimize the damage, so you merely need to be patient until he is vulnerable to attack. Guard and Reflectga will be very helpful to survival.

Trivia

 * GameFAQs voted Sephiroth as one of the hardest bosses of all time in his Kingdom Hearts version.